A conservative government is an organized hypocrisy. ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881) (Who was a conservative himself.)
The wild response to health care reform becoming law has exposed the dangerous state of the Republican Party. For today’s G.O.P. is, fully and finally, the party of Ronald Reagan — not Reagan the pragmatic politician, who could and did strike deals with Democrats, but Reagan the antigovernment fanatic, who warned that Medicare would destroy American freedom. It’s a party that sees modest efforts to improve Americans’ economic and health security not merely as unwise, but as monstrous. It’s a party in which paranoid fantasies about the other side — Obama is a socialist, Democrats have totalitarian ambitions — are mainstream. And, as a result, it’s a party that fundamentally doesn’t accept anyone else’s right to govern.
In the short run, Republican extremism may be good for Democrats, to the extent that it prompts a voter backlash. But in the long run, it’s a very bad thing for America. We need to have two reasonable, rational parties in this country. And right now we don’t.
There's been such a divisiveness in our country. Such a darkness that has settled on people's spirits. It's almost like it's sucking the life out of the world.
Almost like media, giant corporations and many politicians are conspiring against the average American citizen. Lining their players up in order to control the masses.
Like they're dementors.
Circling and waiting for us to get tired...
And then, when the timing is right, they'll swoop in and devour the goodness, our souls right out of us...
I know this all sounds very dramatic, and maybe it's just because it's the end of February. But, I can't help feeling a wickedness in our social and political climate right now.
And I believe that besides ignorance, which breeds fear, that the main cause of this shadow, once it's whittled down, boils down to people looking outside themselves for something to make them happy. That on an individual level, it's about wanting more. And that more will never be enough.
Whether it's a CEO sick with greed, hoping to fill a void that he or she has always had... And by being financially successful, that this will make up for that emptiness that resides somewhere in them.
Or whether it's a politician, hoping that the recognition of holding an office will be some kind of an award of esteem. That power will fulfill them.
Or whether it's a parent. Working too late and too much in order keep up with the neighbors or others' expectations? Thinking that their children need more things, need to be involved in more activities, need this and that when really, the kid just wants their parent's attention and presence. (I'm talking of extremes here, not someone working their tail off to put food on the table.)
They're diluted to think that "more" will eventually be enough. That it's just right around that next corner. It will always be right around the next corner... All the while walking on Greed Street, USA.
Whether it's money or power, it boils down to greed. And greed is a symptom of lacking in something else, some stealth vacuity inside themselves.
And I firmly believe that if you're not happy without it, you're not going to be happy with it. Whatever that IT may be.
I grew up thinking something different. And hoping for something different. So, I believe in something different.
I believe that we're all interconnected. All fingers on the same hand, limbs on the same body. All waves in the same ocean. All sentient beings a part of one being. That there really is no "us" and "them". That it's all US. And I don't believe this is exclusive to humans, but to ALL life.
That we are a part of everything else. And everything else is a part of us. And it has always been this way. And it always will be... in some form or another.
Therefore, if we're in this giant mess together, and I ain't NEVER gonna get my stank ass away from you crazy bishes and your stank asses, then I also believe that the better off someone else is, in turn, this will help me as well. That to insure someone else's happiness, is to insure my own. And thus, we'll all be better off.
And it certainly doesn't hurt and never fails that every time I'm able to help someone, whether it's as simple as listening (which isn't always so "simple"), or something requiring more effort, I never feel so alive as when I do.
So, in regards to the healthcare reform debate, I've written quite a bit.
And when I think of our interconnectedness. And the healthcare debate and the corporate greed that's poisoning the American spirit. When I think of the freedom and welfare of all people, I can't help thinking of a brave woman, standing out in all kinds of weather.
She stands decidedly, unwavering in her mission.
It doesn't matter what kind of storm is brewing, she stands.
Looking out to sea for those that are trying to find their way...
I was always so proud of what she represents.
And as an adult, she affects me no less deeply than she did when I was a child.
Her message resonates with me to my very core...
And I hope I never, NEVER forget that.
The New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame,
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Those words dampen my eyes with humility and pride every time.
