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LETTER FROM THE COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTS this 2008 election year is shaping up to be perhaps the most seminal one in a generation. We working Americans are, quite literally, hurting. Many of us are having to forgo gassing up the car, paying the mortgage, putting enough food on the table, or filling our blood pressure medications. Most families' finances are so fragile that the slightest illness can tip them over an edge, sending them into economic freefall. Let's face it: We're all worried and scared. One of the top challenges for the next president will be to fix the healthcare crisis and bring back some measure of health security for all Americans. The race has narrowed to two major candidates, senators John McCain and Barack Obama, and their healthcare platforms could not be farther apart. How well versed are you with the main components of their plans and where they stand on healthcare issues? Lucky for you, we've scrutinized their campaign literature and what they've said publicly about how they'd fix the system. Check out our analysis in this issue's news section. Also this month, RN board member David Welch fills us Luddites in on the world of blogging. David admits he is not a very techie kind of guy, but he started reading some blog websites a couple years ago and quickly realized how many people blogs are now reaching and influencing. For activists like us, nurses trying to build a national movement to reform healthcare, it's critical that we get out there and join the online conversation. Many thanks to David for writing an article outlining the basics of blogging and how to get started. If you already spend a fair amount of time surfing REGISTERED NURSE,™ (ISSN 1932-8966) The Journal of Patient Advocacy, July/August 2008 Volume 104/6 is published by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, 2000 Franklin Street, Oakland, CA 946122908. It provides news of organizational activities and reports on developments of concern to all registered nurses across the nation. It also carries general coverage and commentary on matters of nursing practice, community and public health, and healthcare policy. It is published monthly except for combined issues in January and February, and July and August. Periodicals postage paid at Oakland, California. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Registered Nurse, 2000 ™ Franklin Street, Oakland, CA 94612-2908. To send a media release or announcement, fax (510) 6630629. Registered Nurse™ is carried on the CNA/NNOC website at www.calnurses.org. the Internet, know how to write an email, and have some strong opinions on healthcare, you are the perfect blogger. David says if he can do it, you can too. Last, this issue includes our annual summer book review special. Every year more and more healthcare-related books cross our desks, and some of the most intriguing ones are reviewed here. We hope you'll come across one that will prompt you to read more or rethink your practice. Here's wishing you are enjoying your summer. Get your R&R in now, because we'll be busy come fall! Deborah Burger, RN | Geri Jenkins, RN Malinda Markowitz, RN | Zenei Triunfo-Cortez, RN CNA/NNOC Council of Presidents For permission to reprint articles, write to Editorial Office. To subscribe, send $40 ($45 foreign) to Subscription Department. California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee also produces California Nurse, which it will ™ continue to publish periodically. PLEASE CONTACT US WITH YOUR STORY IDEAS They can be about practice or management trends you've observed, or simply something new you've encountered in the profession. They can be about one nurse, unit, or hospital, or about the wider landscape of healthcare policy from an RN's perspective. They can be humorous, or a matter of life and death. If you're a writer and would like to contribute an article, please let us know. Our contact information is in the masthead. executive editor Rose Ann DeMoro editor Lucia Hwang graphic design Jonathan Wieder communications director Charles Idelson contributors Hedy Dumpel, RN, JD Donna Smith photography Jaclyn Higgs Lauren Reid