Ever since "Citizens United"

Many of us are still aware that the Citizens United SCOTUS decision of January 31, 2010 changed the status of politics as usual in the USA by defining money more or less as equivalent to free speech in elections. Ever since we are drowning in "on the air" TV ads leading up to elections, which are mostly pricey opinions about the issues or  candidates on the upcoming ballots. Turn off the TV, folks! Go cold turkey during election seasons from now on, because a new SCOTUS decision has raised the limits again, believe it or not!

Our friends at MOTHER JONES have helped us out with a description of the latest changes.

Be sure to vote in the April elections ON TUESDAY April 8, and come out in force, because we are still citizens of the USA who will not ever give up on the reality of the ideals of our original Constitution. We may need an amendment to fix this, but that is what we WILL achieve!

Enormous struggle for freedom in Ukrainian winter

In the past I believe I have noticed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is an athletic person who enjoys hunting at times. The following story might help the current circumstances in Ukraine.
http://www.kansascity.com/2014/03/04/4865106/videoshows-locked-antlered-buck.html
Simply tell President Putin that the surviving buck is named "Ukraine."

I hope for diplomatic success and Peace for all of the people living in Ukraine.

pmb

Letter to State Rep & Senator re: Expanding Medicaid

Dear Senator Justus and Representative Houghton:

As you know Missouri did not expand Medicaid as most states did, although such action may still be under consideration. Please side with the expansion in current and coming up talks. Your constituents in Audrain County certainly have needy folk among them.

As a retired/disabled nurse who has been on a limited income myself I do not qualify for Medicaid because my dear mother left me a small inheritance. But I know others around this rural town, Mexico, Missouri, who do qualify; and I would not want them left out. During my career I worked in more than one Missouri county, including rural areas, sometimes as a home health care nurse. People are naturally shy of looking for healthcare, unfortunately; and limited income is a huge factor in their choices. Some folks are challenged by transportation or lack knowledge about the usual expectations related to testing as one ages. In fact they are extremely independent minded out on those country roads! They think they can handle anything, to the grievous neglect of their own needs at times. Nurses want to educate them to know that some tests are routine and will help them on their way forward with aging rather than setting them back. And they have their opinions, and I have mine, in this "Show Me State!"

Please give your constituents a second chance at accessing the Affordable Care Act choices. I would love you to let me know more about your personal opinions on how you will work for the health of Missourians! I am posting this letter to my blog too, at http://conscienceco-existence.blogspot.com.
Sincerely,

Patricia Berg

 http://missourihealthcareforall.org/take_action_now/

Via: The Advisory Board Company

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Message to President Obama re: Supporting Coal Industry in his State, Illinois

January 21, 2013

Dear Mr. President:

As you probably already know I am a member of Sierra Club, and have a deep commitment to work toward clean air, clean water and streams, and safety in all of our living environment.

Therefore the news in this article about granting money to "Big Coal" in Illinois (your State and our neighbor) dismays me.  http://www.alternet.org/speakeasy/jeffbiggers/game-over-obama-gifts-big-coal-1-billion-futuregen-illinois?paging=off&current_page=1

PLEASE reconsider this idea and review it with Ernest Monitz and Gina McCarthy. Even better, open it up to discussion among news media and the public.

You might be surprised how many average folk have recognized this as the Age of Global Warming.

Thank you for reconsidering your position.

STOP FAST TRACK FOR TPP

"Toilet Paper Proposal" <"_? is what the Trans Pacific "Partnership" is roughly equivalent to. It is FAR WORSE than the Koch Brothers conspiracy, which is now well known to relate to paper products and under-the-picnic-table gatherings to lobby State Legislators with all sorts of perks included. FAST TRACK means the White House is given all the power (& blame) while Congress does not have to register a vote at all!

Please sign this petition. AND tell your friends!

https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/8008-stop-fast-track-now


We cannot just remain totally silent on such a bunch of stuff and nonsense, can we?

Personally i'd rather crunch into a live delicious apple.

Probably dozens of my friends will not like this story.

An article at Common Dreams sent me on a search to see what is going on at Apple. Unfortunately I did find evidence that the same story that has been going on in their China plant for years is still occurring. I remember reading about Apple probably a few years ago. They are disrespecting their workers with outrageous expectation in hours worked and terribly low wages compared to the company's own wealth. These wages in China might seem adequate; but apparently one Wall Street personality determined that this organization ought to lose their reputation, so he listed it as a stock to sell! That took courage and outrage on his part.