Today is a virtual march on Washington. People are signing more petitions, MoveOn is sending faxes and people are calling their members of Congress. If you're so inclined, please feel free to take part. And here are six easy ways to do so:
Virtual March for Real Health Care Reform (When you sign up, they'll prepare faxes in your name and send them to your senators. They'll also send you a reminder to call Congress.)
While Senator-elect Scott Brown (R-MA) now says that Massachusetts shouldn’t subsidize federal health care reform, in October of 2009 the then-mostly unknown candidate Brown bragged that his state “took money that was coming from the federal government” rather than raise taxes to pay for its 2006 health care overhaul. During the radio interview with WRKO, Brown also defended the individual and employer health care mandates and admitted that the public option “may be good for other parts of the country“. (source)
Brown implied that the federal government needs to play a role in reforming the health care system and stressed that the federal dollars have helped insure residents who “don’t have any care whatsoever.” “Until they change the federal rules regarding health care and health care coverage for all, and we have to continue to support the folks hare in Massachusetts to keep them healthy,” he said.
"You will now be forced to buy insurance. If you don't, you'll pay a fine," said Dean, a physician. "It's an insurance company bailout." Interviewed on ABC's "Good Morning America," he said the bill has some good provisions, "but there has to be a line beyond which you think the bill is bad for the country."
"This is an insurance company's dream," the former Democratic presidential candidate said. "This is the Washington scramble, and it's a shame."
Dean asserted that the Senate's health care bill would not prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage for preexisting conditions and he also said it would allow the industry to charge older people far more than others for premiums.
The following video is disturbing, but completely mesmerizing and once I picked my strong, sexy, defined yet sophisticated jaw (my pointy chin) up off the floor, I must admit I began to snicker. And after the shock wore off, I can't help guffawing at these people... It leads me to believe that when people like this have diarrhea, they must rub their 4 brain cells together to remind themselves that they're actually not melting.
"MMAAA!! WHAT'S HHAAPPENIN'?? I'M MELTIN'!!"
Ma, "Oh Junior, we done beeen through dis beefor. Ya gots the sheets is all."
Junior, "Oh... tha's right. I remembers nows, Mama. Well, thanks baby Jesus. Thanks for not meltin' me and my Ma. Even though it smells like we is. Aamen. And puleeze tell Santa I said, "Hi". Now, aamen."
There's just too many wonderful things to quote from this footage. But, here's a few;
"BOYCOTT HOLLYWOOD AND ALL OF THE COMMIES!!! MCCARTHY AND JOHN WAYNE WERE RIGHT!!"
"STOP THE SPENDING OR LEARN CHINESE!!"
"IIii'addd liiike to see a Chreeestiiun in the Whiiite House."
And look for her later in the clip (she won't be difficult to spot), when she starts crying it's just so fucking money.
The CZAR comments are truly awe-inspiring...
And my favorite?
"It hasn't even been a year yet and he's destroyed MOST of the country! I mean, come on! That's crazy!"
You guys, it's true. I mean... this is my neighborhood since Barack took office in January,
And the White House has honed a laser that just this morning came shooting out of President Obama's hole and it destroyed this car on my street!
That's the paperboy running for his life.
And Barack's honed-laser hole struck for the first time just last week at a Mary Kay Convention in Tampa!
Those used to be brilliant, shinny, pink Cadillacs belonging to some of the TOP Mary Kay reps in the NATION. Barack Obama HATES Mary Kay.
The media is SO liberal, they're not reporting it though. It's just FUCKING TERRIBLE!!
YOU GUYS!! IF WE DON'T STOP BARACK OBAMA'S HOLE NOW,
Well, there's NO TELLING WHAT COULD HAPPEN!!!
RUUNNN FEERR YER CHREEESSTTIIUNN LIIIVVEESSSZZ, FFUUUKKERRS!!!
