TheNutcracker
TheNutcracker's JournalDemocrats, stung by low turnout, consider shifting Florida's election schedule
Source: Tampa Bay Times
TALLAHASSEE — After yet another defeat blamed on low voter turnout, some Florida Democrats want to change the rules and elect the governor in the same year voters pick the president — when turnout is always much higher.
In the aftermath of Charlie Crist's narrow loss to Gov. Rick Scott, strategists are plotting how to put an initiative on the 2016 ballot that would shift statewide races back to presidential years, as they were in Florida until 1964.
"Our state leaders should be elected by the greatest number of people," said Ben Pollara, a Miami strategist who worked on the medical marijuana campaign. "How can you argue that having fewer people participate in the political process is good for the state?"
Crist adviser Kevin Cate wrote an opinion column, which got picked up by liberal blog the Daily Kos, in favor of shifting statewide elections. It launched an online petition that argues: "More Floridians deserve to have their voice heard." Backers have sought legal guidance from Jon Mills, dean of the University of Florida law school and a former House speaker, who also worked on the medical marijuana campaign.
The 2014 election was the first Florida midterm in which 6 million people cast ballots, but that figure pales in comparison to the 8.5 million who voted in the 2012 presidential election in Florida.
Read more: http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/stung-by-low-turnout-democrats-eye-shifting-floridas-statewide-election/2208133
It does not change the fact that people did not like either candidate very much, and the democratic party forced Crist on the voters. Along with that, the republicans said they would flat out not vote for him. This race was doomed from the get go....
Can we get Bernie Sanders to weigh in on Hagel's resignation? I trust Sanders with the truth!
Many say Hagel was there to withdraw, so is he not a good fit for beating war drums?
The Story of Bush's old DUI - Tampa Bay Times
Tampa Bay Times - Perspective
Finally, 38 years later, we're getting details about George W. Bush's 1976 DUI arrest. The info comes from his drinking buddy that night — former tennis great John Newcombe. Thanks, Newk.
Bush's long-ago DUI became a thing with the approach of Election Day 2000. Fox News disclosed Bush's previously unbeknownst-to-most-of-us 1976 DUI in Maine. Bush fessed up to it on the campaign trail but spared us the details.
The 1976 arrest went down near the Bush family's Kennebunkport, Maine, complex. (Don't all families have a "complex" of some sort?) It was known that Newcombe was a passenger in the car, but he kept mum about details until now.
more at link below:
http://www.tampabay.com/news/perspective/perspective-the-story-of-bushs-old-dui/2207410
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There is also another aspect of this story, still untold. It was not just a DUI that was hidden. It's the story of once this ticket and or others were written, HOW it would be covered up, and the community work Bush had to do to make the charges go away, where he really did the community service work, and the driver's license number change. Only because Daddy was head of the CIA could they get that done. This is the story of what happened after the DUI, that is not discussed.
James Hatfield told this story in his book, Fortunate Son: George W. Bush and the Making of an American President, and of course he died after writing it.
Democracy Now! Premieres the Full Interview with Bush Biographer J.H. Hatfield who died in 2001 of an alleged suicide amidst controversy Over his book Fortunate Son
Listen to the interview with Hatfield on Democracy Now years ago. Why they are writing about this covered up DUI now, I'm not sure. But there is more to it, so I thought I would put some of it together for readers here.
http://www.democracynow.org/2003/8/11/democracy_now_premieres_the_full_interview
Today we play an interview that we have held for over three years. It involves allegations of President Bush, drugs, obstruction of justice and corporate scandal. It raises questions about why Bush’s driver license number was changed.
In the book Fortunate Son: George W. Bush and the Making of an American President author J.H. Hatfield charges that President Bush was arrested in 1972 for cocaine possession and that Bush’s father George Sr. used his political connections to have his son’s record expunged.
Soon after publication, Hatfield’s credibility was challenged. He had been convicted in 1988 for hiring a hit-man in a failed attempt to kill his boss and had served five years in prison.
