Category Archives: Health care

Can an entire political party be sociopathic?

Posted on by

A sociopath is defined as one who has no conscience; someone who’s every action is intended to help themselves.  Now, I ask you.  Does that not describe the Republican Party and its media whores?

Consider the following: 

Attorney General Eric Holder and the Obama administration want to close Guantanemo and try those imprisoned there.  Republicans go ballistic that these “illegal combatants” don’t deserve to be treated as criminals.  How naive for President Obama to believe in our justice system!

Or how about the “underpants bomber”?  A confused young man from Nigeria decides to stash explosives in his underpants in order to blow up a plane.  The Republican response is to point fingers at the Obama administration for Mirandizing him.  Despite the fact that the Obama administration acted exactly as the Bush administration did in response to Richard Reed, the shoe bomber, Republicans pretended to be outraged that the young man was read his Miranda rights.  Never mind that the “underpants bomber” cooperated with authorities with torture.

Or how about health care reform?  A bill that regulates health insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies and provides health care to 33 million Americans is, according to Republicans, a socialist or communist plot.  The census?  According to Republicans, it’s an Obama plot to round up conservatives and place them in internment camps.  (Of course that’s wrong.  Instead, Obama should use the data to round up Republicans and put them where they belong – in insane asylums.) 

Financial reform?  Despite the fact that Republicans allowed the “free markets” to send our economy into a death spiral while those responsible made millions in bonuses, Republicans would have us believe that reform is a Socialist plot leading to a government takeover of banks.  The worst oil disaster in the history of America (or maybe the world)?  According to Republicans, it was caused by environmental terrorists.  And the government’s response was delayed so the Obama administration can put an end to off-shore drilling. 

A failed terroist bombing of Times Square was, in twisted Republican minds, the result of the Obama administration being soft on terrorists and reaching out to Muslim nations.  Pay no attention to the fact that the suspect was quickly caught and provided information that led to the arrest of at least one Pakistani national without our resorting to torture.

One wonders how Republicans can make these accusations without laughing out loud.  Are they secretly biting their tongues in order to keep a straight face?  Or are they, as I suspect, clinically sociopathic?  You decide.

© LaMaster Propaganda – All rights reserved.

Hey Republicans! Cram this!

Posted on by

For weeks now, Republicans have been chanting their new talking point; that Democrats are trying to cram health care reform down our throats.  They say that we should just “throw out the current bills and start over with a clean sheet of paper.  If you buy that, I think I can find some mortgage-based credit default swaps to sell you.

Democrats have been making a case for the need for health care reform since the 1930s.  We have millions without health care coverage and tens of thousands die each year as a result.   And those numbers are climbing as rapidly as insurance company premiums.  But Republicans are in no hurry to see health care reform pass.  They’d like to delay it.  Indeed, Republicans controlled the White House and maintained substantial majorities in both houses of Congress until 3 years ago.  The need for reform was no less apparent then.  Yet, in 6 years of Republican majorities, they never once tried to reform any part of the health insurance industry.  There was no talk of tort reform.  No talk of preventing insurance companies from dropping patients whenever they want.  No talk of helping patients with pre-existing conditions.  And the only reason Republicans are concerned with those issues now is that they want to prevent Democrats from dictating to the industry that donates so much money to Republican election campaigns.

The truth is Democrats aren’t cramming health care reform down Americans’ throats.  They’re cramming it down the throats of the Republicans who have spent decades trying to block it. 

Health care reform has already passed.  It passed the House with a large majority and a very similar bill passed the Senate with 60 votes.  The only thing remaining is for the two houses to come to some agreement on the few details that are different in the two versions.  That’s hardly “cramming” it through.

Moreover, prior to the votes, Democrats engaged Republicans in crafting the bills.  House Republicans offered dozens of amendments that were included in the House version.  And despite their majority in the Senate, Democrats let 3 Senators from each party craft the bill.  Yet despite all of their amendments and input, not a single Republican voted for the bill.  In fact, they even verbally attacked their own amendments! 

It’s apparent that Republicans don’t want to address the problems in our health care system.  They merely want to protect the large health corporations and block any form of Democratic accomplishment. 

It’s time for Democrats to ignore the Republican protests and get the bill to the President’s desk for his signature.

America’s New Sport.

