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By Neil Rubenstein
Observer Columnist 

The Focus Honoree Will Be Karen Bass

 

November 2, 2017



The Los Angeles Focus 20th Annual First Ladies High Tea will take place on Saturday November 11 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, 9876 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills. Our Congresswoman the Honorable Karen Bass will be the Focus Honoree (310) 677-6011 or firstladieshightea.com.

It just seems, and rightly so, Theodorsia and I are traveling more frequently and staying away longer. While we were away visiting friends and family our Congresswoman, the Honorable Karen Bass sent us this letter regarding healthcare.

Donald Trump needs to keep his tiny hands off our health care. While he has been so incompetent in so many areas that need attention he’s managed to work hard at destroying our health care in an effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.

House Republicans couldn’t get a repeal and replace a bill through Congress so now Trump, who has become obsessed with ending Obamacare, is using his office to sabotage it. Will you join me in standing up to Trump and fighting for our health care?


Most people don’t know that the open enrollment period to sign up for healthcare begins in less than a month-that’s because Trump slashed the advertising budget for that program and told federal health department employees not to participate in enrollment events that help people get signed up for insurance.

Then, just this week, he issued an executive order that allows insurance companies to offer plans with fewer benefits and protections. If you end up on one of these, your insurance might not have to pay for insulin if you have diabetes, among other possible cuts.


Then he declared an end to subsidies that have helped seven million people pay for their health insurance. He ordered to stop the payments despite the fact that he was warned that this could cause the ACA marketplaces to implode.

No matter how he tries to spin it, these orders are attacks on working families.

Will you stand with me and tell Trump to keep his little hands off our healthcare?

By the way are we still in a drought situation here in California?

For all my friends who are smokers we have bad news. Northern California wildfires have destroyed at least seven marijuana farms making it the “worst year on record” for loss of crops, an industry leader said. Many growers lost their homes and farms said Klah Allen of the California Growers Association. Marijuana growers do not qualify for crop insurance or federal emergency relief funds.


I’ve said it time and time again-we must work hard to improve the ACA. Even with its flaws it offers our families protections and access to fair and adequate coverage many otherwise wouldn’t have. This law is life for so many Americans -they shouldn’t have to pay the price for the President playing petty politics. Congresswoman Karen Bass

Do you realize the City of Los Angeles hasn’t used Red Light Cameras in quite some time? Culver City claiming it’s for safety still does. Los Angeles Police Department grounded and eventually destroyed the two drones it accepted in 2014 as gifts from Seattle, Washington. Members of the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition argue “mission creep” is inevitable that once allowed to use drones for rescues and perimeter searches police will find an excuse to use the devices to snoop or serve warrants. As for drones becoming weapons police helicopters were never supposed to be weaponized either yet earlier this year an officer shot a suspect from a helicopter. Last year police in Dallas used a non-flying explosive carrying drone to stop a suspected sniper.


It’s hard for Cousin Neil to believe but almost two months have transpired since Rev Al Sharpton gave the keynote speech at the annual Cannabis World Congress and Business Exposition at the Los Angeles Convention Center. He discussed the rampant inequality in the marijuana industry and disproportionate arrests of people of color.


California produced at least 13.5 million pounds of marijuana last year-five times more than the 2.5 million pounds it consumes. So, where did the extra pot go? Experts say much of it ended up in other states-some of which marijuana is still illegal. The new California Bureau of Cannabis Control is moving to regulate, the sale and transport of marijuana. Our city council expects to get billions in taxes from marijuana to shore up the city’s messed up priority of exorbitated high wages, benefits and pensions, and with overproduction the price will be low, but policing costs will be high.

The states with the highest prison population, as noted by the Wall Street Journal.

1. Louisiana

2. Oklahoma

3. Alabama

4. Mississippi

5. Arizona

6. Arkansas

7. Texas

8. Missouri

9. Georgia

10. Florida

According to Time Magazine these five world leaders are less popular than Trump.


1. Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela

2. Michel Temer of Brazil

3. Jacob Zuma of South Africa

4. Najib Razak of Malaysia

5. Alexis Tsipras of Greece

 

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