Democrats: When Will They Learn?

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama announced Thursday that he’ll host a White House summit next month on fighting the chronic joblessness that continues to be a drag on a struggling economy.

“We are open to any demonstrably good idea to supplement the steps we’ve already taken to put America back to work,” Obama said before taking off for a trip to Asia, where U.S. and global business prospects will be among the key issues under discussion.

Speaking at the White House, the president called a report showing fewer claims for jobless benefits “a hopeful sign.” But with millions of Americans out of work, Obama said the government has “an obligation to consider every additional responsible step we can” to get people back to work.

While Obama may have good intentions and is just trying to show Americans that he knows that people are still hurting and that he really does care about those people, I think he made a mistake announcing this plan to hold a forum on jobs in December.

This is just what the Republican Party was waiting to hear. To them, this is an admission by Obama and the Democrats that their Recovery and Reinvestment Act didn’t do the job they had promised it would.

What makes this even worse is, Obama announced it just as they are finally coming closer to voting for a final bill for health care reform.

Can’t you just see the ads now?

“How can we believe the Democrat’s claim they know how to cut the cost of our health care, when just 10 months ago they also claimed they would save or create 3.5 million jobs, but now we’re told they need to hold a special “Jobs Forum” because too many people still need jobs?

I predicted previously that the jobs would return in the spring and summer of 2010.  I continue to believe they will, economists are also predicting this.  Jobs are always the last to return after a ‘normal’ recession.  This recession, everybody knows, was the worst we’ve had since the Great Depression.  Of course, it’s going to take a bit longer to get the jobs back.  The recession began in late 2007 according to experts.  It’s only logical that the jobs are just now starting to slowly appear again.

Instead of holding ‘steady’ with their plans they made in February, the Democrats are caving once again to the pressures laid on them by the Republican Party.  By even hinting that the jobs market might not be what they had hoped for by this time, they are hurting their chances politically and putting more ‘fear’ into the hearts of Americans.

When will they learn?

This Just Breaks My Heart

Lt. Schmidt posted this video his dog Gracie greeting him when he came back from Kandahar in Sept. 2005.

Will Torture Be His Defense?  Hope So.

WASHINGTON – Self-proclaimed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other Guantanamo Bay detainees will be sent to New York to face trial in a civilian federal court, officials said Friday.

NBC News confirmed that Attorney General Eric Holder plans to announce the decision later in the morning. ..

The New York case may also force the court system to confront a host of difficult legal issues surrounding counter-terrorism programs begun after the 2001 attacks, including the harsh interrogation techniques once used on some of the suspects while in CIA custody. The most severe method — waterboarding, or simulated drowning — was used on Mohammed 183 times in 2003, before the practice was banned.

Indeed, this trial, while I’m sure will be a long one, it may also finally bring to light what was done to these men in the name of Homeland Security and the War on Terror authorized by those in the Bush/Cheney administration. (more…)

Congress Must be on Drugs

Remember back when President Barack Obama took control of the White House and the Democratic Party took complete controll of Congress in January of this year?  Do you also remember how fast these people were able to come up with a Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, debate it and put it to a final vote all within 30 days?

What happen; did they all suddenly go on drugs?  Why else are they dragging the behinds in getting what could be the most important piece of legislation since the Social Security and Medicare were created passed?

Poll are showing that the Democrats bickering between themselves over what should or shouldn’t be in this Health Care Reform bill is actually helping the GOP candidates during their run for Congress in 2010.

The healthcare battle appears to be helping Republicans running for the Senate.

Two Quinnipiac polls released Thursday show the leading GOP candidates in Connecticut and Ohio growing their leads.

Former Rep. Rob Simmons (R-Conn.) leads Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), 49-38, and former Rep. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) has opened his first leads over two potential Democratic opponents.

Do Democrats realize they are walking away from controlling Congress and therefore losing any chance of making American lives better with this or any other legislation?

They are all acting as though they have years to do this health care plan.  They are nuts thinking this way. History shows that any major legislation got done in the first year of any one term, after that, it ended up being dropped.

Back in August the Democrats allowed the Republicans to take control of the issue by them having staged rallies during town hall meetings.  Democrats should have immediately pulled Congress back into session and voted on the plans back then; but no, they let themselves be suckered into the GOP’s famous traps.

Now, once again another trap has been laid.  Instead of talking about passing the final Senate version of the Health Care, they are arguing about abortion rights.  Just what the doctor (GOP) ordered.

Also today we were told by CDC that over 22 million people have now had or are experiencing the H1N1 flu since April.  That over 4000 adults and over 540 children have died from it.

Some 98,000 people have been hospitalized from this new flu or its complications, including 36,000 children, 53,000 adults younger than 65 and 9,000 older adults.

Who will be paying for the hospital stays by those sickened with the H1N1 pandemic flu — that have no health insurance?

Yesterday we were told about a new study that over 2000 veterans died in 2008 because they had no health insurance.

A new study by two Harvard researchers estimate that over 2,000 U.S. veterans under the age of 65 died in 2008 due to lack of health insurance. Unlike popular belief, many veterans do not qualify for health care by the VA once they are out of the service.

The death toll of veterans, quantified by the researchers, David Himmelstein, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Stephanie Woolhandler, was said to be 2,266. This would be 14 times higher than the military death toll in Afghanistan in 2008.

The study found that nearly 1.5 million veterans between the ages of eighteen and sixty-four were uninsured last year.

Who will pay for these veterans health care when it is needed?

You and me, those of us that have health insurance that’s who.

Exactly what else do the Democrats need for a reason to pass health care reform and finally ignoring the Republican Party’s traps.

