#newborn tax breaks

[sanguinifex]

Something else that stands out: Trump was repeatedly asked questions about what he would do to improve various issues: healthcare, the environment, the war in Gaza. And all he does is say “well this problem never would have happened if I had been the president.” And that’s not the question asked! Like, tough luck, but you weren’t president. Here is what the situation is now. What are you going to do about it? And he doesn’t have an answer. Not on healthcare, not on environment, not on Gaza. He appears to think that all these problems will magically disappear if he becomes president. Well, they won’t. The problems will still exist, and he has no plan to deal with any of it; if he had a plan, he would have told us. (He’s so good at telling us his plans for illegal immigrants, after all.) He does have a plan for the economy, but it’s a complete disaster that would raise the cost of living and increase the deficit—tax breaks always increase the deficit unless you offset them with a tax hike somewhere else, and the cost of tariffs is always passed on to consumers (which is why Harris was calling it a sales tax, because more people would understand how that affects cost of living). Oh, and he also accused immigrants of eating cats, accused the FBI of fraud, repeatedly trashed our country, and generally sounded like a listing for an alphabet-soup brand’s product on Amazon, only instead of “chair seat papasan loveseat perfect for living room bedroom parlor,” it’s “immigrants crime China Mexico Venezuela fracking guns executing babies.”

Harris, by contrast, has plans. I personally think they are pretty good plans. There are some minor details I would change, but it’s a hell of a lot better than “no plans, I’m too awesome for plans” and/or a reskinned Project 2025. She also hasn’t accused immigrants of eating cats or accused anyone of “wanting abortions in the ninth month” (an utterly ridiculous claim; if someone doesn’t want a baby at that point, you induce labor and the newborn becomes a ward of the state).

It’s a race between utterly incompetent dictatorial insanity and a competent woman whose policy positions may be somewhat off from your preference (or not).

Please don’t vote for the guy who thinks immigrants eat cats and dogs.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Billboard project

* * * *

One for the history books!

September 12, 2024

Robert B. Hubbell

After delivering one of the best debate performances in American political history, Kamala Harris is receiving begrudging and stinting praise from many in the media and commentary class. But 67 million people saw Kamala Harris demonstrate she is made of presidential timber. They witnessed a masterful performance that revealed a penetrating intellect tempered by decency and humanity. On the substance and execution, she should have earned the support of all voters and unqualified praise from the media and political commentators.

Trump's performance was vile and disqualifying. It was worse than Joe Biden’s widely panned debate by far. While Joe Biden turned in a horrible debate performance as measured by the artificial rules of made-for-tv spectacles, Donald Trump made dozens of statements that were objectively depraved, racist, antidemocratic, delusional, and deceitful.

Trump transcended the debate format and devolved into fascist demagoguery that should have resulted in universal condemnation by all voters, the media, and political commentators. If Joe Biden was driven from the presidential race because of his poor debate performance, Trump should be banished from politics, expelled from his party, and relegated to a place of dishonor in the annals of American history.

Talking about the debate is difficult because of the urge to focus on Kamala Harris’s brilliantly executed strategy of baiting Trump into ranting about his insecurities and the horror of Trump's worst-in-the-history-of-the-nation performance on substance.

I get it. Harris’s ninja debating moves and Trump's racist deer-in-the-headlights stare made for riveting television. But we focus on those aspects of the debate to the detriment of the substance of Kamala Harris’s message. She spent a substantial portion of the debate discussing her policies and her plan to help heal the divisions that beset America.

It is disappointing to see so many stories and commentators describe the debate as “fierce” or “contentious.” I heard one commentator on MSNBC bemoan the fact that neither candidate seemed interested in bridging the divide in America. That is false. Kamala Harris promised to be a president for all Americans and to focus on the needs of the people, not the needs and wants of the president. She said, in part,

And I think the American people want better than that. Want better than this. Want someone who understands as I do, I travel our country, we see in each other a friend. We see in each other a neighbor. We don't want a leader who is constantly trying to have Americans point their fingers at each other. I meet with people all the time who tell me "Can we please just have discourse about how we're going to invest in the aspirations and the ambitions and the dreams of the American people?" [¶¶] I've only had one client. The people. And I'll tell you, as a prosecutor I never asked a victim or a witness are you a Republican or a Democrat. The only thing I ever asked them, are you okay? And that's the kind of president we need right now. Someone who cares about you and is not putting themselves first. I intend to be a president for all Americans and focus on what we can do over the next 10 and 20 years to build back up our country by investing right now in you the American people.

Kamala Harris repeatedly offered her policy vision for America, including tax breaks for business startups; subsidizing downpayments for first-time home purchases; incentivizing the construction of starter homes; granting tax credits for families with newborns; investing in American chip technology, quantum computing, and AI; supporting worker’s rights; reducing reliance on fossil fuels; granting tax cuts for the middle class; requiring the ultra-wealthy to pay their fair share of taxes; and protecting the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and Medicaid. She also promised to protect reproductive liberty, LGBTQ equality, and voting rights of all Americans.

The media has hounded Kamala Harris for weeks about the alleged absence of policies in her campaign. On Tuesday, she talked about dozens of specific policies—and the media is not saying a word about those policies after the debate.

Not. A. Word.

It’s almost as if the media didn’t really care about Kamala Harris’s policies but were only interested in a talking point they could use to criticize her. Hypocrites!

So, before talking about how well Kamala Harris executed her strategy of baiting Trump and how abhorrent Trump's performance and positions were, let’s give Kamala Harris her due on the substance: She gave a presidential-level discourse on policies that will affect the lives of hundreds of millions of Americans. The fact that Trump and the moderators ignored those policies does not diminish the respect she showed for the American people by clearly setting forth her policies if elected as president.

Among the many insipid criticisms of Kamala Harris was that she used facial expressions to convey her disapproval, amusement, and disbelief over Trump's utterances. This was an effective use of her non-speaking time and allowed her to diminish Trump without saying a word.

Dahlia Lithwick demolishes the critics who faulted Kamala’s facial expressions—a criticism that would only be leveled against a woman. See Dahlia Lithwick, Slate, Harris–Trump debate: Kamala Harris’ face on Tuesday was the stuff of legend. (slate.com). Lithwick writes,

It must be beyond maddening for a political actor to be summoned into a “debate” that is not really a debate, pitted against some frothing amalgam of WWE reenactor and Tasmanian devil, warned that your microphone will be muted while he is speaking, cautioned that he will be allowed to talk over you and the moderators, then be criticized for … blinking? [¶¶] Harris’ face roamed free and far on Tuesday, and it was thoroughly warranted and frequently enjoyable. I think of her mobile, legible face as a satisfying call-and-response to Trump’s lifelong preference for female adulation and Botox. Women have faces. Their faces have expressions. If that was upsetting to you during Tuesday’s debate, you might be dismayed to learn that deep beneath our expressive faces lie thoughts, dreams, frustrations, and other markers of human agency. If a woman smiling freaks you out, imagine what happens when a woman votes.

While talking about Kamala Harris’s facial expressions may seem superficial, it is not. One of Harris’s most significant accomplishments was her ability to show herself to be a likable, relatable human being. She did so by using the medium of television to her advantage. Were the expressive facial reactions real or practiced? It doesn’t matter; they were successful. People liked Kamala Harris. For a candidate who has been on the national scene since 2018, the percentage of voters who still say they don’t “know” her is shocking. But she went some distance in the debate to introduce herself to those voters in a positive way.

Among Harris’s many pointed and powerful answers on Tuesday, none were better than her response to Trump's gloating over the demise of Roe v. Wade. Harris said,

In over 20 states there are Trump abortion bans which make it criminal for a doctor or nurse to provide health care. In one state it provides prison for life. Trump abortion bans that make no exception even for rape and incest. Which—understand what that means. A survivor of a crime, a violation to their body, does not have the right to make a decision about what happens to their body next. That is immoral. And one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree: The government, and Donald Trump certainly, should not be telling a woman what to do with her body. You want to talk about, this is what people wanted? Pregnant women who want to carry a pregnancy to term, suffering from a miscarriage, being denied care in an emergency room because the health care providers are afraid they might go to jail, and she’s bleeding out in a car in the parking lot? She didn’t want that. Her husband didn’t want that. A 12 or 13-year-old survivor of incest being forced to carry a pregnancy to term? They don’t want that. Understand in his Project 2025, there would be a national abortion—a monitor that would be monitoring your pregnancies, your miscarriages.

There is more room to praise Kamala Harris’s performance in the debate, but we must turn to Trump's horrific statements during the debate. So, let’s get Trump’s “debate performance” out of the way: It was the worst debate performance (in terms of style) in the history of political debates. See The Guardian, Republicans dismayed by Trump’s ‘bad’ and ‘unprepared’ debate performance. Brit Hume of Fox News said, “Let’s make no mistake. Trump had a bad night. We just heard so many of the old grievances that we all know aren’t winners politically.” Coming from a Fox commentator, that is as bad as it gets for Trump.

