Monday, October 8, 2018

Where I stand

I wrote this about a week ago amidst the political bashing I see around me every day.


Where I stand.

Do not mistake my silence for apathy. I choose to find positive, effective ways of making my voice heard regarding politics and religion. Division and hate, and especially temper tantrums and violence, never accomplish anything but strife and problems. I don’t bash government officials I didn’t personally like because that is childish and negative behavior. What you do about your beliefs shows who you are, it doesn’t affect those in office the slightest. Intelligent people never pay attention to rumor memes. They gather real facts and find ways to effect change without hate towards those who don’t agree with them.  Many I have found that disagree with my political standing will engage in a rage-hate match rather than a calm, open-minded, fact-filled debate. There have been times in my life I allowed myself to get caught in that trap. And there have been times I have been seriously abused for standing up for my beliefs.

The problem with Obamacare: not only did it raise our premiums from $50 per month to $250 per week for our family of three, raise our deductibles from $500 per year to $15,000 per year, and the insurance companies cut most of their benefits to us to almost nil. Not only do we have to pay the high cost of health care, we’re forced to by the IRS or we’ll be fined significantly (fortunately, that fine has been brought down to zero staring 2019).  We make too much for benefits and discounts, but not enough to be able to afford to go to the doctor.  I get tempted to send my medical bills to those who claim this is a good thing that helps people. It’s not about people who are truly disabled or elderly and truly need assistance. It’s about those who can work and don’t, and should be here legally and are not.

I am disabled. Considerably disabled. I cannot work. I cannot drive. I have both physical and mental issues. Yet the Social Security administration doesn’t think I’m disabled enough to get benefits. I’ve met people far less disabled than I am who have benefits. Usually because they had drug addictions. And, because of the issue above, I cannot afford the health care nor the medications to bring me to the level to be able to work in some situations.  The medications in question total over $3000 per month after insurance coverage.  So, I do without. Our daughter has Asperger’s. Getting affordable help for her is near impossible. What about Medicaid? Even if we were eligible, there are no psychiatrists in our area who accept it. And many doctors do not.


Meanwhile, there are illegal aliens who get health and welfare benefits. I know of some in Texas.  The majority of tenants reside a subsidized apartment complex are illegal aliens. These people are young and able to work. They have not bothered to apply for citizenship. Instead, they run scams from their apartments. One such scam is pretending to rent houses they find that are for sale, trying to convince people not to contact the realtors, that they were in some horrific accident and out of state, and to be mailed the keys to the place, they need to have money wired to them through untraceable means such as Wal-Mart Money Centers.  Yes, it’s true, as I uncovered one of these such scams that, fortunately, I was not a victim of. Many hard-working Americans who can’t afford the rising costs of housing and utilities, and the high cost of healthcare have been suckered into such with promises of low rent. This is just one such scam.


Some claim that deporting illegal aliens is racist. No, it is not. It’s dealing with people illegally in our country taking advantage of free living. It has nothing to do with race, religion, or any personal beliefs. 

Gun control. The problem with this is that when guns are made illegal, only criminals will have them. Just look at the street drug problem. They’re illegal, yet they exist and are readily available. The laws have tightened so much that I cannot get pain killers for my pain issues, yet there are still drugs on the street. The problem with mass shootings is the mentality of the people who do such things. If they can’t get a gun, they will find other ways of carrying out what they wish to do. Should it be difficult to obtain assault weapons? Sure. Pistols for protection (and have protected me from crimes in the past) or hunting rifles? I think there should be background checks and possibly waiting periods, but no, they should never be banned. If so, we should ban other potential weapons, such as tools, kitchen knives, cars, and other things can deliberately cause damage and death to people.


Christianity (or any belief system). No, I don’t go to church. What I believe is personal and choose to have my life show who I am, rather than “lip service”.  I have a hard time with the label “Christian” because of the way some who do label themselves act. Going to church, or wearing of Christian paraphernalia, doesn’t make you a Christian any more than being in a garage makes you a car. The same is true for any religion or belief-system.  I’ve seen real Christians who live what they believe. I’ve also seen those who do not and been burned by them. I went to a few churches recently. I was expected to give of myself, my money, my time, my talents, yet when I was sick, I was not visited, or even called. (Matt 25:42-46). Being disabled, I am prone to illness. Even after I was ill and informed the leaders of these churches, I still got messages to come work (“are you well enough to go on the schedule?”), but no one called to see how I was doing. I also feel people who claim to be Christian and engage in hate should read Proverbs 6. Do I believe in Christ? Certainly. I still help those in need in whatever way I can.


Am I intolerant of those who do not believe as I do? Never. I am intolerant of illegal or bad behavior, including hate.  Actions show what people really believe. And I have been, and still am, hated for not giving in to someone else’s manipulation, hate, abuse, control, and/or beliefs. To the point of being abused. From sarcastic put-downs to having my back broken and brain physically damaged by abuse. But I refuse to wear it on my shoulder. I have, however, banned toxic and hateful people from my life. Including, sadly, some of our own adult children.  There are those who don't like when I speak out because it exposes them; they can't silence those who they would make their scapegoat. 


These are facts. These are my personal experiences. Not media-driven hate speech. I do not engage in hate because it only stirs more hate and discontent, and only hurts the person engaging in such emotions caused by hate. 

What happens when you engage in hate:

Research shows that hatred changes the chemistry in the brain as it stimulates the premotor cortex which is responsible for planning and execution of motion. This prepares us to act aggressively when feeling hateful, either to defend or as an attack. This activation also triggers the autonomic nervous system, creating “fight or flight” responses, increasing cortisol and adrenalin. Both these hormones deplete the adrenals and contribute to weight gain, insomnia, anxiety, depression and chronic illness. And so the cycle of bodily and mental dis-ease continues. Hatred also triggers the mind to try to predict what the actions of the person being hated may do, as a way to protect you, but this leads to further anxiety, restlessness, obsessive thinking and paranoia, which also then impacts negatively in the way you engage in relationships. It’s important to note that all these reactions affect only the hater, and not the hated, breaking down your nervous – immune – and endocrine system, and your mental well-being.

The opposite of hatred is not love. It is mental and emotional detachment. Hatred attaches you to the thing or person you hate. Hatred is an intense repulsion that creates a mirror effect in that it attracts the person back to the thing hated in order to be repulsed by it over and over. Hatred is bitter-sweet as it inflates the ego and makes you feel very superior and self-righteous against the thing or one that is hated, only breeding further pain.



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