This analyst on Wall Street, Ronnie Moas, downgraded more than one stock offering on the basis of morality! Not only Apple, but Amazon and Phillip Morris! That is a courageous act that I admire, pointing out to us all that Wall Street values do not usually pay attention to the consequences to workers--and consumers-- of concentrating wealth in the hands of a few. The income of Apple for the past year apparently tops ten billion dollars. Meanwhile the workers have “reasonable hours” of working, i.e., sixty hours a week maximum, and earn two dollars per hour. Of course that is just what the workers expect there, I would guess. But one worker who “lied about his age” died recently, setting off some personal fireworks in the press. You can also find some Apple documents and stories that suggest they are busily covering up the truth.

The companies say deaths at the factories were not work related. But the company rules are for their employees to work a “maximum” of sixty hour weeks-- that would be time and a half in the USA. If they work that much they earn, at two entire dollars per hour, an annual income of $6,240 per year at most. Few American citizens would consider their housing arrangements likely suitable either I suspect. Meanwhile a huge bunch of us carry an i-pod or other Apple phone around with us; and rush out to the mall when an upgrade is available.

We are, after all, “entitled.”

Issue: HEALTHCARE
Message Subject: Affordable Care Act
Message Text:

Dear Representative Hartzler:

As a fan of columnist Ken Midkiff in Columbia I am obliged to tell you that this opinion expressed by him is quite close to my own thinking. http://www.columbiaheartbeat.com/index.php/editorial/646-101113. 
 
Please educate yourself about healthcare in the USA. It is one area of science related services we have not provided in a socially conscious manner for all. Really the private insurers and employers have not kept up with what is necessary to protect our citizens; and President Obama has demonstrated courage in making changes via the Affordable Care Act. When I was working in pediatrics as an RN I was always aware that infant mortality in the USA is shamefully high compared to other countries. Perhaps this is partially due to the lack of access that has been the rule especially for adolescent mothers who are impoverished. In fact you could do us all a favor and research the subject thoroughly and then inform us all about it.

Thank you for doing this vital discovery for your constituents.

pmb

The Rich get Richer and the Poor . . . <"_?

Since 2007 brought the USA a downturn in the economy I have wondered about how the materialism of our culture has played out in the news and in common everyday ways. I can still remember seeing the signs in the PBS news back in October 2006. For awhile there we seemed to have quite a large uptick in the homelessness numbers, which may have recovered a bit by now. At the same time members of Congress are no longer expected to do anything to help average everyday folks because they welcome their long lines of lobbyists into their offices and have no room on the calendar for most of us individual voting citizens. The occupy groups have sprung up and faded out again. The data on working people still remains somewhat depressed, and most of the available jobs are minimum wage or below. The President still wants another trade agreement to go forward, the very cause under Clinton of job loss to impoverished nations whose citizens will work for near slave wages. The irony is that nowadays some wealthy people are dying to look foolish. Meanwhile “conservatives” have to limit food stamps and welfare to, uh, get re-elected, or what?

Who does benefit from this system? Stock holders, of course. Meanwhile food stamps and welfare checks are a violation against humanity in the eyes of the wealthy members of Congress, who can barely keep unemployment benefits going either. Maybe I am exaggerating somewhat. After all it was only one year that the Walmart "Black Friday" stampede actually injured and killed people. And Walmart, owned by the wealthiest family in Missouri, buys most of its merchandise offshore.

Starting into 2014 now, how can we begin to come together as citizens and voters to change ourselves into a different sort of voting public, one that insists that party loyalty is not loving the citizenry enough? Personally I would love a kick-them-out campaign that promises candidates they have to grow up to the realities what we face here. But that is too negative to fly. Even though it might be a lot of fun!

To me the biggest world wide issue will be the environment until several generations from now. Fossil fuels are fossilized thinking. We as a nation will likely increase famine and starvation throughout the world if we do not come up with real solutions that include grade A heritage seeds and sustainable power like wind, solar and water. Energy use must fall, particularly in the USA, with the use of mass transit, and trains like the ones in Europe that crisscross the whole continent. President Obama has led us in this direction; but investors still love dirty coal, whether used here or shipped to China. Black smog in China is already legendary and it affects the Whole Planet, not just one continent.

So I am hoping we can all resolve to bring working solutions to the United States Congress this year, including warning them that we do vote!