The Truth Regarding ACA and Medicare ~ Lynne Smith

~ By Lynne Smith

One of my Facebook friends told me today her Medicare costs were going up not down and that ACA would not help her. So, I had to research it, because I found that rather sad. So to everyone on Social Security, here is what I found. 

1. Throughout the whole process of ACA or Obamacare coming to this point there has been certain members of a certain party who shall remain nameless but is the elephant in the room that has engaged in destructive fear mongering. Because of this Medicare was pretty much left untouched with the exception of three things. The donut hole is closed, so those people who had to pay $650.00 after their Part D had paid up to a limit on prescription drugs will no longer have to pay that $650.00. Investigating and doing away with fraud will be stepped up. Finally, Medicare will also cover the same preventative services that all Americans are now guaranteed at no cost.

2. Other than these changes Medicare was left alone. During the past two years when Republicans have had vote after vote to try and repeal Obamacare they have refused to try and make minor changes to the law like making subsidies for insurance available to seniors. This has resulted in many seniors paying more for coverage than those who will be in the exchanges. This is a change that should be made right away.

3. Social security payments are not increasing as much as Medicare payments. That is a sad state of affairs, but when you look at what we consider to be poverty level and that the amount of money to be considered at the poverty level hasn't really changed in a decade it is understandable.
Right now there is a big battle to try and defund ACA or Obamacare. Please call your Congressman and tell them no. Why? Because if they succeed, you will be responsible for the donut hole and the free preventative services you would be able to have under ACA. These services are things you probably have done about yearly such as mammograms, prostate checks, colonoscopies, and some check-ups. If ACA is stopped think about what the increased cost will be. At the same time tell Congress you want the same subsidy benefits of ACA. You have worked hard all your lives and you deserve to have the same breaks as any other American.”

The Culprits of Jim Crow and Anti-Women's Rights ~ Timothy Franklin

~By Timothy Franklin

 

 

“Efforts by the Attorney General, the Democratic Party and civil rights organizations around the country to address the republicans attempt to re-institute twentieth and nineteenth century Jim Crow and anti-women laws in republican controlled states are commendable and necessary if we are going to save this country from itself. However my brothers and sisters in the Democratic Party and those fighting the good fight in the Civil and social Rights communities have treated this issue like it was a “States Rights” abuse on the part of the offending state legislatures. There is clearly a coordinated effort to prevent certain groups of voters from exercising their right to the franchise and to deny women the right to make decisions about their own bodies. Our target should be the National Republican Party and organizations like ALEC who are the real culprits leading this country’s march backwards into the 20th century apartheid, anti- women’s rights America .”

[Stay tuned for more entries by Timothy Franklin in the near future]

I'm Terrified By These Zealots ~ Claire Conner Mork

~ By Claire Conner Mork, Author of "Wrapped In The Flag"

"Imagine this, the founder of the John Birch Society-Robert Welch-was a personal friend of Rousas John Rushdoony, the leader of the Christian Reconstructionist Movement. Rushdoony said that he admired the John Birch Society but never became a member. "Welch always saw things in terms of conspiracy," Rushdoony explained, "and I always see things in terms of sin."

I wrote about Rushdoony in my book, Wrapped in the Flag. Here's a snippet from Chapter 16, "Carrying the Cross."

"In his magnum opus, 'Institutes of Biblical Law,' published in 1973, Rushdoony described the Old Testament laws that would be the backbone of the new justice system in a Christian America, along with the punishments he envisioned for those who broke them. Criminals would be burned at the stake, hanged and stoned, depending on their sins. The folks facing such punishment included gays, blasphemers, unchaste women, and incorrigible juvenile delinquents. Of course, doctors providing abortions and their patients would also be executed."

John Rushdoony understands that it would take time and hard work to bring his vision for America to fruition. He saw HOME SCHOOLING as the way to "train up a generation of people who know that this is no religious neutrality, no neutral law, no neutral education, and no neutral civil government." 

It was Rushdoony who first urged Christians to take "dominion over the land as the Bible commanded them to do."

When you read about Ron Paul's home school curriculum and trace its ideas back to Rushdoony, you'll understand why Ron Paul is such a dangerous man. 

When you hear the term "Dominionists," know that these are NOT just Christians; these people intend to turn the US into a replay of the Spanish Inquisition, this time run by radical evangelicals. 

When I talk about the fusion of radical right wing politics and radical right wing religion, Robert Welch, John Rushdoony and Gary North are leading the parade.

