By 2050, Russia will have declined in population by 100 million and America will have increased in population by 100 million.
This would seem to be a huge story with many interesting implications.
And what about the impact of global warming on Canada's demographics with increasing migration to the north?
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=russian+population+decline&aq=0&oq=russian+population&aqi=g10
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=canada+demographics+2050&aq=f&oq=&aqi=
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wealth, Income, and Debt Inequality in America
One would think most Americans would be pretty stunned to hear that the bottom 90% have 73% of the DEBT, while the top 1% have 38% of the WEALTH. They might actually wonder if that wealth is at all derived from their debt? Have they been screwed yet again? Have they been played for suckers yet again by Wall Street selling them on the American Dream of infinite debt? Naaah, it's their own fault, caveat emptor, screw or be screwed, the ethic of personal responsibility for being so ignorant to believe the con artist's pitch. (RIP, Billy Mays)
So what is the real story on wealth and income inequality in America? Is it getting better or worse? Does anyone still believe in Reagan trickle-down-ism? Is there any way to get beyond the knee-jerk talking points of dittohead conservatives and commie pinko libs on this touchy subject?
Does unrestrained capitalism inevitably lead to exploitation, monopolies, anti-competitive illegal business practices, and extreme socioeconomic inequality, and a permanent underclass? Yep. Is restrained capitalism better than unrestrained socialism or communism? Yep. Is restrained capitalism an oxymoron? yep.
http://www.amazon.com/Top-Heavy-Increasing-Inequality-Twentieth/dp/0870783602/ref=sid_dp_dp
5.0 out of 5 stars A log-normal distribution, March 17, 2005
By
Luc REYNAERT (Beernem, Belgium) - See all my reviews(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME) Edward N. Wolff's study is an extremely clear statistical analysis of a for many reasons rather misty affair: wealth distribution in the US. His conclusion is that 'in 1989 the top 1 % of US families owned 48 percent of total US wealth'. His book confirms the ground-breaking sociological studies of William G. Domhoff. As Richard C. Leone remarks in his excellent introduction: ' We Americans have always flattered ourselves that we have more of two good things than almost anyone else: democracy and opportunity. To be sure, neither is simple.' For, beneath the top heavy wealthy lays the vast majority of US citizens with their burdens of debt, while a lower part hasn't even social security. In order to rectify the skewed situation, the author proposed a modest wealth tax, which at the top would not have been more than 10 %. Unfortunately, US fiscal policy went the other way round: taxation on the wealthy was further reduced.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_inequality_in_the_United_States
Affluent people are more likely to allocate their money in financial services such as stocks, bonds, and other investments. Yet those who are not wealthy are likely to have their money in savings accounts and home ownership. [12] This difference comprises the largest reason for the continuation of wealth inequality in America; the rich are accumulating more assets while the middle and working classes are just getting by. Currently, the richest 1% hold about 38% of all privately held wealth in the United States.[2] while the bottom 90% held 73% of all debt.[10]
So what is the real story on wealth and income inequality in America? Is it getting better or worse? Does anyone still believe in Reagan trickle-down-ism? Is there any way to get beyond the knee-jerk talking points of dittohead conservatives and commie pinko libs on this touchy subject?
Does unrestrained capitalism inevitably lead to exploitation, monopolies, anti-competitive illegal business practices, and extreme socioeconomic inequality, and a permanent underclass? Yep. Is restrained capitalism better than unrestrained socialism or communism? Yep. Is restrained capitalism an oxymoron? yep.
http://www.amazon.com/Top-Heavy-Increasing-Inequality-Twentieth/dp/0870783602/ref=sid_dp_dp
5.0 out of 5 stars A log-normal distribution, March 17, 2005
By
Luc REYNAERT (Beernem, Belgium) - See all my reviews(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME) Edward N. Wolff's study is an extremely clear statistical analysis of a for many reasons rather misty affair: wealth distribution in the US. His conclusion is that 'in 1989 the top 1 % of US families owned 48 percent of total US wealth'. His book confirms the ground-breaking sociological studies of William G. Domhoff. As Richard C. Leone remarks in his excellent introduction: ' We Americans have always flattered ourselves that we have more of two good things than almost anyone else: democracy and opportunity. To be sure, neither is simple.' For, beneath the top heavy wealthy lays the vast majority of US citizens with their burdens of debt, while a lower part hasn't even social security. In order to rectify the skewed situation, the author proposed a modest wealth tax, which at the top would not have been more than 10 %. Unfortunately, US fiscal policy went the other way round: taxation on the wealthy was further reduced.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_inequality_in_the_United_States
Affluent people are more likely to allocate their money in financial services such as stocks, bonds, and other investments. Yet those who are not wealthy are likely to have their money in savings accounts and home ownership. [12] This difference comprises the largest reason for the continuation of wealth inequality in America; the rich are accumulating more assets while the middle and working classes are just getting by. Currently, the richest 1% hold about 38% of all privately held wealth in the United States.[2] while the bottom 90% held 73% of all debt.[10]
A Diagnosis of the American Mental Obesity Epidemic
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312422504/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk#
Walk around any shopping mall in American and the fraction of obese people is truly stunning once you pay attention to it (myself included, alas). I often think that if someone were to be transported from 1969 to now, it is perhaps the one thing that might be dramatically obvious, but we dont notice it too much living in it, as it has crept up slowly over 4 decades of increasing sedentary-ness and fast food MSG diet saturation.
But what if we could see inside the thoughts of people as easily as we can see their waistlines? Wouldnt we be as equally stunned with the narrowness of their thought bubbles and the poverty of their experience of the world in contrast to 40 years ago? Wouldnt this be as dramatic as the sight of 50% of people being obese?
Here is a book that surveys the obesity of American intellectual life circa 2003: lazy bigotry and willful ignorance pandered to by a lazy media willfully ignoring the real news in order to sell infotainment epitomized by the fascist traitor Rupert Murdoch.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312422504/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk#
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars An Anti-Globalization Primer, January 4, 2003
By
Panopticonman "panopticonman" (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews THE EAGLE'S SHADOW ends with a list of problems facing the United States that neatly summarizes the main themes of Hertzgaard's thoughtful, if somewhat pro forma analysis of the new American imperium: "Our foreign policy is often arrogant and cruel and threatens to "blow back" against us in terrible ways. Our consumerist definition of prosperity is killing us, and perhaps the planet. Our democracy is an embarrassment to the word, a den of entrenched bureaucrats and legal bribery. Our media are a disgrace to the hallowed concept of freedom of the press. Our precious civil liberties are under siege, our economy is dividing us into rich and poor, our signature cultural activities are shopping and watching television. To top it off, our business and political elites are insisting that our model should also be the world's model, through the glories of corporate-led globalization."
Hertzgaard goes on to say that the worst failure of all is our failure to admit these problems even exist. "How can we fix what we don't know is broken? How can we have an honest discussion about our foreign policy when we don't even admit we are an empire? How can we solve our economic problems when we can't talk intelligently about capitalism or acknowledge that the market can produce bad results as well as good? How can we address any of these problems if we rely on the feel-good fantasies transmitted by our media system which serve only to distract us from what's important and confuse us about what's true?"
Walk around any shopping mall in American and the fraction of obese people is truly stunning once you pay attention to it (myself included, alas). I often think that if someone were to be transported from 1969 to now, it is perhaps the one thing that might be dramatically obvious, but we dont notice it too much living in it, as it has crept up slowly over 4 decades of increasing sedentary-ness and fast food MSG diet saturation.
But what if we could see inside the thoughts of people as easily as we can see their waistlines? Wouldnt we be as equally stunned with the narrowness of their thought bubbles and the poverty of their experience of the world in contrast to 40 years ago? Wouldnt this be as dramatic as the sight of 50% of people being obese?
Here is a book that surveys the obesity of American intellectual life circa 2003: lazy bigotry and willful ignorance pandered to by a lazy media willfully ignoring the real news in order to sell infotainment epitomized by the fascist traitor Rupert Murdoch.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312422504/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk#
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars An Anti-Globalization Primer, January 4, 2003
By
Panopticonman "panopticonman" (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews THE EAGLE'S SHADOW ends with a list of problems facing the United States that neatly summarizes the main themes of Hertzgaard's thoughtful, if somewhat pro forma analysis of the new American imperium: "Our foreign policy is often arrogant and cruel and threatens to "blow back" against us in terrible ways. Our consumerist definition of prosperity is killing us, and perhaps the planet. Our democracy is an embarrassment to the word, a den of entrenched bureaucrats and legal bribery. Our media are a disgrace to the hallowed concept of freedom of the press. Our precious civil liberties are under siege, our economy is dividing us into rich and poor, our signature cultural activities are shopping and watching television. To top it off, our business and political elites are insisting that our model should also be the world's model, through the glories of corporate-led globalization."
Hertzgaard goes on to say that the worst failure of all is our failure to admit these problems even exist. "How can we fix what we don't know is broken? How can we have an honest discussion about our foreign policy when we don't even admit we are an empire? How can we solve our economic problems when we can't talk intelligently about capitalism or acknowledge that the market can produce bad results as well as good? How can we address any of these problems if we rely on the feel-good fantasies transmitted by our media system which serve only to distract us from what's important and confuse us about what's true?"
The Looting of America 123
Paul Krugman's 2004 book 'The Great Unraveling' stands as a good preview of the 2008 Second Republican Great Depression we are now going through, in which the optimistic scenario is Japan's Lost Decade. (Bush+Enron)*(Cheney+Carlyle)*(Alcoholism+Anti Intellectual Ideology)=Fall of Rome II.
http://www.amazon.com/Great-Unraveling-Century-Updated-Expanded/dp/0393326055/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251366595&sr=8-6
74 of 77 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Read Preface and Introduction, Skip the Rest, September 24, 2003
By
Robert D. Steele (Oakton, VA United States) - See all my reviews(TOP 50 REVIEWER)
This review is from: The Great Unraveling: Losing Our Way in the New Century (Hardcover) Edit of 21 Dec 07 to add comment and links. New Comment: the author was ahead of his time. See new links below. The book is worth buying for the Preface and Introduction alone. The rest of the book is a somewhat irritating replay of every column the author has ever written, and not nearly as well done or as riveting as, say, Tom Friedman's replays in "Longitudes & Attitudes". However, if you have not read the author's columns, his bite-size descriptions of irrational exuberance, crony capitalism, the failure of the Federal Reserve, fuzzy math, how markets go bad, and global spoilage, then they are all certainly worth browsing. The Preface has three core ideas: 1) the elites are ruling badly and not beneficially for the majority of the population including all the voters and most of the stockholders; 2) politicians and corporation chiefs are getting away with blatant lies to the public because of a media that avoids critical inquiry; and 3) open sources of information--all that lies in the public domain--are more than adequate for anyone to get a grip on reality. The Introduction is a bit scarier and more pointed. The author joins Mark Hertsgaard, author of The Eagle's Shadow: Why America Fascinates and Infuriates the World in suggesting that the radical right is creating nothing less than a Reichstag in America. In the author's view, and he quotes Kissinger in chilling terms, the radical right is a revolutionary power that is very deliberately and with malice at all times, rejecting and undermining the democratic rules of the game. In the author's words, the radical right is "a movement whose leaders do not accept the legitimacy of our current political system." The author goes so far as to suggest that the radical right considers elections as "only a formality" and that they will do anything--including subversion of the Constitution--to "win" those elections and reap the domestic and foreign "looting rights." Disclosure: I used to be a conservative Republican and used to think such ideas were simply over the top. I have been radicalized by the last 200 books I have read (and reviewed on Amazon) and I have to say, while the third of the nation that is close-minded and ideologically-blindered on the right may give the author short shrift, the other two thirds--the drop-outs and splinter parties, and the failing Democrats--they should take Krugman very seriously. He is an economist, teaching at Princeton, not a journalist nor a sensationalist, and in my view, when one combines his book with that of Clyde Prestowitz, a Presbyterian elder and solid Reagan Republican and fiscal conservative (Rogue Nation: American Unilateralism and the Failure of Good Intentions), with that of William Greider, writing on the immorality and social costs of capitalism as we practice it today (The Soul of Capitalism: Opening Paths to a Moral Economy), one can only conclude that the Republic, and that for which it stands, have been hijacked, are being looted, and the American Democratic experiment is on very thin ice.
