Round and Round We Go Who Cares If the Government Works? We Can Always Blame the "Other Guy"

Benn away for a bit and sorry for the absence, looking for a new job as both my wife and I were laid off. Came across this article today while at work at my part time job. The headline reads State Department Nominees placed on hold by a single Senator, Sen Kyle (R-Nev) because he's not satisfied with the information he is getting back from the Administration on the progress of nuclear arms control with Russia.

Senator Kyle a quick question for you please? Where the hell were you when President Bush decided he was no longer bound by certain treaties such as the START treaty which expires December 5. 2009, and apparently is at the core of this little petty power play.

Of course then we have the larger threat to put a hold on all of Obama's nominees because the Rethugs are upset at the speed that Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt) has scheduled the confirmation hearings for Sonya Sotomayor for Supreme Court Justice. WTF, are you upset because you won't get enough right wing neonazi conservative groups to pony up campaign contributions? Or are you so old and withered your mental processes have deteriorated so much that given six more months you still could not grasp cognitively what you are supposed to vote on, and the speed was still too fast for you?

The Senate seems to think it is their right and place to play petty little dictators and tyrants. They place themselves above the law and reproach all the time forgetting they are elected to "serve the will of the people", not the will of wealthy corporate lobbyist. Perhaps since the Congress cannot bring it about to enact true campaign reform, the people push for a national referendum to decide what should be done with campaign finance laws. Perhaps if we do away with Congress' supplemental income plans and went to a public financed election, many of these do nothing leeches will depart and we can get some true representation by men and women who want our government to work rather then using their petty little powers to bolster their sad deflated egos.

What's A Nation To Do?

With all the ups and downs, changes in laws, an Administration prior to this Administration that considered the opinion of the voters and their concerns with the thoughtful commentary and consideration of, "so", all of a sudden we find ourselves wrestling with issues of immediate concern that some suggest again may change the very fabric of this nation. I am not talking about the suspension of Habeas Corpus, nor even the illegal rewriting of the Constitution. I am talking about something that has a great deal to do with how we view ourselves, and how we view others.

The issue is not new and has been on the minds of the public for a long time now, health care. President Obama has made this issue the forefront of his Administration's focus this year and recently health care seems to be the lead off of every evening news story, and of course political discussion/debate. It sometimes seems unclear just how we as a nation view the care of the sick and elderly, and even the youngest of our population when it comes to health care. It is obvious, though clearly not openly acknowledged that health care is an industry that this nation relies on in part for it's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). How do I reach that conclusion? Look at the Senate Committee that is deciding on the future fate of how this country deals with health care. It is not being considered by the Senate committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, no the fate of health care is being handled by the Senate Committee on Finance. Just as every piece of legislation concerning health care has been managed. This includes those bills on SCHIP, prescription drug care for medicare, and attempts at reforming social security. The Senate Finance Committee decides the fate of health care for the nation. Does anyone besides myself question the whys or wisdom of this?

The Washington Post today has an interesting article on Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont), the Chairman of the Finance Committee which should be a must read for anyone concerned with health care's future. Not that this article is in anyway probing or even that in depth. After reading it I was greatly disappointed in the lack of depth contained within the article. Yes, it did in many ways try to give a profile of Senator Baucus, but it seemed as if the writers Shailagh Murray and Ceci Connelly were trying to present this Senator as a popular "maverick" almost folk hero who had had this great mantle of responsibility thrust upon his shoulders with no concern as to whether he wished to bear this burden or not. There was one line though that gave the whole story, and in some ways the hypocrisy of the story away.

The Senate Finance Committee under Max Baucus has never gotten out of the
gate faster and more aggressively on health reform. That's about leadership."
Last May, around the time Kennedy received a diagnosis of terminal brain
cancer, Baucus began studying health care in private tutoring sessions and
through a series of public

I will give him credit for taking the effort to understand health care but why the sudden rush when Kennedy fell ill to assume the lead? The answer is his committee, Finance. After holding a series of Committee hearings over the past few weeks Senator Baucus heard from all the "experts" on health care reform, except one. That "one" is the eight hundred pound gorilla the good Senator and other members of the Committee want tranquilized and hauled away, possibly through "extraordinary rendition", single payer or universal health care. Senator Baucus' comment on the issue....;

Believe me, we hear you. I will meet with anyone who wants to meet. We’ve
got to work with what we’ve got. We cannot go to a single payer system, but
that’s not going to work in this country.

I have one question for the good Senator, "why not"? What is so funny about all of this is dispite the wide press coverage of this remark, I have yet to hear one journalist ask him to explain that remark though there was one good letter submitted with many such questions of Senator's Baucus' close connections with the insurance industry by a consumer watch dog group. Many single payer proponents point to Sen. Baucus' close ties to the medical "for profit" industry as the reason the Senator says the single payer system will not work in this country. It obviously won't work if health care professionals who overwhelmingly support such a system are not given an opportunity to present the merits of the idea. However, then this country might see real "change".

