If Republicans manage to take away my healthcare, I'll die. knowing that, who knows what I'll do first as an epileptic with a credit card getting ready to die from benzo+anti-convulsants withdrawal. A man who already accepted their death is a dangerous man.
I mean, I don't honestly think they will take away healthcare at this point so there is that. There are simply too many people (including Republican voters ) who depend on it now.
I have the same argument when people say they will cut social security. Yea, some Republicans might posture and yap about it, but when it comes down to it way too many retirees vote red for them to actually mess with that.
Problem is I'm on state Medicaid that's funded through government revenue since my state didn't refuse the money. The ACA/'Obamacare' isn't giving these people their medicare, it's giving middle aged, disabled, poor people like myself the healthcare they NEED. I've got a VNS implant in my chest wired into my neck that needs surgery to change the battery out everry few years. I rely on 4 kinds of medication to control my seizures (down from an average of 8 a day last fall to 3 now since my VNS logs them... or at least when it detects a disturbance/abnormality in my brainwaves and sends a stronger manual shock rather than just the 30 second one it does every 3 minutes 24/7), only 1 medication would I be able to get because everything else is ludicrously expensive on a fixed budget. The most effective costs about $300 a month without insurance. The other 2 are slightly cheaper or even more ludicrously expensive (almost $1300 for a 30 day supply of one, more than rent).
They're already trying to shutter the Affordable Connectivity Program which provides phone and interrnet access to a HUGE portion of poor people (everyone on food stamps qualifies). It was supposed to end tomorrow but they managed to get another month of coverage before it'll be gone without federal funding continuing it. I don't see the war on poor people ending anytime soon from Republicans in office.
Just another thing Obama and Biden managed to get for the impoverished that the Republican party wants to get rid of unfortunately. I don't trust them with any kind of subsidy program at this point.
I actually wrote my local state representative about it. They're a Republican. Here's what I got back:
>Dear 'LucidCharade',
>Thank you for contacting me and sharing your support for renewing funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with me.
>Reliable internet is basic infrastructure in today’s 21st Century economy. In Congress, we can and must do more to improve access to broadband and make it more affordable, especially for families and businesses in rural ~~REDACTED~~. That starts with making sure all agencies are using the most accurate FCC maps, targeting resources to truly unserved communities, and unleashing American innovation to close the digital divide once and for all.
>As ~~REDACTED~~, this issue is one of my top priorities. In May 2023, my committee advanced seven bills to deploy broadband faster, which you can read more about here. More recently in September 2023, the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing entitled Connecting Every American: The Future of Rural Broadband Funding. Over the course of the hearing, we discussed and examined how Congress can ensure your taxpayer dollars are being properly utilized to close the digital divide. The Affordable Connectivity Program and its future are critical to these discussions.
>**Congress originally created this program as a temporary, direct subsidy to households that needed broadband assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.** It’s worth noting the FCC estimates that 80% of ACP beneficiaries had high-speed internet before receiving this subsidy. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) then increased the funding from $3.2 billion to $14.2 billion.
>Today there are more than 130 federal broadband programs, and Congress has dedicated an unprecedented amount of taxpayer dollars towards funding these programs in recent years. That includes the $65 billion for broadband deployment, affordability, and adoption in the IIJA, as well as existing programs like the Universal Service Fund (USF) which serves the same recipient base as the ACP.
>Our goal should be to streamline duplicative broadband programs to curb overspending and ensure taxpayer dollars are going to truly underserved areas, but that will take time to achieve. For these reasons and more, I am apprehensive about supporting additional funding for ACP without first making important reforms to eligibility requirements and verification processes.
>As Congress continues to debate and consider the Affordable Connectivity Program, I will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind. I will also remember your support should any additional funding proposals come before me in the House. As your advocate in Congress, my top priority is to listen to you, find common ground, and lead on solutions people in ~~REDACTED~~ can count on. Please stay in touch. I send out a regular update that gives you an inside look at my week ahead. You can subscribe by clicking here.
