The Story of Broke

The creator of this video presents an excellent overview of the wrong-headed argument that our country is broke, when in fact we are a wealthy nation that is making many wrong decisions.

Then she makes strong arguments about how changing our governmental investment strategy will revive and strengthen the infrastructure and businesses that will create new jobs, sustainable energy and agriculture and great schools, and put us on the road to prosperity. 

There is a lot of information here. It's worth every minute. 

Buerkle Denies Women's Healthcare Access

Blueskygirl has long contended that Ann Marie Buerkle has even longer been no friend to women. This article from today's Cosmopolitan reports that Buerkle has voted against funding cancer screenings for women.

She is hereafter branded a "chump" who is being scrutinized at the new website, WomenAreWatching.org, along with other politicians ...candidates and office holders ... for their anti-women politics.

Blueskygirl has always wondered why the word misogyny has no real counter-equivalent. Hating women stands alone in the pantheon of -isms. Ann Marie Buerkle has not a shred of loyalty to women and our unique concerns. What an empty wasted life....

The New Site Every Woman Needs to Visit

Cosmopolitan November 8, 2011 by Zoë Ruderman

The elections today and one year from today—when we'll elect our next president—will have a huge impact on the lives of women all around the country. A number of politicians who are anti-women's rights are gunning for office and voting for them (or abstaining from voting for a pro-women's rights candidate) could mean limited or no access to birth control, the morning-after pill, affordable cancer screenings, family planning, and abortions, even for rape victims. That's why Planned Parenthood launched the site WomenAreWatching.org. It's designed to inform men and women about what various politicians stand for and help them make smart choices when voting.

The website launched this morning and Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards told us that the goal is to "let politicians know that the nearly six million supporters of Planned Parenthood are watching what they’re doing". Richards pointed to research that shows that it's women who determine the presidency, which is why she and PP "encourage [women] to pay attention to what politicians are saying, to be informed voters next November, and to protect women’s health and to expand access to women’s care".

Richards also stressed that this is a site for all people, not just staunch liberals and women who want abortion to remain legal. "It used to be either you were pro-choice or anti-choice," she said. "Now we’ve shifted away from that. The conversation is going far beyond pro-choice and it's becoming much broader. It's about access to birth control, family planning, and preventative care." Basically, if you're pro-women, this site is for you.

One of the most interesting sections on the site is called "Who We're Watching". It lists the "chumps" (politicians and leaders who pose a threat to women's rights) and "champs" (those who are furthering women's rights and supporting our health and well-being). Right now the chumps list includes Iowa Congressman Steve King who said "Planned Parenthood is invested in promiscuity” (guess he doesn't know many women use PP for cervical cancer protection and breast exams), Mitt Romney, Republican wannabe president, for not supporting emergency contraceptives, and New York Republican Ann Marie Buerkle, the Tea Party member who voted to stop funding that provides women with lifesaving cancer screenings. You can check out more of the chumps and the champs here.

We're thrilled that Planned Parenthood launched WomenAreWatching.org and we hope it helps women—and men—make informed decisions when voting today (especially in Mississippi where access to birth control and the morning-after pill is under threat) and a year from now.

Read more: Planned Parenthood Women are Watching - Anti Women's Rights Politicians - Cosmopolitan 

Take This "Who Said That?" Quiz: Test Your Knowledge!

Match the following quotes with their respective speakers:

[choices below the quotes; answers below the choices]

 1. "With all due respect I would say the one who’s doing the most harm to our country is our current president."   ______

 2. "Everyone wants to be happy. It is the basis for the idea of human rights and human dignity." ______

 3. "So what I’m saying is it ultimately gets down to a choice that that family or that mother has to make. Not me as president, not some politician, not a bureaucrat. It gets down to that family. And whatever they decide, they decide." ______

 4. "Is it the Mitt Romney that was on the side of -- against the Second Amendment before he was for the Second Amendment? Was it -- was before -- he was before the social programs from the standpoint of -- he was for standing up for Roe v. Wade before he was against first -- Roe v. Wade? I mean we'll wait until tomorrow to see which Mitt Romney we're really talking to tonight." ______

 5. "Don't blame Wall Street, don't blame the big banks. If you don't have a job and you are not rich, blame yourself!" ______

 6. "I guess the question is whether you want the government telling you what kind of light bulb you can use.” ______

 7. "Everyone assumes America must play the leading role in crafting some settlement or compromise between the Israelis and the Palestinians. But Jefferson, Madison, and Washington explicitly warned against involving ourselves in foreign conflicts." ______

 8. "Women should be free to choose based on their own beliefs, not mine and not the government's." ______

 9. "We're running out of rich people in this country." ______

10. "The recently enacted so-called "health care reform" represents no real reform at all…. [I]t's an affront to our Constitution." ______

11. "I do view China as a potential military threat to the United States....They've indicated that they're trying to develop nuclear capability …. So yes, we have to consider them a military threat." ______

12. "The difference between Ann Marie Buerkle and a mama grizzly bear? A grizzly is 100% honest about her own self interests." ______

13. "Going to college offered me the chance to play football for four more years." ______

14. "Isn't that the ultimate homeland security, standing up and defending marriage?"  _______

15. "I baked them myself." ______

16. "History teaches that war begins when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap." ______

17. "Earlier this week, Pakistan was given full membership in the United National Educational, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)." ______

18. "All the waste in a year from a nuclear power plant can be stored under a desk."  _______

19. "When they ask me who is the president of Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan I'm going to say you know, I don't know. Do you know?" ______

20. “I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country.” ______

Choices:

1. Ann Marie Buerkle [4]
2. Ronald Reagan [3]
3. Ron Paul [1]
4. Herman Cain [4]
5. Auntie Buerkle [1]
6. Mitt Romney [2]
7. Blueskygirl [1]
8. Rick Santorum [1]
9. Michele Bachmann [1]
10. The Dalai Lama [1]
11. Rick Perry  [1]

All of the quotes can be found via Google, because the Internet doesn't forget.

Answers:           
    1.    =    a.

2.    =    j.

3 .   =    d.

4.   =     k.

5.    =    d.

6.    =    a.

7.    =    c.

8.    =    f.

9.    =    i.

10.   =    a. 

11.   =    d. 

12.   =    g.

13.   =    b.

14.   =    h.

15.   =    e.

16.   =    b.

17.   =    a. (media email News From Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle 11-6-11)

18.   =    b.    

19.   =    d.

20.   =    f.