The Public Option Is in the Mail...Just like the Check That Never Comes

After watching the Senate vote at 7:00 AM on December 24 on "Health Care Reform," and after hearing the President say this week that "I never campaigned on the Public Option..." I couldn't help but think about that old lie--"the Check's in the mail..."

Remember the euphoria that we felt when we gained a majority in the House and how optimistic we were when 60 Senators finally had a "D" next to their name and we thought we had a "filibuster proof majority?" Ha! The joke of the century....and it's on us.

And, just a year ago, there was our guy, a different kind of Presidential Candidate, elected by our hard work and above all odds because we listened closely and liked what we heard. Finally, there was someone who talked plainly about what was broken in Washington and what we needed to do to fix it. And boy oh boy, were We going to fix it! Yes We Can...

What a difference a year makes. Principles have been traded for principal.

Our Candidate, who indeed said repeatedly during the Campaign that he would not sign a health care bill without a government-run insurance exchange that all Americans could buy into, has been bought by the special interests that he once said that he deplored.

Monty Hall would not have made as many deals as this guy. Apparently, Monty Hall is a piker compared to Rahm Emanuel...

Let's see who the President (and his brain trust--Axelrod, Emanuel, et. al.) thought were worthy of his attention (largesse) and who should be the beneficiaries of his horse trading.

First, there was a huge giveaway to Big Pharma (followed up 2 weeks ago by support for killing a bill that would allow us--remember us??-- to import drugs from Canada--another campaign promise thrown in the trash). Then there was a mighty handout to the for-profit Hospitals. Next, he outsourced the entire health insurance plan bill to Max Baucus who promptly outsourced the writing of the bill to the highest bidders, the Health Insurance Companies, who wrote the language while crying about how bad it was. "Please don't throw me in that briar patch...."

And how about the ill-fated dating of Olympia Snowe, for the entire summer and most of the Fall? He must have been mesmerized by her widow's peak and couldn't (like the rest of us) hear the words coming out of her mouth... But, We all knew that at the end of the day, Olympia was never going to go to the prom with Barack. And indeed, on Dec. 24, as we knew would happen all along, I heard the Clerk of the Senate record Mrs. Snowe's vote on this watered-down insurance company written bill: "Nay."

Don't even get me started on Dick Liberman. I don't call him Joe anymore--and never will again. He's earned the "Dick" title, forever.

And, Ben Nelson? If he weren't in the Senate, he'd be arrested for extortion. So let me get this straight-- Ben Nelson holds up the entire process, supposedly because he's against the Public Option, but then he let's his vote be bought in order to get free Medicaid for Nebraska? I guess he's just against the rest of us getting cheaper health coverage, huh? Yet, everyone acts as if that's ok--the "normal" negotiation process in the Senate, they called it.

Did you see the Senators all patting themselves on the back after the big vote? Even the 39 who voted "Nay" were acting like buddies with the "D's." "Comity of the Senate," is what the commentators on TV called it. I think they misspelled it-- it should be "comedy" of the Senate--and a tragic comedy at that.

So, in the end, despite all the outsourcing and all the compromising and all the abandonment of anything that will save any money, I was left with one overriding thought at the "end" of this ordeal--these elite 100 people--our so-called "representatives"-- have absolutely nothing in common with us. As a group, they don't give a damn about anyone but themselves and their next election.

So, that leaves it up to us. Do your homework. Make a list of the Senators who don't get it. Support their opponents. Also remind them that we have our own Public Option. The Option to vote for someone else.

As for Barack, until his--"I didn't campaign on the Public Option" lie--I was willing chalk this health care debacle up to his naivety and his inexperience and the inability to find his testicles.

But now, to believe that Barack has not also been bought, would make me naive and blind.

So, when Organizing For America comes calling for my help in the next election, I'll just tell them.... the check's in the mail....

An Open Letter to the County Commission To Preserve Cone Ranch

To the Board of County Commissioners of Hillsborough County, Florida:

I am a 55-year old lifelong resident of Hillsborough County and a person who, like all residents of Tampa, relies upon the Hillsborough River as the sole source of my potable water.

Over the years, I have watched our local governmental officials continuously say “yes” to unbridled development, and as a result, we have, over the last 3 decades, casually caused the disappearance of our natural landscape. I am deeply concerned about the preservation of the Cone Ranch property, and I have been fully supportive of the County Commission’s decision to appoint the Cone Ranch Environmental Advisory Panel to study the issue of Cone Ranch and to make recommendations of what would be the best ways to administer this largest undeveloped contiguous parcel remaining in Hillsborough County.

