In response to all this health care bat mitten….
What if congress votes immediately into law the 3 most important, and least expensive (virtually free) health care fixes:
1. No denial of health or dental coverage to anyone for any reason.
2. Price limits placed on health & dental plans in a graduated income scale.
3. Do away with deductibles on all basic health and dental plans. Full coverage only plans.
4. Tax designer surgery at a high rate.
This could really work. I-2-3-4: Needleman's Law.
http://www.thepineneedles.net
As our national highways are the veins that connect this great land, a national universal healthcare plan is the blood of any great nation. We have a national mandate that one must own auto insurance, but no such mandate for the basic human right known as health care.
I for one have had enough of this. It is crippling our great land and turning political cable TV into The Twilight Zone. We need to get on with the business of being a great and ingenious nation. This requires basic needs to be met and kept constant, like HEALTH Lots and Lots of Golds are being made in the health insurance industry. Golds are often the reason for immoral behavior in humans. Health Insurance is just not a morally decent way to make a living. Try selling ice cream or something.
Dear Mr President,
If you send congress simple one objective bills, I think you can get them to work together. They can work on one issue at a time and FOCUS their very diverse ideas into one piece of simple and comprehensive legislation at a time. I'd say they could pass a piece of your package with all your objectives met in a week.
For example, you could send them a comprehensive infrastructure only bill etc... in order of priority.
Best of Luck,
Josh Needleman
It is clear that our economy is in crisis and is heading toward a protracted depression if the new administration’s stimulus plan is not implemented as soon as possible. The plan will, most importantly,
· increase consumer spending by extending cutting taxes for the middle class, extending unemployment benefits, and retaining and creating jobs.
· create jobs that will benefit the economy in the short and long term by rebuilding and re-visioning infrastructure, and move the US toward energy independence.
While the plan is not perfect, its strategy displays an understanding of prudent and effective government spending. The January 2008 Moody’s economy.com analysis “Assessing the Macro Economic Impact of Fiscal Stimulus 2008” reported that tax cuts for corporations and upper-income households do not yield strong returns to the economy (30¢ and 29¢ return on each dollar spent, respectively). In contrast, government spending to extend unemployment benefits and for infrastructure returns $1.64 and $1.59 for each dollar spent, respectively, to the economy. Providing support at the lower economic levels of the populace is five times as effective. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan targets what is needed most to begin to build a better future for America.
Contact your representatives, now.
John Records, Director of Committee on the Shelterless in Petaluma, will be speaking to the Democratic Club of Southern Sonoma County on Wednesday, February 18, at 6:30 about homelessness in our county, social action, state budget issues and the Democratic agenda. Please see below for further details. - Holly
Important South Democratic Club Reminder
Next Meeting
Democratic Club of Southern Sonoma County
Wednesday, February 18th , 6:30 PM
Senior Nutrition Site Club House
211 Novak, Petaluma
Our guest speaker will be John Records, Executive Director of COTS, Committee for the Shelterless in Petaluma. The topic will be around Homelessness and Social Action; how it pertains to the current State Budget and our new Democratic Presidential Agenda; What we can do and More….
Secondly - Your help, input and talents are needed to improve and expand our club – I can’t do this without you! Would appreciate your ideas and assistance on membership recruitment, the treasurer’s position, database, web site and on planning future meetings and activities i.e. films, speakers, presentations, community action, issues we should focus on, etc… Think of what time or talents you might be able to lend to the club; what issues you would like to work on in the coming months.
And, don’t forget to put on your calendar the upcoming 21st Annual Democratic Crab Feed on Friday evening, February 27th at the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building.
So join our meeting, bring some friends and share a favorite dish or beverage. Please RSVP to Therese at 707-795-3579 or e-mail raven@pon.net. Thank you.
PS New members are more than welcome. Dues only $15 pp or $25 per couple. Checks can be made payable to the Democratic Club of Southern Sonoma County. Call 707-795-3579 for more details.
