quickrita2000, Author at Rita's Spur to Action

What you do onto others may in turn be done onto you.

01/15/20 / quickrita2000 / 2 Comments / Political Action / asylum seekers, immigration, policy reform, Trump administration, USA

Two years ago, I wrote a blog about immigration in the United States and the lack of an immigration policy. I am reposting this here for you to read today because I think it still applies, and absolutely nothing has been done to change the conditions under which people come to find safety in the United States.

Instead, we seem to have taken a step backwards, and for the second time in American history, we are shamefully isolating and imprisoning people who have the misfortune of having to leave their homes and uproot their lives to seek asylum.

Nobody does this for pleasure.

I cannot believe that two years later, we still have not dealt with the immigration problems at our borders. We as a nation should not be repeating the shameful behavior of America during WWII, when we imprisoned and isolated the Japanese-Americans and other nationalities. This even included people from Finland whose homeland had been invaded by Russia and were trying to escape to America. They were arrested at sea and sent to the immigration camps.

This was not America’s shining hour, and neither is our lack of policy today at the borders.

Reposted from 7/14/2018

Today there are more displaced people in the world than there have ever been at any time in history. According to the United Nations, 67 million people are desperately seeking refuge somewhere. This vast displacement of people has caused a major crisis, and a growing crisis, to every nation in the developed world.

Huge numbers of refugees and asylum-seekers are being forced to live under unacceptable conditions while they desperately try to gain legal admission to any country that will accept them. The current systems are not solving the problem of massive immigration. It is incumbent upon the governments of all nations, the United Nations, the European community, and even the World Economic Forum to redefine immigration programs. It is also imperative that all of us, worldwide, find ways to aid refugees facing extraordinary challenges.

There is a sense of destabilization that occurs when a large population of different races, religions, and customs overwhelm an existing culture. As The United States does not have any viable immigration plan, these fears have empowered this administration and its tyrannical zero immigration policy. This policy has led to cruel and inhumane treatment of desperate people.

The present anti-immigration policies of The United States, such as the deportation of people who have lived here for many years and the separation of children from their parents at the border, is absolutely not acceptable. It is not in any way a plan or solution to the massive refugee problem, nor is it a solution to immigration. It is tyrannical, unacceptable and totally short-sided for The United States.

America should welcome immigrants. We have almost full employment and we are an aging population with an historically low birth-rate. This confluence of circumstances can bring development and growth to a halt in The United States. Immigration is an important way of reversing the tide. In order to grow the economy we will need skilled workers to fill future jobs in farming, building infrastructure, and other trades.

It is often costly and usually takes an inordinately long time for people to apply and gain legal entry into The United States. There should be more entry ports and consulates so that this process could be shortened, and so that asylum-seekers could be dealt with more quickly and humanely.

Legal entry into The United States should have certain requirements. Obviously no criminal record, but also English should be required. Instead of having internment camps at the border, there should be English language schools.

No one should be allowed a green-card until they have a working knowledge of English. After all, English is the language of the country and it is what binds Americans together along with the social contract, the laws of the land, and the culture. English must be the primary language. Without it we lose the ability to take on jobs, assimilate, or feel a sense of patriotic love of country.

We as a nation have lost our moral compass. We must re-establish our own social and moral values in order to be able to impart them with impunity to the new arrivals. This should be done even as they are learning to speak English.

Another problem facing host countries receiving an overwhelmingly large number of refugees is that these people tend to seek their own kind. In turn they set up their own enclaves within the existing communities. Unless immigrants have families to go to, it would make sense to spread them out and direct them to areas of the country where they are needed and would be welcomed. For a period of years, their choice of settlement should be restricted. This would prevent them from forming separate and often dissonant communities.

Most communities have activities for all age-groups in which everybody can participate regardless of race, creed, or religion. It is simply easier and less threatening for communities to accept newcomers if they arrive as individuals.

It is abundantly clear that The United States nor other nations of the world can any longer run immigration systems with antiquated methodologies and concepts. This seems to be a time when America has to redefine itself just as we did at the time of the American Revolution and again during the Civil War.

White supremacists and religious fanatics cannot be allowed to shape the world in their own image. We, as Americans, must not allow it. These extremists are only a small part of our country, but they are powerful and have taken over the Republican party.

Our values are not, should not, and must not be so narrowly defined as they would have them be.

If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.

12/04/19 / quickrita2000 / 4 Comments / Uncategorized / America, Germany, hitler, Nazi Germany, policies, rhetoric, Trump, WWII

Several years back, I said that I lived through and still remember the 1930s with the rise of Hitler and Nazi Germany, which ultimately propelled us into WWII. I said then, and I say it now; Trump is a clone of Hitler.

To my amazement, a friend of mine recently sent me this article listing 20 ways Trump is mirroring Hitler’s early policies and rhetoric, corroborating my thoughts on the subject. I am posting these in the hope that everyone will read it. It’s long and takes a bit of time, but please, please read this and understand that this man, Trump, will lead America down the path to its own destruction.

I don’t know how to reach his unsuspecting supporters, but I think it is vital to the survival of the United States of America that everyone must recognize the similarities between Germany in the 1930’s and the United States today with Trump as president.

This is not Republican versus Democrat. This is not Right versus Left. This is the single issue of the rise of a dictator who, if re-elected into office, will never leave, and will totally destroy America, just as Hitler destroyed Germany and almost the world.

I want you to read this article by Steven Rosenfeld, containing excerpts from a book called “When at Times the Mob Is Swayed: A Citizen’s Guide to Defending Our Republic” by Burt Neuborne, who is one of America’s top civil liberties lawyers.

1. Neither was elected by a majority.

Trump lost the popular vote by 2.9 million votes, receiving votes by 25.3 percent of all eligible American voters.

“That’s just a little less than the percentage of the German electorate that turned to the Nazi Party in 1932–33,” Neuborne writes. “Unlike the low turnouts in the United States, turnout in Weimar Germany averaged just over 80 percent of eligible voters.”

He continues, “Once installed as a minority chancellor in January 1933, Hitler set about demonizing his political opponents, and no one — not the vaunted, intellectually brilliant German judiciary; not the respected, well-trained German police; not the revered, aristocratic German military; not the widely admired, efficient German government bureaucracy; not the wealthy, immensely powerful leaders of German industry; and not the powerful center-right political leaders of the Reichstag — mounted a serious effort to stop him.”

2. Both Hitler and Trump found direct communication channels to their base.

By the 1936 Olympics, Nazi narratives dominated German cultural and political life.

“How on earth did Hitler pull it off? What satanic magic did Trump find in Hitler’s speeches?” Neuborne asks. (It is allegedly rumored by his first wife, Ivana, that he kept a copy of Mein Kampf on his nighttable.)

He addresses Hitler’s extreme rhetoric soon enough, but notes that Hitler found a direct communication pathway—the Nazi Party gave out radios with only one channel, tuned to Hitler’s voice, bypassing Germany’s news media. Trump has an online equivalent.

“Donald Trump’s tweets, often delivered between midnight and dawn, are the twenty-first century’s technological embodiment of Hitler’s free plastic radios,” Neuborne says. “Trump’s Twitter account, like Hitler’s radios, enables a charismatic leader to establish and maintain a personal, unfiltered line of communication with an adoring political base of about 30–40 percent of the population, many (but not all) of whom are only too willing, even anxious, to swallow Trump’s witches’ brew of falsehoods, half-truths, personal invective, threats, xenophobia, national security scares, religious bigotry, white racism, exploitation of economic insecurity, and a never ending-search for scapegoats.”

3. Both blame others and divide on racial lines.

As Neuborne notes, “Hitler used his single-frequency radios to wax hysterical to his adoring base about his pathological racial and religious fantasies glorifying Aryans and demonizing Jews, blaming Jews (among other racial and religious scapegoats) for German society’s ills.”

That is comparable to “Trump’s tweets and public statements, whether dealing with black-led demonstrations against police violence, white-led racist mob violence, threats posed by undocumented aliens, immigration policy generally, protests by black and white professional athletes, college admission policies, hate speech, even response to hurricane damage in Puerto Rico.”

Again and again, Trump uses “racially tinged messages calculated to divide whites from people of color.”

4. Both relentlessly demonize opponents.

“Hitler’s radio harangues demonized his domestic political opponents, calling them parasites, criminals, cockroaches, and various categories of leftist scum.”

“Trump’s tweets and speeches similarly demonize his political opponents. Trump talks about the country being ‘infested’ with dangerous aliens of color. He fantasizes about jailing Hillary Clinton, calls Mexicans rapists, refers to ‘shithole countries,’ degrades anyone who disagrees with him, and dreams of uprooting thousands of allegedly disloyal bureaucrats in the State Department, the Environmental Protection Agency, the FBI, and the CIA, who he calls ‘the deep state’ and who, he claims, are sabotaging American greatness.”

5. They unceasingly attack objective truth.

“Both Trump and Hitler maintained a relentless assault on the very idea of objective truth,” he continues. “Each began the assault by seeking to delegitimize the mainstream press. Hitler quickly coined the epithet Lügenpresse (literally ‘lying press’) to denigrate the mainstream press.

Trump uses a paraphrase of Hitler’s lying press epithet—‘fake news’—cribbed, no doubt, from one of Hitler’s speeches. For Trump, the mainstream press is a ‘lying press’ that publishes ‘fake news.’”

Hitler attacked his opponents as spreading false information to undermine his positions, Neuborne says, just as Trump has attacked “elites” for disseminating false news, “especially his possible links to the Kremlin.”

6. They relentlessly attack mainstream media.

Trump’s assaults on the media echo Hitler’s, Neuborne says, noting that he “repeatedly attacks the ‘failing New York Times,’ leads crowds in chanting ‘CNN sucks,’ [and] is personally hostile to most reporters.”

