October 16, 2015

I know a lot of You are Worried about Communists Now, So Here's How You Spot One

July 1, 2015

Wooooo Hooooo!! I'm published on Independent Underground News & Talk

Thanks LovingA2andMI for publishing Please Don't Let the Door Hit You in the Derriere The title change classes it up and adds a nice alliterative touch!
Plus, Je parle en peu Francais, so it's keeping it real. 100%

Proud to be adding a voice to the Voice of Progress-Independent Underground News & Talk

You can also see the OP/ED on their Facebook page, and please be sure LIKE them.

. . . . and a special thanks to kath for just mentioning the idea of publication.

You never know what a kind word of encouragement can do! Thank You Kath

I think my next project, or even life move, is to do progressive talk radio, and then a show like the Ed Show. Why not?

(Please give me a heads up if this shouldn't be in GD, so I can move it)

May 3, 2015

Deja Vu: It's Starting to Feel Like 2004 Around Here Again

Most of us who had gathered here the previous 3 or 4
years had come to commiserate and vent over the 2000
election, or Supreme Court appointment, of GWB.
During those early years, very few posts exhibited
the acrimony present in today's DU, and being snarky was,
well, frowned upon, and some considered bad form.
Hey, we were the good guys and gals, and we needed
to stick together.

Then, the Democratic primaries started and all gloves were off!
Howard Dean supporters ruled the roost for awhile, much like
Clinton's early support, although Dean supporters were more
of a populist thing, like Sanders. Along with many others, I supported
Gen. Wesley Clark, and while meeting him was a thrill, he
was better equipped to be a general than a candidate.
Others supported Edwards, Graham, Kucinich, etc., and each
was passionate about his/her candidate. We were in the throes of
the first GWB presidency, and a second term was unimaginable, so
we were getting pretty desperate. I remember thinking when
the posts were getting quite nasty between supporters that perhaps
it would cause too much damage, and that we were doing the job
of the Repukes by denigrating our own. During the primary,
it seemed impossible that the same people who were at each others'
throats over who was the best candidate would come together later to fight
the evil GOP. But for the most part, WE DID! And we will again,
after the primary.

So don't think this is the first time one group of Democrats has bad-mouthed
another Democratic candidate, or as I did once, believe that by not supporting
either the frontrunner, or the upstart, you're doing the job of the GOP.
A healthy and even contentious discussion of issues and the candidates will only make
her, or him, stronger. So please get passionate and support your candidate, and while a somewhat civil discussion is unlikely today, it would be nice if people would make
some attempt to be courteous, or at least show a little respect for alternative views.

Aw, F*#@ that, screw Hillary-GO BERNIE! (Kidding)

April 18, 2012

Why the hell didn't anyone heed Eisenhower's warning about the Military Industrial Complex?

Just over 50 years ago, in his Presidential farewell speech, Dwight D. Eisenhower warned us about the potential for the Military Industrial Complex to harm our democracy.

With the military budget now flirting with the trillion dollar mark, it just seems somewhere down the line since 1961, someone could have used this to curb the insanity.

You would think they would have listened to the General who won WWII, right?
It's not like he was a left-leaning peacenik like me

April 14, 2012

What do Romney, Goldman-Sachs CEO's, and minimum-wage earners have in common?

Goldman-Sachs announces 2011 pay for executive Lloyd Blankfein's. This sounds pretty fair, huh, $15 or $16 million for a guy who works real hard on Wall Street? For you numbers folks, that's somewhere between $5,000 and $8,000 an hour! Now based on the Romney tax rates, he'll pay approximately 14-15% in taxes.

Strangely enough, 15% is exactly the same rate a worker earning a whopping $8 an hour pays,
which would be 33 cents more than Florida's minimum wage, or just over $16,000 a year, and far less than the 25% paid by someone earning $35,000 a year.

