The Economy Demands Sacrifice!

The Economy Demands Sacrifice!

by Coast Watcher

COVID-19 is not going away. Waving a hand and saying it is does not make it so. The increasing spread of the Delta variant shows that the vaccination program must be stepped up and a new lockdown put in place to contain the disease. Yet in the middle of all this, schools are opening across America. Why? Because the Establishment has decreed, The economy demands sacrifice!

Big Business has jerked hard on the strings of their political puppets to ensure no more lockdowns will take place. The last efforts to contain the disease really hurt the multi-billionaires in their pocket books. That’s why schools are reopening. Who else will look after the future workers—sorry, children? These relatively cheap childcare institutions called schools are so necessary if workers are to go back to work and earn more money for the mega-rich.

The deliberate prevention of counter-measures in some states—I’m looking at you, Governors Abbott of Texas and DeSantis of Florida—is causing endless grief for families affected by the disease. The public is being told to suck it up in order to save the economy. 

DeSantis in particular stated that if schools attempt to institute mask-wearing mandates they’ll "find me standing in their way." Thankfully schools have worked around the governor’s attitude in open defiance in a laudable effort to give kids as little exposure to COVID as possible. A similar edict by Abbott of Texas resulted in schools requiring masks as part of school uniforms.

Why DeSantis and Abbott are throwing up roadblocks to safe, hygienic practices in their schools is a matter for speculation. They both need to sit down and work out exactly which lifestyle choices led them into becoming sociopathic monsters.

Deliberate vaccine misinformation is also answerable for the rising numbers of COVID victims. The fact that intensive care units are seeking to transfer patients thousands of miles across country to places which still have beds available is shocking. And little is being done to curb this misinformation. The Deep South is particularly suffering because of lies and untruths at the start of the traditional school year because children and young people are being hit with the Delta variant far harder than adults.

I have every hope that the upcoming General Strike scheduled for October 15 will hit the multi-billionaires hard. Rather than picket lines outside businesses I’d prefer for workers to put down their tools and stay home, or engage in a "soft" self-imposed quarantine lockdown. The government won’t stand up to Big Business, so we'll have to stand up for ourselves—and the children. 

	BIO: Coast Watcher is tired of the  anti-vax/anti-mask bullsh*t being dumped on the most vulnerable of society--the sick, the elderly, the poor, and the children.  He's tired of the billionaires telling us that our lives have to be risked in order for them to grow richer. It's time for all workers to stand up and strike against the sociopathic puppets in power. It's time we stand up to protect our neighbors. The economy doesn't demand sacrifice--but We the People should of those who'd persecute us with their sick capitalist mentality!

Related articles:

https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/71238-a-teacher-took-off-her-mask-to-read-aloud-within-days-half-her-class-was-positive-for-delta 

https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/71227-why-is-it-taking-so-long-to-get-a-covid-vaccine-for-kids 

https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/71226-singapore-vaccinates-80-percent-of-population-against-covid-19 

https://truthout.org/articles/us-leads-the-world-in-7-day-average-of-new-daily-covid-cases-death-count/

https://truthout.org/articles/u-s-covid-hospitalization-rate-tops-100000-highest-since-winters-peaks/

Seen on Twitter:

Imagine looking at this data and deciding now is the perfect time to send kids back to school. pic.twitter.com/qxHUpfke2R

— Gritty is the Way (@Gritty20202) August 29, 2021

You don’t hate Mondays… you hate being exploited by capitalism…

— Just ur friendly Socialist Momma!🇨🇺🇵🇷 (@Eangel4285) August 30, 2021

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FIGHTING FOR ECONOMIC JUSTICE & DEMOCRACY

RSVP to our Sept 2 Phone Bank

This Labor Day, let's celebrate workers by telling the Senate to pass the PRO Act. Every single worker should be paid fairly, have safe working conditions and time off to spend with their family. They shouldn’t be punished for organizing to join a union and speaking up for their rights.

The PRO Act is historic legislation that makes it easier for workers to join unions and imposes real financial penalties on corporations and CEOs who violate workers’ rights.*

You’ve already taken action to support the PRO Act so we know we can count on you to keep ramping up the pressure to get this bill passed. Can you join us for a virtual phone bank with CWA members and allies on Sept 2 at 6pm ET/5pm CT/4pm MT/ 3pm PT? Click here to RSVP.

