Page 5 - 6-23-15 Tuesday's Edition

Editorials
Stop Waiting And Start Living
Jeb Bush: A Ruthless Pragmatist
It’s called an “oxymoron,” (which doesn’t mean “stupid cow”). Instead, it describes what happens when people place two opposite concepts side-by-side and come up with
a completely new meaning . . .like “pretty-ugly,” “magnifi- cently stupid,” or — using former Florida governor - now Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush’s favorite term – “ruthless pragmatist.”
And how could you forget Jeb Bush? ‘Probably easier than he could forget what his brother, George Dubyuh did or did not do regarding Iraq when he was president. Former gov- ernor of the Sunshine State, Bully-Boy Par Excellence who gave state teachers the dickens for almost everything and who almost single-handedly shipwrecked Florida’s public school system’s credibility, yep, that would be Jeb Bush, al- right.
Well, now, Jeb who speaks at least three languages – if you count Conservative Double-speak as a language – has come up with another avocation. Little known to a yawning society, our 40th Would-Love-to-Be-Republican Presidential Valedictorian is also a budding oxymoronic.
And, his best first pitch is (you guessed it) “ruthless prag- matist,” a term he leveled at one of a number of usual sus- pects during a recent campaign speech. So, we looked it up. And this is what we found: Ruthless means “merciless,” as well as “unrelenting” while pragmatist means someone who is “practical,” “busy,” “officious,” or “dogmatic,” to name a few synonyms.
Some would say these two words when sewn together fit Jeb Bush like a glove (or a size-Ten shoe). So, let us be the first to re-introduce him to a catch-phrase frenzied world: “Ladies, Gentlemen, and Prospective Voters, we present Jeb Bush: the Ruthless Pragmatist.”
C learly, many Republican leaders care less than a penny for the outcome of Americans who cannot afford health insurance. Why else would Congressional Republicans con- tinue to mewl and puke against the Affordable Health Care Act that currently insures more than 14 million Americans? Why else would so-called Conservatives encourage the 30 million eligible Americans who haven’t bothered to sign up
for health insurance not to do so?
Uninsured Americans receive more than $49 billion of
medical care in American hospitals each year. Who pays for that care? Look in the mirror. If you have health insurance, you pay for that care by experiencing higher insurance pre- miums to the tune of nearly $100 per month because the average American family pays in excess of $1,017 more per year health in care premiums to compensate for the unin- sured. (Is your head swimming, yet?)
In all honesty, the high cost of insurance has been the main reason why people go without coverage. Most of the uninsured are in low-income working families, or are people of color. Is there any doubt as to why certain Conser- vatives simply do not care? We say “No.”
The cost of health insurance and medicine is driven by profit. When health insurance and pharmaceutical com- pany executives earn two to $30 million per year, when the health insurance conglomerate makes a profit of billions and the pharmacy companies make profits of over $85 bil- lion per year, is there any doubt as to why good health costs so much in America and why drugs are much cheaper in Spain, France, Germany, Canada, China, and the United Kingdom?
When insured America finally wakes up (hopefully, be- fore half-past 12 p. m.) and realizes it’s been taken on a bad dream, then we will celebrate. But until then, keep the coffee hot.
“The life you desire to have begins when you start living it.”
–Selphenia Simmons
Empowered Greetings. I want to ask you a question. What are you waiting for? What are you waiting for to start living and stop existing? What are you waiting for to maximize your potential? What are you waiting for to be all that you can be? What are you waiting for to live life to the fullest?
If you are like most peo- ple, you have buried dreams down on the inside of you. You have hopes that were once flames of fire but have
Hollywood tricked me. In every horror movie I’ve ever seen churches were depicted as places where people could go to escape the threat of monsters. But, after witness- ing what transpired in Charleston, South Carolina last week, I’ve learned that’s not always the case.
In real life a demonic spirit can, not only, enter a church but it can actually pray with its victims for hours before informing them of its intent to take their lives. An act so diabolically wicked in its im- plementation that it’s hard to imagine an evil of this magni- tude being encapsulated in- side of a human form.