http://www.amazon.com/Great-Unraveling-Century-Updated-Expanded/dp/0393326055/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251366595&sr=8-6
74 of 77 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Read Preface and Introduction, Skip the Rest, September 24, 2003
By
Robert D. Steele (Oakton, VA United States) - See all my reviews(TOP 50 REVIEWER)
This review is from: The Great Unraveling: Losing Our Way in the New Century (Hardcover) Edit of 21 Dec 07 to add comment and links. New Comment: the author was ahead of his time. See new links below. The book is worth buying for the Preface and Introduction alone. The rest of the book is a somewhat irritating replay of every column the author has ever written, and not nearly as well done or as riveting as, say, Tom Friedman's replays in "Longitudes & Attitudes". However, if you have not read the author's columns, his bite-size descriptions of irrational exuberance, crony capitalism, the failure of the Federal Reserve, fuzzy math, how markets go bad, and global spoilage, then they are all certainly worth browsing. The Preface has three core ideas: 1) the elites are ruling badly and not beneficially for the majority of the population including all the voters and most of the stockholders; 2) politicians and corporation chiefs are getting away with blatant lies to the public because of a media that avoids critical inquiry; and 3) open sources of information--all that lies in the public domain--are more than adequate for anyone to get a grip on reality. The Introduction is a bit scarier and more pointed. The author joins Mark Hertsgaard, author of The Eagle's Shadow: Why America Fascinates and Infuriates the World in suggesting that the radical right is creating nothing less than a Reichstag in America. In the author's view, and he quotes Kissinger in chilling terms, the radical right is a revolutionary power that is very deliberately and with malice at all times, rejecting and undermining the democratic rules of the game. In the author's words, the radical right is "a movement whose leaders do not accept the legitimacy of our current political system." The author goes so far as to suggest that the radical right considers elections as "only a formality" and that they will do anything--including subversion of the Constitution--to "win" those elections and reap the domestic and foreign "looting rights." Disclosure: I used to be a conservative Republican and used to think such ideas were simply over the top. I have been radicalized by the last 200 books I have read (and reviewed on Amazon) and I have to say, while the third of the nation that is close-minded and ideologically-blindered on the right may give the author short shrift, the other two thirds--the drop-outs and splinter parties, and the failing Democrats--they should take Krugman very seriously. He is an economist, teaching at Princeton, not a journalist nor a sensationalist, and in my view, when one combines his book with that of Clyde Prestowitz, a Presbyterian elder and solid Reagan Republican and fiscal conservative (Rogue Nation: American Unilateralism and the Failure of Good Intentions), with that of William Greider, writing on the immorality and social costs of capitalism as we practice it today (The Soul of Capitalism: Opening Paths to a Moral Economy), one can only conclude that the Republic, and that for which it stands, have been hijacked, are being looted, and the American Democratic experiment is on very thin ice.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Movie Review - 'Contact' with Jodie Foster
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Against boredom, the gods themselves struggle in vain, June 14, 2002
I too have seen the movie N many times and have even read thebook, and as a result, I too appreciate how much better the movie is thanthe book, and here is why:
Here is Why the Movie 'Contact' improves on Sagan's original book IMHO:
1. it is not clear why there is no explanation in the SETI message of what theobject of the trip is to be, i.e. why go? In the book the aliens evidentlycant resist showing us the equivalent of their hobby room, just like a nerdyearthling, 'hey come on over and look at my widgets' (see pg 364 "that'swhat we mainly do - engineering") But in the movie, there is zero technicalpresentation from the alien contact, only a spiritual connection, soevidently the purely technical nature of the original message was a trick orlure to fool a techie-obsessed culture into being directly shown by an'incredibly technologically advanced' civilisation that, 'hey, that's notwhere it's at, loving one another is where it's at'.
2. Removing the technical content from the actual contact experience was astroke of genius and greatly increased the power of the movie, and gave it asubtlety missing in Sagan's book.
3. Sagan's vision of the alien's interests are just extrapolations on hisown. He evidently would like to design galaxies.Also, the aliens are not motivated by a quest for knowledge, but outof boredom. (pg 364: "no new galaxies .. just the same old crowd.Everything's getting run down. It'll be boring.")
("Against boredom, the gods themselves struggle in vain." - Nietzsche)
In the movie, the aliens are evidently motivated out of love, there isno hint that they are bored.
"See, in all our searching, the only thing we've found that makes theemptiness bearable, is each other."-Dad-prime
4. Sagan tries to make the case that a scientist's experience of the'numinous' in calculating pi to N-billion digits is on a par with thereligious experience of the numinous. He misses the point that oneperson's calculation makes another's irrelevant and redundant, whereasone person's religious experience of the numinous, does not makeanother's redundant. This the message of Ellie after the return:'I wish everyone could have this experience'. She is cast in theclassic position of every earth mystic in history, rendered incapableof conveying the numinosity but yearning for everyone to participate.Yet both the book and movie fail in making the leap to the religiousexperience of the numinous as being valuable precisely because it isavailable to all and not dependent on a BIG EXPENSIVE MACHINE.
All this is not to denigrate Sagan's book which I enjoyed. And I think hemight agree the movie improved on his original concept in ways he hadntthought of, and I am sure he would have delighted in the unforeseenimprovements, like a real scientist.
Rest In Bliss, Carl, we love ya :)
"They said that's the way it's been done for billions of years."-Ellie
Against boredom, the gods themselves struggle in vain, June 14, 2002
I too have seen the movie N many times and have even read thebook, and as a result, I too appreciate how much better the movie is thanthe book, and here is why:
Here is Why the Movie 'Contact' improves on Sagan's original book IMHO:
1. it is not clear why there is no explanation in the SETI message of what theobject of the trip is to be, i.e. why go? In the book the aliens evidentlycant resist showing us the equivalent of their hobby room, just like a nerdyearthling, 'hey come on over and look at my widgets' (see pg 364 "that'swhat we mainly do - engineering") But in the movie, there is zero technicalpresentation from the alien contact, only a spiritual connection, soevidently the purely technical nature of the original message was a trick orlure to fool a techie-obsessed culture into being directly shown by an'incredibly technologically advanced' civilisation that, 'hey, that's notwhere it's at, loving one another is where it's at'.
2. Removing the technical content from the actual contact experience was astroke of genius and greatly increased the power of the movie, and gave it asubtlety missing in Sagan's book.
3. Sagan's vision of the alien's interests are just extrapolations on hisown. He evidently would like to design galaxies.Also, the aliens are not motivated by a quest for knowledge, but outof boredom. (pg 364: "no new galaxies .. just the same old crowd.Everything's getting run down. It'll be boring.")
("Against boredom, the gods themselves struggle in vain." - Nietzsche)
In the movie, the aliens are evidently motivated out of love, there isno hint that they are bored.
"See, in all our searching, the only thing we've found that makes theemptiness bearable, is each other."-Dad-prime
4. Sagan tries to make the case that a scientist's experience of the'numinous' in calculating pi to N-billion digits is on a par with thereligious experience of the numinous. He misses the point that oneperson's calculation makes another's irrelevant and redundant, whereasone person's religious experience of the numinous, does not makeanother's redundant. This the message of Ellie after the return:'I wish everyone could have this experience'. She is cast in theclassic position of every earth mystic in history, rendered incapableof conveying the numinosity but yearning for everyone to participate.Yet both the book and movie fail in making the leap to the religiousexperience of the numinous as being valuable precisely because it isavailable to all and not dependent on a BIG EXPENSIVE MACHINE.
All this is not to denigrate Sagan's book which I enjoyed. And I think hemight agree the movie improved on his original concept in ways he hadntthought of, and I am sure he would have delighted in the unforeseenimprovements, like a real scientist.
Rest In Bliss, Carl, we love ya :)
"They said that's the way it's been done for billions of years."-Ellie
Book - Stealing MySpace
http://www.amazon.com/Stealing-MySpace-Control-Popular-Website/dp/1400066948/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251291985&sr=8-3
Sounds like an interesting story, former pornographers and spammers startup MySpace and almost go bankrupt before cashing in for millions with the ultimate purveyor of sleaze, Rupert Murdoch.
Glad to hear MySpace is now on a death spiral, losing millions of customers per week or month or something like that, according to the author interviewed on Leo Laporte's TWiT podcast show.
Maybe soon they will be as forgettable as GeoCities, which has to rank as the #1 alltime worst acquisition, with Yahoo paying over 3 BILLION for it, only to have all the members disappear once taken over. GeoCities could have easily been a MySpace or Facebook, but clearly lacked the 'vision thing' and put too much effort into controlling its users rather than letting them do what they want.
Sounds like an interesting story, former pornographers and spammers startup MySpace and almost go bankrupt before cashing in for millions with the ultimate purveyor of sleaze, Rupert Murdoch.
Glad to hear MySpace is now on a death spiral, losing millions of customers per week or month or something like that, according to the author interviewed on Leo Laporte's TWiT podcast show.
Maybe soon they will be as forgettable as GeoCities, which has to rank as the #1 alltime worst acquisition, with Yahoo paying over 3 BILLION for it, only to have all the members disappear once taken over. GeoCities could have easily been a MySpace or Facebook, but clearly lacked the 'vision thing' and put too much effort into controlling its users rather than letting them do what they want.
Joys of Text Editing with White Text on Blue Background
I recall how pleasant it used to be on old DOS machines to edit text with white fonts on a blue background, the eyestrain was a lot less than with black text on a white background. It was as pleasant as looking at white clouds in a blue sky. It is possible to still do this in a DOS window as long as it is fullscreen, but then you have to use a dos type editor.
I have tried to get Windows to use this color scheme in Word but it doesnt work too well. The borders and menus dont change and the windows surroundings have too much contrast.
I find the modern PC's slavish imitation of the paper display of black ink and white paper somewhat ridiculous, it is not the optimum necessarily for eyestrain, yet most programs are hardwired to use it and trying to change it in Windows is more trouble than it is worth.
I have tried to get Windows to use this color scheme in Word but it doesnt work too well. The borders and menus dont change and the windows surroundings have too much contrast.
I find the modern PC's slavish imitation of the paper display of black ink and white paper somewhat ridiculous, it is not the optimum necessarily for eyestrain, yet most programs are hardwired to use it and trying to change it in Windows is more trouble than it is worth.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Dems Suck at Sound Bites for Explaining 'Public Option'
it is pretty depressing to see how incompetent the dems are at counter spinning the public option in the face of fox news fascist propaganda. This should be trivially easy, yet nothing has stuck.
"Without a public option, you will be paying CEOs hundreds of millions for denying YOU the health care you are paying for."
"For-profit health care is an oxymoron."
"Trust a for-profit insurance company with your health? Would you trust a credit card company with your 401k?"
"government BY the insurance lobbyists is not OF the people and FOR the people"
"Work harder, billionaires on Wall Street are depending on you"
"I don't mind that my insurance company CEO got a 50 million dollar bonus, why else do I pay such high premiums?"
"Without a public option, you will be paying CEOs hundreds of millions for denying YOU the health care you are paying for."
"For-profit health care is an oxymoron."
"Trust a for-profit insurance company with your health? Would you trust a credit card company with your 401k?"
"government BY the insurance lobbyists is not OF the people and FOR the people"
"Work harder, billionaires on Wall Street are depending on you"
"I don't mind that my insurance company CEO got a 50 million dollar bonus, why else do I pay such high premiums?"
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Infinite Jest - Another Book I'll Never Read
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Supposedly_Fun_Thing_I
http://www.wpr.org/book/090823a.cfm
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/16/news/a-supposedly-fun-thing-i-ll-never-do-again.html
I actually gave 'Infinite Jest' an hour or so of effort once finding myself in a library and it was on the new arrivals rack, and an empty seat was near, so I gave it a shot, but could not get into it at all, unfortunately, it seemed too dense and intricate and pointless, and I couldnt really discern any appeal to the style. Oh well, I marvel at people who actually have the patience for such large tomes of self-indulgence. The central idea as I have heard it related is interesting though - the end result of over-entertainment, amusing ourselves to death, the end of civilisation via addiction to entertainment.
"We have invented happiness, say the Last Men, and they blink" - Nietzsche
Thus was sad to hear this TTBOOK podcast show in memory of David Foster Wallace, and how he suffered from depression. Too much intelligence can be a curse, which is why evolution does not select for it that much, rather the opposite.
http://www.wpr.org/book/090823a.cfm
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/16/news/a-supposedly-fun-thing-i-ll-never-do-again.html
I actually gave 'Infinite Jest' an hour or so of effort once finding myself in a library and it was on the new arrivals rack, and an empty seat was near, so I gave it a shot, but could not get into it at all, unfortunately, it seemed too dense and intricate and pointless, and I couldnt really discern any appeal to the style. Oh well, I marvel at people who actually have the patience for such large tomes of self-indulgence. The central idea as I have heard it related is interesting though - the end result of over-entertainment, amusing ourselves to death, the end of civilisation via addiction to entertainment.
"We have invented happiness, say the Last Men, and they blink" - Nietzsche
Thus was sad to hear this TTBOOK podcast show in memory of David Foster Wallace, and how he suffered from depression. Too much intelligence can be a curse, which is why evolution does not select for it that much, rather the opposite.