There were many disgraceful, disqualifying statements during the debate by Trump: Refusing to say that he hoped Ukraine would defeat the Russian invasion; refusing to acknowledge that he lost in 2020; refusing to express any regret for his actions on January 6; claiming that “every Democrat” wanted to “get rid of” Roe v. Wade.; and repeatedly saying that execution of babies after a full-term delivery was permissible under existing law.

To state the obvious, if Kamala Harris had uttered a single statement that was one-tenth as egregious as any of the above, the major media would be calling for her withdrawal from the race.

But Trump's worst statement was the race-baiting claim that Haitian immigrants are capturing domestic pets in Springfield, Ohio and eating them. That trope was originally directed at immigrants from other countries but has been repurposed by Trump to slander Haitian immigrants who are legally in the US.

The claim is false and started as triple-hearsay thrice-removed:

On Sept. 6, a post surfaced on X that shared what looked like a screengrab of a social media post apparently out of Springfield. The retweeted post talked about the person’s “neighbor’s daughter’s friend” seeing a cat hanging from a tree to be butchered and eaten, claiming without evidence that Haitians lived at the house.

So, a “screenshot” of a retweet (three levels removed from personal knowledge) talked about a “neighbor’s daughter’s friend” (three more levels removed from personal knowledge). In short, the claim is the worst sort of internet rumor—intentionally unverifiable. Repeating such a rumor is beneath a candidate for the presidency.

But the crassness of repeating the rumor is the least of the offense. Trump did not repeat a rumor—he asserted the rumor as “fact” for the purpose of stirring racial hatred against Haitian immigrants. The false rumor has been circulating for weeks among right-wing websites that attack Haitian immigrants as the cause of an increase in crime in Springfield. See WaPo, Anatomy of a racist smear: How false claims of pet-eating immigrants caught on.

Trump then leveraged the cat-eating Haitian claim to smear all immigrants as law-breaking, violent, less-than-human invaders whom he would deport en masse from the US. The entire episode was an appeal to the most racist, xenophobic backwaters of American society. It was shameful and divisive. It may lead to violence against immigrants—just as past statements by Trump have led to violence against immigrants in Texas. See NBC (8/5/2019), Trump's anti-immigrant 'invasion' rhetoric was echoed by the El Paso shooter for a reason.

No modern presidential candidate has appealed to racial animus during a presidential debate. Trump's attack on the Haitian community should have been the end of his candidacy. As should his statements about Ukraine, the 2020 election, January 6, and abortion—and that list excludes his dozens of other falsehoods.

In short, the debate should move the needle in favor of Kamala Harris. Whether it will do so is a different question—one that will be determined, in part, by whether the media maintains the same intense focus on Trump's  debate performance that it maintained on Biden’s debate performance in July. On the substance, Trump's debate performance was objectively worse, by far. Let’s hope the media doesn’t get distracted by the less consequential matters.

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[razorroy]

Kamala Harris vs. Donald Trump

Tax plan Trump and Harris have competing tax plans. Both nominees' plans would have to be passed by Congress, which has the power of the purse. Here's what Harris has proposed so far:

Harris says she'd provide bigger tax benefits for families but would offset the costs by raising corporate taxes, while Trump has said he'd extend the tax cuts enacted in 2017.

Under Harris' tax plan, according to an analysis by the Penn Wharton Budget Model, 95% of Americans would see lower taxes, and higher earners would pay more taxes. The top 0.1% — whose annual average income exceeds $14 million — would pay about $167,000 more in taxes.

Harris wants to eliminate federal taxes on tips, which Trump first proposed.

She also says she wants to provide a financial cushion for small businesses with a tenfold increase in the startup expense deduction — lifting it from $5,000 to $50,000. New businesses wouldn't need to claim the deduction in their first year, when many take losses and would not be able to use it. Instead, they'd be able to wait until they're profitable and use the deduction at that time. Businesses would also be able to take part of the deduction in one year and save the rest for future years.

Child tax credit

After Trump's running mate JD Vance pitched boosting the child tax credit to $5,000, up from the current top tax break of $2,000, Harris one-upped Vance's number, suggesting a child tax credit of $6,000, although this would be for the parents of newborns.

Harris also suggests a return to the pandemic-era expansion of the child tax credit, up to $3,600 for young children. She hasn't released income eligibility thresholds, but it's likely that it would phase out for those at higher income levels.

Earlier this year, Senate Republicans blocked legislation that would have increased the child tax credit.

Housing shortage Harris says she'd address the nation's housing shortage with several initiatives. She promises to build 3 million affordable new homes and rentals by the end of her first term, offering tax breaks to builders who construct homes for first-time home buyers. She's also proposing a $40 billion fund to help local governments find solutions to the low housing stock.

And she wants to provide Americans who have paid their rent on time for two years with up to $25,000 in down-payment assistance, with more support for first-generation homeowners.

Inflation

Inflation has cooled nearly to pre-pandemic levels — it's now at 2.9% — but prices have risen nearly 21% since the beginning of the pandemic. A recent survey found two-thirds of middle-income families said they're falling behind their cost of living

Harris is trying to address the effects of inflation on lower- and middle-class Americans, an approach used by the Biden administration. She blames price gouging by food suppliers and grocery chains for high prices at the store and pledges to take on corporations with the first federal law against price gouging. Economists have expressed doubts about the efficacy of such a law because they say that the reasons for food inflation are complex.

She also wants to lower prescription drug costs, which has been a focus for the Biden administration. Last month, the White House announced Medicare reached agreements with drug manufacturers for lower prices for 10 drugs that treat a range of ailments, from heart failure and blood clots to diabetes, resulting in savings for patients of 38% to 79%, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It was Harris who cast the tie-breaking vote for the Inflation Reduction Act, which granted Medicare the drug negotiating authority.

Immigration

Harris has not yet issued an immigration policy platform. At campaign events, Harris has mostly brought up the bipartisan border security deal that collapsed in Congress earlier this year after Trump urged GOP lawmakers to reject it. Harris has promised to revive the bill and accused Trump of scuttling it for political reasons.

The legislation would have enacted permanent restrictions on asylum, given the president the power to quickly deport migrants when border crossings soar and boosted the ranks of border agents, deportation officers, immigration judges and asylum adjudicators. It would also have expanded legal immigration, allocating 50,000 new immigrant visas annually for five years.

While the bipartisan border deal did not include a legalization program for undocumented immigrants — a longtime Democratic priority in immigration negotiations — Harris has expressed support for an "earned" path to citizenship for this population on the campaign trail.

Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Harris' campaign manager, signaled to CBS News that Harris would likely continue a June order by Mr. Biden that has severely curtailed access to the U.S. asylum system. It's a move officials credit for a four-year-low in illegal border crossings.

Harris' campaign has tried to distance her from the more liberal immigration positions she espoused when she was a presidential candidate in 2020. Those prior positions included an openness to decriminalizing the act of crossing the border without authorization and overhauling Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Abortion Harris and Trump have opposing views on abortion access, an issue that could be a crucial motivator for voters in November.

Both Trump and Harris have highlighted the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, and the role that the three justices appointed by Trump played in that landmark decision, albeit for different reasons: Trump has touted his nomination of three of the five justices who voted to overturn Roe, while Harris has criticized her opponent for specifically selecting justices who would dismantle the constitutional right to abortion. Since the high court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, nearly one-third of states have near-total bans on the procedure in place, while access to abortion is severely restricted in a handful of others.

Harris has made abortion rights a focal point of her campaign and lambasted "Trump abortion bans" on the trail.

In her speech at the Democratic National Convention accepting the party's presidential nominee, the vice president pledged to sign into law legislation that restores the federal right to abortion — if such a bill is passed by Congress.

IVF Access to in vitro fertilization services became a campaign issue after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in February that frozen embryos created during the IVF process could be considered children. The decision threatened the availability of IVF services in Alabama and thrust access to fertility treatments into the national conversation, including among the presidential candidates.

Harris has repeatedly said she supports the right of women to make their own decisions about their bodies and family-planning, and told the crowd at the DNC that since Roe's reversal, she has heard stories of couples who have had their IVF treatments cut off.

The vice president said in a video shared to social media that Trump "is literally the architect of this entire crisis," and said the Alabama ruling is a "direct result" of the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe.

Climate Harris has not outlined her climate policy yet, but she is expected to continue to pursue the goals of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which funded energy and climate projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions by 40% by 2030.

As vice president, Harris advocates moving the country toward a "clean energy economy" while not completely backing away from oil and gas, which is a major industry in battleground states like Pennsylvania. The Keystone State is one of the top natural gas producers in the country.

In an interview with CNN, Harris said that as president, she wouldn't ban fracking — a technique for extracting natural gas from shale — a departure from a statement she made in 2019 that she'd support a fracking ban. Citing the creation of 300,000 clean energy jobs during the Biden administration, she told CNN that her experience as vice president shows "we can increase a thriving clean energy economy without banning fracking."

A Harris campaign spokesperson said 300,000 clean energy jobs were created under the Biden-Harris administration in both 2021 and 2022.

The Democratic Party platform says it will increase protections against drilling and mining in the Arctic, although U.S. oil production has hit record highs during Mr. Biden's presidency. Mr. Biden approved almost 50% more gas and oil leases during his time in office than Trump did during his first three years in office.

