Tag: Republicans

6 Lies About Single-Payer Health Care

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SINGLE-PAYER HEALTH CARE LIES

By D. S. Mitchell

Drop The Labels

Honest health care policy experts know that the solution to fix the American health care system is staring us in the face, and it is single-payer. Whether dubbed “Medicare-for-All” or an “expansion of Medicaid” through ObamaCare. The solution is easy when labels like “socialism” “liberalism” “progressivism” are ignored. Trump and his DOJ is in court at this very moment trying to invalidate the ACA (ObamaCare). It seems that the more resistance Republicans arouse over destroying ObamaCare the voices for Medicare-for-All grows louder.

Health Care As A Right

The evidence is clear, Americans believe that every person has a right to health care, irrespective of their ability to pay. We as a people, believe that we have an obligation to take care of each other. In fact, there is more momentum for the adoption of a single-payer health care system than at any time in our history.

Continue reading

2018 Midterms A Democratic Blow Out

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2018 Midterms A Democratic Blow Out

Trevor K. McNeil

 

No pressure. The clamor before the election was that the 2018 Midterm elections could be the most important Midterm vote in history. A lot of hype, that may end up being spot on. This, like most things these days, was all the president’s fault. Trump being correct, shocking I know, when he characterized the elections as, effectively, a referendum on him and his administration. He kept telling us that, over and over.

Accepting the challenge. We as a people accepted that challenge, registered a record number of new voters and fielded a strong team of candidates nationwide . We were ready and willing to tell Trump exactly what we think of him and his cabinet of swamp creatures. We were ready for, in fact anxious for, a return to divided government. The ballot box our chosen platform, the 2018 Midterms the first election in which we could flex our muscles.

Taking back the House. The 2018 Midterms elections have given the Democrats control of the House of Representatives for the first time since 2010. Stacking the house against Trump is now the best, legal, way to limit his powers. The people of the country made it clear that is what they expect. And the messy process of hobbling his actions has begun.

Big turn outs across the nation. The 2018 Midterm election turnout is estimated at 113,000,000. That would mean 48% of eligible voters participated. Staggering numbers for a Midterm election, nearly 85,000,000 more than in the 2014 Midterm. People tend to  vote because they are mad. Like I said Trump wanted it to be all about him and that’s exactly what happened.

You can breath again. To call the 2018 Midterms a “roller-coaster” ride is an understatement. Kind of like saying Benedict Arnold had slightly confused loyalties. We will likely be getting results every day for the next couple days, to possibly weeks. California final results may not be available for at least a month.

The courts are the end litigator. Lawsuits have begun in most of the contested states. Why would anyone, Rick Scott and Brian Kemp to mention two Republicans who are determined to sue their way to office want to stop counting ballots. Why would we vote, if they only intend to count some of the votes? Totally absurd. Nelson vs Scott in Florida, Sinema vs McSally in Arizona, Gillum vs DeSantis  in Florida and finally the most riveting, Abrams vs Kemp in Georgia. All nail biters. Some already moving to recount.

A blue dribble vs a blue wave. There is the bad news that the Republicans have held the senate. As 2018 Midterm vote count dribbles in to the history books we have gone from thinking the Republicans would see a big gain of up to 6 seats in the Senate; but now, nearly a week post Midterms, it looks like nothing more than an overall one seat Republican gain..

Gender and diversity the takeaways. The brightest news of the 2018 Midterm election is that a total of 100 women were elected, more than any other election in U.S. history. Notably, the first Native American openly gay woman, Sharice Davids, has been elected to Congress. This upcoming congress will be the most gender, ethnically and racially diverse group in Congressional history. Way to go voters. It is about time that our elected leaders are a reflection of what our society looks like, not a reflection of a dying power center; that of old, mostly, white men.

It takes awhile to get there. The 2018 Midterm election also saw the election of Jared Polis an openly LGBTQ person to represent Colorado in the House of Representatives. Finally making good on the path bravely carved out by Harvey Milk. Harvey Milk who was the first openly LGBTQ person to be elected to public office in 1970’s San Francisco, and he was killed for his efforts.

Percentages can be deceiving. The best news, of course, is that the Democrats took the House, and not by a small amount. The percentages might look close but percentage points count for a lot in elections, each one representing thousands of individual votes. What began looking like a mediocre “trickle” has over the last couple days ballooned into a possible gain of 38-40 seats. In addition to the House successes, the Democrats flipped multiple governor mansions and a staggering number of state legislatures. A mandate many would call it.

