I wish I had more time, first thing off I go to my face book page and then end up contradicting and dispelling half of what the Neo-cons post there, Forgive me but I even took the photo above and posted it to my face book page. LOL Man those tea partiers sure do not like being refer to as the Koch whores or Nazi inspired. ( But God forgive me I sure like referring to them as such!) I am in the good fight, both for my party and more important my country.
I can take just so much of the nonsense that many republicans spew and then I have to get away from them. They don’t want to hear anything, they don’t want to reevaluate their conclusions and they certainly won’t be polite. If anyone doesn’t think exactly as they do you’re just wrong because they can only look at an issue their way. Whereas discussions with ‘liberals’ can easily go to the agreement to disagree stage and there’s no need to call someone who disagrees names. Ever once in a while I find a republican I disagree with who manages to discuss the issues without rancor and rudeness. That’s refreshing!
In my past dealing with Republicans, I have found that when the person loudly proclaims they are Christian, Tea Party, Pro Life and Pro Marriage – those are the ones that are generally the ones that will NEVER back down from their point of view.
The discussion then usually turns south very quickly when this particular Republican ends up telling me I am going to Hell because I do not believe the exact same religion as they do…….and I have no problem with gay marriage….and I believe the government has no right to tell women what to do with their own bodies.
Of course, I must admit. I do have a long-term bias against certain loud-professing Christians – since my time in the Evangelical Christian/Baptist group. Some of those folks are probably now the leaders in this political arm of these so-called religious Republicans.
Hell – I suspected these folks were nuts back in the mid 1970’s – by now, those nuts have reproduced into many more nuts..
Hospital errors are a big problem in our health care system – so why is it now the fault of the people needing health care?
Shouldn’t we be focusing on the health care providers and making sure that they are competent to actually deliver health care?
From what I’ve seen in my three decades of working the health care field – we need to take the financial incentive of treating the symptoms and focus on preventive health care.
We need more family doctors – and less specialists IMHO.
I would much rather have a good family doctor than a half-wit specialist take care of me.
I know of doctors that get actually get a bonus based on how many diabetic patients they send into the hospital – not just for treatment but for education, etc.
Okay – I understand that diabetes is a chronic condition and patients do need help with understanding their disease.
BUT couldn’t this be done outside of the expensive hospital setting?
The way the system works –
1) the doctor gets a bonus for sending patients to the hospital.
2) hospital gets to bill high rates for hospitalization
3) patient gets billed for their portion of the high hospital bill
My son has been diabetic for 27 years. There have been many times when some specialist wants to admit him to the hospital to get his blood sugars to level out.
Duh…. my son knows what to do and that can be done at home. Of course, we are the kind of patients that actually listen to the doctor and do what needs to be done.
Maybe there are more patients who have to be hospitalized because they will not cooperate with their treatment plan?
I worked for a heart hospital as a unit clerk on the night shift. I’ve seen many families bring in bacon cheeseburgers, pizza or fried chicken to their family member that just had a heart attack and/or heart surgery.
Of course, this was after all the day shift doctors and nurses left – so the families felt they could bring in this forbidden food and nobody would be the wiser.
I’ve watched more than one family do this for their hospitalized family member (usually the husband/father) – and the saddest part is when I see the wife/mother with the children behind her – and they are all obese themselves and carrying the same type of food in their hands.
Education is what is needed – and the focus should be on that.
We are rewarding doctors and hospitals with higher payments when they treat the symptoms of the disease – so is there really any motivation to educate patients if that means they will be hospitalized less frequently and the doctor/hospital gets less money?
BTW – those hospital errors that are killing people are basically the same type – human error.
I’ve been on my soapbox for quite a few years now about the quality of our health care workers.
Personally – I think we have dumbed down the requirements to be a nurse to the point where anybody could pass the damn course.
And then – we have allowed health care workers to become lazy and incompetent – IMHO
For example – my first oncologist (the best in town, I was told) – had a staff that NEVER got my name correct. These people were giving me chemotherapy and were highly offended when I would check the bag of chemo drugs before they started to give it to me.
One of these nurses angrily asked – do you not trust us? I replied – when your staff starts to call me by the correct name – that is WHEN I will trust you and not before.