He cites the White House’s refusal to fly the flag at half-mast after the murder of five journalists in Annapolis in June 2018, Trump’s efforts to punish CNN by blocking a merger of its corporate parent, and trying to revoke federal Postal Service contracts held by Amazon, which was founded by Jeff Bezos, who also owns the Washington Post.

7. Their attacks on truth include science.

Neuborne notes, “Both Trump and Hitler intensified their assault on objective truth by deriding scientific experts, especially academics who question Hitler’s views on race or Trump’s views on climate change, immigration, or economics.

For both Trump and Hitler, the goal is (and was) to eviscerate the very idea of objective truth, turning everything into grist for a populist jury subject to manipulation by a master puppeteer.

In both Trump’s and Hitler’s worlds, public opinion ultimately defines what is true and what is false.”

8. Their lies blur reality—and supporters spread them.

“Trump’s pathological penchant for repeatedly lying about his behavior can only succeed in a world where his supporters feel free to embrace Trump’s ‘alternative facts’ and treat his hyperbolic exaggerations as the gospel truth,” Neuborne says.

“Once Hitler had delegitimized the mainstream media by a series of systematic attacks on its integrity, he constructed a fawning alternative mass media designed to reinforce his direct radio messages and enhance his personal power.

“Trump is following the same path, simultaneously launching bitter attacks on the mainstream press while embracing the so-called alt-right media, co-opting both Sinclair Broadcasting and the Rupert Murdoch–owned Fox Broadcasting Company as, essentially, a Trump Broadcasting Network.”

9. Both orchestrated mass rallies to show status.

“Once Hitler had cemented his personal communications link with his base via free radios and a fawning media and had badly eroded the idea of objective truth, he reinforced his emotional bond with his base by holding a series of carefully orchestrated mass meetings dedicated to cementing his status as a charismatic leader, or Führer,” Neuborne writes.

“The powerful personal bonds nurtured by Trump’s tweets and Fox’s fawning are also systematically reinforced by periodic, carefully orchestrated mass rallies (even going so far as to co-opt a Boy Scout Jamboree in 2017), reinforcing Trump’s insatiable narcissism and his status as a charismatic leader.”

10. They embrace extreme nationalism.

“Hitler’s strident appeals to the base invoked an extreme version of German nationalism, extolling a brilliant German past and promising to restore Germany to its rightful place as a preeminent nation,” Neuborne says.

“Trump echoes Hitler’s jingoistic appeal to ultranationalist fervor, extolling American exceptionalism right down to the slogan ‘Make America Great Again,’ a paraphrase of Hitler’s promise to restore German greatness.”

11. Both made closing borders a centerpiece.

“Hitler all but closed Germany’s borders, freezing non-Aryan migration into the country and rendering it impossible for Germans to escape without official permission. Like Hitler, Trump has also made closed borders a centerpiece of his administration,” Neuborne continues.

“Hitler barred Jews. Trump bars Muslims and seekers of sanctuary from Central America.

“When the lower courts blocked Trump’s Muslim travel ban, he unilaterally issued executive orders replacing it with a thinly disguised substitute that ultimately narrowly won Supreme Court approval under a theory of extreme deference to the president.”

12. They embraced mass detention and deportations.

“Hitler promised to make Germany free from Jews and Slavs. Trump promises to slow, stop, and even reverse the flow of non-white immigrants, substituting Muslims, Africans, Mexicans, and Central Americans of color for Jews and Slavs as scapegoats for the nation’s ills.

“Trump’s efforts to cast dragnets to arrest undocumented aliens where they work, live, and worship, followed by mass deportation… echo Hitler’s promise to defend Germany’s racial identity,”

He also notes that Trump has “stooped to tearing children from their parents [as Nazis in World War II would do] to punish desperate efforts by migrants to find a better life.”

13. Both used borders to protect selected industries.

“Like Hitler, Trump seeks to use national borders to protect his favored national interests, threatening to ignite protectionist trade wars with Europe, China, and Japan similar to the trade wars that, in earlier incarnations, helped to ignite World War I and World War II.”

“Like Hitler, Trump aggressively uses our nation’s political and economic power to favor selected American corporate interests at the expense of foreign competitors and the environment, even at the price of international conflict, massive inefficiency, and irreversible pollution [climate change].”

14. They cemented their rule by enriching elites.

“Hitler’s version of fascism shifted immense power—both political and financial—to the leaders of German industry. In fact, Hitler governed Germany largely through corporate executives,” he continues.

“Trump has also presided over a massive empowerment—and enrichment—of corporate America. Under Trump, large corporations exercise immense political power while receiving huge economic windfalls and freedom from regulations designed to protect consumers and the labor force.

“Hitler despised the German labor movement, eventually destroying it and imprisoning its leaders.

“Trump also detests strong unions, seeking to undermine any effort to interfere with the prerogatives of management.”

15. Both rejected international norms.

“Hitler’s foreign policy rejected international cooperation in favor of military and economic coercion, culminating in the annexation of the Sudetenland, the phony Hitler-Stalin nonaggression pact, the invasion of Czechoslovakia, and the horrors of global war.”

“Like Hitler, Trump is deeply hostile to multinational cooperation, withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the nuclear agreement with Iran, threatening to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement, abandoning our Kurdish allies in Syria, and even going so far as to question the value of NATO, our post-World War II military alliance with European democracies against Soviet expansionism.”

16. They attack domestic democratic processes.

“Hitler attacked the legitimacy of democracy itself, purging the voting rolls, challenging the integrity of the electoral process, and questioning the ability of democratic government to solve Germany’s problems,”

“Trump has also attacked the democratic process, declining to agree to be bound by the outcome of the 2016 elections when he thought he might lose, supporting the massive purge of the voting rolls allegedly designed to avoid (nonexistent) fraud, championing measures that make it harder to vote, tolerating—if not fomenting—massive Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, encouraging mob violence at rallies, darkly hinting at violence if Democrats hold power, and constantly casting doubt on the legitimacy of elections unless he wins.”

17. Both attack the judiciary and rule of law.

“Hitler politicized and eventually destroyed the vaunted German justice system. Trump also seeks to turn the American justice system into his personal playground,”

“Like Hitler, Trump threatens the judicially enforced rule of law, bitterly attacking American judges who rule against him, slyly praising Andrew Jackson for defying the Supreme Court, and abusing the pardon power by pardoning an Arizona sheriff found guilty of criminal contempt of court for disobeying federal court orders to cease violating the Constitution.”

18. Both glorify the military and demand loyalty oaths.

“Like Hitler, Trump glorifies the military, staffing his administration with layers of retired generals (who eventually were fired or resigned), relaxing control over the use of lethal force by the military and the police, and demanding a massive increase in military spending,”

Just as Hitler “imposed an oath of personal loyalty on all German judges” and demanded courts defer to him, “Trump’s already gotten enough deference from five Republican [Supreme Court] justices to uphold a largely Muslim travel ban that is the epitome of racial and religious bigotry.”

Trump has also demanded loyalty oaths. “He fired James Comey, a Republican appointed in 2013 as FBI director by President Obama, for refusing to swear an oath of personal loyalty to the president.

“[He] excoriated and then sacked Jeff Sessions, his handpicked attorney general, for failing to suppress the criminal investigation into… Trump’s possible collusion with Russia in influencing the 2016 elections.

“[He] repeatedly threatened to dismiss Robert Mueller, the special counsel carrying out the investigation.

“[He] called again and again for the jailing of Hillary Clinton, his 2016 opponent, leading crowds in chants of ‘lock her up.’” A new chant, “send her back,” has since emerged at Trump rallies directed at non-white Democratic congresswomen.

19. They proclaim unchecked power.

“Like Hitler, Trump has intensified a disturbing trend that predated his administration of governing unilaterally, largely through executive orders or proclamations,” Neuborne says, citing:

The Muslim travel ban
Trade tariffs
Unraveling of health and environmental safety nets
Ban on transgender military service
Efforts to end President Obama’s protection for Dreamers

“Like Hitler, Trump claims the power to overrule Congress and govern all by himself. In 1933, Hitler used the pretext of the Reichstag fire to declare a national emergency and seize the power to govern unilaterally. The German judiciary did nothing to stop him. German democracy never recovered.”

“When Congress refused to give Trump funds for his border wall even after he threw a tantrum and shut down the government, Trump, like Hitler, declared a phony national emergency and claimed the power to ignore Congress.”

“Don’t count on the Supreme Court to stop him. Five justices gave the game away on the President’s unilateral travel ban. They just might do the same thing on the border wall.” It did in late July, ruling that Trump could divert congressionally appropriated funds from the Pentagon budget—undermining constitutional separation of powers.

20. Both relegate women to subordinate roles.

“Hitler propounded a misogynistic, stereotypical view of women, valuing them exclusively as wives and mothers while excluding them from full participation in German political and economic life.

Trump may be the most openly misogynist figure ever to hold high public office in the United States, crassly treating women as sexual objects, using nondisclosure agreements and violating campaign finance laws to shield his sexual misbehavior from public knowledge, attacking women who come forward to accuse men of abusive behavior, undermining reproductive freedom, and opposing efforts by women to achieve economic equality.”

If you are interested in reading more, here is the link to the full article:

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/08/09/leading-civil-rights-lawyer-shows-20-ways-trump-copying-hitlers-early-rhetoric-and?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=email_this

Hit the streets, rise up, rebel, before it’s too late.

The Clock is Ticking on America

11/26/19 / quickrita2000 / 3 Comments / Uncategorized

For the first time in my life I wake up every morning feeling a sense of shame at being an American.

What has happened to this country? What has happened to American values, to American compassion and generosity? How can we live without compassion for people living in the most dire conditions, deprived of safety, of food, and even their very lives? Why have we as a Nation done nothing to help people who are living below the equator who are suffering beyond belief? And then, having done nothing to help him, why do we turn them away when they come here in desperation?

