Wow!

Recent Study: Strong Christian nationalist ideology correlates with lower cognitive reflection scores, which is the ability to override gut instinct and think analytically. psypost.org/lower-cognitive-…

Having to pay $3,000 out of pocket for my daughter’s braces while having what the dentist called “really good dental insurance” is exactly why I’ll continue to say this Dental and vision not being included in health insurance is a scam that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough

WOW!!!

Took my dad to a medical test this morning and the facility we went to sends you a QR code that you then scan at a kiosk to do your check-in. They literally had one live person if you didn't use the QR Code system and the line was 30 people deep. My 86-year-old dad uses a flip phone so if I wasn't with him he would have had to wait in that line. And I would say the average age of the person in that line was 80 plus. So we're making all the people with walkers and canes stand in line for an hour to check in. I'm all for embracing technology but this is ridiculous.

CNN is granted access inside an immigration court hearing where dozens of children facing deportation, some as young as three years old, appealed to stay in the United States. Many of them facing the judge without an attorney representing them.

I have stared at this photograph more times than I can count over the past few days. Every time, I look at the man in the white cassock and say, with gut instinct and intellectual certainty both, Tu es Petrus. You are Peter, and upon this rock Christ builds the Church. Catholics believe the pope is the vicar of Christ, the Successor of Peter who acts and ministers in Jesus’s name. With every passing day, this 71-year-old American, born Robert Francis Prevost, reminds me of Jesus. Then again, I guess that’s the point.

I received a letter from Blue Cross/Blue Shield today about the dangers of taking prescription opioids for more than a few weeks. Oddly enough there was zero mention about the danger of fatal cardiac complications due to the failure to control chronic severe pain or the devastating effect of untreated and uncontrolled chronic severe pain on a person’s general health and zero quality of life resulting in suicide due to pain. Are those who never have had to live in chronic severe pain month after month or year after year really that ignorant or do they just not care about those who do? This is even more concerning when we consider that they are likely closely related to those who are crippled by under treated chronic severe pain. Perhaps the medical establishment could be contracted by the government to create a program like a boot camp of severe pain in which those who wish to influence policies affecting chronic pain patients would be subjected to constant severe pain for a period of three months, but to be humane if they wished adequate treatment or relief they would be first required to read all the objections and criticisms leveled at medical practitioners who have the compassion and commitment to save and preserve the lives of pain patients. This boot camp would be required attendance for all law makers or enforcers with mandatory attendance and graduation a requirement for service in those occupations.

Spot on 👇

Its amazing how many people believe we are getting high on our meds. In over 20 years of pain management I've been euforic exactly twice on oxycodone and that was because I purposely took handfuls of pills, not caring about the consequences of life or death. The unfortunate secondary side effect of chronic pain, especially early on, is deep depression. Luckily, that's all behind me now. The point is, once you're on the correct dosage, your body adjusts. The pain level becomes tolerable, not absent as people believe or even wish. At that dose you can perform minor, everyday duties, laugh, drive without fear of wrecking another person's life. At doses high enough to remove the pain completely, you'd still be stuck at home, euforic, sleepy, turning into the addict that we are always being accused of being. But what about too low of a dose? That's why most of us are in here, isn't it? The government keeps changing its mind, telling doctors to treat pain then turning around and threatening those same doctors for over treatment. And we're stuck in the middle, many of being treated as criminals once a month and still not getting the required treatment or worse, allowed to receive the proper treatment only to be tapered off to levels that no longer work. We need a strong advocate in DC. I'm new in here and know that there are some working towards that end. Thanks for listening to my audience participation at this TedTalk. 😂

From a friend… If anyone wonders why you or I are liberal Democrats show them this post. Women: "Can I have birth control?" Republican Controlled Congress: "No." Women: "I couldn't get birth control so I got pregnant. Can I have an abortion?" Republican Controlled Congress: "No." Women: "You prevented me from having an abortion so I'm carrying the fetus, but my employer won't provide reasonable accommodations and is threatening to fire me. Would you please pass the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act?" Republican Controlled Congress: "No" Women: "I had the baby, but I'm out of work. Can I have WIC and food stamps until I get back on my feet?" Republican Controlled Congress: "No." Women: "I found a job, but it doesn't offer me insurance. Can I have government guaranteed insurance?" Republican Controlled Congress: "No." Women: "My kid got sick and I got fired because I missed time caring for him/her. Can I get unemployment?" Republican Controlled Congress: "No." Women: "I'm having a hard time getting my kid from school consistently. Can we fund after-school programs?" Republican Controlled Congress: "No." Women: "I'm prepared to work to support my family. Can you make sure that a full-time job's minimum wage is enough to do that?" Republican Controlled Congress: "No. But what's the matter with you and your family, that working two jobs can't lift you out of poverty? And what kind of a mother are you, letting someone else watch your child while you work? If your child doesn't do well in school or gets in trouble, it's entirely your fault. You shouldn't have had a child if you weren't prepared to take care of him/her." ~Via Claudia Powell