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I need to modify my own post. 'Tell the Republicans they have' should be replaced with 'Tell the Presdent and Congress that Americans want them to vote for one of'
So the choices are for all those involved to support Americans!
So the fascist government in Israel has passed a law making it illegal for anyone to boycott or to suggest a boycott of Israel or Israeli companies. Yet.....yet Israel believes that it is perfectly acceptable to boycott Iran or anyone else that they don't like. There is something fundamentally wrong with the collective Israeli psyche. Peace
Re: Maybe we were all fooled – and President Obama really is just the best Republican President in the last 50 years.
It seems to me that the far right not only took over the republican party, they have taken over the democratic party as well.
A friend of mine reminded me that Clinton said "We are now all Eisenhower republicans". It also seems to me that In effect, Clinton was saying the democratic party was now a branch of the republican party.
Tell the Republicans they have three choices:
1. Raise the Debt Ceiling
2. Vote for the Progressive Caucus Plan
3. Default and trash the USA -- a treasonous act since they took an oath of office!
I am with you on your perceptions........amen brother........amen!!!!!
Fox Beck Hannity and Baggers -Rush Limbaugh types ONLY goal is to take over and bring down the USA. Baggers / GOP / Corps have brought on another 'Gilded Age ' when Corps- super wealthy reigned Surpreme.& we peasants knelt before them . I blame gullible illogical uninformed voters for most of this dsiaster.
Well...........reading this............my perception tells me "ignorance" is alive and well!! God help us!!!!!!!
You're a good man P, but calm down, some things are beyond your control.
I know what you mean about those "class action" notices asking you to join. They make it look like you have to join their class action..and that if you don't join that class action suit you cannot, later, sue them for yourself...not that I would even want to.....and because it looks so legal and important you stress out and actually might think you have to read these pieces of junk mail. What would happen if you join the class action suit and then lose the case and then the defendants decide to counter sue for frivolous lawsuit..you would be risking being sued...you could lose a lot...and for what?? So some damn lawyers can get rich...they do take the lions share of any determination leaving peanuts for anyone that joined. I think it is all just a racket. I never participate in those deals. Man if it isn't shysters trying to sell you a resort in a normally worthless desert to get your money...or a retirement home on the moon...they want to get you to refinance your house..invest in their investment group..(remember Enron...Bernie Madoff?)....or join their looney religion which constantly milks you for cash...or join a class action suit.
Carpe Diem: Uh, there goes my job.
Carpe Diem: Uh, there goes my house.
Carpe Diem: Uh, there goes the wife and kids.
Carpe Diem: Uh, now where was that soup kitchen again?
Brother can you spare a dime?
That's where we are headed for many of us...that's where many of us are already. Nope, I'm doing just fine for now but I know it can, and most probably will, get really, really bad for a lot of people. You ain't seen nuttin' yet!
B: nope, I'm not about to do anything drastic like that...but it seems to me that the attitude that "tomorrow will take care of itself" is how we let the corporate criminals get away with what they did all these years.
The Muslims have a phrase which also kind of reflects that attitude as well...."Inshallah"...which, in case no one knows already, means "be it the will of God (Allah)"...seems to me to be a bit of a defeatist attitude and encourages a "nothing we can do about it attitude"...countered only by another word "Jihad" which, of course means they fully intend to get active and do something about it...not the actual literal translation...of course! But I'm thinking that masses of Americans will soon be at the jihad stage...no, not blowing themselves up thinking they will get even one virgin in heaven, but will finally wake up to get out of the "nothing we can do about it" attitude.
When I was in Saudi Arabia, there was a kind of story going around that they lost more Jet Fighters because of that attitude...the trainee Saudi pilot is diving toward the ground...oh well, Inshallah! Probably not even true. But it's not as denigrating as the "Saudi National Bird". So I won't tell you that one....has nothing to do with fingers either. But I sure saw a lot of them.
Corporations should not be allowed to own newspapers or radio or tv stations. No one person should be allowed to own a newspaper, radio station, or tv station in a country, state, or city that he doesn't live in, and if someone owns a newspaper, he shouldn't be allowed to own a radio station or tv station, and vice versa.