Health care reform will not work if left in the hands of those who seek to profit from the illness and misfortunes of others. No matter how good the intentions of those who seek profit from illness, there will always be a "compelling" reason to deny a test, procedure or medicine for the sake of a few pennies more. Many news articles point to the Obama Administration's desire for "bipartisan support" for this issue. Well I have a good way to get a few Republican and even conservative Democrats on board. Tort reform. Yes, this golden nugget that many conservatives cherish as a way to put a limit on the outrageous legal expenses syphoned off by trial lawyers might pursued a few hold outs over to our side. I had a conversation with several physician colleagues of mine last week and they all noted how they had many friends who left medicine that were "very good doctors" because of the high price of malpractice liability insurance. As one physician noted to me:

It's a system now that forces good competent physicians out of the field
while sustaining incompetent or uncaring physicians"

Opponents of single payer health care like to use those ugly terms like "English/Canadian medicine" or "socialized medicine", yet they over look that the fact that the way medicine is run in this country today it should easily be called "vulture's medicine" or "bend over medicine". If you have employer covered health care and one day need it, many do not realize how adept hospitals and the health care industry has become at collecting premiums yet when you need it pays little in return. Many businesses can not afford "employer based health insurance", so the plan that Senator Baucus favors involves trusting the health industry to keep it's promise to lower costs by two trillion dollars in the next ten years, while squeezing those who rely on medicare and medicaid, and for the first time taxing health insurance! Apparently Senator Baucus forgets that was a key provision in the McCain/Palin health care reform platform and it was soundly rejected by the voters last November.

So what is a nation to do with regards to health care? It is a complex question with a complex answer that I admit the complete lack of knowledge, and defiantly one that requires a more complete answer than can be provided here. There is however one major answer I can give. Health care must be thought of in terms of the last word used to describe the process, "care". If you are one who thinks by giving needed care to someone who needs it we are practicing "communism" or "socialism" ask yourself this question. What if it was my child, spouse or another special loved one who needed this procedure to get better? What price would I pay for them to live a quality life free of a disability, handicap, pain, or continued illness that separated that person from the rest of society? How much is their life worth should it be that catastrophic of an emergency? Then ask yourself, do I want some MBA or even some medical professional who has never seen, met or looked at that loved one except through the notes of some hurried nurse or physician, knowing their decision will be based not on the merits of your loved one's life or physical well being, but on the merits of their commission, bonus and how happy some share holders are? Think that way for a moment then come back and tell me single payer universal health care is "socialized medicine" and not compassionate medicine.

There comes a time in our lives when we will need someone, it happens to everyone. Senator Baucus needs to hear and realize he is making a very serious decision for the nation and not an industry and he has neither the right nor the moral authority to "decide" which issues regarding health care should be considered, especially in the manner he is doing now where by all appearances he is putting the almighty dollar as a priority consideration over the needs of the public. If he is to do his job appropriately, he cannot just represent a conservative minority of the population that elected him, especially when he is making an important decision involving all of us. It is interesting to note that in the many articles I read researching this piece, it was consistently noted the "business" side of the health industry felt that "only with Senator Baucus would they get any support or voice. The House of Representatives is also considering this issue and their the insurance industry lobbyist admitted they had little voice". To me it sounds as if a nation has spoken and not a check book.

Posted on DailKos

Written by a nurse who loves his profession for those medical professionals who everyday struggle to make the lives of their patients and loved ones a little better.

-Richard R. Mayfield, RN,C, MS

As in Senator Baucus hearings, this 1971 classic was banned by radio stations across the country as not approriate to be heard. The song, D.O.A. presented here in it's original version by Blood Rock.

Health "Care" and Profit Are Not Interchangable Words

Good morning good folks, it is the start of the week and almost every news story, and on the front pages of most news publications is the latest buzz about President Obama's Health Care reform package and it's purposed cost savings of two trillion dollars over the next decade. Though if you read past the headlines, as nyceve did and then wrote on DailyKos, the headlines maybe all hype with no substance. A person writing under the name of National Nurses Organization talks also about the anger directed both at Obama, but with Max Bacus (D-Neb), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee being the main target of rath for his exclusion last week of any real health care experts at his hearing for health care reform. His so called panel of "experts" all were representatives of health Corporations and insurance industry shills, the very same folks who brought you a Bush Administration "drug plan" which does not allow for price negotiations.

Most disturbing of all was Senator Bacus' lead off expert, Rick Scott, Chairman of the group Conservatives For Patent's Rights. For those of you that don't know Rick Scott, he is a lawyer who was George Bush's friend, and co-owner with him of the Texas Rangers. He also started Columbia HCA, which he ran until 1996 when he was forced out by the Board of Directors, just two years prior to Columbia HCA being investigated and fined $1.7 billion dollars for fraud against medicare. In addition to that, as reported in today's Washington Post, this same Rick Scott is heading up the effort to sink the health care reform effort started by the White House. That's right, Rick Scott is using $5 million dollars of his own money, and another $15 million dollars raised by supporters to "stop any effort for a government run health care program". He has just hired the PR firm responsible for the "Swift Boat" ads that ran against Kerry in the 2004 election, and you remember that darling American couple on TV in the 1990's called Harry and Louis right? The couple that basically sank health care reform under the Clinton Administration.

The spin coming out of Congress and the White House lately is a complete smoke screen and belittles the idea of any real health care reform. The idea that you can have a greedy health care profiteer testifying as a so called "expert" on reform is assine. The same person though never charged basically led his company into one of the biggest health care rip offs ever known, is now telling us what to do to cut costs and change our policy so that health care is nor available to everyone? Yet in this hearing no doctors, nurses or actual health care providers were there to present their ideas for health care reform, and there was no consideration even given to "universal health care". What we are seeing here is the actual dressing up of a pig with lipstick, and with no real goal of change or reform.

Along that same line of thought is to see the lead legislative effort in the Senate on health care reform is not through any committee or subcommittee that deals with health care issues, it is being directed by Senator Bacus, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Is the plan here to insure that health care is legislated into being a completely for profit industry? Depending on which article you read Senator Bacus has been bought and paid for by the Pharmaceutical industry, and the Health Insurance industry having received any where from the most campaign contributions from this group, to the third most contributions from this group.

