All-purpose news and politics thread: Two Steps Beyond!

[JCAll]

Just telling that to people? Maybe not. But actually practicing that? It's done some amazing results so far with all the people I know. And in addition to that, when they do have sex, they *gasp* pay for their own contraceptives! Crazy, I know.

Abstinence only might work for a person, but it certainly doesn't work as a model. You can't teach it in schools, because every time it's tried people come out unacceptably ignorant of the inner workings of the human body... and sometimes pregnant. You can't rely on it in society, because people don't care. Abstinence as a societal model has been field tested time and again and has failed every time. Because people want sex. It's hardwired into us. Abstinence only supporters ignore that and try their damnedest to "beat" sex, which is not a fight anyone can conceivably win.

I imagine you don't care about that. People having sex isn't their own problem, yeah? They made their decisions and have to live with it. But that's short sighted. There are MAJOR issues involving sex that people just don't want to talk about. Teen pregnancy, overpopulation, disease, and of course abortion. And in all these cases cheap and easy access to contraceptives/condoms have been shown to help the situation greatly.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

NBC news is reporting that the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the Government in King V Burwell, upholding the Obamacare subsidies.

They're describing it as having 'bailed out' Obamacare. Which is absurd. King V. Burwell was an utterly insane legal challenge in the first place.

Let's see how long before the GOP takes it's next shot at killing Obamacare. We all know they will, the Republicans won't EVER stop, it's become their obsession.

[Kyer]

Let's see how long before the GOP takes it's next shot at killing Obamacare. We all know they will, the Republicans won't EVER stop, it's become their obsession.

I hope they don't stop because between the rules of Obamacare and Minimun Wage Hikes I've gone from a hard-working Low Income Hispanic woman to a Poverty Level can't find full-time or decent part-time work Hispanic woman (low skills and age issues. Nobody wants to hire someone my age.)
Obamacare knifed my full-time (low pay but satisfying work) job that I'd held for decades. They had to kick me down to part-time/no benefits solely due to Obamacare employment fines. I'm literally draining my 'retirement' years account at an alarming rate and am now deciding on what 'silent option' to take because no way do I want to take welfare or live out on the street.

I despise Obamacare. Its ruined what had been a content enough life. Not only mine but also a lot of former co-workers and caregivers now forced on early retirement due to the rats nest of laws/fines/taxes governing our lives.

[7thangel]

your employer made choice, they valued saving money as opposed to making sure their employees are covered.

[bloodofthegods]

Abstinence only might work for a person, but it certainly doesn't work as a model. You can't teach it in schools, because every time it's tried people come out unacceptably ignorant of the inner workings of the human body... and sometimes pregnant. You can't rely on it in society, because people don't care. Abstinence as a societal model has been field tested time and again and has failed every time. Because people want sex. It's hardwired into us. Abstinence only supporters ignore that and try their damnedest to "beat" sex, which is not a fight anyone can conceivably win.

I imagine you don't care about that. People having sex isn't their own problem, yeah? They made their decisions and have to live with it. But that's short sighted. There are MAJOR issues involving sex that people just don't want to talk about. Teen pregnancy, overpopulation, disease, and of course abortion. And in all these cases cheap and easy access to contraceptives/condoms have been shown to help the situation greatly.

People having consensual sex IS their responsibility and what results from it. This isn't the intake of nutrients through food and water for the human body to continue living. Yes, it is a part of being human. But it is not a necessity to live. And it's not a valid excuse to complain about the results of being sexually active no more than an alcoholic feeling sorry for himself for making the decision to drink and drive when it brings about unwanted consequences. Should we do all we can to help people get contraceptives so they can be sexually active? Or should we be able to keep reasonable control of our body? Each person is different and no adamant rule either way will help and/or deter everyone. But I think it's pretty short sighted to think that other people are responsible for another person's sexual activity. There has to be a balance somewhere.

[JCAll]

People having consensual sex IS their responsibility and what results from it. This isn't the intake of nutrients through food and water for the human body to continue living. Yes, it is a part of being human. But it is not a necessity to live. And it's not a valid excuse to complain about the results of being sexually active no more than an alcoholic feeling sorry for himself for making the decision to drink and drive when it brings about unwanted consequences. Should we do all we can to help people get contraceptives so they can be sexually active? Or should we be able to keep reasonable control of our body? Each person is different and no adamant rule either way will help and/or deter everyone. But I think it's pretty short sighted to think that other people are responsible for another person's sexual activity. There has to be a balance somewhere.

Society's problems remain everyone's problem no matter what it stems from.

