Charlie Crist was born to run. He simply loves to run for office. Unlike most politicians who detest fundraising, Charlie loves to raise money to run for office.
Charlie loves to run so much that when he wins, he can't wait to leave that office and run for the next higher office.
He loves running around the State for photo ops and he loves running for exercise. He loves running to personal appearances at public gatherings where he can charm a crowd with warm homespun cliches about how "Florida is a shining state on a hill" or remind us how he is "the People's Governor."
Unfortunately, the only thing that Charlie doesn't like running is the State of Florida.
As Governor, Charlie hasn't done much, now has he?
Unlike Jeb, who was an agenda setter extraodinare (albeit not a good agenda, but there was never a doubt that it was Jeb's agenda nonetheless), Charlie is at the other end of the leadership spectrum. Charlie has adopted the role of a spectator, or perhaps a cheerleader, but not a leader. By the relaxed way that he acts, if you didn't know better, you'd think that Charlie has already fixed all of the State's problems (and that's why he's looking for another job).
But the last time I checked, we're experiencing a vast number of problems for Charlie to address right now (when he's not dialing for dollars for his Senate campaign).
Charlie, in case you haven't noticed, here is what is happening to our "Shining State on the Hill:"
1. We're still near the bottom of all of the states in the country in education funding and test scores (thank goodness for Mississippi);
2. We have an unemployment crisis, with no relief in sight;
3. One-fourth of Floridians under age 65 have no health insurance;
4. Home foreclosures are at an all time high;
5. Our Republican-controlled state government didn't balance the budget last year and had to rely on more than 4 billion dollars in Federal Stimulus Funds to "balance the budget;"
6. We still have a homeowner's insurance crisis with too much loss exposure being guaranteed by Citizens Insurance Company, while Charlie is driving private insurers out of the state (thank goodness we haven't had any hurricanes during the last three years);
7. More people moved out of Florida last year than moved into the State--for the first time since WWII;
8. Tourism is down;
9. Sales tax revenues are down, documentary stamp tax revenues are down, and intangible tax revenues are down;
10. Property values are down 50%, yet property taxes have not dropped appreciably.
Charlie promised us a lot of things when he was running the last time. Most of all, he promised us that he would be the Governor for an entire 4-year term if he was elected. Yet, two years into his term, he pulled a Sarah Palin, and basically quit to run for Senate. At least Sarah had the decency to give up the State salary while deciding what to do with the rest of her life. Charlie just plays Governor while he draws the Governor's salary and does his campaign fundraising.
Remember the campaign ads that Charlie ran which showed an "empty chair" and criticized his opponent, Jim Davis, for missing votes in Congress while he was running for governor against Charlie? I can't help but think about that empty chair that now sits in Charlie's office in the Governor's mansion. First of all, he's never in the chair--because he's busy running around the state running for Senate. But even when he's physically in Tallahassee, he's also figuratively "not in the chair" because he is AWOL as a Governor and is not proposing ANY solutions for the 10 things listed above that need to be worked on right now. The budget crisis isn't going away, and this year there will be no Stimulus Money to plug the holes.
While Charlie's chair (and his suit) are empty, I'm still waiting for my property taxes and homeowner's insurance premiums to "drop like a rock" as Charlie promised. Unfortunately, my property's value is the only thing that has dropped like a rock under Charlie's "watch."
And worst of all, Charlie is running away from his current job in hopes that he can get elected to the Senate before Floridians wake up and realize how badly he has performed as our Governor. He knows that if he served as Governor for 8 years, there would be no way for him to hide from his dismal record. He's counting on his charm as a retail politician and he's counting on Floridians' general sense of apathy to try to run away to Washington, D.C. before we wake up and realize what hit us.
Can someone give me a reason why we shouldn't be screaming for Charlie to do his present job?
And, for the life of me, I can't understand why we would want to give him a promotion....
Friday, October 30, 2009
A Failed Business Plan
I have to expand my business in another country. My business plan calls for continuous expansion. It's what we do. My suppliers need me to continuously expand so that they can all make lots of money.
There are a few significant problems, however.
First of all, I don't have ANY money for this expansion. I'll need to borrow every penny.
Secondly, I have serious concerns about the stability of the government in the country where I want to operate my stores. The government could fail at any minute and they may not want me to be there once I get my stores open.
Third, this is a very dangerous place to set up my business, but I can deal with that part. I'll heavily arm my employees and authorize my employees to kill anyone that they have to. My employees aren't exactly thrilled about my idea to expand our business into this country, but they are very loyal to me, and luckily for me, they are under iron clad employment contracts. They can go to jail if they refuse to go where I send them. And, fortunately for me, I don't have to pay them exorbitant amounts to send them there. But actually, in my business plan, costs don't really matter. All that matters is that we continuously expand.
If my employees don't have some of the skills or equipment that I need to set up my business, I can get other companies to do the work on an independent contractor basis, and my business plan doesn't require me to look at how much they are charging me. My bankers have promised to fund the loan for my business regardless of these impediments. I'm so glad I don't have that headache of balancing a budget for my business.
