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Healthcare Politics

Dear Conservatives, It’s Really Not That Scary

Communism America Propaganda

Dear conservative,

I see so many of you ranting and raving about the idea of Medicare for all, “HOW WILL WE PAY FOR IT?! SOCIALISTS! OH, THE HUMANITY!”

I believe your fear is sincere, but that makes it even more sad. Sad as in depressing, not sad as in pathetic, like our President uses the word.

Do you not have friends outside of this country? Through an internet based nonprofit I run I have the privilege of having friends in Sweden, Norway, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, and Germany. You know what they don’t stress about? Healthcare. Despite the bad information you have gotten from Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Laura Ingraham, people in these countries do not go months and months in urgent situations dying without being able to see a doctor. If you believe this, why don’t you ask some actual citizens of these countries instead of listening to someone who is paid to scare up television ratings or web views?

Know what else they don’t stress about? Going bankrupt from healthcare bills. They simply do not think about healthcare, it is just there for them if they need it and using it won’t haunt them for years to come.

Finally, the biggest busted myth you’ve been scared into believing, that they spend an arm and a leg for it, is also shown to be wrong by the numbers. They simply don’t – we spend far, far more.

Health Expenditure per capita, OECD Statistics 2013

If you are someone who is fiscally conservative this should be the number one or two issue for you, but not for the reasons you think. We already spend a great deal more than any other nation on healthcare and what do we get for our expense? We have a lower life expectancy than all of the countries I listed.

The facts and the numbers simply do not back up the hand-wringing. We’re into willful ignorance territory at this point, so I realize trying to convince you of anything is pointless. With that in mind, the best part about all of this to me is that my generation will make sure that your side will lose. It is inevitable. Just as your side stood in the way of racial equality and lost, stands in the way of female equality and is losing, stood in the way of marriage equality and lost, you now stand in the way of a fair, humane healthcare system. In this too, you will lose.

Sources:

The World Health Organization – https://www.who.int/en/news-room/detail/19-05-2016-life-expectancy-increased-by-5-years-since-2000-but-health-inequalities-persist

The World Bank: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.XPD.CHEX.PP.CD?year_high_desc=true

Categories
News Politics Videos

Kellyanne Conway Warned Us About Trump

HO-LY CRAP. Why hasn’t this been shared all over the place? I cannot believe this is the first time I’m seeing this. This should be spread far and wide.

Next time you see her spinning some bullshit for the administration, remember this. This is all within the last year.

https://www.facebook.com/newcenturytimes/videos/1819383464988796

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News Peace & Love Politics Videos

Let Them In

We are the world’s ONLY superpower. We are rich beyond the imagination of half of the globe. We have a moral responsibility to take in these people, 50% of whom are children. Don’t give me your bullshit about safety, these are the most screened refugees we have entering our country.

Omran Daqneesh, Aleppo, Syria
Omran Daqneesh, Aleppo, Syria

There is no fully-informed, fact-based argument against allowing them in that is not rooted in selfishness and/or racism.

 

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Civil Rights Entertainment Humor LGBTQ Issues News Politics Videos

Throwing Shade Coming To TV!

I’ve been listening to the Throwing Shade podcast with Erin Gibson and Bryan Safi for a few years now after falling in love with Bryan’s “That’s Gay” segments on the show infoMania on the former Current TV. The show summarizes itself as “taking a weekly look at all the issues important to ladies and gays… and treating them with much less respect than they deserve.” It’s hilarious while also focusing attention on important issues in our culture.

The great news is now they’re branching out into late-night TV! The show will be on TV Land, but unfortunately we’ll have to wait until early 2017 to see it. I’m greatly looking forward to it, and I really hope they keep the same incredibly inappropriate edge they have in the podcast.

https://youtu.be/sbUqUtljbjk

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Politics Things I Love Videos

America | Bernie Sanders

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Entertainment My News News Politics Web

Goodbye HuffPo

Alright, that’s it, I’ve had it! I cannot take one more awful, sensationalized, CAPITALIZED headline from you HuffPo.

I held out as long as I could. I even held on when you cashed out to the tune of $315 million on the backs of mostly unpaid, grassroots, local bloggers.

HuffPo

Ultimately it was your painful lack of copyediting, lack of pertinent details on important stories, and your sensationalized headlines that pushed me over the edge. Goodbye Huffington Post.

