Presidential Responses to HIV/AIDS

With the passing of George H.W. Bush, I saw a lot of posts about how his inaction around AIDS led to hundreds of thousands of deaths. Let me be crystal clear, I am not a fan of George H.W. Bush, or really a fan of any Republican since Lincoln, but I have also spent four years obsessively researching the early years of the AIDS epidemic and I’m not sure Bush deserves some of the criticism he’s been getting. But I realized if I was going to talk about what George H.W. Bush did to combat HIV/AIDS, I’d have to do a little more research about where he stacked up against other presidents.

And so, in order of historical appearance, our Presidents and their responses to HIV/AIDS.

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The Mustache of Justice

The back of Representative Henry Waxman's book, The Waxman Report: How Congress Really Works has quotes from people talking not about the book, but about Henry Waxman. There are quotes describing Waxman as "a famed tightwad with a righteous streak," "the mustache of justice" and "the best argument against term limits."

All true points, if I do say so myself. With Trump's recent talk of "draining the swamp" of government by imposing Congressional term limits, I thought it would be fun to use Representative Waxman as a case study against term limits. And when I say fun, I mean fun for me, the undisputed Number One Fan of former Los Angeles Congressman Henry Waxman.

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The Dannemeyer Bill Count

Once in a generation there comes along a rumor so ridiculous, it doesn't even feel worth addressing. And for a long time, the "Clinton Body Count" list has been that rumor for me. I didn't think anyone actually believed it, but articles keep popping up, and I keep seeing references to all the people who Hillary and Bill Clinton have allegedly killed or had killed.

And so the time has come to put this rumor to rest as best I can.

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Real Talk about Gary Johnson

Before this election cycles goes any further, we need to talk about Gary Johnson. I'm seeing a lot of people on Facebook tout Johnson as a great candidate, capable leader, and a man would make a great president. Blog Readers, I didn't move out of New Mexico and struggle to make it in the big city to see this country governed by former governor Gary Johnson.

"But Gary Johnson seems so chill!" you say. "He wants to legalize marijuana, he's totally cool with gay people, and he's pro-choice! What more do you want, you crazy liberal?"

Ah my friends, we've come to one of my favorite discussions. Being pro-gay, and pro-choice, and pro-weed does not a liberal make. If you're really a progressive, you believe in utilizing the power and means of the government to help out those who need the most assistance in society. It's great to be pro-gay marriage, but if you're going to be against the government spending money of group homes and foster care and healthcare for low income people, you're not really pro-gay, because LGBT people are far more likely to be homeless, be refused healthcare, and need access to government services.

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