Another potential problem is that I'm not sure that the people in the country of expansion either need my product or want it. Yet, I'm not overly concerned with that. I've got a business to run and they'll eventually want me to be there, I'm sure. They just don't know how great I am and how much they need what I'm selling.
My managers keep assuring me that they can create a successful store if I'll just send the employees over quickly. They think they may be able to set up our stores if we send at least 40,000 employees, but it may take 10 years or more to get the stores set up and we may need several hundred thousand employees to set up our store.
In order to fill my staffing needs, I'm going to have to pull people out of other jobs here in the U.S. and send them over to my new stores for the next year or so. I'm sure their families will understand. I'm also sure that some of them may not come back in tact, so I'll need to plan for sending replacement employees and for dealing with the medical needs of those who come back home too injured to work in my stores. (Note to self: This is one area where our company may be able to save a few dollars. We'll need to appoint a subcommittee to study that).
But wait a minute, I thought you said that your bankers don't care how much things cost? Why wouldn't you just get your bankers to pay anything that you need to care for your sick or injured workers (or to take care of the families of those who get killed in setting up the stores)?
I can't believe you asked me that question. You obviously aren't a business person. You see, my business plan thrives on expansion of the business, and building the business, not taking care of its workers. You just don't understand this business. What's wrong with you focusing on the human cost of the business? You must be a Communist.
Did I mention that no outsiders have ever set up a store in this country over thousands of years? Don't worry....we'll get it done---we're different, we're special--they just don't know us well enough yet. We have the best stores in the world. Don't fret over the fact that our test store has only been open for 8 years. Sometimes it just takes a little while for people to understand how much they need our product.
If you were the Chairman of the Board of my company, would you think that I have a sound business plan? Are you ready to give me the green light to proceed full speed ahead?
Whatever you do, please don't "dither" or spend a lot of time thinking about it.
The only thing I really need your input on is where to put my stores. I've already got my sights set on Afghanistan, but I'm not ruling out Pakistan.
Many are saying that our stores in the U.S. are in need of retooling and reinvestment, but they just don't understand a great business model when they see one.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The Founding Fathers Wouldn't Believe Their Eyes
If the founding fathers were here today, they'd never believe the mess we've created in Washington. It's so bad that even George Washington himself would likely ask that the District of Columbia be renamed so he wouldn't have his family name slandered.
Would we have three separate, but equal branches of government if we were starting our country from scratch today? If you answer "yes" to that question, then you have to tell me the names of the people who would be able to draft the constitution today. And then tell me if it would look anything remotely like what the founders created. I think not.
Would we have a Bill of Rights if our founding fathers had been worried about their own personal political futures or their own personal wealth like today's politicians do? Thankfully, unlike the current cast of characters in Congress, our founders had a collective vision of something much larger than themselves. Today's leaders, um....not so much.
There aren't any Madison's or Jefferson's or Washington's in our Capital today. Not even close.
Unfortunately, today it is solely about enhancing one's own political career first, then parlaying that into making as much money as possible. And don't forget to throw in a big dose of extreme partisanship and hatred to make the entire place as disfunctional as possible.
Everyone in Washington is always looking ahead to the next election and the next fundraiser, and the next lobbying job when they leave public office so that they can really cash in.
As a result, it's no wonder that we have lots of problems, no solutions, and nothing more than a corrupt, bankrupt confederation of states. Yet, no one in Washington wants to admit it or try to do anything to address it. Instead, they are all too busy feathering their own nests and padding their own wallets to even notice or care.
Although it was nothing more than a gimmicky political slogan in the last election, it is high time that we all began to truly focus on "Country First." We'd better figure out how to build a strong middle class and restore a manufacturing economy in the United States or we are in for extremely tough sledding ahead. Remember the Roman Empire?
We also need to figure out a way for all Americans to be able to obtain quality affordable health care. Let's not wait for our present crop of Senators to fix our predicament. They don't care about us, and they don't have "the right stuff." They shouldn't even be mentioned as having the same title as our nation's prior great statesmen who were Senators.
Although there are many Senators who are worthy of criticism, today's rant will simply focus on two--Evan Bayh and Joe Liberman.
Joe Liberman and Evan Bayh wouldn't even make the farm team of the founding fathers. They couldn't even carry the water bucket for the team. They should be cut from the current team for not being able to discern when they have been completely "bought and paid for" and have had their integrity completely compromised to the point where they should no longer even have a vote in the Senate.
It sickens me that Evan Bayh hides behind his professed fiscal conservatism as his reasoning for "going slow" on healthcare reform, especially any creation of a public option. Evan, please, give us a break on the "fiscal conservative" hogwash.
In reality, we know that you are married to Susan B. Bayh, who sits on the Board of Directors of WellPoint, Inc. one of the largest health insurance companies in the country, and a company who strongly opposes a Public Option.