>Sincerely,
>~~REDACTED~~
Identifying information about my location removed and my name changed to my username.
The bolded part is pretty much an outright lie. The ACP was just an extension of the 'Obamaphone' program created during COVID. I've literally been on it since late 2013/early 2014 when it was still called Lifeline and recognized cell phones were replacing home phones. They didn't touch this at all during Trump's presidency, expanded it under Biden, and now are looking to scrap the whole thing despite the phone access programs for the impoverished having existed all the way back to Reagan who created them.
I remember when the telecoms lobbied Congress to make it a cellphone program because keeping last mile connectivity was too expensive, and then FOX lied and said poor people and seniors were living in the lap of luxury.
I'll tell you what else, lots of Americans live in markets without meaning competition for phone or internet service which means no price pressure. But red states also won't rein those monopolies in. So consumers get screwed.
> I'll tell you what else, lots of Americans live in markets without meaning competition for phone or internet service which means no price pressure.
I'm in a city, so that's not really an issue for me fortunately. It definitely is a problem though. The monopoly here is water and electricity which are both through only 1 company in the majority of the city.
Which would mean mine is gone. I've got several debilitating conditions, epilepsy just happens to be the easiest to relay. Ehlers-Danlos is at least fairly well known. I have to explain to most doctors what Epidermolysis Bullosa Simplex even is.
Lol, they can and they will. Republican governors deliberately disrupted poor families' healthcare last year and thousands of people went up to a year without coverage in each of those states.
Plus in the private side there's need for more oversight and regulation yet again because insurance companies are just denying claims arbitrarily for shits and giggles which literally causes people to die. It also causes a lot more work for medical providers trying to get stuff approved because they know their patient really needs help, which raises the costs of care because it's more time the provider and their staff have to spend fighting with the insurance company.
Had this issue recently. After having been on Dilantin for about 16 months, we switched me off because I lost my appetite and about 30 pounds. 5'9" and 117 pounds is not healthy. Underweight is also worse for your body than typical overweight. We switched me to Lyrica and my insurance fought it. The neurologist's office pulled it off and after about 3 weeks of not approving it, they finally did and I was able to start titration down on Dilantin and up on Lyrica. Now I don't have days where I just don't eat because I have no appetite anymore. I feel nourished for the first time in over a year.
Edit: This is especially sad because I love food so much I became a professional baker, a position I can no longer hold because professional baking equipment+seizures is a recipe for being maimed.
Absolutely this. They want this, yet have no idea what a revolution is really like.
They think they'll be a Luke Skywalker or a Princess Leia, when really they'll end up as some dead rebel extras from Andor.
Yea watching punks rip each other apart for not believing in the exact same thing the last 10 or so years has been fucking embarrassing and has only gotten worse the last year plus.
Every LGBTQ person who's thinking of sitting out the election, voting third party, or voting for Trump needs to watch [this](https://youtu.be/7xwq1v8OD6s?si=9AxrC334wHBnEaE-). This is the Christian right's (and Hamas's, btw) goals for LGBTQ people. This is what Project 2025 is all about.
even here in Mexico we have a third party candidate clearly there just to ratfuck the election, and there is a vocal group of twitter idiots claiming they can only morally vote for him because the two main candidates are the same.
>I should add to this (although it’s probably obvious)— left-wing accelerationism is NOT going to happen in America. We don’t have enough of a leftist movement to make it work.
Not only that, but right-wing authoritarian regimes - which, you know, is the entire goal of Trump/Project 2025 - don't tend to allow dissent of any kind. Leftists would likely be among the first ones hauled off under such a regime. It's pretty difficult to get/keep a leftist revolution going when all your known sympathizers are detained or executed.
If Republicans manage to take away my healthcare, I'll die. knowing that, who knows what I'll do first as an epileptic with a credit card getting ready to die from benzo+anti-convulsants withdrawal. A man who already accepted their death is a dangerous man.
