Tag: Health care

bullying, Love, parenting, Politics, Uncategorized

When did it become OK to push people?

Katrina Russell

It’s been all over the news and I’m sure you’ve seen it, but when did it become OK to push people… any people… out of your way? I couldn’t imagine pushing someone out of my way for any reason (aside from my child being in danger).

Who decided that some have the RIGHT to be “Better” than others? Who decided that th (1)some have the RIGHT to toss other’s aside like yesterday’s news? I have a four year old and I have spent the last 3.5 years teaching him to respect other people. To say please and thank you. To say sorry. To “mind his manners”. Did no one bother to do that with THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES?

This behavior is just disgusting. This should not be seen among actual grown-up people. This is behavior that would get reprimanded on the school yard, and yet even the man who was pushed was making excuses that “It is natural that the president of the United States is in the front row.” OK, maybe that’s true. Maybe the President of the larger nations should be up in the front for pictures, but does that excuse a PUSH?

Does the President of the United States not have to say, “Excuse me”? Or wait his turn?

There was another few videos circulating this weekend with Trump and Macron, whom thI’m starting to adore… both involving handshakes. One was in a one on one meeting, the other in a large group meet and greet, in which Macron side steps Trump to greet Merkel first.

Both Macron and Merkel have since come out and discussed their feelings about Trump. Macron explained that the handshake “battle” was very intentional and that you have to put a bully in his place, and Merkel announced to the world that the US is no longer someone to depend on. And let’s not forget the UK is skeptical about sharing classified information with the US now.  And the Israeli’s are pissed about Russia.

Is there anyone that Trump hasn’t offended, belittled, or betrayed? Any why is this so acceptable? Why is it that the F**king President of the United States is still being heralded for being a callus bully? And why would anyone be OK with their children growing up to think that he is something to aspire to be?

Politics, Uncategorized

Trump “It’s Complicated”

Katrina Russell

In the wake of the latest Trump scandal I just have a few words to say. I have been very clear on my dislike for this President and pretty much everything that he stands for. Not because he is a Republican, or Christian, or White… I happen to be two of those things.. and an Independent (which means neither Republican nor a Democrat… I vote for the person that I agree with on issues the most) That being said… I was also a HUGE fan of the Apprentice when it was on and thought, though an arrogant jerk, that he had half a brain. I now can admit that I was wrong.

I have never in my life seen a person who is so incapable of taking responsibility. I have never seen anyone that is so quick to cast blame at anyone or anything but them self. I have never seen anyone who just lies for the sake of making them self feel better. I have download (40)never seen anyone who needs to toot their own horn and pat their own back at the expense of other. I have never seen anyone so clueless about the way the world works… and I could never have imagined such a person in office.

Everyday there is a new scandal. And everyday his people come out and denounce such craziness.. Trump would never… collude with Russia.. they had no contact at all… except almost everyone on his team and in his family… that have since had to resign or be fired. Trump would never take money from Russia… with a few exceptions… Trump would never tell Russia to hack the DNC… except on International Television at a rally… Trump would never give away top secret info to Russia… except when he wants to and it’s ok cuz he’s President. Trump would never tell Comey to stop investigating the Russian connection… except when he did, but he was only asking… not demanding.

Does the President of the United States of America really not understand that his words and actions are real? That the things that he says and does have actual consequences and repercussions? Does the man who supposedly is so successful in business really not understand how a budget works.. and that you can’t cut taxes (revenue) while asking for outrageous money for walls, wars, and Russian steel? Does he really not understand that taking money away from food and healthcare is going to kill the people that he swore to protect?

He is the President of the United States and all he does is talk about crowd size, election results, and how mean people are to him. He literally said that he had no idea that being President would be hard.. or that Healthcare, foreign relations, and pretty much anything political would be complicated… This is not a reality show, Mr President. The people who die under your watch can’t come back for the reunion show… This is real life. Maybe you should either take responsibility or walk away and let someone who can handle it take over.

bullying, parenting, Uncategorized

Mind your children

Katrina Russell

There are a lot of complaints about children today. That there is not enough punishments and consequences for bad behavior. Spanking has been, let’s just say frowned upon, for decades. Time outs are now found to be a form of solitary confinement.  I saw an article today that said yelling at a child can cause irreparable damage. So what do we do as parents?

download (35)How about we redefine punishment? I mean, really, what do these children do that needs to be punished? The whole point is that they should learn not to act certain ways. That they should grow up to be strong, independent, empathetic, caring people. So, how does punishment do this?

