By Padmini Arhant
The decision by the Maine Senator, Olympia Snowe to get on board in the health care reform is a welcome change and provides hope for the bipartisanship even with a singular vote now.
It would have been a cause for celebration if the bill did not marginalize the purpose of this health care reform i.e. the public option that is no longer an option but a necessity for millions of people and small businesses worst hit in the national crisis.
The misplaced objective of this bill from the start has been to impress the ‘so-called’ fiscal conservatives squandering the national wealth on warfare resulting in massive casualties while being miserly on matter related to saving life.
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Thank you.
Padmini Arhant
People often forget, either due to distractions, blinding cynicism or a lack of education, how unique this country really is. The United States of America is a nation forged and grounded in a rich tradition of protest and persistent refusal to accept the status quo. In many ways this tradition has been in hibernation--recent decades will never be known as the years of particularly impressive citizen participation in government and policy. Indeed, the American people have become increasingly apathetic and stupid, but I believe that the spirit has remained alive--in fact, I predict that the drive to change our most negative aspects of society is building momentum; isn't it obvious?Take the town halls on health care, for instance. Though CNN, FOX and MSNBC only cover the crazies, there is some remarkable dialogue going on--and not just by the supporters of health care. When it comes to the Public Option, there is a genuine philosophical debate to be had. Remember that the whole point of the American Revolution was to establish independence from an abusive and invasive government that taxed excessively and unfairly. We have come a long way since then, and have perhaps gone full-circle in many ways. I share many Libertarian concerns of the expansion of the U.S. government, excessive spending and the limitations placed upon civil liberties; not to mention our often tyrannical foreign policies. Indeed, the United States became the very empire its citizens died to defeat. People think I'm a big gov liberal, but the fact of the matter is that the federal government IS WAY TOO BIG! The War on Drugs is a fiscal and societal disaster, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are squandering our treasure. The IRS ought to be torn down and replaced with a simpler tax code, and the Patriot Act ought to make every single American extremely wary of what leaders know about our personal lives. Not to mention the militarization of government that has seeped into the media and saturated our culture. So when people say to me: "I just don't believe the federal government should expand! It's already too massive" I agree! The problem is that in this modern world, there are modern problems that require state intervention. Spying on Americans is not one of these exceptions. Drug abuse isn't either. Nor is Saddam Hussein or Ho Chi Minh! But to the people who believe the Public Option is some kind of government takeover and the onset of communism: should we not fight to end the excessive federal policies that actually hurtpeople? The War on Drugs fuels a culture of crime in the inner-cities. At least a million Iraqi citizens are dead because of the current conflict--not to mention the 4,339 dead American soldiers. But now you oppose a public health plan? A plan that will help your fellow citizens get the care they need? A report by the Institute of Medicine suggests that as many as 22,000 American citizens die annually due to the lack of an insurance policy--one that either could not be afforded or was cut by employers!And let us not forget that the Public Option is an OPTION! While the true Left wing of this USA would really like a single-payer system, it is simply not going to happen with this legislation. Big Insurance is the most powerful lobby in Washington, and certainly has great influence on the bill--in other words, the argument that people will be forced to take the government plan is bullshit. The truth of the matter is that most people will keep their private plans; plans, by the way, made more consumer-friendly due to other reforms that will be in the final legislation (including the preexisting condition issue and the ability to choose your own doctors).Though this is an expansion of government services, I want to tell you how the Public Plan is actually more economical and sustainable than the current system. You see, being private enterprise, Big Insurance seeks to charge as much as possible while providing as little as possible. I have no problem with capitalism (I am a Capitalist), but this is the reality of the basic operations of a firm. While this is perfectly acceptable in most sectors, health care is an entirely different beast. Since 2000, insurance premiums have nearly doubled! In 2007, the U.S. spent about $2.2 trillion on health care,* which comes out to approximately 16.2% of GDP--nearly twice the amount of the rest of the developed world! ** If you aren't worried yet, then you have read these numbers: by 2025, costs are expected to rise 25%; by 2082, 49% ! *** Oh, and did you realize that every GM vehicle is $1,525 more expensive because of employer-based health care coverage? Insurance is by far GM's biggest expenditure--even more than steel! ****And the numbers go on and on. This is the financial argument, and it is all tied to the Big Insurance practice of driving up costs for higher profit margins, and making up for their clunky and inefficient administrative costs. Medicare costs are skyrocketing because they are subsidizing these inflating premiums, and this must be replaced. The Public Option must establish a much simpler and transparent system that injects competition into this stale and unsustainable market. It is fiscally sensical and it is moral.But just any Public Option will not do. Next week I will tackle the question of "what must a Public Option look like in order to drive competition and cut costs?"Absorb it, discuss it, and hopefully support it. Leave your comments below.