Trump has exacerbated this neglect. He did not cause it. The US is not alone in failing to attend to obvious problems; the responsibility clearly lies within the entire developed world, most of whom are above the equator.

Every place I look these days, I see nothing but greed. Money, money, money. Money is buying – or has bought – our political system. Money has bought our elections. Money has bought the Republican Senate and this presidency.

We have allowed the Congress to vote themselves a pension for life. No doubt the members care more for their seat in the Congress or the Senate than they do for the good of the country, or for the nation from which they have sprung.

Why in the world should these congresspeople or senators be paid for life? Is it not an honor enough to serve the governing body of the Nation? That is the quintessential center of the Democracy, under which we live. Is it not an honor to stand as the gatekeepers of our Democratic way of life? They seem to only be dedicated to it’s destruction.

Ever since the Vietnam war, this country has been engaged in questionable military action. Ever since the Vietnam war, this country has had no draft, no public service; no one has had to serve this nation in any capacity. Before Senator Jack Javits died, he told me that he had come to agree with me that we should reinstitute public service for 18 months between high school and university. Senior Senator from Connecticut Abe Rubicoff felt the same way, as he too told me before he passed away. It was too late for either of them to take any action.

Every single person (man and woman) should serve. Even people with heel spurs and other disabilities should serve in some capacity. People should be able to choose between the military, the army, the navy, the marines, the air force, medical, or community service. There is nothing in this world that can replace the experience of boot training, shared commitment and service, codependence, fellowship, and the sense of belonging.

No one has ever suffered for learning to fold their clothes neatly, make their bed, and properly polish their shoes. This shared training experience puts service to the country before personal ambition. I believe America needs this.

We need to believe in each other again. We need to understand each other. We need to see and know the people of this nation, and we need to know more about the world. We should know who are ill paid and badly educated. We need to know when people are inadequately fed and when children are starving. We must address these problems as they are dividing the Nation as never before.

We all are suffering from the greed that prevents us from moving forward to correct the glaring inequities in our society and the consequential problems. We all need to become more aware and to take action before these divisions destroy us.

Hope is a thing with feathers

09/21/19 / quickrita2000 / 2 Comments / Uncategorized

I have been incredibly lucky to have lived such a long and happy life. Until now there was never a day in my life that I didn’t wake up looking ahead and believing that the future would be even brighter. This is no longer true. Every day I wake up thinking that this Nation has taken another step into the abyss. This is merely the symptom of where we are. A Nation divided by racial hatred, wealth, greed, and poverty.

Trump has accelerated the decay. He has and continues to ride the tide of wealth vs poverty, success vs failure, rich vs poor. To some extent, this probably has always been true in America, but it was always balanced by the prospect of upward mobility. However, what we are seeing today is that it was not true for everyone. And it seems to have been stalled since. We are seeing this more clearly today than ever before. We are seeing that our system is broken. There is no will or desire at the top to support the prospect of upward mobility.

I do believe that almost every President from Roosevelt onward did make efforts to improve the conditions for people struggling to survive. Certainly Rosevelt introduced the WPA a Federal work program in his New Deal. Truman introduced the Fair Deal which part of it was the guarantee of a minimum wage. And Lyndon B. Jonson lunched the Great Society in order to wage war on poverty.

These Democratic Presidents did not destroy capitalism they enhanced it.

If this Nation is to survive – if tomorrow is ever going to look bright again for the United States of America – TRUMP must go. Not because he’s a Republican or a Democrat, but rather because he is a threat to the future of this nation. He serves only himself and the very wealthy. He will destroy this country if he is not stopped. But it’s not just Trump. Mitch McConnell and the lemmings who call themselves the present members of the Republican party must be taken out of office.

Actually, the best thing that could happen for this country at this time would be if the Republicans came up with a really viable Republican candidate to run against Trump. For his own party to reject him. The best thing for the Republican party would be for them to clean house and again become a party of Check and Balance, so that there could be real discussion on issues between Democrats and Republicans.

This should not be the mantra of a few; this should be an issue upon which the honorable Democrats and Republicans can agree. This is an issue to save this country and save our human values, and to improve the conditions for everyone.

Even during the great depression of the 30s there was hope that things would be better tomorrow. We must make tomorrow again brighter than it is today. This is called hope.

Oh Rage! Oh Despair!

07/16/19 / quickrita2000 / 6 Comments / Uncategorized

Religion has historically been a two-sided issue. On the one side, it is about belief in a God, a higher power, and hopefully that God is a guiding force toward tempering the human character. That God requires human kindness to strangers, and it requires human beings to help others carry their burdens in times of need. That God requires each person to take moral responsibility toward other human beings. On the other side of this issue is the application of religion to totally dominate the body and soul of human beings who inhabit the same world and space as the oppressor.

The existence of this dichotomy is particularly noticeable in this administration. The Senate, as the governing body, is supposed to represent the core values of our nation. Our government is not exercising its moral responsibility; instead, it is exercising its religious prerogative when it suits their political ambitions.

They self-righteously deny the rights of women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community. This nation is in grave danger of losing its moral compass. Every citizen who cares about the United States should be seriously concerned about the direction to which we and this country are being driven by the present administration.

This Senate is ruled by oligarchs of the extreme right-wing, by Mitch McConnell, by Lindsey Graham, and by conservative born-again Christians. Their avowed Christianity and religious orthodoxy is in direct conflict with the basic tenets of the Constitution of the United States. Our forefathers, who saw the dangers of religious domination in government, made it very clear to all and sundry that this country was not to be dominated by a coalition of Church and State. They were two distinctly separate entities.

Clearly, clearly, this administration, with the acquiescence of Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham and the Senate, is allowing and encouraging the imposition of their religious beliefs into the governing process. The line between Church and State is being blurred.

2Do they completely abandon their religion, or does their religion completely abandon

them, when they have to deal with complicated issues such as immigration? Is their religion totally unrelated to the question of human rights?

Of course illegal immigration is a huge problem and this country has never created a proper immigration policy. But, does their religion shelter them and the president from inhumanity, to turn our government into a body with no sense of humanity, without Godliness, and without respect for human rights? This is what our government stands for today.

What kind of religion do these people observe? Certainly not the kind that demands that they be kind to strangers and love their neighbors.

When a nation loses its sense of righteous indignation, compassion, decency, and morality, when it denies people freedom of speech, when it strips people of their basic human rights, it is no longer a great nation.

America is not great when it retreats behind its borders and fails to recognize and observe its own constitution.

America is not great when it fails to maintain the separation between Church and State, and America is not great when it allows fear, ignorance, prejudice and greed to diminish the values of the nation.

America is not great when its governing body aligns itself with the most oppressive governments in the world, and isolates itself from those who have joined together to make a peaceful world their central issue.

We the people must take a stand to preserve our Constitution, and to deny rights and privileges to the perpetrators against humanity, represented by our government today.

This country is facing clear and evident danger.

Dim, Dark Days

06/06/19 / quickrita2000 / 4 Comments / Uncategorized

I am continuously upset with the born-again Christians who seem to have gained enormous power in this country, and especially with the present administration. They, like their Führer Trump, are without compassion, without brains, and, worst of all, without any sense of rationality.

They believe that they alone should have the right to live above the law or even to change it in order to suit themselves. Take the case of Roe vs. Wade.

They rant and they rave about the growing overpopulation of the world, the endless line of people asking for handouts. And at the same time, by fighting to outlaw abortions, they reserve themselves the right to increase that population as they wish.

These people are trying to take this country back into the dim dark days when abortion was illegal throughout the nation. Women had to resort to illegal abortions, international trips, wire coat hangers, self-harm, and any other means they could find to end unintended or unwanted pregnancies.

Then the Supreme Court passed Roe vs. Wade, which gave women the right to take control of their own bodies. I have never in my long life ever known a woman who wanted an abortion. But women should have the right to decide whether to take a pregnancy to term, whether they are carrying child who has a terminal prenatal diagnosis or debilitating deformities, or if they have been violated and raoed raped, or molested and impregnated by a family member, or if they already have more children they can afford. They may be too young for the financial and emotional burden of parenthood, or any one of a thousand reasons for having an abortion.

These lawmakers are trying to put all of the responsibility on the women for these pregnancies. It is THEY who don’t want to take care of the child; they want to the woman to carry the pregnancy to term without any responsibility on their part. And then complain about the overpopulation, and do nothing to take care of them or provide financial assistance or support.

These right-to-lifers support the death penalty, support wars, support gun lobbies that are killing people all over America; the only life they support is women’s pregnancies for which they take no responsibility.

Historically, men have considered it their right to control women. Banning abortions is just one way of them taking no responsibility for unwanted pregnancies. The fact of the matter is that it takes two to tango – so it is critical that men are included in these conversations around abortion. It seems that the last time they were was in 1992, when the Supreme Court overturned a law that required a woman to prove that she had the permission of her husband before she could have an abortion. It seems as though men want all of the control in the decision-making process, but none of the responsibility after the baby is born.

To make sure they take that responsibility, here is my solution. Every boy at the age of 12 should undergo a vasectomy. This would only be reversed after he has reached a certain age, has been married legally for a period of time, and is now ready, willing, and able to have a child for whom HE will take responsibility for their entire childhood. If he does not want to take responsibility at all, he can have a clinical castration. This would put an end to the problem of teenage pregnancies, as well as other unwanted pregnancies and pregnancies from rape. It would largely solve the problem of abortion.

What right do a group of male politicians have to rule the lives of women? This is the last developed nation in the world that does not give women the right or access to safe, medically processed legal abortions.

