Chit-Chat: The Feels

[partofme]

1 hour ago, PRgal said:

And to be honest, it's WHY I think so many companies have gotten rid of DE&I.  

I don’t even think this is true.  I know DEI is a big boogeyman for the right, but I interviewed with 4 large global corporations in the past week and all of them tout DEI on their websites as important to their mission and culture.  

[partofme]

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

Regarding the distinction between "liberal" and "leftist", I

It’s really only online that I’ve ever heard the term leftist used and I have no idea what it means.  Personally I was saying I prefer the term liberal to the term progressive even though the term progressive seems to be the favored term these days and even though I identify with progressive politicians, I will always see myself as a liberal first because I won’t give in to Republicans making liberal a dirty word, which is the reason I feel the word progressive exists.  

[bluegirl147]

2 minutes ago, partofme said:

I will always see myself as a liberal first because I won’t give in to Republicans making liberal a dirty word,

I'm the same.  I also call myself a feminist.  I remember some younger female celebs didn't like being called feminist.  And when you ask do you believe women should be treated equally and have the same rights as men they say well yeah.  Then you are a feminist.  Republicans have a way of turning words into weapons against people they don't like.

[fastiller]

5 minutes ago, partofme said:

It’s really only online that I’ve ever heard the term leftist used and I have no idea what it means.  Personally I was saying I prefer the term liberal to the term progressive even though the term progressive seems to be the favored term these days and even though I identify with progressive politicians, I will always see myself as a liberal first because I won’t give in to Republicans making liberal a dirty word, which is the reason I feel the word progressive exists.  

 

Just now, bluegirl147 said:

I'm the same.  I also call myself a feminist.  I remember some younger female celebs didn't like being called feminist.  And when you ask do you believe women should be treated equally and have the same rights as men they say well yeah.  Then you are a feminist.  Republicans have a way of turning words into weapons against people they don't like.

 

I just go the whole hog!

Signed, 

FionaAnne (aka fastiller), 

Proud Progressive Liberal Feminist

[Anela]

6 minutes ago, fastiller said:

 

 

I just go the whole hog!

Signed, 

FionaAnne (aka fastiller), 

Proud Progressive Liberal Feminist

Same. :) Angela Jane, though.  

[peacheslatour]

35 minutes ago, partofme said:

It’s really only online that I’ve ever heard the term leftist used and I have no idea what it means.  Personally I was saying I prefer the term liberal to the term progressive even though the term progressive seems to be the favored term these days and even though I identify with progressive politicians, I will always see myself as a liberal first because I won’t give in to Republicans making liberal a dirty word, which is the reason I feel the word progressive exists.  

It goes way back to the French Revolution. 

 

The terms "left" and "right" first appeared during the French Revolution of 1789 when members of the National Assembly divided into supporters of the Ancien Régime to the president's right and supporters of the revolution to his left. One deputy, the Baron de Gauville, explained: "We began to recognize each other: those who were loyal to religion and the king took up positions to the right of the chair so as to avoid the shouts, oaths, and indecencies that enjoyed free rein in the opposing camp".

[Dimity]

35 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

  Republicans have a way of turning words into weapons against people they don't like.

The most recent example of that is "woke".  They've managed to turn that into an insult, a dirty word.  It's just so exasperating that they twist what is essentially a term that means caring about others into something obscene.

[partofme]

10 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

It goes way back to the French Revolution. 

 

The terms "left" and "right" first appeared during the French Revolution of 1789 when members of the National Assembly divided into supporters of the Ancien Régime to the president's right and supporters of the revolution to his left. One deputy, the Baron de Gauville, explained: "We began to recognize each other: those who were loyal to religion and the king took up positions to the right of the chair so as to avoid the shouts, oaths, and indecencies that enjoyed free rein in the opposing camp".

Right, I understand that my politics are on the left, it’s the specific term “leftist” used to describe people who are so far on the left that they’re supposedly as bad as people on the right that I don’t understand. 

[peacheslatour]

9 minutes ago, Dimity said:

The most recent example of that is "woke".  They've managed to turn that into an insult, a dirty word.  It's just so exasperating that they twist what is essentially a term that means caring about others into something obscene.

It's just an all purpose insult that they fling against anyone to the left of Pinochet.

[bluegirl147]

3 minutes ago, partofme said:

Right, I understand that my politics are on the left, it’s the specific term “leftist” used to describe people who are so far on the left that they’re supposedly as bad as people on the right that I don’t understand. 

