Someone Please Tell Me Why People Vote Against Their Own Best Interest!

2009 State Scorecard Summary of Health System Performance by www.commonwealthfund.org

Republicans say "Less Regulation is Needed"

 West Virginia (74%) and South Dakota (71%) is the best chance the Republicans have at gaining seats in the U.S. Senate on their way to getting the six seats they need to regain control of the Senate according to The Washington Post. How they can even put a percentage chance on whether the Republicans can win those seats this far out from the election is beyond the comprehension of this writer, and many others. Did the people already forget about the 300,000 people whose water was contaminated by Freedom Industries, an affiliate of Georgia-Pacific Chemical, a Koch Brothers company? Did they forget that House Speaker John Boehner immediately after the incident said "I think there are plenty of regulations in place"? Did they forget that the company almost immediately claimed bankruptcy protecting themselves from law suits and continued operating as if nothing happened?

Healthiest and Unhealthiest States - Forbes

Where are the Healthiest and Unhealthiest People in America?

Who has the Worst, or No, Health Insurance?

Red State Reality: Unhealthiest Residents, Worst Health Care
From: PERRspectives November 17, 2009

 Throughout their all-out campaign to stop health care reform, Republican leaders have relied on questionable forecasts from the Lewin Group, a subsidiary of insurer UnitedHealth Group. Now, another study funded by UnitedHealth has some unwelcome news for the GOP braintrust: the red states they represent are the unhealthiest in the nation. Following on the heels of the Commonwealth Fund's 2009 Scorecard of state health care system performance, the United Health Foundation's report is just the latest confirmation that health care is worst where Republicans poll best.

 Eight of the 10 bottom-ranked states are from the south, with Mississippi coming in dead last for the ninth consecutive year. Mississippi has a sky-high death rate from heart disease and high infant mortality. In general, residents of these states are more likely to be smokers or to be obese, the report found. They also have worse health insurance coverage, fewer physicians per capita and live in areas with high violent crime and more child poverty.

 So your in a state that has the unhealthiest people in the nation and your Representatives; Governors, Congressmen/women, and U.S. Senators, are lying to you to have you think "The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" (Obamacare) which will expand Medicaid (at no cost to your state and only 10% of the cost after 3 years,) make insurance companies keep your children on your healthcare policies until they're 26, and force insurance companies to actually use 80% of the premiums they collect for patient claims rather than give themselves outrageous bonuses and salaries, is a bad thing. Why would you vote for these obstructive, greedy, all for corporations and the "ultra-rich, and not interested in your best interests in the least, politicians?

"Obama is a Socialist, His Government is Socialistic,"they Say

But if it weren't for the Social Programs that Exist Many Red States Would Be Bankrupt!

Red States on this Map Indicate States that are Taking More Money from the Federal Government than they Give in Taxes. by Ezra Klein

Although they constantly complain about the "Social Programs" and call President Obama the "President that wants to Give Stuff Away," the Red States are the ones benefiting from the programs. The TeaPublicans have again denied to expand the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) even after they were given everything they asked for:

“We’ve given them everything they wanted. Paid for,” said Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, flashing his irritation at Republicans who blocked the bill.

 He said Democrats would keep pushing to extend the benefits, which expired at the end of last year, cutting off more than 1.3 million Americans. That number has since grown to more than 1.7 million. Read More of The New York Times article "Senate Fails to Pass 3-Month Extension of Jobless Aid"

 The first vote failed, 52 to 48, on a measure proposed by the Democratic leadership that would have extended benefits for 11 months. The extension would have been largely financed by continuing a 2 percent cut to Medicare health providers for an additional year, through 2024. The second vote, on the original bill, which would have extended benefits for three months at a cost of $6.4 billion, failed 55 to 45.

 So where are all the unemployed workers? In the "Blue" or "Democratic" states? Not quite!

Unemployment Rates by States - Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

 Yet we have to wonder, will all those unemployed people in Republican states remember who wouldn't extend the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) even after they got EVERYTHING they negotiated for?

Finally, Where is it Hardest to Escape From Poverty?

Escaping from Poverty by The Washington Post

 So how about if you are born into poverty, would you have a better chance in a Red State (Republican) or a Blue State (Democratic)? Are your U.S. Congressmen/women and U.S. Senators working to try to help your citizens living below the poverty line and the middle class? On this interactive map by The New York Times you can click on your location and see what chances your children have to escape poverty: In Climbing Income Ladder, Location Matters. Here are the Top Ten and the Bottom Ten cities/counties for upward mobility:

Upward Mobility in the 50 Biggest Metro Areas: The Top 10 and Bottom 10
	Rank		Odds of Reaching Top Fifth Starting from Bottom Fifth		Rank		Odds of Reaching Top Fifth Starting from Bottom Fifth
	1	San Jose, CA	12.9%		41	Cleveland, OH	5.1%
	2	San Francisco, CA	12.2%		42	St. Louis, MO	5.1%
	3	Washington DC, DC	11.0%		43	Raleigh, NC	5.0%
	4	Seattle, WA	10.9%		44	Jacksonville, FL	4.9%
	5	Salt Lake City, UT	10.8%		45	Columbus, OH	4.9%
	6	New York, NY	10.5%		46	Indianapolis, IN	4.9%
	7	Boston, MA	10.5%		47	Dayton, OH	4.9%
	8	San Diego, CA	10.4%		48	Atlanta, GA	4.5%
	9	Newark, NJ	10.2%		49	Milwaukee, WI	4.5%
	10	Manchester, NH	10.0%		50	Charlotte, NC	4.4%

 

Anyone Want to Explain Why People in Red States are Voting Republican or Even Worse, for Tea Party Members?

 I know one reason we have so many low-information voters, and it's not all their fault. If you were born and put into a blue room until you were 5 years old, and the whole time your parents told you the color of the walls was green, what would you say the color was when someone showed you something blue? That's the effect on many people in states where outside money, and dark money (the Koch Brothers favorite,) is used to get Tea Party members, and far right-wing candidates, elected. Probably the biggest problem in this country is the effect of the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 21, 2010 when they sided with Citizens United which removed limits on corporations, unions, and organizations making campaign contributions. More than 80% of Americans believe that the Citizens United decision has caused far more corruption in our elections and in our politicians than ever before. We must remove money in politics because "Money is Not Speech" and "Corporations are Not People."

Deregulation: The Republican/Tea Party members have blocked most of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The February 3, 2013 Monthly Report showing the progress of the law signed by President Obama July 21, 2010.

• In the past month, no rulemaking requirement deadlines passed or were met with finalized rules, and no new rules were proposed that would meet rulemaking requirements.
• As of February 3, 2014, a total of 280 Dodd-Frank rulemaking requirement deadlines have passed. Of these 280 passed deadlines, 132 (47.1%) have been missed and 148 (52.9%) have been met with finalized rules.
• In addition, 201 (50.5%) of the 398 total required rulemakings have been finalized, while 110 (27.6%) rulemaking requirements have not yet been proposed.

 This law was passed to put back regulations that were removed by President George W. Bush and allowed Wall Street banks and institutions to almost collapse the world economy. But what did certainly is to make people lose their homes with mortgages that were never meant to be successful, wiped out Americans retirement funds through their 401k's, took America's middle net worth, and walked away with literally hundreds of billions  (yes, billions with a "B") of dollars and no jail time. The Republicans have fought putting back those regulations that wouldn't allow banks and institutions to become "Too Big To Fail" (TBTF) and cause the damage they did, laws that were in place since the 1920's.

Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare): This one truly makes me think that either the Tea Party members and Republicans are magicians or the money in politics is working wonderfully for the ultra-rich and the corporations. How do you convince the unhealthiest people in the nation, with the worst healthcare systems in place, and people with no health insurance at all, that they don't need healthcare? That's magical!

Unemployment: They asked for 3 things, the least not being that the $6B to cover the extension of Emergency Unemployment Compensation for 3 months be covered with cuts somewhere else and all three were met. As you saw earlier in the article the bills failed in the Senate. By the way, one of the favorite sayings of the Republican Party is "We Support the Troops," but, they cut food stamps, don't extend unemployment benefits, and let the veteran's disability claims lay idle for 18 months before they are even looked at, many of these veterans are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD,) and 22 American veterans are committing suicide daily. What, or whose,  Troops are they supporting?

Unemployed Veterans by www hiringourheroes org

Poverty:  You saw above how hard it is to grow out of poverty above. Use the link for the interactive map that allows you to click on where you live to see exactly what your children's chances are. Ask yourself, how well are your politicians fighting for the middle class and the poor? Then vote for the people who are fighting for you.

How the Heck Can Women Vote Republican?

 I didn't even get a chance to start to discuss the "War on Women" that the TeaPublicans and Republicans have on women. There's so much there that I'll have to do a post just on that topic. I'll just say "How could you vote for a party whose members pass laws that will force women who are requesting an abortion, to get raped with a "Trans-Vaginal Ultrasound" probe that NO medical doctor has deemed necessary, or prudent?

Original meme by www.Facebook.com/StoptheObstructionistTeaParty and www.Medic3569.wordpress.com

So get out there and tell everyone you can that just because they see a TV commercial, a news report (the ultra-rich, and corporations own the TV stations,) especially a Faux (Fox or False) News broadcast, don't believe a single source! Also, and most importantly, use the page button ("Find/Track Politicians, Bills and Voting Records") under the title of this blog to use one of the sites provided to find and contact your politicians to get the U.S. Congress to overturn Citizens United and get money out of politics and give control of our elections back to the people! A good link to use for nation politicians is GovTrack.gov .