J.H. Hatfield died of an alleged suicide in July 2001. [Includes transcript]
This is how the story goes: Four years ago St. Martins Press published a book by author James H. Hatfield called Fortunate Son. It is about the life of George W. Bush.
In the book, Hatfield charges that Bush was arrested in 1972 for cocaine possession. Why wasn’t the future President charged? Hatfield writes that Bush’s father used his political connections to have his son’s record expunged.
Soon after publication of Fortunate Son the Dallas Morning News received information about Hatfield’s criminal past.
The media jumped all over it and Hatfield’s reputation and credibility were ruined.
St. Martins Press promised to turn Fortunate Son into "furnace fodder." It withdrew 70,000 copies from bookshelves and destroyed them. But a small publisher Soft Skull Press reprinted the book with the banner "The Book They Burned is Back."
Hatfield had previously refused to reveal the source of his information about Bush’s alleged cocaine arrest. He now to decided to name him. He claimed it was none other than Karl Rove, Bush’s closest political adviser.
If Rove did indeed leak the information, he couldn’t have leaked it to a better subject. Soon after publication of the Fortunate Son, Hatfield’s credibility came under fierce attack.
The media followed the trail laid out for them. They diverted inquiries about Bush’s drug history to stories about Hatfield’s checkered past. He lost two other book contracts and faced financial ruin and obscurity.
The character assassination finally took its toll. In July 2001, Hatfield was found dead of an apparent suicide in a hotel room in Springdale, Arkansas. He was 43 years old. Police said he left notes for his family and friends that listed alcohol, financial problems and Fortunate Son as reasons for killing himself. He is survived by a wife and daughter.
Special thanks to Suki Hawley and Michael Galinsky who made the documentary film "Horns and Halos" about J.H. Hatfield and Soft Skull Press publisher Sander Hicks. They filmed the Democracy Now! interview we premiered today.
Listen to the interview above. You can still buy the book!
http://www.amazon.com/Fortunate-Son-George-American-President/dp/1887128840
Pipe Dreams? Cornell study on Keystone and unsubstantiated jobs numbers
Pipe Dreams? Jobs Gained, Jobs Lost by the Construction of the Keystone XL
Report Overview
TransCanada, the American Petroleum Institute and other proponents of the Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline claim KXL will be a $7 billion boon to the U.S. economy, creating 20,000 direct construction and manufac-turing jobs and 119,000 indirect jobs. Cornell Global Labor Institute’s (GLI) analysis of the project has found that these numbers are unsubstantiated, and that the project will produce far fewer jobs than they claim. In fact, the construction of KXL may destroy more jobs than it creates.
America needs a jobs plan, but KXL is NOT it. Here’s why:
KXL’s U.S. Project Budget is $3.3 billion, NOT $7 billion: TransCanada claims that KXL is a $7 billion project. TransCanada arrives at this figure by including $1.6 billion that will be spent in Canada and approximately $2.6 billion that has already been spent or committed, including on steel pipe manufactured outside the U.S. A much smaller project budget means a lot less jobs.
U.S. Manufacturing Jobs? Think again. Steel pipe is the main material input for KXL. To date, TransCanada has had almost 50% of the pipe manufactured outside the U.S., even though they claim KXL will create 20,000 direct construction and manufacturing jobs in the U.S. TransCanada is having the same multi-national corporation, based in India, manufacture the pipe for KXL as they did for Phase 1 and 2. This company, Welspun, is being investigated for producing sub-standard steel that led to spills and leaks in other pipeline projects. Plus, TransCanada has procured this pipe even though they have not received a Presidential Permit to construct KXL.
KXL Will Increase Fuel Prices in the Midwest, Hurting Consumers and Destroying Jobs. KXL will divert tar sands oil from Midwest refineries to refineries in the Gulf Coast where the oil will sell for a higher price. Tar Sands oil will also be available for export to countries like China where the demand for oil is growing rapidly. TransCanada states that KXL will increase the price of heavy crude oil in the Midwest by almost $2 to $4 billion annually. Top energy economists believe Midwestern consumers may end up paying 10 – 20 cents more for a gallon of gas as a result of tar sands oil being diverted to refineries in Texas. Just one year of fuel price increases as a result of KXL could cancel out some or all of the jobs created by KXL, based on the $3- $4 billion budget.
