Government

Voters, not NRA money, drive the resistance to gun control

|

Voters, not NRA money, drive the resistance to gun control

In 2020, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) was the top recipient of money from members of the “gun rights” industry. According to Open Secrets, his campaign received a total of $142,653 for the 2019-2020 cycle. That put the so-called gun lobby at 33 on the list, far behind other industries, like real estate and accounting.

Health professionals alone gave roughly seven times more money to Scalise ($1,072,904) than the gun lobby did. Meanwhile, individuals who simply put down “retired,” instead of any industry at all, gave 100 times more, just shy of $14 million.

Don’t Forget to Vote in School Board Elections

|

Many of us forget about School Board Elections.

They are in a strange time of year, the middle of May, as many of us are thinking more about our summer plans, rather then critical questions of local government spending. School board elections, as local elections, are poorly covered by the news, and often are uninteresting. You may no longer attend high school, and you may not have kids in school. Yet those are not good reasons for not voting.

School Board Elections, School Budget Vote, and Library Budget Vote are all important things to vote on for several reasons including:

  • Low turn out, local elections mean your vote can change results easily.
  • Your decision hits your pocketbook directly, especially if pay property taxes.
  • Only chance to directly comment on government spending — should we invest more in our public schools or further increase the crushing tax burden on working folk?

None of us have perfect information. Many years when I vote in school board elections, I don’t even know whose running for school board, and leave those ballots blank. If your concerned about government spending and waste, or think schools and the students being educated are getting cut too much, then either vote Yes or No. It’s that simple.

Don’t Forget to Vote!

I was listening to NPR Fresh Air about the state of abortion in America today

|

I was listening to NPR Fresh Air about the state of abortion in America today … 💊

I was very surprised to learn about how with the abortion pill that many people can get safely get an abortion just by taking a pill sent through the mail and that many states are allowing such pills to be proscribed via Telehealth, often by a low fee of $150 or even less. I think it’s a wonderful development, as it saves time, hassle and protects privacy, especially compared the old ways of doing things involving abortion clinics — an empowers women to boot.

I’m no fan of promotion of casual sexual activities or recreational sex, but I do think protecting a women’s right to make her own healthcare choices is important. Accidents occur even with protected sex and contraception, and sometimes not realized right away. We’ve had for decades birth control pills, as the country music singer Loretta Lynn made famous in late 1960s. Having medicine that can undo a mistake, with minimal harm to woman is such a liberating thing, that should be widely available even without a prescription at neighborhood pharmacies and grocery stores. We shouldn’t be afraid of progress.