Sometimes I get so frustrated that this blog has gotten so political. Then, I have to remember...I had to spend years keeping silent about my beliefs and opinions.Why, you may ask? I was married into an uber-Conservative family, and felt like if I opened my mouth to contradict their bullshit at any given time, I was going to have a shit storm unloaded on me. I could already tell the in-laws didn't really like me...they could sense by my demeanor and dress that I wasn't like them...I wasn't about to add more fuel to the fire. I've had these uber-Conservative views shoved at me my whole life, seeing as after my parents divorced, my mother had primary custody of me, and her family is very uber-Conservative. I am very thankful for having a hippie for a dad, to expose me to a more open way of thinking. See, it was mostly dad that pushed for me to not be baptized Catholic as a baby, saying that the fight between his parents in trying to determine if he would be Lutheran or Catholic (which are nearly the same dang thing) almost caused his parents to divorce. My dad convinced my mother to allow me to explore the world of religion on my own, and I'm so thankful he did! Sure, I ended up going to Catholic church when I was a kid...on my own, mind you, because my mother was and still is a non-practicing Catholic, but she never stopped me from going. I took the same stance with my kids, and one was baptized in the Catholic church, while the other a non-denominational Christian church. I was never actually baptized Catholic...was baptized in the Baptist church when I was 17 (part of my my religious journey), and rededicated my baptism in a non-denominational Christian church in my late 20's before I married my second husband. Since splitting from my second husband 2 years ago, I've further explored my spirituality outside of the church, and what I found is that I don't need religion at all! My thoughts these days is that religion only serves to divide a people!! Do I still have faith in God...a higher power? Yes, because I know I have felt the presence of such. Do I believe the Bible as written? Not really, because I've grown to understand this is man's interpretation of what God has said to various people in history. Do I believe in Jesus? Well, there is historical references outside of the Bible to his existence, so yes. But I don't believe in religion...I believe in love. I guess you can say I'm now a non-practicing Catholic with a sprinkle of Buddhism (as I have started to study these principles in the last two years), if you really have to define things. I believe in energies and karma...which is not contrary to Christian belief. I mean, what is the spirit but an energy being. This can be shown through science...you can see the energy in the body through special machines, and when we die, that energy disappears. It is also safe to say if you believe that God created all, that all things have an energy having been touched by such an entity as God Himself!
Wow...that is a long introduction for this post...but all that said. The events of this past week have really stirred some thoughts in my mind about humanity...specifically...people who call themselves Christian. Don't get me wrong, I'm not calling out all Christians here, as I have seen several who actually get it. What "it" is, you may gather as you read further.
It seems to me, that so many of these people value symbols over actual lives! The people who are defending the flag so much are using arguments that there is no racism...that there is equality already, so what more do these people want. They are ignoring the fact that a black man doing the exact same thing as a white man is more likely to get shot AND KILLED by an officer, and that said officer is very rarely convicted of using excessive force, manslaughter, or even murder even when it is found that the officer's account of the situation was not true, and the perceived suspect was not armed. They are ignoring the fact that in most metros, neighborhoods are still very segregated with cities reluctant to put money into poor black or Latino neighborhoods, while they are revitalizing poor white neighborhoods...thus feeding the problem that people of color are more likely to live in poverty than whites, because all of their lives, all they see is desolation. They are ignoring that just within the last couple of months, White Supremacists marched in Charlottsville proving that racism is still very much alive and well in this country! No, they are focusing on a SYMBOL, instead of lives. That is all the flag is...a symbol. It is a symbol of what this country SHOULD be...the land of liberty and freedom. When a group of people say they can't stand to a symbol of a country that doesn't truly exist, we get backlash from a group of people that is made up mostly of self-proclaimed Christians...a group of people that you would think, by their very religious beliefs, should be concerned about the well-being of other people. However, what I see more and more from this group of people is that they only really care about themselves!!! Think about it...healthcare is a prime example. The Conservative Christians are over there saying they don't want to have to pay for coverage they don't use in order to make sure that said coverage is available to all people. They don't want to pay into a system that will help pay for people to cannot afford health insurance on their own to get subsidies to allow them to get coverage. They don't want to pay for the sick, or the elderly. Oh, and you know those veterans they are so concerned about in their national anthem arguments? When it comes to needing money for proper medical and mental health care for our veterans, again, they don't want to have to pay!! I feel like it is more pomp and circumstance for these folks! They can talk the talk, but not walk the walk.
