Open Thread – Give it Up for the Dems!
Representative Les Gara needs your help now! He needs co-hosts for a fundraiser to help elect a Democratic or Bi-Partisan Alaska Legislature – unless you think the special interests funding Randy Ruedrich’s Alaska Republican Party should get their way. (No you don’t. That’s a rhetorical question.)
Are you feeling frustrated as a Democrat? Well knock it off! We’ve got some amazing people in down ballot races who could actually make a real difference in how the state house functions. AND, you do not have to be in Alaska to give. All you wonderful out-of-staters see what us poor Alaska Dems have to put up with, right? *sniff* So do a friend a favor and drop a few coins in the House Democratic Campaign Committee cup. It will make all your favorite Alaska progressive blogger types really happy.
And all you have to do is click HERE. Easy breezy. Remember that your money goes really far in Alaska. $10 will buy a whole entire radio commercial! Nice. Aren’t you impressed with your power and influence?
Funds will go only to the closest races. These are races I’d give to any day of the week. They also need co-hosts to spread the word and get folks to their September 2nd fundraiser. E-mail questions to lesgara(at)yahoo(dot)com or post here. Here’s info on HDCC, the fund they are raising money for.
Mark your calendars, co-host the event, donate online, or do all three!
Blue Alaska… doesn’t that look nice?
Go Les go!
The “D’s” need to point out Captain Zero’s crooked practice of creating jobs for his legislative buddies.
It has always amazed at the long list of Alaska politicians who gained their foot hold via appointment. Names such as Ted Stevens, Lisa Murkowski, Sean Parnell…..it’s a disturbing pattern.
The right loves to gripe about Mark Begich, but he was elected to his first term unlike the aforementioned group.
Don’t forget Frank Murkowski in that list!
And not to mention where the pork is shoveled!
Go Les go!
The “D’s” need to point out Captain Zero’s crooked practice of creating jobs for his legislative buddies.
It has always amazed me the long list of Alaska politicians who gained their foot hold via appointment. Names such as Ted Stevens, Lisa Murkowski, Sean Parnell…..it’s a disturbing pattern.
The right loves to gripe about Mark Begich, but he was elected to his first term unlike the aforementioned group.
The tea party and radical right continues to push the envelope :
http://mojo.ly/9T0Xdu
They are planning a rally on 9/11 near the site of the Pentagon crash. A big ol’ “take back America and save our Constitution” thing. They need to be smacked down on this one.
I anxiously await a string of Twitter offerings from the woman who decried the building of a mosque at Ground Zero as a “stab in the heart.” Although her facts were all wrong, the sentiment should be the same. If the mosque was in a bad place then these demonstrations should be too right? How dare these people spew their crap on September 11 near the sites of people’s deaths. Come on Sarah. Where’s your outrage?
disgusting and repugnant
My sister is a physical therapist who stood by to care for folks injured in the Pentagon crash. She’s a Real American, unlike the teabagging Hate-riots. No, they are NOT patriots in my book.
Many thanks to mudfriends and all who push back against their ignorance, lies, hate, and fear-mongering.
trying to donate to this important cause…wish they used paypal. also wish we could refer to mudflats when making the donation.
never-the-less, i will soon support, support, support.
You guys!!
Ok, some of you were kind enough to comment on my numerous posts on the last open thread about a conservative who sent out a misleading email. I responded, they responded then I responded.
And now the debate continues!!! This is a GEM of a response – chock FULL of Fox News talking points.
I will give this my full attention in due time. Meanwhile, I am going to post their comments and let you all share in the fun =D
MONEY QUOTE:
“Lastly, I see you fully support this guy who is clearly a hard-Left Liberal Socialist. I can only conclude you’re one too.”
Dude – it don’t get better than that =D
OK – my comments first then his response in quotation marks.
First of all – the email you forwarded was misleading. If you read my second email – you would see that the cartoons included were not from overseas newspapers at all but were from American newspapers, drawn by American cartoonists. Whoever sent out that email in the first place was clearly trying to mislead and deceive people.
“Don’t be so petty as to the source of these cartoons. What matters is the TRUTH in their depictions expressed in a humorous way.”
As for President Obama’s polling numbers – both Reagan and Clinton, at the same time in their presidencies were at roughly the same level of poll numbers. So it’s not really much of an indication at this point how President Obama will do in 2012. Plus – it’s not easy fixing a massive mess left by the previous administration and with emails like these that were sent to you, it’s no wonder that the general public are misinformed constantly.
“If I were BO, my goal would be to do better that the polls of past Presidents not equal them.”
Why do you think he says he wants to be a good 1 term President rather than a bad 2 term President? Because it isn’t about the Presidency or the privilege and prestige that comes with it. It’s about actually doing something good with what you have – even if it is only 1 term. It’s about actually getting things done to help the American people. Bush exited office with an approval rating of 22% to 34% – he had 2 terms, does this mean he was a “good” President? Hardly.
