THE BIG ISSUES - HEALTH CARE



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ANTAGONISTS PROTAGONISTS
Why Republicans Fight It The ACA & Medicare For All
How Republicans Fight It Worldwide Health Care
Trump Care Euthanasia


Why Republicans Fight Against Health Care


1/25/24

Republicans sacrifice the lives of their fellow Americans ...

for political gain


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8/29/23

Biden attempts to save American lives
by cutting Medicare costs on life-saving drugs ...

but the "Big Boys" and their Republican supporters aren't having it

Money Quote ...

"The move is expected to cut costs for some patients
but faces litigation from the drugmakers
and heavy criticism from Republican lawmakers.
"

No foreign enemy comes close to killing as many Americans ...
as the American Oligarchy does every single day.

Keep voting Republican!
(because they care about you goddammit!)


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4/17/23

The U.S. healthcare system sacrifices legions of U.S. citizens for profits.
Who is behind the slaughter and why? ...

Spoiler: it's the Oligarchs (30:23 - the interview begins at 16:00)


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4/1/22

Republicans will let Americans die in order to protect Big Pharma profits

Republicans kill more Americans than ANY foreign enemy ... by far.


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4/29/21

Americans pay 2-4 times more than other similar nations for ...

prescriptions (4:26)


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11/19/19

Robert Reich explains why Republicans, Corporate Democrats, and the rich
are fighting with everything they've got ...

against Medicare-For-All

The most amazing part to me is how Republicans are able
to convince half the people (conservatives) to cut their own throats.

Behold the awesome power of ... brainwashing.


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12/15/18

Why don't we have Medicare For All?

Because Insurance Companies, Big Pharma, Hospitals, etc. own congressmen;
and guess who those congressmen work for?

Hint: it ain't you (4:18)


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1/13/17

Here's why Republicans are rushing to destroy Obamacare as fast as they can ...

It is costing their true  constituents a fortune

In case you haven't figured it out by now,
Republicans work for the rich ... and only  for the rich.


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12/4/13

Why the rich hate Obama and the Affordable Healthcare Act so much

If only Conservative ideologues could be made to realize
that the last paragraph of that article
held the answer to freeing them from the tyranny of lies
that has been manipulating them,
America could finally begin its long climb out of the valley of destruction.

"Make sure you point that out to the blue collar guy on Facebook
who tells you that he's paying for the freeloaders.
He is indeed, but he's looking in the wrong direction when he turns his gaze ...

DOWN 
"


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How Republicans Fight Against Health Care


3/1/24

One of the major goals of Republicans
(who fight only for the rich) ...

is the dissolution of Obama's CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau)

Quote from the article:

"the U.S. Supreme Court is considering a broader legal challenge to the agency's funding
that some conservative critics and financial industry officials hope
will lead to the dissolution of the agency.
"


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2/22/24

Now that corporations dictate medical decisions to the medical professionals,
patients are being sacrificed for profits. Here is another way they do that ...

increased staffing ratios

Money quote:
"The problem ... is a hospital industry
that's been intentionally understaffing their units for years,
in order to cut costs and boost profits.
"


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10/16/23

Medicare Advantage plans were designed by the Oligarchs
to take over government healthcare and produce ...

profits

And they are succeeding.


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4/6/22

"For Profit" private equity firms are taking over healthcare (5:27)

The Oligarchs are undoing all the progress that America made in the 20th century.

UPDATE 12/22/22

Doctors begin fighting back


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6/29/21

Wal-Mart attempts to corner the market on diabetes medicine

Taken from the article above:
"The cost of insulin nearly doubled from 2012 to 2016 "

That was one way that Big Pharma fought back
after Obamacare survived the Supreme Court challenge.


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2/6/20

Here is one of the many reasons
why healthcare costs are skyrocketing in the U.S.

Corporations are gaming the patent system (12:34)


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1/18/20

Republicans try to stall Obamacare removal until ...

AFTER the 2020 election (3:45)

He used the word "evil."
That was not an overstatement.

