New year, new state laws: From minimum wage to gender-affirming care

[CharlieH]

 

A host of new state laws came into effect across the country Monday, reflecting a national rift on key issues and how to address them that doesn’t seem to be shifting course anytime soon.

Many of the measures are sure to attract criticism and even mockery from their opponents. 

 

 

For instance, California now mandates large toy stores to include a gender-neutral aisle, regardless of how individual toys are marketed.

Meanwhile, Texas followed Florida in banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices on college campuses.

But some new state laws are in direct opposition to each other, widening the differences in how people in the United States live from state to state.

The minimum wage is rising primarily in 25 states, only seven of which are politically dominated by the GOP. 

The highest minimum wages, at $16.28 and $16 respectively, are now in Washington state and California. The lowest, the federally-mandated $7.25 an hour, is still the law in 20 states, a majority of them controlled by Republicans.

The partisan split is also visible in new laws on reproductive rights and gender-affirming care.

 

Idaho’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors, enacted in April, is in effect as of Monday, threatening doctors and practitioners with $5,000 fines and felony charges for providing minors with medications or procedures like puberty blockers or sex-reassigning surgeries.

Similar laws came into effect Monday in Louisiana and West Virginia, though West Virginia’s law has significant carve-outs for parental consent, concurring medical opinions, or danger of self-harm.

California, on the other hand, will now offer protections to doctors who provide abortions, contraception or gender-affirming care to out-of-state patients, and Maryland will require Medicaid to cover gender-affirming care.

 

STORY

 

 

 

[JonnyF]

6 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

 

 

For instance, California now mandates large toy stores to include a gender-neutral aisle, regardless of how individual toys are marketed.

 

What a time to be alive .

 

No wonder California is facing such an exodus. I have friends there who tell me its almost impossible to ride dirtbikes there legally and the green taxes are out of control. 

 

Growing up I used to aspire to live there due to my love of motocross, hiking, surfing etc. I spent some time there in the late 90s and loved it. 

 

The deeply authoritarian "liberals" have pretty much ruined the place for the average man. Just goes to show how left wing Authoritarianism and climate alarmism can ruin even the most beautiful of places. Sad.

[Tug]

3 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

What a time to be alive .

 

No wonder California is facing such an exodus. I have friends there who tell me its almost impossible to ride dirtbikes there legally and the green taxes are out of control. 

 

Growing up I used to aspire to live there due to my love of motocross, hiking, surfing etc. I spent some time there in the late 90s and loved it. 

 

The deeply authoritarian "liberals" have pretty much ruined the place for the average man. Just goes to show how left wing Authoritarianism and climate alarmism can ruin even the most beautiful of places. Sad.

I don’t know…..ca is a bit restricted in some ways some of it is ridiculous but then again as an example I was raised on a schooner the water was polluted no doubt about it,now when the wife and I go for our walk along the bay not a speck of trash to be seen not a whiff of oil the water it’s clean that’s no accident the back country is safe for the critters that live there it’s not for us to tear up but there are areas were we can do that just not everywhere.i have to chuckle about the authoritarian liberals crack that’s funny 😄 

[thaibeachlovers]

On 1/2/2024 at 4:35 PM, CharlieH said:

For instance, California now mandates large toy stores to include a gender-neutral aisle, regardless of how individual toys are marketed.

California continues IMO to descend into insanity.

 

On 1/2/2024 at 4:35 PM, CharlieH said:

Idaho's ban on gender-affirming care for minors, enacted in April, is in effect as of Monday, threatening doctors and practitioners with $5,000 fines and felony charges for providing minors with medications or procedures like puberty blockers or sex-reassigning surgeries.

 

Not all states are buying into the IMO gender insanity.

[JonnyF]

2 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

California continues IMO to descend into insanity.

 

 

Not all states are buying into the IMO gender insanity.

 

Correct.

 

California will end up like London where most of the good people have escaped to nearby counties and it's a joyless multi cultural disaster zone rife with violent crime and ridiculous Woke/green policies that make it a horrible place to exist.

 

 

[Chomper Higgot]

On 1/2/2024 at 10:35 AM, CharlieH said:

Meanwhile, Texas followed Florida in banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices on college campuses.

Such terrible things like diversity, equity and inclusion have no place in Republican run States.

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

On 1/6/2024 at 5:13 PM, JonnyF said:

 

Correct.

 

California will end up like London where most of the good people have escaped to nearby counties and it's a joyless multi cultural disaster zone rife with violent crime and ridiculous Woke/green policies that make it a horrible place to exist.

 

 

I can agree about London. The English were rare on the ground and almost absent from the inner city hospital that I worked in, and the city itself was grotty, ugly and not much fun to live in.

[Chomper Higgot]

31 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I can agree about London. The English were rare on the ground and almost absent from the inner city hospital that I worked in, and the city itself was grotty, ugly and not much fun to live in.

It’s true of hospitals across the UK.

 

Without foreign staff at all levels from cleaners to consultant surgeons they’d not be able provide the health services the nation needs.

[thaibeachlovers]

33 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I can agree about London. The English were rare on the ground and almost absent from the inner city hospital that I worked in, and the city itself was grotty, ugly and not much fun to live in.

Just in case anyone wonders why I lived there when I didn't have to, it was because of London weighting which gave me a lot more money than if I lived outside London. The Brits don't pay nurses what they deserve, so one has to make it up somehow.

[JonnyF]

On 1/6/2024 at 11:27 AM, Chomper Higgot said:

Such terrible things like diversity, equity and inclusion have no place in Republican run States.

 

 

 

Racist policies like positive discrimination have no place in any state. 

[Chomper Higgot]

2 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

Racist policies like positive discrimination have no place in any state. 