Is it fiscal conservatism that has Evan Bayh so concerned about the Public Option? Or, is it the fact that he and his wife's personal stock holdings increase every time he indicates that he is personally going to kill the public option, that is driving his convictions ? You aren't fooling us, Senator! You're a dog alright, but not a good dog, and not Blue one, either.
How can you threaten to filibuster a bill that contains a Public Option that is overwhelmingly wanted and needed by an ever-increasing majority of the people in your state and in the country?
Well, if your name is ol' "Blue Dog Evan Bayh" it's real easy-- you just keep your eye on your stock portfolio every time you vote in your own personal interest (and in the interest of your wife's company), and you simply tune out the cries and screams of the people who are suffering because they either don't have health care, or can't afford their ever-increasing WellPoint premiums.
And if you are the despicable Joe Liberman you first talk in your 2006 re-election campaign about how you are strongly committed to universal health care and that you should be re-elected because you have the power and the connections and the experience in the Senate to be able to achieve real universal health care reform, including reform of the health care industry-- if only the good people of Connecticut will just send you back to the Senate for another term.
Then, after you get re-elected, Joe, you turn your back on the voters without batting an eye, and boldly announce that you are a whore for the insurance industry. Prostitution is a crime, Joe, and so is your behavior. Stop the hypocracy and go ahead and join the GOP. We expect them to act this way.
It's almost Halloween, normally a scary time of year in and of itself. This year, it's extra scary, but not just because of the gools and goblins knocking on our doors for candy. This year, it's extra scary because we have 535 goons and hooligans in the House and Senate dressing up like Statesmen playing tricks on the voters and treating themselves.
It's time to unmask them, shine bright lights on their behavior, and hold them all accountable. Let's do it in honor of the founding fathers.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Check Your Insurance Cards At The Door, Please
I wonder how quickly we could achieve a complete make-over of our health insurance system if all Members of the House and Senate and their family members, and all employees of the White House and their family members, and all of their respective staffers and their family members would be required to turn in their insurance cards at work tomorrow. Just cut up their cards overnight. What if, starting tomorrow, they no longer had ANY health insurance coverage? Just think how motivating that would be!
If they all suddenly and unexpectantly joined the ranks of the uninsured, and had to obtain coverage on their own like those who are unemployed or those who are otherwise uninsured or uninsurable, perhaps then--and only then-- they would understand the real nature of the problem and the real urgency of this current crisis.
Yes, it is a crisis. Because health insures are unregulated, health insurance premiums will continue to increase at many times faster than the rate of inflation--because they can.
Most of all, it is scary not to have any health insurance coverage for yourself or your loved one. Those who have it, don't understand that fear.
Those who have health insurance and who oppose any reform argue about the estimates of the numbers of millions of uninsured as though it's some sort of impersonal exercise in counting items of inventory in a warehouse. "It's not 47 million, it's really more like 12 million..." How quickly would they look at it differently if they were instantly among those uninsured?
And also, while we're at it, let's add all the "talking heads" and "experts" on TV and radio to the list of the overnight uninsured, and let's give them all pre-existing conditions to boot. Let's let everyone who pontificates about this, without feeling any pain or fear about it, and without ACTING TO FIX IT to "walk in the uninsureds' mocassins."
And, here's the rest of my dream. That none of our politicians will get their coverage reinstated until they pass a new bill, and then, they have to accept the WORST option available for themselves. No longer do they have the best coverage, now they would get what the least of us has. Given those new "rules" I bet we'd have SINGLE PAYER overnight. But, alas, so much for my dream... they've taken it "off the table..." and my magic wand is on back order from Amazon.
In the real world outside of the Beltway where heath insurance companies are completely unrestricted, and enjoy an anti-trust exemption that allows them the most unlevel of all playing fields, health insurance for individuals and small businesses is increasingly unattainable, unaffordable, overloaded with high deductibles, and supercharged with exclusions from coverage. And, oh yea, it's going to cost more, for less coverage, next year, too.
Unfortunately, our politicians have it better than anyone, so it is easy for them to pontificate about their "concern" for the situation--but unfortunately, they aren't concerned enough to enact real reform. I'd love to be able waive a magic wand and make it personal to them, overnight. They need to feel some pain. Apparently, that's what it will take to light a fire under them.
Small businesses make up 40% of the insured under our present system. Unregulated insurance companies charge small businesses and individuals the HIGHEST premiums--because they can. Small businesses like mine can least afford to bankroll lobbyists like the big corporations, so our concerns aren't addressed.
Although we have coverage today, our premiums rise by double digits each year and our out-of-pocket deductible go up as well. I'm extemely concerned about the ability to continue to afford health insurance premiums in the years to come.
This is why I support a strong, immediately implemented Public Option so that small businesses don't have to wait until 2013 (which is one of the estimated phase-in dates) for another source of our health insurance coverage . I can't wait that long. Our premiums will double by then!
