June 29, 2012

Me too

The "mandate" or "tax" or whatever seems to be what people are most upset about even thought most people already have health insurance through their jobs so they are already covered and a lot of people are going to be eligible for subsidies or other health insurance coverage (i.e. Medicaid) and the wealthy are already taken care of, so, as near as I can figure, we'll probably only be looking at a pretty narrow amount of people whom might struggle a little bit with the mandate to purchase health insurance coverage. I've said it before and I'll say it again: If people want a public option, if we want Medicare/Medicaid expansion, if we want Single Payer, we need to work our butts off to elect a much more progressive Congress and keep a sympathetic President in office in order to get there. Sitting around 2 years later (and counting) and still complaining about what we didn't get in the first round or not being 100% satisfied with the outcome thereof is totally unproductive. Social Security (as it currently exists) wasn't built up in a day, week, or month. It took years to get it to where it is now and so too will the battle to achieve truly universal health coverage in this country. The good news is that the battle began 2 years ago and yesterday SCOTUS ensured that it can continue.

June 28, 2012

Alan Grayson was really just telling it like it is.

Republicans have no "plan" for health care in this country other than to ensure that they and theirs have convenient and unfettered access to all the best medical care while letting poor people go without necessary medical care and just die.

June 28, 2012

Romney's Election Strategy can be summed up as thus:

"Lie, Evade, & Spend" (or however you want to arrange it)

June 28, 2012

I want to see him tell us what he would DO as POTUS

So far, he seems to be running on the assumption that he can lie and spend his way to the WH. If nobody else, I'm sure PO will go after him in the debates.

June 28, 2012

Republican Hypocrisy (Mitch Daniels edition)

http://www.indystar.com/article/20120627/NEWS05/120627045/

Lemme get this straight: A guy that badmouths public institutions/employees because their unions (those that still exist) supposedly insist on massive salaries and generous benefits that states can't afford will now become President (i.e. Employee) of a public (i.e. GOVERNMENT) institution and automatically get a nice fat salary and generous benefits? *ugh* Republican hypocrisy is sickening and never ceases to amaze me. Why doesn't he just go back to the hallowed private sector since Republicans like him practically worship the ground corporations (i.e. "people" according to SCOTUS) walk on?

June 28, 2012

You're entitled to your opinion but for the record I hope you're wrong

It would be huge disaster for a lot of people. While I'm sure that you're not heartless (unlike the Republican sociopaths we all know and dislike) about people losing the benefits that they have already gained, surely you realize that there's going to be a lot hurt to go around while we try to round up enough progressive votes in Congress to get to Single Payer? There's no doubt that a strike-down of PPACA is going to be a losing proposition for the Republicans but it's going to immediately negatively effect a lot of people in the meantime, particularly since we have nothing resembling the kind of Congress that would ever seriously contemplate Single Payer right now, almost certainly won't have one after the November elections for at least the next two years, and the Republicans really don't care about helping people and have done jack squat for the American people for the past 3-4 years, so what makes you think that they're going to start caring if PPACA is completely thrown out? It would be MUCH better IMHO to fight to preserve what we have and get more progressives in Congress to make the changes we want to make (i.e. public option) in the law + a President willing to sign them into law.

June 28, 2012

So, give it to me straight (re: Fast & Furious)

The House votes (presumably) to hold Holder in contempt of Congress. What then?

June 27, 2012

"Romney: White House ‘Not Sleeping Real Well’ Tonight" (TPM)

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entries/romney-white-house-not-sleeping-real-well-tonight

He (and other GOPers) are sick to be relishing the prospect of SCOTUS striking down all or most of PPACA tomorrow. No concern, no empathy by (mostly) so-called "Christians" for the people whom will be in the same jam they were in before PPACA became law. I honestly thought that Romney would be the least disgusting/repugnant of the Republican nominees this year.

I was wrong.

June 27, 2012

Disclosure of a life-threatening illness should be the norm in sexual relationships IMHO

Should it be a crime not to? There's a lot of good arguments on both sides. IMHO people need to treat sexual relationships like driving: Drive safely and protect yourself (i.e. demand protection be used with new partners, stay sober) and assume that other people are going to do something dangerous and/or unpredictable. The biggest problem with STDs and HIV is that many times people put themselves in situations where they're too intoxicated/under influence to make safe decisions in regards sexual activity, use protection, let alone make disclosures like this. Unless there is a specific intent to infect people with HIV, I have a hard time deciding whether or not a failure to disclose constitutes an actual crime, however. People IMHO need to be better educated about HIV/STDs, stay sober, and protect themselves better when it comes to sexual relationships. People should be honest too but it's impossible IMHO to assure that everybody is being honest about everything at all times, unfortunately.

June 27, 2012

Need to vent (re: persistence of right-wing lies)

I was meeting with a relative caregiver in the course of my job yesterday and found myself talking a little politics. The relative caregiver is an older lady (about 59-60) and she had asked me point-blank what I thought about President Obama. I told her that I was overall happy with what he has done considering the mess that he inherited (and Republican Tea Party obstruction). She then mentioned how "they all" blame the previous administration but then repeated the Bush 2000 Campaign big lie about how Clinton had basically scrapped the military. The conversation didn't last much longer but I did have an opportunity to point out that the military did a quick number on the Taliban following 9/11 and in Iraq and how the military couldn't have been in THAT bad of shape given how fast we routed the Taliban and then Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003. Of course, when she mentioned that her husband watches Fox News, it made more sense to me though she stated that she watches CNN (which, as of late, is about as bad).

Never underestimate the persistence of right-wing lies folks! This lie was being circulated 12 years ago and seems to have been accepted as historical fact by at least her. Who knows what else is being written in the textbooks.