Choose Your Bully

Bullies exist and always will.

One way to insulate yourself from being the target of a bully is to join in and point your finger elsewhere.

Clearly this is not right nor a nice thing to do but self preservation does have its own needs and desires.

Bullies themselves use their own set of tactics to deflect away from their behavior.

They may point to other bullies or quietly slink into the shadows while others are being berated for wrongdoing.

Such is the case these days with our beloved insurance industry.

While the nation is focused on big oil, and don’t get me wrong they deserve tremendous scrutiny, our insurance industry is quietly laughing all the way to the bank.

These bastions of bastardly behavior are quietly raking in the dough while raping every single American citizen every single day of the year.

Sitting high up in their plush corporate lairs we the people must look like ants to them as we crawl and claw our way through the work days of our lives.

But unlike the tiny productive ubiquitous insect we are not to be stepped on or squashed by the big foot of big insurance but rather cultivated and sucked dry of every penny we’re worth.

Perhaps you feel the above is a bit harsh after all insurance companies do offer peace of mind in the event of an accident or disaster, right?

If you feel that way then obviously you have never tried to collect on a claim.

In 1988 my daughter fell from a jungle gym while in a local day camp and broke her wrist.

We had Blue Cross insurance back then and our out of pocket cost was a mere $135.

I attempted to collect the out of pocket expense from the day camp’s insurance company only to be put through the most absurd run around imaginable. I was asked for form after form including duplicate copies of x-rays as well as affidavits from doctors and camp officials from the time of the accident in early July through August without any success.

Then in late August the camp switched insurance directors and the entire process reverted to square one.

I gave up and hired an attorney to sue the camp.  I found a wonderfully sleazy 'ambulance chaser type and my daughter was awarded $15,000.

Remember that in the beginning I had only requested $135.

Nowadays I would probably end up in jail for causing a nuisance and found guilty of committing insurance fraud!

Here’s a simple exercise for you to perform before passing judgment on my rant. Make the following chart using your actual income and expenses:

Gross Pay – Net Pay – Insurance Outlays (Include at least the following, Health, Life, Home, Auto, Long Tern Care, Disability, and any other you may pay.) After each insurance column you may wish to note its percentage cost of your so-called take home pay.

At the far right of your chart add all your insurance costs and then note the total percentage they take out of your net pay.

Use that percentage to see the day of the year when you will finally be working for yourself and not big insurance.

This year my freedom date is August 12^th but I am one of the lucky ones because my wife works!

And by the way if you want to get a clear picture of just how bad off you are vs. the billionaires who own this country don’t forget to also deduct your local town and school taxes and by definition your necessary utility costs such as gas, electric and phone.

So what is the solution to America’s bully problem?

How can we really take back our country?

Well I don’t mean to point fingers but if I had to I guess I could name 50 Senators, 435 Congressmen & women and 1 President.

Let's Get Ready To Rumbllllllle!

I just turned off the television after I heard the lead-in to the news program about to start this Sunday morning. The 'voice over' touted the guests as Democratic Governor of Vermont, Tim Kaine VERSUS RNC Chairman Michael Steele.

Forget the fact that the two will admittedly be squaring off against each other with views that are diametrically opposed the statement that it's one VS. the other is what gets me.

When did our leaders decide that it was better to seek the farthest corner of the ring and come out fighting every time they got together?

In the business world great companies need more than yes men to keep them moving forward. Not everything is an argument but discussions are better when all sides are examined. A good working conclusion is then made up from the aggregate of ideas.

But by the same token the yes men are necessary to move the final decisions ahead once the course is agreed upon. It is when that final course is not found that the company flounders.

And that is what has happened in Washington. Congress is floundering under the weight of an all powerful partisanship and a pervasive 'WE VERSUS THEY' mentality.

Continuing to act like boxing matches politics has turned into the pugilistic sport of verbal jabs and take downs.

This week it was revealed that Harry Reid used the word Negro in a speech from over a year ago. In this day and age it was a mistake but the furor it has unleashed is more interesting.

The Republicans and their spokesman Steele immediately seized upon this unfortunate utterance to further disrupt any chance of governance from the current administration.

One might think that Michael Steele was upset by Mr. Reid's use of the now politically incorrect word but I believe he was so elated at the chance to look outraged that he almost wet his pants.