So out of curiosity, I looked up the definitions of both care and profit. What I found (but already knew) was the two words were by definition mutually exclusive. Webster's online dictionary defines care as:

Main Entry: 1care Pronunciation:
'kerFunction: nounEtymology: Middle English, from Old English caru; akin to Old
High German kara lament, Old Irish gairm call, cry, Latin garrire to chatter1 :
suffering of mind : GRIEF2 a
: a disquieted state of mixed uncertainty, apprehension, and responsibility b :
a cause for such anxiety3 a : painstaking or watchful attention b : MAINTENANCE
4 : regard coming from desire or esteem5 : CHARGE, SUPERVISION (under a
doctor's care) 6 : a person or thing that is an object of attention, anxiety,
or solicitude.

Webster's then defines profit as:

1prof·it
Pronunciation:
\ˈprä-fət\
Function:
noun
Usage:
often attributive
Etymology:
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin profectus
advance, profit, from proficere
Date: 14th century
1: a valuable return
: gain 2: the
excess of returns over expenditure in a transaction or series of transactions ;
especially : the excess of the selling price of goods over their cost3: net
income usually for a given period of time4: the ratio of profit for a given year
to the amount of capital invested or to the value of sales5: the compensation
accruing to entrepreneurs for the assumption of risk in business enterprise as
distinguished from wages or rent.

Of special note was the second definition of profit, "...the excess of selling price of goods over their costs." That says it all right there. As a professional health care worker my job is not so simplistic. Theoretically if I was in this profession for the money, I would do for my patients what is minimally called for in as little time as possible to increase my profitability. The more patients I cared for the more i would make. Conversely the least I provided them would also affect my profit margin. This of course is what is going on in today's health care system and why it is so broken in the way things get done. Insurance companies are for profit so they will many times deny, try to downgrade quality of care and use any tactic that will ensure a greater profit for themselves and their share holders. This of course impacts on the bonus compensation the chief executives get as well. So in the end you are getting bargain basement care so that several folks who have nothing to do with your health care get huge pay offs. These are the people you expect to lead the way in health care reform? Surely you jest.

Where are the people who work in health care? These are the one's who know and can give you both sides of the picture. Who do you think submits the forms for reimbursement from the insurance companies. Who do you think works the case management for both sides of care in this picture? Both for the insurance companies and the insured? Nurses and physicians. Who do you think has watched a love one suffer from a debilitating illness, only to have their claim denied for treatment by an insurance company? Why a family member or even the patients themselves. Yet where are they in the "round table" of planning? No where, no where at all.

There is another piece of this discussion that is also missing, a piece that was brought up by a physician I work with just last week. Medical malpractice. That in and of itself is an industry for the legal profession, and contributes a great deal to the rising cost of health care. Need a clear example? Look at what has happened to the practice of OB/GYN. Many areas you cannot find an OB doctor because of all the frivolus law suits that have been filed against them. Mommy has a crack cocaine addiction, bay is born with birth problems and your lawyer knows "for sure" that at least one of those problems they can lay at the doctor's feet. Never mind that mom was getting to high to make it to nutritional classes, it's the doc's fault for not educating her.

We are not talking about gross negligence here such as a patient going into surgery for amputation of their right leg but ends up getting the left leg amputated instead. We are however talking about serious tort reform and the weaning from a culture that looks to "get rich quick" through the courts. While we are at it perhaps and standardization of all medical forms required by both the hospital and insurance company? Wouldn't that help lower operating prices? This all comes from administrative and legal beagles, not licensed health care professionals. As my doctor friend noted, lawyers think they can regulate and to some degree practice medicine, yet when you look at the cases of Judge Bybee, and John Yoo, lawyers can't even regulate themselves.

Lies and misrepresentations are being put forth by the Conservatives for Patients Rights when it comes to single payer health care. No, that model is not perfect, but health care wise with successful patient outcomes it is better then the system we are under now. When you use scare words like "socialistic" to degrade and discredit something that all people should have a right too and access to, then right there you have shown yourself what a filthy greedy, lying, money grubbing SOB you really are. Health care is not a "business model", it is a "people first model" because the area we deal with are in the terms of "peoples lives" and has no measurable monetary value.

Any discussion of health care reform without that acknowledgment up front is a discussion of a fantasy story where things happen with the wave of a magic wand, and people living "happily ever after". We know those stories are fairy tales, and that is what is happening now before our very eyes. People like Senator Bacus need to be taught a very basic lesson, and I include Mr. Compromise, President Barack Obama as well. An industry may fill your pockets with plenty of cash, but that cash does not represent the people who pull the lever to vote. We are the one's you are leaving out of your "planning" and yet it is us to whom you are answerable and serve at our pleasure. Keep it up Senator Bacus, go ahead President Obama forget you campaign pledges. Both of you can become quickly unemployed in 2012.

From someone who loves his profession,

May 11, 2009

Richard R. Mayfield, RNC, MS

Sold Out By the Party Of "Reform"

Let me see here, I know I have my "senior moments", but it seems just recently both Wall Street and the banks needed my help along with all the rest of us after they recklessly squandered what some estimate to be fifty trillion dollars in assets. Hat in hand the banks ran to then Treasury Secretary Henery Paulson begging for rescue from their Uncle they so often scorn. Henry Paulson did his bit to aide them screaming like Chicken Little that the "sky was falling" and began the generational mortgaging of our grand children's future. During this time we were all involved in a historic election process, with many Senate and Congressional seats up for grabs and Democratic candidates were promising all sorts of change and reforms from "business as usual" like a distant echo of President Obama. Well the dying voices of the echos showed their life and fidelity to their campaign pledges yesterday by their silence as the Democrats who worship at the golden alter of the banking industry failed to muster the votes to pass the mortgage bankruptcy bill.