Trump has vowed to undo what he calls Biden's "electric vehicle mandate" on Day One in office. A spokesperson for Harris' campaign told Axios Harris doesn't support an electric vehicle mandate. The Biden administration has not issued a mandate, but it has introduced incentives to encourage Americans to buy EVs and set a target that half of all new vehicle sales be zero emissions by 2030.

Guns

President Biden in 2022 signed the most significant update to gun safety law in almost three decades in the wake of mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and New York. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act augmented background checks for gun buyers under 21, provided billions for mental health services and closed the so-called "boyfriend loophole" to prevent convicted domestic abusers from purchasing a firearm for five years. It also clarified the definition of gun dealers — 26 GOP-led states are suing to block this provision. The measure also creates penalties for straw purchases and gun trafficking. In 2023, Mr. Biden announced the creation of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, to be overseen by Harris.

Before she became the nominee, Harris visited Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, the site of the 2018 mass shooting that left 17 dead, where she called on states to pass "red flag" laws, which allow courts to seize guns from those deemed to be a threat to themselves or others. Twenty-one states have enacted red flag laws, but many do not enforce them. She also announced federal funding and resources aimed at providing training and technical assistance to help states with their red flag programs. In 2024, the Justice Department announced the creation of the National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center, dedicated to training and technical assistance to support states and localities in implementing their red flag programs.

At her speech at the Democratic National Convention, Harris only made passing reference to gun violence. "In this election, many other fundamental freedoms are at stake," she said. "The freedom to live safe from gun violence in our schools, communities and places of worship."

Education

As a senator, Harris backed a bill that would have provided tuition-free college for most families.

The Democratic Party's platform also calls for free college tuition for all. This is not an idea Harris has been discussing on the campaign trail.

Israel and Gaza Both Harris and Trump have, at times, been critical of Israel's handling of its war against Hamas in Gaza. But neither has threatened to pull support for the ally.

Harris has called the bloodshed in Gaza "devastating," but vowed there would be no change in policy toward Israel.

She has pushed for a cease-fire deal that would release the remaining hostages held by Hamas.

She backs a two-state solution.

Ukraine and Russia

Harris pledged in her DNC address that she "will stand strong with Ukraine and our NATO allies."

Harris accused Russia of committing "crimes against humanity" in Ukraine a year after the war began.

The Biden administration has spearheaded a number of aid packages for Ukraine, including weapons, and worked with allies to sanction Russia for its invasion. Still, the administration's response — especially early on in the war — has been criticized as slow-moving, and more recently, Republican opposition in Congress further slowed aid to Ukraine.

China Harris has offered few details about how her China policy would differ from Mr. Biden's. In her Democratic National Convention speech, Harris said "America — not China — wins the competition for the 21st century."

She told "Face the Nation" in September 2023 that the U.S.-China economic relationship is "not about decoupling, it is about de-risking."

Harris briefly met Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2022 in Bangkok amid friction between the two countries. The vice president said she stressed the need to "maintain open lines of communication to responsibly manage the competition between our countries."

She has condemned China's aggression in the South China Sea, accusing it of "undermining key elements of the international rules-based order" and coercing and intimidating its neighbors.

Harris has also reaffirmed U.S. support for Taiwan.

In the Senate, Harris cosponsored the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act and the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act. Trump signed both into law.

Iran nuclear deal It's unclear whether Harris would seek to renegotiate a new nuclear deal with Iran if she wins the election. During the 2020 campaign, Harris, who was running in a crowded Democratic presidential primary, told the Council on Foreign Relations that she would seek to rejoin the Iran nuclear agreement, "so long as Iran also returned to verifiable compliance."

The Harris campaign has a lot to comb through for her vision for America over the next 4 years!

Meanwhile, Donald J. Trump can ace a tremendously hard cognitive test and cheat like no one has ever seen before at golf.

He has also been known to throw temper tantrums that rival a three year old that can result in ketchup bottles being thrown at walls. Trump loves McDonald's, sex with women other than Mrs. Trump. Believes in conspiracy theories. Enjoys wearing extremely tight polo shirts that show off his tremendously large man boobs.

Trump lost all four hundred million of his trust fund from his daddy and will lose all of your money to lawyer fees if you simply make a donation to his fake "Save America" scam.

[tumbling-through-deepspace]

The Hunter, a baby and the unexpected forming of family in unlikely places: Chapter Two

Summary:

Hunter Lyssa Williams finds a baby abandoned outside her apartment complex. The 24-year-old is way over her head and does not know the first thing about looking after a tiny human. However, as the saying goes, 'it takes a village to raise a child' and in her case a group of unlikely men come along for the ride.

Genres: Slice of life, comfort, eventual relationships, eventual romance, enemies to friends, frenemies, fluff...

Word count: 2105 words

Eventual Relationships: Xavier/MC/Rafayel

Zayne/Sylus/Lyssa

Chapter Two: Visitors and Concerns

Zayne did not know what to say as he sat across from Lyssa. The young woman in question was glaring at him while trying not to fall asleep. He could see how tired she was. Her hair was unkept, sticking in all directions, there were stains on her clothes, dark circles under her eyes.

“Are you alright?”

“Doctor Zayne, I know this is not a social call and I have no energy to talk to adults right now. So, can you tell me why you are here?”

“It is very inconsiderate to cut off all communication considering that there are people worried about you.”

“The people that I know who would be most worried were here a week ago. I am not aware that there were others. I’m not a very social person and only those who I allow to get close to me know what I’m like.”

She watched as he slightly tilted him head “That is where you are mistaken. Jasmin and Tara, Doctor Waverly, and your captain they all were worried.”

Lyssa felt a headache develop. She just wanted to sleep and this talk about people that she hardly associates herself with unless it’s work, or the hospital made her skin crawl. She wasn’t exaggerating when she confessed to not being a social person.

“Go away.”

“It is not advisable for you to be isolated especially when you look like you’re about to faint.”

“I’ll manage. Hunter training is more intense than this and I’ve gone days without sleep before.”

“Research would debunk that claim. It is more taxing taking care of a newborn than working any job.”

Lyssa couldn’t help herself, she did hiss at him, annoyed that he was in her home when she just wanted to be left alone. Why did he care? They weren’t friends.

“You’re infuriating. Get out of my nest Zayne. The faster you leave the better; I can return to taking a nap while my daughter is having hers.”

The two looked at each other for a few moments. Zayne was the first to break eye contact and he rose from his seat preparing to head out

“Ms. Williams as a medical professional I strongly advise that you have some support to help with the strain of your duties. You won’t be helping your daughter if you are not 100%. Is the other parent not involved?”

“Non-existent.”

Taking that as the cue to leave, Zayne let himself out quietly closing the door behind him.

Doctor Waverly blinking twice in disbelief “Forgive me but I think I misheard you.”

Zayne let out a sigh “You heard me quite clearly.”

Both doctors sat in silence each lost in their own thoughts. Doctor Waverly was perplexed; in the years that he was Lyssa’s primary care physician, there was nothing within her anatomy that indicated that she could carry children to term; it was a 25% chance.

He remembered how devastated the young woman was when being told this; she had her annual physical examination at that time and wanted to know if she could have children. Now it seems that that 25% came through. However, the question going through his mind is ‘why didn’t she trust him— her doctor—to guide her and offer this medical input?’

Then there was the situation with her Evol that needs to be taken into consideration; Her Evol was a wind manipulation type as the primary strand but there was a second strand present. So far, the Evol type was unknown. The primary Evol tied into her phobia of being touched.

How did that work for her? Letting anyone new to touch her caused Lyssa’s Evol to react erratically. With her having to constantly be holding and tending to a newborn, how was she coping? How was the state of her Evol? The fact that Doctor Zayne witnessed that there was no presence of her Evol or of it acting out when holding the baby, indicated something positive. Sometimes Lyssa baffled him.

Doctor Zayne on the other hand couldn’t get the image of Lyssa out of his head. He had never seen her so vulnerable; even though there were traces of sleepiness and fatigue, she looked so soft and delicate. A complete opposite of her normal stoic expression and guarded body language. It awoke a feeling in his chest and with her holding a baby—his thoughts shifted to a domesticated scene.

Then there was the baby. The situation baffled him a bit. Like, when was she pregnant? How did no one notice? Who was the father of the child? Lyssa said they were non-existent. Zayne had a ton of questions and not enough answers.

From what little he could see of her daughter, the baby has a head of white hair with hints of purple, a lighter shade of her mother’s. The little girl was also small, so she could be a pre-term baby or maybe the child was just naturally small.

He couldn’t understand why he had an urge to return to her side. They both met through Doctor Waverly because Jasmin and Lyssa have similar health issues with their Evols and since he has been handling Jasmin’s case for a few years, had more experience than his colleague who came to him for advice.

Over a few years they would cross paths and even though Lyssa would be polite and engage in small talk, she kept her distance and never pried into his personal life; yes, there were times when she would be exposed to his co-workers’ shenanigans and found out small things about him but he didn’t mind.

It was a relief at his end because he has had many instances throughout his medical career dealing with patients who would flirt, try to dig for information and who crossed boundaries. The encounters would leave him uncomfortable.

