Well most of the results are in, and I have done my best to avoid reading or watching any of the "analysis" of the elections. Let's just say I am less than happy with the results! Not the least bit surprised by the outcome though. I too thought the current Administration had lost focus on the most important issues, and did appear tone deaf to the outcry from the American people. I did sense that the Obama team had definitely dropped the ball on some of the easiest issue resolutions they had campaigned on. And how did such a gifted communicator allow the folks on the right to steal the political message regarding the direction this country is heading as we slowly try to recover from the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression?
Being someone who spent much time and energy investing in Mr. Obama's election bid, I feel most qualified and justified in very loud criticism of the president and his performance. While on one hand I may be critical, I am still 100% supportive and loyal to the POTUS. It is disgraceful they way people have treated this administration and more importantly the President and his family. There is no respect for the office of the president if he doesn't portend to your political affiliation these days. There is an increasingly racial tone directed at all things Obama, be it policies, legacy or whatever, and I for one am ashamed to live in a country where this type of attitude is acceptable. But back on message - Despite its missteps and mistakes during the last 2 years I am proud that the Democratic Party was working on issues that moved this nation forward, and while I think too much compromise was put forth, they still managed to have the most successful legislative session in the last 40 years. All the while stablizing an economy that is no longer on the brink of collapse and albeit is not growing fast enough or recovering quickly enough, it is recovering. Also while fighting the absolute obstruction of all legislation by the "Party of No"(GOP). In terms of addressing many of the issues that are at the heart of our terrible economy yes they fell short. Still, I am amazed at the inability of the general public to remember any of the 8 years of the GWB administration - almost as if they didn't occur. It is like the whole world began on January 20th, 2009. Well guess what? It did NOT. So here we are two years later and we are facing the reality of having just re-elected many of the same idiots that had sold us out more than a decade ago - less we forget that our new Speaker of the House was not that long ago strolling around the floor of the very institution he now leads handing out checks from the tobacco industry lobby (John Boehner admits to giving bribes from Big Tobacco on the House floor...Why does the media consider him credible? | Crooks and Liars)
So listen up folks we are in for quite a bumpy ride, and things are probably going to get a whole lot worse before any sign of light at the end of the tunnel appears. Let's just hope that when it does appear it is not the oncoming train of Sarah Palin's presidency - now that should really scare you! Peace Out - The Digital Penguin.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
First election results in.......Deep Sigh!!!!
The bloodbath has begun and this post will be short and sweet - Mark my Word! - Tea Party Politics will not help our struggling economic recovery. Tax Cuts are the last thing we need! Deregulation is the last thing we need! Health Care Reform being repealed is a somewhat appalling prospect. BTW the term "ObamaCare" is offensive, from the disinformation about the new legislation to the underlying intent in the 'slur' !
I for one support my president and will continue to do so in an effort to move this nation forward. What the opposition has in mind though is another thing completely!
Peace Out!
I for one support my president and will continue to do so in an effort to move this nation forward. What the opposition has in mind though is another thing completely!
Peace Out!
Man Up....... What a JOKE!
I was just watching some election day TV when I tried to block out a Lite beer commercial when it's main message hit me like a hammer right between the eyes! There it was - the beautiful young blonde bartender chiding the male patron to "Man Up". It took me a second but I quickly put the two together and came to the conclusion that here it was, put right before my eyes to take in and comprehend. This is our political discourse in a microcosm, simple, painfully ignorant, and the sum message of today's political wannabe's - the likes of Sharron Angle, Sarah Palin and their ilk.
Please tell me ladies this is not where we are getting our campaign buzzwords and catch phrases?
Although based on the way any of the candidates from the extreme right of even the Tea Party represents themselves these days I can't help from reaching for that conclusion, those are low apples, easy and within reach! I mean there is no longer the need to have any pretense of experience or knowledge in presenting your point of view. Regardless of how baseless, ignorant or just plain false your accusations and arguments are presented. In today's environment where all you need to do is put it out on the internet and Facebook and it is as good as gold, fact based reality. And of course you can hide behind that Facebook avatar and not really have to put yourself out there to defend yourself. And when you do defend yourself you only do so within the confines of "friendly territory" like a cable news network that is owned and operating with clear political intent and slant to positions and opinions which it finds favorable.
