I am ending this blog because it stopped being fun.
Thank You to all who have read--Thank you.
Thank You to all who have read--Thank you.
The best way that I can describe this blog is that it is as complex as I am. After all, I have many interests, many concerns and a few 'pet peeves'(otherwise known as issues that I am still dealing with) and a thing or two that just simply 'IGNITES' this Czech/German/Polish Temper. This is where I testify that I am alive and part of the whole world and to save other people from repeating my mistakes and/or bad experiences. Sandy Hook 12.14.12, never again. www.causes.com/neveragain
A Spanish judge has just decided to proceed with a case against Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld, prosecuting them for torture at Guantanamo.
The Spanish legislature can be expected to try to block the case, unless perhaps they hear our voices loudly and clearly enough.
We began this effort in 2011, visiting Spanish embassies, generating media and placing advertisements in Spain, and communicating our appreciation for Spanish efforts to prosecute U.S. torturers. Now we need another big push.
After signing the petition, please forward this message to your friends. You can also share it from the webpage after taking the action yourself.
Here's your receipt for the tax breaks and tax subsidies that you and other Americans gave to Walmart and the Walton family last year.
Walmart made $16 billion in 2013. The Walton family is worth nearly $150 billion
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more than the wealth of 49 million American families combined
In a real life example of how Obamacare is changing everything, our local newspaper ran an article about the closing of the 9th Street Ministry Medical Clinic.
"It was announced last week that 9th Street Ministries will be concluding their medical clinic mission, which had been ongoing monthly to offer free medical services to those in need since first starting in 1998. The final day for the medical clinic will be Thursday, April 24, and that will conclude the mission that has been in place for almost 16 years."
The article tells how the ministry has been operating once a month for years to give people healthcare on a first come, first served basis. This care was provided by volunteers. My mother actually volunteered at the clinic and they would see as many as 300 a day. Many of these people would wait all day for the chance to see a doctor. Most of the patients were people who could not afford to see a doctor, but were not eligible for medicaid or medicare. Why would they close this clinic down?
"We’ve gone from seeing around 300 people a month on a regular basis, but as people were enrolling in Obamacare, the numbers we were seeing have dropped. We were down to 80 people that came through the medical clinic in February, all the way down to three people at the medical clinic in March. Our services won’t be needed anymore, and this will conclude our mission.”
We live in one of the most conservative places in Arkansas. The Repub's want to tell those people that once a month waiting all day for a chance to see a doctor was good enough. Thankfully, President Obama did not think so.
Here is the link to the article: http://www.menastar.com/
Bang-up statistics for rates of insurance under Obamacare are one thing, but for the truly human benefit of the law, you have to look deeper. And here's an excellent example: Actual health care, in the form of prescription drugs, is getting to the people who need it.
People who signed up early for insurance through the new marketplaces were more likely to be prescribed drugs to treat pain, depression and H.I.V. and were less likely to need contraceptives, according to a new study that provides a much-anticipated look at the population that signed up for coverage under the new health care law. […]The study, to be released Wednesday by the major pharmacy-benefits manager Express Scripts, suggests that early enrollees face more serious health problems and are older than those covered by their employers. The study also showed a higher use of specialty drugs, which are often used to treat diseases like cancer and rheumatoid arthritis; the use of such drugs could hint at more costly medical problems.[…]In addition to finding increased use of drugs to treat pain, seizures and depression, the study also found that 6 in every 1,000 prescriptions in the marketplace plans were for drugs that treat H.I.V., a number that was nearly four times the figure among those with employer coverage.
That's because, of course, people with HIV, cancer and rheumatoid arthritis could have been barred from getting health insurance before the law. It's not terribly surprising that the first enrollees out of the gates—and the first to be registering prescriptions—would be the people with serious, chronic conditions that kept them out of the market previously. As the study's authors write, "This early analysis suggests this new benefit is providing patients with access to the medication they need."
That's just one more thing Republicans want to shut down with repeal: people getting the treatments they need to survive.
Kay Morrison is 90 years old. And in 1943, when she worked as a journeyman welder on the assembly line at Kaiser Shipyard #2 in Richmond, California, she earned the same wage as the man working the graveyard shift alongside her.
