Archive for February, 2010
Scott Brown’s Truck – Reality Check
So, Senator Scott Brown is bringing his big, manly, regular guy who happens to be a real estate lawyer and former nude fashion model – self to Washington. He bought it for hauling lumber, and doing manly stuff, which makes him a regular guy. Except thats not what it is for at all, according to his interview in New York Times Magazine:
“It’s a regular truck.” Yes and no. As Arianna, the younger of his two daughters, told me, he originally purchased it not so he could haul lumber but so he could attach it to a trailer bearing her horse. He soon abandoned that plan. “It’s scary pulling a trailer,”
What a regular guy, you know, driving your daughter to her equestrian events on the weekends, while you are off work as a lawyer, but then getting scared from pulling a trailer? This is the manly, regular man that the GOP claims is a populist destined to set Washington straight?
Well, certainly he does other activities that the GOP would get behind, like being a fashion model, who wears expensive pink leather shorts?
Arianna told me that he showed up for his first real date with her mother, Gail Huff, a TV newscaster to whom he has been married for more than 23 years, in pink leather shorts. It’s family lore.
The pinkish color drained from his face when I asked him about it during a conversation in his campaign office just before we took off in the truck. He clarified that the shorts weren’t something that he went out and purchased — it wasn’t like that at all. “I did the couture shows, and instead of paying in cash, they paid in clothes,” he said. “And one of the things I had to wear were leather shorts. And these happened to be pink.”
As he told the story, he seemed, almost in spite of himself, to get into it. “If I wore these now,” he said, “I’d get shot. But it was the ’80s. Pastels were in. It was all pastel-y.” The shorts went with his tan at the time and a pair of white shoes that he owned, so he gave them a whirl. “Gail comes out and she’s like, ‘Those are pink shorts.’ I said: ‘Yeah, you like them? They’re great. Comfortable. Feel this leather.’ ” With this last phrase, he slowly stroked the side of one of his thighs, apparently miming the gesture he made in front of her.
He emphasized: “This isn’t cheap leather. This is, like, $750 shorts back then.”
Ok, so he’s a rich guy, who was a fashion model, he’s a lawyer, and he’s scared to pull a trailer with his truck. He wears $750.00 (circa 1980′s) leather shorts, and works for clothing instead of money. This is the populist rebuttal to the elitism of President Obama?
On one more note, his wife starred in an awesome music video from the 80s. Just watch it, its amazing.
Hawaiian Health Care
Hawaii’s employer mandate health care system has many of its citizens covered by a reasonable healthcare system. There’s just one thing that can undermine it: National “Reform”?
Here is some more Bipartisanship
It appears that Republicans and Democrats can agree on one item: spying on the American People is a good thing. The two groups voted overwhelmingly together to re-authorize the PATRIOT Act for another year, with no modifications.
I am glad that in this tough time of Partisanship, the Democrats dug deep and worked with the Republicans to advance their agenda. Good work “Liberals”.
Bi-Partisanship’s awesome accomplishments
Chris Caldwell, editor of the Weekly Standard (someone who I typically would not quote) had a thought provoking article in the Financial Times Weekend edition. In this, he outlines the problems in Washington, that Democrats and Republicans are split into two camps, summarizing neatly:
“For three decades, centrism has been a declining force in American life. Arguments over the sustainability of the postwar welfare state have split politicians into two camps – one keen on consolidating government programmes, the other keen on dismantling them. There is not much room for negotiation here.”
This is a pretty good point that many Liberals cannot seem to grasp. Although the author above wants to dismantle the post war welfare state, at least he makes no apologies for what he believes. The Republican Party is not a responsible partner in creating new government policy; Republicans want to destroy government. They want to dismantle the welfare state, and privatize social security, medicare, and all government services. There is a range as to how fast the programs should be dismantled, but there is now doubt among their caucus: their first priority is to destroy and privatize the government.
There is not much room for negotiation there. And the record of Bipartisanship of the past 8 years not stellar either. As Caldwell points out, the main accomplishments of the Bi-Partisanship of the past 8 years are the following: No Child Left Behind, the Iraq War, and the TARP Bank Bailout, all of which are terribly unpopular with the general population. One that Caldwell leaves out is the appointment of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, which directly led to the Citizens United election privatization of 2010. The public disapproves of this by up to 80% in a recent poll.
Bipartisanship has lead to terrible policies, but more so, bipartisanship only appears to lead to Republican Policies. Working together means doing what the Republicans want: dismantle the government, except for the Pentagon, which needs to find reasons to exist and get more funding. Not working together means providing healthcare to citizens, protecting social security, and any number of other government programs.
Its time to get past the bipartisan lie, and start to accomplish something for the base on which President Obama was elected from. It is time to use the power of the government to protect the citizens, and provide them with services, reigning in private power. If this is being Partisan, then so be it.
Cracking down on the Independent Contractor Lie
Apparently, the tax dodge scam of paying workers as independent contractors may be under attack by revenue deprived governments. This is a really positive sign that President Obama may do something positive for working people.