Did you know that in the midst of all this NFL crap, that on Sunday, a gunman opened fire on a church? I saw ONE post yesterday that finally addressed this, and the complaint was that the media was trying to bury the story, because it didn't fit in with the liberal agenda. What I noticed is that the Christians themselves were more concerned about the NFL issue to even offer up prayer to their fellow Christians! Yeah...if you are thinking what I'm thinking, you are sitting there shaking and smacking your head right now! The media didn't bury it...I saw the reports on Sunday, and my heart went out to those poor people. I sat in wait for details on the shooter to see how the Conservatives were going to spin things based on the shooter's race and motive. Nope...not a peep...not even an offer of prayer. Nope! All week it has been "boycott the NFL...boycott all of their sponsors...disrespect for the flag"!
The other thing that had me pondering were the multiple videos of people burning their NFL gear. Really, a whole lot of these people have spent some serious money on this shit! Yes, I follow the NY Giants, and I have one shirt that I found at JCP that is not official NFL gear. I think I maybe spent $15 bucks on it, and bought it because I was like, "Oh, I could wear that to a football watching party to rep my team, since everyone there will be wearing jerseys." We are talking bomber jackets, jerseys, hats, coozies, etc. And it isn't like just one shirt! No, they could basically have a bonfire with the amount of NFL team gear they have! These people spent thousands! Talk about team worship! And then that REALLY got me pondering...all of this team gear they have spent all of this money on (probably more money than any of them have ever put in the collection plate or given to a humanitarian charity...and we already know they don't want to spend on sick, elderly, or vets). All this concern over the disrespect of a flag...a symbol. At that moment, I remember the Second Commandment...do not worship idols!!! MIND BLOWN! I mean, isn't that exactly what these proclaimed Christians are doing in their week long defense of the flag? In demanding boycotts against companies that if successful would destroy the US economy and put thousands, if not millions, of people out of work? The flag is an IDOL, and they are worshiping it!!!
I know this is long, and it took me some time to get to the major revelation. I felt it necessary to lead you down the path I followed through the week before this revelation. DO NOT WORSHIP IDOLS! Wake up Christians!
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
So, you want to boycott the NFL and all of their sponsors!
I've seen the last few days people calling out for boycotts of the NFL and any of their sponsors who either stand in support of them, or who stay quiet on the issue at hand. I see this and I have to wonder a couple of things.
First of all, I have to wonder if these people are actually willing to throw the economy into the toilet over this protest by NFL players? How is that patriotic? Advocating for putting hard-working Americans out of work? That is all you are really going to do! The folks at the top of these organizations will be fine. They have money to float themselves until they can figure out their next venture. They won't close the companies right away...they will slowly lay off people trying to right the ship until there is no other option. These people are Americans who don't have money to float them, and if said boycotts WERE successful, jobs would be that much harder to find! Yeah, you want to stand up for the flag...you want to talk about respect for the men and women who have served...but how respectful is it to spit in the face of those very soldiers by advocating for killing this country?!
Second, all these patriotic folks, I have to ask you this. Where is the stuff made that you buy? I know a whole lot of you shop at Wal-Mart, and I also know half of that junks is manufactured in sweat shops where human rights are the last thing the slave drivers that run them are concerned about! You buy products that continue to support the very thing our men and women in the military are fighting against! Oh, but you are are good patriotic Americans!
Finally, I have to state again what has been stated for the last 3 days...every one in this country is protected by the First Amendment right to free speech! This doesn't mean we are only allowed to express our opinions publicly if they match up with your opinion...or even the President's opinion! This doesn't mean that if you are rich you have no right speaking up for people who are living in poorer conditions. This doesn't mean that if you are not oppressed, you are not allowed to speak against injustices you see against others. This means FREE SPEECH! Sadly, even hate speech is protected, as long as it isn't calling out for physical harm to other people (i.e., such as calling out for mass lynchings, etc.). One can be on YouTube all day spewing hate, and there is no law that says he cannot! If being interviewed on the news, I can say I hate flying purple people eaters, and as long as I'm not calling out for people to beat them down for no reason other than the fact they are purple, I'm still within my First Amendment rights! That is one of the amazing things about this country!
So, I say this...all of you who want to talk about disrespect for our flag, or our men and women in the military, and our country by taking a knee to call out an injustice they see, and to send a message to a President who has, on so many occasions, shown he truly does not line up with the values that this country was founded on, YOU, my friends, are the ones disrespecting these things by trying to deny people their Constitutional right to free speech! You support a man who is more outspoken against a group of mostly black Americans pointing out an injustice than he is against a group of White Supremacist haters! You want to support your right to fly the Confederate battle flag which is a symbol of treason against the United States, and protect statues of people who fought against the country you claim to love. You want to call those of us who don't side with you a bunch of snowflakes or libertards (yeah...basically calling us retarded for actually valuing other humans), while you just follow along like a bunch of sheep behind a man who will probably walk you right off of a cliff! Come to think of it, so many of you didn't even support him until he became the Republican nominee...you couldn't stand him! But you are so close mindedly following the Republican party line that you will end up standing behind whoever they throw at you to follow. No, no one could possibly offer this country anything if they are not Republican, right? I'm neither Republican nor Democrat...I'm for who I think will do what is best for this country. I'm not just going to follow someone because of party affiliation...I what to know where their heart is. I refuse to stand just because you tell me to, and I will always do what I feel is best for this country because I truly am an American!