UPDATE

This is what happens when
all 3 branches of government are under the control ...

of the Republican party

Related news:

In 2018, U.S. life expectancy rose for the first time in 4 years

That is totally unacceptable to Republicans.
They don't want you retired and collecting social security;
they want you dead so that they can keep as much of the money,
that you contributed during your working lifetime, as they can.
After the election, their new control over the judiciary will ensure that
life expectancy starts going down again, but only ...

AFTER the election


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10/12/19

Republican's most recent efforts to dissolve the ACA involve ...

the court system (6:21)

Republicans don't work for Americans.
They work for their donors (big business and the rich).
So keep voting Republican. The rich sure do appreciate ...

YOUR SUPPORT!


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5/9/19

Big Pharma greed knows no bounds
as infant medication increases by nearly ...

100,000% (video - 7:08)


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2/4/19

Healthcare industry launches massive attack against medicare for all

So many other countries have it
(even poor countries like Russia, the Philippines, and North Korea)
yet conservatives try to convince us that the wealthiest nation on Earth ...

can't afford it


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11/29/18

3.9 million children had no health insurance in 2017 ...

the first increase in a decade

Trump failed to remove the ACA, so Republicans are disabling it ... piece by piece.


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8/15/18

Robert Reich video (3:08)

5 ways Trump is destroying Obamacare

They lost in Congress, so they simply went around to the back door ...

and started hacking away


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7/24/18

Maine governor refuses to obey the law ...

and denies Medicaid to Maine's citizens

Republicans will kill their own people ... to save money for the rich.


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7/10/18

Trump couldn't get his party to dump the Affordable Care Act ...

so now Trump is whittling away at the Affordable Care Act

To all you millions of Americans who are going to lose your insurance (and who voted Republican):
Drop'em, bend over, and grab your ankles. And don't forget to squeal like a pig ...

it'll hurt a little less that way


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2/24/17

Conservatives constantly scream about "State's Rights!"
But that is a lie. They are only for State's Rights
when they need to circumvent Federal equality laws.
Here is the proof that they will stomp on State's Rights
when it is in their political interest to do so ...

They want to eliminate the Medicaid Expansion

"Red" state governors opted out of the Medicaid Expansion
which cost the lives of thousands of their own citizens.
Yet these "State's Rights" advocates want to deny other states
the right to accept the Medicaid Expansion.

You fell for this America.
It was all right in front of your eyes.
So quit whining, bend over, and grab your ankles.
Many thousands of you are going to die.
And this is what you Conservatives voted for.

Keep voting Republican ... the rich sure do appreciate your support


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6/30/14

Ideological Supreme Court votes 5-4 (as usual)
to defecate on our Constitution


I have a question - during all those years that Hobby Lobby owner Steve Green
and his lovely, ultra-rich wife Barbara were providing health insurance for their employees
(which included contraception coverage) ... why were their religious beliefs not offended then?

Were they Atheists?
No - quite the opposite.

Did Jesus visit them one night and scold them for not being offended?
Not likely.

Did their business become financially strapped for cash?
No, they are America's largest arts and crafts chain.

Or was it - oh, I don't know - maybe when Obamacare was ruled constitutional
that the Greens became filled with the Holy Spirit,
and suddenly decided that they had been wrong all those years during the Bush administration
when they provided health care for their employees (which included contraception coverage)?

BINGO!

The Oklahoma Bible Belt strikes back at that uppity negro.
(whom they have failed to beat, twice, in democratic elections)

The entire premise of Hobby Lobby's argument
is that their religious beliefs were offended.
I have just proven that they were not.
Their religious beliefs were fine with providing contraception under Bush.
Therefore ... they have no valid argument.
That point alone should have resulted in a 9-0 decision against Hobby Lobby.


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3/30/14



Remember when Republicans were complaining about death panels?

The Medicaid refusal in Republican-controlled states ...

will result in many thousands of deaths

Republican leaders turned out to be the death panels.
(and understand, that these are just the deaths;
the numbers don't include the millions who survive
and have to suffer, and live with
devastating, untreated health problems)

Conservatives value political power more than human life.
So keep voting Republican - The Rich certainly do appreciate your support.