Lisa Law Reminisces About Commune Life
Fifteen of us lived together, one room per family, and a kitchen and a communal room. I can't say that I enjoyed that kind of living. It always seemed that women ended up doing a lot more chores than the men. The men played music, smoked the herb, chopped wood and repaired vehicles. The lack of privacy was a test.
-Lisa Law, 1987
http://americanhistory.si.edu/lisalaw/6.htm
-Lisa Law, 1987
http://americanhistory.si.edu/lisalaw/6.htm
Monday, August 17, 2009
Live From the South of France - NPR's Ed Ward Enshrines Himself in the Annals of Cretindom
Boy am I glad I'm not a famous NPR 'rock critic' like Ed Ward [real name? yeah, right], I would be so miserable I would have to kill myself immediately. Yet he lives, why is a mystery to me.
What horrible brain-wasting disease must Ed Ward be suffering from to yawn through Santana's 'Soul Sacrifice' from the Woodstock CD and not be moved by Carlos Santana's fearsome and epic struggle to prevent his guitar from turning into a snake as he wrested immortal notes from its writhing neck while peaking on mescaline.
Ed Ward lives in the south of France, alas.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111856190
http://www.history.com/content/woodstock
What horrible brain-wasting disease must Ed Ward be suffering from to yawn through Santana's 'Soul Sacrifice' from the Woodstock CD and not be moved by Carlos Santana's fearsome and epic struggle to prevent his guitar from turning into a snake as he wrested immortal notes from its writhing neck while peaking on mescaline.
Ed Ward lives in the south of France, alas.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111856190
http://www.history.com/content/woodstock
Idiocracy - the Future is Now
after reading that rapper Flavor Flav has 7 kids with 3 different women, the truth of Mike Judge's insight really hits home:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiocracy
A narrator (Earl Mann) explains that in modern society, natural selection has become indifferent toward intelligence, so that in a society in which intelligence is systematically debased, stupid people easily out-breed the intelligent, creating, over the course of five centuries, an irredeemably dysfunctional society. Demographic superiority favors those least likely to advance society.[2] Consequently, the children of the educated élites are drowned in a sea of sexually promiscuous, illiterate, alcoholic, degenerate peers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiocracy
A narrator (Earl Mann) explains that in modern society, natural selection has become indifferent toward intelligence, so that in a society in which intelligence is systematically debased, stupid people easily out-breed the intelligent, creating, over the course of five centuries, an irredeemably dysfunctional society. Demographic superiority favors those least likely to advance society.[2] Consequently, the children of the educated élites are drowned in a sea of sexually promiscuous, illiterate, alcoholic, degenerate peers.
Why No Public Option? Why Dont they Ever Tell Us the Reason, hmmmm?
it's really all too blatant to see how the public is so easily screwed in the Senate when big money interests sprinkle a few million here and there to their paid employees aka senators. After pocketing their paychecks, senators like Kent Conrad come out with a straight face to tell us all that a public option, though all concede it would save money being non-profit, is not 'practical', becauses there are no votes for it. But why???? BECAUSE THEY SOLD THEIR VOTES ALREADY TO PHARMA and the insurance lobby.
'Sorry suckers, we already sold those votes, they werent cheap either, and if you peons had any money on the table, we might have listened to you, but come on, you cant really be serious can you? Go back home and watch TV why dont you, like good little citizens, we grown ups have real work to do here for our good friends in the 200 billion dollar insurance industry.'
I wonder what cushy insurance lobbying job Kent Conrad will be offered in a year or so once the damage has been done?
Money talks, voters walk. So long suckers.
It's really too bad the dems are so stupid in the language they use, 'public option' sounds too much like socialism to Joe the Plumber, when the issue is really 'non profit' vs 'profit'. Why must health care be for-profit? It makes no sense, the profit motive does not encourage better care, just less of it and all kinds of bait and switch tactics like when you get sick voila all of a sudden so does your 'insurance'.
White House drops 'public option' from must-do list
Atlanta Journal Constitution - 37 minutes ago
The week starts off with widely reported news that the White House is backing off from its insistence on a so-called public option, the government-run ...
Dean: Public option a must for health care reform
The Associated Press - 37 minutes ago
WASHINGTON — Former Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean is arguing that there can be no meaningful overhaul of the health care system without a public ...
"The fact of the matter is, there are not the votes in the United States Senate for the public option," Mr. Conrad said on "Fox News Sunday." "There never have been. So to continue to chase that rabbit, I think, is just a wasted effort."
more by Kent Conrad - 37 minutes ago - Atlanta Journal Constitution (18 occurrences)
Bye Bye Public Option
Slate - Daniel Politi - 1 hour ago
By Daniel politiposted Monday, Aug. 17, 2009, at 6:40 AM ET The New York Times, Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with ...
Health reform: Is Obama's move to co-ops a good one?
Atlanta Journal Constitution - Henry Unger - 1 hour ago
In an effort to gain more political support — inside and outside the Beltway — the Obama administration appears willing to embrace insurance cooperatives ...
'Sorry suckers, we already sold those votes, they werent cheap either, and if you peons had any money on the table, we might have listened to you, but come on, you cant really be serious can you? Go back home and watch TV why dont you, like good little citizens, we grown ups have real work to do here for our good friends in the 200 billion dollar insurance industry.'
I wonder what cushy insurance lobbying job Kent Conrad will be offered in a year or so once the damage has been done?
Money talks, voters walk. So long suckers.
It's really too bad the dems are so stupid in the language they use, 'public option' sounds too much like socialism to Joe the Plumber, when the issue is really 'non profit' vs 'profit'. Why must health care be for-profit? It makes no sense, the profit motive does not encourage better care, just less of it and all kinds of bait and switch tactics like when you get sick voila all of a sudden so does your 'insurance'.
White House drops 'public option' from must-do list
Atlanta Journal Constitution - 37 minutes ago
The week starts off with widely reported news that the White House is backing off from its insistence on a so-called public option, the government-run ...
Dean: Public option a must for health care reform
The Associated Press - 37 minutes ago
WASHINGTON — Former Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean is arguing that there can be no meaningful overhaul of the health care system without a public ...
"The fact of the matter is, there are not the votes in the United States Senate for the public option," Mr. Conrad said on "Fox News Sunday." "There never have been. So to continue to chase that rabbit, I think, is just a wasted effort."
more by Kent Conrad - 37 minutes ago - Atlanta Journal Constitution (18 occurrences)
Bye Bye Public Option
Slate - Daniel Politi - 1 hour ago
By Daniel politiposted Monday, Aug. 17, 2009, at 6:40 AM ET The New York Times, Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with ...
Health reform: Is Obama's move to co-ops a good one?
Atlanta Journal Constitution - Henry Unger - 1 hour ago
In an effort to gain more political support — inside and outside the Beltway — the Obama administration appears willing to embrace insurance cooperatives ...
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Great Moments in Hypocrisy - CNN Wont Air Radio Commentators
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25588.html
It is really too rich, CNN, the network that hosts certifiably insane pandering demagogues like Lou Dobbs maintains that its high standards wont allow it to give air time to radio talk show hosts.
It is really too rich, CNN, the network that hosts certifiably insane pandering demagogues like Lou Dobbs maintains that its high standards wont allow it to give air time to radio talk show hosts.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
We are living in the Golden Age of Hypocrisy
"But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves." (Gospel of Matthew 23:13-15)
http://www.amazon.com/Outrage-Jim-McGreevey/dp/B0027BOL4Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1250346274&sr=8-2
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, June 9, 2009
By
B. Phelps "bartlcsw" (Roseville, Ca. United States) - See all my reviews(REAL NAME) Apparently the previous reviewer didn't actually SEE the film which I do believe is a prerequisite to a good review. This film is an eye-opener, an in depth examination of the extent that closeted gay politicians (and there are many) will go to protect themselves. This protection takes the form of the most vehement method of defense, reaction-formation. The primary point of the film is to question the practice of outing closeted gay politicians who promote and protect their own careers at the expense of the rights of others. Larry Craig is seen as a rather pathetic figure who's accusations of gay encounters go as far back as the 1980's, long before his last bathroom fiasco. Also interviewed are politicians who have come out of the closet (or been forced out) explaining the freedom attained through honesty. Most interesting is information surrounding the current governor of Florida. The film is riveting from beginning to end. Illustrations of a Freudian slip by a Fox news reporter provide a moment of laughter, while the censoring of an Anderson Cooper (of all people) Bill Maher interview which omits Maher's naming of a gay politician gives question to the beltways conspiracy to protect right-wing gay politicians and their staff. You will be amazed and surprised at the disclosures this film has to offer! A must see. Watch for the Republican conservative who takes his gay "right hand man" all over the world for extended travel but makes sure their arrival is always one day apart.
http://www.amazon.com/Outrage-Jim-McGreevey/dp/B0027BOL4Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1250346274&sr=8-2
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, June 9, 2009
By
B. Phelps "bartlcsw" (Roseville, Ca. United States) - See all my reviews(REAL NAME) Apparently the previous reviewer didn't actually SEE the film which I do believe is a prerequisite to a good review. This film is an eye-opener, an in depth examination of the extent that closeted gay politicians (and there are many) will go to protect themselves. This protection takes the form of the most vehement method of defense, reaction-formation. The primary point of the film is to question the practice of outing closeted gay politicians who promote and protect their own careers at the expense of the rights of others. Larry Craig is seen as a rather pathetic figure who's accusations of gay encounters go as far back as the 1980's, long before his last bathroom fiasco. Also interviewed are politicians who have come out of the closet (or been forced out) explaining the freedom attained through honesty. Most interesting is information surrounding the current governor of Florida. The film is riveting from beginning to end. Illustrations of a Freudian slip by a Fox news reporter provide a moment of laughter, while the censoring of an Anderson Cooper (of all people) Bill Maher interview which omits Maher's naming of a gay politician gives question to the beltways conspiracy to protect right-wing gay politicians and their staff. You will be amazed and surprised at the disclosures this film has to offer! A must see. Watch for the Republican conservative who takes his gay "right hand man" all over the world for extended travel but makes sure their arrival is always one day apart.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Semper Fidelis
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/14/bill-cahir-journalist-who_n_259870.html
Washington Post:
Marine Sgt. Bill Cahir, a former Washington-based journalist and congressional staffer who joined the Marines in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, was killed in Afghanistan on Thursday, his unit and friends reported.
----------------------
lanshark: Very sad, this is exactly the kind of people we need in government and and representing the US in Afghanistan. Here's a link to Bill Cahir's experience as a Marine recruit; it's a great read:
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/joe-owens/index.ssf/2009/08/bill_cahir_journalist_soldier.html
It took a lot of guts to make it through basic with men 15 years your junior.
Washington Post:
Marine Sgt. Bill Cahir, a former Washington-based journalist and congressional staffer who joined the Marines in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, was killed in Afghanistan on Thursday, his unit and friends reported.
----------------------
lanshark: Very sad, this is exactly the kind of people we need in government and and representing the US in Afghanistan. Here's a link to Bill Cahir's experience as a Marine recruit; it's a great read:
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/joe-owens/index.ssf/2009/08/bill_cahir_journalist_soldier.html
It took a lot of guts to make it through basic with men 15 years your junior.
When Limbaugh Calls for the Elimination of All Liberals, What 'Conservative' Will Speak Out Against Him?
Just listen to Limbaugh and wherever he says 'liberal', replace that with 'Jew', and voila, you have Limbaugh's previous incarnation in Nazi Germany as Goebbels.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitler%27s_Willing_Executioners
http://www.amazon.com/Good-Old-Days-Perpetrators-Bystanders/dp/1568521332/ref=pd_sim_dbs_b_4
49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Powerful, April 13, 2002
By
John G. Hilliard (Toronto Canada) - See all my reviews(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME) This book really makes one shiver. I have read a number of books on the holocaust and World War 2 and this book absolute is the rawest of the books covering the genocide. That is not to say the book had a blow by blow account of the methods of killing, but just the history of this group of solders and the off handed way the mass killing was described. The people doing this killing were just normal guys, not unlike friends, family or myself. Wow, it is just amazing to me the way they try to justify what they were in charge of, the crimes against humanity that they committed. That is what was so disturbing to me. It is much easier to think that the mass killing was done by some group of homicidal maniacs let out of the asylum and given guns that that is not the case.
