September Updates

Hello everyone!

I wanted to share with you today some of my political observations that I have made recently on my Facebook page. I keep forgetting that I created this blog for this very reason! Today I thought about the blog and so I thought I'd share some of my recent commentary here. For simplicity's sake I am going to omit any links or photos that I may mention in these posts, so that they don't cause me any editing issues. I'll just copy the text here.

1. On Capital Punishment, Healthcare and that Boy with the Clock...

"There are so many things I want to rage about today, I just don't even know where to begin.I could begin with how Richard Glossip, a man in Oklahoma, is being executed this afternoon for a crime he didn't commit. Apparently there is NO physical evidence linking him to the scene, only the word of the other suspect! What the hell?! Anyone could say, "It wasn't me! He did it!" And of course, the way to show the world that murder is wrong, is of course apparently allowing the state to murder a citizen in return. Go figure.
Then I saw something else about Kentucky, but not about the bigoted clerk this time. This time to do with insurance and how a man who wants to be the next governor wants to backtrack on the (proven) ACA success there, and make Kentuckians pay extortionate fees to robbing insurance companies again. And of course everyone is like, "Well if they are responsible adults they should get their own insurance". Yes, because everyone has the money for extortionate health care costs in this country, and if you can't afford it, TOO BAD. Yes, let's all be a bunch of heartless morons and not care if someone needs medical attention. If they don't have the money, clearly it's their own fault and they deserve to suffer.
And then do not even get me STARTED on the 14 year old boy from Texas who got arrested at school because his teacher claimed the kid had brought a bomb into school, when in fact it was an ALARM CLOCK he had made, and was proud of. This is a young man who loves engineering and wants to be an inventor. But guess what? He has a dark skin tone and an "Islamic" sounding name, Ahmed Mohamed, so of course it was a bomb. If it had been a white kid named Josh, nobody would have batted an eye."Then I saw something else about Kentucky, but not about the bigoted clerk this time. This time to do with insurance and how a man who wants to be the next governor wants to backtrack on the (proven) ACA success there, and make Kentuckians pay extortionate fees to robbing insurance companies again. And of course everyone is like, "Well if they are responsible adults they should get their own insurance". Yes, because everyone has the money for extortionate health care costs in this country, and if you can't afford it, TOO BAD. Yes, let's all be a bunch of heartless morons and not care if someone needs medical attention. If they don't have the money, clearly it's their own fault and they deserve to suffer.And then do not even get me STARTED on the 14 year old boy from Texas who got arrested at school because his teacher claimed the kid had brought a bomb into school, when in fact it was an ALARM CLOCK he had made, and was proud of. This is a young man who loves engineering and wants to be an inventor. But guess what? He has a dark skin tone and an "Islamic" sounding name, Ahmed Mohamed, so of course it was a bomb. If it had been a white kid named Josh, nobody would have batted an eye."Then I saw something else about Kentucky, but not about the bigoted clerk this time. This time to do with insurance and how a man who wants to be the next governor wants to backtrack on the (proven) ACA success there, and make Kentuckians pay extortionate fees to robbing insurance companies again. And of course everyone is like, "Well if they are responsible adults they should get their own insurance". Yes, because everyone has the money for extortionate health care costs in this country, and if you can't afford it, TOO BAD. Yes, let's all be a bunch of heartless morons and not care if someone needs medical attention. If they don't have the money, clearly it's their own fault and they deserve to suffer.And then do not even get me STARTED on the 14 year old boy from Texas who got arrested at school because his teacher claimed the kid had brought a bomb into school, when in fact it was an ALARM CLOCK he had made, and was proud of. This is a young man who loves engineering and wants to be an inventor. But guess what? He has a dark skin tone and an "Islamic" sounding name, Ahmed Mohamed, so of course it was a bomb. If it had been a white kid named Josh, nobody would have batted an eye."Then I saw something else about Kentucky, but not about the bigoted clerk this time. This time to do with insurance and how a man who wants to be the next governor wants to backtrack on the (proven) ACA success there, and make Kentuckians pay extortionate fees to robbing insurance companies again. And of course everyone is like, "Well if they are responsible adults they should get their own insurance". Yes, because everyone has the money for extortionate health care costs in this country, and if you can't afford it, TOO BAD. Yes, let's all be a bunch of heartless morons and not care if someone needs medical attention. If they don't have the money, clearly it's their own fault and they deserve to suffer.And then do not even get me STARTED on the 14 year old boy from Texas who got arrested at school because his teacher claimed the kid had brought a bomb into school, when in fact it was an ALARM CLOCK he had made, and was proud of. This is a young man who loves engineering and wants to be an inventor. But guess what? He has a dark skin tone and an "Islamic" sounding name, Ahmed Mohamed, so of course it was a bomb. If it had been a white kid named Josh, nobody would have batted an eye."

2. On that Bigoted Woman from Kentucky

"So the Kim Davis saga goes on and on, and while I'm tired of hearing about it when there are many other huge issues happening in the world, I had to share this quote from George Takei."The First Amendment has two clauses that are relevant here. One is the Establishment Clause, and the other is the Prohibition Clause. Congress may not prohibit free worship, and that is what so many claim, wrongly, is being violated. But it is also not empowered to establish any religion, nor to enact any laws favoring one religion over the other. Permitting a state employee to foist her religion upon others, denying them a fundamental right as articulated by the U.S. Supreme Court in Obergefell, would be to give government, through this agent, the power to impose religious doctrine and viewpoint. That it cannot do. Ms. Davis is in effect establishing religion by using her governmental powers to impose her religious views."And for those who don't understand still, let's throw in a quote from one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence, Founding Father and 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson:"[T]heir legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church and State."

