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http://www.bobcesca.com/blog-archives/2009/08/doof_quote_of_t_58.html
Not quite keep your gov't hands off my medicare, but it does infer that the gov't doesn't run it....
Well...when I enter this phrase into Google I get 36 results on you tube video of 'persons asking to stay away from my medicare'
I used to have sex with my car, but afterward I always felt exhausted.
Food Fascist,
I don 't like jokes like that, but I doubt that you know how a black person must feel.
I can imagine that there may be some disadvantages in the business word for a blond woman, but I don't know if there's any research that shows that there's objective evidence that blond women suffer greater discrimination than other women. In fact, it seems that blond haired women are valued and desirable in some ways.
I haven't heard of people being pulled over for "driving while blond" and I don't think that the prisons are full of blond people. There may be some disadvantage in finding a job (I don't know) but we do know that people with "black sounding names" get significantly fewer responses to their resumes, are turned down for jobs. We know that black people are told that apartments they were told were available have been rented when they get their and the managers discover that they're black.
That's just the shortlist.
Great idea! That in a billionaires dress code ....I hope someone takes this idea and makes an official looking letter in which people sign their social security, medicare ect- and including their FDIC insurance on their bank accounts!
I think we need a carrot and a stick. If Congress does not include a public option, or Thom's excellent Medicare for All plan, the progressive Caucus should be asking for the following limits on the insurance companies:
Mandate that all health insurance companies that sell insurance in the US must be based in the US;
Limit executive salaries and overhead to not more than 3% of total operating budget;
Mandate that they must cover any applicants, with no restrictions on preexisting conditions;
Restrict the amount they can charge for premiums and co-pays, maybe based on a percentage of income;
Make it illegal with very stiff penalties for insurance companies to drop patients after a diagnosis;
Mandate that insurance cover experimental treatment in controlled studies, and make it illegal for them to deny medication, tests or treatment that a medical doctor deems necessary.
I think if this were on the table, the insurance companies would be begging for a public option. :-)
signed,
The Stick
We should give the Cons a choice. Go back to 90% top marginal tax rate AND NON-PROFIT health insurance companies by law, OR single -payer.
Our whole medical system is out of wack because ALL the players ivolved are making incredible income. The docotors, the malpractice attorneys, the insurance execs and the hospital execs.
If we had a 90% tax rate again it would remove the motivation from these greedy bastards for unlimited wealthand profits. ANd if the system was non-profit it would even make it more afffordable for all.
Our current system is a perfect example of how the growing income gap hurts the masses.
Thom I really think we need to focus on two things:
1. Medicare For All as Anthony Weiner and you have said. Whether it is Single Payer or Comprehensive Public Option.
2. I think we should name this bill The Pro-Life For All Bill. Not HR whatever. I would love to see a Republican vote against something that is called Pro-Life and we also would be taking the word back.
Why does everyone think it is completely acceptable to make blonde jokes. Honestly, some day I will write a book about this. when I go out and make my living and I hear this denigration, I feel like a black person must feel - yet everyone says its okay because the subtext is that the girl who is blonde like to be referred to that way.
Several things:
1) When people ask about the CBO numbers we should point out that they show, as expected, that costs to the Federal government will increase. They do not reflect the money spent by state and local governments, nor costs buried in our bills that cover those that can't pay. State and local taxes tend to be more regressive. The rich don't care that the overall cost will be much less with a public plan, they just don't want to pay. They would rather someone else, pay.
2) I would like to hear about the history of Health care. My understanding is that originally the entire health care field was a labor of love and a duty to humanity without a large profit motive. Insurance was created to help the poor. Hospitals were owned by churches and other charities. Then, around the Regan era, wall street got involved and a lot of privitization occurred.
This is a long way of saying that we USED to have a form of public health care, then, recently, the wall street vultures got involved and costs skyrocketed. Those that want huge profits are not interested in health care, just money. We are trying to return the system more to what it was like, but with the cost burden being shared more rationally.
Also, is the image associated with Monday's show depicting a Republican Push Pole?
Thom,
I don't think Lawrence O'Donnell exposed Katie Abrams so much for being against Medicare and Social Security as much as he exposed her for not being real sharp, or at the very least for playing dumb. She had no answer (opinion) when he first asked her about Medicare and only "kinda" said she was against it when O'Donnell said it was socialist. The scenario was the same when he asked her about Social Security.