The details you get here are very hard to take once you have finished the book and think about it. This is one of the few books that for weeks after I finished it I would continue to think about it I do not think I can recommend this book enough; it really gives you a feel for the tremendous crime that took place. You will not be able to stop reading the book until you have completed it. I could go on and on. Even if you are not overly interested in WW 2 or the Holocaust you should read this book, there is no way you will not be griped by it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitler%27s_Willing_Executioners
http://www.amazon.com/Good-Old-Days-Perpetrators-Bystanders/dp/1568521332/ref=pd_sim_dbs_b_4
49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Powerful, April 13, 2002
By
John G. Hilliard (Toronto Canada) - See all my reviews(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME) This book really makes one shiver. I have read a number of books on the holocaust and World War 2 and this book absolute is the rawest of the books covering the genocide. That is not to say the book had a blow by blow account of the methods of killing, but just the history of this group of solders and the off handed way the mass killing was described. The people doing this killing were just normal guys, not unlike friends, family or myself. Wow, it is just amazing to me the way they try to justify what they were in charge of, the crimes against humanity that they committed. That is what was so disturbing to me. It is much easier to think that the mass killing was done by some group of homicidal maniacs let out of the asylum and given guns that that is not the case.
The details you get here are very hard to take once you have finished the book and think about it. This is one of the few books that for weeks after I finished it I would continue to think about it I do not think I can recommend this book enough; it really gives you a feel for the tremendous crime that took place. You will not be able to stop reading the book until you have completed it. I could go on and on. Even if you are not overly interested in WW 2 or the Holocaust you should read this book, there is no way you will not be griped by it.
John Mackey - Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
Pretty funny story about Whole Foods CEO John Mackey turning out to be just another fat cat screw-em-all corporate business suit, having made millions off screwing the New-Age-hippies out of their paychecks by giving them the illusion they were supporting an actual caring corporation not out for sheer profit at the expense of workers farmers and harvesters like all the other rapacious corporations.
'There's a Sucker Born Every Minute'
'You'll never get anywhere in this town unless you learn how to fake sincerity.'
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052970204251404574342170072865070.html
http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2009/08/whole-foods-is-in-a-whole-lot-of-trouble.html
'There's a Sucker Born Every Minute'
'You'll never get anywhere in this town unless you learn how to fake sincerity.'
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052970204251404574342170072865070.html
http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2009/08/whole-foods-is-in-a-whole-lot-of-trouble.html
Thursday, August 13, 2009
What, No Second Republican Great Depression? Surely you Joust!
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/opinion/10krugman.html
Jacob Olsson
New York
August 10th, 2009
6:33 am
I think Krugman will regret having written this article within a year. As he points out, there are absolutely no clear indicators that things are getting better.I believe that the government did everything wrong in the handling of the crisis. They stepped in, as they should have, but they did everything wrong:- TARP was a huge gravy train for Wall Street, which, it will turn out later, simply took the money and ran. Stock prices have been temporarily inflated by TARP, which is why even people like Krugman have been fooled into believing that the crisis is over.- The bank rescue program had the same effect as TARP, but with the additional eventual effect that competition will be much less severe for those banks that survive (probably not Citi and BoA). Chase will once again dominate.- Regulation? What happened to that? Oh, so now the banks have to tell you a little bit about how your mortgage works... Great. Looting and devastating bubbles are out of fashion to talk about.The crisis will come back soon, because it was not dealt with. There are at least $2 Trillion more of bank losses, tens of Trillions in home equity losses, another stock crash and much more still to come.And America is not ready. The political system is so corrupt that real solutions to problems are immediately taken off the table.www.usparliament.blogspot.com
Jacob Olsson
New York
August 10th, 2009
6:33 am
I think Krugman will regret having written this article within a year. As he points out, there are absolutely no clear indicators that things are getting better.I believe that the government did everything wrong in the handling of the crisis. They stepped in, as they should have, but they did everything wrong:- TARP was a huge gravy train for Wall Street, which, it will turn out later, simply took the money and ran. Stock prices have been temporarily inflated by TARP, which is why even people like Krugman have been fooled into believing that the crisis is over.- The bank rescue program had the same effect as TARP, but with the additional eventual effect that competition will be much less severe for those banks that survive (probably not Citi and BoA). Chase will once again dominate.- Regulation? What happened to that? Oh, so now the banks have to tell you a little bit about how your mortgage works... Great. Looting and devastating bubbles are out of fashion to talk about.The crisis will come back soon, because it was not dealt with. There are at least $2 Trillion more of bank losses, tens of Trillions in home equity losses, another stock crash and much more still to come.And America is not ready. The political system is so corrupt that real solutions to problems are immediately taken off the table.www.usparliament.blogspot.com
The Great Derangement part deux
http://www.esquire.com/the-side/richardson-report/obama-birthers-movement-part-one-080409
When Did Americans Turn into a Bunch of Raving Lunatics?
A look back at how we got to this apex of the "birther" movement and — more frightening still — a road trip into the heart of Obama hater country. Part one in a two-part series.
By John H. Richardson
[more from this author]
Read more: http://www.esquire.com/the-side/richardson-report/obama-birthers-movement-part-one-080409#ixzz0O4i1xXJL
When Did Americans Turn into a Bunch of Raving Lunatics?
A look back at how we got to this apex of the "birther" movement and — more frightening still — a road trip into the heart of Obama hater country. Part one in a two-part series.
By John H. Richardson
[more from this author]
Read more: http://www.esquire.com/the-side/richardson-report/obama-birthers-movement-part-one-080409#ixzz0O4i1xXJL
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
An Economist's Perspective on the Meltdown As It Happened
http://currencythoughts.com/2008/09/
Not Your Average Day
September 15, 2008 · 1 Comment
Today has been one of those very few days that leave financial market observers and participants truly speechless, like September 11, 2001 and October 19, 1987 when the Dow fell 508 points of 22.6%. The roll call of victims — Countrywide, Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, and Merrill Lynch — will continue to unfold in unexpected ways. I don’t think there’s any question under the circumstances that the Fed funds rate will be cut tomorrow by at least 25 basis points.
-----------------------------
The U.S. economy was fundamentally much stronger in 1987 than now, and so were financial institutions. The issues that rattled investors back then were fears of inflation and excessive deficit spending, and a lack of cooperation among the G7 governments. The backdrop this time is not the same. The real economies of the United States and other industrialized nations face recession, and it was caused by bursting housing bubbles infecting the financial community. That is too close to the origins of the Great Depression for comfort. It has been thought that the world should not have to experience an economic calamity again of such severity, because the policy mistakes of that era are well understood. By design or force of market circumstances, government officials will blink — just not today.
Not Your Average Day
September 15, 2008 · 1 Comment
Today has been one of those very few days that leave financial market observers and participants truly speechless, like September 11, 2001 and October 19, 1987 when the Dow fell 508 points of 22.6%. The roll call of victims — Countrywide, Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, and Merrill Lynch — will continue to unfold in unexpected ways. I don’t think there’s any question under the circumstances that the Fed funds rate will be cut tomorrow by at least 25 basis points.
-----------------------------
The U.S. economy was fundamentally much stronger in 1987 than now, and so were financial institutions. The issues that rattled investors back then were fears of inflation and excessive deficit spending, and a lack of cooperation among the G7 governments. The backdrop this time is not the same. The real economies of the United States and other industrialized nations face recession, and it was caused by bursting housing bubbles infecting the financial community. That is too close to the origins of the Great Depression for comfort. It has been thought that the world should not have to experience an economic calamity again of such severity, because the policy mistakes of that era are well understood. By design or force of market circumstances, government officials will blink — just not today.
Who Would Trust Republicans with the Economy Ever Again?
rigid ideology, anti-intellectualism, and a 'loyal Bushie' contempt for competence inevitably leads to incompetent performance and/or outright disaster
http://currencythoughts.com/2008/08/19/how-the-us-economy-performed-under-democrat-and-republican-presidents/
With twenty years on each side and since some of the ups and downs of the U.S. business cycle lie beyond the direct control of policymakers, one would expect similar results in the two groups. Not so. Instead, one discovers below a significant advantage when a Democrat occupied the White House in each of the five categories.
% Per Annum
Democrat Republican Bush43
GDP Growth 4.1% 2.9% 2.2%
Employment 2.9% 1.7% 0.5%
CPI 4.0% 5.1% 3.0%
DJIA 8.1% 6.5% 0.9%
Dollar +0.8% -3.6% -5.9%
QED
http://currencythoughts.com/2008/08/19/how-the-us-economy-performed-under-democrat-and-republican-presidents/
With twenty years on each side and since some of the ups and downs of the U.S. business cycle lie beyond the direct control of policymakers, one would expect similar results in the two groups. Not so. Instead, one discovers below a significant advantage when a Democrat occupied the White House in each of the five categories.
% Per Annum
Democrat Republican Bush43
GDP Growth 4.1% 2.9% 2.2%
Employment 2.9% 1.7% 0.5%
CPI 4.0% 5.1% 3.0%
DJIA 8.1% 6.5% 0.9%
Dollar +0.8% -3.6% -5.9%
QED
Good News - Sponsors Drop Glenn Beck - FINALLY!!!!
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/141918/this_week's_hate_speech_brought_to_you_by.../
finally a tiny few in corporate america show a little common sense in realizing that subsidizing blatant demagoguery is not in their best interests
List of corporate sponsors of fascist rightards to boycott:
http://mediamatters.org/research/200908120010
finally a tiny few in corporate america show a little common sense in realizing that subsidizing blatant demagoguery is not in their best interests
List of corporate sponsors of fascist rightards to boycott:
http://mediamatters.org/research/200908120010
Limbaugh the Nazi Monger
someone's going to die soon from all this rightard rabble rousing from Beck Hannity and Limbaugh, and then how will they spin it to make themselves sound righteous and patriotic? They are all demagogues in a direct line from Goebbels.
http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/141911/rush_limbaugh's_%22nazi%22_rhetoric:_where's_the_outrage/
This reminds me of Nixon times
Posted by: Outspokengrandmother on Aug 12, 2009 7:26 AM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This reminds me of the days leading up to the Kent State shootings. Everyone was hysterical and then four students died and it was like throwing ice water on the mob. Someone will, or several someones will, die and suddenly Rush will be seen for the hate monger he is. Glen Beck will lose all his sponsors, CNN will finally fire Lou Dobbs.... I don't think the corporate news will wake up without a blood bath.
Beck is worse
Posted by: EncinoM on Aug 12, 2009 7:34 AM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Caught him last night, he first argued that Obama wasn;t a Nazi, then went into a rant about Eugenics and Nazi Germany, including posters from the peirod and his daughter and tied it all together with Obama's health plan. These men are giving gasoline and a book of matches to a retard kid (rednecks and birthers) and telling them to have fun. Missing from the debate is the fact that we now have health rationing done by bureaucrats. Only they do not work for teh government, but Atena, USHealth care, cigna, etc.
There's plenty of outrage
Posted by: EinMD on Aug 12, 2009 6:52 AM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
But you're forgetting the golden rule of politics. It's Ok if you're Republican.500,000 people march through NYC to protest the Iraq war and that's a 'focus group'10 people show up in a field in the rain to bitch about something and that's a massive protest. Fox news says so!Liberal Democrats sit quietly in the gallery during a congressional hearing an Republican congressmen begin shouting about having them arrested.But a bunch of lobbying firms and right wing think tanks send out paid wingnuts to disrupt town hall meetings and that's just fine. They're 'patriots' defending the home front with their lynched effigies and their mock fist fights.I'm surprised nobody's carved backwards 'B's on their cheeks yet.
http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/141911/rush_limbaugh's_%22nazi%22_rhetoric:_where's_the_outrage/
This reminds me of Nixon times
Posted by: Outspokengrandmother on Aug 12, 2009 7:26 AM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This reminds me of the days leading up to the Kent State shootings. Everyone was hysterical and then four students died and it was like throwing ice water on the mob. Someone will, or several someones will, die and suddenly Rush will be seen for the hate monger he is. Glen Beck will lose all his sponsors, CNN will finally fire Lou Dobbs.... I don't think the corporate news will wake up without a blood bath.
Beck is worse
Posted by: EncinoM on Aug 12, 2009 7:34 AM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Caught him last night, he first argued that Obama wasn;t a Nazi, then went into a rant about Eugenics and Nazi Germany, including posters from the peirod and his daughter and tied it all together with Obama's health plan. These men are giving gasoline and a book of matches to a retard kid (rednecks and birthers) and telling them to have fun. Missing from the debate is the fact that we now have health rationing done by bureaucrats. Only they do not work for teh government, but Atena, USHealth care, cigna, etc.
There's plenty of outrage
Posted by: EinMD on Aug 12, 2009 6:52 AM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
But you're forgetting the golden rule of politics. It's Ok if you're Republican.500,000 people march through NYC to protest the Iraq war and that's a 'focus group'10 people show up in a field in the rain to bitch about something and that's a massive protest. Fox news says so!Liberal Democrats sit quietly in the gallery during a congressional hearing an Republican congressmen begin shouting about having them arrested.But a bunch of lobbying firms and right wing think tanks send out paid wingnuts to disrupt town hall meetings and that's just fine. They're 'patriots' defending the home front with their lynched effigies and their mock fist fights.I'm surprised nobody's carved backwards 'B's on their cheeks yet.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Obama Mama PhD Paper
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/opinion/11dove.html
http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/opinion/11dove.html
"I knew Dr. Soetoro as a friend and colleague for many years before her death from cancer in 1995. Though I only met her son once, briefly at her memorial service, I’ve watched him as he’s taken on the hardest job in the world, and often found myself wondering how her worldview might have shaped him.
