Way to go, America. Meals on Wheels funding cut by sequestration. Seniors fearful.

[madfloridian]

This is ridiculous. It is outrageous. It is the fault of both parties, and it speaks to what our country is becoming.

Funding is also being cut until seniors who are ill are feeling the pain as well. Hubby and I have seen first hand this week how cutbacks in health care are taking their toll. We were hospitalized at the same time, fortunate to have good insurance. But now even that does not insure adequate health care. There are just so many hospital rooms, just so many beds in rehabilitation facilities.

Shame on both parties for these shenanigans about cutting back everything that once was a part of our country.

Meals on Wheels anticipates funding cut impact by October

MANATEE, Florida -- Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston and Palmetto Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant drove off Wednesday morning to deliver hot food from Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee on Ninth Street East in Bradenton to bolster awareness of homebound senior hunger.

Yet, despite the well-meaning of "Mayors for Meals Day," agency officials were preoccupied by the disturbing news of the impact from impending federal budget cuts to its ability to serve those needy residents.

Due to the ongoing sequestration budget battle in Washington, Meals on Wheels PLUS figures to lose $68,000 from funding for its senior services, a development that troubled several people at Wednesday's event.

"It could be devastating. That's a lot of money," said Maribeth Phillips, the nonprofit's chief executive officer. "We're operating very lean as it is, so that's lot of funding for us to make up."

Seniors are scared here. I know, because I saw many this week who are simply living on the edge and feeling fearful of what is coming next. They fear cuts to their services, they fear cuts to Social Security. They are surprised the cuts are being advocated by a Democratic president.

There is no excuse for this, these are political games being played by politicians who are more concerned about re-election than doing their job.

[RainDog]

1. k&r n/t

[forestpath]

2. Maybe Obama will give up an apple or candy bar in solidarity.

[madfloridian]

4. Or the politicians playing games will give up another 1% of salary....

and feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

[jsr]

6. It's the thought that counts

The president always has the utmost consideration for our most vulnerable citizens, unlike the rascals on Wall Street - whom he has mercilessly prosecuted for their crimes.

[tblue]

19. Cue Willie Nelson: "You Were Always on My Mind"

As if that makes a dime's worth of difference.

Hang in there. I hear what you're saying.

[Demo_Chris]

36. You forgot the sarcasm tag. nt

[bobduca]

107. i think this is what made it sarcasm "mercilessly prosecuted for their crimes"

[Demo_Chris]

111. Yes, I caught that as well :)

[hay rick]

9. Or a comfortable pair of shoes.

Brand new. Never been worn.

[bluestate10]

14. The problem isn't with President Obama. Your statement is pure bullshit.

The problem is with red state republicans, those people want to be in government but hate the proper function of government so thoroughly that their only purpose is to stop government from working. And many of the people that will be most affected by Sequestration vote wholeheartedly to put their oppressors into Congress, and that, above all else is where the shame is.

[forestpath]

16. OK, maybe he'll give up a piece of pie.

[madfloridian]

17. Obama worked with them on sequestration, and he is pushing Chained CPI and cuts...

There is such denial here, it is scary.

[MotherPetrie]

18. No, your statement is pure bullshit. The problem is with Obama. His "sacrifice" of a whopping 5% of

his huge $400,000 salary to demonstrate his solidarity with workers who really WILL -- UNLIKE HIM -- be hurt by the sequester is will is obscene and insulting.

[pscot]

89. Patronizing

[AnotherMcIntosh]

91. 5% of his public salary.

[Auntie Bush]

51. Plus 100

[treestar]

59. +9 million

There is no way a democratic congress would consider letting us go over any cliff or close down the government.

[AverageJoe90]

67. Damn straight, although I wish that Obama would stop playing the risk game all the time. n/t

[MotherPetrie]

15. He can donate them to a food bank!!!!

[mercymechap]

27. Maybe the Republicans will grow a

soul?

[Auntie Bush]

52. I doubt it!

In fact I know it! You have to have a heart in order to have a soul.

[JDPriestly]

78. More likely, he will open another military base in the Middle East

or some remote place in the world.

[Initech]

3. ...

[Newest Reality]

5. Everyone who is not

wealthy should be very, very concerned at how this is now playing out.

I don't know if scared is a good way to deal with it. Wake up and be aware. Pay attention. Keep some momentum going on good information.

