Wednesday - July 29 2009

Hour One: "Why should Americans continue to die in healthcare?" Thom debates Dan Gainor of the Business and Media Institute www.businessandmedia.org
Guest - Gov. Howard Dean www.deanshealthcare.com is here on on Healthcare.
Hour Two - Why is our media lying to us, when did the news die and will we ever get it back? Charles Pierce www.charlespierce.com
Hour Three - "Everything You Know is Wrong...Larry's Kidney" Daniel Asa Rose about the business of organ transplants www.danielasarose.com
Guest - Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis is here on health insurance reform, $220 million contest
Comments
It's Not Hard to Be a Job-Slashing, Pension-Grabbing CEO -- If You're a Sociopath
By Thom Hartmann, Smirking Chimp. Posted July 28, 2009.
Once Again, Idiot Thom Hartmann Doesn't Know What the HELL She's Talking About
sociopaths do what they do and either live in complete denial that they are hurting people or don't realize their actions are hurting people.
psychopaths do what they do knowing full well they are hurting people.....but don't care.
CEOs are the latter.
that said, Thom Hartmann is a rabid zionist who not only excuses the bloodlust of Israeli extermination of the Palestinians but relishes and enables it.
so let's ask Hartmann.....just who in the hell is the psychopath here? she should also add HYPOCRITE to her own curriculum vitae and ALTERNET should be ashamed for giving a platform for such neoNAZIism.
L Grace,
Here's more about volunteering (especially when one doesn't have money):
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/51866567.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaE...
Twin Cities area leads nation's big cities in volunteering
"People are giving their time when they can't give their traditional resources" of monetary donations, said Alan Solomont, chairman of the CNCS board.
The study released Tuesday showed that Minneapolis-St. Paul ranked No. 1 among larger metro areas in volunteerism, followed by Portland, Ore., Salt Lake City, Seattle and Kansas City, Mo. Minneapolis-St. Paul has held that top spot for all three years the study has ranked city volunteerism. The state ranked No. 3 in the country, behind Utah and Nebraska. Alaska was fourth and Iowa fifth.
MORAL OF MY LAST TWO POSTS, RASTA:
Don't just criticize, DO something to make the world BETTER. (I can't take your posts seriously until/unless you understand this. I will not respond to them or acknowledge them again, either.)
Dear Rasta,
You seem very angry with Thom and continue to use the phrase rabid zionist when describing him. I honestly don't understand how you can label him with this term. Thom continually educates us about the harm many who are thought of as Zionists have dealt out to the US. He has exposed the harmful actions of Greenspan, Goldman Sachs, and many media czars who have been brainwashing the American public for decades.
Are you sure that you have the right person?
Because you have so much energy and passion that you could direct to social change, and because more than likely many of us agree with the changes you want to see take place, I wonder if you would mind listing actions we can take to stop the horrible terror being dealt out to Palestinians.
I don't think Thom is the enemy here, and I also think that you are among friends who agree with many of your convictions. So it would be great if you could help lead us to the actions we need to take to help stop the terror and destruction in Palestine. You have access to many social activists on this site and your ideas would be tremendously welcome as long as they don't wrongly accuse people who are on the same side as you are.
Bless you, Loretta.
This Dan character just won't see reason, will he. How would he like to be floudering out there with illness and no coverage, or having to pay huge premiums! If he didn't get dropped!
How could he defend those leeches!
@Loretta:
Rasta is insane and inflicts various similar raving ranting on a number of websites. Rasta's behavior is classic mindless, knee-jerk trolldom. I’d say don’t feed the troll and it will go away but in Rasta’s case only blocking by site management has worked in the past.
Unfortunately, Thom tends toward free expression of all and this will work in our detriment for a while. The flipside is Thom’s policies allows us free reign to express our minds.
Re: Healtcare
Though I have a problem with Obama's health care/insurance plan (because It does not appear to do anything about the obscene cost of health care) I wonder why common working class people side with the insurance companies. These people say big government is bad and "can not do anything right", and yet they side with big corporations, who "can't do anything right" either. They have no problem with the CEO gouging the working class, but they hate supporting the government with their tax dollars. Why is it that the working class identify with the rich?
I was born in california and use my birth certificate to cross the border into mexico on a regular basis. The heading of it says Certificate of Live Birth, it does not have the doctor or nurses names on it. I guess this means I'm illegal too. Oh, but I'm white so maybe not.
Please make sure to call Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi today and thank each one for personally continuing to acceding to the Party of NO! and corporatist DEMs. While both have voting track records that tend to be acceptable, they BOTH prefer compromising through caving to the element that represents the worse possible choice to avoid doing real work for the American people. They seem to go outta their way to insure only dreck hits their respective floors.