First of all, I have to wonder if these people are actually willing to throw the economy into the toilet over this protest by NFL players? How is that patriotic? Advocating for putting hard-working Americans out of work? That is all you are really going to do! The folks at the top of these organizations will be fine. They have money to float themselves until they can figure out their next venture. They won't close the companies right away...they will slowly lay off people trying to right the ship until there is no other option. These people are Americans who don't have money to float them, and if said boycotts WERE successful, jobs would be that much harder to find! Yeah, you want to stand up for the flag...you want to talk about respect for the men and women who have served...but how respectful is it to spit in the face of those very soldiers by advocating for killing this country?!
Second, all these patriotic folks, I have to ask you this. Where is the stuff made that you buy? I know a whole lot of you shop at Wal-Mart, and I also know half of that junks is manufactured in sweat shops where human rights are the last thing the slave drivers that run them are concerned about! You buy products that continue to support the very thing our men and women in the military are fighting against! Oh, but you are are good patriotic Americans!
Finally, I have to state again what has been stated for the last 3 days...every one in this country is protected by the First Amendment right to free speech! This doesn't mean we are only allowed to express our opinions publicly if they match up with your opinion...or even the President's opinion! This doesn't mean that if you are rich you have no right speaking up for people who are living in poorer conditions. This doesn't mean that if you are not oppressed, you are not allowed to speak against injustices you see against others. This means FREE SPEECH! Sadly, even hate speech is protected, as long as it isn't calling out for physical harm to other people (i.e., such as calling out for mass lynchings, etc.). One can be on YouTube all day spewing hate, and there is no law that says he cannot! If being interviewed on the news, I can say I hate flying purple people eaters, and as long as I'm not calling out for people to beat them down for no reason other than the fact they are purple, I'm still within my First Amendment rights! That is one of the amazing things about this country!
So, I say this...all of you who want to talk about disrespect for our flag, or our men and women in the military, and our country by taking a knee to call out an injustice they see, and to send a message to a President who has, on so many occasions, shown he truly does not line up with the values that this country was founded on, YOU, my friends, are the ones disrespecting these things by trying to deny people their Constitutional right to free speech! You support a man who is more outspoken against a group of mostly black Americans pointing out an injustice than he is against a group of White Supremacist haters! You want to support your right to fly the Confederate battle flag which is a symbol of treason against the United States, and protect statues of people who fought against the country you claim to love. You want to call those of us who don't side with you a bunch of snowflakes or libertards (yeah...basically calling us retarded for actually valuing other humans), while you just follow along like a bunch of sheep behind a man who will probably walk you right off of a cliff! Come to think of it, so many of you didn't even support him until he became the Republican nominee...you couldn't stand him! But you are so close mindedly following the Republican party line that you will end up standing behind whoever they throw at you to follow. No, no one could possibly offer this country anything if they are not Republican, right? I'm neither Republican nor Democrat...I'm for who I think will do what is best for this country. I'm not just going to follow someone because of party affiliation...I what to know where their heart is. I refuse to stand just because you tell me to, and I will always do what I feel is best for this country because I truly am an American!
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
The real reason healthcare costs are so high.
While I agree that the ACA needs some tweaking, I do believe it did a lot of good. It allowed parents to keep children on their policies until age 26 regardless of if they were in school, which helped with the fact that young adults who aren't in college are typically doing jobs where employer-sponsored health insurance isn't offered. It mandated that people couldn't be turned down for pre-existing conditions, and that insurance companies couldn't jack up the prices on these folks. It also mandated that things such as pre- and post-natal care, birth control, etc. were covered, as these are typically things that get eliminated to cut corners and offer cheap policies while not making it clear up front...causing people to only find out when they need the coverage that what they need isn't covered.
There are a lot of people blaming the ACA for price hikes. While the ACA may have played a SMALL role in rate hikes, this is only because it enabled more people to become enrolled on insurance policies, and thus revealed the TRUE reason that healthcare is so expensive!
1) Big Pharmaceutical. These folks have been jacking up the costs of prescriptions for some time. Slowly, the availability of generics had decreased (the cheaper options), leaving folks to have to purchase branded versions of their meds for often twice the cost of a generic counterpart. Pricing of said meds have also gone out of control...just look at the whole Epi-pen fiasco. The pharms are pushing doctors to prescribe the newer meds under the guise that they "work better" and are "more modern", when this isn't always the case. For example, when I get bronchitis maybe once every 6-8 years, the only antibiotic that works for me is amoxicillin. A full course of generic amoxicillin before insurance usually costs me around $5, meaning insurance never kicks in. What the doctors try to push on me...Z-Pak, or whatever new "miracle" antibiotic is out there that I'm not willing to experiment with because I actually want to feel better...has a copay of $40, and then insurance pays some amount that is unknown to me. I literally have to fight for the lower cost option!