I remember hearing "lefty" in TV shows and movies set in the 50s.  It was akin to being called a commie.

[partofme]

2 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

I remember hearing "lefty" in TV shows and movies set in the 50s.  It was akin to being called a commie.

Right but there’s nothing inherently wrong with being left wing.  How far left is so far left that it’s considered bad?  Is it wrong to want universal healthcare and student loan forgiveness?  I don’t understand who they’re calling a leftist when the term is used.  

[Dimity]

1 minute ago, bluegirl147 said:

I remember hearing "lefty" in TV shows and movies set in the 50s.  It was akin to being called a commie.

I think this is where the extreme left becomes what is now mainstream right.  People who want to control every aspect of your life, they have different definitions of how this is accomplished and to what purpose of course.

That said name me one extreme leftist in the US or Canada (or any other comparable country) who is (a) run by the extreme left or (b) has anyone like this in any position of power.

On the other hand the mainstream right....

1 minute ago, partofme said:

 How far left is so far left that it’s considered bad?

The extreme few who want to "eat the rich" and who want to shoot the landlords and all those other charming things I've been reading lately would be examples I'd consider bad.  They are also not in the least bit what anyone but MAGA would consider left.

[PRgal]

I am good on diversity as long as everyone’s feelings are validated and everyone is given the chance to speak if they feel like it.  If there’s any vibe of “shut up ma’am/sir” then sorry, I’m out.  Like I’ve said before, if you really want to know how I feel, feel free to go to my blog (either the old one or Substack). 

[bluegirl147]

7 minutes ago, partofme said:

Right but there’s nothing inherently wrong with being left wing.  How far left is so far left that it’s considered bad?  Is it wrong to want universal healthcare and student loan forgiveness?  I don’t understand who they’re calling a leftist when the term is used.  

When the right uses the word "left" they mean anyone left of them.  To them there is two choices. Them and everyone else.  And everyone else is lawless lefties.  The right has moved so far right what used to be left is now center.  Far left is hard to describe.  I know some people consider antifa far left but how is being anti fascist radical?  I consider myself left of center but on some issues others would probably consider me far left.  It seems anything that is meant to help anyone not in the top 1% is considered communism.

Edited 18 hours ago by bluegirl147

[partofme]

11 minutes ago, Dimity said:

The extreme few who want to "eat the rich" and who want to shoot the landlords and all those other charming things I've been reading lately would be examples I'd consider bad.  They are also not in the least bit what anyone but MAGA would consider left

I think these are just things people say in frustration because of billionaires like Musk who want to cause suffering for poor people. I don’t see these people as far left?

10 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

I know some people consider antifa far left but how is being anti fascist radical?  I

Is antifa even a real organization?  I only ever see it mentioned when Republicans are trying to deflect blame for stuff they did onto Democrats, such as January 6.  

[bluegirl147]

3 minutes ago, partofme said:

I think these are just things people say in frustration because of billionaires like Musk who want to cause suffering for poor people. I don’t see these people as far left?

Is antifa even a real organization?  I only ever see it mentioned when Republicans are trying to deflect blame for stuff they did onto Democrats, such as January 6.  

I don't believe antifa is an actual organization. I think it's just being anti fascism.  And of course the right turned that into a terrorist organization.

The right always needs a boogey man.  In the 80s it was the USSR.  There is a long list of movies and TV shows that had Soviet/Russian villains.  90s started to be more homegrown boogey men and women. They hated Hillary. And single mothers on welfare.  After 9/11 it was Muslims and anyone who looked Middle Eastern. Then with Obama's election it went back to one of the original boogey men.  People of color.  And now it's all of the above (minus the Russians, they are to be admired now) plus Democrats/Liberals/Socialists/Progressives/Single cat women/pretty much anyone not worshiping Trump.

[fastiller]

23 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

I don't believe antifa is an actual organization. I think it's just being anti fascism.  And of course the right turned that into a terrorist organization.

The right always needs a boogey man.  In the 80s it was the USSR.  There is a long list of movies and TV shows that had Soviet/Russian villains.  90s started to be more homegrown boogey men and women. They hated Hillary. And single mothers on welfare.  After 9/11 it was Muslims and anyone who looked Middle Eastern. Then with Obama's election it went back to one of the original boogey men.  People of color.  And now it's all of the above (minus the Russians, they are to be admired now) plus Democrats/Liberals/Socialists/Progressives/Single cat women/pretty much anyone not worshiping Trump.