You interpret President Obama as shallow but why is it shallow that he wants to do some good in 1 term rather than hang on for another term and be mediocre? I think it’s shallow to want to be a mediocre 2 term President so you can at least boast that you were elected 2 terms.
“My point in bringing this up is to demonstrate this man’s shallow thinking. Think of it: we’ve seen good/bad presidents with 2 terms. Or a bad president with one term. Have you see a good president with one term??? NONE. If a President was good, the American voter will give him a 2nd term.”
As for the Nobel Peace Prize – President Obama said himself in his acceptance speech that he did not feel that he deserved it but that he would do his best to earn it during his tenure as American president. He flew to accept the Nobel Prize – and he represented this country as its President by graciously accepting the award and by saying that being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize was a call to action. He clearly acknowledges the great honour and doesn’t take it lightly. He also donated the Prize money to several charities.
“Look at all the biased media you’ve been reading!!!! New York Times?? CNN?? These are Liberal one-sided crappy media sources!!! This is the same biased media who kept REALLY QUIET about BO’s associations with Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers, Resko etc. If Obama turned down the Nobel prize, he would be a “big” man, in my view. Instead, he’s a small man and non-Presidential. Too bad.”
His policies and spending are ruining America? That’s an interesting position – do you feel the same way about President W Bush’s policies? President Clinton left office with a surplus – President W Bush turned that surplus into a deficit with 2 wars, 2 tax cuts & Medicare Part B – none of which were paid for.
“Yeah, BO is spending more in less than 2 years in office than Bush’s 8 years and all the other Presidents combined!!!”
President Obama has reinstated PAYGO – which means legislations passed need to be paid for or deficit neutral. So how does that qualify as “spending that is ruining America”? TARP was passed under Bush’s administration – remember, when McCain famously suspended his campaign, dissed David Letterman to go back to Washington and save the world? Bush was still President then. So where is all the outrage over TARP? That’s spending too.
“That’s nothing compared to what BO is doing right now – playing golf.”
If Obama hadn’t passed the stimulus program and if Bush hadn’t passed TARP, this country would be in a Depression by now. As it is, because of massive opposition from the Republicans, the stimulus under Obama wasn’t big enough. Hence we still have 9% unemployment. What would you have this President do? Let the country slide into oblivion? That hardly seems like good public policy.
“Oh yeah, and where are the jobs!?!?!???”
The Bush tax cuts for the wealthy are about to expire – which means that people who earn more than $200k (families $250k) will have an increase in their taxes. This helps to lower the deficit – but Republicans are busy opposing that. So much for trying to reduce the deficit.
“What kind of thinking is this? If you increase the taxes on these people earning more than $200-250k, they will spend less. If small business are taxed more, they will hire less. It shrinks their ability to expand because of these higher taxes. Therefore, there is no growth. The government doesn’t make money, they get revenue only from taxes. It is the private sector who makes the money and if you heavily tax these, the economy goes down. The overall bottom line here is – redistribution of wealth. Socialism.”
And what about Medicare and Defense spending? Those are the 2 biggest items on the Federal Budget contributing to the deficit – Obama included ways to curb Medicare fraud and waste as part of Healthcare reform, he is ending the war in Iraq and trying to close Gitmo. He escalated Afghanistan which I believe is misguided – it’s an unwinnable war. But at least he is trying to curb spending where it will make the most difference. The fact is – both Bush and Obama increased the deficit. So the claim that Obama’s spending policies alone are ruining America is misleading.
“Obamacare sucks. REPEAL!!!! The majority of Americans are against this but still the Democrats did every means possible to ram it through. As a physician myself, I fear that this will impact the quality of care to patients. How? Under socialized medicine, health benefits will have to be rationed to satisfy the need of the public. If a person has a catastrophic illness, the cost would be too high for care, this person will be denied. Illegal aliens are definitely impacting this system. And BO even sued Arizona to hold SB 1070. A US President suing another US State? For creating a law patterned after a Federal Law on immigration? Obviously, his motives are political – so that Democrats can get the Hispanic vote.”
Lastly – if you refer to this poll from Zogby, you will see that President Obama has a pretty good chance to defeat Romney, Huckabee or Palin in 2012:
It’s still early days yet – it’s 2 years from 2012 – so any poll numbers, including the one above is conjecture at best.
“He will lose.”
Thanks for debating with me, I enjoyed talking to you.
“Lastly, I see you fully support this guy who is clearly a hard-Left Liberal Socialist. I can only conclude you’re one too.”
“Regards and nice communicating with you, (Just a Conservative – less government, lower taxes – that’s all I want)”
There is no ‘debating’ these people. As soon as you send them facts and Your opinion, it is over for them. They shut down completely.
I lost most of my family when we elected President Obama. They refuse to accept him as President and I refuse to cave in and follow their racists, intolerable lies. I no longer speak with most of the family.
