tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127487002024-03-12T19:15:05.578-07:00The Democrat Lady Speaks OutJesus Didn't Ride an ElephantThe Democrat Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06819871777161680310noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12748700.post-66106304300406705672016-09-06T18:47:00.001-07:002016-09-06T18:47:45.678-07:00 <div style="text-align:center;line-height:150%"> <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/i_want_my_taco_truck_on_the_corner_t_shirt-235815114811151246?CMPN=shareicon&lang=en&social=true&view=113040387793573851&rf=238656250999501047&tc=BloggerTheDemocratLady090616" rel="nofollow" > <img src="https://rlv.zcache.com/svc/view?rlvnet=1&realview=113040387793573851&design=98d0803a-6a7b-4f65-8f71-be779a9a2bd9&style=aa_mens_crew_tshirt_2001&size=a_s&color=forest&hide=bleed,safe,visibleMask&r=1473212665957&max_dim=325" alt="I Want My Taco Truck on the Corner T-Shirt" style="border:0;"> </a> <br /> <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/i_want_my_taco_truck_on_the_corner_t_shirt-235815114811151246?CMPN=shareicon&lang=en&social=true&view=113040387793573851&rf=238656250999501047&tc=BloggerTheDemocratLady090616" rel="nofollow" >I Want My Taco Truck on the Corner T-Shirt</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/thedemocratlady*" rel="nofollow">thedemocratlady</a> <br /> Look at other Taco truck T-Shirts at <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/taco+truck+tshirts?rf=238656250999501047&tc=BloggerTheDemocratLady090616" rel="nofollow">zazzle.com</a> </div>Auntie Shoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11537228601667813708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12748700.post-70391741685900994182012-05-07T04:29:00.001-07:002012-05-07T04:29:20.506-07:00Take a look at this video to get the truth about the lies Romney's supporters are spending $6 million to spread:<br />
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<a href="http://front.moveon.org/share-the-truth-dont-let-these-guys-get-away-with-lying-about-obama">Don't' let these guys get away with their lies!</a>The Democrat Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06819871777161680310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12748700.post-46749473580851713972012-03-06T14:27:00.002-08:002012-03-06T14:49:15.123-08:00Catholic Bishops and ObamaCare (the Affordable Health Care Act)Today, I posted a response to someone on Politco.com. The poster was upset with President Obama for not giving Catholic employers a pass on providing birth control to their employees. I thought it was worth posting here, with some editing and some additional comments.<br />
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I am a Roman Catholic. At first, I was upset with Obama for not giving the church a pass on the birth control thing. But, then I thought about it. If Catholics get a pass, where does it end? People who work for Jehovah's Witnesses can't get blood transfusions? People who work for Christian Scientists can't get ANY health care? Don't you have to draw the line SOMEWHERE?<br />
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No matter what the Roman Catholic bishops are saying, they HAVE an out. ALL employers do. All they have to do is NOT provide health care, pay the fine AND the employee can go and get whatever they want on the open market. The employee is better off. They get what THEY want, not what their employer wants. If the church feels honor bound to pay for health care, they can give their employees a raise, and come to Catholic congregations and ask for more donations to pay for it. I'd GLADLY add some bucks to the collection plate if it was ONLY for health care for Catholic employees. <br />
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If this is really about "religious freedom" and not birth control, why has the Catholic Church (and other faiths) NOT been screaming for the past 235 years that Quakers should NOT have to pay taxes that go for the military? I am FOR the military, but most Quakers are pacifists. They believe war is murder, just like Catholics believe some forms of birth control are murder. Yet, Quakers are FORCED to pay for the military in their taxes year after year. They have lost every lawsuit because 1) few supported THEIR religious freedom and 2) the law must allow for the greater good.<br />
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If Quakers have to pay for the greater good, why shouldn't Catholics?The Democrat Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06819871777161680310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12748700.post-28460855748595755892011-12-30T15:00:00.000-08:002011-12-30T15:05:51.276-08:00Endowments for Public SchoolsEarlier today, I saw something on my Facebook page which asked the question as to what type of human being thinks there is nothing wrong in asking a teacher to take a 20% pay cut, but cannot fathom asking a millionaire to pay an addition 3% in taxes.<br />
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There was a lot of discussion about it, as you can imagine. And, I, of course, added my two cents. Then, I thought, perhaps, my two cents was actually worth sharing with the blogosphere. <br />
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If we want to fight the conservatives in the area of education funding, PART of the answer is endowments for teacher's salaries and pensions. Here is an idea in a few steps:<br />
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1) You make conservatives happy by "investing" in something that pays interest or a dividend. If you have a 5% return, you need $1,000,000 for a $50k salary. If you want the teacher to have a bigger salary, you add to the endowment. <br />
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You can use this same fund for the teacher's retirement pension, allowing the surviving spouse/partner to receive the pension upon death of the retired teacher. BUT you need a stipulation that the funds will be used to pay a NEW teacher when both teacher and spouse/partner have gone on their great reward in the sky. Thus, you fund BOTH salary and pension at the same time. <br />
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Wall Street would practically slobber all over itself trying to make this work. Yes, you WILL have to have stipulations as to what happens in economic downturns, so that teachers salaries are not all wiped out because some stockbroker(s) or bank(s) does(do) something stupid and tanks the economy. <br />