What we really need to do is teach children to calm down, and think before they act. Think about what’s best for them and think about what’s best for others. Some schools are taking this to heart. There is a movement to teach Mindfulness to children instead of punishment. Instead of detentions or banging out erasers… (is that still a thing?) These kids are learning meditation and yoga. They are being taught to sit with themselves and listen to themselves. They are being taught to think… actually think, not react, and it’s working.

The best part is that this is having a great affect on not just “bad children” who need detentions, but the ones with chronic disorders like ADHD and Autism. Mindfulness is about teaching children to slow down. Kids today have media and crap shoved in their faces 24/7. They have download speeds… and upload speeds… and phones, tablets, games, laptops, TVS… and at this point virtual reality at their fingertips at all times. When do they get a chance to actually think and feel.

I have a 4 year old, and we spend quite a bit of time in the car. I have a demanding download (36)schedule and he’s almost always along for the ride. Sometimes friends of mine come with us and they are always trying to give him phones, tablets, or DVD players to “keep him occupied”.  He’s 4… give him an empty box and a toy frog and let his imagination go to work.

Imagination… it’s like a mythical thing in today’s world. Kids don’t need to pretend.. they have devices to do it for them. My son doesn’t need paints he has an app for that… If we really want to help our kids grow into strong, successful, intelligent people… we need to let their brains actually grow and form… and work.

parenting, Politics, Uncategorized

What do you mean by pro-life?

Katrina Russell

This has been a hot topic in the US for decades. Pro-Lifers protesting with signs and pictures of dead fetuses and babies. Declaring Planned Parenthood as a slaughter house for the unborn. Calling women and doctors murderers. These, mostly Christian, high moral individuals take all life as sacred… or mostly, kind of.

I was at a community gathering the other day and there was a lovely woman from Planned Parenthood there to talk to those interested about the reality of what herdownload (34) organization does. It wasn’t her normal gig. Normally she was one of their lawyers who fight for the rights of their patients and doctors alike, but with all the misinformation, or “alternative” facts going about, the organization has chosen to be out in full force to educate and answer questions.

Most people think that Planned Parenthood is an abortion clinic and that’s all they do there. When there is discussions about birth control people start a tirade about how they don’t want to pay for other people to use their tax dollars to abort babies as a form of birth control. There is a post going about of people calling PP and asking them about pre-natal care, a service that is not provided at most locations, and therefore assumed that there is no other services that women need.

I don’t know how many of you reading are women, or know women, but there is more to women’s health than pregnancy. I didn’t get pregnant till I was 36, and yet had been seeing a Gynecologist for almost 20 years at that point. There are yearly pap-screenings, which include cancer checks, as well as checks for irregular growths and cysts. For those who choose there are sexually transmitted disease tests, and actual birth control… not just abortions, but pills, implants, sponges, diaphragms, and which ever one you may choose that works best for you.

I know what you’re thinking, “Why should I pay for some slutty tramp to get tested for STDs?And if you can’t afford birth control then don’t have sex.” Well, let’s just throw the rape word out there to start with. Sometimes women don’t always have a choice.. but let’s say they do. Let’s say they are a lovely college student whose parents have died… who has been dating a man who she has known for a year and are planning to marry…. is it ok for her to have sex? Is it ok for her not to get pregnant? Let’s say that wonderful man isn’t as wonderful as she thinks and is running around on her and gets an STD…

Maybe no one should have sex at all… and if you have sex before you are married and not for the reasons of having children then you should die… and so should the child, because you do not deserve screening for STDs and cancer which could not only kill you but damage the unborn child… so in reality… you’re only pro-“people whose lifestyle I approve with” life.

Now let’s go the other side… Planned Parenthood is the reason for abortions… ahh.. actually abortion rates are down even lower than before Roe vs Wade was passed… and that’s only the ones that were reported. Planned Parenthood chose a name that should be self explanatory. They help women choose and plan when they become parents. They educate women on their bodies and supply birth control to those who would not otherwise be able to afford it, thus creating less unwanted pregnancies, not more abortions.