For anyone else looking to take the leap and find Huffington Post alternatives, here are the sites where I have ended up, in no particular order:

Categories
Civil Rights LGBTQ Issues News Politics

Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act

Finally!  11 years after Matthew Shepard’s death, the legislation bearing his name has finally made it through Congress and on to the President’s desk.  The Republicans, of course, fought it all along the way but despite their best efforts America has arrived in the 21st century.  It saddens me that Senator Kennedy isn’t here to see this come to fruition, after all of his years fighting for it.

I do wish that the bill could have been sent through Congress on its own accord, but attaching it to a defense bill was the safest bet for getting it through and the Democrats did the right thing in doing so.

 

 

 

Matthew’s parents Judy and Dennis have worked tirelessly to see this happen and I have enormous respect for both of them.  I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Judy at a Soulforce event protesting Focus on the Family and their hurtful, dangerous rhetoric.  She was incredibly sweet and genuine and my heart broke all over again for this women who was thrust into a role that no parent would ever wish for.  Hate took her son from her she chose to go on and fight that hate,  She is my personal hero because of it.

 

 

 

Today as I watched the above videos I stumbled upon this great video which contains the statement that Dennis Shepard gave during the trial of one of Matthew’s murderers.  The audio is from the movie “The Laramie Project”.  It is incredibly moving.

 

Categories
Civil Rights LGBTQ Issues Peace & Love Politics Videos

Gay & Seeking Asylum

I just happened upon this video and it’s very fitting when considering my previous post.  We must work harder to create safe havens for LGBT individuals around the world, until that day when all people are loved, accepted, and safe in their home.

 

I’ve been haunted lately by the images of teenagers Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni as they wept and waited for their execution, pleading for their lives.  There are questions about their case, and whether or not they were executed for their consensual homosexual acts or not, but regardless, hundreds of people are executed in Iran and other places for simply being who they are.

There are people and organizations working to make change around the world.  Please consider joining up with Amnesty International and making a recurring donation.  When atrocities like these and in many other categories appear around the globe Amnesty is always there fighting for justice, peace, and human rights.  I have the utmost respect and gratitude for Amnesty International, and if I’m lucky maybe someday I will work for them.

Categories
Civil Rights LGBTQ Issues Politics WTF

The System Is Broken, But How Do We Fix It?

So, it’s been a while since I’ve posted here but something happened tonight that is just the kind of thing that gets me to blog.  I recently met a guy named Alex and tonight when we were talking I found out his story.  He’s 27, has lived in Colorado for 3 years and is from Peru.  He’s gay and is out here but is not at a point where he feels he can tell his family or anyone back home.  He’s living here illegally; he overstayed a work visa.

I used to be a right-wing crazy who would go nuts over this kind of stuff, then I became a very conflicted and confused “moderate” who didn’t know quite what to do about these things but still strongly felt “they” should all go back and do it legally.  Now I’m a bleeding heart liberal who wants us to throw open our arms and our borders and actually live by “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” 

Why does Alex want to live in America so badly?  He wants to fall in love and be able to live openly and without fear in a same sex relationship.  As we spoke tonight he sadly told me about a close friend of his that was arrested for his immigration status almost 3 months ago.  His friend is from Morocco and is desperate to stay here because he can be jailed for his sexuality if he is sent back home.  He applied for amnesty based on his sexual orientation and was denied.  He appealed and was in the middle of the detailed and exhaustive process when he was was picked up and taken to jail for his illegal status.  He was shipped to a jail near Colorado Springs and remains there almost three months later.

I know we must have immigration laws; I understand that reality, but this is not the answer.  This man is in jail and will likely be sent back to a very unfriendly country where he may be imprisoned for who he is and we don’t consider that important enough for him to stay.

This system is broken, but how do we fix it?

Categories
Colorado Politics News Politics

Musgrave’s “Sore Losing for Dummies”

Marylin Musgrave has been the target of my posts before, but this time she’s really outdone herself.

It appears that two weeks after the election where she lost by a glorious twelve percentage points, she is still refusing to concede the race and congratulate her opponent, Betsy Markey.  I’ve known for a while that this woman is shameless and just plain mean, but this is even surprising to me.

Marilyn now has the honor of making national news, as she was featured on the Rachel Maddow Show.

Furthermore, she has been listed on Newsweek’s The Dignity Index as a 78 out of 100.  Newsweek had this to say: “Despite losing her re-election bid by 12 points, Colorado GOP Rep. Marilyn Musgrave refuses to congratulate her opponent or even concede the race,”

This woman has been an enemy of my right to happiness and equality, and I am filled with much joy that the fair-minded people of Colorado’s 4th Congression District have spoken loudly and have boldly silenced Marilyn’s fearmongering and hatred.

“Stay classy Marilyn Musgrave.”