Tired š | Heading for bluer skies though probably won't give up this dump for a while | Sometimes plays Devil's advocate.
Iowa, USA
Joined January 2017
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Healthcare versus the the holy bonds of matrimony:
Came across this comment on another social media site. What does this tell you about the U.S.?
I have had the same thoughts over the years.
cc: @ChuckGrassley @SenJoniErnst
Iowa Heretic retweeted
Voters weighed in . Nobody wanted the ballroom. Nobody wanted the "blue today, green tomorrow " reflecting pool . Nobody wants the Arc de Trump. people.com/trump-s-triumphalā¦
Iowa Heretic retweeted
Vance says āThe reason we lost is the war.ā Yeh. But also tariffs, driving up prices well before the war. Unleashing ICE & CBP in a cruel assault on immigrants who arenāt āthe worst of the worst.ā Thereās the unprecedented corruption. Trump added $2.2 billion to his net worth & surrounded himself with billionaires. Thereās disruption of the social safety net, with cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and ACA subsides. And Trumpās complete cluelessness - his ballroom, the reflecting pool, adding his name to the Kennedy Center. And finally his obsession with John Hustedās butt.
Iowa Heretic retweeted
For those who say itās time for universal care. I am all for it. It would be nice if we could find a way to reduce the cost of care and make it available to everyone, for anything.
But it will take work to get there. Other countries with Universal Care make āMost Things available to All Peopleā. Itās not perfect.
In our country, we make āEverything available to Most Peopleā.
The question for this country, unlike others, is how we can make the best possible care and therapies, regardless of cost, to everyone ?
Read @AbdulElSayed ās book on Medicare for All. He wisely had more questions than answers. Medicare for All ? Global Budgets ? Or something else ?
Itās a difficult path from where we are to āE4Eā Healthcare. ?Everything for Everyone)
My hope is that we can put together a Simpson Bowles type, Blue Ribbon Commission. One that includes representatives of all stakeholders. From all different type of patients. Including rare disease parents. Rural and Urban Hospitals. The most expensive hospitals that offer unique care. Pharma companies that offer everything from genetics to Cell and Gene Therapies. You get the point
Some people think we can just tell all those working in the healthcare system what to do.
Thatās the fastest way for this to fail. We need to be as close as we can to being on the same page. And we need to figure out a non partisan manner of running our American version of Universal Care.
No reason we canāt start now
Iowa Heretic retweeted
During Bill Nye's 10-year college reunion in 1987, he went to great lengths to meet with Carl Sagan at Cornell. Sagan's assistant told Nye, "Okay, you can talk to him for five minutes."
In their meeting at the space sciences building, Nye explained that he was interested in developing a science television program. "I mentioned how I planned to talk about bridges and bicycles and so onāstuff that, as an engineer, I'd been interested ināand [Sagan] said, 'Focus on pure science. Kids resonate to pure science rather than technology.' And that turned out to be great advice."
Iowa Heretic retweeted
Can someone please explain to me how the United States managed to live for 250 years, become a great nation, build a great economy, rise to the status of a nuclear superpower, and put men on the Moon ā all without a monstrous ballroom nearly twice the size of the White House itself?
Iowa Heretic retweeted
One time I taught a resident my favorite lumbar puncture technique
Years later, a different resident showed me their favorite lumbar puncture technique they learned in med school
It was my techniqueš. Turns out I trained their teacher! The ripple effect of teaching is awesome
Iowa Heretic retweeted
Sending @hinsonashley my deepest condolences on being fired by the people of Iowa. Itās too bad you spent the past few years undermining the trust in the media, because now there arenāt many media jobs to go back to. But hey, maybe you can start a Substack.
Iowa Heretic retweeted
Rob Sand ran a campaign that brought Iowans together across the state and across party lines. Congratulations on your victory, Rob ā I canāt wait to work with you.
Iowa Heretic retweeted
I've seen how Rob Sand held town halls in every corner of Iowa and has brought people from different political circles together. He's demonstrating what politics at its best can look like, and tonight he showed that it's also the way to win. Congratulations, Rob!
Decision Desk HQ projects Rob Sand wins the IA Governor General Election
#DecisionMade: 9:57 PM EST
Follow live results here: votes.decisiondeskhq.com/racā¦
Iowa Heretic retweeted
Hereās what people need to understand: my daughter couldnāt care less about the Muslim Brotherhood or transgender people. She voted on the fact that her and her husband had to DROP THEIR HEALTHCARE during this open enrollment because they canāt afford a $900 monthly premium and a $6000 dollar deductible. They are only insuring her so they can have another baby and are praying her husband and one year old donāt get too sick.
So no, she couldnāt care less about Muslimās in Minneapolis or Congress. She doesnāt care whether a person has a penis or a vagina. She doesnāt care whether her neighbor is documented or not. She doesnāt care about Iran or Israel or Ukraine. Her worries are in her home everyday knowing she canāt provide healthcare for her son.
