Investing in prisons instead of children

http://www.theinfluence.org/this-state-has-increased-prison-spending-at-a-rate-668-percent-higher-than-it-increased-education-spending/

Here’s a sure sign of a thriving society with healthy priorities and a bright future: investing in prisons instead of children.

According to a new Department of Education report, over the past 30 years state spending on correctional facilities has surged at three times the rate of spending on elementary and secondary schools.

What about college? Ha. Since 1989, state and local governments’ investment in higher education has stayed the same, compared to an 89 percent jump in prison-and-jail spending. Common sense dictates these trends might somehow be related…

Note that Texas has increased its corrections spending in relation to education by such a high percentage that it looks like a typo: 668 percent faster…

Medicare owes me a refund check

http://www.theinfluence.org/graphic-availability-of-medical-marijuana-correlates-with-a-drop-in-prescriptions-for-other-meds/

A new study from the journal Health Affairs found that the availability of medical marijuana significantly correlates with lower rates of prescribing other drugs. The authors of the study, Ashley C. Bradford and W. David Bradford, looked at data on all prescriptions filled by patients with Medicare Part D from 2010 to 2013…

The researchers looked at prescribing patterns for medical conditions that states allow to be treated with medical marijuana, like anxiety, seizures and glaucoma.

In states where medical marijuana was legal, Medicare saved $165.2 million in 2013…

So in some ways, the cost has not been “saved” but rather shifted to patients, who must pay for marijuana out of pocket (and sometimes experience many other difficulties obtaining it). But one of the study’s authors explained that if medical marijuana became a regular part of patient care nationally, money would still be saved overall, because marijuana is cheaper than other drugs…

Bud is cheaper than other drugs? Even with insurance, I kinda doubt that. That is, unless you live in a state that has legalized, because prices are a lot lower in those states.

The highest reduction in prescribing other medications was seen for pain—highly relevant for those concerned about opioid prescribing levels. (The dramatic fall in pain medication prescribing should be taken in the context of the national decline since 2013)…

Why is WordPress so slow?

One some blogs, it can take up to a minute for me to download a single post. And before you blame my computer or internet provider, I’m not finding this problem on the other websites I visit. Anyone else having this problem?

Chris Cornell Day

I don’t mind stealing bread
From the mouths of decadents
But I can’t feed on the powerless
When my cup’s already overfilled

Emancipate yourself from mental slavery
None but our self can free our minds

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too

Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Black hole sun
Won’t you come
And wash away the rain

But nothing
I said nothing can take away these blues

I don’t believe in marriage, but if Chris Cornell asked me to marry him, I wouldn’t hesitate. A girl can dream, can’t she? 🙂