Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Public Has Serious Doubts About Trump Regarding The Epstein Matter
The charts above are from the Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between September 5th and 8th of a nationwide sample of 1,644 adults, with a 3.5 point margin of error.
Trump Thinks Free Speech Is For The Right - Others Must Be Punished For It
Right-wingers have been whining about censorship since Trump began his lies in his first campaign. They didn't like him being called out on his untruths. They claimed he was covered by the free speech provision of the Constitution's First Amendment. They were right. The hateful and untrue things Trump said were protected speech.
But it seems that their belief in free speech is limited only to those they agree with - those expounding right-wing ideas.
Since Charlie Kirk's death, they have been trying to make him a martyr. And they are very upset that many on the left (and in the center) have been pointing out that Kirk was not really a good person. He supported racist, homophobic, and misogynistics views - and even said that the deaths of innocent citizens was OK to protect the right to own a gun.
Trump, AG Bondi, and many others on the right now want to punish those who disparage the memory of Kirk (even though much of it is just using Kirk's own words). They call it hate speech. AG Bondi said anyone using hate speech (saying bad things about Kirk) would be "gone after" by the law.
"Hate speech" and offensive speech are protected by the Constitution. That's been decided by the Supreme Court. Even real hate groups (like the KKK) get to say whatever they want as long as they don't specifically instruct someone to commit a crime. And you don't get to ban or censor speech just because it offends you.
I am personally offended by many things right-wingers (including Trump and his cabinet) routinely say. But as wrong as their statements might be, and as offensive as I find it, I know it is protected speech.
Free speech is essential to the survival of a democracy like ours. If you ban or censor speech that you don't like, you put a knife in the heart of democracy. You don't have to like the speech of others, and you have the right to vigorously oppose it - but you don't have the right to censor or punish it.
Censoring or punishing speech (no matter how offensive) is a giant step toward an authoritarian state. But sadly, it seems that is what the MAGA right wants.
Tuesday, September 16, 2025
Hospitals / Clinics Are Continuing To Close In Rural Areas
The following is from Axios.com:
A string of recent rural health clinic closures is threatening to further reduce access to care in outlying areas as health systems brace for cuts in the in the Republican budget law and grapple with inflation and workforce issues.
The big picture: Rural health cutbacks already are a fact of life. But some of the latest closures are in anticipation of the nearly $1 trillion reduction in federal Medicaid spending that will in large part hit starting in 2027.
State of play: Three health clinics in rural Virginia will be consolidated and patient care moved to other facilities, Augusta Medical Group announced last week.
- The change is "part of Augusta Health's ongoing response to the One Big Beautiful Bill Actand the resulting realities for healthcare delivery," the provider said.
- Curtis Medical Center in Nebraska, the first health provider to cite Medicaid changes as a reason for closing, will shut its doors on Sept. 30, per the Washington Post.
- At least three rural health centers in Maine have announced plans to close this month, Portland's WMTW reported.
- Mayo Clinic last week said it's closing six clinics in southern Minnesota, including in rural towns, and reducing services at a hospital in the area, although a spokesperson told Axios the transition isn't tied to the new law.
Zoom out: Nearly 200 rural hospitals have closed or ended inpatient services over the past two decades, far outpacing expansions or facility openings.
- Almost half of rural hospitals operated at a loss in 2023, according to the American Hospital Association.
- "Rural hospital financing has not worked well for a long time," said Carrie Cochran-McClain, chief policy officer for the National Rural Health Association.
The tax and spending package Congress passed in July is widely expected to add to the financial difficulties in rural areas, where patients are often poorer and older and where there are fewer private coverage options.
- Federal Medicaid spending in rural areas could decrease by $137 billion over the next decade, KFF estimates.
- The law established a $50 billion rural health transformation fund to be doled out to states over five years, in part to assuage Republican lawmakers' concerns about how Medicaid cuts would hit providers.
- The size of the fund has been panned as inadequate. That, and ambiguity over how funds would be distributed, is raising concerns about whether funds will reach the hospitals that need it most.
Poll Reveals U.S. Parents View Of Vaccines
The charts above are from the Washington Post / Kaiser Family Foundation Poll -- done between July 18th and August 4th of a nationwide sample of 2,716 parents and guardians, with q 2 point margin of error.
Both Politicians And Citizens Must Do More To Curb The Violence
I have to agree with Mr. Basu. The trend for political violence in the United States will get worse before it gets better.
And the politicians in Washington believe that, also. Many legislators from both parties are cancelling or limiting their public appearances. I don't blame them. Except for the party leaders, they don't have government provided security when they leave the Capitol. They are currently discussing how they might remedy that.
The danger is especially dire for Democrats. Right-wingers are furious about the killing of Charlie Kirk, and social media is full of calls for retribution (and even civil war). And the most powerful politician in the country, Donald Trump, is using his bully pulpit to demonize them. He says all Democrats are dangerous radical leftist that must be dealt with.
The Republicans are also in danger, but they are responsible for creating that danger to themselves by giving tax cuts to billionaires while taking food from the poor and kicking millions off Medicaid (and raising Obamacare premiums). They have also joined Trump in demonizing Blacks, immigrants, members of the LGBTQ community, and anyone who doesn't profess fealty to Trump.
Adding to the danger for both sides is the ridiculous proliferation of guns in this country - and the ease with which anyone can get one (regardless of how dangerous they might be).
Politics should not make us enemies. We are all Americans who want the best for our country and its citizens. And age, gender, sex, sexual orientation, color, or religion does not make us different. In a free country with free speech, we should be able to express and fight for our views without demonizing or hurting those who disagree with us.
Our politicians should lead in the effort to curb political violence. They should clearly state their opinions, debate them, and then compromise for the good of the country. They used to be able to do this and they must get back to it.
We should do better - and we must. Our democracy depends on it.
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