I Just Don’t Get It
This is a political post.
If interested, please scroll down.
I have done several posts about how the Democratic party has spent decades helping the American people. Democrats:
- Created social security.
- Created Medicare.
- Created Medicaid.
- Created a minimum wage.
- Created a 40-hour work week.
- Created subsidized housing for people with very low incomes.
- Created food stamps for people in financial trouble (for several months in the late 1960s, my own family was on food stamps while my carpenter father struggled to find work in an economic downturn).
- Create meals-on-wheels.
- Created the Civil Rights Act.
- Created the Americans with Disabilities Act
- Desegregated the military.
And the Democratic party supports:
- Stopping global warming.
- The LGBT community.
- Equal right for everybody.
- A woman’s right to choose.
- A free press.
- Science.
- America’s long-standing allies. Democrats do NOT support dictators.
And what has the Republican party done to help the America people?
I have been asking this question for two years on this blog…and have yet to receive a reply.
Oh, but there is one thing the Republican party has done for the American people. Well, the very very very richest Americans: in 2017 super-duper rich people got a $1.9 trillion tax cut. And GOP senators in Congress could not vote fast enough for the cobbled-together bill.
And what did GOP senators do today? Every one of them refused to vote for the $1.9 trillion Covid relief plan, even though the plan is supported by 75% of Americans and, incredibly, even 60% of Republican voters.
In short, the GOP Congress just told 99.9% of Americans to fuck off, including the majority of their own constituents.
And this is what they always do.
So, if you are a Republican, and if you are not part of the 1% richest of the rich, why do you keep voting for a party which continually shits on America?
I just do not get it.
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I don’t get it either Ross. Everything you said is true.
My two guesses are racism and Stockholm Syndrome. Otherwise I got nothin’.
There’s a third thing, too.
Delusion.
I’m serious.
Most Republicans I know like their party and Trump for reasons 100% detached from reality. And NOTHING I show them or explain gets through.
“I know what I know.”
Exactly Ross! My own parents tell me word for word what has been reported on Fox News and when I try to debunk it, I’m told “that isn’t true”. My mom tells me she can’t stand tRump, yet she voted for him. Why? I can only guess because talking to her about it makes me feel like I’m crazy! She has said she’s going to change parties and become an independent voter again. At least it’s a move from blindly following a party that seems to be based on finding and supporting conspiracy theories to becoming more informed.
Right there with ya, Ross… my husband and I have always done OK and have never needed assistance before, but we had no problem with knowing that our tax dollars might go to help those who need it. However, we know people with substantially lower incomes who vote Republican as though they’re desperately protecting their own financial interests against those who might ask for an undeserved handout. And of course, you have those deeply red states with the highest levels of poverty… and they’re voting to keep millionaires in charge of what gets given out to people in need. I have to agree with RAinNC… racism probably plays a big role in it.
I also grew up in circumstances that required a little bit of government assistance – my dad died when I was 9 and my mom’s secretarial job pay was low enough that we got food assistance for a while. She worked two jobs until her real estate career took off. And we are now facing (in our 60s) my husband’s first job layoff ever, after a 41 year very good career. Thank God there is subsidized medical insurance available in our state, because COBRA for a family of 3 would have cost premiums of almost $2,000 per month, hitting us just as our daughter needs college tuition starting in the fall. I know we are SO much better off than most – I have no idea how other families in those red states handle this… and yet they’ll keep voting against their own interests.
Thank you, Beth. BIG hug!
Get SNAP if you qualify. In NYC for example they used to torture you to get it but it’s not a big deal now. No counting of assets or savings. Every state is different though. It’s our little bitty American Democratic Socialist semi UBI deal for some people.
I have never understood Republicans. But now they seem to be just off the tin foil hat charts in their beliefs. I do believe that for the most part it is racism. When I think about people I know who are die hard republicans they also are very white and seem to lean towards racism. It is so sad. You have laid it out so well, I truly enjoy your political posts because you and I seem to be on the exact same page!
Thank you, Judy!
Everyone I know who votes GOP votes that way for 2 reasons:
Gun rights and Pro-Life, and “owning the libs”
OK, that’s 3 reasons. (Maybe two and a half.)
But as long as the GOP panders to those two issues, they’ll get votes. Even if it is demonstrably against that voter’s best long- and short-term interests.
Definitely not saying I agree; only that for some, these are the only two issues that matter.
I mostly agree, Thad.
And, ironically, more abortions happen when Republicans are in change than Democrats. This is because Democrats work hard to provide information, contraceptives, and so on.
Also, the “pro-life” party has, this past year, proven to be the pro-death party.
Thad, do you live in southern Illinois? That is the exact logic 70% of our neighbors here use to justify their belief system. I have lost so many life-long friends over the past 4-5 years; I struggled during the Trump “reign” to overlook their prejudices in the interest of keeping the peace, but now that my party is in, they attack like a pack of rabid dogs whenever they get the chance.
