Comment Archives: Stories: News+Opinion: Public Policy LTD.
Re: “I'm sick of whiny third-party candidates”
The comparison of Socialist Party success in the 1910's decade, and the Green Party of today, should mention that 100 years ago, state election laws in the U.S. did not discriminate against small and new parties the way they do today. The United States has gone backwards in voting rights, when it comes to the issue of voter choice in elections. The Green Party has never been able to be on a Georgia general election ballot for any state or federal office, for example, due to Georgia's horrible ballot access laws.
Re: “I'm sick of whiny third-party candidates”
A very good article. African Americans and women have been denied proportional representation since day one and it is a wonder they don't just leave the U. S. and form their own country somewhere. Freed from oppressive cultural bias they would show the world their abilities in arts, science and industry. They would build a utopian society that would have white males begging to get in. As to the Green Party, obviously we all need more fruit and vegetables in our diet, but can we realistically consider this as a political agenda? (btw, I am particularly fond of collards, but I wouldn't want one for a candidate.)
Re: “I'm sick of whiny third-party candidates”
You know when you can tell political candidates are lying...when they move their lips! It is such a shame this is the best the 1st District has to offer. WE DESERVE BETTER!!!
Re: “I'm sick of whiny third-party candidates”
Thanks for the article. For info on people using voluntary Libertarian tools on similar and other issues worldwide, please see the non-partisan Libertarian International Organization @ http://www.Libertarian-International.org ....
A major issue facing Greens, pro-Libertarian Parties and others is a handling the many statutes hindering them from fair access created after the Socialist victories by the Democrats and GOP--plus disruption in many cases from extreme right infiltration--which the article refuses to address. It also says Greens should organize locally, but this is in fact what they're doing.
Re: “Why I have mixed feelings about Autism Awareness Day”
What would a not-for-profit food system be like? Would it involve standing in long lines to get bread?
________________
"someone sane needs to fight for the rights of small people"
Of all the people to post such a thing...
Re: “Why I have mixed feelings about Autism Awareness Day”
I P YUENGLING again spews his drivel against the poor people DENIED LIVING WAGES IN DECENT JOBS.... we can have full employment when our society commits to building the necessary power co-generating transportation system THE PEOPLE OWN not manipulated for polluter profiteering ... we can shut down the nukes & fossil fuel burning as fast as we build hydrogen engine vehicles, electric vehicles with wind wave solar & geothermal power systems to reduce the toxins in our environment that are melting our polar ice caps & making too many people sick.... there is only one cure for poverty, minimum wage laws & maximum wage laws that discourage executives from cheating the work force for personal profits
Re: “Why I have mixed feelings about Autism Awareness Day”
THERE NEEDS TO BE A liver enzyme test for children about to be injected with autism causing innoculations, one in 50 kids have this blood organ defect explains why not all kids get autism from toxic injections.... like circumcision, someone sane needs to fight for the rights of small people and stop this brutal attack on any prepuce or toddler brain... the high fever caused by the injections IN SOME CHILDREN cooks the brain away from normal development
Re: “Why I have mixed feelings about Autism Awareness Day”
Stupid, uninformed, nonsense.
Autism is a physical disorder without a known cure.
Adult poverty is a choice, or the result of a series of choices. We spend hundreds of billions per year to wipe out poverty with the only known, proven and effective cure. The "cure" for poverty is education. Coupled with a moral compass and hard work, education can lift anyone out of poverty in this country.
There are countless stories of accomplished individuals who have risen to greatness, even though they began life in an impoverished environment with illiterate parents, or in a single parent household. In almost every case, the parents realized that the only way for their children to overcome poverty was through education. Dr. Ben Carson and Clarence Thomas are two great examples of individuals who escaped poverty by using the aforementioned "cure".
We taxpayers take extraordinary measures to help people escape poverty. In this state, we spend almost $10K per student, per year, to give children the tools necessary to escape poverty. Sadly, many of those children (and their parents) do not take advantage of the opportunities given to them.
You want a "poverty awareness" day? Fine. I suggest you take your unruly children for a walking tour of Charleston's east side community. Stop and talk to any one of the wino's or "corner pharmacists" and ask them about their educational background and financial situation. You won't find many PhD's working a corner, hustling drugs and prostitutes as they prey on their fellow man.
Only an insensitive buffoon would compare poverty with autism.
What next? A comparison of Muscular Dystrophy with alcoholism?
What kind of jerk uses autism as a prop for his tired, cliched soapbox rantings about poverty and income inequality? An ignorant one, apparently.
Mat should be the poster child for what happens to those who do not get an education - you end up writing a weekly column for a bird cage liner weekly publication, and you get paid next to nothing for your efforts.
