NO MORE POLITICS!
It’s time for a good start on comprehensive health care reform
President Obama hit the nail on the head when he said “the United States Congress owes the American people a final vote on health care reform.” With both chambers having already passed legislation that would rein in corporate greed and help people get the care they need, we shouldn’t have to wait any longer.
While the American people are tired of the bickering in D.C., they want the reforms President Obama proposes. In fact, contrary to opponents’ claims, dozens of polls show that the great majority of people support the reforms that are actually in the reform bill.
We want good, affordable health insurance that works for all of us, not just the fortunate few. We want small businesses to get help making sure all of their employees have affordable health coverage. We want insurance companies to stop denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions and cutting people off when they get sick. Our seniors need affordable medicine. We want our premium dollars spent on health care, not CEO salaries and profits. Most of us value all of these things, and all of these things are in the reform bill.
Granted, the reform legislation doesn’t go as far as some would like. But let’s not sacrifice the good at the altar of the perfect. Bringing quality, affordable health care to all is like climbing a mountain: we must secure every foothold along the way. That’s the way it works in any successful national campaign.
Reminiscent of efforts to take on Big Tobacco, the insurance and pharmaceutical corporations that profit most from our bloated, unregulated health care system have waged a relentless propaganda campaign to block us from climbing this mountain.
Many thought the David v. Goliath struggle pitting public health against Big Tobacco was over in 1963, when the Surgeon General published the first report citing the dangers of smoking. But in the face of an intense high-priced lobbying and PR onslaught by the tobacco industry, the tipping point took another 15 years before smoking rates began to steadily decline. And it wasn’t until 2005 that Washington state voters banned smoking in public places. Today, people are healthier because of that campaign and smoking rates are the lowest they’ve been in 70 years. We will not change health care overnight, but we must continue to move forward step by step. Change takes time.
While health reform opponents claim they want “better reform,” past attempts illustrate that those siding with the insurance companies really just want to stop reform. Their delay tactics are just that.
The fact is we can’t wait. Our health care system is failing. Over 46 million Americans have no heath care coverage today and that number will rise to as much as 57 million in the next six years. This means that if we do nothing, more people will end up getting their care in emergency rooms and having their illnesses discovered when it is too late to help.
It’s time to stop whining about government involvement in health care. The government is already the biggest health insurance company in our nation. One out of every three Americans, 100 million of us, are already insured through Medicaid, Medicare, military and federal worker plans. Even the conservative legislators that hate government regulation of health care are insured by a health plan regulated by our government.
We can’t afford to wait. Insurance rates are steadily climbing, with rates threatening to go up 35 to 39 percent in some plans in California. As we slowly get out of our recession, health care costs will continue to be a major source of financial ruin. The sad fact is that 78 percent of those declaring personal bankruptcies due to health problems had health insurance at the beginning of their illness. You can go bankrupt from an illness even if you have insurance, because many policies don’t cover enough expenses and often expire when you become ill and unemployed.
Like many of my patients, and millions of other Americans, I live with a chronic disease. This means health insurers can refuse to cover me or price their plans out of reach. President Obama has listened to people like me, my patients and our neighbors. In last week’s bipartisan summit he demonstrated, once again, how well he understands our concerns. While I am not totally pleased with the present bill, it is a major step in the right direction.
It has taken 18 years from the last time we tried to make our health care system work for all of us. If we delay now, it may be another 20 years before we get back to the table. In the meantime, middle class Americans will be gouged by ever increasing costs, more businesses will drop coverage for employees, and more people who experience major illnesses will die because they cannot afford care.
We’ve had enough of insurance companies’ denied claims, inflated profits and soaring premiums. Health care costs are crushing our families and businesses. We need reform now. No excuses. No more politics. We need good health care we can count on now.
Robert Jaffe is a family physician in Seattle. He has been a leader in state and national tobacco control campaigns.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Obama Pledges U.S. Aid to Haiti
Obama Pledges U.S. Aid to Haiti
By JEFF ZELENY
WASHINGTON — As the United States military steadily reduces its presence in Haiti, President Obama pledged on Wednesday to remain committed to providing financial assistance and humanitarian relief to help Haitians rebuild and recover from their devastating earthquake two months ago.
