Are these the people we want running our country? The republicans have declared all out war on the children of the world. Here are the highlights from an article posted in The Pragmatic Progressive Forum.
- According to USAID, 70,000 children around the world will die if Republicans make the cuts it wants to make. Approximately 30,000 kids would die from cuts in malaria control programs, 24,000 from lack of immunizations, and 16,000 due to unsafe birthing practices.
- Republicans are currently attempting to eliminate the ban on insurance companies that keeps them from denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions. That puts 19.4 million children at risk of possible harm or even death.
- If Republicans have their way, kids will no longer be able to remain on their parents’ insurance plans until the age of 26 and pregnant women as well as breast and prostate cancer patients could be thrown off the insurance rolls.
- They are also targeting welfare, unemployment benefits, and food stamps. Nearly half of all US children depend on food stamps during childhood. Without food stamps, WIC, unemployment benefits, and welfare in general, millions of children across the country are at risk of starving to death.
- In addition to attacking the health and nutrition of children, they are also seeking to destroy their minds and their childhoods as well. Republicans in many states, especially in Missouri and Maine, are introducing bills that will repeal child labor laws.
- Republicans are essentially making it easier for pedophiles to rape children. In Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty, former governor and potential Republican candidate for President, pardoned a child molester while he was in office, so that molester’s wife could open a child day care center in THEIR home.
- The GOP is also waging war against the public school system. In their effort abolish public education in favor of privately run schools, Republicans are trying to slash funding that is used for desks, books, technology, and other materials that contribute to learning. That’s all in addition to their scheme to rewrite textbooks in order to indoctrinate children to the conservative philosophy.
- Republicans in Michigan and other red states are pushing for laws that will only allow foster children to buy second hand clothing. Thousands of foster children are being denied permanent homes because of Republican opposition to same sex marriage.
- Republicans also want to shatter our children’s dreams and aspirations too. Many Republicans have stated that President Obama is an illegitimate President, because he is an illegitimate child.
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I don't get it Jerry. There has to be republican citizens who have children affected by these horrendous policies, right? All we can do is keep calling the GOP out and never give up the fight!
ReplyDeleteAre you on Facebook? I read those links all the time and share. They're good! Look me up if ya want!
Jesus Christ. This bears repeating. When taken in individual doses, while it is onerous, it doesn't have the impact of reading all of these measures in one sitting.
ReplyDeleteVery, very, very distubing. I hope you don't mind if I pass this on.
Be my guest, jj!
ReplyDeleteI have to admit it, Jerry, I've never been a big proponent of the "the other guy's policies are going to kill X number of people" strategy (and, yes, I say this as a person who isn't all that enamored with the Republican party lately). For instance, why do we have to be solely responsible for preventing these malaria outbreaks (one could argue that the 60s liberal policy of banning DDT killed MILLIONS). What about China (they have a lot of our money anyway)? What about France, Italy, and Germany? My God, we spent BILLIONS protecting their asses for decades. And the health-care plan stuff. Yeah, the Ryan plan is problematic. But what about the fact that people have to wait for long periods of time to get treatment in countries like England and Canada? Are those policies also "killing" people. I do hear what you're saying and, yes, we probably agree on more than we disagree, but I just can't quite muster the animosity like you guys can.......On the Iraq War, yeah, on that, you might get me going pretty good.
ReplyDelete"why do we have to be solely responsible..."
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone is saying that. I interpret the statement about the impact on malaria control programs causing approximately 30,000 kids to die as a result of cuts in what we alone donate, not that we are solely responsible for the program.
Wait times are usually proportional to the severity of the illness. Someone needed a hip replacement can wait longer than someone with acute cancer. No one dies because they need hip surgery.
And I agree that other countries need to take more responsibility for their own security and defense...although security is now an international problem and requires international cooperation. It is a police action, not a military action.
How ironic, that all this perversity masquerading as fiscal responsibility comes from the same Bible-thumping phonies who tout a "culture of life" in opposition to women's right to decide if they should have an abortion.
ReplyDeleteThe list should also note Republicans' efforts to reduce loans and aid to college students, and how hopping mad they are about the Obama administration taking student loans away from the banksters.
Will "take no prisoners" Hart wrote: But what about the fact that people have to wait for long periods of time to get treatment in countries like England and Canada?
ReplyDeleteIf long, unacceptable waits for treatment were common in those countries, people would be out in the streets demanding change. Large numbers of them would be going elsewhere for care.
Not that no one in those countries, or in the Scandinavian countries, ever has to wait longer than they want to, I'm sure, but the long waits meme is largely the result of the health insurance industry, right-wing noise machine and tea party Astro Turf activists' efforts to abort health care reform.
Now now, Republicans are only declaring war on children who have already been born. Fetuses are still safe :)
ReplyDeleteTaken individually they're bad enough but taken as a whole they show a strong resemblance to the sociopathic mind-set. No heart, no conscience, etc. In other words, the GOP is being run by a group of mentally ill people who should truly be locked up in the asylum.
ReplyDeleteThe propaganda about the long waits for medical care in Britain, Canada and elsewhere ranks right up there with the phony claims of voter fraud.
The GOP wants to do away with anything that doesn't help the rich get richer. Period.
ReplyDeleteSick fucks really are sucking the oxygen out of the room..and yet..several are considered viable candidates..Jaysus..the Corporate Media feeds us this shit and millions of voters buy into it. That is more scary than anything these jerkwads say on several levels.