"The reasons CIGNA did not want to give you your records is that they've known… way back for years that you've had cancer and they're not going to treat you." - Jo Joshua Godfrey, CIGNA Insurance Customer, re-telling independent doctor's diagnosis
The other day, after I posted this to my Twitter and Facebook pages, a friend of mine left the following comment:
"I worked for Cigna in the mid 90's. I saw how many claims they denied back then. As a customer service rep, we were only allowed to spend 3 min per call/customer, if you spent more time you were fired. Ever try to research multiple claim denials in less than 3 min? Can't be done. Karma bus is a comin' for Hanway and his cronies." - Holly
Is American private medicine really doing a good job? "One of the more frequent criticisms leveled at the proposal for a U.S. public health care option is that the government would do an inadequate job in delivering health services. Embedded in that criticism is an assertion that the current private health care system is doing a good job at providing needed medical services for Americans."
SOME type of public option should be included in this health care reform. Get Involved. I'm calling my senators again. And if you're so inclined to do the same, you can find your senators' phone numbers here.
They truly are criminals. Cigna actually murders. If you think otherwise, you're fooling yourself. Denying coverage is murder. Just not at the end of a smoking gun, a baseball bat or a drunk driver's car. But, it's still murder. For profit no less. And they're getting away with it. And not only that, people are still PAYING them for it.
I received the following excerpts from a friend of mine today;
****"Our "moral imperative" as Americans is to get this done. Do not be the silent majority...speak out for the 12,000,000 people who have lost their health care. People are dying because they are being denied coverage for necessary treatments. We must ask ourselves why this has taken 40 years to get done?
How is it moral and justified for senior citizens to be fed lies about losing their Medicare and that "death panels" will decide whether they will be allowed to live or die? Where were all these people when Bush spent millions of dollars on a needless war that cost thousands of lives? This is not a partisan issue ...it is an American issue! It is not a racial issue...it is an American issue!
The Health Care Industry is spending $ 2,000,000 a day to fight this reform. Ask yourselves why? Why have Health Care insurance costs risen as much as 43% while services have diminished?
Our voices do count! Put an end to the rantings of the lunatic fringe who call themselves "patriotic" Americans and Christians. The lunatic fringe who won't allow their children to listen to a speech by the President on staying in school and working hard no matter what your background is. The lunatic fringe who won't allow a healthy debate in a town hall meeting and shouted down the woman in a wheelchair who feared that her home would be lost because of her health care costs. They will not rest until they take down Obama and therein lies the problem. Ask yourself if you want to be a part of that.
We are better than this......so please speak out and stand up for what is just and right!!!!!! September 11 brought us together as a nation and so should this!
Peace" ****
It was very well-put and true.
I'm so fricking tired of people comparing President Obama to Hitler. And screaming "SOCIALIST". They don't even know what that means... They've been caught up truly, in lunacy. And the really unfortunate part? They have guns.
But, before I get carried away on a tangent, let's just very briefly look at some of our allies that lean toward socialistic ideals.
According to a report released by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), happiness levels are highest in "socialist" European countries like Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. While the U.S. didn't even make it to the top 10. (source)
Sweden mostly consists of private industry, but many well-funded government social programs are offered. Universal healthcare and government-provided education at all levels is made available.
They may lean towards socialist societies, but they're still democracies.
And the last time I checked, Sweden wasn't oppressing its citizens, but taking care of them. Nor is Sweden taking over the world, unless you include Ikea.
And besides, we already have socialized medicine here in the States. It's called the VA and Medicare.
People don't even know what the fuck they're mad about. They don't even know what's going on, but they're sure pissed about it.
"How much easier it is to be critical than to be correct." -Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881)
I have a different theory. Is it any wonder that Joe "You Lie" Wilson is from South Carolina? Does anyone remember from their American History classes that a vital transcription was left out of the Declaration of Independence because of greedy businessmen (racist plantation owners) in Georgia and South Carolina?
A portion of the original draft of the Declaration of Independence denouncing slavery was removed from the final document in order to secure the unanimous vote needed for approval, Georgia and South Carolina refused to vote for independence as long as this paragraph was in the Declaration. (source)
Imagine... Imagine what our country would be like if it had been born without slavery. If it had truly been born with all people created equal.
