39 posts tagged “social justice”

Adding disabled veterans and seniors to this stimulus plan was the right thing to do. Bravo to the Senate. We're all hurting out here with the economy the way it is. I smell change in the air.

Senate Passes Economic Stimulus Bill - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...

The Senate today added payments for seniors and disabled veterans to an economic stimulus package approved by the House that would send checks to most American families, then overwhelmingly approved the $151 billion shot in the arm to the U.S. economy, 81-16. The House is scheduled to give final approval to the legislation tonight and send the plan to President Bush for his signature, ensuring that checks will begin reaching families by mid-May.

This is a very interesting development. The whole history of the US and its treatment of its indigenous peoples is perhaps even worse than our treatment of African Americans. My gut feeling is to support the Lakota activists but I want to read more about this.

Lakota Activists Declare Secession From the U.S. - Wikinews

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Lakota_ac...

A delegation from the Lakota Indian Tribe, an Indian nation on United States soil, have signed a document stating that their tribe withdraws and or cancels all treaties with the U.S. and formally establish independence from the country. The letter was hand delivered by activists for the tribe to Deputy to the Public Liaison at the State Department, Daniel Turner. "We are no longer citizens of the United States of America and all those who live in the five-state area that encompasses our country are free to join us. This is according to the laws of the United States, specifically article six of the constitution. It is also within the laws on treaties passed at the Vienna Convention and put into effect by the US and the rest of the international community in 1980. We are legally within our rights to be free and independent," said Russell Means, an activist for Native American rights to reporters at a press conference on Wednesday in Washington, D.C..

2 comments

Webcruiser posted this on his blog and inspired me to do the same.

If China were to pressure Burma to end the violence against the peaceful protestors, the move to democracy could continue. Or is China afraid that democracy might break out in its own country also? We need to pressure China.

What if democracy protests in China started during the Olympics? Wouldn't that be wonderful.

"The consensus around the European Parliament is that China is the key. China is the puppet master of Burma. The Olympics is the only real lever we have to make China act. The civilised world must seriously consider shunning China by using the Beijing Olympics to send the clear message that such abuses of human rights are not acceptable." - Vice president of the European Parliament Edward McMillan-Scott. [Reuters]

http://www.forthebibletellsmeso.org/

I used to live in South Carolina. It is stories such as this one from the BBC that will keep me away from there except to visit friends.

Toward the end of this video, State Senator Glenn McConnell, the South Carolina Senate President Pro Tem, seems to dismiss the lack of care of people in SC as unimportant because "there are not that many." Attacking a minority by using the size of the group is something the Nazis did to the Jews and has been done by various hate groups to marginalize the people they hate.

I think Bush's stated plans for helping people around the world with HIV/AIDS is a good thing for the US just as long as we have plans in place to help every American citizen with HIV/AIDS first. And of course, we don't.

People like McConnell will be the first to be offended if you attack religion in public schools or make a pro-choice statement. I think people such as he have no clue as to what it means to be Christian. I will pray for him and the people who have no voice in that backward area of America.

P.S.: This capture of the BBC video is not the best in the world, but many of the news sites are in the bad habit of moving older items around or making you pay to see them. If you want to try this BBC link, I hope it works for you.

If you have been keeping up with Russia lately, you know they have been attacking gay people and denying them the right to free speech and assembly. Apparently Israel wants to be in the same club with Russia and deny their LGBTIQ citizens equal rights.

The Israeli Knesset is about to make a tragic mistake with far reaching consequences if it votes to ban Gay Pride rallies. This anti-democratic action will alienate secular Jews - gay and straight - worldwide and force stalwart defenders of Israel to rethink their allegiance. American Jews overwhelmingly reject the intolerance of our homegrown Christian Right, so the notion that we will blindly support Jewish Pat Robertsons in Jerusalem is a dangerous miscalculation. [waynebesen.com]

The US public is finally coming to the realization that the current health care system in the country is broken. See ABC poll. Not only do polls show this, but in just talking with friends and coworkers, I've found general agreement that our system does not work well. The devil is in the details of the solution.

Yet, how can American businesses compete when they have such a large cost center by paying part or all of their employees' health insurance costs? And more importantly, how can most of us turn a blind eye to the poor and working poor who may have not care at all? Is that the kind of "provide for the common welfare" society we really want?

Experts agree that our health care system is riddled with inefficiencies, excessive administrative expenses, inflated prices, poor management, and inappropriate care, waste and fraud. These problems significantly increase the cost of medical care and health insurance for employers and workers and affect the security of families....

There appears to be no agreement on a single solution to health care's high price tag. Many approaches may be used to control costs. What we do know is if the rate of escalation in health care spending and health insurance premiums continues at current trends, the cost of inaction will severely affect employer's bottom lines and consumer's pocketbooks. [nchc.org]

Some companies are trying to manage costs and help their employees while the national debate over a more comprehensive solution continues. They are using Health Savings Account (HSA) and Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) plans. While HSAs have been around for awhile, HRAs are relatively new and less common.

The cost of health insurance is rising much faster than the cost of living. Many people work at places that do not offer health insurance because it is too expensive. Individual plans are also expensive. The result is many Americans do not have health insurance.

In 2005, the total national health expenditures rose 6.9 percent (two times the rate of inflation).Total spending was $2 trillion in 2005, or $6,700 per person. Total health care spending represented 16 percent of the gross domestic product.

Employer premiums increased by 7.7 percent in 2006, twice the rate of inflation. An employer health plan costs on average nearly $11,500 for a family of four. The annual premium for single coverage is $4,200.

During the next decade, health care spending is expected to reach $4 trillion in 2015, or 20 percent of GDP.

With all this information and knowledge of how expensive health care is and how it continues to rise, what options does this leave for a business owner? Many business owners have turned to Consumer Driven Health plans. [bradenton.com]

I look forward to debate on this complex subject in the next election. I want solutions that are both realistic and fair. I believe we can achieve a good solution if we demand it of our leaders.