It was shortly after that when the final straw happened. The head nurse called me about my Coumadin. I told her that I was not on Coumadin and she argued with me !!
I asked her point blank – do you have the right chart? I told her my full name and she said, of course I have the right chart. The next thing from her mouth was – oh, oh, I’ll call you back.
She never did call me back – but I did sit down and write my letter dismissing the doctor because I wanted nothing to do with that office.
The saddest part is – the problem really had nothing to do with nursing knowledge or even health care knowledge. It was just plain common sense to know that you have the correct chart for the correct patient.
What was so hard about that?
BTW – I never heard from the doctor or the practice manager when they received my letter (I sent a copy to the practice manager). I mailed them Certified Mail, Return Receipt requested to show who signed for them).
I got both of the USPS forms back signed – but yet nobody ever called me or even contacted me as to what they could do to change things and to make sure that I was making the best decision for my health care.
This is totally unacceptable – IMHO.
Those health care providers sat back and watched a patient in the process of chemotherapy simply walk away – without another doctor – and all because their staff was not smart enough to recognize their office staff had a very big problem of not making sure they had the correct patient for the correct chemo treatment?
Chemotherapy is no walk in the park – and the chemo itself can cause an entire new set of health problems. So, it is nothing to be flippant about – IMHO
These are the types of hospital errors that are happening – and some patients are killed by pure lazy and ignorant people that do not care.
The war against Islamic extremism that began with George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq in 2003 continues now with Barack Obama’s bombing of the co-called “Islamic State” in Syria. This has become an unending war, notwithstanding Obama’s attempts to withdraw from it. It is not against a particular enemy in a particular place, but against global thugs who use religion as cover for their barbarism. This war cannot be won. Bombs will not stop it.
But the barbarians can be contained if three conditions are met:
(1) Their funding must be cut off. That’s where the United States should take a leadership role.
(2) The major powers in the region (Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey) must take primary responsibility for the war that has to be waged against the extremists.
(3) The young people who are being recruited, dragooned, or bribed into joining the extremist thugs must be persuaded that better futures await them in their own societies if they choose otherwise. This may be the hardest challenge of all.
Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Qatar all assisted with the operation, sources told CNN.
“It’s a remarkable diplomatic achievement,” said CNN political commentator Peter Beinart. “I don’t think it was expected that there would be this much Arab support.”
When reading through the list of these countries – maybe we need to ask which ones have been funding terrorist groups in the past?
I still don’t trust Saudi Arabia……not as far as I could throw their fat king.
The height of hypocrisy is when Republicans accuse Obama of being a secret Muslim – but yet these same folks were with Bob Dole when he acted as the lobbyist for that ridiculous idea of turning our port security over to the Arabs. Remember that disastrous plan?
The American People got wind of that ridiculousness and there was such a backlash – that the idea had to be scrapped.
I just don’t understand how Republicans can yammer on and on about how exceptional America is and how we should be the policemen of the world – but yet major prominent Republicans were supportive of the idea that Arabs were handed the security of USA ports.
This is why I don’t trust too many people – and which is why I am so cynical.
Since when did fighting at a drunken brawl become a good family value Christian thing to do?
According to Sarah Palin – she is proud that her kids stand up for family.
Okay – I can understand family pride – but if you’re taking a right-hook punch at the owner of the residence you’re attending a party at – is this really what Jesus would do?
But isn’t is slick as to how Sarah Palin wraps this all up as liberal-media-driven and her clan comes out with the strong faith so they can continue to do what is right and heart the less fortunate..
Please, just pass the barf bag now…..
Please note – this was on her Facebook post…
Now we know why R.D. is so busy shooting down so many of these CONservative Republicans ridiculous claims…
Just when we have hopes the new Arch Bishop wants to not politicize religion and faith – along comes this survey.
As I read this – more people think our society is in decline.
Okay – I can understand that thinking – but what does that have to do with churches and religion mixing with politics?
What I see as detrimental to our society is this lack of accountability and responsibility.
For example – the NFL giving their star players the slap on the wrists for domestic violence and child abuse.