There were times—when he allowed his mind to stray—his thoughts would aim towards her. Any new thing he picked up about Lyssa was a result of Jasmin (who can be a chatterbox at times), and it was worse with Tara being present.

He learned that she bakes, and she crochets. That she loves books and has quite a temper, but it comes out in the form of expletive venting or violent silence with a piercing stare (Tara’s exact words on the last part).

Zayne had to stop himself from smiling because he could picture Lyssa doing something like that. Afterall, he has been on the receiving end of a few stares.

The idea of her taking this on alone caused him to frown. What of her work? Captain Jenna said that Lyssa was on a mission around the time he reached out. Clearly the baby couldn’t be the mission she spoke about; no that wasn’t it.

He did reach back out after no one could get on to her, not even the captain. It was then Zayne shared with her that Lyssa missed her appointment and about the fake address. That resulted in her explaining that the address wasn’t exactly fake, it was used as a means of cover. Lyssa’s apartment was a few doors down from the Bakery and if he truly wanted to find her, she would most likely be there. That is how he got the building and her apartment number.

So, he took a gamble, and it paid off because she was there, but would she stay there now that she was found out?

“Alexandra? What are you doing here?”

“Well hello to you too Tweets. Where is my niece?”

Lyssa rolled her eyes “Hello Alexandra. I am fine, thank you for asking.”

The woman laughed “Alright, enough with the sass. Let me in.” She then swept Lyssa into a hug “Missed you Tweets, you need to come visit, it’s not the same without you around.”

Trying not to get misty-eyed, she let Alexandra into the apartment and guided her towards the living room where little Ella was lying in the baby swing.

“Holy shit, it seems Roman’s injection worked. She already has some of your features and hair coloring. Was white her natural hair color when you found her?”

“Roman is a dam scientific genius, I almost didn’t believe it when Dox said they had a way to make sure she was mine. Imagine my surprise when Roman explained they could alter her DNA to match mine, so if anyone did any test it would show she was my daughter. Yeah, white hair and hazel eyes.”

Alexandra sanitized her hands before taking the baby into her arms “Well he only created that serum because of you and Enid.”

“We told him not to, so stubborn that one but I guess in hindsight I’m happy he did. Now, enough about that big marshmallow, what brings you to Linkon? I know the N109 zone can’t be that boring.”

The two women giggled as Ella began babbling and tugged Alexandra’s hair “Aww, we aren’t giving you enough attention chick.”

Lyssa groaned “Please do not start giving her bird nicknames too.”

“I don’t have to have a reason to come and see you Lyssa. If you won’t make the effort, I will. Things aren’t boring per say but I just needed to get out of there for a few days cause of some heat.”

They entered the kitchen with Lyssa bringing out a carrot cake and cutting out two slices “Are you lot causing trouble again?”

“Not us. There is this group of arm dealers that got on the bad side of one of the big ones on top the food chain and the whole N109 zone is tense waiting for shit to hit the fan. Just didn’t want to be around when that happens. Can I crash here?”

Lyssa laughed “That was clearly a reason for coming to see me. You don’t do anything without reason. Sure, you can stay. Any idea who was pissed off?”

“Move to the N109 zone if you want the tea, tweets.”

“Not when I have that little one to look after.”

“Wusspuss.”

“Come on Alexandra… Please. I’ve been cooped up and you always got all the juicy info. Entertain me.”

“No way. I am not giving you any names, not with you still employed with the Hunter’s Association.”

Lyssa grinned slyly “Oh! It’s someone on the association’s radar. Dam, I don’t feel sorry for the folks that pissed of whoever it is.”

Alex raised a brow “Don’t go poking your nose into business that doesn’t concern you tweets, no matter how tempting it may be.”

“I won’t.”

“Give me a vow that you won’t”

Kissing her teeth, Lyssa shook her head “I will do no such thing, not even for you. The last vow I took nearly got me killed. Look, I won’t be doing any snooping; got a baby to take care of and I’m on indefinite leave from the Association, so I’m going to take that time to relax and embrace motherhood.”

Alexandra huffed and grumbled under her breath in another language “Whatever. Let’s go out, show me the neighborhood. I refuse to have you stay indoors when the weather is beautiful, and the chick can take in the wonders of the great outdoors.”

“Have I ever told you I love yah?”

“You don’t say it enough. I deserve it after having to put up with all of you.”

A hooded figure trailed behind the unsuspecting pair, blending seamlessly with the crowd. Both women possessed the same height with almost similar body types. One having sun-kissed skin, waist length chestnut colored hair, grey-blue eyes and a battle scar running along her left cheek. They were tasked with finding out why she vacated from the zone when a missive was sent out that no one was to leave.

The other woman had dark violet eyes, chocolate colored skin, light violet eyes and a beauty mark under her left one. They observed that this one was supporting something in her hands, cocooned in a wrap and it took them only a split second to realize it was a baby.

Well, that was something they never encountered on a mission. Something worth reporting. They continued following the women until they entered an arcade. Only staying a few seconds, the stranger was preparing to turn away when they felt eyes on them. Looking up, he saw the woman with violet eyes staring right at him, a faint purple glow coming off her body.

It should have been near impossible for her to notice them. Not wasting another second, they turned around and vanished from view. It was time to hand in their findings.

[wormdebut]

LET DOWN AND HANGING AROUND (CRUSHED LIKE A BUG IN THE GROUND)

Ahoy! This is my first VERY LATE ficlet for @corrodedcoffinfest ! My absolute bad for being so late, but BOY am I HAPPY TO BE HERE!

Warm Up Prompt One: Taxed. Word Count: 1000 (scrivener says 1000 Wordcounter says 979. IDK Man, it’s within limit), Rating: T, Pairing: None, CW: Swears, Smoking, Angst Tags: Eddie, Gareth, Jeff, Freak

----

October 1987

They've been at this for fucking years. Eddie feels like a fucking girl scout.

'Well hello there Mr. Music Man, would you like to buy a box of shitty garage band metal?'

Except they weren't fucking shitty. All of the guys had been working their assess off, writing, playing shows, shitty gig after shitty gig after shitty gig.

But they haven't managed anything. Nothing, zilch, nada.

They had a small crowd showing up at the Hideout, and the owner, Benny, started letting them play not only their usual Tuesday but because Eddie had been helping him with placehe was letting them play Saturday nights now too, which was great because while he appreciates the likes of his uncle and Wayne's best friends on Tuesdays, there were almost twenty people every Saturday night and that was something.

They also had a standing gig at a bar in Indianapolis at least once a month, lately they've been playing The Barrel every other week and Eddie thought--he thought--that that would get them somewhere.

The guys were fucking exhausted but Eddie kept pushing because they could do this. Corroded Coffin was great. They were great and somebody was going to see that…right?

Eddie saw what they had. He did. But the guys--

"C'mon Ed, we can't keep sneaking Gareth into bars forever. I think we need to--maybe consider other options or--" Jeff rambles. They were supposed to be practicing but Jeff Williams had to swoop inwith his stupid common sense bullshit. Jeff motherfucking Williams is one of the best guitarists Eddie has ever had to the privilege of listening to, but Jeff wants to go college like a real boy!

Gareth cuts him off, "It's just the two bars man, and I have a fake, if I need it anyw--"

Would you look at that, it's time for Freddy to cut in. "Yeah, but you're three feet tall and have the face of a newborn child."

Gareth shoves at Freddy's chest. "Oh fuck off, man. At least I'm not a virgin!" He yelps and great. This is great.

Now the band is fighting, again, because Jeff wants to go to College, Goodie is a Virgin, and Gareth is short.

Eddie just want to play music.

If they all want to yell, Eddie can yell louder. "See. Do you see what happens when you start talking about 'other options' Jeff? Chaos--and not the fun kind!"

"See, Eddie--this is the fucking problem with you. All you care about is your music, your dream, It's all about you!"

Jeff is yelling at Eddie, Gareth and Freak are rough housing, how did this even happen. All Eddie wants is to do something. Be something. He believes in this, in Jeff, and Freddy and Gareth, in the band.

And he gets that everyone is taxed, tired. Eddie is fucking exhausted. Gareth is trying to not fail his senior year. He gets it, he does, but-- "You know what, Jeff?" His voice breaks, and isn't that fucking humiliating? "Some of us, don't have college as an option. Did you ever consider that?"

Eddie leans over and grabs his cigarettes from the table, before shoulder checking Jeff as he leaves.

——

What’s the fucking point? Eddie puts everything into lyrics that people probably don't even know, all of them spend hours writing and harmonizing, making sure chords make sense, just for everything to be a pipe dream. They haven't taken a break for anything. It's either work or school or Coffin Shit. They haven't played D&D in months. They've just been doing this.

But it's all Eddie has. How the hell was he ever going to get out of shitty ass Hawkins, if it wasn't this way? He didn't exactly ace his finals--even the third time around. Honestly? He's pretty sure they just let him pass, to get him the fuck out of there.

He lights up what feels like his eighth cigarette--it's not, it's his second--and stares out to the empty street. They use Gareth's garage to practice…for being as straight laced as she is, Ms. Emerson sure does believe in the band.

