The Economy Is A Very Temporary Thing

The economy is a very temporary thing, it can go up and down depending on outside forces. We are seeing this now with the moves Russia and Saudi Arabia have made. The comments by Jamie Diamond have also made an impact. This is a worldwide problem right now, but at least the Democrats are doing what they can to ease the pain. In many countries around the world, that is not the case. The economy can be fixed, but losing our democracy is much harder to do. Once it is gone, we will not be able to turn it back on like a switch. The Republican Party Is Unwilling To Go Against The NRA

The gun deaths in Republican states are high because the NRA has a lot of power and influence. Republican lawmakers are unwilling to go against them, so they turn a blind eye to the slaughter. If Republicans gain control, we already lost on the abortion issue do you really think they will stop at that? Make no mistake, Republicans are in bed with the NRA and right-wing billionaires and they will do whatever it takes to keep them happy. The writing is on the wall, my friends. We must not let the Republicans take over or we will lose our democracy as we know it. They are already chipping away at it, little by little. They have stacked the courts with conservative judges who have overturned Roe v Wade and took away a woman's right to choose. They have passed voter ID laws that make it harder for people of color and low-income people to vote. They have gerrymandered districts to give themselves an advantage in elections. If we don't stop them now, they will succeed in their ultimate goal - taking over the country and turning it into an autocracy where only their voices are heard and everyone else falls in line or faces punishment. The Republican Party has been moving steadily towards authoritarism for years now. They have been eroding democratic norms and institutions bit by bit, and they have shown time and again that they are more than willing to put their own interests ahead of those of the country. If they gain control, there is a very real possibility that they will ask for a constitutional convention, which would allow them to rewrite the rules in their favor and solidify their hold on power for good or until there is a revolution that overthrows them. To think it can never happen here is juvinile. Losing Our Democracy Is Much Harder To Do Than Fixing The Economy

The economy can be fixed, but losing our democracy is much harder to do. Once it is gone, we will not be able to turn it back on like a switch. The Democratic Party is doing what they can to ease the pain, but in many countries around the world, that is not the case. We must focus on this and make sure that Trump and his cronies do not get their way. We cannot let this happen. We must vote in November and every election after that until we get rid of every last Republican lawmaker who is trying to destroy our democracy. They have shown us time and time again that they cannot be trusted with power. They are corrupt, incompetent, and dangerous. So yes, we need to be worried about the economy. But we also need to be worried about losing our democracy. We cannot let Republicans gain control or we could find ourselves living in an autocratic state where our rights and freedoms are taken away from us. The economy is a very temporary thing, but losing our democracy is much harder to do. The Democratic Party is doing what they can to ease the pain, but in many countries around the world, that is not the case. We must focus on this and make sure that Trump and his cronies do not get their way. Republican lawmakers are unwilling to go against the NRA, so they turn a blind eye to the slaughter. If Republicans gain control, they will ask for a constitutional convention which could easily lead to the repeal of the Second Amendment. Make no mistake, Republicans are in bed with the NRA and they will do whatever it takes to keep them happy. Losing our democracy is much harder to do than fixing the economy—once it's gone, we will not be able to turn it back on like a switch—so we must fight tooth and nail to protect it.

Right-Wing Billionaires Are Trying to Rewrite the Constitution—We Can't Let Them

For the last 40 years, right-wing billionaires have been working to rewrite the Constitution. They are now closer than ever to achieving their goal. We cannot let them succeed. What They're Doing Right-wing billionaires are funding organizations that are working to promote a constitutional convention. A constitutional convention is a meeting of delegates from all over the country who would come together to rewrite the Constitution. This is a dangerous proposition for many reasons. First and foremost, it would be a highly undemocratic process. The delegates would not be elected by the people; they would be chosen by state legislatures, many of which are controlled by Republicans. This means that the delegates would not be representative of the American people as a whole. Second, there is no guarantee that the delegates would limit themselves to just amendments. They could completely rewrite the Constitution, which would put our most basic rights and freedoms at risk. The right to free speech, freedom of religion, and even the right to vote could all be eliminated. And third, a constitutional convention would be a breeding ground for corruption. With so much power concentrated in one place, it would be ripe for special interests and lobbyists to hijack the process for their own gain.

