I Will Never Shut Up

Tonight, I got into a disagreement on Facebook. Yes, I realize how ridiculous that sounds. I’m tired and beyond frustrated of the racism, bigotry, and sexism that has become mainstream in this country during this election cycle. There are major media outlets reporting on it every day, comments that in a normal election cycle would get a candidate disowned by his/her own party, but it somehow, has become acceptable.

The United States of America is BETTER than this.

We pick hope over fear.

Love trumps hate. Every damn day.

You’re different, awesome, welcome! You have a place here, because in the US, we accept EVERYONE, from EVERY walk of life. Not just the whites ones. Or the rich ones. Or the ones that belong to the “correct” religion.

I cannot and will not keep quiet. I have a voice and I will use it until the day I die. I will stand up to discrimination, sexism, racism, bigotry, bullies, etc. I hope that you all use your voices, too.

And vote. For the love of all things holy, VOTE. Don’t skip on voting because you  don’t like the candidates. You don’t need to like them. You don’t need to want to have a beer with them. It is not a personality contest, it is a contest of qualifications. Do you research. Use bipartisan sites to fact check claims. Please don’t let the talking heads on MSNBC, CNN, and Fox be the ones that inform you.

As Americans, we are smarter than this.

An Open Letter to Secretary Clinton

Dear Secretary Clinton,

Thank you for everything you said in defense of the Affordable Care Act and your recognition that it does need improvement.

I currently have coverage because of ACA through Covered California. I have a pre-existing health condition and one that requires very rarely used drugs to treat (rare in the sense that most pharmacies have to special order my medication so I can get refills). Because of your work, dating back all the way to the 90s and the work of the Obama administration, I have coverage today. I’m able to see my specialist and only be responsible for my copay. I can get blood work done every 6 weeks to check my liver and kidney functions, and instead of stressing about how I’m going to foot the bill, I pay my copay and go on my way. I refilled the FOUR prescriptions that keep me alive and functioning this week, and because of the ACA, it cost me $40. Without healthcare, it would cost me thousands. ACA is not perfect, but it is a start. And when building something from scratch, it should not be expected to be perfect the first time around. 

Thank you for your defense of the ACA on Sunday. I voted for you in 2008 and I’m beyond proud to vote for you again in November. Thank you for fighting for people like me, who wouldn’t survive without the ACA.

You have my vote.