Rosie O'Donnell will be the first to tell you, she's not perfect. Who is? We all have flaws. I like her... I tend to be a big mouth at times. Isn't it odd that when women speak up, speak loud, stand up, they are loud mouths, even bitches. Not so with men. He's confident, he's strong, powerful.
Anyway, I took a look at Rosie's blog today and wanted to share what her brother wrote on December 17, 2017.
I am sharing this now, as I sit here watching the vote on it's way to confirm this tax bill that will take away healthcare for so many and alter lives in other negative ways.
my brother ed wrote this
December 17, 2017
“These are dark and desperate times in our democracy.
Did the Founding Fathers or for that matter any seated Congress repeatedly try and pass laws that vast majority of Americans did not want?
Did they do so in the middle of the night? On bills that had not be read by the voters? Adding trillions to the national debt? Taking services from those who can least afford it, even children? Transferring more wealth to the wealthy and corporations from the lowest income members of our society.
This is madness. America is looking out for a hero, can you be that hero?
Someone, somewhere needs to stand up to this. Congress is voting on bills that are barely written, much less vetted that will negatively impact the majority of Americans for years to come. It needs to be stopped.
Let’s start with the ACA. For six months or more this was debated by Congress and the changes proposed did not pass. So what happens when it doesn’t get passed? The Congressional leadership throws it into a tax bill for a portion of the cuts that they did not get when they couldn’t pass the bill. An estimated 13 Million Americans will not have insurance based on this.
State and local taxes no longer being able to be deducted, or capped at a rate that is ridiculously low, is nothing more than a punitive action against the states that did not vote for the current Administration. These states are the ones which already contribute the most to the federal government. This will have a major impact on the housing market and economies of these states. This will no doubt negatively impact which funding to the federal government. Did no one in Congress take Economics?
Then there are the inappropriate and bizarre additions to this tax bill.
• Setting up 529 college savings accounts for unborn children? With millions of graduates saddled by student loans (which the bill would not have tax deductible interest), young people not being able to afford college and the solution is 529 plans for fetuses? In a tax bill no less?
• Finally, churches endorsing candidates? How about they pay taxes for the privilege? And then there is the separation of church and state. You want to throw out the First Amendment – you need to change the Constitution – not throw this in a tax bill.
America was founded as a country with rights for all citizens with a legislative process that has worked for over 200+ years. This is not the way things are supposed to run in our great democracy. This bill will further concentrate the wealth in the hands of a few and will detrimentally impact the lives of those who are least able to deal with it.
I believe you are a moral person who is looking to do the right thing. The right thing to do here it to take the time to come up with a plan that works for ALL Americans not just the privileged few.
I leave you with the words of the Bible:
If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
— 1 John 3:17
Please work to stop this madness and vote against the proposed tax bill. America is holding out for a hero. You can be that hero.”