A big headache. The Democrats now with great 2018 Midterm success have the power to give the Trump administration a mind bending migraine. The power of the subpoena should make Trump and associates nervous. The American people have thrown up their hands and said, loudly no matter how dirty it gets, they are telling the Dems to clean up the Trump/GOP mess.

Sharpening pencils and registering voters. The 2018 Midterms are only the beginning. Many of the Resistors and the Indivisible folks are sharpening their pencils and are ready to continue their registration drive right up until the 2020 elections. The Senate and the Executive Branch are the targets of the Democrats next flip. If Trump thinks this is going to be a small bump in his presidency, I think he better buckle the proverbial seat belt because it looks like things are gonna get rough.

Looking ahead. We should, of course, celebrate this major victory. Hopefully the Dems can hobble the roaring beast of Trumpism. But, now we stumble into two months of lame duck politics. Matthew Whitaker’s appointment as temporary Attorney General of the United States is just a warning shot by Trump. What he does over the next couple months in this pre-Dem time is open to speculation. He could shoot that guy on Fifth Avenue by the time the new House is seated and what will they do about it?

Some unfortunate facts.Trump is still the president (damn and blast it). The great 2018 Midterm Democratic wins in the state houses around the country will help protect the 2020 election against voter suppression and gerrymandering. But this record-setting election is only the first step in a long journey to the next election. Two years are a long time in politics.  From now until 2020 we need to keep the pressure on this rogue and reckless president.

The Kavanaugh Hearings Divide A Nation

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Kavanaugh Hearings Divide A Nation

By Megan Wallin

A Country Divided

More than anything, the hours we spent focusing on Judge Kavanaugh and Dr. Blasey Ford were a testament to how divided we are as a nation. It isn’t a matter of party lines; it’s a matter of narrative. The narratives are destructively short-sighted and cutthroat.

Democrats think you must believe every person who comes forth with a horrendous account of rape or assault, because possible disbelief of an honest person is too high of a risk to take. The Republican side thinks political motives are the only incentive behind an otherwise credible story due to the timing of the accusations and the accused’s position of power.

A Matter Of Inconvenience

It was inconvenient for Republicans to address the credibility of Blasey Ford’s testimony, and it was inconvenient for Democrats to concede that the timing did seem all but miraculously in tune with the changing of the tides. With #MeToo changing social dynamics, our job is to find the threads of reason within both perspectives and grasp that thread, using it to pull us closer to the truth and to each other.

More Scrutiny Is Needed

There is nothing wrong with questioning a person’s claim, especially when the alleged act is so heinous as sexual assault. In fact, the higher the gravity of the accusation, the more scrutiny is required. It’s not a sign that we don’t believe someone, but a sign that belief is not to be taken for granted simply due to our emotional response to the despicable behavior described. But here was where we failed. After the circus of testimonies and the drilling of both Blasey Ford and Kavanaugh, Republicans allowed almost no time for this information to be thoroughly investigated.

Lindsey Graham behaves Like An Emotional Buffoon

If both sides cared so much about the truth, then this would have played out differently. We would not have watched as the person simply coming forth with a story of sexual assault was questioned about why she remembered the incident itself but not the logistics of how she arrived or departed from said event. We would not seek to tear down her credentials, as many tried, claiming that she lied about her job title. We would not take her less seriously than Lindsey Graham, who behaved like an emotional buffoon. If both sides cared about the truth, then we would not watch as a judge dodged questions left and right rather than answer candidly.

Life Time Appointees Need To Be Above Reproach

If both sides cared about the truth, no one would be wondering why an accusation with the power to delay such an important political appointment resulted in such a brief investigation. There was no further questioning of the two key people involved. Furthermore, multiple people claimed the FBI refused to take statements from them. A thorough and complete investigation would be welcome. If a man is innocent, let his name be cleared. If he is not innocent, he should not be considered for a lifetime position in the United States government.

Trump Forever Partisan

Shortly following Blasey Ford’s testimony, our openly partisan president stated that he found her credible. That of course begs the question, “What are the defining traits of credibility?” And it is no easy task to decide what makes someone believable when the circumstances of the crime scene are no longer available for investigation. Of course, within a day Trump went from finding her credible to mocking Blasey Ford at his rallies. Continue reading

Myths About Single-Payer Health Care

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Myths About Single-Payer Health Care

D. S. Mitchell

Honest health care policy experts know that the solution to fix the American health care system is staring us in the face, and it is single-payer, Medicare-for-All. The defeat of the Republican health care legislation put a nail in the coffin of the idea that Americans can’t be sold on Medicare-for-All.

