I encourage everyone who believes that this now seven year war in Afghanistan is a hopeless military event to write your Senators, Congressmen and the White House. There are only 100 Al Qaeda left, I have read, and we are spending billions of dollars there, fighting in a tribal area that is never going to become an industrialized civilized country. We could do more helping them build hospitals and schools, helping them to join the 21st Century.
The Nation — The California Democratic Party speaks with an loud voice in national politics.
It is, by any reasonable measure, the biggest party in the biggest state in the nation.
And it is a well-organized, forward-looking organization that since the 1950s has had a tradition of delivering vital messages from the base to national Democratic leaders. Indeed, in the 1960s, California Democrats were among the first and loudest critics of President Lyndon Johnson’s decision to expand the war in Vietnam. They were not merely opposed to the war; they were worried, wisely, that committing resources, governing energy and political capital to an unwise and unnecessary war would undermine the ability of an otherwise popular Democratic president to deliver on his ambitious domestic agenda.
With their history and their heft in mind, it is reasonable to say that when California Democrats take a strong stand on a contentious issues, it matters — both as a signal with regard to popular sentiment within the party and as an indicator of the issues that could cause political headaches for a Democratic president.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20091116/cm_thenation/1497611
Filed under: Politics
That shows a major lack of respect for another human being. She seems to think he is “Anti American” because of his liberal views. (oh Lordy, I wonder if she’d drag out the garlic and the cross if she met me!). She didn’t, I would assume, know that Oliver Stone has a Medal of Honor from the Vietnam War. He was a hero! She met him while on the set at SNL, and walked away, would not even shake his hand and say “hello”. I believe she is nothing more than a Fundamentalist Right Wing Christian Dominionist Taliban. Any extremist is dangerous. I’m just thanking God that she isn’t sitting in the Oval Office with her finger on the button, thinking that Rapture will occur within her lifetime.
They have made a big “to do” over the House presenting their health reform bill. It doesn’t sound too bad. At least they will get rid of preexisting conditions, place a cap on out of pocket expenses, will have no copay for certain tests, such as mammograms, etc. The public option is not really strong, but it doesn’t really sound too bad. They are allowing for negotiation between the public health option and physicians. So they will not be paying medicare type fees, they will negotiate between certain areas of the country. In Iowa, it just isn’t as expensive as in New York City. A physician in NYC should not get the same amount of pay for service as a physician in Spencer or Orange City, Iowa, etc.
This house bill will be examined and reexamined. Argued over, fought over, and finally hopefully a compromise will happen. The part of “No” better turn into compromisers or this will just be a giant fiasco.
http://edlabor.house.gov/blog/2009/10/affordable-health-care.shtml
Filed under: Politics
This is the Senate health reform bill introduced by Sen Sanders (I) in March. This is what I think would be best for this country.
American Health Security Act of 2009 – Establishes the State-Based American Health Security Program to provide every U.S. resident who is a U.S. citizen, national, or lawful resident alien with health care services. Requires each participating state to establish a state health security program. Eliminates benefits under: (1) titles XVIII (Medicare), XIX (Medicaid), and XXI (State Children’s Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act; (2) the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program; and (3) the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS). Requires each state health security program to prohibit the sale of health insurance in that state that duplicates benefits provided under the program. Establishes the American Health Security Standards Board to: (1) develop policies, procedures, guidelines and requirements to carry out this Act; (2) establish uniform reporting requirements; (3) provide for an American Health Security Advisory Council and an Advisory Committee on Health Professional Education; and (4) establish a national health security budget specifying the total federal and state expenditures to be made for covered health care services. Establishes the American Health Security Quality Council to: (1) review and evaluate practice guidelines, standards of quality, performance measures, and medical review criteria; and (2) develop minimum competence criteria. Establishes the Office of Primary Care and Prevention Research within the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Amends the Internal Revenue Code to create the American Health Security Trust Fund and appropriates to the Fund specified tax liabilities and current health program receipts.
S. 703 – Committee Assignments: American Health Security Act of 2009 (GovTrack.us).
Filed under: Politics | Tags: mandated insurance, Public Option, Republicans
I’ve had enough of the GOP Obstructionist party. Its as if they believe that they are the only people qualified to run this country. In an interview, John McCain, running for POTUS, said, “I don’t care what the people of this country want. I know what they need.” Now this GOP R-MS says that liberal tree huggers are what they love to hunt. But we are a waste of ammunition. Isn’t that a form of terrorism?
