Chit-Chat: The Feels

[Yeah No]

5 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

I can appreciate where you're coming from but imagine how the general public would feel about paying 40% in taxes.

Right now (for instance) the average family is in the 15-20% tax bracket and are having trouble making ends meet. Adding another 20-25% would be even more of a hardship.

Yes, and unfortunately such a big increase in tax won't benefit everyone equally depending on their needs, so one family taxed an additional 20-25% might see a big return on that increased expenditure while another won't. I understand that's just par for the course with taxes in general, but when people are already struggling, being taxed that much more can create significant inequities that would be a very big hardship for not just them but society in general. It's great to think you're doing your part to help the unfortunate but when it makes YOU unfortunate in pursuit of that goal, that's not a great solution. And in the US today that would likely apply to a LOT of people. Perhaps if it only applied to people making more than a certain amount of money that would help, but where to draw the line is the issue and would people do their best not to look like they make that much money just to avoid being in that category? 

Also, with the inefficiencies of US government and its agencies such as they are I shudder to think of how well any of this would work in practice. It's hard enough to deal with them as it is. I like the idea of Medicaid for all but I think there should be different levels of coverage based on income brackets, which I think actually exists now but to expand that. 

I was on Medicaid for several years, actually, and it was amazing. My husband was attempting to start a small limo. business and had a LOT of start up costs which brought down our taxable income significantly. And then we had the pandemic which ground his business to a halt so our coverage was extended on that basis (he eventually had to shut it down and was hired on salary by a client just in time for us to go on Medicare). The problem, though, is that I can foresee a lot of potential fraud happening to justify having complete or even just more coverage under Medicaid. But I don't think that should stop us from looking into it.

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

Speaking as someone whose family has experience struggling to maek ends meat, I'd be fine with my taxes going towards things that actually help and benefit people, such as the ability to go to the doctor without going into debt. 

'Cause, see, I know what it's like for my family to go through that, and I will be happy to do whatever I can to ensure other families don't have to deal with that, eitehr. 

Also, if we tax the hell out of the Elon Musks and Jeff Bezos and so forth of the world, that would go a long way towards helping ensure that kind of scenario would be a reality. Make them pay their fair share in taxes and us lower-class/middle-class people wouldn't have to foot so much of the bill as a result. 

I am NOT defending them but I keep hearing that the 1% pay more money in hard dollars than the rest of the country combined (or something to that effect, don't quote me). So they already think they're paying their fair share. But yes, if they were really paying their fair share in terms of a percentage of their incomes it would greatly help the rest of us. But just try getting that to happen! They can afford to find out how to take advantage of every trick in the book to hold onto as much money as they can and I don't know that I believe that government can effectively prevent them from doing it. They have their ways. Money is power.

Also it might actually make them more ruthless in holding onto their money and they'd pass along the cost of their increased taxes to the rest of us by increasing prices on their products and services to cover that cost. And that can and does happen. If only there were a way to prevent them from doing THAT but it doesn't feel likely to me.  I wish I knew how this works in other countries that have higher taxes. 

[Yeah No]

19 minutes ago, Suzn said:

Due to the electoral college my presidential vote has never counted.  My state has always gone Republican since my first vote. I deeply resent this, but I always vote anyway.  My vote is counted even though it never "counts"!

You know, I think the reason why the electoral college wasn't such an issue in eras past is because we weren't as polarized politically until relatively recently. It was easier to get Democratic presidents elected because more Republicans and Independents were willing to vote Democratic depending on the candidate. Now with all the disinformation and lies being spread about how all Democratic candidates are left of Lenin and "coming to take away your money and rights and give them to illegals", and the MAGA phenomenon attracting so many people, forget it.

[Makai]

10 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I've been rewatching some shows from the 1960s that I saw as a kid and it does depend on the show. There were actually some very progressive shows out there at the time, and more to come in the '70s but I agree that there were probably more that are indeed as you say above.

But even among the most progressive shows there are signs of inconsistency and just not getting it. I've been watching Adam-12 and in some ways it was very progressive and in others very sexist. And sometimes all in the same episode!

Although I do have to say that officer Reed was 100% the genuine article. His character could teach today's men how to be a progressive, liberated man. No joke there. Respect. And amazing for its time, too.

I wasn’t saying that shows in the 60’s weren’t progressive. I was referring to those shows that were progressive in the 60’s like Star Trek. It pushed boundaries at the time but still maintained a clear power deferential between white men and everyone else. There are a lot of people that view that as the ideal. It’s how so many people can be fans of sci-fi but completely miss the underlying message and complain that it is “woke”. 

10 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

I never learned about the Japanese internment camps in school. The first time I learned of it was reading the Babysitters Club one of the books mentioned the camps. I went to research it afterwards. That episode of Cold Case was the first time I ever seen it mentioned let alone an episode about it. I agree, it does need to be taught in school. As does slavery and other terrible things our country has done.   

