Monday Madness
Posted by Michelle Moquin on March 12th, 2012
Good morning!
Kansas Abortion Bill Could Raise Taxes On Women Seeking Procedure (UPDATE)
The sweeping anti-abortion bill working its way through the Kansas Legislature would levy a sales tax on women seeking abortions, including rape victims.
Buried in the 69-page bill being considered by the House Federal and State Affairs Committee are several provisions, in fact, that opponents say would increase taxes on those who seek abortions. The tax sections do not include exemptions for women who want an abortion after a sexual assault or to end a life-threatening pregnancy.
The committee is likely to continue discussing the bill Thursday afternoon.
Under the proposal, women who end up receiving abortions would not be able to deduct the cost of the abortion as a health care expense if they had not purchased special abortion insurance, said Sarah Gillooly of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri.
Last year, Kansas enacted a law removing abortion coverage from health insurance plans in general. Women can purchase a special rider to cover the procedure in advance of a pregnancy.
The bill would also levy a sales tax on abortion procedures, including those performed for rape victims, according to both Gillooly and Rep. Sean Gatewood (D-Topeka), the bill’s leading opponent. The Kansas Department of Revenue’s website says the state has a 6.3-percent sales tax.
Rep. Lance Kinzer (R-Olathe), the sponsor of the bill, did not return a call for comment. A Kinzer staffer said he rarely speaks to the press.
Among other provisions in the proposed legislation are measures allowing doctors to withhold from patients medical information that might encourage them to seek an abortion and prohibiting malpractice suits if the woman or the child suffers a health complication as a result of information being withheld. A wrongful death lawsuit could be filed if the mother dies. The bill also would require doctors to tell women that abortion causes breast cancer and would prohibit state employees from performing abortions on the job.
Language in the bill that could jeopardize the accreditation of the OB-GYN residency program at the University of Kansas Medical Center is unlikely to be amended during the committee’s hearing Thursday.
Gillooly predicted the bill would create multiple enforcement issues for the Revenue Department. She said that the abortion deduction ban would allow state auditors to demand individuals’ medical records in order to check that deductions were not being claimed for abortion procedures, which she said would violate medical privacy laws.
In addition, Gillooly suggested that the state could end up levying a sales tax on birth control as well under the provision. “How does Walgreens tax abortion medication and not birth control?” she asked rhetorically.
Opponents have asked that the bill be considered by the House Taxation Committeeas well, because the federal affairs panel does not have tax expertise. But Rep. Gatewood, who serves on both committees, said it’s unlikely that will happen. The Federal and State Affairs Committee deals with a host of issues including abortion, bingo licenses, immigration, land surveying, strip clubs and alcohol.
Rep. Steve Brunk (R-Wichita), chairman of the federal affairs panel, did not return a call for comment.
Gatewood said that if he and others in the House can’t stop the bill, they hope the state Senate, which is controlled by a more moderate Republican faction, can stop it. Gov. Sam Brownback (R) has told HuffPost that he will sign the bill.
“Basic life-saving stuff, they can’t use their insurance on. It is not birth control. It is a matter of life and death,” Gatewood said. “I don’t know what these people are thinking or if they’re thinking.”
Update: 3:19 p.m. — The Federal and State Affairs Committee of the Kansas House has postponed discussion of the abortion bill until Monday.
Rep. Gatewood said that Chairman Brunk announced at the start of Thursday afternoon’s committee meeting that the delay will allow legislators more time to review the University of Kansas Medical Center accreditation issue and to draft possible amendments on the issue. Gatewood said that the committee meeting instead will focus primarily on alcohol-related bills, including one to legalize wine tastings in the state.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story stated incorrectly that the tax sections of the anti-abortion bill would cover a procedure to remove the remains of a fetus following a miscarriage. In fact, such a procedure is not defined as an abortion for purposes of the Kansas tax code.
RELATED ON HUFFPOST:
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I’ve got a very early Monday morning so I am going to be brief. Thoughts on this or anything else that is on your mind? The forum is open. Blog me.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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March 12th, 2012 at 8:25 am
How could anyone think that I would throw Al out in his time of need is nuts. We are long time friends.
Pardon me for speaking for him but I have Al’s approval to do so.
Al is in a wheelchair and I run to fetch him a glass of water or to move him in and out of bed and if he drops something on the floor.
I give him 24 hour attention — Day or Night.
Whomever thinks otherwise is WRONG.
Al will verify this later when he comments.