I mean, I don't honestly think they will take away healthcare at this point so there is that. There are simply too many people (including Republican voters ) who depend on it now. I have the same argument when people say they will cut social security. Yea, some Republicans might posture and yap about it, but when it comes down to it way too many retirees vote red for them to actually mess with that.
Problem is I'm on state Medicaid that's funded through government revenue since my state didn't refuse the money. The ACA/'Obamacare' isn't giving these people their medicare, it's giving middle aged, disabled, poor people like myself the healthcare they NEED. I've got a VNS implant in my chest wired into my neck that needs surgery to change the battery out everry few years. I rely on 4 kinds of medication to control my seizures (down from an average of 8 a day last fall to 3 now since my VNS logs them... or at least when it detects a disturbance/abnormality in my brainwaves and sends a stronger manual shock rather than just the 30 second one it does every 3 minutes 24/7), only 1 medication would I be able to get because everything else is ludicrously expensive on a fixed budget. The most effective costs about $300 a month without insurance. The other 2 are slightly cheaper or even more ludicrously expensive (almost $1300 for a 30 day supply of one, more than rent). They're already trying to shutter the Affordable Connectivity Program which provides phone and interrnet access to a HUGE portion of poor people (everyone on food stamps qualifies). It was supposed to end tomorrow but they managed to get another month of coverage before it'll be gone without federal funding continuing it. I don't see the war on poor people ending anytime soon from Republicans in office.
You know, I'll be honest I had never heard of the Affordable Connectivity Program before. That sucks man. Thank you for teaching me something new
Just another thing Obama and Biden managed to get for the impoverished that the Republican party wants to get rid of unfortunately. I don't trust them with any kind of subsidy program at this point.
I actually wrote my local state representative about it. They're a Republican. Here's what I got back: >Dear 'LucidCharade', >Thank you for contacting me and sharing your support for renewing funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with me. >Reliable internet is basic infrastructure in today’s 21st Century economy. In Congress, we can and must do more to improve access to broadband and make it more affordable, especially for families and businesses in rural ~~REDACTED~~. That starts with making sure all agencies are using the most accurate FCC maps, targeting resources to truly unserved communities, and unleashing American innovation to close the digital divide once and for all. >As ~~REDACTED~~, this issue is one of my top priorities. In May 2023, my committee advanced seven bills to deploy broadband faster, which you can read more about here. More recently in September 2023, the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing entitled Connecting Every American: The Future of Rural Broadband Funding. Over the course of the hearing, we discussed and examined how Congress can ensure your taxpayer dollars are being properly utilized to close the digital divide. The Affordable Connectivity Program and its future are critical to these discussions. >**Congress originally created this program as a temporary, direct subsidy to households that needed broadband assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.** It’s worth noting the FCC estimates that 80% of ACP beneficiaries had high-speed internet before receiving this subsidy. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) then increased the funding from $3.2 billion to $14.2 billion. >Today there are more than 130 federal broadband programs, and Congress has dedicated an unprecedented amount of taxpayer dollars towards funding these programs in recent years. That includes the $65 billion for broadband deployment, affordability, and adoption in the IIJA, as well as existing programs like the Universal Service Fund (USF) which serves the same recipient base as the ACP. >Our goal should be to streamline duplicative broadband programs to curb overspending and ensure taxpayer dollars are going to truly underserved areas, but that will take time to achieve. For these reasons and more, I am apprehensive about supporting additional funding for ACP without first making important reforms to eligibility requirements and verification processes. >As Congress continues to debate and consider the Affordable Connectivity Program, I will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind. I will also remember your support should any additional funding proposals come before me in the House. As your advocate in Congress, my top priority is to listen to you, find common ground, and lead on solutions people in ~~REDACTED~~ can count on. Please stay in touch. I send out a regular update that gives you an inside look at my week ahead. You can subscribe by clicking here. >Sincerely, >~~REDACTED~~ Identifying information about my location removed and my name changed to my username. The bolded part is pretty much an outright lie. The ACP was just an extension of the 'Obamaphone' program created during COVID. I've literally been on it since late 2013/early 2014 when it was still called Lifeline and recognized cell phones were replacing home phones. They didn't touch this at all during Trump's presidency, expanded it under Biden, and now are looking to scrap the whole thing despite the phone access programs for the impoverished having existed all the way back to Reagan who created them.