It was covered in my high school but that Baby-Sitters Club book was also the first time I learned about it. 

George Takai guested on an episode of Hawaii 5-0 that did a really good job on the subject. It helped that they based it off of George’s experience in an internment camp. 

6 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

I can appreciate where you're coming from but imagine how the general public would feel about paying 40% in taxes.

Right now (for instance) the average family is in the 15-20% tax bracket and are having trouble making ends meet. Adding another 20-25% would be even more of a hardship.

That’s because we live in a country operating on a failed ideology that expects the richest people to used their riches in a way that benefits the poorest. That has been proven in be a lie. The last election proved that the American people will agree to nearly anything if it is spun the right way. There is no other way to explain how people that want a lower the cost of living end up believing that tariffs are the answer. 

The Democratic platform was about making multiple changes that would move towards a system that would lower cost of living for average Americans. 

Edited November 25 by Makai

[PRgal]

2 hours ago, Dimity said:

My understanding of the way things are done in the US as well is that while you may pay lower taxes overall than many countries do those other countries are covering expenses that are going to come out of your pocket anyway.  The big one being health care.  Americans pay for their health insurance if their job doesn't cover it and in many cases the health insurance doesn't cover everything.

My father recently underwent treatment for cancer that included an operation and then a course of treatments that a nurse mentioned to us cost $12,000 each time - Dad had this done every 3 weeks for 6 months.  Some patients have to have it for a year.  We paid nothing.  If our taxes are a bit higher, well, that still ends up being far cheaper than being out of pocket enormous sums of money if you or a family member get sick. 

Trump and his merry band of billionaires want to cut the ACA which means more and more people going without health care but hey,  apparently that's aces with at least 50% of Americans.  I can't even begin to understand this.

But at the same time, it takes FOREVER to get treatment or referrals, depending on province.  And not everything is covered.  For example, I had my HPV vaccine as an adult (it wasn't available when I was a teen), so I had to pay for it.  

ETA:  I learned about Japanese internment in depth some time in elementary school and it wasn't the BSC.  I don't recall reading it in the BSC as I mentioned earlier.  Maybe I'm old?  I stopped reading them around book #40-45, I think.  I DID remember reading a book called Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, about a girl got cancer from the aftermath of the atomic bomb.  Tragic story :(

Edited November 25 by PRgal

[bluegirl147]

12 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I am NOT defending them but I keep hearing that the 1% pay more money in hard dollars than the rest of the country combined

It's not always the amount that matters but the percentage.  Sure we are all paying higher prices for things but it takes a smaller cut out of the top 1% budgets.  As if the top 1% budget their household expenses.

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, bluegirl147 said:

I have seen way too many spaghetti dinners organized to help people pay for their cancer treatments.  I have seen way too many people die because they couldn't afford to have preventative health care that would have caught their cancer early.

My husband and father both died in their 50s. They were both on Medicare because of being on SS Disability.  They both had supplemental insurances. After they died I did not receive one hospital bill.  Without those supplemental insurances the bills would have been in the thousands.

I am so sorry to hear about your losses. Many hugs. 🤗

Supplemental insurance is great but it's not cheap and it doesn't cover everything, unfortunately. Medicare in general is great for hospitalizations and surgeries but it can be fussy about the lesser stuff. And you have to have a separate Part D prescription plan with a supplemental, the premiums of which have been going up astronomically. And now I hear that there's a movement afoot on the right to get rid of supplemental plans in favor of advantage plans but they vary depending on the area. I personally would not want to be on an advantage plan where I live right now judging from what my friends have been telling me. Yet another reason not to vote Republican for seniors, and I wonder how many of those that voted for Trump were aware of this.

Edited November 25 by Yeah No
Added clarification.

[Dimity]

6 minutes ago, PRgal said:

But at the same time, it takes FOREVER to get treatment or referrals, depending on province.

I hear this from others but so far, knock wood, this has not been my experience for myself or my family. 

[Yeah No]

1 minute ago, bluegirl147 said:

It's not always the amount that matters but the percentage.  Sure we are all paying higher prices for things but it takes a smaller cut out of the top 1% budgets.  As if the top 1% budget their household expenses.

Yes I mentioned that percentage is the real issue in my next sentence. 

I'm not sure it would take a smaller cut out of their budgets though. They have some pretty HUGE budgets, although that's by choice and of course they have plenty of room to lower them without too much "sacrifice" and definitely zero hardship, and that's the point I think.

4 minutes ago, Makai said:

I was referring to shows that were truly progressive in the 60’s like Star Trek. It pushed boundaries at the time but still maintained a clear power deferential between white men and everyone else. There are a lot of people that view that as the ideal. It’s how so many people can be fans of sci-fi but completely miss the underlying message and complain that it is “woke”. 