You’ll need a phone and a computer to take part. No experience with phone banking? No problem. We provide training and support during the event.

We’ll also be holding an event on Tuesday, September 7 to tell Rep. Tim Ryan thank you for supporting the PRO Act! Join us if you can! Click here for details and to RSVP.

The PRO Act has already passed with bipartisan support in the House of Representatives, but is stalled in the Senate. That’s why we need your help to get more people to contact the Senators who are critical to making sure the PRO Act becomes law.

I hope you’ll join us!

In unity,
Dan Mauer
CWA Director of Government Affairs

*Get all the details about the PRO Act here: CWA.org/PROAct

***

From Rainforest Action Network:

More than 700 arrests and counting… rubber bullets, tear gas, and police violence against peaceful Indigenous leaders and Water Protectors on their own treaty land. Water Protectors are putting everything on the line to prevent the construction of the Line 3 pipeline, just as Enbridge races to complete the construction and speed up the climate crisis for profit.

As we speak, Water Protectors and frontline communities are at the Minnesota capitol holding space for as long as it takes for MN Governor Waltz and President Biden to get the message: Stop Line 3, stop violating treaties, and stop destroying the climate we need to live. Will you take action to support them and a livable climate?

Take Action

This is a critical turning point: Only President Biden has the power to STOP this climate-destroying pipeline from being completed.

Scientists have already warned us that we’re on the verge of a tipping point in the climate crisis, and the only way to avoid it is to end ALL fossil fuel production NOW. It’s “Code Red for humanity.” That’s why it’s so critical that President Biden prevents this life-threatening pipeline from being completed.

We’re running out of time.

Help us let Biden know that climate talk means nothing without putting a stop to Line 3.

Photo by Alec Olson

We’ve said it before and we won’t stop until we live in a pipeline-free world: ​​The ONLY decision consistent with acting on climate and respecting Tribal Nation’s treaty rights is to STOP Line 3.

There’s still hope, but it’s going to take all of us to speak up and demand that Biden back Water Protectors and put an end to this deadly pipeline. It’s long past time for Biden to intervene. With fires, floods and droughts impacting lives across the country and around the world, stopping Line 3 is the only choice for a livable world. If he doesn’t, he’ll be known as the president who failed a nation on the brink of climate catastrophe.

Take Action

A fossil-free future is possible, but we need everyone in this fight to make it happen.

In solidarity,

Ruth Breech
Senior Campaigner
Climate and Energy
Rainforest Action Network

***

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A petition to President Joe Biden was read aloud in English and Japanese at the White House and at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, August 21, 2021, by David Swanson and Hideko Otake.

The petition and videos from Washington are here.

Sign the Petition.

The text of the petition is as follows:

To: U.S. President Joe Biden

We, the undersigned, wish to convey our strong support for the Governor of Okinawa, Denny Tamaki, and the indigenous people of Okinawa, and their request for the cessation of the building of a U.S. military airbase in Henoko.

On January 13th 2021, Governor Tamaki sent a letter to President Biden (enclosed) outlining the many reasons the airbase construction project at Henoko should be dismantled, including:

Overwhelming opposition by the Indigenous Okinawan people. In a prefectural referendum, 71.7% voted against the project. There have been continuous protests and even hunger strikes by the public.

Engineering unfeasibility. The construction plan requires large-scale land reclamation work, but the seabed that will be reclaimed is as soft as mayonnaise and poses massive engineering problems which has caused the completion date pushed from 2014 to 2030 and the cost from $3.3 billion to $8.7 billion. Some engineers do not believe that it is even possible to build. Even Mark Cancian of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has concluded in a fact-driven report that it is unlikely that the project will ever be completed.[1] Moreover, the site is vulnerable to earthquakes. There is an active fault under the site.[2]

Irreparable environmental damage. The ocean area that is being reclaimed is unique in its biodiversity and is the home of endangered marine mammals such as dugongs.