I am one of the awful people that never watched the news because it would make me anxious, was always bad news, about corrupt people, had lost faith in political leaders, etc.. However, I’ve been a CNN fan since the election, as I still can’t believe trump was elected pres! I thought it was a joke! – which it was. I sincerely hope all the lawsuits against him strip him of whatever he has left (which I don’t think is nearly what people think he has as he’s an awful business man – how he did business is amazing to me when the man can barely read! I actually got embarrassed when I watched him and cannot grasp how people can believe anything he says. He’s done nothing to help everyone which is why over a half million are dead from this virus. I’m appalled at how repub’s pander to him; what must the people hurt by this virus and job and business losses think of the people they elected? How can they support them? It’s beyond my comprehension. I pray nightly for those in dire straits. (Just saw the bill passed the senate by 1 vote.) I’m so lucky I live in a small town in Iowa. You r right on the mark with your comments.
Well put…makes my mind hurt.
Well, I am a registered Republican, so I imagine none of you want to hear from me, but I have a couple of things that some people might want to think about.
First, if anyone’s still reading, let me say that I’ve been a bi-partisan voter for over three decades, and if all my votes were tallied, they’d fall fairly evenly between the two main parties. That is because I vote for individuals, not “groups” – ie, political parties.
That said, I found it unbelievably disappointing to read Ross’s comment on February 14 That “The Republican party is a threat to democracy and America.” That implies what is becoming clearer and clearer every day: That “dissenting voices” are no longer tolerated by “the left.’ It also shows that Ross apparently believes that all people should be judged by the group to which they belong – ie, in this case, Republicans, or worse, God forbid, anyone who dared vote for Trump.
Does anyone recall the McCarthy hearings of the 1950’s? When people who were suspected of being communists – or even merely associated with people suspected of being communists – were drummed out of careers, black-listed and lost their livelihoods? Up until recently, most Americans seemed to believe that was wrong – a dark chapter in our history – I know I did, and still do. But it seems lately that people who don’t tow the line with liberal thought are universally regarded as racists, deplorables, Neanderthals, and white supremacists – and publicly vilified.
When is someone going to call a halt to this craziness and stand up for the freedom of thought and freedom of speech that forms the foundation for our country? Why isn’t anyone denouncing those who want to stifle thought and speech?
People, we need to take a few steps back and re-learn our history – both in America and the world. When only one political viewpoint is allowed, it leads to the worst horrors in history: Soviet Russia, Nazi Germany, and several South American countries to name a few.
There are valid arguments against yesterday’s covid bill, and and there are other perspectives on the January 6 events, and indeed, on many issues over the past decade and more, but we don’t need to debate them here.
What is important – what is the greatest “threat to democracy and America” – is the silencing of dissenting voices, and the intolerance for opinions with which one disagrees. Only through our our diversity and our varied thoughts and perspectives , and our willingness to consider viewpoints other than our own, and our ability to remember and learn from our history and our mistakes will our country continue to remain a beacon to the world.
Dear Barbara,
Well, I’m delighted to hear from you.
May I address some of your concerns?
Because I live in Kansas, I know many Republicans. And I talk with them. Or, I try. For, when I make a point they don’t want to hear the response will often be SQUIRREL!
And that is just what you did.
I wrote this post. But you didn’t respond to what I wrote. Rather, you shouted SQUIRREL! And then pointed to something I wrote on February 14. You also did another Republican thing: you put words in my mouth.
Yes, it’s true that I wrote this in February: “The Republican party is a threat to democracy and America.”
What you suggested though is NOT true: “It also shows that Ross apparently believes that all people should be judged by the group to which they belong”
For, I don’t believe that. As I stated, I know many Republicans. Most are good people. They are not a threat to Democracy and America.
But their party is. And for reasons I detailed in my February post.
You also wrote: “dissenting voices” are no longer tolerated by “the left.”
This is the new Republican talking point! Yet…it has no basis in fact. And you are just repeating such nonsense.
The reality is that while free speech is guaranteed in the Constitution, there are several caveats:
1) This right prevents government from trying to suppress free speech.
2) Government CAN however suppress some free speech. For example, a person can shout “the president is an idiot” and the government cannot suppress this. But, if a person shouts that they plan to kill the president, they might find themselves in jail. Ditto for, even jokingly, shouting fire in a theater, or saying “I’ve got a bomb” on a plane.
3) Freedom of speech does NOT apply to private companies. Non-government companies CAN suppress speech. They can also demand that you wear clothes, shoes, and a mask upon entering their business.
And, yes, non-government companies have been suppressing speech of late. But not for the reasons you allege.
Twitter and Facebook, for example. Each is a private company, and each has been suspending accounts not because the account holder is a Conservative (which Fox news keeps screaming), but rather for threatening acts of violence (We should kill Nancy Pelosi!), for damaging Democracy (the election was stolen!), or for endangering public health (Covid is fake! The vaccines don’t work!).
You wrote: “When is someone going to call a halt to this craziness and stand up for the freedom of thought and freedom of speech that forms the foundation for our country?”
Actually, America was founded on crushing freedom of thought and crushing freedom of speech. Such freedoms were, yes, allowed to white men, and even more so to wealthy white men. But free thought and freedom was resoundingly denied to slaves, women, and poor people. Women and slaves were, too, denied voting.
And, today, Conservatives are still working to deny me, a gay man, equal rights. Conservatives are fine with bakeries or florists denying me service, county clerks refusing to issue me a marriage license, and so on.