3. On the Refugee Crisis in Europe, and Around the World

"We have been all so caught up with the petty minds of the right wing who think their religious freedoms are being trampled upon for having to follow federal law, that we forget that outside of this bubble filled with money, fast cars, apartments, organic groceries and fashionable clothes, there is a dark and horrific world that others are trying to escape, only to be turned away, and treated like criminals. The images below are just what I found on Google of Syria recently, but if you were living like this, wouldn't you also be trying to escape, not just for a better life, but FOR your life? That human beings in this world are being forced to live in these tragic conditions is heartbreaking, and as a race, as a community, we need to do something to help them all. I don't care if you're worried that your taxes might go up by a measly couple of dollars for government aid, we have a responsibility to treat these people with compassion and respect. So while civil rights at home are important, let's not forget that while we're sitting here worried about one bigot's religious piety, there are people in this world who are desperate for real help."

4. On the Importance of Planned Parenthood

"I'm posting on FB, so it must be rant time! I have seen a lot of people posting about the apparent horrors of Planned Parenthood and abortion. Let's be clear on a few things here.First of all, all of these videos in question are heavily edited, and sometimes the owners of the voices of the people in them are not seen.Second, people are apparently outraged at the selling of baby body parts. I keep seeing posts about "genocide" and murder". These fetuses have not been born yet. Most states in this country have an abortion term limit that is less (in some cases much less) than 25 weeks. At 25 weeks, for example, an unborn baby does not yet have lungs and taste buds are still developing. Nobody is murdering anyone. This unborn baby cannot yet sustain its own life. These body parts that are being sold, are sent to research companies. People aren't walking into a store and picking up two baby legs for lunch. Get a grip.
Third, to be saying that these women are whores and need to keep their legs closed, or use birth control, is outrageous and simply not acceptable. Rape happens. Mistakes happen. Yet I constantly - and I MEAN constantly - see idiots saying women should keep their legs closed. Perhaps men need to stop forcing themselves on women. And perhaps we should have some compassion for unplanned events in someone's life.
Fourth, everyone who is outraged at the government funding of Planned Parenthood needs to get a reality check and look at the facts. I will provide links to factual sources in the comments below, but PP was granted approximately $528.4 million by the Federal government in 2014. According to the IRS, there were 144,928,472 Federal Tax returns filed in 2012. Simple calculations tell me that is a single tax payer cost of $3.65 for a year, to help other human beings in need. If you are freaking out because your $4 is going to help someone in desperate need of help, then you have serious issues and I cannot be friends with you.
Finally, it goes without saying that I should not even have to mention all of this. Ultimately, a woman should have the right to choose what happens with her own body. End of story. So everyone please shut the hell up, and if you don't like it, get off my page. Thanks.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Dan.

Comparing the UK's NHS to the US' private care

A friend shared this (click to read) and being in the position I am in now, I thought it worth giving my comments. You should definitely read the article first before reading my comments.

Overall I would agree with this writer's assessment, but there are a few things that are not entirely accurate.

First of all, I'm not sure what doctors surgery he was using in the UK, but you CAN chose your own appointment. Of course, they can tell you what times they have available, and it may be "limited" compared to what you realistically want, but they wouldn't tell you "this time only".  I have already had to deal with the insurance companies here in the US numerous times, and have had to visit the doctor, and I can tell you it IS a headache. Even once you get past the bureaucracy of insurance companies, when you get to the doctor you need to have remembered your insurance card, ID, and yup, money.

Wait times when IN the doctor's surgery though, I disagree with him. At home and here in the US I can honestly say it has varied either way. It all depends on the day, the time and the doctor themselves. I think it would be inaccurate to suggest you get seen instantly in the UK over the US.  I find it interesting what he says about emergency room wait times. I haven't had too many emergencies in my time, and thankfully none in the US so far, but I agree, if I had to wait more than 4 hours, I'd be tearing my hair out.

One thing that can affect wait times in the US over wait times in the UK that he failed to mention is that in the US, everyone uses the same hospitals and the same doctors. Whether you're paying insurance or receiving medicare/Medicaid or some other assistance, you sit in the same waiting room as those with insurance. Not too many people have private insurance at home, but when they do, it's a whole other world. If I paid privately and ended up in an NHS hospital, I'd be demanding a refund from my insurance company.

Finally, on the point of cost. No the NHS isn't "free". It does come from government taxes, but it is free at the point of use, and if you have no job, no money and need care, you still receive the same care as everyone else. Even if you do work, if you make very little, you're not paying any more than anyone else, it's all relative. Taxes are by % of earnings, as with anywhere else in the world. I have never once paid for a single doctor or hospital visit in the UK, and trust me I've had many of them. I've been in the US 4 months, and I've already had to pay $30 to see a doctor - and I HAVE insurance!

No system is perfect, and no system will be so any time soon, but I do desperately hope the US can get its act together with the socialised healthcare system, because currently, it's a mess.

Dan.