It's Constitutional!

What a relief! 5 - 4 the Supreme Court of the United States has upheld the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) to be Constitutional. My Facebook is exploding with anti-Obama comments, some pulling out the so-called 'death panels' and other crap that was proven to be false before the law ever passed. I am starting to rethink some of these people on my friends list.

The individual mandate, which was the crux of the constitutionality question, was declared legal but NOT using the Commerce clause. According to Justice Kennedy (paraphrasing here) Congress has the right to levy taxes and it is under that right that the mandate can be upheld. If a person chooses to purchase health insurance they are given a tax break, but a person choosing to not purchase health insurance will be taxed to pay for their care.

I have been a nervous wreck about this one, especially after the Citizen's United ruling was upheld earlier this week. I am thrilled and overwhelmed that the Supreme Court has upheld this law. It does not affect me personally at this time, thanks to DSD's Navy retirement we are covered under Tricare, but I have been that person. I have had to decide between decent food and prescriptions for my child because we could not afford healthcare with a 3 year old with asthma - IF we could have found someone to cover us.

Today is a wonderful day for our country and for so many people who are able to find coverage with a pre-existing condition or to cover a child with a pre-existing condition.

Tonight I shall raise a glass to those 5 who were smart enough to know that this is the best thing for our country and the people in it.

You Can Take Your Reform And...

 This story was on the local news last night. Apparently Florida is going to tell D. C. to shove their Medicaid dollars if they (D.C.) doesn't want to play by Florida's rules. I hope those who elected Scott are happy. I also hope those who didn't vote are happy. I knew it was going to get bad, but....

On the radio this morning (NPR) which the righties also want to de-fund, had a nice story on the Medicaid Reform proposed by Florida Senator Don Gaetz. It is supposed to be unveiled this morning, but the little I got off the radio made my head explode.

Apparently Senator Gaetz (Republican) believes it is ok from the government to stick its nose even further into the business of the people of this state.  According to the news story linked to above, "and provide incentives to stop drinking and smoking."  Hey, great, providing incentives is great, right? But the story goes on to quote the Senator saying, "We say in the bill that we expect them to be engaged in a smoking sensation program that’s medically directed.”

We EXPECT.  We DIRECT.

Do you know what this means? The Florida poor will be required to stop smoking, stop drinking, and lose weight or they will forfeit their medicaid.

I was very pleasant to the young man on the phone in the Senator's office, it's not his fault his boss is a jerk. I explained that this was unconstitutional because government does not have a right to make these demands, and he explained that the Senator felt this would save money for the state. I asked him how the Senator felt about abortion, because requiring women to bring unwanted, unloved children who couldn't be afforded into this world cost a lot also. He shut up.

This is such a slippery slope and this cannot be allowed to happen. People should want to be healthy. People should want to stop smoking, and lose weight. But allowing government to MAKE them will eventually mean allowing government to make other decisions for them.. for us, which includes who to marry, how/when/what to reproduce. Where to work. Where to live.

I also called my Florida Rep, just to tell her that I was against this bill, if it ever gets to the House. I have to go write Gaetz and explain myself further.

Wow, I am MAD. And really a little scared.

News From Around the World

***Florida's ban on allowing homosexuals or homosexual couples to adopt has been declared UNCONSTITUTIONAL again. Maybe we are on the right track here.

***I heard this morning on NPR that if ALL of the Bush era tax cuts were allowed to lapse, it would put the US super close to a balanced budget. Why isn't that being screamed about elsewhere?

***Today mark's the beginning of the new Health Care Law. While many of us (and I mean me) think it didn't go far enough, there are many who will be helped and that has to mean something. So I want to take a minute to be thankful for that. And for a President who continues to care, even when he is constantly vilified.

***The Republicans have a plan. Why didn't they have a plan when they had control? Why do they think a list of "wants" constitutes a "plan?" Why do I torture myself with really stupid questions?

****Jon Stewart ROCKS!! Let's all go to DC!!

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What Have I Been Doing?

You may ask! Or, if you aren't going to ask, I am going to tell you anyway.