You present this issue as something wicked “the Left” is doing when the facts prove that “the Right” has been profoundly active in crushing free speech and freedom:
1) After we invaded Iraq in 2003, the Dixie Chicks condemned this. They were VILIFIED by the Right and Right-wing media. In addition, anybody who critiqued the invasion or Bush was VILIFIED by the Right. I was there. I remember.
2) When Kathy Griffin—a comedian, FFS—held up a severed fake head which looked like Trump, the Right LOST ITS MIND. Trump even ordered the government to go after Griffin. She was put on a no-fly list, and all her American bookings were cancelled. What she went through was harrowing, and she only avoided total destruction by doing shows in Europe. In short, she was run out of her own country by the Right.
3) By contrast, when people on the Right routinely showed images of Obama in a noose during his presidency, Republicans said nary a word.
4) One Million Moms is run by a Republican, Monica Cole. She regularly advocates boycotting companies who run any kind of Liberal message.
5) When Justin Amash, a U.S. Republican representative criticized Trump, he was run out of the party.
6) After the November election, when a small number of Republicans stated that Biden had, indeed, won the election, they were attacked, censured, and vilified by their fellow Republicans.
7) And Trump? He has sent out countless attacks upon Liberals, Nancy Pelosi, Hillary, Obama and, well, the list is endless. He also attacks Republicans who disagree with him.
I can easily make this list pages long.
Barbara, while reading your post I kept thinking:
It’s 1935. I’m in Germany. I’m Jewish. And somebody is telling me that I should be open to the thoughts and perspectives of Nazis.
It is, of course, 2021. Yet, for years now I’ve watched in horror as the Republican party has repeatedly attacked Democracy, attacked minorities, attacked immigrants, attacked the LGBTQ community, attacked our long-term allies, attacked the health of the global environment, attacked science, attacked a free press (Fake News!), attacked facts, attacked health care for the American people, and attacked education.
Yet, you ask that we be open to the thoughts and perspectives of such people?
You know, I am open to different thoughts and perspectives. However, I am not and never will be open to equating good and evil.
I repeat: I am not and never will be open to equating good and evil.
As an example: Let’s say I own a restaurant. One day a man walks in. He’s wearing a T-shirt with a swastika on it. He then starts shouting: “KILL ALL JEWS!” Should I be open to his thoughts and perspectives? Or should I throw his ass out? I would, with zero compunction, do the latter. What would you do in such a situation?
But enough of SQUIRREL!
You wrote: “There are valid arguments against yesterday’s covid bill”
I don’t doubt that. All bills are flawed. But you didn’t address the point of my post:
1) Every GOP senator voted against helping the American people during an unprecedented crisis.
2) In 2017, GOP senators voted—gleefully—for giving huge tax breaks to people already obscenely rich, and to huge corporations.
These two actions reveal the rot of the Republican party: Support the very rich, and fuck everybody else.
Meanwhile, the Democratic party is continuing its long history of actually helping people, as I detailed in this post.
And this begs three questions, Barbara.
1) Why are you still a member of a party which does nothing to help the vast majority of people?
2) Why are you still a member of a party which is actively harming the vast majority of people?
3) Why aren’t you a member of the party which has a long history of helping the vast majority of people?
Why?
You wrote: “and there are other perspectives on the January 6 events.”
That gave me a chill, Barbara. What possible other perspective might there be (a perspective grounded in Democracy, decency, and honor)? Right-wing terrorists ATTACKED the Capitol, KILLED and INJURED people, caused massive DAMAGE, and SCARED the shit out of people working in the building. What possible other perspective could there be???????
Also, last year our intelligence agencies declared that white supremacists are the #1 danger to America. And the entire globe then saw this play out on 1/6/21.
I fear for what will be next.
Ross, sadly, the tone of your response proved my point. And your unwillingness to respond in a civil manner to my comments speaks volumes.
I don’t believe it is government’s primary function to “do for people”, but rather to create the environment in which people have the opportunity to do for themselves. I worked in government agencies for 30+ years, and saw close up how the agencies designed to “help people” did more to create an attitude of dependence than to help people get on their feet and provide for themselves.
Maybe you could be specific as to how Republicans are “actively harming the vast majority of people”?
And why the outrage at January 6 but total silence about the destruction, loss of life and “terror” caused by months of riots during 2020?
Good morning, Barbara!
You wrote: “your unwillingness to respond in a civil manner…”
My response is civil. I did not call you names. I did not tell you to fuck off. Or anything like that. I did however thoroughly disagree with you. But somebody disagreeing does not = uncivility.
You wrote: “I don’t believe it is government’s primary function to “do for people”…”
And now I understand why you’re a Republican!
You do not want government to help 99.9% of Americans. But it’s OK to hand $1.9 trillion over to obscenely rich people to help them. Got it! This is classic Republicanism!
You wrote: “Maybe you could be specific as to how Republicans are “actively harming the vast majority of people”?”
I’m confused. I detailed this in my post above, in my response to you, and in my February 14th post. To repeat:
“For years now I’ve watched in horror as the Republican party has repeatedly attacked Democracy, attacked minorities, attacked immigrants, attacked the LGBTQ community, attacked our long-term allies, attacked the health of the global environment, attacked science, attacked a free press (Fake News!), attacked facts, attacked health care for the American people, and attacked education.”
