Thank you so much for the very hard work that you are doing!! Without your research and assistance I would not have the comfort level I do in contacting my elected Republican members of Congress. Living in Iowa, that's all I got! Your encouragement and examples make is so much easier!! Bless you!!!!
Tears, Hatred, and Forgivenss --------------I am a 6′2″, 260-lb. carpenter and ex-college football player whose typical attire involves jeans and work boots. Using current stereotypes, you might have a vision of a tough and maybe even macho guy. If you assumed that, I have to dispel that image. The reality is I am a bit of a girly man. I plant bulbs every fall with my grandkids. I don’t hunt, and I can’t watch movies about war, killing, or blowing up things. Bubbles are cool. I pick daffodils in the spring and hand them out to friends. But maybe the best example of my being a girly man is that I watch and enjoy Hallmark movies.
There, I admitted it. I like Hallmark movies. I also often tear up in the last ten minutes of these movies. They are sappy, predictable, shallow, and corny. These movies do not require a great deal of deep thought to follow, which is part of the attraction. The tears are tears of joy created by warm and fuzzy movie endings. Some might argue these movies are unrealistic, and life is not that good. Some might argue further that in life, happy endings aren’t always guaranteed. After more than sixty-five years, I understand that fact. Yet, I have been blessed with many tears of joy thanks to my wife, kids, grandkids, and friends. The older I get, the more hungry I get for those Hallmark tears.
I didn’t always have active tear ducts. I spent most of my life as what I thought was a tough guy
who rarely cried. Only three movies ever brought me to tears in my first fifty years: Old Yeller, Brian’s Song, and It’s a Wonderful Life. Hallmark has changed that, but sadly, that is not the only source of my tears in the last few years.
In recent years, I also often shed tears of sorrow and pain, mostly because of hate in our country and hate in our world. I cried when planes took down the World Trade Center buildings. I cried when hate took lives at Columbine, Virginia Tech, Parkland, and Sandy Hook Elementary School. Most recently, I cried because of the deaths and hate at Tree of Life Synagogue. And I want to cry as I write this because this is just a partial list of the horrendous acts of hate we witnessed in our country in the past few years.
I am tired of crying tears created by acts of hate. There will always be hate in the world, but we are in a bad place when those in power achieved that power by preaching fear, hatred and division. There are no winners when the path to an outcome is based on hate. I am tired of hearing fear and hate propagated from our White House. All who believe hate and divisiveness are not American values must demand the hateful rhetoric ends.
I need to mention another time I cried. I cried when a man entered the West Nickel Mines School in Bart Township, Pennsylvania, and killed five young Amish girls. Because the Amish people so reject hate, the people in Bart Township forgave the man who killed five of their children. When money and gifts poured in, they shared it with the man’s widow and children. They got past this horrible event because hate was not an option. If we intend to get back to being leaders in the world, it is a lesson the President needs to learn. I leave you with an Amish proverb that says it loud and clear.
Ms. Pam, Thank you. Please share it. You can also find other pieces I have written on Huffington Post and Medium. If this spoke to you a couple of titles that you might check out include ----- Theodor Geisel Was Right --------- Cheap Funeral and Good Party...An Amazing Final Gift -------- Inspiration From The Grave...Lessons From a Tombstone ------ When the History of Slavery Hits You in the Heart. I hope some of these speak to you. If they do please share them with family, friends, and even strangers. Peace, Tom Gerdy
I am looking to reach out and make points in a variety of ways; sometimes straight forward and sometimes in indirect or round about ways. I often include personal experiences in my ramblings. My goal when I write is to challenge people to think and also take action. And sometimes it is an attempt to just help people smile through some tough times.
I introduced myself and then discussed hatred. Sorry if that is an issue here. I didn’t mean to offend. It is just my way of talking about hate. However, if you are so inclined, I also have written a few pieces that touch on (or maybe hammer on) what is going on in our country. Those titles include The Ghost of Anne Frank —— The Death of Superman….Along With Truth, Justice, and the American Way ——- Sorta, Kinda, Maybe, Semi, Free Speech…”Who Are You With?” ——- Trump’s Moral Bankruptcy…The Lowest Level of Poverty.
If you like my style you can also find other pieces I have written on Huffington Post and Medium that are about various topics involving life experiences. If any of these pieces spoke to you, a couple other titles that you might check out include ——- Theodor Geisel Was Right ———— Cheap Funeral and Good Party...An Amazing Final Gift ———- Inspiration From The Grave...Lessons From a Tombstone ——— When the History of Slavery Hits You in the Heart.