Oil Spills, Pollution and Climate Change Cost Jobs Too! The industry has ignored or dismissed fears that KXL will have a serious impact on our environment and our economy through inland spills, spills into freshwater supplies (principally the Ogallala Aquifer) or increases in greenhouse gas emissions and other forms of pollution. But clean-up operations, permanent spill damage to sectors like agriculture and tourism, and rising emissions and other pollutants incur costs and divert public and private funds away from productive economic activity. For Phase 1 of Keystone, TransCanada claimed 11 spills could be expected over a 50 year period –over 30 spills have occurred on the Keystone pipeline just in its first year of operation in Canada and the U.S.
KXL Jobs Are Temporary and Non-Local. Only 10-15% of the total KXL workforce is expected to be hired locally. Based on information provided by TransCanada to the State Department, a state-by-state jobs breakdown reveals that Keystone XL will create very few jobs in the states along the pipeline (e.g., 6-18 jobs in Kansas;
90-248 jobs in Nebraska; and 41-113 jobs in Oklahoma). Plus, these construction jobs will disappear after the completion of the project.
Industry Study Exaggerates Job Estimates: The industry’s claim that KXL will create 119,000 total jobs (direct, indirect and induced) is based on a poorly documented study commissioned by TransCanada (The Perryman Group study). The Perryman study is not transparent and does not include basic information on the overall cost of the project and input data from TransCanada. In short, the Perryman Study does not provide enough information to know how the estimated job impacts were calculated.
The full report can be downloaded here:
http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/globallaborinstitute/research/upload/GLI_KeystoneXL_Reportpdf.pdf
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Can we get democrats in the house and senate to starting talking about this report, instead of just saying it's dirty and bad? Boxer should have used this when she spoke on it, no theatrics needed with a report and source such as this.
Gwen Graham says she doesn't support Pelosi, despite Democrats' vote
Source: Tampa Bay Times
Despite a reported unanimous voice vote, Rep.-elect Gwen Graham says she did not support Nancy Pelosi today for another term as Democratic leader. Graham has pledged during the campaign against Steve Southerland to oppose Pelosi, who became a central figure in TV ads in the race.
“We need new leadership in both parties to move forward, and that’s why I didn’t give my support to Nancy Pelosi today," Graham told the Tampa Bay Times in a statement. "When the vote for leadership happens in January, I will support someone who I believe can bring people together to solve problems.”
If Graham opposed her, she didn't speak up. As the Washington Post reported, quoting an aide, "There were 'no nays audible in room.' " We asked Graham's team why she did not speak up. "She did," replied via email Eric Jotkoff, an advisor. "It was just drowned out by the other people voting."
Republicans jumped on the vote and said Graham had broken a campaign pledge. "So what happened to Gwen Graham bucking her own party? Typical say and do anything to get elected politician. Someone should ask Gwen why she went back on her word," said the NRCC's Katie Prill.
Read more: http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/gwen-graham-says-she-doesnt-support-pelosi-despite-democrats-vote/2206945
Wow! just wow! And the Florida Democratic Party came out of the losses saying the 'progressive label, ideas, and candidates did not work. 'We must use the Gwen Graham stategy".
Are you kidding me????? She ran close to the panhandle, which is considered Georgia, or Alabama!
Hardly like the rest of the state. She got republicans to vote for her, in this way. I don't like this.....
As predicted here comes Bill Nelson to ignore the issue of party chair and protect the status quo!
http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/deflated-florida-dems-launch-rebuilding-effort/2206306She has ties to the Bush' family and a terrible history for democrats. All in time for Jeb to run in Florida.