Also, I’ve been asking readers for two years to name a single thing the Republican party has done to help Americans, save giving massive tax giveaways to the super rich. I’ve yet to get a response.
You wrote: “And why the outrage at January 6 but total silence about the destruction, loss of life and “terror” caused by months of riots during 2020?”
This is yet another Republican talking point! And it’s creepy. Really creepy. And for numerous reasons:
1) You are trying to rationalize away the horror of 1/6.
2) In 2020 there were two distinct groups: protestors and rioters. The former was almost exclusively peacefully protesting systematic violence against Blacks by the police. The latter intends damage and fear. Rioters travel to cities where they know a BLM protest will be and cause damage, knowing this will be blamed on the peaceful protestors. Just as you did.
3) Many of the people involved in the 2020 riots (note that I didn’t use the word protests) traveled to Michigan where they stormed its Capitol and intended to kidnap the Democratic governor and murder her.
4) Many of these rioters, having completed a successful test run in Michigan, then traveled to DC on 1/6 to storm the US Capitol with the intention of overthrowing Democracy.
Yet, you equate peaceful protests against systematic violence upon Blacks with trying to overthrow the government? Really? Really?
I was asking for the specific “attacks” you are referring to, not more vague unsubstantiated allegations.
And, I’m still confused – are you condoning the permissive attitude toward the violence over the summer, or not?
Again, Republicans as a group generally believe in doing their best to create an environment in which everyone has the ability to attain their potential, to find work to support their families, to establish businesses without fear of looting, to live and work in neighborhoods without fear of being burned out or attacked as they walk down their street.
Republicans, again, if I may generalize, understand that few societal problems are resolved by more and bigger government – particularly on a federal level. Just throwing out $$ hither and yon with no idea where it is going does not solve problems.
I am personally aware of a number of individuals who had jobs, but elected to stay home specifically in order to collect the enhanced unemployment benefits (an extra $600 per week, for God’s sake!) which far exceeded their basic salary. That, while medical professionals and first responders did not have the luxury of sitting home – nor of receiving an extra $600 per week for putting themselves at risk.
Finally, I am not “rationalizing” anything. An open mind would see that.
Dear Barbara,
You asked: “are you condoning the permissive attitude toward the violence over the summer, or not?”
I never condone violence.
Curiously though, when right-wing white terrorists attacked the Michigan Capitol, the police largely stood down.
Did you condone that? I didn’t.
Also, Barbara, what you believe about the Republican party isn’t backed by reality.
You wrote: “Republicans as a group generally believe in doing their best to create an environment in which everyone has the ability to attain their potential…”
No, they don’t. Your party actively undercuts an environment for people to do well. I can give you many dozens of examples but will, instead, offer just one: Your party has gone to great lengths to deny people universal health care, something that all other “first-world” countries have. So, if a person without health insurance is hit with a heart attack, or gets cancer, and they become homeless as a result of crippling health costs, HOW is that helping people to attain their potential????????
Yet, your party, which is determined to deny people access to universal health care, giddily gave the super-rich a $1.9 trillion tax cut. While at the same time trying to end Meals on Wheels!
You also seem to believe that Republicans simply want small government.
Barbara, do you know how much of the discretionary Federal budget is consumed by the military? A whopping 54%. More than HALF. Do you know how much Social Security, unemployment, and labor is, combined? A paltry 3%. Yet Republicans are always in favor of increasing the military budget. Just as Trump did. While at the same time trying to end Meals on Wheels.
People do well, Barbara, when they are not working three jobs, when they are not terrified of getting ill, when they can afford day care, and so on. Your party helps with none of this.
In my post, I listed 11 things which were created by Democrats to help the American people attain their best potential. By contrast, your party has done NOTHING to help 99.9% of Americans. Instead, your party has, as I’ve stated, repeatedly attacked Democracy, attacked minorities, attacked immigrants, attacked the LGBTQ community, attacked our long-term allies, attacked the health of the global environment, attacked science, attacked a free press (Fake News!), attacked facts, attacked health care for the American people, and attacked education. HOW, Barbara, does any of this help people attain their potential????????
It should be noted, too, that the states with people struggling the most are…states controlled by Republicans.
And, yes, you are working hard to rationalize horror.
Whatever you say, Ross.
Barbara, I am ALWAYS open to listening to and conversing with those whose opinions differ from mine… but seriously, what OTHER perspective could there possibly be on the January 6th Capitol attack? Those insurrectionists were armed to the teeth, screaming “Hang Mike Pence” and “Where’s Nancy?”… and they were NOT looking to have tea with the legislators. Had they found anyone, there would have been even more blood shed that day. Those violent and racist insurrectionists were looking to overthrow our government, and they would have done it by killing Congress members they disagreed with. There can be no other “perspective” on that.
Beth, I don’t in any way condone the actions on January 6. However, I do see the broad context that set the stage. After a summer of rioting, looting, attacks upon private citizens and police officers just trying to do their job, burning private and public property without apparent consequences, such behavior came to be seen as the “norm” among those pre-disposed to act in such a manner. There is no way to prove it now, but I firmly believe that if there had been prompt and meaningful responses and consequences to the summer riots, most of them would not have occurred, and the January 6 riot would not have occurred, either.
Barbara,
You are conflating two separate and distinct groups, as I previously pointed out.
