BETTER YOUR BRAIN

Very little time to write, and writing from an iPhone, but I can’t let today go by without saying something.

The imminent government shutdown disgusts me. It pays for congress’s and the president’s salaries, but not the soldiers. It holds paychecks for all federal employees, and cuts funding to landmarks, national parks, museums, and other “non essential” services (which includes the Center for Disease Control, oddly enough). These are serious hits guys, culturally and otherwise. Reps from the GOP have been saying different things all day, but from what I can tell. the inability to pass the budget boils down to 2 or 3 things: Planned Parenthood, EPA, and where to cut. Yes Paul Ryan has a pretty interesting plan that he’s presented but the feasibility of passing and enacting that right now is very iffy.

1. Planned Parenthood. Fun fact: Federal money CANNOT fund abortions. True story. It can, however, provide contraception, testing, general physicals, treatment, and general women’s healthcare to those who couldn’t otherwise afford it. The Republicans apparently consider this immoral behavior and would like to see it gone. I call bullshit.

2. The EPA. Big Business wants regulation by the EPA gone so that they can exploit and further destroy the environment in order to increase their profit margins. That’s fine, the job of a company is to make money.that’s why we have the EPA, to curb some of those impulses. The GOP, and even some Dems would like their cronies to be off the hook by defunding, reducing, and otherwise getting rid of environmental regulations and protectionist policies.

3. Where to cut? We’ve been cutting from discretionary funds, about 12% of the budget. We need to cut the over bloated defense budget, among other things, and we need to expand these cuts. Honestly, we need to raise some taxes too. We can minimize these by getting rid of the tax breaks for the highest earners in the US, but that doesn’t fly with the GOP. We have a choice between showy, shallow cuts that represent the cutting down of an ideology and deep, meaningful, but difficult cuts that will reduce the deficit and the budget. Honestly, neither party has really stepped up to the plate on this one yet. We’re all waiting, congress. Anytime now.

The idea of going into a shut down over this is ridiculous. In the next 7 hours, I want to see some real leadership and see a nonpartisan budget passed.

Anthony Weiner criticizes republicans over the NPR debacle.

Guys, this is my future husband/affair.

Good news: Govt. shutdown stopped, or at least postponed. Congress passed a bill cutting 4 bil. but funding the government for the next 2 weeks. However, they still have a lot of cutting to do, so we may (will) end up in gridlock again.

To add a little crazy to your life, a fetus is going to be used as a witness in a House hearing committee tomorrow on abortion legislation introduced by hard core crazy Republican representative from Ohio, Wachtmann. She’s trying to push something through called the Heartbeat Bill, which would prevent women from getting abortions as soon as the fetus’s heartbeat is detectable, which is often before most women even know they’re pregnant. She has to recognize that there is no conceivable way that this bill will stand up in any court…at this point she just has to be pushing it through for promotional purposes. Anyways, a pregnant woman will be brought in and her ultrasound projected to congress so that they can hear the heartbeat and see the baby moving.

What the fuck.No, like what the actual fuck.

To quote Pauly D, WHAT GOES ON IN THIS HOUSE?

This is ridiculous! They’re calling it the ‘youngest witness ever’. Pretty sure you need to be able to speak to be a witness which means you CAN’T STILL BE IN THE WOMB OH GOD THIS IS INFURIATING. They’re wasting their time and our money in a publicity stunt for some stupid, insulting piece of legislation that won’t pass. Not to mention how they’re exploiting the mother and the baby.

I love PBS. It’s a great educational and cultural tool. Keeping it in the budget should be a priority. 

(via stfuconservatives)

The House has voted to cut Planned Parenthood’s budget. Not just their 75 mil. family planning budget, but the entire 137 mil Title X budget. ( Title X funds go to pay for birth control, STD screenings and treatment, breast and cervical cancer screenings, prenatal care, sex ed, etc.)  Under Title X, PP also receives funds from Medicaid to help pay for basic health services to low income citizens. This is putting almost 20 mil Americans out of basic health care.The GOP is trying to promote this as some Pro Life victory dance, when it really has very little to do with abortion. The Hyde Amendment, from 1977, prohibits federal funding abortion except in extreme cases. Abortions performed by Planned Parenthood are funded by private sources, NOT government money. A stat company has estimated that if the Title X cut goes through, unplanned pregnancies (and abortions) will increase by nearly 1/3. That’s a whole lot of unwanted babies, guys. Now think beyond that. How many more cases of cancer and STDs will we see? How many newborns dying from lack of neonatal care? 

This isn’t a Pro Life vs Pro Choice fight. This is a fight for basic human rights. Planned Parenthood provides millions with basic health service. 2 out of 5 women will use PP at some point during their life. They provide so much more than abortion, and the vast majority of people using PP don’t ever receive an abortion. To cut the funding from this valuable service is to undermine women’s health and rights. 

First redefining rape, now this. A room full of old white men hold the future of millions of women and children in their hands, and intend to proceed to dock their rights one bill at a time. If you want to be an advocate for yourself, other women, and basic health and human rights, this is the time to take action. Call or email your senators and representatives and let them know that you do NOT support taking away Title X and Planned Parenthood funding.