No one person or corporation should be allowed to own more than two stores of any kind anywhere in America. Back to small businesses that are run by human beings who live close enough to the businesses they own, that their neighbors can put social pressure on them to behave like human beings, and if need be sue them locally.
And while I'm on the subject of suing, this business of the plaintiffs' lawyers guzzling up 99.9999% of the court settlement in every class action lawsuit, is clear evidence of their greed. From the amount of money they grab, you would think that THEY are the ones who were wronged. Admittedly, they're better than the defendants' lawyers in class action suits, but not by much.
Hey P, things ain't that bad, don't go opening a vein. Live for today, tomorrow will take care of itself.
One very important component in a functional democracy is a news media that serves the general public with balanced and unbiased reporting of truths and facts. This necessary adversarial role is a tool meant to help keep our leaders honest and on task and expose those who would choose to do otherwise.
Murdoch's absolute corruption and monopolization of this necessary component has indirectly caused a great deal of pain and suffering and endangered the general welfare of the entire population excluding the elite few who benefit financially from the madness.
If nothing else comes out of the current scandal we at least need existing laws enforced, as well as new ones created to dismantle Murdoch's empire and ensure this does'nt happen again.
We all understand that because of what President Obama stands for, Murdoch and his criminal machine have made him one of their prime political targets. This said, he and all of us need to, "consider the source", and filter out all of the fox nonsense before making any judgements or decisions regarding the current financial crisis.
I for one, as a lifetime independent and despite recent frustrations, still stand behind the President and the Democrats, but truly hope they all follow Senator Sanders example and maintain enough backbone to do whats right.
Thom, keep fighting the good fight, you're an inspiration to us all!
Yes, I've heard about the Canadian Prime Minister..Stephen Harper....not much different than Bush..I understand. I suspect that it wouldn't take much for the right-wingers to destroy a good thing. They are very sneaky, you know. They'll do anything and everything it takes to screw things up, or prevent good things from happening, by using all the dirty tricks in the book. And there was a good documentary on Free Speech TV recently about Mr. Harper and how Canadian's free speech, especially about the Israeli/Palestinian issue, is pretty much clamped down on. According to the documentary, they even beat the US in Kissing A$$ to the one that does not speak Arabic.
I used to think Canada was better in many ways than the US but, well...things often, unfortunately, change for the worse..and not often for the better. I used to travel up to Edmonton, for my work, (it was very nice and very colorful) and they were really protecting the interests of their workers by making it a real pain for me to take in parts to repair equipment. I remember having to pay a value added tax VAT. The price of gas was, however, pretty high though. Don't know how it is there now but I'm not getting good vibes on it. The right-winger tentacles are far reaching and wide-spread.
I have heard other Canadians, and other people from other countries, who have this single-payer system, who all liked it. I'll tell you one thing...having some kind of health care system that all people can afford and can rely on is better than not having any. And it is better than ones that not only have ridiculously, unaffordable payments but which also weasel out of their obligations using pre-existing conditions. I wouldn't mind waiting longer for an operation, or in waiting rooms to see the doctors...or even a nurse...an EMT...anyone with medical knowledge... if the alternative was nothing at all ...or having to rob a bank for a dollar (or whatever amount is required to have a prison sentence long enough to get a serious medical condition taken care of).
The Canadians, and other countries, have a system that allows bargaining and competing with Pharmaceuticals...we can't do that...and have to pay ridiculous prices.
If you are employed in the US and have company insurance you don't have to worry...yet...wait till you are laid off...then what are you going to do then?
VA Healthcare is government run and they are not out to scam you out of your money and don't have high paid CEOs that have a selfish and inhuman incentive to find ways of holding back on needed healthcare and procedures. I am very, very happy with VA healthcare. I don't know if it is the same everywhere...but it is sure fantastic here.