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12/2/13

I tried. Really, I did. I tried for years to be fair.
I knew both political parties were guilty of corruption.
But the current political climate has made it clear, even to me,
that one side has deteriorated into America's greatest enemy.

California Republicans set up fake web site to discourage health care seekers

These are the same people who 2 months ago
attempted to destroy the American economy.
They aren't just rooting for America to fail,
they are doing everything in their power ...
to ensure that it does.


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11/8/13

Can you count on Christian leaders to stand up for the poor
you know, like Jesus did ...

don't bet your kid's college fund on it

Peter famously denied Christ 3 times ...
these guys didn't even have the guts to do that.


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Trump Care


9/10/19

Republican attacks on Obamacare have been successful ...

as the number of uninsured Americans continues to rise

They kill their own people ... for money.
But what is even sicker than that
is that half of their victims ... still vote for them!


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12/11/18

Rural hospitals failing ... mostly in Red States (4:31)

Keep voting Republican. The rich sure do appreciate ... YOUR SUPPORT!


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11/1/17

Trump sabotaging Obamacare

Making America Great Again ... for the rich


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5/4/17

You will never find a better example of hypocrisy
than this expose of Paul Ryan's position on health care.



Ryan has proven himself to be one of the most dishonest men who has ever lived.


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4/4/17

Just in case there are any of you out there
who still haven't figured out who is in charge
(Trump or the Tea Party) ...

this should make it clear

So the secret behind the "Art of the Deal" is ...

to cave in?

(Gee, who would've guessed?)


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3/20/17

Cystic Fibrosis patient's survival depends on healthcare

This is something everyone should have been able to figure out
without even having to read the article.


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3/14/17

You won't be hearing this one on Fox News

Social Security will save 3 billion dollars thanks to Republican healthcare

And if the Republican House of Representatives' Freedom Caucus
had had their way (a total repeal of Obamacare without replacement),
thousands more Americans would have died
saving Social Security even more money.

Republicans kill Americans for profit - it's what they do - it's ALL they do.



But keep voting Republican ... the rich sure do appreciate your support


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1/19/17

The ACA saved lives.
When Republicans say that repealing the ACA
will not mean people dying in the streets ...

they are lying


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The ACA & Medicare For All


10/16/23

Here's a good article explaining how,
when it comes to providing healthcare,
America wound up being ...

the worst wealthy country on Earth

The enemy of 99% of all Americans
continues to be the American Oligarchy
who work mainly through the Republican party.

as famed linguist Noam Chomsky once wrote:

""Today’s Republican Party are qualifying as candidates
for the most dangerous organization in human history.
"

The article above was just another
(in a long list of evidence)
backing up Chomsky's quote.


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5/19/23

As soon as Pandemic protections expired,
"Red" states immediately began attacking the poorest, most helpless Americans ...

by demolishing Medicaid

The Republican party has become the deadliest enemy
that America has ever faced in its history.


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4/4/20

During pandemic, America's for-profit medical system ...

puts needed workers on the sidelines

All those brainwashed conservatives and corporate democrats
who have been fighting Medicare-for-all
will now be paying for their stupidity and gullibility ...

with their lives


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2/20/20

Medicare-for-all would save the U.S.
$450 billion EVERY year, and more importantly ...

68,000 lives every year (5:16)


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1/25/20

Every study shows that Medicare For All will cost us less ...

than our current system (4:06)

At the end he says that he cannot support a candidate who lies to us.
While I understand his sentiment,
that "Bernie-Bro" attitude is what got us Donald Trump.
Sometimes you just have to suck it up and accept the fact
that you can't always get the one you want
and are forced to choose between the lesser of 2 evils.

Here is an old quote from Steven Novella on this topic ...

"I was hoping for one election in my life
when the flesh would not melt off my bones
while pulling the lever for the lesser of 2 assholes.
"


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12/15/18

US District Court Judge Reed O’Connor of Texas has overruled The Supreme Court ...

declaring The Affordable Care Act unconstitutional


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6/4/18

Medicaid expansion produces significant health benefits

Yet Republicans are doing everything in their power to take it away from the people

And the most amazing part of all, is that many of these people ... still vote Republican.