Posted on by

The televised “Health Care Summit” highlighted the new reality of American politics.  It has become a sport or, if not sport, a high-stakes game of “Survivor.”  At least that’s the way Fox News Channel, MSNBC and CNN would like you to see it.  They want you to tune in to see which side, the Democrats or the Republicans, will score the most points in the latest tracking poll. 

Who will be portrayed as the latest villain?  Who will stand out to become the MVP?  And who will be shot down in flames? 

Like it or not, politics have become a daily competition for your support and your vote.  If President Obama scores with a speech or a proposal, the RNC with Fox and Limbaugh as cheerleaders, try to rally their base with appeals for fundraising, letter writing, phone calls and demonstrations to counter it.   If John Boehner or Mitch McConnell score, the DNC with the MoveOn cheer squad immediately ask for money and petitions to smack down the opposition.

If the issues facing America weren’t so serious, this might all be great fun.  But creating policy based on the ever-changing opinions of an under-informed public is a lousy way to govern.

Both sides need to stop trying to score points and do what they were elected to do:  Solve problems for the American people.  We still have thousands of Americans in harms way in two wars.  We have millions who are unemployed and losing their homes.  And according to the latest statistics, 33,000 people will lose their lives this year for lack of health insurance.  Many more will face bankruptcy as a result of catastrophic illness. 

These issues are too important for gamesmanship.   

The New Definition of Conservative.

Posted on by

Upon listening to Republican economists and some of the speakers at the CPAC convention, I think I better understand their vision for America. In a word, it’s bleak. 

These people not only want to prevent health care reform and reduce national debt. They want to block any further government programs to save or create jobs. They want to allow market forces to “correct” the economy. Of course, they want to eliminate even more regulation, cut taxes and shrink government. Finally, they want to eliminate “entitlement” programs such as Social Security and Medicare.

Imagine what their vision would do for most Americans!

By most estimates, unemployment would rise to more than 15 percent. Of course, there would be no safety nets to help those without jobs or homes. Large corporations would continue to grow by swallowing weaker ones. And since corporations would be unregulated, they would not only influence Congress. They would virtually own it.

Hmmm, I always thought the definition of conservative is to preserve, save and protect. But to these people, it seems to mean quite the opposite.

What now for health care reform?

Posted on by

The election of Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate, in effect, may have ended the existing Democrat-initiated bills for health care reform.  That is not only a disaster for the party.  It’s a disaster for the millions of people without health care, the tens of thousands who will face bankruptcy as the result of illness, and the more than 33,000 Americans who will die this year for lack of access to health care. 

It didn’t have to end this way.  If the Democrats had shown even an ounce of fortitude and political savvy, they could not only have passed health care reform by now.  In all likelihood, they would have retained the Senate seat that they had controlled since the 1950s.

But that’s all water under the proverbial bridge.  The Democratic Party can’t afford to wallow in self-pity and frustrations.  They can’t afford to point fingers at Republicans.  As voters in Massachusetts have shown, Democrats have nobody to blame but themselves.  If the Democratic Party wants to avoid a disaster in this November’s elections, it has to find a spine.  Democratic Representatives and Senators need to have massive injections of testosterone.The way forward is to act as if they’re representing the people who elected them.  Not the special interest groups and lobbyists.  They must do what they promised before they were elected.  And they must collectively confront a belligerent and bellicose Republican Party.   They not only must lead.  They must reveal their opponents for what they really are:  Representatives of big corporations and big money.

In a television interview, Governor Rendell of Pennsylvania pointed a way forward for health care reform.  He said that he would recommend that Congress pass a bill that would impose anti-trust laws on insurance companies and forbid insurers from exempting pre-existing conditions and prevent them from dropping coverage whenever it becomes too expensive.   He said that the insurance industry will, in turn, demand that all Americans be covered.  Congress could then pass a complete reform package one step at a time.  If Republicans threaten to filibuster, he said that he would let them do so.  Republican Senators would be forced to read the phone book and other nonsense for days and demonstrate to the American public how obstructionist they’ve become.

In my opinion, there may be better approaches.  But the intent is correct.  Somewhere Democrats must find what they have obviously been lacking for the past year – a pair of balls.

What kind of country do Republicans envision?

Posted on by

Given the Republican response to President Obama’s initiatives, one has to wonder exactly what the Republican vision for our nation actually is.  To try to determine that, let’s look at recent events.  If Republicans had prevailed on their opposition to the TARP bailouts of Wall Street banks, most economists believe that the entire world economy would have collapsed and we would be in the midst of a 2nd Great Depression.  Republicans argued against bailouts to General Motors and Chrysler which likely would have forced both into bankruptcy putting up to 10 million workers on unemployment.  Republicans fought the stimulus plan which, by even the most conservative estimates, has saved or created up to 2 million jobs.  And they have continued to whine about the growing deficits under Obama while lionizing Reagan for tripling our national debt.