Dear All,
The following is an important post from "We Are The Change" on where things stand with the stimulus package, what has been taken OUT of the package, what's up next, and what can still be put back INTO the package. This is a good synopsis and let's us know what WE can do to effect change here. - Holly
Marta Evry sent a message to the members of We Are The Change. -------------------- Subject: UPDATE - Senate reaches an "agreement" on Stimulus Bill. Now what? Hi all, As you probably already know, the Senate has reached an agreement to pass ARRP (American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan) with some pretty major amendments proposed by the so-called "gang of 16" moderate Senators. The amendments gut funding for states and "income support" provisions for COBRA and medicare for the unemployed (and a bunch of other stuff too) in order to make it easier to swallow for the few Senate Republicans willing to come along for the ride. However, the Senate has yet to cast an actual vote. That's expected to happen on Sunday. The bill, as proposed, will pass with 61 votes. Hopefully. Or not. We'll see. Specter, Snowe and Collins are going to be under some very intense pressure from the Limbaugh Screaming Clown Brigade for the next 48 hours........... Once the bill passes, it has to go back to conference committee to be reconciled with the House version. This is where things could get really interesting, because once the bill is in committee, whatever changes are agreed to there can't be filibustered. Let me repeat that. Whatever changes happen in committee CAN NOT BE FILIBUSTERED. We only need an up and down majority vote in the House and Senate to make this happen. We will not need a single Republican vote to pass the ARRP. Not a one. So what do we need to do now? Keep calling. Focus on Specter, Snowe and Collins. Tell them you support their brave stance. DO NOT CRITICIZE THEM for gutting the bill. We need to keep them strong and focused for the next few days. Then call your own Senator and tell them once the bill is in committee, to restore the gutted provisions to the House version pronto. It's that simple. Below, is a "Cliff Notes" version of an impact report on the House version of ARRP prepared by Mark Zandi, the Chief Economist for Moody's. If you want to read the entire thing, go to this link: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.economy.com%2Fmark-zandi%2Fdocuments%2FEconomic_Stimulus_House_Plan_012109.pdf This will be your secret weapon, your silver bullet. Keep it close to your heart but spread it far and wide. It explains in simple layman's terms what AARP is, and how and why it works. Have at it. - Marta Evry ________________________ AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT PLAN FACT SHEET Source: Mark Zandi - Chief Economist , Moody's http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://Economy.com Overview The fiscal stimulus plan proposed by the House Democrats includes a reasonably designed mix of government spending increases and tax cuts. The spending increases total about $550 billion in 2009-2010, and there are $275 billion in tax cuts. (total $875 billion) Increased government spending provides a large economic bang for the buck and thus significantly boosts the economy. The benefits begin as soon as the money is disbursed and are less likely than tax cuts to be diluted by an increase in imports. The most effective proposals included in the House stimulus plan are extending unemployment insurance benefits, expanding the food stamp program, and increasing aid to state and local governments. Increasing infrastructure spending will also greatly boost the economy, particularly as the current downturn is expected to last for an extended period. Most of the infrastructure money will be spent on hiring workers and on materials and equipment produced domestically. Tax cuts generally provide less of an economic boost, particularly if they are temporary; on the other hand they can be implemented quickly. A particular plus for individual tax cuts included in the House stimulus plan such as the payroll tax and earned income tax credits is that they are targeted to benefit lower- and middle-income households that are more likely to spend the extra cash quickly. Investment and job tax benefits for businesses are less economically effective, but are not very costly and more widely distribute the benefits of the stimulus plan. Income support The House stimulus plan includes some $100 billion over two years in income support for those households under significant financial pressure. This includes extra benefits for workers who exhaust their regular 26 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits; expanded food stamp payments; and help meeting COBRA payments for unemployed workers trying to hold onto their health insurance. People who receive these benefits are hard pressed and will spend any financial aid they receive very quickly. Another advantage is that these programs are already operating and can quickly deliver a benefit increase to recipients. The virtue of extending UI benefits goes beyond simply providing aid for the jobless to more broadly shoring up household confidence. Nothing is more psychologically debilitating, even to those still employed, than watching unemployed friends and relatives lose their sources of support. Increasing food stamp benefits has the added virtue of helping people ineligible for UI such as part-time workers. Aid to state and