Why Intolerance and Extremism Happen

Award winning author Teri Kanefield published a labor of love with her essay on Why Intolerance and Extremism Happen. Teri has taught English at the college level, successfully practiced as an appellate lawyer, and written several books on historical figures notable to our current political times, including Supreme Court associate justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Thurgood Marshall, Abraham Lincoln, Susan B Anthony and many more.

After writing books and blogging about history, law, and notable Americans for more than a decade, the word that comes to my mind to describe Teri's book is sunesis. Understanding. Long ago, bible teachers explained it to me as rivers of understanding coming together. Or connecting the dots.

Please do not pass up this glorious opportunity to connect the dots and magnify your understanding of how we came to this important time. These ARE the days that try Americans' souls.

I am THANKFUL to be alive in this moment in America. Thankful for clear minded writers like Teri Kanefield, historian Heather Cox Richardson (author of Democracy Awakening), former US Attorney Joyce Vance (author of Giving Up is Unforgivable), Ruth Ben Ghiat (author of Strongmen: Mussolini to present), Glenn Kirschner and many more.

My grandchildren WILL be able to look to the advocacy of those of us who have Risen UP! Because Trump will face an ignominious fall and will be marked in history as the BIGGEST loser.

Also, please consider joining those of us who, even if initially down in the mouth about the 2024 election results, have rallied to DEFY Felon 47 at DEFIANCE.org and NoKings.org

The bottom line is Trump and MAGA are fracturing. WE are rising.

Affordable Care Act premiums; outrageous increases; do they pay for medical care or predatory capitalism?

For the last several weeks, I've been receiving (literally) dozens of spam calls EVERY day. Because I kept my Arizona phone number when I moved, the calls are almost exclusively from Arizona phone numbers. Further, they are EXCLUSIVELY from what sounds like the same female voice with a minimal amount of background (phone boiler room) noise. On the occasions the AI dialer leaves a voicemail message, it says it's trying to ask me if I have Medicare Parts A and B. Naturally, if they had actually LISTENED to my outgoing message, they would know I have no intention of listening to them.

My outgoing VM message indicates I will not be taking (answering) calls from Arizona until after the Medicare enrollment period passes. By the way, if I recognize the caller's phone number, or if they leave a VM, I listen and respond as I deem appropriate.

I have made some KEY inferences. Most notably, these AI spam calls ostensibly want to help me get appropriate Medicare coverage. Medicare advantage plans get paid out of government funds on a capitation basis, which varies by state. Therefore, whether or not these predatory capitalist enterprises make money (or NOT) is ultimately a simple calculation. Simple but IMO outrageous. Capitation (per capita revenue) minus what they are forced to pay for care (tests and provider visits, medications, etc.) actually provided = profit.

WHY else would they be phoning me DOZENS of times EVERY day?

As an aside, because of the government shutdown, actual (not quite Medicare age) families have reported on the outrageous increases in premiums of which they have already been notified. Of course, ACA premiums are not the same as Medicare advantage plans. But my experience as a Certified Government Financial Manager does lend insight on parallels.