To add insult to injury, instead of the taxes paid by the minimum-wage earner becoming part of the few dollars now going to public education, which might help his or her kids in this land of opportunity, some of it goes to pay for the debt we incurred for bailing out Goldman-Sachs to the tune of $4.3 Billion.

I believe they call this Trickle On economics

February 2, 2012

Our Draconian Drug Laws Have Created a Great Investment Opportunity in Prisons

Now how more American can you get than that?

You too can get in the money, and here's how:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4613143_invest-prison-stocks.html

And you be pleased to know:

and from another source:

http://open.salon.com/blog/stephannie/2010/05/16/how_many_people_are_incarcerated_for_drug_related_offenses

It is worth noting that the United States has the highest prison population rate in the world. In the US, 756 out of every 100,000 people are incarcerated.

Approximate number of people incarcerated for drug related crimes:

•108,000 people in federal prisons as of April 2010
•280,000 people in state prisons across the country as of June 2007
•31,500 people in California state prisons as of December 2008
Let's expand a bit by putting it into perspective, and that means understanding how many total people are incarcerated for all crimes:

•211,455 inmates at federal prisons as of April 2010
•1,395,916 inmates in state prisons as of June 2007
•171,161 inmates in California as of December 2008
So that means around half of all inmates in federal prisons are there for drugs, around 20% of inmates nationwide in state prisons are there for drugs and around 18% of inmates in California state prisons are there for drugs.

So what are you waiting for?

even those pillars of American society, our banks, are getting in on the action, so it must be good, right?


http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/11/10/group-calls-on-wells-fargo-to-come-clean-about-private-prison-investments/




BULLSHIT, illegal bullshit, and more bullshit, but for those who see this issue as unimportant, well I guess . . . you might agree with the officer . . .

February 1, 2012

The President Has a Growing Marijuana Problem

Not to be confused with a marijuana growing problem, but the President's problem is not going away. In fact, it's growing like a weed. sorry

The problem is not that he stands in an unfavorable position with the minority of Americans on legalization and medical marijuana, it's his inability to be clear about the matter and to adequately address the questions and positions of not only the growing mass of 20-somethings as indicated by online activity, but also the increasing number of state legislators who are pressing him and the administration to reconsider. Just a few days ago, a bi-partisan group of 42 Washington legislators requested a reclassificaton of the drug by the DEA to allow medical marijuana.

When the President decided to team up with YouTube and Google to stage a 45-minute "hangout" session where he answers the most asked questions from voters, he probably could have guessed that the millenials and generation xers, who dominate online forums, were not going to be concerned about social security. In fact, it could easily have been assumed the dominant questions would be about marijuana, legalization, medical, etc., especially as it had last year.

The top vote getting question was this one one from a retired LA police deputy chief who asked
about legalization. His question received 1.6 million votes, and this gives you an idea of the level of interest among young voters on the matter:

This thought-provoking question came in fifth:



Again, Mr. President? . . . . . .crickets . . . .

Being all about voter participation and all, you figure the President would have answered some or at least one of the questoins about pot, which was obviously on the voters' minds, but no. Not one. Now they are claiming YouTube or Google screened the questions, therefore the President didn't get any of those questions.

Really?

Well he did go on record a year ago, and thanks to the internet tubes we can go back a year and see what his stance was then, and I have to say aside from his Mr. Mackey impersonation, "drugs are bad", the rest of his answer was probably the worst answer to any question I've ever seen him answer anywhere on anything.



So in summary, legalization is just wrong, cause I say so, and it's a public health matter, incareation is bad and education is good, and we must reduce demand?

That's what you got? . . . from possilby the brightest President ever?



. . . and here in August 2011 in MN, it's really seems like he wants to give it more than a few seconds of consideration, but then he punts.

In the video the woman asks "If you can’t legalize marijuana, why can’t you just legalize medical marijuana?” His Palinesque response was:

“A lot of states are making decisions about medical marijuana,” Obama explained. “As a controlled substance, the issue is then that is it being prescribed by a doctor as opposed to… you know, well, I’ll leave it at that.”