Dottie Emerson and Eddie. God dammit, maybe Jeff is right.

He should go back, he should go back and apologize, and let this go. He has the job at the Hideout, he can save and maybe move to Indy--play an acoustic at some bars or…something.

God, he's just so tired of this shit.

He finishes his cigarette, and tries to breathe. Breathe in--hold--breathe out--he doesn't realizes Jeff until he taps his shoulder.

"Hey." Jeff says, quiet. Eddie, just nods, grabs his pack and offers a cancer-filled olive branch. Jeff takes it.

Eddie doesn't say anything. Doesn't want to, doesn't know what he should say.

So Jeff does. "I'm sorry, Ed. I didn't mean to make you upset. I'm just fucking tired man, we all are and I do want this, I do, but it's fucking scary." Eddie turns, watches Jeff blow out smoke. "I got accepted to IU, did you know that?"

Eddie blinks. He did not know that. "No, you hadn't mentioned it."

Jeff turns to look at him, "I didn't want this to happen."

Eddie closes his eyes, takes in a deep breath. In--hold--out. "You should go." He forces a smile, watches as Jeff's eyes shine for a moment--no wonder he had that silly crush on him his second senior year, but it was only for like a week, leave it alone--before he srunches his face up, Eddie can't help but laugh. Jeff always does that, when he's stressed. It makes him look like a rabbit.

Jeff goes to speak, but Eddie cuts him off. "Let's do this Halloween show, it'll be our going away gift to our tens of adoring fans."

Jeff laughs at that, nods, and pulls Eddie into a hug.

Everything will be fine, with or without Corroded Coffin.

[bobcatmoran]

Walz is asked about how long employers should pay for employees to stay home with their newborns. He says that Congress needs to figure that out. He points out how he only got 5 days to stay with his newborn children. And Donald Trump's economy gives tax breaks to the wealthy, while the Dems say that the most important people — taking care of our children and our parents need better pay. And with leave, it will benefit all families.

Vance says that there's a bipartisan solution here, because he's married to a working mom. She had access to paid family leave, but societal pressure worked against it. This is the difference between Trump and Harris' policies. Harris doesn't support church child care. Trump supports choices for childcare. Harris doesn't allow options.

Vance is also asked about his opinions on Trump saying child care is "not very expensive." Vance says that they'll balance child care prices out via penalties for companies that ship jobs overseas, and via higher economic growth that stems from that.

"Can you clarify how that will resolve the childcare shortage?" Vance's answer is. Uh. The problem is that we have too few people providing childcare.

Walz points out that childcare is $$. You can't pay for it via tarriffs, which will just hurt working class people.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

According to a newly unveiled memo from Michigan Republicans, workers shouldn’t be guaranteed paid leave from work to care for one’s newborn or a seriously ill family member — instead, the party says it’s akin to taking “summer break.”

This week, Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called on the Democratically-controlled legislature to pass guaranteed paid family and medical leave for workers in the state to ensure that workers can deal with personal matters without having to worry about losing their jobs or missing a paycheck. The U.S. is the only wealthy country in the world that doesn’t guarantee paid family or sick leave to workers.

Apparently, Michigan Republicans believe that people should be forced to work or miss out on pay if they have to take care of themselves or their family. In a memo dated August 30 obtained by The Messenger, Republicans in the Michigan House called paid family leave a “ridiculous idea.”

“Lansing Democrats want to take money out of your paychecks with a new tax to pay for summer break for adults. It’s a ridiculous idea that people just can’t afford,” the memo said. The purpose of the memo is for “messaging points,” The Messenger reported, meaning that it’s circulated for politicians to use for talking points on the issue.

In a post on social media this week, Republicans also said that Whitmer’s call for paid leave to tyranny. “Aspiring tyrants never tire of grand plans of telling YOU how to live!!!” the Michigan Republican Party wrote.

Republicans were blasted for their obtuse messaging on what is a crucial labor policy for workers and families.

The memo “shows, once again, how deeply out of touch the Michigan Republican House Caucus is with Michiganders,” Lavora Barnes, the chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, told The Messenger. “There is no way to spin it — this is a blatant insult to everyone caring for a loved one and having to make some of the hardest decisions of one’s life.”

Barnes said the language in the memo is “offensive beyond belief.”

The messaging displays the state Republicans’ ignorance of the purpose of guaranteed paid leave. To compare paid sick or family leave to “summer break” is to suggest that workers would only use such policies for fraudulent reasons. Of course, this is untrue just taken at face value — workers get sick and need time to recover. They also have children — perhaps children due to being forced to carry pregnancies to term as a result of Republican policies— and need to take time off to parent them.

It also suggests that it is negative for workers to take time off for pleasure reasons. Indeed, one Republican told The Messenger that the family leave policy would allow people to “falsely claim leave.”

Even if Republicans’ incessant claims of widespread fraud in welfare and other programs were true — and research has consistently shown that they are not — it is natural for workers to need time away from work. Michigan Republicans may know this well; the Michigan House, like many state legislatures and the U.S. Congress, is often out of session for weeks at a time.

[theobjectivemind]

Kamala Harris’s Economic Plans: A Path to Empowerment, Not Socialism

In recent discussions, Vice President Kamala Harris has introduced a series of economic proposals that aim to address pressing issues such as food prices, housing, taxes, and medical costs. While some critics may attempt to label these initiatives as “socialism,” it’s essential to understand that Harris’s plans are firmly rooted in the principles of fairness and economic empowerment within a capitalist system. Let’s break down how these proposals can benefit Americans and why they should not be confused with socialism.

Addressing the Real Needs of Americans

1. Lowering Prescription Drug Costs: Americans are paying significantly more for prescription drugs than people in other high-income countries. A 2022 analysis by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) revealed that U.S. prices for all drugs were nearly three times higher than prices in 33 other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Specifically, U.S. prices for brand-name drugs were 422% of the prices in these comparison countries. This means that for every dollar spent on brand-name drugs in other countries, Americans are paying $4.22.

While the U.S. has managed to keep the prices of generic drugs relatively low—demonstrating that affordable medication is possible—the exorbitant prices of brand-name drugs still place an unfair burden on American consumers. Harris's proposals aim to bring these prices in line with what is seen in other high-income countries, ensuring that all essential medications, not just generics, are affordable for everyone.

2. Expanding Housing Access: The vice president’s housing plan calls for the construction of 3 million new housing units over four years to address the severe housing shortage in the U.S. By promoting tax incentives for builders of “starter” homes and expanding funding for affordable rental housing, Harris is working to make homeownership and rental options more accessible to first-time buyers and low-income families. Additionally, she plans to limit bulk home purchases by investors and curb price-setting tools that drive up rental costs.

3. Reducing Medical Costs and Expanding Access: As a veteran, I’ve personally benefited from the healthcare services provided by the Veterans Affairs (VA). The VA system ensures that veterans like myself have access to the medical care we need, recognizing our service to the country. But here’s the thing—I don’t believe that healthcare should only be guaranteed to those who have worn the uniform. Every American deserves access to affordable, quality healthcare, regardless of their military status.

Veterans and current service members share a common bond—we have either worn or continue to wear the uniform to protect our nation and its citizens. But right now, millions of Americans are being treated unfairly by corporate greed and the exorbitant costs of healthcare. It’s time for us to stand up and go to war with big pharma and the corporations that prioritize profits over people’s well-being. Harris’s proposal to expand Medicare’s ability to negotiate drug prices is a critical step in this battle, aiming to reduce the financial burden on all Americans, not just a select few.

4. Tax Relief for Families: The vice president’s tax proposals include making permanent the $3,600 per child tax credit and introducing a new $6,000 tax credit for newborns. She also plans to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit, providing significant tax relief to frontline workers and lowering taxes on healthcare plans offered through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.

These initiatives reflect a commitment to making life more affordable and manageable for middle-class Americans, ensuring that everyone has a fair shot at success.

Why These Policies Are Not Socialism

It’s important to clarify that these policies do not constitute socialism. Socialism, in its true form, involves government ownership and control of major industries and resources. In contrast, Kamala Harris’s proposals work within the existing capitalist framework, using targeted regulations and incentives to make the economy fairer and more inclusive.

The U.S. already has a number of social programs that provide essential services without transforming the nation into a socialist state. For example:

Social Security: Provides financial support to retirees, disabled individuals, and survivors of deceased workers. It’s a program that ensures a safety net for millions of Americans.

Veterans Affairs (VA): Offers healthcare, education, and housing benefits to veterans who have served the country. This program is a recognition of their service and a commitment to their well-being. However, the need for affordable healthcare isn’t exclusive to veterans; it’s a right that should be extended to all citizens.

These programs demonstrate that integrating social initiatives within a capitalist system is not only possible but also beneficial to society as a whole.

Learning from Other Countries

The United States is not alone in using social programs to enhance the well-being of its citizens. Many other countries with similar capitalist economies have implemented successful social initiatives that benefit their populations without adopting socialism. For example:

Germany: Germany’s social market economy combines free-market capitalism with social policies that ensure universal healthcare and other welfare programs. This approach allows for a thriving economy while ensuring that citizens have access to essential services.