This has been a year of personal mourning for me. And personal gain. I may have lost the love of people who I loved in return but I’ve grown in ways they cannot imagine. And I no longer feel the hurt as much. It’s a great loss, but I’ve realized it’s a bigger loss for them.
I still retain my belief that President Obama will get the things done that matter, no matter what cr*p they throw at him. He IS the better man.
I’m sorry amy, to hear that. My husband’s family is the same. I overheard this from one of his aunts on Thanksgiving last year:
“But Obama is the anti-Christ!”
I rolled my eyes and kept walking then vented in the car to my husband, who responsed thusly:
“Ignore her, she’s nuts! She thinks everyone is the anti-Christ.”
(((hugs)))
You can come join my family; we’re all thinking, caring, loving, reasonable people!
Thanks for the invitation to join your family! It helps knowing that there are people who will accept me for who and what I am. I already feel like a part of the Mudflat family and have for a long time.
I should have mentioned that I am blessed to have a close, honest relationship with the part of my family that truly counts. We do not always agree on everything, but we do value each others right to have their own opinion.
I’ve come to realize that the part that I lost (and thought of as close family members) were never really that. For them to choose bigotry and hatred over family means that they never really considered me as such. It was a painful lesson.
Thank goodness for this site! It keeps what is important in perspective. Thanks again.
(((((((((((InJuneau))))))))
may i come too? my family kicked me to the curb years ago.
Looks like at some point you can’t reply to a post anymore, so this is for bubbles–OF COURSE you can come join my family too. The more the merrier, and we’re lots of fun (if a bit odd at times)!
You can join half of my family; the (H’s) half does not debate with me because they know I will blow them out of the water with facts.
Warm hugs to you…XOXO
hahahahha
LOL
{{{{Amy}}}} i am very sorry for all the pain you are going through. please know that i am proud to be your friend. you are worthy of love and respect. the two go hand and hand. it is sometimes a very lonely time when we outgrow people who we thought would be in our lives forever. be well and happy little sister.
All y’all are family to me…I have taken you into my heart as my own.
L’Chaim, mudfamily! <3
Right back atcha TCM.
Amy, and anyone else. Come join our family. Or, if the idea of bajillion degrees of heat and humidity followed by winter ice storms and snow isn’t that appealing (and if it is, please ignore the aforementioned invitation), then just know that I think this is one very nice family right here.
people like this usually can’t even articulate what a Socialist is….and by challenging them to define the words they are using, immediately puts them on the defenseive – “How dare you question my statements” flows into personal attacks and outright denial of any facts that are presented..even if the facts are from their own sources of infomation. It’s like trying to argue Religion… it can’t be done because you cannot argue with Faith… Don’t sweat it, accept them for whatever good values/traits they have , acknowledge their faults and enjoy them as well as you can…
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that he probably didn’t click on and read any of the links I gave him. The ones from NY Times and CNN were, respectively, transcript of the President’s acceptance speech and an article of his expected schedule on the trip to accept the prize.
But clearly – one can not click on NY Times or CNN links, one may catch “The Liberal”.
=D
I’m losing it today…..I meant to say:
“The ones from NY Times and CNN were, respectively, transcript of the President’s acceptance speech and an article of his expected schedule on the trip to accept the prize. These are not biased talking points from liberal media outlets. If he had clicked on it, he would have known that.”
Oooo, the scary “liberal” germ…gotta watch out for that!
I’m prob. doomed, as I read the NYT on a regular basis!
Well there ya go – this is the kind of smack down I’m talkin’ about . Shirley Sherrod will be suing Breitbart :
http://yhoo.it/b1kLa5
Hold these asshats responsible for their actions. I wish people would start suing Fox for their lies. Maybe this will be the opening of the floodgates .
You get ‘em, Shirley! Hit him where it hurts- in the wallet.
Amen!
That may get his attention.
i love it!!! wish i could sue them for being obnoxious and stoopid.
Another great @ Huff Po
snip] …while Sarah Palin goes around divisively trying to gin up hatred, trying to draw a line between Real America and the fake, between small town values and urban values, between what she wants to present as Good and what she wants you to fear, Sarah Palin once again demonstrates how she doesn’t have a clue what she’s talking about or what words come out of her mouth. Nor does she care to find out. Intellectual curiosity is not, nor ever has been a concern of Sarah Palin. [end snip
read & comment @
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-j-elisberg/sarah-palins-small-town-v_b_663622.html
That is an excellent article!
Thank you posting that terrific column.
Loved your comment at huffpo, enjay.
Dang!!1 that was great.
Thanks!
I liked the one commenter who revealed that Palin’s next book title is “The Audacity of a Dope”
Can I just make a point about my new friend, Conservative MD?
The man has been scared senseless (quite literally) by Fox News, Right Wing propaganda & scary email forwards. I didn’t bother before to respond to his other email forwards that inevitably land in my inbox but as I think about it more and more, I really honest to goodness feel sorry for the man.