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2) Next, you give donors to the endowment a tax deduction. (See conservatives act like sex-starved teenage boys.) Make it a charitable deduction. Currently, if a millionaire makes a donation to endow a professor's chair at a university, the millionaire gets a tax deduction. Why shouldn't anyone who gives to endow a public school teacher's salary and benefits get the same?<br />
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3) As each teacher's salary/benefits is endowed, you place the tax savings into another teacher's account. This is so all the teacher's salaries get endowed faster. There will ALWAYS be people who can get donations faster than someone else. Just like there are people who can jump higher or type faster than others. When Teacher X has all they need in their account, and they can get 100% of their salary and benefits from their endowment, the TAX money that would have gone to Teacher X can now go to Teacher Y. It helps meet the entire goal faster.<br />
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4) When it is all COMPLETE, you lower or eliminate PROPERTY taxes, and, after that, SALES taxes. Why not do this as each teacher is funded? Because the wealthy areas will be funded faster and the poorer areas not at all. Sooooooooo, if the wealthy want to be done with property and sales taxes, we need to make sure they also donate to the poorer districts. By the way, this will not work if we wait for the wealthy to fund the whole thing. All of us will have to make contributions here and there to teacher's endowments.<br />
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Donations would have to be given with no strings as to what can be taught, but can be given to specific subjects. For example, you could donate to fund a math teacher, science teacher, PE teacher...whatever you, the donor believes is important. You could NOT, for example, put a stipulation on the donation that a science teacher could not teach evolution, or a math teacher multiplication. <br />
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This will take generations to finish, but <b>in the end, you have a fully funded public school system that includes pensions and does not depend on taxes</b>.<br />
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Well, that's my basic idea. I am sure there are people out there that will tear my idea apart and list all the reasons why "liberals" like me can't possibly know what we are talking about.The Democrat Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06819871777161680310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12748700.post-32098734961966590592011-12-01T15:36:00.000-08:002011-12-01T15:36:23.102-08:00Return The Democratic Majority To The House And Senate in 2012: OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES ...<a href="http://reelectdemocrats.blogspot.com/2011/11/open-letter-to-president-of-united.html?spref=bl">Return The Democratic Majority To The House And Senate in 2012: OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES ...</a>: In response to this letter , written by former general partner of Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman S...Auntie Shoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11537228601667813708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12748700.post-14376005628621933622011-12-01T12:40:00.000-08:002011-12-01T12:40:14.561-08:00Health Care Pro-Life Bag from thedemocratlady.com<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/health_care_pro_life_bag-149313769390284911?gl=thedemocratlady">Health Care Pro-Life Bag from thedemocratlady.com</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align:center;line-height:150%"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/health_care_pro_life_bag-149313769390284911?gl=thedemocratlady&rf=238656250999501047"><img src="http://rlv.zcache.com/health_care_pro_life_bag-p149313769390284911zvf3v_325.jpg" alt="Health Care Pro-Life bag" style="border:0;" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/health_care_pro_life_bag-149313769390284911?gl=thedemocratlady&rf=238656250999501047">Health Care Pro-Life</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/thedemocratlady*">thedemocratlady.com</a><br />Make a <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/custom/bags">photo bag</a> on Zazzle</div><br /><br />Reads, "Health care is a pro-life issue". Great way to show your feelings about cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and other health issues. Great way to support Barack Obama, too. Vote Democrat! Save Medicare! Can be used as grocery bag to help the environment's health as well.<br /><br />Design is featured on many other products, as well. An appreciated Christmas gift for someone who thinks as you do.The Democrat Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06819871777161680310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12748700.post-71690980142057434352011-09-06T12:52:00.000-07:002011-09-06T12:56:44.578-07:00Democrats, Get Off Your Rear End!Get ready now! <br />
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In recent months, Republican majorities in Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida, and several other states have created voter registration ID laws that are intended to prevent the poor, the elderly and other people who generally do not have drivers licenses from voting. They claim that this will reduce voter fraud. But the actual intention is to stop Democrats from voting.<br />
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That said, this blog post is not intended to be a complaint about the laws. While I do feel that they are un-American, cumbersome and intended to violate people's constitutional rights to vote, it does not change the fact that we have to live with them.<br />
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With that in mind, here are some action suggestions that any person can do <b>NOW</b>:<br />
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1. Find out what the current voter ID law is in your state. What paperwork does a person need to get a voter ID?<br />
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2. Look around you, who do you know who does not drive and/or does not have access to wherever they need to go to get the proper identification in order to be able to vote in 2012? How much help does that person need help to get the right paperwork?<br />