local governments Another potent tool included in the House stimulus plan consists of some $200 billion in aid to state and local governments over two years. This takes the form of a temporary increase in the Medicaid matching rate to ease the costs of healthcare coverage; help to local school districts; and broader fiscal relief to states to prevent cuts in key programs. More than 40 states and a rapidly increasing number of localities are grappling with significant fiscal problems. Tax revenue growth has slowed as home sales, property values, retail sales and corporate profits have all fallen. Personal income tax receipts have begun to suffer as the job market slumps. Big states including California and Florida are under severe financial pressure, and smaller states including Arizona, Minnesota and Maryland are struggling significantly. The gap between state and local government revenues and expenditures ballooned to over $100 billion. Arguments that state governments should be forced to cut spending because they have grown bloated and irresponsible are strained, at best. State government spending and employment are no larger today as a share of total economic activity and employment than they were three decades ago. Infrastructure Spending Increased infrastructure spending is also a particularly effective way to stimulate the economy included in the House stimulus plan. The plan includes $160 billion in such spending over two years, with $90 billion in more traditional infrastructure such as highway construction, public transit and waterways; a $70 billion for a variety of energy, science and healthcare projects. The boost to GDP from every dollar spent on public infrastructure is large—an estimated $1.59—and there is little doubt that the nation has underinvested in infrastructure for some time, to the increasing detriment of the nation's long-term growth prospects. The argument against including infrastructure spending as a part of any fiscal stimulus plan is that it takes substantial time for the funds to flow into the broader economy. Infrastructure projects can take years from planning to completion. Moreover, even if the funds are used to finance only projects that are well along in their planning—so-called shovel-ready projects—it is difficult to know just when projects will get under way and when the money will be spent. These are reasonable concerns in most recessions, but the economy's current problems appear likely to continue for some time. It is also reasonable to be worried that this spending will be used on pork-barrel projects chosen not for political rather than economic reasons. To address this worry, policymakers plan to put in place tight controls to monitor the spending. Tax Cuts The House stimulus plan includes an estimated $165 billion in tax cuts for individuals and $110 billion in business tax cuts over two years. The largest part of the individual tax cut is a permanent payroll tax credit for workers, amounting to as much as $1,000 for married couples. The payroll tax credit will be particularly effective, as the benefit will go to lower income households that do not necessarily earn enough to pay income tax. These households are much more likely to spend any tax benefit they receive. The temporary tax incentives to support business investment and hiring in the House stimulus plan do not provide a particularly large economic benefit. Accelerated depreciation by large businesses and expensing of investment by small businesses lowers the cost of capital only modestly and is not a critical factor in businesses' investment decisions, particularly when sales and pricing are so weak. The carry-back of business losses helps cash-strapped businesses, perhaps forestalling some cuts in investment and jobs, but it is unlikely to prompt much additional business expansion as it does not improve businesses' prospects. However, including business tax cuts in the stimulus plan is not very expensive, and they distribute the benefits of the stimulus more widely. This is useful if it expands political support for the stimulus plan and thus accelerates its adoption. Moreover, the depreciation benefits included in last year’s fiscal stimulus have expired, and extending them through 2010 would forestall a badly timed additional factor (however small) depressing business investment. The National Economic impact Implementation of the House Democratic fiscal stimulus plan in early 2009 would provide a sub tantial benefit to the economy. The stimulus will not keep the downturn from becoming the worst since the Great Depression, but it will ensure that the current episode remains a recession and not a depression. -------------------- To reply to this message, follow the link below: http://www.facebook.com/n/?inbox/readmessage.php&t=50985392763&aref=381382
A reminder to all who are concerned about the proposed Dutra Asphalt Plant that may be built at Haystack Landing, a stone's throw away from Shollenberger Park, a wildlife refuge where 400 people walk daily: The Board of Supervisors will vote on whether to allow this plant to be built on Tuesday, February 3, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. If you would like to know more about this issue, please go to http://savesbpark.blogspot.com where you can also find pertinent email addresses. I urge you to show up at this meeting and express your concern about this project. It is just too crazy to put this project so close to this park and at the gateway to our town!