He’s an MD so it’s reasonable to assume he is comfortable if not wealthy. So why does he care if people without insurance now can get it? He sees it as socialism but the public option isn’t even in the final bill! It has nothing to do with rationing! That’s a bunch of hooey spread by Fox News.
He’s so scared of the black man in office because of all he has heard that he’s taken to caring about the President playing golf! I mean, seriously?? Playing golf is just about a requirement to getting an MD license! Irrational fear distorts everything.
Poor poor man. Ditto for the rest of the conservatives being subjected to constant fear and loathing from their media sources.
And how many more “vacations” and days off did W take in the equivalent amount of time while He was in office? Do they Really want to start comparing work ethic???!!
And I’ve decided to change my screen name =D Describes me to a tee, don’t it? I couldn’t fit the Aussie in there but you know it already =D
EvangelicalLiberal aka Aussiegal77
Donated! Thanks for letting us know and yes, Blue Alaska looks wonderful =D
aussiegal77:
“Reason is not automatic. Those who deny it cannot be conquered by it” – Ayn Rand
I find this to be chillingly true (if there is such a thing as chillingly true). I would love to say it applies to the far right whack jobs and evangelical types only, but alas…when people are desperate, I’ve found it on the left, too (in fact, very recently in full blown proportions).
Desperation, without reason, can be a very dangerous state. The best we can do is to compare ourselves daily to that quote and move forward, keeping reason close to our hearts as though it is our best and dearest friend.
(this aussiegall77…..i changed my screen name =D )
I don’t get why evangelicals have to lose their reason because they believe in God and the Gospel? I’ve never really understood that.
might be because you have to have FAITH to believe,,,,, and it transfers over into the rest of one’s life that requires Reason and Logic… they can’t keep the two thought processes seperate… and for them , Faith is all-important, so …….
Faith is believing that God’s purpose and plan is eternally good – even when all else indicates otherwise.
Maybe I lose everything I love and cherish tomorrow – but I still believe in the goodness of the LORD. That is faith.
If a person only has “faith” during the good times & when they have good things in their life (such as defined by men i.e. wealth, health, reputation) – then when the trials come as they inevitably do, they will be one of the first to fall away.
A very well written piece:
http://litbrit.blogspot.com/2010/07/sarah-palin-chose-b-ten-questions-for.htm
Holy bat guano.
http://www.whorunsgov.com/politerati/uncategorized/grahams-birthright-citizen-amendment-little-more-than-stunt/
(((((aussiegal)))))
Kudos to you! You have more patience than I do.
My BIL from he** is also an MD and one of these hysterical, crazed conservatives. It is my belief that physicians in this country are either doctors because they believe in helping people, or because they want to make money. Many of them are selling out their private practices to bigger companies or hospitals because it is the only way that they can make it work at this point (due to the horrible amount of paperwork/bureaucracy that is involved in Medicare). The regulations, rules and staggering cost (in time and money) of doing all the paperwork as well as the services that Medicare refuses to cover (after the fact) because some bureaucrat in an insurance office (yes, Medicare is run by insurance companies that contract with the government and they still get to say yea or nay to what will be covered) has decided the treatment that the doctor prescribed isn’t considered “medically necessary” (like they have a better grasp on it from afar than the doctor providing the care) have all of these guys/gals mad as a nest of hornets. They have a point. And they can easily be led to believe just about anything that their preferred version of “the news” tells them if it supports their point of view. It is only a small step from that level of frustration to leaping into irrational discourse and blaming it all on the black man in the White House.
Very few people are capable of taking the rational long view when they are mired in the fear and frustration of the moment. Instant gratification has been the way in this country for so long that it is hard for people to sit back and recognize that everything is the way it is for a reason and that digging out of the hole and making things work correctly sometimes takes time. This is difficult when there are bills that come due and no money to pay them.
I also think that doctors, in general (not all of them), feel entitled to be making good money because they went to school, studied hard and try to keep up on the latest research, etc. They hold their patient’s lives and well being in their hands and that is a huge responsibility. They pay a lot of money for malpractice insurance. Many of them are very angry about how they are forced to practice medicine these days and they need someone to blame.
Meanwhile, the big corporations (insurance companies, pharma, etc) are making money hand over fist. The hospitals only care about the “bottom line” and capitalism is alive and well. Hospitals are often no different from BP and Massey coal and all the rest (even if they have a “non-profit” status). Quality of care is going down the tubes in order to fill the beds and make quotas. Their employees are given the shaft at every turn and just told to “make it work” or lose your job. No wonder the doctors are mad.
I just don’t understand how they think that the “free” market system is going to help them. I don’t understand how the idea that everyone be covered and having access to their services is a bad idea. Of course that has to come with the caveat that the doctor and patients should be allowed to make the decisions and that fee for services is a bunch of crap. We need to get medicine for profit out of the hands of the corporations. If anyone should be making a profit, it should be the people doing the work. Physicians should be paid for spending time counselling patients, not just for ordering expensive tests.
