It's both fascinating and disheartening listening to conservatives these days. Some seem to believe that anyone receiving any benefits at all are greedy moochers. Tim Armstrong, the CEO of AOL, decided to blame two sick babies for reducing 401K benefits. It was a smokescreen for bashing the Affordable Care Act, but of course he went there. Outrage ensued, and the contribution structure was reinstated. But this typifies the lies told throughout by conservatives to keep the vitriol going. It's easy to blame the uninformed. After all, if they actually read a newspaper, or watched TV, they'd know something, right? But how is anyone supposed to know anything when there is so much confusion about it? Well, if conservative media outlets, pundits, and legislators would start telling the truth, and let everyone make decisions based upon facts, then we might actually get somewhere.
Take for example the most recent information from the CBO on the ACA reducing jobs in the future. The fact is that some people work only to pay for their health insurance. With the Affordable Care Act, these folks may be able to reduce their hours further, start a new business, go to college, retire sooner, or stay home and raise their kids. Of course if we had single payer which didn't tie health insurance to our employers, then this would be a non-issue. We would be born, receive a health care card, pay in to the system on a sliding scale if we made enough money to do so, probably in the form of taxes, and then go to the doctor when we need to. Simple. Until conservative heads explode and scream socialism. They need to get over that. If you're healthy, you can work and contribute to society. If you're not, then you shouldn't have to choose between getting the care you need and, you know, living.
I know what that's like. When I attended college, my parents refused to let me work summers. I had to keep attending college, because in my mother's view, if I took a summer off to earn money for tuition and expenses, I'd never go back to finish my degree. She was ridiculous. Finishing my degree was a given. Eventually, I lived on my own, had a part time work study job, and after much compromise, I received additional money each month from my mother which she told me I couldn't spend. I know. My entire childhood was one impossible situation after another. I lived on approximately $350 per month. I had to pay for my apartment, phone, utilities, and my bus pass. And I had to have enough for food. I didn't. I became so ill that a co-worker left a bottle of multi-vitamins in my inbox at work. I spent a year and a half alternating between bronchitis and a staph infection, finally resulting in a kidney infection. The medicine was so expensive ($25) that I couldn't afford it. I had to beg my mother to come down to the university clinic to take me to a pharmacy and pay for them. She finally relented after a huge argument. The clinic staff stood there, dumbfounded as they listened to my side of the conversation and just stared at her when she arrived to pick me up. She bitched the whole way to the pharmacy and I was so upset that I couldn't speak. She made a fool of herself while at the pharmacy as she denigrated me for being sick, complaining she had to drive "all the way into downtown Portland" after work to do this for me. She lived seven miles from the university.
It's this "catch-22" position in which many people now find themselves. No one asked for the financial crisis and it's clear that it was created by conservative policies. Trickle down never trickled down for the rest of us like our one percent overlords promised. We do what is asked of us and we get nothing but nonsense. We're treated like we're moochers for wanting unemployment insurance to take us through difficult times that politicians created. We're treated like takers when we want affordable health insurance and like socialists if we want that to be a single payer system.
However, we're not the people who should be ashamed. The unabashedly unashamed in our country are dividing us at an alarming rate. And it feels like they do it for sport. Racism, sexism, and any other ism are ruining this country. The conservatives have created such division by lying about almost everything, couching it in racism and sexism. And if they don't get their way, they simply obstruct. They lost the presidency the last two times, so they nearly bring the country to its knees by shutting down the government. It wasn't enough to bring about the sequester which harms struggling Americans, they had to risk our country's credit rating in the process. They confuse everyone about the reality of the debt ceiling, which should confuse no one because most people have a credit card. We all understand finance charges and interest. If I don't pay off my credit card, I incur finance charges. Simple concept. It doesn't give the President a blank check to fill out with that pen he's now threatening to use. And while we're on the subject of credit, how much do we still owe for both wars? The Bush Administration lies us into two wars, doesn't pay for it because of the whole "we'll be greeted with flowers" idea, telling us that we'll be in and out in no time and oil profits will fund the war. Right. Things never turn out the way they say..