“The situation on the ground remains dire and people should be under no illusions that the crisis is over,” Mr. Obama said after meeting with President René Préval of Haiti. With spring rains ahead, he added, “the challenge is now to prevent a second disaster.”
The two leaders stood side by side in a ceremony in the Rose Garden, after a private meeting in the Oval Office, where Mr. Obama received an update on conditions in Haiti. The Navy said the hospital ship Comfort left Haiti on Wednesday for its home port, Baltimore.
Mr. Préval offered his gratitude to the United States for its “massive, spontaneous, generous help” after the earthquake on Jan. 12 that killed more than 230,000 people and left more than one million homeless. He said the tragedy should serve as a warning for the world that the effectiveness of relief efforts “must be improved.”
The Haitian government is devising a long-range reconstruction and development plan before a donors conference set for March 31 at the United Nations. Mr. Préval embraced the need for decentralization and shifting government and private facilities away from the battered capital, Port-au-Prince, and also urged the creation of a team at the United Nations that would be the disaster equivalent of peacekeepers.
The Pentagon said Wednesday that about 10,000 American military service members were still in Haiti, down from the peak of 22,000. About 4,700 are based on land, and 5,300 are on ships. The decreasing presence of the military was not a signal, Mr. Obama said, that the commitment of the United States was easing.
“America’s commitment to Haiti’s recovery and reconstruction must endure and will endure,” he said. “This pledge is one that I made at the beginning of this crisis, and I intend for America to keep our pledge. America will be your partner in the recovery and reconstruction effort.”
The Comfort was among the most visible symbols of aid in Haiti, although it could deal with only the most urgent cases among the countless thousands of Haitians needing medical care. The ship provided the most sophisticated medical care available and treated 871 patients, but Navy officials said that it had not had any patients for more than a week.
“The situation on the ground in terms of the medical situation has improved,” said Jose Ruiz, a civilian spokesman for the United States Southern Command. “Demand for medical care is not exceeding the capacity of facilities on the ground.”
Mr. Ruiz said the duties of the remaining American forces included distributing aid, removing rubble and completing engineering assessments of damaged structures. With the Haitian government and police, as well as United Nations peacekeepers, reasserting control, he said that the American forces were largely in a supporting role.
“As you declared during last month’s national day of mourning, it is time to wipe away the tears,” Mr. Obama said. “It is time for Haiti to rebuild.”
Mr. Obama lingered in the Rose Garden, as the sun poked out of the clouds, to shake hands and sign autographs for members of the search and rescue teams that worked in Haiti. He knelt down to pat a dog from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, whose team also traveled to Haiti after the earthquake.
It remained an open question how much aid the United States would provide in the months ahead. During his visit here, Mr. Préval also met with Congressional leaders from both parties. They are expected to decide upon a new aid package, the size of which is expected to be more than $1 billion.
“The international community can pledge the resources that will be necessary for a coordinated and sustained effort,” Mr. Obama said. “And working together, we can ensure that assistance not simply delivers relief for the short term, but builds up Haiti’s capacity to deliver basic services and provide for the Haitian people over the long term.”
Thom Shanker contributed reporting.
By JEFF ZELENY
“The situation on the ground remains dire and people should be under no illusions that the crisis is over,” Mr. Obama said after meeting with President René Préval of Haiti. With spring rains ahead, he added, “the challenge is now to prevent a second disaster.”
The two leaders stood side by side in a ceremony in the Rose Garden, after a private meeting in the Oval Office, where Mr. Obama received an update on conditions in Haiti. The Navy said the hospital ship Comfort left Haiti on Wednesday for its home port, Baltimore.
Mr. Préval offered his gratitude to the United States for its “massive, spontaneous, generous help” after the earthquake on Jan. 12 that killed more than 230,000 people and left more than one million homeless. He said the tragedy should serve as a warning for the world that the effectiveness of relief efforts “must be improved.”