The evidence is clear, Americans believe that every person has a right to health care, irrespective of ability to pay. We as a people, believe that we have an obligation to take care of each other. In fact, there is more momentum for single payer than at any time in our history.

Despite its enormous popularity and unparalleled record of success Republicans are deep in their war on Medicare. New proposals have emerged since the 2016 election that would slash benefits for the elderly and leave older Americans at the mercy of the “for profit” insurance industry.

Paul Ryan Republican Speaker of the House has been vocal in his attacks against both Medicaid and Medicare. He is calling for a voucher program that would transfer more costs on to seniors and leave them at the mercy of the private insurance industry. This action must be stopped.  It is not just about protecting our existing Medicare system, it is about ensuring that everyone receives health care as a right. It is a case of “everybody in, nobody out.”

One hundred Americans die everyday from the lack of health insurance. That is over 30,000 unnecessary deaths each year and that number is scheduled to grow steadily over the next decade. This is an American tragedy. With the Republican tax scam now signed into law we will see millions remain uncovered and millions more lose coverage due to increased cost for insurance coverage brought on by the elimination of the insurance mandate. The insurance mandate was a device used by the ACA plan to expand the pool to keep prices down.

Former editor in chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Marcia Angell believes Medicare-for-All is the best health care reform, and it is the only health care reform that will cover everyone and control costs. That is why the majority of doctors, nurses and hospitals support a Medicare-for-All system.

What about CIGNA, Wellpoint, United and Humana? Their place in American health care would disappear.  They would be replaced with one insurance pool. The Medicare system that serves the elderly so well would be expanded to cover all Americans. “Everybody in. Nobody out.”

How would such changes save money? Upfront we as a country would save at least half a trillion dollars in administrative costs, waste and profits. That sizeable savings would be used to cover everyone.

At birth, everyone would get a health insurance card. This card would give you access to any doctor or hospital in the United States. Free, unfettered choice of doctor and hospital. This is unlike our current practice of allowing health insurance companies to tell us which doctors and hospitals we can see.

As it stands, if you don’t have health insurance–or if you have insurance with sizeable co-pays and deductibles–you’re likely to stay away from a doctor or hospital until the condition becomes  critical, and then most likely you will end up in your local ER.

Obvious positives: A Medicare-for-All system would cut drug prices by more than 40%. A Medicare-for-All system would  emphasize prevention. “An ounce of single-payer prevention is worth a pound of high-tech cure.” A Medicare-for-All system would be a powerful voice against alcohol, tobacco, junk food and sugary beverages. Furthermore, a single-payer system would store treatment results in a single database, doctors would have access to more complete research data, thereby making it easier to detect the dangers of certain drugs and environmental and workplace exposures.

Our inadequate health care system leaves millions out in the cold. Until every American is covered the body count will continue to rise. Remember at least 100 Americans die daily directly related to their inability to pay for health care. Tens of millions of people face crushing medical bills, even people with insurance are forced to choose between medicine and basic necessities like food and shelter. This is WRONG.  Medical bills are the number one cause of personal bankruptcies in the United States.

Health insurance costs are going to continue to spin wildly out of control. Insurance premiums are doubling every six years, and insurers are continually pushing for patient increases in the share of cost, most definitely through higher deductibles and co-payments they demand from their customers.

Bernie has it right. There can be no compromise with the health insurance industry.  Putting the sharks in charge of the goldfish makes no sense. If Paul Ryan has his way that will be the result, seniors will be at the mercy of insurance companies.  The ACA tried to keep the insurance companies in the game, however it has become clear to most of us who are following this issue closely that the insurance industry will give less at more cost. Ryan’s voucher program in place of Medicare-for-All would be a disaster.

Remember every day 100 Americans die from lack of health insurance. Every day hundreds go bankrupt from medical bills. Both a national tragedy and a national disgrace. We must support sensible policy and sensible policy is Medicare-for-All. There is an army of lobbyists representing health care and drug industry visiting legislators everyday their central mission is to block Medicare-for-All.

Public Citizen is a citizen action group working on many public policy issues, one of them being Medicare-for-All. In a recent mailer Public Citizen responded to 6 “Myths and Lies” about a single-payer system. I would like to share their responses to the most frequent arguments.

