I am thankful to live in a free, secular nation where there are few limitations on my right to live as I choose. That liberty was thoughtfully created by the framers of our constitution and protected by every generation of Americans. Continue reading THANKSGIVING FOR A SECULAR NATION
Category Archives: All Posts
How To Fix Obamacare
If your loved one is seriously ill or injured and can’t pay for health care, should America provide what she/he needs? If health care costs are beyond the reach of many Americans, should government take action? If you answer “yes”, the next steps are about how to achieve the goals; and it’s time for fact based solutions to the problems of American health care. Continue reading How To Fix Obamacare
Legislators like Tillis betrayed military families and the poor
Thom Tillis and other red-state legislators made it easy for big banks and financial companies to prey on the poor with interest rates as high as 36%. The legislators accepted large contributions from financial industry representatives, and it appears that Tillis got more than any other legislator in the nation. Ignoring the advice of military leaders, these lawmakers sold out low income families trying to climb into the middle class. Click here for specifics. It’s wrong for elected leaders to help big companies take advantage of the poor. Kudos to the NY Times for their research and follow-up.
WHY WOULD RENEE ELLMERS ELIMINATE EPA?
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers (R – NC) wants to eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the federal agency that sets and enforces standards for safe water and air. She should justify her goal. We need congressional representatives who think carefully and speak wisely about such important matters. Her statement seems reckless, and if she can’t justify it then she does not belong in our Congress. Continue reading WHY WOULD RENEE ELLMERS ELIMINATE EPA?
Does Underage Drinking Fuel Campus Assaults?
I got you in trouble in high school; but college, now that was a ball. You had some of the best times you’ll never remember with me – Alcohol.” (Brad Paisley)
The song masks pain and humiliation behind humor. Many college students arrive with established alcohol habits and binge drinking is popular recreation. Some parents allow pre-college teenagers to have alcohol at parties. Are they protecting their children by letting them learn to drink responsibly under supervision or are they increasing the chances that the children will become alcoholics? In some states that is legal and in others parents could face both criminal and civil penalties. Excessive drinking among teens is associated with academic failure, violence, and financial problems. Continue reading Does Underage Drinking Fuel Campus Assaults?
FRACKING DANGERS ARE WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT
North Carolina’s Republican Governor and a nearly unanimous majority of Republican lawmakers have recklessly dashed ahead to allow hydraulic fracking for production of natural gas. They have ignored the growing body of evidence that fracking imperils our health and the safety of our air and water. They missed the “look before you leap” lesson and took all of us along when they jumped into fracking. Continue reading FRACKING DANGERS ARE WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT
AN ALTERNATIVE ISIS STRATEGY
There must be better ways to relate to Middle Eastern Muslims than the ones we have chosen. Three fallacious assumptions have formed the basis for many mistakes: “The enemies of my enemies are my friends.” “The friends of my enemies are my enemies.” “Those who are not for us are against us.” Here are two examples of where that logic took us. Continue reading AN ALTERNATIVE ISIS STRATEGY
IS NO NUKES ALWAYS GOOD NEWS?
January 11, 1994 BRUSSELS — “President Clinton on Monday announced agreement with Ukraine and Russia to dismantle Ukraine’s entire nuclear arsenal, hailing the long-sought accord as “a hopeful and historic breakthrough that enhances the security of all three participants.” – The Los Angeles Times.
From the breakup of the Soviet Union, Ukraine had inherited 176 intercontinental missiles aimed mostly at the US and over 1200 nuclear warheads about 600 of which were loaded on bombers. The US and Russia promised security to Ukraine if they would give up their nuclear weapons. The US provided assistance for turning the weapons into fuel for nuclear power plants. Russia agreed to provide fuel rods for Ukraine’s nuclear plants. The world no longer feared Ukraine’s nukes being stolen or sold to the highest black market bidder. Russia no longer had a nuclear armed neighbor. Continue reading IS NO NUKES ALWAYS GOOD NEWS?
WE CAN END PERMANENT UNDERCLASSES
The world and our nation have permanent underclasses – people with little wealth and few opportunities for education or upward mobility. Their attempts to draw attention to their needs are often met with contempt or repression. Continue reading WE CAN END PERMANENT UNDERCLASSES
JUST SAY YES TO MEDICAID
The decision by North Carolina’s governing Republicans (every single one of them) to reject Medicaid expansion will cost the state’s residents $37 billion by 2022. That is roughly enough money to run the entire state government for 21 months. They looked at the money and just said “no”. They looked at uninsured people living in poverty and just said “no”. They looked at hospitals and doctors who care for uninsured people, and they just said “no”. And they just said “no” to unemployed workers who would have found jobs in the Medicaid expansion. Continue reading JUST SAY YES TO MEDICAID