Category Archives: Politics
What Is The Drug, Marijuana, Pill, & Booze Epidemic Doing To the U.S. Economy?
The U.S. Surgeon General, Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, released a final report for the Obama Administration on the state of the health in the United States last fall in which he summarized that alcohol and drug abuse were at an epidemic level and the worst health problem facing this country. I agree. In this report Murthy claims that heroin addiction alone is costing the United States billions of dollars annually in hospitalization, incarceration, and other associated costs.
If heroin alone is costing the United States billions of dollars per year, what is the annual cost of alcoholism, marijuana abuse, methamphetamine use, and pharmaceutical abuse, among other substance abuses? Here are the some of the statistics, which I gathered from a variety of drug abuse websites:
Drug abuse: $193 Billion
Alcohol abuse: $249 Billion
Tobacco use: $295 Billion
Add it all up and it totals at least $737 BILLION a year! We aren’t talking millions – we’re talking billions – and it adds up to a whopping 3/4 of a trillion dollars a year. These are people who are adding to the burden of a government system that is already almost $20 trillion in debt. This means that every 2 years, we add $1.5 trillion to the national debt as the direct result of the substance abusers in our society.
In order to resolve a problem first we must identify the problem. Otherwise we are simply dealing with the symptoms of the problem.
It’s All Over But The Shouting
Do you remember when the Tea Party marched on Washington, DC, burning cars and smashing windows? Neither do I. I remember the Tea Party getting together to rally and protest, but always in a lawful, peaceful manner.
Unlike Conservatives, the Left in the United States don’t always behave peacefully when they assemble. We’ve seen quite a bit of backlash against the election of Donald J. Trump, which has upset the Right. I see it differently. Every time I see a protest or hear a Democrat complaining about the new Administration I feel happy, because it means we have had a regime change.
There is a saying “It’s all over but the shouting.” I believe this is what we are going through right now in the U.S. – the shouting. The Democratic Party has been absolutely decimated, since they have lost the White House, Senate, Congress, the next Supreme Court picks, 2/3 of the Governors are Republican, and Democrats lost 1030 State seats. It was a routing of historical proportions and leaves the Democratic Party toothless and powerless. What can they do? Only complain and fuss – so we’re hearing lots of complaining and fussing. Just remember – it’s all over but the shouting – and this is the shouting.
Ivanka Trump
Why all the hatred and vitriol about Ivanka Trump? I just read an article about the hate coming from a gym owner in Washington, DC, because Ivanka worked out in one of their classes as an incognito guest. Horrors! The gym owner had a melt down and took to Twitter to exhibit her outrage that the dastardly Ivanka would dare to attend a class at her gym! Wow.
All I can think is that this gym owner is truly an idiot. Who would do that? She must not be much of a business person. Business people traditionally stay out of politics, but today’s Left believe businesses should be targeted for supporting anyone not of their choosing. That must be why they are flipping out and trying to exact their pound of flesh each time they are presented with an opportunity.
In fact, I remember Ivanka posting a little Tweet when her son turned 10 months old that said, “Happy 10 Month Birthday.” OMG, the response to that Tweet was preposterous. The Left went crazy and posted criticism after criticism of Ivanka for daring to propose that a 10 month celebration could have the audacity to be called a birthday! Why, how dare she? What is wrong with her? The Left were so vile and nasty it was really sad. It’s sad because Ivanka Trump has four kids and she loves them and is very loving toward them. What type of life does someone have that they have to be so sour and rotten that they get on a Tweet about a 10 month old baby’s birthday and tear up the mother?
By the way, I’m in recovery and when you go to meetings there is a little segment at the beginning in which the secretary of the meeting asks if there is anyone who has 30-60-90 days of sobriety. There is a “birthday” chip given out for 30, 60, 90 days, 6 months, 9 months, and one year. Then eighteen months, and finally the annual birthday chip. How dare they? We should write to all of the 12 Step programs in the country and make it crystal clear they are not to refer to a 30 day sobriety achievement as a birthday any longer!
When are the Left going to stop this? I know it is their only recourse, since they have been rendered politically toothless for the foreseeable future, but all of this gnashing of teeth (or gums) is futile. That means you are wasting your time and showing yourselves to be below contempt every single time you target a nice young woman, wife and mother who is in her 30s. She deserves all of our respect, especially for being bright, real, beautiful, kind, willing, supportive and a terrific mom.