It will come as no surprise that what the Republicans want to offer in place of Obamacare is a bad deal for older Americans. Please, go to the AARP web page for details. Contributions could go up between 20 and 25%! Bury senators and representatives in mail letting them know that we are mighty at the ballot box and that we will hold then responsable for sacrificing us. The time for sitting back while somebody else does the work is past. Friends, there is nobody else. We are the front line.
Author: overcoffee879
Today´s Spanish press reports that a Spanish national we insulted by a London bus driver who, hearing her speaking Spanish, suggested she go to the second level of the vehicle. Of course he is an ignorant, xenophobic ass, but not a racist since the Spaniard is as Caucasian as he is. He surely voted to leave the EU. Now, if her had called her a sudaca that would have been racist. Often, rather than thinking, terms like racist, fascist, capitalistic pig are thrown out to intimidate a bully or even people who just don´t agree with us.
Today, March 12, the president of Turkey, Mr. Erdogan, called the Dutch Nazis and fascists because the Netherlands refused to allow the Turkish foreign minster and the minister of housing to stage political events in Holland to convince the more than 400,000 Turks who live there to vote to extend the populist president greater political powers. Well, first of all, Turkish law forbids that diplomatic facilities abroad be used for political events and causes. Secondly, Holland like many countries does not want to be a stadium for foreign political rallies. If Mr. Erdogan is willing to ignore Turkish laws, maybe he should not exercise greater power. Of course that makes me a facist too in his eyes. It would appear that Mr. Erdogan like other national leaders of little repute sees things through the glasses of his own ambitions.
Things may be changing in Spain. In the last few days, Ciudadanos has discreetly been moving to form a temporary alliance with Podemos-IU and with the PSOE to force Mr. Rajoy´s minority government to initiate parliamentary consultations for constitutional reform. What Mr. Rivera defends are changes to begin to put limits on the omnipotence of powers of Spain´s political parties. The closed lists oblige voters to vote for one party or another. Here, there is no cross voting to elect the best candidate. The party leader is in total control in his/her regions. In secret candidates comfortable to the bosses are named. Often the candidate has never lived in the constituency he/she represents. Primaries are unknown. The average Spaniard has no idea who represents them in parliament. Mr. Rivera of Ciudadanos has almost no chance of dismantling the all-powerful parties of left or right. All the bosses are far too comfortable in their control of the keys to real power in their region. In popular speech they are referred to as the Barons. In English it would be the Bosses. Of course they all agree that the subject is worthy of talking about, in small committees behind closed doors, with eventual reporting back to parliament.
En Sevilla los hoteleros, los del gremio de la restauración typical Spanish y los dueños de las pequeñas tiendas de baraturas y cutrerías turísticas están montando su ataque en defensa de su derecho a vulgarizar y afear las calles y plazas de la Sevilla monumental. Hoy como ayer el ABC les dedica espacio a sus intereses. ¿Cómo pueden McDonald´s, Burger King, Starbucks y muchos otros que no ofrecen servicio de mesa insistir que la eliminación de sus mesas en la calle perjudicaría a muchos camareros?
Los hoteleros preguntan ¿qué ciudades de Europa monumental no los tiene? Señores, como ustedes saben perfectamente, no la hay pero la cuestión es ¿qué ciudades monumentales de Europa los tiene hasta la misma saturación como Sevilla? La foto hoy en el ABC de La Campana es panorámica. No da la sensación de saturación que el transeúnte descubre al pisarla. ¿Qué defensa legítima hacen ustedes de la C. Mateos Gago donde los bares, los eaterías y los bazares de cutrerías turísticas no dejan ni para pasear. Hay que el ejemplo de Venecia, Florencia y las ciudades 100% turísitcas de la costa croata donde sí han sabido defender lo monumental de los intereses de sus compañeros de gremio. Su táctica es evidente. Quieren que veamos la protección de la Sevilla monumental como un ataque contra sus legítimos intereses. No quieren ni oír hablar de como vulgarizan mercantilmente la herencia de siglos. ¿Se imaginan ustedes que alguien venga a Sevilla para admirar la C. Mateos Gago que nos han dejado ustedes? ¿Así se identifican como defensores de los verdaderos intereses de la Sevilla eterna?
overcoffee 