Protestor: Such people protest systematic violence against Blacks by the police, and almost always peacefully.
Rioters: Such people intend damage and fear. Rioters travel to cities where they know a BLM protest will be and cause damage, knowing this will be blamed on the peaceful protestors. I have written about this previously.
In 2020, rioters stormed the Michigan Capitol and intended to kidnap the Democratic governor and murder her.
In 2021, rioters stormed the US Capitol and caused death, injury, and massive damage. They had planned to also murder Mike Pence and Nancy Pelosi.
I get it Ross – if you support them, they are protestors, if not, they are rioters.
Sigh.
Sigh.
Sigh.
Barbara, you took a real issue, a real problem, and just dismissed it as something of my imagination.
The Michigan Capitol WAS attacked. The people involved DID plan to kidnap and murder the Michigan governor.
The US Capitol WAS attacked. The people involved DID kill people, they DID cause injury, they DID cause damage, and they DID plan to murder Pence and Pelosi.
These people are rioters and terrorists. And many of these SAME people traveled across the US in 2020 to riot and cause damage.
It’s the same people, Barbara. The truth is right in front of you, yet you refuse to see it.
These rioters/terrorists are not BLM protestors.
Thank you, Beth.
IMO, trying to rationalize away the horror of 1/6 is like trying to rationalize away the Holocaust.
Horror is horror. It should never be excused.
I don’t get ‘it’ either. Do you realize that only 9% of that $1.9 trillion goes for covid relief? The rest?? Going to other countries and pet-pork-projects such as a subway tunnel for Pelosi’s district, a bridge to Canada for Schumer, and bail out money to Democrat-run states???? What’s that got to do with covid relief??? At the same time, Biden’s border policy is allowing covid-positive ‘migrants’ to board buses to everywhere while Americans on holiday in Mexico must prove covid-negative to return home. Isn’t this madness???
While we’re at it, how can you justify Biden’s executive order that allows males to compete against females in sports??
Ummm, wow, Sherry.
Can you supply me links to credible sources confirming all your statements?
It’s a long read, but…..
https://budget.house.gov/sites/democrats.budget.house.gov/files/documents/S%20Con%20Res%205%20Bill%20Final.pdf
Biden will soon reverse the ban on transgender people serving openly in the military. Good. But protecting transgender people from discrimination does not require rights to be removed from others.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/biden-s-trans-rights-agenda-is-bad-news-for-women
Dear Sherry.
Umm, wow, again.
You provide a link to a 591-page document to prove your assertions?
Seriously?
You know, you made a whole bunch of assertions. Can YOU go through all 591-pages and provide us the page numbers and paragraphs supporting your assertions?
Note: I’ve no doubt that there some nonsense in the bill ALL large bills include nonsense.
You also state: “protecting transgender people from discrimination does not require rights to be removed from others.”
Can you please explain what rights would be removed?
Umm, wow, is right. No one is reading it…..that’s how crap gets thru.
The rights of females to compete in sports against other females. You’ve seriously not seen the instances of high school and college women losing to males??
Sherry, I get the impression you watch a lot of Fox.
For, everything you’ve posted is stuff Fox is currently SCREAMING about. Fox loves to scream about things-that-don’t-really-matter to distract its viewers from what is really important.
Sigh.
For the record: No women is being denied the right to compete in sports.
Yes, there is an incredibly tiny number of transwomen competing in women’s sports. Yet you appear to think this is a HUGE issue.
I’m reminded of when white people freaked out when Blacks began entering traditional white-only sports. “But they have an advantage!”
Here’s a good article.
There wasn’t a ‘reply’ button on your last comment to me.
The so-far tiny amount of men of competing against women will definitely expand with the new law.
Never said women would lose their rights–but if the field fills up with ‘men’, they might as well go home.
Hi again, Sherry!
You wrote: “Never said women would lose their rights…”
But, you previously wrote: “But protecting transgender people from discrimination does not require rights to be removed from others.”
I previously asked you: “Can you please explain what rights would be removed?”
You replied: “The rights of females to compete in sports against other females.”
So, yes, you have stated that women will lose their rights to compete. And this is not true.
No, Ross…..they’ll be competing against men…..they’ll lose. So why bother? why try?? Girls are gonna lose against men so they’ll just not compete. It’s happening now in high schools, college and on some professional levels. Have you not seen the reporting of this??
@Sherry
Your insistence on referring to trans women as “men” is hateful, ignorant, prejudiced, and rude. Trans women are women. They are not “men pretending to be women”.
You keep saying that these women (who you continue to rudely refer to as “men”) are “competing against and beating women” but you haven’t yet posted any single source to prove that trans women are driving other women out of sports or that trans women are causing other women to lose out on anything.
Also I find it interesting that y’all are so fucking obsessed with trans women. First it was “men” in women’s bathrooms. Now it’s “men” in women’s sports. I notice none of y’all are saying anything about trans men competing against so called “real men” or trans men using men’s bathrooms. Why is that?
But back to my original point, and because I believe in backing up my statements with information, there’s this:
“Legislators in more than 20 states have introduced bills this year that would ban transgender girls from competing on girls’ sports teams in public high schools. Yet in almost every case, sponsors cannot cite a single instance in their own state or region where such participation has caused problems.”
https://apnews.com/article/lawmakers-unable-to-cite-local-trans-girls-sports-914a982545e943ecc1e265e8c41042e7
Thank you, again, Kara.