Should Democrats abandon our values in light of election debacle?Some party leaders seem to think so
The kiss of death to the democrats! As Florida goes.....
http://thefloridasqueeze.com/2014/11/10/should-democrats-abandon-our-values-in-light-election-debacle-some-party-leaders-seem-to-think-so/
Kartik Krishnaiyer ? November 10, 2014 ? 16 Comments
Post-election some Democratic Party insiders and FDP officials are talking openly about the failed 2014 effort as due to an overemphasis on progressive policies and turning out urban areas of the state. Make no mistake about it – candidate recruitment for 2014 was a massive failure for the party. But the solution of some party operatives, officials and insiders seems to be to uniformly nominate “more moderate” candidates per multiple TFS sources. These sorts of blanket statements and thinking returns many in the party to their north Florida comfort zone. The failure of many in the party to truly understand the challenges of the Tampa Bay area, Central Florida or southeast Florida remains baffling. As one veteran Broward County political operative told me Sunday night “some of the leadership in Tallahassee remain so intimidated by south Florida they like to justify avoiding the area.”
No doubt exists Gwen Graham achieved a great electoral victory on November 4th. But her triumph is being cited as irrefutable evidence in some quarters that the party must nominate more moderate candidates across the board. Despite his history as a Republican, Charlie Crist ran to the left on economic issues and was able to excite some core Democratic voters who don’t always turnout in off-year elections. Still Crist’s baggage as a Republican and an unwillingness to articulate as strong a position as possible on women’s issues and the environment may have ultimately hurt Democratic turnout. At issue however seems to be that Crist ran several points behind Graham in the 2nd Congressional District, a part of Florida which is unique yet often forms the frame of reference for so many in the Democratic Party. Alex Sink poured time and resources into this part of the state and she was able to carry the 2nd Congressional District. However, like Crist, she was defeated statewide.
This is not going to be another posting that discusses electoral strategy and the simple fact that Hillsborough County has more than twice as many voters as the 2nd Congressional District. We’ve had that discussion before and the case to spend a large amount resources in north Florida in a statewide campaign for a Democrat simply cannot be made objectively. So this discussion is specifically about candidate recruitment.
I would submit a candidate without Graham’s name running on her platform would struggle to even gain the votes Crist did in the big seven urban counties (Hillsborough, Pinellas, Orange, Osceola, Dade, Broward, Palm Beach) and would likely not have gained the activist support that Crist ended up using to his advantage. This is not to forget for even a moment what a flawed candidate Crist was, and how those flaws undermined his opportunity to really motivate many Democrats to turn out to vote.
No question moderates do have a role in the party. The Democratic Party is a big tent party, perhaps not as big tent a party as the Republicans have proven to be in Florida (but not nationally) but still a large tent. However, the tendency for Tallahassee insiders and those who hit the cocktail circuit in the capital city to blame progressives and Democrats from the large urban areas has become tiring and worrisome. This is default response from party insiders and Tallahassee based political operatives who simply are not comfortable with doing the heavy lifting in parts of the state with which they have less familiarity.
Democrats lost six state House seats on Tuesday. In one case, that of moderate Mike Clelland, the Democrat was always going to lose his reelection because of the composition of the district. So that leaves five losses to discuss. Two of the losses were with relatively moderate legislators (Carl Zimmerman and Linda Stewart) who fit their districts well and would have won in any electoral climate- in fact the recruitment of these two candidates in previous cycles shows precisely the types of candidates Democrats SHOULD be running. Another defeated legislator, Mark Danish positioned himself in the middle of the political spectrum on a number of economic issues as well as on firearm safety. Only Joe Saunders and Karen Castor Dentel could be considered liberals of the defeated six House Democrats.
Moderates like Patrick Murphy, Jeremy Ring and Katie Edwards have proven they can win in south Florida by combining the votes of liberals with more mainstream voters and all three have been talked about as potential statewide candidates. Several moderates have this same profile in the Tampa Bay Area and in Central Florida. However, the comfort zone for the Democratic insiders and establishment is not simply to nominate moderate candidates but to push the party back towards a posture where north Florida gets the type of attention that Alex Sink gave it but Charlie Crist simply would not. Make no mistake about it – Crist’s extensive field program that focused exclusively on the state’s most populated counties is being scapegoated already by the Tallahassee insiders who are trying to change the candidate recruitment strategy.