*Office of the Actuary, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, National Health Expenditure Data for 2007. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, available at: http://www.cms. hhs.gov/NationalHealthExpendData/02_NationalHealthAccountsHistorical.asp#TopOfPage**Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. OECD Health Data 2008.***P.R. Orszag, Growth in Health Care Costs: Statement Before the Committee on the Budget, United States Senate, (Washington, DC: Congressional Budget Office, Jan 31 2008), available at http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=8948****R. Wagoner, Testimony before the House Financial Services Committee, December 5, 2008.http://thinkprogress.org/2008/12/05/gm-health-care-reform/my blog: http://www.theskyewire.com
Denison University 2011
*Office of the Actuary, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, National Health Expenditure Data for 2007. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, available at: http://www.cms. hhs.gov/NationalHealthExpendData/02_NationalHealthAccountsHistorical.asp#TopOfPage **Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. OECD Health Data 2008. ***P.R. Orszag, Growth in Health Care Costs: Statement Before the Committee on the Budget, United States Senate, (Washington, DC: Congressional Budget Office, Jan 31 2008), available at http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=8948 ****R. Wagoner, Testimony before the House Financial Services Committee, December 5, 2008. http://thinkprogress.org/2008/12/05/gm-health-care-reform/
What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task.
The Right Wingers are resulting to threats/violence and hate...We need to take charge and not stand there shocked....Take action....Yes, they are winning the attention war....We are losing the facts war because the legends that the RNC spins have become fact.....Thus, the myths become facts
Nazi Symbol AP News
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090811/ap_on_go_co/us_health_care_protests
Lou Dobbs threatens Dean:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/11/dobbs-apologizes-for-sayi_n_256728.html
I fear where this is going.....we need to stand up....National day of support....contact me people
varun22@yahoo.com
President Barack Obama had a town hall meeting today sponsored by AARP. At this town hall, the President explained exactly what health care reform was and why it has to be. President Obama took questions fromt he audience and answered all questions well.
Immediately following the AARP sponsored town hall, CNN allowed Republican Representative from Virginia Eric Cantor to refute President Obama. Representative Cantor did not refute specifically any one item that President Obama said at the town hall. Republican Representative Eric Cantor went on his own spiel of degrading health care reform by reiterating Republican misinformation and flat out lies. In part, I blame the CNN reporter for not forcing the Republican Congressman to stick to specifics of the town hall.
One thing for sure: I can have no respect for the Republican Congressman from Virginia whose sole purpose was to browbeat President Obama and health care form. At the same time, Republican Representative Eric Cantor offered nothing, and for sure, offered the American people nothing but Republican partisanship at its crassest level.
Comments and sentiments like Demint underestimates the call for Healthcare Reform. This is not 1990s. Many stakeholders that opposed efforts previously are actively engaged now towards the current efforts.
In order to be a Republican, follow these rules:
Advocate tax cuts—especially for high-income people and corporations, and especially for capital gains income.
Praise Jesus, and say that everything you do is in the name of Christianity.
In foreign affairs, say that every other country should yield to the will of the United States.
Threaten to use American military power to force other counties to comply with American policies.
Oppose abortion.
Advocate domestic policies that help American corporations make higher profits.
Oppose domestic policies that help labor unions.
Oppose domestic policies that force corporations to reduce their air or water pollution.
Oppose affirmative action laws.
Never admit that the theory of evolution is correct—or, at least, that it applies to humans. Insist that the schools teach Creationism or Intelligent Design.
Advocate using public education funds to subsidize parochial, private, and charter schools.
Advocate tax laws that encourage American corporations to offshore their work to foreign countries, where employee salaries are lower.
Oppose any health care program that would compete with health insurance corporations.
Oppose any restriction on the sale or ownership of firearms.
If any Democratic politician commits marital infidelity, demand that he resign from office.
If you are caught committing marital infidelity, say that God has asked you to remain in office.
Label any government-run enterprise “socialism”--except for the U.S. Postal Service, police department, fire department, water department, highway department, street department, public library, and public schools.
Watch Fox News. As a Republican, you probably already believe that white people are better than colored people; that Christianity is better than Islam, Judaism, or atheism; and that taxation is unfair. When you see the people on Fox News repeat these beliefs, that will give you the excuse that you have been seeking in order to justify your beliefs.
If the current President is a Republican:
Encourage every citizen to support the President.
Say that Congress should give the President all of the power that he needs.
If the President's budget uses misleading accounting methods to camouflage the actual deficit, don't say anything.