2) Healthcare Providers. Have you ever had to visit the ER or stay in the hospital, and took a good look at the itemization? For the price of one band-aid or q-tip, you could buy an entire box or package...or even an entire case! Doctor comes in and talks to you for 15 minutes...you get charged $200+?! I get that he spent some 8+ years in school and has a vast amount of cool knowledge in his head, but really? For 15 minutes of his time?! Oh, and if he actually has to do something, that price per 15 minutes skyrockets! Okay...so part of that goes to the nurse who actually has to administer the shot or who takes your vitals before the doctor even comes in...but seriously, that nurse doesn't get all that much. I also get that there are overhead costs, but if you pay attention to that itemization, you will find they have charged you fees for all that crap, too. It's insane!
3) Insurance Companies. Okay...so if you take into account #1 and #2, and the fact that the insurance company still has to pay it's own employees and admin costs while still making some profit (because it IS business, not a non-profit), you will see how having to pay out for more people would cause them to have to raise their rates. However, the insurance companies are greedy as hell about their profits, so they don't just raise their rates, they jack that shit up! Rates on steroids! The insurance company CEOs really enjoy their big bonuses and salaries.
You see, the business of insurance is really a gamble on you not actually making a claim, so the more claims people make, the more they jack up the rates!
So, while I believe that work needs to done, the only way that we are truly going to make healthcare more affordable is to put some controls on these folks! One way to do that would be through a single payer, seeing as then the government could set the max amount they would be willing to pay for said meds and procedures, and everyone is just going to have to deal with it. Now, single payer also has it's flaws, so the trick is to look at all the options available, and try to put together a plan that helps the most people the most effectively. That is not an easy task! That will take cooperation and sharing of ideas from both sides of the isle, and the most recent failure moves us a bit closer to that. When the rules change after September 30th, and 62 votes will be needed in the Senate to pass a plan, both sides will have no choice but to work together for the people!
There are a lot of people blaming the ACA for price hikes. While the ACA may have played a SMALL role in rate hikes, this is only because it enabled more people to become enrolled on insurance policies, and thus revealed the TRUE reason that healthcare is so expensive!
1) Big Pharmaceutical. These folks have been jacking up the costs of prescriptions for some time. Slowly, the availability of generics had decreased (the cheaper options), leaving folks to have to purchase branded versions of their meds for often twice the cost of a generic counterpart. Pricing of said meds have also gone out of control...just look at the whole Epi-pen fiasco. The pharms are pushing doctors to prescribe the newer meds under the guise that they "work better" and are "more modern", when this isn't always the case. For example, when I get bronchitis maybe once every 6-8 years, the only antibiotic that works for me is amoxicillin. A full course of generic amoxicillin before insurance usually costs me around $5, meaning insurance never kicks in. What the doctors try to push on me...Z-Pak, or whatever new "miracle" antibiotic is out there that I'm not willing to experiment with because I actually want to feel better...has a copay of $40, and then insurance pays some amount that is unknown to me. I literally have to fight for the lower cost option!
2) Healthcare Providers. Have you ever had to visit the ER or stay in the hospital, and took a good look at the itemization? For the price of one band-aid or q-tip, you could buy an entire box or package...or even an entire case! Doctor comes in and talks to you for 15 minutes...you get charged $200+?! I get that he spent some 8+ years in school and has a vast amount of cool knowledge in his head, but really? For 15 minutes of his time?! Oh, and if he actually has to do something, that price per 15 minutes skyrockets! Okay...so part of that goes to the nurse who actually has to administer the shot or who takes your vitals before the doctor even comes in...but seriously, that nurse doesn't get all that much. I also get that there are overhead costs, but if you pay attention to that itemization, you will find they have charged you fees for all that crap, too. It's insane!
3) Insurance Companies. Okay...so if you take into account #1 and #2, and the fact that the insurance company still has to pay it's own employees and admin costs while still making some profit (because it IS business, not a non-profit), you will see how having to pay out for more people would cause them to have to raise their rates. However, the insurance companies are greedy as hell about their profits, so they don't just raise their rates, they jack that shit up! Rates on steroids! The insurance company CEOs really enjoy their big bonuses and salaries.
So, while I believe that work needs to done, the only way that we are truly going to make healthcare more affordable is to put some controls on these folks! One way to do that would be through a single payer, seeing as then the government could set the max amount they would be willing to pay for said meds and procedures, and everyone is just going to have to deal with it. Now, single payer also has it's flaws, so the trick is to look at all the options available, and try to put together a plan that helps the most people the most effectively. That is not an easy task! That will take cooperation and sharing of ideas from both sides of the isle, and the most recent failure moves us a bit closer to that. When the rules change after September 30th, and 62 votes will be needed in the Senate to pass a plan, both sides will have no choice but to work together for the people!
