Health care reform? Don't think so. It's not going to happen in our lifetimes. Not here. Why, you ask?
My dear gentle reader, there are many reasons. But, the ones that jump quickly to mind are:
(a) first and foremost—resistance by the Ratpublicans (oops, i meant repubs);
(b) the fact that this is a capitalist society and even medical care must generate a profit;
(c) the unwillingness of the hospitals, AMA, insurance companies, and pharmaceutical companies to be fully transparent (and they have the gall to ask for tort reform);
(d) the power of all of the above's lobby groups; and finally
(e) the lack of grassroots support (Where are all the rallies and marches on Washington to attain 'universal health care coverage'? Where are the ER protests? I went into an ER about a week ago and everyone was just lined up like meek sheep. Looked like they were ok with what they were getting! --Wait till they get the bill!--)
Here's the main issue: Americans are not a ‘folk’ like Danes or Norwegians or even Brits and Canadians.
We do not have the sense of social identity that exists in Denmark, Norway, Britain, and Canada because our social divisions are recent and deep and have not been (dare i say cannot be) mitigated. Just consider the Gates vs. Crawley situation (and have a beer while you're at it).
It's not going to happen.
From the sample of callers to CSPAN’s Washington Journal I've heard every morning this week, it seems that most people with adequate health care insurance are quite comfortable watching those without it deal with the ordeal of the emergency room (at least, up until the time they require emergency treatment). And, there are some, out there, quite willing to forgo health care coverage for themselves in order to insure that no laborer in the U.S. (not fully documented) will have health care! (It would seem that these people have not considered the consequences of an epidemic or endemic under such a policy.)
Bottom line: we're not too smart...or...not smart enough.
You see, doing everything for money is an easy system to construct and convince everyone (who doesn't think too deeply about things) that it's the best system that's ever been created. It (capitalism) doesn't require great moral courage or much intellectual insight or even 'enlightened self-interest'. All it requires is a docile population that will accept a price on everything (from health to justice) and a ruling class (say, a group of established rich and influential families who's wealth goes back to the 18th century and who's children go to all of the best schools and never work in mail rooms) that pays the sheep as little as it can get away with for their labor and charges them as much as they can get away with for the goods and services they create with their labor!
What a system. Ripped-off from two directions at once.
Oh, and lest I forget, the same ruling class buys its way into the highest offices in the government and charges this 'work dependent class', if you will, the maximum taxes it can get away with.
Ripped-off three ways at once!!
And guess what:
Most of these sheeple, getting ripped like this, will not only grin-and-bear-it, they'll send their children off to die in wars started (often, for no good reason) by this ruling class and think themselves 'blessed' when their kids come home just missing a few parts (like a mind).
Wow, what a system of collectivization! The commies never had it so good!!
This must be the greatest system of social control (i.e., country) ever run on a group of workers.
So, you ask yourselves if you're going to get 'health care reform'?
Yeah, you're going to get it.
You're going to get it right where you've always gotten it. Right up your ER!
good luck with that...and...(as always) more later...
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
The Wise Latina vs. The Kraker Klown Koalition (Or Why Can’t They Get the Cotton Out?)
Ah gentle readers….what a week for the The Kraker Klown Koalition (aka, KKK)!
What shall we call the Sotomayor nomination hearings, a: swift boating, high-tech lynching?
Whatever we call it, the good ol’boys from ‘the land of cotton’ (Sessions, Cornyn, Kyl, and Graham) took the wise Latina to the wood pile for a little jurisdictional correction. That it came in the form of a good ‘tongue lash’n’ is little different (in intent) than the form it would have taken in ‘the good old days’. However, in this case, what the good ol’boys got in return was a ‘gift wrapping’ in the form of lecture after lecture of finely parsed considerations of the manifold relationships between cases, precedents, legislative prerogative, and the constitution. It was a thing of beauty.
Sessions, Cornyn, Kyl, and Graham looked like churls (see for yourselves -- http://www.c-span.org/Supreme-Court-Sotomayor-Senate-Confirmation-Hearings.aspx). They looked, to your humble writer, like men with neither southern gallantry nor honor. They have shown (yet again) that the repubs are the party of white supremacist in defense of their way of life. Their hatred of Latinos was never so clear.
Further, their notion of supreme court judges as simply judicial umpires is utter nonsense. Supreme court cases involve the review of decisions of other courts and the supreme court is granted the authority of constitutional interpretation. This is not just "calling balls and strikes" (http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/box-score-calling-balls-and-strikes-at-sotomayors-confirmation-hearing/) as Chief Justice John G. Roberts said in the opening remarks of his own confirmation hearings in 2005:
“Judges are like umpires. Umpires don’t make the rules; they apply them. The role of an umpire and a judge is critical. They make sure everybody plays by the rules. But it is a limited role.”