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3. Get off your rear end and help them! Stop complaining about the law and work with it. Explain the new law to the elderly, the poor and anyone you know who might be disenfranchised. Help them write for their birth certificate, or other paperwork, if necessary. Help them pay for it if necessary. When all their paperwork is ready, make sure they have filled everything out properly. Then take them wherever they need to go to get their voter ID. Get started now! Not tomorrow, not next week, not later on in the day, but right now.<br />
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4. Some people will require to take a day, or more, off work in order to get the necessary papers and voter ID. Many people will not be able to afford this. If they do, they risk being fired or just losing a day's pay, that they can ill afford. There will be costs involved in order to obtain birth certificates and other documents that may be necessary to get the voter ID. Many people will not have the funds for these simple fees. When you can, where you can pay for it yourself. This is not a bribe to vote. This is not anything except helping people to keep their right to vote. <br />
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Belong to a union? Get your union involved. How many people can your union put on a bus and take them en masse to wherever they need to go, to get whatever paperwork they need, in order to vote in 2012?<br />
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Remember, read the laws carefully. Get legal advice, if you think you need it. Do not break any laws. Just get off your rear and get to work!<br />
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It really is simple. Mostly, it takes a lot of work. Over the next several months, it is necessary that every Democrat that lives in any of the states that have these stupid, silly, bad voting laws comes to the aid of every poor person, elderly person, or anyone who may be disenfranchised by these new laws. <br />
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<b>Make sure that no one in your state is unable to vote because they don't have the proper ID. <br />
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Republicans are counting on you to be lazy. They're counting on you to sit back, and be mad at Obama and not budge. Prove them wrong!<br />
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America is counting on you. Freedom is counting on you. The future is counting on you.The Democrat Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06819871777161680310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12748700.post-78030854579652809542011-08-16T17:23:00.000-07:002011-08-16T17:23:22.156-07:00No New Texans Ipad Skin from thedemocratlady.com<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/no_new_texans_speckcase-176555633755325262?gl=thedemocratlady&style=ipad&media=fabric&color=white&context=indiv&view=angle0_0_90&CMPN=addthis">No New Texans Ipad Skin from thedemocratlady.com</a> <br />
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No New Texans! <br />
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Stop Rick Perry! <br />
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Design comes in shirts, tees, mugs, hats, keychains, and much more. The Democrat Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06819871777161680310noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12748700.post-1832124176065850502010-07-22T11:20:00.001-07:002010-07-22T12:11:25.241-07:00Abortion and Voting<div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">I am often asked, how I can be a Roman Catholic and a Democrat. The theory is, one cannot uphold the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Roman Catholic Church, while supporting candidates that would seek to keep abortion legal. Since my 53 years on this planet has convinced me that, if abortion were illegal, those who want one would simply go underground to get it, my vote doesn't amount to a hill of beans in this area.<br /><br /></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">In other words, making it illegal will not stop it. So, the killing will continue, no matter how I caste my vote. And, yes, I believe abortion is murder.<br /><br /></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">For those conservatives, ready to kill me, for being a baby-killing Democrat (and I have been called much worse by them), I want to say, loudly and clearly, <strong>I BELIEVE ABORTION IS MURDER</strong>. Once more, in case you missed it, conservatives, <strong>I BELIEVE ABORTION IS MURDER</strong>!!!!<br /><br /></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">I, also, believe we can actually SAVE more baby's lives with Democratic policies than Republican ones. Why? Because I know of several women in my life who told me they had abortions because they did not have the money to pay for the doctor bill. One woman looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, "I had to murder my baby because I had to choose between feeding the three children I already had, and paying the doctor for the one that was coming." Her deadbeat husband had left her with 3 kids. A few weeks later she found she was pregnant. I told her, indignant that I was at the time, "If abortion were illegal, you wouldn't have been able to get one." She replied, "It was." Nothing but free medical care was going to save that baby. She even told me she was prepared to give the child up for adoption, but there was no one to help her pay for the delivery. The horror, to me, of this is that she did not want an abortion, but felt she had no other choice.<br /><br /></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">Usually, when I relate the above story to conservatives, they get a very sympathetic look on their face. They genuinely feel sorry for her situation. But when I say that something like the "public option", or, horror of horrors, "universal health care" would save these children, one of two things comes out of their mouths: "That's socialism", or "We'd like to help, but we just can't afford it". Translation being, "I would let innocent babies die to prove a political point" or "I am too cheap to make sacrifices in my personal life so that babies can live."