Just imagine the "surcharges" that the insurance companies' bean counters are already planning for next year's budget to "reimburse" themselves for all the lobbying money they are spending every day now to buy our politicians off! You know the insurance companies are angry that they are having to put this money in politicians' pockets rather than in their own pockets, and boy are they are going to take it out on us-- especially the smallest and weakest of us--because they can!
The Public Option is the only hope individuals and small businesses have to get on a level playing field with the big corporations. Yet, our representatives continue to ignore us.
We have a truly broken political system where the "Have's" dictate to the rest of us, in their secure bubble, always looking ahead to the next election and accepting unlimited campaign contributions from those who want this to stay the same.
It's up to us to stop this "because they can" maddness.
So, as I see it, we either SPEAK VERY LOUDLY and make them understand our plight and our fears--and FORCE THEM TO ACT FOR US for a change, or else we must vote them out of office.
Start today by applying pressure to the White House. The President and Rham Emmanuel are not being forceful enough in supportng the Public Option.
And the thought of even considering a "trigger" plan that will delay implementation to allow the health insurers to self regulate their behavior is delusional. The same goes for the plan of allowing the Public Option to be determined on a state by state basis. I don't need my choices for my small business being dictated by my State Legislature or my Governor. Where are those "anti-government intruding into my personal life people" in this discussion?
I look forward to the day when we no longer have to deal with dictates from private insurance companies "because they can" and instead hope I can look forward to a day when we can say that we fought and demanded real and substantial change, because we wouldn't take it any more.
Get busy!
If they all suddenly and unexpectantly joined the ranks of the uninsured, and had to obtain coverage on their own like those who are unemployed or those who are otherwise uninsured or uninsurable, perhaps then--and only then-- they would understand the real nature of the problem and the real urgency of this current crisis.
Yes, it is a crisis. Because health insures are unregulated, health insurance premiums will continue to increase at many times faster than the rate of inflation--because they can.
Most of all, it is scary not to have any health insurance coverage for yourself or your loved one. Those who have it, don't understand that fear.
Those who have health insurance and who oppose any reform argue about the estimates of the numbers of millions of uninsured as though it's some sort of impersonal exercise in counting items of inventory in a warehouse. "It's not 47 million, it's really more like 12 million..." How quickly would they look at it differently if they were instantly among those uninsured?
And also, while we're at it, let's add all the "talking heads" and "experts" on TV and radio to the list of the overnight uninsured, and let's give them all pre-existing conditions to boot. Let's let everyone who pontificates about this, without feeling any pain or fear about it, and without ACTING TO FIX IT to "walk in the uninsureds' mocassins."
And, here's the rest of my dream. That none of our politicians will get their coverage reinstated until they pass a new bill, and then, they have to accept the WORST option available for themselves. No longer do they have the best coverage, now they would get what the least of us has. Given those new "rules" I bet we'd have SINGLE PAYER overnight. But, alas, so much for my dream... they've taken it "off the table..." and my magic wand is on back order from Amazon.
In the real world outside of the Beltway where heath insurance companies are completely unrestricted, and enjoy an anti-trust exemption that allows them the most unlevel of all playing fields, health insurance for individuals and small businesses is increasingly unattainable, unaffordable, overloaded with high deductibles, and supercharged with exclusions from coverage. And, oh yea, it's going to cost more, for less coverage, next year, too.
Unfortunately, our politicians have it better than anyone, so it is easy for them to pontificate about their "concern" for the situation--but unfortunately, they aren't concerned enough to enact real reform. I'd love to be able waive a magic wand and make it personal to them, overnight. They need to feel some pain. Apparently, that's what it will take to light a fire under them.
Small businesses make up 40% of the insured under our present system. Unregulated insurance companies charge small businesses and individuals the HIGHEST premiums--because they can. Small businesses like mine can least afford to bankroll lobbyists like the big corporations, so our concerns aren't addressed.
Although we have coverage today, our premiums rise by double digits each year and our out-of-pocket deductible go up as well. I'm extemely concerned about the ability to continue to afford health insurance premiums in the years to come.
This is why I support a strong, immediately implemented Public Option so that small businesses don't have to wait until 2013 (which is one of the estimated phase-in dates) for another source of our health insurance coverage . I can't wait that long. Our premiums will double by then!
Just imagine the "surcharges" that the insurance companies' bean counters are already planning for next year's budget to "reimburse" themselves for all the lobbying money they are spending every day now to buy our politicians off! You know the insurance companies are angry that they are having to put this money in politicians' pockets rather than in their own pockets, and boy are they are going to take it out on us-- especially the smallest and weakest of us--because they can!
The Public Option is the only hope individuals and small businesses have to get on a level playing field with the big corporations. Yet, our representatives continue to ignore us.
We have a truly broken political system where the "Have's" dictate to the rest of us, in their secure bubble, always looking ahead to the next election and accepting unlimited campaign contributions from those who want this to stay the same.