It must also be noted that in many cases, recruiting the types of candidates that would get lots of support and lobbyist love in north Florida may be unpalatable for the urban areas in the state and like 2010, turnout could be completely depressed. (as in this past cycle?)
In the process, the Tallahassee leadership can strip the value-based voter from the Democratic Party as well as create a context to blame the failures of 2014 on progressives. If they are successful, we will see a return to the desire to run moderates statewide who either employ a flawed electorally strategy thanks to the traditional Florida Democratic political operatives or simply mis-positioned ideologically to excite the base of the party.
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do read the comments at the link!
They have yet to support progressives or talk of progressive values. They are pretending they did, and this is why we lost? We had so many open seats with no candidates for one. And dissing progressive Senator Nan Rich was disgusting! Was the turnout not low enough? This is Tant claiming progressives and their message hurt the party! This is Tant, gearing up for Jeb Bush, her friend, making sure MORE voters stay home!
WTF
Another bad apple org for Tant in Florida - Check out this 501c4
"The reason that I wanted to point this out, much like with Ruth’'s List, is because the head of this organization, Susannah Randolph, is actively supporting Allison Tant for Chair of the Florida Democratic Party. While I am not claiming that Mrs. Randolph can afford a Lamborghini like her Ruth’s List counterpart Ellis Robinson, I do wonder why there is a lack of investment into local candidates." (hint: it's the Tant strategy of losing)
Here is another investigation into a Dem 501c4. .
Interesting comments made in the first paragraph here.
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http://thepoliticalhurricane.com/2014/11/10/flashback-money-and-the-fdp-chair-race-part-ii-florida-watch-action-whats-it-for/
Much like Ruth’s List, one must question this organization’s existence. In fact, many people, even activist, that we know around the state consider Florida Watch Action’s acts laughable and, honestly, quite childish. Also, if the goal of Florida Watch Action is to take down Rick Scott, that is setting the bar quite low. Democrats should expect to beat a governor that rarely has an approval rating over 40%. It is the hard races where Democrats need to be putting their attention.
Therefore, when looking at what Florida Watch Action has actually done, one must look at the contributions that they have made. So has Florida Watch Action made any contributions to any Democratic candidates? No, not really. In fact, Florida Watch Action has only given, according to the Division of Elections website, to Florida Hometown Democracy, Inc (a total of $120,000), Project New Florida (a total of $250), Florida Watch Ballot Committee (a total of $2,500), the Florida Democratic Party (a total of $300) and Pro-Choice CCE (a total of $4,700). So, in all, Florida Watch Action has really done nothing whatsoever to promote Democratic candidates at the state level or try to help in any way. Mrs. Randolph was on record as the “Executive Director/Chairperson” of Florida Watch Action, in which she had a “reportable compensation from the organization” of $63,000. In 2011, Therefore, how much did Susannah Randolph get paid to run Florida Watch Action in 2011 alone? It is quite possible that she got paid $142,357, according the the tax filings. Florida Watch Action took in $312,060 in revenues. They also expended $225,104. The links above show an itemization of the expenses.
Now this makes perfect sense why Line 5 was left blank, because Susannah Randolph, according to the Schedule O, is an “outside consultant”. Therefore, any amount that she would have made would have been put, instead, on “Line 11G” of the “Statement of Functional Expenses” portion as she is a “non-employee”. Therefore, how much did Susannah Randolph get paid to run Florida Watch Action in 2011 alone? It is quite possible that she got paid $142,357, according the the tax filings.
Oh, and if you were wondering, Florida Watch Action paid $40,668 in advertising and promotion, according to the tax filings, less than half of what they paid to “fees and services” for non-employees.
I really do not understand the goal of the organization. I do not see them out there helping individual candidates. They only seem to be slamming Rick Scott and Mitt Romney. Even then, we don’t know how much money is going into the Rick Scott effort because of the nature of the 501(c)(4). Basically, I am not assured that Florida Watch Action is going to help Democratic candidates get elected in Florida. In my opinion, they didn’t help in 2010 or in 2012.
