(What stage of capitalism are we in where fast food chains care more about mental health than most public officials?)
Hindsight will be 2020
Paul Krugman has a warning about the old white guys running for office this year: they are arrogant enough to think they can transcend partisanship. Biden thinks he can “reach across the aisle” and Sanders thinks he can sweep across divides with idealistic policy. Neither seems to grasp what will actually happen if Dems take the presidency but the Senate and Supreme Court are still dominated by what’s basically a rebooted John Birch Society. Speaking of which…
Mainstream Republican Values
The Florida legislature is basically using a poll tax to avoid implementing a ballot measure that would allow ex-cons to vote.
Here is an official statement from the White House, claiming that Democrats kill babies:
As Democrat Governors in NY & VA advocate for late term abortion & even infanticide – & Democrats in Congress refuse to allow a vote on the Born-Alive bill – TODAY in Times Square an ultrasound will be shown for all to see, demonstrating the miracle of life. #AliveFromNewYork
— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) May 4, 2019
Let me reiterate: the Vice-President of the United States is claiming that his opponents are in favor of legal infanticide. This is how you incite murder. This is how you get support for refusal to cede power after losing an election.
And as if on cue, we have an article titled “Nobody’s sure how seriously to take Trump’s suggestion he’s owed two extra years in office.”
You guys, I’m starting to think this fascist demagogue should never have been allowed anywhere near the levers of power.
This thread. My lord, this thread:
When did you become radicalized by the U.S. health care non-system?
— All On Medicare (@AllOnMedicare) May 2, 2019
When I broke my hand in college, I set the bone & splinted it myself. This was the first time I found out this wasn’t normal, because I grew up either w/o insurance or w/ my mom’s terrible work insurance & not enough savings to ever afford the copay
— torrin a. greathouse (@TAGreathouse) May 4, 2019
My first boyfriend committed suicide at 19 after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and not being able to refill his meds or get treatment after being released from the psych hospital. A thousand other things, but it all started there.
— frannypak (@frannypak) May 4, 2019
My father killed himself so he wouldn’t bankrupt the family trying to treat his Parkinson’s. He was my best friend. We did a Go Fund Me for his medical care and ended up using it for his funeral
— Erin Dewey Lennox (@ErinDeweyLennox) May 3, 2019
In Oct of 2018 My friend niema went on Facebook asking if anyone had any Albuterol she could have because she couldn’t afford to get any at the time. She died early the next morning after an attack. She was an amazing human being. pic.twitter.com/V6MD8KaRii
— EbethNeedsWine (@ebethhasissues) May 3, 2019
When my employer told me I needed to come back to work or else my families health insurance would lapse.
I took that phone call while sitting in a PICU room next to my 4 year old who was in a medically induced coma— Janissary Jones (@JanissaryJones) May 3, 2019
The Future Is Now
The BBC has a report on what they’re calling the “post-natural age” and man is it going to be weird and beautiful and weird.
Scientific American notes that seasonal allergies are made worse by the fact that municipal arborists and home gardeners alike tend to plant mostly male trees, since they don’t drop fruit and therefore are less messy.
Cultivating Joy
This roly-poly cat is pretty adorable I guess.
Secretly Ironic 