Thursday, August 17th, 2017
Stephan: If you live in the United States as I do then you have probably spent part of the day watching The Great Schism Trend play out. And witnessed Donald Trump declare which side he is on. It was quite amazing. I did not think I would ever hear an American President speak such words in the 21st century, and I am sure you have also noted the cowardly behavior of the Republican congressional leadership. If we're not clear about equality as a fundamental we're not clear about anything. And we don't seem to be clear.
The good news in all this is that I think formerly somnolent Americans may be waking up to the man who has been elected, and the 62.9 million of us who voted for Trump may at last be opening our minds. Maybe. We will see what the polls show.
But underneath the toxic miasma surrounding the White House is an operational level that will have even more impact on individual lives day-to-day. Nowhere is this more clearly illustrated than in social programs to control women. This story, and the next one illustrate how the Great Schism Trend is playing out at the state level.
First, the good news.
Oregon Democratic Governor Kate Brown
Credit: Associated Press
SALEM, OREGON— Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday signed into law a bill expanding coverage on abortions and other reproductive services to thousands of Oregonians, regardless of income, citizenship status or gender identity. Proponents called it America’s most progressive reproductive health policy.
The Pro-Choice Coalition of Oregon said it is the first legislation in the United States to comprehensively address systemic barriers to accessing reproductive health care. Chris Pair, Brown’s press secretary, confirmed Brown signed the bill Tuesday.
Opponents have noted it will force taxpayers, even those who object morally to abortions, to assume some of the costs.
“Brown has enshrined into state law forced abortion funding, including for illegal aliens, even late-term and sex-selective abortions,” Republican state Sens. Kim Thatcher and Dennis Linthicum said in a joint statement. Linthicum predicted lawsuits will be filed over the issue.
Oregon’s legislation was introduced largely in response to Republican congressional attempts to repeal former President Barack Obama’s health care law, which includes minimum coverage requirements for reproductive services.
The law allocates […]
What about bills that now force taxpayers, who do not agree morally, to fund endless wars, brutalizing, militarized cops, slave prisons for profit, ravaging and plundering, detrimentally, our valuable natural resources as well as our created ones (Medicare) ,governmental stealing from taxpayers to line their and cronies’ pockets, paying for raped 10 year old girls to be prosecuted rather than protected…