Monday, September 25, 2017
"But America voted for him!"
I've seen this statement floating around again today with regards to our POTUS with the itchy Twitter finger. I think I may have stated this somewhere before, but I think several people need a little refresher in the math.
Of those who voted:
46.09% voted for Trump
48.18% voted for Clinton
5.73% voted other or 3rd party
Trump only won due to electoral college distribution. If the same 65+ million people who voted for Clinton were distributed through the country slightly different, we would have a different President.
It is estimated that 138.8 million Americans cast a ballot in the 2016 election. It is also estimated that there are 230.6 million Americans who make up the eligible voting population. This means that 91.8 million eligible voters, or 39.8% of the population did not even vote.
Seeing as about 63 million voters cast a ballot for Trump, that leaves 167.6 million eligible voters that did not. In other words, 72.6% of the people did NOT vote for Trump, and only 27.4% of the population cast a ballot in his favor.
So, no...AMERICA did not vote this man in as President...27.4% of the population did. Me? I'm one of the 72.6% who didn't! I didn't vote for Clinton, either...but I DID vote!
Of those who voted:
46.09% voted for Trump
48.18% voted for Clinton
5.73% voted other or 3rd party
Trump only won due to electoral college distribution. If the same 65+ million people who voted for Clinton were distributed through the country slightly different, we would have a different President.
It is estimated that 138.8 million Americans cast a ballot in the 2016 election. It is also estimated that there are 230.6 million Americans who make up the eligible voting population. This means that 91.8 million eligible voters, or 39.8% of the population did not even vote.
Seeing as about 63 million voters cast a ballot for Trump, that leaves 167.6 million eligible voters that did not. In other words, 72.6% of the people did NOT vote for Trump, and only 27.4% of the population cast a ballot in his favor.
So, no...AMERICA did not vote this man in as President...27.4% of the population did. Me? I'm one of the 72.6% who didn't! I didn't vote for Clinton, either...but I DID vote!
How are veterans are REALLY disrespected!
The battle over the whole "kneel during the national anthem" controversy continues today. The major argument I see is that this is a disrespect to active military and veterans. Let's talk about the REAL disrespect, shall we?
In recent years, it seems that most of the wars that our military fight in are basically cleaning up the mistakes of our own government. For example, the US armed the Taliban against the invading Soviet Union, and look what mess that turned out to be. In return, these people are treated with:
1. Unless you are an officer, salaries that are considered barely above the poverty level! Who controls these salaries? Or government officials! And let us not forget, if the powers that be are having a bit of a "lover's quarrel" on the on the Congressional floor causing an effective shut down of the government, these very same people must show up to "work" every day knowing their pay will be delayed, but not knowing how long. All the while, their families need to eat, and they still have bills to be paid, but who cares until the special interest of a few committee members are met!
2. At any given time, it is estimated that there are about 30,000 homeless veterans on the streets. These people are there because they had difficulty assimilating back into civilian society, but the government did little to help them. We treat criminals better than we do our veterans! An ex-convict coming out of prison can get housing in a halfway house and services to help them find a job so that they can become a productive member of society. Why aren't we doing the same for these vets?
3. Inadequate mental health services. It is estimated that about 20% of soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from PTSD, but only about 50% of those receive any kind of treatment. We are talking 1 million plus veterans who are not receiving care for their PTSD with the aid of our government. Many of the reasons sited are things such as long wait times to receive treatment, lack of understanding of services offered. concerns about the services offered being adequate, not living close enough to facilities that offer services (which would further be helped by #1, especially if the only option these people have when they come home is to live with family members who do not live close to required facilities), etc.
4. Difficulty getting needed services from the VA. I've heard too many stories about the VA denying needed procedures for veterans...procedures they need to help them live better quality lives in less pain. Instead, these veterans are often just prescribed more pain pills, and told there is nothing that can be done.
5. Poor housing options state-side. Seriously, I've been on a few military bases, and military housing is terrible in so many places. Think...the projects! Sure, service member can rent or buy a home off of base with a housing stipend, but even with the stipend, most respectable housing is out of their budget. For this reason, many are relegated to housing that is no better than section 8 housing for people living in poverty. This is how we treat the families while their loved ones are sent to the front lines!
Oh, and let us not forget the big old slap in the face transgender soldiers recently received, when our own POTUS basically said, "Thanks for your service, but no thanks!" Let us also not forget some comments disrespectfully said by said POTUS toward military veterans such as John McCain, when he attacked McCain's status a war hero..."I like people who weren't captured!"