As Kay said, "it can be the same today."
And yet, on average, full-time working women earn just 77 cents for every dollar earned by men.
Earning equal pay starts with a conversation -- and that's why, this week, President Obama signed an executive order prohibiting federal contractors from retaliating against employees who choose to discuss their pay.
Since taking office, Governor Kasich has cut more than over $500 million from Ohio’s public schools and increased funding for failing charter schools. In recent days, almost every major newspaper in Ohio has run a story or an editorial about this flawed system. We’ve pointed to the governor’s cuts to public education for some time. Check out what others are saying about the failing charter schools into which our tax dollars are flowing:
“Charter schools have changed the landscape of public education in Ohio. For the most part, the changes have worked to the detriment of traditional public school districts. As a three-part report in the Beacon Journal this week demonstrates, this unfortunate result is due largely to state laws that have imposed financial burdens on districts without ensuring consistent oversight and accountability for the use of public funds by privately operated charter schools.” Click here to sign our petition asking Governor Kasich to support public education.
“While Ohio lawmakers fail to take steps to hold charter schools more accountable for how they use millions of dollars in tax money, evidence mounts that this lax approach yields bad results……. This has left little way to judge whether public money is being spent reasonably, and the abysmal academic track record of some of the biggest recipients suggests it often isn’t.” Click here to sign our petition asking Governor Kasich to support public education.
Democratic lawmakers announced legislation Tuesday that would require increased scrutiny and access to certain records of charter schools that receive public funding.
“’The growing problem is we don’t know how most of these taxpayer dollars are being spent,’(State Senator Joe) Schiavoni said.
RNC, Please Don’t
Peruse any of the various stories about the Republican National Committee considering Las Vegas for the 2016 convention and the stories will read as if the GOP is going open handed to its sugar daddy, Sheldon Adelson.
Already, Republicans across the nation are tripping over themselves in the rush to bask in Mr. Adelson’s presence and pledge their undying loyalty to him. Many of these Republicans are willing to ban online gambling to further Mr. Adelson’s business interests. He owns casinos.
It is embarrassing. A party that is trying to show it represents Main Street, not Wall Street, and the middle class, not the American aristocracy, should not put itself in a position where all the news stories suggest they want a convention in Vegas to placate a donor...According to the Red State.
Details are still emerging as to exactly how and why Army Spec. Ivan Lopez shot 3 people to death and injured 16 others in a rampage on Wednesday, but we already know enough to be certain about one thing: We've seen this grim story before, and not just literally at Fort Hood, the site of a previous bloodbath in 2009. As the data from our in-depth investigation of mass shootings in America shows, Lopez fits a familiar profile for perpetrators of this type of crime. Here's how his background and actions echo those of many mass shooters we analyzed from 67 cases over the past three decades. [READ MORE]Yet again, Another soldier comes home with Post-Dramatic Stress-- who does not get the treatment he needs, but is able to legally purchase any weapon with enough ammo to start his own war.
Chien-Shiung Wu took a different route to support the war effort. The Chinese-born American was already in her thirties and teaching physics at both Princeton University in New Jersey and Smith College in Massachusetts. Her work garnered the attention of the U.S. Government during WWII and was invited to work on the Army’s secretive Manhattan Project at Columbia University. Dr. Wu helped developed the process that enabled the enrichment of uranium ore to produce large enough quantities to make the atomic bomb. Later she discovered a principle in physics which overthrew a then widely held belief about the law of symmetry. The discovery earned the Nobel Prize of Physics in 1957, but only Dr. Wu’s two male colleagues were given the credit. She spent the rest of her life lecturing and encouraging women to participate in science. The “First Lady of Physics” died in New York in 1997.That is why I started a petition, which I do hope others will sign. It was a Gross In-Justice that Dr. Chien-Shiung Wu's male colleagues received the Nobel Prize in Physics, but not the Good Doctor, Herself. This In-justice Needs and Must Be Corrected By Awarding Her-- Her Long Over Due Nobel Prize, Now--Post-Harmoniously. After all, If a Medal Of Honor can be awarded after a person dies, so should the Nobel Prizes.