<br /><br /></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">Then, they go on to ask me if I believe that murders should go free. They t</span><span style="font-family:arial;">alk about having the ability to prosecute women who murder their children via abortion. While I do not believe that murderers should go free, I also do not want to punish the aforementioned woman, or those in similar situations. Their nightmare is enough. Since I believe in an afterlife, and therefore, that all of us will be judged by God, I am not worried about anyone, ever, getting away with murder, or anything else, for that matter.<br /><br /></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">In my life I have also known women who had abortions because they could not pay for daycare, or food or whatever basic thing the baby would need. I have NEVER known any woman who had an abortion because she didn't want to be bothered with the child. Yes, some women have abortions for mind-bogglingly selfish reasons. Those women I would like to thrash, personally. But I believe them to be very rare. At least, I have never known one. And those babies are going to die no matter how I, any Democrat, or any conservative, votes. Because people that selfish, almost always get their way.<br /><br /></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">However, I can, by supporting candidates who will support universal health care, day care, food stamps and other social programs that twist the knickers of conservatives, enable more women to deliver healthy babies.<br /><br /></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">That's why I vote Democrat. To save the babies.</span></div>The Democrat Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06819871777161680310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12748700.post-1170751973188501602007-02-06T00:51:00.000-08:002007-02-06T00:52:53.196-08:00Leo McCarthy, Rest in PeaceLeo McCarthy passed away today. He was Lt. Gov. of California in the 1980s.<br /><br />I went to college with his daughter, later she and I worked on the Dukakis campaign together. And during that time I had the honor of meeting Leo McCarthy.<br /><br />I tend to judge people based on small things, not great ones. Leo was a man of great character, I think. He was not one to force himself into the limelight.<br /><br />How do I know? During the Dukakis campaign in 1988, Leo attended a rally. I came with a friend who, unbeknownst to me, sometimes had panic attacks when in large crowds.<br /><br />I was busy doing whatever I volunteered to do, and my back was to my friend. Lt. Governor McCarthy noticed my friend was not looking well.<br /><br />Without fanfare, without making a big noise about his good deed, he simply guided her out of the crowd to a place where she could feel more comfortable. He didn't have an aide do it, he did it himself.<br /><br />He did this without the media even noticing.<br /><br />He was pleasant and wonderful to talk with, I only met him the one time, but I am glad he passed through my life for he added a positiveness to it which I never forgot.<br /><br />His passing is a loss to us all.The Democrat Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06819871777161680310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12748700.post-1163291311857360692006-11-11T16:28:00.000-08:002006-11-11T16:28:31.856-08:00Congratulations!CONGRATULATIONS, DEMOCRATS!<br /><br />Now, don't blow it!The Democrat Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06819871777161680310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12748700.post-1158302607595244532006-09-14T23:20:00.000-07:002006-10-08T20:29:20.593-07:00Out of the Political ClosetWhen I first began this blog, and other endeavors under "The Democrat Lady", I did so for three reasons:<br /><br />1) I did not want to place my personal information on the Internet. <br /><br />2) I have a very common name and I share it with someone who is very active on the Internet and has written some books on HTML and other similar subjects. As, I, too, have a website about HTML, I did not want myself to be confused with her. I felt that since this is a political website, it was not fair to her, as my opinions might be mistakenly thought of as hers, and that might lead to problems for her.<br /><br />3) In 2000, I created some web graphics in support of Al Gore for President and placed them on my own free graphics site. The ensuing avalanche of email calling me a "baby killer" (the only thing I was called that I can post on a blog) for supporting Democratic candidates was overwhelming.<br /><br />4) Because of #3 above, I feared that my own online endeavor, my CafePress shops, would suffer if some people knew who I was. <br /><br />I have decided to no longer be a coward. I am simply going to place the links here, in this spot, to my sites. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/ameriwear" target="_stuff">AmeriYank's AmeriWear</a> -- fun designs on T-shirts, mugs, gifts, etc.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/maryandjesus" target="_stuff">Mary and Jesus Shop</a> -- Designs to earn money to donate for hurricane & tsunami survivors<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ameriyank.com" target="_stuff">AmeriYank's Graphics Farm</a> -- Free graphics for Paint Shop Pro, some "paybee" graphics to keep the site open<br /><br /><a href="http://htmltut.com" target="_stuff">HTML Tutorial</a> -- very simple and basic<br /><br /><a href="http://holidays.theshoppe.com" target="_stuff">AmeriYank's Holiday Place</a> -- Just some fun pages for various holidays<br /><br /><a href="http://ameriyank.freeservers.com" target="_stuff">AmeriYank's World</a> -- Just stuff I didn't know where else to put<br /><br />And, of course...<br /><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/thedemocratlady" target="_stuff">The Democrat Lady's Shoppe</a> -- Designs for the Democratically Inclined<br /><br />I have been afraid my shops would suffer if some people on the Internet knew who I was. Well, OK, maybe they will. But I do not like cowards, and it's time I stopped being one.The Democrat Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06819871777161680310noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12748700.post-1129609947188996442005-10-17T21:16:00.000-07:002006-05-11T02:39:02.066-07:00Jerry McNerney for CongressJerry McNerney for Congress.<br /><br />While I am not in Jerry McNerney's district, I am very interested in helping him get elected. Why? Because we need people of integrity, intelligence, and innovation to lead us in the 21st century. <br /><br />I believe Jerry McNerney is one of those people.