If you are ever in Emporia, post-Covid, please let me know. I’m taking you out to dinner!
Ross,
I’ll take you up on that someday! 🙂
K
Oh, and this….
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/fact-check-are-covid-positive-migrants-allowed-to-cross-southern-border-into-us/ar-BB1ehZmr
The Ruling
Half True.
Some migrants are tested before crossing the border. Those seeking entry through MPP must test negative in order to enter the country.
However, migrants picked up by CPB might not have been tested prior to crossing the border illegally. Since CBP officials will not test migrants, that task is left mostly to NGOs.
There currently is no system in place to track if migrants have been tested after they leave NGO shelters or CBP custody.
Sherry, I’m not going to join you in bashing immigrants.
Ross, I’m not ‘bashing immigrants’. I NEVER would do that.
What I wrote is true. My cousin and his wife spent a month in Mexico on holiday–they could not come back to the US without a negative test. Yet the migrants are being released into the US no matter what. Tested or not…..positive or not. That is NOT bashing. That is just wrong. We are trying to get our country back to work, back to healthy, back to normal.
Yes, Sherry, you ARE bashing immigrants.
You are focusing on a very tiny problem.
While ignoring the vastly greater threat to public safety: People refusing to wear a mask in America, and refusing to social distance.
And guess what? Most of these people are Republicans. And white.
But, sure, let’s go after the bad brown people.
So again, @Sherry:
“The Dept. of Homeland Security planned to use emergency funds to support efforts to test migrants in Border Patrol custody but, according to the network’s sources, Texas had not approved the grant.
Abbott responded in a statement shortly after the report, saying it’s the federal government’s responsibility to test and quarantine migrants.
“We will not aid a program that makes our country a magnet for illegal immigration,” Abbott said.”
So it looks like the Federal govt has allocated money and resources for testing these immigrants but Gov Abbott of Texas is refusing the funds and refusing to test them. Please explain to me how this is “Biden’s border policy”?
(Source: KXAN TV in Texas: https://www.kxan.com/news/texas-politics/fact-check-are-migrants-with-covid-19-being-released-into-texas/)
Thank you again, Kara!
I love you!
No, Ross, again (no reply button)… I am NOT bashing anyone.
It’s not a tiny problem. Thousands of people are being allowed in, some are sick. They are not required to quarantine.
Shouldn’t we get our country back on its feet??
Sherry, IMO you do seem to be bashing immigrants.
You ask: “Shouldn’t we get our country back on its feet??”
But you seem to equate this with immigrants.
So, yes, that comes across as bashing immigrants.
And while you are busy thinking the problem with America is brown immigrants, you are ignoring VASTLY larger issues:
1) America has been struggling, in large part, because many white Republicans refuse to wear masks or practice social distancing.
2) Many white Republicans governors refused to issue mask mandates.
3) This week, several white Republicans governors rescinded mask mandates and ALL Covid prevention measures.
4) As Kara already pointed out: “So it looks like the Federal govt has allocated money and resources for testing these immigrants but Gov Abbott of Texas is refusing the funds and refusing to test them.”
But, sure, blame brown immigrants.
It’s not ‘bashing’. Why do liberals say such things when they don’t like what a conservative says? There’s also ‘attacking’…..sheesh.
And this preoccupation with ones’ skin color??? ‘Brown people’??? Really??? So, all those white folks coming up from South America??? Brown? No, white–not everyone south of the border is brown.
White people bad….geez, louise, Ross. I work with all different colors of people, all races, and NO ONE wears a mask. C’mon, man–it’s not a white people thing.
Ending the mandate is not saying ‘you must not wear a mask’. It’s for individuals to decide. I wear a face shield if a business asks me to, no problem. I do appreciate all the mask-wearers, tho. It’s been over 1 year since I’ve had a cold–happy dance!!!
Sherry, you are making excellent points. And kudos to you for refusing to be bullied into silence.
And, to respond to Ross’s comment below, I don’t see that you are “bashing immigrants”. Rather, many people seem to forget that there are procedures in place to enter our country legally – I imagine that’s how most of our families came to be here in the first place. Condoning illegal entry – along with the associated behavior that is putting Americans at risk – is just inexplicable.
Dear Barbara,
Sherry posted a bunch of lies. Do you really believe lies = excellent points?
You wrote: “many people seem to forget that there are procedures in place to enter our country legally…”
Methinks nobody is forgetting that.
You wrote: “Condoning illegal entry…”
Huh? Who is condoning illegal entry?
I find it interesting that the response to someone who has been nothing but civil, who has provided facts and links to reputable sources and who has been willing to discuss and debate is called “bullying”.
This also is a typical Republican play-the-victim talking point. When someone disagrees with you and presses you to support your statements with facts and sources, it’s called “bullying” by Republicans and conservatives.
Conservative: X is true
Liberal: X is not true and here is why, here’s what the real facts are, and here’s the supporting documentation
Conservative: Why won’t you be civil and allow me my opinion? Why are you bullying me?