It's up to us to stop this "because they can" maddness.
So, as I see it, we either SPEAK VERY LOUDLY and make them understand our plight and our fears--and FORCE THEM TO ACT FOR US for a change, or else we must vote them out of office.
Start today by applying pressure to the White House. The President and Rham Emmanuel are not being forceful enough in supportng the Public Option.
And the thought of even considering a "trigger" plan that will delay implementation to allow the health insurers to self regulate their behavior is delusional. The same goes for the plan of allowing the Public Option to be determined on a state by state basis. I don't need my choices for my small business being dictated by my State Legislature or my Governor. Where are those "anti-government intruding into my personal life people" in this discussion?
I look forward to the day when we no longer have to deal with dictates from private insurance companies "because they can" and instead hope I can look forward to a day when we can say that we fought and demanded real and substantial change, because we wouldn't take it any more.
Get busy!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Say Goodnight, Dick!
Those who remember the old 1960's comedy show Laugh In recall that the show always ended with co-host, Dick Martin, saying something really stupid and his partner, Dan Rowen, saying "Say Goodnight Dick." It was a weekly put down for Dick to shut up and not tell another lame joke or make another stupid comment. And then Dick would say stupidly, "Good Night, Dick."
So, last night, it was our own Dick--Dick Cheney, who once again opened his foul mouth to speak out about Afghanistan. Good God--just say NOTHING, Dick--ever! And especially, don't even think about telling us how to run a war.
His message was that the President was "dithering" and afraid to make the decisions to deploy more troops, so that we aren't doing what is absolutely necessary to support his General in the field to give him what he needs to "fulfill the mission." And of course, he had to say that the troops were endangered because of the dithering.
One man's dithering is another man's reflective planning.
It's the continuing struggle to figure out what the "mission" is after 8 years that makes Afghanistan so problematic. Yet, like Iraq, Cheney never met a Mission he couldn't morph. He also fails to understand that deploying troops endangers them much more than withdrawing them does.
Say Goodnight, Dick! We don't want to hear you any more--ever! You are the architect of the single largest foreign policy debacle in U.S. history--the Iraq War. You rushed us into that war, Dick, when some reflective "dithering" to allow those pesky weapons inspections to be completed would have been the prudent thing to do.
Dick, you need to go away and shut up. You have done enough damage in the world for several lifetimes. Your unpatriotic criticisms of the President and never-ending sage "advice" smacks of self-serving attempts to either re-write history or continued efforts to enrich your own wallet.
Let's never forget the millions of dollars that Dick has made for himself as a War Profiteer. When our soldiers go to war, Haliburton goes with them (thanks solely to Dick), and we pay its employees much more than we pay our soldiers, and we pay Haliburton many times the retail value of the cost of their goods and services, year after year, war after war. Remember the $10 Cokes that Haliburton sold to our troops? Dick does, he cashed the dividend checks. And all the while, Dick snears and gripes and criticizes all the way to the bank.
Perhaps I'd have some respect for Dick if he hadn't requested and received 5 deferments when it was his time to serve in Vietnam, or if he wasn't still thrilled to be a torturer, or if he hadn't lied about taking us to war in Iraq, or if he hadn't ignored Afghanistan for eight years while continually redefining the mission in Iraq to cover up his pre-war lies, failed strategies, and incompetence in running both wars.
And I might have some respect for Dick if he would quietly disappear from public view and disgorge all of the profits that he ever made from these wars. I might have some respect for Dick if he would sell all of his Haliburton stock and use the proceeds (and his disgorged profits) to create a charitable foundation for the sole benefit of the families of the soldiers who died in his wars, and to pay for the extraordinary medical expenses faced by those brave soldiers who have been wounded in his wars , and who will carry their physical and mental injuries for the rest of their lives.
When you stop cashing in, Dick, and when you help those whose lives you've ruined, Dick, or when you pick up a gun and go fight yourself, Dick, then you can talk again.
Until then, it's not a Laugh In, its a tragedy. Go Away. Say Goodnight, Dick.
So, last night, it was our own Dick--Dick Cheney, who once again opened his foul mouth to speak out about Afghanistan. Good God--just say NOTHING, Dick--ever! And especially, don't even think about telling us how to run a war.
His message was that the President was "dithering" and afraid to make the decisions to deploy more troops, so that we aren't doing what is absolutely necessary to support his General in the field to give him what he needs to "fulfill the mission." And of course, he had to say that the troops were endangered because of the dithering.
One man's dithering is another man's reflective planning.
It's the continuing struggle to figure out what the "mission" is after 8 years that makes Afghanistan so problematic. Yet, like Iraq, Cheney never met a Mission he couldn't morph. He also fails to understand that deploying troops endangers them much more than withdrawing them does.
Say Goodnight, Dick! We don't want to hear you any more--ever! You are the architect of the single largest foreign policy debacle in U.S. history--the Iraq War. You rushed us into that war, Dick, when some reflective "dithering" to allow those pesky weapons inspections to be completed would have been the prudent thing to do.