Just a day on the beach for some OG Antifa:

 

Edited 17 hours ago by fastiller
formatting

[kittykat]

54 minutes ago, partofme said:

Right but there’s nothing inherently wrong with being left wing.  How far left is so far left that it’s considered bad?  Is it wrong to want universal healthcare and student loan forgiveness?  I don’t understand who they’re calling a leftist when the term is used.  

And the crazier thing is that I've been on some political subreddits and they'll host threads like Ask the Right/Left.  A recent Right one was asking what belief they held that would be considered liberal or left wing.  The number one answer: Universal Health Care.  Like, why is this not happening?  It's like the one thing that a fair amount from both sides agree on and yet it's also this left wing boogeyman the Conservatives throw in our face 

[Dimity]

1 minute ago, kittykat said:

  It's like the one thing that a fair amount from both sides agree on and yet it's also this left wing boogeyman the Conservatives throw in our face 

What I don't understand is the way they want to cut the ACA.  Why?  They can't stand people still having to pay for health care but not having to go bankrupt to do it?

[peacheslatour]

3 minutes ago, kittykat said:

And the crazier thing is that I've been on some political subreddits and they'll host threads like Ask the Right/Left.  A recent Right one was asking what belief they held that would be considered liberal or left wing.  The number one answer: Universal Health Care.  Like, why is this not happening?  It's like the one thing that a fair amount from both sides agree on and yet it's also this left wing boogeyman the Conservatives throw in our face 

This is one of the things about American politics that our Canadian friends don't seem to grasp. If their healthcare was treated the way ours is, I think it would be clearer to them  how close to the edge most sane people in this country are.

[partofme]

3 minutes ago, Dimity said:

What I don't understand is the way they want to cut the ACA.  Why?  They can't stand people still having to pay for health care but not having to go bankrupt to do it?

I think it’s the Medicaid portion they really hate because you have to have low or no income to get that.  And they don’t like people getting free stuff they’re not working for, even if they’re disabled or have a reason to not be working.   Policies on the ACA aren’t cheap, when I was laid off I had the option of either getting Cobra or insurance from the ACA, and the options it was showing me were almost as expensive as Cobra ( after you receive some type of credit) and all of them either didn’t accept my medications or didn’t accept my doctor, so I ended up going with the insanely expensive Cobra.  
 

I think they also hate it because Obama, a Democrat passed it, and they can’t let Democrats have any wins.  

[fastiller]

2 minutes ago, partofme said:

I think it’s the Medicaid portion they really hate because you have to have low or no income to get that.  And they don’t like people getting free stuff they’re not working for, even if they’re disabled or have a reason to not be working.   Policies on the ACA aren’t cheap, when I was laid off I had the option of either getting Cobra or insurance from the ACA, and the options it was showing me were almost as expensive as Cobra ( after you receive some type of credit) and all of them either didn’t accept my medications or didn’t accept my doctor, so I ended up going with the insanely expensive Cobra.  
 

I think they also hate it because Obama, a Democrat passed it, and they can’t let Democrats have any wins.  

Isn't ACA aka ObamaCare and also aka RomneyCare from when Romney instituted it as GOP Governor of Mass?

[Dimity]

7 minutes ago, partofme said:

Policies on the ACA aren’t cheap, when I was laid off I had the option of either getting Cobra or insurance from the ACA, and the options it was showing me were almost as expensive as Cobra ( after you receive some type of credit) and all of them either didn’t accept my medications or didn’t accept my doctor, so I ended up going with the insanely expensive Cobra.  

Here if you don't have insurance through your employer to cover things like semi-private hospital rooms, dental care, prescription drugs etc then you have the option to get private insurance or just take your chances.

A number of years ago my husband's then employer laid everyone off and suddenly we didn't have insurance.  When I went looking at alternatives for our family of four it was insane.  I don't know how people manage.   We rolled the dice and took our chances and ended up not needing the extra coverage before we both had jobs with insurance once again.

Edited 17 hours ago by Dimity

[partofme]

12 minutes ago, Dimity said:

Here if you don't have insurance through your employer to cover things like semi-private hospital rooms, dental care, prescription drugs etc then you have the option to get private insurance or just take your chances.

A number of years ago my husband's then employer laid everyone off and suddenly we didn't have insurance.  When I went looking at alternatives for our family of four it was insane.  I don't know how people manage.   We rolled the dice and took our chances and ended up not needing the extra coverage before we both had jobs with insurance once again.

