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Showing posts from July, 2018

Opioid Epidemic - Easy (partial solution)

Just make OxyContin,Vicodin, and other similar, addictive drugs illegal, under prescribed in a hospital for use onsite. Everyone else will just have to use other pain medications.  Done and Done. OxyContin is a drug, just as addictive as any illegal drug out there. The pharmaceutical companies are just drug dealers (worse than street dealers). They have no interest in helping people and just want more money. However, because they are legal organizations, they have the legal right to give unlimited campaign contributions. This is exactly the same as a drug dealer giving the mayor a bag of cash. And we wonder why nothing is being done. People can get addicted to these drugs by accident. Get some dentistry work done and the doctor gives you percocet for the pain (this happened to me). I didn't even need it, but the doctor just gave it to me anyway. Some people can get addicted from just this type of prescription. It won't stop the entire problem, but it will help. Just make th

Liquor is Quicker

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As my children grow older, I have started to become more aware of what they see on TV, especially the commercials on non-kids channels. Recently, I've noticed an overwhelming amount number of commercials for hard liquor (whiskey, vodka, rum). Some of the commercials are trying to be sophisticated, but most of them simply want to associate their product with fun, winning, adventure, being a free-spirit, and not following the rules.  "Excessive alcohol use led to approximately 88,000 deaths and 2.5 million years of potential life lost (YPLL) each year in the United States from 2006 – 2010, shortening the lives of those who died by an average of 30 years. 1,2  Further, excessive drinking was responsible for 1 in 10 deaths among working-age adults aged 20-64 years. The economic costs of excessive alcohol consumption in 2010 were estimated at $249 billion, or $2.05 a drink. " - Center for Disease Control. That's right, alcohol is a plague on our society. What is rea

Separating Trump from his policies

Most people will do whatever it possible to avoid admitting that they were wrong. They will come up with excuses and justifications, for as long as possible, to try and validate their original choice. People are stubborn. I believe that one of the major problems the Democrats currently have is that they don't realize how strong a factor this is.  They can point out all the faults of Trump, but it just doesn't matter to Trump supporters, as long as they have something to hang onto. In this case, that "something" are this campaign policies (protect the boarder, increase tarries, reduce safety net programs, make america great again (whatever that means). There is absolutely nothing Democrats can do to prove that these policies are categorical wrong.  The Democrats need to change the context of the entire conversation, but it will come with risk. If they validate those policies (saying that they are reasonable, but we don't agree), they have a chance to separate Trum

Toys R Us and a time lost forever

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There are a few sounds from my youth that still bring joy to my heart. Tops of the list is the Ice Cream Truck song, which just activates happiness in my brain (more in this below*). Slightly behind that sound, is the Toys R Us jingle. There is just something so pure about the idea of not growing up, so that you could play with toys forever, that resonates perfectly both in my childhood and as an adult. All over the country, Toys R Us stores are scheduled to close down forever. The one closest to me, just shut its doors for the last time. Although I'm not very emotional, I felt a genuine sadness when I realized it was the end. Toys R Us might have been the single locations that brought me the most joy, without ever causing sadness. The expression on my face of picking out GI Joe's when I was little, is the exact same when I took Destiny there just a few weeks ago. It is a childhood Mecca and now it will be replaced by Amazon, Walmart, and boutique toy stores. Toys R Us was more