Actually then the really scary thing began to sink in - I live in a country where this is acceptable!
Now that 'IS" Sad!
Peace Out and remember if you haven't gotten to the polls and voted please do so, regardless of who you vote for! Digital Penguin!
Please tell me ladies this is not where we are getting our campaign buzzwords and catch phrases?
Although based on the way any of the candidates from the extreme right of even the Tea Party represents themselves these days I can't help from reaching for that conclusion, those are low apples, easy and within reach! I mean there is no longer the need to have any pretense of experience or knowledge in presenting your point of view. Regardless of how baseless, ignorant or just plain false your accusations and arguments are presented. In today's environment where all you need to do is put it out on the internet and Facebook and it is as good as gold, fact based reality. And of course you can hide behind that Facebook avatar and not really have to put yourself out there to defend yourself. And when you do defend yourself you only do so within the confines of "friendly territory" like a cable news network that is owned and operating with clear political intent and slant to positions and opinions which it finds favorable.
Actually then the really scary thing began to sink in - I live in a country where this is acceptable!
Now that 'IS" Sad!
Peace Out and remember if you haven't gotten to the polls and voted please do so, regardless of who you vote for! Digital Penguin!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Mark my Word - My Predictions..................
Well it is election day! and with the hopeful vote I will cast, I will wait to see just how apathetic the electorate actually performs and if we actually do end up with the governance we deserve. That's right I am giving in a bit here, and if I do have to utter the words "Speaker Boehner " I will do so with this first Rant..........
Mark My Word - The GOP is no friend of the middle class! The next two years will be legislative gridlock as the right and the GOP spend every moment and resource waging an all out war on the Obama administration and their political agenda. Doing everything in their power to see to it that President Obama will never see another term in office. Yes this actually frightening strategy has already been put on the record by the Republican leadership (Mitch McConnell) They will defund legislation, subpoena endlessly, and put forth an agenda that will take the country on a path to cultural regression, and financial instability!
Mark my Word - The far right will gain a greater foothold in our government and will try to exploit their new found numbers in the Congress to push a radical agenda that doesn't really help our country face some of the difficult issues that we need to be addressing. Topics like climate change and Global Warming will be under attack as fallacy. Science will take a backseat to corporate interests, and instead of making any real progress trying to tackle these problems, we will stick with a status quo approach and keep our proverbial heads in the sand.
Mark my Word - The newly elected Republican leadership in Congress will be so hell bent on making sure President Obama fails, that they will be willing to sacrifice our economy and will not allow any policy decisions that may encourage recovery and produce any real hiring in the private employment workforce . Thus ensuring greater turmoil in order to expand the corporate agenda that is actually running our country today!
Mark my Word - The next two years are going to suck!
I sure hope I 'm wrong - One can hope !
Peace Out
Mark My Word - The GOP is no friend of the middle class! The next two years will be legislative gridlock as the right and the GOP spend every moment and resource waging an all out war on the Obama administration and their political agenda. Doing everything in their power to see to it that President Obama will never see another term in office. Yes this actually frightening strategy has already been put on the record by the Republican leadership (Mitch McConnell) They will defund legislation, subpoena endlessly, and put forth an agenda that will take the country on a path to cultural regression, and financial instability!
Mark my Word - The far right will gain a greater foothold in our government and will try to exploit their new found numbers in the Congress to push a radical agenda that doesn't really help our country face some of the difficult issues that we need to be addressing. Topics like climate change and Global Warming will be under attack as fallacy. Science will take a backseat to corporate interests, and instead of making any real progress trying to tackle these problems, we will stick with a status quo approach and keep our proverbial heads in the sand.