The Hiland LLC Pipeline Petition to urge the North Dakota Commissioners to penalize them instead of letting them off scot-free has stalled at 35 signatures. I would urge you all to ask your friends on Care2 to sign this important petition. This one has a chance of making it up to the front page if we can get enough critical momentum going, US residents especially, & North Dakota residents critically. Please help, thank you.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A company that operated a natural gas pipeline for more than two years without a permit will not be fined by the state Public Service Commission. The pipeline by Hiland Operating LLC of Enid, Okla., was completed in 2010. The company told the commission in May 2012 that it did not have a permit. The Bismarck Tribune reports that a company can be fined up to $10,000 per day for "willfully building an energy conversion facility or transmission line without a permit," with the total fine not to exceed $200,000. Commissioners say they don't think the violation was intentional and fining Hiland might deter other companies from considering investment in North Dakota.The Commission's statutory responsibilities concerning pipelines in North Dakota include:
Establishment and enforcement of rates or charges and regulations by common pipeline carriers for receiving, gathering, transporting, loading, delivering, and incident storing of crude petroleum, coal or gas purchased or sold in North Dakota; and
Al Sharpton had a long segment on our Medicaid campaign. He captured how outrageous it is that Gov. Bobby Jindal is blocking health care for hundreds of thousands of his constituents—while his state tries to force down our billboard criticizing him.
Sure, you might expect to hear a sympathetic take on MSNBC. But this story has earned attention from some unexpected folks too. A high-profile conservative legal scholar, Eugene Volokh, published a sharp piece in The Washington Post today about our standoff with Gov. Jindal's administration that concluded: "I expect the case to be promptly thrown out of court; and I hope [Lieutenant Governor Jay] Dardenne gets some political grief from voters for trying to suppress criticism this way."
We're working night and day to keep the heat on—not just in Louisiana but in all the Republican-led states where millions of Americans are going without the health care they deserve. This fight will continue.....After all, as the saying goes Freedom Cannot Defend Itself, so Someone Must Defend it.
Breaking news: The state of Louisiana is suing MoveOn.org in federal court.1 They're trying to force us to take down a billboard that calls out Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal—an aspiring presidential candidate—for denying health care to 242,000 people.
After carefully discussing the matter with our lawyers, we've made a decision: We're leaving our billboard up—even if we have to take this fight all the way to the Supreme Court.
This lawsuit is unprecedented in MoveOn's sixteen-year history. And it will take all of us to respond. Normally, we ask for folks to donate when they can—and we know that not everyone can give every time. But today, we're urgently asking all MoveOn members to step up to the plate and help with a monthly contribution starting now.
Can you donate as little as $5 a month—or as much as you can afford—to make sure MoveOn has the resources we need to defend ourselves in court and keep our work going?
We need to go all-in to fight this lawsuit. But, at the same time, we simply can't de-fund our campaigns in the other 24 states where Republicans are blocking their own people from getting Medicaid. And our other critical work needs to be maintained.
Without the resources we need to fight back, this legal battle could amount to a costly distraction from our real work. But on the other hand, if we can muster a full response and keep our core campaigning going, it's actually great news because:
1. We've drawn a future presidential candidate into a fight over health care—on our terms.
2. This lawsuit is completely baseless. As Tulane University constitutional law professor Keith Werhan said last week: "The government can't legally silence those who are criticizing them."2
3. The deeper the state of Louisiana takes this—and the more national press we get—the more attention we bring to the real substance. Which is that Gov. Bobby Jindal—who wants to be president someday—is denying health coverage to 242,000 Louisianans.
This is a big moment for MoveOn—and we're asking MoveOn members to dig deep right now with a monthly contribution so we can rise to the challenge. Can you chip in
as much as you can spare each month to help MoveOn during this pivotal moment?
” which redirects an additional $11 billion to private and religious schools.
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Breaking news: A Federal judge has struck down a Texas ban on same-sex marriage. Click here for more, and then click below to take action against another Texan -- Senator Ted Cruz -- who is trying to reverse progress on this front.
