Health reform is finally within grasp. Opponents are spending millions every day to destroy it. We cannot let this happen. We voted for change in '08 and we must see it through.On Saturday, August 29, 2009, New Yorkers will walk from all parts of the city for the first ever United We Walk for Reform Rally in support of the historic health reform legislation before Congress.It's our health care. It's our time. Save the date to make your voice heard.MID-MORNING, ACROSS THE CITY: Grassroots groups will meet in front of hospitals and health clinics across the city to walk to rally at Times Square. Check out mybarackobama.com for meeting locations in the next week (or set up one of your own).
2 - 3:30 PM - UNITY RALLY: Rally for health care at Times Square, 42nd St. and 7th Avenue
Every aspect of our social world is the result of choices that could have gone one way or another. Now is one of those key moments in our lives when the choices we make have a dramatic effect on our lives, those of our children and their children.
For the first time in history, health care reform plans have been voted out of committee in Congress. With thousands of people losing their health insurance every day, and costs projected to rise much faster than our wages--until health care spending crowds out all other items in the Federal budget--we cannot afford to let the best chance in our lives for health care reform slip away. Conservative (blue dog) Democrats are threatening to torpedo health care reform and we can't let that happen. That's why NYC for Change and various other groups are organizing phone banking events this week asking Obama supporters in the states of blue dog Democrats to call their senators and urge them to support President Obama's health care reform plan with a strong public option.
PLEASE VOLUNTEER for one or more of the phone banking events on the list below.
1) Tom Delay as conservative pundit:
I was just watching Tom Delay on Hardball defending Texas Governor Rick Perry's comments which suggested that the state of Texas can entertain the idea of "seceding" from the Union if Texans feel that the current administration in power continues to "socialize" our nation.
Huh?
First of all having Tom Delay represent the Conservative movement is like having Bernie Madoff doing commercials for A.I.G. Really not an image booster. But i might be wrong (not).
Delay has been indicted on campaign finance fraud and being investigated for money laundering or did everyone forget? His case just hasn't gone in front of the jury yet. But he will.
If i were you i would contact Mr. Delay and let him know that he is in fact...an asshole. He has a new book though. i'm sure it's filled with all sorts of really neat and useful bullshit. After all from an ass comes shit.
2) Gov. Rick Perry hints at Texas Secession:
Earlier today during a television interview Texas Gov. Rick Perry made this assertion to express his frustrations and those of many Texans with the current economic mess and the way the Obama administration is handling it.
For those with hopes of Texas seceding (myself included) sorry but it can't and won't happen.
I mean lets get real here. Just about 48% of the population of Texas is non-white. 36% of the total population of Texas is of latino descent (and that was 2 years ago and those numbers are of those "documented). Do you really think that immigrants and their descendants who struggled to get to this nation want to end up in the "Republic of Texas"? I don't think so. But i'm just a Latino. What do i know.
Not to mention Texas having to secure it's entire border in a giant wall with gates guarded by guys in Confederate uniforms. i will be honest though: i would not miss the cowboys or the mavericks, the astros or the texans, the spurs or the stars, the rangers or comets, the burn or the thunderbears. Nope. I wouldn't miss one of them.
3) The T.E.A. parties and the grass-root (singular as in one root) effort.
Last Sunday on Hardball a prominent conservative pundit stated that these tea parties would draw together a million people from across the nation in an entirely non partisan cause that was being sponsored by the conservative movement and FOX News.
Huh? (again)
Fortunately these tea rallies did not draw a million people or half of that or half of that or even half of that. What the rallies did draw was a small minority of a specific demographic. Since a picture speaks a thousand words here are a few thousand words worth of photos of tea rallies from around the country yesterday:
Interesting eh?
Finding a person of color at one of these rallies is like playing "Where's Waldo". Not even RNC chairman Michael Steele bothered to show up. Though a few RNC politico's did manage to show up at some of these rallies including Speaker Newt Gingrich and of course Texas Gov. Rick "the dick" Perry.
So what do these rallies convey to the rest of us "socialists"?
a) That the conservative Republican movement is diverse and all inclusive?
b) That these tea parties were definitely not partisan?
c) That the global economic crisis began on January 20, 2009 and a sham president with the middle name of Hussein is responsible?
d) That the recent slight but steady improvements in the banking industry and stock markets, home and durable goods sales can only mean that we are all doomed?
I will never have Tea again.
The listservs have been very unreliable this past week and as a result MYBO is going to lose a lot of very active voices in the grassroots community.
Please fix whatever is going on before it's too late!
Dave Calderon
Today President Obama revealed his administrations plan for the national budget. The Forbes site has a story with a very user friendly breakdown on how the budget will affect us based on agency. I carefully went over it once and it not only seemed reasonable but at the same time "revolutionary" (good ideas for some reason are referred to as "revolutionary" when in fact they are simply good ideas) then i had a beer and went over the budget once again. And i have to say it made even more sense. You can check out that link here: By the way...President Obama included the projected price of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as projected to 2010 in the budget. The Bush administration never came close to even thinking of revealing that information. It's like the 2 wars fell into the category "miscellaneous" expenditures that somehow we didn't have to worry about paying. Umm...ya...ok. p.s. i have a bridge to Brooklyn on sale in case anyone is interested. I accept paypal. Anyway...link here: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/02/26/ap6101662.html For some un-friggin' believable reason the republi-con party continues to try to equate the idea of "fairness" as a form of socialism. And this because "the rich" will have to pay their fair share of taxes and yes....luxury taxes. After all...how can it be that we, citizens of the greatest democracy to ever exist on this planet earth, now in the midst of the greatest economic crisis finding millions losing their homes and jobs with many of the "working poor" on public assistance while a "fortunate" few involved in our demise can own 5+ houses, 10+cars, an airplane and a couple of yachts etc... etc...etc...and get tax breaks all at the same time to save "them" money so that they can in turn make the "economy better"..??? Who's economy is that..?? It's not mine. And yet if you watch conservative media they try very hard to tell you that the same old plan will work. They may make reference to two popular republicans; Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan (the former is and was my personal hero, the latter i considered great on foreign policy but an @sshole in regards to domestic issues and yet "the latter" is the only one referred to by the republi-bot party.) For Gods' sake you'd think republi-scums were ashamed by Lincolns abolition of slavery. (maybe they were..) In either case neither one of them had access to the internet so they at least had an excuse. But that story doesn't work so well anymore. the republican party not only has to be a partner in a solution to this nations' problems; they have to reflect the nations demographic. A demographic that is ...how shall i say....shittily represented? ("shittily" isn't a word i know...but it is now.) After all...we aren't all white conservative christian southerners. And despite that fact we can be patriotic Americans. (oooh...did i let that slip out..??) One last thought for tonight (before my wife kicks me again...) "Punditry" is not journalism. It's propaganda. Punditry is an industry. Whether it be from the "left" side of Matthews and Olberman or from the "right" side of "limbaugh and coulter" their function is not one of journalism. It is one of propagandism. It's about ratings and income and advertising and fame. It is not journalism. We now have the ability to look things up ourselves and i suggest we do it every chance we get because the only truth is the truth you discover. Change comes from the bottom up, not from the top down. That said...i can see something in the distance.....something raucous and chaotic. Something non-sensical. I can see it clearer now.....it's the republican response to the budget. Look out...Here they come. Reporting live from my situation room on the east side of manhattan island ; It's dave.