In a 51 to 45 vote, after intense lobbying by the banking industry, many of whom received TARP bailout money which they then in turned gave to Congress to water down or abort consumer protective legislation. The bill in question would have given bankruptcy judges the ability to modify mortgage payments as these judges have authority to do in other bankruptcy proceedings. After an election year of decrying the corruption on Wall Street, and the greedy ways of bankers, Congress ensured banks would have money to lend to those of us in need of financing (something they have yet failed to do), but most importantly gave the banks the taxpayers money, so the banks could then turn around and give them a commission for that largess of tax dollars. Campaign promises to look out for the taxpayer? Guess that was somehow forgotten, or overlooked as a minor inconvenience.

Next on the agenda in the sights of the banking industry is the Credit Card Holders Bill of Rights.
Senator Chris Dodd (D- Conn) is the author of this bill, but in this bill, though through the House faces now a bought and paid for pro banking industry Senate. Will it survive intact? If we look at the foreclosure bill just defeated by the Senate, whom by the way just a few years ago opened the way for the credit card issuers to prey on the public at large, I have my doubts though recent comments from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell indicates Republicans won't oppose the bill.

What is troubling though for me is the number of Democrats who failed to support the foreclosure bill and the fact that though initially for it, the Obama quieted down in his support for this bill due to such strong banking industry whining. As Senator Dick Durban (D- Ill) noted several days ago, "frankly the banks own the place", referring to the Senate. This observation, and the failure of Democrats to support the wishes of the voters makes me ask if they feel so secure in their majority, that they are invincible and unanswerable to anyone. This is more like the Bush/Cheney years and perhaps the Dems need a wake up call. Then historically the Senate almost considers itself a royal family, not unlike so many Saudi Princes running around untouchable. Maybe it's time those Senators who failed to look out for us got a wake up call like the GOP did (but has yet failed to recognize). Remember boys and girls, I hired you and I can Donald Trump you too.

True War Crimes, Failure to Investigate and Prosecute

Dick Cheney apparently does not relish the obscurity he help build for himself. He is all over the news calling everything President Obama does a national security disaster while defending the Bush/Cheney approach to solving world crisises. That was either ignor them or bomb the hell out of them. His remarks are beginning to even draw the scorn of fellow Republicans which wish he would fade back into his fortress of obscurity. He soon may wish otherwise, and try to retreat back into his fortress, but hopefully he will be getting his just deserts.

Recently President Obama released the long sought after Bush torture memos. Since then he has faced a barrage of criticism from the right wing for aiding the enemy, even though most of the salient details were already known by al-Quaeda. Cheney has been especially critical and now it seems we all know why. Rather then trying to extract that next "ticking time bomb" of information, it seems excessive torture was used for political goals. We have heard the semantic arguments from defenders of torture who would have you believe "it can't be torture because we didn't do this or that." Well kiddies their final argument is BS, Cheney wanted an alleged link to Sadam Hussien and al-Quaeda to help bolster his excuse to engage in an illegal war. That's right, not to gain information on the next eminent attack on the United States and her citizens, but to aide Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and the rest of the Bush Regime cover for invading Iraq, which had nothing to do with 9/11 in the first place.

Furthermore of concern, my friend in Canada Mentarch indicates that torture may have been used on children! Is this what we as a nation came to? I didn't and I demand that an investigation begin immediately. Leave it to Keith Olbermann tonight to bring up many salient points so far over looked in these reports, and I will bring up another he completely overlooked. Remember when Donald Rumsfeld, then Secretary of Defense testified before Congress over the Abu Ghraib torture scandal? Did he not tell Congress "he didn't know about this" until it basically was reported in the press? Funny that now this has been exposed as a lie in this report by Carl Levine. Rumsfeld himself signed off on the use of torture as early as August, 2002! Didn't know? Keith Olbermann had Janet Karpinshi on tonight. You remember her, the Brigadier General in charge of Abu Ghraib who was hung out to dry by Rumsfeld et al. She has said before, and said again tonight that the orders for the torture of those prisoners came from much higher up the chain of command, but in a salient remark noted that Obama does not want to prosecute those CIA members who engaged in torture? What about those lonely GI's that followed orders of CIA contractors and engaged in this torture and are now serving time for this with a loss of all their military careers? If President Obama does not want to allow prosecution of CIA personnel for following orders signed off on by DOJ attorneys, how the hell do you convict these GI's of doing what the Secretary of Defense signed off on along with those DOJ attorneys?

I am not forgiving of these actions by either the GI's or CIA. They tortured, in violation of both U.S. laws and international laws, so they are subject to whatever criminal prosecution comes their way. Their was no patriotic calling in their actions. By their actions they became no better then the criminals that behead Daniel Pearle and others after torturing them. As noted by many of the talking heads tonight, President Obama has lost control of this issue, and damnit he should have foreseen this. If he didn't he is not that bright, smart politician we all voted for. President Obama, screw your so called "rainbow coalition" you wish to reach across the isle to form. If Republicans don't want this bit of dirty laundry aired who should care? This is the call of many career criminals during the sentencing portion of their trials. On top of this you promised a transparent open government, yet by protecting the Bush cabal you hide the truth, and although you have a lovely smile, you will not improve this nations standing in the eyes of the rest of the world. Political leaders unlike voters have long memories, and this will always be laid on our door step until we openly, honestly, deal with it. Remember Nuremberg, you cannot make a separate set of rules for us.

