Blog defending Pope Francis

Any Catholics here have probably noticed that right-wing Catholics are in full attack mode on Pope Francis, especially online where there has been a proliferation of anti-Francis websites and blogs.

Where Peter Is is a blog dedicated to defending the Holy Father from attacks by some members of the so-called "traditionalist" Catholic subculture as well as other right-wing Catholics.

I highly recommend Where Peter Is as a resource for combating misinformation about the Holy Father.

https://wherepeteris.com/

Trump's 'cruel' measures pushing US inequality to dangerous level, UN warns

I am not sure if this has been posted here yet but the United Nations special monitor on extreme poverty has warned that Trump's policies will be devastating for the poor and middle-class.

Pope Francis Revives the Workers Church

I am not sure if this article has been posted here, but this is a good article about Pope Francis and his attempt to revive the pro-labor social justice element of the Catholic Church. The article discusses issues like the new generation of labor priests and the power of wealthy right-wing Catholic business owners. A good read.

http://prospect.org/article/francis-revives-workers%E2%80%99-church

Many older Americans are living a desperate, nomadic life

I thought this article was a sobering look at the lives of some older Americans and a good antidote to claims that the Baby Boomers are all living on easy street.

Anti-hookworm drug that costs 4 cents in Tanzania costs up to $400 in the United States

Will Christian conservatives dump the porno president?

I think we all know the answer to this question but I am finding the revelations about Trump's activities with porn stars hilarious considering that I know many Christian conservatives who think Trump is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I have seen people on Christian forums unironically sporting avatars showing Jesus guiding Trump's hand.

See: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/does-jesus-love-donald-trump-bizarre-vision-goes-viral-1602597

Now of course Jesus spent time with prostitutes but that is a far cry from what Trump was doing. I don't think Trump was trying to spread the Good Word to Stormy Daniels.

Does anyone here read Mark Shea's Patheos blog?

I wouldn't call Shea a liberal but he criticizes right-wingers and right-wing Christians a lot these days. I never knew him to do that in his earlier years but he has been on fire criticizing Trump, the Republicans and the Religious Right lately.

Even if he is not liberal on every issue I would recommend Shea to Catholics or other Christians who are looking for a Christian critic of the Right.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markshea/

With Hidden Unemployed, 3.2 Million Older Workers Trapped in Unemployment

I thought this was an interesting article on the plight of older unemployed workers. It is not a long article so I will just post the link.

http://www.economicpolicyresearch.org/jobs-report/december-2017-unemployment-report-for-workers-over-55

Any Newfoundland dog owners?

I have been thinking about getting a dog for a long time. I used to own Doberman Pinschers but I would rather get a more placid dog this time out. I have read a lot about the Newfoundland dog and I think it is the dog for me but I am wondering how others have felt about owning one.

I think my biggest worry is the lifespan issue. I would hate to get attached to a dog and not have much time with it. How often do Newfies live to be 10 years old? I see different estimates for age but most of them say 8-10 years.

Trying to convince Republicans that Medicare and Social Security are in danger

I have mentioned this in a few threads but I have been trying to convince the Republicans I know that Medicare and Social Security are in serious danger of being cut or "reformed" into oblivion. Republican tax cuts will increase the deficit and the GOP will then bring entitlement reform to the table using the exploding deficit as the rationale. They will scare people with claims that the government will go bankrupt and that we need to make "tough choices" or we will go broke.

The responses I have received so far are:

1. The Republicans will never touch Medicare and Social Security because these programs are too popular. Entitlement reforms will target programs for the poor and these people deserve to have their programs cut because they encourage laziness, fraud, etc.

2. The Republican tax cuts will produce so much economic growth that they will pay for themselves so there will be no need to cut Medicare and Social Security.

I am surprised by how much pushback I am getting. Honestly, none of the Republicans I know believe that Medicare or Social Security will be cut. Have any of you encountered similar opinions? How do you deal with them?