The Cone Ranch Environmental Advisory Panel overwhelmingly recommended a straight forward, easy to understand, course of action to the BOCC “to direct the Water Resource Services Dept. to convey title to the Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program (ELAPP) of the entire Cone Ranch property. We believe this is the best way to protect, preserve, and restore Cone Ranch in perpetuity.”

It is imperative that the BOCC now immediately adopt ALL of the Final Recommendations of the Advisory Panel, including the one that says: “Time is of the essence and the BOCC needs to take immediate action to transfer Cone Ranch to ELAPP; or if a decision is made in the interim to consolidate water utilities, that his Cone Ranch property will not be a part of that transfer….”

Stories have circulated that the BOCC may consider not following the recommendations of the Cone Ranch Environmental Advisory Panel. Those stories suggest that the BOCC may consider obtaining an appraisal for the Cone Ranch property, and only impose Conservation Easements on the property rather than convey the property to ELAPP where it can be restored and protected in perpetuity.

May I remind you that the citizens of Hillsborough County reauthorized the funding of the ELAPP program just last year in a referendum with the largest majority vote in the history of this County (79%)?

The citizens of Hillsborough County do not need an appraisal of this property. Why spend the money for an appraisal---which is nothing more than one person’s opinion of the value of this property? If you are looking for one person’s opinion of its value, let me give you my opinion of what the value of Cone Ranch is-- without spending thousands of taxpayer dollars for an appraisal—it’s Priceless!

Ask yourselves before voting to hire an appraiser: (1) Why are we spending taxpayer dollars on an appraisal? (2) What “Comparable Sale Properties” are there for the appraiser to use in coming up for his or her opinion of the value of Cone Ranch? There simply aren’t any properties which are comparable to Cone Ranch. It is unique.

And finally, in searching for wisdom in making your decisions as the guardians of our publicly owned lands, please be guided by these thoughts:

“We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children.” (Native American Proverb)

“We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.” (Dr. Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732).

“In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.” (Great Law of the Iroquois)

And finally, please don’t make Ansel Adams’ words ring true. He said, “It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment.”

Please vote to immediately transfer full and complete ownership and control of the Cone Ranch Property to ELAPP.


I've written and sent my letter to the Board of County Commissioners, now it's your turn.

Why Can't We Stop Funding The War?

As I watched the President's speech at West Point, this week, I couldn't help but think of how perfect all of the Cadets looked. Crisp uniforms. Sharply focused eyes. Fit and healthy. Committed and driven. And, oh my, so young.

As the Cadets listened intently to learn what their new mission would be, I could tell from the bewildered looks on their faces that they were hoping for more. So was I.

I was hoping that after all of his careful "studying" of the issue, that President Obama would recognize that there can be no "victory" in Afghanistan. I couldn't help but tear up as I thought of the members of his West Point audience who are essentially being sentenced to death with this horrible decision to escalate the war.

How many of those Cadets will lose limbs, or lose their sharply focused eyes? How many will suffer brain injuries and lose their ability to function normally for the remainder of their lives?How many will suffer that fate during the next 18 months? And for what? So we can keep troops near Pakistan when it hits the fan there? Surely that is the reason that our thinking President wants to keep troops there. Please tell me he doesn't really believe that we can train Afghans to defeat the Taliban in 18 months.....

So, I ask this simple question. If Health Care Reform can be stopped dead in its tracks, why can't funding for this War be stopped? Who will filibuster this?

The President knows we can't afford this war. He admitted so in his speech at West Point.

We can't afford the borrowed principal to fund the cost of one million dollars per soldier per year, or the borrowed interest payments on that ever-increasing national debt, or the loss of human life on both sides of the conflict, or the human casualties on both sides of the conflict, or the stress on the families of our soldiers.

Or the loss of our moral principles....if we still have any left...

Speak out and be heard. Stop this madness. Write to Congress today.

It takes courage to work for Peace. Think of the faces of those Cadets....

Shine The World's Biggest Spotlight On Them!

The more I watch the U.S. Senate, the more disgusted I become. The arcane "Rules" of the Senate are out of touch with the principles of Democracy and majority rule.

There are many instances of Senators abusing and misusing these rules for personal political gain or to hold something up until a project or an appropriation of money is given to his or her State.

Pardon my old fashioned values, but that sounds a bit like extortion. Don't call it "politics," it's extortion--especially if there isn't a bona fide cause for the hold.

As the health care bill torturously creeps through the U.S. Senate toward an up or down vote, we have all become front row spectators to the bizarre "cloture" rule that requires 60 votes to prevent a filibuster so that there can even be a debate on the Senate floor.