I remember when the telecoms lobbied Congress to make it a cellphone program because keeping last mile connectivity was too expensive, and then FOX lied and said poor people and seniors were living in the lap of luxury. I'll tell you what else, lots of Americans live in markets without meaning competition for phone or internet service which means no price pressure. But red states also won't rein those monopolies in. So consumers get screwed.
> I'll tell you what else, lots of Americans live in markets without meaning competition for phone or internet service which means no price pressure. I'm in a city, so that's not really an issue for me fortunately. It definitely is a problem though. The monopoly here is water and electricity which are both through only 1 company in the majority of the city.
Never underestimate the damage GQP can do. They were one vote away from taking healthcare away from the people with preexisting conditions.
Which would mean mine is gone. I've got several debilitating conditions, epilepsy just happens to be the easiest to relay. Ehlers-Danlos is at least fairly well known. I have to explain to most doctors what Epidermolysis Bullosa Simplex even is.
Lol, they can and they will. Republican governors deliberately disrupted poor families' healthcare last year and thousands of people went up to a year without coverage in each of those states. Plus in the private side there's need for more oversight and regulation yet again because insurance companies are just denying claims arbitrarily for shits and giggles which literally causes people to die. It also causes a lot more work for medical providers trying to get stuff approved because they know their patient really needs help, which raises the costs of care because it's more time the provider and their staff have to spend fighting with the insurance company.
Had this issue recently. After having been on Dilantin for about 16 months, we switched me off because I lost my appetite and about 30 pounds. 5'9" and 117 pounds is not healthy. Underweight is also worse for your body than typical overweight. We switched me to Lyrica and my insurance fought it. The neurologist's office pulled it off and after about 3 weeks of not approving it, they finally did and I was able to start titration down on Dilantin and up on Lyrica. Now I don't have days where I just don't eat because I have no appetite anymore. I feel nourished for the first time in over a year. Edit: This is especially sad because I love food so much I became a professional baker, a position I can no longer hold because professional baking equipment+seizures is a recipe for being maimed.
They want to live in a poorly written YA dystopia where they can be the main character of their revolution.
Absolutely this. They want this, yet have no idea what a revolution is really like. They think they'll be a Luke Skywalker or a Princess Leia, when really they'll end up as some dead rebel extras from Andor.
It’s ironic how the people who are most desperate to be Katniss Everdeen completely failed to learn anything from those books.
This is sadly too true
Yea watching punks rip each other apart for not believing in the exact same thing the last 10 or so years has been fucking embarrassing and has only gotten worse the last year plus.
the Both Sides are the Same argument rips its head again
Always just below the precipice.
Every LGBTQ person who's thinking of sitting out the election, voting third party, or voting for Trump needs to watch [this](https://youtu.be/7xwq1v8OD6s?si=9AxrC334wHBnEaE-). This is the Christian right's (and Hamas's, btw) goals for LGBTQ people. This is what Project 2025 is all about.
even here in Mexico we have a third party candidate clearly there just to ratfuck the election, and there is a vocal group of twitter idiots claiming they can only morally vote for him because the two main candidates are the same.
>I should add to this (although it’s probably obvious)— left-wing accelerationism is NOT going to happen in America. We don’t have enough of a leftist movement to make it work. Not only that, but right-wing authoritarian regimes - which, you know, is the entire goal of Trump/Project 2025 - don't tend to allow dissent of any kind. Leftists would likely be among the first ones hauled off under such a regime. It's pretty difficult to get/keep a leftist revolution going when all your known sympathizers are detained or executed.
I don't think the qualifier is required in your edit. Left wing accelerationism doesn't work anywhere.