The United States maintains 119 military facilities in Japan. Okinawa, which makes up only 0.6% of the entire land area of Japan holds 70% of these facilities, which cover 20% of this small island. For decades, the people of Okinawa have suffered at the hands of occupying forces. The U.S. military has already caused grievous harm by aircraft accidents, crimes by U.S. service members and major environmental pollution by toxic substances such as PFAS. The very least the U.S. could do is to stop building yet another base on this besieged island.

Sign the Petition.

Endorsed by Peace for Okinawa Coalition, New Japan Women’s Association Kasugai Branch, Henoko New Base Construction Opposition Concerts in Nagoya, Aichi Solidarity Union, Aichi Sight and Hearing Disability Council, Article 9 Society Nagoya, Society for Solidarity with the People of Okinawa and Korea through the Movement against U.S. Military Bases, Nara Okinawa Solidarity Committee, Green Action Saitama, Mizuho Article 9 Society, 1040 for Peace, Alaska Peace Center, Americans Who Tell the Truth, Antiwar Advocates of Minnesota CD2, Australian Anti-Bases Campaign, California for a World BEYOND War, Campaign for International Cooperation and Disarmament (CICD), Campaign for Peace Disarmament and Common Security, Caribbean Labour Solidarity, Christian Peacemaker Teams, CODEPINK, CODEPINK Golden Gate, Communist Party Australia Melbourne, Community Empowerment for Progress Organization-CEPO, Coop Anti-War Cafe Berlin, Environmentalists Against War, Florida Peace & Justice Alliance, FMKK The Swedish anti-nuclear movement, Gerrarik Ez √âibar, Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, Global Peace Alliance BC Society, Granny Peace Brigade NYC, Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action, Hawai‚Äôi Peace and Justice, Human Rights Coalition of the Central Valley, Independent and Peaceful Australia Network, International Human Rights Commission, International Institute on Peace Education, Just Peace Queensland Inc, Kelowna Peace Group, Kulu Wai, Ligh Path Resources, Manhattan Local of the Green Party, Marrickville Peace Group, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Military Poisons, Monterey Peace and Justice Center, National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, Niagara Movement for Justice in Palestine-Israel (NMJPI), Office of Peace Justice and Ecological Integrity Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, Okinawa Environmental Justice Project, Pax Christi Baltimore, Pax Christi Hilton Head, Pax Christi Seed Planters/IL/USA, Pax Christi Western NY, Peace Action Maine, Peace Action Network of Lancaster, Peace Action of Staten Island, Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois, Peaceful Skies Coalition, Pivot to Peace, Prince George's County (MD) Peace & Justice Coalition, Rethinking Foreign Policy, RJ Cooper & Associates Inc., Rohi Foundation, RootsAction, Sanctuary of Mana Ke`a Gardens, Sisters of Charity Federation, Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Congregational Leadership, Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy, Slintak Aviation, Southern Anti-Racism Network, St. Pete for Peace, Sustainable Development Association / Indigene Community, Swedish Peace Council, Takagi School, The Free Minds, The Resistance Center for Peace and Justice, Topanga Peace Alliance, Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, Uniting for Peace, Veterans For Peace, Veterans for Peace - Santa Fe Chapter, Veterans For Peace 115, Veterans For Peace Baltimore MD Phil Berrigan Chapter #105, Veterans For Peace Chapter 14 Gainesville Fl, Veterans For Peace Linus Pauling Chapter 132, Veterans For Peace Spokane Chapter #35, War Resisters International (Australia), WILPFstlouis, Win Without War, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Canada, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Corvallis OR U.S., World BEYOND War, Youth Hands for Development Organization, and YOU?

Anything War Can Do Peace Can Do Better

Anything War Can Do Peace Can Do Better

by C. A. Matthews

An overwhelming sense of déjà vu came over me when I first saw the video clip of Afghans frantically chasing after a US military jet on a runway in Kabul. It's the fall of Saigon all over again. I immediately thought of the classic folk song Where Have All the Flowers Gone? and its plaintive chorus: When will they ever learn?

 I've lived long enough to witness the "ending" of two "forever wars" that the US should have never entered into in the first place. I have witnessed the horrifying images of the aftermath of bombs being dropped on civilians and soldiers coming home in body bags too many times throughout my lifetime. I have felt helpless for decades to do anything to stop the slaughter. It's not a good feeling.