I see this enacted again and again and again and again in conversations with conservatives and Republicans. And this is why it’s impossible anymore to come to any agreement – because Republicans live in a false reality and any ANY effort to agree on a common set of truth and facts = “bullying” and “incivility”
@Sherry, I fear you have fallen into the Republican/Conservative “Hole of Lies” when it comes to this bill. The fact that you talk about “Pelosi’s tunnel” and “Chuck’s bridge” and “aid to Democratic states only shows that. I have read the full bill – yes all 600+ pages. I have also read multiple summaries and breakdowns of what is in the bill.
Let’s break down how that money is actually going to be spent:
9% goes to “medical intervention” – that’s vaccines, testing, and various medical and medical related supplies
22% of the bill goes directly to individuals in the form of $1400 per adult stimulus checks
13% of the bill goes directly to unemployed individuals in the form of an additional $300 per week in unemployment
12% is going to a group of items that includes increased ACA (Obamacare) subsidies so more people can get health insurance, subsidizing COBRA for laid off workers, expanded nutrition for school lunch programs, funds to subsidize funeral expenses for families who can’t afford them, grants to airlines, and finally Economic Disaster Zone grants for small businesses of up to $10,000 each.
(In case you’re keeping track, that’s 47% of DIRECT TO PEOPLE financial aid. A far cry more than the 9% lying Republican talking point you posted)
27% is going to the states individually (not just Dem states, but all states, plus tribal governments) to help schools reopen and for the states to use AS THEY SEE FIT as their people need the help (aren’t Republicans big believer’s in the right of states to take the best action for their people?)
So that’s currently 88%. The rest is made up of, yes, some pork, because ALL omnibus bills have pork, some military aid, some FEMA funding, Amtrac relief funding, aid to rural healthcare providers, funding for after school education and education technology (such as running broadband or fiber to schools and especially rural schools), student loan interest relief for loans suspended during the pandemic, rental supplement funds for renters who are facing eviction, and mortgage interest relief for people who got forbearances on their mortgages during the pandemic.
So for someone who insisted we read the whole bill, you don’t seem to have understood what you read enough to understand that “only 9%” is a flat out lie
Thanx, Kara……very enlightening.
Thank you, Kara, for your service to the country.
My pleasure, Ross. It infuriates me to see the “only 9%” lie being spread and promoted.
Because yes, it’s true that “only” 9% is going to DIRECT COVID relief – medical financial intervention (and let’s not discount the fact that “only” 9% of $1.9 billion is still $171 million) but that’s a gross misrepresentation. It manipulates people into thinking that “direct Covid relief” includes the $1400 individual payments and the unemployment and the child care credits and so on, which is, again a flat out lie.
People who keep spreading it need to stop doing so immediately
Thank you, Kara! I will admit to not having read the entire bill… I just don’t have the retention skills I used to, so you cut it down to something very manageable. 88% of the amount being spent is going to direct help during this crisis… quite a far cry from that “only 9%” Fox claim. After listening to a statement by a Murdoch family member that Fox’s role to play during the Biden administration will be to be the “opposition” to everything (in order to increase their ratings), it’s easy to see how these claims get so widespread… truth be damned. Thank you for laying this all out there!!
Kara, would you mind if I shared some of your post to my Facebook page? It’s so well laid out. I’ll only do so if you give me permission.
Beth – you are more than welcome to share any and all of my post! Thanks for asking!
You r so awesome! Some comments on this page r unbelievable. You and Ross keep answering “some” peoples arguments with facts, but when you/he asks them to provide facts, they’re on to something else. And I just recently came across a person dear to me who spouted some “t” info and voted for him because he wasn’t for abortion. I’m not for it either, but she wouldn’t listen to my opinions. Silence on call, changed subject, and on to other topics. So sad. Prayers for all 🙂
Thanks. Good job. FACTUAL analyses like that should be all over the place.
I really don’t understand how any intelligent educated (meaning school or otherwise) people watch Fox “News.” I think it’s been six days of mostly Dr Seuss scandal at this point. Which by the way is no scandal at all in any way. Besides being free enterprise I saw a bunch of pages of one book posted (I think in comments on Amazon) and yeah, those books unless edited are from another time and not in a good way. And the comments went back for about ten years at least.
Thank you, Michael.
And, yes, Fox viewers have no idea of how they are being played.
(no ‘reply’ button. Kara, you’re ‘funnin’ with me, now. They ARE men and it IS happening. I know CNN doesn’t cover it, but the reporting is out there. 20 states are just getting ahead of the problem.
WordPress only allows so many levels of “reply” to keep threads from becoming unwieldy. It’s not an intentional choice on the part of the person responding. You seem to be taking this as a personal affront.
Trans women are not men. Medical science supports that. Gender is not the same as sex and sex is not binary. It never has been.
And you keep saying that “CNN doesn’t cover it” but you can’t provide me with any examples of a trans woman preventing another woman from achieving her goals.
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/transgender-texas-wrestler-wins-second-high-school-girls-title-n851106
https://dailycaller.com/2019/02/25/transgender-high-school-track/
https://www.breitbart.com/sports/2019/05/01/trans-woman-smashes-four-female-weightlifting-records-one-event/
This is just a few…..
So Sherry, you understand that the first article – the one from NBC – actually undercuts your position?