Board of Sup's Meeting: Supervisors' Meeting Room, 575 Administration Drive, Suite 100 A, Santa Rosa, CA
Tuesday, February 3, 2009, at 2:00 p.m.
Please come!
Dear President Obama,
I think this information is key and timely and I pray that it reaches your ears. In addition to your attempts to reach out to Republicans, part of changing the way we do business in Washington should require taking a series of small bites out of this huge economic problem. Let me ask you; Why do these stimulus packages have to be so huge and broad? Why can't you guys pass one targeted stimulus at a time? A series of stimuli. Here are five to get you started.
Stimulus Number I: Infrastructure
We all know we get a "D" grade for our infrastructure. Let's rebuild America and create millions of jobs in the process. This is a no brainer and needs to be adequately funded to get the job done with the participation of state and local governments and the private sector. Just get the job done. The stimuli should be allocated on an as needed basis to the various entities doing the work. All to be posted on line for us to see.
Stimulus Number 2: Operation Energy Independence (Technology Stimulus)
Put hundreds of thousands of us to work designing, building, and installing the hardware for our energy independence future. Hire wind, solar, geothermal engineers to begin it. Lay broadband lines to the rural areas. Manufacture millions of turbines. Drill geothermal wells. etc! (I have many practical ideas on this if you want them)
Stimulus Number 3: Education
With the infrastructure stimulus upgrading our crumbling schools, this Education stimulus should Implement a bold plan for each level of the American education system. You should use my plan for High School from my previous blog. Create millions of jobs for teachers, manufacturers, custodians, etc... and insure our future in a competitive world.
Stimulus Number 4: Health Care
Universal Coverage for anyone. Enough already. Private companies can compete for government contracts to serve us all at a high health standard. Companies who keep their patients the healthiest will receive more contracts and bonuses for their successful individual doctors. Update the medical records here.
Stimulus Number 5: Military
Upgrade and keep abreast of all the latest technology for armor, weapons, robots, and vehicles. Create an effective counter terrorist spy network and special operations units designed to fight terror cell for cell.
That's all for now. Please don't disappoint us. it's not enough to try to be bipartisan. Rolling all that "dough" into a huge and convoluted spending bill is only going to create mistakes which equals a huge waste of money. Look at the facts. What gives us the biggest bang for the buck! It will be much easier for the American people to understand and implement this effort if the spending is compartmentalized too.
josh needleman
It's a great opportunity to permanently get off foreign oil by getting the big three to create green cars:
Stipulations for Big 3 Government Aid:
Step 1: Require loan applicant to come up with a modern and extremely detailed business plan including employee pay and benefits, as well as a time horizon for developing a practical fleet of clean, oil free autos.
Step 2: No management or executive pay shall be derived from the loans. Loans are to be used for R & D (with detailed weekly progress reports or funding is pulled), worker compensation, care, and benefits, advertising, and building materials.
Step 3: Funding will be granted on an "as needed" basis and all allocations must be requested from the government monthly. The government will issue individual checks to employees and contractors employees directly.That's It..
Give them a time horizon to get it done. 5 years should suffice and those rich executives will have the incentive to turn a profit in order to get paid anything! They do have the choice to quit. Let this be a model to expanding the "greening" of our infastructure to:
1. Wind turbine production and installation companies
2. Solar Power Companies
3. Road and Bridge Improvements
4. GeoThermal
5. Other Great New Clean Energy Inventions
Josh Needleman BA
(Musician, Composer, Tutor, Philosopher)
As I made calls today and heard of all the others who have called and were visiting the homes I'd reached, I was in awe of the power of many of us working together for change.
So often during this campaign, I'd think -- oh, I have so little money to give, I can only make a few calls and I'd wonder if it made a difference. But I'd always think about the fact that there were many, many people just like me doing what they could and so I'd go ahead, figuring it would all add up. Today I realized that it has. We don't know for sure if we'll win, but we have found out how much power there is in many people working together.
May we continue to work together in the days ahead and create an unstoppable force for change!