The Haitian government is devising a long-range reconstruction and development plan before a donors conference set for March 31 at the United Nations. Mr. Préval embraced the need for decentralization and shifting government and private facilities away from the battered capital, Port-au-Prince, and also urged the creation of a team at the United Nations that would be the disaster equivalent of peacekeepers.
The Pentagon said Wednesday that about 10,000 American military service members were still in Haiti, down from the peak of 22,000. About 4,700 are based on land, and 5,300 are on ships. The decreasing presence of the military was not a signal, Mr. Obama said, that the commitment of the United States was easing.
“America’s commitment to Haiti’s recovery and reconstruction must endure and will endure,” he said. “This pledge is one that I made at the beginning of this crisis, and I intend for America to keep our pledge. America will be your partner in the recovery and reconstruction effort.”
The Comfort was among the most visible symbols of aid in Haiti, although it could deal with only the most urgent cases among the countless thousands of Haitians needing medical care. The ship provided the most sophisticated medical care available and treated 871 patients, but Navy officials said that it had not had any patients for more than a week.
“The situation on the ground in terms of the medical situation has improved,” said Jose Ruiz, a civilian spokesman for the United States Southern Command. “Demand for medical care is not exceeding the capacity of facilities on the ground.”
Mr. Ruiz said the duties of the remaining American forces included distributing aid, removing rubble and completing engineering assessments of damaged structures. With the Haitian government and police, as well as United Nations peacekeepers, reasserting control, he said that the American forces were largely in a supporting role.
“As you declared during last month’s national day of mourning, it is time to wipe away the tears,” Mr. Obama said. “It is time for Haiti to rebuild.”
Mr. Obama lingered in the Rose Garden, as the sun poked out of the clouds, to shake hands and sign autographs for members of the search and rescue teams that worked in Haiti. He knelt down to pat a dog from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, whose team also traveled to Haiti after the earthquake.
It remained an open question how much aid the United States would provide in the months ahead. During his visit here, Mr. Préval also met with Congressional leaders from both parties. They are expected to decide upon a new aid package, the size of which is expected to be more than $1 billion.
“The international community can pledge the resources that will be necessary for a coordinated and sustained effort,” Mr. Obama said. “And working together, we can ensure that assistance not simply delivers relief for the short term, but builds up Haiti’s capacity to deliver basic services and provide for the Haitian people over the long term.”
Thom Shanker contributed reporting.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Why Doctors Are Afraid of Health Care Reform
Why Doctors Are Afraid of Health Care Reform
By : Robert Palmer
Doctors are afraid of healthcare reform hurting their practices so badly that many feel they may be forced to quit medicine.
According to David Mitchel, a marketing consultant for healthcare companies, doctors are already being hammered by lower fees from managed care companies and rising malpractice insurance premiums. Healthcare reform may shrink those revenues even further, while doing nothing to reduce malpractice insurance rates.
"Doctors are outright scared," said Mitchel, VP of Norton Mitchel Marketing (www.nortonmitchel.com). "Since the dawn of managed care, they haven't really caught a break. The costs of operating their practices have done nothing but rise over the last two decades, while their potential revenues continue to drop because managed care companies keep slashing what they pay doctors."
Mitchel said doctors have five basic issues with healthcare reform:
• Government Involvement - The vast majority of physicians oppose government involvement in their businesses. They are not pleased with VA, Medicare/Medicaid, as these patients do not optimize revenue and profits for practices. Practitioners need private insurance patients to offset costs of treating these patients. Further government involvement would dissuade more doctors from practicing.
• Quality of Care - Many physicians are considering quitting or retiring if the proposed health care reform becomes law. This is especially true amongst practitioners aged between 55 and 65. This age group of physicians makes up some of the best physicians. Retiring two to five years ahead of schedule seems like a preferable option as compared to working under a new order. With fewer doctors available and more demand for medical services, quality of care will drop.