1.) Argument: Single-payer is government-run health care.

WRONG.

Government run health care is the Veterans Administration. Or the British system where the government pays for the doctors and hospitals.

Under Single-payer you get a health care card and you can go to any doctor or hospital in the U.S.

Doctors are not employees of the government. Hospitals stay in private hands. You get free choice of doctor and hospital.

2.) Argument: Single-payer will lead to rationing, like in Canada.

WRONG.

Right now in the United States, the private health insurance companies ration care.

If you don’t have health insurance, you don’t get health care. More than 30 million Americans now lack health insurance.

That’s why 100 Americans die every day from lack of health care.

There are some problems in the Canadian system, but most of what you hear about long lines is health insurance industry propaganda.

Zero, let me repeat that, zero people die every day in Canada due to lack of health insurance.

3.) Argument: Costs will skyrocket under single-payer.

WRONG.

Single-payer is the only health care reform that will save enough money to ensure everyone.

By eliminating the health insurance industry, the country will save $500 billion a year or more in administrative costs and profits.

That money is then used to insure those who lack insurance and fully cover those who are under-insured.

Yes, more people will be seeking health care because they will now have insurance. But they will be taking care of medical problems early, thus preventing more costly treatment later.

4.) Argument: Drugs will be more difficult to get under single-payer.

WRONG.

The drug industry would have you believe that there will be less research and development under a single-payer system.

In fact, much medical research is now funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Under single-payer, this would grow.

Also, drugs will be cheaper under single-payer.

When all patients are under one system, the payer wields a lot of clout.

For example, the VA gets a 40% discount on drugs because of its buying power.

This single-payer buying power is the main reason other countries’ drug prices are lower than those in this country. (*Now you know why the drug industry is so opposed to a potential single-payer system.)

5.) Argument: Single-payer will cover less than the insurance I have now.

WRONG.

For the majority of Americans, single-payer will be a vast improvement.

All medically necessary care would be funded through the single-payer, including doctor visits, hospital care, prescriptions, mental health services, nursing home care, rehab, home are, eye care and dental care.

An enlightened single-payer will also result in a sharp increase in public health funding to prevent disease.

No more bills. No more deductibles. No more co-pays.

6.) Argument: Single-payer will cost me more than I’m paying now for private health insurance.

WRONG.

The majority of Americans will pay about the same or less than they are paying now.

Instead of paying premiums to a private insurance company, most of us will pay a similar or smaller amount in taxes.

So, now, if you are paying $8,000 in premiums for a family of four with a $4,ooo deductible, your yearly liability is at least $12,000.

It is most likely that you will pay less than that in taxes to fund a universal single-payer.

There will be no deductibles or co-pays.

And, you can go to see any doctor or check into any hospital in the United States.

Thanks again Public Citizen for answering a lot of the common questions people have about single-payer. Public Citizen is fighting for single-payer every day.  Put them on your donation list.

Calamity Politics is an online news magazine presenting a progressive view of politics and policy. Join me for comment and opinion. Join the Resistance. We are Indivisible.

Dar

(**In my perfect world the health care insurance card would also a national voter ID. A guarantee to get access to voting nationwide. Just my idea to stop the calls of fraudulent voters and the ongoing suppression of the vote.**)

The Stability Of U.S. Food Supply In Danger

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The Stability Of U.S. Food Supply In Danger

D. S. Mitchell

In a 12 month period from April 2014-2015 the honey bee colonies in the United States decreased by more than 40%, the highest annual loss ever recorded. The massive losses compelled researchers to coin a new term to describe the problem. They named the massive losses as “colony collapse disorder.”

With over 40% of U.S. honeybee hives now dying each year it is important to note that 40% of invertebrate pollinator species according to a recent UN sponsored report face extinction. Bees and butterflies are now approaching the brink.If you add that, “one of every three bites of food that you and I eat is pollinated by bees and other pollinators,” warns Friends of Earth, an environmental action group struggling to save the bees, the calamity of the situation is front and center. Seeing the bee die-off as part of a larger insect decline cannot be overstated. A group of UK scientists are calling it an “ecological Armageddon.”

Do the math, it doesn’t require a genius IQ to see the threat. Earthjustice a legal fund fighting for bee protection, believes that, “Bees are the canaries in the coal mine, warning us of an imminent and frightening threat to our food.” Our time is limited if we are going to save the bees and ourselves.