I hope some of these speak to you. If they do please share them with family, friends, and even strangers.
Is there a reason you, a man, showed up to center yourself and promote your own content here, rather than engaging with the content that Jessica worked to provide for us?
At the same time Republicans are demanding work requirements for government assistance, they are creating government programs for stay at home moms. This will deprive the most vulnerable and needy. As with Republican schemes for funneling public education funds to private/parochial school families who can already afford tuition, while draining funds from public schools which serve families who cannot afford private school.
I also suggested to my Congresswoman's staffer that accepting the plane was an impeachable violation of the Emoluments clause and that she should state that publicly. She won't, but knowing that people are paying attention may make skittish Republicans even more nervous.
Call Medicaid work requirements what they are, job loss penalties; a change in language can make a big difference when talking with friends, neighbors or elected officials
I know things have been bad since day 1 of the Trump administration, but these new ICE videos have me especially upset and heartsick. I just called my reps but still feel so helpless.
Regarding Medicaid coverage for nursing home care…
“shortens retroactive coverage to 1 month. let's say it takes you a while to get your medicaid so you rack up a lot of costs (and it's gonna take even longer now with all this new red tape). medicaid would retroactively insure you and cover stuff. they limit that to 1 month now.”
This is a big deal ! Many are unaware that Medicaid funds the majority of nursing home care (I believe care costs ~ 10k/month in Fl).The current retroactive period is 3 months.The Medicaid app process for nursing home care is complicated and often requires hiring a specialized attorney.
Calls today to MAGA legislators asked(yet again)what they are doing to protect seniors in the “freedom state” from assaults on Medicaid….compared to the outrageous opulence of 😡 jetting around in his Flying Palace.
Oh, boy. $10K/mo is correct in FL. My mother needed 24-hr care that was beyond my capability. Once you get thru the app process, you still have to find a place that has a "Medicaid bed." And in my mom's case, we needed memory care - not a given.
Here's the latest Grimm fairy tale we're living through:
Once upon a a time, in a galaxy far, far away, there was a great, democratic country that got hijacked by a very, very greedy, sadistic king. That king was soooo mean he particularly liked to hurt the poor and struggling people who voted him into office. He liked to hurt them by making everything they need cost more. He hurt them by ruining their healthcare system and their educational opportunities. He hurt them by throwing their relatives out of the country.
Why, you might ask, did he do those things? There are several simple reasons: 1. Because he could. 2. Because he could get a BIG tax cut for his family and his very, very rich donors who don't need it but know far better how to use money than the poor, working "losers" who voted for him. 3. Because he could receive a $400 million flying Palace from another king. 4. Because he's sooo awesome.
Let's get rid of this king before he gets to our galaxy🤯
These are excellent resources and information that you provided through the links. Makes the tariff information consumer friendly-not meant to be a joke though!
Use this spreadsheet to call/email/write any of our representatives as often as possible. Not just your own state reps, reach out to those in other states. Be as loud as you can and share this. Use your voice and make some “good trouble.”
Be sure in talking with people that you call "Medicaid" and ObamaCare by the state names being used where they are. In Massachusetts we have MassHealth for Medicaid and people get insurance for ObamaCare from the HealthConnector. It varies for every state.
Ms. Vickie, Thank you. Please share it. I am new to this site and I am not sure who can see what so I am attaching the response I had to others. . You can also find other pieces I have written on Huffington Post and Medium. If this spoke to you a couple of titles that you might check out include ----- Theodor Geisel Was Right --------- Cheap Funeral and Good Party...An Amazing Final Gift -------- Inspiration From The Grave...Lessons From a Tombstone ------ When the History of Slavery Hits You in the Heart. I hope some of these speak to you. If they do please share them with family, friends, and even strangers. Peace, Tom Gerdy
Thank you so much for the very hard work that you are doing!! Without your research and assistance I would not have the comfort level I do in contacting my elected Republican members of Congress. Living in Iowa, that's all I got! Your encouragement and examples make is so much easier!! Bless you!!!!
Thank you for YOUR hard work, Vicki!
Tears, Hatred, and Forgivenss --------------I am a 6′2″, 260-lb. carpenter and ex-college football player whose typical attire involves jeans and work boots. Using current stereotypes, you might have a vision of a tough and maybe even macho guy. If you assumed that, I have to dispel that image. The reality is I am a bit of a girly man. I plant bulbs every fall with my grandkids. I don’t hunt, and I can’t watch movies about war, killing, or blowing up things. Bubbles are cool. I pick daffodils in the spring and hand them out to friends. But maybe the best example of my being a girly man is that I watch and enjoy Hallmark movies.