Italy and France (both Catholic countries) show more humanity and compassion toward women than do the so-called religious fanatics of this country, the pro-lifers of America. How can America ever again be great as long as we are under the rule of neanderthal men?

I grew up in a family of boys, two of my own brothers and two adopted. I have two sons and two grandsons. None of them have the demeaning attitude toward women that is evidenced by this Republican congress which is totally dominated by the born-again Christian missionaries who have bought their way into the congress of the United States.

I say shame on a nation that allows its values to be corrupted by their own lawmakers. These people care more about a seat in the Senate than they do for the integrity of the Republican party, or the benefit of the nation. Shame on the Republican party for having capitulated, and for their failure to act as individual members. They have surrendered their independence and moral standards to allow religion and prejudice to control their duty as the governing body of the USA.

Hit the streets, people. Stand up, vote them out. Every last one of them. Make your voice heard. Call your senator. Call your congressperson. Let it be known, by one and all, that you will not allow your country to be taken over by irresponsible, uncaring, unpatriotic self-seekers, whose agenda does not serve our nation.

An Investment in Health is an Investment in Wealth

04/04/19 / quickrita2000 / 3 Comments / Uncategorized

When I Have Fears Part 5

Before President Obama brought the concept of Nation Healthcare, we were the only country in the developed world that didn’t have a health program that covered every citizen. Perhaps ObamaCare was not perfect. It is my personal belief that medicare insurance should cost the same from one state to another and one city to another. And it should cover men, women and children equally according to need. Instead of attempting to improve healthcare, this administration has made every effort possible to destroy it. This president and his administration has no care or compassion for the average man, woman or child.

Action	Policy Area	Specific Policy Area	Date
428. Halted Obamacare implementation, began process of repeal which is expected to cause 18 million to lose their health insurance immediately, and 32 million to lose their health insurance in 10 years	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	24-Jan-2017
429. Halted pre-paid $5 million meant for ads and outreach for Healthcare.gov during the crucial signup period for health insurance, sabotaging efforts to inform people of their health insurance options and potentially raising insurance premiums.	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	26-Jan-2017
430. Reneged on his campaign promise to negotiate drug prices	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	31-Jan-2017
431. Proposed new rules to make special enrollments under Obamacare more difficult	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	2-Feb-2017
432. Wiped references to the Affordable Care Act from government websites	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	9-Feb-2017
433. Shortened the enrollment period for the ACA by one and a half months, making it increasingly difficult for people to gain access to affordable healthcare	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	15-Feb-2017
434. Lowered the quality standards for healthcare plans listed on the ACA marketplace	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	15-Feb-2017
435. Rolled back Obama era education rules that attempted to lighten the punitive actions related to standardized testing and take a more nuanced approach to tracking student performance	Healthcare and Social Spending	Education and Student Loans	9-Mar-2017
436. Broke numerous campaign promises on healthcare by introducing and promoting the American Health Care Act (AHCA) which, among other things, slashes $880 billion from Medicaid and substantially reduces coverage	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	13-Mar-2017
437. Killed a rule limiting drug testing requirements for unemployment benefits	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	14-Mar-2017
438. Allowed debt collectors to charge usurious rates on past due student loans	Healthcare and Social Spending	Education and Student Loans	17-Mar-2017
439. Betrayed his base and jeopardized the future of the American economy by pushing a budget which slashes programs poor, elderly and rural voters rely on while also slashing funding for scientific research and education, among other things	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	16-Mar-2017

440. After the original push to repeal Obamacare failed, restarted repeal efforts by offering to ditch coverage for those with pre- existing conditions	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	4-Apr-2017
441. Refused to assure health insurance companies that they will receive payments that help low income Americans with out of pocket expenses	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	18-Apr-2017
442. Rolled back nutrition standards for school lunch programs	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	1-May-2017
443. Effectively subsidized Florida’s decision not to expand Medicaid	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	1-May-2017
444. Rehired student loan debt collectors who had previously been caught lying to people trying to get their loans out of default	Healthcare and Social Spending	Education and Student Loans	3-May-2017
445. Slashed the Office of Drug Control’s budget by 95% seriously undermining the fight against the opiod epidemic	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	5-May-2017
446. Has made it standard practice to reject college grants for low for frivolous reasons.	Healthcare and Social Spending	Education and Student Loans	5-May-2017
447. Rejected 99% of hurricane relief funding to North Carolina	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	11-May-2017
448. Delayed Federal standards that would have required states find ways of delivery care to medicaid patients in homes and community based settings	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	11-May-2017
449. Encouraged states to ask for Obamacare waivers to set up high risk pools, undermining healthcare reform	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	16-May-2017
450. Began dismantling online enrollment for small businesses under the ACA	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	15-May-2017
451. A CBO report revealed that the revised Republican healthcare plan would leave 23 million people uninsured, and hit older, and cause premiums for lower income Americans with health issues particularly hard. The report also stressed that the plan would potentially raise healthcare cost overall and push a greater share of the costs on consumers	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	24-May-2017
452. The budget makes substantial cuts to social programs, including education, health insurance for children, and UN peacekeeping operations, to name a few programs	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	22-May-2017

453. Proposed ending a student loan forgiveness program for people who make consistent payments and work for organizations that serve the public good	Healthcare and Social Spending	Education and Student Loans	24-May-2017
454. Ended rules protecting students from student loan fraud.	Healthcare and Social Spending	Education and Student Loans	14-Jun-2017
455. Has been generally negligent on issues related to HIV	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	20-Jun-2017
456. When the administration halted a rule to protect students from fraud and cancel student loan debts accrued as a result of that fraud (Item #455), the Trump administration cut the public out of process, possibly violating the law and attracting lawsuits from 17 states	Healthcare and Social Spending	Education and Student Loans	6-Jul-2017
457. Cut $213.6 million from programs that prevent teen pregnancies	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	14-Jul-2017
458. Moved to end drug reimbursement scheme for hospitals that serve low income patients	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	16-Jul-2017
459. Used money designated for healthcare outreach to attack the Affordable Care Act	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	20-Jul-2017
460. Terminated contracts that brought healthcare assistance to local libraries, businesses, and neighborhoods in 18 cities	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	20-Jul-2017
461. With Mike Pence providing the deciding vote, Republicans continued to push through their plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act in favor of their own healthcare bill which will deprive healthcare from millions, despite the fact that the bill is deeply unpopular and most don’t even know what was in the bill.	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	25-Jul-2017
462. Ended a low income retirement savings plan which currently helps some 30,000 people	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	28-Jul-2017
463. A non-partisan report revealed that the Trump Administration’s actions are raising insurance premiums	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	10-Aug-2017
464. Abandoned Latino outreach for Obamacare sign-ups	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	10-Aug-2017
465. In addition to blocking the implementation of the Federal calorie labeling law, tried to use the existence of that labeling law to block New York’s calorie labeling law	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	14-Aug-2017
466. Prevented Mexico from providing hurricane relief	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	29-Aug-2017

467. Slashed Obamacare outreach funding again, this time by 90%	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	31-Aug-2017
468. Once again attempted to repeal Obamacare	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	18-Sep-2017
469. Neglected the devastation in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of hurricane Maria	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	26-Sep-2017
470. Dropped out of Obamacare events in Mississippi, sabotaging months of work and creating addition obstacles for people trying to obtain health insurance	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	27-Sep-2017
471. Made a vague promise to cancel Puerto Rico’s debt, then immediately backpedaled on it	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	4-Oct-2017
472. Signed an executive order which threatens to degrade health insurance coverage for millions and raise premiums for older, sicker Americans	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	12-Oct-2017
473. Threatened to yank FEMA responders and aid from Puerto Rico	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	12-Oct-2017
474. Ended health insurance subsidies for low income people that help pay out of pockets costs for millions. This not only threatens the physical and economic well being of the people who receive those subsidies, but also threatens to unravel health insurance markets	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	12-Oct-2017
475. Let funding for CHIP’s lapse and did nothing to resolve the issue	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	23-Oct-2017
476. Passed a budget plan that slashes $5 trillion from programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and other social spending measures over the next 10 years	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	26-Oct-2017
477. After delaying several months, finally declared the opioid epidemic a public health crisis but failed to offer substantial resources to address the problem	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	26-Oct-2017
578. Ended a rule that had intended to phase in technology that would enable cars to “talk” to each other to avoid auto accidents	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	1-Nov-2017
479. Moved to eliminate student loan interest rate tax deductions	Healthcare and Social Spending	Education and Student Loans	2-Nov-2017
480. Revived efforts to implement work requirements to Medicaid	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	7-Nov-2017

481. Put business trade interests ahead of public health by transferringthe Codex Office, which takes part in setting international food safety standards, out from a food safety agency with a strong expertise in public health and into a trade office with no particular expertise on the issues	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	6-Dec-2017
482. Attempted to cut $460 million from VA programs that help homeless veterans, a move that was so unpopular that they were almost immediately forced to reverse	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	6-Dec-2017
483. Broke the law by failing to provide student debt relief to people defrauded by the for profit Corinthian College	Healthcare and Social Spending	Education and Student Loans	14-Dec-2017
484. As part of the tax bill, seriously undermined Obamacare by repealing the individual mandate, paving the way for an insurance death spiral that will ultimately drive people out of the insurance market and drive up premiums	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	19-Dec-2017
485. Lifted a ban on developing more lethal strains of viruses	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	20-Dec-2017
486. Fired all the members of the HIV/AIDS advisory council	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	29-Dec-2017
487. Refused to fund the Federal Government’ s share of a $13bn rail tunnel between New York and New Jersey, a badly needed piece of transportation infrastructure	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	31-Dec-2017
488. Following up from #142, moved to expand the number of job categories under which people receiving unemployment benefits can be required to undergo drug testing	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	3-Jan-2017
489. Discontinued a database used to inform programs which help people with mental health illnesses and substance abuse problems	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	10-Jan-2017
490. Opened the way for states to impose work requirements on people receiving Medicaid	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	11-Jan-2017
491. It was reported that the number of uninsured people increased by 3 million last year as a result of the Administration’s efforts to repeal the ACA	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	16-Jan-2017
492. Moved to gut $340mn from drug prevention programs	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	20-Jan-2018
493. Pushed for more more work requirements on people receiving food stamps	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	24-Jan-2018