Yes, I was never a big TOS fan (original series) although I did watch it, but watching it again now I see that it was similar to Adam 12 in that in some respects it was very progressive and in others very sexist and racist. But I still think that we need to remember how progressive it was for its time. And then Next Generation was even more progressive in those ways. Still not perfect but a step in the right direction in some respects. And for over 30 years ago that still deserves some appreciation.

[Dimity]

6 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Yet another reason not to vote Republican for seniors, and I wonder how many of those that voted for Trump were aware of this.

I've read here and in other places that many people were completely unaware that the ACA is Obamacare and they are not connecting the dots that when the Trumpies say "Obamacare is the evil and we're getting rid of it" they mean the ACA.  Same with any veteran who voted for Trump - he openly said he wants to cut VA health care.  Maybe they'll be lucky and this will be yet another one of his lies, but I wouldn't count on it.

[bluegirl147]

2 minutes ago, Dimity said:

I've read here and in other places that many people were completely unaware that the ACA is Obamacare

And that was intentionally done by Republicans.  Once they realized it was becoming better liked they needed to make people still be against it.  

 

[Yeah No]

1 minute ago, bluegirl147 said:

And that was intentionally done by Republicans.  Once they realized it was becoming better liked they needed to make people still be against it.  

Republicans know that they have the complete trust of their electorate to tell them the truth. That also means that they have complete distrust in anything coming from the other side. I know that the Fox News and other TV and online mouthpieces have had a lot to do with creating that situation and Trump just took it over the top. All they have to do is talk down about something and their followers all believe it and would follow them over a cliff over it. They wouldn't even consider checking facts because they're led to believe that the facts are all fictions being spread by the opposition, and that everything that contradicts what they're being told is a "rigged" conspiracy from the other side. It's a very scary and dangerous phenomenon and one on a scale that I have never seen in my lifetime until recently. I just can't get over how gullible and easily misled people can be. I really thought the average person out there had more common sense than to be taken in by such obvious and blatant mind control techniques. Obviously not.

[PRgal]

Subsidized healthcare does zilch in helping people with early detection of conditions that would otherwise be terminal.  As I said, wait times can be long, depending on where you live.  Heck, even in a big city like Toronto, you could be spending HOURS waiting in emerg.  Innovation sucks due to the lack of funding.  You know how insulin was discovered here?  And Frederick Banting went on to win a Nobel Prize?  Well, I don't it would have happened today.  

[bluegirl147]

2 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I really thought the average person out there had more common sense than to be taken in by such obvious and blatant mind control techniques. Obviously not.

It started with people like Rush Limbaugh. Then Fox News.  Then social media. People have put themselves in silos.  They are only exposed to what they already believe.  I also think part of it is they have so committed to what they believe that if they admit they were wrong they will have acknowledge they weren't as smart as they thought they were.  It takes a big person to admit they were wrong (especially if they screamed loudly how right they were) and it's been my experience so many of MAGA is really small people.

6 minutes ago, PRgal said:

Subsidized healthcare does zilch in helping people with early detection of conditions that would otherwise be terminal. 

In the US subsidized health care pays for mammograms, pap smears, colonoscopies and more that can detect cancer early. It also pays for mental health services. It also pays for cholesterol  medications, blood pressure meds, antidepressants, and many other drugs that help people be healthy, physically and emotionally.

[Dimity]

24 minutes ago, PRgal said:

Heck, even in a big city like Toronto, you could be spending HOURS waiting in emerg. 

But as the Cons will tell you at least you can now buy beer at the corner store so they are totally on top of the things that really matter in this province.

[peacheslatour]

24 minutes ago, PRgal said:

Subsidized healthcare does zilch in helping people with early detection of conditions that would otherwise be terminal.  As I said, wait times can be long, depending on where you live.  Heck, even in a big city like Toronto, you could be spending HOURS waiting in emerg.  Innovation sucks due to the lack of funding.  You know how insulin was discovered here?  And Frederick Banting went on to win a Nobel Prize?  Well, I don't it would have happened today.  

It took me a year to find a surgeon to do my cataract surgery. I called all over the place and it still took forever just to get a call back. Same with a general practitioner. It's just as bad in the States as I've heard it is in Canada. The health care field is scrambling right now and it has nothing to do with socialized health care, Medicare, the ACA or how you buy your insurance. It's been a mess since Covid.

[Dimity]

20 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

In the US subsidized health care pays for mammograms, pap smears, colonoscopies and more that can detect cancer early. It also pays for mental health services. It also pays for cholesterol  medications, blood pressure meds, antidepressants, and many other drugs that help people be healthy, physically and emotionally.

This all falls under our health care system.  Yes, I won't deny there are delays for some people, some of the time, but overall the system works.  The ones screaming the loudest that it isn't are the ones who want to bring in user pay medical care. 