<br /><br />A mathematician, not an attorney. A writer, not a "politics as usual" politician. A Democrat with CEO experience, not a Republican out to fill his bank account. A true patriot, not a believer in silencing those who disagree with him. This is how I see Jerry McNerney.<br /><br />I could go on and on with more and more reasons why I support Jerry. But, I think it is best to let you discover for yourself why he is good for California's 11th Congressional District, good for California, and good for the USA.<br /><br />Visit his web site at:<br /><a href="http://www.jerrymcnerney.org" target="_jerry">www.jerrymcnerney.org</a><br /><br />And, if you like what you see, make a donation to help a person of integrity, intelligence, and innovation get elected to Congress.The Democrat Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06819871777161680310noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12748700.post-1119936389216109822005-06-27T21:43:00.000-07:002006-12-31T14:33:35.003-08:00An Open Letter to George W. BushDear Mr. Bush,<br /><br />Tomorrow, June 28, 2005, you will address the nation regarding the Iraq War. It has been said you will ask America not to give up and to stay the course, so to speak. To do that, Mr. Bush, you need the respect and trust of the American people. And that, you do not have.<br /><br />You have failed to lead. <br /><br />While military recruiting ads are asking parents to counsel their military age children to serve, your daughters are noticably absent from military service. Yes, I know, Jenna is teaching and that is public service. Well, Mr. Bush, how many teachers have been pulled from that public service to fight your war in Iraq? Lots of other children are worried about their teachers. Why should your daughter's students be spared?<br /><br />Yes, I know your other daughter, Barbara, named for your mother, is in graduate school. While I applaud her interest in higher education, how many reservists were pulled from their graduate studies to fight your war? Why should your daughter be allowed to continue her education when these brave men and women can not?<br /><br />A good leader leads by example. The example you are setting, Mr. Bush, is reprehensible. Your example says, "We let the little people die for our beliefs." And no one trusts a leader that will not do what he asks of others.<br /><br />You have a large extended family as well. Why are these prominent people not in the military? Your cousin, Billy Bush, of TV, movie and radio fame, is married with three children. How many families are home tonight worried about their mothers and fathers in Iraq? Why should the Billy Bush family be spared? He supported you in both your runs for the presidency. Is there no one in your family that has the courage of their convictions?<br /><br />Your brother Jeb has children of military age. In fact, one is George P., often mentioned as someone with political aspirations. Yet, he does not serve in the military in war your family supports.<br /><br />I have no children. And, at 48, I have long sinced passed the age where the military would accept me. You want me to encourage my cousins in their 20's and 30's to serve? You want me to encourage the children of my cousins in their 40's to serve? How can I do that when the entire Bush family sits comfortably at home?<br /><br />Now, before you and your spin doctors get your knickers in a twist, NO, I do NOT think that any Bush relative should actually go to Iraq. Because you live in the White House, their appearance in any platoon, company or brigade, would endanger the lives of other members of the military unit. This would be blatantly unfair to the unit. This I understand.<br /><br />This is a different war. Insurgents would target members of prominent American families, and, in trying to capture them, would endanger the lives of those in the military unit. That is just simple reality.<br /><br />But there is NO EXCUSE for your family to be allowed to lead their lives as though nothing is happening. They should and must be in military , police, or firefighter's uniform. They can serve as file clerks, drivers, etc. They can serve stateside, on European bases, and other areas safe from Iraqi insurgents. This is the benefit they will get for being related to you. The least they can do is put their lives on hold, same as the rest who are serve in your war.<br /><br />Conservatives sometimes liken you to FDR, who led this nation in World War II, because he never served in active military duty. Yet, Mr. Bush, President Roosevelt sent all his sons to war. One of them died. And FDR mourned the loss, like others who lost sons, father, and brothers.<br /><br />What made FDR great was he did not ask America to take a risk he was unwilling to take. That cannot be said of you, Mr. Bush.<br /><br />You are not leading, so no one is listening.<br /><br />Respectfully,<br />The Democrat LadyThe Democrat Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06819871777161680310noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12748700.post-1119514302842750422005-06-23T00:48:00.000-07:002005-06-23T01:14:03.806-07:00Iraq and the AftermathMany people are calling for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. And there is plenty of reason to do so. There is not a rush of men and women running to military recruiting stations to sign up to fight for Bush and Rumsfeld's war. Noticably absent are the Bush twins, who should be setting an example for their peers.<br /><br />In fact, those people of military service age who voted for Bush and Cheney are, also, noticably absent in supporting the war for which they voted. Some people claim that this is reason to pull out. I would tend to agree. Except for something no one seems to be talking about. That is, the mess that has become Iraq due to the actions of the Bush administration.<br /><br />At this point, it no longer matters which Americans supported the war in the beginning. What does matter is that we now have a responsiblity to keep the Iraqi people safe. We created this mess.<br /><br />No, I did not vote for Bush. I would rather stand in cold water and hold a live wire in my hand, than ever vote for the likes of that group. So, no, I do not feel that anything I did brought this devastation to Iraq. But I am an American. Like it or not, Bush has acted in my name. Legally, Crawford's Village Idiot lives in the White House, and, acts in my name.