According to a blog I just read, there's a movie called Shaun of the Dead in which vinyl records thrown like ninja stars at zombies will "kill" them. Given the amount of time it takes me to wake up in the morning, perhaps I should hide our old record collection before my husband gets ideas.
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Bush, Kerry Health Plans Differ Sharply
I sort of hate to write about politics again since I didn't intend this to be a political blog. But I do write about what's on my mind, and politics has been on my mind a lot lately.
For the past day or so I've had a stomach bug. It's been going around; I was the last person in my family to get it. Before that I had problems with my chronically-ill sinuses, which are steadily getting worse. My husband is disabled. As an aspie I have trouble getting and holding down a job that offers health insurance. We're too poor to afford private health insurance and too rich for Medicaid, except for the children. (Here in Texas the ceiling is ridiculously low. You pretty much have to be living on the streets to qualify.) Happily my husband has Medicare and my children have Medicaid. Usually I can't afford to go to the doctor at all. So I found the above article very interesting.
Both plans seek to help the growing numbers of the uninsured. According to estimates Senator Kerry's plan would drop the numbers from 45 million to 27 million over 10 years. President Bush's plan would cover from 7 to 17 million, depending on who's doing the estimating. Quite a difference.
Bush's plan would use tax breaks and "market-based incentives" to address the problem. But what good are tax breaks when you're already too poor to pay taxes? Even if you do, the market would have to come down quite a bit for a tax break to cover the expense.
Senator Kerry's plan, costing at least $653 billion over 10 years, is certainly pricey enough. But at least we would be spending it on something worthwhile. And Kerry would pay for it by rolling back tax cuts on persons making more than $200,000 per year. Anyone making that much can afford a little more tax.
For an old hag like me to not get medical care is inconvenient. Here in Texas we have a lot of very sick children getting sicker for lack of proper medical treatment. That's obscene.
Texas is an easy place to live if you're rich, but pretty tough if you're poor. I worry that Bush wants to turn the country into a giant Texas.
For the past day or so I've had a stomach bug. It's been going around; I was the last person in my family to get it. Before that I had problems with my chronically-ill sinuses, which are steadily getting worse. My husband is disabled. As an aspie I have trouble getting and holding down a job that offers health insurance. We're too poor to afford private health insurance and too rich for Medicaid, except for the children. (Here in Texas the ceiling is ridiculously low. You pretty much have to be living on the streets to qualify.) Happily my husband has Medicare and my children have Medicaid. Usually I can't afford to go to the doctor at all. So I found the above article very interesting.
Both plans seek to help the growing numbers of the uninsured. According to estimates Senator Kerry's plan would drop the numbers from 45 million to 27 million over 10 years. President Bush's plan would cover from 7 to 17 million, depending on who's doing the estimating. Quite a difference.
Bush's plan would use tax breaks and "market-based incentives" to address the problem. But what good are tax breaks when you're already too poor to pay taxes? Even if you do, the market would have to come down quite a bit for a tax break to cover the expense.
Senator Kerry's plan, costing at least $653 billion over 10 years, is certainly pricey enough. But at least we would be spending it on something worthwhile. And Kerry would pay for it by rolling back tax cuts on persons making more than $200,000 per year. Anyone making that much can afford a little more tax.
For an old hag like me to not get medical care is inconvenient. Here in Texas we have a lot of very sick children getting sicker for lack of proper medical treatment. That's obscene.
Texas is an easy place to live if you're rich, but pretty tough if you're poor. I worry that Bush wants to turn the country into a giant Texas.
Sunday, October 03, 2004
The Uncompassionate Conservative
The Uncompassionate Conservative
This is a very interesting piece by writer Molly Ivins, who went to high school with President Bush. I'm not a native Texan, but I lived here for about four years of Bush's governorship. From what I've seen and heard, I suspect this characterization is accurate. Really scary.
This is a very interesting piece by writer Molly Ivins, who went to high school with President Bush. I'm not a native Texan, but I lived here for about four years of Bush's governorship. From what I've seen and heard, I suspect this characterization is accurate. Really scary.
Saturday, October 02, 2004
My Decision II
It just occurred to me that in my last posting the aspie part of me took over and I came across like a prig with my head up my...oh well, you get the idea. The bottom line: Bush, with his war and his excuses for it, his economic decisions and his general attitude toward the poor (he admits he can't understand what it's like) just gripes my soul. One way or another, he offends nearly every moral belief I've got. The only exceptions are school vouchers (I'm for 'em too), abortion (I'm against it), and an amendment prohibiting gay marriage (he's for it, I am too, intellectually, although my emotions protest a little).
Kerry is neither warm nor cuddly but I find his politics very attractive. And I have no problem with his tendency to change his positions on issues. Being an aspie, when I meet someone new I turn into The Ice Princess of the World, only more clumsy. And I tend to be much worse than Kerry about indecisiveness and changing my mind. Others see black and white, right and wrong. I see a hundred shades of gray and a million possibilities. So it's tough for me to take an absolute stand and stick with it.
So I'll have to vote for Kerry and pray that God will lead him. There's more, of course, but I'll plow through it later.
Kerry is neither warm nor cuddly but I find his politics very attractive. And I have no problem with his tendency to change his positions on issues. Being an aspie, when I meet someone new I turn into The Ice Princess of the World, only more clumsy. And I tend to be much worse than Kerry about indecisiveness and changing my mind. Others see black and white, right and wrong. I see a hundred shades of gray and a million possibilities. So it's tough for me to take an absolute stand and stick with it.
So I'll have to vote for Kerry and pray that God will lead him. There's more, of course, but I'll plow through it later.
My Decision on the Election
As you can see by the new banner on this page I've decided who to vote for in the upcoming election. Many things guided my decision, but one thing sticks out in my mind. During the first debate President Bush asked Senator Kerry if he thought our troops in Iraq had died for nothing. As one could expect Kerry answered negatively. When I asked myself the same question, I had to admit that yes, I'm afraid they did. Unless one believes that control of more oil fields, in order to expand profits for oil companies, is worth dying for.
It's fine to talk about liberating the Iraqi people. In a sense they are liberated, at least from the rule of Saddam Hussien. But true liberation requires the physical ability, and the will, to remain free without outside help. As it is, without the help of the U.S. forces Iraq would surely become dominated by an Afgani-style fundamentalist Islamic dictatorship. And, judging by the experience of Afganistan, the government of Saddam would look almost sweet and gentle by comparison.
It's fine to talk about liberating the Iraqi people. In a sense they are liberated, at least from the rule of Saddam Hussien. But true liberation requires the physical ability, and the will, to remain free without outside help. As it is, without the help of the U.S. forces Iraq would surely become dominated by an Afgani-style fundamentalist Islamic dictatorship. And, judging by the experience of Afganistan, the government of Saddam would look almost sweet and gentle by comparison.
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