The 2014 Elections are going to be impacted one way or another due to Obamacare. It is slightly unpopular now but depending on how the implementation is handled, it may become wildly unpopular.

The article http://obamacareaca.com/obamacare/health-care-keeping-up-with-the-joness/ discusses what to look for in the next several months and how it will affect the election of 2014...and maybe beyond

Large events are often overdetermined. Hitler and his supporter are primarily responsible for the Death of the Millions during WWII. Secondary responsibility lies in the hands of people like Neville Chamberlain, the governments of Europe who never stopped the militarization of the Sudetendland when the Nazi's were defeated. Chamberlain's appeasement policy is with hindsight appropriately condemmed

One has to recognize that the Democratic Party has to bear a good deal of the responsibility of the results of the Filibuster, moreover we don't even exhaust the Filibuster by forcing people to speak. This is a modern Filibuster and is uncalled for. As Wikipedia points out the majority party could block the Fulibuster. Lyndon Johnson the majority leader had one, the civil rights bill and refused to pass on legislation to the senate until the Filibuster was over. The result: Strom Thurmond talking for a day.

The cost of the Filibuster is all the adminstrations Judicial Appointments as well as the Gun law in the Senate. Abolishing Filibuster's is Reid's perogative at the beginning of each session. We still have the Filibuster because Democrats as well as Republicans want it there, preferring to stick the blame on the majority party Its very disengenuous to way they don't bear responsibility. While the gun law may have not gotten out of committee in the House, the shame would be there and House members probably would be defeated en masse for not upholding gun legilsation. House representatives are more likely having short terms to feel public wrath than the Senate.

With regard to failure. Citibanks has 930 billion deposits, Bank of America 1.1 trillion dollars, JPM Chase 1.1 trillion dollars, Wells Fargo 945 billion dollars. The 2 of the Big Six Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs are largely investment bank and don't have large depositor bases to my knowledge. The total assets of the FDIC is 75 billion dollars. They would need 5 times their total asset base to bail out 1/2 the total Deposits of the Large banks. This is an impossible task unless they could find another large solvent bank to take them over with assets as well as liabilities. I realize the Federal Reserve, the monetary authority, and the Treasury have the power to cover the depositors, the treasuring minting a trillian dollar coin and the Fed by a low cost loan. Because of the first Great Depression small Depositors will be made whole. However, as things stand the Taxpayer will possbly be on the hook. I have a real question that if the Fed can bail out Banks with trillions of low cost loans why don't they end poverty? Where is the justice? The issue is then a little more about prudent business practises. Banks too big to fail are too big are too big for the FDIC to insure. The public should not shoulder the risky behavior of the large banks, like they are doing now. They should remain with unsecured deposits and a warning posting to the effect their deposits are uninsured. Likewise if you or I engage in risky behavior or drive drunk our auto insurance charges go up. Why aren't JPM Chases's premiums through the roof. I have to pay more for my life insurance as I approach old age, surely any insurance company in the free market charges premiums for risky or reckless behavior.

With things as complex of violence in the U.S. at 5 times the rate of England and Ireleand after a drop, or bank reckless investment their are always secondary as well as primary responsibility. It is poor policy, in one case the prevalence of the Filibuster, in the other the lack of ability or willingness of the FDIC to act like a prudent insurer which results in these problems as well as say Glass Steagel repeal which surely was unfortunate. Neglecting secondary enabling responsibility is very unfortunate if we want to understand modern risk.

Such questions are independent of whether or not the public will be made whole or whether or not Reid's move was shrewd politics as you suggest. If you like the dysfunction in the Senate in general you should be all Fall the Filibuster, if not against it. If you like the Treasury and the Public on the hook for Depositors then you should be all for the current system. This is what I was trying to say on the air but didn't have the time.

I know that job creation is often identified as the main issue facing our country right now. And I agree that it is a very important issue, as is the increasing violence in this country. While jobs are being created and while violence in the U.S. being dealt with, the same kind of energy also needs to be put into overturning the Supreme Court decision on Citizens United. Corporations have bought and paid for many of the people we elect to represent us. Corporations are not people and money is not speech. Until limits are put on the spending by corporations to influence votes and elections, we can continue to expect similar types of votes as what we saw yesterday with regard to the Senate bill on background checks. Too many of those elected to represent us are beholden to corporations.