Dr. Soetoro’s most sustained academic effort was her 1,043-page dissertation, “Peasant Blacksmithing in Indonesia: Surviving Against All Odds,” completed in 1992 and based on 14 years of research. This was a classic, in-depth, on-the-ground anthropological study of a 1,200-year-old industry. "
Walter
Dallas
August 11th, 2009
3:45 pm
The glorification of Obama's mother here is a bit much.First of all, she was a lousy mother. Obama succeeded in spite of her negligent and erratic ways. Read his biography to learn more of her apathetic parenting techniques. Of course, a big part of Obama's success can be attributed to his stable grandparents.A previous poster made the point that the blacksmiths were interested in the collective good instead of the individual gain of brutal capitalism -that begs the question of why they still had no paved roads and electronic instruments until 1978. That "collective good" philosophy is clearly inferior to the disciplined and regulated application of capitalist competition.
http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/opinion/11dove.html
"I knew Dr. Soetoro as a friend and colleague for many years before her death from cancer in 1995. Though I only met her son once, briefly at her memorial service, I’ve watched him as he’s taken on the hardest job in the world, and often found myself wondering how her worldview might have shaped him.
Dr. Soetoro’s most sustained academic effort was her 1,043-page dissertation, “Peasant Blacksmithing in Indonesia: Surviving Against All Odds,” completed in 1992 and based on 14 years of research. This was a classic, in-depth, on-the-ground anthropological study of a 1,200-year-old industry. "
Walter
Dallas
August 11th, 2009
3:45 pm
The glorification of Obama's mother here is a bit much.First of all, she was a lousy mother. Obama succeeded in spite of her negligent and erratic ways. Read his biography to learn more of her apathetic parenting techniques. Of course, a big part of Obama's success can be attributed to his stable grandparents.A previous poster made the point that the blacksmiths were interested in the collective good instead of the individual gain of brutal capitalism -that begs the question of why they still had no paved roads and electronic instruments until 1978. That "collective good" philosophy is clearly inferior to the disciplined and regulated application of capitalist competition.
Why is Rove Still Free?
If this slippery weasel gets away with all his crimes, it will be a sad day for democracy in America.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2009/08/conyers-rove-was-driving-force-behind-us-attorney-firings.html
Click here for the Rove transcripts and here for Miers.
Politico says that the 6,000-plus documents show that Rove "played a critical role in the firing of the U.S. attorney in New Mexico following the 2006 elections."
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2009/08/conyers-rove-was-driving-force-behind-us-attorney-firings.html
Click here for the Rove transcripts and here for Miers.
Politico says that the 6,000-plus documents show that Rove "played a critical role in the firing of the U.S. attorney in New Mexico following the 2006 elections."
Conservatism and Pathological Authoritarian Personality Disorder
The more I listen to cretins like Limbaugh, Hannity, and Sussman on the radio, the more I believe that there is a real clinical pathology going on here that no amount of education can overcome. In fact, it is probably why they all dropped out of school, they can't take the cognitive dissonance of learning how reality conflicts with their cherished opinions. Psychological homeostasis dictates that when learning causes psychological pain, that pain must be avoided in order to maintain the comfort of a fictional reality construct. Ergo, drop out or transfer to U of Pat Robertson.
Given that "Civilisation is a race between education and catastrophe" (H.G. Wells), it appears that America is headed for catastrophe, as long as the reactionary billionaires like Murdoch and Mellon-Scaife et al control the media.
http://www.reason.com/news/show/34935.html
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=conservatism+personality+disorder&aq=f&oq=&aqi=
“It appears that conservatism has pathological dimensions manifested in violence and distorted psycho-sexual development” (Boshier, 1983, p. 159).This is supported by a study conducted by Walker, Rowe, and Quincey (1993) in which there was a direct correlation between authoritarianism and sexually aggressive behavior. An investigation done by Muehlenhard (1988) revealed that rape justification and aggression toward subordinate individuals was much higher in traditional (conservative personality) than non-traditional personalities.
It is postulated in this paper that the offender has a conservative personality and, therefore, manifests that violence. Characteristics•Religious dogmatism •Right-wing political orientation (in Western society) •Insistence on strict rules and punishments •Ethnocentrism and intolerance of minority groups •Preference for conventional art, clothing, and institutions •Anti-hedonistic outlook (the tendency to regard pleasure, particularly sexual, as necessarily bad) •Superstition and resistance to scientific progress (Boshier, 1983, p. 51)
The following is a series of statements or beliefs which can be attributed to the individual who manifests a conservative personality: •Religion of a dogmatic and fundamental nature •Commitment to political organizations which favor maintenance of the status quo (even by force) •Strict regulation of individual behavior •Militarism •Preference for people of one’s own kind •Resistance to change •Conventional in art and clothing •Refusal to accept new ideas •Superstitious and fatalistic (Wilson, 1973)
Both Boshier and Wilson’s descriptors of the conservative personality were congruent with those of Nevitt Sandord, one of the original authors of the work on authoritarianism. Sanford discussed in detail the development of his research of the authoritarian personality, the ramifications of the concept of authoritarianism and updated the efforts from the time of the original work.
According to Allport (1954) the authoritarian personality type was one which found daily life and “the consequences of personal freedom . . . unpredictable” (p. 382). He argued that such individuals would look to authority, in the form of society’s rules and laws, for discipline and stability.
Allport specified that, “This need for authority reflects a deep distrust of human beings” (p. 382) and described authoritarian individuals as wishing to be a part of an orderly, powerful society, with well-defined rules and authoritative leadership; to act aggressively toward deviants and out group members; and to believe in the rightness of power and control, whether personal or societal.
Given that "Civilisation is a race between education and catastrophe" (H.G. Wells), it appears that America is headed for catastrophe, as long as the reactionary billionaires like Murdoch and Mellon-Scaife et al control the media.
http://www.reason.com/news/show/34935.html
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=conservatism+personality+disorder&aq=f&oq=&aqi=
“It appears that conservatism has pathological dimensions manifested in violence and distorted psycho-sexual development” (Boshier, 1983, p. 159).This is supported by a study conducted by Walker, Rowe, and Quincey (1993) in which there was a direct correlation between authoritarianism and sexually aggressive behavior. An investigation done by Muehlenhard (1988) revealed that rape justification and aggression toward subordinate individuals was much higher in traditional (conservative personality) than non-traditional personalities.
It is postulated in this paper that the offender has a conservative personality and, therefore, manifests that violence. Characteristics•Religious dogmatism •Right-wing political orientation (in Western society) •Insistence on strict rules and punishments •Ethnocentrism and intolerance of minority groups •Preference for conventional art, clothing, and institutions •Anti-hedonistic outlook (the tendency to regard pleasure, particularly sexual, as necessarily bad) •Superstition and resistance to scientific progress (Boshier, 1983, p. 51)
The following is a series of statements or beliefs which can be attributed to the individual who manifests a conservative personality: •Religion of a dogmatic and fundamental nature •Commitment to political organizations which favor maintenance of the status quo (even by force) •Strict regulation of individual behavior •Militarism •Preference for people of one’s own kind •Resistance to change •Conventional in art and clothing •Refusal to accept new ideas •Superstitious and fatalistic (Wilson, 1973)
Both Boshier and Wilson’s descriptors of the conservative personality were congruent with those of Nevitt Sandord, one of the original authors of the work on authoritarianism. Sanford discussed in detail the development of his research of the authoritarian personality, the ramifications of the concept of authoritarianism and updated the efforts from the time of the original work.
According to Allport (1954) the authoritarian personality type was one which found daily life and “the consequences of personal freedom . . . unpredictable” (p. 382). He argued that such individuals would look to authority, in the form of society’s rules and laws, for discipline and stability.
Allport specified that, “This need for authority reflects a deep distrust of human beings” (p. 382) and described authoritarian individuals as wishing to be a part of an orderly, powerful society, with well-defined rules and authoritative leadership; to act aggressively toward deviants and out group members; and to believe in the rightness of power and control, whether personal or societal.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Limbaugh the Nazi Calls Pelosi a Nazi on Sunday TV
I guess Limbaugh is tired of hearing himself being called a Nazi these last 20 years and has to fling the feces around with all the grace befitting a chimp locked in cage with a spittle and feces flecked microphone yelling at the headlines in the morning paper for 20 years without a break except the occasional trip to the Dominican Republic haven for sex tourists looking for young boys, whenever he can get his blood pressure down enough to tolerate a double dose of viagra:
MR. GREGORY: Republicans in office and on the airwaves insist the anger is real, reflecting real fears about a government takeover of the healthcare system. But the rhetoric has become extreme.
(Videotape, Thursday)
MR. RUSH LIMBAUGH: There are far more similarities between Nancy Pelosi and Adolph Hitler than between these people showing up at town halls to protest a Hitler-like policy.
MR. GREGORY: Republicans in office and on the airwaves insist the anger is real, reflecting real fears about a government takeover of the healthcare system. But the rhetoric has become extreme.
(Videotape, Thursday)
MR. RUSH LIMBAUGH: There are far more similarities between Nancy Pelosi and Adolph Hitler than between these people showing up at town halls to protest a Hitler-like policy.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Limbaugh's Beard Gets Him on another YoYo Diet
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2309284/posts
To: potlatch
.
Too many times Rush would say
He is worth a ton of bucks and is more of an influence than ever
I believe Rush said he was fired 12 times
He is one of a kind
His key has always been to entertain his listeners and be accurate
If he makes an error - rarely - he usually corrects his comment within minutes [ahhaahhahahah]
Must be a great diet
He did look younger and healthier on Greta’s show
Network TV libs cannot stand that he makes so much money and has such influence and runs his own domain
19 posted on Wednesday, August 05, 2009 7:40:04 PM by devolve (- - .....mean-spiritedanddangerous.com..... - -)
To: Free ThinkerNY
This is his second trip to weight loss town. His last wife, Marta, got him on a health regime and he dropped down. Prior to that, I'd have bet he tipped the scales at over 330.
20 posted on Wednesday, August 05, 2009 7:41:35 PM by Richard Kimball (We're all criminals. They just haven't figured out what some of us have done yet.)
To: devolve
Wonder why he can’t stay married. I know how popular he is with radio listeners. Didn’t he say he was going to move out of New York?
22 posted on Wednesday, August 05, 2009 7:44:05 PM by potlatch ( There is no education in the second kick of a mule.)
To: potlatch
He moved out of NY years ago.
As to why he can't stay married, well, I don't know him. A marriage is hard enough to pull off, but when you're famous and rich you have a lot more temptations.
24 posted on Wednesday, August 05, 2009 7:49:06 PM by Richard Kimball (We're all criminals. They just haven't figured out what some of us have done yet.)
-------------
'Why can't he stay married?' hahahahahahahahahaha ... gasp ... look up 'dominican republic gay sex tourism' for a start
------------------
http://ucsense.blogspot.com/2008/12/meet-rush-limbaughs-fourth-ex-wife.html
To: potlatch
.
Too many times Rush would say
He is worth a ton of bucks and is more of an influence than ever
I believe Rush said he was fired 12 times
He is one of a kind
His key has always been to entertain his listeners and be accurate
If he makes an error - rarely - he usually corrects his comment within minutes [ahhaahhahahah]
Must be a great diet
He did look younger and healthier on Greta’s show
Network TV libs cannot stand that he makes so much money and has such influence and runs his own domain
19 posted on Wednesday, August 05, 2009 7:40:04 PM by devolve (- - .....mean-spiritedanddangerous.com..... - -)
To: Free ThinkerNY
This is his second trip to weight loss town. His last wife, Marta, got him on a health regime and he dropped down. Prior to that, I'd have bet he tipped the scales at over 330.
20 posted on Wednesday, August 05, 2009 7:41:35 PM by Richard Kimball (We're all criminals. They just haven't figured out what some of us have done yet.)
To: devolve
Wonder why he can’t stay married. I know how popular he is with radio listeners. Didn’t he say he was going to move out of New York?
22 posted on Wednesday, August 05, 2009 7:44:05 PM by potlatch ( There is no education in the second kick of a mule.)
To: potlatch
He moved out of NY years ago.
As to why he can't stay married, well, I don't know him. A marriage is hard enough to pull off, but when you're famous and rich you have a lot more temptations.
24 posted on Wednesday, August 05, 2009 7:49:06 PM by Richard Kimball (We're all criminals. They just haven't figured out what some of us have done yet.)