As one example, my nephew doesn't have a family doctor, he went to a walk in clinic when he noticed that something didn't seem right.  He got referred to a specialist and he was tested, diagnosed and treated for cancer at the very early stage.   No cost to him.

1 minute ago, peacheslatour said:

The health care field is scrambling right now and it has nothing to do with socialized health care, Medicare, the ACA or how you buy your insurance. It's been a mess since Covid.

We've got the same issues here as well with the cost of groceries and rents and  housing prices.  Which party is not in power will try and convince you that these problems are unique to your country and They Can Fix It.  And of course those who want to believe there are simple solutions to complex problems fall for this.

[Anela]

4 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

It took me a year to find a surgeon to do my cataract surgery. I called all over the place and it still took forever just to get a call back. Same with a general practitioner. It's just as bad in the States as I've heard it is in Canada. The health care field is scrambling right now and it has nothing to do with socialized health care, Medicare, the ACA or how you buy your insurance. It's been a mess since Covid.

This is what I’ve been hearing for several years now.  That friends with excellent insurance, are waiting for months, just for an appointment.  

[PRgal]

27 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

It started with people like Rush Limbaugh. Then Fox News.  Then social media. People have put themselves in silos.  They are only exposed to what they already believe.  I also think part of it is they have so committed to what they believe that if they admit they were wrong they will have acknowledge they weren't as smart as they thought they were.  It takes a big person to admit they were wrong (especially if they screamed loudly how right they were) and it's been my experience so many of MAGA is really small people.

In the US subsidized health care pays for mammograms, pap smears, colonoscopies and more that can detect cancer early. It also pays for mental health services. It also pays for cholesterol  medications, blood pressure meds, antidepressants, and many other drugs that help people be healthy, physically and emotionally.

Mental health is only covered by Ontario's plan if it's through a psychiatrist.  Otherwise, it's whatever your private insurance can do.  If you have it.

Too many people in Ontario don't have a primary care provider.  And it's not just MDs.  Nurse practitioners too.  And I think many people, especially new immigrants don't realize that they can see nurse practitioners for non-urgent health related issues.

[Anela]

7 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

I know! It's truly amazing how certain words trigger people while others can completely ignore the same words. 

Like “ObamaCare”?
 

8 hours ago, tearknee said:

Also, western bleeding-hearts blaming shitty black and brown regimes (and cultural practices) on "colonialism", "U.S. imperalism" and etc. infantalizes non-whites and takes away their agency. Mugabe, Bokassa, Amin et al didn't *need* London or Paris or D.C. to tell them to be assholes.

I quoted this accidentally, but it reminded me of two books I added to my list, about authoritarian regimes in other countries.  But one complaint about the royal family, is that they could return things like the Crown Jewels, to the countries they were stolen from, but they haven’t.  

7 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

I can appreciate where you're coming from but imagine how the general public would feel about paying 40% in taxes.

Right now (for instance) the average family is in the 15-20% tax bracket and are having trouble making ends meet. Adding another 20-25% would be even more of a hardship.

My dad earned a bit more money in 2022, and his tax rate went up, anyway. The initial amount he owed, before getting it down a bit, was $10,000. We have lived pay cheque to pay cheque, for my entire life, and I think my dad would prefer that money went to something that would help us all.  My point before, was that my mum, as a single mother, still made it work, in the UK. where we had the NHS. 

[bluegirl147]

17 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

It's been a mess since Covid.

A lot of providers left the medical field. Some burnt out from Covid, some from vaccine mandates.  Another reason is more and more hospitals are being swallowed up by bigger healthcare systems.  In my area one healthcare system is in control of three hospitals. Some doctors don't like working for a corporation so they leave. And now with Roe gone we have doctors leaving states with abortion bans. And as I mentioned above more people now have access to health care.  So more people to schedule for procedures and surgeries. I also wonder if the political climate in this country such as it is has made medical students from India and other countries think twice before coming here to do their residencies. 

Edited November 25 by bluegirl147

[Absolom]

1 hour ago, PRgal said:

But at the same time, it takes FOREVER to get treatment or referrals, depending on province.  And not everything is covered.  For example, I had my HPV vaccine as an adult (it wasn't available when I was a teen), so I had to pay for it.  

Indeed.  I had a good friend die due to the wait times for procedures.

I had another friend in the UK who needed her gallbladder out.  Two years of dr and A and E visits before she got assigned a surgeon.  Nine months until she actually got the surgery with numerous, numerous super painful attacks.  She paid nothing.

Me - gets PCP appointment two days after I call and say I think I had a gallbladder attack.  Ultrasound two days after that.  Surgeon appointment a week after ultrasound results.  Surgeon asks me when I want it out.  We settle on two weeks so my kids can arrange their schedules.  I had one additional attack.  I paid a $75 co-pay.

[Dimity]

1 hour ago, PRgal said:

But at the same time, it takes FOREVER to get treatment or referrals, depending on province. 