Ok, I get this: Our elected "representatives" no longer represent the wishes of the country. Now they only represent the interests of their big donors and their own re-election prospects.

This looks distressingly familiar. Maybe it's time to actually exercise our 2nd amendment rights and take up arms and march on congress And rescue our democracy. After all, isn't that what the 2nd is all about: Protecting ourselves from rogue government?

Seriously though, there is a better way. Publicly funded election campaigns would return control of the government to the people from the clutches of the oligarchs. It is necessary, but it won't be easy. The oligarchs who now dictate to government will fight like cornered cats to retain control. We now have the "military industrial complex" in control just as Eisenhower warned us. We have sat by passively while the wealthy colluded with politicians to bring this about.

HELL-O! For all the months i've been reading on this i stiil don't see anyone mentioning that all too clear line in the 2nd amendment regarding, "a well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state". now I know all y'all know an opinion is like, well you know, we all have one. think about the age of the writ. the very essence of the antiquated statement is in respects to war. the regs need to be changes as figuratively none of us are really free if going to the mall, or to church, or the grocery store, or sending the kids to school is hampered by a certain level of paranoia many if not all now have all because guns are in fact not "well regulated". Yet for all the blathering i hear and read there has not been one good article i have found making the simple point. FOr all the blogs i've trolled and read it astounds me that even with 90% of the general public in favor that there is so much violence even in the words of those opposed to better "regulation". I've had this argument with a few folks i know that own guns and it's funny how tough they all are as long as they are at home safe with thier units but i often have to wonder how terror filled they would become if, hypothetically, they were just sitting in the mall some afternoon waiting for a picture show to start and out of nowhere some lunatic that was able to buy a gun off the internet just strolls up to theM and puts a cap or two in them. pretty scary don't you think? well anyway a few weeks back 2 teenagers were sitting in the mall doing just that, and some lunatic walked up to them and just for the hell of it shanked them! ran off and as far as i know is still at large. think about that, could've been some lunatic with a gun and 30 round clip. just sayin'. WASHINGTON IS JUST A BUNCH OF CORPORATE PIGS FEEDING AT THE TROUGH...

I'm angry with Harry Reid all over again because he blew it when he didn't get rid of that Filibuster when he had the chance. If he had fought for the change of rule on the Filibuster, we would have had background checks with a simple majority. I'm calling all the senators who voted down background checks, including H. Reid, to tell them they better vote for reasonable gun safety laws the next time they have a chance or risk losing their next election, because progressive Democrats are going to make sure they lose. No appealing to their "better nature" because these are people who care only about money (from delayed rewards from the gun lobby after they are out of office) and/or power (they want the prestiege and power of the Senate and have forgotten why they are there.

NYTWEED - I couldn't agree more. Everything you said was exactly right on!

As for our illustrious president's "cluck clucking" and "tut tutting", here's a copy of what I wrote to him today - it pretty much sums up my feelings about these sanctimonious a**holes:

President Obama: After the failed Senate vote on stricter gun laws on Wednesday you went public with the statement “The American people are trying to figure out how can something have 90 percent support and yet not happen?” You appeared angry.

Let me turn that around by stating that the American people are trying to figure out how issues as wide ranging as the ongoing foreign wars, badly eroded civil liberties and most recently your "chained-CPI" calculation initiative for the Social Security COLA are being pursued by your administration despite broad public condemnation. And these are issues that you, personally, have huge leverage over.

Please don't feign outraged indignation over the Senate's rejection of your pet piece of legislation. It seems ingenuous while you continue to rain death by drone (oh, I'm sorry, "collateral damage") on innocent civilians in other countries and ignore the strong opinions of the American Public on the other issues mentioned. You are no longer convincing to many of your former supporters.

....or blowing each other up!

MMmmNACHOS wrote yesterday ~ "DANNEMARC...What if instead of stacking them (3 sold out Raiders games), we just put them side by side. I think it would be easier to do structurally!?!? ;)"

This is concerning the structure necessary to house all 172,907 Iraqi casualties of the Illegal Iraq war. I suggested 3 Oakland Coliseums with sold out Raider fans stacked one on top of the other. That's about 53,200 Iraqi victims seated per Coliseum.

Certainly MMmmNACHOS, it would be easier to physically construct such a model side by side; but, I am interested in constructing a Spiritual model. Such a Spiritual model must be constructed one on top of the other with the playing field removed from all but the bottom Coliseum. On the bottom Coliseum in the middle of the 50 yard line would be a circle with a mike and mike stand.