The biggest misconception about Planned Parenthood is that all they do is abortions and that the government is paying for them, and there is no way to stop that therefore we must defund. Actually only 3% of all services provided are abortion services,  and none of that money comes from the federal government. In fact there was an amendment images (24)created (The Hyde Amendment) in 1976 that specifically prohibits this.  In fact there is no way to actually “defund” Planned Parenthood” outright. There is no line item in the federal budget for them. They are simply a healthcare provider who gets reimbursed by medicare for services that medicare are required to pay for… such as cancer screenings and birth control pills.

Right now everyone is pushing to defund Planned Parenthood and others life it. What you need to realize is that when you vote to defund Planned Parenthood, you are voting to limit healthcare to Medicare recipients. That includes grandma, and the single mom with her kids….. so… not exactly Pro-Life… if you ask me.

Politics, Uncategorized

Should grandpa get a vote?

Katrina Russell

In a surprising turn of events President Trump signed yet another executive order. I know.. you’d think he wasn’t able to play well with others the way he’s not able to actually work within the other branches of government. Congress won’t approve… sign an executive order… judges find it unconstitutional… call them out for being un-American. The media reports it all… call them fake… and mean. Seriously, he thinks people are being mean to him.

download (33)So of course he has to make sure that all the mean people can’t stop him from doing his job. He has to fire anyone that says something against him. He has to fire anyone investigating him. And now he’s signed an executive order to make sure that all the mean voters that don’t like that he’s taking away their meals on wheels, Medicare, and PBS don’t have a chance to retaliate by voting him and his cronies out of office.

He’s set up a new commission to figure out how to make sure as few elderly, disabled and poor can vote. If anyone has to jump through hoops to get registered.. it certainly going to be grandma with a bad hip.

The Republicans are, as usual, singing his praises… “How could even the Liberals be against stopping voter fraud?”. No one is against voter fraud. Which is why the few people who were caught attempting voter fraud were punished.. they just happened to be Trump supporters.

What we are opposed to is setting up arbitrary rules about checking IDs on grandpa who fought in WWII, but hasn’t driven since the Bush administration. Apparently those vets aren’t American enough to get a say in the today’s government. If he wants to set up rulesimages (23) about valid IDs being needed for voting… then set up another commission that goes to every nursing home, every hospital, every veterans house, every homeless shelter and makes sure they all have IDs.. then show up again on voting day… send out buses, set up ballots in the homes… and take their votes… or are they too mean for you?

Politics, Uncategorized

Why being raped is a pre-existing condition

Katrina Russell

So the GOP House passed a new health care plan.. without reading it or really thinking it through. They have decided that people pre-existing conditions should be put in a separate pool in which they should be charged more. Of course the point of insurance is to get the healthy people in the same pool as the sick people to keep all of their costs similar, but of course the right-wing Conservative Christians feel they should never help their neighbors but should hoard all of their money and let other’s fend for themselves.

Now, if the Senate passes the proposal, pregnancy is considered a pre-existing condition. Their response of course is that women should keep their legs closed if they can’t afford -PAXP-deijErape-victiminsurance. So, then the question is asked, “What if a woman is raped?” God knows they can’t get an abortion. So they are forced to pay thousands of dollars, get into severe debt, either with the high premiums or the cost of prenatal and delivery… let’s not even get started on if she needs a c-section or there are complications.

Ok, so in this case a rape survivor would be screwed again by the GOP healthcare plan… but what’s the chances of pregnancy… it’s not gonna happen any other way. Well, I saw a video online about a woman who was raped in her own bed… with her young daughter was laying next to her… they are now in therapy. Well, mental health issues (including PTSD) is also considered a pre-existing condition. So she will now be placed in the high money pool and have higher premiums and deductibles.

Now, let’s talk about those who may have contracted HIV or PPV or any of the 100s of other sexually transmitted diseases, by no fault of their own. Or those who developed a substance abuse problem because of the trauma. Or those who were physically hurt permanently by their attacker….. but no… it doesn’t affect rape victims.

I’m not even going to get into the medicare problem… poor women and children don’t deserve healthcare anyway… GO PRO-LIFE!