While I understand the fear, we really have to see what is going on clearly and start from knowing that this system is, by no means, functioning in our better interests, even though the megaphone says it is working for us, over and over.

We have a real struggle ahead and fear will only feed the machine, just as pounding into the collective head for the last ten years lost us many of our rights and opened the door for the Fascist police state we are transitioning into.

[madfloridian]

10. When people are old and ill, they are scared when they hear about cuts.

They can't help it. Scared is the reality, and our politicians are the only ones who can stop it.

Shame on them.

[tblue]

20. Exactly! Stop scaring us and protect our safety net!

It's not rocket science.

[bluestate10]

21. I am sorry, but the majority of those people and their children vote for the very

republicans that are making their lives hell. Once people that are keeping republicans in office vote their best interests, their lives will change for the better, as well as the lives of their children and grandchildren. Democratic politicians since Lyndon Johnson have fought a long, tough battle to improve the lives of every American, with the people that are now being hurt the most by Sequestration staunchly opposed to democrats.

[madfloridian]

29. Because Democrats seem to stand for the same things as the GOP.

Unfortunately. Democrats ONCE fought that battle for the safety nets, but now they are not.

[Katashi_itto]

77. Agree

[JDPriestly]

79. That was true until Obama.

I'm not sure yet with him. The American Care Act may or may not improve healthcare for ordinary Americans. It isn't fully implemented yet so it is hard to tell.

Obama is credited with saving the auto industry, but he did not save the union pay scale that kept Detroit above water for years. We have conservatives in charge in Michigan and they are making a mess.

I have trouble thinking of ways that Obama improved the lives of Americans. Maybe he avoided some of the worst effects of the recession, but frankly, I think in some ways, by cooperating with the Republicans rather than alerting Americans to what was going on, he made the situation worse.

Obama has been unwilling to admit to Americans just what greed there is on Wall Street and among the corporations.

I predict, based on my best guess, that he will approve the Keystone Pipeline and perhaps destroy some of the best farmland in the world all for the oil magnates. (No one else will profit from that.)

With Obama, I have good days and bad days. But as I look back, I've had more bad days.

Obama was definitely better than Bush and more honest than Romney. But he really has not accomplished much domestically.

We are entering another recession -- and that makes this a depression in my lay view. That's not much of a record.

We can and should blame the economy on Republicans. But Obama has been unwilling to speak really strongly against the Republicans. That is a huge error at this time. He should have learned long ago that they do not support ordinary Americans and that any compromise he makes with them will hurt too many people and be charged to Obama's own record.

So, partisanship gets criticized, but there is a time to stand for what is morally right, for social justice. And Obama has put bipartisanship over moral right and social justice. That is his big failing.

[mrdmk]

7. There is plenty of blame to go around! The major parties are a big part of the problem

The U.S.A. has the largest economy in the world, yet we cannot feed our population!

We have leadership which is bent on divide and conquer.

We have a media (television, radio, newspapers) which cannot/will not inform the population.

We people and groups of people who amass great amounts of wealth who cannot pay taxes.

Now we have shit from hell to deal with...

[pacalo]

8. Everyone should google to see how much their state will lose; in my state, MoW will lose $488,000.

[Rex]

11. In America we let poor hungry kids go and sitdown

then take their food away and make them cry as we throw it in the garbage. As a private food service company we are 'concerned' since the children could not pay for the meal. Now the state wants to cut welfare to poor families that have kids with low grades. See how well this works? We endorse profit over malnutrition.

We endorse profit over malnutrition.

[madfloridian]

12. Yes, I am sounding negative. It is a negative thing to cut meals seniors depend upon.

I am fed up with pretending that seniors are not being harmed.

I am fed up with pretending this country is not destroying its public schools.

Sometimes it is time to face up to the reality and quit pretending all is well.

[tblue]

22. Me too, sweetie. Me too.

And thank goodness you tell it like it is. We all should.

[madfloridian]

30. I agree.

It's time for great concern.

[woo me with science]

32. Amen. nt

K&R for this OP.

[madfloridian]

33. Thank you. I saw heartbreaking stuff this week.

I think our kids got a wake up call about what seniors are facing with all these cuts. Overcrowded hospitals even with caring nurses are now the thing. In Florida there are not enough rehab facilities to take care of all the seniors.