Here's the thing. You can't blow up the economy and then take it out on the American people by killing any and all jobs programs offered up for vote. Blowing up the economy was bad enough, but to not help Americans find work? What's wrong with you people? (HT: Ann Romney) The answer is to apologize, then get out of the way and let intelligent people try to fix it. And you can't stand by and gripe about how that happens. You caused the mess. If you can't do anything to actually help, then for the love of all that is holy, shut the hell up. The last thing any of us need is your divisive and destructive input to screw things up any further. You clearly do NOT know what you're doing.
Conservatives lost the presidency because of the way they think about, well, everything. They target voters, women, children, veterans, unemployed, healthcare, and apparently bridge traffic to control the narrative. The problem is, we're not listening anymore. The more you denigrate us and try to take our rights away, the more we detest you. And that translates into voting for the other party. Any other party. At this point, newborn infants running the country would be an improvement. Division has never gotten anyone anywhere except alone. Conservatives would do well to understand that concept. As many are Christians, you'd think that unity would be natural.
We have a chance in November, and then again in 2016 to get the country back on track. We can't do that with the current conservative viewpoint. Either they have to become compassionate and sane, or progressive and compassionate Americans have to be the adults in the room and deal with them in the best way possible..by voting blue.
Showing posts with label Democrats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Democrats. Show all posts
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Oh, SCOTUS..Again?
It's fascinating to live in a country where we have the separation of church and state. Fascinating because every time I turn around, someone wants to live as if we don't. We have a Constitution and a Bill of Rights which are supposed to protect us from various and sundry nefarious things..yet someone somewhere always wants the Supreme Court to say they can get as nefarious as they want.
Justice Sotomayor granted the Catholics a stay regarding the birth control mandate in the Affordable Care Act. SCOTUS is going to hear a case in the near future on the issue, so I suppose that's why she granted it. But following that logic, then anyone sitting in jail awaiting trial should be released on zero bail. I mean, why not? If the Catholic Church and anyone else can discriminate against people while awaiting trial, why shouldn't criminals be let out to do whatever they want to do while they await their trials? It's true that no one is protected, but then who cares about that? Certainly not Justice Sotomayor.
Isn't it great that some people get to choose which laws they follow..and with the blessings of the highest court in the land no less! How about letting all the folks in prison for cannabis out? Most of us want legalization in this country anyway, so throw open the doors and let them all go home. So they want to get high. Who doesn't? Especially now when everything is such a mess in this country.
Look, we have separation of church and state for some pretty good reasons. Which religion wins the prize here? Christianity? Really? Two words..Duck People. You know who I'm talking about. The guy who thinks men should marry 15 year old girls..right. We really want his interpretation of the Bible running the country. Or how about the Westboro Baptist people? Do we want their interpretation of the Bible running the country?
Religion, as expressed by many of our more conservative lawmakers, has nearly brought this country to its knees. I believe their distorted religious ideology is at the very foundation of their lack of compassion for the American people..our brothers and sisters..illustrated by their draconian policies that leave everyone by the roadside. If that's not clear evidence that our founding fathers were on to something when they included this idea in the Constitution, then I don't know what is. And now the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has said that sequester cuts have a negative effect upon public safety. Well, lot's of things do, sir..like your Citizen's United decision, and your Voting Right's Act decision. You keep us safe by protecting our rights, not diminishing them.
We're the United States of America. It's the united part that matters here. Sometimes it means that we have a neutral way to co-exist. That's what the Constitution is, in a sense. There must be a way to respect the beliefs of some without infringing on the rights of others. So we all have to agree to give up something when in the public arena, if you will. If you want to do business out in the world, then you can't decide to discriminate while doing so in an effort to stay true to your belief system. It's your belief system. It might be shared by others in your immediate vicinity, but that's about it as far as it goes in terms of relevance. Beyond that, your beliefs should govern only your life.