494. Moved to cut funding for the International Space Station	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	25-Jan-2018
495. Weakened rules that ensured that healthcare plans have a sufficient number of doctors	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	6-Feb-2018
496. Moved to severely restrict the type of food SNAP recipients can buy	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	12-Feb-2018
497. Proposed privatizing US space stations	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	12-Feb-2018
498. Proposed his FY2019 budget, which adds an estimated $7 trillion dollars to the national debt and would also slash social spending, including cutting $236bn from Medicare over the next 10 years, and a 21% cut to the Department of Health and Human Services, among other things	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	12-Feb-2018
499. As part of his budget, cut funding for Amtrak in half, despite numerous crashes recently which suggest that Amtrak badly needs investments	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	12-Feb-2018
500. Proposed his infrastructure plan, a series of corporate tax giveaways which encouraged the use of toll roads and other profiteering off transportation infrastructure by offloaded a greater share of the burden for infrastructure investments onto state and local government	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	12-Feb-2018
501. As part of his infrastructure plan, moved to sell off Washington Dulles and Reagan International Airports	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	12-Feb-2018
502. Moved to eliminate a program that provides heating assistance to low income households	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	18-Feb-2018
503. Proposed new regulations to allow healthcare plans that don’t include key benefits which are unavailable to people in poor health	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	20-Feb-2018
504. Shielded student loan debt collectors from state regulations	Healthcare and Social Spending	Education and Student Loans	26-Feb-2018
505. Ended funding for a Baltimore teen pregnancy program two years early with no explanation why, earning a lawsuit from the city	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	7-Mar-2018
506. Systematically snubbed urban areas seeking TIGER grants	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	8-Apr-2018
507. Weakened health insurance protections by allowing states to weaken rules on what insurers must cover	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	9-Apr-2018

508. Signed an executive order pushing work requirements for social programs	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	10-Apr-2018
509. Considered requiring mandatory drug testing for some food stamp recipients	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	11-Apr-2018
510. A non-partisan report found that Trump’s decision to allow short duration health insurance plans in #472 will likely increase premiums by nearly 13% reduce enrollment by more than 25%	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	16-Apr-2018
511. Following up from #508, denied Native American tribal governments legal standing in subjecting native Americans to to Medicaid work requirements	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	22-Apr-2018
512. Proposed slashing housing subsidies, tripling the amount poor families must pay	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	25-Apr-2018
513. It was found Trump’s policy had been a driving factor in 4 million people losing healthcare in the last two years	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	1-May-2018
514. It was estimated that 4,600 people have died in Puerto Rico largely as a result of the administration’s failure to handle the devastation of Hurricane Maria cited in #469	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	29-May-2018
515. Told courts they won’t defend key provisions of the Affordable Care Act	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	7-Jun-2018
516. Dismissed UN report on alarming rates of poverty in the US	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	22-Jun-2018
517. Drained HIV prevention fund to finance the detention of immigrant children	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	10-Jul-2018
518. Abruptly froze billions of dollars of risk adjustment payments aimed at stabilizing health insurance market places, then was forced to reverse the move two weeks later when it became apparent what a disaster the policy would be	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	8-Jul-2018
519. Tightened criteria under which student loan borrowers defrauded by schools can have their student loans forgiven	Healthcare and Social Spending	Education and Student Loans	26-Jul-2018
520. Undermined the Affordable Care Act further by making it easier to buy short term health insurance plans that skirt the laws consumer protections	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	1-Aug-2018
521. Dismissed and misled the public on alarming reports of poverty in the United States	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	3-Aug-2018

522. Tightened restrictions on an Obama era policy that had allowed senior Medicare users, doctors and hospitals to participate in risk free pools	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	9-Aug-2018
523. Considered a Tennessee proposal to cut Planned Parenthood funding from its Medicaid program	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	24-Aug-2018
524. The head of a Federal student loan watchdog resigned in disgust over the administrations “turning its back” on student borrowers	Healthcare and Social Spending	Education and Student Loans	27-Aug-2018
525. Diverted $10mn from FEMA to fund his immigrant crackdown	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	12-Sep-2018
526. Had the Department of Education adopt a policy to label virtually all criticism of Israel as “antisemitism”	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	13-Sep-2018
527. The courts ruled that Betsy DeVos had illegally tried to delay implementation of Obama era student loan rules	Healthcare and Social Spending	Education and Student Loans	13-Sep-2018
528. Diverted nearly half a billion dollars from healthcare programs into its immigrant detention drive	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	25-Sep-2018
529. Revived the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, and with it the for profit university industry, which had been previously shut down due to compliance issues enabling pervasive fraud	Healthcare and Social Spending	Education and Student Loans	4-Oct-2018
530. Pledged to revive efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act if Republicans do well in the mid-terms	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	17-Oct-2018
531. Planned to use the deficits caused by their own tax cuts as a pretext to cut Medicare and Social Security	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	18-Oct-2018
532. Allowed states leeway to avoid pre- existing condition requirements	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	22-Oct-2018
533. Ended an Obama era prohibition on Health Reimbursement Arrangements that led to degrade quality of health insurance coverage	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	22-Oct-2018
534. It was revealed that Trump’s opioid “emergency” was highly ineffectual in curbing opioid deaths	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	23-Oct-2018
535. Planned a costly privatization of care provided by the Department for Veteran’s Affairs	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	15-Nov-2018
536. Reapproved Kentucky’s Medicaid work requirements	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	20-Nov-2018

537. Approved new Medicaid work requirements in New Hampshire	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	2-Dec-2018
538. Ended rule meant to insure healthy school lunches	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	6-Dec-2018
539. As a consequence of the shutdown, slashed nearly all food stamp office staff	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	27-Dec-2018
540. Stopped FEMA issued flood insurance policies as a consequence of the shutdown	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	27-Dec-2018
541. Attempted to dismiss lawsuits filed by cities over his administration’s attempts to sabotage the ACA	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	27-Dec-2018
542. Failed to distribute billions in storm protection money	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	3-Jan-2018
543. Moved to withhold FEMA aid to wildfire victims	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	9-Jan-2018
544. As a result of the shutdown, failed to disburse hurricane aid	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	9-Jan-2018
545. Considered redirecting disaster relief funds to his border wall	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	10-Jan-2018
546. Low income renters lost rental assistance as a result of the shutdown	Healthcare and Social Spending	Social Spending and Services	15-Jan-2018
547. Approved Medicaid work requirements in Arizona	Healthcare and Social Spending	Healthcare	18-Jan-2018

See a full list of Trump’s actions against the United States of America here

List last updated 6:40am EST, 3/19/2019

America, the Beautiful

04/02/19 / quickrita2000 / Leave a comment / Uncategorized

When I Have Fears Part 4

Today we should be listening carefully to the scientific community. All we need today is to look around us.

Look at the fires in California driven by unprecedented wind storms. Look at the rising tides eating away at the once familiar shorelines and endangering homes perched on those shores. Look at the melting icebergs and the consequent loss of species. Polar bears basically trying to find food as they are forced roam from one ice flow to another where once they trod on solid ice.

We are clearly at the tipping point. Attention must be be paid. Anyone who cares about the future, anyone who cares about their children and grandchildren and the world that we are forcing upon them, must pay attention to climate changes.

The following weeks will be dedicated to listing Trump’s incredible moves against the United States of America and the Democracy for which we stand.

Action	Policy Area	Specific Policy Area	Date
286. Issued executive order pushing forward the Keystone/Dakota Access Pipeline. Before the end of the year, the Keystone pipeline had spilled of 210,000 gallons of oil in South Dakota	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	24-Jan-2017
287. Froze new grants and contracts at the EPA	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	23-Jan-2017
288. Repealed the Extraction Payment Disclosure rule, which requires oil, gas, mining, and other extraction companies to disclose their payments to foreign governments	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	3-Feb-2017
289. Repealed the Stream Protection Rule, which prevents coal companies from dumping their waste products into rivers and other effluenceprestea-mine	Environment	Conservation and Animals	2-Feb-2017
290. Ordered the USDA to remove inspection reports and other animal welfare safeguards, enabling animal abuse	Environment	Conservation and Animals	4-Feb-2017
291. Delayed listing bumblebees as endangered	Environment	Conservation and Animals	9-Feb-2017
292. Nixed $674 million in spending to electrify California’s rail system, effectively killing hopes for a high speed rail in the state	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	17-Feb-2017
293. Gave away millions in royalties on coal extracted on public lands to coal companies	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	26-Feb-2017
294. Signed an executive order to dismantle the Clean Water Rule	Environment	Conservation and Animals	28-Feb-2017
295. Repealed ban on lead ammunition in national parks. It’s estimated 20 million birds and other animals die of lead poisoning each year from led munitions used by hunters, even though the cost of non-lead munitions are no more expensive	Environment	Conservation and Animals	2-Mar-2017
296. Dropped Climate Change as a factor in government decision making	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	14-Mar-2017
297. Moved to undo Obama era emissions standards	Environment	Conservation and Animals	15-Mar-2017

