Don’t forget today is the last day to file to run for municipal office in your town. The filing period ends at noon. Go to the Randolph County Board of Elections at 158 Worth St. Asheboro to file your paperwork.

 

FEDERAL:

Well, we knew it would be back. Republicans in Congress are still pushing to pass a healthcare bill which has nothing to do with “health” or “care,” well, unless you’re one of the 400 wealthiest people in the country. Then they’ll bend over backwards and kiss your feet.

I know you’re getting tired of me nagging you about healthcare. Believe me, I’m getting fed up with it too. But until we have buried this thing and until Congressional Republicans are done trying to pass these horrible pieces of legislation, we cannot stop.

Keep calling, keep writing, keep emailing, texting, tweeting, Facebooking, Instagraming and protesting until they are done with this folly.

Contact your state and federal elected officials

 

Today is National Call-in Day to Save Healthcare

The Senate’s efforts to repeal health care will destroy Medicaid for our country’s most vulnerable people and strip coverage from millions. These harmful proposals cannot be fixed with added sweeteners, try as Senate Republican leaders might. Tell your senators to vote no on the motion to proceed and to reject any effort to repeal the health law.

 

The Human Cost of Congress’ Antipathy toward the Poor and Sick

I have an article for you from 2010. As you probably know, Senator John McCain, Republican from Arizona, was just a couple of days ago, diagnosed with glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer. Notice below how in 2010 a young man who had the same form of brain cancer was treated by the Senator. Caveat: Senator McCain’s comments are unverified, as they were part of correspondence with the woman in the article. You may choose to believe or not believe her about what was said. I will say that the actions of Republican Senators do indeed reflect this level of callousness.

I don’t wish ill on Senator McCain, I wish enlightenment instead. I wish enlightenment and compassion and empathy and sympathy to rule his life from now on. He gets a lot of accolades for his survival as a prisoner of war. I’d rather give him accolades for being a champion for the survival of other Americans and for protecting them from things that kill many more people than the Viet Cong ever did.

 

LBJ on Medicare

I just wanted to throw this article out there, too, because for one thing, it’s got some great quotes from President Lyndon Johnson about healthcare and for another, it’s contemporary to John McCain’s tenure as a POW.

When It Came To Medicare Costs LBJ Concluded “What’s $400 Million Between Friends!”

“You want to put in another $400 or $500 million?  What did I say about it? I said we had an old judge in Texas one time…we called him Al Caldy…old Al Caldy Roberts, and he said, when they talked to him one time that he might’ve abused the Constitution and he said, ‘What’s the Constitution between friends?’  And I say ‘Tell Wilbur that $400 million’s not going to separate us friends when it’s for health.’”

 

So that brings us around to…

Not content to only screw us with their “healthcare” plan, they plan to utilize their budget to stick it to Medicare and Social Security recipients. Remember, Speaker Paul Ryan has been dreaming about cutting Medicaid since he was going to keggers in college. And thank goodness he never had to partake of that horrible Socialist Security program.  Oh, wait….

House GOP Budget Plan Cuts Medicare and Social Security

 

And finally, a very good opinion piece from the editorial board of the Charlotte Observer:

The last big Republican lie on health care – THE OBSERVER EDITORIAL BOARD

“Don’t believe Republicans about their health care solutions, because they have too often misled Americans about what their legislation would accomplish.”

 

Once again…

Contact your state and federal elected officials

 

In other depressing news:

Stop Betsy DeVos and her attacks on civil rights (Petition)

“DeVos is taking aim at the Department of Education’s vital Office of Civil Rights, which enforces numerous protections against discrimination in schools. They’ve even suggested gutting enforcement of Title IX, protecting women’s rights in college.

DeVos is re-examining the emphasis that the Office of Civil Rights places on investigating campus sexual assault — with the likely intent of helping more men get away with these crimes.

She has also said that the Office of Civil Rights will “scale back” all kinds of investigations, including into racial discrimination, bias against LGBT students, and other discriminatory acts against women.

Then her deputy in charge of the Office of Civil Rights, Candice Jackson, made horrible comments suggesting that most campus sexual assaults are made up.”

 

And finally, some good stuff:

Check Out Alison & Stephanie’s Small Victories Newsletter – sometimes the little things count the most.

For more calls to action, visit Jen Hoffman’s Weekly Activism Checklist – don’t forget the acts of gratitude

Pod Save America – this is one of the funniest but most informative podcasts I’ve listened to. Be a friend of the pod. Give it a try if you’re into the podcast thing. There’s also Pod Save the People about social justice and activism, Pod Save the World about foreign policy, With Friends Like These about the things that divide us and bring us together and Lovett or Leave It which is a weird and hilarious panel discussion, game show and current events class all in one.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Visit our new and improved calendar for more events coming up!

Lunch & Learn is back! – Pete Glidewell, former candidate for NC’s 6th District, will be joining us to talk about Gerrymandering. Join us at the Asheboro Library in the downstairs meeting room at 12PM on Monday August 14th.

RC Democratic Women’s Monthly Breakfast Meeting – August 26, 2017 9:30am at the Archdale Public Library 10433 S Main St, Archdale, NC 27263  Bring a breakfast item to share if you like.

SAVE THE DATE: 9th Annual Defending Democracy Blue Jean Gala – Saturday September 23, 2017, 6:00PM – The Exchange 204 S Fayetteville St, Asheboro, NC  Speakers and entertainment to be announced.