Dick, you need to go away and shut up. You have done enough damage in the world for several lifetimes. Your unpatriotic criticisms of the President and never-ending sage "advice" smacks of self-serving attempts to either re-write history or continued efforts to enrich your own wallet.
Let's never forget the millions of dollars that Dick has made for himself as a War Profiteer. When our soldiers go to war, Haliburton goes with them (thanks solely to Dick), and we pay its employees much more than we pay our soldiers, and we pay Haliburton many times the retail value of the cost of their goods and services, year after year, war after war. Remember the $10 Cokes that Haliburton sold to our troops? Dick does, he cashed the dividend checks. And all the while, Dick snears and gripes and criticizes all the way to the bank.
Perhaps I'd have some respect for Dick if he hadn't requested and received 5 deferments when it was his time to serve in Vietnam, or if he wasn't still thrilled to be a torturer, or if he hadn't lied about taking us to war in Iraq, or if he hadn't ignored Afghanistan for eight years while continually redefining the mission in Iraq to cover up his pre-war lies, failed strategies, and incompetence in running both wars.
And I might have some respect for Dick if he would quietly disappear from public view and disgorge all of the profits that he ever made from these wars. I might have some respect for Dick if he would sell all of his Haliburton stock and use the proceeds (and his disgorged profits) to create a charitable foundation for the sole benefit of the families of the soldiers who died in his wars, and to pay for the extraordinary medical expenses faced by those brave soldiers who have been wounded in his wars , and who will carry their physical and mental injuries for the rest of their lives.
When you stop cashing in, Dick, and when you help those whose lives you've ruined, Dick, or when you pick up a gun and go fight yourself, Dick, then you can talk again.
Until then, it's not a Laugh In, its a tragedy. Go Away. Say Goodnight, Dick.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Snowe Job
For months I've been sick and tired of all the attention being paid to Olympia Snowe, the Republican Senator from Maine who, for some inexplicable reason, has become the focal point of the health care reform debate in the Senate. I'm sick of the Democrats in the Senate and President Obama bowing down to Olympia Snowe and ignoring Progressive Democrats.
Barack has a thing for Olympia Snowe. First there was the courting and cajoling, soon followed by the waffling, then the capitulation on issue after issue to the point where the Finance Committee's bill has become so weak that even a Republican will vote for it.
Big deal--Olympia Snowe voted once for a watered-down bill WITHOUT A PUBLIC OPTION. In other words, she voted in a committee for a bill with absolutely no immediate or long-term cost-saving mechanisms that would have passed out of the committee without her vote.
Isn't COST SAVINGS one of the the major reasons to pursue health care reform in the first place?
Yesterday, the President praised Olympia Snowe--AGAIN (for her insignificant vote)--even though it is clear that she will likely never vote for the final bill on the Senate floor! Yet she continues to receive praise, attention, and anything she wants.
I've got a much better idea. Why doesn't the President praise Sen. Rockefeller who is actually fighting for real progressive health care reform designed to lower costs? Why all this fascination and love for the Queen of "No Thanks" for the Public Option?
Why is it that Progressives like me get no support from the President for what we want in the bill, while he does a double limbo for any Republican, especially Sen. Snowe, whenever they ask for something?
And today, Harry Reid continued the courtship by inviting Snowe to join the elite Senate group who will try to shepherd the bill through the Senate as it is merged. WHY ARE THERE ARE ZERO PROGRESSIVES ON THE COMMITTEE? This shunning of Progressives is the fault of the "leadership" in the Senate and a lack of leadership from the White House.
Unlike me, Olympia Snowe has never:
1. Voted for Barack Obama.
2. Canvassed door to door for Barack Obama to help him get elected.
3. Made telephone calls for Barack Obama to help get him elected.
4. Donated money for Barack Obama's campaign.
5. Held campaign signs on busy street corners during the election.
6. Acted as an official Poll Watcher to ensure that voters' ballots would be counted.
7. Favored a Public Option.
Why do Progressives who have done all of the above get completely ignored, while Olympia Snowe gets anything she wants?
I'm a Progressive that feels betrayed by the Blue Dogs and the President.
I'm already ready for CHANGE--from the top down.
I'm not falling for the Snowe Job any longer, and neither should you.
Barack has a thing for Olympia Snowe. First there was the courting and cajoling, soon followed by the waffling, then the capitulation on issue after issue to the point where the Finance Committee's bill has become so weak that even a Republican will vote for it.
Big deal--Olympia Snowe voted once for a watered-down bill WITHOUT A PUBLIC OPTION. In other words, she voted in a committee for a bill with absolutely no immediate or long-term cost-saving mechanisms that would have passed out of the committee without her vote.
Isn't COST SAVINGS one of the the major reasons to pursue health care reform in the first place?