What happened at the Emanuel A.M.E. Church, where 9 people were mur- dered by a sociopath after a prayer service, also showed me that sanctuaries no longer exist either. There are no safety zones or safe havens that can protect us from the insanity of the world around us.
To me, what makes this latest act of terror particu- larly egregious is that, it tar- geted people who were congregating in an attempt to strengthen their individual relationships with the cre- ator, devout Christians whose only mistake involved their choice to leave home for fellowship.
Growing up I was always
been reduced to smoldering ashes. There are things you desire to do, places you de- sire to go and experiences you desire to have. Again I ask, “What are you waiting for?”
The rationale of your fi- nite mind says that you are waiting for the right time. You have been postponing and procrastinating living your best life...just to wait. When you were younger you were waiting until you were older. Now you’re older, you think you’re too old. When you were single you were waiting until you get mar- ried. Now you’re married all your time is devoted to your
taught that, whenever two or more people gathered in the name of the Lord, the Holy Spirit would be present. If that’s the case, and God was indeed on the scene, I’m find- ing it hard to come to grips with how and why He al- lowed this senseless killing to happen?
Not to sound blasphe- mous, but I can’t help but wonder what God was doing when the devil stood up and started squeezing the trigger? Had He turned his head at that moment? Was He in the middle of a Yawn? Did He simply Blink as the shots began to rang out?
I mean what happened to “Divine intervention?” What could have possibly had God’s attention while his sheep were being slaugh- tered?
Someone tried to rational- ize this tragic event to me by saying that it could have been a mysterious part of God’s plan. That would mean God wanted His most loyal wor- shippers to be brutally killed inside of His house and in His presence. If that’s true, then what does it say about the chance the rest of us have of leaving here peacefully when our time is up?
One of the saddest aspects of this entire occurrence is that it all came about because the shooter, 21-year-old Dy- lann Roof, allegedly wanted
spouse. Maybe you were waiting until you have chil- dren. Now that you have them, you’re waiting until they are grown and gone. Maybe, you’re waiting on the right career. When you get that you’ll be too busy climb- ing the ladder of success; then you’ll find yourself wait- ing until you retire. What are you waiting for?
There will always be a reason why should wait. Pro- crastination can kill a dream. Begin to focus on the reasons why you can’t wait and start living life today.
Tired of waiting or stuck on what to do, contact Selphenia and schedule a complimentary Success Strategy Session to get you on your road to success. Call 813-956-0185
Let’s get connected. Mes- sage Selphenia on social media letting her know you read the column. Website: successcoachtowomen.com Facebook: Selphenia Nichols Instagram: Selphenia Twitter: queenofsuccess1
to instigate a race war be- tween Blacks and whites. In his mind attacking innocent Black people inside the sanc- tity of a historic house of praise would force us to retal- iate in equal fashion. Unfor- tunately, for Roof, that was a gross miscalculation.
Had he done his research thoroughly he would discov- ered that Blacks in America are the most docile, passive and forgiving creatures on the face of the earth. He could have killed 100,000 of us and the only three things he would have inspired the average Black person to lift in anger would have been a protest sign, a Bible and some tissue to dry his or her eyes.
Now, all Roof has to look forward to for his efforts is a long stretch in a state prison. A place where he’ll, ironi- cally, be sexually exploited by his fellow White Suprema- cists.
At this point, I really don’t know what else anyone can say about our situation in this country. With the perpetra- tors of this kind of violence against us becoming younger and younger there’s no doubt that the hatred that has caused us so much pain in the past, isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
And, since we either can’t or aren’t willing to do any- thing to stop the onslaught, I guess all we can look forward to is a future where we’ll be filling a lot more caskets.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bulletin Publishing Company. Anyone wish- ing to contact Clarence Barr can email him at: realityonice@yahoo.com
The Day God Blinked
Insured Americans Paying $49 Billion For The Uninsured
TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5