AN AMERICAN SAGA .........

For the past few months, and more so the past few days , America is watching the ongoing saga of health care, and repealing with an unprecedented hate and vengeance of what became known as the Obamacare, maybe the name does something to the attitude. The proposed replacement, the second attempt already, has almost the same name and intonations, they call it the healthcare bill .

Even though it promises to throw out approx. 23 million people from being insured, cuts 850 billion from Medicaid and Medicare, and defunds many many already proven programs, including planned parenthood, people with chronic illnesses, and makes it harder and more expensive for elderly to continue as well as to obtain fair priced medicine.

The proposed very secretive bill will impact a sixth of the American economy and will touch every single family, the president and his Republican followers have said more than once that their healthcare plan is good for business and good for America, but in fact it's not, and most medical associations and hospitals expressed their deep concerns of its implications and jobs effects .

According to a George Washington university recent study, in a state like Florida alone, the proposed healthcare plan would result in 83,000 fewer jobs, and 8.6 billion in lost revenue. Services for seniors, persons with disabilities, and those in need of in-home care would be jeopardized, the uninsured rate amongst children would skyrocket, premiums would increase and millions across the nation will lose their jobs.

And all for what ?? to give more tax breaks to the wealthiest individuals and corporations, in plane words, it could be summed up ; we lose jobs, we lose money, and we lose coverage . From coast to coast it is estimated that nearly one million jobs could be lost as a direct result of the new plan, with millions of families paying more in premiums for less care.

A bill that was kept secret, kept hidden, and in the last possible minute will be rushed before a divided and very partisan Senate for a quick vote. One should only ask; Why is it that the United States is the only major country on earth that does not guarantee healthcare to all of its citizens as a right. And why do Americans pay more per capita than any other nation for basic healthcare, with no better outcome than most. Plus the highest prices for prescription drugs even for American manufactured drugs that are sold cheaper in many parts of the world than America itself .

Obamacare was bitterly attacked by Republicans for spiking insurance premiums, but those costs could go up even more under the proposed alternative health plan, to most middle-classes. Billions of Dollars in federal subsidies that have reduced out of pockets expenses for more than 6 or 7 million patient would now be replaced by 2019 under the Senate health plan, and all for what ??  To further enrich a very rich minority .

In fact and in all honesty this proposed healthcare bill, is nothing but a massive transfer of wealth from the middle-classes and the poorer families to the richest people, drug manufacturers and insurance conglomerates in America . I believe Mr. Obama said it and he was right , maybe we ought to call it our new wealthcare bill .

We should start swinging the nation's pendulum back towards sanity, decency and civility, and the kind of future that America must never give up on , America is not all about a one percent rich and greedy bunch, it's way more than that , at least in my opinion .

My as always many thanks for your time and help .                

RELIGIOUS VERSUS RELIGIOUS ....

This past Saturday, June 10th, many small marches took place in many U.S. cities, mostly organized by a group called ACT, and some alt. right backed organizations. Demanding that Islamic shariia laws be banned from U.S. civil laws and insinuating that Islamic shariia is gaining ground and influencing many law makers and localities to adjust and possibly accommodate certain Islamic ways. In fact ACT's sole purpose of existence is to limit and ban Islamic laws and codes from America.

I've mentioned it before in a previous blog, that criticizing and banning the specific laws, codes and acts of any one religion, while forgetting and ignoring some other religions of more or less similar ways and laws is a wrong approach , ineffective and inefficient , it only leads to xenophobia, apartheid and hate .

In fact Islam's many aspects and codes of dress in our case here, resemble in their essence and were inherited from Jewish and many conservative Christian ways . All Abrahamic sects  and many other religions, as well as other Semitic tribes share these same Conservative dress and behavior codes, especially concerning women, and all three monotheistic religions maintain an attitude of denigration , vilifying the female hair and physical parts . Islam is simply nowadays more  a la mode , than its other two sisters .

And let's not kid ourselves with modern rhetoric , all three religions are equally violent and bloody,  "There is more violence in both the Hebrew Bible and the new testament than there is in the Koran." .  According to Karen Armstrong .

The only effective method is to really separate religion, all religions, from state and civil laws, and if need be condemn all religious aspects, behaviors and folklore outside of certain confined worship centers, no other way will work , and let's not succumb to the initiators and promoters of such movements and their hate of one particular faith or sect , leading us all into their ugly games of dividing similar communities .

As a matter of fact , we aught to keep reminding ourselves that since we invented our YHWH , Gods and Allahs, and their teachings and their prophets and messengers , we established as well hegemony, apartheid, cruelty , we legalized and legitimized annihilation of the others .

Technically , only atheists are allowed to address, criticize or forbid certain aspects of religious nature, only atheists are free enough to have the better judgment toward other religious acts and fervor , that do not correspond or blend with our civilization .

We are still living under the same rules and influences of archaic times, albeit in a reasonably more scientific and technologically advanced world, but the deadly combination of religion and scientific advancement makes it all very lethal and dangerous for the survival of Sapiens on this particular globe .

My usual appreciation for your times and help engaging the blog .  

MORE OF THE SAME ........

Mr.  Trump chose the Middle-East for his foreign debut. A strange choice for achieving nothing, not now, not in the foreseeable future . Unless we consider receiving gifts , huge and expensive personal gifts an achievement by itself .

Consequently American foreign policy nowadays is shifting rapidly , changing the focus of our alliances, as we are satisfied with having as our top allies the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and some of its minor vassals , and Israel, both considered some of the most repressive regimes in the world, both exemplary in their behavior, hegemony, barbaric brutality toward others and neighbors . Apartheid is only one of the policy aspects both entities respect and adhere to .

At a second level comes the greatly illuminated leaders and their oligarchies and bankers. Mr. Putin, Erdogan, and Duterte of the Philippines come immediately to mind . The rest of the world pivot between ex-allies to cold relationship, to enemies of America, even the very popular Catholic Pope is now somewhere on the same scale .

The new motto for our foreign policy is now " Screw them all , we come first." As a State department official told the satirical Daily Beast, "When it comes to diplomacy, president Trump is a drunk tourist, loud and tacky, shoving his way around the dance floor, he steps on others without realizing it, it's utterly ineffectual."

According to an unofficial Saudi report, after the famous visit to the kingdom of S-A. the jewels and other personal gifts, including apparently a full blown huge yacht, plus the money transferred to Ivanka's international funds from the royals, gets into some considerable amounts, 600 to 800 millions of Dollars. Not bad for couple days of family diplomacy .

A carte-blanche for many years to come to all their policies and adventures. Did the Israeli lobbyists and rich enthusiasts in the U.S. match those figures ?? We might never know for sure . We know though that Russian investors and bankers did , thus the quick shifts toward Russia and its leader.

And Mr. Trump latest brilliant move to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accords puts the country in league with only 2 other regimes globally ; Syria and Nicaragua, that are not participating in the agreement, versus 200 world nations, maybe we ought to add these two to our list of best allies and friends .

For the past 15 years G. W. Bush invaded and destroyed Afghanistan and Iraq, Obama's undecidedness further destroyed Libya, Syria and Iraq, now we have Mr. Trump to complete the task, for his Allies the Israelis and Saudis, and kill whatever little chances the area has to a fair future .

The president will be judged in 2020, and surely in every election in between , as all GOP candidates will be judged in 2018 on his behalf , I hope Americans will think and act bypartisanly , and choose the country first and not the party, and that money will not be the decisive factor in every election. As it will be very, very disappointing for America, and American already bruised image throughout the world .

My usual thanks to all , for reading, participating and spreading the blog .