With the 2012 election just 18 months away, the debate over the future of Medicare has become a hot button between democrats and republications. What is your opinion of Medicare reform and how will it affect how you vote in the upcoming election?
mommaq: aren't you glad you have a choice as to what to do if raped and impregnated. Now who are you to tell others, who may not have the support and courage you do to do the same? And I see you have the solution to the birth control issue: no one should have sex unless they are being raped (guaranteed birth control according to 13 century theory and some politicians today) or want to have endless children they may or may not be able to support or they are overthe hill and can't have children. And it is easy to say what you would do as long as you are not actually facing that situation. how many people say they will take care of their aging family members no matter what. and then the reality of the stress, finances, lack of abilities, etc sets and and that person has to give up. Imagine a young 14 year old rape victim. Gonna still tell her she has to remain pregnant?
Concerning Medicare...unfortunately it is tied in with politics. I thought the same about the Affordable Care Act (some call it Obama-Romney Care). We should have had a clean, clear talk about health care procedures, costs, the future etc. But, because political parties and their followers took their stands, it became a political football instead, consuming our attention and discussion. Now, here we go again about medicare. Some people have already made up their minds and won't change. Especially those who are devoted to their political persuasion. Rather than evaluating details & facts about what each side is proposing about medicare, they just rubber stamp what their party supports or plans to do. And unfortunately, being blinded by this party devotion, they will probably vote in a way that will eventually hurt them or not be in their best interests. If this were a test about their party loyalty they would get an A+. But, that's not the issue or question. Politics and politcal gamesmanship is trumping sound, critical reasoning skills. Crazy...
"mommag" - please share with us a link to any source that explains how a woman's body doesn't become pregnant because she "shuts that whole thing down" when she is raped. If, like the earth being flat, you are simply stating that it was something that was believed out of ignorance in the 13th century, that's one thing. But, if you are claiming that 21st century science (or even 19th century science) supports the existence of such a physiological mechanism, please do educate me.
2much2cover: I only referenced why I thought Sen. Akin would say such a thing...I didn't say I agreed. Why do you have to take off on me like you know exactly what I am thinking or what I believe? IsntEasy: this site does not allow linking to other articles and sites so I am unable to share what I read. I just searched the subject and read some things about it - nothing that I can guarantee as official, since I read it on the internet.
Up your golf!!!, Ive seen the devastation republican bring. They killed my dad over the years. As for Romney and his little worm,,, like i said I will never vote for them. Romeny is no leader, he destroyed too many jobs, and families with his layoffs and sending plants into bankruptcy and then raking in millions of dollars not even caring about the families he destroyed on his way to the bank. AS long as i breathe that man will NOT EVER BE PRESIDENT!!!
waddle1 you make my point for me in an excellent way. Instead of looking carefully at what a candidate offers, they broadbrush the stroke of hatred against the party itself. It is precisely why we are in this mess and anyone who can honestly support and perpetuate what has happened under this regime is who I will hold responsible for the next 4 years, if they vote for obama to continue leading us on a path of destruction. How much more do you have to see before you begin to "notice" IT IS NOT WORKING. How ANYone in their right mind continues to defend the abomination of this administration and feel it obama has the best interest of our country I will never understand. But really, I should easily understand it, reading the preposterous anti-conservative rantings on this site. Romney is a good, honest man who happens to be wealthy. There has become this inherent disgust for anyone who is wealthy and successful, always with the suggestion that their money was ill-gained and never from their hard work, particularly when others are struggling, as though the wealthy are responsible. HATERS. Shame on you for having that mental block stuck in your heads. Shame on you for believing the tripe you are fed from the liberal media. Shame on ALL of you haters of someone who wants only to fix the budget and the problems 'your' president has caused us. Shame, shame, shame.
Standup4us: an article entitled representative todd akin: No pregnancy from legitimate rape. The sources of these articles are not right winged, from fox news or limbaugh. Go pick on someone else who wants to fight with you.