I’m a little bent on the subject right now because I am losing my job in the healthcare field in October (it’s all on the last open thread). And irony of all ironies, that means that I, a healthcare provider, will no longer have healthcare benefits.
I am not, however, blaming it on Obama. I blame it on my employer.
{{{{{LoveMyDogs}}}}}
My dear old daddy is a retired PT, mama’s a retired nurse, baby sis is a PT with extra certification in women’s health. I know the important difference you make in the lives of your patients. May this door closing open a lovely new window for you, dear one.
(this is aussiegal77, I changed me screen name)
I am so sorry that you are going this, right now. My husband is a doctor too (chiropractor) and as we speak, he is working on providing documentation to Medicare and the insurance company that runs it (yes, I know about that too. It’s ridiculous) explaining why HE (their doctor) thinks it is medically necessary for 2 patients to continue their chiropractic care. As if the insurance company knows better than he does. It is his day off and he is mired in paper work – as usual.
My husband became a chiropractor because he believes in the benefits of chiropractic care for health and wellness. He got into healthcare to help people. He just got done with school and has borne the snide remarks from others about his wife being the sole bread-winner up to now. In this day and age, people are still mired in sexism – it’s disgusting. Husband however will gladly quips that he loves his sugar mamma and hopes I move into a higher salary bracket as it benefits him too =D Cheeky devil!
I feel sorry for the docs who can’t see past their own fear and frustrations to the real problem – INSURANCE COMPANIES. These companies don’t care about the patients. All they care about is how LITTLE they can pay the providers. All hail the Profit Motive.
Doctors SHOULD be angry about how they are forced to practice. Sadly, big insurance and big pharma own the media, the government and have well paid lobbyists to do their dirty work. As long as Americans (and the world) continue to worship the false idol of capitalism, it will continue to be that way.
I think capitalism is good – but it needs to be regulated. Unfettered free markets will only crush the end user and consumers.
Plus – what’s Conservative MD talking about socialism for? The public option was carved out of the final bill! Geez. At least BE INFORMED if you want to complain…..!
Good luck to you LMD, I really do feel your pain. The worst part of my husband’s day is telling a patient that their insurance benefits either don’t cover their healthcare needs or have run out for the year. It well and truly sucks to be honest. It shouldn’t be this way!!!!
Here’s the kicker: my mum works for a health insurance company in Australia and my sister is a nurse. My sister has juvenile diabetes and have since she was 13. Both my parents have health issues and thru my mum’s work, they (and us kids, for a time) were able to afford private health insurance as a back-up to the Medicare public system in Australia.
My sister sees a specialist every 3 months, she sees a nutritionist and she orders testing strips for her blood sugar regularly. Not once in my entire life to date have I ever seen my parents or my sister and her husband worry about medical bills. My dad is a cancer survivor and had to have his prostate removed + 6 to 8 weeks of radiotherapy. Again – not once in all this time has there been any worry of banktrupcy. Between the publically available for all Medicare and their private insurance coverage, my family has been able to afford top notch medical care. My mum is consdering some surgery to help with weight loss – her out of pocket under her insurance plan will be around $6k, under Medicare it is all free but she doesn’t get to pick the doctor. So she is choosing her private insurance. No worries about money or means to pay – just whether to do the surgery and when.
Yet people in this country who have private insurance, pay top premiums for it and they still had to risk bankruptcy if there is a major illness, still weren’t sure to be covered and still may have lost their coverage if they had gotten sick. That is until President Obama risked all his political capital and PASSED health insurance reform. I hope he gets the credit that he deserves one day.
So sorry your job & healthcare coverage are going away, lovemydogs. The for-profit model for hospitals, along with the obscene profits made (I won’t say earned, invented is closer to the truth) by the insurance and pharmaceutical industries, has wrecked our sick-care system.
I don’t see any way we can “reform” health care in such a way that it improves the wellness of our citizens until we reform “big food,” that is, “farm” subsidies for agribusiness, including genetically modified corn and soy from Monsanto, Novartis, and a handful of other dastards; processing plants that destroy virtually all nutrition in the name of shelf life (these same companies advertise in Mexican papers to find workers who’ll slave for less than minimum wage, and pay the fines when these workers get busted); food stamps being accepted as payment at McDonalds; over-pumping the aquifers to the point that I worry about water wars in the future; and the wholesale destruction of arable land nationwide for suburban “development,” destroying many communities’ ability to feed themselves with anything other than what’s available at WalMart.
I know, I’m ranting, but food and water issues are so very important. As an educator in holistic health, I frequently find myself biting my tongue (I know, not very nutritious) when I find out just what it is my clients ingest on a daily basis. OK, rant over. My sympathy, lovemydogs.
i am sorry LoveMYDogs. i just read the thread where you talked about what happened. will you be able to find work where you are now? will you have move? i can hardly understand how this can be.