We have all seen that video of Ray Rice knocking out his then fiancée in that elevator. And yet we have this raging debate as to whether the NFL knew or did not know it and now this issue of domestic violence has been politicized.
What the hell does that have to do with churches and religion needing to be mixed in with our politics?
And the NFL is but one group that has knowingly made the choice to look the other way when bad behavior needs to be kicked to the curb.
So – this decline in morals of our society – IMHO – is not just due to churches and religion not being mixed in with our politics/government.
That decline is due to people not giving a damn when the bad behavior is being done by THEIR golden goose – or THEIR favorite sports athlete – or THEIR elected official from their side of the aisle.
We are always yammering about how bad our society is – let’s take a good look in the mirror and see the reason for that decline. How do we deal with bad behavior?
Do we reward it?
Do we look the other way so it can continue?
Or do we kick it to the curb?
I have a different theory. I have to wonder why we have so many mega churches on every corner, a televangelist on every radio and television but yet our society seems to be on the decline.
Maybe the problem is NOT that our churches and religion is not mixed in with out politics/government.
Rather – the problem is that a majority of our churches are nothing more than tax free exclusive country clubs sitting on prime real estate?
It seems to always come back to money. Doesn’t some great book that religious people love to quote say: …the love of money is the root of all evil? The “God” business seems to be flourishing!
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 
I wish I had more time, first thing off I go to my face book page and then end up contradicting and dispelling half of what the Neo-cons post there, Forgive me but I even took the photo above and posted it to my face book page. LOL Man those tea partiers sure do not like being refer to as the Koch whores or Nazi inspired. ( But God forgive me I sure like referring to them as such!) I am in the good fight, both for my party and more important my country.
I can take just so much of the nonsense that many republicans spew and then I have to get away from them. They don’t want to hear anything, they don’t want to reevaluate their conclusions and they certainly won’t be polite. If anyone doesn’t think exactly as they do you’re just wrong because they can only look at an issue their way. Whereas discussions with ‘liberals’ can easily go to the agreement to disagree stage and there’s no need to call someone who disagrees names. Ever once in a while I find a republican I disagree with who manages to discuss the issues without rancor and rudeness. That’s refreshing!
In my past dealing with Republicans, I have found that when the person loudly proclaims they are Christian, Tea Party, Pro Life and Pro Marriage – those are the ones that are generally the ones that will NEVER back down from their point of view.
The discussion then usually turns south very quickly when this particular Republican ends up telling me I am going to Hell because I do not believe the exact same religion as they do…….and I have no problem with gay marriage….and I believe the government has no right to tell women what to do with their own bodies.
Of course, I must admit. I do have a long-term bias against certain loud-professing Christians – since my time in the Evangelical Christian/Baptist group. Some of those folks are probably now the leaders in this political arm of these so-called religious Republicans.
Hell – I suspected these folks were nuts back in the mid 1970’s – by now, those nuts have reproduced into many more nuts..
Hospital errors are a big problem in our health care system – so why is it now the fault of the people needing health care?
Shouldn’t we be focusing on the health care providers and making sure that they are competent to actually deliver health care?
From what I’ve seen in my three decades of working the health care field – we need to take the financial incentive of treating the symptoms and focus on preventive health care.
We need more family doctors – and less specialists IMHO.
I would much rather have a good family doctor than a half-wit specialist take care of me.
I know of doctors that get actually get a bonus based on how many diabetic patients they send into the hospital – not just for treatment but for education, etc.
Okay – I understand that diabetes is a chronic condition and patients do need help with understanding their disease.
BUT couldn’t this be done outside of the expensive hospital setting?
The way the system works –
1) the doctor gets a bonus for sending patients to the hospital.
2) hospital gets to bill high rates for hospitalization
3) patient gets billed for their portion of the high hospital bill
My son has been diabetic for 27 years. There have been many times when some specialist wants to admit him to the hospital to get his blood sugars to level out.
Duh…. my son knows what to do and that can be done at home. Of course, we are the kind of patients that actually listen to the doctor and do what needs to be done.
Maybe there are more patients who have to be hospitalized because they will not cooperate with their treatment plan?