The stability of the U.S.food supply is facing imminent threat.

As previously noted, Honey bees, vital pollinators of more than one-third of our nation’s crops, including “super foods” such as berries, nuts and avocados are dying in record numbers. The rapid loss of honey bees threatens to unravel agricultural production all across the country.

What was a battle between big business and the environmental community within the state and federal court system has intensified since the election of Donald Trump. Trump and his Republican allies in Congress and his cronies in the corporate sector intend to dismantle long-established safeguards created to protect food safety, farm workers and the overall public health.

Today, with possibly the most anti-environmental administration and Congress in history we are facing a difficult challenge to enact regulations surrounding toxic chemicals and pesticides needed to protect the pollinators, and human beings.  I am hoping for a Democratic tsunami for 2018, otherwise I have little hope for the survival of the bees, or the nation’s safe food supply.

The fight for the future of the honey bees–America’s greatest pollinator–and for the future of our nation’s food security and public health in general is a fight we cannot lose. Honey bees are the unsung heroes of American agricultural productivity, working diligently to pollinate no less than 1/3 of U.S. agricultural crops. It is time that we recognize their hard work and make it our mission to insure their safety and recovery.

Scientists world-wide after analyzing more that 800 environmental studies determined that the major cause of the bee die offs can be directly attributed to a class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids, or “neonics” for short. These chemicals in even microscopic doses can harm a bee.

Repeated exposure to neonic pesticides start to change a bee’s life and later the entire hive. Science has tracked a number of different outcomes after exposure. 1.) Illness and Death: Neonics make it hard for bees to groom themselves, making them susceptible to disease and mites, and weakening their immune systems. 2.) Colony Contamination:If a bee is able to return to the hive, they return covered in contaminated pollen. As other bees store the pollen, they all become contaminated 3.) Lost and confused: Neonics affect bees’ ability to navigate back to their hives. Unable to find their way home, they die. Worker bees supply the colony’s food. When they are lost and don’t return, the entire colony can die from starvation.

These “neonics” are systemic chemicals. That means that the pesticide is absorbed into every part of the plant. As a result, it not only kills insects that come into direct contact with its droplets, but renders the entire plant–flowers, nectar, and pollen–highly toxic for weeks, or even months after application.

Neonics are approved for use on the majority of crops in the United States. The bee die off has spiked and has so disturbed scientists that the US Dept of Agriculture issued the following statement:

“Currently, the survivorship of honey bee colonies is too low for us to be confident in our ability to meet the pollination demands of US agricultural crops.”

Although bans in other countries have been successful–Italy went from losing 37.5% of its hives in 2008 to only 15% after restricting neonics–the US has been frighteningly slow to act. And, with an EPA administration and Congress stocked with Trump’s corporate cronies, it is even less likely that our government will act to regulate bee-killing pesticides.

Honey bees may be small, but they play a huge role in making food available for our tables. Bees have an electromagnetic charge that turns them into flying magnets, carrying and transferring pollen from flower to flower. It takes 60,000 bees, about two hives, to pollinate just one acre of orchard. Each spring across the United States honey bees pollinate almonds, apples, oranges, apricots, lemons, squash, zucchini and dozens of other fruits and vegetables a truly amazing accomplishment.

Whole Foods working with Time magazine showed that honey bees are of vital importance to the nation’s food security by dramatically removing all the produce that depends on bee pollination from their produce shelves for a photo-op to dramatize the impending loss. Of the about 450 items usually found in the average American supermarket half will disappear if America’s crops don’t get pollinated. That realization is a serious threat to the nation’s ability to produce food, as well as to our food security. This is really scary stuff.

The largest producers of these pesticides are Bayer, Dow, Monsanto and Syngenta, whose own studies–obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request–show that neonics cause significant harm to bees and other pollinators. A study commissioned by The European Food Safety Authority indicated that the same class of pesticides killing the pollinators “may affect the developing nervous system of children.” If you weren’t scared before, this should light your hair on fire.

There are more than 500 neonic products on the market. I don’t expect the Trump administration to take any action that will help native bees, bumblebees, butterflies or other pollinators, like the nearly extinct rusty patched bumblebee, which was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act last year.

As the fight to save the bees intensifies another neurotoxic insecticide is coming under scrutiny. Chlorpyrifos, commonly used in agriculture has been shown in EPA studies to lower children’s IQ’s and is “likely to adversely affect” over 1700 plants and animals, many of them critically endangered, including bees.