Mark my Word - The newly elected Republican leadership in Congress will be so hell bent on making sure President Obama fails, that they will be willing to sacrifice our economy and will not allow any policy decisions that may encourage recovery and produce any real hiring in the private employment workforce . Thus ensuring greater turmoil in order to expand the corporate agenda that is actually running our country today!
Mark my Word - The next two years are going to suck!
I sure hope I 'm wrong - One can hope !
Peace Out
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Now I'm Angry, and It's My Country Too!.......
Okay America, it is time to stand up and put forth your real face to the world. Come on now, you know the one, the one that portrays this nation as the true bastion of the free world. The nation built on values of inclusiveness and hard work. The nation that could talk the talk, while walking the walk. Honesty, truth and justice for all - regardless! - PERIOD!
Instead, today we put forth the face of a nation in turmoil! And to put it bluntly, we are NOT putting our best foot forward, nor our prettiest face for the world to see. Our nation is struggling to recover from the largest economic disaster since the Great Depression. Unemployment is at a staggering 9.6%. Business' are struggling with drops in revenues while trying to shoulder the spiraling costs of health care. Banks are, well.......They are banks and as we have all seen in the last 2 years they are in it for themselves regardless of the consequences. Our economy is in ruins for any number of reasons. Our Energy policies are inadequate and outdated. A future of struggling under the burden of ever increasing high costs of the reliance on foreign oil await us. Environmental meltdowns and disasters created from the unending, unsafe quests for said fossil fuels are already materializing. (i.e. - BP Deepwater Horizon disaster) Health Care costs are spiraling out of control, and yet nobody seems to see the 800 pound gorilla in the room. We are the only country in the industrialized world that has decided to saddle our employers with the burden of health care. In doing so so we have created a monster of a Health Care System. One that rewards the "haves" with the finest health care money can buy, while penalizing the "have nots" with inadequate services and prohibitive costs. By remaining a prisoner to this employer based system we are forcing our economic recovery upon very shaky ground. Neither political party is choosing to face this reality in any reasonable fashion. Last summer when we took single payer health care options out of the debate we started down the path of taking a pass on any real attempts to reign in the spiraling costs associated with health care. Reform then became nothing more than an attempt to service the system of status quo. Perhaps those on the left would claim the success of laying the groundwork for future improvements as time goes. But I fear an attack on the new law by those in the Republican party to repeal the recently passed reform legislation, or cripple it through defunding.
How did we arrive at the precipice of economic disaster? Maybe it was the short sightedness of our foreign policy landing us into two unpaid for wars. Perhaps it was economic and financial policies that allowed for unfettered deregulation of our banking institutions. Creating an atmosphere where reward superseded concern over risk, and its resulting catastrophic affects. Another factor to look at are the policies that helped foster the notion that cheap overseas labor was a suitable substitute for a domestic workforce, and padding shareholder dividends overruled the belief that taking care of your own employees was a better investment in our future.
This Tuesday we can choose to vote or not. But make no mistake elections have consequences, and I want to live in a country that is moving forward. Although I personally believe that our civic responsibility to cast our ballot in each and every local, state and national elections is one of vital importance, many in this country do not. We are lucky enough to live in a country where we each get that very basic right to have our voice heard. So go out Tuesday and make sure your voice is heard regardless of who you vote for!
