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Health & Fitness

Cause and Effect

I feel sometimes like conservatives don't understand that when you vote to cut funding (the cause) you can't then be critical of what that lack of funding means (the effect)

Sorry but the 5 or 6 people who decided to stay on Fire Island, they do not deserve to be "rescued"; they are adults, they made a choice, now they have to deal with impact of that decision. We were all warned. For days. We were told this storm was going to be historic, that it was a “perfect storm”. Sure, we’ve had false warnings in the past. But this time we all had plenty of time, and scientific evidence, that this perfect storm was going to hit the East Coast hard.

So when I heard this story tonight on CNN, how there are a few people out on Fire Island waiting to be rescued, I could not believe it. I think it is time we start allowing people to feel the consequences of their decisions. If you are over 18 and feel you have the right to ignore a mandatory evacuation order, great, stay, but don’t expect us to come and rescue you after the fact. This is part of a much larger issue. People want to chant simpleton slogans and “take back America”. They want their guns but not our change. Well, I say we take people at their word, let's have a "test", allow one state to be exempt from Federal Income Tax, Social Security & Medicare, take away all federal funds, remove all regulation, and let's see how long they last before they “need” Federal assistance. Statistically, the “red” states have needed much more in Federal funds & subsidies than “blue” ones, and the “tea” “party” just doesn’t seem to understand this. Or irony, I really don’t think the “tea” “party understands irony.

Did you know there were several elected “tea” “party” darlings who complained when they got to DC that they had to wait 30 days for their free health care to kick in? Yes indeed that same terrible, horrible, no good, very bad, socialist health care they railed against and which the GoP says will kill your grandmother with its death panels, they couldn’t wait to get it for themselves. And not only free health care. They all also wanted their free pensions, free offices and all the other perks and entitlements that come with getting elected. But I want to change all that. I want to pay legislators on the same scale as teachers, police and firefighters. Let’s really honor our Vets and insist Congress not be paid more than our military. And when in combat, pay our troops double. Now that is patriotic. But I digress.

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It is time to call out conservatives. They want “small government, less taxes”, except when they don’t, which is after any major disaster like this one. The absolute catastrophe and destruction caused by Sandy would have been multiplied if we had implemented Paul Ryan’s budget, with its cuts to essential programs. I'd say Governor Christie's humble & heartfelt gratitude toward our President is the best proof we have that "small government, less taxes" doesn't work. It is time to have a grown-up conversation on policy and budgets, common good and how we all come together as American’s during a disaster like this. We need to understand that our political actions (the cause) have real impacts (the effect).

I feel sometimes like conservatives don’t understand that when you vote to cut funding (the cause) you can’t then be critical of what that lack of funding means (the effect). For example, Benghazi, when the GoP insisted on cutting security funds, not once, not twice, but three times, and then wanted to say that somehow it was our President that was at fault. Now that takes balls. But in this case, Governor Christie decided to do what was best for the residents of NJ, and I applaud him. I have to say, I think Christie would make a great Democrat, if he ever wanted to switch sides.

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