Over the 9 months starting August 2009 and ending May 2010, I managed to accrue 25 more college credit hours. And I did not go insane. That was a lovely bonus. I don't have any idea what my GPA is, but it is above a 3.0 and I can live with that. I did take the summer off from school, but it starts again in less than a week. I am not taking 13 credit hours over the next 18 weeks though. I do want to get my degree, but I do not want everything else in my life to suffer for it. I am taking 9 credit hours. 3 during Term I (August 9 - October). 3 during Term II (October - mid December) and 3 at Gulf Coast Community College over their traditional semester. If that is too much to be able to enjoy my life (at least a little), I will drop the number back to 6 in the Spring. I don't want to do that. I would like to graduate one day. But it may be necessary. OH. And I am adding History as either a 2nd Major or a Minor. My advisor was out last week when I went to register, so I haven't spoken with her about it.

I finally started walking the walk I have been talking.
Composting - Check.
Recycling more than just cans - Check.
Enough reuseable shopping bags to never have to use plastic again - Check.
Growing my own vegetables in the dirt - Check. Weeeell. I am trying. I hope that practice will help. I do have vegetables growing, but they aren't producing much. Except the basil. WOW. Do you need some basil?
Cooking more from scratch - Check.
Buying products that are more natural with less preservatives - Check.
Buying local, organic, grass fed meats - Have you seen the prices of those? I am working up to this one.

All in all, I do feel like I have made some progress toward being more responsible to myself, my family (even when they fight me) and the world. I still have a long way to go, but every journey starts with the first step.

I will try to do an entire post about my gardening, what I have accomplished so far (which just includes spending money, sweating and getting dirty, but not much actual food production) and where I hope to go next year (out of the containers and into the actual ground!).

DSD is still out of work. He looks for a while, then he gets discouraged. But I like the fact that the I don't have to touch the vacuum or clean the bathroom. He does a lot of the cooking (although little of the planning) and most of the cleaning. He does 95% of all errands; quick shopping trips, dry cleaners, oil changes, bank runs, etc. And Lola has her Daddy at home to play most days. Financially we are doing okay and we are very thankful for it. So many are losing everything and we are in no danger of that.

Lola is great. Almost 100 pounds (she is getting fat), but on a diet.

The kids (my 1, his 3) are doing well. BabyBoy moved out, but he is back at home. Working now. We will see about school for the fall. He is without medical insurance. The health care reform does not force Tricare to cover children who are 21, but not in school full time. Nice, huh?

I have suffered from what I believe was an incorrect diagnosis of Lupus and 4-6 pills a day to an actual diagnosis of Plantar Faciitis that is 95% better with physical therapy. I am now drug free, except for the occasional alcoholic beverage and/or Tylenol. And I am dealing with the early stages of Menopause. Yes, I am only 43, but it is common in my family.

There is so much more. I hope that I am energized enough to continue to post. About DSD's daugher's upcoming wedding and why I am dreading it. About my parents' and the fact that they are loving retired life. About the oil spill and how its effects have been felt locally and how the media has taken a horrifying situation and made it so much worse.

Enjoy your Wednesday and keep checking back. I hope to be here.

Calling for Actual Reform

I have not had the time, the energy, or the inclination to read every single draft of the health care bill that has come out of both houses. Who has that much time? I have been lucky to read 1/4 of the news articles on the subject. But, even with the little bit I have read and understood, I am pretty sure this is not what I signed on for.

I wanted health care to be reformed. I wanted every single person living in the United States to have access to health care, from birth to death, and I didn't want them to have to give up their retirement for it... or sell their souls.

As I said, I have not had a lot of time, so if I am wrong, please let me know, but my understanding is that the reform that is coming through Washington is going to allow the insurance companies to get richer and will not change how the poor accesses care.

If this is true, this is not Change I can believe in.

Football and Facebook and Schoolwork and Crazy

I have started at least 2 possibly more posts on the health care bull hockey floating around. I am not even certain NPR is giving it a fair wrap. I am, personally, sick of the fighting, but then I realize most of the people doing the fighting are those with jobs who provide decently priced benefits. Or those who are older and on Medicare who shudder at the thought of "socialized" medicine. Damn hypocrites.