Okay, I have to step in here. A woman can become pregnant if there sperm in the Fallopian tube during the 24-hour window the woman's egg is in the right position. Sperm can live for about 3 days. These are the facts that matter when it comes to conception. How anyone could imagine a woman would say, "I'm going to be raped, so I am going to shut down my hormone cycle so I won't conceive" goes against everything that we know about science (which is my field). Now if the physical or emotional trauma are too great, the embryo may self abort. Who knows how often this happens? There is no way to know. There are many babies from rape in the world, however, which discounts the idea that babies can't come from rape.
Standup4us...I did type out two complete locations of what I read but parts of my post were removed. One was from Yahoo News and the other from the LA Times. What is in my post above is not what I typed...go figure. I spelled out dot and slash etc. and it was still removed.
type in the following internet search and you will find out where this theory came from and why experts say it is false: TUESDAY, Aug. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Health experts are strongly refuting the assertion by a Republican Congressman that pregnancy is much more unlikely if a woman is raped.
"That is absolutely false," said Dr. George Attia, director of the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), which counts 56,000 members, also called the remarks "medically inaccurate, offensive and dangerous."
when someone posts: "but he based what he said on a scientific theory that has been around since the 13th century...if you research the theory, you could conceivably understand where he was coming from...but the media likes to take off on these sorts of things."
It sounds to me like they believe that theory and are blaming the media for exposing this elected official's true beliefs and agenda: he will blame a woman for being raped and becoming pregnant and he will force her to continue a pregnancy arising from a horrific crime.
My question: would you now vote for this man if he remains a candidate? It's one thing to be against abortion but another to twist the truth and try to make victims feel guilty and ashamed. This is on the path to what the Taliban does to women. The men have affairs and the woman gets stoned to death.
2much...you left the first few words of my post..."I am not defending Akin..." That should have been a clue. I guess Akin is just an archaic sort a guy. I do not live in Missouri, nor do I know anything about this person or any of the good things he may have done for his constituents in the past, so I can't say if I would vote or not vote for him based on this gaff...something that happens to a lot of politicians these days.
mommag, you stated you are not defending him but you are excusing him as an :"archaic sort of guy". Maybe b/c you have not researched this topic enough. He is not archaic, this is an agenda as explained in the article I cited to above. These politicans know exactly what they are saying and to what segment they are attempting to appeal to. Thanks to the national media for bringing this to the public's attention and forcing the Republican party to official disown him. However, as pointed out, his views against abortion, even in cases of rape are the same as VP canddate Ryan.
fyi: The article goes on to say:
While Akin's views on rape and pregnancy may come as a surprise to many, it is commonly cited in anti-abortion circles and stems at least partly from the writings of Dr. John Willke, former president of the National Right to Life Committee. He put forth the view in a book originally published in 1985.
Willke this week summarized his views to The New York Times, saying, "This [rape] is a traumatic thing -- she's, shall we say, she's uptight," he said of a woman who is being raped. "She is frightened, tight and so on. And sperm, if deposited in her vagina, are less likely to be able to fertilize. The tubes are spastic."
Willke also contended that pregnancy is unlikely because half of rapists "do not deposit sperm in the vagina," either because (he said) many rapists aren't fertile and many prefer anal intercourse.
President Obama did stop the war in one area n sent them right back to another area. My son has done four tour duties within his eight year service n all overseas were from 1 to 1.5 yrs in both Iraq n Afghanistan. He also has a couple of his people working for him that were involved in the Economic Meltdown with the housing where people were swindling n lied too and lost their homes. He seem to start out for the people however, as time went on it seems it all about the people in the White House! Right now, I have no preference who to vote for anymore.
I agree that their is no such thing as 'free medical care." Someone is going to have to pay for it somehow. I don't understand why people think the government is suppose to support us? Don't get me wrong for I have received help from the government when i needed it and I am grateful. However, their are people out their that take advantage of the system and believe that the government owes them when they have never worked or even helped put $ back into the system. I have no idea where this rape n stuff is coming from for if I am rape I would think the woman should have the right to make that decision whether to have the child or not. Rape is rape! The decision should be the woman's choice n not the government.
I knew there was a reason to not speak about politics n etc.. Well, you can say that this area has sparked up some light. At least we all can get r frustration out in the open. ; ) I hope everyone has a good night n some peaceful rest.