Realizing the mistake made so long ago Harry Reid called the President and apologized and Mr. Obama accepted. He understood where the words came from and that the intent was not to demean an entire group of people but rather explain an under the surface emotion unfortunately shared across the country by many Americans - right or wrong.

But the episode once again sets DC politics off course. The Republican and Conservative minorities seeking only to disrupt cannot help but jab at Mr. Reid and take the conversation away from the issues of the day.

Their mission is not to get affordable health care for all American citizens; or to fix the broken financial structure of the country; or even to worry about the future of the climate and how it might affect our very existence. Their mission is to punch and jab and send a powerful uppercut into the Democratic Party's gut laying them out for the count so that they can once again be crowned victor.

But the fight between the parties will not end there. The Democrats who seem to have come late to the ring do finally realize it is a battle. It is a sport whose Holy Grail is the crown!

The Presidency and control of the two houses of Congress is the Super Bowl and the Stanley Cup of politics all rolled into one.

At the moment the Republican Party is the underdog but don't count them out. They have weathered scandal after scandal yet still stand and point their collective fingers at the other guys. The Democrats don't yet have the mentality to come in for the kill like their opponents do.

After all which is worse, using the word 'Negro' in a speech or disappearing from your spouse and constituents to hike the Appalachian Trail in South America? Having the audacity to try and wrench control of health care away from the greedy all-powerful blood-sucking insurance companies or insinuating that Obama wants to kill your grandma?!?

Clearly politics is a prize fight. Unfortunately the prize is out future and we lose no matter which side wins.

High Def Healthcare

Anyone who has gone from a standard television set to a new 'high definition' one will tell you there is nothing like it! You can almost see blades of grass growing. Well maybe not the actual growing process but if you look carefully you can see individual blades!

Looking at nature in this way is wonderful and enlightening. Some of our most amazing discoveries can be traced back to the ability to see even the tiniest of details. Go back and find an old book titled, "The Microbe Hunters" by Paul de Kruif. This book was first published in 1926 but has since been reprinted several times so you may still find a copy for yourself. (Or you could click the link provided and sit at the computer for days.)

The idea of looking at something more closely is not new nor should it ever get old. It is the most important part of understanding the knowledge the world around us offers.

However at some point we must use the knowledge gained by our minute examination to act on what we learn.

The current climate swirling around the health care reform debate in our country has been getting closer scrutiny than any issue I can remember in recent times. The anger it has unleashed on both sides of an argument that really should not have sides is amazing.

But if we put the issue under the microscope we can boil it down to fundamentals that would make the old masters of science and medicine proud.

I will not be able to list every point being made by every voice in the debate but I can say that a few truths do come to mind at the outset.

1. We all would like to be as healthy as possible for as long as possible.

2. We would all like to attain 'point #1' while we still have some money left to enjoy life.

3. Capitalism, American style is the way we do business in this country.

4. As long as we do not break the law we do not wish to allow others to decide how we live.

5. If someone infringes on our freedom or attempts to harm us we must stop them.

6. We have a terrible system of Government that just happens to be the best in the world at this time.

7. We expect certain services to be handled at the Government level in return for our taxes.

8. Some people will attempt to play the system in order to get ahead no matter who they harm.

9. Health care is WAY too expensive and getting worse!

Naturally there are many more lines one could add to the above list and most would be apropos however the longer the list the less people will read it to the end.

And that brings me to the final point. We are being afforded an unbelievable glimpse into the workings, or failures of our Government with the 24 hour news cycle and hundreds of choices on Cable networks. We cannot possibly hear, see or read everything that is thrown out for our consumption. NOR SHOULD WE!

Do we really need to see that blade of grass grow? Isn't it enough to know that we examined the soil and determined that we used the right fertilizer and that a few days later the lawn was more plush?

It is time for the U S Congress to do the right thing. We have seen the blemishes on the face of our health care system. We understand that the health insurance industry is not going softly into that good night and we are not asking them to do so.

What we are asking, no demanding is a system that offers us a choice in that most basic of rights, our health!

Many say that they do not want a bureaucrat in DC to decide how we get our health care or how much it should cost.

But they are looking at an old 'low def' TV.