There, I admitted it. I like Hallmark movies. I also often tear up in the last ten minutes of these movies. They are sappy, predictable, shallow, and corny. These movies do not require a great deal of deep thought to follow, which is part of the attraction. The tears are tears of joy created by warm and fuzzy movie endings. Some might argue these movies are unrealistic, and life is not that good. Some might argue further that in life, happy endings aren’t always guaranteed. After more than sixty-five years, I understand that fact. Yet, I have been blessed with many tears of joy thanks to my wife, kids, grandkids, and friends. The older I get, the more hungry I get for those Hallmark tears.
I didn’t always have active tear ducts. I spent most of my life as what I thought was a tough guy
who rarely cried. Only three movies ever brought me to tears in my first fifty years: Old Yeller, Brian’s Song, and It’s a Wonderful Life. Hallmark has changed that, but sadly, that is not the only source of my tears in the last few years.
In recent years, I also often shed tears of sorrow and pain, mostly because of hate in our country and hate in our world. I cried when planes took down the World Trade Center buildings. I cried when hate took lives at Columbine, Virginia Tech, Parkland, and Sandy Hook Elementary School. Most recently, I cried because of the deaths and hate at Tree of Life Synagogue. And I want to cry as I write this because this is just a partial list of the horrendous acts of hate we witnessed in our country in the past few years.
I am tired of crying tears created by acts of hate. There will always be hate in the world, but we are in a bad place when those in power achieved that power by preaching fear, hatred and division. There are no winners when the path to an outcome is based on hate. I am tired of hearing fear and hate propagated from our White House. All who believe hate and divisiveness are not American values must demand the hateful rhetoric ends.
I need to mention another time I cried. I cried when a man entered the West Nickel Mines School in Bart Township, Pennsylvania, and killed five young Amish girls. Because the Amish people so reject hate, the people in Bart Township forgave the man who killed five of their children. When money and gifts poured in, they shared it with the man’s widow and children. They got past this horrible event because hate was not an option. If we intend to get back to being leaders in the world, it is a lesson the President needs to learn. I leave you with an Amish proverb that says it loud and clear.
“Do unto others as if you were the other.”
Beautiful, Tom. I’m glad you’re a girly man!
Ms. Pam, Thank you. Please share it. You can also find other pieces I have written on Huffington Post and Medium. If this spoke to you a couple of titles that you might check out include ----- Theodor Geisel Was Right --------- Cheap Funeral and Good Party...An Amazing Final Gift -------- Inspiration From The Grave...Lessons From a Tombstone ------ When the History of Slavery Hits You in the Heart. I hope some of these speak to you. If they do please share them with family, friends, and even strangers. Peace, Tom Gerdy
Jo,
I am looking to reach out and make points in a variety of ways; sometimes straight forward and sometimes in indirect or round about ways. I often include personal experiences in my ramblings. My goal when I write is to challenge people to think and also take action. And sometimes it is an attempt to just help people smile through some tough times.
I introduced myself and then discussed hatred. Sorry if that is an issue here. I didn’t mean to offend. It is just my way of talking about hate. However, if you are so inclined, I also have written a few pieces that touch on (or maybe hammer on) what is going on in our country. Those titles include The Ghost of Anne Frank —— The Death of Superman….Along With Truth, Justice, and the American Way ——- Sorta, Kinda, Maybe, Semi, Free Speech…”Who Are You With?” ——- Trump’s Moral Bankruptcy…The Lowest Level of Poverty.
If you like my style you can also find other pieces I have written on Huffington Post and Medium that are about various topics involving life experiences. If any of these pieces spoke to you, a couple other titles that you might check out include ——- Theodor Geisel Was Right ———— Cheap Funeral and Good Party...An Amazing Final Gift ———- Inspiration From The Grave...Lessons From a Tombstone ——— When the History of Slavery Hits You in the Heart.
I hope some of these speak to you. If they do please share them with family, friends, and even strangers.
Peace, Tom Gerdy
Is there a reason you, a man, showed up to center yourself and promote your own content here, rather than engaging with the content that Jessica worked to provide for us?
Tom, you are a man with a big heart. I’m sure your kind loving heart has an effect on those around you. Ultimately, love will always win!
At the same time Republicans are demanding work requirements for government assistance, they are creating government programs for stay at home moms. This will deprive the most vulnerable and needy. As with Republican schemes for funneling public education funds to private/parochial school families who can already afford tuition, while draining funds from public schools which serve families who cannot afford private school.
Yep.