Because of such scientific studies, chlorpyrifos were banned for home use in 2001, and in 2015 the Obama administration recommended revoking its use in agriculture. As soon as Scott Pruitt took charge of the EPA, he announced he would reverse the Obama-era ban.

The fight to save the bees is becoming more urgent by the day. Remember, bees and other pollinators are critical in growing 2/3rd of our global food crops.  From nuts, soybeans, squash and cucumbers, to apples, oranges, avocados and melons, pollinators play a critical role in producing the food we eat. Bees are the tiny forces behind more than $20 billion worth of U.S. crops each year.

Five Ways To Help Save The Bees and other pollinators:

BEE SAFE: Plant flowers such as Aster, Black-eyed Susan, Oregon Grape, Snowberry, Wild Lilac, Huckleberry, and Lupine in your garden using only organic starts or untreated seeds to provide good food and a safe haven for bees. **(One study found many of the so-called “bee friendly” plants in garden centers have been pre-treated with neonics, at levels that can harm or kill bees. Please only buy certified organic plants and reject garden products laced with bee killing pesticides.)

BEE AWARE: Use alternative pest control methods, like landscaping to attract beneficial insects, and use only eco-friendly pest-control products.

BEE VIGILANT: Read labels and steer clear of products containing neonicatinoids or chlorpyrifos. **(A list of the common brands containing neonics can be found at the end of this article.)

BEE VOCAL: Tell you friends and family about the importance of bees and how they can help save these invaluable insects.

BEE ACTIVIST: Write your legislators, state and federal. Write the EPA. Sign Petitions demanding protection for the pollinators. Ask your grocer to stop carrying products containing neonicolinoids and chlopyrifos. Protest.

BEE GENEROUS: The cost of fighting the assault on bees and our food supply is expensive. Donate to organizations like Friends of the Earth and Earthjustice to be our voice in the courtroom.

This is going to be an uphill battle for the next three years of Trumpism, but we can’t stand by and let Donald Trump think for one minute that we as a people will stand by and let him get away with destroying the environment all in the name of corporate greed.

In 1962 Rachel Carson wrote a meticulously researched book, “The Silent Spring” in which she described how, the now banned pesticide DDT, entered the food chain and accumulated in fatty tissues of animals and humans. She took on the chemical industry and her work led to DDT being banned. Her work has been credited with starting the environmental movement. We need to understand that each of us can make a difference in this world, but it requires action. It is up to us to stop the second “silent spring.”

I challenge you to make a copy of this list of killers and put it in your wallet, or your purse and use it to say “no”  to products laced with Acetamiprid, Clothianidin, Dinotefuran, Imidacloprid, Thiamethoxam all of which are toxins killing bees. If you see any of these ingredients listed on products in your home or on your local vendor’s shelves do not use them.

It seems nearly impossible to imagine but neonics hide everywhere including in these popular brands: Aloft, Arena, Allectus, Atera, Bithor, Caravan, Coretect, Derby, Dino, Dominion, Equil Adonis, Flagship, Flower (Rose & Shrub Care), Gaucho, Grub-No-More, Grubout, Hawk, Imaxxpro, Ima-Jet, Imi Insecticide, Imicide, Imid-Bifen, Imida-Teb Garden SC, Imidapro, Imigold, Lada, Malice, Mallet, Mantra, Marathon, Meridian, Merit, Nuprid, Optigard Flex, Pasada, Pointer Insecticide, Premise, Pronto, Prothor, Safari, Sagacity, Sparkle:Bounty, Tandem, Temprid, Triple Crown Insecticide, Tristar, Turfthor, Xytect.

Calamity Politics is an on-line political news magazine dedicated to protecting the environment and removing Donald Trump from the presidency of the United States. Join us for comment and opinion. Join the Resistance. We are Indivisible.

Dar

GOP’s Sneaky Tax Plan

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GOP’s Sneaky Tax Plan

D. S. Mitchell

The American tax system is not broken and it certainly does not need the type of disastrous overhaul being rammed down the throats of the 99.8% of the American tax payers all for the benefit of about five thousand people, and a boat load of international corporations. Trickle down economics was debunked 30 years ago and why we have allowed the Republicans to bring it back into the tax conversation is beyond me.