It begs the question, "What good is supposed to come from war?"  Or to put in a more positive way--

Anything war can do peace can do better.

It isn't very hard to show how much better enacting peaceful solutions to the world's problems can be. Let's go back in time to 2001. Congress passes a bill that gives the president power under the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF). Supposedly Mr. Bush was to use this military force “against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons.” 

But by 2016, the Congressional Research Service reported that Presidents Bush and Obama had used this authorization to justify 37 distinct military operations in 14 different countries and at sea. What gets worse is that the vast majority of the people killed, maimed or displaced in these operations had nothing to do with 9/11. Each successive administration has repeatedly ignored the actual wording of the AUMF, which only authorizes the use of force against those involved in some way in the 9/11 attacks.

 And yet…terrorism still exists in the world. The AUMF used rightly or wrongly hasn't solved the root problems of terrorism. Perhaps diplomacy and dialogue with those persons who would use violence to gain attention to their plight could have been used instead of bombing? We could have bargained from our position of strength (we do have the world's largest military and military budget, after all) to reach out in peace and settle our differences in a more civilized and humane manner?

Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland, California, compared the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force to the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin resolution and warned that it would inevitably be used in the same expansive and illegitimate way. The final words of her floor speech ring truer today than they did twenty years ago: “As we act, let us not become the evil we deplore.”

But the US government has defaulted to using deplorable evil every time. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright embodied this new breed of war hawks when she asked General Colin Powell in 1992, “What’s the point of having this superb military you’re always talking about if we can’t use it?”

If you got it, you got to use it, right? There's a shelf life on tanks, bombs and jets, right? Even if it costs the lives of 2,443 US service members and more than 114,000 Afghans over a span of twenty years, you gotta use up all the expensive war equipment before it goes stale. War is a hungry beast that has to be fed with fresh human blood.

The estimated $2 trillion we've spent on this death and destruction has little to show for itself. There is the $25 million building in Afghanistan that no one wanted or would ever use, a $200 million literacy program that failed to teach would-be Afghan soldiers how to read, a $335 million power plant the Afghan government couldn’t afford to run, and the $486 million spent on planes that couldn’t fly and ended up as so much scrap metal. 

By spending money faster than it could be accounted for, the US achieved the opposite of what it supposedly intended to do in the first place. Instead of building a stronger Afghanistan where terrorists would become a thing of the past because their physical needs were met and their human rights affirmed, the trillions of dollars of US taxpayers' money fueled epic corruption, delegitimized the Afghan government, and increased insecurity--for everyone worldwide, if we're honest with ourselves.

War is a real bargain, all right. 

Think of what all the US could have done with that $2 trillion. It could have been used in peace to help people around the world as well as our own people. It's estimated that it would take less than $20 billion to end world hunger and save millions of lives. Peace is infinitely cheaper in practice and provides many more benefits to many, many more people. 

About the only thing peace doesn't do in the long run is make the billionaire owners and shareholders of the military industrial complex richer. Peace would shut down the factories that create death, destruction, and mayhem. And with the money saved by not perpetuating warfare, we could retrain these factory workers to build useful things like housing for all, carbon sequestering devices, and defenses against flooding and coastal erosion caused by the climate emergency we're currently experiencing.

I hope I don't have to belabor this point or explain myself in too many words. One trending hashtag should suffice: #EatTheRich

Or to repeat the chorus of another classic song: All we are saying is… give peace a chance!

 Wally Shawn in The Princess Bride gets it right! https://youtu.be/7LUUk6wVNrY

“Give war a chance” https://t.co/noZlZ6YzHm

— Faiz (@fshakir) August 20, 2021

 

Related Articles:

Will the Voices of Those Who Were Always Right on Afghanistan Still Be Ignored?  https://truthout.org/articles/will-the-voices-of-those-who-were-always-right-on-afghanistan-still-be-ignored/

What the US Didn't Learn In Afghanistan According to the Government's Own Inspector Generals https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/71097-what-the-us-didnt-learn-in-afghanistan-according-to-the-governments-own-inspector-generals