HOWIE
March 12th, 2012 at 8:31 am
I’m running though I wanted to share this link…women of MM blog, if you’re angry, here’s a things to do list : ) – ZL
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-hannah-grufferman/women-and-politics_b_1337447.html?ref=daily-brief?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=031212&utm_medium=email&utm_content=BlogEntry&utm_term=Daily%20Brief
March 12th, 2012 at 2:27 pm
Michelle: I am incapacitated and hope to walk again one day. Your bloggers seem to think that I have some special treatment because I am white.
They could not be more wrong. My income plus Howies would still put us far below the poverty level for one person. I am hungry but we don’t have food, as usual.
Anyway, Howie, who is my best friend would never throw me out of here. We are as brothers. I can only sit here and heal, I can not walk at all and have no inclination to argue with those who think being born white is a automatic ticket to paradise.
Al
March 12th, 2012 at 7:17 pm
Howie, your reputation is safe. We know your heart.
March 12th, 2012 at 7:25 pm
Yum! More Veggies, Please
They’ve been called every name in the book, although “rabbit food” says it all—not fit for human consumption.
Sadly, vegetables aren’t disliked just by kids. When choosing a side dish at a restaurant, most of my adult friends take French fries, which are potatoes, but barely.
Despite the fact that you must eat vegetables to be healthy, three-quarters of Americans eat fewer than three servings a day.
That’s why a new study from University College London caught my eye. It showed that people would gladly eat more vegetables—even ones they thought they didn’t like—if they were offered a reward for doing so!
Okay, so the “people” in that study were about four years old and their rewards were stickers. But in all seriousness, the study got me thinking—if a little prize could get kids to eat their peas (or whatever), could adults somehow be “bribed” into eating more vegetables?
And could we bribe ourselves into doing it? To explore this question, I put in a call to Bethany Thayer, MS, RD, director of wellness programs and strategies at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit and a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She has helped people who won’t even eat potatoes, let alone peas or broccoli.
TRICK YOURSELF
Thayer immediately agreed with my theory that adults who want to improve their diets can use a bit of psychology on themselves.
There are a number of reasons that adults choose to not eat veggies. For example, some complain that it’s too much of a hassle to buy them and then go to the trouble of prepping and cooking them—all before they go bad.
Others simply don’t like the way that they taste. But Thayer has tips that help make vegetables both easier to eat and more appetizing.
Ask for compliments. Tell your friends that you’re going to eat more vegetables so they’ll hold you accountable. Request that they say something nice when they see you follow through.
It may sound silly, but in a world where sincere compliments are few and far between, hearing something as simple as “Good job with that squash!” can make you smile and stick with your goal.
Sneak them into meals. You can add veggies to certain foods that you love while you’re cooking. For example, Thayer uses canned pumpkin in place of butter or oil in her muffins.
Or you could use spaghetti squash instead of noodles in a pasta dish…add grape tomato halves to scrambled eggs…or throw mashed peas into guacamole. (Trust me on that one—it’s good!)
Make them easily accessible. Where veggies are in your fridge and how ready-to-eat they are may play a role in whether or not you reach for them.
Let’s face it, at the end of a long day, opening a bag of chips that stares right at you when you open the pantry takes a lot less effort than washing and slicing peppers that are hidden in the bottom drawer of the fridge.
So, when you have some time, cut up enough fresh vegetables for several days’ worth of cooking and snacking, and then keep them in attractive, clear glass containers with snug-fitting lids at eye level in the fridge.
Unless you are a die-hard veg-hater, those already-cut, deep red spears of crisp, tangy-sweet sliced bell pepper are going to call your name when you open that door.
Use low-fat dips, spreads and melts. If you don’t like the way most veggies taste, then don’t hem and haw about it—just cover up their taste.
Veggies such as cauliflower, green beans, carrots and celery taste great with low- or nonfat ranch dip, salsa, or even a little bit of peanut butter.
Try hummus as a vegetable dip, too—lots of people who “don’t like vegetables” do like hummus even though the main ingredient is chickpeas. Or melt a small sprinkle of cheddar over broccoli.
Don’t be a fresh/frozen snob. One big obstacle to eating produce is that, as we all know, it goes bad quickly—and you’d be surprised, Thayer told me, at how many people use this as an excuse to not buy vegetables at all!
Don’t let yourself fall into this trap. Instead, march over to the frozen food aisle and stock up on frozen vegetables in bags—you never have to wash them or cut them…you can use as little as you want at a time…and they last for months in the freezer.
