March 27, 2010

Political cartoons

I am both happy and relieved that the healthcare bill passed. Access to affordable healthcare shouldn't be a commodity -- it shouldn't be a tool to separate financial classes within the country. For how can people pursue their unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness if they are systematically denied survival by unscrupulous insurance companies? So congratulations to America for taking a step in the right direction, to decree that healthcare isn't a privilege and that changes must be made to our current ineffective system!

















And shame on the Republicans who refused to meaningfully participate in the discussions, who used violent language to express their anger and then acted surprised when Democratic offices and homes were attacked, who embraced the Tea Party protesters while some members shouted racist and homophobic slurs at the opposition, and whose tactics relied not on facts and discourse, but on fear-mongering and lies.


March 22, 2010

Progressive

While I was reading about the House passing the healthcare bill (219 to 212), I came across a progressive quiz. It featured 40 questions that address various topics including war, religion, sexuality, role of government, and taxes. By indicating your degree of agreement on a 0 (completely disagree) to 10 (completely agree) scale, the quiz determines how progressive your views are and compares your views with other political ideologies. As you may have guessed, I am very progressive (score of 275 out of 400) and off the chart seen below. Not surprising is the correlation between education level and political affiliation.

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How progressive are you?
http://zedc3test.techprogress.org/issues/2009/03/progressive_quiz.html

March 19, 2010

Virginia: A pilot project in theocracy

I was concerned when Virginia elected a Republican governor. I was more concerned when I learned that McDonnell had amended the state's discrimination law by removing "sexual orientation" from the list. So now Virginia is prohibiting that type of discrimination? It isn't enough to say that discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated because racism, sexism, etc. are widely prevalent. The inclusion of the phrase "sexual orientation" provides a legal standing and accountability to employers. Why not remove gender from the list as long as you're at it?

March 17, 2010

Sicko (the movie)

Did you know that the United States does condone and practice universal healthcare? It is available to the prisoners of Gitmo (hazards to our national security) and the people of Iraq and Afghanistan (because we are fighting a war in their countries). And which individuals have the best options on healthcare after them? Our elected representatives in government, who can choose from over 200 plans and policies. I find it interesting that those against universal healthcare, who insist it is in violation of the Constitution and all that is sacred about America, are the same individuals whose jobs and financial resources protect them from experiencing lapses in coverage or removal from an insurance policy.


March 11, 2010

The Two Party System

A nice illustration that explains the core differences between the Republicans and the Democrats.


March 08, 2010

Oscars

I was so happy that Jeff Bridges ("Crazy Heart") and Sandra Bullock ("The Blind Side") won for lead actor in a motion picture. Both of them are so talented and recognition for their achievements was quite overdue. And while I hadn't heard of any of the nominees for best animated short film, I did laugh at Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty. What nightmares the child must have!

March 05, 2010

And more hypocrisy ...

Republicans' big lie about reconciliation

Here's a good article about reconciliation and what it actually means for the healthcare bill. I'm really sick of people using fear-mongering to further a selfish agenda. And Republican politicians have no excuse because they used this same technique to ram Bush's tax cuts (for the wealthy) down the throats of the American people in 2001 and 2003, thereby increasing the country's deficit by 1.7 TRILLION dollars.
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Republican's big lie about reconciliation
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/03/AR2010030303097.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

March 01, 2010

Food for Thought

"We are different from previous generations of conservatives. We are no longer working to preserve the status quo. We are radicals, working to overturn the present power structure of this country." (Paul Weyrich)

"A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward." (Franklin Roosevelt)

"It only takes 20 years for a liberal to become a conservative without changing a single idea." (Robert Anton Wilson)

"Liberalism is trust of the people, tempered by prudence; conservatism, distrust of people, tempered by fear." (William Gladstone)

"What is conservativism? Is it not the adherence to the old and tried against the new and untried?" (Abraham Lincoln)
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A recently released survey of self-identified Republicans found that 23% want their state to secede from the Union, 34% believe birth control is the same as abortion, and 68% believe gay couples should not receive any state or federal benefits. For more shocking (but not surprising) results, visit the survey at http://www.dailykos.com/statepoll/2010/1/31/US/437 .