It may sound cliche, but we're better than this. Vote Blue next time..besides, our national conventions are more like love fests, and not an empty chair in sight! Just sayin'..
Justice Sotomayor granted the Catholics a stay regarding the birth control mandate in the Affordable Care Act. SCOTUS is going to hear a case in the near future on the issue, so I suppose that's why she granted it. But following that logic, then anyone sitting in jail awaiting trial should be released on zero bail. I mean, why not? If the Catholic Church and anyone else can discriminate against people while awaiting trial, why shouldn't criminals be let out to do whatever they want to do while they await their trials? It's true that no one is protected, but then who cares about that? Certainly not Justice Sotomayor.
Isn't it great that some people get to choose which laws they follow..and with the blessings of the highest court in the land no less! How about letting all the folks in prison for cannabis out? Most of us want legalization in this country anyway, so throw open the doors and let them all go home. So they want to get high. Who doesn't? Especially now when everything is such a mess in this country.
Look, we have separation of church and state for some pretty good reasons. Which religion wins the prize here? Christianity? Really? Two words..Duck People. You know who I'm talking about. The guy who thinks men should marry 15 year old girls..right. We really want his interpretation of the Bible running the country. Or how about the Westboro Baptist people? Do we want their interpretation of the Bible running the country?
Religion, as expressed by many of our more conservative lawmakers, has nearly brought this country to its knees. I believe their distorted religious ideology is at the very foundation of their lack of compassion for the American people..our brothers and sisters..illustrated by their draconian policies that leave everyone by the roadside. If that's not clear evidence that our founding fathers were on to something when they included this idea in the Constitution, then I don't know what is. And now the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has said that sequester cuts have a negative effect upon public safety. Well, lot's of things do, sir..like your Citizen's United decision, and your Voting Right's Act decision. You keep us safe by protecting our rights, not diminishing them.
We're the United States of America. It's the united part that matters here. Sometimes it means that we have a neutral way to co-exist. That's what the Constitution is, in a sense. There must be a way to respect the beliefs of some without infringing on the rights of others. So we all have to agree to give up something when in the public arena, if you will. If you want to do business out in the world, then you can't decide to discriminate while doing so in an effort to stay true to your belief system. It's your belief system. It might be shared by others in your immediate vicinity, but that's about it as far as it goes in terms of relevance. Beyond that, your beliefs should govern only your life.
It may sound cliche, but we're better than this. Vote Blue next time..besides, our national conventions are more like love fests, and not an empty chair in sight! Just sayin'..
Monday, November 11, 2013
Mr. President, patients need your help..
Dear President Obama,
It's me, your unabashedly supportive cannabis patient and adoring fan. And I mean that. I knew you'd be our president when you spoke at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Seriously..my husband and I were watching the convention and you were the keynote speaker. As we listened to your speech, I got uncontrollably teary and I said to my husband, you know what? He's going to be our president one day. And as much as I love Hillary, I voted for you in Oregon's primary in 2008. My boys voted for you and my husband voted for you. It was the coolest feeling ever! I joined the Democratic Party then as well. I had always registered as non-partisan. I really couldn't take sides, even though my heart was always with the Democrats and what they stood for. At least, I couldn't until you came into view. You see, we share basically the same views on most everything. Everything except for cannabis, it seems. I say, it seems, because although you seem to not support legalization, you also seemed to support the medicinal use or at least you seemed to support state law. In any event, the Ogden memo was nice, and then proved to be something else.
US Attorneys like the one in California appear hell-bent on not respecting state law and, in turn, patients. DEA and other law enforcement agencies appear to look upon raids as a way to increase department funding. All at the expense of patients who are following their state laws and who simply want to get well. As legalization continues throughout the states, which it surely will, at some point, you guys are going to have to figure out how to reconcile federal laws with state laws. Or how about this? Take cannabis out of the federal drug registry completely, and let states decide from there. Unless of course you want to go ahead and legalize federally. That would be the simplest thing to do. That gets the federal government out of the way of states who want to legalize. Fix the IRS and banking laws that interfere as well. Then fire any US Attorney who doesn't comply and continues to harass everyone. That should apply to law enforcement as well, particularly those idiot cops who did the roadside cavity search in Texas.