<br /><br />In my name, and the name of all Americans, he has torn apart a country. My fear is for what will happen to the Iraqi people if we pull out before the country is stable. There were no Islamic insurgents there before we marched in to free them from Saddam (rather insure we controlled some oil in the Middle East).<br /><br />Now, they are torn apart and no one lives without fear of their lives on a daily basis. And we are responsible.<br /><br />Leaving will not end our responsiblity. But I do not have a solution. Part of me thinks we should leave. Part of me thinks that to leave now is the ultimate act of cowardice. We created this mess, we have the responsiblity to clean it up.<br /><br />Bush is not the person to lead us out of Iraq in a moral way. Those who put huge profits and tax cuts above the future of the American people, and invade countries for oil, are unfit to lead. But we are stuck with this bunch until January 2009. We can hold out, but can the Iraqi people?The Democrat Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06819871777161680310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12748700.post-1119234279009377712005-06-19T18:35:00.000-07:002005-06-19T19:58:09.213-07:00An Open Letter to Sen. Hillary Clinton<span style="font-family:arial;">Dear Sen. Clinton,<br /><br />On the last "Crossfire" show, a clip about you was shown. It mentioned you were/are on the board of directors of Wall-Mart. The issue that I wish to address is Wall-Mart's refusal to provide health care benefits for their workers. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Your public service record clearly shows you care deeply about the health care issue. And I realize that when Wall-Mart was a small business starting out in Arkansas, it could not afford to pay health care benefits for its employees. Few new businesses can. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">But Wall-Mart is no longer a struggling new business. It is a thriving one. And they are stealing from the taxpayer.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Wall-Mart, by counseling its employees to apply for Medi-caid and other government run health programs, is stealing from every taxpayer in the USA. Instead of being a morally responsible company, doing its duty, and paying to insure the health benefits of its workers, Wall-Mart chooses to pass these expenses on to the government. And when the government pays, the taxpayer pays.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Yet, Wall-Mart agreed to pay for health care benefits for employees in stores located in the People's Republic of China. My question is, why does Wall-Mart do more for its foreign employees than it does for Americans? Was it not America that gave Wall-Mart its start? Was it not America that made Wall-Mart the thriving business it is today?</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Is this how a corporate Wall-Mart thanks those that made it rich? Seems to me a company that started out doing a good thing, and needing a little government help to create this good thing, has taken advantage of those that helped it.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">What bothers me is I know someone in the Silicon Valley area of California. He works for Costco. Costco has great prices and does a wonderful job for consumers. And Costco STARTS their workers (in this area of California, anyway) at $10 per hour. After a year, they get health benefits. Yes, Costco's balance sheet is not as lucrative as Wall-Mart's and their stock is not as high on Wall Street. But to create the high profits Wall-Mart enjoys, Costco would have to pay their employees less and take away their benefits. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Why should Costco, and other companies like it, be penalized for doing the right thing? Costco, in my opinion, because it cares about its employees, should be rewarded by the system and not take home a smaller paycheck in the form of lower stock prices.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">What do I think you should do about it? First, I think you should speak out loudly, publically, and often, against Wall-Mart's health care policies. Not to mention their theft of taxpayer dollars by forcing their low-paid employees into taxpayer paid health care.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Second, you should write and promote legislation that penalizes companies like Wall-Mart. How? By increasing their taxes to pay the health care costs of employees who qualify for goverment plans. If they won't pay for private insurance, make them pay for the public insurance their employees use.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">It is time for Wall-Mart and other such companies to grow up. When you are young and new, just as when you are a small child, not much is expected of you. It is understood that you can only do so much until you grow as a business.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">But like a child, as a business grows and matures, it must accept more responsiblity. You do not give a newborn a 10-speed bicycle. First the child must learn to walk, then ride a tricycle. The child learns to care for the trike. Keep it clean, keep it out of the driveway, etc. Then comes the bike with training wheels. And so on, until the child is ready for the big, cool, 10-speed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Along the way the child's responsibilities increase. So, too, should the small business that becomes a large corporation. Wall-Mart long-ago left its training wheels behind. It has surpassed the 10-speed and is racing down the economic highway in a brand-new high-speed sports car. And yet, no one has asked it to increase its responsibilties. Like the child with the trike, it is still depending on government hand-outs to care for the health needs of its employees. And while it is doing so, other companies are taking home less profits just because they do the right thing. Wall-Mart should be ashamed.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">And, Sen. Clinton, we are depending on you to put them to shame.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Respectfully,</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">The Democrat Lady</span>The Democrat Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06819871777161680310noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12748700.post-1115599462041069282005-05-08T17:42:00.000-07:002005-05-08T17:54:13.946-07:00Planning Ahead for a MERRY CHRISTMAS in 2005This is the second post I moved from my old Blog. Here it is, as it appeared.