Bridging The Political Gap

As a fiscal conservative and a social moderate, I want to start a conversation.  I see this country dividing further and further apart.  I do not expect people to agree with me, but I hope they might see things from a different point of view. 

[conservativewomansvoice]

[conservativewomansvoice]

Were Trump Voters Irrational? - Quillette

In September 2016, in collaboration with my colleagues Richard West and Maggie Toplak, I published a book titled The Rationality Quotient. In it, we described our attempt to create the first comprehensive test of rational thinking. The book is very much an academic volume, full of statistics and technical details. We had expected our academic peers to engage with the statistics and technical details, and they did begin to do just that after its publication. But then the November 8, 2016 United States presidential election intervened. The nature of my email suddenly changed. I began to receive many communications containing gallows humor, like “Wow, you’ll sure have a lot to study now” or “We sure need your test now, don’t we?” Many of these emails had the implication that I now had the perfect group to study—Trump voters—who were obviously irrational in the eyes of my email correspondents. Subsequent to the election, I also received many invitations to speak. Several of these invitations came with the subtle (or sometimes not-so-subtle) implication that I surely would …

[conservativewomansvoice]

Smart beautiful black woman with a real message to process

[horrorhouse]

Condolences to the families of Lt. Cullen and Trooper Pilot Bates.

[conservativewomansvoice]

Charlottesville Virginia 8/12/2017

  Today’s civil unrest in Charlottesville is brought to you as a result of a clash between Alt Right groups of white nationalists, kkk, and neo nazis...    and the counter protestors from the equally as radical ANTIFA and others like the BLM.  Both sides were equally uncivil, spraying each other with pepper spray, throwing water ballons filled with paint, shouting each other down and physically confronting each other.  

It’s one thing to protest, but the minute you put your hands on someone else or spray things in their face - you turn up the anger, and the level of violence.  And violence only begets more violence.  

I’m not saying the ALT Right was right, I think it’s horrible in this day and age that there are neo nazi groups that promote ignorance and hate. Y’all need to stop. 

But I am disturbed and disappointed by the level of violence on both sides. Just because they are wrong doesn’t make it right to counter violence with violence.

It just escalates the rage, and people do unspeakable things when they are enraged.  There is a special place in hell for the driver of this vehicle.  I hope you are  caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. 

My prayers go out to the victims of this unimaginable and horrible act of violence.  A life has been cut short today because of  intolerance and hate.  This needs to stop. 

[conservativewomansvoice]

Health Care Failures

In 2009 the Democrats ignored thousands of people at town halls across this country, and even protests from doctors, and created this profoundly troubled system called Obamacare or it’s official title, the Affordable Care Act.  They were in such a rush to pass this through congress that no one stopped to consider the ramifications if it failed or didn’t work as intended.  I am pretty sure they knew when they created it that it wasn't going to work, and yet they made it mandatory with a huge fine if one chose not to participate. I have a relative who is self employed, and could not afford the open market insurance premium of $1200 a month, so she was forced to pay $3,000 penalty on her taxes last year for no health insurance.  I think that is what pisses me off more than anything is the penalty.  

 Half of the congress people didn't know or understand what was in the Affordable Care Act bill. It took me the better part of a month just to read most of the bill and there were a lot of things I didn’t understand and I was never given clarification by any of the congress persons I contacted.  If someone in congress doesn’t understand what the bill entails, they either need to learn it well enough to explain it to their constituents, or refrain from voting for it!    

Now not even a half dozen years later, individual preminums are going up 20% to 50% and it didn't fix a single problem it was supposed to fix. I know hundreds  of people in my immediate circle of family, friends and aquaintances who lost their health care plans through their employers, plans they were happy with and were stuck with plans that had $5,000 deductibles just to make the monthly payments affordable.  What is the point of having health insurance if you cannot use your health insurance without going broke?  My brother in law said his insurance premiums went from just under $700 a month to $1000 a month which might not be a big deal to some people, but when he is a mechanic living and working in a small town in a rural section of the state and he only brings home a little under $3000 a month - that is a huge problem. Over 1/3 of his income is going to pay for health insurance, and that doesn’t include prescriptions, co payments or deductibles.      