I have a distinct feeling that no matter WHAT President Obama proposes, these bigot hillbillies are going to have something to say. And it will never be based in logic. (Health Care Debate Based on Total Lack of Logic)
Where were these dumb fuckers when we were about to invade a sovereign nation that had NOTHING to do with 9/11? Where were they when we started learning of the cost of that un-necessary war and the no-bid contracts that followed for companies that had ties to that administration??
And as a veteran myself, HOW DARE they not march against that administration that NEEDLESSLY put our service men and women in harm's way. That administration toyed with lives. Literally sent people to their deaths, all cloaked in lies. And these pieces of shit did nothing. They probably sat on their dumb, trash asses watching Nascar.
And where were these dumb fuckers when our rights were being eroded away in front of our very eyes and we were on the precipice of a fascist state? Fascist America, in 10 easy steps
And who, pray tell, were fascists?
That's Mussolini in case you didn't recognize him standing right side up. (As opposed to being hung upside down in Piazzale Loreto, Milan.)
And of course, this sick fuck.
They were fascists, not socialists. There's a difference.
And when I think of true "Socialists", people that we idolize in history who would most likely seem to be the ones most inclined to take care of the needy, the meek and the weak? Who would seem most likely to be inclined to SHARE??
Well, the first two I think of are;
Big Mama-T
And
Jazzy J.C.
Yeah, bishes... THINK about it. Mother Teresa was all, "Here, have my soup and we can split this Budweiser." And Jesus was all, "Here, have my sneakers and you can borrow my i-pod." Or something like that...
These extremist freaks who consider themselves "Christians" would kill Jesus Christ all over again. They'd be the first in line to tell him to sell more fish to pay for his cancer treatment, even if his cancer was preventing him from being able to fish in the first place.
The emotional fervor that is being stoked in this country is breeding a dangerous environment that has a very possible, violent outcome. And it's not just on the fringe.
This is me completely losing my fucking mind and spilling my scotch... I mean, tea.
This is me if there's NO PUBLIC OPTION IN THIS TUB OF HEALTH CARE BULLSHIT.
(Alright, so these photos are a disaster, but please... I DARE you to tell me that my neck doesn't look HAWT in that last pic!! I TRIPLE DING-DONG DARE YOU!)
So, some of you may remember I have a pre-existing condition that I almost died from 10 years ago? If you missed those posts, or are new to my blog, or you just wish to be tortured all over again, you may read them here:
"A majority of personal bankruptcies in this country are caused by medical costs. And a majority of those people who are going bankrupt because of their medical costs? Actually HAVE health insurance."
Former Gov. Dean calls public option indispensable Dean urged the Obama administration to stand by statements made early on in the debate in which it steadfastly insisted that such a public option was indispensable to genuine change, saying that Medicare and the Veterans Administration are "two very good programs that have been around for a long time."
The health care insurance industry (because it IS an industry) needs A WHOLE LOTTA ENEMAS, Y'ALL...
Q: Does the health care legislation bill promote "mercy killing," or euthanasia?
A: No.
Q: Then what's all the fuss about?
A: A provision in the House bill written by Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., would allow Medicare to pay doctors for voluntary counseling sessions that address end-of-life issues. The conversations between doctor and patient would include living wills, making a close relative or a trusted friend your health care proxy, learning about hospice as an option for the terminally ill, and information about pain medications for people suffering chronic discomfort.
The sessions would be covered every five years, more frequently if someone is gravely ill.
Q: Is anything required?
Monsignor Charles Fahey, 76, a Catholic priest who is chairman of the board of the National Council on Aging, a nonprofit service and advocacy group, says no.
"We have to make decisions that are deliberative about our health care at every moment," Fahey said. "What I have said is that if I cannot say another prayer, if I cannot give or get another hug, and if I cannot have another martini — then let me go."
Q: Does the bill advocate assisted suicide?
A: No. It would block funds for counseling that presents suicide or assisted suicide as an option.
Q: Who supports the provision?