And you might be shocked at how good some of today’s frozen vegetables taste—they are not the compressed blocks of icy, vaguely stale vegetables you remember from your youth.
Tack on toppings. If you can’t bring yourself to eat salads or vegetables on their own, add toppings—e.g., lettuce, onion, tomato or cucumber—to every burger and sandwich.
Cook them in a new way. The temperature or texture of the vegetable could be what’s turning you off. For example, if you can’t stand Brussels sprouts, try roasting them in the oven so they become sweet and caramelized. Or pureé vegetables such as asparagus, cabbage, peas or cauliflower into smooth, creamy hot soups.
Set up your own rewards system. A Dora the Explorer sticker obviously isn’t going to motivate you, but figure out what would.
Maybe it’s a new outfit or a night at the movies. Set a goal—such as eating a veggie with every meal most days of the week for one month—and if you succeed, reward yourself.
You can ask other family members to join you in eating more vegetables and make the reward even greater (such as tickets to a live show or sporting event).
We all have different excuses when it comes to avoiding vegetables, but these tricks may help you eliminate most (if not all) of them—and your body will thank you for it.
Source: Bethany Thayer, MS, RD, director, wellness programs and strategies, Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit.
Thayer is a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, http://www.EatRight.org).
March 12th, 2012 at 7:34 pm
Michelle, I just love the power of your blog. Everywhere I go women are talking about what is on your blog about women. Isn’t it amazing what the power of a good woman’s blog can do? Keep it up, Rush is till spouting hate filled attacks on women.
March 12th, 2012 at 7:39 pm
What I don’t get is why anyone who isn’t a rich white man would even consider voting for any of the republican presidential candidates (or any other repub for that matter)
March 12th, 2012 at 7:39 pm
Beautiful oratory Zen Lill.
March 12th, 2012 at 7:47 pm
Historically the Republican party has been exclusionary in its social sensibility (or lack of).
Aside from attempting to garner ethnic and racial minorities votes, it’s capacity to authentically include these groups amounted to (and still does) has been limited to nothing more than tokenism.
Herman Cain’s brief appearence on the Republican political stage is a good example. None of these candidates has gone out of their way to develop real friendships with persons from the groups they court.
You can be guaranteed that any semblance of friendship, comes out of accommodation.
March 12th, 2012 at 7:49 pm
I was born in California in the early 1960′s. I can tell you for a fact that it is not due to any influx of minorities that the state has gone downhill. Rather, it is the evolution of a culture that cares more for the individual good than the common good.
Starting from the disastrous prop 13 that sucked the funding right out of the educational system, California has been sinking into a pit dug by greed and opportunism.
Minorities have very little to do with that. But that will never stop the underhanded agenda of those who point to multiculturalism as the problem.
March 12th, 2012 at 7:53 pm
There is nothing wrong with a White person wanting a homeland and wanting to protect their interests, anymore than someone Jewish wanting to do the same.
The problem is that there were clowns in the past that claimed to be “pro-White”, but who were really just attention seekers.
Nothing wrong with Whites pursuing their interests. Even if that interest is to keep the niggers, slopes, kikes, wet backs and muds from marrying into and deluding white blood.
Robert, keep your black hands and mind off Michelle. And Zen Lill please don’t go there.
George, WN
March 12th, 2012 at 8:00 pm
Michelle, I dreamed you were a rival to Hera herself in Olympus. If you ever come to Greece, please announce the Island that you will visit.
If I were Zeus, all my power would go to wooing you. I will not annoy you with pleas of love. I post this because of the strong impression my dream made.
Stavros
March 12th, 2012 at 8:02 pm
White nationalism is no different then say the black caucuses of the state and congressional levels. Both are aimed at improving their own lot at the expense of others.
Granted, white nationalism often embraces the idea of neo-nazism and sometimes violence but for the most part they are collectivists just like so many other groups religious included.
I dont condone this type of mentality but i also dont really care either. Neither should any rational person. There is many scourges that should go away, me being white, i suppose i should feel that way about the Black Panthers, but i dont.
Just because someone doesnt like you doesnt mean you have to muzzle them. Its CPAC’s right to allow whom to speak as they see fit. The R-party will pay dearly for embracing these theories if not careful.
That is why i strongly would urge the Republicans to take on a Libertarian bend, as that is what more and more people will drift to as time goes on.
March 12th, 2012 at 8:07 pm
Robert, RT, I feel you man. Being white I can tell you this. It’s disgusting what I have seen OTWs have to put up with. This claim that you have a chip on your shoulder when you cite the pain of being Other Than White in America is just another slick way of accusing you of playing the race card.
