HeiressofBickworth
HeiressofBickworth's JournalOk, folks, let's call a spade a spade
What's going on in congress right now is nothing less than a revolution. It started some time ago when republican state houses gerrymandered districts to be safe for only republicans. The result is the "soft" revolution going on now. Their goal is to disrupt, destroy and dismantle every government department or policy that doesn't fit their particularly narrow view of the world. They are fueled by many factors: racial hatred, religious hatred, social status hatred. Note that the one connecting thought is "hatred". I have for some time thought that the republican party offered a haven for bigots, zealots, and people angry with their own lives. This ultra-right wing of a right wing party has some political power and they now are able to openly exercise their demons and cause pain to others. Since it is my belief that their adherence to their party is a manifestation of psychological illnesses, I don't believe there is anything we can do to persuade them to be responsible citizens or humanitarians. So what do we do in response to this revolution?
I think I've calmed down enough to write about this rationally
Maybe.
In July, I filled a prescription for insulin pens - 5 to a box - I was charged a $45 co-pay. Two days ago, I refilled the prescription - same 5 pen box - and was charged $90. Being more than curious about the difference in price, I started making phone calls. First the pharmacy who blew me off by saying it was an insurance matter. Next, called the insurance carrier, who, I must say, handled their end of it quite well. There was no insurance issue. So, the insurance person got the pharmacy on the phone and we finally got to the answer:
I changed doctors. The July prescription was written with a non-specific dose, conditioned on my blood sugar level. I was charged $45. The new doctor wrote it for a specific dose. The pharmacy took it upon themselves to calculate that at this specific dose, the box of 5 pens should last 60 days -- and then charged me $90 for a sixty day prescription. Now we're talking about the same 5-pen box. The size of the box and number of pens has not changed which means the wholesale cost to the pharmacy hasn't changed. But they were seeking, apparently, to increase their profit margin on a box of 5 pens. It would also appear, by this logic, if a doctor wrote a prescription for a lesser amount which the pharmacy calculated to three months, one would be charged three times the amount -- for the SAME FUCKING BOX OF 5.
I used every analogy I could think of to make my point, to no avail. They were determined to have their increased profit on that damned fucking box of 5 pens. Ok, seems I'm still angry.....................................
I was camped at a KOA outside Santa Fe NM
One of our party went to the office to mail a postcard and came back saying something had happened in NYC. We had no TV, no internet, no phones. We broke camp and left for Albuquerque. The radio worked for a while, but when we were between cities, there was no signal. Since we were camping and not staying in motels, we were isolated from the shock and sorrow for a couple of days. I remember odd things: going to a museum in Albuquerque and being asked if we were stranded -- people who were stranded due to no flights were given free access to the museum. Seeing military vehicles around - probably due to the proximity of the atomic bomb facilities. The Atomic museum was closed -- somehow I found that funny -- like anyone was going to go to the museum, steal the secrets and bomb the country. We picked up the local newspaper but somehow, it didn't adequately describe the devastation. It was three days later when we were in Holbrook AZ that I called home and my daughter gave me the details. She was shocked that I had so little information. As a result of where I was during the attacks, I have never felt the same fear and horror that other people describe. I was filled with sadness and to this day, I cry thinking of the horrible fate of the people who were killed. And after 12 years, I am heavily saddened by the changes to our way of life and our civil rights -- the terrorists won after all.
I don't think it matters who was responsible
because I'm more concerned about who will pay for any reprisal by us. A missile strike won't affect Assad's power structure nor will it change the rebels actions. Some poor schmucks at a village market, women/children/elders, will be hit and we'll claim it as merely "collateral damage". We've done the same thing in Afghanistan, Yemen, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan to name a few -- always managing to kill civilians in the process. When a missile strike will not stop the civil war going on in Syria and we run the extremely high risk of killing innocent civilians, we as a country should avoid actions that will only make things worse.
And secondly, we haven't recovered from the Bush debacle in Iraq -- we don't have the resources to police the world. If Syria's neighbors aren't acting, we certainly shouldn't.
DAMN!
I gave up shrimp because of the filth they are raised in in Thailand
I gave up tilapia because of the filth they are raised in in Mexico
I gave up anything coming out of the Gulf of Mexico because of the carcinogen Corexit applied after the oil spill
I gave up beef liver because the antibiotics fed to cows collect in the liver
I gave up drinking milk because of the puss allowed in infected udders
I'm suspicious of fish because cheaper fish (like tilapia) is sometimes switched for the better fish you think you are buying
AND NOW I HAVE TO GIVE UP CHICKEN!!!!
What the hell is left for us carnivores?
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Gender: Do not displayCurrent location: Snohomish County, WA
Member since: Wed May 18, 2011, 02:12 AM
Number of posts: 2,682
