Friday, July 03, 2009

Bloomberg Endorses The Public Option

NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorses the "public option":
"Today, most Americans get their health coverage from private insurers. A public health insurance option would create a competitor to private insurers that could potentially drive down costs across the board. I support the concept of a public plan, because if it's done right, it means introducing exactly the kind of competition our system needs."
Cue the socialism smears from the right.

Source: NY Daily News

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Sex And The Married Politician

Paul Krugman from last week:
"It’s also notable that conservatives are, in practice, more forgiving of their politicians’ sins than liberals. John Edwards and Eliot Spitzer ended their political careers; Ensign and Vitter are still in the Senate, and Newt Gingrich is out there on the Sunday shows, speaking for the GOP. Why? Because where liberals see gross hypocrisy, conservatives see men doing the Lord’s work — which partially excuses their own failings. Liberals think that a man who has an affair is worse if he preaches moral values; conservatives think he’s better."
I guess that is the difference between democracy and theocracy. You can also add Larry "Wide Stance" Craig [and to a degree Ted Haggard] to the list.

Maybe Mark Sanford can stick it out. All he has to do is keep up with the bible-speak and pay back the trip to Argentina. A modern day Elmer Gantry.

Source: NYT

Mark Sanford's Dating Video

How many times did he use his title to get laid?

A Mark Sanford campaign video from 2002, "Christian Values, Character, Honesty."

Teaching Christian values? Keeping your word? Not wasting taxpayers money?
Committing adultery and lying to your staff as the State pays for your international airfare. Strike one, two and three.

Anyone with any experience in the Recovery Movement (of any flavor) will recognize the signs of addictive insanity. He is lost.

Quinnipiac: Public Option Has Broad Support

If only Washington was not so blinded by the health care lobby and corporate contributors, they would see Americans broadly support the public option:
Although 69 percent of voters nationwide say Americans should have the option of government-run health insurance, only 28 percent would choose to be covered by it, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today.
Not saying people will use, but they want the option. Even 50% of Republicans support it.

The same poll also found that most believe a public option would "keep insurance companies honest."

Source: Quinnipiac

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Facebook Making Posts Public By Default

Better check those security settings.
"One of the most anticipated days in the history of social networking site Facebook has finally come: the company announced today that it has begun making status messages, photos and videos visible to the public at large by default instead of being visible only to a user's approved friends."
I can see the backlash coming. Try explaining those photos you thought were private.

Source: NYT

Michael Jackson Weighed 112 Pounds

Michael Jackson weighed 112 pounds at his death, according to the autopsy. I think he was 6 feet tall. That is freakishly thin.

The Sun reported:
The Sun of London report painted a tragic picture of a 50-year-old man so frail he weighed only 112 pounds and whose stomach contained no food - just semidigested pills.

Several of Jackson's ribs were broken in the frantic attempt to pump life back into his heart. Four needle wounds were near his heart, apparently from failed efforts to restart it by shooting adrenaline directly into the organ.

Jackson had lost most of his hair, and his haggard face was disfigured by 13 plastic surgeries, The Sun said.
Source: NY Daily News

60

Thanks for wasting our time, Norm Coleman. Congratulations to Al Franken and the Democratic Party. Pure class.



Source: HuffPo

Conservative Justices Legislated From The Bench

The catch-all conservative phrase for anyone they do not like is "legislating from the bench" or judicial activist. It's just code to get the Right Wing all hyped up against someone or some ruling, except when it's in their favor.
"NBC News' Chuck Todd notes this morning that the five conservative members of the Supreme Court engaged in some legislating from the bench in yesterday's Ricci ruling."
Joe Scarborough has absolutely no comeback, mouth agape as if blind-sided by Todd's simple observation, claiming he was being polite and would need an hour to explain himself. That's nice. An hour to defend one sentence.



Source: The Washington Monthly

Congress Uses Gov't Run Health Care

Isn't it funny that Congressional Republicans, the very same people who oppose government-paid health insurance plans for Americans, they themselves [as do all Federal employees] use government-paid health insurance plans.

They seem to like them. When will they drop them in support of their hollow rhetoric?

Source: The Constant Weader

The Power Of The Health Care Lobby

Somewhere around 70% of the US wants health care reform and/or a public option.

Around 45+ Senators are currently supporting such reforms.

That goes to show how powerful and influential the Health Care lobby is. And more to the point, how your elected officials are working for corporations instead of you. They can convince them that a failed system that their constituents do not want is still their best option.

Infrastructure's Goal Should Not Be For Profit

via Lee Stranahan:
Every country has infrastructure....

things like law enforcement, plumbing and roads....services that don't turn a profit on their own...

but that make it possible for people and businesses to succeed

The United States is the only wealthy country that doesn't treat health insurance like infrastructure....

and that puts our country and businesses big and small at a disadvantage competing with the rest of the word....

A healthy economy needs healthy citizens and the The Public Option for heath insurance is a great start.


Source: Lee Stranahan

Cheney Transforms Into Weasel [Cont.]

Andrew Sullivan sums up Dick Cheney and his shameless Iraq legacy:
"You could see this coming a mile off: having initiated the worst foreign policy decision in recent times, Cheney doesn't want the occupation to end any time soon. More to the point, he is gearing up to blame Obama if the withdrawal leads to bloodshed or chaos. I predicted this years back and it's quite remarkable to see it come to pass. Every now and again, you lapse into thinking that these people have some lingering trace of shame or accountability or decency. And then Cheney cracks open his mouth and you realize that a man capable of inflicting torture on countless prisoners is capable of pretty much anything."
Cheney creates a war, does the worst pre- and post-invasion planning, spreads destruction and sows the seeds of retribution, wastes millions of lives and trillions of dollars, accomplishes nothing, destroys his political party, then turns around and undermines and slanders the people picking up after his colossal mess.

Source: The Daily Dish