THANKFUL FRIDAY

Sunday

6 Likes, 2 Comments - Cindy Maddera (@elephant_soap) on Instagram: "Sunday"

I have spent most of this week on the couch. Michael brought home some kind of virus from school and it has had me down for the count. I went to work on the third day and my supervisor sent me home. He sticks with that rule they use for kids now, something about fevers and twenty four hours. I used that time to delete hard drives of old MacBooks (yes, that's MacBooks plural) that I need to take in to be recycled. I started with Chris's computer and it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Most of all the pictures had already been uploaded to clouds or where ever we send our files to be stored these days. Now all that's left is to take them into the Mac store. I was also home when they came and picked up our Bagster. It was very satisfying to watch a big crane pick up our big bag of garbage. 

I am back at work today and on the mend. I have been fever free for twenty four hours, though my supervisor did say that he was going to count the number of times I coughed today. It may seem really difficult to find gratitude in a week such as this one, but I am surprised to find that is is not. I am very fortunate. I have good health insurance and a decent amount of sick leave. I have a supervisor who would rather have me at home than in the office spreading my yuck virus. This is not the norm for many Americans. And it should be. I have never understood how some companies just cannot see the benefit in keeping their employees healthy. I still do not understand a government who doesn't insist on keeping it's citizens healthy. Today, I called my senator to beg him to not vote for the latest health care reform bill. I did this because I am grateful for my health care and others should be able to same the same. 

Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. Proverbs 14:31

Call your senators today. Here's a link with a whole list of senators from every state. Health Care should be a basic right for every American. No one should ever have to choose between putting food on the table for their family or seeking health care that will prevent serious health issues. The new reform bill will increase the cost of reproductive health care for women. Reproductive health is more than just having babies. Tests and exams, such as mammograms and pap smears, are vital for detecting cancer and are all related to reproductive health. In fact, reproductive health are two very simple words for a very complex part of female anatomy, as every woman knows. Ovarian cysts. Sexually transmitted diseases. Pre-natal and post-natal care. These things fall under the category for reproductive health. Ask your senator why reproductive health care costs are not being increased for men.

I am grateful for my health. I am grateful for a voice that I can raise up against injustice. I am grateful for those who believe that Universal Health Care is a basic human right. 

SPLIT

Satan's greatest weapon

4 Likes, 2 Comments - Cindy Maddera (@elephant_soap) on Instagram: "Satan's greatest weapon"

There are things about the places we drove through while on vacation that I have not been able to shake. I mentioned before that we saw a lot of rural America. We also saw a lot of signs supporting Trump and proudly flying Confederate flags. We saw many well lived in houses that looked like they were standing only out of habit. We were probably the only actual campers in the campground we stayed in at Mark Twain National Forest. All of the travel trailers were settled in and had been there for some time. A few of them had full sized refrigerators strapped to the outside of the camper. One or two had their own shed. I was raised in rural Oklahoma. I've seen my fair share of rundown homes with a few cars sitting on blocks in the yard. This is not a new sight for me to see. It just struck me that I was seeing so much of it outside my home state. 

I was reading the New York Times the other day and there was an article on the impact this new health care reform bill will have on the people of Kentucky. Most of the people in that state rely on Medicaid to help pay for insurance and medical costs. The Affordable Care Act gave insurance to people who had never been able to have insurance before. This is important since Kentucky is in the midst of an opioid and a black lung epidemic. It also brought jobs to Kentucky. More people with healthcare means more doctors, health care facilities, and staff to run those facilities. The ACA brought jobs to a state who desperately needed jobs. Mitch McConnell, who is one of the biggest supporters of this reform bill, hails from Kentucky. The people of that state voted for him. This is a population who support and vote for a political party that does not have their best interest in heart. And I don't understand the logic behind this. 

Part of it comes from a lack of information. While driving across rural Missouri, Michael flipped through the radio stations and we came up with four different religious channels, one 80s rock station and three country stations. We did not once stumble across the closest NPR station. Which left me wondering. How do the people out there get unbiased, real fact news? I'm not talking about opinion pieces. Just the actual story and events that are currently taking place. Yes, those news outlets exist. It is why I have a subscription to the New York Times, but also follow other news outlets in order to get a wide range of information. Many Americans are being distracted by a President who is the most vile and hateful cyberbully in the U.S. He's misogynistic and vain. His cabinet meetings are not about coming up with strategies to help the average American, but are all about inflating his ego with praise. But none of this matters. 

Because while this President is distracting you with his awfulness, the Republicans are moving forward with agendas to take away health care from 22 million Americans, cut Medicaid and suspend all funding to Planned Parenthood. The real problem is this current group of Republican men in office have made it abundantly clear that they do not care about your well being. 

Call your Representatives and your Senators.