The System is Rigged for Endless War  https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2021/08/20/the-system-is-rigged-for-endless-war-notes-from-the-edge-of-the-narrative-matrix/# 

Right-Leaning Columnist Calls Forever War a Myth https://truthout.org/articles/right-leaning-columnist-calls-forever-war-a-myth/

Corporate Media Are Erasing US's Long Term Culpability for Afghanistan War  https://truthout.org/articles/corporate-media-are-erasing-uss-long-term-culpability-for-afghanistan-war/

Before 2001 Invasion, Bush Administration Declared Taliban an Ally in the War on Drugs https://truthout.org/articles/before-2001-invasion-bush-admin-declared-taliban-an-ally-in-the-war-on-drugs/ 

Listen to "Bush-Era War Criminals Are Louder Than Ever Because They've Lost  The Argument"  https://soundcloud.com/going_rogue/bush-era-war-criminals-are-louder-than-ever-because-theyve-lost-the-argument

***

From Roots Action:

As the humanitarian crisis escalates in Afghanistan, we urge the Biden administration to end the bombing of Afghans and grant asylum to Afghan refugees. While we support President Biden’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, we must warn against engaging in an air war that would continue 20 years of warfare on that country. The U.S. invasion and occupation of Afghanistan displaced over 3.2  million Afghans internally while at least 2.1 million Afghans have fled the country to Pakistan and Iran. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees warns that the Afghanistan war has taken a heavy toll on displaced women and children. The United States, a signatory to the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees, is obligated to honor and protect those Afghans fleeing in fear of political and religious persecution. Click here to send an email to your Representative, two Senators, and President Biden.
"At this moment," Senator Bernie Sanders has said, "we must do everything we can to evacuate our allies and open doors to refugees.” Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who cast the sole vote in 2001 against the open-ended Authorization for Use of Military Force that led to the Afghanistan occupation and other wars, recently said: “What’s happening in Afghanistan currently is a humanitarian crisis. Let’s be clear: there has never been, and will never be, a U.S. military solution in Afghanistan. Our top priority must be providing humanitarian aid and resettlement to Afghan refugees, women, and children. We should expedite Special Immigrant Visas and support all in Afghanistan -- U.S. citizens, women, journalists, civil servants and activists, and allies of U.S. troops -- who need safe passage. This includes working with surrounding countries to encourage the welcoming of Afghan refugees across their borders.” We echo Congresswoman Lee’s call for safe passage and asylum for Afghan refugees. Click here to tell Congress and the White House.