On December 2, 2017 at 2 a.m., in the dark of night, without a single public hearing, Senators passed a 479 page tax bill, which included several illegible hand written notes in the margins. GOP Senators passed what could become one of the most important legislative bills in recent history. If the Republicans actually maneuver this monstrosity through the congress it will revamp the national tax code, disrupt our national health care system, while adding trillions of dollars to the national debt, thereby impacting every person in the United States.

From personal experience, I know that 2 a.m. decisions are usually stupid decisions. Decisions, that when viewed from the light of the following morning are often regrettable. So, we ask, why are the Republicans so desperate to pass such important legislation in the middle of the night? Without public hearings, written seemingly by corporation lobbyists, and supported by almost no one, we keep asking, why?

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A Growing Wave Favors Single Payer Health Care

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A Growing Wave Favors Single Payer Health Care

D. S. Mitchell

Across the nation our cities and towns are full of working families, seniors and students who are uninsured or struggling with unmanageable health care costs. Americans spend more money per person on health care than any other industrialized country with worse results.

For many, the lack of access to affordable health care leads to decreased quality of life. It often is choices. The choice of being able to work, or attend school. A choice between food, or medication. For others it boils down to waiting until the health care situation becomes emergent. Sadly, for many it leads to death.

Health care affects all Americans. Whether it affects you, or your neighbor, your sister, your grandmother. Affordable health care crosses traditional boundaries and is one public policy issue that touches us all. It is a unifying thread of need, not of agreement.

The New Deal of Franklin Roosevelt offered new ideas and new solutions for a country without health care and created the first American social safety net. More than eighty years have passed since the first struggles to provide basic health care was initiated in the United States. A lot has happened since the 1930’s but America still is struggling with a realistic view of health care. Public health care policy that serves the most people the most effectively should be the agreed goal.

As I have mentioned in the past it is time we join the countries of the modern world and provide health care for all. Once you decide health care is a human right, not the privilege of a few that are wealthy enough to afford insurance, great movement can take place. Once that thought has been internalized we must take those beliefs to the ballot box. Vote your values and make sure that your elected officials vote our values. We must hold them accountable.

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I’m A Liberal–And Here Is Why

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I’m A Liberal, And Here Is Why

D. S. Mitchell

The resurrection of the GOP attack on Health Care, Trump’s UN speech, and a nasty Twitter exchange with a rabid Trump supporter, or maybe, a Russian troll, has caused me to sit down and pout for a few minutes, kick my feet and wonder if the fight is worth it.  I, like many of you, get so tired.  Some days it seems like Trump, in 10 short months is on the precipice of destroying the backbone of this country, our laws and our media. In the midst of my pout, I remember what President John F. Kennedy said about his core values and I perked up and finished calling my list of potentially five persuadable Republican Senators; in an effort to stop the GOP effort to repeal the ACA. 

The JFK quote has been seen a million times, but it is worth another view.  If you are a liberal and are taking a breath, forget it. The GOP and all their ‘effing money are out to screw us all. So get up, dust yourself off, drag the sign out of the basement, and hit the streets. Or, the phone. You can have a big impact if you make those Senate office phones ring.

So, my sweet liberal friends, gather courage from the words of one of our greatest presidents, “If by a ‘liberal’ they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reaction, someone who cares about the welfare of the people–their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights and their civil liberties–someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what it means to be a ‘liberal’ then I’m proud to say, I’m a liberal.”

Keep up the fight, the road will be hard and the results slow in coming, but a determined heart will protect health care and the social contract our government has with its citizens.

Join the Resistance

Dar

Bites Big And Small

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Bites Big and Small:

Kelly New White House Chief of Staff

D. S. Mitchell

Kelly left his post as Secretary of Homeland Security to become White House chief of staff.  His acknowledged mission is to “bring some order to the chaotic West Wing” according to an associated Press report.  Kelly flexed his muscle by ousting the newly appointed Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci after “the mooch” made vile and profane comments to the New Yorker magazine about other White House inner circle. Kelly intends to revise the command structure in the West Wing, so that all senior staff reports to him directly, and not President Trump.

Lawmakers are expressing hope that Kelly’s arrival will stop the internal leaks and squash the notable conflicts within the White House and pivot back to a policy agenda that has been side tracked by months of Russian investigations and internal discord.

Approximately a month before his installation Kelly had a loud and fiery private interaction with President Trump related to published complaints by the POTUS about what he considers too many foreign travelers coming into the United States. In their private meeting Kelly told the president that the ongoing admissions are standard, and stated that many people have legitimate reasons to visit the United States.  The president apparently felt that all the visitors allowed under the expanded travel ban were making him “look bad.”