And now for why you need to take a thoughtful and compassionate look at cannabis as medicine. There are amazing stories of healing out there..google them. This is what I went through and continue to go through. I've probably had Rheumatoid Arthritis for most of my life. It went undiagnosed until 2001. I was severe for almost twelve years. I have taken all kinds of meds for it, including methotrexate (5 years until it damaged my liver), sulfasalazine, Enbrel (7 years), Humira (the last 4 years), various anti-inflammatory drugs, and narcotics. I retained so much fluid in the beginning and over time that my weight increased dramatically. I was always waif-like, so this was really disturbing..excruciating pain and weight gain. None of my doctors believed the whole fluid retention thing..they told me to eat less and exercise more. I ate nothing and exercised when I could because frankly, I couldn't walk very well. The fatigue was similar to mononucleosis fatigue. For my doctors to not believe me was emotionally devastating. I knew I would tread water and never get better. So I did what they wanted and took the drugs. And every day I suffered beyond description. My feet were so swollen that wearing shoes, not to mention walking, was difficult. My energy would happen in short bursts, leaving me exhausted. By 1pm, I was done. Except that we owned a business and I couldn't be done. We put in 98 hour work weeks for the first six years of our business. I experienced excruciating pain 24/7. I don't know how I survived that.
In September 2009, a flare began that would last a little more than a year. Flares are awful because they're far more intense than what your daily pain level would be. They typically last for a short time..a day, or a week maybe. For this to go on month after month was ridiculous. Honestly, I didn't think I would live through this. Eventually it was going to take its toll. So, six months after the flare began, I decided to get my OMMP card. I submitted my medical records for review and received my appointment. You don't get one of those if you don't qualify, so I was encouraged. Upon receiving my card, I began growing. Or I should say, my husband began growing. I wasn't able to help at that point..existing was difficult enough. After the first harvest, I began processing my cannabis into tincture and capsules. I designed a treatment regime that I could track and began medicating. I also vaporized cannabis as well as used raw leaf in smoothies. Within 2 months, much of the fluid was gone (TYSVM!!) and I began looking like myself again. I had immediately stopped the narcotic I was taking when I started the treatment regime. I also began discontinuing the anti-inflammatory drug I was on. I couldn't believe that I was so much better so quickly. I had been researching everything I could find on the endocannabinoid system and I was convinced that properties in cannabis balanced that system and when that happens, health returns. And that's what happened with me. By the end of September 2010, my flare was over. My garden was almost ready for harvest, but I had been medicating during the summer with cannabis given to me by other patients so that stopped the flare. I just didn't have the concentrates yet that would give me the best results. But when I did, my health began to return.
Mr. President, I know there are really important things that need to be addressed in our country. I understand the obstruction that's happening and I know people may think that cannabis is really not all that important in the broader scheme of things..but it actually is. Patients, growers, dispensary owners are all being targeted in states where they shouldn't be. People with cancer are using cannabis oil and curing their cancer! Children with severe epilepsy are living normal lives for the first time ever! We have a wonderful child here in Oregon, Mykayla Comstock, who is in remission from her cancer because of cannabis oil. We're all healing because of this plant.
Today, I'm healthier than I've ever been. I still have RA, but it no longer controls my life. It's a nuisance now, and that's doable. I'm still on a couple of RA drugs, but everything else is gone. Cannabis allowed me to do all of this. It balances the immune system, and so much more.
Cannabis is a safe and effective treatment for everything. It never should have been made illegal. Legalizing it would stop the arrests and incarceration of people who are doing nothing wrong. At the very least, resolve the conflict between federal and state laws so that states who have legalized as well as those that only have medicinal cannabis laws won't have the issues they currently face. That helps patients in the long run.