Fight back against Ted Cruz's attack on marriage equality
That's right, as if shutting down the government and costing our economy $24 billion wasn't enough, Ted Cruz has found a whole new way to be a (fill in the blank):
He's just introduced a bill (S.2024) that would completely ban federal marriage equality, and roll back progress that has been made.
Speak out forcefully on this one -- the battle for equality is far from over, so don't be complacent.Don't let Cruz's attack succeed.
Take action now!
PLEASE help me! HELP HER>>>> SAVE HIM!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so sad that there are only 368 signaturers... The most of you signed already... but please help me to share... share with all your friends. Maybe we can save his life! Save Jack Fowler's Life, a 6 Year Old With Hunters Syndrome *** Please Sign *** We've got 368 signatures!!! Please help us get to 1,000 by February 26, 2014!!! Thanks to all who help! Love, Sabine BUT I KNOW WITH SUPPORT WE CAN MAKE THAT 10 -100,000 INSTEAD; IF NOT 1,000,000>. This is for anyone who has any questions about Hunter Syndrone>>>> Thanks To Wikipedia>> Hunter's syndrome, or mucopolysaccharidosis Type II, is a lysosomal storage disease caused by a deficient (or absent) enzyme, iduronate-2-sulfatase (I2S).[1][2] The accumulated substrate in Hunter's syndrome is heparan sulfate and dermatan sulfate.[3] The syndrome has X-linked recessive inheritance.[3] |
This bring up why we need people to be able to afford their own solar panels and their own wind farms and the like--the more we can invest in Re-usable Energy == the less we are dependent on the fossil fuel that cause Global Climate Change. We need to be able to invest in a brighter future for our children and their children....... | Third Coal-Related Spill in the Last Month Contaminates West Virginia Waterway
This is the third significant coal-related water pollution event in the Southeast in the past month ...
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You've heard the recent talk from both sides regarding raising the minimum wage. So what's the big deal?
Did you know that the average age of someone earning the minimum wage is 35? That a full-time employee earning the minimum wage takes home only $14,500 annually? Or that the federal minimum wage would be $10.74 today if it had been tied to inflation?
Next week ADA organizers will be focusing on actions in their communities to help educate the public and elected officials about the need to raise the minimum wage. Check out this excellent article, The Case for a Higher Minimum Wage, to learn more about why this is a critical step that we need to take as a nation to help workers, and our economy prosper.
Keep yourself and your business covered with general liability insurance. Don't get blindsided whether there is damage to your store, or if an employee… Read more
Want more? Small Business Insurance Cover: 3 Types to Consider
Recruiting in the Digital Age | |||||||||
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Mobile search is on the rise, so don't make them dig for it! Put your digits prominently at the top of your page, and make sure your number is clickable. Create a mobile website that doesn't require scrolling… Read more
Weigh in: Is your phone number clickable on your mobile site?
After all, the more people paying into the economy, instead of collecting from--the better it is for us all--WE NEED MORE WIN-WIN-WIN The newest numbers from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) confirm that more work needs to be done to address our fiscal challenges. Although some are touting the fact that deficits will fall this year and next, they are coming down from levels not seen since the end of World War II and will begin growing again within two years. CBO also forecasts that deficits will still be nearly $1.7 trillion larger over the next decade compared to previous projections, despite the short-term improvements. We cannot let up in getting deficits and debt under control. In fact, we need to renew our efforts. That’s why I ask that you strongly encourage your friends and family to sign The Citizen’s Petition to Fix the Debt. A surge of support will show policymakers we aren’t ready to let them off the hook. Share the Citizen’s Petition to Fix the Debt today with friends and family and encourage their support. Share the link, tell them why you signed the petition in the first place and that the debt is still a problem that must be addressed. CBO projects public debt will reach 79 percent of the economy in 2024, which is more than double the historical average in the post-war era, and will continue on an upward trajectory thereafter. CBO also warns that our large and growing levels of debt could harm the economy. Check out more highlights of the CBO study and you will see that we must continue the fight to Fix the Debt.
Sincerely,
Jason Peuquet
Fix the Debt Campaign
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