The other evening, armed with my cell-phone, I went halfway across town to join about a dozen complete (though quite friendly) strangers to do some phone-banking. I can hear you now: "You did what? I can't even get you to go to the movies." Well, I did. These are desperate times. Faced with the specter of another Republican president, even us de-motivated, low-energy, depressed peoples are restless and unable to sit still. We've learned the hard way what can happen when we assume no one could possibly vote twice for the same idiot a village in Texas has been looking for. The village can't believe it either. <diatribe over>The house, tucked down a side-court off a minor cross road, was easily identified by the row of cars in front all sporting Obama/Biden spots, linked to corresponding signs on the lawn and in the windows. I was welcomed at the front door; the greeter took me to a table in the den for a 10-minute briefing. All around me, on the sofa, in every corner, in the two bedrooms and scattered about the back yard, women and men sat with phones to ears and a few pages in front of them. I found a recently vacated patio love seat, cushions still warm from the previous phone-banker, and set to work in the quickly chilling air. We were contacting supporters, so I shouldn't have been so surprised when most of the people I talked to said they'd already voted, or contributed last week and/or were ready to join us for another round of calling this weekend. Still, I was charmed, encouraged and thrilled. And I've signed up for two more shifts this weekend.
originally posted on <a href="http://lakinkhan.blogspot.com/">Rhymes with Bacon</a>
I'll admit this up front; I love music and politics. As a political addict, I'm always looking for my next "Fix" to get me through the next four years. Perhaps that description is not the best analogy (my college major was in Business, not Journalism), but it's the only way I can come close to expressing my "condition". As a music addict...what happened to great music and lyrics after December 31, 1970?
Every election, regardless of the importance of content, or usuallly the lack thereof, I've spent my time scouring the Voter's Guides, News Publications, Radio Talk-shows, T.V. and the net, circa 2000 trying to find a reason to be informed and excited, with little success.
But this election is different. Why? A little self-history; I remember, as a very young child, seeing Walter Cronkite's emotional reaction, as well as my parents somber expressions, to the deaths of both Bobby Kennedy and MLK. Much like the T.V. I was watching at the time, the untimely, and utterly inexplicable deaths of those two beautiful souls, (and dedicated politician and civic leader), were defined in Black & White, figuritively and literally, in an era of utltimate civil unrest. Side note on the subject of Black & White: Why do voters over the age of 60 favor McCain by a wide margin, while our youth favor Obama in the same margin?
Not wanting to pretend that I have an ounce of inspiring vocabulary, that can come close to painting an accurate picture of the razor sharp scars that those deaths left on my young heart, I somehow knew at the age of 5 that it was my duty to silently try to carry on the traditions, values, and meaning those men provided, and inspired in our country. I was just one year old when JFK was killed, but that was a subject never spoken in my family...EVER. Just like the accidental death of my grandfather when my dad was just 18.
Because of those experiences, I've never let my self become emotionally involved in ANY electoral process..until now. Yes, I've had passionate conversations with people with opposite viewpoints, some of whom I respected deeply, (yes..even the folks that forgot the letter "g" was a syllable), while others I've simply turned and walked the other way.
But, in the end, it was just and election, just a politician, just a proposition. Like a One-Hit-Wonder, I liked the song for a few weeks...but then it was off to the next band compared to the second comming of the Beatles, but it never happened.
Now, I've always considered myself a person who has an uncanny ability to see another human being for what they truely represent. Sure, I've been proven wrong a few times. Like the couple in S.F. who convinced me that they had their money stolen, that they were stranded, and the local hotel was holding their luggage hostage. But it turned out they were the crooks, and it was an enlightening article in the Examiner. $60 back in 1994!
However, in my 47 years on this planet, with 22 of them spent as a firefighter and 10 as a parmedic, I learned how to size people up pretty quickly. A sort of "Street Survivial", if you will. Of course alcohol on the breath, or needle tracks were a good tip-off. Yes, they needed help, but the moment I turned my back, I could get hurt, and was, though not badly, on a few occasions.