If the current President is a Democrat:
Say that the President is a dictator.
Say that the federal government is too powerful, and more power should be transferred to the states.
Say that the President's budget is too wasteful.
BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE
The Republican Vision for America - Divide and Conquer
The current situation in Iran is perfectly analogous to what's going on here in the United States. The vast majority of the people want a common-sense approach to domestic and world politics, while the old guard, stuck in the blind animosities of the past, are determined to promote and exploit those animosities for their own end, and at any cost - including the misery and death of their own people. In Iran the old guard is represented by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; in the U.S., Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh. In Iran they are called jihadist, while in the U.S. we refer to them as the Republican Party.
This is the year 2009 right? And next year is 2010! I just needed to know. I needed to know because if you listen to FOXNEWS or Rush Limbaugh or Shawn Hannity or any of the conservative / republican talk shows (and most republican politicians) you’d think it was 1984!Not “the real” 1984, when the Celtics beat the Lakers for the NBA championship but George Orwell’s make believe “1984.”In this “1984”, FOXNEWS is the FicDep or Fiction Department. Rush Limbaugh is Parsons: “a fattish but active man of paralyzing stupidity, a mass of imbecile enthusiasms—one of those completely unquestioning, devoted drudges on whom…the stability of the Party depended…." Republican Party elected officials make up the Ministry of Truth. While the voting members of the Republican Party play the role of the Proles. Oh yeah, Ronald Regan is Big Brother—a fictional leader. This is the only way one can explain the mindlessness of the Conservative / Republicans.They speak in Orwellian BlackWhite: “ The ability to accept whatever "truth" the party puts out, no matter how absurd it may be." Orwell described it as:"...loyal willingness to say black is white when party discipline demands this. It also means the ability to believe that black is white, and more, to know black is white, and forget that one has ever believed the contrary." This so perfectly describes the current state of the Conservative / Republican party that if you didn’t know better it would be hard to believe that everything I just attributed to them came from a book written in the 1940’s.How else do you account for the fact that they twist the truth and blame President Obama for EVERYTHING that THEY do. And by the way, just like in the book, the…” titular head (of the Conservative / Republican Party) is a person whose whereabouts nobody knows." The latest rendition of “blackwhite” is this notion that somehow President Obama is responsible for a racist neo-nazi, white supremacist, shooting up the Holocaust Museum.
They say it’s because Obama is dividing the country.
Some are even suggesting that it was all a hoax created by—OBAMA?
A black Security Guard is killed in a Jewish Holocaust Museum and—OBAMA DID IT!
People… the Conservative / Republican Party has moved into a fictional and very dangerous world.
GOD please protect President Obama.
It is probably clear to every progressive and moderate person that what's left of the Republican Party is being controlled by the far right or the Republican Talibans. Their agenda has been, from the moment they lost the election, to take every opportunity to demean, tell lies, criticize, disrupt, personally attack the President, make fun of and stop every initiative of the Obama Administration. This is a virulent form of the negative campaign they conducted during the presidential election. The idea is to stop as much progress as possible but more so to create a perception in the media and in the public's mind that this President and his Administration are not capable of running the country and to move attention away from the progress and positive changes that are happening. The Republicans are not the loyal opposition they are disingenuous and traitors to this country.
The Democratic Party and all elected Democratic office holders need to unite to make things happen. But because of the independent nature of Progressive and Moderate people who find it difficult to see beyond their own personal views, there does not seem to be the kind of unity that will move the Presidents agenda forward in a consistent way. Everyone needs to look beyond their personal view and see the larger picture.
There needs to be a defense and an offense when it comes to dealing with the tactics of the Far Right. It is much like the actual campaign ran by Obama. Put forward the positive action and go after them on every lie and distortion they come up with. Don't let their poison take root. It's clear we cannot stop being united and being activists. The election campaign can't stop it just has to morph into something a little different.
I'm pretty sure the Obama Administration already knows this but we need to wake-up the grassroots movement again and assert ourselves at every opportunity. We can't let the negative spin continue.
For example we should point out that we are still at war and the actions of the Republicans are very unpatriotic and do not show a united country. It doesn't have to be as negative as the Bush years. It can have a much more positive spin. A stronger call to support the Administration in it's efforts to re-establish our foreign policy and end our involvement in foreign wars might be good.
On domestic issues let the Republicans do their filibuster then pass the legislation anyway. The public needs to see just how obstructionist and anti American they really are. They would rather see this country fail then work in a bipartisan way to rebuild this country after they nearly destroyed it over the Bush years.
It's unfortunate that time must be spent on combating the far right, Taliban like, Republican radicals but we need to make sure they don't spread their virus any further. They need to be quarantined!