Wait, kneeling is disrespecting the flag? Well, 4 U.S. Code § 8 addresses this: 4 US Code Sec 8. Pay particular attention to part (c)...which was violated on many a football field this past Sunay...as well as parts (d), (i) and (j), all of which I see regularly violated by "patriotic" Americans!
In recent years, it seems that most of the wars that our military fight in are basically cleaning up the mistakes of our own government. For example, the US armed the Taliban against the invading Soviet Union, and look what mess that turned out to be. In return, these people are treated with:
1. Unless you are an officer, salaries that are considered barely above the poverty level! Who controls these salaries? Or government officials! And let us not forget, if the powers that be are having a bit of a "lover's quarrel" on the on the Congressional floor causing an effective shut down of the government, these very same people must show up to "work" every day knowing their pay will be delayed, but not knowing how long. All the while, their families need to eat, and they still have bills to be paid, but who cares until the special interest of a few committee members are met!
2. At any given time, it is estimated that there are about 30,000 homeless veterans on the streets. These people are there because they had difficulty assimilating back into civilian society, but the government did little to help them. We treat criminals better than we do our veterans! An ex-convict coming out of prison can get housing in a halfway house and services to help them find a job so that they can become a productive member of society. Why aren't we doing the same for these vets?
3. Inadequate mental health services. It is estimated that about 20% of soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from PTSD, but only about 50% of those receive any kind of treatment. We are talking 1 million plus veterans who are not receiving care for their PTSD with the aid of our government. Many of the reasons sited are things such as long wait times to receive treatment, lack of understanding of services offered. concerns about the services offered being adequate, not living close enough to facilities that offer services (which would further be helped by #1, especially if the only option these people have when they come home is to live with family members who do not live close to required facilities), etc.
4. Difficulty getting needed services from the VA. I've heard too many stories about the VA denying needed procedures for veterans...procedures they need to help them live better quality lives in less pain. Instead, these veterans are often just prescribed more pain pills, and told there is nothing that can be done.
5. Poor housing options state-side. Seriously, I've been on a few military bases, and military housing is terrible in so many places. Think...the projects! Sure, service member can rent or buy a home off of base with a housing stipend, but even with the stipend, most respectable housing is out of their budget. For this reason, many are relegated to housing that is no better than section 8 housing for people living in poverty. This is how we treat the families while their loved ones are sent to the front lines!
Oh, and let us not forget the big old slap in the face transgender soldiers recently received, when our own POTUS basically said, "Thanks for your service, but no thanks!" Let us also not forget some comments disrespectfully said by said POTUS toward military veterans such as John McCain, when he attacked McCain's status a war hero..."I like people who weren't captured!"
Wait, kneeling is disrespecting the flag? Well, 4 U.S. Code § 8 addresses this: 4 US Code Sec 8. Pay particular attention to part (c)...which was violated on many a football field this past Sunay...as well as parts (d), (i) and (j), all of which I see regularly violated by "patriotic" Americans!
Sunday, September 24, 2017
How is kneeling disrespectful?
I've seen many today (including our POTUS) going on and on and on about how disrespectful it is for NFL players to kneel during the national anthem. Remember, they are doing this, not because they do not respect the sacrifice of our soldiers and veterans for fighting for our freedoms, but because they are against the injustices in our own country that are contrary to exactly what those men and women fought for! Our military puts their lives on the line for freedom and equality...FOR EVERYONE! Unfortunately, we have seen a lot of backwards movement in this regard in the last several months. How is kneeling disrespectful? Don't we kneel when we pray? Don't players kneel out of respect when a fellow player is down on the field injured? Doesn't a man drop to one knee when he proposes to a woman? All these players are saying by taking a knee is that they cannot stand up for what is going on today in this country...much of which is being condoned by our own government! Racism is alive and well!! Hate is alive and well!!!
I will admit...there have been many violent protests, and these things I condemn. Violence for the sake of violence fixes nothing. But yet, when people protest peacefully, they are still persecuted! Our very Constitution allows for "peaceful assembly". As long as it is peaceful, our right to speak out against things that we see as injustices is protected. These people are not burning flags, they are not wiping their butts with or stomping on flags. No!!! They are taking a simple knee during the anthem to say, "We believe America in it's current state could use some work!" It is not anti-American to say that...to say, "You know what, we have some problems here, and something really needs to be done about it!" It isn't anti-American for us to point out that here we are sending in troops to other countries to help them overthrow regimes who try to force their beliefs on the people, while at the same time, our own administration is over here trying to force beliefs on us!