Re: “Why I have mixed feelings about Autism Awareness Day”
We are so quick to categorize someone with a developmental issue that we do, in fact, stretch the meaning of autistic. I have worked with hundreds, yes hundreds, of autistic kids. Many have been relegated to some facility to be taken care of by the state because they can't or don't want to provide the needed care these special kids have. Some are totally unable to socialize and have incredibly poor communication skills. Some, however, did not belong in the same room. I am aware it is a neurological problem. I am also aware that there are other developmental problems out there that should not be diagnosed as autism. It waters down the money and efforts to try and come up with a solution to the problem. Just like A.D.D., it is over diagnosed. So don't be so quick to poo poo the opinions and observations of others. Maybe they know something you don't?
Re: “Why I have mixed feelings about Autism Awareness Day”
Having an awareness day or month works better for some problems than others. Look at breast cancer awareness vs. other types of cancers. Why is that? Lots of survivors, and more importantly for PR, lots of survivors who still look good. It's the same with Autism - an affliction portrayed in the media as a bunch of cute little middle-class children who are just having a hard time. It's heart-warming. It can be packaged nicely. And before anyone freaks out, I am not making a judgment call on the actual substance of the illness here - simply how it is presented to society.
Re: “Why I have mixed feelings about Autism Awareness Day”
There are so many ignorant comments on here with regard to autism, it staggers the mind. Autism is a very real neurological disorder, not a behavior issue. It affects many parts of a person's life from speech, to fine and gross motor abilities, to cognitive delays and difficulties, to anxiety and depressive disorders. Anyone who thinks it is an exaggerated or invented "category" in which to place kids who are a disappointment to parents is an absolute idiot. Sorry for the candor, but no other words that are publishable will suffice. My daughter, who has autism, is a joy to me and all around her. She is the farthest thing from a disappointment. However, she has many very real challenges with which to contend. The responses to this ill-conceived column reveal how great the need for autism awareness and understanding really is. The need is tremendous. What do you think now Mat Catastrophe?????
Re: “Why I have mixed feelings about Autism Awareness Day”
Autism can be very costly to the family and the patient. However, as we discover more and more kids affected with it, I wonder if it is just another pot to put the kids we don't understand, or develop a little later on, to satisfy some parents. They need a diagnosis that will put them in some special group for special treatment. I do not think that we were all put on this earth to be equal. Every person cannot be a genius or an athlete. So, some of these diagnoses may be just a way to file a person who may not meet all the high expectations some parents may want. Sorta like the kids we file under "hyperactive" and drug to submission, just because the parents don't want to do their proper jobs of raising a potentially brilliant or gifted child who does not conform to the "norm". I know I'm going to get lots of flack because of what I have said, but maybe it will make some folks think twice before committing a child to a box. I also have worked with whole rooms of autistic kids for years, so I think I know what I am talking about.
Re: “Why I have mixed feelings about Autism Awareness Day”
Btw, (sorry for the double post), an entire & growing branch of the autism community resent the term "disability" and maintain the autistic brain is but a centuries-old variation of the so-called "norm" (Aspiesforfreedom.com etc.). I feel fairly certain it is a Neanderthal gene and Oxford Univ. in England agrees with me.
Maybe in time shrinks will stop pathologizing other "disorders" like bi-polar and ADD and see them for what they are: variations on the "norm".
Re: “Why I have mixed feelings about Autism Awareness Day”
Kimberly wrote: Living "on the spectrum" doesn't qualify for special housing rates, or food stamps, or Medicaid.
Adult autistics are able to get SS and Medicaid depending upon their diagnosis. Some Aspies (which my daughter is) are high functioning, go to college and can work, whilst others (the majority, (incl. my daughter) I might add), though also mentally in many ways high functioning, struggle to keep jobs despite advanced schooling. They just never seem to understand social cues or reality really despite many programs and intervention. It is beyond frustrating.
I have noticed an explosion in those getting disability in this country (who aren't truly disabled) but ask any parent of an autistic adult child how hard it was to get SS/Medicaid and you will hear horror stories. Often it's like pulling teeth to get these children into group homes and/or on SS and Medicaid, but I digress.
To get back to poverty, as the Bible says "it is always with us." Not to say we can't ameliorate, but in my opinion, after 60 years on this planet, I would guess about 15% of the planet is just not interested in getting ahead, has or develops substance abuse problems, is inherently lazy (there was something about a "lazy" gene on msn yesterday. lol), etc.