[99Forever]

38. Oh Hell yes!

It's actually way past time to be piss off at the screwing we are getting and get real about President Barack Obama's part in doing it.

[treestar]

60. So did those seniors vote for Republicans?

I have to know this first before I am going to feel sorry for them.

And they are not cuts that would affect poor seniors.

The real complainants are middle class seniors who have other pension/retirement funds.

[madfloridian]

62. Yes, it is all the fault of the seniors.

So glad you clued me in.

[treestar]

70. Yes, if they voted Republican.

In fact if they voted Republican they are all for stopping the program. (For the rest of us, they have theirs).

Only poor old people deserve sympathy. Middle class and rich geezers are fine and perfectly willing to cut the social safety net for others. Especially if they are white and in red states.

[defacto7]

13. If I believed in a deity

I would wish all those responsible for not taking care of the poor and elderly a quick and uneventful journey..

to hell.

[bluestate10]

23. I have noticed more elderly people wintering in my blue state. The trend started during the

GW Bush years and has gotten worse after the Great Recession. My state has a working safety net for the elderly, that safety net worked even during the difficult years that my state went through to bring it's budget from an enormous deficit to a surplus. Our values were protected, students, the poor and our seniors were protected, that is how states that are run well handle their affairs.

[airplaneman]

24. California? n/t.

[ReRe]

25. It's diabolical, isnt' it?

How can a politician wear a "I stopped Meals-on-Wheels!" button and think that's going to get him reelected? Who would vote for a politician who stopped or reduced funding for Meals on Wheels? Maybe a member of the 1% club, but hardly anyone else would. They need to be called "The Heartless Party."

I wonder how communities are getting ready for this? Meals on Wheels must go on, even if funding is cut. If you qualify for Meals on Wheels, you are needy and will probably go hungry without it. Hunger in the United States of America is disgusting to me. Can the Salvation Army fill the gap, maybe with The United Way?

[mercymechap]

28. How can a politician wear a "I Stopped Meals-on-Wheels" button and think

that's going to get him re-elected? Easy, if he is from a Red state. Republicans think this will motivate those lazy elderly to get out and get a job, after all, they can always greet people at Wal-Mart and get customer their baskets.

[intheflow]

37. No politician will advertise they supported these cuts.

Instead, they'll say the other side wouldn't compromise, thus painting the opposite party the villain. They'll never admit their own complicity. And that's how they'll get re-elected.

[Auntie Bush]

55. We need to make them vote and get it on record!

Those who vote against Meals on Wheels should be out of a job and getting Meals on Wheels themselves.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

26. We should take a lesson

from the Chinese who revere their elders. Hunger and worry should NOT be options for seniors living in the US of A. Or for any other age group.

Driving around L.A., I have noticed people holding "NEED A JOB" signs in the past. But lately, it's been more "HUNGRY - NEED HELP" type messages. Yesterday took the cake. A husband, wife holding an infant and a 4 or 5 year old were standing at the exit to a shopping mall begging. Evicted, jobless and hungry. Egregious and outrageous.

[madfloridian]

31. That is so sad.

[HiPointDem]

34. kr

[madfloridian]

35. Thanks.

Pretty sad when neither party is standing up for the elderly.

[madfloridian]

39. Sequestration may mean hard times for Meals on Wheels

What a tragedy that both parties have allowed this to happen.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/04/01/4742821/sequestration-may-mean-hard-times.html

"The 66-year-old who has congestive heart failure and an enlarged heart said he's able to stay in his own home - for now - with help from programs such as Meals on Wheels.

He greets volunteers who bring him prepared, healthy meals that include vegetables and fruits with a smile - and great appreciation.

"I don't want to be in a nursing home. I want to be in my own home and I want to live here as long as I can," said Neese, whose wife passed away in 2001. "Getting these meals means a lot to me.

....But this program both locally and nationwide will face tough financial times if, as expected, it becomes a victim of sequestration, the $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts triggered because leaders couldn't agree on a better way to cut federal spending."

[FarCenter]

40. It's a local problem; Florida should step up to fund the difference

Florida has attracted all those seniors. It is now up to Florida to face their responsibilities.

[madfloridian]

41. It's a serious national problem. No one cares.

Not even the Democratic administration. I believe many congressional Democrats care because they will not win this way in 2014.

It is local, but it is mostly a national issue of caring more about billionaires than the rest of us..