Just today Rove, Arlen Specture and Dick Cheney implied the Obama Administration was acting like a "Central American banana Republic with tinted sun glasses" for pursuing these crimes any further. Yet again today the news is our National Security Advisor, Condelesa Rice, and Vice President Dick Cheney signed off on these tortures as early as July, 2002, prior to the DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel's memos allowing such procedures. In all the books I read and movies I saw, it was those tinted sun glass dictators of South and Central America who were torturing. Yet just this past week, Peru convicted it's former President Fujimori of human rights violations including torture. Whose the banana Republic here? President Obama they tell me you are a brilliant Constitutional scholar and attorney. Your lack of enthusiasm to prosecute criminals makes me think you were asleep in Criminal Law 101. You should know that with all your knowledge of secrets including those declassified that failure to act makes you a war criminal too, and in the eyes of American law, an accessory after the fact. Appoint a Special Prosecutor now!

Your U.S. Senate, Bought and Paid for By the Banking Industry

As is the case, each day it seems that the voters have less and less say over the rules and regulations enacted by the Senate. The attitude contained by most, if not all Senators is fuck you little people we are untouchable. This has never been more aptly brought to light then in an article in today's New York Times, in which the banking industry is road blocking any legislative reforms. Many of those banks are the same beggars that came running to the U.S. tax payer with their hands out demanding millions of alms to prevent their failure, while still giving bonuses to their big league players with tax dollars.

April 15, 2005 Congress passed a new bankruptcy bill that George H.W. Bush promptly signed into law. It had been lobbied long and hard for in Congress by the banking industry. While it made it much harder (almost impossible) for small households to seek protection through bankruptcy, it had no effect on large corporations. Now, as both the House and Senate try to restrict these ridicules credit card hikes and to allow bankruptcy judges to reset mortgage interest rates and values the banking Industry has their greedy little claws out preventing effective passage of these bills. Guess who by the way is saying "no" to consumer protection? That's right, your national party of "NO", the Republicans. Folks we seriously need to put an end to this.

Read the whole story here:

The Day After April 15th

Yes this is being posted on April 17th, but I wanted the entire day to pass without missing a moment of it, and to see if the world really ended because of the "high taxes". Did something magically change or was it the typical SOS different day thing. I am still trying to figure that one out so perhaps you dear reader can help me.

April 16th started out frantically as I rushed around getting lab testing done to confirm I had diabetes (yes, I'm a sweet guy). I saw my wife go into work saddened because it was her last day at work. Her company was bought out by a larger company and as a result, she was laid off. That was very hard for her as she is the type of employee that if she decides to leave to take a better position, her soon to be former employers try to offer her more with incentives to stay. Her former company had kept her on for an additional month after letting the others who were laid off go, and as always the top managers asked her to have any future employers who needed references to give them a call. They'd tell them what a "golden child" they were getting. She finished off all the budget accruals for April ahead of time as a parting gesture, yes she's that way.

I on the other hand worried about time missed, because if I don't work I don't get paid. We were already losing forty percent of our household income so every penny helps. I started packing my lunches again something I had not done in a while, but that's a better way to keep control of your diabetes. Oh we lost our health insurance but I am lucky. I am a government contractor and my company has health insurance so we are covered. Listening to NPR on the drive into work I recalled the humor April 15th had provided with their recounting of the different "Tea Baggers" events held in protest of Obama's economic stimulus plan. The biggest irony to me was all those so called working Americans protesting tax funds being spent to provide extra unemployment insurance to the many of them either out of work, or soon to be without a job. Supposedly this was a "grass roots" event though the sponsors were big money lobbyists who represented firms that would have their taxes raised, their off shore accounts opened wide while the protester got the largest tax break in history. The hypocrisy of those organizing and promoting these events is beyond belief (yes kiddies Fox Noise despite numerous denials promoted these gatherings, and then lied openly about the numbers in attendance).

President Obama released more of the torture memos in a move very opposite of the former Administration and it shows an openness not seen for a while. In so doing this he closed the door basically on accountability. Obama once again said he wished to focus on the future rather then seek retribution for the past. It is unfortunate that he feels this way, for it clouds his judgement for the future, and for the nation's future. Until the crimes believed by the Bush Administration are brought out in the open and dealt with honestly, this country and the Obama Administration will be unable to claim righteousness against others for doing the same things we did. What though I see as a greater danger is the fact that in his refusal to address the violations of our own laws, as well as international law he sets precedent for future Presidents to claim the right to do anything they wish. At the same time he tells Americans that we have a two tiered system of justice. One for you and me where we are held accountable, and a second for those we choose to run government who are then essentially above the law. I can hear defense attorney's across the land making that same argument for their clients. "No your honor we should dismiss all charges against my client, he is try to make progress and move forward. What useful benefit would we get if we look only to the past, my client is beyond that now".

The wingnuts are getting more crazy with each passing day and I know longer recognize the political process or even my country anymore. Rick Perry, Governor of Texas is hinting at a repeat of history long since settled after a bloody civil war. He intimated to the Huston Chronicle that Texas might secede the Union, but then with drew that with editing to another journal when asked about it. They say Perry has aspirations to the White House, but maybe he figures Sarah Palin is a better choice so he'll make his own country.