This is not my experience.  I saw my family doctor because I was concerned about a skin mark I hadn't noticed before, I got an appointment with him within a few days of calling and when I saw him he referred me to a dermatologist whose office called to set up an appointment two weeks later.  Maybe not supersonic speed but I think that's pretty good.  P.S.  turned out to be nothing (phew).

[Dimity]

1 hour ago, PRgal said:

Subsidized healthcare does zilch in helping people with early detection of conditions that would otherwise be terminal. 

This is absolutely not true.  Far be it from me to defend the current govt in Ontario (and I doubt they started this anyway...) but you do not need a family doctor to get scheduled for things like a mammogram, as one example.  You can self refer through Ontario Breast Screening Program (OBSP) and you will get regular reminders through the mail when you should get tested. 

[PRgal]

31 minutes ago, Dimity said:

This is not my experience.  I saw my family doctor because I was concerned about a skin mark I hadn't noticed before, I got an appointment with him within a few days of calling and when I saw him he referred me to a dermatologist whose office called to set up an appointment two weeks later.  Maybe not supersonic speed but I think that's pretty good.  P.S.  turned out to be nothing (phew).

This would probably depend on where you live.  As for mammograms, I think it would also depend on your age and whether you're high risk.  I'm considered high risk due to my NF and I've been having them annually since my 30s.  MRIs as well (gee, thanks dense boobies!!!).  I also had to have a breast ultrasound last year.

ETA:  I don't personally know anyone who does not have a primary care person, but my cousin is a doctor and he says there are tons of people who come to him because they don't have one.  He works at a walk-in.

Edited November 25 by PRgal

[Dimity]

2 minutes ago, PRgal said:

As for mammograms, I think it would also depend on your age and whether you're high risk. 

Yes, but the point is that there are programs in place for early detection of, as one example, breast cancer and if people choose not to take advantage of that this is not the fault of "subsidized healthcare". 

[PRgal]

47 minutes ago, Dimity said:

Yes, but the point is that there are programs in place for early detection of, as one example, breast cancer and if people choose not to take advantage of that this is not the fault of "subsidized healthcare". 

Just because there are programs, doesn't mean people CAN take advantage of them.  Like I said, it depends on where you live.  We are lucky to live in parts of the country where it's relatively easy AND because we speak one of the official languages.  Try being a newcomer who doesn't speak a language and must rely on an interpreter.   

[andromeda331]

7 hours ago, PRgal said:

Which book was this?  I remember Claudia’s parents being immigrants who came after the war.  Or was it just one side?  It was the Netflix show that turned Mimi into an internment camp survivor.  The show taught me about Type 1 as well. 

Babysitters Club #56 Keep Out Claudia. The club babysits new clients who are racists and so is their mother. Claudia later talks to her dad about her experience babysitting the racists. It's the first time she's experienced racism. Janine joins the conversation and talks about the internment camps. 

Quote

as for Japan’s apology:  some people still feel it’s a bit half @$&ed

Yeah, some from the list post were definitely half ass. 

 

[PRgal]

7 minutes ago, andromeda331 said:

Babysitters Club #56 Keep Out Claudia. The club babysits new clients who are racists and so is their mother. Claudia later talks to her dad about her experience babysitting the racists. It's the first time she's experienced racism. Janine joins the conversation and talks about the internment camps. 

Yeah, some from the list post were definitely half ass. 

 

Ah...thanks.  Regarding Claudia now that I'm a parent:  Why on EARTH does SHE have her own line but not Janine, considering that Janine is the older one?  Or was it meant to be shared and Janine just, you know, doesn't have friends due to her being a genius? 

[Anela]

Jack Snith filed to drop the January 6th charges against trump.  

[andromeda331]

Medical payments does need to be better. People shouldn't have to go bankrupt to get and pay for medical payments. That's how my parents' lost all their money. They took care of my mom's grandpa the last couple years of his life they moved him in and his medical bill skyrocket. They used their retirement fund to pay them off. They thought they still had many years to save up again. Then the 2008 recession hit. Don't worry the million and billionaires got saved. They worked and saved again my parents' got hit with my health problems which lead me to move back in because I couldn't take care of myself. I paid my medical bills until I ran out of money and they had to take over. I also had to go to a doctor outside insurance because none of the doctors knew why my problems were. The outside doctor was able to diagnose me. Then with in a few months of my moving back in my mom had her first stroke. So now they had mine and her medical bills to take care off. They owed so much money for ambulence, doctors, tests, specialize. Even though they had insurance. They still had to pay so much in medical bills. It's insane. No one should have to deal with that. 

[Avaleigh]

3 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Also it might actually make them more ruthless in holding onto their money and they'd pass along the cost of their increased taxes to the rest of us by increasing prices on their products and services to cover that cost. And that can and does happen.