Australia: Australia’s Medicare system provides universal healthcare coverage to all citizens and permanent residents, funded by taxes. This system ensures that healthcare is accessible to everyone, regardless of income, without sacrificing quality or innovation.

These examples show that it’s possible to incorporate social programs into a capitalist economy to address the needs of the population effectively.

Conclusion: A Balanced Approach for a Stronger America

Kamala Harris’s economic proposals are not about shifting the U.S. toward socialism but about making the current system more equitable and responsive to the needs of everyday Americans. By addressing food prices, housing, medical costs, and taxes, these plans aim to empower the middle class and ensure that all citizens can participate fully in the economy.

As a veteran, I’ve experienced how vital access to quality healthcare can be. But this isn’t something that should be reserved just for those who served—it’s a right every American should have. Integrating fair social programs into our system isn’t radical; it’s a practical step forward. Other countries have successfully done this, and so can we. Let’s focus on how these proposals can truly benefit us—by supporting families, improving health, and making life better for everyone.

By supporting these initiatives, we’re not moving away from capitalism—we’re strengthening it by ensuring that it works for everyone, not just those at the top.

Sources:

[salemcampbell]

Salem Campbell

Name: Salem Campbell Age: 44 Gender: Cis Male Pronouns: He/Him Sexuality: Everything goes! (Or well, everyone) Town Job: Council member/Construction worker (carpenter) Residence: Beautiful little apartment near the town center About me~

Headcanons:

Before the apocalypse hit, Salem was planning on getting his high school degree. If his life had continued as normal, he would have gone to medical school.

He always wanted to own a dog, even if his situation never really allowed it (and it’s not a dream he has given up on yet)

He got several tattoos. All of them are from when he was a teenager (and one of the very few times he could actually be considered a rebellious teen). He asked his siblings what their favorite animal was and got a simplistic version of that animal tattooed on his body. His parents never found out about his tattoos.

Despite liking kids, he never wanted kids of his own, saying that “his siblings were enough kids one could have for a lifetime.”

Family is, unsurprisingly, the most important thing to him. He would die in a heartbeat if it meant protecting those he loved. 

He enjoys reading and prefers poems and short stories. Mostly for practical reasons, since he never had much time. Sitting down with thicker books makes him anxious because he doesn’t know whether he’ll get to finish it.

There was never a whole lot of time for romantic relationships in his life, and most of them were short-lived, though he one day hopes to marry someone.  Salem’s life wasn’t an easy one, but it was a happy one. 

Salem grew up as the oldest of seven siblings. His parent’s marriage wasn’t one of love, quickly arranged after his mother got pregnant in highschool, but after their marriage and the birth of their son, it quickly became one. Salem’s parents were kind and hardworking people, doing their very best to provide for their newborn son, and Salem grew up loved. 

His parents had always wanted a big family and once their situation was a little more stable, their household began to grow, to the point that by the time Salem was seventeen, he had two brothers and four sisters. Salem’s parents never really asked their oldest to help with his siblings, but they didn’t need to - Salem stepped up on his own. His parents were both working to provide for them, so even when Salem was a child himself, it felt natural to take over some responsibility, calm one of his baby siblings when they were crying at night, entertain them so his parents could rest, pick them up from school when he was old enough to drive. 

Salem became the glue holding the family together, and perhaps the sole reason why they didn’t break apart after his father passed away after a workplace accident. With his fathers death, his mother spiraled into a bout of depression she struggled to recover from, leaving it to her oldest to become the parent of the family. And Salem stepped up. At eighteen years old, just a few months away from graduation, he dropped out of school to get a full time job and help with his family. 

The next few years were hard. Dealing with his own grief, his mother’s illness and seven young children sometimes pushed Salem to the limits of what he could take. He stayed determined, keeping track of schoolwork, soccer practices and performances, finances, doctors appointments, bills, taxes, work and everything else in order to keep the family running. Sometimes it wasn’t happy, and often enough Salem felt like he couldn’t do it, but when sitting at the dinner table, with his siblings eating warmed up TV-dinners, Salem knew he could never abandon his family. 

Salem was the one who took his siblings out to trips to the local pool, the museum, the park. He came to graduations, to performances, he was the one who occasionally cooked dinner, who dried tears and patched up bloody knees. He was the one who created peace within the family. 

Things got easier with the years. His mother, while she never fully recovered, became better, enough to get a part time job at the bank where she had worked before. He managed to secure an apprenticeship and soon enough became an official carpenter, all the while doing odd-jobs in his neighborhood, a handyman of some sorts. His siblings grew up, became old enough to take care of themselves, went to college or started apprenticeships.Some of them moved out, some stayed in the neighborhood, some moved far away, but their family always stayed strong. Finally, after everything, there seemed to be some sense of peace settling over the family. 

Until the virus hit. Salem remembers calling up his siblings as the reports began coming in. His oldest sister, Delilah was close to one of the outbreaks, telling him not to worry, that it’d be fine, but Salem knew her well enough to hear that she was concerned too. 

Salem lost his family in the outbreak. Delilah, always one of the more responsible ones, turned herself in after being bitten and had to be shot. Salem remembers the news of her death, feeling like the floor was pulled out from under him. To this day, he finds it hard to describe the kind of pain he felt. And he is convinced that losing her child was what ended up killing his mother too. Her physical condition seemed to deteriorate, as if the will to live had been sucked out of her. In a way, Salem thought it was a mercy. What followed was worse. 

Salem can still remember the last time he heard from Jacob and Mary. They had moved out for college, and as flights were grounded during the pandemic, they decided to make the move across the country back to the rest of their family together. Salem remembers Mary calling from a truck stop, telling him that they were on their way, that they would arrive in a few days. He never heard from them again and to this day, Salem does not know what happened to them. 

Sarah and Devon - they had stayed close by, moving into apartments within the city. They weren’t killed by zombies. The apocalypse brought out the worst in people. Salem does not know how it happened, some kind of dispute over food, but he remembers hearing the news from a neighbor that his siblings had been shot. 

Lily was the only one who remained. Second oldest, halfway across the country with no way of communication. It was only through survivor groups that Salem knew that she was maybe still alive, even if the words of total strangers claiming to have seen someone who looked like her wasn’t trustworthy. It gave hope. It was then that he heard talk of a settlement, somewhere out in the country. Rumors, nothing more, but it gave Salem some hope. Knowing that if his sister had heard the same rumors, she would head there, too. So he made his way to Redwood.  Salem’s time in Redwood was emotionally turbulent, but so far he has prevailed. Even if the situation is tough, he clings onto hope, knowing that they need to believe that they’ll make it through. 

[kaizenhealthgroup89]

Caring for C-Section Moms: The Importance of Postnatal Massage in Mississauga

Bringing a new life into the world is a remarkable journey, but it can also take a toll on a mother's body, particularly for those who have undergone a cesarean section (C-section) delivery. In Mississauga, the significance of postnatal care, including massage therapy, cannot be overstated. This article explores the importance of postnatal massage for C-section moms, shedding light on its benefits, considerations, and the supportive environment Mississauga provides for new mothers.

Understanding the Journey of C-Section Moms

A C-section delivery is a major surgical procedure that requires significant recovery time. Unlike vaginal births, which allow for a more gradual return to physical activities, C-sections necessitate careful postnatal care to promote healing and prevent complications.

For C-section moms in Mississauga, the postpartum period can be challenging as they navigate physical discomfort, hormonal changes, and the demands of caring for a newborn. It's during this critical phase that postnatal massage emerges as a valuable tool for promoting recovery and well-being.

Benefits of Postnatal Massage for C-Section Moms

Postnatal massage offers a range of benefits specifically tailored to the needs of C-section moms. Some of the key advantages include:

1. Pain Relief:

C-sections often result in abdominal soreness and discomfort as the body heals from surgery. Postnatal massage can help alleviate pain by reducing muscle tension, promoting circulation, and releasing endorphins—the body's natural pain relievers.

2. Scar Tissue Management:

The incision site from a C-section may develop scar tissue, which can cause tightness and restricted movement. Massage therapy techniques, such as gentle kneading and myofascial release, can help break down scar tissue, improve flexibility, and minimize adhesions.

3. Stress Reduction:

The postpartum period can be emotionally taxing for new mothers. Massage therapy induces relaxation, reduces stress hormones, and promotes feelings of well-being and calm, providing much-needed emotional support during this transition.

4. Improved Circulation and Healing:

Massage increases blood flow to the treated areas, which aids in the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to tissues, accelerating the healing process. Enhanced circulation also reduces swelling and promotes the elimination of toxins from the body.

Navigating Postnatal Massage Considerations

While postnatal massage offers numerous benefits, C-section moms in Mississauga should approach it with certain considerations in mind. Here are some factors to keep in mind:

1. Timing of Massage:

It's essential to wait until the incision site has healed sufficiently before undergoing postnatal massage. Typically, healthcare providers recommend waiting 6–8 weeks post-C-section, although individual recovery times may vary.

2. Consultation with Healthcare Provider:

Before scheduling a postnatal massage, C-section moms should consult with their healthcare provider to ensure that they are medically cleared for massage therapy. This step helps ensure safety and reduces the risk of complications.