Instead, today we put forth the face of a nation in turmoil! And to put it bluntly, we are NOT putting our best foot forward, nor our prettiest face for the world to see. Our nation is struggling to recover from the largest economic disaster since the Great Depression. Unemployment is at a staggering 9.6%. Business' are struggling with drops in revenues while trying to shoulder the spiraling costs of health care. Banks are, well.......They are banks and as we have all seen in the last 2 years they are in it for themselves regardless of the consequences. Our economy is in ruins for any number of reasons. Our Energy policies are inadequate and outdated. A future of struggling under the burden of ever increasing high costs of the reliance on foreign oil await us. Environmental meltdowns and disasters created from the unending, unsafe quests for said fossil fuels are already materializing. (i.e. - BP Deepwater Horizon disaster) Health Care costs are spiraling out of control, and yet nobody seems to see the 800 pound gorilla in the room. We are the only country in the industrialized world that has decided to saddle our employers with the burden of health care. In doing so so we have created a monster of a Health Care System. One that rewards the "haves" with the finest health care money can buy, while penalizing the "have nots" with inadequate services and prohibitive costs. By remaining a prisoner to this employer based system we are forcing our economic recovery upon very shaky ground. Neither political party is choosing to face this reality in any reasonable fashion. Last summer when we took single payer health care options out of the debate we started down the path of taking a pass on any real attempts to reign in the spiraling costs associated with health care. Reform then became nothing more than an attempt to service the system of status quo. Perhaps those on the left would claim the success of laying the groundwork for future improvements as time goes. But I fear an attack on the new law by those in the Republican party to repeal the recently passed reform legislation, or cripple it through defunding.
How did we arrive at the precipice of economic disaster? Maybe it was the short sightedness of our foreign policy landing us into two unpaid for wars. Perhaps it was economic and financial policies that allowed for unfettered deregulation of our banking institutions. Creating an atmosphere where reward superseded concern over risk, and its resulting catastrophic affects. Another factor to look at are the policies that helped foster the notion that cheap overseas labor was a suitable substitute for a domestic workforce, and padding shareholder dividends overruled the belief that taking care of your own employees was a better investment in our future.
This Tuesday we can choose to vote or not. But make no mistake elections have consequences, and I want to live in a country that is moving forward. Although I personally believe that our civic responsibility to cast our ballot in each and every local, state and national elections is one of vital importance, many in this country do not. We are lucky enough to live in a country where we each get that very basic right to have our voice heard. So go out Tuesday and make sure your voice is heard regardless of who you vote for!
Monday, May 31, 2010
WTF..............BP!
As I have been traveling around doing errands lately, I have noticed a gradual decline in the price of gas. I thought it funny, in a peculiar kind of way, that just as Memorial Day was arriving the price of gas would be going in the opposite direction of the norm. Usually the price of gas goes up just as the summer driving season begins, not decreasing as it is now. Of course I hear about the catastrophic oil spill occurring in the Gulf of Mexico and one has to think.....................Could the oil companies be doing a little PR work in the face of an event which could surely sway public opinion in favor of taking the steps necessary to reduce our dependence on the oil interests. So a little selling off of profits at the pumps can go a long way in keeping the public at bay. Although I hope most people have the common sense to be able to see through this ploy and realize what is really happening here. Look at the Gulf, the damage being done every moment of every day this disaster continues spewing oil that is killing everything in its path. A real lesson can be learned here. Let's do the right thing for our country our planet and our existence! We need to make the hard choices today and quit putting it off for future generations to deal with. If we don't act now we may be too late and what we know will be lost. Just my Two cents....Peace Out!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
And then it was Law.....................
Well here we are! The long road traveled, many stories told, many fights have been fought! And now we have a new bill signed in to law by the President of the United States of America. (Thanks President Obama!) Hurray for the citizens of this country, who have finally joined the rest of the world's industrialized nations in realizing that all of our citizens should have health care as a right - not a privilege of the wealthy. Now let's be perfectly clear here - There is no reasonable person who can deny that our current system of health care delivery is unsustainable, inaccessible and built in a way to be distributed with a tilted advantaged to the privileged. I am proud to be one of those people who firmly believe that Health Care delivery should never be based on a for profit model. Medical professionals the world over tell you that is not why they got into medicine. Yet here we are!
We have allowed our love of the free market to blind us as the medical delivery system evolved into an enormous, ugly behemoth tended to by some of the finest health care professionals in the world, often using the latest medical technology, with cutting edge pharmaceutical research advancements. The view from the outside often led the viewer to believe that all was well with the system - it worked if you were wealthy or fortunate enough to work for an employer who provided health insurance. Everything seemed just fine!