Michele Bachmann (R- Mn) seems to be insane at this point with her recent statements about the costs of converting to alternative energy, and the six Immans that were kicked off a plane. Her statements are flat out lies, yet no one in the MSM has called her out on it. There is a lack of public outcry over her hysterical ravings about re-education camps and other delusional, no more like psychotic ravings go overall unremarked upon. I wonder who is more crazy, Bachmann or the voters that tolerate this type of representation.

Oh, I just got one more piece of good news, I have just been terminated. I have two weeks left then I join the ranks of the unemployed. There goes the health insurance, and soon quite possibly the rest of my things along with my home. My wife and I have been trying to pay things down but were living from paycheck to paycheck. I worry now for my eight year old daughter and 16 year old step son. Hopefully we will make it. Someone tell me right now what is right with this country? It isn't the same land I grew up in and I don't recognize many of the people here any more.

Virginia's Shame (My Letter To the Editor)

I usually try to keep this blog focused on a national and international level, but I work locally politically. Today though the Virginia House of Delegates truly pissed me off as the House remains in Republican control while the rest of Virginia remains blue. After steaming for a while and I am now taking my second dose of my liquid Valium (Jack Daniels and Diet Pepsi) I wrote this letter to the Editor of my local northern Virginia paper. This paper has a Rethug slant so I doubt it will get published (God forbid Rethugs should have to read a truth). So here's my letter.

Cross Posted from DailyKos.


Dear Editor,
Today Bob McDonnell and Virginia Republicans voted not to accept $125 million in government stimulus money for the unemployed. The vote in both houses of the legislator was split down party lines with the same rhetorical response that reminded me of HAL the computer in 2001 A Space Odyssey. You remember HAL who kept telling the one lone remaining human crewman Dave "I am sorry Dave you can't do that. I am looking out for you". All across the country we are hearing that same computerized response from Republicans, that to accept that money would mean higher taxes for small businesses. In one case the Senate Minority Leader had this to say about Governor Kaines bill:

Senate Minority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr. of James City County, whose
district includes Williamsburg, a tourist destination with a 19.5 percent
unemployment rate, said the Kaine measure could discourage the jobless from
returning to work by freeing them to reject positions they deemed unappealing.
"This is absolutely ludicrous," Norment said. "It is a disincentive."

As the father of a family of five whose wife has just been laid off, and is facing a forty percent reduction in income with no guarantees of my wife finding future employment I find that statement and the whole Republican attitude totally offensive. Yes, they are the party of "NO".
For over a decade we have suffered under the Republican mantra of "tax cuts" while they ran us into a trillion dollar deficit, from a budget surplus. At the same time they created the largest government bureaucracy since FDR which is a mess and a bottomless pit of financial waste and mismanagement. They have increased the tax burden on the middle class which has dwindled to almost nothing while providing tax cuts to the wealthy. Most of the top five percent of the income bracket get their income from capitol gains income which is taxed at fifteen percent, while yours and my income as wage earners is taxed at thirty five percent. The Republican answer to President Obama's stimulus bill was a forty page rant about what they didn't like about Obama's plan with no economic figures or plans except more tax cuts, especially in capitol gains taxes. (Oh did I mention their plan would cost us $1.7 trillion, but with all the tax cuts we'd never dig ourselves out).

Virginia Republicans complain that accepting the stimulus money for their constituents would constitute a tax increase on "small business" (it's funny how none of this ever seems to affect big business) and it would include those working full time for three months rather then the one year model currently specified in Virginia law, as well as part time workers. What they fail to acknowledge is during these hard economic times people have been laid of and may only have just recently been lucky enough to have found a job which may yet fold in less then a year. On top of that due to the scarcity of work, many heads of the house are forced to work part time employment to feed and cloth their families (I guess these are the ones Sen. Norment figures will lose incentive to work).Oh, and those "small businesses he's worried about paying more taxes? Ask those business owners whether they would be willing to pay more taxes down the road, or be forced to shut down because no one could afford to buy their products?

The Republican base is largely in western and south west Virginia where unemployment in some areas is as high as twenty percent. I am sure their constituents are very happy these Legislators are worried about their taxes going up. I mean it is so hard to tax nothing.
I am a Democrat and was proud to see Virginia turn blue last November. I am supporting Terry McAuliffe for Governor and I am impressed with his economic plans, especially those plans to bring new jobs to Virginia that have been lost, and his focus on alternative biofuels which will help us all break away from the stranglehold the middle east has us in now. From the Republicans I hear no alternative plans except we will continue like HAL the computer to protect you from yourselves while we continue to borrow from China to pay for government. I look forward to Virginians waking up and coloring Virginia a deeper blue this November.

Death Throes of A Drowning Party

Last August I asked here if; "This was the Death of a Party, or Death of a Nation". At that time I was referring to John McCain's pick of Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate. Today we know there was no national death cry (as would have happened if the Republicans had won in November), and President Barack Obama is doing an outstanding job of trying to right the legacy of the last eight years of George H. W. Bush and his mess. I do not always agree with President Obama but he is my elected leader, I campaigned for him and I still am a very strong supporter.



All that aside, I go back to that first half of the question poised in August, as to whether we are seeing the death of the Republican Party? In my humble opinion after watching the party's antics of the past couple of months we are seeing the final throes of a drowning elephant, and unless the Republicans their tactics, I don't believe there will be a Republican party much longer. This special election in New York's 20th Congressional district should have been like a punch in the face to get their attention, but then again I believed that the election this past November would have opened their eyes. Let's look at the behavior they have exhibited and I am sure you will draw similar if not the same conclusions.