This seems like a strange marriage, a disciplined four star general, and the petulant, undisciplined narcissist real estate tycoon.  I think from what I’ve read they do share many core ideas.  We will need to watch the atmosphere around the West Wing and see if Kelly can bring structure and control to a wildly out of control executive branch.

Trump Threatens To End Obama Care:

Legal Cases Fight For Separation of State and Religion

President Trump has threatened for months to stop billions of dollars in federal monies to insurers and force the collapse of  “ObamaCare”.  Nicholas Bagley a Law Professor at the University of Michigan told the Associated Press Tuesday, “Trump thinks he’s holding all the cards. But Democrats know what in his hand, and he’s got a pair of twos. He continued, “Democrats aren’t about to agree to dismantle the Affordable Care Act just because Trump makes a reckless bet.”

Bagley and other legal experts are saying that the president is handing the insurers a “solid court case, while undermining his own leverage to compel Democrats to negotiate, especially if premiums jump directly related to the actions of Trump.

The executive office should be making a decision soon whether he will continue to give the required legal financial help to low-income consumers, reducing their co-pays and deductibles.

Trump Promises To Continue His Twitter Use:

Donald Trump Is Addicted To Twitter And There Is No Rehab On The Horizon

Perhaps John Kelly will be rethinking his decision to come to the White House sooner than I thought.  On Twitter the president said, ” Only the Fake News Media and Trump enemies want me to stop using Social Media (110 million followers) Only way I can get truth out!” Trump will continue to live in his alternate universe unfortunately accompanied by about 35% of Americans.

Trump Calls The White House “A Dump”

Sports Illustrated ran a story that claims President Trump was overheard to say the reason he goes to his own golf clubs is because the White House is “a real dump”. If this story is true I think we should evict the creep. The honor of living in that house is something that this man does not appreciate, or does he appreciate the history of the house or that it is the people’s house and we do not want it turned into a miniature Versailles palace.

Join the Resistance

Dar

Thank You ADAPT And All The Resistance Protesters

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Thank You ADAPT And All The Resistance Protesters

D. S. Mitchell

I haven’t written much about health care for awhile, not because I haven’t had plenty to say, but there have been a lot of other people speaking up and saying it probably better than I could, so I let them take the lead. But, now after the Republican attack on health care has been stymied for a short time at least, I think it is time that we thank all the individuals and groups that came together to stop the Repeal and Replace train.

Who could ever forget the images of disabled protesters being pulled from their wheelchairs and zip tied and carted off to jail. Absolutely riveting. Horrific images that labeled the Republican lawmakers as heartless and unresponsive to the needs of the American public.

The protests by the grassroots disability rights organization ADAPT I think were what turned the tide in favor of the protesters. The ADAPT protesters set the stage for the subsequent heroic votes cast by three Republican Senators, John McCain, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski.

In 1974 a non-disabled former nursing home recreational director and several disabled associates formed the Atlantis Community. The mission of the group was to assist disabled persons to escape institutionalization and live in the community at large. On 7/5/1978 a historic protest for wheelchair access to public buses was initiated by the group. The protest took place at a Denver intersection where protesters stopped buses and disabled individuals placed themselves in front and behind the buses and then others would leave their wheelchairs and dramatically crawl up the bus steps to bring attention to their plight.

In 1984 after several years of bus protests, as the group struggled to obtain wheel chair access lifts to Denver city buses, the campaign went national. ADAPT became the designated  arm of the Atlantis group to form protests and civil disobedience. ADAPT became the militant wing of the disability rights movement and is well known for its non-violent direct action with a mission to bring public awareness to the civil rights violations of the disabled.

The group has successfully used Twitter and Facebook to dramatize their issues. ADAPT strategies used so effectively in the health care fight include using civil disobedience as a tool to gain public attention to direct change in laws, policies and services affecting the disabled and those strategies were used effectively to bring attention to the drastic Medicaid cuts proposed under the TrumpCare plan.

Also important to note were the hundreds of thousands of people who marched, went to town halls, visited lawmakers offices, wrote letters, sent emails and faxes and called their congressional representatives. It was each of these people as individuals and as organized groups that stopped the Republicans from erasing health care for a projected 20-30 million people over the next decade.

Thank you. For whatever you did, large or small, your participation in the resistance changed the direction of this callous legislation.

Join the Resistance

Dar