Tuesday, May 20, 2014

What I’ve been up to…

Hi, y’all!

I know, I know…I’m the worst.

I’ve been gone forever and a day, but I’ve got a good excuse!

I was working to protect regular folk from wretched policies being foisted upon my beloved Missouri by über-conservatives and their in-state minions.

Blink.

No, really.

Anyhoo, I’m back. 

Shall we?

Shark-Fu’s quick review of a few of the horrible proposals passed this session…

#1 The failure to pass Medicaid Expansion…and why there’s a special place in hell for people who support taking a dumb ass stand…

The Missouri legislature failed to pass Medicaid expansion…again.

Because…um…freedom?

Yep, apparently the “brave” wanna-be patriots who killed Medicaid expansion this time are dedicated to defending the right to die from lack of access to health care.

Hundreds of people will die due to lack of access to healthcare…access that the legislature had the opportunity to extend and chose not to because they hate Obama more than they love their fellow Missourians.

This shit would be amusing…if we weren’t two years in on a life and death situation.

The fight continues...

#2 Tis like watching a 10-vehicle car wreck in super slow motion…all the while knowing that the very people elected to prevent shit triggered the “accident” like this…

In a move that Missouri will likely suffer from for years, if not decades, to come…wince…the Missouri legislature passed a massive tax cut that will benefit rich folk while leaving average Missourians with a devastating financial crisis.

One need only look west to Kansas for proof that politicians can make all kinds of promises…but tis reality that comes knocking on the door when bad proposals become law.

I’m particularly concerned with the ripple effect of this mess. The immediate impact will be to schools…but pretty soon Missouri’s lack of income will hit programs that my autistic brother depends on.

Heck, we haven’t seen an increase in SNAPS funding in a decade…he qualifies for several really cool programs but transportation for stuff like that hasn’t been funded for years, so…

And now they’re taking more money out of an already underfunded system, and…I just can't bring myself to imagine what's left to cut. I know I'll have to soon. We've only got two years to plan for this mess, but...damn it.

Let's continue...

#3 The same folk who sleep well having denied thousands of Missourians access to heath care costing hundreds of lives in the name of less government, also decided to shove government all up in people’s lives by tripling the mandatory waiting period for abortion…

I had the honor of leading the communications crew for the Women’s Filibuster in Jefferson City last week. It was a truly amazing experience, seeing my fellow Missourians stand up and speak truth to power…and we all drew strength from the support we received from all over the world.

The legislature passed a bill that triples the mandatory waiting period for abortion care in Missouri.  So, we stood at the Capitol and conducted a citizen’s filibuster for 72 hours…from Monday at 2pm until Thursday at 2pm. 

They passed the bill, but we hope Governor Nixon will veto it. 

Because, freedom.

Stay tuned, friends!

6 comments:

dinthebeast said...

I'm sick of all this, and I live in California. Thank you for fighting these fools, and for getting around to posting about it. Your voice is wonderful and unique and I miss it when it is not there.

-Doug in Oakland

Anonymous said...

Thanks for watching our backs, missed you. I grew up in St Louis but now sign me.
Doug in Little Rock

Anonymous said...

Governor Nixon will do what he always does. Let the bill become law without signing it. He knows that his veto will fall to an override.

Rachael said...

so glad to see you again! I keep coming back, hoping to see you and now you're here!

Jeffrey Ricker said...

Ugh. Why the fuck am I moving back to Missouri? I mean, besides the fact that I adore you and want to have some quality playtime with Lars.

Oh, and I forgot to get more Smarties before I left. I am officially a Bad Friend.

Unknown said...

I'm in Texas, and we hear the same thing here.

Apparently, there is a huge contingent of previously silent people out there for whom lack of insurance is a point of pride.

The Founders fought for your right to die of untreated gangrene.

The Gumdrop Stage of Grief ...

So many of you have shared condolences and support after the death of my beloved brother Bill from COVID-19. I wish I could thank you indiv...