I'm terrified by these zealots. They are the most dangerous kind. They believe they are chosen by God to bring America under the boot of the Old Testament."

[Please stay tuned for more entries by Claire Conner Mork in the near future]

Another Day, Another Shooting ~ Claire Conner Mork

~By Claire Conner Mork

 

“Another day, another shooting. In this case, the shooter in DC had been discharged from the Navy, had troubling mental health issues but could still land a concealed-carry permit issued by the state of Texas. With license in hand, he is reported to have bought his guns in Virginia. 

America's death by gun continues, and we're apparently too paralyzed to do anything about it. I imagine there will be suggestions that we ought to revisit reasonable gun safety regulations and a whole lot of politicians will offer "prayers" for the victims of the Navy Yard shooting and a few folks will hold press conferences to decry gun violence. 

But, in the end, Americans will buy more guns, fill their closets with ammunition and prepare to defend themselves from some real or imagined threat. 

From the far right, there will be the usual howls about the "gubbmint" coming for your guns and more nonsense about false flags and how PBO planned and executed this mass shooting so he could accelerate his tyrannical plan to rule in DC forever.

It will take something more awful than Tucson, Aurora, Newtown and the Navy Yard to jolt us into action. It will take something more awful than 10,000+ deaths in 9 months. It will take something more awful than scores of kids killing themselves while playing with their parents' loaded guns. It will take?”

 

Reference: 

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/09/17/2631891/navy-yard-shooters-troubled-past-forced-navy-prohibit-purchasing-guns/

[Stay tuned for more good entries by Claire Conner Mork, who is the author of "Wrapped In The Flag"]

What Did Lincoln Really Think of Conservatives? ~ Eric Smith

~ By Eric Smith

"Conservatives/Republicans claim that they are not racists & pursuing racist policies because President Abraham Lincoln was a Republican and he freed the slaves. Fair enough. However that said, what did Abraham Lincoln really think of Conservatives? Well if you want to know all you have to do is point to what he said in his famed Cooper Union speech delivered on February 27, 1860 in New York City; the year he was later elected President of the United States when he asked "What is Conservatism? Is it not the old and tried against the new and untried?" Not much of an endorsement of Conservatism is it so of course it's not surprising that Conservatives/Republicans never mention what Lincoln really thought of Conservatism."

"Now what would Lincoln say of today's Conservatives/Republicans threat to do major damage to our country by shutting down the government and sending America into default if Obamacare is not destroyed? What would he say of their claims that President Obama and the Democrats will bear sole responsibility for the resulting national disaster which will arise from a government shut down and a default on our national debts because they did not cave to Conservative demands to defund/destroy Obamacare? Probably the same thing he said later in that same speech in regards to Conservatives vow to destroy the nation if slavery was not made universal & permanent all across the land when he stated the following:"

"In that supposed event, you say, you will destroy the Union; and then, you say, the great crime of having destroyed it will be upon us! That is cool. A highwayman holds a pistol to my ear, and mutters through his teeth, 'Stand and deliver, or I shall kill you, and then you will be a murderer!"

"So this is precisely what today's Republican Party is doing right now. It is literally holding a gun to America's head and muttering "Stand and deliver, (destroy Obamacare) or I shall kill you, and then you will be a murderer!" Sorry Republicans but if America dies because of your actions then it will be you and you alone who killed it because it is you and you alone who are holding a gun to this nation's head; it is not the other way around. There is a word for this of course; what these Republicans are doing, and that word is treason."

Why The GOP Are Eager To Privatize Education ~ Claire Conner Mork

~By Claire Conner Mork, Author of “Wrapped In The Flag"

 

 

“From Diane Ravitch, [reference Salon article below] "those who now sharply criticize the public schools speak fondly of an era when most schools were racially segregated; when public schools were not required to accept children with physical, mental, and emotional handicaps; when there were relatively few students who did not speak or read English; and when few graduated from high school and went to college."

“My comments: What do these Jeb Bushies, ALEC and DeVos people want. Why are they so eager to privatize education? The answer is simple: $$$$$$$$, lots and lots of $$$$$$$$$$$. This is another scheme to fleece American taxpayers, put kids in front of computers (and call it personalized education), avoid accountability (because these private schools aren't required to meet the testing standards of the public schools) and kill what's left of the teachers' unions.” 