[Insert the deity of your choice], I wish BOTH would quit and let someone capable of performing their jobs, actually DO their jobs.
Between Max Baucus (D-Health Insurance Industry) and Diane Feinstein (D-Blue Cross) it looks like a good ride into hell for the American people . . .
Quark,
Wow! It's nice that you remembered our discussion from yesterday.
Well, as I write this, I'm sending post cards to my three main guys and Pres Obama.
Here in Oregon, our "Blue Elephant" on health care seems to be Ron Wyden.
Until now, I've thought of him as a pretty-good guy but like so many, the health industry are is biggest donors.
L
"I have a gub!"
What is Bernake And Geigner telling President Obama to get him to agree to such crazy money management by the Feds. If the Feds are responsible for hoarding the money--- TARP money that should be handed out to working people whose lives have been utterly and completely destroyed by Wallstreet--- then the Obama administration basically lied and cheated to get the stimulus package passed?
It's hard to believe our President Obama would do that.
There is no way that we can defend the current stimulus package to people on the right if the Feds are hoarding the money just so they can give interest to the banks on money they never earned in the first place.
If the Governement is behaving like this with Tarp money, it does make you question how they might handle money meant for single-payer health care doesn't it?
We made a huge, huge mistake not electing Dennis Kuccinich.
I heard Bernie Sanders on another program make a great point -- we should _ONLY_ be talking with few moderate Republicans who might vote for meaningful healthcare reform.
As it is, Harry Reid had us compromising with THE MOST conservative, anti-affordable healthcare people.
L Grace,
That's great! One more active voice they have to listen to!
Go to http://www.citizensforapubliciption.com and register . . . This Senator Chuck Schumer's et al. trying to reverse the tide on Party of NO!’s and the Blue CROSS DEMs’ de-construction of the Public Option in the Senate Finance Committee. Also call Diane Feinstein and thank her for leading the charge to give another hand out to Health Insurance providers . . .
>> Loretta July 29th, 2009, 8:56 am
>> We made a huge, huge mistake not electing Dennis Kuccinich.
I love Kuccinich and agree with him most of the time.
However, I can't imagine him ever getting a single big bill through Congress.
L Grace,
That’s great! One more active voice they have to listen to!
...and one more person "out there" watching them!
Richard,
Maybe there is a typo in your link -- anyway, it didn't work for me.
Try this one
http://www.citizensforapublicoption.com/
Obama-care is little more than a life-raft for the corporate leeches presently sucking the life (literately) and wealth (ditto) straight from our Great Nation's people.
We, the People, deserve representation . . . My last reading of the Constitution did NOT start with the Preamble:
"We, the Corporate Entities, . . . "
I left the "O" outta option . . . Dag Mabit . . .
@Richard, I hear what you say, but I don't quite agree. I believe we need to help direct energy in whatever ways possible to positive action instead of shaming. I think shaming feeds trolls in a complicated way.
My conversation with Barbara Boxer's office this morning:
"If, by healthcare reform, you mean that you personally will be re-doubling your efforts to remove the words "over sixty-five" from Medicare law, repealing Medicare Part D and popping the FICA cap to fully finance universal single-payer healthcare AND Social Security . . . You have my support."
Richard,
It seems clear to me that we have lost our Democracy to the corporations. Both parties are bought and paid for. How do we get our Democracy back? (Or is it lost forever, leaving us with only the facade of a Democracy)?
It seems to me that by choosing the lesser of the two evils will only work in the short run. Eventually there will be no difference between the two parties.
L Grace,
Kuccinich may prove you wrong since he's making good progress with the amendments he is getting passed in committees! And maybe having states provide single-payer first is the best way to go considering how the Tarp money is being handled.
I agree with this guy but have my doubts that we are worse than in the "good old days" -- Yellow Journalism comes to mind.
Wow! I didn't realize that Rush had so few stations. I heard that first show.
I kind of hate to admit it, but I like listening to Rush back then, even though I was a liberal.
I can't stand him now.
Have I changed or has Rush?
Can you imagine--they'll take the healthcare money--give it to the insurance companies so they can give it back to the feds who will hoard it and then no one will get healthcare. Sorry --I'm going off here and not being useful or helpful to our cause but I was really hoping for the milions and millions of jobs that Obama promised. I am going to indulge myself in cynicism for one day. I guess that's shaming Obama so I contradicted my own self-righteousness. Oh brother.
I'm going to go for a bike ride.
have a good day everyone many blessings.
Loretta,
OK, maybe I'm wrong. I'd like to be wrong!