I'm sure there are government employees, managers, who may have messed things up at times but they sure don't have the profit motive of billions of dollars to entice them into scheming and deciding who lives or dies for profit. But then, I imagine that they can be bought off just as politicians are bought off too.
I'd say we have both a health care problem and a cost problem. Unless you can afford the cost of health care you don't get the care. And the costs could be brought under control if we had fewer Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats and more progressive Democrats to regulate and enforce laws designed to keep the casino capitalists, and bankster gangsters, from demanding and getting an unfair slice of the American pie. Our political system is corrupt and many politicians are bought off by big business. Yes, there has been some corruption in Medicare and Medicaid...most likely from rich Republican Doctors scamming the system..but look at our economy now...nothing in the corruption found in those programs compares even slightly to the corruption and mismanagement..outright fraud in the private business sector....motivated by extreme profits.
It wasn't government workers or managers who gamed the system creating the Enrons...the Bernie Madoffs...the CDOs/CDSs..Ponzi-schemers....the outright casinofication of our economy. It was because our government lost control over these criminals and began to be controlled by them. We need to get our government back once again into the hands of the people...the democracy....and away from the Corporatocrats or Plutocrats...Fascists. One way of doing that is to make all companies know that....either they convince us that they are with us, the people, their customers, in democracy, in honoring our social INSURANCE programs, or we will change our shopping activities to exclude them.
And although we know that "big box" corporations like Walmart are certainly not our friends...we can use them as a tool to boycott all those aforementioned bad guys...who are, in total, much bigger and more powerful than Walmart.
I know Walmart is the biggest employer, and probably the biggest exploiter, who pays their emloyees very little with no health care...I know all of that but the logistics is that they have nearly everything most people need, and at the cheapest prices, (usually...and, of course, that could change) but, while we are buying from the devil, we are still making an impact that might just make all those other Republican business owners change their tune about a lot of things. No business...no profits. They are already shipping our jobs overseas anyway...just a matter of time...fellow serfs...just a matter of time...!
And all the king's horses...and all the king's men couldn't put poor old Rupert Murdoch back together again!
Rest in hell old man!
I think his empire is in a natural process of disintegration Thom and there is nothing Rupert can do even with all the money in the world to stop it. Please do your best to hasten that disintegration.
Mr. P, I agree with your assesment of Obama care, it's a disaster. But I have to disagree with you a bit about singler payer health care. I lived in Canada for 6 years. Canada's singler payer system is a wellness program. If you get sick there is a problem. A lot of Canadians have additional health insurance through there employer, to cover them in case they get sick. The system itself has degenerated into a health care for the haves (they see a regular doctor) and the have not's, (they go to a clinic). Most doctors in Canada will not take new patients, and if they do, they look for those with supplemental insurance.
We don't have a health care problem in the US, we have a cost problem. Going to a single payer system will not fix that, (look at all the corruption in Medicare and Medicade). No it's more complex. I like the competitive system we now have. If I don't like, my doctor or insurance, I change. You can't do that under single payer.
I got the visual of a bunch of chip monks sitting around a vulture just then....damn remote viewing...I knew I shouldn't have taken all those home-study courses...should have known that if I can't kill a goat by staring at it..then it just isn't working. I want my money back!
"If you can't control it, you shouldn't own it"
Excellent! Too big to control...too big to fail..too big to own!
Split it up so someone can be held accountable. It's like "plausible deniability" ...it's not really plausible nor is it deniable but someone believes in it.
My idea is not to harm those small businesses..or even big businesses who are progressive...or even...not working or voting for politicians or issues that work toward abolishing or adversely affecting social security, or other social programs.
By all means, do all your business with them...even better! It would kill two birds with one stone. Shopping at the "big box" businesses would only be killing one bird with one stone while feeding the other bird...but the dead bird, a vulture all the same, is much bigger than the one you feed...and it will result in devouring you if you don't kill it first.
Note: the word "kill" is purely and strictly figurative and not literal. I don't want to actually kill anyone except the organizations that are out to "kill" me. It's self defense! Besides, we, the people, did not start this class war but I am hoping we win it.