I heard you say that O'Donnell did a great job as a fill-in host on MSNBC. In general, I agree. The exception, in my opinion, was a couple of interviews in which he wouldn't let the guest answer. He would interrupt within a few words if the guest wasn't going in the direction he wanted. Then they both would talk over each other. It wasn't good TV and it's not good radio when you do it. In fact, callers and members on this blog often compliment you for the respectful manner that you interview people who you disagree with. (The truth is that you're inconsistent and often don't behave as well as many think you do. I understand that guests will try to take the conversation in a different direction than you'd like, but two people talking over each other isn't informative at all.)
Trying to appease the enemy (re-pukes) is like trying to pull teeth from a Bear.They will not give an inch on anything.We need reform and it starts with the Sherman anti trust laws.The right is white and wealthy and racist, everything they stand for is surrounded by by their ideology which is party first and country later.
Trevor, You are making way too much sense:-) Those still backing insurance companies have been so confused by their own convoluted arguments that they appear to no longer be able to understand sensible comments like the one you just made. I'm taking Thom's letter to Senator Wyden's office tomorrow and even though I'm kinda shy I'm going to sit on his office couch until I get to talk to him.
ISRAELI PROTESTERS HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THOM HARTMANN'S AND THE REST OF THESE KKKRISTIAN CULTISTS' PALESTINIAN EXTERMINATION AGENDA
We're 'not pawns in your Armageddon!!'
http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/08/17/100-protesters-heckle-huckabee-in...
Thom you need to let everyone know about Congressmen Weiner. He is great. He was on Morning Joe this morning and after he explained Medicare for all to Joe Joe did not have a comment back. In fact he said in the 2 years that he has been doing the show that he was speachless. Anthony Weiner knows how to explain this issue and you need to let everyone know. He also was on Dylan Ratigan's Morning Meeting and was also exceptional there. Please let everyone know how he approached the issue of Medicare For All because he explains it in fiscally responsible way that even can turn Republicans that haven't been bought out.
At our town hall meeting Friday with Rep. Adrian Smith R NE, Dave asked him if health care was a right or a privilege, Smith hemmed and hawed a bit then said it is a privilege. I also suggested they remove the age restriction on Medicare and let anyone who needs it to buy into it. Smith said that's a good idea.
I started a note to the White House:
Disappointed: that describes how I feel about the inconsistent message emanating from the administration. I like and agree with the following message already sent to the President:
Then I copied the Thom Hartmann post.
And then I added:
And if additional financing is needed, how about -- as I suggested in a previous e-mail -- a ten cent per share traded fee applied to all stock, commodity and other transactions executed in the country?
Thanks for listening. I still want to believe that 'Yes, We Can!'; but I'm feeling like we're in a 'No, We Can't' mode at the moment.
Media Culpa
You don't have to worry about MN fire marshals, they can be bought. When I worked for NWA in Minneapolis after our strike, they chained all exits except the door by the kitchen where the probable fire would start. When we complained to the fire marshal, he called NWA to let them know when he would be inspecting them. The did not chain the doors shut that night and then night two went right back to chaining the doors.
I wish Peter was still on the line. The doctors say Dave is bone on bone on the right hip (AARP United Health Care will pay $4050.00 of a $65,000.00 to $75,000.00 operation), he also has three diseases of the spine which we are treating with yoga $8.00 a class compared to physical therapy at $76.00 a hour. Insurance companies are between the patient and their doctor daily.
JoyCan, BTW - keep the volume on high. Half measures are not acceptable. Insurance reform without a public option actually increases the power of the insurance companies. I have been appealing to the more progessive senators, Sanders and Feingold, to filibuster a senate bill that does not contain a public option. I plan to call in this Friday to speak with Senator Sanders and ask that he does.
Thom,
I've been listening to your show for years. I used to download your show from the White Rose Society, and for the last several years I’ve been downloading podcasts directly from 620kpoj.com. I just listened to the introduction to Monday’s show where you said, "due to economic circumstances" podcasts will no longer be freely available. Thom -- I think you're making a big mistake.