Aren’t you Canadian?  I thought you had free universal healthcare, if not then I‘be been misled about the benefits of being Canadian.   I thought about not getting insurance but my mom insisted I get it, it’s my money so what would she really say if I didn’t, but I have chronic migraines and a thyroid condition and it’s probably better I have insurance, it’s just been way too long I’ve been out of work and the Cobra actually went up in January!

[Ohiopirate02]

1 minute ago, partofme said:

I think it’s the Medicaid portion they really hate because you have to have low or no income to get that.  And they don’t like people getting free stuff they’re not working for, even if they’re disabled or have a reason to not be working.  

I think they also hate it because Obama, a Democrat passed it, and they can’t let Democrats have any wins.  

Racism also plays a huge part in this. The Right is not against some Americans getting free or low cost healthcare just as long as those who do are "deserving" which is code for white and Christian. They just don't want their tax dollars going to programs that benefit black people.

[Dimity]

So Danielle Smith has returned from her kiss up meeting with Trump and has told us that tariffs are definitely coming.  Guess her charm didn't sway the Great Orange One.  So when prices go up in Canada and there are possible job losses who will the right blame now that Trudeau has resigned?  Stay tuned...

[ProudMary]

2 minutes ago, fastiller said:

Isn't ACA aka ObamaCare and also aka RomneyCare from when Romney instituted it as GOP Governor of Mass?

I was right in the middle of typing a tirade about just this when you posted. I've been angry at President Obama because he insisted on making it a bipartisan bill, that the version of the ACA we ended up with was so watered down. He accepted the Republican compromise, which was, in effect Romneycare, letting all the private insurance companies in. Then the right hung the Obamacare tag on it in a disrespectful manner, when it was their bill!

In 2017, when Trump and the rest of the Republicans tried to get rid of Obamacare and replace it with something "where everyone will be covered beautifully," they had nothing to replace it with because their compromise was already in place!

I had this argument several times with my then "Freedom Caucus" Congressman and his staffers. Now I've learned here in this thread, that makes me an activist, instead of just an informed citizen asserting her first amendment right to petition our government. 😏 People seem to forget thst the first amendment provides five freedoms, not just one.

[bluegirl147]

12 minutes ago, partofme said:

I think it’s the Medicaid portion they really hate because you have to have low or no income to get that.  And they don’t like people getting free stuff they’re not working for, even if they’re disabled or have a reason to not be working.

Also a lot of people don't understand the ACA.  When reading comments on stories about the ACA going all the way to back to 2014 when it took effect there were so many people who thought it was lazy people who didn't work that was getting insurance. Not Medicaid but ACA or Obamacare as they would snidely call it.  They simply didn't understand we were buying policies from insurance companies and receiving subsidies, the amount based on our income, to make them affordable.  Although affordable turned out to be subjective.  There is also a lot of Trump voters who receive Medicaid through the ACA expansion and have no idea it's only because of the ACA they are eligible for Medicaid.  This all goes back to people not being informed.

19 minutes ago, fastiller said:

Isn't ACA aka ObamaCare and also aka RomneyCare from when Romney instituted it as GOP Governor of Mass?

Yes it was based on a Heritage Foundation plan.  Not a liberal think tank by any measure.

 

[Browncoat]

19 minutes ago, fastiller said:

Isn't ACA aka ObamaCare and also aka RomneyCare from when Romney instituted it as GOP Governor of Mass?

Yes, basically.  And if you tell them that, their heads explode.

[Dimity]

2 minutes ago, partofme said:

Aren’t you Canadian?  I thought you had free universal healthcare, if not then I‘be been misled about the benefits of being Canadian.  

Basic health care is covered.  If you break your leg you will not be paying anyone to get that bone set.  If you get cancer your treatments are all covered.  Need a flu shot?  Covered.  But if you want a private hospital room you are going to pay extra for that.  Prescriptions drugs will also cost you (but there are ways to have this covered if you don't have insurance).  Dental care is somewhat being subsidized now (unless the Cons get in and scrap this). 

[PRgal]

14 minutes ago, partofme said:

Aren’t you Canadian?  I thought you had free universal healthcare, if not then I‘be been misled about the benefits of being Canadian.   I thought about not getting insurance but my mom insisted I get it, it’s my money so what would she really say if I didn’t, but I have chronic migraines and a thyroid condition and it’s probably better I have insurance, it’s just been way too long I’ve been out of work the Cobra actually went up in January!