Yesterday, the President praised Olympia Snowe--AGAIN (for her insignificant vote)--even though it is clear that she will likely never vote for the final bill on the Senate floor! Yet she continues to receive praise, attention, and anything she wants.
I've got a much better idea. Why doesn't the President praise Sen. Rockefeller who is actually fighting for real progressive health care reform designed to lower costs? Why all this fascination and love for the Queen of "No Thanks" for the Public Option?
Why is it that Progressives like me get no support from the President for what we want in the bill, while he does a double limbo for any Republican, especially Sen. Snowe, whenever they ask for something?
And today, Harry Reid continued the courtship by inviting Snowe to join the elite Senate group who will try to shepherd the bill through the Senate as it is merged. WHY ARE THERE ARE ZERO PROGRESSIVES ON THE COMMITTEE? This shunning of Progressives is the fault of the "leadership" in the Senate and a lack of leadership from the White House.
Unlike me, Olympia Snowe has never:
1. Voted for Barack Obama.
2. Canvassed door to door for Barack Obama to help him get elected.
3. Made telephone calls for Barack Obama to help get him elected.
4. Donated money for Barack Obama's campaign.
5. Held campaign signs on busy street corners during the election.
6. Acted as an official Poll Watcher to ensure that voters' ballots would be counted.
7. Favored a Public Option.
Why do Progressives who have done all of the above get completely ignored, while Olympia Snowe gets anything she wants?
I'm a Progressive that feels betrayed by the Blue Dogs and the President.
I'm already ready for CHANGE--from the top down.
I'm not falling for the Snowe Job any longer, and neither should you.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Why Won't McCollum Grant An Interview?
Why is Bill McCollum afraid to grant an interview on the issue of the influence of money and political contributions, and especially as they relate to investment advisory fees paid to investment managers of the State's multi-billion dollar nest egg?
It is troubling enough that the Trustees of the State Board of Administration are 3 elected officials (Charlie Crist, Alex Sink and Bill McCollum), all of whom are running for office and are in full fundraising mode to get there, while exercising fiduciary control over billions of dollars of investments of State and local government funds.
It is even more troubling that one of the Trustees is the Attorney General, Bill McCollum, the State's Chief Law Enforcement Officer who would be the person responsible for protecting the State's nest egg and bringing suit, if necessary, toward that end. The conflicts of interest are obvious.
It is even more troubling when Mr. McCollum won't answer questions on the subject, even when he knows in advance what the questions are, because they have been submitted to him in writing by the St. Petersburg Times.
Is it because he is too busy changing hats?
On October 11, the St. Petersburg Times announced that they have been asking Mr. McCollum to submit to an interview. They even went so far as to send him a list of written questions that they wanted to ask him. Again he played dodge ball.
I've written a Letter to the Editor of the St. Petersburg Times asking them to publish the list of written questions that the St. Petersburg Times provided to Mr. McCollum's campaign staff so we will know exactly what he is afraid to talk about--since he is obviously avoiding the issue.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
I Am Against The Next War, Too
I saw these words on a T-shirt this weekend--I Am Against the Next War, Too-- and thought that it aptly states my new creed, when it comes to war.
What is it in the human psyche that makes us think that wars are an answer to problem-solving? Why do we prefer to opt for intractable wars of perpetual duration, rather than recognize an intelligent need to change direction?
What is it in the American psyche that makes us talk in terms of "winning and losing," as if those are even measurable concepts in the context of wars, especially today's wars? When are the Hawks going to realize that we are never going to achieve a surrender on the deck of an aircraft carrier from al Qaeda, the Taliban, or any of the other insurgents that we are now fighting, and so we won't have a clear indication of what a "win" looks like?
In insurgency wars, we have difficulty knowing who the enemy is, or where they live. We eventually become occupiers trying to win the hearts and minds of a group of people who don't want us to be there. Yet, we can't find it in our psyche to admit that we can't "win," so we don't leave. Guess what, the Taliban isn't going to leave Afghanistan--ever-- and will wait us out, if it takes 25 years or more. We cannot put enough soldiers in that country to kill them all. So they will wait until we run out of patience, soldiers or money (or all of them).
We don't admit that fighting an insurgency in someone else's country is not winnable. An insurgency has never been defeated in history. It's the nature of the conflict and its setting that makes it unwinnable, not the quality or quantity of our soldiers.
What type of ignorance or arrogance makes us think that we can afford the cost of continuous war--either in terms of the human loss of life or the financial cost to our country's treasury? Every dollar that we spend in Iraq or Afghanistan is borrowed. Yet, inexplicably, we remain unconcerned with the cost. We hire private contractors at exorbitant rates, because we don't have enough enlisted soldiers in our army.
Our soldiers and their families are paying a huge price which we can never repay in any way--other than by making sound decisions to stop putting them in life-threatening situations in nation-building experiments.
We refuse to talk about bringing the soldiers home without asking if it will mean that others who have died in those wars "died in vain." Stop asking that question. Instead, start asking if the next death is worth staying for. If you answer "yes," then be on the next plane there to fight yourself.