I also suggested to my Congresswoman's staffer that accepting the plane was an impeachable violation of the Emoluments clause and that she should state that publicly. She won't, but knowing that people are paying attention may make skittish Republicans even more nervous.
Good, Dave. Very true.
Call Medicaid work requirements what they are, job loss penalties; a change in language can make a big difference when talking with friends, neighbors or elected officials
Ooh I like that.
I know things have been bad since day 1 of the Trump administration, but these new ICE videos have me especially upset and heartsick. I just called my reps but still feel so helpless.
It's brutal. I was upset all weekend because of them. I still am.
Thanks for the solidarity, and for being the voice in my head that reminds me that small actions do matter. 💙
Regarding Medicaid coverage for nursing home care…
“shortens retroactive coverage to 1 month. let's say it takes you a while to get your medicaid so you rack up a lot of costs (and it's gonna take even longer now with all this new red tape). medicaid would retroactively insure you and cover stuff. they limit that to 1 month now.”
Kogan(formerly worked in the Senate) thread unrolled in single-page format: https://skywriter.blue/pages/did:plc:drfb2pdjlnsqkfgsoellcahm/post/3lowwoixe5s2k
This is a big deal ! Many are unaware that Medicaid funds the majority of nursing home care (I believe care costs ~ 10k/month in Fl).The current retroactive period is 3 months.The Medicaid app process for nursing home care is complicated and often requires hiring a specialized attorney.
https://www.medicaidplanningassistance.org/retroactive-medicaid/
Calls today to MAGA legislators asked(yet again)what they are doing to protect seniors in the “freedom state” from assaults on Medicaid….compared to the outrageous opulence of 😡 jetting around in his Flying Palace.
📲📲📲
Yes. So many bad provisions. I'd seen that in Kogan's thread but I was rushing to get the newsletter out this morning so forgot to add it.
Oh, boy. $10K/mo is correct in FL. My mother needed 24-hr care that was beyond my capability. Once you get thru the app process, you still have to find a place that has a "Medicaid bed." And in my mom's case, we needed memory care - not a given.
Maybe, this Insanity, the proposed Medicare cuts…will WAKE UP the MAGA cult followers to fight peaceably for Their Rights.
Thank you for so clearly helping us. I am copying your message and passing it to family and friends. 🙏🏼
I certainly hope do.
Here's the latest Grimm fairy tale we're living through:
Once upon a a time, in a galaxy far, far away, there was a great, democratic country that got hijacked by a very, very greedy, sadistic king. That king was soooo mean he particularly liked to hurt the poor and struggling people who voted him into office. He liked to hurt them by making everything they need cost more. He hurt them by ruining their healthcare system and their educational opportunities. He hurt them by throwing their relatives out of the country.
Why, you might ask, did he do those things? There are several simple reasons: 1. Because he could. 2. Because he could get a BIG tax cut for his family and his very, very rich donors who don't need it but know far better how to use money than the poor, working "losers" who voted for him. 3. Because he could receive a $400 million flying Palace from another king. 4. Because he's sooo awesome.
Let's get rid of this king before he gets to our galaxy🤯
And because 30million people didn't vote in the last election
90 million.
OMG, the Kogan thread is amazingly detailed and very readable, albeit long. Have to figure out how to save it 🤔
I'll have either him or his boss on a Live hopefully tomorrow!
These are excellent resources and information that you provided through the links. Makes the tariff information consumer friendly-not meant to be a joke though!
Thanks so much⭐️
The rich suck.
Except for JB Pritzker. And maybe Bill Gates. And Jeff Bezos's ex. But generally yes.
And Warren Buffett and his son.
Use this spreadsheet to call/email/write any of our representatives as often as possible. Not just your own state reps, reach out to those in other states. Be as loud as you can and share this. Use your voice and make some “good trouble.”
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13lYafj0P-6owAJcH-5_xcpcRvMUZI7rkBPW-Ma9e7hw/edit
Be sure in talking with people that you call "Medicaid" and ObamaCare by the state names being used where they are. In Massachusetts we have MassHealth for Medicaid and people get insurance for ObamaCare from the HealthConnector. It varies for every state.
Ms. Vickie, Thank you. Please share it. I am new to this site and I am not sure who can see what so I am attaching the response I had to others. . You can also find other pieces I have written on Huffington Post and Medium. If this spoke to you a couple of titles that you might check out include ----- Theodor Geisel Was Right --------- Cheap Funeral and Good Party...An Amazing Final Gift -------- Inspiration From The Grave...Lessons From a Tombstone ------ When the History of Slavery Hits You in the Heart. I hope some of these speak to you. If they do please share them with family, friends, and even strangers. Peace, Tom Gerdy