My favorite part of each week's show is Friday’s brunch with Bernie -- "America's town hall," as you say. How can you charge me to listen to Bernie? It seems un-American and greedy to charge me to listen to the man we both agree is "America's senator."
I’ve been a loyal listener. Six or seven years ago, there were not many options for me to hear a liberal point of view. I first discovered you on C-SPAN – they broadcast you doing your show, and I’ve been listening ever since. Now, I have plenty of other options -- Maddow, Olbermann, Air America, Blast the Right, etc. I used to listen to your show daily; now days, I only listen a couple times a week. Increasingly, you focus on obscure and irrelevant issues, except during the last couple of weeks you've provided good discussion on health care, which I appreciate. A month or two ago, you lost me with some of the topics you covered.
I will miss your show, Thom. Normally, I can't listen-live due to my schedule. The podcasts are my link to your show. I live in the ideological wasteland of central Kansas, and the internet and cable TV are my only sources of non-conservative news and opinion. I will listen-live when I can, but for the most part, without the free podcasts, you've lost a loyal listener, and it’s a detriment to both of us.
We share similar world views, but you're much more articulate than me. You’ve taught me much. And you've helped me win some water-cooler wars. You’ve motivated me to “get active,” and with your help, I’ve actually persuaded friends, family and co-workers to understand and support our views.
Please do not sell out to greed and self interest. You are making a difference. You and other liberal commentators helped take back the White House and congress. I think we’re all disappointed that most Democrats seem to be Republican-Lite, and they seem more interested in representing their big-money donors than “we the people.” But, until we get campaign finance reform and finally clean up Washington, I’d rather be represented by Democrats than Republicans.
Thom, would you rather live in a “we society” or a “me society”? You say you want a “we society,” but today your actions seem to be saying you want money, lots and lots of money. I didn’t see that coming. But, you’re not a priest, you live in a capitalist society, and you’ve got the intelligence to make lots of money. I can’t blame you. Greed just seems incongruent with your ideals.
In markets like Kansas where your show is not broadcast over the air, can you continue to provide the podcasts for free? At a minimum, Bernie should be allowed to post the “Brunch with Bernie” podcast on sanders.senate.gov.
Although I’m disappointed and disillusioned by your decision to pull the plug on the free podcasts, I do want to say “thank you,” I appreciate what you've done for political discourse in our country, and for the past 6-7 years I've enjoyed listening to your show.
Best Wishes.
PS -- For the last several years I've wondered why you don't provide more coverage for some important issues like global warming, peak oil, and the coming singularity (google Kurzweil singularity). These topics, along with campaign finance reform and universal health care, are the “really big” topics I’m most interested in.
Hello Thom,
First off, my first time posting here so let me say thank you for being a voice of reason in this maelstrom. Continue your good work!
Second, I agree with jsdfw... Medicare Part D must be revamped. I work for a pharmacy and Part D is a quagmire. First of all it is endlessly confusing. When it was first introduced it was a nightmare trying to explain how it worked to our elderly customers mostly because it was so needlessly complicated that we didn't understand it ourselves. Secondly, the "donut hole" is a farce for obvious reasons. Why stop covering someone in the middle of the year??? Do they need their medications less at that time? Also, people are penalized with higher premiums for not signing up as soon as they are eligible. Finally, it is administered by private insurance entities which means that there are as many different medicare plans as their are Medicare D carriers and every year anyone covered by Part D must reassess all the plans available to ascertain which plan on the market would cover them best. In the end, it still saves more money than private plans (unless you are covered by a pension or good retirement plan), but why all the strings (and insurance companies) attached?
So, along with your message of keeping health care reform simple should be the message that ALL medicare should be kept simple and open to all with no penalties attached for not choosing it during a restricted window of opportunity.
BTW, I live in a blue dog state and have written Kay Hagan to let her know I will accept nothing less than a public option. I'm planning on calling the president today as well. Thanks again!
What would it take to turn Tom's letter into a petition. That would be something we could pass around to friends and neighbors and send to our newspapers, etc. I've never even heard anyone mention the idea of expanding medicare before.
Healthcare Funnies
Republicans Try To Sweep The Leg On Health Care Reform!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c733cWzfLPs&feature=channel_page
Go Ahead And Die! (Pirates Of The Health Care-ibean)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNuCfD5bICQ&feature=channel_page