-------------
'Why can't he stay married?' hahahahahahahahahaha ... gasp ... look up 'dominican republic gay sex tourism' for a start
------------------
http://ucsense.blogspot.com/2008/12/meet-rush-limbaughs-fourth-ex-wife.html
Friday, August 7, 2009
Deconstructing the Right Wing Lies on the Health Insurance Bill
Spontaneous Uprising? Corporate Lobbyists Helping To OrchestrateRadical Anti-Obama Tea Party Protests
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/09/lobbyists-planning-teaparties/
Right-Wing Harassment Strategy Against Dems Detailed In Memo: ‘Yell,’‘Stand Up And Shout Out,’ ‘Rattle Him’
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/31/recess-harassment-memo/
Deconstructing the Right Wing Lies on the Health Insurance Bill
http://pleasecutthecrap.typepad.com/main/2009/07/deconstructing-the-right-wing-lies-health-bill.html#more
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/09/lobbyists-planning-teaparties/
Right-Wing Harassment Strategy Against Dems Detailed In Memo: ‘Yell,’‘Stand Up And Shout Out,’ ‘Rattle Him’
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/31/recess-harassment-memo/
Deconstructing the Right Wing Lies on the Health Insurance Bill
http://pleasecutthecrap.typepad.com/main/2009/07/deconstructing-the-right-wing-lies-health-bill.html#more
Proof that America is too Dumb to Deserve Good Government
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/opinion/07krugman.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
"There was a telling incident at a town hall held by Representative Gene Green, D-Tex. An activist turned to his fellow attendees and asked if they “oppose any form of socialized or government-run health care.” Nearly all did. Then Representative Green asked how many of those present were on Medicare. Almost half raised their hands."
"There was a telling incident at a town hall held by Representative Gene Green, D-Tex. An activist turned to his fellow attendees and asked if they “oppose any form of socialized or government-run health care.” Nearly all did. Then Representative Green asked how many of those present were on Medicare. Almost half raised their hands."
The Giant Sucking Sound - In Last Decade, a Lack of Job Growth in the Private Sector
what else did we expect when we let Wall Street sell off all the middle class jobs to the Communist Chinese? duh.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/08/business/economy/08charts.html?hpw
Off the Charts
In Last Decade, a Lack of Job Growth in the Private Sector
By FLOYD NORRIS
Published: August 7, 2009
For the first time since the Depression, the American economy has added virtually no jobs in the private sector over a 10-year period. The total number of jobs has grown a bit, but that is only because of government hiring.
The accompanying charts show the job performance from July 1999, when the economy was booming and companies were complaining about how hard it was to find workers, through July of this year, when the economy was mired in the deepest and longest recession since World War II. For the decade, there was a net gain of 121,000 private sector jobs, according to the survey of employers conducted each month by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In an economy with 109 million such jobs, that indicated an annual growth rate for the 10 years of 0.01 percent.
Until the current downturn, the long-term annual growth rate for private sector jobs had not dipped below 1 percent since the since the early 1960s. Most often, the rate was well above that.
As can be seen from the charts, there were some areas of strength in the economy. Health care jobs continued to grow, particularly jobs that involve caring for the elderly. Home health care employment rose at an annual rate of 5 percent, a rate that indicates a total gain of more than 60 percent. On an annual basis, that was twice the overall rate for health care of 2.4 percent a year.
There were also job gains in education and in a host of service industries, including lawyers (0.7 percent a year), accountants (0.9 percent) and computer systems designers (2.4 percent). The field of management and technical consulting leaped at an annual rate of 5 percent.
But while designing computers and related equipment was a growth field, building them was a very different story, as the manufacturing shifted largely to Asia. The number of jobs making computer and electronic equipment in the United States fell at an annual rate of 4.4 percent, substantially more than the overall decline in manufacturing jobs, of 3.7 percent.
That was a better showing than that of the automakers, which shed jobs at a rate of 6.7 percent a year. By contrast, auto dealers cut jobs at a much slower rate of 1.3 percent a year, although that rate may accelerate later this year as General Motors and Chrysler dealerships are closed.
Hard as it may be to believe, the consumer economy of the United States actually lost retail jobs over the decade, at a rate of 0.2 percent. There were fewer people working in food stores. But the category of general merchandise stores — like Wal-Mart and Costco — showed an impressive gain of 1 percent a year, even though the category also includes department stores like Macy’s, where the number of jobs has fallen.
For a good part of the decade, the construction business was a growth industry. But there are now fewer jobs there than there were a decade ago.
The total picture is of an economy that has changed in substantial ways over the decade. After the recession ends, job growth is likely to resume. But there is no indication that the secular trend toward a more service-oriented economy will reverse. A decade from now, there are likely to be still more jobs at architecture and engineering firms (up 1.2 percent a year over the last decade) and at bars and restaurants (up 1.8 percent a year). But few expect that manufacturing will reverse its long decline as a major employer in the United States.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/08/business/economy/08charts.html?hpw
Off the Charts
In Last Decade, a Lack of Job Growth in the Private Sector
By FLOYD NORRIS
Published: August 7, 2009
For the first time since the Depression, the American economy has added virtually no jobs in the private sector over a 10-year period. The total number of jobs has grown a bit, but that is only because of government hiring.
The accompanying charts show the job performance from July 1999, when the economy was booming and companies were complaining about how hard it was to find workers, through July of this year, when the economy was mired in the deepest and longest recession since World War II. For the decade, there was a net gain of 121,000 private sector jobs, according to the survey of employers conducted each month by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In an economy with 109 million such jobs, that indicated an annual growth rate for the 10 years of 0.01 percent.
Until the current downturn, the long-term annual growth rate for private sector jobs had not dipped below 1 percent since the since the early 1960s. Most often, the rate was well above that.
As can be seen from the charts, there were some areas of strength in the economy. Health care jobs continued to grow, particularly jobs that involve caring for the elderly. Home health care employment rose at an annual rate of 5 percent, a rate that indicates a total gain of more than 60 percent. On an annual basis, that was twice the overall rate for health care of 2.4 percent a year.
There were also job gains in education and in a host of service industries, including lawyers (0.7 percent a year), accountants (0.9 percent) and computer systems designers (2.4 percent). The field of management and technical consulting leaped at an annual rate of 5 percent.
But while designing computers and related equipment was a growth field, building them was a very different story, as the manufacturing shifted largely to Asia. The number of jobs making computer and electronic equipment in the United States fell at an annual rate of 4.4 percent, substantially more than the overall decline in manufacturing jobs, of 3.7 percent.
That was a better showing than that of the automakers, which shed jobs at a rate of 6.7 percent a year. By contrast, auto dealers cut jobs at a much slower rate of 1.3 percent a year, although that rate may accelerate later this year as General Motors and Chrysler dealerships are closed.
Hard as it may be to believe, the consumer economy of the United States actually lost retail jobs over the decade, at a rate of 0.2 percent. There were fewer people working in food stores. But the category of general merchandise stores — like Wal-Mart and Costco — showed an impressive gain of 1 percent a year, even though the category also includes department stores like Macy’s, where the number of jobs has fallen.
For a good part of the decade, the construction business was a growth industry. But there are now fewer jobs there than there were a decade ago.
The total picture is of an economy that has changed in substantial ways over the decade. After the recession ends, job growth is likely to resume. But there is no indication that the secular trend toward a more service-oriented economy will reverse. A decade from now, there are likely to be still more jobs at architecture and engineering firms (up 1.2 percent a year over the last decade) and at bars and restaurants (up 1.8 percent a year). But few expect that manufacturing will reverse its long decline as a major employer in the United States.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Helen Thomas article on Bush's Disastrous Legacy
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/01/11-7
kogwonton January 11th, 2009 8:54 pm
"I've abandoned free market principles to save the free market systems." [actual quote]
I've destroyed freedom to save it from those who hate our freedom.
I've used terror to protect us from terrorists
I've used preemptive war to defend us from war.
I've stolen elections to protect democracy.
I've imposed dictatorship at home and abroad in order to bring democracy to the world.
- George W. Bush (with Cheney helping with the spelling)
loopless January 12th, 2009 7:57 pm
"In 2004 I met some old lefty friends from three decades earlier. I was surprised when they spoke of the necessity of Kerry beating Bush. But, if you're really against American Imperialism, I said, you've got to support Bush. Even Bin Laden could not dream to commit equal injury to the Empire. No communist uprising could equally gut the Empire.
Helen Thomas describes that Bush has done just that since being re-elected. The world's leading economy in tatters. Budget surpluses turned into 10 trillion dollars of debt. Money pouring out of the country, lots of it into a China still led by a single Communist Party. Two wars that are both bleeding the American military and bleeds American ethical standing in the world, the rest of which views us as Barbarian butchers. American infrastructure crumbling. Schools that worry not about the learning and well being of the children but about test scores. Jobs outsourced. Disparities of income of an unimaginable dimension. A medical system that truly is malfunctioning. Our industrial base shriveled to the size of George Costanza after a cold shower. More citizens in prison than any other country can boast, the majority of whom are there for nonviolent--often victimless--crimes that shouldn't be on the books to begin with.
As I predicted four years ago, only four more years of Bush could have produced such a disaster for the American Empire. No collection of other enemies could have rivaled such damages. Bin Laden, eat your heart out; Bush has left you in the dust as an enemy of America."
kogwonton January 11th, 2009 8:54 pm
"I've abandoned free market principles to save the free market systems." [actual quote]
I've destroyed freedom to save it from those who hate our freedom.
I've used terror to protect us from terrorists
I've used preemptive war to defend us from war.
I've stolen elections to protect democracy.
I've imposed dictatorship at home and abroad in order to bring democracy to the world.
- George W. Bush (with Cheney helping with the spelling)
loopless January 12th, 2009 7:57 pm
"In 2004 I met some old lefty friends from three decades earlier. I was surprised when they spoke of the necessity of Kerry beating Bush. But, if you're really against American Imperialism, I said, you've got to support Bush. Even Bin Laden could not dream to commit equal injury to the Empire. No communist uprising could equally gut the Empire.
Helen Thomas describes that Bush has done just that since being re-elected. The world's leading economy in tatters. Budget surpluses turned into 10 trillion dollars of debt. Money pouring out of the country, lots of it into a China still led by a single Communist Party. Two wars that are both bleeding the American military and bleeds American ethical standing in the world, the rest of which views us as Barbarian butchers. American infrastructure crumbling. Schools that worry not about the learning and well being of the children but about test scores. Jobs outsourced. Disparities of income of an unimaginable dimension. A medical system that truly is malfunctioning. Our industrial base shriveled to the size of George Costanza after a cold shower. More citizens in prison than any other country can boast, the majority of whom are there for nonviolent--often victimless--crimes that shouldn't be on the books to begin with.
As I predicted four years ago, only four more years of Bush could have produced such a disaster for the American Empire. No collection of other enemies could have rivaled such damages. Bin Laden, eat your heart out; Bush has left you in the dust as an enemy of America."
Medical Bankruptcy the Untold Story in Health Care Reform
it is really criminal how the healthcare reform 'discussion' has been hijacked by the do-nothing-know-nothing Republicans with their gestapo fear and bullying tactics, while the real story of millions of medical expense caused bankruptcies each year goes virtually unreported.
Only in America. Where clowns like Limbaugh, Beck, and Hannity are considered leading intellectuals who deserve to be taken seriously rather than laughed off the air and sent back to get their GED after doing rehab to kick whatever it is they are on this week.
Washington, D.C. - infoZine - Scripps Howard Foundation Wire -
Witnesses and members of Congress discussed the implications of a study by Harvard and Ohio universities that found 62.1 percent of the respondents filed for bankruptcy because of medical reasons in 2007, a 50 percent increase since 2001. Of the group, 57.1 percent cited problems with paying medical bills as a major cause for their filing.The study, published in the August 2009 issue of The American Journal of Medicine also found that medical debtors were typically well educated and middle class, and that three-quarters had health insurance.
"The striking conclusion from our study is that private health insurance is a defective product that leaves millions of middle-class families vulnerable to financial ruin," said Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, a professor of medicine at Harvard and a co-author of the study.Testifying before the commercial and administrative law subcommittee, Woolhandler said the current health reform plan being considered by the House would do little to put an end to medical bankruptcy.
"Only single-payer national health insurance can make universal coverage affordable by saving the hundreds of billions we now waste on insurance overhead and bureaucracy," she said.Aparna Mathur, research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, contested the Harvard study, estimating that medical debt is the leading cause in only 15 to 20 percent of bankruptcy filings.She said that out of the large body of economic literature relating to household personal bankruptcy, "very few of the papers find medical problems or medical debt as significant explanatory variables causing bankruptcy.