"At this moment," Senator Bernie Sanders has said, "we must do everything we can to evacuate our allies and open doors to refugees.” Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who cast the sole vote in 2001 against the open-ended Authorization for Use of Military Force that led to the Afghanistan occupation and other wars, recently said: “What’s happening in Afghanistan currently is a humanitarian crisis. Let’s be clear: there has never been, and will never be, a U.S. military solution in Afghanistan. Our top priority must be providing humanitarian aid and resettlement to Afghan refugees, women, and children. We should expedite Special Immigrant Visas and support all in Afghanistan -- U.S. citizens, women, journalists, civil servants and activists, and allies of U.S. troops -- who need safe passage. This includes working with surrounding countries to encourage the welcoming of Afghan refugees across their borders.” We echo Congresswoman Lee’s call for safe passage and asylum for Afghan refugees. Click here to tell Congress and the White House. *** Afghans desperately need help; Demand more countries take in refugees! Sign Now After a 20 years long failed war in Afghanistan, the U.S. has finally pulled their military out of the country. Within a matter of days of that happening, the Taliban has taken over large portions of the country, including the capital city of Kabul. The Taliban takeover has sent the country and it's residents into a devastating crisis. Many people will not fare well under Taliban rule, including those who helped the U.S. or the Afghan government. Plus, entire demographics like women and LGBTQ people will face severe restrictions of their human rights and even threats to their lives under this new rule. That's why it's so critical that each and every Afghan refugee who wants to leave the country is able to safely find asylum elsewhere. Sign the petition to demand the United States, Australia, Canada and the UK take in as many refugees as possible! Girls are dropping out of school, essential workers are in hiding, basic infraastructure may soon fail and the Taliban is threatening to kill the family members of anyone who helped the U.S. and NATO forces if they don't turn their families in. Some Afghans are taking to the streets to protest the Taliban takeover. And many, many Afghans are trying desperately to flee the country to save their lives and the lives of their families. But even getting to the airport, let alone onto a plane, is proving dangerous. They are desperate and they need our help. Sign the petition to demand the United States, Australia, Canada and the UK take in more refugees immediately! Thank you,   Kelsey The Care2 Petitions Team P.S. Afghans are in crisis and desperately trying to leave the country before the Taliban is fully in control of everything. Sign to help them get asylum elsewhere!     Tell Congress to block the sale of $750 Million dollars worth of weapons to Taiwan! STOP THE SALE! As we all witnessed in Afghanistan this week, war is never the answer. After 42 years of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan at the cost of $2+ Trillion and 50,000+ Afghan civilian lives, with little to show in terms of real progress for the country, we must recognize that war should never be used as a tool to address regional tensions or human rights concerns. President Biden’s State Department has approved the administration’s first major arms sale to Taiwan. The $750 Million dollar deal would equip Taiwan’s military with 40 self-propelled howitzer systems, 5 M2 armored vehicles with .50-caliber mounted machine guns, nearly 1,700 GPS-guided munition kits, and other assorted weapons systems and U.S. Government support services. Congress now has less than 30 days left to block this massive arms deal that would send more dangerous and polluting weapons into the Asia-Pacific region, inflaming tensions and increasing the potential for armed conflict and even nuclear war with China. Our swift actions at CODEPINK, with your support, have recently convinced many members of Congress to oppose increased militarism in the administration’s proposed infrastructure bill — now we have another window of opportunity to oppose intensified militarism and catastrophic forever wars! We need you to join us in demanding that Congress block the proposed $750 Million sale of weapons to Taiwan! Given China’s overwhelming military superiority over Taiwan, more weapons will do nothing to enhance Taiwan’s self-defense; instead they will further deepen Taiwan's military reliance on the U.S., making U.S. involvement in a future China-Taiwan clash increasingly likely — especially if the anti-China EAGLE Act (H.R. 3524) adds hypersonic weapons to Taiwan’s arsenal.  M109A6 howitzer Sending more weapons to Taiwan will surely upset Chinese leaders, further sabotaging opportunities for much-needed cooperation on climate change, pandemic relief, nuclear nonproliferation, and other issues of common concern. Furthermore, this arms sale undermines China’s sovereignty and violates the Three Joint U.S.-China Communiqués of 1972, 1979, and 1982 that form the bedrock of U.S.-China-Taiwan relations. These communiqués established Washington’s “One China” policy that recognizes that Taiwan is a part of China, guaranteed non-interference in China’s internal affairs, and committed the U.S. to reducing the sale of sophisticated arms to Taiwan. These policies have kept peace in the region for 40 years; selling advanced arms to Taiwan at this point will only make war – possibly nuclear war – ever more likely. Tell Congress to block the $750 Million sale of self-propelled artillery systems and armored vehicles to Taiwan! While this may be the first arms sale to Taiwan from the Biden administration, it won’t be the last unless we let Congress know that the people of the U.S. are against the death, military pollution, destruction, and displacement caused by being the world’s leading arms dealer. Onward toward peace, Madison, Jodie, RJ, and the CODEPINK China Is Not Our Enemy campaign P.S. Read about our petition delivery to PBS asking them to stop censoring the truth about China here!

I'm Sorry You Can't Afford To Be Alive

 

I'm Sorry You Can't Afford To Be Alive 

(and other stories of the USA)

by C. A. Matthews

"There, there, Betty Lou," Grover the doctor said, patting her gently on the hand. "There are worst things in life than having to pull your father off a ventilator because your insurance won't cover it."

Betty Lou gave a long, loud sniff and nodded. "Yeah, he could have terminal cancer like my auntie. She doesn't even have any health coverage because her state wouldn't accept the Medicaid expansion."

Grover rolled his googly eyes and gave a harrumph."Well, at least your dad won't suffer any since he's in a coma, unlike your poor aunt… Didn't you tell me they arrested and jailed her for possession of street opioids?"