PunchNJudy...in response to your response of my most recent post: First of all let me state that I am a registered Republican but consider myself an Independent. I am not beholdened to any party. I did not vote for Pres. Obama because I thought he lacked experience. The same reason I did not vote for G. W. Bush his first election. Now, concerning this debate over the current election & candidates...have you noticed I haven't given my opinion on Medicare or the candidates? I'm reading the posts, gathering information from both sides but I have not given my personal opinion about the election. I have made comments about news coverage and politics in general and how voters are consuming the info and forming their opinions. In general I'm not pro-Republican or pro-Democrat. I'm not pro-Romney or pro-Obama. I try to evaluate information and make decisions on who or what approach would be best for our country. I think politics, not a particular party or person, but politics is ruining our country. It can make people crazy. A lot of hurtful and harmful drama, hatred and gamesmanship that I despise. I try to be FAIR, listening to both sides, in how I gather information and coming to conclusions. As I noted in a previous post, I think it's very important and helpful to get news & information from a variety of sources. If you only get info from one source or the same political leaning source, how can you fact-check, how do you know that that information is complete, accurate or fair? I agree with some of what you said in your last post, but there is some that I don't. I would guess from some of the terminology that you use and the thoughts you have expressed that you are only getting your info from one type of source...right, conservative leaning. (Remember I watch a variety of sources) Therefore, how do you know that that information is complete, fair and accurate? What have you compared it to? How do you know? I can say the same to those who only watch/listen to left, liberal leaning media. Example: If a person only eats XYZ brand of vanilla ice cream, how do they know if that's the best ice cream, unless and until they try other flavors and brands? You have formed your opinion and I will not change it, nor am I trying to. But, I will suggest for your consideration... A) not all media, other than what you watch or listen to, is the enemy (liberal leaning). B) Not just the "liberal media" feeds "tripe" to their viewers. C) Not just Democrats/liberals are susceptable to "Mental blocks" .D) Gov. Romney isn't the only one trying to fix the budget & problems. Republicans are not the only ones endowed with problem solving skills.(as evident by G.W. Bush's performance) E) Don't you think there have also been preposterous anti-liberal rantings on this site? But, those don't bother you as well? F) You really think this "path of destruction" began with or was caused by Pres. Obama? History (facts) shows otherwise. G) Neither party or candidate have been perfect angels. Neither are without negatives.
I'm not anti-Romney...nor am I pro-Obama. I'm pro-truth & fairness I'm one of those Independents which everyone is courting for my vote. I long for the days when we debated with information about how wonderful our candidate is and why, instead of tearing down his opponent, often times with half-truths or exagerations or info taken out of context. I guess those days are gone. People don't want to think for themselves anymore.
Again...I state... this site is not a site to publish your "political beliefs".. this is not a debate forum... with all the comments on this specific question I have yet to read a comment that would purtain to the effect that any change in medicare would have on your specific life. This has turned into a political debate. And certainly many of you that have responded with vindictive anger, hostility and pure politics need to think twice about using this site to point fingers and to suggesst that "caregivers" such as myself should or could just not read this forum comment. You know I come on this site for "respite care and emotional support"... as do many of the "sur-names" that I recognize that have responded. I am kinda disapointed that such hateful and spitful responses have been posted here. If I want to have a political head to head debate I would go to a site that offers confrontation and hate. Sure I can "not be involved" with the question at hand.. I was hoping that some usefull comments may have been posted.. Some respondents need to watch there "Ps and Qs" while posting on a site with volitle, frustrated,hurt and beaten caregivers. This is a site for compassion and empathy. The venting policy is such that we vent because our situation as a caregiver is so extreme and overloaded that we just need someone to talk to.
Waddle--did you not understand that I was agreeing with you? LOL
I'm done talking politics on this site, meant to focus on people with caregiving issues and will turn my attention back to listening, hopefully able to give some helpful advice wherever I am able. This is what brought me to this site in the first place.