No more excuses.

[FarCenter]

43. Florida can pass an income tax and an estate tax, and easily pay for the program.

[madfloridian]

44. Of course they could. But that doesn't excuse the behavior of our national Democrats.

It's a national mindset by our politicians. Democrats should do better than that.

[FarCenter]

47. NY, for example, sends the Feds $4502 per capita more than it gets back.

FL, on the other hand, gets back $581 per capita more than it sends.

Screw the tax evaders living in Florida.

[madfloridian]

50. Backing off.

You obviously have another agenda than I have.

[treestar]

61. They chose a red governor

And from Florida, we can say it was a lot of senior votes.

[madfloridian]

65. Yes, it is all the fault of the seniors.

Thanks for clarifying my error.

[treestar]

66. Yes, if they voted Republican

How can you be so unreasonable?

Did they not vote Republican as a measured block, especially white ones?

If they are middle class and have other pensions who cares? If they don't, the proposal does not affect them.

[madfloridian]

73. You said: "How can I be so unreasonable?"

I am seeing things as they really are.

[L0oniX]

68. Rick (sociopth) Scott's responsibilities are to his criminal corporate buddies. n/t

Does this look like a caring face ...or scarey face?

[LWolf]

42. I spent yesterday with my senior citizen mom.

She is living on that edge and terrified. I'm trying to convince her to move in with me, but she is understandably resisting giving up her independence. The stress she is experiencing is affecting her health.

[madfloridian]

45. I saw so much of that this week.

There is a real terror. People are truly scared. to you and your mom.

[Auntie Bush]

57. I am your mother!

We have the same problems. I'm hanging on to my house by the hair on my chin.
Don't want to live with the kids and their kids. Want my own life but if SS is cut anymore I won't be able to maintain my independence. I'll have to hibernate in my room all day so I can watch political news instead of cartoons. I like my peace and quiet and I'm boss in my own house. I love visiting my kids and grand kids but I'm always happy to be home and I want to stay here. My kids can't seem to understand that. They act as if I'm being stubborn and unreasonable.

[LWolf]

63. I feel exactly the same way.

I'm 53. It looks like I'll house my mom, and then my kids will have to make room for me.

Mom has spent winters with me; she's about 1000 feet higher in elevation and her winters are harder. We do okay, each of us being careful to allow the other plenty of space. Neither one of us thinks giving up our peace and quiet is ideal. She's worked hard all of her life, and what has it come to? She's STILL working small jobs wherever she can find them.

[madfloridian]

46. From rural Michigan...cuts to Meals on Wheels will hurt.

There is no excuse.

http://www.thealpenanews.com/page/content.detail/id/525053/Meals-on-Wheels-program-facing-financial-issues.html?nav=5004

"ALPENA -Sequestration is beginning to impact community services, as Republicans and Democrats remain divided over a solution to spending. On March 1, $85.4 billion in federal money was automatically cut from programs for fiscal year 2013, and some local agencies are scrambling to make up the difference.

At the Alpena Senior Citizen Center, Director Grace Marshall is in the middle of raising $10,000 to make up for what her board anticipates will be a 10.4 percent shortfall totalling the same amount.

"It's a horrific impact to the senior population," she said, referring to the budget sequestration. "In a metro area you might have several soup kitchens and services. What people don't understand is that in a rural area we're the only ones. We're it."

[llmart]

76. I would wager a bet.....

that most of the seniors in Alpena voted Republican. They'll find a way to rationalize voting Republican by buying into the meme that it's Obama's fault.

[madfloridian]

84. That makes 3 on this thread blaming the seniors.

That's amazing. If their area is like ours, there is no real media telling the truth about Obama or anything else. They have been lied to so often. Now that our president is pushing cuts to the safety nets....they will be confused even more.

Way to go to take the burden off our politicians and blame the seniors.

Way to go to protect Obama from any criticism.

[llmart]

101. I am both a senior and live in Michigan.....

and I live in a democracy. We all make choices and have to live with the consequences of those choices. In a democracy our vote is a choice we make. This part of Michigan is rife with teabaggers and they would NEVER vote for a democrat no matter who it was, so it's hard to feel sorry for the ones who refuse to educate themselves about what the consequences of their votes are. The ones I feel sorry for are those like me who make an educated choice of who I vote for and still get hurt by what's happening in Congress due to the Republicans who were put in office by the uneducated voters. I am not blaming all seniors.