According to Junkscience.com, 96 million people have died from malaria since the banning of DDT in 1972. Who, fellows, was responsible for that? George W. Bush? Ronald Reagan? Paul Ryan? The corporate elite power structure? Who? I mean, it couldn't have happened because of any sort of liberal mindset, could it?
ReplyDeleteAnd according to the Sunday Times of England, at least 263 patients in Scotland died while waiting for heart surgery between 1997 and 2002. The article goes on to say that the number is probably significantly higher. This, in that the figures aren't routinely collected.............Some Canadians DO come to America for health care, S.W.. In fact, residents from Ontario come to Detroit quite often. And the reason that more of them DON'T is simply because they can't afford it. That President from one of the provinces - he COULD afford it.
ReplyDeleteThe fact is that more Americans travel abroad for medical care than come here.
ReplyDeleteAs I read your post I thought of the Star War movies. The saga of the rebellion and the Emperor's words to Luke (which I change here slightly)
ReplyDeleteOnly now at the end young citizen, do you understand.
This is a rebellion against the Republicans, who want to destroy our government and rule as dictators.
Jerry, I flushed out a few more of my feelings on this topic over at my place. Please, feel free to respond to them.
ReplyDeleteWill: I've never been a big proponent of the "the other guy's policies are going to kill X number of people" strategy...
ReplyDeleteRepublican policies kill. Pointing this out isn't a "strategy"... it's reality. FYI "junkscience.com" is a far-right front group that disseminates misinformation. It seems as though you have a tendency to fall for these...
DDT was not banned due to a "liberal mindset", it was banned for 3 reasons (according to the National Resouce Defense Council) which are, "the onset of mosquito resistance to DDT, the insuperable logistics of indoor spraying in endemic areas, and a dawning awareness that DDT was [highly] toxic to [lifeforms further up the food chain]".
Jerry,
ReplyDeleteImpressive reporting, as usual.
May I blogroll you?
S
And thank-you, w-dervish for straightening that out so well.
You sliced through the rightwing BS superbly.
Suzan,
ReplyDeleteOf course. I would be honored!
Where did that Zappa quote come from? When I took the oath that day I signed my voter registration card, they swore it was a secret.
ReplyDeleteYou know, for Republicans it's not all about compassion for the children. If tomorrow the federal government authorized spending $1 trillion to ban abortion, and then Democrats got into office and immediately repealed it, using your logic it would be fair to say that Democrats want to kill millions of babies. Sounds silly to me.
It's nice to think that we could spend any amount of money and save the world. But we live in a constitutional republic, we don't have unlimited funds, and we're supposed to live under laws that limit what our government can do.
Of your nine bullet points:
1) Why are our tax dollars spent on malaria, immunizations, and safe birthing practices around the world? I missed that line in the Bill of Rights.
2) What authorizes the federal government to ban any behavior of insurance companies?
3) Why does the government get to mandate who insurance companies insure? And why is it that "children" up to age 26 need their parents' insurance?
4) Children are not starving to death in the U.S. Welfare is full of fraud. Extended unemployment benefits are hurting economic growth.
5) "...attacking the health and nutrition of children..." NICE! You've discovered our plans to win the Presidency in 2012! Come on. As for child labor laws, I'd have to see the specifics. For all I know, you're referring to 14 year olds working for the family business and making it sound like slavery.
6) Pawlenty pardoning a pedophile? I agree, that's disgusting. Unless this is one of those crazy stories where an 18 year old was prosecuted for having sex with his 17 year old girlfriend, in which case you're being unfair. It's still not something you can damn the whole party over.
7) More funding doesn't equate to better educated children.
8) Requiring foster children to only buy used clothing? You must be making that up. This list is getting sillier the longer it gets.
9) Those Republicans are assholes. Again, not exactly part of the GOP platform.
Well,Heathen, it sounds like you are in agreement with the republican position on items 1 - 7. Here is a reference for item 8. And I agree that the republicans in item 9 are assholes.
ReplyDeleteThose bastard Republicans have declared war on EVERYONE (except their own cruel, uncaring, wealthy, self-centered, kind).
ReplyDeleteOh, and you NEVER do that (i.e., cite rank/partisan publications), Mr. w (Thom Hartmann is my ultimate guru) d. Come on, the Natural Resources Defense Council has long been noted for their extreme positions and alarmist rhetoric. Yes, thee was resistance to DDT. But that was because of the overuse of it for agriculture. The solution WASN'T/ISN'T to ban it completely. You use it appropriately and you use it in areas where the resistant strain hasn't migrated. Maybe the 96 million number was an exaggeration but to say that millions of Africans didn't die because of this boneheaded and politically motivated decision is ludicrous.......And, yes, liberal policies kill people, too. What about all of those Scottish people who died waiting to get a heart operation? You don't care about them (probably because you can't blame it on Reagan or Bush)?
ReplyDeleteDDT isn't banned completely. It is still used, as I pointed out on your blog.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the concerns regarding DDT are boneheaded or politically motivated. The motivation for banning DDT was that it is highly toxic.
FYI the NRDC is non-partisan, unless you consider the environment a partisan issue (which I admit, Republicans do).
I don't know what the experience of single payer users in Scotland has to do with a non-existent single payer system here in the US... other than serving as an example of what we shouldn't do (if we were to adopt a single payer system in the US).
In any case, many more people die due to a lack of HC than die due to waiting for it. BTW I'm not excusing long wait times. They are not excusable. I'm just trying to keep things in perspective...
Which is something you often claim you're in favor of... yet here you're blowing things out of proportion to argue against single payer.