The Republican alternative to Obama’s attempts to save our economy?  Tax cuts for the wealthy despite the fact that most economists believe such cuts would do nothing to alleviate our situation.  In fact, many feel that the tax cuts could make things worse!

Republicans have fought any form of banking regulation.  They have voted to keep the status quo on an unsustainable health care system that results in 33,000 deaths each year for lack of access.  They have voted against increasing benefits for military veterans.  Republicans refuse to allow the federal government to negotiate lower prices for pharmaceuticals as Canada and many other nations have done.  They are opposed to spending money to encourage the development of reasonable alternatives to fossil fuels.  They dismiss the international scientific community’s warnings of global climate change.  They have long stated their disdain for “entitlements” such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.  They are vehemently opposed to labor unions.  They are opposed to social services for the poor, saying that they should be the responsibility of faith-based organizations.  Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices voted to corrupt our election process by permitting corporations (even those based overseas) to spend unlimited amounts of money in support of candidates who favor their positions. 

Under the Bush/Cheney regime, Republicans started two wars with no clear plan on how to win them, and no plan to pay for them.  (Indeed, they intentionally obscured the actual cost of the wars – in terms of dollars and lives.)  And they awarded billions to Halliburton and other corporations through no-bid contracts. 

The Democratic Congress has shown a decided lack of unity and will.  But based on the Republican record, why would anyone want to return the Republican Party to power?  Or their even less-pleasant brethren – the members of the Tea Party?

The Ghosts of George W. Bush and Richard (The Dick) Cheney.

Posted on by

On January 20, 2009, you probably thought the Bush/Cheney administration had come to an ignominious end.  You were wrong.  The problems generated by these goons still haunt us.  The war in Iraq may be winding down (although we can’t be certain), but the war in Afghanistan is growing.  The oil companies and Big Pharma are still holding a gun to our collective heads.  The Wall Street tycoons are still gambling with our money and paying themselves six to eight figure bonuses.  The corporations and utilities are still spewing poisons into our atmosphere.  The gun lobby is still rewriting laws to permit more weaponry.  Health insurance companies are still hauling in record profits while denying care to millions. 

Don’t blame Obama.  These issues all began or at least ballooned under Bush/Cheney and it will take years to change them. 

But these issues are the least of our problems.  Seriously!  The most problematic legacy of the Bush years is a Supreme Court dominated by conservatives who liberally support big corporations while denying rights for individuals.

And now that the Roberts Court has over-reached by over-turning 103 years of established law to allow unlimited funding for candidates by large corporations, what Senators or Congressional representatives will dare to vote against corporate interests when those corporations can spend millions, maybe billions, to defeat them in the next election?  What Gubernatorial or Legislative candidate will be able to raise enough money to compete with a corporate-sponsored foe?  The majority opinion of the Court says it ruled to erase limits on free speech.  The effect will be very much the opposite. 

If you think herding cats is difficult, try Democrats.

Posted on by

The election of a Republican to fill Ted Kennedy’s seat in the U.S. Senate has clearly illustrated the disarray of the Democratic Party.  Despite holding the White House, the House of Representatives and a super majority in the Senate, Democrats have been either unable or unwilling to accomplish much of the agenda they campaigned for. 

Faced with a financial industry so greedy that it nearly caused the collapse of the international economy, Democrats have failed to institute new regulations to prevent future problems.  Faced with millions of unemployed, they failed to pass a stimulus bill large enough to create jobs.  Faced with mounting foreclosures, they failed to force lenders to restructure loans.  Faced with millions of uninsured and more than 33,000 deaths each year for the lack of access to health care, Democrats let Republicans and Tea Party wingnuts control the dialogue about health reform.  They publicly cut deals with insurance companies and big Pharma.  They allowed a few Congressmen to include more restrictive language on abortion.  They allowed one senator to kill the public option despite polls showing that a public option is favored by a significant majority of Americans.  And they allowed another senator to hijack the bill in order to gain major concessions for his state. 