A: The American Medical Association, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and Consumers Union are among the groups supporting the provision. AARP, the seniors' lobby, is taking out print advertisements this week that label as false the claim that the legislation will empower the government to take over life-and-death decisions from individuals.
Q: Should the federal government be getting involved with living wills and end-of-life questions — decisions that are highly personal and really difficult?
A: It already is.
The government requires hospitals to ask adult patients if they have a living will, or "advance directive." If the patient doesn't have one, and wants one, the hospital has to provide assistance. The mandate on hospitals was instituted during a Republican administration, in 1992, under President George H.W. Bush.
I really hate giving her any "air time" at all. However, this fucking asshole is spreading not just "mis-information", she's LYING. SHE'S A LYING PIECE OF SHIT. She's actually a detriment to progress and a shit-smeared hemorrhoid on America's ass. And she should stick to cutting the heads off fish... Or whatever it is that she used to do up there.
And speaking of "fish", Barracudas are attracted to shiny objects... So, it really shouldn't surprise anyone that "Sarah-Barracuda" is a media-whore. She'll say anything (obviously) to get a flash.
And one more thing before I'm done with my rant, that American Flag pin on her lapel? As though that's all it takes to be a good American?? She's no patriot... I'd like to stick that pin straight up her lying-ass. And then, she can go pay a doctor to retrieve it. Maybe she can go to the same doctor that gave her that lobotomy so long ago...
The blatant and not-so blatant sabotage that's happening in our country today regarding health care reform is nothing short of criminal. People's lives are actually at stake and once again, people's ignorance and lack of education and being informed is about to do us all in...
The greed from our health insurance companies shouldn't be surprising, if you're paying attention, but it's still astounding to me.
These people are nothing short of criminals. Their murders are just more covert... and indirect and go under the guise of untreated diseases and illnesses. But, they're killing nonetheless. And if you think otherwise, you're mistaken.
Republicans Propagating Falsehoods in Attacks on Health-Care Reform By Steven Pearlstein, The Washington Post, August 7, 2009
As a columnist who regularly dishes out sharp criticism, I try not to question the motives of people with whom I don't agree. Today, I'm going to step over that line.
The recent attacks by Republican leaders and their ideological fellow-travelers on the effort to reform the health-care system have been so misleading, so disingenuous, that they could only spring from a cynical effort to gain partisan political advantage. By poisoning the political well, they've given up any pretense of being the loyal opposition. They've become political terrorists, willing to say or do anything to prevent the country from reaching a consensus on one of its most serious domestic problems.
There are lots of valid criticisms that can be made against the health reform plans moving through Congress -- I've made a few myself. But there is no credible way to look at what has been proposed by the president or any congressional committee and conclude that these will result in a government takeover of the health-care system. That is a flat-out lie whose only purpose is to scare the public and stop political conversation.
Under any plan likely to emerge from Congress, the vast majority of Americans who are not old or poor will continue to buy health insurance from private companies, continue to get their health care from doctors in private practice and continue to be treated at privately owned hospitals. . . .
The Republican lies about the economics of health reform are also heavily laced with hypocrisy.
While holding themselves out as paragons of fiscal rectitude, Republicans grandstand against just about every idea to reduce the amount of health care people consume or the prices paid to health-care providers -- the only two ways I can think of to credibly bring health spending under control.
When Democrats, for example, propose to fund research to give doctors, patients and health plans better information on what works and what doesn't, Republicans sense a sinister plot to have the government decide what treatments you will get. By the same wacko-logic, a proposal that Medicare pay for counseling on end-of-life care is transformed into a secret plan for mass euthanasia of the elderly.
Government negotiation on drug prices? The end of medical innovation as we know it, according to the GOP's Dr. No. Reduce Medicare payments to overpriced specialists and inefficient hospitals? The first step on the slippery slope toward rationing.
Can there be anyone more two-faced than the Republican leaders who in one breath rail against the evils of government-run health care and in another propose a government-subsidized high-risk pool for people with chronic illness, government-subsidized community health centers for the uninsured, and opening up Medicare to people at age 55? . . . (more and source)