Let's go back to February this year when the economic stimulus package was presented and the Republicans in the House voted as a solid block "no" to it's passage, all the while complaining they had no input, even after President Obama met with them and changes that they requested from him were made. Maybe not all of them, but who is in control now? They criticised this package as being too bloated with ear marks, but then miraculously after the bill passed they went home to their districts and gloated to their constituents about the ear marks they got for them. Then there has been the entire embarrassing fray over Rush Limbaugh as head of the Republican Party. Let me see, oh shall we add the Republican bid to deny Minnesota residents their two constitutionally mandated Senators. In an article released today, Media Matters wonders how long it will be before the press starts to call Norm Coleman out on what he really is, a soar loser. It is plain Coleman doesn't stand a chance of overturning Al Franken's lead, but the Republicans have raised money to pay his legal expenses for exactly one stated purpose. To deny as long as possible, hence to deny the residents of Minnesota their Senate voice. How long do you think the good people of Minnesota are going to tolerate that? Like a drowning victim, they are doing their best to take everyone around them down with them.



Eric Canter (R-Va) today accused the Democrats of overreacting to the economic crisis. This isn't just any wingnut Republican Congressman, he is the minority whip in the House. Has anyone asked Mr. Cantor how their can be an "overreaction when the whole world is in crisis? How this can be an overreaction when over 8.5% of American workers are unemployed unable to find jobs? How neighborhoods and whole communities are becoming financially worthless because the residents can not pay their mortgages, meet business expenses because banks are still not lending so they have to close up shop and property values disappear? This is the "New Republican Party", supposedly on the side of the working man and women. The party that consistently votes "no" to every piece of legislation put forth that involves spending to help out the average American while decrying it's expense. The same party that put forth a budget with no financial numbers or expenditures but seeks to give the wealthiest Americans a 10% tax cut while nothing is offered to the middle class? Included is a spending freeze for five years so there would be no adjustments for inflation. Oh and don't forget the deep cuts in that horrible socialist medicaid/medicare program just as the baby boomers need it most!



This is the great rhetoric we hear from Republicans touted as "new ideas". Only this is the same planning and program agenda they have put in place over the past eight years that has brought us to this point in our history. Tax cuts, tax cuts, tax cuts! That is their battle cry. Well if they want it give it to them I say, but make it meaningful. Let's cut out salaries for Congress and the 9.1 million in bonuses give to Congressional aides. While were at it we can do away with taxes completely and then see if our brave soldiers are willing to serve for free? I know KBR and Halliburton won't provide services for free, but hey what the heck. We can close down everything, at that point I hope we give it all back to the Red Man, but I think he will be wise enough to decline it.



The lack of ideas or solutions has earned the Republican party the name of "Party of No". No ideas, no solutions, no leadership, no vision, and soon no public support. When they put dogma ahead country, and seek to delay and prevent help from getting to the American people can this party really survive? You have a battle to find leadership within their ranks while getting multiple mixed messages that are often contradictory, and for what purpose what is their stated goal? Their poster child and sometimes spokesperson Joe the Plumber hired by a Republican PAC group and supposedly is the classic example of the American working man. He is disliked by the very people he is supposed to connect with, because he repeats the dogma fed to him despite the fact that the American worker doesn't support the slavish practices of the GOP and he when confronted about his beliefs can't explain them or even explain why he opposes a labor plan he knows nothing about! Newt Gingrich warned of a third party if Republicans did not get their conservative act together, but Gingrich also represents too much of the ultra conservative religious right. As a co-worker of mine once commented "we need to get religion out of our party". While the wounded elephant struggles to stay upright, conservative Republicans who wish to deny everything the Democrats propose, are threatening their own more moderate members for trying to bring the two parties together.

It is my prediction that in their current frenzied spiral downward, the Republican Party is doomed. Not to say at the present time that is a bad idea. The party may have to split, dissolve and reform itself. With division the factions may reach and individual identity and go their separate ways giving us a three party system, though it would be my belief that the wingnut faction of the party would be eventually marginalized to obscurity. As separate entities the factions might be able to add something to the political debates and ideas. At least a clear concise targeted message. Right now all Republicans can do is criticise, which is all well and good.....if you have an alternative solution which they completely lack. We will always need a multiparty system if we are to continue as a democracy, and civil debate and opposing ideas have historically lent themselves to incredible solutions. For despite my disagreement with the Republican Party and opposition to much of their agenda, I recognize the need for a continuation of another party less the vision our Founding Fathers held for this great country becomes a blind darkness. For the Republicans though you might want to let this patient go, and in it find a birth of a newer, brighter, energetic fresh start. Your rantings and forgetfulness of the lessons shown you by the voters, along with your unwillingness to acknowledge a change to a new direction show a demented view of reality that even Aricept with Haldol and Ativan won't help.

It Is So Sad, We've Been Had Again

Yes folks it is sad for when a country came together en mass and supported a candidate who promised change, transparency, accountability and reform, only to look at the the solutions offered and see they are the same one's put forth by the previous Administration with just a few steps changed. Or as Paul Krugman put it, the same ole "cash for trash" plan of Henry Paulson that even Paulson abandoned. With his assumption of the Presidency, what change has Barack Obama offered us? Granted we got SCHIP and stem cell research. Many of the rule changes that Bush put into effect for ideological reasons rather then practical or scientific reasons have either been reversed, halted or are in the slow government mixer to be rewritten. However we have one big issue affecting us all, and the people Obama has selected to supposedly right the wayward ship of state are the same friggin idiots that got us here in the first place!