It’s not that our nation’s current problems were created by Democrats.  They weren’t.  And it’s true that the Republicans, whose policies led to the problems, were determined to block any initiatives by Democrats.  But the fact remains, in one full year, Democrats were unable to solve them.  And given the fleeting attention spans of most voters, in their minds, these ongoing problems are now the fault of Democrats.   

So where does the party go from here? 

In my opinion, Democrats must take a lesson from Republicans.  When it comes to legislation, Democrats must act as if they’re joined at the hip.  They must craft legislation in caucus meetings and not present it to the public until they can all support it – without fear of defections.  They must better present their ideas to the public and explain their benefits.  And they must learn to be as ruthless as Republicans in trying to achieve their goals.  No more “gangs of six” that include Republicans trying to undermine the legislation.  Democrats can make it clear that they will work with Republicans, but only if Republicans are willing to work with them.

And the President must change his approach.  Although he obviously envisions himself a modern-day Lincoln who will pull together both parties and the nation, he must finally realize that you can’t achieve bi-partisanship when there is no “bi.”  He must realize that Republicans are serious about their desire to see him fail.  He must become more involved in legislation and more clearly set a path for his party.  He must become the leader we voted for. 

Failing these kinds of changes, we’re likely to see Democrats, and the nation, flounder.  If that happens, voters will believe the Democratic Party is incapable of governing.  And they will be right.

The Most Activist Court Ever!

Posted on by

For years, conservatives and the religious right have decried what they considered “activist” Justices on Supreme Court.  They howled about the Roe v. Wade decision on abortion.  Indeed, they screamed about any decision that restrained anti-abortionists.  They whined about any decision that protected the rights of gays and racial minorities.  And they went ballistic over decisions that affirmed separation of church and state.  On radio and television, some evangelists even prayed (or should I say preyed) for liberal Justices to die so that George W. Bush could nominate more conservative Justices.

Today, the conservative Supreme Court committed its most activist action ever. 

By undoing decades of prior decisions that limited the role of corporations in political campaign, the conservative Court gave a blank check to corporate intervention in our elections.  More precisely, they created an environment that will provide blank checks to candidates who are willing to legislate on behalf of corporations.

Let’s say the financial industry wants to fight regulation (and it does) it may now take all of those billions of dollars in bonuses and spend them on advertising for candidates who are opposed to financial regulation.  Or, let’s say the insurance industry wants to fight health care reform.  The insurance companies may now spend billions on candidates who will fight for the status quo.

If you think those prospects are chilling, imagine the impact on candidates themselves.  Will any candidate or elected representative be willing to make decisions that could be perceived negatively by large corporations?  Doubtful.  It’s almost a certainty that our Congressional Representatives, already unduly influenced by corporate lobbyists, will obediently pander to those with the money and influence to affect their political future.

How will independent individuals compete?  The short answer is they won’t be able to.  Thanks to Chief Justice Roberts, Justice Scalia, Justice Kennedy, Justice Alito and Justice Thomas, corporations and organizations now enjoy free speech and, soon, you will not.  From this day forward, it will be a government of the corporations, by the corporations and for the corporations.

American terrorists.

Posted on by

What if I told you that there’s an organization in America that’s responsible for more than 30,000 deaths a year?  That’s nearly ten times the number of people who died in the attacks of 9/11.  And what if that organization was responsible for tens of thousands more deaths overseas from 2003 through 2008?  Would you want to declare war on such an organization?  Would you commit trillions of dollars to defeat it as we have to defeat al Qaeda? 

Would you be willing to disrupt and refashion an entire industry as we have transportation?  Would you expect to make individual sacrifices to defeat such an organization? 

Now, what if I told you that you could defeat these terrorists for much less?  What if you could defeat them merely by speaking out and committing a few dollars a year to benefit yourself?  What if your efforts not only saved lives; maybe your own; but also saved your hard-earned money? 

It’s possible.

All you have to do is to force Republican Senators and Representatives to accept a nationalized health care program.  They don’t even have to vote for it.  Most Democrats are willing to push it through themselves and they could if they didn’t have to worry about achieving a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

That act, of creating nationalized health care, could eventually save millions of American citizens.  It could save many more from bankruptcy as a result of serious illness.  It could save many of our small businesses, corporations, and even our state, county and city governments from financial ruin.  It could save hundreds of thousands of jobs and create many more.

So far, American citizens like you have been willing to spend “whatever it takes” to kill or capture al Qaeda members and stop them from killing more Americans.  Why wouldn’t you spend a few minutes calling your elected officials to save your neighbors, your friends, your family or yourself?