Now, I can ramble on about the reasons why John McCain would be an absolute failure as our next president; The next George Bush...yada..yada...but I wouldn't be telling the entire truth. He's served our country with distinction and honor, both in the Military and Senate, (Sen. Obama's words at the recent Al Smith fundraiser), but the Rebublican party damaged Sen. McCain, and their party, when they put their full support in President Bush's corner. Do I even have to expalin why?And now some are fleeing like the perverbial rat off the sinking ship, scared for their own political futures.
McCain could very well have been on the path to being president in 2009, and to be perfectly honest, I might have crossed party lines for McCain (if somehow Dennis Kucinich would have won the nomination...sorry Dennis), but something magical happened for me; It was Sen. Obama...not the economy. Better than the Beatles too?
Now the hard part; My biggest fear is that, just like what happened to my heart and soul, so many years ago, will happen again. A crazy will seek to put out the flame that has the potential to light the brightest future for myself and my family. JFK, MLK, Bobbie, Lincoln...are the fringes of America that cowardly still? Is there another John McVeigh lurking around???
Now all those years of One-Hit-Wonders, I finally broke down the wall, and have embraced the New Hope brought back to politics. My Beatles....but better. But I'll know on November 4th if it's really true, or just another dream...another Badfinger.
I hope...like so many others, that our Great Country will finally experience what this Nation has been yearning and deserving for over 40 years; A leader with conviction, courage, focus, determination, and most of all...HOPE. All we need is Hope...Hope....Hope is all we need!
Michael Moore has decided to skip commercial release of his new film, “Slacker Uprising,” and make it available on the web for free downloads and streaming.
http://www.sefermpost.com/sefermpost/2008/09/michael-moore-p.html
One of the download sites:
http://slackeruprising.com/
Let’s download it, hold pizza parties and potlucks, then get more volunteers on the phones and canvassing. 11 states have already begun early voting. The time to act is now.
Photos from one of the many Petalumans For Obama Street Rallies. This was my first street rally in support of Obama.
Enjoy the pics!
Link 1: http://picasaweb.google.com/the.leon.spencer/PetalumansForObamaStreetRally91608 Link 2 Slideshow: http://picasaweb.google.com/the.leon.spencer/PetalumansForObamaStreetRally91608#slideshowLeon
Let's not forget that next week is National Voter Registration week, so those of us who can should get out there and sit in front of stores, banks, etc.
Let me know. I've been working on registration for years and would be happy to help anyone not familiar with the current procedures.
Well, the 19th century had its carpetbaggers, and now, we have our looking-back-to-the-20th-century scumbaggers.
They are flipping all the internal switches of fear, hate, jingoism, and selfishness to defeat the concept of the American people as a whole. They want to cut the people up and cut the people down so they may rule over them---not for them.
Enough!
Get your lingual tools together. Read the works of George Lakoff, learn how to frame your arguments in a progressive way that will meet this insidious subconscious attack that the Rovian scumbaggers have used with such great success for decades.
It's not enough to be "above all that." We too must flip unconscious switchs---those of courage, sincerity, patriotism, hard work, community, and justice.
Get ready! Let's hold some practice sessions where each of us takes the part of the naysayer and the "Yes, we can" sayer, and prepare to meet the challenge on the phones, on the doorsteps, and in the streets of America.
Act now!......Win Now!
As many of you who might be reading this article know that John McCain and his fellow Republicans have been repeatedly attacking Obama for "lack of experience and readiness", and they continue to do so after the Democratic National Convention (DNC) and the Republican National Convention (RNC). I suppose you might say that they are vastly overwhelmed by Obama's impressive speech, and that their only reaction would be thusly. However, I believe the GOP has their own vocabulary: "to be ready and experienced means you need to endorse President George Bush's failed policies for 4 more years and not discuss the plans for the future". If you look in a dictionary, it defines "ready" and "experienced" on behalf of everyone including Barack Obama. Clearly, based on his eloquent speeches I have watched, he can plan ahead for the future of our economy, and surprisingly, from what I read in The Audacity of Hope, Obama has been in the White House before. McCain also has been in the White House, but for those 26 years of serving as a senator, he simply cannot formulate plans that would work in favor of all of us. I assume that McCain's voting with George Bush more than 90-95% of the time serves as his training ticket to be the "best" president.