298. Delayed EPA regulations addressing air quality guidelines, formaldehyde emissions stemming from composite wood products, and pesticide regulations, among other things	Environment	Conservation and Animals	17-Mar-2017
299. Halted an anti-corruption effort in the energy sector	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	22-Mar-2017
300. Repealed rules forbidding a raft of inhumane hunting practices in wildlife refuges	Environment	Conservation and Animals	26-Mar-2017
301. Delayed rules for humane treatment of livestock	Environment	Conservation and Animals	25-Mar-2017
302. Revived the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste plan	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	27-Mar-2017
303. Issued executive order rolling back the Clean Power Plan and other environmental regulations	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	28-Mar-2017
304. Reversed an Obama era environmental policy, which had blocked a large scale project to pump groundwater from the Mojave Desert	Environment	Conservation and Animals	4-Apr-2017
305. Asked a federal appeals court to delay arguments over a rule that prevents coal-fired power plants from releasing toxic chemicals, including mercury, lead, arsenic and other pollutants, into the environment.	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	19-Apr-2017
306. In general has allowed big business a high degree of access to push for everything from allowing them to drill for oil in Russia to scrapping scientific studies on the harmful effects of pesticides,	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	20-Apr-2017
307. Preempted the implementation of a rule that would prevent coal plants from emitting mercury and polluting streams	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	20-Apr-2017
308. Signed an executive order aimed at scrapping national monuments	Environment	Conservation and Animals	27-Apr-2017
309. Scrubbed all references to Obama era climate plans from EPA website	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	28-Apr-2017
310. Put efforts to measure carbon emissions of cars and trucks on indefinite hold	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	19-May-2017
311. Withdrew from the Paris accord on climate change	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	1-Jun-2017
312. Authorized seismic airgun blasting off the east coast	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	5-Jun-2017
313. Abstained from the G7 climate change pledge.	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	12-Jun-2017

314. Threw out a rule to protect endangered whales and sea turtles.	Environment	Conservation and Animals	12-Jun-2017
315. Moved to undermine the EPA’s permitting rules.	Environment	Conservation and Animals	12-Jun-2017
316. Removed protections of Yellowstone Grizzly Bears	Environment	Conservation and Animals	22-Jun-2017
317. Approved a set of water tunnels which will cost water users an estimated $14 billion and devastate the ecologically sensitive Sacramento and San Jaoquin river valleysGorsuch	Environment	Conservation and Animals	26-Jun-2017
318. Following through on item #294, moved to roll back the clean water rule	Environment	Conservation and Animals	27-Jun-2017
319. Initiated an expansive new 5 year plan to increase offshore drilling	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	3-Jul-2017
320. Began approving arctic drilling	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	13-Jul-2017
321. Began the process of repealing Obama era fuel economy standards	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	26-Jul-2017
322. Began the process of repealing Obama era fracking restrictions	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	25-Jul-2017
323. Issued a 53 page report from the department of interior with plans to undermine numerous Obama era conservation policies, including undermining the Obama Administrations sage grouse conservation strategy	Environment	Conservation and Animals	7-Aug-2017
324. Removed the white house bikeshare station	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	16-Aug-2017
325. Killed a plan to ban plastic bottles from national parks	Environment	Conservation and Animals	15-Aug-2017
326. Watered down toxic chemical rules	Environment	Conservation and Animals	16-Aug-2017
327. In the weeks before hurricane Harvey, reversed rules to make infrastructure more resistant to natural disasters like flooding and hurricanes	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	15-Aug-2017
328. Released his plan for public research priorities, indicating a withdrawal of government support for research in numerous fields such as climate change	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	17-Aug-2017
329. Moved to undermine emissions standard rules for cars and light trucks, as well as heavy duty trucks	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	20-Aug-2017

330. Disbanded the federal advisory panel for National Climate Assessment	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	21-Aug-2017
331. Halted research on the public health impact of mountaintop removal coal mining	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	21-Aug-2017
332. Moved to downsize four national monuments	Environment	Conservation and Animals	24-Aug-2017
333. Ended an Obama era plan to strengthen houses in flood zones	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	11-Sep-2017
334. Halted pollution controls at Utah coal plants	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	11-Sep-2017
335. Moved to lift ban on oil assessments in wildlife refuges	Environment	Conservation and Animals	15-Sep-2017
336. Refused to acknowledge the role of climate change in forest fires, and instead tried to blame “radical environmentalists”	Environment	Conservation and Animals	1-Oct-2017
337. Moved to end rule mitigating methane emissions	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	4-Oct-2017
338. Decided to terminate the clean power plan, which was designed to reduce carbon emissions to 32% below 2005 levels by 2030	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	9-Oct-2017
339. Took steps to delay the Portland Harbor superfund cleanup	Environment	Conservation and Animals	9-Oct-2017
340. Barred three climate science from giving talks on climate change	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	22-Oct-2017
341. Moved to auction off vast swathes of the Gulf of Mexico to oil companies	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	24-Oct-2017
342. The Bureau of Land Management rescinded a rule requiring officials the consider climate change impact of energy projects, following up from #296	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	25-Oct-2017
343. Opened up to 10 million acres of Alaskan wilderness to oil and gas drilling	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	26-Oct-2017
344. Enacted a rule barring scientists who receive EPA funding from serving on advisory committees, removing several climate scientists from their positions and replacing them with industry-backed researchers in their place	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	1-Nov-2017
345. Delayed a rule to ensure the welfare of organic livestock	Environment	Conservation and Animals	9-Nov-2017
346. Lifted the ban on importing hunted elephant heads	Environment	Conservation and Animals	16-Nov-2017

347. Overruled a recommendation by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Committee that found New Jersey had exceeded its harvest limits on flounders. This is not only promotes over fishing, it also undermines the authority of a well established institution that had been helping states on the Atlantic coast coordinate their resource use for 75 years.	Environment	Conservation and Animals	21-Nov-2017
348. Moved ahead with approving arctic oil exploration	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	28-Nov-2017
349. Delayed the implementation of the Waters of the United States Rule, a rule aimed at protecting wetlands, while also accelerating process to repeal the law by shortening the customary period for public comment on the regulation from the customary 30 days to 21 instead	Environment	Conservation and Animals	22-Nov-2017
350. Slashed the size of the Bears Ear and Grand Staircase National Monuments by 85% and 55% respectively	Environment	Conservation and Animals	4-Dec-2017
351. Failed to enforce smog rules, garnering a lawsuit from 14 states	Environment	Conservation and Animals	9-Dec-2017
352. It was reported that the Administration has slowed actions against polluters and put limits on enforcement officers at the EPA	Environment	Conservation and Animals	10-Dec-2017
353. Delayed and effectively preempted regulations aimed at controlling methane leaks	Environment	Conservation and Animals	8-Dec-2017
354. Moved to open the door to oil drilling of the East Coast	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	11-Dec-2017
355. Improperly withheld $91 million in funding from advanced energy research	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	13-Dec-2017
356. Killed rules to prevent animal cruelty in organic egg farming	Environment	Conservation and Animals	15-Dec-2017
357. Opened up the Arctic Natural Wildlife Reserve for drill as part of the tax bill	Environment	Conservation and Animals	19-Dec-2017
358. Halted an independent study of offshore oil inspections	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	21-Dec-2017
359. Officially withdrew the rule cited in #343 intended to make infrastructure more resistant to flood and severe storms. This action had previously been halted after Hurricane Harvey when it became obvious that poor infrastructure had made flooding considerably worse, however they are now once again ending the rule	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	22-Dec-2017

360. Reversed an Obama era decision not to renew the license of a copper and nickle mine that could cause serious and irreparable harm to a nearby nature preserve	Environment	Conservation and Animals	23-Dec-2017
361. Reversed an Obama era rule by deciding not to prosecute companies that accidentally kill migratory birds	Environment	Conservation and Animals	27-Dec-2017
362. Following up from #319, moved ahead with an expansive 5 year plan that will dramatically increase the area of offshore drilling in US coastal waters	Environment	Conservation and Animals	4-Jan-2017
363. Struck the Canada Lynx from the endangered species list, despite a 2016 assessment that concluded the species would die out without federal protection	Environment	Conservation and Animals	11-Jan-2017
364. Canceled a detailed study into the environmental effects of toxic metals leeching into rivers and streams, in part due to his decision to reverse the mining ban referenced in #360	Environment	Conservation and Animals	26-Jan-2018
366. Reversed a decades old policy under the Clean Air Act aimed at maintaining stricter pollution emissions standards on large scale producers	Environment	Conservation and Animals	26-Jan-2018
367. Moved to ask Congress for a 72% cut in funding for clean energy research	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	31-Jan-2018
368. Threatened to scrap a conservation agreement with the state of California protecting 10.8 million acres of desert from environmentally harmful activities	Environment	Conservation and Animals	1-Feb-2018
369. Moved to roll back environmental reviews of public land use	Environment	Conservation and Animals	8-Feb-2018
370. Moved to slash funding for earthquake early warning programs	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	21-Feb-2018
371. Moved to dissolve the EPA office that tests the effects of exposure to chemicals on adults and children	Environment	Conservation and Animals	28-Feb-2018
372. Delayed implementation of methane emissions rule for two years	Environment	Conservation and Animals	23-Feb-2018
373. Expedited plans to shrink the Grand Staircase National Monument	Environment	Conservation and Animals	4-Mar-2018
374. Backed out of a previous commitment by refusing to ban elephant trophies	Environment	Conservation and Animals	7-Mar-2018
375. Broke federal laws by failing to identify all the parts of the US that fail to air quality standards for smog	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	14-Mar-2018
376. Sued for failing to protect humpback whales	Environment	Conservation and Animals	17-Mar-2018