I have appreciated Kuccinich through a couple of his runs for president but which of his legislation has he gotten passed into law?
Howard Dean
Like Kuccinich, I once had doubts that Dean could work with congress as president.
But he sure proved me wrong as the chair of the DNC. He was fantastic in that rold.
So, Loretta, I'm conceding that you could be right!
On Health Care, Energy, and every other important issue, the best advice I can give to any one is in the words of Jerry Riopelle a singer from Cali.
"May the strength of your words, come from your deeds."
Human activity is driving Earth's 'sixth great extinction event'
Population growth, pollution and invasive species are having a disastrous effect on species in the southern hemisphere, a major review by conservationists warns Earth is experiencing its "sixth great extinction event" with disease and human activity taking a devastating toll on vulnerable species, according to a major review by conservationists. Much of the southern hemisphere is suffering particularly badly, and Australia, New Zealand and neighbouring Pacific islands may become the extinction hot spots of the world, the report warns...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/28/species-extinction-hot...
Obama is a corporatist Democrat. The fiat of health insurance industry is outside of his mindset and desires. There is no evidence to the contrary.
I just had a thought. I think it is interesting that the right wing says that states should assert the 10th Amendment to prevent health care refrom. I think we need to turn this back on them. There are US laws on the books that supposedly prevent states from adopting a single payer system of their own. Well, states should put them in place and say that the US laws are unconstitutional based on the 10th Amendment.
The following is from the Wikipedia page in Executive Orders -
To date, U.S. courts have overturned only two executive orders: the aforementioned Truman order, and a 1996 order issued by President Clinton that attempted to prevent the U.S. government from contracting with organizations that had strike-breakers on the payroll. Congress may overturn an executive order by passing legislation in conflict with it or by refusing to approve funding to enforce it. In the former, the president retains the power to veto such a decision; however, the Congress may override a veto with a two-thirds majority to end an executive order. It has been argued that a Congressional override of an executive order is a nearly impossible event due to the supermajority vote required and the fact that such a vote leaves individual lawmakers very vulnerable to political criticism.
Here is new report from Executive Office of the President Council of Economic Advisers RE The Economic Effects of Health Care Reform on Small Business and Their Employees http://learn.linkedin.com/CEA-smallbusiness-july24.pdf
Have a read and join us in a live chat today with Christina Romer http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/sbolinkedin/
Here is a good geeky science issue: transparent aluminum, 2 days ago
Loretta, Quark, Ricahrd A. -
It sort of amuses me when Rasta claims that Thom is an allegedly "rabid, Zionazi", i. e., one who subscribes to a strict, pro-Israel, anti-Palestinean ideology.
Obnviously he fails to realize that his own strict adherence to a dogma that demands the destruction of Israel makes him exactly the kind of idologue he accuses Thom of being - the only difference is the dogma adhered to.
Amazing how the things that piss us off the most when we see them in others are our own faults. :)
Re: Organs from Prisoners
Here in the state of Virginia you can use prison labor to build your non profit's building.
mstaggerlee,
Re: "Amazing how the things that piss us off the most when we see them in others are our own faults."
Yes, that seems to be one of life's harder lessons. "Help me to be humble and respectful" are at the top of my prayer list. I so often fall short...
Thom,
Maybe "taxes" should be changed to "FAIR taxes" in legislative discussions.
P.S.
Fair taxes, just like FAIR trade!
DRichards -
A libertarian acquaintance of mine used to work at the same Engineering company as I still do, but he got fired, and eventually started a business of his own. He is also one who CONSTANTLY tells me how the Government can't do anything right.
His company's product analyzes unknown biological samples, and compares them to known reference samples, to determine what they are and what their properties might be.
Care to guess who his ONE & ONLY customer is?
Some little outfit based in Houston ... NASA! LOL!
The definition of 'private sector' should definitely be narrowed to exclude government contractors.
Also, government contractors should be referred to as 'taxpayer supported entities' or such.
The meme wars continue.
DRichards,
I thought you were going to say he is doing chemical analysis of soil samples and metals for the History Channel's "UFO Hunters." LOL
'Sorry, that just jumped into my brain!
mstaggerlee,
Oops! I should have sent my last post to you...
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L Grace,
Re your post yesterday:
"Quark,
Thanks. I’ve thought about some sort of vow to donate to the opposition. It’s not in my personality to make threats but I just might. The trouble is I can’t say for sure I’ve I’ll have any money to spare!"
I know what you mean. Money gets thinner and thinner on my side, too. Time is the other leverage you have --- do some phone calling for anolther campaign, actively contact friends, associates, etc., to advocate for a different candidate, etc. To me, time is money, too!