Only when you looked beneath the surface did its ugly head begin to raise itself! First there was the obvious cost control issues. Doctors, Nurses and Staffs, Hospitals and delivery facilities which include doctors offices, clinics, labs and medical arts complexes. These things cost money - "lots" of money! Then there are consumables which include all of the medical supplies. Add to that the cost of medicine and the research involved in staying on the cutting edge of medicine that is required to keep up with the expectations we demand of the medical establishment. As you can see there is a recipe here pointing towards the obvious - Health Care is expensive!
So through the years we allowed the risk pool to be assumed by the health insurance providers and pharmaceutical companies, they would shoulder the financial risk of delivery and research and they would administer this complex monster we refer to as our health care system. In return we would submit ourselves to the will of the "for profit" health care model and all of its not so pretty details. You know the ones - "Pre existing conditions", "benefit caps", "being dropped from the insurance role after you got sick and really needed it." " High priced Medicines and Prescriptions" - All the good stuff. And did I mention sky rocketing premiums? Because, as we all know there are only a few large insurance giants who rule the industry. They are free to operate at the whim of their Boards and Shareholders only beholden to the bottom line. They are free from scrutiny because they enjoy that freedom their anti-trust status provides them. What a gig! Price setting and no interstate commerce worries, little regulation - Ah yes - "GOOD TIMES!"
One of the most glaring problems with this formula is that it has allowed the insurance industry to keep the true costs of the system cloaked inside a cacophony of smoke and mirrors accounting and benefit practices. By doing so it has allowed our society to live for decades with our heads in the sand while the costs and accounting practices have hidden the spiraling burden weighing our economy down. Because as I have been reminded over a million times during the last 12 months of this so called debate it is 1/6th of our economy. The problem with this should be obvious to anyone - If everybody is oblivious to the true cost and everyone expects the best that can be provided, and the insurance companies are answering shareholder concerns. Eventually those that provide the insurance that covers the cost of this expensive medical treatment are going to be choosing where the money is spent - who gets coverage and what is covered! This translates to people starting to be left behind by a machine that is too expensive and inaccessible unless you play by their rules or have the cash to pay for your own.
The result of the preceding - Millions of uninsured and under insured citizens who are forced to choose daily between the need and desire to seek medical care and the reality of real world economics in a down recession and trying to survive on less.
Hmmmm! Insurance companies deciding who gets what - now that sounds more like something to be afraid of. Not this ridiculous crap that those opposed to this new legislation have been spewing for the last year and a half! But then again my fears tend to remain in reality and I don't listen to those who choose to pick on the less educated and misinformed. But that hasn't stopped many of our elected leaders from stooping to the lowest forms of fear mongering and misinformation. They have allowed the truth to remain hidden from view and have decided instead to play to this new populist tea party movement which from my point of view always appears like an angry mob of uneducated white folks harboring anxiety and fears not based in reality at all. (btw - Yes I'm Caucasian, White, a Cracker!)
So I think it is time to start living in reality again! Let's just start moving forward as Americans. Let's take this new path of health care reform to the next level and work on addressing the issues that this first bill doesn't address. There are lots of them. And it is going to take the best and the brightest to figure this mess out! We do need to address tort reform and that antitrust exemption has got to go. These are issues championed by the Republicans and conservative right yet I am convinced that these are issues that need attention. Ultimately I believe it is just a matter of time before America comes to the conclusion that I have had for a long time! "For Profit" Health Care Delivery has no place in modern society and ultimately we will realize that employer based, insurance provided systems are burdensome and unsustainable and ultimately the answer will be "single payer"! But for now we should move forward and move on to the next big Issue we can all fight about! Climate and Energy Legislation or as the opposition like to call it "Cap and Trade"!
Peace out!