Just think about how people described Saddam Hussein when he was in power, and then take a close look at what is starting to happen here. Remember the stories about how no one was allowed to disagree with him. Think about reports of people going to jail, simply for not watching the presidential addresses on TV. Recall how he took over the media..only allowing them to report the things he wanted them to report...things that made him look good! I'm seriously worried about our current situation, and if you aren't, then you have some serious blinders on!! I've studied history, and read all the accounts from Holocaust survivors to survivors of the Hussein regime....and I have some real concerns for this country right now!! This man...our POTUS...right now finds himself more concerned with whether or not a bunch of NFL players are standing for the the national anthem...calling for their suspensions and firings...while we have a literal madman on the other side of the ocean pointing a very big gun at us and threatening to pull the trigger!! I don't know...I may be crazy...but I think our POTUS should be paying more attention to the madman with a gun!
I will admit...there have been many violent protests, and these things I condemn. Violence for the sake of violence fixes nothing. But yet, when people protest peacefully, they are still persecuted! Our very Constitution allows for "peaceful assembly". As long as it is peaceful, our right to speak out against things that we see as injustices is protected. These people are not burning flags, they are not wiping their butts with or stomping on flags. No!!! They are taking a simple knee during the anthem to say, "We believe America in it's current state could use some work!" It is not anti-American to say that...to say, "You know what, we have some problems here, and something really needs to be done about it!" It isn't anti-American for us to point out that here we are sending in troops to other countries to help them overthrow regimes who try to force their beliefs on the people, while at the same time, our own administration is over here trying to force beliefs on us!
Just think about how people described Saddam Hussein when he was in power, and then take a close look at what is starting to happen here. Remember the stories about how no one was allowed to disagree with him. Think about reports of people going to jail, simply for not watching the presidential addresses on TV. Recall how he took over the media..only allowing them to report the things he wanted them to report...things that made him look good! I'm seriously worried about our current situation, and if you aren't, then you have some serious blinders on!! I've studied history, and read all the accounts from Holocaust survivors to survivors of the Hussein regime....and I have some real concerns for this country right now!! This man...our POTUS...right now finds himself more concerned with whether or not a bunch of NFL players are standing for the the national anthem...calling for their suspensions and firings...while we have a literal madman on the other side of the ocean pointing a very big gun at us and threatening to pull the trigger!! I don't know...I may be crazy...but I think our POTUS should be paying more attention to the madman with a gun!
Friday, September 8, 2017
The hypocrisy is strong, young Skywalker!
Part of me hates that my blog has taken such a political tone, but the stupidity I am smacked in the face with requires an outlet for me to discuss where I will not be jumped on by the masses that is the Facebook Conservative Right!
I've seen several posts from different people today trying to point out that DACA in itself was illegal, because the President cannot write policy via Executive Order. Here is the problem I have with this argument...these Trump supporters claiming this are the same ones who cheered Trump's "travel ban" and various other Executive Orders that he has signed while in office! So, what they are really still saying is that Obama is their real problem!! Let us not forget that they also embraced many instances of what could be considered "policy by tweet", and whenever the left tried to point out that the President can't simply tweet something and make it policy, they were beat down by the conservative right and called "snowflakes" for being offended...assuring that the President was simply stating what he was planning on signing yet another Executive Order for.
See, I can say this because when Trump signed his "orders", I didn't go whining about the technicalities, but I attacked the meat of the issue and how that in itself was unconstitutional...regardless of if it is legal for the President to set policy via Executive Order or not! You want to argue an issue, stick to the issue. I love how the right has been playing the game of diverting from the issue itself by simply saying things like, "Well, it shouldn't have even been treated as policy anyway because of a technicality!" Come back with a well thought out, and FACT-based argument, and I will be more inclined to listen.
Bottom line...we should not be punishing these DREAMERS for the actions of their parents. It would be dangerous to these individuals to send them back to a country they don't even know. These people are not criminals, as it specifically states in the DACA requirements that they stay out of trouble with the law. These are people who know the language very well due to their American education (I mean, I keep hearing the "they need to learn OUR language" argument), they are graduating high school (again, another requirement), and they are moving on to college or the US military (yet another requirement). They have legit social security numbers, and they are paying taxes like everyone else. They are NOT eligible for welfare programs (though the right loves to throw that one out there that they are a drain on the tax payers), and economists have submitted reports that say if these people are deported, it will actually HURT the US economy! I feel confident in saying that for every DREAMER we have in the system, we have a natural born American out there who doesn't even contribute half to this country what their DREAMER counterpart does! I mean, this graph should tell you something!
I've seen several posts from different people today trying to point out that DACA in itself was illegal, because the President cannot write policy via Executive Order. Here is the problem I have with this argument...these Trump supporters claiming this are the same ones who cheered Trump's "travel ban" and various other Executive Orders that he has signed while in office! So, what they are really still saying is that Obama is their real problem!! Let us not forget that they also embraced many instances of what could be considered "policy by tweet", and whenever the left tried to point out that the President can't simply tweet something and make it policy, they were beat down by the conservative right and called "snowflakes" for being offended...assuring that the President was simply stating what he was planning on signing yet another Executive Order for.
