Entitlements?

I apologize in advance if this post is long. I have covered many areas of contention, so please read to the end.

During the election season Ive seen many of my friends make posts that make them seem like, for lack of a better word, jackholes.

You see, I have liberal friends, and I have conservative friends. At times, both sides make generalizations and assumptions that flabbergast me. Sometimes these posts make my brain want to explode.

But right now…..its pretty much the conservative side that has done the generalizations and assumptions.

Depending on your ‘lean’ you might be one of the friends Im going to talk about.  I wont be calling you out by name though, since there are so many of you stating the same generalizations and assumptions.

Most, if not all, center around the entitlements argument.

*Welfare – First some history

Welfare programs similar to AFDC and food stamps existed since the early days in the United States (http://www.welfareinfo.org/history/) In reading the history in the link I provided, programs have pretty-much always existed to help those in need. In the 1930s Roosevelt enacted the Social Security Act and then it was amended to include the AFDC program that still exists today.

We can go further back to even state that programs to help the needy even existed in ‘biblical’ times. It is seen in Judaism and Islamic cultures as well as Christian cultures. (The New Testament even goes so far as to state that Jesus said to feel the hungry and take care of the sick)

Which brings me to the argument about President Obama and the ACA

* Heathcare

First of all, if you are religious, you SHOULD be wanting to take care of the sick, and conservatives…..just as an FYI, republicans were FOR an individualized health care mandate.

See video with Newt Gingrich and Hilary Clinton back in 2005

There is also a discussion regarding health care that makes me LIVID.

Yes, LIVID.

There is a belief that people who support the ACA are lazy and claiming they are entitled. Ill explain.

Those of us with multiple health issues or pre-existing conditions are not supposed to be turned down due to our health histories. While this is a partly true statement, insurance companies charge us out the wazoo for coverage that doesnt include the illnesses we will be treated for the most.

For instance: I have lupus and yet, health insurance would not pay for medications to treat the arthritis, steroids, anti-malarials etc that would be needed to treat that condition.

So, what would I get for my money? Apparently nothing……

Ive been told to apply for medicare. You need to be on disability to be approved for that program. In my case, to be approved for disability would mean that I can no longer work. (Funny how people suggest this considering their argument)

This is where the ACA benefits me directly. No longer will I have to pay the extraordinary cost to begin with because of my health issues, but that coverage would pay for the medications and treatments I would need.

And you know what? I could STILL work FULL TIME and receive these health benefits.

ADMISSION – Ive been on Medicaid because the cheapest insurance I could get was well over $2000 a month and wouldnt cover ANY of the medications I needed to take on a regular basis. Some of you have called me a mooch who is claiming ENTITLEMENT! ENTITLEMENT! because yes, I HAVE worked since I was 16 and I SHOULD be able to afford to keep myself alive.

* Abuses

I will not act like there arent people on social programs who arent abusing the system, because we all know thats not the facts. But we dont know those people or how they got into the situation that led them into the social service office.

We all hear those stories about the lady in the grocery store with 4 kids and food stamps getting into a nice car…..but whos to say she wasnt just recently dumped by her significant other and left penny-less? Whos to say that her husband wasnt recently killed? We dont know how long shes been using food stamps and we dont know how long shes had that nice car. Stop judging people you dont know!

* The luxury of having internet service

For the last two days, I have heard this phrase more than I can even count. Even this morning this phrase was posted in a discussion on my facebook wall.

FACT – We live in a time in which our schools expect our kids to have a computer and access to the internet.

It is a fact that high schools do not have the necessary accommodations or time to allow students to do their work on site. (Remembering how my daughter used to be up til midnight to work on school work)

It is also a fact that even the nicest public libraries do not have enough computers on site to accommodate every student, nor do they allow access for long periods of time if there are other students waiting to use those computers.

Local colleges (including community colleges) usually do not allow high school students access to their computers because they arent students of the school. They also do not allow these kids to check out library books…..

This morning, a friend of mine said that schools should provide computers. It was then that I did actually laugh out loud. Tax payer dollars pay for those supplies. Her response was that this was different. Education money is different than individual money…..

* Free Cell Phones / Obama phones

One has to scratch their head when people start talking about Obama phones. This program can be traced as far back as 1934 with The Telecommunications Act. There were specific provisions to ensure that everyone had access to phone services.

The Lifeline plan was started in 1984 (Ronald Reagan was President at that time) It was further expanded in 1996 (Bill Clinton was President at that time) to ensure that low income and rural citizens had access to these services (http://www.factcheck.org/2009/10/the-obama-phone/) In 1997, they added cellular services. And, furthermore, the Safelink program that everyone likes to associate with President Obama was started under President Bush.

It should be also noted that taxpayer dollars do NOT pay for these phones. The program is fully funded through the telecommunications industry.(http://www.fcc.gov/guides/universal-service-support-mechanisms)

* Lack of empathy

Without going specifically into the Presidential election and differences between the candidates, I can only gather to guess that those who voted against the principles outlines above have a lack of empathy.

