Nothing to Smile About

Y’all ever heard of the movie Smile Pinki? It’s a documentary about kids in poor countries that are born with cleft palate. What a horrific affliction. These kids are often shunned by family members, destined to live a life of shame. GAWD…I watched that movie and thought how fucked up life can be sometimes. But there’s a group called the Smile Train that travels the world in search of kids with cleft palate in an attempt to get them the vital operation they need. It’s a simple procedure and it only costs $250. That’s a great deal considering what the alternative is. Flash forward to yesterday…

In an attempt to draw attention to the plight of Nevada families against rising healthcare costs, Senator Harry Reid told the story of the Jesus Gutierrez family at yesterday's healthcare summit. Gutierrez is the owner of Fresh Mex Restaurant here in the RNO. His daughter was born with a cleft palate and his insurance company decided not to cover the cost of the needed surgery. The result? The Gutierrez family had to pay…wait for it…wait for it…$90,000 for the surgery!!! Aye caramba!!! That’s TWENTY-SIX THOUSAND percent over what the Smile Train people need to fix cleft palates in other countries.

Here’s the crux of the biscuit…cleft palate surgery in India, or Mexico, or Nigeria costs $250. In the United States of America, Inc. it costs $90,000. From the pharmaceutical companies to the hospitals from the doctors to the insurance companies, someone…every step of the way is sucking profit from the health woes of Americans. Now, rich Americans can probably afford to pay that much but what about middle-class America? Nope. Heck-fire, you know the poor can’t afford that kind of scratch.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that this is no way for a Christian nation to behave toward its citizens. But then again, The United States of America, Inc. isn’t really a Christian nation. We just say we are and hope nobody notices. Fuckin’-A…JZeus must be spinning in His grave.

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Separation of Church and State

Hurry Up and Wait

Mixed Up Priorities

For only the sixth time in a pResidency that has seemingly lasted forever…GWB has vetoed a bill.


This particular measure would have provided a 20 percent increase in money for job training programs, $1.4 billion extra for health research at the National Institutes of Health, $2.4 billion for heating subsidies for the poor, $665 million for grants to community action agencies, $63.6 billion for the Education Department and a $225 million increase for community health centers.


At the same time WPE signed a separate bill to give the Pentagon about $460 billion. For what, you ask? $6.3 billion for the next-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, $2.8 billion for the Navy's DD(X) destroyer and $3.1 billion for the new Virginia-class attack submarine.


Let’s see…job training, health research, helping the poor heat their homes, community action agencies education and community health centers are BAD while fighter jets, destroyers and attack subs are GOOD!


Quick question…do fighter jets, destroyers and attack subs help fight the war on terror? No.


When he says he loves America and her people, as always, HE’S LYING!!!