Lovemydogs, I just returned to yesterday’s open thread to read about your plight. I am so very, very sorry; not just for you and your travails, but for all the patients who need you. PTs, in my limited experience, are wonderful people. I worked with only one when recovering from the injury, but I got to see all the others in action at the rehab facility. I’ve also seen them in other settings (I used to work in nursing homes and hospitals).
Right now, even as we speak, PT programs in all the schools are changing so that rather than the Master’s degree the hospital is looking for to replace you, PTs are now being required to earn DOCTORATES. This is a scam. Why would anyone pay for all the schooling required to earn a doctorate for a job that should not even require a masters? You have my deep sympathy. I hope your new business is such a success that you never have to work in corporate health care again!
Health and peace.
Thanks for all of the hugs. Mmmmmmmm…they feel so good.
To answer some of your questions:
Bubbles: I will probably be able to find another job around here. If I can’t find one with the flexibility to meet my scheduling needs, I will collect unemployment, we will severely tighten our belts and I will have some extra time to work on a book that a friend and I are writing. I might have to open my Mad Dog Gym. My business is doing rehab with dogs (injured, old, arthritic, overweight, etc). I have been contemplating putting some human equipment in the building and offering a come and exercise your dog and yourself at the same time thing. I offer massage for dogs so maybe I can expand that to humans as well (get a massage for yourself and your dog at some kind of special price….ha,ha). I could start my own practice but that is a royal pain in the butt with the paperwork mentioned above. I always have options. It just makes me angry that this is really not about me but the system. And the Borough (which is government-and therefore us) allows this garbage to go on. Our hospital is the second largest employer in our area (second to the borough…ironic eh?) and notorious for doing this kind of thing. They lay people off after building a HUGE fancy new wing so they can lure more doctors to come in under their fold and yet everyoe with cancer in this area has to go to Anchorage (hundreds of miles away) for radiation treatment that they couldn’t see fit to build into their system here. I could go on and on.
I am not leaving my home. I have established myself here and I would have to close my infant and still growing business. Scre*’em I say.
Zyxomma: you are right about the doctorate scam. I get mail from schools all over the country to enter a PhD program all of the time. On-line no less. Ha! If I am going to go back to school to get a doctorate, it sure as heck won’t be in the field where I have 20 years of experience. When I went to PT school, it required nearly 4 years of undergraduate, pre-med classes just to get in. 95% of my class already held a BA, BS or MS. We were required to do a “research project”, write it up and defend it orally. Kind of sounds like a thesis doesn’t it?
The State University that I attended (only place I could afford) did not have enough professors with PhDs to offer a Masters.
The “entry level” doctorate programs that are now offered have the exact same curriculum as the school I attended. It is just a different set of letters behind one’s name. A surgeon friend of mine once said, the more letters you have behind your name….well, he basically said that the last 5 should be MORON.
Lovemydogs: *You* may love your dogs, but *we* love YOU! Meet up with me in chat sometime. I’m usually there around 9 p.m. Alaska time.
you are gonna be just fine sweetie. wish i could have one of them massages. i bent down to buckle my shoe on Sunday and pulled something. my back went into a spasm and i been a miserable being all week.
Here’s more love to you, LMD. Whatever you decide to do, I am sure you will make it work. Blessing to you, my dear!
My vote is for establishing Mad Dog Gym =D
Holding you close. I mean it.
aussiegal, did you happen to catch this interview on Fresh Air about the Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128776382
I’d be interested to hear your take on it.
(this is aussigal77, I changed my screen name)
In 2 words – heartily agree.
On homosexuality: I agree with the bible that it is not a godly expression of sexual love. However – it is not a “bigger” sin than adultery, fornication, incest, bestiality or pedophilia. Any Christian who tries to pin the ills of the world on gays is stupid, in my mind. I also don’t agree that gays are not born that way. I am a heterosexual – it was not a conscious choice I made, I was born this way. So I believe gays are born that way. And yes, I know that brings up the point of why it would be wrong if God made gays the way they are. To be honest – I don’t have a freaking clue. It’s a topic that I am still working out my faith on.
Gay marriage / civil unions: I am in favour of both. Just because you are gay doesn’t mean you have no civil rights. Full stop.
This is a free country – which means it doesn’t matter if you are a gay black woman who is Muslim. You should still be able to get housing, get a job, get married, get a promotion if you have earned it, live anywhere you please, vote for who you want, start a blog with your opinions, protest against what you don’t agree with, get taxed like everyone else, adopt children if you choose and be accountable for being a good, law abiding citizen and a responsible parent. Full stop. Anything or anyone who wants to deny the rights of others is completely immoral in my mind.
Evangelical ideology: I agree, time for a change. Evangelicals in America have somehow made politics their idol – it has to stop. Christians can and should be preaching the Gospel to their friends, co-workers, neighbours and family members but they must do so in a way that glorifies God. Christians are and should be held to a higher standard. God said be holy because He is holy. So Christians must separate themselves from what is evil, what is corrupt and what is worldly.
