Slice of Life Post for March 11 (10:20-10:51) by Barb Edler

Today I will vote for a new southeast Iowa representative. Nannette Griffin is a democratic female who is running as a State Representative in a special election. State Representative Martin Graber recently passed of a heart attack hence the special election. Nannette does not believe in the voucher system. Our voucher system in Iowa requires no oversight. It is absolutely ridiculous to take public funds for private education, especially when the school can be for athletes only, give teachers a car to work there, and not have to show their data on their graduation rates, test scores, and well, you get the drift.

I then read Heather Cox Richardson’s article about how Trump has been recently interviewed by reporters about the recession. His response, “I hate to predict things like that. There is a period of transition because what we’re doing is very big.” Our economy was strong, but while Trump is promising we will be richer than ever before, the stock market is plunging, and Musk wants Medicare and Social Security benefits cut. I also took note that the gas prices in our town are skyrocketing.

Shortly after reading the preceding article, I received the following message from Planned Parenthood:

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa Dear Barbara, Congress is advancing a budget that could result in the largest cut to Medicaid in history. For generations, federal Medicaid dollars have supported our most vulnerable populations—those with disabilities, older adults, pregnant women, children, and families. The proposed budget could strip over 650,000 Iowans and over 22% of Planned Parenthood’s Iowa patients of access to comprehensive health care, including sexual and reproductive health care. There’s still time to stop this attack: Congress will need to vote on this again. CALL YOUR U.S. REP In 2024 alone, Medicaid helped Iowa patients access over 5,000 contraception prescriptions at Planned Parenthood! Without access to Medicaid, many patients in our community would have nowhere to turn for the essential, preventive reproductive health care they depend on from Planned Parenthood, like birth control, cancer screenings, and STI testing and treatment. Congress can protect access to this care, but they won’t unless they hear a LOUD demand from all of us. We need you to contact your member of Congress now and often. CALL YOUR U.S. REP We have to show tremendous power and energy to protect Medicaid and patient access to Planned Parenthood. Please bookmark this page as a reminder to call your representative every day. Calling is one of the most effective methods of reaching out to Congress and it only takes couple minutes to do.  Cuts to Medicaid and access to Planned Parenthood’s care would be devastating. Thank you for your commitment to this ongoing fight. With determination,

Today I will vote, I will call representatives, and I will worry throughout the day.

Greed

a bruised sky
looms, lightning 
ignites winds

slicing trees,
daggers fly,
impaling

light poles, our
sanity
crushed, cries shriek