More ill informed nonsense.

[JonnyF]

3 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

It’s true of hospitals across the UK.

 

Without foreign staff at all levels from cleaners to consultant surgeons they’d not be able provide the health services the nation needs.

 

Chicken and egg. Without such huge immigration numbers the strain on the NHS would be much less. 

 

I do support bringing skilled workers such as surgeons though. For unskilled work like cleaners, I'd reduce/remove unemployment benefits for those fit to work so they had no choice but to take such positions. There is no need to import unskilled workers with over a million unemployed. 

[JonnyF]

2 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

More ill informed nonsense.

 

Not at all. Discriminating against people based on skin colour is racism. Even if they are white. 

[Chomper Higgot]

16 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

Chicken and egg. Without such huge immigration numbers the strain on the NHS would be much less. 

 

I do support bringing skilled workers such as surgeons though. For unskilled work like cleaners, I'd reduce/remove unemployment benefits for those fit to work so they had no choice but to take such positions. There is no need to import unskilled workers with over a million unemployed. 

A bit of a problem when millions aren’t fit  for work and/or don’t live anywhere near a hospital that they could go to work at.

[JonnyF]

13 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

A bit of a problem when millions aren’t fit  for work and/or don’t live anywhere near a hospital that they could go to work at.

 

Nonsense. Any major hospital would have plenty of unemployed people within a 10-15 mile radius who are fit to work.

 

Especially those in London. 

 

But no, let's give them all benefits and then import people to do the jobs that they are too lazy to do. 

[Chomper Higgot]

4 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

Nonsense. Any major hospital would have plenty of unemployed people within a 10-15 mile radius who are fit to work.

 

Especially those in London. 

 

But no, let's give them all benefits and then import people to do the jobs that they are too lazy to do. 

Odd how your simple solution has evaded the best minds in UK Government and the Department of Health.

 

Maybe it’s ill informed nonsense.

[JonnyF]

3 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Odd how your simple solution has evaded the best minds in UK Government and the Department of Health.

 

Maybe it’s ill informed nonsense.

 

It's not odd at all. The government has made many poor policy decisions and it's weak stance on immigration is one of the key issues that is making it very likely that they will lose the next election. 

[Neeranam]

Bring back Trump, he'' sort them out.

[Bday Prang]

On 1/6/2024 at 11:05 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

 

Not all states are buying into the IMO gender insanity

I hope so  but the whole charade is like a cancer, I fear its only a matter of time 

[Bday Prang]

7 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Bring back Trump, he'' sort them out.

him or someone like him,  its their only hope,  It takes a certain kind of person to stand up to these screaming wokies, most politicians are scared stiff of saying anything that could be construed as *****phobic  or ******ist.  and blown up out of all proportion by the left-wing media

[Bday Prang]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

It’s true of hospitals across the UK.

 

Without foreign staff at all levels from cleaners to consultant surgeons they’d not be able provide the health services the nation needs.

Because the indigenous population are too racist and stupid to be trained up to work in such positions?  Or perhaps because the uncontrolled immigration has overloaded the system to a certain degree?

[Bday Prang]

54 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

A bit of a problem when millions aren’t fit  for work

If that's the case then all these foreign medics need to pull their finger out.   Millions unfit for work, ?  there's millions there now who are not even allowed to work.

[Bday Prang]

36 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Odd how your simple solution has evaded the best minds in UK Government and the Department of Health.

 

Maybe it’s ill informed nonsense.

So now you consider the incumbent government to contain the "best" minds,   god help us if the other lot get in , but at least they have Diane Abbott to keep the average IQ up to gutter level

[Bday Prang]

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

 

Not at all. Discriminating against people based on skin colour is racism. Even if they are white. 

You can't say that , its racist you know, somebody might get offended,  

[Chomper Higgot]

3 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

So now you consider the incumbent government to contain the "best" minds,   god help us if the other lot get in , but at least they have Diane Abbott to keep the average IQ up to gutter level

I was being facetious, sorry that escaped you. 

[Chomper Higgot]

10 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

Because the indigenous population are too racist and stupid to be trained up to work in such positions?  Or perhaps because the uncontrolled immigration has overloaded the system to a certain degree?

No. 

 

Because millions of people suffering longterm disability, millions of people waiting for years to get surgery or medical treatment they need to get them fit for work and the simple fact that not everyone who is unemployed has the qualifications required by the NHS vacancies. 

 

 

[Bday Prang]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

A bit of a problem when millions aren’t fit  for work and/or don’t live anywhere near a hospital that they could go to work at.

amazing isn't it ,  in their own countries they choose to build their villages miles away from the nearest water source and we are pestered for charity contributions to help them, and then when they get to the UK they choose to settle as far from suitable work as they can 

[Bday Prang]

1 minute ago, Chomper Higgot said:

No. 

 

Because millions of people suffering longterm disability, millions of people waiting for years to get surgery or medical treatment they need to get them fit for work and the simple fact that not everyone who is unemployed has the qualifications required by the NHS vacancies. 

 

 

An even simpler fact is that there are too many people coming to the UK.  and most of them are not qualified to work  in the NHS or anywhere else , except delivering fast food.

[Bday Prang]

59 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

But no, let's give them all benefits and then import people to do the jobs that they are too lazy to do.

Even better let's give them nothing and send them back from whence they came, As for our own workshy stop their benefits and send them off with the others , I can't see any downsides to that   

[Bday Prang]

28 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I was being facetious, sorry that escaped you. 

So was the poster you replied too and that escaped you didn't it?       His simple "solution" had not escaped the best minds in government , that is exactly what they have been doing , for years 

Edited January 8 by Bday Prang