To add insult to injury, several states that chose not to participate in the medicaid expansion program left our country's most vulnerable citizens, people who work hard but make more than 8k and less than 22k a year - uninsured. These are people who are probably not able to afford to eat healthy, and they most likely put off seeking medical care until it becomes a genuine emergency, and they end up with thousands of dollars in unpaid doctor and hospital bills.  The ACA was supposed to fix all that - lowering prices by making sure everyone could pay for a medical care. (yes, I am aware that it was the individual states that caused this problem, but I’m talking about the failure of health care as a whole)  

Lastly, the other ramifications of this not so affordable care act, mainly that most small businesses, well technically medium size businesses, (more than 50 employees) at least in my neck of the woods, are no longer hire full time employees because of the health care burden. In the meantime the fat cat congress people on Capital Hill have their own fancy insurance plans and they are basically telling the peasants to eat cake.

In the meantime, insurance companies get way too much power over our  lives, and our wallets.  I myself have had to fight to get testing done that the insurance company deemed unnecessary, and I had to do the doctor shuffle when my primary care doctor of many years quit taking my insurance.  

I have a feeling I am going to hate the trump care package just as much....   If it doesn’t include price controls and make insurance companies accountable, this isn’t going to work either.  I don’t see our country going to a single payer system any time soon, but I am afraid (and the fiscal conservative in me cannot believe I am saying this) that is the only way out of this mess.  

[gotham-ruaidh]

The Missing Man Table.

As we celebrate our nation’s freedom - may we never forget those we lost along the way. Those who never came home - and those whose fates remain unknown.

Please stop today, just for a moment, and remember those who can’t celebrate the holiday with us.

[conservativewomansvoice]

[micdotcom]

Watch: John Cena continues, “So, let’s try this one more time. Close your eyes.” 

[conservativewomansvoice]

I’ve struggled a lot with making sense of the way things are right now, and there is so much misinformation, and biased information out there that feeds into this divided narrative in our country.  I think a lot of the more liberal leaning  people are so entrenched in being offended by Trump (and I cannot wholly disagree with you, the man is obnoxious, ill mannered, and impulsive)  that there are some very important issues that they refuse to entertain, simply because it came from a political party they currently loathe.  I've had a conversation recently with someone and they labeled me as a xenaphobe because I said there was nothing wrong with making sure that people were vetted thoroughly before being allowed to enter this country. First of all, slapping a label on someone does not make a problem any less of a problem. Secondly, I will completely agree that the Trump administration screwed up by not having their ducks in a row before implementing the “travel ban” and it severely hurt their case because it created such ill will, and so many innocent people got caught in the crossfire.  Finesse is definitely not one of Trump’s strong suits.  The man really is about as couth as a bull in a china shop.   

But this still brings me back to our problem.    

People forget that the US has been known as the Great Satan in the Islamic world since the early 1950s, simply for our support of Israel. Not every Muslim person is evil, but there are radical Muslims who definitely wish to kill American "infidels." Trying to figure out who is going to hurt us is the problem. 

It's like being given a bowl of chocolate candy and told that three pieces of the candy have razor blades inside. Do you take a chance and hope you don’t bite into a razor blade or do you take the candy to be X-rayed first? Same premise as vetting. It seems like Common sense.

[conservativewomansvoice]

NRA declares war on half of America

I’m not sure this video is even unusual for the NRA, which, these days, is more a purveyor of wholesale culture war zealotry than it is just a gun rights group. But it’s still a pretty spectacular appeal to the seemingly bottomless resentment of liberal sophisticates that eternally haunts conservatives despite controlling virtually the entire political apparatus of the United States. If there were a secret version of this video that ended with a call to march on Hollywood and raze it to the ground, I wouldn’t be surprised. This raises a question for “both sides” apostles: Can you think of a recent video anywhere near as vicious as this one from a left-wing group? I don’t mean some dude on Twitter. I mean some significant organization associated with mainstream liberalism. It’s an honest question. I don’t watch a lot of propaganda videos, so I could easily have missed something. Any takers? _____________________________________________________