[Double 0]

I hope they don't stop because between the rules of Obamacare and Minimun Wage Hikes I've gone from a hard-working Low Income Hispanic woman to a Poverty Level can't find full-time or decent part-time work Hispanic woman (low skills and age issues. Nobody wants to hire someone my age.)
Obamacare knifed my full-time (low pay but satisfying work) job that I'd held for decades. They had to kick me down to part-time/no benefits solely due to Obamacare employment fines. I'm literally draining my 'retirement' years account at an alarming rate and am now deciding on what 'silent option' to take because no way do I want to take welfare or live out on the street.

I despise Obamacare. Its ruined what had been a content enough life. Not only mine but also a lot of former co-workers and caregivers now forced on early retirement due to the rats nest of laws/fines/taxes governing our lives.

To be honest, it sounds like your employer did that, not Obamacare.

[Malvolio]

They will do anything to appease The South. There are some right-wingers who are now going after the rainbow flag


I'm not sure how a rainbow is a symbol for slavery.
But again, statues of Buddha and representations of equality are not the same as flying the flag of a group of people who declared war on the USA or naming a park after the first head of the KKK. Oh wait, the KKK is a nice Christian organization gee I guess I see their point.

So the rainbow flag is a symbol of oppression? Who exactly are the homosexuals enslaving? I know that Bryan Fischer "feels enslaved" because the gays won't let him say "Faggot" or oppose gay marriage without being called out for it, but until someone's putting him in chains or forcing him to pick cotton in the hot sun at the point of whip, I'm not feeling sorry for him. And they say that it's the Democrats who are politicizing this.

[Malvolio]

To be honest, it sounds like your employer did that, not Obamacare.

Yeah, exactly. This is just another example of a corporation using the Affordable Care At as an excuse to be cheap and treat their employees like crap.

[JCAll]

I'm sorry to see this kind of thing happen, but people have been dealing with the "39 hour part-time, no benefits" corporate moneygrubbing for years before the ACA. It's gotten to the point where getting around paying for benefits or even paying the minimum wage have become the norm, and the practice is figured into the bottom line. And yes, it is and has always been absolutely wrong.

See also waitresses having tips preemptively figured into there wages, or the fruit picking industry nearly collapsing when they couldn't get migrant workers anymore. Sometimes I think the world is being run by Captain Planet villains.

[worstblogever]

[7thangel]

out of the two good decisions, i'm more surprised by the fair housing one. i thought after the VRA one, they would also eff with FHA

[Paradox]

7thangel tells it:

your employer made choice, they valued saving money as opposed to making sure their employees are covered.

Yup, this isn't to be laid at the President's door. Businesses always cry "We can't afford it" when in fact it's almost always "we don't want to spend our profits on that!". Coverage costs are almost always easy to pass along to the consumer with a SMALL price raise. It's a pretty common business practice and actually how capitalism is SUPPOSED to work.

[Kyer]

Yeah, exactly. This is just another example of a corporation using the Affordable Care At as an excuse to be cheap and treat their employees like crap.

Unbelievable. Seriously unbelievable.

Then how do you explain that for 30 plus years they offered and gave affordable (REALLY, TRULY, BANKABLE) health care plan options (plural), affordable prescriptions, mental advise, vacations, sick pay, free food parties and (before the tax laws anyway) gifts/raffles, understanding when family emergencies cropped up, pension, 401k....all, I would mention, without a Union to prod them to do so. This all pretty much slowed to a stop when Obamacare became a surety. Then last year the hour cuts to part time started in earnest. Oh by the way, there were no cuts in hours or benefits even during the spattering of 'economic hard times in the previous decades. None.

Oh, and absolutely no unions were involved.

Until Obamacare was signed in we were a pretty content bunch of workers who were able to make our modest budgets work out. Now, most of the young have left in search of higher pay or more work hours. Only those of us who have limited prospects and the newer high school grads/dropouts are sticking it out.

Was my workplace heaven? No. There were issues just like anywhere else. I don't think anyplace is heaven sent or anyone a saint, but again we were content. We could pay our bills and feed our families as long as we lived frugally with just a few things for fun (a dvd now and then, some books, the rare toy.)

It's not just us either. The doctor I used to see now and then declared last year that they were quitting. Why? The new laws were proving to be too much of a headache. It was just not worth the hassle to continue being in medicine so they were going to train in real estate. Yeah. Didn't get to keep my doctor. Haha.

Miss her.

Absolutely I despise Obamacare and all the people who signed that bill. Especially those who decided that it needed to be passed so that we could see what was in it. What a load of fresh pasture patties. Compassionate my a*.

[7thangel]

they provided all that but allegedly can't afford to provide a plan under the new rules? you don't see nothing fishy about that? but, hey, let the millions that finally got insurance go back to having nothing because your employer made a choice to **** over some workers and blame the law.