But what is an even more egregious Rule than cloture is the "HOLD" that any one Senator can place on anything that comes up for a vote or approval in the Senate. So, for example, if a position in the Federal government requires "Senate Confirmation," what it really means is that we have allowed our elected representatives to create a set of internal rules that allows any one Senator prevent a person's name from ever coming up for a vote by the entire Senate.

The Senatorial Hold has is being used right now by our recently appointed Senator George LeMieux to block the nomination of the next ambassador to Brazil.

So, for any reason, or, if he so chooses, for no reason at all, a man who was appointed by his best friend to a job that no one elected him to, can, for the next 18 months, decide that the United States should not have an Ambassador to the country of Brazil--and, he doesn't have to tell us the reasons why he has placed a "hold" on his nomination.

The St. Petersburg Times article on November 21, 2009, on this issue mentioned a former "hold" by Senator Larry Craig in 2003 that blocked hundreds of unrelated Air Force promotions until his state of Idaho received four C-130 cargo planes for the Idaho National Guard. I ask you again is that politics or extortion? It's clearly an abuse of public power by one person, but our system is so dysfunctional--by design--that it is considered acceptable behavior by Senators. Yet, how many people outside of Washington, D.C. think that is an acceptable system or acceptable personal behavior?

Someone from a small State with a tiny population (e.g. Wyoming), can decide the fate of the political process of the entire country-- and, the Senator doesn't even have to publicize it or give his or her reasons, unless WE do something about it.

For years, these types of things have gone on, largely unnoticed and often unreported because those who do the reporting are "embedded" with these politicians and are largely desensitized to the abuses (and think it's allowed because of these crazy rules, or they otherwise slough it off and label it as "politics" as usual). With the impending death of journalism and newspaper investigative reporting, I am concerned that there will likely be even less reporting of these activities in the future unless we force things to change.

It is time for us to SHINE A LIGHT on these Holds. Publicize them, blog about them, ask questions about them, and demand that these "rules" allowing one American to stop the Senate from acting, come to an end.

When I watch the actions of our Senators, I am reminded of a poignant line from the movie "Nuts" in which Barbara Streisand's character was facing a mental competency hearing in Court, and she was questioning the wisdom of having one particular Judge have the sole power to determine whether or not she was incompetent and unable to make her own decisions, just because her behavior was eccentric and outspoken. "Why does he get to decide what happens to me... What if he's just an asshole with power?...."

Why should any one Senator be able to stop our democracy dead in its tracks?

We must immediately publicize any Holds that are placed on any legislation or any appointments and SHINE A LIGHT ON THESE SENATORS TO EXPLAIN THEIR BEHAVIOR. There may well be valid reasons for their actions and if so, they should have to tell us and not keep their actions a secret, in the shadows.

Turn on your spotlights, people, and start looking for these "holds" and start reporting them on the internet. Seek out progressive investigative reporters and inform them of your findings. Write letters to the Editor. Demand explanations. Make Democracy work and stop this hostage situation from being routinely employed and accepted.

Wouldn't it be great if this "Rule" became an embarrassing thing that people in the Senate no longer use because there's just too much heat under those bright lights?

Remember "I've Got A Secret?" ....It's Back....

In the 1950's and 60's there was a TV game show called "I've Got a Secret." A mystery guest would appear and whisper to the Host what his or her secret was, and the celebrity panelists would play a game of "20 questions" to try to guess the secret. The audience at home would be clued in by a message on the bottom of the screen.

Flash forward to 2009 for the current version of the I've Got A Secret game. In today's version, we know what the "guest" does, we just don't know who the "guest" is. The celebrity panelists are the members of the Florida Legislature and the Governor. And, unfortunately, the folks watching all of this at home aren't being given any messages on the bottom of the screen.

The guest is an agent for undisclosed parties. The guest's name is Florida Energy Associates, LLC, a company formed by a Daytona Beach lawyer in 2008 to represent unknown parties who want to drill for oil off the coast of Florida.

It's not a secret that Florida Energy Associates, LLC has hired lots of lobbyists and is reportedly spending lots of money to try to convince the panelists to allow offshore oil drilling within nine miles of our beautiful Florida coastline. So far, however, this guest hasn't answered any of the important questions--the most important one being--EXACTLY WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO GET OIL LEASES FOR?

And guess, what? So far, according to a recent St. Petersburg Times article, Florida Energy Associates has refused to say who they are representing, and furthermore, they don't intend to disclose the names of their principals who will apply for the oil leases until after the law is changed. (Talk about putting the cart before the horse....)

In other words, Florida Energy Associates believes that it's none of our business. They've got a secret.