I sit here, tears streaming down my face, imploring you to take up our cause. It's emotional when we finally have something that actually heals us when nothing else has. We believe we're safe because we're following state law, only to discover we're not safe at all. Patients need your compassion, your thoughtfulness. We need you to stand with us and clear the way for our healing. We need you to listen to our stories and not view them with that dreaded "anecdotal" label that diminishes our experiences, relegating them to the proverbial dustbin. We need you to take us seriously.
Respectfully,
Jan
It's me, your unabashedly supportive cannabis patient and adoring fan. And I mean that. I knew you'd be our president when you spoke at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Seriously..my husband and I were watching the convention and you were the keynote speaker. As we listened to your speech, I got uncontrollably teary and I said to my husband, you know what? He's going to be our president one day. And as much as I love Hillary, I voted for you in Oregon's primary in 2008. My boys voted for you and my husband voted for you. It was the coolest feeling ever! I joined the Democratic Party then as well. I had always registered as non-partisan. I really couldn't take sides, even though my heart was always with the Democrats and what they stood for. At least, I couldn't until you came into view. You see, we share basically the same views on most everything. Everything except for cannabis, it seems. I say, it seems, because although you seem to not support legalization, you also seemed to support the medicinal use or at least you seemed to support state law. In any event, the Ogden memo was nice, and then proved to be something else.
US Attorneys like the one in California appear hell-bent on not respecting state law and, in turn, patients. DEA and other law enforcement agencies appear to look upon raids as a way to increase department funding. All at the expense of patients who are following their state laws and who simply want to get well. As legalization continues throughout the states, which it surely will, at some point, you guys are going to have to figure out how to reconcile federal laws with state laws. Or how about this? Take cannabis out of the federal drug registry completely, and let states decide from there. Unless of course you want to go ahead and legalize federally. That would be the simplest thing to do. That gets the federal government out of the way of states who want to legalize. Fix the IRS and banking laws that interfere as well. Then fire any US Attorney who doesn't comply and continues to harass everyone. That should apply to law enforcement as well, particularly those idiot cops who did the roadside cavity search in Texas.
And now for why you need to take a thoughtful and compassionate look at cannabis as medicine. There are amazing stories of healing out there..google them. This is what I went through and continue to go through. I've probably had Rheumatoid Arthritis for most of my life. It went undiagnosed until 2001. I was severe for almost twelve years. I have taken all kinds of meds for it, including methotrexate (5 years until it damaged my liver), sulfasalazine, Enbrel (7 years), Humira (the last 4 years), various anti-inflammatory drugs, and narcotics. I retained so much fluid in the beginning and over time that my weight increased dramatically. I was always waif-like, so this was really disturbing..excruciating pain and weight gain. None of my doctors believed the whole fluid retention thing..they told me to eat less and exercise more. I ate nothing and exercised when I could because frankly, I couldn't walk very well. The fatigue was similar to mononucleosis fatigue. For my doctors to not believe me was emotionally devastating. I knew I would tread water and never get better. So I did what they wanted and took the drugs. And every day I suffered beyond description. My feet were so swollen that wearing shoes, not to mention walking, was difficult. My energy would happen in short bursts, leaving me exhausted. By 1pm, I was done. Except that we owned a business and I couldn't be done. We put in 98 hour work weeks for the first six years of our business. I experienced excruciating pain 24/7. I don't know how I survived that.