In a perfect after life with perfect justice, Every single American who ever supported or defended the Iraq war after death would have to stand in the circle on the lower level. He would have a 360 degree view of 9 tiers of victims of the war towering over his head. He would be able to look every victim in the eye as he turned in the circle. The empty space next to the seats would be filled and 22,907 additional victims who would be lining the corridors and standing between the rows and chairs.

Before these Americans would be allowed to enter Heaven, The Kingdom of God, Paradise, or whatever you consider a pleasant afterlife they would have to use the microphone in front of them to successfully do one of two things. They can explain to all the victims of the war why it was right and just to kill them in exchange for their sense of safety and security in such a way that the vast multitude of victims would all agree. Or, they would have to apologize to the multitude in a degree of sincerity whereas the multitude--all 172,907 victims--would all accept and forgive. Many Americans may spend a considerable amount of time in this circle of trial.

Far be it for I to second guess the judgment process of the Master of the Universe. However, were he to ask my opinion, this would be my suggestion.

Thank you MMmmNACHOS for your question!

Quote Hartmann:
As President Obama said yesterday, “this isn't over.” As a nation, we will not accept that doing nothing is the appropriate response to a tragedy. We are better than that.

What a hypocrite Obama is...saying:

"we will not accept that doing nothing is the appropriate response to a tragedy. We are better than that."

Are we, Mr. President? Are you? When you campaigned for the Presidency in 2008 you had us all convinced that you were going to really make a difference...that you were going to make "change we can believe in" and since then you have done nothing that we can believe in!

"We will not accept that doing nothing is the appropriate response to a tragedy"

Really? So, what have you done about the criminal Bush regime who lied us into a war in Iraq...and if Americans wake up and take off their blinders to just what really happened on 911...they would (but I doubt it) demand that you, Mr President, stop being an abettor to a massively treasonous offense against the United States of America and against it's people. Mr. President, you are so full of sh1t no one wants to listen to you anymore. Your words mean absolutely nothing...coward!!!

Many, many more people died on 911 than at the Boston Marathon or at any of those so-called massacres in our schools or in a theater. And you want to take away our guns yet you keep letting the real mass murderers go without a peep. What we really need to do is to take away all the guns from the damn military and put some treasonous powerful criminals, who did nothing but profit from our illegal wars, and their puppet politicians in jail..or do to them what our hypocrites did to Saddam Husein.

"Banks too big to fail are too big for the FDIC to insure."

That's for sure...it really means that we really aren't insured. I'm sure the people of Cyprus thought they were insured too. I just hope they don't start Cyprus-izing in the US.

Chuckle8:
From http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/03/a-decade-on-most-are-critic... :

"Ten years after U.S. airstrikes on Baghdad punctuated the start of the Iraq war, nearly six in 10 Americans say the war was not worth fighting – a judgment shared by majorities steadily since initial success gave way to years of continued conflict.

Nearly as many in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll say the same about the war in Afghanistan. And while criticisms of both wars are down from their peaks, the intensity of sentiment remains high, with strong critics far outweighing strong supporters."

From http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/12/28/senate-votes-to-extend-warrantless...

"As a Senator, Barack Obama vowed he would end warrantless wiretaps and initially opposed the FISA law based on the addition of telecom immunity, but ultimately voted for it with immunity intact just six months before winning the 2008 presidential election. Incidentally, the plan was opposed then by six in 10 Americans, according to a poll by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)."

From http://boldprogressives.org/poll-clear-majority-of-americans-oppose-chai...

The Washington Post/ABC News poll finds that 51 percent of Americans oppose chained CPI and only 37 percent support it. Parsing out the results further, the Washington Post notes that the major group supporting the change is American who earn six-figures."

So do you want to quibble about what constitutes a majority?

You said: "I assume all conservatives who think balancing the budget is a good thing, like the chained CPI."
I have absolutely no idea what you meant by that.

"You said: "Why do think background checks is his pet piece of legislation?"
It's his favorite piece of legislation du jour. He has a new one each week.

And you said: "I think he winding down our foreign wars as fast as he can, facing the repug oppostion. What kind of control do you think the executive branch has (especially with a constitutional lawyer at the helm)?"

WHAT??? He's had 4+ years to wind the wars down. Do you consider our current level of warfare a "winding down"? I include in this the continual saber rattling at Iran and North Korea. We are just BRISTLING for the next fight!