We Cannot Let Them Win We cannot allow right-wing billionaires to rewrite the Constitution. We must fight back against their attempts to subvert our democracy. Here's how: First, we need to pressure state legislatures to reject any calls for a constitutional convention. We must make our voices heard and let them know that we will not stand for this undemocratic power grab. Second, we need to support organizations that are fighting against a constitutional convention, such as Common Cause and Free Speech For People. These groups are on the front lines of this battle and they need our help. And finally, we need to work towards overturning Citizens United, the Supreme Court ruling that opened the floodgates for unlimited corporate money in politics. Until we do that, billionaires will continue to have an outsized influence on our political process.

Right-wing billionaires are trying to subvert our democracy by rewriting the Constitution. We cannot let them succeed. We must fight back against their attempts to hijack our government for their own gain. Only by coming together and raising our voices will we be able to protect our rights and freedoms from their attacks. www.intolerantlefty.com

Seniors, Beware! Medicare Advantage Plans A, B, and C are a Rip-Off

Seniors, Beware! Medicare Advantage Plans A, B, and C are a Rip-Off

If you're a senior citizen on Medicare, you may have been approached about enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan. These plans, also known as Part C plans, are offered by private insurance companies as an alternative to Original Medicare (Part A and Part B). While they may sound like a good deal, beware! In many cases, these plans are a rip-off. What is Medicare Advantage? Medicare Advantage plans are offered by private insurance companies as an alternative to Original Medicare (Part A and Part B). These plans must provide at least the same coverage as Original Medicare, but many offer additional benefits such as prescription drug coverage, dental care, and vision care. Some even offer gym memberships! Sounds great so far, right? Unfortunately, there's a catch. While Original Medicare is run by the government and funded by our taxes, Medicare Advantage plans are run by for-profit insurance companies. That means that they're motivated by one thing: making money. How do they make money? By charging seniors higher premiums, co-pays, and deductibles. In some cases, these charges can be so high that seniors end up paying more out-of-pocket than they would with Original Medicare. And what do they get in return? Often times, less coverage! Many Medicare Advantage plans have narrow networks of doctors and hospitals that seniors must use. If seniors need to see a doctor or specialist outside of their network, they may have to pay the entire bill themselves. Who wants to pay higher premiums, co-pays and deductibles? Not me! That's why when the time comes I'm shopping for an Original Medicare plan. But what if there was a way that we could get all the benefits of Medicaid without having any strings attached... Source: https://the-biggestannelrightnowonlinecom/blog/20180110_Medicare Advantage Plans Are The Only Option For Many Americans

Is There an Alternative? Yes! We're all in this together. When it comes to our health, there's no one-size fits all solution that works for everyone--especially not Medicare Advantage plans which have been cropping up as an alternative option among frustrated seniors looking outside of traditional fee based healthcare coverage due their dissatisfaction with high costs and limited benefits packages offered by private insurers I know what you’re thinking: "But wait!" You may be wondering if these single payer systems are really better than buying privately? Well, lets take a look. 1. Single payer systems are more efficient because they remove the need for insurance companies 2. A single payer system would provide everyone with coverage, which is something that our current system does not do 3. A single payer system would reduce administrative costs 4. A single payer system would be more equitable because it would eliminate the need for co-pays and deductibles 5. A single payer system would improve our overall health because people would have access to preventive care The United States spends more on healthcare than any other country. Yet we're worse off when it comes to coverage and access; one out of five people don't have insurance, while prices are sky-high for those who do! It's time that Americans take action: single payer is the answer our broken system needs now more than ever before in order provide quality care without discrimination against anyone including seniors or individuals with preexisting conditions. What I am finding after looking into this is that in many cases, Medicare Advantage plans are a rip-off, I had heard Thom Hartmann mention it on his show, but I wanted to do my own dive into it. While they may sound like a good deal, the extra benefits offered by these plans come at a cost. In many cases, seniors who enroll in these plans end up paying more out of pocket for their health care than they would if they had stayed with Original Medicare. If you're approached about enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan, beware! Do your research and make sure you understand all of the costs and benefits before making a decision. And remember, if you have any questions or concerns, you can always talk to your doctor or contact your local Area Agency on Aging.