I blame the leadership in Congress.  The Democratic caucus should vote Senator Reid out of his seat immediately.  They should also remove the chairmanship that Senator Lieberman holds and they should stay in session till a bill is passed — they should go ahead and do the Majority Rule vote.

Republicans have announced they will not vote for ANY health care reform.  There are a few Democrats saying that same thing.  So be it.  ENOUGH!

Get the bill passed and on President Obama’s desk BEFORE CHRISTMAS or lose even more votes from the Democratic base then you about to lose right now and lose once again the chance to help millions of Americans.

The polls show Democrats are dropping in favor.  It’s not because people don’t like the bill.  It’s because people don’t like the way this thing is being drug out and watered down. How many people do you see today complaining about the way the Stimulus package was passed 11 months ago?  Very few.

Get off what ever drug you are on Democrats and get to work.  Get that damn bill passed or start packing your bags.

Fox News is Going Down – MAJOR Bust by Daily Show

Hannity uses other scenes to sell his story — wow!

Recovery and Reinvestment: Where is Money Being Spent?

Large parts of the $787 billion federal stimulus package to help the U.S. economy are being spent on entitlement programs such as unemployment benefits and Medicaid, but hundreds of billions will go toward contracts, grants and loans to restore infrastructure. Click on the map and categories below to track that spending down to the county level.

Check it out, this website will allow you to pick a State and even down to the county level to see where the stimulus money has been spent so far:

For Example:  Coles County, Illinois  Be sure to go to bottom of page to see the detail work that was done.

Insect Cyborgs: No Longer Just a Movie

Cornell University researchers have succeeded in implanting electronic circuit probes into tobacco hornworms as early pupae. The hornworms pass through the chrysalis stage to mature into long-lived moths whose muscles can be controlled with the implanted electronics. The research was showcased at MEMS 2008, an international academic conference on Micro-Electrico-Mechanical Systems that took place from January 13-17 in Tucson, AZ.

The pupae insertion state was found to yield the best results. The resulting moth, a microsystem-controlled insect, has a circuit board protruding from the top of its midsection. Probes are inserted into the dorsoventral and dorsolongitudinal flight muscles. CT images show components of high absorbance indicating tissue growth around the probe…

Imagine the possibilities this research can produce in the future.  The article mentions these things being used for military and homeland security applications.  I’m thinking even deeper.  What if they could implant this device into a human being that is paralyzed with MS or nerve damage?  This would be a great thing to have happen.

However, as usual, my bad side comes out with thoughts of implanting our soldiers with these things, forcing them to do things they normally wouldn’t.

What do you think they could be used for?

President Obama’s Speech to Ft. Hood Families

No better words could be said…

Also I must say this speech is similar to what the former President George W Bush would have said.  He too would have tied this killing to the war on terrorism.

On one hand we are told not to jump to conclusions but when you hear your President imply that troops on American soil are being threatened by terrorists as well, you tend to tie two and two together.

Is this terrorism related or is it not?  Or is it just about a man that felt conflicted about killing fellow Muslims and was suffering from mental illness?

H1N1: If you Need Health Care – Who Pays?

When an adult or child gets the H1N1 flu and ends up going to the doctor and possibly even to the hospital which could then lead to being admitted into ICU because they need to be on a ventilator or watched very closely while on a BiPap machine – who pays for that health care if the patient doesn’t have health insurance?

Currently the H1N1 flu shot is free to all Americans because this virus is a pandemic, at least that’s what I understand it to be.  The federal government paid for the vaccinations.  Does that mean that the health care of any serious illness related to H1N1 will also be paid for by the federal government?

While thinking about this issue it occurred to me that this one illness could be used as a very good reason for health care reform, health care for all, and yes with a public option plan.

The GOP constantly push the idea of terrorism and the many ways we could be attacked again if we don’t’ stay alert.  Well, what do they recommend if something ‘were’ to actually happen; how do they plan on covering (caring for) possibly thousands of Americans that may be exposed to something like a bio-chemical attack or some virus like an Ebola virus attack?

Just imagine the loss of income for the hospitals, doctors, nurses, office personnel, emergency personnel, the victim and their families, etc…, if God forbid, something catastrophic were to actually happen.  Would the GOP be willing to use taxpayer money to pay for the losses incurred?  Somehow I doubt it.

Even if we were never attacked in this manner, a simple flu like the H1N1 could wipe a family’s savings away.  What will happen to them?  Can we avoid this in the future?  Sure we can.  Offer affordable health care for all with a public option that is even more affordable to the poorest among us

Wal-Mart: Get Your Casket Here

Apparently Wal-Mart along with Costco offer caskets on their website now.  They are supposedly cheaper than most other places and they can be shipped within 48 hours.

They run between $999 – $1800 –  and are not sold in stores (can you imagine walking past the health care products directly into the Casket Room—Geez, that would sure make you feel good huh?).

While this may sound ridiculous, I’m all for these companies doing this.  There needs to be more competition between funeral homes and products required for a funeral.  Just imagine the money that those one or two funeral homes and the companies they do business with — the profits they are making.  And, they are pretty much assured to stay in business for several life times.

In fact, I think Wal-Mart of Costco or some other place like that would make out pretty well if they were to create a separate division — just for life or death products.   Imagine what that could include.  Not only medicines to keep you well, happy and healthy (medicine, insurance, assistant devices, weddings, baby items, homecoming dress/suits, etc..), but products for when your life ends(caskets, urns, clothing, flowers, insurance, cemetaries, etc..).

Yes I said cemeteries.  I meant however however, those special Cremation Niche that some cemeteries are now offering but in small amounts.  They are like a big concrete dressers, each drawer holds the cremation remains.

I would also love to see Wal-Mart offer up nursing home care.  Perhaps just the long term care policies.  Lock in those prices while you are young.

Imagine the possibilities folks…what a little competition will do.