Is the rhetoric turned up? of course it is, but then again the rhetoric from both sides has been ramped up to a level off the scale for the last year.  The headline alone is meant to elicit a reaction - distaste, disgust, anger...    I understand that liberal antipathy of the NRA is pretty much equal to the conservative loathing of Planned Parenthood.  I get it.  Maybe we should look at a ban on semi automatic weapons, but you will never get rid of guns completely - EVER, unless the constitution of the United States ceases to exist.  Yes, there is a problem with violence in this country, but it is about more than just guns, and it is definitely about mental health.   One side yells about immorality, the other side yells about intolerance.  The problem is that NOTHING  is achieved by shouting each other down. Two weeks ago the incendiary vitriol has an unbalanced man trying to assassinate Republican congressmen. I suppose there is a certain amount of bizarre irony that a self proclaimed liberal took an unspeakable action with a gun.    Maybe if everyone took a step back and took a deep breathe, and stopped thinking of each other as the enemy, things might be better.  We are so wrapped up in being angry and offended, some of us are thoughtlessly slapping disdainful labels on people who are our neighbors.  We started buying into sensational headlines, and and pointing fingers of blame and shame.  I’m not saying people can’t disagree, but open your mind to a different point of view, see why someone believes as they do, instead of assuming the worse, and then make an informed judgement instead of following the crowds and headlines.   

[conservativewomansvoice]

Three CNN journalists resign over retracted Trump-Russia story

The June 21 story on Trump ally Anthony Scaramucci was "not solid" enough for publication the network said

It’s a sad state of affairs when the mainstream media publishes less than truthful information.  It seems all sides of this current political situation do not seem to be bothered much by publishing “alternative facts”  If anything, this is a cautionary tale that we shouldn’t accept things at face value.  It’s important to analyze all the information out there and come to your own conclusions, rather than immediately jump on a bandwagon because a statement subscribes to your way of thinking.  

[npr]

A gunman opened fire during an early morning baseball practice for Republican members of Congress on Wednesday, reportedly firing dozens of shots at a field in Alexandria, Va. The victims include Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama told CNN.

“Suspect is in custody and not a threat,” the Alexandria Police Department tweeted. The agency says the victims are being transported to the hospital.

The shooting occurred around 7 a.m. ET in the Del Ray area of Alexandria, just south of Washington, D.C. Afterward, a helicopter arrived to medevac at least one victim.

The shooter opened fire at a baseball field at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park, across the street from Alexandria’s YMCA, according to accounts from witnesses and police.

At least five people were wounded, Brooks said, naming Scalise along with a congressional staff member, two law enforcement officers and another officer who was either with the Capitol Police or Secret Service.

Gunman Opens Fire At Members Of Congress As They Practice Baseball

Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images Editor’s note: This is a developing story. Some things that get reported by the media will later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from police officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.

[conservativewomansvoice]

After following the comments about this story here, twitter, and on facebook, I am deeply disturbed that this kind of political violence, or violence of any kind is condoned or even celebrated. It’s rather sad for our country and ironic that today is Flag day, a patriotic American day celebrating all that the flag represents...  sacrifice, liberty, one nation under God, freedom.  It is a core American value to freely express ourselves, without being hauled away by thought police.  It protects us as citizens from an overzealous government.  In return we vote to ensure the peaceful transfer of power via elections.  Heated debate is one thing, but the irrational and hateful rhetoric that results in this level of violence isnt productive or healthy.  I know this is an especially contentious election cycle, I’ve seen the posts raging against our current president and the Republicans, but usurping the process, using violence and bullets to make a statement is not the answer.  I cannot imagine the amount of bitterness and rage required to try killing people, it is completely beyond comprehension.  Unfortunately I don’t think this will be the last polital assasination attempt in the near future.  

[politicalprof]

This is actually a really good idea –

[carrieg425]

OMG THANK YOU

[conservativewomansvoice]

How about putting forth a decent candidate who isn’t in the pocket of big business and that is actually fairly elected in a primary, rather than being annointed as the winner by the DNC before the primary process even starts?  The democratic party must do better if they want to knock off an incumbent president, especially one as much maligned as the current one in office.  I am not a sheep.  As an independent, I will vote for the best candidate, even if that means “throwing my vote away” on a 3rd party candidate.   That’s how this process works, and sometimes you win some, and sometimes you lose.