So while we are debating how horrible this society is to the chronically poor, why not add the mentally ill to that list? Cause more of the latter ARE truly victims of their brain genetic makeup. And many chronically poor do have multiple mental disorders. But due to greed many years ago now & probably budget cuts then (Carter's admin I think), they were practically just released into the streets en masse, with little or no help. Most hospitals might have 1-5 beds for the street mentally ill, if that.
Look at the gun violence by the mentally ill. Will any new provisions to help this group come out of DC anytime soon? Probably not.
So while I am sad! we have yet to eradicate poverty and/or hunger, I think we should focus more on hunger and the mentally ill at this point and sadly realize the number in poverty, for all the reasons I posit above, will probably stay mostly stable in the future.
Re: “Why I have mixed feelings about Autism Awareness Day”
Autism awareness efforts are much of the reason my son will be unlikely to end up in poverty. Because of the greater understanding of "The Spectrum" by the general public and our social institutions in the past two decades, attitudes and practices have changed-- from "weirdo" to "just needs a little patience and understanding", from unteachable to mainstreamed, from isolated to included.
Just sharing the diagnosis caused an instant change in the way my son was received-- from rolled eyes to caring smile, from avoidance to embracing acceptance. People believe in his potential, and give him a chance to prove it. He has a checking account, a driver's permit, and every intention to attend college after graduation, which is two years away for him. Every summer, he goes on mission trips to help those less fortunate(!) than he. Because of autism awareness, NO ONE believes he can't or shouldn't do any of these things. He is currently seeking employment, and has every reason to be optimistic-- autism awareness gives him a chance to demonstrate what a loyal, hard-working team player he can be.
My child's autism is not something he can rise above or pull himself out of. There is no choice he can make that will release him from it. he must work within its confines every day, but at least those confines are no longer a reason for others to marginalize him. Because of autism awareness, hands reach out to help him instead of push him away. His opportunities and future are limited only by his willingness and capabilities, just like anyone else.
Autism awareness is just about all those "on the spectrum" have in the way of aid, and many live in single-income families precisely because of their special needs. That is the case in our family. There was very little help from insurance to pay for much needed therapy, and many hoops to jump through to receive non-profit help,
so we learned to do it ourselves. Living "on the spectrum" doesn't qualify for special housing rates, or food stamps, or Medicaid, so the budget has to be very tight. I'm not insinuating that the government should be responsible for these things-- I am responsible for the children I bring into this world. All I ask is that they be treated fairly, and autism awareness increases the likelihood of that happening. Think of it as welfare that actually effects positive change, and doesn't cost the taxpayer one red cent.
Re: “Why I have mixed feelings about Autism Awareness Day”
I shop in the least expensive grocery stores to best stretch my (earned) food dollar. Can't help but notice more than half the people I see using EBT or government checks range from fat to obese. I'm sure they are hungry but they ain't starving.
Re: “Why I have mixed feelings about Autism Awareness Day”
Good article, Mat. I don't know who wrote the article headline but it drew me in. I get your point and I don't believe it was mean-spirited at all, nor did it paint autism in bad light. In fact, he shows you as a compassionate writer.
This is a timely article. THis weekend the Park Circle Film Society is showing "A Place at the Table," a documentary about hunger in America: http://parkcirclefilms.org/films/place-tab…
Re: “Why I have mixed feelings about Autism Awareness Day”
The CDC also released last month that the prevalence of autism in children is now 1/50, not 1/88. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr065.…
Re: “Why I have mixed feelings about Autism Awareness Day”
I was with you right up to the assertion that autism occurs in "almost any neighborhood." As the director of an agency serving people with autism and having worked with people with autism and their families for over 25 years, I can assure you there is no neighborhood that does not have its share of autism. It may be that more "well to do" families are more able to afford expensive treatment or more able to effectively advocate for needed services. It may also be true that rural families are less likely to seek help or even seek proper diagnosis (although this is getting better). But lower income families have occurrence rates at least as high as upper income families. Some studies imply that lower income children may be more prone to the disorder. It has been suggested that parental drug use, consumption of contaminated fish such as may be found in areas of the Edisto river and poor prenatal care for mothers could contribute to the list of possible causes of autism.
So a good tie-in for your argument against poverty is this: raising families from poverty would probably decrease their rates of many health related problems, including autism. Being "aware" of autism is great but really, who isn't aware of autism at this point? We need to move beyond awareness and do something about the problem. Eliminating poverty would be one good place to start.
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Re: “I'm sick of whiny third-party candidates”
No one has denied women anything in regards to elections. Women make up over 50% of the population, but they don't support women, be it female sports or in elections. They have no one to blame but themselves. And if you think having Congress run by women would be better than what we have now you are crazy. Clearly you have not spent much time around groups of women.