Back in 2008, candidate Obama said that federal prosecutors were not going to be prosecutiing medical dispensaries, because "it wasn't a good use of resources". Then the federal government change it's tune on interfering with states' right and their decisions to allow medical marijuana, but not longer after they made that statement, they started raiding dispensaries.

So in conclusion, on one side you have the majority of Americans

thttp://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/gallup-poll-is-first-to-find-plurality-support-for-marijuana-legalization/

who either favor legalization, or are not opposed to it, and on the other side President Obama and the federal government. For me, it's tough to watch the President either sidestep the issue or attempt to justify his position, but in his defense, I would argue that the reason he avoids the question or stumbles on his answers is that he's conflicted. While a part of him has to say "you know, this whole thing does wreak of paternalistic government and it takes a huge bite out of personal freedoms and rights, and states' rights, and there is that whole hypocrisy concerning alcohol and prescription drug use, which may be a greater problem in our country', 'I'm a father and I don't think this would be good for our daughters, and I would really be in trouble trying to tell them not to do it, if it ever became legal". The Gallup poll did indicate:
.

. . . at least that's the only thing I can figure which is clouding his decisionmaking ability amd lands him on the wrong side of this issue, and while anti-weed folks like to dismiss this as an unimportant issue, because I guess they can tell us what is important, that's how the President is handling it too. . . and well . . it comes off . . . .. really condescending.

Now, if you'll excuse me ladies and gentlemen, I have a 4:20 appointment

January 29, 2012

Region Bashing is Rude, Insensitive, and Inappropriate, and Should Not be Acceptable on DU

and Rave

Bashing and broad brushing an entire region of the country, ergo all it's inhabitants, both former and current, with claims of ignorance and racism, is well, bad form and rude. Is it any less appropriate then bashing foreigners or people of other races? Is calling everyone who lives below the Mason-DIxon line ignorant going to benefit anyone? Oh yea, there is that whole superiority complex thing.

Perhaps not everyone is aware that some of us folks down here in the South "been educated" and gave up our KKK memberships too. You may even be surprised to find a Southerner or two who find the KKK despicable, just like the rednecks of the North, South, or West of this country who are bigots, racists, or what have you. As some posters have duly noted, ignorance knows no geographical boundaries. Think now of the Arizona rednecks recently showing off their Obama T-shirt target. So now, we're gonna have to include the West in those regions that should just quietly go away from the good parts of America?

Interesingly enough, I am often on the other side of this North/South argument, especially when it comes to the Confederate flag, which is a big thing amongst folks down here who haven't figured out that particular war is over. My ancestors fought for the Confederacy, and while I don't necessarily derive great pride from this, I don't accept any guilt either. It was after all a hundred and fifty years ago. That said, I despise the Confederate flag today as usually presented and do not hesitate to let people know. While there is a minute group of people who simply see it as Southern heritage, it is more often displayed on the back bumper of a truck owned by a bigoted knuckle-dragging dipshit who couldn't tell you when the damn war happened. And even if you're a Southern history wonk, you should realize the bitterness and ill feelings that this flag represents to many. So I don't buy the whole "it's a history thing" argument from region bashers anymore than I do from the bigots down here who wanna justify flying the stars and bars, because it's Southern history. Words matter and symbols do too.

America is not in it's best shape. We've certainly had better times. The country is as polarized as it has ever been and progressives/liberals are in a fight for our country against the wingnut Right and the corporations. Why would anyone now attempt to devide "us", as in "us against them", into North us vs. South us? While the minutae of history included in the region bashing threads of late may have minimal merit and are worthy of a civil discussion, this is no time to create a chasm between us because of where we reside. Without a better way to say it, that's just fucking stupid.

Oh yeah, and I know a Southerner named Clinton who did some pretty good stuff for the whole United States and he did okay for the Democratic Party too!