I work in a hotel that is unionized. The union took a couple of years to win their negotiations for the new contract for the hotels who have workers under Local 11. This contract included various hourly increases across departments for the workers. Immediately, the prices of everything that guests pay for increased. The average daily rate for rooms spiked, the spa treatments, in room dining, restaurant and bar menus, etc. Everything went up in price even the overnight parking fee. I think the only thing that didn't change were the mini bar prices because they were outrageous to begin with. 

It's hard to see what the public can do to get the 1% to pay their fair share when they're always looking for a way to pass it on to the general public wherever they can. 

[andromeda331]

6 minutes ago, PRgal said:

Ah...thanks.  Regarding Claudia now that I'm a parent:  Why on EARTH does SHE have her own line but not Janine, considering that Janine is the older one?  Or was it meant to be shared and Janine just, you know, doesn't have friends due to her being a genius? 

I have no idea. It's very odd given how strict her parents' were. 

[fastiller]

6 minutes ago, Anela said:

Jack Smith filed to drop the January 6th charges against trump.  

I was just going to post this.  Here's Sarah Kendzior's take on Smith & DOJ (from a Q&A on her Substack last week).

 

[Dimity]

[Anela]

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/education/2024/11/25/satanic-temple-starting-religious-release-time-in-marysville-schools/76565123007/

😂
 

Quote

The Satanic Temple announced Saturday that it was planning to start a religious release time program in Marysville Schools as the state legislature debates a bill that would require school districts to allow such programming.

The Satanic Temple, which is based out of Salem, Massachusetts, said on Facebook on Saturday that it was launching the Hellions Academy for Independent Learning (HAIL) at Edgewood Elementary in the Marysville Exempted Village School District beginning in December.

The Satanic Temple said in the social media post that it will offer off-campus religious instruction once a month, and promises to teach "self-directed learning, good works in the community, compassion and empathy, problem solving skills" and other skills.

Religious release time allows students to leave during the day for religious instruction, typically during an elective or lunch. LifeWise, a Hilliard-based organization that teaches students the Bible during the school day, is one of the largest users of religious release time in the state.

 

Edited November 25 by Anela

[graybrown bird]

4 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

It took me a year to find a surgeon to do my cataract surgery. I called all over the place and it still took forever just to get a call back. Same with a general practitioner. It's just as bad in the States as I've heard it is in Canada. The health care field is scrambling right now and it has nothing to do with socialized health care, Medicare, the ACA or how you buy your insurance. It's been a mess since Covid.

I saw the eye surgeon for evaluation of my cataracts on June 6 and got her first available appointment to do the surgery:  March 12, 2025.  This is in a Midwestern city with a major teaching hospital.  Covid resulted in early retirements for health care workers of every kind.

[peacheslatour]

5 minutes ago, graybrown bird said:

I saw the eye surgeon for evaluation of my cataracts on June 6 and got her first available appointment to do the surgery:  March 12, 2025.  This is in a Midwestern city with a major teaching hospital.  Covid resulted in early retirements for health care workers of every kind.

When I finally got my appointment back in June, my husband decided it was time for him to get his done as well. His appointment is in January.

[bluegirl147]

6 minutes ago, graybrown bird said:

Covid resulted in early retirements for health care workers of every kind.

Dentists too.  In August I called around for a new dentist because my old dentist was no longer going to take my insurance (found out later they were going to continue to take it but was going to want me to pay first and be repaid later) and the earliest appointment I could get for a cleaning was October. One office told me they were scheduling into April of next year.

[Absolom]

35 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

When I finally got my appointment back in June, my husband decided it was time for him to get his done as well. His appointment is in January.

It takes 2 to 4 weeks to get the appointment here and one to four months to schedule the surgery.  Most of the doctors for cataracts are like that and it was the same when my mother had hers done in 2015.  Her doctor only had the surgery center booked for three days a month.  It's more of an artifact  of using the freestanding surgery centers here.

[peacheslatour]

16 minutes ago, Absolom said:

It takes 2 to 4 weeks to get the appointment here and one to four months to schedule the surgery.  Most of the doctors for cataracts are like that and it was the same when my mother had hers done in 2015.  Her doctor only had the surgery center booked for three days a month.  It's more of an artifact  of using the freestanding surgery centers here.

I've been trying to get my husband to cancel and change to a different surgeon for his. My actual surgery took place in another town, an hour away. He has a friend who got his done right here in town. Now how long to get in to see them? Who knows?

[Annber03]

9 hours ago, Dimity said:

My understanding of the way things are done in the US as well is that while you may pay lower taxes overall than many countries do those other countries are covering expenses that are going to come out of your pocket anyway.  The big one being health care.  Americans pay for their health insurance if their job doesn't cover it and in many cases the health insurance doesn't cover everything.

Yeah, in my case, when my dad got sick, he actually had really good health insurance through his job, so that helped for a time. And even when hie was startting to get sicker and sicker, he still went to work every day, 'cause, hey, gotta pay the bills and keep that healthcare. 