In related news ...

Worldwide, 8 million largely preventable deaths from treatable diseases
cost $6 trillion in lost economic welfare in low and middle-income countries in 2015
due to insufficient access to high-quality medical care.

But 8 million deaths mean nothing to the wealthy


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12/23/17

Trump's new budget is designed to do,
what his Congress failed to do: destroy Obamacare.
Now that his budget is passed and signed ...

guess who is freaking out the most?

That's called Karma.

I would like to say I feel sorry for those people.
But the truth is: I only feel sorry for the ones who didn't vote for Trump.
That's why, as much as we may be tempted, we cannot abandon the morons to their fate;
because they are bringing everyone else down with them.


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6/11/16

Conservatives blasted Obama for saying that you could "keep your doctor."
And that was true, unless you were in a substandard plan
(in other words, you were being ripped off).
Here is an example of a requirement that the ACA makes of insurers

Coverage of virtual colonoscopies

So conservatives were screaming because they could no longer remain on plans
that were cheating them (now you know why we call them "Tools").


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12/2/15

The Affordable Care Act has reduced racial disparities in healthcare.

Get Donald Trump on the phone ...

This cannot be tolerated!


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7/13/15

Richard Nixon's health plan

This is pretty strong evidence
that people aren't actually arguing over the issues.
They choose sides (Democrat or Republican)
and then root for their team ...

right or wrong


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10/19/14

Why I think Chief Justice John Roberts allowed the ACA to stand

Additional Note

When Obamacare was upheld by the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision,
there were 8 justices who could have been "accused"
of sacrificing their sworn duty in order to promote their political ideologies.
The accusation could have been made against all 4 liberal judges who supported it.
The accusation could have been made against all 4 conservative judges who voted against it.
There was only one judge, against whom, that accusation could not be leveled:
Chief Justice John Roberts, a conservative who voted to support it.


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6/29/13

Obamacare compromise fails to satisfy
Evangelicals and the Republican anti-women contingent


No matter how many times the Obama administration bends over backwards
to accommodate women-hating Republicans and religious freaks, it fails to satisfy them.
That's because they are not interested in compromise.
They are interested only in continuing their domination of society;
especially where it concerns women and sex.

They continue to try to force their screwy religious beliefs on everyone else;
and when they are prevented from doing so, they scream "Religious Discrimination!"

News Flash - no one is attacking your freedom to believe in, and practice, your religion.
What modern society IS attacking, is your freedom to force your crazy, screwball beliefs ...

on everyone else


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9/2/09

Not all Christians should be judged by America's evangelical thugs.

Healthcare Debate

Now that's what I call a "Christian."

But more importantly, Jesus calls this man a Christian ...
Jesus can't even recognize those other fools.


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Worldwide Health Care


7/18/23

U.S. death rates are much higher than in other advanced nations ...

which began increasing with Reagan

American Oligarchs are killing astronomically more Americans
than all of America's so-called "enemies" combined.

Yet the majority ... never figure that out.

And the sickest part of all - is that they are killing us for money;
even though they already have more than all the rest of us.


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7/21/21

A huge percentage of Americans are in medical debt.
And Republicans refusing Medicaid for their constituents made it much worse ...

for their constituents

Quote from the article:

"That’s a pretty stunning and uniquely American phenomenon."

Keep voting Republican ... because they care about you Goddammit.


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6/23/21

The Pandemic is responsible for largest drop in life expectancy in the U.S. since ...

WW2

But as the article points out - you can't blame it all on the virus.


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2/19/19

Public healthcare outperforms private healthcare, not only outside the U.S. ...

but inside the U.S. as well (4:28)


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12/28/18



2018 - worldwide health status report

Anti-Vaxxers should be executed for all the deaths they have caused.


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12/19/18

U.S. women get worse healthcare than in other wealthy nations

And just to add insult to injury ...
they pay more for the privilege of getting that crappy healthcare.