<br /><br />Now that the Christmas holidays are behind us, I thought I would comment a bit on the over-blown controversy regarding the public display of nativity scenes and other religious items during what some prefer to call the "Holiday Season", in the hopes that next year, we can all respect and enjoy each other's beliefs and customs.<br /><br />First, I most certainly believe in the separation of church and state. Without it, there have been times in our country's history when, I believe, I would have been kept from practising my Roman Catholic faith. But separation does not mean, to me anyway, that the government cannot allow us to learn from one another on public property. In fact, by not allowing all religions to display items at their special times of year, the government would be keeping us from learning about each other. And that is detrimental to society as a whole.<br /><br />Second, I also believe that having fun is a good thing. I think it is positive for the the government to, on occasion, promote things that are fun. And, Christmas displays are, quite often, fun.<br /><br />Third, as to the actual issue of whether or not such displays should appear on public property, I say, "Why not?" As long as the city, state or other government entity also pays for (or simply allows) displays of Hannukah, Kwaanza, Ramandan and/or whatever Buddhists, Hindus or other serious religions celebrate at their special times of year. This can be done even if such celebrations overlap. The government entity can simply set aside a public area for such displays, set up the rules to ensure some degree of order, and put up, or allow the public to place, items that celebrate the particular holiday in question. What is important is that each religion receive equal treatment by the government entity. If it pays for a Christian display, it must pay for other religions. If it allows private parties to pay for holiday displays on public property, it must do the same for holidays of all religions. In short, as long as everyone is treated equally, let's all just simmer down and have a good time!<br /><br />The idea would be to learn about and from each other. This promotes a neighborly attitude towards our fellow citizens and, therefore, is a positive thing.<br />We often hear about how other people of non-Christian religions feel bad about the constant Christmas cheer, etc. But I see no reason we cannot all have a nice Birthday Party for Jesus and celebrate together.<br /><br />I know that Moslems believe that Jesus was a prophet. Some Jews believe the same. I once knew a Buddhist that celebrated Christmas. I asked her how she could do that, since she was not a Christian. She told me that she believed the story of Christ, she just does not accept that there is only one god. So, Jesus just sort of got added to her list of gods. While some Christians might be offended at that, I choose to respect her beliefs. I also chose to celebrate with her the birth of Jesus. We always had a great time together at the office Christmas party. By the way, she owned the business. And she paid for and gave wonderful parties every year which she called the "Christmas party".<br /><br />I once knew an atheist who celebrated Christmas because he said that Christ was the world's greatest philosopher. That the teachings of Jesus were worth living, and, therefore, His birth was worth celebrating, and His death worth mourning. My friend, simply did not believe in any kind of God. But he was more of a Christian than many people who attend church every Sunday.<br /><br />What is Christmas, really? It is, quite simply, the day set aside, even though it is probably not the ACTUAL day, it is the day decided on, to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Since we do not know the ACTUAL day, December 25th is as good a day as any to celebrate.<br /><br />When I was in first grade, my teacher, a nun, told us why we give gifts at Christmas. She said we give a gift to someone because we cannot give a material one to Jesus. The person we give the gift to represents Jesus for us. And when we accept a gift at Christmas, we are accepting for Him. That is why every gift you give must be carefully chosen, and every gift you receive must be accepted graciously.<br /><br />So...<br /><br />If you are a Moslem, celebrate the birth of a prophet.<br /><br />If you are a Jew, do the same, and find, you have something in common with your Islamic brother.<br /><br />If you are a Buddhist, celebrate the birth of a god.<br /><br />Some Hindus can do the same.<br /><br />If you are an athiest or an agnostic, celebrate the birth of a wonderful philosopher, a man whose ideas changed the world.<br /><br />As for me, I am a Roman Catholic. I will celebrate the birth of my Lord and Savior. I hope you will come to the most important birthday party of the year, and have the best time ever!<br /><br />I also hope you will respect me when I say "MERRY CHRISTMAS!", and I will respect you whether return it or say, "Happy Holidays".The Democrat Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06819871777161680310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12748700.post-1115592324400590532005-05-08T15:44:00.000-07:002005-05-08T17:47:01.843-07:00Abortion and the 2004 ElectionThe following appeared in an old Blog at <a href="http://thedemocratlady.bravejournal.com">thedemocratlady.bravejournal.com</a> in September of 2004. I moved my blog to where you are now, but thought it might be nice to bring some entries with me, rather than lose the archive altogether. I cannot figure out how to move the comments, though. Here is the entry as it appeared, in it's entirety, typos and all.<br /><br />As a Catholic, I think, perhaps, I should say a few things about abortion and why I continue to vote Democrat.<br /><br />First, while many Catholics are against birth control. Most see the benefit of promoting birth control over abortion. In addition, most Catholics do not feel the need to control non-Catholics choices in this area.<br /><br />But when a woman becomes pregnant and it is both unplanned and unwanted, ADOPTION is the word most Catholics want to hear. Help for the mother during that time and the promotion of adoption to prevent abortion.<br /><br />EDUCATION is another word--education about what abortion is and alternatives to it.<br /><br />The Republican Party has failed utterly and miserably to deal with both education and adoption as alternatives to abortion.