[mercymechap]

104. I think you misunderstood.

Seems to me they are blaming Republican seniors - because Republicans seniors are uninformed and don't realize that some of the policies of their own party go against their well-being. I hope you're not one of them.

[madfloridian]

109. Hell yeh, I am one of them.

Of course I am. I have fooled everyone posting on this forum since 2002....they think I am Democrat. After all these years. What a surprise. I have been called everything except a Republican.

You said:

Seems to me they are blaming Republican seniors - because Republicans seniors are uninformed and don't realize that some of the policies of their own party go against their well-being. I hope you're not one of them.

[steve2470]

48. k&r nt

[Cleita]

49. This is terrible. I had a friend who once worked for them and from what she told me

many of the seniors they serviced were barely functional and it was the only food they got to eat. They weren't capable of shopping and cooking. What will they do?

[Auntie Bush]

64. I don't know what they will do? MoW is the only thing keeping them out of a nursing home.

And the can't afford nursing homes and there is no room. It's a catastrophe!!!!!!

[WinkyDink]

105. What they are supposed to do, according to plan: DIE. Poverty is the new pandemic.

[RKP5637]

53. Welcome to America, we're working hard to be #1 at the bottom! Go USA! Go USA! Go USA! n/t

[L0oniX]

54. They were already having financial trouble before this. We have a yearly Good Ol Boat Regatta...

in St. Petersburg hosted by the SPSA. The yearly event takes all proceeds after expenses and donates it to Meals On Wheels. Maribeth Phillips accepted the funds in person this year. It brought tears to her eyes ...she was so thankful. As this years vice commodore of SPSA I will make sure we bring even more funds to the cause. One crew brought in a record $1500 in donations and won the prize for largest contribution. We had the award dinner at the SPYC which costs too much so next year I plan to arrange to have a more modest accommodation for the awards dinner so as to bring more funds to the cause. St. Pete is a major retirement area.

[madfloridian]

56. I had to look up your group....what a great thing to do.

"The yearly event takes all proceeds after expenses and donates it to Meals On Wheels. "

You are right about St. Pete being major retirement...all across the I-4 Corridor the seniors are huge in number.

Nice thing to do.

[Auntie Bush]

69. Here's to you.

[L0oniX]

72. Not me ...the SPSA club. They were doing this way before I was selected for the board position.

spsa.us

[treestar]

58. It is the fault of the Republicans, as they are fine with it.

Geez Louise. You do realize if there was a Democratic Congress this would not be happening?

[fredamae]

71. The Corporate Party of America

Or CPA, brought us this--inside the "Beltway" they call themselves Democrats and Republicans to throw Us off scent.

[CrispyQ]

74. US government = fail

This is shameful.

[DCBob]

75. I thought I heard the sequester was a fizzle.

I guess not.

[ProSense]

80. Guess Howard Dean was wrong

<...>

Looking at Washington and what’s happening there, you came out saying that you think that the sequester wasn’t necessarily a bad idea and perhaps the only way we can get some military cuts. Are you still feeling that way about things now that the sequester has gone into effect?
I am. I mean the House, of course, added some of it back, but I don’t think the Senate will allow that to happen. Look, the military has gotten enormous. They don’t ever cut it and they just keep adding to it. The Congress gives the military stuff the military doesn’t even want. And it was never going to get cut by either the Democrats or the Republicans if they had to vote on the cuts. So, I see this as … you know this is doing some damage to things that I care about and to some people that I care about, but the need to get the military cut is just overwhelming because nothing’s been done for 25, 30 years. So, I think that the military needs to be cut. A lot of the baggage that the Congress put in there needs to be taken out. They need to make some tough decisions between weapons systems instead of just getting everything and that’s what the sequester’s going to do.

So, again, it’s not ideal but, given that they don’t have the guts to cut the military in Congress, this is the best way to get it done.

What’s your prediction about the sequester’s impact on the economy and the middle class?
I think it’ll be fine. There will be some hardships for some individuals, there’s no question about that, but I think that most of the economists’ predictions are going to be wrong.