Unfortunately, he eventually got so sick to the point where he lost his job (he wound up bedridden for a time, so he couldn't have worked even if he wanted to). And we were living in South Dakota at the time, and the town we lived in was a smaller one and did not have all the necessary stuff to treat my dad that, say, Sioux Falls did, so my dad would often have to go there for his treatments.

Which wouldn't have been so bad...if Sioux Falls weren't two hours away from where my family lived. And my dad had to often go there by ambulance, because we only had one car, and my mom needed that for work. And she worked a minimum wage retail job at Target, so it wasn't really the sort of job she could just up and take time off from any ol' time she wanted - she tried to do so as much as she was able, of course, but anyone who's ever worked retail knows that's far easier said than done. 

Alongside that, our car was an older one and kept having issues, so that was just another thing to deal with on top of all the medical stress we were going through with my dad. 

And all those ambulance rides were NOT cheap and the cost added up over time. My parents tried to get whatever Medicaid help they could to try and cover some of my dad's medical costs, but they had to jump through a SHITTON of red  tape just to get approved. And even then, there was only so much they would cover, because this was pre-Obamacare, so anything that was a pre-existing condition for my dad? Not covered. And there was likely other stuff that wasn't covered as well. It eventually got to the point where my dad was reluctant to go to the hospital even when he clearly needed to do so, because one more hospital visit meant one more medical bill for our family at a time when we REALLY were struggling financially. 

And since we couldn't afford in home care at the time for my dad, guess who got to be home with him and helping him with all of that part of htings? I tried to find a job in our town to help out with the finances some, too, but I had no luck, and agian, someone needed to be home to help take care of my dad when he was bedridden. 

My dad eventually passed away from all his health issues. He'd just turned 53 when he did. And then a year later, my mom lost her sister, who had cancer, and who also couldn't afford healthcare treatments because, again, pre-Obamacare era and her job didn't provide any deent benefits of that sort. 

And while all that was going on, and I was witnessing all the news coverage of the debate over getting Obamacare implemented, I had to listen to a bunch of assholes at a GOP debate cheering the idea of letting people die if they could.n't afford healthcare, and hte GOP not even bothering to call them out, and instead going on with their boogyman "death panels" BS and their attempts to water down Obamacare as much as possible, because God fucking forbid they let Obama have a win on something. 

So yeah. You'll pardon me if I really, REALLY do not want to go back to that awful time period. It's just one of many, many reaosns I find the GOP so utterly abhorrent as a party, and it's one of many reasons why I am gobsmacked by those who refuse to want to support a better healthcare system, because, oh, my god, they might have to pay a little more in taxes or other people might benefit from the same things they do, THE HORROR! You (general "you") seriously care more about that than ensuring people don't have to be in debt when going to the hospital or people have a better chance to live and get all the treatment they deserve for whatever they're suffering from? Really? 

I just...cannot fathom that level of selfishness. 

But yeah, you're right, one way or another we're all going to feel the effects of others' healthcare decisions and choices, and one way or another we're all paying into the system anyway. Might as well put that money somewhere where it can actually be of beneficial use to as many people as possible. 

Quote

 

Trump and his merry band of billionaires want to cut the ACA which means more and more people going without health care but hey,  apparently that's aces with at least 50% of Americans.  I can't even begin to understand this.

 

Neither do I. But hey, at least htey may be able to afford to buy eggs again! That may be the only thing they'll be able to afford to buy, but still, it's something, I guess? 

@bluegirl147 Your story about that woman getting upset about all the "other people" who were getting treatment. Wow. Some people really just not even bothering to hide how much of a jerk they are. 

[peacheslatour]

Sebastion Gorka in at Counter Terrorism? Are they fucking kidding with this shit?

[bluegirl147]

@Annber03 your father losing his health insurance because it was tied to a job he no longer had was a big reason why the ACA was such a big deal.  People no longer had to stay at jobs they hated just to have health insurance. 

I too remember people cheering uninsured people suffering.  I remember a comment on a Yahoo story about the ACA and the person said if someone wants insurance they need to go find a job that provides insurance.  I responded and who does the jobs that don't offer insurance.   My job which is full time for a small business (five employees when fully staffed) doesn't come with insurance. So if I left for a job with insurance someone will still have to do my current job.  Nobody commenting on that story had a response for me.

[Annber03]

35 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

@Annber03 your father losing his health insurance because it was tied to a job he no longer had was a big reason why the ACA was such a big deal.  People no longer had to stay at jobs they hated just to have health insurance. 

Exactly. And that's going to be even more important with AI becoming more and more of a thing, and replacing people's jobs. At some point there will be a lot of people who will be without jobs for one reason or another, and they're all inevitably going to need to go to a doctor for some reason or another, no matter how big or small the issue. 

So..what then? 