How do you deter an enemy who is willing to kill himself in order to kill you? You strike at something more important to him than his own life. Defining that will be easy for me. The next question is can America be as ruthless as our enemies?
The time has come to end the fruitless and unsustainable effort to search and destroy every cave in Afghanistan and bomb every campground in bordering Pakistan. It’s counterproductive anyway.
What will put the fear of America into terrorist masterminds and those who would follow their orders is simple and radical revenge. Masterminds have families: Cousins, brothers and fathers. Eliminate them. All at once, or one at a time, it works just as well. The ones who survive an initial “hunt” will go into hiding. Having some adult male relatives killed and the rest hiding out in caves will demoralize masterminds and their loved ones. You cannot work and support your women like that. You can’t make more baby masterminds that way. You cannot continue the blood line. The women and children will pressure them to stop their plotting and bombing.
People want to leave a familial legacy, and they can’t do that under those circumstances over the long term.
Should America do that? Yes. Do we have the “intestinal fortitude” and sustainable motivation? I don’t think so. But we should, and it shouldn’t take another terrorist attack to get us there.
For the last seven years the CIA has been kidnapping people from other nations and torturing them. Why not just go in there and quietly shoot them to death?
Frankly, by not killing women or children the way those terrorists routinely do, we can even claim the moral high ground.
How Loyal is the Loyal Opposition?
From this point on I pledge to stop using the terms "conservative" and "Republican" interchangeably. I'm beginning to realize there's a big difference between the two. Conservatives are loyal and well-meaning Americans of good faith who just happen not to share my opinion of what's in the best interest of America. On the other hand, it has become clear that the Republican Party has crossed the line between the loyal opposition, and subversion.
It doesn’t surprise me that Rush Limbaugh says he wants President Obama to fail, or, more precisely, “I want Barack Obama to fail if his mission is to restructure and reform this country so that capitalism and individual liberty are not its foundation.” Limbaugh is self-absorbed, and makes money by being provocative. Unlike our elected leaders, he does not need to think about the greater good of our country’s prosperity. He is interested in his own prosperity. And good enough for him. That is the capitalist way. The American Way.
It also doesn’t surprise me that members of the Republican Party feel stuck between not wanting to offend Limbaugh and his followers and not wanting to sound like they bear our new president ill will in seeing his efforts fail. Which do you support – a bully who can hurt you if you stand up to him, or the people who elected you?
What does surprise me is that no one is defining what failure means. Has anyone asked if “wanting Obama to fail” means 10% unemployment? 15%?
Does failure mean more foreclosures? How about a Dow at 5000?
I wonder if Obama failing means another trillion or so dollars paid to banks. Or is it buying auto companies, Or letting them go bankrupt and adding even more to the unemployed?
I wonder if those who listen to and agree with Rush Limbaugh think this kind of failure is ok, if it proves that conservative ideology is superior to other views.
Of course, I am one of the lucky ones who still has a job, so I can afford to think about these things.
Those who are not so lucky may also wonder: With all the crises we face as a country, why would you want any president to fail?
We need to give credit where credit is deserved: NAME this economic crisis after the man most responsible for it's creation.
$10 trillion deficit is what we had at the end of the Bush administration. In eight years, Bush more than DOUBLED all the indebtedness America had accrued in more than 200 years.
This is more than a talking point, this is a necessary reminder that should be made every day, so that the notoriously SHORT memories of Americans shall be stimulated on a regular basis.