Betty Lou bit her lip and tossed her yarn braids over her tiny shoulders. "Uh-huh. But she needs them for the pain. I hope they're giving her something for the pain in prison."

"No worries. They'll keep your aunt occupied there," Grover reassured her. "She'll be kept busy sewing lingerie for Victoria's Secret twelve to fifteen hours a day. She won't have time to worry about her cancer."

"That's a blessing, I guess." Betty Lou turned to go but was halted at the door by a seven-foot-tall, feathery hospital office worker named Big Bird.

"Not so fast," Big Bird boomed in a loud and cheery voice. "You've got a bill to pay--and I'm not talking about my big yellow beak, either. Your family has a very high deductible."

"But we can't afford to pay my father's hospital bill," Betty Lou explained. "It will bankrupt our family. Dad wasn't able to work this past month due to his illness. The bank has already threatened to come and take our home away if we can't pay the past due amount on the mortgage soon. We'll be thrown out on the street if we try to pay dad's hospital bill."

Big Bird shook his head. "That's not our problem. We're a for-profit hospital corporation, and we have lots of Congress members to bribe. They don't come cheap. But we're not totally unkind. We'll work out an installment plan with you."

"Oh, thanks," Betty Lou mumbled, tears welling in the corner of her Muppet eyes. "How much will we have to pay?"

"Let's see…" Big Bird flipped open a large computer printout that trailed from his hands all the way down to the floor and back again. "Ah, here it is." He came over to Betty Lou and pointed to the total amount. "I think at a pay back of about a thousand a month for the next ten years we'll be able to call us even."

Betty Lou gasped. "We don't have an extra thousand dollars a month lying around just to pay for the twenty-four hours my dad was in intensive care. Are you sure our health insurance didn't cover most if not all of the costs?"

"Pretty sure it didn't," Big Bird replied. "Your policy was with the No-Go-to-the-Doctors insurance company, right?"

"That's right," said Betty Lou.

"Ah, but then you took your dad to the doctors and they sent him here and neither of those visits are covered by your policy." Big Bird lowered his voice and winked. "Trust me. I've argued hours on the phone with No-Go just to get ten bucks out of them. You get what you pay for."

"Their premiums are terribly expensive, too. We would have been better off not having health insurance in the first place." Betty Lou gave a loud sigh. "I don't think this day could get any worse."

Just then the lights flashed and then went dark as the building shook violently. A loud warning siren began to wail outside.

"Oh, dear," said Grover. He went over to the window to scan the scene outside. "The earthquake must have caused the nuclear power plant to melt down. It's hard to see it well through all the smoke particulates and thick greenhouse gases, but that glow on the horizon is unmistakable." 

He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "They tell us that nuclear power is 'safe clean energy' all the time, so I wonder how that could have happened."

"My dad, Homer, didn't report into work today as the shift technician, that's what happened," said Betty Lou, shaking her head in disgust. "The plant's owners are too cheap to hire more workers or pay a decent wage to retain skilled people to fix things properly."

Betty Lou pushed past Big Bird and quickly exited the room. From the hallway she cried out, "Good luck all!"

"Too bad they didn't take the climate crisis seriously a few years ago," Betty Lou muttered to herself as she got into her car and headed toward what was left of her family's home. "But then again, nobody really wanted to build wind turbines or solar panels and shut down the coal-fired power plant in town and put all their employees out of a job. We got what we paid for."

“We have never seen health as a right. It has been conceived as a privilege, available only to those who can afford it. This is the real reason the American health care system is in such a scandalous state.”
Shirley Chisholm

— Papa J (@72MichiganPapa) August 12, 2021

 

***

From Public Citizen:

Prescription drugs are “outrageously expensive in America.”

That’s what President Biden said last week in a speech imploring Congress to do something about Big Pharma’s price gouging.

And, thanks to our work over many years, Congress is poised to take meaningful action in the upcoming budget legislation.

But the pharmaceutical giants are fighting meaningful action — or any action at all.

At a minimum, Congress must give Medicare the ability to negotiate fairer prices for all medicines and for all payers.

Big Pharma has held the American people hostage for too long.