Jerome Powell is purposely tanking our economy

Jerome Powell, the head of the Federal Reserve, is making all the wrong moves to try and rein in inflation on the backs of everyday Americans by raising interest rates. I wrote about this a month ago, but now it's very clear that Powell is doing an awful job. A month ago, I said how his actions would drive us into a recession and it is. Now the question is how bad the recession will be. Why Biden continued with Jerome Powell who I believe was appointed by Donald Trump is beyond me. When we see all the backroom underhanded dealings that went on with Trump's administration can we really trust Powell to do the right thing? Is he purposely tanking our economy to try and regain republican control? We cannot fall for it! The Oil Industry, Putin, The Saudis, and Jamie Diamond have all made moves to make things worse, and it is obvious to anyone that has not drank the authoritarian Kool-Aid as to why.

The Backstory In order to understand how we got here; we need to go back to early 2018. At that time, the U.S. economy was humming along nicely. The stock market was near all-time highs, unemployment was at a 17-year low of 4.1%, and wages were finally starting to rise after years of stagnation. Inflation was still relatively low, but it was starting to tick up gradually as the economy strengthened. In response to these conditions, the Fed began gradually raising interest rates from historically low levels in order to prevent inflation from rising too quickly. The Fed raised rates four times between June 2018 and December 2018, from a range of 1.75% to 2.5%. Then, in December 2018, something happened that caught everyone off guard: President Donald Trump appointed Jerome Powell as the new head of the Federal Reserve. Powell had only been a member of the Fed for less than two years at that point, and he had no prior experience as a central banker. Nevertheless, Trump felt that Powell would be more "accommodating" than his predecessor, Janet Yellen, when it came to interest rates and other economic policy matters. Little did we know at the time just how right Trump would turn out to be about Powell's accommodative stance. The Fed Changes Course Under Powell's leadership, the Fed abruptly changed course in early 2019 and stopped raising rates altogether. Then, in July 2019, Powell signaled that the Fed might start cutting rates if economic conditions warranted it—which they did not, in my opinion. The stock market responded immediately by falling sharply over concerns that a potential recession might be on the horizon. The Fed ultimately cut rates three times between July 2019 and March 2020 in an effort to prop up the economy—even though there was no evidence that a recession was actually coming. These rate cuts had two major effects: first, they caused asset prices (e.g., stocks) to surge higher as investors poured money into riskier assets in search of higher returns; and second, they put downward pressure on interest rates across the entire yield curve (the difference between short-term and long-term rates). This had the effect of making borrowing cheaper for businesses and consumers alike—which gave everyone more incentive to borrow money and take on more debt than ever before.

The Perfect Storm Forms Fast-forward to today: we are now dealing with the consequences of those three unnecessary rate cuts by Jerome Powell—and they are not pretty. As I warned back in December 2018 when Trump appointed Powell as head of the Fed, his accommodative monetary policy stance has helped create a perfect storm for inflationary pressures: asset prices are soaring while bond yields are near record lows (meaning that there is less incentive for people to save money), and borrowing costs are at historic lows (meaning that there is more incentive for people to take on debt). This perfect storm has resulted in an inflationary spiral that is starting to pick up speed—and it shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. Jerome Powell is clearly not fit for his position as head of the Federal Reserve. His actions have driven us into a recession, and it remains to be seen how bad this recession will be. I believe that he was appointed by Donald Trump as part of a backroom deal, and we cannot trust him to do what is best for the American people. The only way to protect ourselves from further economic harm is to vote blue in the upcoming midterm elections. Our only hope is to put the whole nightmare of Donald Trump behind us, and we do that by sending an overwhelming message to republicans that we will not tolerate them flirting with Fascism & Authoritarianism ideologies. Yes, this started out as a rant about Jerome Powell, but remember he is just a tool Trumpism put in place. I understand President Biden’s desire for bipartisanship, but reappointing Powell was a mistake and may go down as his biggest, otherwise just keep moving forward Joe! Because it is clear the other side does not share that desire, so we must drive this current republican party which should just be renamed the Trump Party into the dustbin of history where it belongs, right next to the confederacy.