Today was the first day of UF Gator football. Ok, it was actually a scrimmage game against Charleston Southern University, who drove to Gainesville for the $450,000 they were being paid to get their behinds kicked. 62-3 is a pretty nice behind kicking for that kind of money. DSD and I were in the Swamp last year when the Gators did a beatdown of the University of Kentucky Wildcats. Final score 63-5 and they didn't make any money from the game.

I will be in the Swamp next weekend for the Gator beat down of the Troy University Trojans. Yes, I am, technically, attending Troy University. Yes, I am cheering for the Gators. I have been a fan for at least 25 years that isn't going to change. Ever.

I should be working on my book report. Ok, it isn't technically a book report, but that is what I call it. I have to do assignment, 1 other and 2 mid terms before I leave town next Saturday morning. I should do that now. Any of it. But it is late and I am tired. I will work on it tomorrow, I swear. Maybe.

I have been spending too much time on Facebook. I have mentioned the fact that some of my family is slightly insane. It isn't just me, I have confirmation from others that they are crazy. On Thursday I posted the following on my 'status'

"Daddy Bush spoke to school children across American and no one thought anything about it. Maybe, those of you who have a problem with the duly elected President of the US speaking to your child(ren), you should search your hearts and ask yourself "Why?" I am pretty sure I KNOW why. And none of those reasons are very Christian. Yes, I went there."

In case you have not heard, the President is supposed to speak to the nation's school children on Tuesday. He is supposed to speak on the greatness of education. I am not certain how that is going to hypnotize our children into murdering Jewish people (there was a Hitler reference in the comments to the above status), but I guess it can be done in less than half an hour.*

On top of everything else my life at work has been... uncomfortable. Two of us have blown the whistle on a third and the investigation is moving slooooooooowly. So person #3 is still there until it is over. I am constantly looking over my shoulder, waiting for the other shoe to drop. I am also job hunting, because I will not be comfortable continuing in my current position if that person stays.

So, all in all, a fairly busy week in front of me. Probably a busy month. I am trying to make sure I stop by all of your blogs as often as possible, although it isn't often enough. I will try to do better.

I am working on getting a guest blogger, so that someone else can talk about the political stuff that I am missing, because I know I am missing a lot.

Thank you all for your patience.

*I hope I have done a better job of raising my child than that. If his mind can be swayed in less than 30 minutes, maybe I should let the crazies have him?

A Sad Day for Us All

We all knew this day was coming, most people do not live for over a year with brain cancer and he had made it for several months past that. But I was not ready to hear about it this morning on the radio. I would never have been ready to hear about it and I can only imagine how heart breaking it is for his family, friends and co-workers.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the liberal lion of the Senate and haunted bearer of the Camelot torch after two of his brothers fell to assassins' bullets, has died at his home in Hyannis Port after battling a brain tumor. He was 77.

He owed this country nothing. He had money, he didn't need to work, but he spent almost 50 years toiling for a better, brighter America.

He wasn't perfect and there will be many stories about his failings over the next days, weeks and months, but it is my belief that we, as a nation, should appreciate the things he worked so hard to provide. Today is a sad day as we remember him and there will come a time when the health care bill is signed into law and the day will be bittersweet because he is not with us to celebrate.

My thoughts are with his family.

RIP, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, D - Mass. Thank you for your service.

Maybe This Will Spur the Right Wing

This is a tragedy. A family torn apart by disease. I watched the video twice, but still couldn't hear the name of the disease causing this poor child's suffering, and that of her family and friends. She is obviously very ill, unable to walk. It appears that she can not speak or sit without help. It does not appear that she is being kept alive by artificial means, just public assistance.

I have no problem with public assistance helping out this child, this family. Situations like this are exactly why we have medicaid and welfare in this country. Situations like this and so, so many others. But I am hoping, since this child is barely more than a vegetable, barely more than a mass of cells with a beating heart, the right wingers will be able to realize that healthcare reform will help her. It will help those like her, like Terri Schiavo, who are in permanently debilitated states.

Since, obviously, the Rushpublican party can only help those who have no brain power or thought processes of their own.

Send your love, your thoughts, your prayers, whatever you have or believe to this family. They need all the warm thoughts they can get.

But write your Congressman. We can't let the crazies control this country any longer.