If you were sitting in the White House right now and looking to make the “Grand Bargain” that everyone talks about, what would that look like to you?
Well, the Republicans are never going to do it. First of all, the Obama administration should have never left all of that revenue on the table for people earning under $400,000 a year. What I would do is I would close a bunch of corporate loopholes like get rid of the oil depletion allowance. And I do think you can reform Medicare without cutting benefits. What you need to do is have Medicare become a program where the providers are paid by the patient, not by the procedure. Because the whole system depends on what doctors do, which is ME, a doctor, and we get paid whether it works or not. It’s a silly way to pay people.

http://www.eclectablog.com/2013/03/interview-gov-howard-dean-talks-about-gun-control-sequester-and-more.html

Boehner takes sequester victory lap
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022583419

[madfloridian]

83. He is often wrong since he resumed his centrist ways.

He could have been a great progressive leader, but he chose not to be.

[WillyT]

81. K & R !!!

[glinda]

82. Hey! Betty Crocker cashed in on it as an opportunity!

Makes me pretty upset watching the commercials and advertising using senior citizens for the new Betty Crocker microwavable dinners. Delivered to your own home! They will even put it in your freezer! Only have to order a few days worth and if you drop dead and no one checks on you, like the meals on Wheels Program did, well you are just out of luck.
Not to mention that the meals are probably all GMO products to boot.

[Amonester]

85. SEND A COPY TO PENN. AVENUE with a (false) headline like:

PLEASE HELP: KIDS DYING FROM SEQUESTRATION

Maybe the word KIDS will get someone's attention?

[DeSwiss]

86. Truth not bad enough for ya? Damn. :-/ n/t

[Donald Ian Rankin]

87. DU seems pretty close to unanimous that Obama should not agree to cut social security.

It seems probable that this is the alternative - either give in to the Republicans and do some bad things, or don't and some other bad things will happen.

I don't know which is the lesser evil, but we should acknowledge that neither option is good.

[cantbeserious]

88. Democrats And Republicans Doing The Bidding Of The 1% - More For Them - Less For The Rest Of Us

eom

[Win-the-fight]

90. how much are they spending in Afghanistan every day?

n/t

[woo me with science]

92. kick

[Zoeisright]

93. Once again, any senior who depends on these programs,

or ANYONE, for that matter, who depends on government programs should be kicked in the ass for voting for repukes. They are getting EXACTLY what they voted for. It's time they learned that.

[madfloridian]

99. You make 4 in this thread who are blaming seniors.

Blaming the victims for what politicians are doing to them.

That's shameful.

[WinkyDink]

106. Guess what, genius? The cuts don't separate people from Party; Democratic seniors will suffer.

[slipslidingaway]

95. knr "Shame on both parties for these shenanigans ..." !!! nt

[Starry Messenger]

96. k&r

[pipi_k]

97. I don't know about the meals

in other places, but when my late MIL was getting them, she never ate them.

Her daughter was forever throwing them out when they piled up in Mom's fridge.

I got to see a bunch of them before they went into the trash.

Absolute garbage. I wouldn't feed that shit to a dog.

The only good thing that ever came of Meals on Wheels had nothing to do with the food.

One morning Mom fell in the kitchen (she was about 90) and broke her hip. She laid on the floor for hours, unable to reach the phone, waiting...waiting. The Meals on Wheels lady showed up at noontime and heard Mom calling for help from inside, went and got the key from the park manager, and called an ambulance.

Are seniors really scared of losing food that looks like it's been scraped up off the floor, or are they scared of losing other services?

That's the real question.

[madfloridian]

98. Meals on Wheels here are good quality.

You do a disfavor to be so critical.

[pipi_k]

102. Like I clearly

pointed out in my first sentence above, I don't know how they are in other areas, but they were shit here.

If they're good quality in your area, great.

But that doesn't mean they are everywhere, and a whole lot of seniors up here in my area wouldn't give a shit if they never got them. The only positive thing is the three times a week human contact.

[Babel_17]

100. I hear you, loud and clear (k&r) (nt)

[snagglepuss]

103. k & r

[WinkyDink]

108. Hey, now! It's going to be BALANCED by TAXES on the Rich! EQUAL SACRIFICE!!

[hay rick]

110. Still looking for pictures of kittens...

An offense to one is an offense to all. We should be better than this.

Thanks for posting. Hope you and your husband are both doing better!

[madfloridian]

112. So glad to see the number of tweets on this thread.

So thanks to those who did. It gives a wider audience and shows that others understand we must speak out.