Murdoch keeps making the point as to why he shouldn’t be running News Corp. While being questioned by the parliamentary committee he kept repeating as a defense that his corporation is so vast he couldn’t have known what was going on. With all those clever Brits sitting on that committee none of them had the revelation that maybe his media empire was too big for one man to own. If you cannot control it you should not own it! I would suggest that they didn’t dare ask such an obvious question for fear of reprisal or maybe a possible job opportunity in the future
Mr. bicyclingjroad: I agree quite a lot with what you said about insurance. But there is a difference between freedom to buy insurance and imposed insurance. Now that insurance was imposed on us and it became an institution and took our money...I want at least what I put into it...with interest. If I manage to live longer than that and get social security then...well, that's the insurance part.
Insurance is a gamble...a bet...a bet that we will live long enough to not only get back what we paid into it but, hopefully, even longer and continue to receive payments. The government is betting we will not live long enough to receive all we put in. Most of us do die off before we can collect. But this was not voluntary insurance...we were forced to pay FICA by the government.
That is one reason why I am so much against the so-called Obama-care "forced insurance" as it is. It is really not a plan, born with the same sincere concern for the well being of the people as when Social Security was formed. And we will be forced to make payments...not to the government...but to a private insurance company...insurance companies who have to make a profit to pay off their exorbitantly high paid execs ...CEOs making billions of dollars in salaries and bonuses for having turned down needed health care or operations to those who made their payments.
I know the new Obama-care plan is touted to prevent pre-existing conditions from being an option for the HealthScare provider...but it doesn't prevent them from raising their rates so high that no one can afford them anyway..yet we will still be forced (or fined) to make them anyway..bankrupting many along the way. It was a give away to the HealthScare providers and pharmaceuticals.
It would have been much better to at least have had a public option (better...a single payer system)...I would much rather have a government, with decently paid (but not exorbitantly paid..as in the private sector) manage my health care (like in most of the other countries) than a profit-driven private sector....provided it was not constantly, successfully attacked by foot stomping, "no compromise", cry baby Republicans.
I have nothing but high praise for the VA health-care system. And I wish such a system was available to everyone...including one's spouses and children...I'd be glad to pay into such a system.
Almost all of the products are now made overseas and not in the US...and they are sold at "big box" as well as smaller entreprenueurial-type businesses. The exact same product with the exact same name made with the exact same materials...all made in China...or Mexico...or India...where ever. The smaller businesses have to give the illusion that they provide a better alternative...and maybe some actually do...but you also pay the price...whether it is worth it or not is debatable.
But I would venture to say that most businesses are in business to make money...as much as they can..(ie: maximize profits..which they do by cutting costs to the extent that employees suffer...and raise prices)....they are usually Republicans....and Republicans(the rich and powerful ones anyway) want to take away social security and want to put the tax burden on those of us who can least afford them. They are the ones I would love to see run out of business by any means...including by buying the cheaper priced products at competing Republican, "big box" , mega-businesses...like Walmart. I'd love to see the "big box" Republican businesses eventually run out of businesses too. But in the mean time, we can use the "big box" businesses as a tool to make all the other smaller, Republicanistas sorry they chose to be so cold-hearted(brained) against their fellow Americans...the ones who depend on social security and for the wealthy to pay their fair share of taxes.
If anyone is getting a "free lunch" it is the rich capitalist class that is avoiding(evading) paying taxes and pushing the tax burden on to everyone else.
Mr. Palindromedary, I don't know how no such thing as a free lunch drifted into FICA insurance premiums, but I'll leave that to you. I'm not big on insurance. Insurance to me is giving someone your money to invest, hoping to get a decent return someday. In the case of life insurance, your benificary will receive the value of the policy should you reach your shelf life early (a little battery humor). I believe a wiser move, would be invest the money yourself. You will have a much larger sum when you want to withdraw it. After all, the insurance companies are betting your shelf life won't expire early. They are using your money, and helping themselves to a little of the top of your hard earned dollars. There still ain't no free lunch! Ok, I kinda see how you drifted there.