Quote

I too remember people cheering uninsured people suffering.  I remember a comment on a Yahoo story about the ACA and the person said if someone wants insurance they need to go find a job that provides insurance.  I responded and who does the jobs that don't offer insurance.   My job which is full time for a small business (five employees when fully staffed) doesn't come with insurance. So if I left for a job with insurance someone will still have to do my current job.  Nobody commenting on that story had a response for me.

Of course not. That would require them to actually have to think about the issue for more than a hot minute. 

(To say nothing of how, in some areas, finding a job, and one that can help you afford the basics at that, can be far easier said than done. And then of course there's the people who literally CAN'T work, because, y'know, disabilities and health problems and whatnot preventing them from doing so.)

Edited November 26 by Annber03

[Yeah No]

7 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

It started with people like Rush Limbaugh. Then Fox News.  Then social media. People have put themselves in silos.  They are only exposed to what they already believe.  I also think part of it is they have so committed to what they believe that if they admit they were wrong they will have acknowledge they weren't as smart as they thought they were.  It takes a big person to admit they were wrong (especially if they screamed loudly how right they were) and it's been my experience so many of MAGA is really small people.

This also makes it possible to keep feeding them gradually more outrageous lies and conspiracy theories so little by little they eventually have them believing that the Earth is flat and Trump and the Republican party are the only hope for them and humanity. Without them society would fall apart and they would lose everything they had to the "evil" Democrats who are coming to take their money away from them. I really hate the Hitler comparisons but all those documentaries I watched on him and his MO taught me how similar their methods were to his. Like the way Hitler scapegoated the Jews and told the German people they were responsible for all their problems.

And after the war there were still many Germans that couldn't let go of their total and insane allegiance to Hitler, they just kept it on the down-low to protect themselves. Even the almost total destruction of Germany and most of Europe didn't wake them up. They learned absolutely NOTHING from it. It is truly scary and I fear this can happen here with Trump.

Years ago my father had a German female friend from his senior center who came here after the war that once told him she "still liked Hitler". He didn't ask her what she meant by that but it really shocked him and he thought she was nuts. Did she not know my dad was half Jewish? Pure insanity.

 

[Dimity]

3 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Years ago my father had a German female friend from his senior center who came here after the war that once told him she "still liked Hitler".

I went to school with a girl whose parents came to Canada after the Hungarian revolution.  It never occurred to me that her parents would have supported Hitler.  Soon found out differently.   According to her parents the Holocaust was exaggerated to gain sympathy for the Jews.  Her Dad was a teacher - not history fortunately but I've often wondered if he brought that antisemitism into the classroom.

On topic - interesting to see that Trump is following the Nazi playbook but cozying up to Russia.  I'm not sure what that says but it's not good.

[Yeah No]

7 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

It took me a year to find a surgeon to do my cataract surgery. I called all over the place and it still took forever just to get a call back. Same with a general practitioner. It's just as bad in the States as I've heard it is in Canada. The health care field is scrambling right now and it has nothing to do with socialized health care, Medicare, the ACA or how you buy your insurance. It's been a mess since Covid.

It's getting even worse since Covid, too. I had two doctors retire during Covid that had no plans of retiring before that, and now I have a slew of new, relatively younger specialists of various kinds in their place. Some are good but I think some have been compromise hires because they're so shorthanded now. One of those newer specialists left and now I have yet another new one. This was NOT the norm before Covid AT ALL.

I was referred for lymphedema therapy in my legs. I have a mild condition but I don't want it to get worse. They put you on a course of about 4-6 weeks of intensive therapy after which you maintain your condition yourself with stockings and massages. It took me 3 months to get an intake appointment, which I had last week. The therapist is very good, I am lucky to have gotten her, but she couldn't get me on the calendar for therapy until March 17th of next year! She is actually new there herself. She relocated from Ohio to take the job. This particular practice has a stellar reputation in the country to protect so they were willing to go far and wide to get someone with her expertise. And obviously they had to!

[bluegirl147]

3 minutes ago, Dimity said:

 

On topic - interesting to see that Trump is following the Nazi playbook but cozying up to Russia.  I'm not sure what that says but it's not good.

I do think Trump shares Hitler's hate for people they consider "others" but Trump is willing to the bidding of someone like Putin.  He admires him and wants to be him.  I don't think Hitler admired anyone. 

[PRgal]

Tariffs for Canada and Mexico, he says.  He's done it before, but it never went through.  And if it does, your grocery bill will be higher yet again.

[Yeah No]

4 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

I do think Trump shares Hitler's hate for people they consider "others" but Trump is willing to the bidding of someone like Putin.  He admires him and wants to be him.  I don't think Hitler admired anyone. 

Actually it was widely said that Hitler had a personal admiration for Stalin and spoke about it often. I really don't remember much more than that although I fear that if I looked into it the parallels would shock me.