Let's Try This...

"Maybe lots of people support lots of things, and we can't twist that generalized support into blame for maniacs who decide to take up arms for their own demented reasons. Maybe that's a better idea after all."

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2014/12/lets-blame-conservatives-all-killings-theyre-responsible

I am sick and tired of the yelling, blaming, pointing fingers, lying, surmising, generalizing, name calling, racism, back-turning for spite, photo-opting, attention getting, ratings reaching, knee jerk reacting…and general spittle producing rhetoric that is rampant in today's society and media after the last few weeks. GET OVER YOURSELVES.

Yes, there is a problem with some cops in some areas…and the militarization of such people. Yes, there are some people that are just bad and given any opportunity will show their disdain, and even hatred, for those not like themselves. Yes, there are some folks….black and white…that do NOT think the law applies to them. But NOT everybody. And every police officer is NOT a saint. Remember that, Lynch, Kelly and Giuliani: Police acting like spoiled kids is disgusting to most of us, just like those in Congress. 

You might want to check out:

 http://ezkool.com/2014/12/rudy-giuliani-pat-lynch-new-yorks-finest-covones/ 

Todays' technology has certainly provided a window into what for years has been 
hidden….and as such, has brought what has been hidden and distasteful to the forefront where it needs to be addressed…NOT USED AS ATTACKS.

For decades media such as FOX, Breitbart, Limbaugh, NRO, and The Blaze have goaded and prodded in their own sly way the behavior we see now…and each time they look at the damage and say "what, me??"

This circle has to break….now. 

But I am not holding my breath……

The way you see people is the way you treat them, and the way you treat them is what they become.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Battling The Spin Zone

Getting tired of of friends and relatives...especially those of Republican persuasion....whine that "they have not heard anything about Obamacare" and all they spout is FOX talking points? Or maybe Rush Limbaugh who touted the other day that NO ONE even called BC/BS in California on the exchange. They just know it's going to ruin this country and lead us to socialism......just like Social Security and Medicare, am I right?

Here is a primer to help, but getting them to accept it won't be easy. Nothing is free, as they claim. There are no "death panels." Everyone has "skin in the game." And you're not denied healthcare services according to your political party.

 THE EDITOR: Cutting through the confusion 

• OVERVIEW: Finding your way through the Health Insurance Marketplace
• CLEARING IT UP: Top 10 myths on the federal health law
• ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS: The Fact Squad responds
• WHO IS THE FACT SQUAD?: Meet the panel of experts
• CLARK HOWARD: What consumers can expect with Affordable Care Act
• PROTECTING YOURSELF: How to shield yourselves from ACA-related scam
• DIFFERENCES BY GROUP: Health care changes impact ages differently
• WATCHING YOUR HEALTH: Preventative health plays big role in reforms
• GLOSSARY: ABCs of the Affordable Care Act: a glossary for consumers
• 
  

Even more information is available, such as...

• Q: How can small business owners enroll in the exchange?
• Q: How do I know if I qualify for the exchange?
• Q: Can I buy health insurance on the exchange if I already have insurance through an employer?
• Q: How do I sign up?
• Q: How much will I have to spend to buy coverage on the exchange?
• Q: What kind of coverage options can I expect to find on the exchange?
• Q: Will I be eligible for any other cost savings on the exchange?
• Q: As a small business owner, will I be eligible for a subsidy if I buy insurance for my employees on the exchange?
• Q: Does the exchange have a Spanish-language version?
• Q: What if my income is too low to qualify for the exchange?
• 
  
• http://www.mydaytondailynews.com/data/news/affordable-care-act/
• 
  

There is a ton of information on this site (it is for Ohio, but the stats remain the same.) Print the whole thing out and pass it around if you need to. Some 15 per cent  of Americans do NOT use computers. Some folks will not like it no matter what you say....but there is NO excuse for being ignorant of the facts.

"And he said to them: Knew you not that I must be about my Father's business?" Christianity, The Franchise   

It seems like everyday we hear of some poor 

"Christian" business owner being "forced" to follow some legal business practices that would enrich the lives of his employees, but loe-and-behold, they go "against his religious beliefs." All of a sudden this becomes a growing indignity:

"Secaucus, NJ is not typically thought of as a hub of Evangelical Christianity, but the CEO and the managers of an Ashley Furniture store in the northern New Jersey town seem to have a difficult time separating their work lives from their religious beliefs and they’re being sued for it."

