Monday, May 25, 2009

Rick Scott and Stewart Resnick – Criminals of our Time

Both of these men are notorious for sucking the life out of America through their scams. Rick Scott is the Bernie Madoff of the Columbia/HCA healthcare corporation that defrauded millions from tax payers, although he got off “Scott free,” pun intended. He is now heading the Conservatives for Patient Rights, a lobbyist organization, to fight President Obama’s universal healthcare initiatives. Guess what? If he wins, you, the patient, will have no rights. In fact, he’s a liar and a con-artist that is likely to use PR to convince you he has your well being at heart. He doesn’t. He’s a scoundrel. He should be in jail.

Stewart Resnick is another scoundrel. His Paramount Farms stores millions of gallons of water he receives from California’s Delta Conservation project and then sells the water back to the state in times of drought. He too should be in jail. He gives heavily to political, mostly Republican and conservative campaigns, to make sure he stays in the money. He too should be in jail. He’s a billionaire, however, and will be able to hire a hundred lawyers to keep himself rosy clean.

When are you going to get outraged by this crap?

Saturday, May 23, 2009

The Goddamned Lying Health Insurance Industry

Here we go again. Obama meets with the captains of the healthcare and health insurance industry and they say they will reduce costs by $2 trillion over the next ten years. It’s a goddamned lie, just like they told President Carter in the 70’s and just like they told President Clinton in the 90’s. Two trillion dollars is a pittance. WE CAN SAVE $4 TRILLION BY GOING TO A SINGLE PAYER SYSTEM!!!! Don’t you get that? The health insurance industry has failed over and over to self-regulate itself. It’s all a bunch of bullshit.

People are so goddamned afraid of socialized medicine that they’re running around peeing in their pants. A single payer system is not socialized medicine; it is socialize financing of a privatized, entrepreneurial healthcare system. Private Doctor Practices and private hospitals will submit bills to a single payer. You get to choose your doctor and/or your hospital, and all the rest is paid for. You pay taxes that pay for your healthcare. It’s a WIN-WIN situation; the government saves money and you save money. So, why in hell do you let the goddamned lying health insurance industry talk you out of it again? Because you’re stupid, that’s why.

They’re ripping you and our government off. Call your senator and congressman/woman and demand a single payer system.

Friday, May 22, 2009

The California Fiscal Joke

So, it happened that Sacramento couldn’t do the job it was elected to do, so they sent crucial budget decisions to the people in a group of special vote propositions. And, the people being stupid and persuaded by fear mongers prophesying the death of various programs and the “gimmicks” of Sacramento politicians, voted against them. Then, Newt Gingrich wrote an OpEd in the Washington Post about how the people voted against political corruption in California, as if he knew that, voted with knowledgeable wisdom to reject the propositions, and he somehow turned truth on its head by tying the vote to an overwhelming vote to reduce taxes. Imagine! Newt Gingrich, one of the most corrupt politicians in the last 20 years calling the kettle black! And today, Bill Lockyear is calling for a government bailout, once more passing on responsibility that he, the Governor and state legislature should be resolving.

Well, what did you expect? These propositions are too complex for the average person/voter to understand. They should have never been passed to us for approval. We, the entire population of California, are not informed enough to vote intelligently on these. The politicians in Sacramento need to DO THEIR JOB and manage state business. And, the people of California need to finally step up to the plate and pay for the needed state programs. The people also need to remove Sacramento politicians who are not willing to do their job.

California is in a mess and most of it is caused by ill advised propositions approved by the people; tax cuts, borrowing, special interest programs, you name it. C’est la vie, in a state of stupid people with stupid politicians. What a joke.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

The Fools and The Wise

I can’t help but feel that Dick Cheney is a fool when seen in contrast to President Obama’s wisdom. The President’s speech this morning on Guantanamo, the detainees and torture was a perfect pitch for Law and wise American values. Cheney, in contrast, sounds like a foolish child who is losing his candy, believing that the world is coming to an end if he can’t have it back. Cheney, in his speech this morning, cites Article II of the Constitution, the article on Presidential authority. His argument is foolish. It will never the less stoke the fire of the rash and ranting opinions from the Right.

With luck and a good deal of just ignoring the Republican dogma, we American’s may be able to pull ourselves out of the mess we’re in. On the one hand our economy is under a strain caused by Libertarian ideology. From another front we are challenged by climate change that appears to have passed the tipping point and we can expect devastation and death to a majority of the human race. The Republican Right Wing’s continued denial of climate change is also cause of our very, very late response to it, and we are likely too late.

Whether we overcome and meet the challenges we face really depends on our ability to ignore the fools. I’m not convinced we can since so many of our citizens seem bent on self destruction. So, for now, the fools still have some power of persuasion. That’s too bad, but it appears to be the way it is.