September 2008 Newsletter                               View an index of all our newsletters
 

From the Desk of
Arthur Lazerow

My Father's Passing and Politics

I want to thank my family and the many friends, colleagues and Realtors who called and wrote notes upon the passing of my father in early August. It has been very reassuring to receive so many thoughts of condolence during such a time of personal anguish.

My father was a terrific person. He was the last sibling of his generation and was a pillar of strength to his nieces and nephews as they lost their parents and to his children and grandchildren. He was liked by everyone he met. Even his final doctor, a woman who cared for him only two weeks at the Hebrew Home in Rockville, cried when she learned Dad had died at Suburban Hospital earlier that day, when we talked a few hours after his passing as I collected his clothes. He was a highly respected optometrist, who had three generations of patients at his funeral. His friends mourned him deeply and I am still getting calls from people telling me how much they miss him.

After Dad became a widower seventeen months ago, I got to know him on an adult and very intimate basis. During his last series of illnesses, I spent almost every day with him. This was a true blessing that each of us should experience with our parents.

For some reason, this current presidential election fascinated him and he lived to see both McCain and Obama win nomination. We discussed the pros and cons of both politicians and his perspective was very broad, considering he experienced both the Depression and World War II. He and I agreed on the course of this election and now that the nomination conventions are over, here’s our take on this election.

We both agreed that this election is one of the most important elections in our nation’s history, given the state of the economy, the critical national security threats, and our low standing in international affairs. My first cousin, Michael Kammen, the retired Newton C. Farr Professor of American History and Culture at Cornell University, is a leading early-American, revolutionary period historian. His Pulitzer Prize winning book, People of Paradox, explained that the key to understanding the impulses leading to American independence is to recognize the dichotomies that existed at the time, the pro- and anti-British sentiment, the Federalist, Anti-Federalist tensions, and the struggle between rural agricultural and urban interests, among them. Similarly, bilateral tensions exist with this election and will ultimate leave one voting segment of our population to determine its outcome.

The issues of race and gender will not be determinative in this election. Having Sarah Palin on the Republican ticket will not change many votes, given her extreme anti-abortion, creationist, gun toting conservative attitudes. However, her nomination reassures the Republican conservative base. The “Bigot” vote, which may be five or six percent of the electorate, is offset by those African-American voters who will vote for Obama only because he is “one of us.” Furthermore, party affiliation will not determine this election. Neither candidate will attract a significant number of crossover voters. The Democratic and Republican votes cancel each other, which also explains why Congress will remain essentially split.

Forget the polls! Whatever the polls say on November 1 will be meaningless. This election will be determined by independent voters in the key battleground states at the moment they enter their voting booths and must pull that lever, push that button or mark a ballot. The independent voters will ask themselves whether: A. they want a change of administration and can make that leap of faith that an Obama/Biden administration will have the judgment, if not the past experience, to do better; or, B. the stink of failure of the past administration will not besmirch McCain, that a McCain/Palin administration will be sufficiently superior to the Bush/Chaney debacle that they can support another Republican administration.

And the winner is: To Be Determined!

Radon Exposure Tied to Childhood Leukemia

This is so sad, because it is so preventable. Reports this summer from Danish researchers reported that children living in homes with elevated radon levels have an increased risk of childhood leukemia, known medically as acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Apparently, no other childhood cancer was implicated by the studies. This type of leukemia is a cancer of infection-fighting white blood cells. The Danish researchers found high rates of childhood cancer in geographic regions recording higher concentrations of radon gas in homes.

These are incredible numbers. They studied radon levels in homes in which 2400 children with cancer diagnoses and 6700 cancer-free children lived. All were under the age of 15. Children exposed to only intermediate levels of elevated radon in their homes’ air were at a 21 percent higher risk of developing cancer, but exposure to high radon levels resulted in a 63 percent greater risk of developing cancer.

Anyone living in a single family home, townhouse or multi-family building below the third floor should know the radon level of their residence. Which means if you do not know the radon number, you MUST test. Not only will testing and remediation of homes with elevated radon levels protect you against lung cancer but help protect your children from leukemia. Considering the finest testing methods cost under $200 and a home test kit cost about $25, why do you not know the radon level of your residence?

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