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/01/19/possessed-by-jesus-ashley-furniture-managers-allegedly-fired-lesbian-because-god-said-so/

It seems as if the store's CEO is a member of the C12 Group, which appears to be in the business of making money...for and from Christian businesses. Seems like being Christian is good business:

In God They Trust

by Eric Snyder 

A franchise group brings business owners together to learn to bring their faith into their businesses. No, it's not a nonprofit, it's a national, for-profit faith-based franchise. more

http://www.c12group.com/fortune-small-business-magazine/

Now, in order to benefit fully and faithfully from your faith-based enterprise you would certainly want to take advantage of the following:

"By investing $12,000 you can acquire and own a geographic franchise area where you will have the exclusive rights to host C12 meetings, use C12 proprietary content, material, and business improvement processes, and enjoy all the other benefits of being a member of the national chair corp.  New Chair Training Week and your Start-up Materials require an additional $3,000 investment.  To assure that you have sufficient start-up capital to market your business, C12 further requires a Franchisee to fund a pre-paid marketing account with $10,000 for the first year, essentially a deposit which you can draw down as needed.  Beyond this $25,000 total in start-up investment, we recommend that you have 6-9 months of your living costs in reserve so you have adequate provisions while generating the initial income stream from the C12 practice."

http://www.c12group.com/frequently-asked-questions/

And they are always looking out for you: "C12 seeks to provide highly targeted resources aimed at enhancing its members' ability to lead and serve while providing a "safe" environment for their ongoing professional and spiritual development.  Accordingly, C12 generally works to shield its members from the noise and distraction of those attempting to market services to them."

Sort of a Franchise for the Faithful, I take it. Amway for the Annointed.

Is it just me, or does this sound like some sort of cult or indoctrination..... the kind of thing that Rush Limbaugh and his ilk are always accusing President Obama of planning on doing? But, like the NRA, if there's a buck to be made.....

Creating A More Congenial Reality

.....or at least one that fits your politics

Rush Limbaugh, the Oracle of the Right, came out today with the most convoluted tirade he's done in a while: Obama and his team are using FACTS to suppress the voters in the upcoming election.

"So now it’s not a referendum on Obama. It’s a choice between two guys, which means, of course, whatever Romney says matters. I’m here to tell you, folks, you have got to stay bucked up. The effort to depress you and keep you home, I’ve never seen it like this before in my life."
http://www.politicususa.com/rush-limbaugh-claims-obama-facts-polls-suppress-republican-vote.html

That would seem to fit in with the Romney team which announced last week that they were NOT going to let their campaign be "dictated by fact checkers." Yes..they only put a damper on things....

I read an interesting article that seems to put in perspective this alternative reality seemingly accepted without question on the Right. Republicans would not be Republicans today without it.

"My old Republican worldview was flawed because it was based upon a small and particularly rosy sliver of reality.  To preserve that worldview, I had to believe that people had morally earned their “just” desserts, and I had to ignore those whining liberals who tried to point out that the world didn’t actually work that way.  I think this shows why Republicans put so much effort into “ creat[ing] our own reality ,” into fostering distrust of liberals, experts, scientists, and academics, and why they won’t let a campaign “ be dictated by fact-checkers ” (as a Romney pollster put it).  It explains why study after study shows -- examples here, here, and here -- that avid consumers of Republican-oriented media are more poorly informed than people who use other news sources or don’t bother to follow the news at all."

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/political-awakening-republican-i-had-viewed-whole-swaths-country-and-world-second?page=0%2C0

Aside from all the headaches this creates for the voters in this election, it also creates a more dire problem in the long run: too many people rely on the media to give them background on which they will base their decisions. OR they just sit there, soak in all the mistruths, and perpetuate the falsehoods.

"Whether all this helps the Republican Party in 2012 is of less consequence than the larger danger it poses to America. Democracy cannot thrive when truth becomes irrelevant. To the contrary, history teaches that this is how demagogues take root."

http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/reich/article/How-Republicans-reinforce-campaign-of-lies-3850026.php