2 greatest commandments according to Jesus on which the Prophets and the Law hinges: Love the LORD you God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your soul and Love your Neighbour as yourself. We have got to start measuring our actions and speech against this standard or risk blaspheming the name of God before non-believers.
(I didn’t listen to the interview but I did read the article – thanks for the link! I will revisit later)
Loved your post. I am a very liberal Episcopalian, and understood every danged thing you said. I figure that this is part of that whole mystery thing, and when I die, God and I are going to have a nice loooooooong chat.
I agree.
I always want to ask – why isn’t evolution possible? If christians believe God is all powerful and can do ANYTHING – then why couldn’t have He decided to create everything using evolution and why couldn’t science, physics, chemistry etc etc be a constant glorification of HIM? That HE created?
Why does it always have to be a zero sum game? If it’s not this then it’s that, no maybe it’s both? Maybe there are some things NOT in the bible for a reason cuz it doesn’t really matter how God created the earth, but that HE did it?
All this squabbling. Just useless, really, right?
my thought process on Genesis and evolution is “How long is a day to God ?”.. As none of us were around when things were made, a seven 24 hr days is probably NOT how long it took to make the Universe…. but people tend to take things a bit too literally….
Jesus started out as a “nice Jewish boy.”
Deuteronomy 6:5…You Shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might… is part of the Shema, a Jewish prayer that we say “twice each day, early and late, morning and evening” … when we wake up and when we go to sleep.
There is an old story in the Jewish tradition of the man who asked Rabbi Shammai to teach him Judaism while standing on one foot. Shammai, notoriously impatient, chased the man away. The man went to Rabbi Hillel and asked again. While standing on one foot, Rabbi Hillel responded: “Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you. That is all the Torah*; all the rest is commentary. Now go and learn it.” (*Torah is the first 5 books of Hebrew Scripture: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy = The Pentateuch. But also, too, the entire body of Jewish religious law and learning, including both sacred literature and oral tradition.)
See how much common ground we share? How cool is that, my sister?
{{{{{ Evangelical Liberal}}}}} (formerly known as aussiegal77)
In my opinion, too many evangelical christians today take the Old Testament and apply it directly to themselves, this side of the Cross. Fact of the matter is – the OT is Jewish history, the magnificent story of God’s love & faithfulness with His chosen people. You have to read it in context or it makes no freaking sense.
I love the OT. Currently, I am following a reading plan to read thru the whole Bible and I am thoroughly enjoying reading of Jesus applying OT with authority, as only He can. Yes, Jesus was a nice Jewish boy =D I love that!
But seriously though, how did we all get here? Correct me if I am wrong but aren’t the Muslim/Arabs descendants from Ishmael? Abraham’s half son? And when Sarah mistreated his mother, Haggai when she was pregnant with Ishmael, and she ended up fleeing to the desert, wasn’t it God who heard her cries of injustice and saved her from certain death? So why all the hate from Christians against Muslims/Arabs/Middle Eastern people?
shoot, not half son….duh….step son? Well, son with his servant Haggai (which was his wife’s suggestion to begin with!)
Thanks for the link, thatcrowwoman.
Just noticed that the “Recent Comments” portion on this page is reporting July 27, when, I think it is in fact July 29. Minor glitch, but it makes it look like the last comments were two days ago, when actually things are quite active right now.
Well, well, well…looky who’s resigning his job: http://www.adn.com/2010/07/29/1386559/parnell-energy-adviser-resigns.html
So sorry to hear of your plight Lovemydogs. Maybe with this door closing another will open that is better for you.
Darwin Award in 3…2…1…
http://i.imgur.com/xpvvC.gif
austintx! Long time, no see! Welcome back, dear one!
AustinTX….hey sweetie.
That’s one way to acquire the credentials of a harem guard. LOL!
And the GOOD NEWS is: Under Obama’s new health care plan my husband’s company BY LAW has to allow him to add me to his plan the day that I lose my coverage. I don’t have to wait until their annual enrollment period. Doing a happy dance!!!! Gotta love my President! Want to give him a great big sloppy doggy kiss!
EXCELLENT !!!!! I’ll still look for the Cobra info this weekend, just so you’ll have it !
and Sow-ah whining about Pres being on the View..”Look at me! Hey! Look at ME!” ,,,, and no one paying attention to her ….bhahahahahah!!!!!
I know……with all the stuff going on with her daughter and Levi, you would think she’d have better things to focus on but no, she’s gotta sink to the gutter, as usual.
Wretched woman. The insane jealousy is so obvious.
I hooted over one of the comments to this news over on HuffPo:
“But if Obama had visited the border, would he not still have had to skip the Boy Scout Jamboree? Sarah will no doubt find a way to complain when Obama skips her funeral, especially if Obama has the selfishness to pass away first.” – MainFleisch 4 minutes ago (1:23 AM) [emphasis added. b.]
MainFleisch sho’nuff seems to have $Ps number! beth.
