That’s a procedural rule I wasn’t aware of. Thanks for the clarification.

I don’t understand why literally every Democrat in the Senate didn’t line up to filibuster this bill. Booker’s performative filibuster was toothless. This could actually have done something to change public policy.

US expat in Colombia

For the general population, if you’re sick you go to urgent care and maybe wait for several hours. If you need to see a specialist, those appointments can take a couple of weeks to a couple of months, depending on the type of specialty. Either way, the cost is about $3 (all prices are rough equivalents in USD) per visit to see a doctor.

My employer signed me up for private insurance that gives me “concierge service,” so I have access to a different network of doctors with shorter wait times. If I’m sick, I can get a same-day house call. If I need a specialist, I can usually get an appointment in a two-week time frame. I pay about $50 per month for that (in addition to my normal taxes, which are used to fund the public system). My copay per visit, regardless of the type of doctor or procedure (exams, MRIs, etc.) is about $10.

One time, I paid out of pocket for an ultrasound because I didn’t want to wait for the insurance company to approve it and go back for a separate appointment. It cost me about $25.

Same.

I’m no programmer by any means, but I’ve always been more tech-savvy than the average bear. I finally took the plunge and added a Linux partition to my computer because I read enough posts here that piqued my curiosity.

You jest, but I can assure you that alligator is delicious.

My cousin got acupuncture treatments for alpha gal a couple of months ago. She went out for a steak after her last session and wound up in the hospital.

American Atheists is an organization that will happily take dues and send you a membership card in return.

My representative, who is generally a pretty progressive guy, is on this list. A local journalist asked about his vote, and the statement from his office was that the congressman is waiting for a classified briefing on the Iran strikes to help determine whether the president broke the law.

I know that we live in a world where we expect not only a 24-hour news cycle, but 24-hour resolutions to all issues. Having a solid argument and proper evidence for impeachment is the sort of thing that moves more slowly than we would like.

I was raised in the Assemblies of God, and I’m fairly sure that I knew an age-appropriate definition of adultery by kindergarten. Something along the lines of “breaking your marriage vows by being in a romantic relationship with another person.”

I definitely knew the actual definition of abortion by kindergarten because my church had fucked-up priorities.

I have nieces, nephews, and students whom I love fiercely, but I also love that I get to give them back to their parents at the end of the day.

I do not regret my choice in the least. I live a comfortable life and I can afford to do a lot of things that my friends and coworkers who have kids can’t afford to do, either financially or emotionally. I would not be experiencing the adventure I’m currently on (living as an expat) if I had to provide a stable home environment for my own child(ren).

People who have only just met me typically ask if I have kids (even though they rarely ask my husband the same question). And when I say that I don’t, 80% of those people think that “Why not?” is an appropriate follow-up. And about half of them will go on about how having kids is great and I should really do it and that someday I’ll change my mind.

Now, I made a choice not to have kids. It’s not a difficult subject for me, even though it’s annoying to have strangers insinuate that I don’t know myself well enough to make that decision. But I have several loved ones who have suffered miscarriages and fertility issues, and I know that they feel really uncomfortable answering that question.

So right around the time I turned 35, my standard response became, " You know, when a woman gets to be a certain age and she doesn’t have kids, there’s usually a reason, and she usually doesn’t want to discuss it with strangers."

That usually stops those people in their tracks. And I hope it has stopped at least one of them from asking a really invasive question to a person who’s overly sensitive about the fact that they can’t have kids.

All that to say that humoring someone and naming the five songs (or saying that you can’t) out of politeness just reiterates that they were correct to act as a gatekeeper. Pointing out how rude the question is might actually change their behavior in the future.