This is the very fractionalizing diversity that is tearing our nation apart. We have got to stop doing this to each other.
The color haters can go find their own little corner of the world and wait for God. The rest of us can find away to rebuild the common America for all of us to live in and work in-with one language, regardless of the different languages we speak.
Harry
March 12th, 2012 at 8:09 pm
The GOP/TP has never hidden their prejudices. They are anti-religion unless it is their religion. They are white and consider non-whites a lower class.
They are generally misogynistic and expect women to rely on the man for advice and rules.The GOP it seems, has always accepted any group that marginalizes minorities, the poor, women and non-Christians.
March 12th, 2012 at 8:11 pm
White nationalist have always practiced forms of white flight suburbs and onclaves. They still have to abide by American laws and the Constitution.
They will never break off into another country, they will never cause a civil war or a race war as they often have fantasies about. They will meerly wither, generation by generation, as it has been happening for decades.
They will regionalize themselves, attempt to continue to indoctrinate their hate and fear upon their internet savy children.
Their children inevitably will join the rest of the adults and usher in the age of assimilation, tolerance and acceptance and “refudiate” the racist Tea Party white nationalism.
March 12th, 2012 at 8:29 pm
When the family get togethers got around to politics when McCain was running for president, I you could hear was how honorable McCain was.
If I made any comment that suggested otherwise I was shouted down and practically driven from the gathering. McCain always put his country first claimed my nearly every family member I had who could vote.
So when a group of them sat down to watch a taped edition of “Game Change” I was not included because they concluded I would be a disrupting influence on critique of the film.
I smile because I know that many of them will now have to agree with me and Matthew Dowd, when he said in the fall of 2008 shortly after McCain picked Palin to be his running mate.
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“[McCain] knows in his gut that he put somebody unqualified on the ballot. He knows that in his gut, and when this race is over that is something he will have to live with … He put somebody unqualified on that ballot and he put the country at risk; he knows that.” —
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But for most of my family they will never admit that Palin was and is both psychologically, and morally unfit to be elected leader of any group of people.
Amanda
March 12th, 2012 at 8:31 pm
Michelle: You might remember that I have some experience working with the homeless at shelters and food banks. Here in Miami Big Pharma has ads for guinea pigs (test subjects) inside every single public bus. Big Pharma, they certainly prey on those less fortunate.
They pay in cash, which is the big draw for those desperate for money.
Whenever a new test study is advertised it is big news among the homeless. Many are hoping that they will qualify and they head down there in droves to apply.
I have spoken with several homeless people (Miami has many due to it’s year round, relatively warm weather) and many of these poor souls don’t consider the possible long term health consequences.
How American citizens can end up sleeping on the cold sidewalk in the country where they were born, in the winter years of their lives, is a disgrace to this nation.
In Miami alone there are 1,347 on an average night who shelters have no room for. Many are families.
There are close to 8,000 homeless in this one county. By race the estimates are 55% African American, 27% White, 14% Hispanic, and 4% others. By family status, 73% are single and 27% are families.
Over 40,000 human guinea pigs participate in drug testing experiments run by huge pharmaceutical companies in the United States annually. Most of these people are poor and “down-and-outers,” who need the money drug testing provides.
Big Pharma is one reason health care costs are so high.
Big Pharma is another corporation that should be occupied and regulated heavily, they also should be forbidden from advertising on T.V.
I would keep a close eye on what shenanigans they try to get away with.
They are so, so……. I don’t friggin’ know, so much like every other corporation operating in the U.S.
Al
March 12th, 2012 at 8:47 pm
Amanda, I have had a bit of your experience from my Ohio relatives. I found the film very enlightening but there were some glaring inaccuracies.
One huge one was the claim that Palin was a pick from searching the internet. Nothing is farther from the truth Palin campaigned for the spot more than six months before she was picked.
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Of even greater significance is the film’s assertion that Palin was somehow snatched out of nowhere for her selection.
When we see McCain’s controversial uber-lobbyist adviser Rick Davis searching the internet to find Palin in the week leading up to the election, we are being led down a very duplicitous path.
I chronicle in detail in my book(Award-winning writer and filmmaker Geoffrey Dunn’s best-selling The Lies of Sarah Palin: The Untold Story Behind Her Relentless Quest for Power was published by Macmllan/St. Martin’s in May of 2011 and will be published in paperback this May.) how Palin herself surreptitiously advanced her candidacy;
how right-wing media hacks from Bill Kristol to Rush Limbaugh were pushing Palin as the VP candidate months before her selection.