<br /><br />Second, there is always the matter of conscience. And whatever you may have read or seen in the media, the personal conscience of an individual can take precidence over any bishop's instructions. In other words, there is no ruling by the Catholic Church that says a Catholic must vote for pro-life candidates.<br /><br />Next, I am going to tell you of some personal experiences and how they helped convince me that the only way to save babies is to vote Democrat.<br /><br />I used to work for a temporary service. I also have one of those personalities where people I do not know well tend to talk to me about very personal things. I think, also, since I was a temp and only going to be there for a few days, these women felt "safe" confiding in me.<br /><br />There are two stories in particular--I do not recall the name of one of the women, the first was named Karen. Never did know their last names. But here goes...<br /><br />This one woman, her first name was Karen, her story would break your heart. She was unmarried and pregant. Wanted to keep her baby. Had it all figured out how to afford it except for one thing--daycare. It was the straw that broke her financial back. She went to her mother and asked for help--her mom didn't work and had time to help. What Karen needed was for someone to care for the baby until the raises Karen projected for herself came through. She figured in a year or two she would have enough money to pay for daycare. She made to much to qualify for any aid. Her mom refused to help. Suggested an abortion and took a stunned Karen to get one. I recall Karen telling me how her mother was "like a rock" in supporting her abortion. And I thought what a mess Karen will be one day when all this sinks in.<br /><br />My point is this, and most Catholics will respond to it: THAT BABY WOULD BE ALIVE IF WE HAD AFFORDABLE DAYCARE IN THIS COUNTRY.<br /><br />The second woman, whose name I have forgotten, was married. She and her husband wanted children. Both were new college grads and had not planned to have a baby for a couple of years. She was working two jobs, as was he, to pay off their college loans and the bills that come about when one starts a new household. She knew she could get her mom to help with the baby. But she never asked. Why? Health insurance. Neither she nor her husband had any. Neither came from families that had anything to give their kids to help them out. She sat with me and showed me where all their money went. As she did so, I could see she was desperately trying to show herself that she had made the right decision. And the truth was, there was barely an extra $20 a month. She had scraped together the $200 or so needed for the abortion by depleting their savings account , but not what was needed to give birth. HER BABY IS DEAD FOR LACK OF HEALTH CARE.<br /><br />What is worse, and what makes me truly ill to think about, is BOTH of these children were WANTED.<br /><br />We do not keep statistics in this country of WHY people have abortions, only that they do. My guess is, most women would choose another alternative if it were given them. How many babies have been killed because of cuts to our social programs? We have no idea.<br /><br />Before abortion was legal, we did not keep statistics of who had them. We didn't know. My guess is, that making abortion illegal would not save any child. I know older women who have told me they know of more women who had abortions before it was legal than after. Changing social norms--the lack of stigma for out-of-wedlock children has saved a LOT of babies.<br /><br />Now, here is the final argument that changed my attitude towards voting and abortion. I used to work with a Buddhist lady. We got into a discussion about abortion and she was stunned that I believed that life begins at conception. She said that her religion (or sect of Buddhism--I do not know enough about the religion to state exactly) believes that the soul enters the body a month after birth.<br /><br />What my discussion with her led me to, was a knowledge that abortion is a matter of SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE! I, as a Catholic, have the right, indeed the responsibility, to express my religious beliefs. But I do not have the right to ENFORCE them on another. The reason Catholics are against abortion is we believe that life begins at conception. This is a belief, not scientific fact. If anyone could PROVE that life begins at conception, it would be a different story.<br /><br />What is needed is to take away the REASONS why women feel the need for an abortion. And that takes social services. And that takes taxes. If conservative Republicans want to save babies, they need to pay taxes for social programs. If abortion were illegal, these women would simply go underground to get them. If the social services are there, they will choose to raise their children.<br /><br />The other thing that truly scares me, are the number of baby boomer non-church going Republicans who believe abortion should be legal because it SAVES on social services. I have had arguments with these types who actually said that if you make the choice to have the child, the financial responsibility is all yours. And this just made me want to puke---one person actually said "Don't pick my pocket to pay for someone else's kid". He was perfectly happy to have the hypothetical child we were discussing, dead. I mentioned that fact--that killing someone was preferential to him than paying more taxes. And he did not have a problem with it whatsoever. I have had similar discussions with several non-church going Republicans. It always stuns me.<br /><br />Now, back to the sepration of church and state thing...One of the things about being a Democrat that makes me unhappy are the words "a woman's right to choose". It actually makes my stomach turn when I hear it at rallies. And I have spoken with other Democrats, who are also Catholic, and they feel the same way. To us, it might as well be "a woman's right to kill". I know that sounds harsh, but it is how we feel and it does makes us truly feel ill.<br /><br />By the way, Sen. Kerry is a Catholic. I have heard him say he supports adoption over abortion and that he would like to see ways to encourage it. Maybe the media should have spent more time sharing that sound byte?<br /><br />If anyone on reading this feels that my words here would make sense to anyone you know, who is considering voting for Democrats (not just Kerry), please feel free to forward this, or just copy and paste it--whatever is easiest.The Democrat Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06819871777161680310noreply@blogger.com1