377. Tried to sell 77 million acres of the gulf of Mexico for off shore drilling	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	21-Mar-2018
378. Sued for withdrawing animal welfare rules	Environment	Conservation and Animals	22-Mar-2018
379. Sued for its failure to protect the Vaquita Porpoise	Environment	Conservation and Animals	26-Mar-2018
380. Scott Pruitt’s EPA issued talking points to its employees for downplaying climate change	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	28-Mar-2018
381. Axed Obama era fuel efficiency standards and moved to end a waiver that would allow California to set its own standards	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	2-Apr-2018
382. Sued California over a law aiming to limit a Federal land transfer	Environment	Conservation and Animals	2-Apr-2018
383. The White House is considering a proposal that could strip protections from hundreds of threatened species, to the benefit of oil and agriculture companies.	Environment	Conservation and Animals	5-Apr-2018
384. Following up from #361, issued an opinion instructing agents at the department of interior not to penalize companies that kill migratory birds	Environment	Conservation and Animals	13-Apr-2018
385. Following up from #343, began the scoping process to open the Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve to drilling	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	19-Apr-2018
386. Trump’s EPA determined wood burning plants are carbon neutral	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	23-Apr-2018
387. Moved to roll back the Well Control Rule, aimed at preventing disastrous offshore drilling spills like the Deep Water Horizon spill	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	28-Apr-2018
388. Sued by 17 states over his decision to invalidate emissions standards through 2025	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	1-May-2018
389. Cancelled NASA research verifying greenhouse gas cuts	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	9-May-2018
390. Hid report on toxic chemicals that contaminated drinking water in Rensselaer County	Environment	Conservation and Animals	16-May-2018
391. Tuned out public comments on its review of the Bears Ear National Monument	Environment	Conservation and Animals	17-May-2018
392. Sued by conservation groups over migratory bird policy	Environment	Conservation and Animals	24-May-2018
393. Altered the way the EPA calculates costs and benefits to downplay the public benefits of environmental regulations	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	7-Jun-2018
394. Restricted the way the EPA establishes harms from environmental toxins	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	7-Jun-2018

395. Rolled back Obama era Ocean protection rules	Environment	Conservation and Animals	21-Jun-2018
396. Created a loophole for “super polluting” trucks	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	8-Jul-2018
397. Moved to block a climate change lawsuit filed by children	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	16-Jul-2018
398. Moved to rollback protections on endangered species by making it easier to delist species and withdrawing a policy that offered the same protections to threatened species	Environment	Conservation and Animals	19-Jul-2018
399. Curtailed the powers of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	22-Jul-2018
400. Moved to freeze fuel efficiency standards and tried to claim that higher fuel standards risk lives because they might cause people to drive more	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	2-Aug-2018
401. Overrode endangered species protections to access water California’s firefighters say they don’t need	Environment	Conservation and Animals	8-Aug-2018
402. Moved to open 1.6 million acres to fracking, drilling in California	Environment	Conservation and Animals	8-Aug-2018
403. Moved to sell off 1,600 acres of land that was formerly a part of the Grand Staircase- Escalante National Monument	Environment	Conservation and Animals	15-Aug-2018
404. Failed to deliver $14bn in funds for mass transit projects	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	15-Aug-2018
405. Declared conserving oil is no longer an economic imperative for the US, undermining decades of efforts to promote fuel efficiency and conservation	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	19-Aug-2018
406. Moved to roll back restrictions on coal fired power plants	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	21-Aug-2018
407. Named a Climate Change denier William Happer as his adviser on emerging technologies	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	4-Sep-2018
408. Cut nearly 1,600 EPA staff in his first 18 months in office	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	8-Sep-2018
409. Eased limits on methane pollution	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	11-Sep-2018
410. Sued by New Mexico and California for their attempt to roll back Obama era methane rules in #409	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	18-Sep-2018

411. Said the government should “work for” the oil and gas industry	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	21-Sep-2018
412. Presumed a worst case scenario on climate change and used to it to justify undermining environmental regulations under the presumption that the outcome was already unavoidable	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	28-Sep-2018
413. Completed its rollback of safety regulations put in place after the Deepwater Horizon disaster	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	29-Sep-2018
414. Eased mercury emissions rules	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	1-Oct-2018
415. Moved to use military bases to export coal as a means to circumvent local officials who rejected private efforts to build coal ports	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	15-Oct-2018
416. Withdrew an Obama era rule on Uranium milling	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	19-Oct-2018
417. Approved offshore arctic drilling in Alaska	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	24-Oct-2018
418. Wrongly blamed “radical environmentalists” for California wildfires	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	20-Nov-2018
419. Buried a report on the devastating and accelerating impacts of climate change	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	23-Nov-2018
420. Approved harmful seismic blasting in the Atlantic	Environment	Conservation and Animals	30-Nov-2018
421. Called for an end to subsidies for renewables and electric cars	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	3-Dec-2018
422. Refused to sign the G20 statement until they inserted language restating their decision to abandon the Paris Climate Accord	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	3-Dec-2018
423. Moved to end protections for Sage Grouse	Environment	Conservation and Animals	6-Dec-2018
424. Moved to end requirement that new coal plants use carbon capture technology despite disastrous climate impact	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	6-Dec-2018
425. Stripped Federal protections for waterways and wetlands	Environment	Conservation and Animals	8-Dec-2018
426. Following up from #414, moved to roll back Obama era mercury emissions regulations	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	28-Dec-2018
427. Drove a sharp increase in carbon emissions with its rollback of environmental regulations	Environment	Energy, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure	8-Jan-2018

See a full list of Trump’s actions against the United States of America here

List last updated 6:40am EST, 3/19/2019

Access to Birth Control and Knowledge is a Human Right

03/28/19 / quickrita2000 / Leave a comment / Uncategorized

When I Have Fears Part 3

If the increase in worldwide population is the issue that many people believe it is, then we should look closely at our own Congress and our own government for the irresponsible role that they play. Among the very first actions taken by this administration was to institute a worldwide gag order which was wildly supported by the born again Christian right wing of the Republican Party. The gag order means that organizations anywhere in the world receiving government money would be cut off from funding if they so much as mention abortion, birth control or any other issues that effect women’s reproductive health.

It is obvious that these people in this administration are so ignorant and so abusive of women that they do not even understand the relationship between women’s ability to take control of their reproductive lives and the subsequent decrease in the rates of both the population and the number of abortions. The distribution of contraceptives and information provided by the UN Population Fund prevented 3.7 million abortions last year, so obviously if you are against both population increase and abortion then you should logically support the UN Population Fund instead of destroying it.

The following weeks will be dedicated to listing Trump’s incredible moves against the United States of America and the Democracy for which we stand.

Action	Policy Area	Specific Policy Area	Date
198. Prevented foreign NGOs which receive US funding from providing abortion counseling	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	23-Jan-2017
206. Provided the tie breaking vote to defund family planning clinics	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	30-Mar-2017
207. Mike Pence won’t eat alone with women other than his wife in a move that’s not just bizarre, but does tangibly harm progress on women’s rights	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	30-Mar-2017
208. Defunded a global maternal health organization which helps save tens of thousands of lives per year	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	3-Apr-2017
210. Ended Obama era rule that prohibited states from defunding healthcare providers which provide abortions	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	14-Apr-2017
211. Discontinued the “Let Girls Learn” program	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	1-May-2017

215. Broadened the Mexico City policy	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	16-May-2017
217. Moved to roll back birth control coverage	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	30-May-2017
219. Rejected the UN Human Rights Council’s call for access to safe abortions	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	23-Jun-2017
221. The education department’s civil rights head trivialized 90% of rape cases	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	12-Jul-2017

229. Removed a report on sexual violence from the White House website	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	30-Aug-2017
231. Moved to overhaul how colleges investigate sexual assault	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	7-Sep-2017
233. Appointed one woman for US attorney out of a total of 42, a horribly lopsided figure generally suggesting discrimination	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	12-Sep-2017
235. Backed a 20 week abortion ban	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	3-Oct-2017
237. Rushed to pack courts with anti-abortion, anti-LGBTQ judges	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	7-Oct-2017
238. Rolled back a mandate for health insurance to cover birth control	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	6-Oct-2017

244. Introduced a rule to shield healthcare workers who refuse to provide patients with healthcare services due to “moral objections”	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	16-Jan-2017
245. Rescinded guidance from the Obama Administration which prevented states from de- funding Planned Parenthood	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	19-Jan-2017
265. The Supreme Court enabled “crisis pregnancy centers” that mislead and outright lie to pregnant women by overturning a basic consumer protection that requires clinics to notify patients if they’re medically licensed and let them know their healthcare options	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	26-Jun-2018

271. Moved to issue new rules limiting the liability of Universities for sexual assault	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	29-Aug-2018
272. After it was revealed that his Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, had sexually harassed a classmate and lied under oath, continued to rush his nomination forward and sought to discredit his accuser	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	14-Sep-2018
275. Moved to expand the religious exemption for birth control coverage	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	19-Oct-2018
277. Moved to allow employers greater flexibility to deny health insurance covering birth control to their employees	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	31-Oct-2018
278. Published new rules denying birth control coverage mandated under Obamacare and billing Medicare and Medicaid users separately for abortion services	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	8-Nov-2018
279. Issued new rules protecting those accused of sexual harassment	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	16-Nov-2018

284. Moved to roll back roll back of anti- discrimination rules aimed at curbing actions that have a disparate impact on different groups of people based on ethnicity, gender and other characteristics	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	2-Jan-2018
285. A Federal Court blocked the administration’s expansion of religious exemptions to providing birth control in #275, citing dire public health and financial consequences	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	13-Jan-2018

See a full list of Trump’s actions against the United States of America here

Shedding Light on Civil Rights

03/26/19 / quickrita2000 / Leave a comment / Uncategorized

When I Have Fears Part 2

The progress that has been made through careful and insightful legal action to improve the conditions under which people live, work, and survive in America are systematically being destroyed by a man who, by cheating, lying, and stealing, has managed to survive and flourish.

The following weeks will be dedicated to listing Trump’s incredible moves against the United States of America and the Democracy for which we stand.