All we have is a pristine coastline that's at risk of being irreparably destroyed. So I say that it's high time that the panelists on this game show (the Florida Legislature) REQUIRE THE GUEST TO ANSWER THAT IMPORTANT QUESTION or get sent home (without a copy of the home game).

Don't the members of the Florida Legislature care if the oil drillers have the financial wherewithal to pay for the clean up of their spills?

Do we even know how much it would cost in cleanup costs alone if they (WHOEVER THEY ARE) were allowed to put "new, state of the art, safe drilling platforms"-- like the one that is presently leaking off the coast of Australia (and has been for weeks)-- within sight of our beautiful beaches?

How can the Legislature even consider allowing drilling without knowing the costs of cleanup, the potential loss of sales tax revenue from a spill, the loss of property values from a spill, and the identity of the drillers who would be responsible?

Don't the members of the Florida Legislature want to know if the drillers might be the Chinese, the Saudi's, Hugo Chavez, Bernie Madoff, Kim Jung Il, al Qaeda, or anyone else???????

Don't we care who is "setting up shop" right offshore from Clearwater Beach?

We've now seen the pilot show of the new version of "I've Got A Secret." It's time to cancel this show. Let's face facts, it's been a bad concept since the 60's. Although I hear it's still running in syndication in Texas. Let it stay there.

It's called Due Diligence, and our Florida Legislature needs to engage in it and needs to start asking LOTS OF QUESTIONS and DEMAND LOTS OF ANSWERS, UNDER OATH. Let this bill never hit the floor of either house, or let the hearings begin (and televise them)!

We're In Uncharted Waters, Only There's No Water

Eight years and counting. Twice as long as World War II, approaching the length of the Viet Nam War. No end in sight. No clear mission in sight. No end to the suffering of the soldiers and their families.

Our soldiers have done their duty. It is our civilian leaders who need to act like civilians and stop this endless war.

On this day when we honor our Veterans, what better honor could we bestow upon them than exercising sound judgment to preserve their lives?

Do we ask who is supplying the weapons and bullets being fired at our soldiers? Why don't we ask? Are we afraid we might discover that it is our own defense industry who has sold arms around the world that are now being used to kill our soldiers?

Do we ask how much this endless war is costing our nation in lives lost and borrowed dollars spent? Why not?

Do we discuss making the War "budget neutral" by paying for it with a War Tax (in the same way that we demand that health care reform legislation be "paid for")? Why not?

Why is there no concern that we are increasing the deficit with every bullet that is fired, every MRE that a soldier eats, every no bid contract that Halliburton receives? Why is stopping those discussions always "off the table?"

Why are we trying to build other nations while ours is in crisis and in need of repair?

Do we stop the Stop Loss program and the endless tours of duty that are destroying our troops and their families? Why not?

Do we consider the impacts of the mental illnesses being inflicted on our soldiers? Are we prepared for more Post Traumatic Stress Disorder incidents at home and abroad? Certainly, we don't expect these tragedies to decrease, do we?

When will we adequately fund the mental health needs of our Veterans when they return? We haven't yet. When will we begin to do so?

Why don't we provide health care benefits for all of our Veterans through the VA and not just those Veterans who have a service-related injury? Surely we owe them more.

It's long past time to honor our Veterans and our soldiers by ending these 2 wars and bringing our troops home where they belong. We can honor our active duty soldiers and Veterans through sensible policies and by finally giving them sufficient benefits. They have more than earned them.

After 8 years, it should be clear that we remain stranded in uncharted waters. Let's hope we can find our moral compass soon.....

One Year Later, Has "Yes We Can" Been Replaced By "No I Won't?"

November 4, 2008, was an exciting, historic day. Democrats and Independents answered the call of "Yes We Can" in record numbers, with a voter turnout never seen before.

Thousands gathered and cheered in Grant Park--many of whom had tears streaming down their faces, never believing they would ever live to see a black man elected as President of the United States. The Obama family was warmly greeted on that cool evening by that loving crowd, as a waive of optimism spread across our country and across the world for a new direction for America. Film footage of spontaneous celebrations from all around the world startled us all.

There was a great deal of optimism in the promises of Hope and Change. For the first time in a long time, there was a feeling that we were not only going to change directions as a country, but there were many transgressions of the previous 8 years that needed to be rectified.