December 24, 2011

Fail? Is that English or an abbreviation I'm unfamiliar with

First off, I support the Medicare program. I believe the fact that the US does not have universal health care for every citizen is sad and inexcusable. In my OP, my main gripe was with the fact that while the "Doc Fix" may have been mentioned during the last several days of the payroll tax carnival, I didn't hear or see it, and I am plugged in to both the progressive media and the lamestreet media on a continuous basis. I have noticed a few mentions since the "fix" is in now, like one in the WP. Like I said, it didn't get a mention in the President's speech, and if he thought it was a great accomplishment, he wouldn't have passed up the chance to mention it.

Since the cost of Medicare and defense spending are crippling this nation, I believe the removal of a previous decision to cut payments to doctors 27% is worthy of a mention. I am not against the Medicare program. Again, I support universal health care and a single-payer system such as Medicare would be fine with me. If you are an RN, PT, OT, ST, or DR, including family doctors, who work in the trenches of the clinics in our country or serving rural or predominantly older communities, I applaud you and appreciate what you do. You probably deserve more than what you are currently making.

That said, the soaring costs of medical procedures covered by Medicare and the medical products paid for by Medicare is totally out of hand, not to mention that Medicare and Medicaid fraud are alive and well and coming to a neighborhood near you.

http://www.baycitizen.org/blogs/quality-of-life/hospitals-pay-23-million-settlement/

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/nj-man-gets-15-4-million-for-uncovering-largest-medicaid-fraud-in-history/

Nevermind, nothing to see here folks, move along!

In response to such erudite comments as "you don't understand", "you're 100% wrong" and "you don't have a clue", I will take them under consideration and look forward to your next well-researched and enlightening post.

In regard to my comment on the inheritance tax. Here's what the President said during the campaign just after.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123172020818472279.html

And here's what really happened:

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Steinbrenner-Family-Exempt-From-Estate-Tax-98418909.html

For you readers out there, in the second paragraph the 'expiration" of the estate tax was credited with keeping the Yankees in the Steinbrenner family and saving them $500 Million.

As far as posters seeming to know what I do or don't know, is puzzling. Psychic? I am intimately knowledgeable about the medical field and know several family practioners and female doctors. I have been employed at a community hospital, been a medical provider, chaired a 7-county medical advisory committee which I was appointed to by our county commision and served on for several years and chaired a statewide medical advisory board. I believe GP's are the best part of our system and we need more of them, and less people hawking "free" cataract surgery. I also believe nurse practioners should be allowed to expand their scope of practice and be paid better.

Lastly, to discuss Medicare costs, without including a discussion of the amount of the charges and fraud, is like teaching a sex education class with androgynous dolls.


Now, I will step off my soapbox, bid you all adieu for awhile, so I can get in the Christmas spirit. I wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanza, Festivus, or whatever you may celebrate this weekend and good health and happiness in the New Year.

I'm gonna ask Santa for world peace again this year and an Obama victory in November!

December 23, 2011

I am seriously pissed about some deceit in the Payroll Tax Bill

Don't get me wrong, on the whole I'm thrilled that Boner stepped on his . . uh . you know, and that the Repukes totally hurt their chances in the election, but why the hell can't they just be honest about shit. One portion of the bill, which the President failed to mention in his victory-lap speech today was the party where they nixed a 27% cut in medicare payments to doctors, which was supposed to take effecd on January 1. How many hours were spent negotiating this, and how much credit was taken when this great "health reform" step was taken?

So instead of the part of about the guy now being able to have pizza with his kids, he should have said, "Well, now my doctor friends can get their wife that Lexus for
Christmas, like they deserve". The beginning of the Bill cites the need to give the doctors stability. Yeah, I know a whole lot of fucking doctors who are hurting, don't you?

I had to search far and wide to find any mention of the medicare issue, and found a brief mention in the WP.

The pipeline portion isn't getting touted too much either, and although I know some opponents say the 60-day deal will help kill it, I'll wait til I see that. Remember when Obama promised to make sure he would extend the Inheritance Tax before it expired?