I worked for a heart hospital as a unit clerk on the night shift. I’ve seen many families bring in bacon cheeseburgers, pizza or fried chicken to their family member that just had a heart attack and/or heart surgery.
Of course, this was after all the day shift doctors and nurses left – so the families felt they could bring in this forbidden food and nobody would be the wiser.
I’ve watched more than one family do this for their hospitalized family member (usually the husband/father) – and the saddest part is when I see the wife/mother with the children behind her – and they are all obese themselves and carrying the same type of food in their hands.
Education is what is needed – and the focus should be on that.
We are rewarding doctors and hospitals with higher payments when they treat the symptoms of the disease – so is there really any motivation to educate patients if that means they will be hospitalized less frequently and the doctor/hospital gets less money?
BTW – those hospital errors that are killing people are basically the same type – human error.
I’ve been on my soapbox for quite a few years now about the quality of our health care workers.
Personally – I think we have dumbed down the requirements to be a nurse to the point where anybody could pass the damn course.
And then – we have allowed health care workers to become lazy and incompetent – IMHO
For example – my first oncologist (the best in town, I was told) – had a staff that NEVER got my name correct. These people were giving me chemotherapy and were highly offended when I would check the bag of chemo drugs before they started to give it to me.
One of these nurses angrily asked – do you not trust us? I replied – when your staff starts to call me by the correct name – that is WHEN I will trust you and not before.
It was shortly after that when the final straw happened. The head nurse called me about my Coumadin. I told her that I was not on Coumadin and she argued with me !!
I asked her point blank – do you have the right chart? I told her my full name and she said, of course I have the right chart. The next thing from her mouth was – oh, oh, I’ll call you back.
She never did call me back – but I did sit down and write my letter dismissing the doctor because I wanted nothing to do with that office.
The saddest part is – the problem really had nothing to do with nursing knowledge or even health care knowledge. It was just plain common sense to know that you have the correct chart for the correct patient.
What was so hard about that?
BTW – I never heard from the doctor or the practice manager when they received my letter (I sent a copy to the practice manager). I mailed them Certified Mail, Return Receipt requested to show who signed for them).
I got both of the USPS forms back signed – but yet nobody ever called me or even contacted me as to what they could do to change things and to make sure that I was making the best decision for my health care.
This is totally unacceptable – IMHO.
Those health care providers sat back and watched a patient in the process of chemotherapy simply walk away – without another doctor – and all because their staff was not smart enough to recognize their office staff had a very big problem of not making sure they had the correct patient for the correct chemo treatment?
Chemotherapy is no walk in the park – and the chemo itself can cause an entire new set of health problems. So, it is nothing to be flippant about – IMHO
These are the types of hospital errors that are happening – and some patients are killed by pure lazy and ignorant people that do not care.
PS – I suspect the reason the oncologist staff did not care if I left the doctor because there are always warm bodies to fill their waiting room.
They would never miss me or my money – they had money flowing into that practice by the millions.
BTW – this practice also did a lot of research projects – and that is where they make the most money.
A lot of this is billed to Medicare….which is a fountain full of money and these doctors can just go and fill their bellies full every time they want.
Robert Reich says (and I agree):
The war against Islamic extremism that began with George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq in 2003 continues now with Barack Obama’s bombing of the co-called “Islamic State” in Syria. This has become an unending war, notwithstanding Obama’s attempts to withdraw from it. It is not against a particular enemy in a particular place, but against global thugs who use religion as cover for their barbarism. This war cannot be won. Bombs will not stop it.
But the barbarians can be contained if three conditions are met:
(1) Their funding must be cut off. That’s where the United States should take a leadership role.
(2) The major powers in the region (Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey) must take primary responsibility for the war that has to be waged against the extremists.
(3) The young people who are being recruited, dragooned, or bribed into joining the extremist thugs must be persuaded that better futures await them in their own societies if they choose otherwise. This may be the hardest challenge of all.
Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Qatar all assisted with the operation, sources told CNN.
“It’s a remarkable diplomatic achievement,” said CNN political commentator Peter Beinart. “I don’t think it was expected that there would be this much Arab support.”