In September 2009, a flare began that would last a little more than a year. Flares are awful because they're far more intense than what your daily pain level would be. They typically last for a short time..a day, or a week maybe. For this to go on month after month was ridiculous. Honestly, I didn't think I would live through this. Eventually it was going to take its toll. So, six months after the flare began, I decided to get my OMMP card. I submitted my medical records for review and received my appointment. You don't get one of those if you don't qualify, so I was encouraged. Upon receiving my card, I began growing. Or I should say, my husband began growing. I wasn't able to help at that point..existing was difficult enough. After the first harvest, I began processing my cannabis into tincture and capsules. I designed a treatment regime that I could track and began medicating. I also vaporized cannabis as well as used raw leaf in smoothies. Within 2 months, much of the fluid was gone (TYSVM!!) and I began looking like myself again. I had immediately stopped the narcotic I was taking when I started the treatment regime. I also began discontinuing the anti-inflammatory drug I was on. I couldn't believe that I was so much better so quickly. I had been researching everything I could find on the endocannabinoid system and I was convinced that properties in cannabis balanced that system and when that happens, health returns. And that's what happened with me. By the end of September 2010, my flare was over. My garden was almost ready for harvest, but I had been medicating during the summer with cannabis given to me by other patients so that stopped the flare. I just didn't have the concentrates yet that would give me the best results. But when I did, my health began to return.
Mr. President, I know there are really important things that need to be addressed in our country. I understand the obstruction that's happening and I know people may think that cannabis is really not all that important in the broader scheme of things..but it actually is. Patients, growers, dispensary owners are all being targeted in states where they shouldn't be. People with cancer are using cannabis oil and curing their cancer! Children with severe epilepsy are living normal lives for the first time ever! We have a wonderful child here in Oregon, Mykayla Comstock, who is in remission from her cancer because of cannabis oil. We're all healing because of this plant.
Today, I'm healthier than I've ever been. I still have RA, but it no longer controls my life. It's a nuisance now, and that's doable. I'm still on a couple of RA drugs, but everything else is gone. Cannabis allowed me to do all of this. It balances the immune system, and so much more.
Cannabis is a safe and effective treatment for everything. It never should have been made illegal. Legalizing it would stop the arrests and incarceration of people who are doing nothing wrong. At the very least, resolve the conflict between federal and state laws so that states who have legalized as well as those that only have medicinal cannabis laws won't have the issues they currently face. That helps patients in the long run.
I sit here, tears streaming down my face, imploring you to take up our cause. It's emotional when we finally have something that actually heals us when nothing else has. We believe we're safe because we're following state law, only to discover we're not safe at all. Patients need your compassion, your thoughtfulness. We need you to stand with us and clear the way for our healing. We need you to listen to our stories and not view them with that dreaded "anecdotal" label that diminishes our experiences, relegating them to the proverbial dustbin. We need you to take us seriously.
Respectfully,
Jan
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Another day..another hearing..
I got back home this morning from my walk in time for the end of the love fest for Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. I guess it lasted for hours and maybe I should be thankful that I missed most of it. SSDD..same shit, different day. Tea Party/GOP members of the committee went down the yellow brick road with their Kansas references. Sec. Sebelius is the former governor of Kansas, hence the comments. But they weren't in praise of anything. I saw committee members interrupt her, while claiming that she wouldn't answer their questions. I heard nothing but contempt from these people, and it was disgusting.
I would ask the committee if the conservative members really wanted any answers at all today. And when are we going to have a hearing that grills the Tea Party/GOP in the same manner on the effects of the shutdown, and the endless obstruction they've engaged in while President Obama has been in office? Jesus..he won. Get over it.
The American people know who the troublemakers are. And if the guys don't know, women do. Women know who the culprits are. We know which members of Congress are hurting our children, our families, our financial security, our basic safety, and our constitutional protections. We know which lawmakers are more concerned with controlling women's bodies and which lawmakers follow the law and respect our privacy. We know who wants to suppress our vote. We know who kisses the collective asses of the 1% and who couldn't give a damn about the rest of us.
At least Secretary Sebelius is trying to do something positive for the country. Yes, there have been glitches. And all of that should have been fixed before its launch. All the GOP/Tea Pary have done is obstruct and lie. They would do the country a favor by simply staying home and not ruining things anymore. We're moving in a positive direction on health care that we haven't seen in a long time. I would have preferred single payer, but I know that's coming. It will be the next step in the evolution of this process. The GOP/Tea Party need to stop obstructing and be part of the forward momentum.
