Monday, March 20, 2006
Have Bible, Will Vote
Piety and Politics * Reform, What Reform?
Christian zealots and venal politicians working together to continue their Taliban-like activities. Will the mid-term elections mean more pro-active position against women's right to choose and gay rights; promotion of intelligent design; pressure on educational institutions to allow prayer and teaching of Christianity; abstinence only sex education; ban on contraceptive drugs, and so on? Members of the moral values gang,who apparently remained chaste until they got married or,like our president, engaged in youthful indiscretions but emerged with clean slates when they became Born Again Christians,want the rest of us to follow them. Their hypocrisy is monumental.
From the BBC: Prominent leaders from the Christian right have warned Republicans they must do more to advance conservative values ahead of the US mid-term elections.
- Their message to Congress, controlled by Republicans, is "must do better".
- Support from about a quarter of Americans who describe themselves as evangelicals was a factor in President George W Bush's two election victories.
- The Republicans will need to keep them onboard if they are to retain control of Congress in November.
Business as Usual. The much ballyhooed reform in Congress has succumbed to the power of the lobbyists. Lawmakers have retreated from their position. Some of Washington's top lobbyists say that they expect to find ways around congressional efforts to impose new restrictions on lobbyists' dealings with lawmakers in the wake of the Jack Abramoff corruption scandal, and that any limits will barely put a dent in the billions of dollars spent to influence legislation.
Neanderthals on the March
Have you heard of HIMMA? It spells out as "Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization And Affordability Act". Whew, a mouthful! This bill---a payback to the insurance industry---is being piloted through the senate by Mike Enzi, R-Wy. If passed, HIMMA would destroy State Mental Health Protection. In addition, mindful of the clout of the Christian Right, Senator Enzi has included provision to strip women's rights to obtain birth control pills and contraceptives (Contraceptive Equity Protection) under State laws.
Comments:
<< Home
This is a TERRIBLE bill. Those state level requirements were put in place to protect their citizens. Health insurance doesn't do people any good if it doesn't cover important things like diabetes or mental and reproductive health.
Post a Comment
# posted by 
: 1:15 PM
: 1:15 PM << Home