Rather then scour the country for new fresh faces President Obama has selected people like Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and crew to reinvent the wheel so to speak, and for his efforts Obama should be shouting out the immortal line of Ceaser, " Et tu Brutus"! Arrianna Huffington in her opinion piece today outlines clearly the problem the Obama Admministration is facing, with people like Geithner at the helm. It basically boils down to there is no change we are still going to let Wall Street and the bankers that greedily brought us to our knees supposedly get us back out and on our feet again, but there's something missing. The change we were promised.

So far the American tax payer has sunk over two trillion dollars of our taxes into the recovery plan, with an expectation of possibly another seven trillion dollars. Congress, who is supposed to monitor the expenditures and budget is getting by passed in some situations as the Fed just decides to dump a trillion dollars into the economy because the Fed (Treasury) can. While in his recent stimulus package Obama allocated billions for jobs such as those rebuilding our infrastructure, trillions have gone to Wall Street and banks in an effort to boost the credit market and get banks lending again, which they for some reason seem reluctant to do. The irony is the banks are refusing to lend the tax payer their money, and seem content to hold on to it.

So where's the change Mr. Obama? I'm not talking about the cosmetic changes offered so far, I am talking about real change such as reform of the deregulation done over the past ten years that got us here? Maybe we could reinstate the Glass- Segall Act? This was a bankers biggest wet dream come true and caused the collapse of a major portion of the over sight banks once had. Why hasn't that Act been put back in place? Including the repeal of the Glass-Segall Act how about the other legislation introduced by Phil Graham, and passed into law by the then Republican controlled Congress that essentially made it impossible to monitor and regulate any of the Wall Street and banking interests that eventually collapsed. This includes a lucrative derivatives market that AIG played in and lost not only it's shirt, but pants, shoes, socks and underwear. Trillions have been given to banks yet Geithner and crew can't (or won't ) press the recipients to tell us where the money went.

The Real Story lies in the day to day living of every day people and I will use my family as an example. Let's say I have a little money to put away and save`( can't spent it Mr. President, my wife got notice last week she was being laid off, that's 40% of our income). I look around and might get lucky to find some long term CD's paying 2.5% interest, not a lot but something. I then get my credit card bill which we are desperately trying to pay down and they are charging us 29% interest. What the hell? During the fall of the economy credit cards (especially those issued by Citibank) somehow had their limits cut to the amount that was on the card, the letters came late that informed customers of the change and as a result many went over their limit and got hit with all types of charges. As a result, credit scores fell often several times because the bank's action of lowering a credit limit cost the individual their credit rating, then going over the limit, and God forbid someone missed a payment. Folks that were once worthy credit risks now somehow became toxic credit risks and now the banks have an excuse not to lend them any money for say a used car they needed after their car was stolen. Or if they got the loan it was at an inflated interest rate which then did their credit rating no good based on the loan value verses their income. (That's what happened to me in November so this isn't made up).

Why after all the discussion haven't you and Congress curbed the banks license to steal through credit cards? So now my wife and I have our income halved and struggle to make our financial obligations. Oh did I tell you she had our family's health insurance so now we must pay COBRA rates to stay covered which are astronomical (I can't be without health insurance because I am a transplant patient and need coverage). We struggle while she tries to find a job (which is a little hard to do right now just so you know) and some how get behind in our bills. As time passes and things don't get better we find ourselves unable to maintain our payments (no we didn't buy a house at inflated value or price, we've lived there nine years) and lose our home so we try to file for bankruptcy. Oh yeah, some where during the past eight years those laws changed to favor the banks as well so I guess we are screwed. Are you getting the picture here Mr. President?

Timothy Geithner and crew are Wall Street bankers and the financial team you've assembled are of the same ilk. Your brand new plan to relieve banks of their "toxic assets" is just a government run hedge fund with the tax payer assuming most of the risk. To add insult to injury the plan relies on only the wealthy select invited few to participate and profit from it. Some guy or gal with say fifty thousand to invest can't even get a crumb because you are looking for millions. But the so called Masters of the Universe are allowed to continue their game, without regulation or oversight while we the people give the banks our money to save them from bankruptcy, which they then turn around and return to you guys in the form of political contributions, and continue to fund their exclusive "members only" lavish life style while complaining "they do not understand why they (corporate CEO's) are vilified." (Here's an idea, why don't you take my family's place in a few months in a homeless shelter and we crash in your mansion?).

Frankly Mr. President I am tired of you and all the rest spending my money like a drunken sailor on indefinite liberty. You put the money into the hands of the same people that got us in this mess, then feign outrage and indignation when it becomes public that your corporate masters decided to give themselves lavish bonuses, yet you and yours made it possible for this to happen. After my family like so many others who have lost or are losing more do you look about and say we need to reign this bunch in? No, you continue to throw money at them, you fail to offer oversight just excuses and the sabotage to the public's invested interest comes from within your own Administration.

You have done many good things and have the ability to do more. Those of us who stood with you during your campaign are willing to stand with you once again. There is though one accommodation you must make, and that is put us on an equal playing field with those who brought this debacle on. Frankly, in my own humble opinion we should be elevated because it is our pockets that is paying for the misdeeds of these children. Just like a parent of a teenage child oft pays for the recklessness of that child, so to are we the tax payers put in the role of parent to a bunch of spoiled brats that need the rod without hesitation.