OH TRUE APOTHOCARY!

Here I go again…




Just saw the following poll on CNN.com:

What should the Supreme Court do with the health care law

President Obama signed two years ago?

Uphold it—51% [141,269]

Toss it all—36% [99,174]

clearly these are people who have government healthcare and EVERYTHING is covered

Toss parts—14% [38,860]



Total votes: 279,303



WOW—finally a response number that isn’t a pathetic/apathetic embarrassment!



Personally, I think the reforms have only scratched the surface. There needs to be accountability with the drug companies. Yes, they offer programs to help low-income people afford their medicines, but they do it by charging those of us that have your standard issue health plan an arm and a leg for ours. Meanwhile, their profits are growing by leaps and bounds. And the stuff costs them miniscule amounts to make.



Plus, they offer kickbacks to doctors, so some of them become prescription happy. “One pill makes you larger and one pill makes you small…” Heaven forbid they should find a holistic approach to treating something.



I switched doctors about two years ago for one closer to home. And I couldn’t be happier. She actually listens to me and gives me time and attention. She doesn’t instantly whip out the prescription pad, but discusses options as far as diet and lifestyle.



And let’s not get started on the insurance reforms needed-I don’t think I have enough space here for that. ‘Nuff said that the insurers should not be deciding what course of treatment or medications a patient should have. I have a friend who was just diagnosed with Psoriatic arthritis, which is exceedingly painful. His insurance company says he has to fail treatment with other medications before they will cover the drug that Phil Mickelson says is working wonders for him. Does that seem fair or compassionate to you?

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It is a heretic that makes the fire, Not she who burns in 't.
The Winter's Tale, 2. 3

And Rick Santorum’s recent wins are freaking me out.  People—you do not want to elect this man to the Presidency. I am from his home state; he will send us all back to the 1900s—especially with his views on women’s issues and gay rights. He is narrow-minded and views women as basically chattel. Is that really what we want for our daughters and granddaughters? I am shocked and appalled that he has gained so many votes in the various primaries. Are there really that many people in this country who want to take a giant step backwards?

Scared s-less here folks.


Then we have the whole birth-control vs. church-run healthcare organizations… I felt the compromise the President proposed was more than reasonable. There are far too many women who cannot afford contraception any other way. Isn’t it better to have planned families all you “family values” people, rather than kids born to unprepared parents who may wind up abusing them or worse?

Another frightening development is legislation proposed in Virginia [and similars laws being debated elsewhwere] that would require women to submit to a wand ultra-sound prior to obtaining an abortion. Women would be forced to have a rather large (and, dare I say, phallic-looking) object inserted into their bodies in order to receive a medical procedure. And what makes it even more upsetting is that this bill was proposed by a woman! I’m flabbergasted.

Now, let me just say that I am pro-choice. That does NOT mean that I think abortions should be performed willy-nilly. People confuse that. Personally, I feel you should do your damndest to prevent a pregnancy if you aren’t willing or ready to be a parent. But I also feel it’s no one else’s business if you choose to terminate a pregnancy. Every baby should be wanted and loved.

We can’t close the barn door once it’s been opened gang. Roe v. Wade was passed in 1973. It has been the law of the land for almost 4 decades. At least 2 generations have grown up since that time. And yet, the religious right still keeps trying to revoke it.

And many people lose sight of the fact that it works both ways.   As a result of Roe v. Wade, I had no say in what my then 15 year old daughter decided to do regarding her pregnancy.   The decision was entirely hers.     A tough pill to swallow for me at the time...


I don’t get it.    How cn anyone in their right mind think the current climate is a good one for the country? 
And I really resent being told I am not a true American if I don’t think the same way they do. Isn’t that what the founders of this country came here to get away from?




And

                  I’m

                               Getting off

                                                       My soapbox

                                                                                           Now.

Get thee glass eyes; And like a scurvy politician, seem To see the things thou dost not. ~Shakespeare

Okay, so I watched the President last night—and it was clear to me that he was trying very hard to maintain his cool. And it was also abundantly clear that he’s right. Enough is enough. Eliminating the tax cuts for the wealthy (which should never have been enacted in the first place) is the only fair and equitable thing to do. Congress: eliminating these cuts is NOT a tax increase!!! Hello! It is having the wealthy pull their fare share.


The thought of my mother trying to survive on less than the measly 12K she gets a year is unconscionable—especially when someone who makes 250K or more is allowed to keep most of that due to some convoluted tax laws. It is also unconscionable that congress will continue to be paid, get their free healthcare and their pensions while the rest of us have to decide between paying the rent or getting our medicine for the month.

Well, I did what the President said: I called my lawmakers. I left a voice mail for Rep. Patrick Meehan and I sent an e-mail to the Speaker of the House. Yes, tough choices have to be made, but not at the expense of the poor, the elderly and education!

Then, this morning I did my usual quick cruise of CNN and saw the following poll:

Will you contact your lawmakers about the debt crisis?

No 58% [4330]

Yes 27% [2032]

Already have 15% [1163]

Total votes: 7525

Really people?!? 58% can’t be bothered to let your representatives know how you feel about our debt crisis? Really?

You can find the time to vote on American Idol? You spend hours playing Angry Birds? For heaven’s sake, you even took the time to answer the freakin’ poll!!!! But you can’t find the time to contact your Congressman!?!?!?!?!

That is just sad. No wonder our country is falling apart.



P.S. Just checked it again:

No 57% [52245]

Yes 26% [24045]

Already have 17% [15498]

Total votes: 91788

Still pathetic…….



[Drag your mouse over the title of this post for a link to a breakdown of the various plans. AND THEN CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES AND LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!! Where would we be if Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, John Adams and their cohorts were as complacent as we are?]



Let 's go hand in hand, not one before another

Anyone who knows me will be very surprised that I have managed to NOT get blatantly political here for almost 3 months now! But, all things must come to an end….
And here’s what did it: The PA legislature finally passed a budget last Friday—at around midnight. I am thrilled for my friends who work for the state because some of them went without paychecks for a couple of weeks. What I’m not thrilled about is the planned 6—8% tax they want to impose on the purchase of tickets to non-profit cultural events. Really folks? You wanna kick non-profs when they’re already down?
Non-profit arts organizations have been struggling mightily for almost a decade now. Corporate sponsorships are down as large corporations tighten their belts—or go under. Grant money has been slowly drying up. And ticket sales and subscriptions have dropped an average of 20% per season. And now this—it will be the death knell for many of the area’s small innovative companies.
Here’s a little bit from the city’s main newspaper
“Peggy Amsterdam, head of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, drew sustained applause when she framed this question for Gov. Rendell and legislative leaders: ‘What were you thinking?
‘Your proposal to extend the sales tax to arts and culture activities - a proposal snuck in at the last minute in a backroom deal - attempts to balance the commonwealth's $28 billion budget on the back of one of its most valuable and vulnerable industries,’Amsterdam said.
‘It will price everyday people out of arts experiences, and it will push key cultural institutions to the brink. Yet with as much potential for economic and social damage as this tax threatens, it yields only a paltry one-third of 1 percent impact on state revenues.”
And to add insult to injury, movies and sporting events are not included! Does that seem fair? Everyone needs the arts. It has been proven time and time again that
a) Children who receive arts education in school do better in other subjects
b) Arts organizations actually bring in more revenue and positive impact to a city than a sports team does.
The state claims they need to do this in order to continue a modicum of arts education in the schools. Every arts organization I know of has an educational department that offers—many times free of charge—in-school programming and live performances. If this tax goes into law, ticket sales will go way down and the companies will no longer be able to continue their educational outreach.
Gotta love our government at work……