The reason that I wanted to point this out, much like with Ruth’s List, is because the head of this organization, Susannah Randolph, is actively supporting Allison Tant for Chair of the Florida Democratic Party. While I am not claiming that Mrs. Randolph can afford a Lamborghini like her Ruth’s List counterpart Ellis Robinson, I do wonder why there is a lack of investment into local candidates. Therefore, we really have no idea how much money is being retained by the 501(c)(4) (even though the “cash on hand” in the tax filings states $86,956). Is the organization a truly productive entity, or a paper tiger?
Finally, why does Florida Watch Action need to create a 501(c)(4)? The only reason that someone would want to create an organization like this, as well as a 527, is to hide who their donors are. Therefore, what does Florida Watch Action have to hide? Why are they hiding their donors?
Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel - Rahm's brother comes under fire for ethics on view of people over 75, no value
"People become less creative as they age. It forces each of us to ask if our consumption is worth our contribution."
75 years and no medicine if you need it????
WHAT????? So old people have no value as contributors? What about as parents? Mine are still good listeners to all of us, even though they are much older than 75. Are they as creative as they used to be? No, they are aging, and doing their best to maintain. They love life and mother Earth.
Fuck you Dr. Emanuel! Why would Obama have you anywhere as a policy advisor????
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/doctors-argument-living-longer/
JUDY WOODRUFF: Next: a provocative piece of writing from one of the country’s leading health care experts.
In the current “Atlantic” magazine, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel argues that the quality of human life begins to drop off by age 75, enough, he says, that he will opt out of medical treatments and let nature take its course.
A trained oncologist, Dr. Emanuel is chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, and a former Obama administration policy adviser. He is also older brother to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Hollywood talent agent Ari Emanuel. I sat down with him earlier today.
Dr. Zeke Emanuel, thank you for talking with us.
DR. EZEKIEL EMANUEL, University of Pennsylvania: It’s my great pleasure.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So, you have created quite a stir: “Why I Want to Die at 75.”
Why 75? Why not 85? Why not 70?
DR. EZEKIEL EMANUEL: Well, first of all, let’s clarify, I expect to be alive at 75, and I’m not going to kill myself. I don’t believe in legalized euthanasia or assisted suicide, but I am going to stop medical treatments.
And I look at 75, when I look at all the data on physical disability, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, loss of creativity, slowing down of the mind and the body, and 75 seems like that, albeit somewhat arbitrary, moment where you get the maximum chance you’re still going to be vital and alive and vigorous.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So it’s kind of arbitrary.
DR. EZEKIEL EMANUEL: I say that, yes.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And you talk about something you call the American immortal. Who is this being?
DR. EZEKIEL EMANUEL: My brother. The American immortal are people who want to put off death as long as possible, want to live as long as possible, get every day out of it. They take all these — they change their diet. They exercise like mad. They take protein concoctions and all sorts of other supplements.
And it’s almost a religion for them to live as long as possible. And I think they — in their mind, they will be as vital as they are when they’re, say, 50 all the way to the end. But, of course, we all do deteriorate, we all do slow down, we all do get disabilities.
JUDY WOODRUFF: You looked at a lot of research for what you have written, and you talk about how, as you age, you really don’t get healthy. No matter how hard you try, a lot of things creep up on you.
DR. EZEKIEL EMANUEL: Yes, so there’s a theory which was developed in the early 1980s at Stanford, of course, that there will be a compression of morbidity.
So, as we age, as we get older, we are actually going to become healthier, that the falling apart, the disabilities, the dementia, they’re going to become ever smaller parts of life. And that was a very, very compelling theory, and a lot of people grabbed on to it.
Turns out that’s not true. The data are that, as we age, we have actually added more years of disability, so there’s not a compression of morbidity. There’s actually been an expansion, and that I think is — it’s somewhat distracting for people to realize, yes, we will live longer, but we will also live with more functional limitations, less able to move around, more mental limitations, more psychological depression, and other mental problems.
JUDY WOODRUFF: You put — you’re pretty critical in this piece, Zeke Emanuel, of slowing down, of living a quieter life, of spending time smelling the roses.