Right now what we have is a 'bean counter' in Dubuque deciding whether a woman in Maine should be allowed to have the surgery she so desperately needs! And to make matters worse that bean counter gets a bigger bonus if he can deny health care and save the company money! The only other winner in this scenario is the lady's local mortuary.

We have options in everything we do and yet our country is still the best there is in the world. We choose paper or plastic; NBC or CBS; Honda or Ford; and unfortunately Republican or Democrat. Why not allow us to choose our health care insurers? Trust us to see the issues clearly enough to make the right choice!

Frustration - A Pre-Existing Condition

The current political scene is dominated by frustration. Frustration on the part of the majority as well as the minority but the two sides are handling it quite differently.

Rather than working together as a team the Democrats who were elected in large part as a knee jerk reaction to the policies of the previous administration have not been able to get their acts together. They continue to try to be fair and bi-partisan with a group that has anything but fairness on their mind.

The American electorate spoke last November with resounding voice that they wanted change but the only thing that has changed is the side of the aisle that seats the majority in Congress. The same failed policies continue and no change will ever happen unless and until the Democrats realize that they are being played.

When the Republicans claim that they are not being listened to in the conversation about health care reform they are flat out lying. In fact they are basically the only ones being listened to as the Democrats continue to attempt bipartisanship.

One can have a constructive debate only if both sides argue within the framework of honesty and fairness. But when one side turns counseling the elderly on the choices they have about their health care into "Death Panels out to kill old people" then the debate ends.

There have been so many obvious lies thrown out by the Republicans and their Conservative friends that one wonders how they can sleep at night. Naturally the wonder ends when we realize that the health insurance lobby is controlling the argument with free flowing funds from their fat deep pockets.

The amount of money being made by our leaders in Congress is far more than they can make merely doing the job they were elected to do. These amounts are part of the public record and you may find out how large a bribe your congressman is getting very easily if you care to do so.

If Congress passes a health care bill that actually helps the millions of citizens of this country it will conversely hurt the bottom lines of the insurance industry. These companies cannot allow that to happen. Rather than lose billions they happily and readily spend millions upon millions to 'persuade' their puppets in Congress that it is in everyone's best interest to keep the status quo.

What can be done to stop this from happening? Not even exposing the lies seems to work. When Max Baucus caved in to many of the requests of the Republicans before finally coming up with his so-called health care reform bill he was supposedly trying to appease his counterparts on the 'right' and get them to vote for change. But when they subsequently said they still could not support the bill it should have become clear that they would never agree to anything that hurts their 'Golden Goose.'

Mr. Baucus himself is a recipient of some of that ill-gotten gold and therefore cannot be trusted to do the right thing either. It is up to President Obama to show us that he has right stuff to get the job done.

Can he? Only time will tell. And in the time it takes more Americans will die and others will go bankrupt while Insurance companies deny and deny and continue to get rich and fat on the backs of we the people.

Did I say there is frustration on all sides? That is not totally true. The full force of frustration is only on the side of the majority and the American people. The Republicans and the Conservatives are only frustrated in that they do not hold the majority and therefore cannot merely ignore the Democrats. But while they may be in the minority for now the minority rules!

Who Lies?

The President spoke and many of America listened. But as is usually the case with politics in the era of the internet and the 24 hour news cycle many did not.

And the problem is the ones who needed to listen and understand the most were among the missing.

They may not have been home or perhaps their televisions were not working or maybe they were watching Fox which chose to air another one of those sadly prolific and incredibly stupid reality shows instead of the speech.

But the worst ones who chose not to listen were sitting on the right side of the aisle in the very room in which the speech was given. I am of course speaking of those wonderful people from the GOP, Republicans.

And speaking of Fox, their News (that's a joke) station did have the speech and when Representative Joe Wilson of South Carolina couldn't control himself and brain-farted "You Lie" at the President one of Fox's most trusted commentators laughed!

Who might that idiot be?
Glad you asked!
None other than Turd Blossom himself - Karl Rove.

I will not reiterate anything the President said during his time in front of the joint session of Congress as there are plenty of other places to find the actual and imagined words he spoke. But I will say that he was masterful both in presentation and content. He said what needed to be said and aimed his harshest criticisms at the LIARS on the right and the non-believers on the left.

The powerful insurance lobby will have to work overtime to repair the damage President Obama did to their bribery schemes. But I have no doubt they will merely open their wallets a little more and reel back many of the Congressmen who find themselves suddenly sitting on the fence.