3. Communication with Massage Therapist:

Effective communication with the massage therapist is paramount. C-section moms should inform their therapist about their surgical history, any lingering discomfort, and specific areas of concern to receive a customized and safe treatment.

The Supportive Environment of Mississauga for New Mothers

Mississauga prides itself on its vibrant community and supportive resources for new mothers. From breastfeeding support groups to postnatal fitness classes, the city offers a range of services aimed at promoting maternal health and well-being.

For C-section moms, accessing postnatal massage in Mississauga is not just about physical recovery—it's about being part of a nurturing community that understands the unique challenges they face. Trained massage therapists in the city are equipped with the knowledge and skills to provide compassionate care and support throughout the postpartum journey.

Empowering C-Section Moms Through Postnatal Massage

In the tapestry of motherhood, C-section moms play a vital role, embodying strength, resilience, and unconditional love. As they navigate the joys and challenges of early motherhood, postnatal massage serves as a beacon of support, offering comfort, relief, and empowerment.

In Mississauga, the importance of postnatal care for C-section moms is deeply ingrained in the fabric of the community. Through compassionate touch and tailored treatments, postnatal massage therapists in the city help C-section moms reclaim their vitality, restore balance, and embrace the transformative journey of motherhood.

Embracing Healing and Renewal

As C-section moms embark on their postpartum recovery journey in Mississauga, postnatal massage stands as a pillar of support, guiding them toward healing, renewal, and self-care. With each nurturing touch, C-section moms are reminded of their innate strength and resilience, paving the way for a vibrant and empowered postpartum experience.

[indiejones]

THE WEIRDEST RUMOR ABOUT 'THE FREEMASON FAMILY TREE' IE. 'THE FREEMASONRY PROCREATION NETWORK' !

Did You Know what the weirdest rumor is, on the Freemasonry network operational in India since end of the 19th c. ie. late 1800's?!

That the people that're 'allowed' to turn famous whilst rising through the ranks being associated with the Freemasons, either directly ie First generation Freemasons, or thru their parents or grandparents or even further back, have to make a compromise for the name, fame, & wealth accumulated via this association, by sacrificing their biological rights! Ie They have to, (depending on the level of their association ie the deeper the roots of their Freemasonry tree goes ie further back their first familial association with the Freemasons dates to, easier these sacrifices getting), allow the newborn children of aspiring, not-so-famous/successful Freemasons in the queue, whose parents 've placed petitions with the network for adoption of their child into the famous families, a place in their house as if their own flesh & blood, one or more based on their choice & at the time of their choosing, but the kids certainly not of their choice ie the brothers & sisters from this system almost certainly being unrelated by blood too, (& these supplied newborns too btw not necessarily birthed from both the applying parents but based on the parents' position in the network's hierarchical ladder, if sufficiently high up the ladder ie if sufficiently criminal, then of purely both of them, & if not maybe even of merely one of them via a task of procreation assigned with other Freemasons of higher, lower or equal level, & in most cases, not biologically of either of them, but supplied to these "wannabe" applicants by the network too(!), each of these tasks recorded as a blackmailing chip, in case of any of them going rogue later), & nurture them for life, w/o telling a soul! As I said, the easier sacrifice is that you simply have to show as if you've carried the child w/o actually carrying them & then produce the newborn child supplied to you to the world one fine day, & the tougher sacrifice is, you having to give up your own carried child to an unknown person & have it replaced by the network's choice. The 'tough task' given to the male members of this 'famous family' is to impregnate this newborn child supplied to you by the network, if a girl, whenever she so decides to have a child in life as a adult, w/o fail, & have her bear your child! And only in rare circumstances is this task excused or written-off your records, mostly being in cases where the family is very high up the Freemasonry criminal power ranks, that mostly being via having participated in crimes of the order of murder, upto a sizeable number!

Moreover, if the famous person is single, this 'tax' is increased to even having a spouse of the Freemasons' choice supplied to you w/o your choice in the matter, & most certainly not for your happiness & protection!..And the above cycle to then be continued!

This cycle ensures 1. the Freemasonry family growth & attraction for potential applicants, as also 2. secrecy via this illegitimacy cycle, 3.holding a blackmailing chip against the male member of the famous family, if ever decides to break free, & 4. keeps the cycle of negativity & criminal bent going in continued amplified force within this network, in keeping with their anti-God Satanic beliefs of existence.

Satanic to say the least! … & Creating a leftist naxal bottom-feeders society, it's earliest visible triumph!

[trendydigests]

Democrats push for permanent child tax credit with $2,000 baby bonus

Democrats in Congress have reintroduced a bill that would make the child tax credit (CTC) permanent and expand who is eligible. The bill, called the American Family Act, would also include a new feature: a $2,000 payment for newborn babies. Photo by Laura Garcia on Pexels.com The CTC is a tax break that helps families with the costs of raising children. Under the American Rescue Plan, which was…

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Politics: How Congress Made Sure the Rich Retire in Luxury—at Taxpayer Expense

Savings plans pitched as helping the middle class have turned out to be a gold mine for the wealthy.

— By Michael Mechanic | March and April 2022 Issue

Lily Lambie-Kiernan

Diane Weiss and Kristen Svihlik live 1,700 miles and a generation apart. Weiss, 60, is twice divorced with a grown daughter, and resides by herself in a one-bedroom apartment in Mesa, Arizona. Svihlik is 38 and lives in a fixer-upper in Akron, Ohio, with her husband, their 6-year-old son, and a newborn daughter. The two women have never met, but they uttered precisely the same words to me on the exact same day: “I’m going to have to work until I die.”

That is not an uncommon sentiment in America today, where a relative few have enough money socked away to see them comfortably through the so-called golden years. The Federal Reserve’s latest survey of consumer finances (SCF) shows that among the poorest 50 percent of families, less than a third participated in a tax-subsidized retirement plan in 2019, while 91 percent of families in the wealthiest 10 percent did.

The federal data (for technical reasons) excludes traditional company pensions, which have been increasingly replaced by “defined contribution” plans like 401(k)s and 403(b)s that shift the savings burden from employer to employee. And while that shift may account for some portion of the chasm in savings, the vastness of today’s retirement wealth gap is largely the result of a string of Wall Street–backed tax incentives that have been a mother lode for the rich but of little use to the poor. Based on the SCF results, Steven Rosenthal, a senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, calculated that the average family in the bottom half of the wealth spectrum held just $6,900 in retirement savings, including individual retirement accounts (IRAs), while the wealthiest 10 percent of families averaged $861,300.

Embedded In Each Of These “Exceptionally Confusing” Retirement Bills Are “Easter Eggs: Big Giveaways To The Retirement Industry And To High-Net-Worth Individuals.”

This 125-to-1 disparity is astonishing, considering the vast amount of revenue tax collectors give up in the name of helping families build their nest eggs. Retirement-­related incentives will cost a total of $1.9 trillion from 2020 to 2024, according to the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT), making them the US government’s single biggest tax-related expense—more than twice the $1.85 trillion price tag of the 10-year Build Back Better plan that Sen. Joe Manchin rejected in December, and more than the cost of federal tax breaks for dependents, charitable donations, and capital gains combined. “It’s unbelievable the amounts of dollars at stake, and how tilted they are to the high end,” Rosenthal says. “It’s just staggering.”

Politicians on both sides of the aisle tout these annual subsidies—which have ballooned from an inflation-­adjusted $145 million in 1996 to roughly $380 billion today—as tools to help ordinary families save. In reality, a series of bipartisan bills enacted over the past quarter century has exploded the savings gap and made the rich richer. “These retirement reform packages are exceptionally confusing and technical and long and really hard for anyone to sort out,” says Rosenthal, a former JCT attorney. “But embedded in every one are Easter eggs: big giveaways to the retirement industry and to high-net-worth individuals.”

Crafted under the watchful eye of finance lobbyists, some bills have included provisions aimed at giving more low-income workers access to retirement plans. But access is meaningless for people who have no money to spare. Take Weiss, an elementary school registrar who has held low-salary jobs in education for more than 25 years. She worked 15 years for a public school district with a mandatory state-sponsored retirement plan, eventually accumulating more than $65,000. But in 2010, Weiss was laid off—longtime staff went first, she recalls. When she later landed a job with a charter school, she was knocked back down to entry-level pay and had to burn through her savings.

Only this past fall, after her annual pay increased from $35,000 to $44,000, did Weiss finally have enough to cover her bills while making contributions to her new employer’s 401(k). “Rent here is crazy,” she explains. “And then you have a car payment and utilities and, you know, everything! If I’m putting 20 or 30 bucks every paycheck into a retirement account—that’s gas money, that’s some groceries. You’re literally living paycheck to paycheck.” Now, as retirement age approaches, she says, “I’m terrified.”

“If I’m Putting 20 or 30 Bucks Every Paycheck Into A Retirement Account—That’s Gas Money, That’s Some Groceries. You’re Literally Living Paycheck To Paycheck.”