And before you start in on the attack for that statement, let me explain…

I paid attention to the election. I listened when one of the candidates actually gave statements like (and Im paraphrasing) making $250000 a year is middle class, ask your parents for a loan, take the money from your savings…..

Those statements are why those of us who live paycheck to paycheck without savings or having rich parents voted for the other candidate.

 

I can see Russia from here!

So after all the hype, I finally was able to watch a couple clips of Sarah Palin’s new show on TLC. (Clips here in case youre interested:  http://tlc.discovery.com/videos/sarah-palin-alaska/ )

So…..political pundits, what do you have to say? Nevermind, Im sorry I asked…..

I have no idea how this woman thinks that basically being the head of tourism for the cold state of Alaska (probably not a real position) can be turned into a presidential run in the future. Since when do our politicians turn into Travel Network reporters?

How can ANYONE who is serious about politics be a fan of THIS?

How can any self-respecting woman watch this and STILL take this Palin chick seriously? (yea, there are people who take her seriously)

Unfortunately, the former VP candidate, who claims to ‘leave her family out of it’, appears to be using this exact family to promote herself in this show. She is the EXACT example of hypocrisy! You cannot bring your family to the forefront like this and then expect no one to talk about them.

One last thing…..ya know that line that Tina Fey made famous? Ya know….the one about seeing Russia from her house? I think (dont quote me on it tho) Tina Fey made that line up without Palin actually saying it. Until now. Yep, Palin does say this idiotic line that -(wait for it)- made her a complete joke in the first place!

I know that laughing at yourself can be fun…..but really?

Please America – Spare us from Sarah Palin.

Real conservatives are asking for your help 🙂

 

My problem with Sarah Palin

Lets be honest….I started out liking Sarah Palin when she was chosen to run as the republican vice-presidential running mate of John McCain. As a conservative, she sort-of ‘legitimized’ the republican ticket….beings that McCain is more of what you would call, a rino (republican in name only). The first thing I can say that I still respect her for is that she is pro-life. She had the opportunity to abort a child that knowingly would be born with Down Syndrome, but carried him to term despite this knowledge.

However, soon thereafter came warning signs that she was not what we thought she was.

Granted, during the campaign, most of what was picked on were purely political attacks….to which I can only say, SOMEONE – ANYONE should have worked with her regarding the media. Im sure that part of her problems now could have been nipped in the bud W-A-Y back then, because she certainly hasnt improved in this arena. (writing on her hand, not responding directly to questions)

One of the biggest issues I have with Sarah Palin is that she quit midway thru her term as Governor of Alaska. Now, today I had a disagreement with someone I know personally, because apparently the words I should have used is Palin resigned….HOWEVER, the fact remains that her constituents elected her to serve a term, which is 4 years – and she only served 2. She resigned on her own accord. She is no longer the Governor of Alaska, is she? Therefore, it doesnt matter what you call it, she choose to walk away from this responsibility.

This is the snarky comment I posted that led to the conversation: http://twitter.com/sfaulstich/status/22364956559

And here is the definition of quit on dictionary.com:  http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/quit You will notice that the 3rd one on the list mentions resign 🙂

I am sorry to say, that during the conversation/debate it was stated that my argument was a democratic argument…..which completely perplexed me. Anyone who knows me (which they do) knows that I do not argue on a partisan level. I hate that crap!

And this leads right into my other problem with Palin….and well Glenn Beck. Both have inserted themselves into the tea party rally crowd as well as this odd new type of rally that is popping up.

The original tea party rallies were held over a decade ago by true non-partisan, independent, (do I need more adjectives?) people who were fed up with how big our government was getting and the fact that our freedoms were being taken, little by little. Most conservatives call these people hippies or liberals (or even worse). Most of the founding tea party activists are now with organizations like We Are Change and are leading the 9/11 truth movement these days. Today the non-partisan movement that is known as the tea parties, is filled with so-called conservatives and followers of Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin.

The tea parties and rallies that figures like Glenn Beck are leading, bring in those who have a partisan political agenda. There is no way for someone who is truly non-partisan and Taxed Enough Already to feel comfortable in that type of setting.

However, just what was Becks rally supposed to do? You have people who could be actually working for a viable candidate by knocking on doors, sign-waving, or making phone calls standing in the grass in the middle of DC……Way to go ralliers! You certainly showed the country just how active and participatory you can be!!!

Oh, and one more thing……Im not gonna stop calling em like I see em because she endorsed a candidate I also prefer. (Re: Murphy for Gov) That isnt the correct reason to like or respect anyone!

On the contrary, many people probably will overlook this candidate because of her endorsement. If you dont believe that there is a true conservative backlash to Sarah Palin, you havent been paying attention.

I just ask that you really look into who you are defending and see where people are coming from. This woman has inserted herself into situations that she doesnt need to. Her comments make no sense sometimes and make her look foolish. This is not a partisan statement. This is fact.