Quarantine Diary #49 5/1/2020 A little review & some pix

The Zoom meeting with Tom Palzewicz yesterday was as easy and interesting to listen to as the last time I heard him.

He introduces himself by explaining the three issues he is running on.

1. Health care for all.  As anyone paying attention has realized; tying health care to employment can be and now is a disaster.

He mentioned this, though. Right now, 3.5 million people in the US work for health insurance companies. There’s no way we can simply turn that system off and some other system on; there needs to be a transition plan. He described lowering the Medicare qualifying age in stages. If Medicare began at 55 (not retirement, just Medicare health insurance) this would begin to address a lot of issues. All of us who are older understand that trying to get a new GOOD job when one is already in their 50’s or 60’s is nearly impossible because employers don’t want to hire people in the highest health insurance premium bracket.  Lowering the Medicare age would be a game changer.

There are a lot of other really positive ramifications to this idea of transitioning from private insurance companies to national health care in stages.  

2. Climate change.  It’s not an option to not take climate change seriously. It is insane that Trump can manipulate and end environmental policies that were enacted by Congress and by the EPA.

3. Gun Violence reduction. There are sensible practices that the majority of Americans want and support including gun registration.

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Palzewicz described the dangerous and dysfunctional dynamic we are living in right now this way. “The bullies are running the show.”  Sensible legislation cannot even be discussed because Mitch McConnell does not allow the proposed legislation into the senate.  At the state level Robin Vos and Scott Fitzgerald do the same thing. If they don’t want change, they won’t allow any discussion.  And at this point the only action Vos and Fitzgerald are engaged in – is trying to sue the governor.

Palzewicz is running again Fitzgerald for congress, Wisconsin 5th District, this November.

This is his website:  https://www.tomforwi.com/

If you donate through this URL, the accounting will show that your donation was received because of the efforts that Len and I put forth.  Not essential, but it gives us some sense that we made a difference:  

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/lambergdanielson2020

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I've been working several hours on some thoughts about St. Augustine of Hippo and shopping at Target.  I will finish those thoughts and post them here tomorrow.  

Even when one is on lockdown at home, one can run out of time.  Maybe I spent too much time this morning burning sticks and digging in my dirt?

Instead of words, here are some pictrues in no order and for no reason other than I like them and hope you do, too.