Svihlik used the word “bleak” to describe her family’s finances. She and her husband, Thomas, work for the same national pharmacy chain. Their taxable income is about $79,000, but with medical and school costs, loan payments, and daily needs, they’ve struggled to make meaningful contributions to their company’s 401(k) plan. Over a combined eight years working for the pharmacy, they’ve only accumulated about $22,000—and have had to take out loans against that balance to make ends meet. “I can’t really think about the future because I don’t see an end,” Svihlik tells me. “I see: ‘I’m 65. Okay, better go clock in.’”

It isn’t too hard, on the other hand, for high-income Americans to afford the maximum retirement contributions the law allows. Some have even found creative ways to game the system. Take Silicon Valley mogul Peter Thiel, who reportedly used pre-IPO stock options valued at a fraction of a penny per share to amass more than $5 billion in a Roth IRA, a type of tax-free retirement account theoretically closed to people who make more than $144,000 a year. As the JCT discovered last year, more than 28,000 Americans had tax-­subsidized IRA balances of more than $5 million—nearly 500 of them, Thiel included, had holdings exceeding $25 million. “IRAs were designed to provide retirement security to middle-class families, not allow the superwealthy to avoid paying taxes,” lamented Oregon’s Ron Wyden, the Democratic chair of the Senate’s finance committee.

The savings bonanza kicked off in 1996 when two members of Congress, Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.), ushered through the first of several big reform packages. Neither “had any particular expertise in retirement policy,” University of Virginia law professor Michael Doran wrote in a January working paper, titled, “The Great American Retirement Fraud.” But the pair “followed the lead of lobbyists representing employers and the financial-­services industry” in pushing through two other related bills over the next decade. The 1996 bill, Doran noted, was “the first major relaxation of federal retirement policy in decades.”

Now both senators, Portman and Cardin introduced their latest bill, the Retirement Security and Savings Act of 2021, last May. It was presented, like the others, as a collection of reforms to benefit families and small businesses. “Americans need to save more so they can retire with the dignity and stability they deserve,” Cardin said in a press release. “It’s an ongoing struggle, especially during the pandemic when millions of Americans were without work for months or longer and small businesses struggled.”

But Doran argues that Portman and Cardin’s efforts, alongside similar initiatives, were never crafted with the little guy in mind. Such bills “promised to improve retirement income security for everyone, but instead they delivered expensive and unnecessary tax subsidies to higher-income families and a windfall to the financial services industry.”

Indeed, when celebrating their legislative record, the senators choose their words carefully. They boast of booming total retirement savings—now an estimated $35 trillion—while neglecting to mention how those numbers are skewed toward well-off Americans. “The lawyers, accountants, and wealth managers to the super-rich have fracked every corner of the tax code, especially tax-advantaged retirement programs, to extract benefits for their wealthy clients,” says Chuck Collins, director of the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies and author of 2021’s The Wealth Hoarders.

This “wealth defense industry,” for example, helps small businesses set up cash-balance plans, a newer type of tax-advantaged pension that can help company owners enrich themselves. One finance firm’s promotional materials lay out a scenario wherein four highly compensated owner-partners collect 89 percent of their company’s annual contributions—$212,000 each on average—while 20 lower-tier employees share the scraps. There are IRS rules meant to discourage such discriminatory pensions, but Doran says years of lobbying have rendered the rules “anemic.” As Rosenthal puts it, “Businesses have gotten very sophisticated around end-running that policy.”

“The Lawyers, Accountants, And Wealth Managers To The Super-Rich Have Fracked Every Corner Of The Tax Code, Especially Tax-Advantaged Retirement Programs.”

I reached out to Portman and Cardin to ask why their bills have helped the affluent so much more than ordinary families. A spokesperson responded with a joint statement noting that the senators’ latest bill—which they intend to revive this year—will “help expand access to retirement savings for low-­income Americans.” It would increase the age at which retirees must begin cashing out their accounts to 75, and raise the cap on IRA “catch-up” contributions for older workers by $3,000 annually—a move the senators said was “designed to help families who couldn’t save enough when raising children.” But expanded age limits only help those who can afford to wait for the money, as their tax-shielded assets grow even more. And workers like Diane Weiss don’t have much extra cash lying around for catch-up contributions as they head into their 60s.

Is there a way out? “Congress will struggle to solve the problem they created,” Rosenthal warns. “But the longer they wait, the harder it will be.” He suggests lawmakers adopt an Obama administration proposal that would ban further contributions once a person’s combined retirement accounts hit an upper limit (about $4 million), and that Congress strengthen the rules against businesses with retirement schemes that excessively favor the owners over their workers.

Instead of further subsidizing well-off Americans, who respond to each new incentive by shifting more taxable income and assets into tax-­deferred or tax-exempt retirement funds, Doran writes, the money could go to any number of things to help people who need it—including beefing up Social Security, a poverty-fighting program that supports 65 million retired, widowed, and disabled Americans and their dependents.

Rosenthal isn’t holding his breath. Last summer, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on the retirement system, where Wyden complained that it “doesn’t do nearly enough to help working people of modest means get ahead.” While Rosenthal and a colleague submitted a written statement for the record, the professionals who actually spoke to the committee, he says, were part of what he calls the retirement-industrial complex: “The benefits community, the practitioners, the retirement service industry—they testified,” he tells me. “Nobody was invited to testify who says the emperor has no clothes.”

— MotherJones.Com

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Tips For Returning To Work After Maternity Leave

Returning to work after the baby's arrival is a challenging time for all mamas.

You get more and more enthusiastic as the due date draws near. Parenthood’s exciting journey is just around the corner. Being a parent is a lovely, but hard, transition. Every restless night feels completely new while you’re learning how to parent. Some mothers find it unacceptable to return to work so soon.

The end of maternity leave is accompanied by a wide range of emotions, but planning beforehand can help you make the transition go more smoothly. For most new mothers, returning to work after maternity leave may be emotionally taxing and downright daunting.

Let’s look at how to handle the practical and emotional difficulties of returning to work after maternity leave. Here are some tricks and tips that we’ve seen to be helping. Here are a few tips to help ease your transition for some of the moms at Little Big World.

Before You Resume Work After Maternity Leave

Here are five strategies to help you prepare for returning to work:

Choose dependable childcare One of the hardest parts of returning to work is finding daycare. It’s best to start looking as soon as possible. Even while it may seem strange to start looking before your child is born, getting recommendations from friends and colleagues can help. Before you go back to work, conduct a few trial runs with your childcare provider. You may feel more at ease leaving your child with them as a result of this.

Many daycare centres offer Live CCTV coverage or pics / videos sent time to time.

Create a feeding schedule for you and the infant Choose whether you want to breastfeed your child full-time, part-time, or use formula before you go back to work. If you decide to keep breastfeeding, you’ll need to pump at work in order to keep up your milk production and have enough milk for your baby when it needs. Else, you may chose a daycare right where you work so you could simply take a quick break from work and also give your baby that much needed mommy time

Take a look at flexible schedules To maintain a bond with their newborns, some new mothers choose to work flexibly or from home. Discuss the timetable that works best for you and your family with your co-parent or other supporters. Remember that your co-parent may be able to adjust their schedule as well.

Establish self-care time Work-life balance can result in fatigue and frustration if self-care is not prioritised. Consider how and when you will recharge before you start working. Set up a plan for your new habit that includes self-care.

Be patient with the process! Allow yourself to experience every feeling! Giving yourself the same consideration and support that you would extend to a good friend might go a long way toward helping you recover your groove after a few weeks away. As you settle into a routine and learn that your kid is doing well, you might be surprised to find some relief.

The First Week Back At Work

As you get used to your new normal, don’t be afraid to seek those close to you for help. Here are some scenarios that you will encounter when dealing with other people.:

Speak with your employer about the possibility of leaving a little early during the first few weeks of employment. If your baby’s daycare is close to where you work, you might even ask for some unannounced break time to go be with your baby during the first week of settling time. Good daycares usually have settling time policies for the first week to help ensure a smooth separation.

Ask your caregiver to take pictures of your child throughout the day; you’ll like seeing their adorable face and it will be comforting to know that they are content and engaged in a variety of enjoyable activities.

To spend as much time as possible with your adorable newborn once you get home from work, ask your partner or other family members to help you out with dinner preparation or other evening activities.

Some Important Do’s And Don’ts To Keep In Mind

Do:

Give your self space and time to adjust with the new schedule. Resist the need to gauge your emotional state. It takes time to get back to work after parental leave.

Make sure your schedule is as predictable as you can, and let your coworkers know what you have planned. But be aware that changes can be required along the road.

Ask other parents at work for advice and motivation.

Make sure you start with a new caregiver on the first day you return to work.

Don’t:

Don’t be afraid to ask for flexibility. Speak up and get what you want if it will enable you to perform your job more effectively.

Don’t feel like you are being a bad parent by returning to work. You are just doing your job, whether that might be for passion, money, or anything else.

Do not allow colleagues or families to instill any guilt of your leaving your child behind. Talk about the plan you’ve made, checks you’ve built to ensure the best for your child and for you [Read More]

[turbotax]

Birth of a Child

The birth of a child is not just a blessed event; it's the beginning of a whole new set of tax breaks for your family. See the full TurboTax article to learn how the newest addition to your family can help trim your tax bill, and how to save for your child's future in the most tax-efficient manner.