Clarity is a beautiful thing. The difference in our two main political parties could not be more certain.
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While the religious right pharmacist insists on violating his ethical oath to his patients by refusing birth control to women, the liberals fight for the rights of women to have choice over their own reproductive decisions.
While the Republican Party misleads the public about the benefit of Social Security privatization,(you will have more control over your money) the Democratic party reminds us that it's already our money we have paid in and that we should get in return if the government had not dipped in it when it never should have been touched it in the first place.
Repugs want privatization for one reason: to make the corporation network even stronger. The Dems know this will only make it worse for the average Joe.
It's clear the Republicans are for big money & big corporations and the Dems are for the Citizen of the US of A.
There are many of our fellow Americans who are suffering everyday and the Democratic Party has always been the ones looking out for them, creating more human service networks, working to pass laws favoring the less fortunate.....etc.....
Even with all that hard work, there are still those not getting help.......
So, what are those barriers that are keeping people from getting help?
1. Money- there is just not enough allocated for human services.
According to the website: http://www.globalissues.org/
The United States, being the most formidable military power, it is worth looking at their spending.
The U.S. military budget request by the Bush Administration for Fiscal Year 2007 is $462.7 billion. (This includes the Defense Department budget, funding for the Department of Energy (which includes nuclear weapons) and "other" which the source does not define. It does not include other items such as money for the Afghan and Iraq wars--$50 billion for Fiscal Year 2007 and an extra $70 billion for FY 2006, on top of the $50 billion approved by Congress.)
For Fiscal Year 2006 it was $441.6 billion
For Fiscal Year 2005 it was $420.7 billion
For Fiscal Year 2004 it was $399.1 billion .
For Fiscal Year 2003 it was $396.1 billion.
For Fiscal Year 2002 it was $343.2 billion.
For Fiscal Year 2001 it was $305 billion. And Congress had increased that budget request to $310 billion.
This was up from approximately $288.8 billion, in 2000.
These figures typically do not include combat figures, so 2001 onwards, the Afghan war, and 2003 onwards, the Iraq war costs are not in this budget. As of early 2006, Congress had already approved an additional funding total of $300 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As Chris Hellman, researcher of many of these statistics, also notes, when adjusted for inflation the request for 2007 together with that needed for nuclear weapons the 2007 spending request exceeds the average amount spent by the Pentagon during the Cold War, for a military that is one-third smaller than it was just over a decade ago.
Compared to the rest of the world, these numbers are indeed staggering.
Spending on human services in the US: I had a difficult time finding the exact data on this as it's mixed in with health and homeland security.
Many times, human services are too costly for some individuals. Even the agencies that offer free services have had their own budgets cut so there is a lack of adequate coverage for all who need it. http://www.cbpp.org/...
2. Fear of being Judged, Labeled or Punished
Face it--sometimes people get labeled!! What a surprise! Imagine needing to be tested for AIDS and fearing your employer will find out from your medical insurance. What if it comes back positive? Will I be fired? What about needing food stamps? If I ask for them, will I be called lazy?
3. Shame Many people believe that if they are unable to solve their own problems, there is something very wrong with them.
Many families have always taken care of their own for many generations and to ask for help is humiliating.
4. Deny the Gravity of the Problem Denial is more than a river in Egypt and many time people are unable to see just how bad their situation has progressed. This happens with battered spouses and drug & alcohol abuse. Sometimes, it doesn't seem as bad as the person down the street, so the sense of urgency isn't there.
5. Suspicion or Distrust in workers or agencies
Many people have had or have heard of bad experiences with agencies, so asking for their help seems like a bad idea. Or, there is a fear of what might happen if they do ask for help as with a parent who is overwhelmed from working 2 or 3 jobs and is taking it out on her children. If I ask for help, will they take my kids away? Or what if I need a mental evaluation, will they lock me up and throw away the key?
The answers are not easy in solving these issues, but education is pertinent if we are to help more people. More money is needed to do this and only the Democrats are doing anything of significance to keep these services up and running.
It's easy to judge others who don't seek help for what they need and I hope I have touched on a small portion here as to why. " Why don't you just get some help?" isn't always the simple question it may seem.