Constitutional lawyer? Anybody that can suspend habeas corpus in the way he has, declare himself absolute "decider" on who gets a drone, is one sick "constitutional lawyer".

Oh, a rock show? What kind of rocks do you collect?
Just funin' wich u, man! Wow, performing at the Queen Mary..is she still alive? Ok, Ok, I'll stop now! But I sure do agree about Washington being a bunch of Pigs at the trough!

I'm rather partial to the one that promises 72 virgins providing I get all the Viagra I need. But, I'm afraid I just don't have the willingness to make the kind of earthly sacrifices that are required. ;-}

I certainly don't believe that there is any real "winding down" of our foreign wars. We are just itching for others. It's very apparent. I just wonder if we will be attacking the new Maduro Presidency in Venezuela. Will the Joint Chiefs of Staff dust off their Operation Northwoods and PNAC plans and do another false flag operation to get people riled up over Venezuela? Maybe those BM bombers suspects are going to turn out to be from Venezuela?

Which reminds me about how ridiculous the main stream media is, or shall I say how ridiculous our authorities are? Today, they were coming off like the bad old internet was causing problems for the authorities because thousands of internetistas were posting photos of the people at the site of the BM bombing just before the bombing...and pointing fingers at everyone carrying back packs as possible suspects.

The authorities just can't seem to make up their mind about citizen participation in being vigilant and observant. They used to tell us to do just that and report anything and everything to the authorities. And like DAnnemarc said..when he reported some questionable things going on at a bank to the Homeland Security they just gave him the brush off. What the hell can you do when the damn FBI would ignored their agent's reports about suspected terrorists?

Maybe it scares them because someone might catch something that will contradict with the official conspiracy theory the authorities propagandize us with? Sometimes they say "Be observant and report all questionable or suspicious people!" And now they are telling us that we are a bunch of busybodies who should leave the investigations up to the "professionals".

They claim that some of the people at the BM site were wrongly accused of possibly being the bag men carrying the bombs...and their feelings were hurt because the head lights were beaming in their direction and their privacy was violated. Well, excusssssseeeee me! That was a public place and a very violent thing just happened drawing more of the public awareness to the scene. If people don't want to have their privacy violated then don't go to crowded public places. We ain't in Kansas, anymore, Dorothy! Baghdad market explosions have caught up with us. They do not forget! They do not forgive! Expect them! Stay out of crowded places!

Our authorities are already violating our privacy and you rag on internetistas for doing it? It's like that news report that DAnnemarc told us about yesterday...the quidnunc reporter interviewing at the factory in Fremont that manufactured that battery that set off the BM bomb acted like (and I paraphrase) "Gee, how do you feel for having made such a dastardly device that killed so many people?" "Now, aren't you ashamed of yourself?"

I think what it largely amounts to is that the internet is beating the socks off of main stream media. The main stream media....you know, the ones who are owned and used by wealthy elite to propagandize us...get us so afraid and confused that we give our assent in our government illegally attacking other countries. The ones that hypes up the criminal government's conspiracy theories but works to squelch any opposing view by thousands of professionals who shoot holes in the official conspiracy theory.

LIFE; The original sexually transmited disease! (bumpersticker).

It was a beautiful bright sunny day here in S.W.Fl. All the snowbirds (pesky tourist) are heading back north...Yeah I will soon be able to enjoy a few of my favorite resturants without having to wait for 2 hours to get a table.
Soon everyone will be able to drive the spead limit instead of aimlessly driving 15mph under on a 55mph main highway during rush hour. I seriously don't know how these old farts even make it down to florida every year. Most of them haven't a clue where they are, or how to get from point "A" to point "B" even though they have been coming here for 10-20 years. And who in their right mind continues to grants these blind and deaf geesers the "privledge" to drive!?!?ALL of them are on quite a cocktail of medications...I mean REALLY!?!? And another thing; THE LEFT HAND LANE IS FOR PASSING...GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY!!!!

thank you for allowing me to vent on an issue that never gets addressed.

Cheers :)

Thank you, Outback! I went to all the good schools to get me that way and it paid off!

Nachos, I just want to alert you to the fact that I'm an "old geezer" with a travel trailer and a serious interest in touring Florida. Not to break the stereotype, but I try never to move at under 75 MPH and normally travel with my loaded Remington 870 across my lap. So move aside, sonny ;-)

Outback! Palindromedary! Please, lighten up friends; remember we're all on the same side...