Like I stated earlier that are living fact's the Republican's have not wanted medicare ever since it was started never mind that my father lost his leg's in 1953 and had to work and find a way to pay for artificial one's to be made and one time I remember one of my uncle's helping him to build a set my father doing the the mettle work and my uncle doing the wood work and at knight pure blood blister's ran from his leg stump's but he worked and paid his taxes which still amount to more than they pay per actual dollar he could not even get welfare yet I would see people walking to the store that I knew for a fact was getting assistance oh yes We did manage to get what was called food comotity which was actually food you could use like powdered egg's, peanut butter, cheese and even grit's all that was good to me and welcome even at preteen age so what are they still wanting to mess with some thing that finally work's and beside's they do not have the skills to improve it for the one's that actually need it .Yes that sway's my vote and I will vote to keep America out of arrogance and to be a more complete nation taking care of it's self Johnny T.
Medicare is important, and I do hope for a reform that preserves this option that our government has promised seniors for decades. However, the issue that drives my vote is the horrendously damaging contraception and abortion-push of the left. Contraception damages our country by encouraging promiscuity, eroding marriages, and carving away our economy with a declining birth-rate. Abortion -- who does not understand the evil of a 'doctor' killing a baby and injuring the mother - psychologically and physically - for the rest of her life? Elimnating the stain of abortion on our country is my one most important 'issue.' I will do anything morally acceptable to remove abortion-pusher from office. I currently dedicate many hours of my life to pro-life/ natural family planning cause. And my elderly, infirm mother agrees with me! Medicare is important, but secondary. God Bless the USA.
Contraception has caused a Declining birth rate? I would think that before someone spends all there time preventing women who can't afford or properly care for children from having access to contraception, they would spend their time finding permanent homes for these unwanted kids languishing in foster care, who when they age out of foster care, have no families to help them as they enter young adulthood., Contraception and abortion do relate to the Medicare issue, b/c when you have unwanted children, needing the state's support, there is less money to fund other programs, like communiity care funding for the elderly. I speak as a current working taxpayer paying a higher percentage of my income to taxes than the R candidate for Pres (15%) but less than the taxes paid by the D candidate for Pres (25%)., A good leader has to have empathy for the people they lead. Just b/c your wealthy mom might do better getting a hand out voucher from the govt so you can pick and choose a more expensive and better health insurance, doesn't mean that this will be a good thing for a lower or middle income senior. Just b/c you say you will not change Medicare for those over 55, doesn't mean that you won't change it for under 55 (so if you are under 55, you should start worrying and asking yourself, if these changes are going to be so good, why doesn't the R candidate make his changesw apply to the over 55?
According to the most current AFCARS (Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System Report) Report, released in July 2012, there were approximately 400,540 children in the U. S. in foster care on September 30, 2011. The full report is available online via the Children's Bureau website at: :
and Anniebelles: does this mean no Mitt for you? Instead of fighting agains contraception why not join others who also don't think abortion should be a last resort and fight to make sure everyone has access to it? This would follow most the the D way of thinking.
"Mitt Romney's position is clear: He is pro-life. He opposes abortion with exceptions for rape, incest or to save the life of the mother," Romney spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said.
In the words of the lovely Nancy Pelosi, something to the effect: "we have to pass it to see what's in it"...there will be similarities and surprises from both sides. Trained lawyers and scholars find these healthcare bills extremely complicated and difficult to interpret. So, I don't think that I or any average citizen can really know how it will affect them until they go to use it.
PunchNJudy...yes I read your post where at the beginning you suggested we were on the same page. But, your later comments gave the impression that you misunderstood what I wrote...that you didn't get it. I'm saying biases can be shaped by the information we consume. If we become biased, that can/usually leads our decisions to the point where we dismiss or discount other ideas. I read a strong bias in your post which IMO was affecting how you shaped your opinion.
My intent was not to be hurtful or disrespectful. But to get people to look in the mirror and ask themselves some questions about how and why they form an opinion. And to understand that most things are not black & white. There can be a variety of opinions or options concerning an issue. Who is to say that the opinion I hold is the right one and people who don't agree with me are absolutely wrong. Why not just conclude that a differing opinion is simply different....not right or wrong but, different than mine? Period.
Soul searching and asking ourselves questions about how and why we come to the conclusions we do (Points A-G), can be uncomfortable. But, it is part of the process in finding truth and fairness in ourselves.