See, I can say this because when Trump signed his "orders", I didn't go whining about the technicalities, but I attacked the meat of the issue and how that in itself was unconstitutional...regardless of if it is legal for the President to set policy via Executive Order or not! You want to argue an issue, stick to the issue. I love how the right has been playing the game of diverting from the issue itself by simply saying things like, "Well, it shouldn't have even been treated as policy anyway because of a technicality!" Come back with a well thought out, and FACT-based argument, and I will be more inclined to listen.
Bottom line...we should not be punishing these DREAMERS for the actions of their parents. It would be dangerous to these individuals to send them back to a country they don't even know. These people are not criminals, as it specifically states in the DACA requirements that they stay out of trouble with the law. These are people who know the language very well due to their American education (I mean, I keep hearing the "they need to learn OUR language" argument), they are graduating high school (again, another requirement), and they are moving on to college or the US military (yet another requirement). They have legit social security numbers, and they are paying taxes like everyone else. They are NOT eligible for welfare programs (though the right loves to throw that one out there that they are a drain on the tax payers), and economists have submitted reports that say if these people are deported, it will actually HURT the US economy! I feel confident in saying that for every DREAMER we have in the system, we have a natural born American out there who doesn't even contribute half to this country what their DREAMER counterpart does! I mean, this graph should tell you something!
That can't be right...we have some 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country! Oh, yeah, that's right...you can't get benefits if you are undocumented!! That is the whole definition of undocumented...meaning you don't have a number to be taxed, and if you don't have that tax ID number, YOU CAN'T GET BENEFITS!
Thursday, September 7, 2017
I can't NOT address this!
I live in Texas, and as many know, we were recently hit with devastating Hurricane Harvey. I recall very well looking to see what our POTUS was going to say in reassurance or the like as this storm was making it's way to the Texas coast. What did Texas get? A thumbs up and "good luck" as POTUS boarded Marine One to head off to Camp David!!
Fast forward to now. Hurricane Irma is approaching the coast, and our POTUS is now saying how concerned he is about this storm days before it is to make land fall on US soil. Now, I'm posting this here, because I know many on my social media will get butt hurt by what I'm about to type, and will say that I'm only getting political in the face of our country facing another devastating storm. I can't help but wonder if the "concern" that POTUS suddenly has with Hurricane Irma has anything to do with the fact that POTUS has a property on St. Martin (one of the islands hit hard by this storm so far), and the storm appears to be making a bee-line for POTUS' treasured Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida!! I mean, I can't be the only one who has recognized this. "Oh, but he is concerned because we are still hurting after Hurricane Harvey!" I call BS on anyone who tries to feed me that!
Don't get me wrong...I'm sending any and all prayers I have to Florida in the Caribbean right now! I'm not trying to take away from the devastation and fear they are being faced with. In the same token, folks must understand how, as a Texan, this just royally pisses me off! I can't help feel that the sudden concern from POTUS with regards to approaching Hurricane Irma is directly linked to the fact that POTUS himself stands to be hit with great losses as a result of this storm...losses that will be more of an inconvenience to him and his corporations, and not the life altering devastation that will be faced by countless others! "Good luck" is easy to say when you aren't going to take a financial hit because your property is not threatened....it is quite different when you have multi-million dollar properties in the path of such storm...now isn't it, Mr. President!
Fast forward to now. Hurricane Irma is approaching the coast, and our POTUS is now saying how concerned he is about this storm days before it is to make land fall on US soil. Now, I'm posting this here, because I know many on my social media will get butt hurt by what I'm about to type, and will say that I'm only getting political in the face of our country facing another devastating storm. I can't help but wonder if the "concern" that POTUS suddenly has with Hurricane Irma has anything to do with the fact that POTUS has a property on St. Martin (one of the islands hit hard by this storm so far), and the storm appears to be making a bee-line for POTUS' treasured Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida!! I mean, I can't be the only one who has recognized this. "Oh, but he is concerned because we are still hurting after Hurricane Harvey!" I call BS on anyone who tries to feed me that!
Don't get me wrong...I'm sending any and all prayers I have to Florida in the Caribbean right now! I'm not trying to take away from the devastation and fear they are being faced with. In the same token, folks must understand how, as a Texan, this just royally pisses me off! I can't help feel that the sudden concern from POTUS with regards to approaching Hurricane Irma is directly linked to the fact that POTUS himself stands to be hit with great losses as a result of this storm...losses that will be more of an inconvenience to him and his corporations, and not the life altering devastation that will be faced by countless others! "Good luck" is easy to say when you aren't going to take a financial hit because your property is not threatened....it is quite different when you have multi-million dollar properties in the path of such storm...now isn't it, Mr. President!
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