Digital Penguin
We have allowed our love of the free market to blind us as the medical delivery system evolved into an enormous, ugly behemoth tended to by some of the finest health care professionals in the world, often using the latest medical technology, with cutting edge pharmaceutical research advancements. The view from the outside often led the viewer to believe that all was well with the system - it worked if you were wealthy or fortunate enough to work for an employer who provided health insurance. Everything seemed just fine!
Only when you looked beneath the surface did its ugly head begin to raise itself! First there was the obvious cost control issues. Doctors, Nurses and Staffs, Hospitals and delivery facilities which include doctors offices, clinics, labs and medical arts complexes. These things cost money - "lots" of money! Then there are consumables which include all of the medical supplies. Add to that the cost of medicine and the research involved in staying on the cutting edge of medicine that is required to keep up with the expectations we demand of the medical establishment. As you can see there is a recipe here pointing towards the obvious - Health Care is expensive!
So through the years we allowed the risk pool to be assumed by the health insurance providers and pharmaceutical companies, they would shoulder the financial risk of delivery and research and they would administer this complex monster we refer to as our health care system. In return we would submit ourselves to the will of the "for profit" health care model and all of its not so pretty details. You know the ones - "Pre existing conditions", "benefit caps", "being dropped from the insurance role after you got sick and really needed it." " High priced Medicines and Prescriptions" - All the good stuff. And did I mention sky rocketing premiums? Because, as we all know there are only a few large insurance giants who rule the industry. They are free to operate at the whim of their Boards and Shareholders only beholden to the bottom line. They are free from scrutiny because they enjoy that freedom their anti-trust status provides them. What a gig! Price setting and no interstate commerce worries, little regulation - Ah yes - "GOOD TIMES!"
One of the most glaring problems with this formula is that it has allowed the insurance industry to keep the true costs of the system cloaked inside a cacophony of smoke and mirrors accounting and benefit practices. By doing so it has allowed our society to live for decades with our heads in the sand while the costs and accounting practices have hidden the spiraling burden weighing our economy down. Because as I have been reminded over a million times during the last 12 months of this so called debate it is 1/6th of our economy. The problem with this should be obvious to anyone - If everybody is oblivious to the true cost and everyone expects the best that can be provided, and the insurance companies are answering shareholder concerns. Eventually those that provide the insurance that covers the cost of this expensive medical treatment are going to be choosing where the money is spent - who gets coverage and what is covered! This translates to people starting to be left behind by a machine that is too expensive and inaccessible unless you play by their rules or have the cash to pay for your own.
The result of the preceding - Millions of uninsured and under insured citizens who are forced to choose daily between the need and desire to seek medical care and the reality of real world economics in a down recession and trying to survive on less.
Hmmmm! Insurance companies deciding who gets what - now that sounds more like something to be afraid of. Not this ridiculous crap that those opposed to this new legislation have been spewing for the last year and a half! But then again my fears tend to remain in reality and I don't listen to those who choose to pick on the less educated and misinformed. But that hasn't stopped many of our elected leaders from stooping to the lowest forms of fear mongering and misinformation. They have allowed the truth to remain hidden from view and have decided instead to play to this new populist tea party movement which from my point of view always appears like an angry mob of uneducated white folks harboring anxiety and fears not based in reality at all. (btw - Yes I'm Caucasian, White, a Cracker!)
So I think it is time to start living in reality again! Let's just start moving forward as Americans. Let's take this new path of health care reform to the next level and work on addressing the issues that this first bill doesn't address. There are lots of them. And it is going to take the best and the brightest to figure this mess out! We do need to address tort reform and that antitrust exemption has got to go. These are issues championed by the Republicans and conservative right yet I am convinced that these are issues that need attention. Ultimately I believe it is just a matter of time before America comes to the conclusion that I have had for a long time! "For Profit" Health Care Delivery has no place in modern society and ultimately we will realize that employer based, insurance provided systems are burdensome and unsustainable and ultimately the answer will be "single payer"! But for now we should move forward and move on to the next big Issue we can all fight about! Climate and Energy Legislation or as the opposition like to call it "Cap and Trade"!
Peace out!
Digital Penguin
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