Finally, as I've stated before, it's unfortunate that The Affordable Care Act and now Medicare have become political footballs...taking our focus away from actually talking about health care & Medicare without political bias. However, to not have a discussion on this site, as some have stated, would be irresponsible on the part of AgingCare.com. Afterall, isn't a website which focuses on the care of seniors and our aging population a very appropriate location to discuss the future of health care and Medicare? For those who don't want to read the political tit-for-tat...stay away from this thread. For those who want some "independent" and IMO unbiased information about what the candidates are proposing concerning Medicare there is a good article elsewhere on agingcare.com. You'll find the comparison article and others by clicking on the "caregiver election guide" box in the upper right corner.
"That is absolutely false," said Dr. George Attia, director of the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), which counts 56,000 members, also called the remarks "medically inaccurate, offensive and dangerous."
It sounds to me like they believe that theory and are blaming the media for exposing this elected official's true beliefs and agenda: he will blame a woman for being raped and becoming pregnant and he will force her to continue a pregnancy arising from a horrific crime.
My question: would you now vote for this man if he remains a candidate? It's one thing to be against abortion but another to twist the truth and try to make victims feel guilty and ashamed. This is on the path to what the Taliban does to women. The men have affairs and the woman gets stoned to death.
fyi: The article goes on to say:
While Akin's views on rape and pregnancy may come as a surprise to many, it is commonly cited in anti-abortion circles and stems at least partly from the writings of Dr. John Willke, former president of the National Right to Life Committee. He put forth the view in a book originally published in 1985.
Willke this week summarized his views to The New York Times, saying, "This [rape] is a traumatic thing -- she's, shall we say, she's uptight," he said of a woman who is being raped. "She is frightened, tight and so on. And sperm, if deposited in her vagina, are less likely to be able to fertilize. The tubes are spastic."
Willke also contended that pregnancy is unlikely because half of rapists "do not deposit sperm in the vagina," either because (he said) many rapists aren't fertile and many prefer anal intercourse.
I have no idea where this rape n stuff is coming from for if I am rape I would think the woman should have the right to make that decision whether to have the child or not. Rape is rape! The decision should be the woman's choice n not the government.
I hope everyone has a good night n some peaceful rest.
I'm not anti-Romney...nor am I pro-Obama. I'm pro-truth & fairness I'm one of those Independents which everyone is courting for my vote. I long for the days when we debated with information about how wonderful our candidate is and why, instead of tearing down his opponent, often times with half-truths or exagerations or info taken out of context. I guess those days are gone. People don't want to think for themselves anymore.
I'm done talking politics on this site, meant to focus on people with caregiving issues and will turn my attention back to listening, hopefully able to give some helpful advice wherever I am able. This is what brought me to this site in the first place.
Johnny T.
According to the most current AFCARS (Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System Report) Report, released in July 2012, there were approximately 400,540 children in the U. S. in foster care on September 30, 2011. The full report is available online via the Children's Bureau website at: :
"Mitt Romney's position is clear: He is pro-life. He opposes abortion with exceptions for rape, incest or to save the life of the mother," Romney spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said.
My intent was not to be hurtful or disrespectful. But to get people to look in the mirror and ask themselves some questions about how and why they form an opinion. And to understand that most things are not black & white. There can be a variety of opinions or options concerning an issue. Who is to say that the opinion I hold is the right one and people who don't agree with me are absolutely wrong. Why not just conclude that a differing opinion is simply different....not right or wrong but, different than mine? Period.
Soul searching and asking ourselves questions about how and why we come to the conclusions we do (Points A-G), can be uncomfortable. But, it is part of the process in finding truth and fairness in ourselves.
Finally, as I've stated before, it's unfortunate that The Affordable Care Act and now Medicare have become political footballs...taking our focus away from actually talking about health care & Medicare without political bias. However, to not have a discussion on this site, as some have stated, would be irresponsible on the part of AgingCare.com. Afterall, isn't a website which focuses on the care of seniors and our aging population a very appropriate location to discuss the future of health care and Medicare? For those who don't want to read the political tit-for-tat...stay away from this thread. For those who want some "independent" and IMO unbiased information about what the candidates are proposing concerning Medicare there is a good article elsewhere on agingcare.com. You'll find the comparison article and others by clicking on the "caregiver election guide" box in the upper right corner.