"Yes We Can" was firmly rooted in Candidate Obama's promises of ending the war in Iraq; re-evaluating the war in Afghanistan; providing universal health care for all Americans and paying for it by ending the tax cuts for the richest 2%; closing Guantanimo Bay and providing real trials for those prisoners in which they would be apprised of the charges and evidence against them and not held indefinitely without knowing the charges against them; ending torture and rendition of political prisoners to black site prisons in other countries known to torture; ending warrantless wiretapping of Americans; ending Presidental "signing statements" and restoring the importance of the rule of law as the foundation of our democracy; regulating the banks and brokerage firms on Wall Street so that reckless investment schemes could not again bring us to the brink of financial collapse; creating green jobs for the future; recognizing the importance of science both in terms of stem cell research and in combating global warming; talking to our enemies and using diplomacy instead of bombs as a first option; advancing civil rights of all Americans regardless of race or sexual preference; practicing bi-partisanship and reducing the influence of lobbyists and special interest groups; ending the politicalization of the Justice Department; providing better care and treatment for our veterans; and improving the quality of our educational system so that we can compete in the world economy. (Just to name a few.)

Never before had a President assumed office with so many serious problems. The task was, and remains, daunting. There are few quick fixes.

I understand that there are severe institutional problems in not being able to control the legislative branch, but there are many things that can be accomplished through executive orders and choosing the right people to work in the exectutive branch. It's those things that the President can control--that he isn't charging quickly enough and aggressively on-- that make me wonder if I'm going to have to "keep the Change"....

For the Progressives and Independents who have been waiting a long time for the above mentioned Changes to occur, the bold assertions that "Change is Coming" and "Yes We Can" have been brushed aside.

It's hard to implement changes on Wall Street when you choose Timothy Geithner and Larry Summers as your agents of change. They were part of creating the problems that led to the financial crisis and they cannot be expected to point the fingers at themselves. "Too big to fail" is not a policy we can allow to continue. Yet, it has and will under the current administration.

In the area of ending warrantless wiretapping, rendition, and providing real trials for the prisoners at Guantanimo Bay, this might as well be the third term of George W. Bush. I see no policy Changes whatsoever.

When Barack Obama was a state senator in Illinois, there is film footage of him saying that he strongly supported a single payer health care system (and recognized it as the only way to provide health care for all and to reduce costs), but in order to accomplish that, he said that "we would first need to control the House, the Senate and the White House..." Well, guess what, that's what the American people voted for, and yet, notwithstanding the mandate provided by the electorate to the Democrats, President Obama promptly set his sights much, much lower.

First of all, the President outsourced the health care bills to Congress, refused to adequately use his bully pulpit and extraordinarily high approval ratings to hammer home real health care reform. To this day, the President refuses to clearly state what it is that he really wants in "his" health care reform.

Single payer could not even be debated? Passing it might not have been possible, but not standing up for the principle and talking about it is unforgiveable. If not now, when? Never even discussing single payer (and taking it off the table from the start) was a huge tactical error and a stab in the back to his base--and a betrayal of his own beliefs.

Despite the promises to end the business as usual with lobbyists and special interest groups, a back room deal was quickly struck with Big Pharma that prevents the ability to reduce drug costs through volume purchasing discounts (another often mentioned idea during the campaign). It didn't take long to sweep that noble idea under the rug in the Oval Office, now did it?

By the way he's acting now, I wonder if the President would sell his soul for one solitary Republican vote on the health care bill? While the ihe idea of bi-partisanship was noble, initially, how long do we have to watch the continuous "dance" with the party of "No" before we want to scream?

Olympia Snowe's one-time vote for a watered down bill that forces more purchasing of higher priced health insurance from the same unregulated companies that have brought us to this untenable place is not exactly the Change I was hoping for when I cast my ballot a year ago.

I recall promises about fixing "Don't ask, don't tell." Couldn't that policy be rendered unenforceable with an Executive Order? Don't ask.

Four years after Katrina, would we finally build a hospital in New Orleans? Perhaps as a useful expenditure of stimulus money? No We Can't. (He even did his own version of the New Orleans fly-over recently. The President would love to stay longer and talk about "rebuilding" New Orleans, but he's off to a fundraiser in San Francisco).

To hear Tea Baggers and some Republicans talk about the President (and how they want their country back, etc.), you'd think he was a raving liberal. Quite the contrary. To date the President has been conservative and slow to push for the Change that he promised in the Campaign. He has in many instances continued the policies of the Bush administration and has catered far more to Republicans than to his base.

Don't get me wrong. I'm thankful to have an intelligent, thoughtful, articulate man as our President. But, measured against the bar that he set in the election, his actions have not lived up to the hype--at least not yet.

And one year later, I'm wondering if real Change will ever come. Until I see some progressive changes, I'm off the Kool-Aid.

What were Pete Townsend's immortal words in The Who's classic song "Won't Get Fooled Again?" "Meet the new boss, just the same as the old boss...."

For the sake of our country, and my sanity, I sure hope not.