The Sisterhood is alive and well and we're tired of all this crap. And..we will vote..and you might not like the result. If you don't live in a state with it's own exchange, and you have to go to healthcare.gov, hang in there. This will eventually be a memory and you'll have health insurance.
And to my Sisters out there..you know what you have to do. At the end of the day, it always comes down to us anyway. We clean up messes and dry tears. And Goddess help anyone who gets in our way.
I would ask the committee if the conservative members really wanted any answers at all today. And when are we going to have a hearing that grills the Tea Party/GOP in the same manner on the effects of the shutdown, and the endless obstruction they've engaged in while President Obama has been in office? Jesus..he won. Get over it.
The American people know who the troublemakers are. And if the guys don't know, women do. Women know who the culprits are. We know which members of Congress are hurting our children, our families, our financial security, our basic safety, and our constitutional protections. We know which lawmakers are more concerned with controlling women's bodies and which lawmakers follow the law and respect our privacy. We know who wants to suppress our vote. We know who kisses the collective asses of the 1% and who couldn't give a damn about the rest of us.
At least Secretary Sebelius is trying to do something positive for the country. Yes, there have been glitches. And all of that should have been fixed before its launch. All the GOP/Tea Pary have done is obstruct and lie. They would do the country a favor by simply staying home and not ruining things anymore. We're moving in a positive direction on health care that we haven't seen in a long time. I would have preferred single payer, but I know that's coming. It will be the next step in the evolution of this process. The GOP/Tea Party need to stop obstructing and be part of the forward momentum.
The Sisterhood is alive and well and we're tired of all this crap. And..we will vote..and you might not like the result. If you don't live in a state with it's own exchange, and you have to go to healthcare.gov, hang in there. This will eventually be a memory and you'll have health insurance.
And to my Sisters out there..you know what you have to do. At the end of the day, it always comes down to us anyway. We clean up messes and dry tears. And Goddess help anyone who gets in our way.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
As the shutdown looms..
My husband is a disabled Vietnam veteran who receives benefits from the Veteran's Administration each month. This is what happens when something goes wrong while in service to our country. We promise to take care of our veterans. They take care of us and, in turn, we take care of them.
Unless you're a Tea Party Republican. Those people don't care about anyone. It's almost as if they're living in an alternate universe that's bleeding into ours. They don't make any sense and clearly do not understand what governing is. These mentally challenged individuals believe that they can control spending by not raising the debt limit. Trying to reason with them only falls on deaf ears. It's a fairly simple concept, really. I'm sure they all have credit cards. If they don't pay off the balance each month, they have to pay, say it with me now, interest or finance charges on the remaining balance. Or, say you finance a car you want to buy. You'll pay a certain amount of interest on that loan. Same thing happens when you buy a home. It all adds to the debt you owe. That's what the debt ceiling thing is. Voting each time to agree to simply pay the bills we've already agreed to incur is stupid and pointless. We owe the money. And although I know that old school Republicans exist, they're either too intimidated by these people, or they just don't care anymore to stop them. And now the Tea Party Republicans want to bail on our fiscal responsibilities. How can they hold office if they don't understand this? If this were a business, they'd be fired.
Somehow, they've even managed to incorporate the idea of freedom, into the equation. Unfortunately all they've really accomplished in my estimation is reducing freedom to an unrecognizable slogan or buzzword. And yet, they seem to be the biggest control freaks around. They want to force women to have vaginal ultrasounds before having an abortion, a constitutionally protected medical procedure. They know they can't win elections so much anymore because of how insane they are so they re-draw the districting lines or find other ways to suppress the vote. It's always in areas that typically vote for Democrats, so I guess they think if they stack the vote in their favor, they'll be back in control.
But let's look at what they do when Republicans (Tea Party or not) are in control. They lied us into two wars. They ended the Assault Weapons Ban. They crashed the economy. They enact laws typically on the state level that endanger workers' rights and women's rights. They seem to favor only protecting corporations instead of protecting people. They don't believe in climate change and they don't care if the earth is polluted out of existence. They pay homage to the 1% because that's who fills their election coffers. And then there's the racism. That filters into everything. It's part of why they voted to reduce the SNAP program by almost 40 billion. And don't even get me started on immigration reform or the whole, corporations are people my friend crap. This is compassionate conservatism at its finest.
