gdp's Comments

GazetteOnline.com : 63-year-old Marion man charged with sex abuse of 4-year-old

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:14:41 +0000

Our Constitution doesn't work like that. Try reading it. And the problem with pedophiles isn't only the sexual desire. That was the point of my initial comment - it's a MENTAL desire and they don't need "the drive" to continue having the desire to sexually abuse children. There are examples of pedophiles who have been chemically castrated who go right back out and abuse children after they get out of jail. I'm not interested in suggested solutions that don't solve the problem.

GazetteOnline.com : 63-year-old Marion man charged with sex abuse of 4-year-old

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:43:49 +0000

The punishment has to fit the crime and be fair. I am against the death penalty in all cases. This man should go to jail for the rest of his life. Last I checked, you're not God. You don't get to decide who lives and dies. When you attempt to make that decision, you're just as bad as the criminal.

GazetteOnline.com : 63-year-old Marion man charged with sex abuse of 4-year-old

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:21:38 +0000

Point me to the part of any of my comments that say I'm on the side of a 63 year old predator/pedophile. Oh wait, you can't because I NEVER SAID THAT. Try READING. This man should go to jail for the rest of his life. We have a problem with sentencing in this country, so it's possible he won't. We have to fix that problem. But YOUR suggestion of castration doesn't fix that problem. He's still able to prey on children - even without that functioning body part - because sexual abuse doesn't just consist of actual sex. Sexual abuse includes inappropriate touching. Should we cut off his hands to prevent that? Or should we reform our laws to keep him in jail - as I'm suggesting.

GazetteOnline.com : 63-year-old Marion man charged with sex abuse of 4-year-old

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:42:11 +0000

Try rereading my comment. Nowhere in my comment did I suggest rehab. And try reading our Constitution while you're at it - it provides inalienable rights for all Americans regardless of their crimes - and a right to due process and a fair trial are some of those rights. This is the problem with Republicans...you don't want Democracy, you want authoritarian rule by a Republican dictator. You claim to love your country, but you have no idea what democracy really is.

GazetteOnline.com : VIDEO: Grassley talks health care across Iowa

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:37:57 +0000

Senator Grassley is a liar. Plain and simple. He has no honor. Someone may want to let him know that 76% of Iowans believe we need health care reform NOW and 57% of Iowans want a public option. He's not representing Iowans anymore, he's representing his health insurance company large campaign donors.

GazetteOnline.com : 63-year-old Marion man charged with sex abuse of 4-year-old

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:33:06 +0000

How is this a political issue? Either you want to effectively prevent repeat offenses or you don't. Castration doesn't work. It's been proven not to work. Want to know why? Sexual abuse doesn't only occur with one body part. Let's say he's castrated and goes to prison and gets out 20 years from now...he still has hands. He still has an internet connection. He's still able to sexually abuse children. Your suggestion isn't a solution to the problem. Your suggestion would only provide people with a false sense of safety. We have a Constitution we have to follow which provides people with civil rights. We have to protect those rights. It seems to me the way to fix this problem is to adjust the sentences. At this point, sex abusers get sentenced to a few years in prison. If there's no rehab and no way to prevent recission, then they need to stay in prison, or at least some type of facility where they are accounted for. Are you interested in solving the actual problem, or are you MORE interested in taking cheap shots at Democrats? Sounds to me like it's the latter and to me, that makes you part of the problem.

GazetteOnline.com : Section 8 maps for Iowa City and Cedar Rapids

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:22:54 +0000

Why do you assume section 8 housing isn't beautiful? Is there somewhere in the rulebook that says section 8 housing has to be ugly?

GazetteOnline.com : Section 8 maps for Iowa City and Cedar Rapids

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 01:27:41 +0000

Did you create these maps to make it easier for the racists on your blog here to make nasty comments? Or was it to help local employers discriminate against the poor? I don't see how these maps benefit anyone. I find the entire project pretty appalling. Of course, I find your overt emphasis on all things crime-related rather appalling as well. But really, keep it up. The white supremacists who comment here love it and they appreciate the fact that it helps them with recruitment.

GazetteOnline.com : VIDEO: Harkin health care forum erupts into shouting match

Sun, 9 Aug 2009 22:48:32 +0000

Page 29 says no such thing. I'd suggest you go back and read it again. Page 29 says that you have to pay co-pays on preventive benefits. The Health Benefits Advisory Committee has duties listed on page 32. Their job is to develop standards. Medicare has something similar to this right now and so do your precious private insurance companies. The advisory committee develops the coverage standards and then the Secretary of Health and Human Services is tasked with approving or denying their recommendations. Medicare does just fine with this system right now and amusingly enough, I don't hear you complaining about the fact that private insurance companies use the SAME process to decide what to cover and what not to cover.

GazetteOnline.com : VIDEO: Harkin health care forum erupts into shouting match

Sun, 9 Aug 2009 22:02:47 +0000

Put away your Chuck Grassley talking points. The government doesn't ration care - unless of course the Republicans in Congress decide that they don't want to fund the care, so they decide to ration it. I realize that's a tough circle to follow, but to sum it up - Republicans complain about rationing care and THEY are the ones who vote consistently to cut back funding for care - over and over and over again. The people you're mad at are the ones you're voting for. Wake up.

GazetteOnline.com : VIDEO: Harkin health care forum erupts into shouting match

Sun, 9 Aug 2009 22:01:20 +0000

It helps if you know something before you judge people. I work my 45 hours a week and get paid for 40. I have insurance through my employer. I'm lucky. Not everyone has what I have and I feel it's my MORAL responsibility to help others who are in need. Since you Republicans claim to be so Christian, I would have assumed you'd feel a similar moral responsibility. Apparently you missed that part of the message Jesus tried to impart. And just fyi, for all those people who don't want handouts, there are an awful lot of them TAKING handouts right and left while denouncing Medicare and Social Security. You'll notice at most of these meetings the people crying about socialized medicine are the very people who are 65 years old and ON socialized medicine. http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/17/business/... - from the article: "The committee investigation uncovered several rescission practices that one lawmaker called egregious, including targeting every policyholder diagnosed with leukemia, breast cancer and 1,400 other serious illnesses." They don't deserve to profit off the DEATH of the sick people they signed a contract to insure - and yet that's exactly what you're praising. That's sick.

GazetteOnline.com : VIDEO: Harkin health care forum erupts into shouting match

Sun, 9 Aug 2009 20:28:08 +0000

A bureaucrat is already deciding what treatment you receive - they're doing it based on what makes their company the most money. The government doesn't decide care based on profit. In fact, Medicare does not deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions and Medicare doesn't drop people when they get sicker - unlike your precious private insurance companies. But seriously, since you're so concerned about government health care, just give up your right to Medicare now. I mean, you clearly don't want it, so why not just renounce it...or will you be like every other old person at a town hall with a sign saying "no socialized Medicine, but don't touch my Medicare". Republicans are uninformed, as usual.

GazetteOnline.com : VIDEO: Harkin health care forum erupts into shouting match

Sun, 9 Aug 2009 20:19:45 +0000

So, just to be clear, you will refuse your Medicare card when it comes in the mail? And you denounce your right to collect Social Security? I also expect you'll be paying for your children to attend private schools? Paying a toll for each time you drive on a road? I could go on all day...but don't complain about the things government does wrong when it's pretty clear that Medicare runs more efficiently and effectively than any other private health insurance program in the country. The overhead costs for Medicare are under 7% while the overhead costs for private insurers are 30+%. It's pretty clear who does a better job. But please do hand over that Medicare card. If you're not willing to use it. There are 50 million others who are uninsured and they're literally DYING to be covered by Medicare.