Public Debate on Health Care: It's a Trap if You Have Nothing Meaningful to Say!

President Obama has invited the Republican leadership to a televised discussion on health care reform, but the GOP and their allies say this is a trap! Well, sure it is! The conservatives will be trapped in a room with cameras and they'll look like fools because they have nothing meaningful to suggest in terms of health care reform. They'll stick to the same slogans about "government takeover," and why we should avoid "socialism" at all costs!

Here's how they do health care in Hawaii (is that territory part of the US?) which appears to be under an oppressive socialist regime. We are all going to die if Hawaii's health care experiment (last 40 years) is implemented on the mainland! Or, at least that's what the Republicans want you to believe...

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Mississippians Turn to Iran for Health Care Help

Meanwhile in Mississippi there's a problem with infant mortality [according to CIA Factbook] whose death rates compare to an impoverished Third World country. But, Mississippians are free primarily because they have been voting for leaders who have successfully reduced or eliminated government services. However, they have to be more vigilant nowadays... It seems that some traitors have turned to Iranian doctors for advice on how to reduce infant mortality in one of our poorest states!

Barbara O'Brien has written a very interesting article on Mississippi's health state. She also points out Mississippi's tort reform as having no serious effect on controlling costs. This is important because the conservatives keep arguing that tort reform (reduce lawsuits & damages awards) will fix the problem of the rapidly rising costs of health care. Here's her other article on the ..Iranian involvement in Ole Miss.

A Pale Blue Dot... The Only Home We've Ever Known. Happy Valentine's Day!

Suspended in a light beam... this tiny pale blue dot in a vast universe was photographed on February 14th, 1990, by Voyager from 4 billion miles away as it was speeding away.




Listen to Carl Sagan's poetic description of our Earth. February 14th has always been a big more special for me since 1990. When I think of the infinitesimal time & space I occupy, all remnants of pettiness and unnecessary worries melt away. Once I realized how lucky I was to just be around, I decided to live the rest of my life alive!

"..it has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience.There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known." Carl Sagan

The Hypocrisy of Republicans: They Won't Support Obama Even if He Adopts Their Own Proposals!

As I've been pounding the point here, it's a waste of time to try to negotiate with someone who has nothing good to give you. Obama's effort to be a team player has fallen on deaf ears because the Republicans aren't interested in being on the same team, not even support the positions they had recommended before!

They will keep calling Obama a "socialist" even though the most money he has given so far has gone to the banks, Wall Street, and big business!

Here's a great clip from the Rachel Maddow show on the hypocrisy of Republicans titled, "They Are Not Embarrassed."

No, Not Another Government Takeover! Government Should Stick to Giving Lots of Money to BIG Business Only!

You'd think it would be a no-brainer that instead of the US government giving money and guarantees to the lenders of student loans it could give the money directly to students or to colleges. Of course, that's "government takeover" and we know how free we want to be. Right? That's the argument, like soup de jour, being used by the freedom-loving conservatives today. Don't get me wrong, I often order the soup of the day--which has a different substance and flavor from place to place...

Of course, I don't want the government to take over my civil liberties, but if, as we proudly claim, the government is of, by, and for the people, our government has to provide equal opportunities to the people to reach their own potential. Freedom is connected to action, but without any good choices freedom doesn't mean much. If I'm only free to read, say, do "whatever" I want while being locked up in the basement, then this is not true freedom.

Likewise, I'm not free to pursue higher education if the price of attendance is out of my reach. Being free to choose from lender A or lender B isn't a good option if it means that either choice will bankrupt me by graduation day.... Assuming I could get those burdensome loans to begin with.

Four months ago, it appeared that Obama's proposal to overhaul the student loan business would materialize, but, guess what, the lobbyists haven't given up. Now, how would they succeed in stopping a sensible proposal [yeah, I know, they've done it many times before, stopping good legislation from going forward] in Democratic-controlled Congress? Want a wild guess? Money is buying votes in a climate of failed Democratic leadership to get things done.

Now that SCOTUS has ruled corporations have the same First Amendment rights the sky is the limit. Lots more corporate money will be available to educate the public now. It won't be long when corporations will obtain Second Amendment rights too.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that there's a critical mass of the American public that supports politicians who work against the public interest. Also, the phrase, "government takeover" apparently motivates millions of Americans to defend their freedom of choice to remain toothless!