What a simpleton! Or does he think we, the American people, are simpletons?
In any case, with the white guys like Roberts in the judge system, it is highly likely that “a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would, more often than not, reach a better conclusion”!
(go girl!)
What shall we call the Sotomayor nomination hearings, a: swift boating, high-tech lynching?
Whatever we call it, the good ol’boys from ‘the land of cotton’ (Sessions, Cornyn, Kyl, and Graham) took the wise Latina to the wood pile for a little jurisdictional correction. That it came in the form of a good ‘tongue lash’n’ is little different (in intent) than the form it would have taken in ‘the good old days’. However, in this case, what the good ol’boys got in return was a ‘gift wrapping’ in the form of lecture after lecture of finely parsed considerations of the manifold relationships between cases, precedents, legislative prerogative, and the constitution. It was a thing of beauty.
Sessions, Cornyn, Kyl, and Graham looked like churls (see for yourselves -- http://www.c-span.org/Supreme-Court-Sotomayor-Senate-Confirmation-Hearings.aspx). They looked, to your humble writer, like men with neither southern gallantry nor honor. They have shown (yet again) that the repubs are the party of white supremacist in defense of their way of life. Their hatred of Latinos was never so clear.
Further, their notion of supreme court judges as simply judicial umpires is utter nonsense. Supreme court cases involve the review of decisions of other courts and the supreme court is granted the authority of constitutional interpretation. This is not just "calling balls and strikes" (http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/box-score-calling-balls-and-strikes-at-sotomayors-confirmation-hearing/) as Chief Justice John G. Roberts said in the opening remarks of his own confirmation hearings in 2005:
“Judges are like umpires. Umpires don’t make the rules; they apply them. The role of an umpire and a judge is critical. They make sure everybody plays by the rules. But it is a limited role.”
What a simpleton! Or does he think we, the American people, are simpletons?
In any case, with the white guys like Roberts in the judge system, it is highly likely that “a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would, more often than not, reach a better conclusion”!
(go girl!)
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
the queen of ditz
sarah palin is america’s queen of ditz! (long live the queen.) my god is that woman scatter brained:
alaska's mission - to contribute to america. we're strategic in the world as the air crossroads of the world, as a gatekeeper of the continent. bold visionaries knew this - alaska would be part of america's great destiny.
our destiny to be reached by responsibly developing our natural resources. this land, blessed with clean air, water, wildlife, minerals, and oil and gas. it's energy! god gave us energy.
so to serve the state is a humbling responsibility, because i know in my soul that alaska is of such import, for america's security, in our very volatile world. and you know me by now, i promised even four years ago to show my independence... no more conventional "politics as usual".
life is too short to compromise time and resources... it may be tempting and more comfortable to just keep your head down, plod along, and appease those who demand: "sit down and shut up", but that's the worthless, easy path; that's a quitter's way out. and a problem in our country today is apathy. it would be apathetic to just hunker down and "go with the flow".
nah, only dead fish "go with the flow".
no. productive, fulfilled people determine where to put their efforts, choosing to wisely utilize precious time... to build up.
and there is such a need to build up and fight for our state and our country. i choose to fight for it! and i'll work hard for others who still believe in free enterprise and smaller government; strong national security for our country and support for our troops; energy independence; and for those who will protect freedom and equality and life... i'll work for and campaign for those proud to be american, and those who are inspired by our ideals and won't deride them.
i will support others who seek to serve, in or out of office, for the right reasons, and i don't care what party they're in or no party at all. inside alaska - or outside alaska. but i won't do it from the governor's desk.
i've never believed that i, nor anyone else, needs a title to do this - to make a difference... to help people. so i choose, for my state and my family, more "freedom" to progress, all the way around... so that alaska may progress... i will not seek re-election as governor.
and so as i thought about this announcement that i wouldn't run for re-election and what it means for alaska, i thought about how much fun some governors have as lame ducks... travel around the state, to the lower 48 (maybe), overseas on international trade - as so many politicians do. and then i thought - that's what's wrong - many just accept that lame duck status, hit the road, draw the paycheck, and "milk it".
i'm not putting alaska through that - i promised efficiencies and effectiveness! ? that's not how i am wired. i am not wired to operate under the same old "politics as usual." i promised that four years ago - and i meant it.
say what???????????