Obama: Syria strikes show ‘this is not America’s fight alone’
http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/23/world/meast/isis-airstrikes/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
When reading through the list of these countries – maybe we need to ask which ones have been funding terrorist groups in the past?
I still don’t trust Saudi Arabia……not as far as I could throw their fat king.
The height of hypocrisy is when Republicans accuse Obama of being a secret Muslim – but yet these same folks were with Bob Dole when he acted as the lobbyist for that ridiculous idea of turning our port security over to the Arabs. Remember that disastrous plan?
The American People got wind of that ridiculousness and there was such a backlash – that the idea had to be scrapped.
I just don’t understand how Republicans can yammer on and on about how exceptional America is and how we should be the policemen of the world – but yet major prominent Republicans were supportive of the idea that Arabs were handed the security of USA ports.
This is why I don’t trust too many people – and which is why I am so cynical.
Just one more question – will these Arab countries be paying for this next war?
Obama needs to make that perfectly clear – IMHO. We paid for the first one – now it is time for the Arabs to pay their own damn bills.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2014/09/23/Sarah-Palin-defends-familys-involvement-in-drunken-party-brawl/1701411484789/
———-
Since when did fighting at a drunken brawl become a good family value Christian thing to do?
According to Sarah Palin – she is proud that her kids stand up for family.
Okay – I can understand family pride – but if you’re taking a right-hook punch at the owner of the residence you’re attending a party at – is this really what Jesus would do?
But isn’t is slick as to how Sarah Palin wraps this all up as liberal-media-driven and her clan comes out with the strong faith so they can continue to do what is right and heart the less fortunate..
Please, just pass the barf bag now…..
Please note – this was on her Facebook post…
Now we know why R.D. is so busy shooting down so many of these CONservative Republicans ridiculous claims…
http://www.nwherald.com/2014/09/23/chicagos-archbishop-to-be-blase-cupich-wont-politicize-religion-faith/a23i1dy/
——
fnord – I found this about the new Arch Bishop for Chicago. I like the sound of this guy when he says he will not politicize religion and faith.
That a positive step into the right direction!
We need more people like this guy.
I am still pulling for Pope Francis to be the real deal……so far, he has made some excellent choices.
I saw that too! Yes, seems like love will be this man’s goal. Refreshing!
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/09/23/350875501/more-americans-favor-mixing-religion-and-politics-survey-says
—–
Just when we have hopes the new Arch Bishop wants to not politicize religion and faith – along comes this survey.
As I read this – more people think our society is in decline.
Okay – I can understand that thinking – but what does that have to do with churches and religion mixing with politics?
What I see as detrimental to our society is this lack of accountability and responsibility.
For example – the NFL giving their star players the slap on the wrists for domestic violence and child abuse.
We have all seen that video of Ray Rice knocking out his then fiancée in that elevator. And yet we have this raging debate as to whether the NFL knew or did not know it and now this issue of domestic violence has been politicized.
What the hell does that have to do with churches and religion needing to be mixed in with our politics?
And the NFL is but one group that has knowingly made the choice to look the other way when bad behavior needs to be kicked to the curb.
So – this decline in morals of our society – IMHO – is not just due to churches and religion not being mixed in with our politics/government.
That decline is due to people not giving a damn when the bad behavior is being done by THEIR golden goose – or THEIR favorite sports athlete – or THEIR elected official from their side of the aisle.
We are always yammering about how bad our society is – let’s take a good look in the mirror and see the reason for that decline. How do we deal with bad behavior?
Do we reward it?
Do we look the other way so it can continue?
Or do we kick it to the curb?
I have a different theory. I have to wonder why we have so many mega churches on every corner, a televangelist on every radio and television but yet our society seems to be on the decline.
Maybe the problem is NOT that our churches and religion is not mixed in with out politics/government.
Rather – the problem is that a majority of our churches are nothing more than tax free exclusive country clubs sitting on prime real estate?
Just a thought..
It seems to always come back to money. Doesn’t some great book that religious people love to quote say: …the love of money is the root of all evil? The “God” business seems to be flourishing!
Two comments on the cartoon in today’s header:
1) It’s the woman who is going to the polls without question;
2) In Kansas races are often decided at the primary.