..... Contact: http://Alex.Karoub@gmail.com
We have made historic headway by together pointing our nation in the right directions. After decades, we have America focused on the issues of fundamental importance. Now, each of us acting in concert can together move our country to lead the world to the fruitfulness of moral goodness. I have no doubts about my abilities and the abilities of fellow Americans to work smart and hard to achieve these goals.Barack Obama has the visions, leadership, and integrity for us to correct and redirect our country to once again lead the world for the fruitions of good. Let's closely listen, learn, and move forward based on that which we know deep inside is good and which we can validate with our hearts. I hope that those who had but a few reasons to support Obama, look further into the other issues more deeply. I found the more I explored, studied, and listened to Obama the more I found us in agreement. The couple of issues that I did not have depth of knowledge of, quickly became obvious in need. This was unusual for me since I have always refused to be any kind of a follower, and still am not. I find Obama to be a deep thinker who is articulate and inspirational; and, of most fundamental importance, Obama makes excellent moral sense.Hopefully, our country has learned lessons from the past of mistakenly following leadership blindly, as was done with Nixon and Bush. There are leaders who are simply in it for themselves and will cater to individuals or groups in order to grab for their own benefit. Corrupt and bad leaders hide at all levels. This is especially true in city government as well as county and state government. The corrupt deals of politicians need to be exposed, and those responsible need to be weeded out in the coming local elections. Others need to be investigated by law enforcement and be prosecuted for illegal dealings; for deals they often make for their hidden personal agendas. Let’s look at the bad experiences of the past as bitter medicines, let’s eliminate the need for such bad medicine in the future. Let us use what we know is good to go forward.I believe we have chosen wisely, not by greed and not by misguided retaliatory anger. I believe this time our country has chosen with open eyes, with each of us listening and examining our choice of leadership closely, driven and validated by our hearts.I hope we can continue to make our efforts even more inclusive (in many more ways than I touch on here). Far right republicans will be stubborn to change, but we will need to include them to change if we are to succeed. Sure a few more will leave our country, but that is not the American way. No, we really don't need their false fronts of power, money, insider knowledge, or other trappings that they have taught many to 'respect?'. Let's recruit as many as we can, that's the American way, evolving and changing together as one nation. Try to be understanding as we move forward; by better understanding each as individuals and people with various desires and needs we will find ways to reach out with friendship and have them join our causes of good.Be on the lookout, and root out bad leadership in government and business. Do not be intimidated by those who use the false fronts of power and give a false sense of security in order to lead. Be extra leery of those who say or imply ‘Trust me’; those who give a sense that they somehow omnipotently know better. No longer will Americans be dazzled by phony displays of brilliance or baffled by baloney. There are government aristocrats and business leaders who still believe in the old adage of: “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, then baffle em with bullshit”. We can embrace complexity by demanding true, fundamental, and understandable explanations. We can root out falsehoods by not accepting double speak. We as Americans know how to grow ourselves by first believing in ourselves. Don’t be a follower. Don’t be a follower of followers.However, when we find leaders who are good; a leader that thinks, speaks, and acts from their heart; one that is honest, has integrity, and leads by sincere examples; then we need to in a big way, join them, support them, and promote their causes of good. From much research, investigation, and scrutiny, I believe Barack Obama is such a person. I hope we search for and find many more who are similar, who we can add to service at all levels of government. We need to add/replace leaders in business with ones that have honesty, integrity, and show quality in leadership. We need more people in leadership roles who are moral, like Barack Obama.Remember, we are not fighting a battle, we are the artisans and sculptors of the future for ourselves and generations to come. Rarely do societies have opportunities to make such dramatic moves forward as we now have in this opportunity of today. Take pride and practice in being inclusive as we stride forward. In moving forward, create opportunity not only for yourself, but also for all. Hope is a wonderful thing to behold; but without opportunity, hope can become but a dream never achievable. We can, will, and must, create opportunity.In the coming year I hope that we do not lose our spiritedness, but instead continue to build and make headway. I hope we all continue our campaign for change in government and business. We will succeed in moving forward once again, it will take much effort and good oversight on the part of each of us. We will make great strides in the months and years ahead in order to achieve the fruitions of good. Let's keep our enthusiasm progressing through these coming toughest of times. Let us use the light of goodness and love to motivate us with historic momentum.I have chosen Barack Obama because he best represents my deepest beliefs in America. Please take time to read the issues that Barack Obama has published on this website. Also, give your attention to see how he leads us to move our nation forward in the time ahead. Most importantly, be part of America's great future, participate in the greatness that together we will make. Participate!We will each and all flourish, if we think, speak, and act, by using the love in our hearts.
Your reply is welcome. Contact: Alex.Karoub@gmail.com
News Correspondent: I'm here in Afghanistan, where American troops have just captured a group of Taliban terrorists.
[A group of handcuffed men walk past the camera. They are all in their 20's, with long hair, full beards, and Afghan clothes—except for one man. That man is middle-aged, clean-shaved, with short, gray hair, and a business suit and tie.]
News Correspondent: Wait a minute—one of these men is different!
[The news correspondent walks up to the middle-aged man and points the microphone at him.]
News Correspondent: Excuse me, sir. Are you the leader of this Taliban terrorist group?
Sessions: No, I'm not a terrorist. I'm a Republican congressman from Texas.
News Correspondent: Why are you here with the Taliban?
Sessions: I'm on a fact-finding mission.
News Correspondent: What kind of facts are you getting?
Sessions: Insurgency techniques. Insurgency is a mindset and an attitude that we're going to have to search for and find ways to get our message out. Systematically understanding how to disrupt and change a person's entire processes.
News Correspondent: What is your message?
Sessions: LIVE, FROM NEW YORK—IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT !!!