Action	Policy Area	Specific Policy Area	Date
196. Removed all Spanish content from the White House website. Allegedly this was because the site was doing maintenance and Spanish language content was given a low priority, begetting the question of why it was given low priority. As of July 2017, the White House still does not have a Spanish language website	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	23-Jan-2017
197. Called for major investigation into unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud, which can only be only be described as frivolous (pending)	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	25-Jan-2017
198. Prevented foreign NGOs which receive US funding from providing abortion counseling	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	23-Jan-2017
199. Wiped pages on Civil Rights, Climate Change, and LGBT Rights from the White House website after taking office	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	20-Jan-2017
200. Had the Department of Justice halt a case on Texas’s voter ID law	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	20-Jan-2017
201. Withdrew a challenge to an injunction blocking guidelines that would prevent discrimination against transgender people in restrooms, then later withdrew the guidelines altogether	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	11-Feb-2017
202. Decided to treat transgender rights as a “states rights issue”, presumably knowing full well what “states rights” tends to mean for civil rights issues	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	21-Feb-2017
203. Dropped support for allowing Transgender students to use locker rooms of their choice	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	23-Feb-2017
204. Had the DOJ officially drop the case against Texas’s discriminatory voter ID law	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	27-Feb-2017
205. Omitted sexual orientation and gender identification from the 2020 census, making it more difficult to collect information that may be used to improve research and policy on LGBTQ issues	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	29-Mar-2017
206. Provided the tie breaking vote to defund family planning clinics	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	30-Mar-2017
207. Mike Pence won’t eat alone with women other than his wife in a move that’s not just bizarre, but does tangibly harm progress on women’s rights	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	30-Mar-2017
208. Defunded a global maternal health organization which helps save tens of thousands of lives per year	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	3-Apr-2017
209. Attempted to strong arm twitter into disclosing the identities of numerous private user accounts	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	7-Apr-2017
210. Ended Obama era rule that prohibited states from defunding healthcare providers which provide abortions	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	14-Apr-2017
211. Discontinued the “Let Girls Learn” program	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	1-May-2017

212. Halted litigation against healthcare settings that discriminate against transgender people	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	3-May-2017
213. Cited a segregation era ruling to justify travel ban	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	8-May-2017
214. Launched investigation into frivolous voter fraud charges	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	11-May-2017
215. Broadened the Mexico City policy	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	16-May-2017
216. Proposed dismantling the Labor Department agency which polices Civil Rights issues among contractors	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	29-May-2017
217. Moved to roll back birth control coverage	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	30-May-2017
218. Broke with the new tradition of issuing a proclamation for LGBT pride month, while also reportedly looking into ways to roll back the Obama administration’s efforts to integrate transgender troops into the military.	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	2-Jun-2017
219. Rejected the UN Human Rights Council’s call for access to safe abortions	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	23-Jun-2017
220. The “Election Integrity Commission”, the commission initiated by Trump in item #214 to investigate “voter fraud” on the basis of spurious claims, pushedfor data from the states that breached voter privacy laws	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	3-Jul-2017
221. The education department’s civil rights head trivialized 90% of rape cases	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	12-Jul-2017
222. Banned transgendered people from serving in the military	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	26-Jul-2017
223. Said that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will no longer protect people based on sexual orientation, allowing a return of employment discrimination against gay and lesbian employees	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	27-Jul-2017
224. Moved to divert resources in the Civil Rights division of towards undermining affirmative action	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	1-Aug-2017
225. Cut dozens of Native American tribes out of a land buy-back program	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	4-Aug-2017
226. Allowed Winchester to circumvent a federal order to end its discriminatory zoning practices	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	8-Aug-2017
227. Reversed the DoJ’s position in a supreme court case, backing Ohio’s voter purge	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	8-Aug-2017

228. Following up from #222, issued an executive order banning transgender people from the military	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	25-Aug-2017
229. Removed a report on sexual violence from the White House website	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	30-Aug-2017
230. Ended an Obama era policy to reduce pay discrimination	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	29-Aug-2017
231. Moved to overhaul how colleges investigate sexual assault	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	7-Sep-2017
232. Filed papers with the Supreme Court backing a baker who broke Colorado’s anti- discrimination laws by discriminating against gay couples	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	7-Sep-2017
233. Appointed one woman for US attorney out of a total of 42, a horribly lopsided figure generally suggesting discrimination	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	12-Sep-2017
234. Argued, in court, that employers can fire people for being gay	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	28-Sep-2017
235. Backed a 20 week abortion ban	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	3-Oct-2017
236. Removed Title VII protections for transgendered employees	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	5-Oct-2017
237. Rushed to pack courts with anti-abortion, anti-LGBTQ judges	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	7-Oct-2017
238. Rolled back a mandate for health insurance to cover birth control	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	6-Oct-2017
239. Betsy Devos and the Department of Education rescinded 72 policy documents that outline the rights of students with disabilities	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	22-Oct-2017
240. Requested an emergency stay on a court decision requiring the department of defense to begin accepting transgender recruits by Jan 1, 2018	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	11-Dec-2017
241. Took down the White House’s site for petitions	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	18-Dec-2017
242. Ended a rule to crack down on discriminatory practices in the housing market wherein the CFPB collects demographic data on borrowers in order to determine whether or not lenders are discriminating	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	21-Dec-2017
243. Refused to help transgendered teenagers in their discrimination suit	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	16-Jan-2017

244. Introduced a rule to shield healthcare workers who refuse to provide patients with healthcare services due to “moral objections”	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	16-Jan-2017
245. Rescinded guidance from the Obama Administration which prevented states from de- funding planned parenthood	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	19-Jan-2017
246. Moved to make it harder for immigrants using public health benefits to gain citizenship	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	8-Feb-2018
247. Removed anti-discriminatory language from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s mission statement	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	6-Mar-2018
248. Reversed a series of moves to reduce discrimination in schools, de-emphasizing diversity as a consideration in funding, delaying a rule aimed at stopping discriminatory standards in special education, and eliminating “systemic” investigations into discrimination	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	2-Mar-2018
249. Used the Parkland shooting as a pretext to re-introduce discriminatory school disciplinary actions	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	14-Mar-2018
250. Issued a new memorandum banning transgendered people from the military	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	24-Mar-2018
260. Moved to roll back an Obama era rule preventing doctors and hospitals from discriminating against transgender people	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	21-Apr-2018
261. Following up from #260, House Republicans voted to kill auto lending guidelines preventing discrimination	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	8-May-2018
262. Move to rollback various legal protections against housing discrimination	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	10-May-2018
263. Rolled back protections for transgender inmates	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	12-May-2018
264. With Niel Gorsuch providing the deciding vote, green lighted aggressive purging of voter rolls	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	11-Jun-2018
265. The Supreme Court enabled “crisis pregnancy centers” that mislead and outright lie to pregnant women by overturning a basic consumer protection that requires clinics to notify patients if they’re medically licensed and let them know their healthcare options	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	26-Jun-2018
266. Reversed Obama era guidelines aimed at improving racial diversity in college admissions	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	3-Jul-2018
267. Ordered the creation of a “religious liberty task force” to push conservative social policy	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	30-Jul-2018
268. Claimed people need IDs to buy groceries in order to justify harsh voter ID laws	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	1-Aug-2018

269. Underreported instances of racial discrimination in schools	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	22-Aug-2018
270. Backed students suing Harvard over it’s admissions policy aimed at promoting diversity	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	29-Aug-2018
271. Moved to issue new rules limiting the liability of Universities for sexual assault	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	29-Aug-2018
272. After it was revealed that his Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, had sexually harassed a classmate and lied under oath, continued to rush his nomination forward and sought to discredit his accuser	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	14-Sep-2018
273. Killed fetal tissue research that could save lives and instead decided to audit it	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	25-Sep-2018
274. According to a leaked memo, considered removing transgendered from the definition of sexual discrimination under Title IX	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	15-Oct-2018
275. Moved to expand the religious exemption for birth control coverage	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	19-Oct-2018
276. Vowed to end birthright citizenship, which would reduce countless immigrants to a perpetual second class status and violate the Constitution	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	30-Oct-2018
277. Moved to allow employers greater flexibility to deny health insurance covering birth control to their employees	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	31-Oct-2018
278. Published new rules denying birth control coverage mandated under Obamacare and billing Medicare and Medicaid users separately for abortion services	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	8-Nov-2018
279. Issued new rules protecting those accused of sexual harassment	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	16-Nov-2018
280. Pressured 4-H to drop its LGBT friendly policy	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	19-Nov-2018
281. Urged the supreme court to immediately take up the transgender ban in the military	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	23-Nov-2018
282. Following up from item #273, killed NIH contracts to fund fetal tissue research aimed at finding treatments for Parkinson’s disease and other illnesses	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	4-Dec-2018
283. Continued to press having the military restrict transgender troops	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	9-Dec-2018

284. Moved to roll back roll back of anti- discrimination rules aimed at curbing actions that have a disparate impact on different groups of people based on ethnicity, gender and other characteristics	Civil Rights	Enfranchisement and Access	2-Jan-2018
285. A Federal Court blocked the administration’s expansion of religious exemptions to providing birth control in #275, citing dire public health and financial consequences	Civil Rights	Gender Issues and Reproductive Rights	13-Jan-2018

See a full list of Trump’s actions against the United States of America here

List last updated 6:40am EST, 3/19/2019

Rita's Spur to Action

Once more into the breach

Author Archives: quickrita2000

What you do onto others may in turn be done onto you.

If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.

The Clock is Ticking on America

Hope is a thing with feathers

Oh Rage! Oh Despair!

Dim, Dark Days

An Investment in Health is an Investment in Wealth

America, the Beautiful

Access to Birth Control and Knowledge is a Human Right

Shedding Light on Civil Rights

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