So every elitist who wants to say we are doomed, the country is going to change, be scared of this, etc. She doesnāt care. And until the everyday life of the average person improves and families have breathing room and can afford a home and health care, this is what we are going to get.
The Republicans are SO out of touch about what actually matters and they deserved every bit of this.
unavailable
Iowa Heretic retweeted
I have been praying for a return to rational, compassionate leadership that doesn't wrap itself in our flag as it professes Christian values that it flagrantly flouts. The corruption and self-dealing must end and accountability begin. (Can we issue congressional apologies to Canada and Norway and tell Putin to eat sh*t, while we're at it?)
Tonight, the American people sent a clear message ā they want a politics that brings people together rather than divides them, and leaders who offer concrete solutions to the challenges they face.
These results were only possible because outstanding candidates stepped forward in every region of the country ā including in areas once considered long shots. They came from different backgrounds and represented a range of political perspectives, but were united by shared values, a belief in public service, and a commitment to putting the people of their districts and states first.
We also owe a debt of gratitude to the thousands of election officials and volunteers from both parties who helped ensure a smooth election and carried out one of the most essential functions of our democracy.
While this administration has another two years in office, our job now is to roll up our sleeves, make changes wherever we have the power to do so, prevent further damage, and lay the groundwork for the future.
Iowa Heretic retweeted
Silver spoon babies like @HinsonAshley are entitled and arrogant.
Iowa Heretic retweeted
Thank you to every single neighbor, family member and friend who joined us tonight.
No matter what happens tomorrow - I hope I've made Decorah proud.
ALT A photo of The Landing, the venue in Decorah of Rob Sand's homecoming rally.
ALT A photo of Rob Sand speaking to a large crowd in Decorah.
ALT A photo of Rob Sand speaking to a large crowd in Decorah.
ALT A photo of Rob Sand speaking to a large crowd in Decorah.
Iowa Heretic retweeted
They skipped the PowerPoint covering the last 15 years of Zach Lahnās @ZachLahn @LahnHQ career, showing how heās spent those years working to screw over working people across the country.
Vote for an Iowan. Vote for someone who hasnāt spent his career being paid to advance corporate interests.
Vote for Rob Sand. @RobSandIA
š Sioux City
We end in Zach's hometownā where a sixth-generation Iowa kid went from the Friday night lights at Sioux City East to the bright lights of stepping in the arena to fight for the future of this beautiful state.
#LFG
Iowa Heretic retweeted
UPDATE: They found human remains at Organ Pipe, in the dirt Trump's wall contractors tore up.
ProPublica reports a park service archaeologist found Native American remains near the base of a saguaro that was still standing. On Sept. 8. Nobody was told until now.
A University of Arizona curator says the remains appear to be cremated, from about 1,500 years ago.
Lorraine Eiler, an 89-year-old Hia-Ced O'odham elder, warned them in August. "People used to live here." "They're going to find remains wherever they dig."
Tohono O'odham Chairman Verlon Jose says discoveries like this are "a wound to the heart."
They were warned. But that didnāt stop them.
#DemsUnited
Trump's second border wall is going up through Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, and they're ripping out sacred saguaros to build it. šµ
This video from Russ McSpadden of the Center for Biological Diversity shows saguaros on the ground next to the bollards for the new wall. It shows thousands of saguaros have been removed, along with ocotillo and all kinds of other plants and vegetation.
The Tohono O'odham call the saguaro ha:ÅaƱ. In their custom, saguaros are considered people. Removing one isn't just destroying a plant, it's considered an act of violence against a person.
These creatures grow about an inch in their first eight years. They don't flower until 35. They don't grow an arm for 50 to 70 years. They live 150 years or more.
And they provide homes for other critters. Gila woodpeckers carve nests into saguaros, and elf owls, kestrels and purple martins move in after.
And "just transplant them" doesn't always work. An NPS official told federal auditors that as many as half didn't survive the move. In 2020, thousands were removed for the first 30-foot wall. Some were transplanted. Most didn't survive. Now the survivors are being torn out again. McSpadden: "The few that did survive are being transplanted again, so exponentially less chance of survival for those saguaros."
And thousands more are slated to be ripped out of the Tohono O'odham Nation's own land. The Nation says Border Patrol told them it's happening. Chairman Verlon Jose: "Trespassing on our land to remove the sacred saguaros is like having masked men break into your house and take away your children."
So the Nation went to court to stop it, including an emergency request to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. A federal judge has refused to block the wall and the removal of the saguaros.
Removing a saguaro without a permit is illegal in Arizona. But last November, DHS waived legal requirements there to speed up wall construction.
Check out Russ's video below to see the desecration of the ancient saguaros. It's in the first reply.
What would you do if invaders came onto your land and started desecrating it?
#DemsUnited
š„ Russ McSpadden, Center for Biological Diversity