We don’t need any bipartisanship. We need a good solid health insurance reform with a good strong public option. No pre existing conditions, no insurance caps, no insurance denials, and mandatory insurance for everyone. Yes, mandatory. If we do not have mandatory insurance (like auto insurance), people would just wait til they came down with cancer, go down to the local insurance company office and sign up. There would be no well people on insurance, because everyone would wait until they really needed it, then they would sign up. In this country, if one has a car, one needs liability insurance. If we have a strong public option, competition (hey, isn’t that the American way? Competition?) would force down insurance costs, no CEO of an insurance company would be making $57,000 dollars an hour (that’s right AN HOUR).
I read today that over 200,000 people callled their Congressman today, over 80% of them demanded a public option. It seems as if that’s the only way we are going to get what the majority wants. Demanding the things we have a right to have.
Filed under: Politics
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/20/gregg-harper-we-hunt-libe_n_327092.html
A waste of ammunition?
There are a lot of bloggers that are announcing that Pres. Obama should give the Nobel Peace Prize back. That he should announce that he doesn’t deserve it. That there are many people more deserving than he is. No, he should not give it back!!!
The Nobel Peace Prize is not given for great works. It is not given to someone who has slaved through past years to achieve a great goal. It is given to someone with an idea for the future that could possibly achieve something wonderful for peace in the world. He received the Nobel Peace Prize because of his speeches everywhere in the world to decrease the amount of atomic weapons, to eventually have a world free of nuclear weapons. He advocates for discussion, compromise and understanding between different countries in the world. He does not advocate moving into a country and trying to change it into a fake United States. He believes we should be trying to understand other countries and their way of life. When the campaigning was in full force for the election, Hillary Clinton said he was naive and willing to talk to terrorists. McCain said Obama was going to appease our enemies. Cheney said Obama was going to make us unsafe.
I think that Obama got the Nobel Peace Prize because the world sees that we have a leader that finally “gets it.” That we do not need to shoot first and talk later. We need to talk first and in the words of JFK during the Cuban Missile Crisis, (paraphrased here), “We always need to give someone a way out. Never back them into a corner where they have to fight their way out.”
Filed under: Politics | Tags: corporate America, lobbyists, Sen. Sanders
Politics has gotten so weird lately. Politicians are making the most outlandish claims, stating obvious lies, and people actually listen to them. I guess the old saying is true: “If you say something enough times, someone is going to believe you.”
I agree with Sen. Sanders. There are so many lobbyists, paying so many politicians, that corporate America is probably the owner of our legislative branch.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-bernie-sanders/who-owns-congress_b_300104.html
A New York Times/CBS poll found that 65% of respondents want a public health care option, while only 26% opposed such a plan.
However, respondents said that President Obama had not been clear on health care reform. Fifty-five percent said he had not explained his plan clearly, and many felt under-informed about the policies under discussion.
The Senate Finance Committee will vote on a government-run health insurance option Tuesday.
“We’re going to have a full blown debate in the Finance Committee,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), a backer of the public option. While it may be an “underdog,” Schumer said, “don’t count it out.”
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/25/poll-public-option-favore_n_299669.html
For all of the hoopla the Conservatives have been putting out there, its rewarding to know that a good majority of Americans favor a public option. I wonder if all Americans were polled, and educated beforehand about all of the possibilities, what percentage would go for a single payer health plan, similar to medicare for all. I bet it would be a majority too. It would be easier to get everyone on a medicare-type plan than it would be to reform and have a public option. We would just expand medicare to 50 year olds, then 40 year olds, on down, while keeping all children on a CHIP (similar to Colorado Health insurance Program).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/25/poll-public-option-favore_n_299669.html
I am a Democrat, one of those bleeding heart liberals. I am a very leftist Democrat. I hope for single payer health care someday, definitely a good strong public option in this health care reform that our legislators are fighting over. I fear for our country. The Conservatives are being sheepherded by the right radical Fundamentalist Christian groups that believe the earth is 6000 years old, that birth control is sinful, good public health care is making people into slaves of the government, that Obama wants to set up an indoctrination camp for our young people, etc. They have called Obama a Faschist, a Socialist, etc. There is an economic ruler that one is judged by whether a Faschist or a Communist, etc. Where Communist would be a 1, and Faschism would be a 10 (that’s really Far right wing). Democrat would be perhaps a 4 and Republican would be perhaps a 7. Socialist is down there on the left at about 3. So how can one be both a Socialist AND a Faschist? I will agree that any extreme is horrible and we should stay away from extremes. But Pres. Obama is pretty much a Centrist, between Democrat and Republican.
However, the radical right wing Fundamentalist Christians are not much different than the radical right wing Fundamentalist Muslims. We can call them all Taliban.