AZ and FLA would be in very big trouble without those old farts pouring millions into your state Nachos. But I do agree they are a little slow. I have a condo in Scottsdale AZ and I drives me crazy waiting for them to get exact change. You would get your table quicker if they didn't take 20 minutes to figure out how much to tip. hopefully I will get old enough to piss young people off to.

Should Mua be held responsible for the mess a fellow blogger leaves on the sidewalk? I think not! Only the future will tell. Good luck to us all!

We are hopefully exposing finally why Congress does not work for the American people. In this instance the fillubuster rule in the Senate that Majority Leader Reid could have revised but did not works well for both parties.

The Democratic Senators that needed to vote for background checks are able to vote yes but dule to the "F" Rule knew they could not obtain 60 votes The Republican Senators and the 4-5 Dem's meet what they felt would meet their constinguents approval even though those 46 votes kept the Senate from moving the Bill to the House.

Again, the winner is the Corporate Sponsors who manufacture these weapons and ammutation of mass destruction to our comunities.

What will it take for Congress to represent the citizens especially the urban dwellers, children, the poor and less advantage would be the publication of the mamed bodies of the children brutally murdered in December and every other caualty of gun violence in our Country. Maybe then we would shock and dispell the influence of corporate America.

I do not want to take your right to own a gun for hunting, recreation, collecting and or security. For those of you who do not think our government can be trusted to have a list of gun owners; you need to realize they have this information simply by obtaing that information from the Credit Cards we use daily that would show the purchase of weapons and or ammunition with just a right click of their mouse on a computer screen.

Sadly, the beat goes on.

JND

First of all JOHN N DAUGHERTY JR. while "cash" still excists, use it...Ain't no trail.

Second to answer your question; "what will it take for congress to represent the citizens...children, the poor, and the less advantaged..." It will take those mentioned, and supporters for a Government Of, For, and By the People,(not Corporations), to organize and take their struggle from the internet and march into the streets in an aggressive non violent protest, voicing their grievences. It will take civil disobedence. It will take a grand mass scale boycotting income taxes, corrupt corporations, and those that pandor to the corporations, i.e. Obama and the like. It will take non violent resitance to a Paramilitary police force. It will take the blood of innocent lives. It will take moxie. It will take commitment. It will take dedication. It will take work.
It will take reinstating and enforcing the Declaration of Independence, which states that it is the right of The People to alter or abolish any government when it becomes destructive of certain ends; the Equal Right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

And always remember;
First they ignor you. Then they ridicule you. Then they attack you. Then you win. m. Gandhi

I think the mistake that gun control advoctes are making is saying that laws will keep criminals from getting guns. The bill is also about keeping the mentally ill from gun ownership--who are the people shooting little children? The mentally ill, not criminals.

At a Cleveland news station and young woman reporter, Shay Harris (Channel 5), recently interviewed a gang member, who hid his identity, about how gangs get their guns. He says that a man in a van shows up with BRAND NEW product--high capacity weapons and ammo. The dealer obtains them from stolen train shipments. The gun manufacturers just write off the loss, forget about the guns, and let the criminals have them. There is no law enforcement trying to retrive these weapons.

Gun manufacturers are irresponsible; it seems that their goal is only to sell as much product as possible--shame on them.

Of course those situations need to be addressed and changed. Mental illness is more complicated than just identifying them because we all have the capability of becoming mentally distressed during the course of our lives, which sometimes prevents us from doing rational things. As a mother of a bi-polar daughter, I can attest to the fact that healthcare is lacking for those who need help. For many years it was almost impossible to get coverage, and if you could get it it was VERY limited and expensive. The second issue is that once a child reaches 18, it is impossible to enforce medication and medical help upon those who decide that they don't want or need it, no matter if it is apparent to everyone else. It requires going into court and gaining rights over that person, a very expensive proposition. Also, working with some of the homeless thru my church, I have seen over and over again some of these people being given medication and just turned loose by our mental health department because they lack funds to do any kind of enforcement work. So our best bet is to close ALL of the loopholes that make it possible for them to get fire arms. Nothing is going to be 100%, but if we can limit some, it's worth the price. I am axiously waiting for this issue to come before the Supreme Court for clarification . . . is the 2nd. Amendment cut in stone . . . I think not!