"Woolhandler said their numbers differed because the studies Mathur cited are based on data from the late 1990s and early 2000s. Those studies also used government-collected data, she said, which does not delve deeply enough into the root causes of bankruptcy and may confuse medical debt with other kinds of debt, such as credit card debt.John Pottow, a University of Michigan Law School professor and bankruptcy expert, testified that 46 percent of bankruptcy filers over age 65 said they filed for medical reasons, according to his own research.Pottow urged members of Congress not to get caught up in pinning down the exact percentage of filings caused by medical debt."It's too high, whatever you use as the most-conservative metric," he said. Elizabeth Edwards, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and wife of former senator John Edwards, emphasized that bankruptcy was not the only result of medical debt. She cited a 2008 study in Health Matrix magazine that found 49 percent of foreclosures were caused in part by a medical problem, including 23 percent caused in large part by unmanageable medical bills.
"To ignore the fact that medical costs are part of the underlying problem of the financial meltdown we've experienced would be to turn a blind eye to a significant problem that we can solve," she said.The subject of the hearing led to a larger debate on the merits of nationalized health insurance."The reality is the United States is paying twice as much as other industrialized nations," Woolhandler said of insurance payments. "We are the only industrialized nation that does not use nonprofit national health insurance."
Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., disagreed. He said a government-run insurance program would increase costs and bureaucracy and limit quality health care."I am convinced that health care will become more expensive and the ultimate result will be that those people in crises will simply not be able to navigate the bureaucracy," he said. "Instead of having financial bankruptcy, we will have health bankruptcy."
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said he does not support a single-payer plan, but suggested designating medical reorganization as a special class of bankruptcy filing to protect people with high medical bills. "You have these people with ongoing chronic illnesses, depleted savings," he said. "Why should we end up having them plead bankruptcy after they've lost their house, after they're living in their car?"
Only in America. Where clowns like Limbaugh, Beck, and Hannity are considered leading intellectuals who deserve to be taken seriously rather than laughed off the air and sent back to get their GED after doing rehab to kick whatever it is they are on this week.
Washington, D.C. - infoZine - Scripps Howard Foundation Wire -
Witnesses and members of Congress discussed the implications of a study by Harvard and Ohio universities that found 62.1 percent of the respondents filed for bankruptcy because of medical reasons in 2007, a 50 percent increase since 2001. Of the group, 57.1 percent cited problems with paying medical bills as a major cause for their filing.The study, published in the August 2009 issue of The American Journal of Medicine also found that medical debtors were typically well educated and middle class, and that three-quarters had health insurance.
"The striking conclusion from our study is that private health insurance is a defective product that leaves millions of middle-class families vulnerable to financial ruin," said Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, a professor of medicine at Harvard and a co-author of the study.Testifying before the commercial and administrative law subcommittee, Woolhandler said the current health reform plan being considered by the House would do little to put an end to medical bankruptcy.
"Only single-payer national health insurance can make universal coverage affordable by saving the hundreds of billions we now waste on insurance overhead and bureaucracy," she said.Aparna Mathur, research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, contested the Harvard study, estimating that medical debt is the leading cause in only 15 to 20 percent of bankruptcy filings.She said that out of the large body of economic literature relating to household personal bankruptcy, "very few of the papers find medical problems or medical debt as significant explanatory variables causing bankruptcy.
"Woolhandler said their numbers differed because the studies Mathur cited are based on data from the late 1990s and early 2000s. Those studies also used government-collected data, she said, which does not delve deeply enough into the root causes of bankruptcy and may confuse medical debt with other kinds of debt, such as credit card debt.John Pottow, a University of Michigan Law School professor and bankruptcy expert, testified that 46 percent of bankruptcy filers over age 65 said they filed for medical reasons, according to his own research.Pottow urged members of Congress not to get caught up in pinning down the exact percentage of filings caused by medical debt."It's too high, whatever you use as the most-conservative metric," he said. Elizabeth Edwards, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and wife of former senator John Edwards, emphasized that bankruptcy was not the only result of medical debt. She cited a 2008 study in Health Matrix magazine that found 49 percent of foreclosures were caused in part by a medical problem, including 23 percent caused in large part by unmanageable medical bills.
"To ignore the fact that medical costs are part of the underlying problem of the financial meltdown we've experienced would be to turn a blind eye to a significant problem that we can solve," she said.The subject of the hearing led to a larger debate on the merits of nationalized health insurance."The reality is the United States is paying twice as much as other industrialized nations," Woolhandler said of insurance payments. "We are the only industrialized nation that does not use nonprofit national health insurance."
Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., disagreed. He said a government-run insurance program would increase costs and bureaucracy and limit quality health care."I am convinced that health care will become more expensive and the ultimate result will be that those people in crises will simply not be able to navigate the bureaucracy," he said. "Instead of having financial bankruptcy, we will have health bankruptcy."
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said he does not support a single-payer plan, but suggested designating medical reorganization as a special class of bankruptcy filing to protect people with high medical bills. "You have these people with ongoing chronic illnesses, depleted savings," he said. "Why should we end up having them plead bankruptcy after they've lost their house, after they're living in their car?"
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Obama Death Threats on Rise - Rupert Murdoch Chuckles with Glee
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/8/4/761985/-Obama-Gets-30-Death-Threats-Day-Needs-2x-More-Agents-
Obama Gets 30 Death Threats/Day Needs 2x More Agents
by FishOutofWater
Tue Aug 04, 2009 at 07:27:59 PM PDT
We laugh at the birthers and mock the tea baggers. But, since Obama was elected, threats against the president multiplied by 4 timesand over 7 million gun background checks were reported by the FBI.
Since Mr Obama took office, the rate of threats against the president has increased 400 per cent from the 3,000 a year or so under President George W. Bush, according to Ronald Kessler, author of In the President's Secret Service.
The FBI says that since November more than seven million people applied for criminal background checks in order to buy weapons, a figure excluding the many more buying at thousands of gun shows in states such as Virginia, without facing any checks.
FishOutofWater's diary :: ::
The right wing media is fanning the flames of the paranoid gun nuts. The Washington Times has gone full Godwin.
The man now happy to have his Islamic-rooted middle name featured prominently has engaged in the most consequential bait-and-switch since Adolf Hitler duped Neville Chamberlain over Czechoslovakia at Munich.
The tea party paranoids are reacting to the right wing media prompts.
Gun dealers have had shortages of bullets for months.
Selling bullets may be the most secure job in Florida as long as supplies last. After months of heavy buying, gun dealers across the state are experiencing shortages.
Some say it began with the election of President Barack Obama. Others say it's about the economic downturn or fear of crime. Whatever the reasons, ammunition has been selling like plywood and bottled water in the days before a hurricane.
Tea bagger bullies are making vague threats. Most of these vague threats are bullying to intimidate Democrats and progressives. However, some threats are real. The Secret Service must decide which ones are serious.
The Secret Service is still staffed for the lower level of threats that President Bush faced. One agent said that twice as many agents are needed.
"We have half the number of agents we need, but requests for more agents have fallen on deaf ears at headquarters," a Secret Service agent told Kessler. "Headquarters' mentality has always been, 'You can complete the mission with what you have. You're a U.S.S.S. agent'."
The Secret Service needs to be taken out of the Homeland security bureaucracy where it is lost in a sea of larger bureaucratic competitors.
The Secret Service has increasingly cut corners after it was absorbed by the new Homeland Security Department under Mr Bush. Kessler said that when Mr Biden threw the first pitch at the first Baltimore Orioles game of the 2009 season, the Secret Service did not screen any of the more than 40,000 fans, stunning his agents and the local Secret Service field office.
President Obama. Vice President Biden and all eligible officials and family members need a fully funded and staffed Secret Service to meet the increased threat levels.
Tags: Barack Obama, Secret Service, Death Threats, Guns, Ammunition, Media, Washington Times, Birthers, Teabaggers, Recommended (all tags) :: Previous Tag Versions
");
//]]>-->
Obama Gets 30 Death Threats/Day Needs 2x More Agents
by FishOutofWater
Tue Aug 04, 2009 at 07:27:59 PM PDT
We laugh at the birthers and mock the tea baggers. But, since Obama was elected, threats against the president multiplied by 4 timesand over 7 million gun background checks were reported by the FBI.
Since Mr Obama took office, the rate of threats against the president has increased 400 per cent from the 3,000 a year or so under President George W. Bush, according to Ronald Kessler, author of In the President's Secret Service.
The FBI says that since November more than seven million people applied for criminal background checks in order to buy weapons, a figure excluding the many more buying at thousands of gun shows in states such as Virginia, without facing any checks.
FishOutofWater's diary :: ::
The right wing media is fanning the flames of the paranoid gun nuts. The Washington Times has gone full Godwin.
The man now happy to have his Islamic-rooted middle name featured prominently has engaged in the most consequential bait-and-switch since Adolf Hitler duped Neville Chamberlain over Czechoslovakia at Munich.
The tea party paranoids are reacting to the right wing media prompts.
Gun dealers have had shortages of bullets for months.
Selling bullets may be the most secure job in Florida as long as supplies last. After months of heavy buying, gun dealers across the state are experiencing shortages.
Some say it began with the election of President Barack Obama. Others say it's about the economic downturn or fear of crime. Whatever the reasons, ammunition has been selling like plywood and bottled water in the days before a hurricane.
Tea bagger bullies are making vague threats. Most of these vague threats are bullying to intimidate Democrats and progressives. However, some threats are real. The Secret Service must decide which ones are serious.
The Secret Service is still staffed for the lower level of threats that President Bush faced. One agent said that twice as many agents are needed.
"We have half the number of agents we need, but requests for more agents have fallen on deaf ears at headquarters," a Secret Service agent told Kessler. "Headquarters' mentality has always been, 'You can complete the mission with what you have. You're a U.S.S.S. agent'."
The Secret Service needs to be taken out of the Homeland security bureaucracy where it is lost in a sea of larger bureaucratic competitors.
The Secret Service has increasingly cut corners after it was absorbed by the new Homeland Security Department under Mr Bush. Kessler said that when Mr Biden threw the first pitch at the first Baltimore Orioles game of the 2009 season, the Secret Service did not screen any of the more than 40,000 fans, stunning his agents and the local Secret Service field office.
President Obama. Vice President Biden and all eligible officials and family members need a fully funded and staffed Secret Service to meet the increased threat levels.
Tags: Barack Obama, Secret Service, Death Threats, Guns, Ammunition, Media, Washington Times, Birthers, Teabaggers, Recommended (all tags) :: Previous Tag Versions
");
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Where and When is the Kingdom of Heaven?
Is the Kingdom of Heaven a place? If so, why dont we build a rocket ship and go look for it? Is it coming sometime in the future? If so, why did Jesus describe it as if he was living there already? Is Jesus waiting for us at the right hand of God somewhere in space? In another galaxy? Why dont we use the Hubble telescope to look for them? Or, is the kingdom always and forever here and now if only our attention were not distracted by the chaotic sensorium?
Luke 17:20-22:
Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”
Gnostic Gospel of Thomas 3 and 113 :
Jesus said, “If your leaders say to you, ‘Look, the (Father’s) kingdom is in the sky,’ then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, ‘It is in the sea,’ then the fish will precede you. Rather, the (Father’s) kingdom is within you and it is outside you.
His disciples said to him, “When will the kingdom come?” “It will not come by watching for it. It will not be said, ‘Look, here!’ or ‘Look, there!’ Rather, the Father’s kingdom is spread out upon the earth, and people don’t see it.”
---------------------
Text Luke 17:20-37.
[20] Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, [21] nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you.
[22] Then he said to his disciples, "The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. [23] Men will tell you, 'There he is!' or 'Here he is!' Do not go running off after them. [24] For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. [25] But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
[26] "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. [27] People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
[28] "It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. [29] But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
[30] "It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. [31] On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. [32] Remember Lot's wife! [33] Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. [34] I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. [35] Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left." [36]
[37] "Where, Lord?" they asked.
He replied, "Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather."
Luke 17:20-22:
Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”
Gnostic Gospel of Thomas 3 and 113 :
Jesus said, “If your leaders say to you, ‘Look, the (Father’s) kingdom is in the sky,’ then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, ‘It is in the sea,’ then the fish will precede you. Rather, the (Father’s) kingdom is within you and it is outside you.
His disciples said to him, “When will the kingdom come?” “It will not come by watching for it. It will not be said, ‘Look, here!’ or ‘Look, there!’ Rather, the Father’s kingdom is spread out upon the earth, and people don’t see it.”
---------------------
Text Luke 17:20-37.
[20] Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, [21] nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you.
[22] Then he said to his disciples, "The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. [23] Men will tell you, 'There he is!' or 'Here he is!' Do not go running off after them. [24] For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. [25] But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
[26] "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. [27] People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
[28] "It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. [29] But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
[30] "It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. [31] On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. [32] Remember Lot's wife! [33] Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. [34] I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. [35] Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left." [36]
[37] "Where, Lord?" they asked.