And now they want to shut down the government unless we defund the Affordable Care Act. Never mind that the ACA is covering kids until they're 26. Never mind that pre-existing conditions will be covered. Never mind that it's going to save people money. Never mind that millions will have health insurance for maybe the first time ever. Never mind the facts, because as we all have seen, the GOP doesn't ever let facts get in the way of decision-making. Instead, they make stuff up out of whole cloth and expect the rest of us to buy it hook, line and sinker. Well, we're a whole lot smarter than that.
The country is in a mess. Crazy people always come out of the woodwork when these things happen. Many of them were elected to Congress. If we don't get them out of office, our country will never get back on track. The American people deserve better than these lunatics. We cannot stay home in 2014. We have to stand up and tell these morons that we deserve better than what they've given us. Vote.
Unless you're a Tea Party Republican. Those people don't care about anyone. It's almost as if they're living in an alternate universe that's bleeding into ours. They don't make any sense and clearly do not understand what governing is. These mentally challenged individuals believe that they can control spending by not raising the debt limit. Trying to reason with them only falls on deaf ears. It's a fairly simple concept, really. I'm sure they all have credit cards. If they don't pay off the balance each month, they have to pay, say it with me now, interest or finance charges on the remaining balance. Or, say you finance a car you want to buy. You'll pay a certain amount of interest on that loan. Same thing happens when you buy a home. It all adds to the debt you owe. That's what the debt ceiling thing is. Voting each time to agree to simply pay the bills we've already agreed to incur is stupid and pointless. We owe the money. And although I know that old school Republicans exist, they're either too intimidated by these people, or they just don't care anymore to stop them. And now the Tea Party Republicans want to bail on our fiscal responsibilities. How can they hold office if they don't understand this? If this were a business, they'd be fired.
Somehow, they've even managed to incorporate the idea of freedom, into the equation. Unfortunately all they've really accomplished in my estimation is reducing freedom to an unrecognizable slogan or buzzword. And yet, they seem to be the biggest control freaks around. They want to force women to have vaginal ultrasounds before having an abortion, a constitutionally protected medical procedure. They know they can't win elections so much anymore because of how insane they are so they re-draw the districting lines or find other ways to suppress the vote. It's always in areas that typically vote for Democrats, so I guess they think if they stack the vote in their favor, they'll be back in control.
But let's look at what they do when Republicans (Tea Party or not) are in control. They lied us into two wars. They ended the Assault Weapons Ban. They crashed the economy. They enact laws typically on the state level that endanger workers' rights and women's rights. They seem to favor only protecting corporations instead of protecting people. They don't believe in climate change and they don't care if the earth is polluted out of existence. They pay homage to the 1% because that's who fills their election coffers. And then there's the racism. That filters into everything. It's part of why they voted to reduce the SNAP program by almost 40 billion. And don't even get me started on immigration reform or the whole, corporations are people my friend crap. This is compassionate conservatism at its finest.
And now they want to shut down the government unless we defund the Affordable Care Act. Never mind that the ACA is covering kids until they're 26. Never mind that pre-existing conditions will be covered. Never mind that it's going to save people money. Never mind that millions will have health insurance for maybe the first time ever. Never mind the facts, because as we all have seen, the GOP doesn't ever let facts get in the way of decision-making. Instead, they make stuff up out of whole cloth and expect the rest of us to buy it hook, line and sinker. Well, we're a whole lot smarter than that.
The country is in a mess. Crazy people always come out of the woodwork when these things happen. Many of them were elected to Congress. If we don't get them out of office, our country will never get back on track. The American people deserve better than these lunatics. We cannot stay home in 2014. We have to stand up and tell these morons that we deserve better than what they've given us. Vote.
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