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10/11/18

Even the Philippines now have universal health care

Republicans tell us that America (the richest country on Earth) can't afford it;
yet this third world nation just found a way to fund healthcare for their people.

How much more embarrassment can America take?
Who's next? Zimbabwe?

Keep voting Republican. The rich sure do appreciate ... your support!


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5/23/18

How does America, the world's richest country by far,
rank in healthcare when compared to the other 195 countries?

29th

That is a disgrace.


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11/12/14

(this map shows the countries that provide universal health care to their citizens;
which is far more than Obamacare provides)



What will happen if the Supreme Court guts Obamacare?

Robert Reich promoting Medicare for all

And here is a great way to pay for it

You'll have to give the U.S. a little more time.
We are still recovering from a couple of very expensive wars.
But we plan on helping the poorest and sickest Americans just as soon as
our stock market, housing, gas prices, employment situation,
and our national debt ... all improve.

Oh, that's right - they all already have.
Well, we plan on helping them as soon as Hell freezes over.
(there ... that should hold'em for awhile)


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6/18/14

Even after the United States passed Obamacare

We still rank last in healthcare

And if Republicans could have their way,
they would give new meaning to the word "last"
by returning America to its old system.


This chart shows us what America is getting for its money ...



America spends way more than anyone else
which explains why our life expectancy is greater than poor nations;
but it doesn't explain why so many countries beat us in life expectancy.
With what we spend, we should be living 500 years ... at least.


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Euthanasia


2/8/24

Virginia is considering joining the 21st century ...

will vote on euthanasia


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9/13/22

Famous movie director Jean-Luc Godard (in declining health) chooses ...

euthanasia at 91 years old


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12/7/21

The Sarco suicide pod



It has now been approved for use in Switzerland

Why can't we, here in America, have nice things?

In this case (euthanasia) you can thank, mainly,
Conservative Catholics and the Republicans who pander to them.

But in one of the most progressive states (California)
they are at least moving in the right direction
as governor Gavin Newsom revises California's euthanasia law ...

to make access easier for terminally ill patients


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10/30/20

New Zealand overwhelmingly votes to grant access to euthanasia to its citizens

Here in "The States" there is no doubt in my mind
that the results would have been ... the reverse.


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2/26/20

German court determines that banning professional assisted suicide is ...

unconstitutional


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1/3/20

Euthanasia law in California has had a bumpy ride ...

but an Appeals Court finally settled it

We do it for animals; it's about time we did it for people.


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9/30/17

After California passed a law legalizing euthanasia
one of the sore losers wrote a despicable article complaining about the law.

Here is his article ... and my replies to it (6 pages)

I emailed that to over 50 people in addition to Mattlin ...
and not one had the guts to reply.


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1/23/17

Another phony argument against euthanasia ...

bites the dust


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7/7/15

Euthanasia bill in California killed by Catholics

Catholics continue to bring misery
to everyone they come into contact with ...

just as they have for the last 2,000 years

UPDATE

3 months later in California ...

Catholics take another huge hit!

40 million people (the population of California)
now have access to physician-assisted suicide,
meaning that the Church's ability to force suffering on millions
continues to diminish, century by century.

We don't even make dogs suffer for Christ's sake.
It's way past time that we did the same for people.



UPDATE - 5/16/18

Judge kills California euthanasia law

The sickest part about this story is the jubilation that Catholics must be feeling
now that they can once again force suffering people to endure a fate
that we don't even force on dogs and horses.


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3/22/15

Euthanasia opponent dies

The argument isn't just over Euthanasia.
The argument is over religious freaks
being allowed to force rational people to suffer.
(sound monotonously familiar?)

If someone like Tippetts wants to drag out her agony
because that's what she believes her invisible ghost wants ...
then more power to her - that is her right.

But they should not have the right to force others to suffer
because of their screwy beliefs.

Canada finally got their religious idiots under control and legalized Euthanasia;

it's long past time, that we in America ... do the same


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2/6/15

Canada legalizes euthanasia

Which groups opposed it?

Who else ... religious groups


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