Tell Congress:

Give Medicare the power to negotiate lower costs for all medicines and for all payers.

Add your name.

Thanks for taking action.

For progress,

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen 

***

From the United Farm Workers: 

Two weeks ago, 69-year-old Florencio Gueta Vargas collapsed and died while working in the hops fields of Yakima County, WA. He was found slumped beside his tractor when he did not show up at the end of his 2:30 shift.

Tell Labor Secretary Walsh to institute emergency heat regs NOW @ https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/temperatures-are-soaring-and-another-farm-worker-died.

The average hourly temperature was reported as 100.8° at 2 pm on the day he died. For decades, Florencio went to work in all conditions. This time he did not come home. Florencio leaves behind a wife and 6 children who are filled with questions, grief and anger.

Heat death is entirely preventable. Farm workers are as much as 35 times more likely to die from heat than any other civilian occupation. Currently, the Department of Labor has included rulemaking on heat illness prevention in outdoor and indoor settings in its Spring 2021 regulatory agenda, but permanent regulations take time.

Workers' lives are in danger now. They don't have time to wait. Tell Labor Secretary Walsh to institute emergency heat regs NOW @ https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/temperatures-are-soaring-and-another-farm-worker-died 

Florencio is the 2nd farm worker to die of heat-related causes in the Pacific NorthWest in the last month. Record high temperatures are being seen across the country. The Department of Labor must institute immediate emergency heat regulations to protect the hard working people who put food on our tables, as well as outdoor and indoor workers in the building trades, warehouses, steel mills, and others whose lives are threatened by extreme heat.

Sign the petition today and tell Labor Secretary Walsh to institute emergency heat regs NOW @ https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/temperatures-are-soaring-and-another-farm-worker-died

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From Faithful America:

Greg Locke calls himself a pastor -- but instead of preaching Christ's love, he preaches COVID denial, partisanship, and QAnon conspiracy theories at his evangelical church outside Nashville, TN.

Locke dismisses science by wrongly calling the Delta variant "nonsense," politicizing masks as "Democrat games," and preaching this deadly message: "You will not wear masks in this church. I'm telling you right now: Do not get vaccinated."

He's been at it the entire pandemic, repeatedly promising to kick mask-wearing worshippers out of church.

Locke is making headlines across the country, spreading his deadly lies in Jesus's name and threatening unvaccinated children everywhere. Christians need to stop sources of COVID-19 misinformation within the church -- which is why Faithful America is teaming up with local faith leaders to cancel the upcoming events on Locke's current speaking tour.

Tell event venues: Shut down pastor's deadly anti-mask, anti-vaccine speaking tour >>

Locke has also called Joe Biden a "a sex trafficking, demon-possessed mongrel" and preached that only "crack-smoking, demon-possessed leftists" believe Biden won in 2020. Now he's part of the ongoing "Freedom Matters Tour," speaking alongside other right-wing activists and politicians from the anti-science group Tennessee Stands, whose founder is also a former pastor.

This tour threatens to spread misinformation and potentially even COVID-19 itself across the South. Fortunately, news broke Friday night that one prominent venue, Christian school Union University in Jackson, TN, has already cancelled its tour event. The move came after one student launched a petition and gathered just 500 signatures.

Faithful America is partnering with local non-profits and clergy to capitalize on this momentum and shut down the rest of this pastor's deadly, anti-health tour. These Tennessee leaders have asked for our help because they know that Faithful America members like you can show venue owners and reporters that an entire grassroots movement of Christians want the freedom to live in a COVID-free environment.

Together, we can speak out, gather 10,000 signatures, and let the tour venues know that Christians across the state and the country demand they follow Union's example and cancel these so-called "Freedom Matters" events.

Tell event venues: Shut down pastor's deadly, anti-mask, anti-vaccine speaking tour >>

Thank you for everything you do to love your neighbor and follow a healing savior by protecting one another from COVID-19.

In peace,
Rev. Nathan, Karli, and the Faithful America team

 

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Congratulations to the winners of the war in Afghanistan: Raytheon, Northrop Grumman and Boeing.

— Stephen J. Lyons (@lyonssj55) August 16, 2021

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