Mack Beggs is transitioning from female to male but is being forced to wrestle on the GIRLS team. If he were allowed to wrestle on the BOYS team (which is his chosen gender and for which he is taking testosterone hormone) then this wouldn’t be an issue. From the article:
“Beggs had asked to wrestle in the boys’ division, but the rules for Texas public high schools require athletes to compete under the gender on their birth certificate.”
For the second article: “Miller and Yearwood rank 120th and 195th, respectively, against their male competitors”
So they rank about the same as most other women against men. They are taking hormones as part of their transition and do not have the same strength or muscle mass as men.
For the third article: It’s a Breitbart article and I won’t even read it because Breitbart is not news – it’s right wing propaganda. I wouldn’t try to prove anything to you with an article from, say The Daily Kos, which is a known left-wing site and you would rightly tell me that it was not a valid, reputable source. So we’ll just leave that one alone
And, honestly, the Daily Caller is another right-wing propaganda site, as well.
Your choice of news sources tells me a lot about you
Just wondering on Sherry’s comments about how trans people being allowed in sports has anything to do with the Covid Relief bill?
Also wondering what immigration has to do with the bill?
Also what sections of the bill is Sherry citing for “Nancy’s Tunnel” and “Schumer’s Bridge”? Just skimming the index, I didn’t see where that was.
It would have been great if some of the “pork” in this helps lower-income, younger Americans, and middle-class Americans by finally raising the minimum wage in all states. Even though the originally suggested $14/hr still would be bare bones depending on the geographic location.
That some places in the US have a minimum wage of $5.15/hr in 2021 is ridiculous. My first job was $4.25/hr (in 1992). I am not an economic expert, but I am about 100% positive that inflation rates are higher than the lack of increase.
I think raising minimum wage as part of the “pork” of this bill would have helped Americans for a longer time, than just the direct payments (which are still needed). Teach a man to fish thought process. If people making the lowest amounts were to earn nearly double, wouldn’t that make for less assistance they will need going forward, hence they have fish for life?
The Republican guy spouting off that when he made $6/hr blah blah blah, yeah, do the inflation math, buddy, that $6 is $23 in 2021.
Was the intention of raising federal minimum-wage a direct COVID Relief? I guess some people could argue no. However, for families hit hardest by the impact of COVID, both financially and health-wise, I think they would have a much different perspective. Maybe John Thune might feel differently if he only made $20/hr and donated the remainder of his pay to those struggling.
(Just FYI, I got my information from the transcripts of PBS Newshour with Judy Woodruff and John Thune. Wage information from real-life experience and paycor.com)
Up until 4 years ago I was registered as a Republican. Though I do not fall into most categories of Republicans by any means, as a young person, I didn’t know and thought that was the correct choice for me. I am definitely more in the center.
I changed to Independent when the Cheeto was on the ticket. And given all this time I have had off because of COVID, and leaving my job of over 10 years to care for in need family members, and no longer working for someone who seemed to buy into all the Cheeto hype, I have been able to read more, and learn more about history. Now, I want to move over to Democratic party because it aligns best with my views.
Through the years, I never voted straight-ticket Dem or Rep; I looked at each one individually. I looked into what that person’s history was, what they stood for, etc, and not just what media supported them. Media that was neutral or against them. Due Diligence.
To spit out untrue statements without evidence, no actual research on one’s part, is silly. If one is going to say things about one’s views, that you are entitled to. But, can you first read the Relief bill? Or at least the index? Or beyond the first 5 pages?
Crazy idea, I know.
Very nice to meet you, LS!
And the Democratic Party will welcome you with open arms!
@Kara thank you for the break down. 👍👍👍👍👍
@Kara thank you for taking the time to educate us all. We all need to be able to understand the facts of such things – there is too much crap being spewed out there.
Amazing read, Ross. Thank you for your civility, your honesty and your ability to phrase the facts in an effort to point out to a misguided Republican what it means to be a Democrat and why we’re Democrats.
Thank you, George. And nice to meet you!
Not according to the medical community. I defer to the determination of the experts over anti-trans reporting intended to manufacture false outrage.
It never ceases to amaze me how some people feel it is their duty to come here to Ross’ website and demand that he justify his views to them. This site is the equivalent of Ross’ virtual front yard; he owns it, he pays for the maintenance, and he alone has jurisdiction over it. He has never hid his viewpoints; from day one, he has presented them fairly and objectively, and also with an open mind; everyone is treated with respect. In spite of this, so many people apparently think that it is OK to come into his yard and confront him over what they see here. If I walked into my neighbor’s yard and began making a big scene because I didn’t like their landscaping, people would think I was an idiot. Everyone has the right to disagree, and that is OK; if you don’t like what you see here, then stroll on by.
Mike, I am open to differing viewpoints.
So, if any reader wishes to offer a view which differs from mine, even wildly, bring it on!
Note though that I will respond!
I enjoy a good debate.
Yeah, I know…and I admire you for that. Also your ability to remain so civil while debating…after the past 5 years my “nice” is wearing pretty thin.
I am entirely sympathetic, Mike!
I have nothing intelligent to add to the conversation, I just have to say I admire your knowledge and civility so very much, Ross. Additionally, I find it very ironic, and in a perverted way entertaining, seeing certain commenters accuse you, and your scrupulously polite comments, of aggression and bullying. Isn’t it supposed to be the liberals who are “snowflakes?”