Here’s an awesome credit card 79.9% Interest Rate
Do you have problems with credit? Why not apply for a card with a 79.9% APR? I guess that credit card reform isn’t working out so well…
Let’s Cut Government Spending outside my state
I love the Republicans; they separate the whole world into simple good and evil. USA good, terrorists bad. Private Enterprise Good, Government Control and Spending Bad.
The latter is apparently only true, as long as it doesn’t piss off home state voters or campaign contributors in an election year, according to Politico.
That story almost makes me wonder, is Obama smart enough to target programs in Republican States for the cuts he is proposing in his budget? I mean, Republicans swore they were dead set against the stimulus, Governor Mark Sanford is now demanding his piece of the pie, to the tune of $300 Million for South Carolina.
And an Alabama Senator single handedly tied up the Senate in knots, just to get his handout, in the form of a multi billion dollar contract for companies in Alabama.
So, it appears that we need a new slogan for the Republicans, something to the effect of, I hate welfare for everyone else, but make sure my check keeps on coming. Or, I hate the big government in theory, but in practice, just keep the pork barrel flowing in my direction and no one elses. Is anyone surprised that the Republicans are so busy looking out for themselves, and screw everyone else?
Universal Healthcare needed – Now more than ever
I just re-watched Michael Moore’s movie, Sicko last night, and I was reminded again how much we need actual health reform in this country. What Moore’s film illustrates, more than any other media in recent memory, is the problems with a for profit healthcare system, like the one that we have here in the United States.
In the absurdity of the for profit system, companies pay people large salaries to look for ways to deny coverage. That’s right, straight up cost benefit analysis, if the Company can pay $50,000 per year in salary for someone to save $50 Million in claims that don’t have to be paid out, then that is a winning venture.
Health Insurance companies exist to provide as little health care as possible. Period. If they provide more care, they lose money, and Wall Street doesn’t like that. This is an incentive to provide as little care as possible, in order to maximize profit and the growth of profits for their companies.
This is the genius of the Capitalist system. Paying people to deny coverage, profiteering off misery, letting people die. Killing people, who pay for a service that the companies refuse to provide in order to make more profit. Companies can come up with every justification to not insure someone, to deny coverage.
This is why we need Universal Heathcare in this country. Healthcare is a human right, and it should not come with any strings attached. If the Government exists for any reason, it is to protect the citizens. One of the concepts behind Insurance is to spread risk among a large pool of people, mitigating risk for any individual person for the benefit of all. The largest pool to spread risk across in our country is Every Man, Woman, and Child in the country, so why not do this with Healthcare? Everyone pays into one pool, via taxes. If you are sick, or need care you receive it, no questions asked.
Everyone pays in, everyone takes out when they need to. Other countries provide Heathcare in this manner, most notably our neighbor to the north, Canada. Sure, their system isn’t perfect, but when you are sick, you can just go to the doctor and get treatment by showing a card. Prescriptions are much cheaper than the US, and Citizens are protected.
I don’t expect this kind of change to come from the top without a strong movement from the bottom, but now more than ever it is time to demand that Healthcare become a Human Right in the United States of America!
Buried Lead Department: Republicans want to Deregulate Healthcare
Much as the Republican answer to all of the nation’s problems is to cut taxes, and reduce regulations on corporations that are destroying America, and as well as that worked in Banking, the Republicans want to bring those ideas to Health Care. On this past Sunday’s Meet The Press, David Gregory called out Senate Minority Leader Boehner for wanting to violate states rights, by allowing insurance companies to sell across state lines, which would then result in a Federal Regulator (which Republicans are against).
Here is the exchange from the transcript:
MR. GREGORY: It’s interesting. You say you don’t want government in charge of health care, and yet you’re a supporter of the idea of portable health insurance, the ability to take health insurance across state lines. But I thought the Republicans were states’ rights guys and didn’t want–because you’d have to have some kind of federal regulatory agency to monitor that kind of portability, wouldn’t you?
REP. BOEHNER: No, you wouldn’t have to.
MR. GREGORY: Really? Because that’s…
REP. BOEHNER: What we’re saying is the American people ought to buy health insurance across state lines. They ought to buy health insurance where they get the policy that they need for themselves and their family at the best price.
MR. GREGORY: And there wouldn’t have to be some sort of federal regulatory system to, to receive that?
REP. BOEHNER: Well, no. That’s the whole point. The president said, “Well, I’m for that. But, you know, there’d have to be some bureaucrat here in Washington that needs to make sure that this is done fairly.” The American people are smart enough to do this on their own.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35159331/ns/meet_the_press/page/3/
So, just to clarify, the Republican Plan would have no Federal Regulator, and would let Insurance Companies cross state lines, creating a race to the bottom in Health Insurance.
We have Sioux Falls South Dakota for Credit Cards, Delaware for Incorporating, and if this nonsense passed, I’m sure that there would be a scumbag low insurance state, which would build its business on attracting the worst companies that offer the least amount of coverage allowed by law.
So, big surprise, the Republican method for fixing the countries problems is to give Corporations more power, and pit one state against another. Good work Boehner.