It only covers the basics.  Not things like dental, prescription medication, semi-private rooms in hospitals and such.  So if you need to be in the hospital overnight and you don't have private insurance, you're basically stuck in a four person room.  Ugh.

[fastiller]

9 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Racism also plays a huge part in this. The Right is not against some Americans getting free or low cost healthcare just as long as those who do are "deserving" which is code for white and Christian. They just don't want their tax dollars going to programs that benefit black people.

Also, if a POC puts forth the idea.

7 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

I was right in the middle of typing a tirade about just this when you posted. I've been angry at President Obama because he insisted on making it a bipartisan bill, that the version of the ACA we ended up with was so watered down. He accepted the Republican compromise, which was, in effect Romneycare, letting all the private insurance companies in. Then the right hung the Obamacare tag on it in a disrespectful manner, when it was their bill!

In 2017, when Trump and the rest of the Republicans tried to get rid of Obamacare and replace it with something "where everyone will be covered beautifully," they had nothing to replace it with because their compromise was already in place!

I had this argument several times with my then "Freedom Caucus" Congressman and his staffers. Now I've learned here in this thread, that makes me an activist, instead of just an informed citizen asserting her first amendment right to petition our government. 😏 People seem to forget thst the first amendment provides five freedoms, not just one.

But, but, but: a concept of a plan...

[peacheslatour]

1 minute ago, PRgal said:

It only covers the basics.  Not things like dental, prescription medication, semi-private rooms in hospitals and such.  So if you need to be in the hospital overnight and you don't have private insurance, you're basically stuck in a four person room.  Ugh.

Try  it with no coverage for anything.

[bluegirl147]

15 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Racism also plays a huge part in this. The Right is not against some Americans getting free or low cost healthcare just as long as those who do are "deserving" which is code for white and Christian. They just don't want their tax dollars going to programs that benefit black people.

A book, who's name I cannot remember, had an entire section devoted to this very thing.  Tennessee refused to participate in the Medicaid Expansion and the author interviewed people in Tennessee and they were unbothered by this.  Why? Because they didn't want those "other" people they thought undeserving to have insurance.  One guy even had kidney disease and would have been eligible for Medicaid but he said he just couldn't watch other people he didn't like get it so he was OK with doing without insurance and therefore health care.  Some people's  hate runs deep. Sometimes it even kills them.

[Dimity]

4 minutes ago, PRgal said:

So if you need to be in the hospital overnight and you don't have private insurance, you're basically stuck in a four person room.  Ugh.

Even if you do have insurance you get what you get right now.  My dad has been in and out of hospitals now for the last few months.  With excellent care BTW, absolutely topnotch, but he's been lucky to even get a semi on occasion - just getting a room is a plus. 

My understanding is that this is an issue in the US and UK and likely many other countries right now so not really tied in to universal health care.

Edited 16 hours ago by Dimity

[bluegirl147]

4 minutes ago, PRgal said:

So if you need to be in the hospital overnight and you don't have private insurance, you're basically stuck in a four person room.  Ugh.

There are millions of people in this country that would be OK with that.

[PRgal]

1 minute ago, Dimity said:

Even if you do have insurance you get what you get right now.  My dad has been in and out of hospitals now for the last few months.  With excellent care BTW, absolutely topnotch, but he's been lucky to even get a semi on occasion - just getting a room is living the dream right now.

My husband was stuck in the hall once when he had to stay overnight.   :(  

[bluegirl147]

2 minutes ago, PRgal said:

My husband was stuck in the hall once when he had to stay overnight.   :(  

That unfortunately is a common occurrence here. Especially in metro area hospitals.  There is not enough beds.  It sucks and I wish they would do better but at least people are getting care.

[Dimity]

3 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

It sucks and I wish they would do better but at least people are getting care.

Last time Dad was in the hospital he was lucky in that he went to ER, they triaged him and within minutes he was in a bed in an observation room.  They couldn't get him a bed in the part of the hospital where he needed to be but that room he had in the ER was essentially a private room.  And as you say, he got the care he needed and was well looked after.

[PRgal]

1 minute ago, Dimity said:

Last time Dad was in the hospital he was lucky in that he went to ER, they triaged him and within minutes he was in a bed in an observation room.  They couldn't get him a bed in the part of the hospital where he needed to be but that room he had in the ER was essentially a private room.  And as you say, he got the care he needed and was well looked after.