Freaking awesome, one less thing to worry about. Thank you, Mr. President!
Lindsey Graham wants to end ‘birthright citizenship’.
Well…the 14th amendment was passed in 1868 despite those who didn’t want emancipated slaves to be considered citizens. It has withstood the floods of immigrants since then (the Irish, the East Europeans, etc.), I doubt it will get overturned now. But I think it’s an ugly idea to bandy about.
http://www.whorunsgov.com/politerati/uncategorized/grahams-birthright-citizen-amendment-little-more-than-stunt/
Absolutely a political stunt. Ridiculous. He’s clearing pandering to the base to soothe the roid rage from his endorsement of Elena Kagan.
clearly…..i mean
Dang!!! i was hoping to buy me a slave or three.starting with old Lindsey.
LOL!!!
Lindsey Graham is an a$$hat. I’ll leave it at that, out of respect for my blood pressure!
I hope this link has not already been posted.
http://www.credoaction.com/campaign/fox_or_npr/index2.html
Please sign petition against Faux Noise getting Helen Thomas’ front row seat in the White House Briefing Room.
Thanks
Laurie, I just got that message via e-mail and thought I’d post it on Friday’s open thread (I’m up in the wee hours of the morning right now, which is pretty unusual for me…) Many thanks for sharing; it’s a link that bears repeating, eh?!
10 questions for Sarah Palin:
http://litbrit.blogspot.com/2010/07/sarah-palin-chose-b-ten-questions-for.html#links
Sarah Palin – Family Values super hero or Selfish & Irresponsible Opportunist?
I will vote for the second. Have you seen her latest tweets? Does that idiot even know where to find the border? Bets on her showing up at a Taco Bell?
jimzmum what on earth has the little ole biddy been saying now?
She is heading for the border. Swear to God.
What an attention wh0re…always wearing her whiny britches… maybe she’ll get (more) lost in the wilderness… doubt she’d last 40 days and 40 nights, much less 40 years.
Oy, vey!
Here are the tweets from the twit:
I’m headed to border in near future… let’s see how quickly his travel schedule will allow that border visit after all.
about 10 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® .
President w/no time to visit porous US/Mexican border to offer help to those risking life to secure us,but lotso’ time to chat on The View?
about 10 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®
I sure hope she doesn’t freak out when she sees all them brown folks and Native Americans down there. She’ll probably travel with the neo-nazis and make them pay to have their picture taken with her.
When, again, is she going to go inundate Maggie Thatcher? Before, or after, she goes to secure the border?
[I bet she's really p1ssed she wasn't invited to be on The View...not that she'd go, anyway, I don't think...those ladies tend to ask some pretty tough and off-the-cuff questions. And they demand answers. She'd pee her pants, having to answer a non-preapproved question. Poor dimwit.] beth.
What about that scary porous border with Canada, $owah???? Ta going there, also, too???
Racist, much?
Lord love a duck!
hahahaha what a freaking side show.
She QUIT over a year ago and NOW she’s headed to the border? And we’re all supposed to bow down and scrape before her royal highness for being so compassionate? After she’s been show boating for over a year on her bus tour and Oprah shows? Gimme a break, Sarah, you idiot.
Deportation of illegal immigrants is UP under this administration – and guess what, Sarah you moron – Obama doesn’t HAVE to personally deport people. Fracking idiot. He has people who work for him to carry out his policy – don’t you GET THAT, you twit? He’s the PRESIDENT. It would be STUPID and HIGHLY DANGEROUS for him to physically be at the US/Mexico border offering help. Fracking moron. Piss off and leave the adults to take care of business.
Every time I think the Republicans in Congress have sunk to the lowest depths of humanity, they get out the payloader and dig a little deeper.
In the House today, they managed to defeat a bill to provide aid to the workers who responded to the attacks on 9/11, many of whom are seriously ill as a result of exposure to toxins and can no longer work. The Republicans not only defeated the bill, claiming that it would be a huge new ‘entitlement program’, but apparently used some procedural rule to do so, not even having the courage to just vote against it.
One of my favorite members of the House, Rep Anthony Weiner, took the floor and blasted the repubs for not doing the right thing and for hiding behind procedure instead of having the courage to vote for what they believe in.
We need more politicians of courage like Weiner (and Franken and Grayson).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/29/anthony-weiner-911-bill-ballistic_n_664568.html
Aussiegal……please rethink your name change…..PLEASE.
(from the poster formerly known as Dublin Dame).
hahahaha oh honey, I know…..but I’ll always be Aussiegal =D
Awww…….how can I say no to you???!!!
Thanks for the plug! There are lots of ways to win or lose elections – but letting Randy Ruedrich, oil company executive folks and the Republican Party outspend you to win elections is so 2004. We’ve matched them in recent elections, and its’ working. We need your help again. Thanks. Les (www.hdccalaska.com; lesgara@yahoo.com).
And, Thanks to Berta Gardner for taking the HDCC lead this year – hope you can help us!