(LAUGHTER)
JUDY WOODRUFF: You talk about riding a bicycle and making poetry as if it’s just, you know, a throwaway. What’s wrong with having that quiet phase of life after a certain point?
DR. EZEKIEL EMANUEL: I do — I mean, that is part of my view, that, you know, we’re on the earth for a very short period of time, no matter what we do. Even if we’re an American immortal, it’s not going to be for centuries.
And we have to get the best out of it and also get the most out of our life. It’s a privilege, obviously, slowing down and being a little sort of self-indulgent. I don’t find that as meaningful to me. And I find it a little sort of focused on me, instead of focused on what I can contribute and what I can do for bettering the world and bettering, you know, my family and my community.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So, you’re kind of saying unless you’re contributing actively every minute of every day, practically, then really there’s not much point in living?
DR. EZEKIEL EMANUEL: Well, first of all, that’s my personal philosophy. And I do believe that contributing can happen in a number of different ways.
JUDY WOODRUFF: You know there’s a lot of pushback from people who point to all the people we know of who are very contributing well beyond 75.
I just look — you look at anywhere you turn. I mean, in the world of entertainment, it’s so easy, the Jack Nicholsons, the Willie Nelsons, the Sidney Poitiers. I mean, Betty White is 91, I.M. Pei. Queen Elizabeth is 88. Jimmy Carter just turned 90.
DR. EZEKIEL EMANUEL: So, that’s almost everyone’s first reaction is to begin listing lots and lots of people who are over 75 and still creative, productive and engaged. And of course there are going to be people.
It’s a bell-shaped curve and it’s some-shaped curve, there are going to be outliers, people over 75. But let’s remember we live in a country of 300 million people. In the developed world, Western world, there may be a billion people. Giving me a list of 20, 30, even thousands of people who are creative after 75, you have to understand those are very select outliers.
They are not the common thing. And I believe that we shouldn’t — we can’t live our life as if we’re going to be a very rare outlier. Odds are, you won’t be an outlier, and I tend to go with the odds. I’m a sort of — I live life by, you know, what does the data show? And that’s most likely to happen.
JUDY WOODRUFF: What does your family think about this? You have how many daughters?
DR. EZEKIEL EMANUEL: I have three daughters.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Three daughters. Don’t you want to see your grandchildren grow up?
DR. EZEKIEL EMANUEL: Absolutely. And I want…
JUDY WOODRUFF: But you have put kind of a limit on it, haven’t you?
DR. EZEKIEL EMANUEL: Well, I am very, very committed to seeing my grandchildren.
more at link if you can stomach it!
Sen. Rubio - Once Again Proves He's a Fraud
Marco Rubio has now written his second book. He states this one is more on 'policy'. As in Obamacare bad, and all of the rest.
He also goes back to the opportunity his father was given here in the U.S., which enabled Marco to pursue the life he now leads.
Rubio is the definition of hypocrisy!
While he was in the Florida House, he was offered health insurance for $8.00 a month. Or, $30.00 a month for the entire family. The rest was subsidized by the tax payers of Florida.
(While in office and campaigning, he also used 5K in campaign dollars for a marble kitchen floor, and $1200.00 to fix the AC in the family van and got caught)
Now as a senator he has the opportunity to purchase health care under the 'federal program', or choose the ACA.
The federal program is subsidized. I don't know if he's getting a subsidy using the ACA as he claims. Either way, it's affordable. More so for him, than most others.
Maybe as a Senator with salaries over 150K they should have to outright purchase a private plan, and leave the subsidies for others in these programs? After all, they should not be serving for life, and then could go back and get into the insurance pool.
Maybe their lifetime pensions should be removed as well. They are subsidized also. Marco Rubio demonetizes these subsidies, wherever they are. Yet he receives them. Put him and the rest on Soc. Sec. and stop the 'teet sucking', while they write books that all of this is bad, except when it comes to them. It's time for Marco Rubio to stop writing these books, laced with falsehoods and hold him accountable for all that he has received. Make him explain why these policies are good for him, and not others. Make him pay his share.
Make him pay at the polls, for shilling books full of hypocrisies.
Marco Rubio should never, ever become President of these United States.
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