As a walk in or by ambulance?  The 911 cases usually get triaged first.

[Bastet]

6 hours ago, PRgal said:

It's the STATS that turned me off from DE&I committees.  The gaslighting of personal experiences was so dismissive and offensive that i just HAD it and needed to leave the group.

It's not gaslighting to tell someone the stats, that their personal experiences differ from the experiences of the majority of a demographic.  Of course the issues that are systemic are going to be what gets an organization's focus.

6 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

A lot of companies have gotten rid of DEI because they have bowed to the pressure from the right. They think supporting diversity and equality and inclusion is being biased against white straight people.

That's exactly what it is.  So many major corporations have caved, but Costco is standing strong in the face of boycott threats -- shareholders have an upcoming vote on an initiative - introduced by a right wing think tank - that would require the company to waste its time and money conducting an evaluation and publishing a report on the "risks" of the company maintaining its current DEI roles, policies and goals.  What alleged risks, you ask?  "Litigation, reputational and financial risks to the company, and therefore financial risks to shareholders” due to possible “illegal discrimination” against employees who are “white, Asian, male or straight” (yeah, because that's an actual thing that's sweeping the nation necessitating a widespread response).

The Costco board unanimously urged a no vote, explaining how DEI helps its business succeed by enhancing its capacity to attract and retain employees and appealing to shoppers, and called the "risk" justification out as a ruse, saying the agenda isn't reducing any risk for the company, just "abolition of diversity initiatives”.

Yep.  In this the year 2025 corporate execs in the U.S. spoke the truth.  I'll wait while you pull yourselves back into your chairs.

Edit:  I just read that the boards of directors of Apple, Boeing, Cigna, Citigroup, Coca-Cola, John Deere, MGM Resorts, PepsiCo, and Progressive also all unanimously recommended a no vote for the same initiative (put forth by the same nutjobs) at their upcoming shareholders meetings, but I haven't looked up what language they used.

5 hours ago, partofme said:

Personally I was saying I prefer the term liberal to the term progressive even though the term progressive seems to be the favored term these days and even though I identify with progressive politicians, I will always see myself as a liberal first because I won’t give in to Republicans making liberal a dirty word, which is the reason I feel the word progressive exists.

Of the two terms I probably like progressive more (although liberal is a very close second), but I make sure to use liberal just as much if not more, thanks to the right trying to warp it into a dirty word.

Edited 14 hours ago by Bastet

[tres bien]

Things are going to get bad very quickly. Mike Johnson told reporters today that there will be conditions put on aid to CA

😟

 

[peacheslatour]

8 minutes ago, tres bien said:

Things are going to get bad very quickly. Mike Johnson told reporters today that there will be conditions put on aid to CA

😟

 

"All Hollywood movies henceforth must show MAGAs as the heroes of every movie and all progressives must be portrayed by ugly, toothless baboons who hate America."

[bluegirl147]

7 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

"All Hollywood movies henceforth must show MAGAs as the heroes of every movie and all progressives must be portrayed by ugly, toothless baboons who hate America."

I guess that Melania movie is the start of it.

18 minutes ago, tres bien said:

Things are going to get bad very quickly. Mike Johnson told reporters today that there will be conditions put on aid to CA

😟

 

California sure is a nice state. Would hate to see anything happen to it.

That is how Trump and his MAGA minions think.

[Anela]

1 hour ago, ProudMary said:

 

I had this argument several times with my then "Freedom Caucus" Congressman and his staffers. Now I've learned here in this thread, that makes me an activist, instead of just an informed citizen asserting her first amendment right to petition our government. 😏 People seem to forget thst the first amendment provides five freedoms, not just one.

I feel a lot of us have been activists, for the last nine years or so, just because of everything going on, but I've been writing letters, making phone calls, and signing petitions since I was a teenager. I have no problem being seen as an activist, because it's been getting the same treatment as "liberal". 

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

This is one of the things about American politics that our Canadian friends don't seem to grasp. If their healthcare was treated the way ours is, I think it would be clearer to them  how close to the edge most sane people in this country are.

Yep. I hate that it took someone dying, to get that conversation going. All of the comments on our terrible healthcare, from all sides. 

Edited 15 hours ago by Anela

[PRgal]

48 minutes ago, Bastet said:

It's not gaslighting to tell someone the stats, that their personal experiences differ from the experiences of the majority of a demographic.  Of course the issues that are systemic are going to be what gets an organization's focus.