Mr. President - The key here is to strike while the iron is hot and mold it into a workable health insurance and health care plan. Don't make it an open-ended process by allowing time and grass (or Grassley) to grow under your feet. Get the faithful together and ask them to help you twist an arm or two. You must turn the blue dogs who are still skeptical of what we the people need into responsible leaders.

Mr Smith may have not actually gone to Washington as in Frank Capra's sadly unrealistic fairy tale but we need A Few Good Men (and women) to get off that fence and protect us from big insurance!
We want the truth!
We can handle the truth!
What we can't handle are the lies!

It's Ranting Time Again

I listen to the news way too much these days but the key word there was LISTEN. Too many people in this country either do not listen or refuse to hear what is being said. there are also quite a few who are paid to repeat lies and therefore can not listen or hear the truth. For them it would be a conflict of interest in a big time way. These people are generally known as Republicans and some Democrats who are in fact puppets of the DC lobbies.

For example here are a few points boiled down to the basics.

Republicans continue to say that they are all for health care for all but among other things they fear the great costs involved.

First of all the costs have not been offered as yet since the entire plan has not even been written. For that I blame President Obama.
But the Republicans know this. However merely throwing out the fear that we could bankrupt the country they get a great deal of poorly informed people on their side.
They also talk about health care killing people! These morons love their oxymorons.

When Republicans look for reasons NOT do something they use the same tired old arguments and scare tactics that unfortunately have worked for so long; "It's too costly - It will kill old people - Women will die with breast cancer - It will mortgage our future - Think of your children."
It will cost a lot but we're worth it.
No old people will be put in harms way unless drafted.
Women should be outraged at this one!!!!
Our future is now and besides the mortgage system is the one that got us here! Fix it!
And I am thinking of the children!

Don't be surprised if the next Republican/Conservative TV ad is - "Guns don't kill people, Obama's healthcare kills people." And inthe background you;'ll see an old grandma dead.

The Republicans lost the last election in a big way and they are an angry minority. They need to get people onto their side or they are doomed.
Do they care about health care for the masses?
NOT AT ALL!
They have the best health care money can buy and those poorly informed masses are paying for it!

As for the rest of us we should be sick and tired of hearing the lie, "We have the best health care in the world."
Do you realize that America is actually ranked 39th?
It is a lie propagated by the Conservatives and Republicans and some Democrats (once again all of whom have great free health care) meant to use pride of country too get us riled up about change.
"We don't want Canadian health care or Great Britatin's health care or God forbid France's health care system of SOCIALIZED medicine here."

Why not?
Before you allow these lobby spokesmen masquerading as congressmen to make up your mind do a little research. You will be quite surprised at how good those other systems are.
No, they are not perfect, not by a long shot but they are light years ahead of our FOR TOTAL PROFIT AT THE COST OF LIVES system.

The opponents have no shame! They are not arguing truthfully and they must not be rewarded for lies! We cannot allow this to keep happening.

And what is more important than health?
Weren't we brought up on the phrase, "When you have your health..."

And getting back to children: Public school is a mandate. Education is a must.
Are the Republicans against schooling?
And what about all the other government run programs?
Are the Republicans against the military; the police force; the fire department; the forestry service; the post office and on and on...?

We mandate auto insurance but we don't regulate the insurers so they are free to increase your costs regularly. Those costs are killing us. If something is mandated then it must be considered a utility and have guidelines.

Let's do that with health insurance.
Let's do it right this time.
Mandate health Insurance for all citizens.
Allow the people a public option with regulated costs and fair terms!

We gave billions to big banks and they are voting themselves hundreds of mills in bonuses. when we say it must be regulated Republicans say no.
They say that government can't get involved in CEO compensation because it's a dangerous road to take and all the large companies will lose their talent to other companies willing to pay more the obscene amounts of cash they demand.
But one true statement they make is that the Board of Directors of these companies vote to determine compensation and they are the ones who should hold down bonuses or make them fit situation.
BUT THE BOARDS ARE MADE UP OF GOOD OLD BOYS WHO SIT ON EACH OTHERS BOARDS! That means they say to each other "You show me a big one and I'll show you a big one in return.