Would we view the prosecution of wars differently if we reinstated the Draft? You bet we would. Would we view the wars differently if we had to raise taxes to pay for them without any borrowing? Absolutely. So if that's so clear, what are we basing our policies on?
What is it in the human psyche that makes us think that wars are an answer to problem-solving? Why do we prefer to opt for intractable wars of perpetual duration, rather than recognize an intelligent need to change direction?
What is it in the American psyche that makes us talk in terms of "winning and losing," as if those are even measurable concepts in the context of wars, especially today's wars? When are the Hawks going to realize that we are never going to achieve a surrender on the deck of an aircraft carrier from al Qaeda, the Taliban, or any of the other insurgents that we are now fighting, and so we won't have a clear indication of what a "win" looks like?
In insurgency wars, we have difficulty knowing who the enemy is, or where they live. We eventually become occupiers trying to win the hearts and minds of a group of people who don't want us to be there. Yet, we can't find it in our psyche to admit that we can't "win," so we don't leave. Guess what, the Taliban isn't going to leave Afghanistan--ever-- and will wait us out, if it takes 25 years or more. We cannot put enough soldiers in that country to kill them all. So they will wait until we run out of patience, soldiers or money (or all of them).
We don't admit that fighting an insurgency in someone else's country is not winnable. An insurgency has never been defeated in history. It's the nature of the conflict and its setting that makes it unwinnable, not the quality or quantity of our soldiers.
What type of ignorance or arrogance makes us think that we can afford the cost of continuous war--either in terms of the human loss of life or the financial cost to our country's treasury? Every dollar that we spend in Iraq or Afghanistan is borrowed. Yet, inexplicably, we remain unconcerned with the cost. We hire private contractors at exorbitant rates, because we don't have enough enlisted soldiers in our army.
Our soldiers and their families are paying a huge price which we can never repay in any way--other than by making sound decisions to stop putting them in life-threatening situations in nation-building experiments.
We refuse to talk about bringing the soldiers home without asking if it will mean that others who have died in those wars "died in vain." Stop asking that question. Instead, start asking if the next death is worth staying for. If you answer "yes," then be on the next plane there to fight yourself.
Would we view the prosecution of wars differently if we reinstated the Draft? You bet we would. Would we view the wars differently if we had to raise taxes to pay for them without any borrowing? Absolutely. So if that's so clear, what are we basing our policies on?
Do you think that the Romans realized that their empire was crashing around them while it was occurring, or were they too blind to recognize the need to change their course?
Why is it that we readily say "no to drugs" and "no to single payer health insurance for all Americans," and "no to raising taxes" and "no to welfare" "no to gun control," and "no to abortion" and "no to gay marriage" and "no to immigration" and "no to big government"--but we always seem to say "yes" to War?
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Take Alan Grayson's Lead and Get Your Spine Out of the Closet, Democrats!
That policy goes hand in hand well with protest signs I've seen opposing health care reform: "I've got mine; you get yours!" But, considering the fact that those of us with health insurance now indirectly pay for health care for many who don't have health insurance and use the Emergency Room as their doctor, the "Die Quickly" plan would be a money saver (right, Rush, Glenn, Sean?)
Remember back in the spring when the Republicans in the House promised that their own health care plan would be released in a few days? (Psst.... we're still waiting....) Actually, they've released it--just without any fanfare. It's a really short plan. It goes like this--NONE. (But, the GOP plan has an instruction manual for its party members: make sure you act like you are in favor of reform, and even mention that you think that the current system doesn't work--but yet continue to propose nothing and to vote "no" on all Democratic proposals).
Rep. Grayson, through the use of hyperbole, FINALLY called the Republicans out and exposed their do-nothing obstructionist actions like no other Democrat has done. And better yet, when he faced criticism for his comments and calls from the GOP to "apologize" for his remarks, he embraced the opportunity and apologized "to the dead" on behalf of a Congress that has dragged its collective feet for decades and has done nothing while our health care system deteriorates and becomes increasingly unattainable and unaffordable.
How many people have died needlessly over these decades because we have no leadership in Congress on this issue?
And yes, it's time to call out the Democrats on this issue. We all know the Republicans are not going to do ANYTHING. Just like their staunch opposition to the passage of the Medicare legislation in the 1960's, the Republicans cannot be counted on to solve this problem. It is clearly up to the Democrats to do it.
Those Democrats who vote (NO) with the Republicans on health care legislation need to look for another line of work. We are not going to put up with it any more.
This is a problem that Democrats can fix, but only if they will vote together in a united block.
So far, they haven't. If they won't, we need to show them the door.
In the meantime, perhaps Rep. Grayson will take his fellow Democrats to the closest X-ray machine and show them that they too, do indeed, have a spine--and he can tell them how liberating it is to stand tall and firm on principles.
Perhaps then they can get things done.
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