In the Face of a Pandemic Part 1 "Cleaning"

I know supplies feel like they are running low. I know many of you feel at risk concerning medical needs, accessibility, and so on. And I feel... this is what I've been training for.

Many of you know I've had my fair share of struggles in the past. So much to the point that I've basically had to learn to do everything for myself from scratch. I had been without healthcare or access to a doctor for well over a decade. I know how to make food rations last for weeks. I know how to stretch a dollar like a rubber band. I know how to keep entertained when you can't go out. And so on.

If you are struggling with something (from being out of bread during lock down to how to SAFELY treat a fever,) feel free to ask me. If I don't know I will simply tell you.

I will try to post various resources as things develop to help you all get through as well.

Here is a small tip to start: CLEANING

Many germs and viruses don't do well with UV light. Open your blinds, curtains, etc. Get NATURAL light into your homes along with your cleaning efforts. UV light is not enough just on it's own but will help. (Not to mention the access to sunlight will help you create important immune supporting vitamins as well as "happy" hormones. So you don't feel so overwhelmed.)

When disinfecting, things, make sure you allow ample "wet time" to be effective. Wiping surfaces down with a disinfectant, such as a bleach solution, is not enough. Depending on the type of disinfectant, it can take anywhere from 30 seconds to up to 6 minutes to kill germs.

A mild bleach solution is best for hard surfaces. Two tablespoons bleach for 4 cups water. Spray on a surface, and let it air dry. DO NOT DRY IT WITH A TOWEL! It needs to stay wet for about 60 seconds.
And a small warning: do not assume a stronger solution is better! Bleach fumes can damage lung tissue as it evaporates, and it is important to keep lungs healthy as possible right now, as corona virus causes damage and honey combing of lung tissue for some.

If you need to clean soft surfaces, such as a bed, couch fabric, or car seats, while not as effective as bleach white vinegar is best. It won't bleach or fade fabric, but will kill many germs as well as eliminate odors. It's also very affordable. A little will go a long way, so don't hoard it. (Side note: Also very effective at cleaning windows, environmentally friendly, and will decalcify things such as faucets for hard water stains.

I hope these three things give you a little more peace of mind during this time. Again, feel free to ask me questions on anything you are worried about. We are all better when we share what we have to offer.

Why Bernie is the Only One Who Can Win

I've been politically silent lately. Hell I've been silent in general lately. That has been on purpose. But I have to break some silence for a moment here, to explain why Bernie Sanders is the ONLY democrat at this point who stands any chance of winning against Donald Trump.

Now this is in direct contrast to what most of the media and political "experts" are going to tell you about the "math."  Well, in response to that, let me emphasize this point, when all of these "experts" promised us that Trump would NEVER win the first time, and "no one saw this coming," I did. I knew he was going to win and was warning every friend and professor I knew. (Unfortunately no one took me seriously.) Why did I know? Because I wasn't looking at just the math, but the nature of people. I wasn't looking at the polls, I was looking at the voters. And this is the same reason I know, without a doubt that Biden cannot win, but Bernie would.

WHY TRUMP WON AND WHY THE POLLS AND MATH ARE BULLSHIT

When Trump won, it came as a shock, because there was only a small handful of people who were truly passionate about voting for him. In other words, there was only a small handful that were honest in the polls when a potential voter was asked who they intended to cast their ballot for.

And as one by one, as all the other candidates dropped from the race, and the options grew scarce... Well.... What can we say other than we are a nation that vote for Letters, and not People. We cheer on political sports teams, and wave figurative foam fingers with giant Ds or Rs emblazoned on them in red white and blue...

I remember talking with family members over the phone and being asked who I was voting for, and hearing my grandmother in the background loudly declare "Well she already knows who we're voting for."  This made me sigh. My grandmother hated Trump. But, her tradition of voting for the R on the ticket would not let that stop her from voting for someone she hated.

For better or worse, this is human nature.


WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THIS ELECTION:

So far, the media and "experts" has been going on, at great length about how Joe Biden is the only candidate that can win, because he is a moderate. Because he is the only one that leans far enough to the right to pull a handful of republican voters over the line to vote for a democratic nominee. (Because that worked so well the last time?) No. Not going to happen. There are VERY few people who are comfortable enough to cross that line. Especially with the last four years of Trump telling the public that the democrats are evil. That the democrats don't want to play nice. That the democrats are holding things up. Etc. and so on. Republicans would rather die than vote for a democratic nominee at this point. Biden can't pull any significant numbers over. But what he can do is lose numbers that would otherwise vote.


THE VALUE OF YOUNG VOTERS:

If you ask any "expert" what target demographic is least likely to show up to vote, it's "young voters."

I cannot stress how key this demographic is. These are people who haven't necessarily chosen a "team" to support yet. These are people who want to feel EXCITED to participate.  And this makes up about 13% of the very necessary number to a democratic candidate's victory.

In 2016, there were many who didn't show up to vote in the general election for several reasons.

1. People were told that Hillary would beat the pants off Trump without even trying, and thought their vote wasn't necessary. (Because who in their right mind would vote for him?) 
2.  Young voters didn't feel heard by the DNC.  They felt betrayed by the team they had gotten hopes up to cheer for, and feel the nomination was "stolen" from Bernie.
3.  Trump started using a bunch of Bernie's rhetoric, and drew a few of those voters to his party. (Because remember young people vote for a person not a team yet.)

We need to learn from these mistakes and past experiences.

By supporting Biden, all that is happening is we are sweeping aside a large demographic of young voters who are idealistic and only going to vote for someone who excites them enough to get involved.  Do yourself a favor and go up to any teenager you know and ask them to tell you about each candidate (without using the internet.)  I promise you they will be able to tell you more about Sanders than Biden. I promise you, if anyone is going to get them to participate, it's Sanders not Biden.

If beating Trump is the ultimate goal, Sanders is the ONLY choice.  No one (or at least very very few) are going to switch teams as they age. Much like my grandmother who hated Trump but voted for him anyway, older Democratic voters WILL show up and vote for whoever is on the ticket, waving a big blue foam finger.  Those numbers are already guaranteed.  Get the young ones to show up, and the democratic party will be back in the White House.