There is talk of taxing big trades on Wall Street and naturally the traders are against it.
I trade so I should be against it as well but I am not!
A typical trader talking on CNN said that he and his people could trade 10 million shares a day and even a tiny tax percentage could add up to $10,000 a day.
He said that because he knows that to most of us $10,000 is a great deal of money.
But everything is relative - He trades TEN MILLION SHARES A DAY!!!!!
Anyone with enough money to trade that much probably farts $10M.
Tell these guys to drop one hooker or take one less junket per year and they will save that much and more.

Obama and his team are showing that they are too weak and meek to get things done in big old boys land where the lobbies rule & the public's a fool If he and his team do not grow some big ones and soon we are all doomed to years and years of Republican / Conservative rule even when they are in the minority!

Now is the Time for all Good Men

The end of that phrase above is naturally, "to come to the aid of their party." Some have the phrase ending with the word 'country' in place of 'party' but the idea remains the same nevertheless.

The country is the United States and the party is the Democratic one. Both are in dire straits and both are in danger of losing something near and dear to each, namely their freedom!

There is a fight going on in the nation and while it is centered around the issue of universal health care believe it or not it is much larger than that. Health care is merely the maguffin (I'll explain that word in a post later or you may comment directly and I will answer.)

There are generally two sides to every issue. You either agree or oppose but no matter what you try to change the mind of the other side. Alternatively you can stick your fingers in your ears and make baby noises (nyah-nyah-nyah) until the person whose views you don't like gives up and leaves.

But that is not the Democratic way and we don't do that in America.

NO?

At the end of the 2000 Presidential election when it was becoming clear that a recount might actually show that Al Gore and not Dubya was the winner in Florida and therefore President of the United States the Republican party came up with the Nyah Nyah strategy. They sent Republican staffers ON PAYROLL down to Florida with the sole purpose of obstructing and destructing the recount. That typically un-American way of doing things worked and the lesson was learned. Well it was learned by one party at least.

Now the same tactic has reared its ugly disgusting filthy anti-human head once again in an effort to stop the discussion on health care reform so desperately needed in our country. The original 'Public Option' reform plan was a sound one that could have worked to help millions and millions of uninsured Americans and quite a few others indirectly live better lives with a little more cash left in their pockets.

But the Health Care giants and their lobbyists that can and do dole out billions of dollars to stop anything that threatens their profit margin are doing just that. Just as the Republicans did in Florida they are sending paid political protesters pretending to be ordinary citizens out to every Democratic Town Hall meeting they can find once again with the sole purpose of disrupting free speech. These same people can be identified at many rallies and many States even though most do not even live in those States.

It is time for the Democratic Party AND ALL FREE AMERICANS to say to Big Insurance and their lackeys in the Republican and Conservative camps that we are mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore!

Since the minority party is not playing fair and they are using the tactic of stopping Democracy in its tracks the MAJORITY PARTY must finally give up on the hopes of bi-partisanship. When one team does not play by the rules the game must end! And besides, it's our ball! They had their chance and blew it.

President Obama must call in the entire Democratic Party for a meeting. He must tell them the following:

"The people need health care reform. We cannot allow the insurance industry to dictate how we govern anymore.

Now I realize that many of you in this room are being funded by the insurance lobby and I know that you feel obligated to let those bribes fulfill their purpose but this issue is too big for us to lose.

I am telling you that we will all be remembered for failing our duties if we allow this reform to falter. In fact I will make certain of that!

So I say to all of you that I will fight for you tirelessly in the future but right here, right now we must have solidarity!

The other side is so scared that they will lose billions of ill-gotten profits if we pass a Public Option that they are spending almost $10,000,000 a week to stop us! TEN MILLION DOLLARS A WEEK! Money they could have used to pay medical claims!

Well since they will not allow the citizens of this country the simple right of being heard and since they have orchestrated this heinous act of stopping the Democratic process so effectively we must now act to stop them. They cannot continue to subvert the American process.

I am asking you, each and every one to come back to the fold. Now is the time for all of you good men and women to come to the aid of the COUNTRY. YOUR COUNTRY!

They want to stop us?

We cannot allow them to do so.

I need 60 votes in Congress!

I need 256 votes in the House!

I need you!

And I will work with you on future issues but this one is mine! This one is for the people!

Are you with me and the people of America or are you against us!"

Thank you Mr. President.