“These "reformers" are all in with the corporate model -- and we know how well the corporate profit model has worked for our other public services, don't we?”

http://www.salon.com/2013/09/15/diane_ravitch_school_privatization_is_a_hoax_reformers_aim_to_destroy_public_schools/

[Look forward to more blog entries from Claire Conner Mork, in the near future.]

Women Are Not Going Back Under Male Dominance ~ Ruth Ann Satchfield

~By Ruth Ann Satchfield

"The world is changing around us, sometimes too fast for many of us to comprehend. The people who call themselves conservative - whether on the left or right - have trouble with change. Much of the abortion debate is about change. People who do not accept necessary change would send the world back to the 1950's where half the population had very little choice but to get married and stay with their husbands - even the abusive ones. Men were dominant in that society and many would like to return to that time. That is why many of the preachers and the religious right are coming out against birth-control. If preventing abortions was their actual goal, as they state, they would instead be promoting birth-control. Returning to male dominance is their actual goal. Why all the insecurity? It might be the fact that women score higher than males on intelligence tests, and are now considered the smarter of the sexes. In the last 100 years, everyone has been gaining IQ points on tests, but women are progressing fastest. Until recent years, women lagged behind men; not anymore. There are two reasons. Experts suggest that women were always more intelligent, and given equal education have naturally progressed, and/or because women have been forced to become very good at multitasking due to today's lifestyles, their IQ's have increased. It is true that girls mature faster than boys and are usually more productive in school, in general. I know some very intelligent men who did not perform well in high school, but did exceptionally well in college. Girls have been consistently furthering their educations, as well. Since 1982, more women than men have been graduating from college with bachelor's, associate bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. Women have earned 4.1 million more bachelor's degrees and 9.1 million degrees overall than men in the last thirty years. Could this be driving the need to return to the 1950's lifestyle? Women are well-prepared for the jobs of the future, while men are going into fields that could be short-lived, but are they? It is true that physical-labor jobs are being replaced with robots more and more and have been for years. Many of the jobs that went overseas will not be there long before automation takes over. The auto industry has been one of the main industries to use automation; those jobs are expected be to be decreased by 18% by 2018. Jobs that were previously thought to be secure may be in danger in the future. Robots are being developed to perform these jobs and some are already functioning. A robot recently prepared 350,000 doses of medication with no mistakes. Pharmacy has traditionally been a profitable career field into which both men and women have invested time and money to further their education and secure their future. Other jobs that will be in jeopardy from robots because of technology already developed, are surprisingly quite varied as bus drivers, chauffeurs, lawyers, song writers, reporters, astronauts, rescue workers, soldiers, baby sitters, and of course retail clerks. What does this mean for them?" 

"These are just a few of the changes coming our way. There are many more. Rice University projects that by the year 2045, robots will take over many more of the jobs humans do now. This country should be increasing funds spent on the education of our students instead of devaluing education altogether. There will be fewer jobs in other fields in the future but technology will be exploding. Even if they have robots to build the robots, there will have to be people to oversea the creation and design of the new technology and program, maintain, and repair those robots. We will need a workforce that is competent in computer science and programming, engineering, math, and science. If we do not turn our country around and equip our children for the future, what future do you think our children or our country will have? The lifestyle ahead will be different for both men and women. With all these changes coming our way, does it make sense to try and move our society back to the 1950's just to appease some insecure people? Women are not going back under male dominance no matter what. We have found out what it means to make our own choices and to be self-reliant. As a divorced single mother, the most important gift I gave my girls was the gift of self-reliance. They are both educated with degrees, although happily-married, they have the self-esteem and the ability to make it in the world alone. From the figures about the education gap, I am not the only parent to see the necessity of raising our daughters to rely on themselves. Now, it is time to give ALL our children the tools to make our country a leader in the future. We use to be number one in the number of college graduates, now we are number sixteen. Going backwards is just not an option!"

http references are as follows:
://.wwwsingularityhub.com/2013/05/15/moshe-vardi-robots-could-put-humans-out-of-work-by-2045/://.wwwbusinessinsider.com/9-jobs-that-are-already-being-replaced-by-robots-2011-3?op=1
://.wwwaei-ideas.org/2013/05/stunning-college-degree-gap-women-have-earned-almost-10-million-
more-college-degrees-than-men-since-1982/
://.wwwtimesfreepress.com/news/2012/feb/21/edu-women-overtake-men-in-earning-degrees-at-all/
://.wwwabcnews.go.com/blogs/health/medical-unit/
://.wwwsingularityhub.com/2010/02/11/no-humans-just-robots-amazing-videos-of-the-modern-factory/