He replied, "Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather."
Monday, August 3, 2009
Fox News Flogs Obama Joker Poster
The fascists at Murdoch's Fascist Fox News must love this poster story, if they didnt create it themselves, no doubt it will be all over their 'news' stories 24/7. I just love the last line in the article, 'health care reform which some critics charge will lead to a government takeover of health care' - it is such a transparent display of distortion bias and propaganda from the un-American treasonous 'fair and balanced' propaganda channel.
We can only hope the Secret Service are on their game and get the right wing nazi bastards who are gunning for Obama at this very moment no doubt, inspired by all the treasonous demagoguery spewed 24/7 from the ignorant and senile fascist Rupert Murdoch who should be stood up against the wall and shot at dawn for treason, to put us all out of his misery.
A Canadian doctor diagnoses U.S. healthcare
Americans value our cherished freedoms to be lied to by big healthcare corporations and Rupert Murdoch's Fox News demagogues and to go bankrupt when illness strikes.
And of course socialism is an evil that must be guarded against at all costs, except for our military, who get government supplied housing, food, and healthcare.
Let's face it, Americans are too dumb to deserve good government. Fox News is all the proof anyone should need.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-rachlis3-2009aug03,0,538126.story
A Canadian doctor diagnoses U.S. healthcare
The caricature of 'socialized medicine' is used by corporate interests to confuse Americans and maintain their bottom lines instead of patients' health.
By Michael M. Rachlis August 3, 2009
» Discuss Article (25 Comments)
Universal health insurance is on the American policy agenda for the fifth time since World War II. In the 1960s, the U.S. chose public coverage for only the elderly and the very poor, while Canada opted for a universal program for hospitals and physicians' services. As a policy analyst, I know there are lessons to be learned from studying the effect of different approaches in similar jurisdictions. But, as a Canadian with lots of American friends and relatives, I am saddened that Americans seem incapable of learning them. Our countries are joined at the hip. We peacefully share a continent, a British heritage of representative government and now ownership of GM. And, until 50 years ago, we had similar health systems, healthcare costs and vital statistics.
The U.S.' and Canada's different health insurance decisions make up the world's largest health policy experiment. And the results?On coverage, all Canadians have insurance for hospital and physician services. There are no deductibles or co-pays. Most provinces also provide coverage for programs for home care, long-term care, pharmaceuticals and durable medical equipment, although there are co-pays. On the U.S. side, 46 million people have no insurance, millions are underinsured and healthcare bills bankrupt more than 1 million Americans every year.
Lesson No. 1: A single-payer system would eliminate most U.S. coverage problems.On costs, Canada spends 10% of its economy on healthcare; the U.S. spends 16%. The extra 6% of GDP amounts to more than $800 billion per year. The spending gap between the two nations is almost entirely because of higher overhead. Canadians don't need thousands of actuaries to set premiums or thousands of lawyers to deny care. Even the U.S. Medicare program has 80% to 90% lower administrative costs than private Medicare Advantage policies. And providers and suppliers can't charge as much when they have to deal with a single payer.
Lessons No. 2 and 3: Single-payer systems reduce duplicative administrative costs and can negotiate lower prices.Because most of the difference in spending is for non-patient care, Canadians actually get more of most services. We see the doctor more often and take more drugs. We even have more lung transplant surgery. We do get less heart surgery, but not so much less that we are any more likely to die of heart attacks. And we now live nearly three years longer, and our infant mortality is 20% lower.Lesson No. 4: Single-payer plans can deliver the goods because their funding goes to services, not overhead.The Canadian system does have its problems, and these also provide important lessons. Notwithstanding a few well-publicized and misleading cases, Canadians needing urgent care get immediate treatment. But we do wait too long for much elective care, including appointments with family doctors and specialists and selected surgical procedures. We also do a poor job managing chronic disease. However, according to the New York-based Commonwealth Fund, both the American and the Canadian systems fare badly in these areas. In fact, an April U.S. Government Accountability Office report noted that U.S. emergency room wait times have increased, and patients who should be seen immediately are now waiting an average of 28 minutes. The GAO has also raised concerns about two- to four-month waiting times for mammograms. On closer examination, most of these problems have little to do with public insurance or even overall resources. Despite the delays, the GAO said there is enough mammogram capacity. These problems are largely caused by our shared politico-cultural barriers to quality of care. In 19th century North America, doctors waged a campaign against quacks and snake-oil salesmen and attained a legislative monopoly on medical practice. In return, they promised to set and enforce standards of practice. By and large, it didn't happen. And perverse incentives like fee-for-service make things even worse.Using techniques like those championed by the Boston-based Institute for Healthcare Improvement, providers can eliminate most delays. In Hamilton, Ontario, 17 psychiatrists have linked up with 100 family doctors and 80 social workers to offer some of the world's best access to mental health services. And in Toronto, simple process improvements mean you can now get your hip assessed in one week and get a new one, if you need it, within a month.
Lesson No. 5: Canadian healthcare delivery problems have nothing to do with our single-payer system and can be fixed by re-engineering for quality. U.S. health policy would be miles ahead if policymakers could learn these lessons. But they seem less interested in Canada's, or any other nation's, experience than ever. Why? American democracy runs on money. Pharmaceutical and insurance companies have the fuel. Analysts see hundreds of billions of premiums wasted on overhead that could fund care for the uninsured. But industry executives and shareholders see bonuses and dividends. Compounding the confusion is traditional American ignorance of what happens north of the border, which makes it easy to mislead people. Boilerplate anti-government rhetoric does the same. The U.S. media, legislators and even presidents have claimed that our "socialized" system doesn't let us choose our own doctors. In fact, Canadians have free choice of physicians. It's Americans these days who are restricted to "in-plan" doctors.
Unfortunately, many Americans won't get to hear the straight goods because vested interests are promoting a caricature of the Canadian experience.
Michael M. Rachlis is a physician, health policy analyst and author in Toronto.
----------------------------
1. As an American who has lived in Canada for years, I have had the experience of dealing with both insurance and HMOs in the U.S. as well as the single payer system in Canada. The Canadian health care system is far better than anything in the U.S. Health care is not rationed like it is in the States. I and my doctor make all my health care decisions. In the States it was me, my doctor and the insurance company that would make the health decisions. Often times the insurance company would over rule the doctor. Don't let the fear mongers scare you. You won't lose anything, but will gain a great deal with a single payer system.
Submitted by: daMamma
7:33 AM PDT, August 3, 2009
2. We worry far too much about what Americans think of our health system, even too the point that some of us are dumb enough to actually believe Americans when they tell us we need to allow their health care companies access to our patients. Who cares what Americans think, who cares that they are incapable of understanding the truth, as long as they stay out and don't screw it up for Canadians. EVEN CUBA HAS BETTER HEALTH CARE THAN THE US, if life span and infant mortality are the measuring stick.
Submitted by: Hank
7:30 AM PDT, August 3, 2009
And of course socialism is an evil that must be guarded against at all costs, except for our military, who get government supplied housing, food, and healthcare.
Let's face it, Americans are too dumb to deserve good government. Fox News is all the proof anyone should need.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-rachlis3-2009aug03,0,538126.story
A Canadian doctor diagnoses U.S. healthcare
The caricature of 'socialized medicine' is used by corporate interests to confuse Americans and maintain their bottom lines instead of patients' health.
By Michael M. Rachlis August 3, 2009
» Discuss Article (25 Comments)
Universal health insurance is on the American policy agenda for the fifth time since World War II. In the 1960s, the U.S. chose public coverage for only the elderly and the very poor, while Canada opted for a universal program for hospitals and physicians' services. As a policy analyst, I know there are lessons to be learned from studying the effect of different approaches in similar jurisdictions. But, as a Canadian with lots of American friends and relatives, I am saddened that Americans seem incapable of learning them. Our countries are joined at the hip. We peacefully share a continent, a British heritage of representative government and now ownership of GM. And, until 50 years ago, we had similar health systems, healthcare costs and vital statistics.
The U.S.' and Canada's different health insurance decisions make up the world's largest health policy experiment. And the results?On coverage, all Canadians have insurance for hospital and physician services. There are no deductibles or co-pays. Most provinces also provide coverage for programs for home care, long-term care, pharmaceuticals and durable medical equipment, although there are co-pays. On the U.S. side, 46 million people have no insurance, millions are underinsured and healthcare bills bankrupt more than 1 million Americans every year.
Lesson No. 1: A single-payer system would eliminate most U.S. coverage problems.On costs, Canada spends 10% of its economy on healthcare; the U.S. spends 16%. The extra 6% of GDP amounts to more than $800 billion per year. The spending gap between the two nations is almost entirely because of higher overhead. Canadians don't need thousands of actuaries to set premiums or thousands of lawyers to deny care. Even the U.S. Medicare program has 80% to 90% lower administrative costs than private Medicare Advantage policies. And providers and suppliers can't charge as much when they have to deal with a single payer.
Lessons No. 2 and 3: Single-payer systems reduce duplicative administrative costs and can negotiate lower prices.Because most of the difference in spending is for non-patient care, Canadians actually get more of most services. We see the doctor more often and take more drugs. We even have more lung transplant surgery. We do get less heart surgery, but not so much less that we are any more likely to die of heart attacks. And we now live nearly three years longer, and our infant mortality is 20% lower.Lesson No. 4: Single-payer plans can deliver the goods because their funding goes to services, not overhead.The Canadian system does have its problems, and these also provide important lessons. Notwithstanding a few well-publicized and misleading cases, Canadians needing urgent care get immediate treatment. But we do wait too long for much elective care, including appointments with family doctors and specialists and selected surgical procedures. We also do a poor job managing chronic disease. However, according to the New York-based Commonwealth Fund, both the American and the Canadian systems fare badly in these areas. In fact, an April U.S. Government Accountability Office report noted that U.S. emergency room wait times have increased, and patients who should be seen immediately are now waiting an average of 28 minutes. The GAO has also raised concerns about two- to four-month waiting times for mammograms. On closer examination, most of these problems have little to do with public insurance or even overall resources. Despite the delays, the GAO said there is enough mammogram capacity. These problems are largely caused by our shared politico-cultural barriers to quality of care. In 19th century North America, doctors waged a campaign against quacks and snake-oil salesmen and attained a legislative monopoly on medical practice. In return, they promised to set and enforce standards of practice. By and large, it didn't happen. And perverse incentives like fee-for-service make things even worse.Using techniques like those championed by the Boston-based Institute for Healthcare Improvement, providers can eliminate most delays. In Hamilton, Ontario, 17 psychiatrists have linked up with 100 family doctors and 80 social workers to offer some of the world's best access to mental health services. And in Toronto, simple process improvements mean you can now get your hip assessed in one week and get a new one, if you need it, within a month.
Lesson No. 5: Canadian healthcare delivery problems have nothing to do with our single-payer system and can be fixed by re-engineering for quality. U.S. health policy would be miles ahead if policymakers could learn these lessons. But they seem less interested in Canada's, or any other nation's, experience than ever. Why? American democracy runs on money. Pharmaceutical and insurance companies have the fuel. Analysts see hundreds of billions of premiums wasted on overhead that could fund care for the uninsured. But industry executives and shareholders see bonuses and dividends. Compounding the confusion is traditional American ignorance of what happens north of the border, which makes it easy to mislead people. Boilerplate anti-government rhetoric does the same. The U.S. media, legislators and even presidents have claimed that our "socialized" system doesn't let us choose our own doctors. In fact, Canadians have free choice of physicians. It's Americans these days who are restricted to "in-plan" doctors.
Unfortunately, many Americans won't get to hear the straight goods because vested interests are promoting a caricature of the Canadian experience.
Michael M. Rachlis is a physician, health policy analyst and author in Toronto.
----------------------------
1. As an American who has lived in Canada for years, I have had the experience of dealing with both insurance and HMOs in the U.S. as well as the single payer system in Canada. The Canadian health care system is far better than anything in the U.S. Health care is not rationed like it is in the States. I and my doctor make all my health care decisions. In the States it was me, my doctor and the insurance company that would make the health decisions. Often times the insurance company would over rule the doctor. Don't let the fear mongers scare you. You won't lose anything, but will gain a great deal with a single payer system.
Submitted by: daMamma
7:33 AM PDT, August 3, 2009
2. We worry far too much about what Americans think of our health system, even too the point that some of us are dumb enough to actually believe Americans when they tell us we need to allow their health care companies access to our patients. Who cares what Americans think, who cares that they are incapable of understanding the truth, as long as they stay out and don't screw it up for Canadians. EVEN CUBA HAS BETTER HEALTH CARE THAN THE US, if life span and infant mortality are the measuring stick.
Submitted by: Hank
7:30 AM PDT, August 3, 2009
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