i guess that means she’s gone for a while! too bad, she was a great spokesman for the repubs. she could really clear the air.
can any of you, my gentle readers, image palin taking the heat that sotomayor is taking during these hearings/lynchings? can any of you imagine palin handling the questions presented with the cool logic sotomayor exhibits?
there’re about a million unkind things that could be said about palin, but i’ll pass due to time constraints.
now, ross douthat’s opines that: “sarah palin is beloved by millions because her rise suggested…that the old american aphorism about how anyone can grow up to be president might actually be true.” (see the NEW YORK TIMES OP-ED MONDAY, JULY 6, 2009)
well that may be true, but if ‘anyone’ hasn’t mastered history, science, philosophy, rhetoric, math, economics, law, and u.s. politics to, at least, an undergraduate level; it is hard to see what they could contribute as president. sarah palin shows no mastery of any of these things. and, if you believe that how a person speaks is some evidence of how they think, then you can easily see how palin would have been an utter disaster as president or even vice president.
(oh, i have not forgotten the king ditz: that eccentrically silly, giddy, and inane old man…who suspended a presidential campaign—for a day or two—to solve an economic crisis. what a hero!)
more…later…
alaska's mission - to contribute to america. we're strategic in the world as the air crossroads of the world, as a gatekeeper of the continent. bold visionaries knew this - alaska would be part of america's great destiny.
our destiny to be reached by responsibly developing our natural resources. this land, blessed with clean air, water, wildlife, minerals, and oil and gas. it's energy! god gave us energy.
so to serve the state is a humbling responsibility, because i know in my soul that alaska is of such import, for america's security, in our very volatile world. and you know me by now, i promised even four years ago to show my independence... no more conventional "politics as usual".
life is too short to compromise time and resources... it may be tempting and more comfortable to just keep your head down, plod along, and appease those who demand: "sit down and shut up", but that's the worthless, easy path; that's a quitter's way out. and a problem in our country today is apathy. it would be apathetic to just hunker down and "go with the flow".
nah, only dead fish "go with the flow".
no. productive, fulfilled people determine where to put their efforts, choosing to wisely utilize precious time... to build up.
and there is such a need to build up and fight for our state and our country. i choose to fight for it! and i'll work hard for others who still believe in free enterprise and smaller government; strong national security for our country and support for our troops; energy independence; and for those who will protect freedom and equality and life... i'll work for and campaign for those proud to be american, and those who are inspired by our ideals and won't deride them.
i will support others who seek to serve, in or out of office, for the right reasons, and i don't care what party they're in or no party at all. inside alaska - or outside alaska. but i won't do it from the governor's desk.
i've never believed that i, nor anyone else, needs a title to do this - to make a difference... to help people. so i choose, for my state and my family, more "freedom" to progress, all the way around... so that alaska may progress... i will not seek re-election as governor.
and so as i thought about this announcement that i wouldn't run for re-election and what it means for alaska, i thought about how much fun some governors have as lame ducks... travel around the state, to the lower 48 (maybe), overseas on international trade - as so many politicians do. and then i thought - that's what's wrong - many just accept that lame duck status, hit the road, draw the paycheck, and "milk it".
i'm not putting alaska through that - i promised efficiencies and effectiveness! ? that's not how i am wired. i am not wired to operate under the same old "politics as usual." i promised that four years ago - and i meant it.
say what???????????
i guess that means she’s gone for a while! too bad, she was a great spokesman for the repubs. she could really clear the air.
can any of you, my gentle readers, image palin taking the heat that sotomayor is taking during these hearings/lynchings? can any of you imagine palin handling the questions presented with the cool logic sotomayor exhibits?
there’re about a million unkind things that could be said about palin, but i’ll pass due to time constraints.
now, ross douthat’s opines that: “sarah palin is beloved by millions because her rise suggested…that the old american aphorism about how anyone can grow up to be president might actually be true.” (see the NEW YORK TIMES OP-ED MONDAY, JULY 6, 2009)
well that may be true, but if ‘anyone’ hasn’t mastered history, science, philosophy, rhetoric, math, economics, law, and u.s. politics to, at least, an undergraduate level; it is hard to see what they could contribute as president. sarah palin shows no mastery of any of these things. and, if you believe that how a person speaks is some evidence of how they think, then you can easily see how palin would have been an utter disaster as president or even vice president.
(oh, i have not forgotten the king ditz: that eccentrically silly, giddy, and inane old man…who suspended a presidential campaign—for a day or two—to solve an economic crisis. what a hero!)
more…later…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