 

 

Except when the majority isn't the majority or if they're referring to specific ethnic groups (for example).  Like, I shouldn't be told that I'm a self-centred BWORD if was referring the education rate of a certain demographic or if I was talking about demographics at a typical XYZ school in the 90s and how that doesn't reflect what the other person was talking about.

[ProudMary]

3 minutes ago, Anela said:

I feel a lot of us have been activists, for the last nine years or so, just because of everything going on, but I've been writing letters, making phone calls, and signing petitions since I was a teenager. 

I remember as a kid, attending town council meetings with my parents and also having town council meetings being part of Civics assignments when I was in 6th or 7th grade. This would have been around 1970. Now, the teaching of Civics is something from a bygone era. It's scary to see that the US let these basic tenets of citizenship slip away. 

My junior year American History teacher in high school was an older woman who gave us way too much homework so we all hated her. 😄 I have been thinking about her a lot during these past eight or nine years, though, because we did learn a lot. She had a framed plaque on her classroom wall that read, "Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom." I'm glad that she doesn’t have to live in a nation that took its eyes off the ball. 😥

[PRgal]

I want to add that we got a taste of what out-of-pocket healthcare costs can be like when my son was born.  We had trouble getting him his healthcard because he was carried by a gestational surrogate.  And being premature, he was in the NICU for over a week.  Total cost was in the thousands when normally it would be covered by the province.  Took a few credit cards.  We got everything back after we secured his birth certificate (with our names on as parents) and therefore could get his healthcard.  

[Notabug]

2 hours ago, PRgal said:

My husband was stuck in the hall once when he had to stay overnight.   :(  

Here in the US, patients are stuck in the ER, sometimes for days.  This is partly because hospitals have staffing shortages and have often closed inpatient floors entirely so as not to have to pay staff.

I work in OB, there are many days when women who gave birth overnight are stuck in the post op recovery room on labor and delivery, not because they had cesareans, most didn't; but because there are no open beds on the postpartum unit and won't be until sometime around noon after the morning's discharges leave; presuming those people actually get around to leaving by 11 AM as requested.  The recovery room is a single room with 8 beds.  Factor in moms, babies and their significant others and it gets pretty crowded.  A midwife I worked with gave birth one evening and spent almost 24 hours in the recovery area waiting for an open bed on postpartum.  And she was a hospital employee.  She was then discharged the next morning and asked to hit the road by 11 AM which she did because she sure hadn't had a restful stay to that point.

2 hours ago, PRgal said:

As a walk in or by ambulance?  The 911 cases usually get triaged first.

Not always.  At least here in the US, the EMT's are essentially required to transport to the ER anyone who calls 911 and wants a ride.  This leads to people coming via squad for things like a bad cough or a sprained ankle.  If the EMT's do not indicate an immediate need for assessment; those patients are removed from their carts and given a wheelchair to sit in to be triaged like everyone else in the ER.  Happens all the time.

Edited 14 hours ago by Notabug

[Annber03]

4 hours ago, partofme said:

I think it’s the Medicaid portion they really hate because you have to have low or no income to get that.  And they don’t like people getting free stuff they’re not working for, even if they’re disabled or have a reason to not be working.  

Yep. This is it. The assumption is basically that if peope are lower-income they're just not working hard enough, and if they don't have an income then they need to just get a job. And if they're working low-income jobs they just need to find better-paying ones! 

Never mind the fact that, as you note, people might be disabled and thus unable to work. Or we might be in the midst of an economic recession or a pandemic and thus nobody's hiring . Or there might not be much in the way of good-paying jobs where someone lives, and low-income stuff is all that's avaliable (to say nothing of the fact that a lot of companies will do everything in their power to avoid having to hire peopel they'd have to pay full-time salaries/living wages for). 

Nope. Clearly it's simply because the people who aren't working or are working minimum wage jobs are lazy. No other reasons apply. 

(I would LOVE someone to have come up to my parents and told them that to their faces when my dad was sick and unable to work and my mom was stuck working a minimum wage job. They'd be lucky if they got the full sentence out before my mom and/or dad had some VERY choice words for them.)

3 hours ago, tres bien said:

Things are going to get bad very quickly. Mike Johnson told reporters today that there will be conditions put on aid to CA

😟

 

But...but...we just need to give this incoming administration a chance!

Fuck the GOP. Seriously.