Davis and McCain had met Palin a half-year earlier at a meeting of the National Governors Association in Washington, D.C., right around the time McCain had secured the nomination.
The Associated Press reported after that meeting that Palin was one of several governors under consideration to serve as McCain’s running mate.
That was a full six months before Palin’s selection. In July, she was reported on McCain’s “short list.” The failure to vet Palin properly rests squarely on Davis’ shoulders.
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So don’t fill too bad Amanda, rather than keying in on the dimwitted cynicism that led to choosing Palin in the first place, and McCain & Co’s utter failure to recognize her shallowness during five days of interviewing and vetting,
the movie attempts to portray Palin is an unbalanced, not-too-bright, political neophyte who was singularly responsible for McCain’s loss, despite the heroic efforts of brilliant campaign management to turn her into a qualified candidate.
When she was recruited by the McCain campaign, Palin was what she was and what she appeared to be: Not ready for prime time.
Unfortunately, McCain & Co. were not and are not what they would have us believe they are. They were not highly-skilled political pros.
Instead, they were reckless, incompetent, and smug. Thank goodness Obama won in 2008 and that McCain & Co. were relegated to the bench.
March 12th, 2012 at 8:48 pm
Al, I hope you recover soon. You are a wonderful person.
March 12th, 2012 at 9:00 pm
Al, I wish you well. I’m sure you are in good hands.
March 12th, 2012 at 9:20 pm
As a non-American, what I find most disconcerting in the “Game Change” story is that McCain himself seems to be considered a “qualified” candidate.
His irresponsibility in selecting Palin is passed over as insignificant to the welfare of the American people; this from a man who claimed he was for “country first.”
His volatility was hardly demonstrated. His political positions based on grudges more than analysis, wasn’t touched. His disposition for war wasn’t demonstrated, not to mention his incompetence in financial and economic matters.
He would have been the same type of straw man president that Palin would have been. The difference between them is, one of his being an ignorant self promoting male and she being guilty of the same offense while being a female.
Hence her offense was more grievous. Robert, RT, Europe would welcome your analysis of the America’s white boy and its co-opted media.
If your taste runs to blonds, you will also find that the natural blonds of Europe come with a working analytical mind. And we have a unique appreciation of the find black athletic intellectual hunk.
If that description intrigues you, we met at the Atlanta International Bankers Investment Conference. We were both featured speakers, but I spoke to the body and you got the cherished private venue.
Oh, and I never got that call you promised me and here I thought I made a lasting impression with my speech at the forum and my entrance in the gym when you were allowing the ladies to admire your exquisite body.
And yes, I noticed you without a top and those cleverly loose shorts that left no mystery as to mother nature’s contribution to your reproductive skills.
Why continue to look for intellectual satisfaction among the slim offerings of the american female pool when the Alps offer a rich assortment of beauty and acumen?
Ana
March 12th, 2012 at 9:24 pm
That was one sick bill that passed. It says that the white boy is never going to stop punishing women for being females.
One can deny the connection all they want, but all these bills are being passed by white sick boys.
Bie
March 13th, 2012 at 5:59 am
I am going to take RobertRt’s numerous references to ‘white boy’ as the McCain’s & George’s of the US, I have no further issue with it’s usage. I’m seeing that the first parts of my sentences are read and then deletion/generalization/distortion kicks in, those are all very human things to do esp after you throw in your own world view/perspective. This has been very helpful…I worded my sentences to test that theory, been researching that phenomena also, it happens in conversations a lot bc there isn’t the written words to back it up : ) I hear his arguments and agree, I said that already. Women/OTW’s = same same, so why would I disagree?
Thank you, Rhonda.
March 13th, 2012 at 7:21 am
Linda: Thank you so much for your kind words, And for your hopes for a speedy recovery. I was not going to mention my injuries to the blog.
But I did, Miami has some of the worlds rudest and reckless drivers. See ya Sweetie. P.S. If I
Doug: You are still the MAIN DUDE as far as I am concerned, thanks for your concern. I am busted up pretty bad, Howie is a big help. But, I do as much for myself as I can. Which was nothing the first few days, but I do not bother him for every little thing.
I hope you are OK, I was surprised to hear about that one. But if you and Michelle are both happy with the way things are now, that is all that really matters.
Zen Lill: I will get back with you later. Thank you, as well.
And Michelle: As always thanks for all you do.
Everyone else: have a good one on me.
Al