• Costs - Medical school is an expensive proposition. Schooling for specialists particularly is so expensive that they are fearful that if they charge what the government will pay, they will never recoup school expenses. Under the best of circumstances, doctors are saddled with huge debts for at least the first 10-15 years of their careers.
• Malpractice - The health care reform bill does nothing to address one of the biggest complaints of doctors: the cost of malpractice insurance. The cost of malpractice insurance is rising rapidly, driving up healthcare costs, and discouraging new doctors from entering the field.
• Taxes - Doctors are taxpayers, just like everyone else. Most are skeptical that this bill
will produce cost savings. They see a world of higher medical costs and poorer health outcomes. They do not want the additional tax burden of paying for a system that won't be beneficial. Higher taxes also hamper their ability to make a living.
"As Americans continue to age and live longer because of medical science, we cannot afford to lose skilled physicians while at the same time reducing the pool of new physicians entering the field," Mitchel said. "Unless healthcare reform can address these issues, it may just be a recipe for disaster." Author Resource:- Tony Panaccio is a staff writer at News & Experts.
Article From Acme Articles
By : Robert Palmer
Doctors are afraid of healthcare reform hurting their practices so badly that many feel they may be forced to quit medicine.
According to David Mitchel, a marketing consultant for healthcare companies, doctors are already being hammered by lower fees from managed care companies and rising malpractice insurance premiums. Healthcare reform may shrink those revenues even further, while doing nothing to reduce malpractice insurance rates.
"Doctors are outright scared," said Mitchel, VP of Norton Mitchel Marketing (www.nortonmitchel.com). "Since the dawn of managed care, they haven't really caught a break. The costs of operating their practices have done nothing but rise over the last two decades, while their potential revenues continue to drop because managed care companies keep slashing what they pay doctors."
Mitchel said doctors have five basic issues with healthcare reform:
• Government Involvement - The vast majority of physicians oppose government involvement in their businesses. They are not pleased with VA, Medicare/Medicaid, as these patients do not optimize revenue and profits for practices. Practitioners need private insurance patients to offset costs of treating these patients. Further government involvement would dissuade more doctors from practicing.
• Quality of Care - Many physicians are considering quitting or retiring if the proposed health care reform becomes law. This is especially true amongst practitioners aged between 55 and 65. This age group of physicians makes up some of the best physicians. Retiring two to five years ahead of schedule seems like a preferable option as compared to working under a new order. With fewer doctors available and more demand for medical services, quality of care will drop.
• Costs - Medical school is an expensive proposition. Schooling for specialists particularly is so expensive that they are fearful that if they charge what the government will pay, they will never recoup school expenses. Under the best of circumstances, doctors are saddled with huge debts for at least the first 10-15 years of their careers.
• Malpractice - The health care reform bill does nothing to address one of the biggest complaints of doctors: the cost of malpractice insurance. The cost of malpractice insurance is rising rapidly, driving up healthcare costs, and discouraging new doctors from entering the field.
• Taxes - Doctors are taxpayers, just like everyone else. Most are skeptical that this bill
will produce cost savings. They see a world of higher medical costs and poorer health outcomes. They do not want the additional tax burden of paying for a system that won't be beneficial. Higher taxes also hamper their ability to make a living.
"As Americans continue to age and live longer because of medical science, we cannot afford to lose skilled physicians while at the same time reducing the pool of new physicians entering the field," Mitchel said. "Unless healthcare reform can address these issues, it may just be a recipe for disaster." Author Resource:- Tony Panaccio is a staff writer at News & Experts.
Article From Acme Articles
Monday, March 8, 2010
A furious health care push _ but what about jobs?
A furious health care push _ but what about jobs?
by: Ben Feller
President Barack Obama's furious, final push to get a health care bill passed threatens to shove aside the message he promised would top his list this year: creating jobs.
Even as the White House juggles several enormous issues at once, the public takes its cues about the president's chief concern from how he spends his time, energy and capital. As Obama himself put it on Wednesday, from now until Congress takes a final vote on a health care overhaul, "I will do everything in my power to make the case for reform."
by: Ben Feller
President Barack Obama's furious, final push to get a health care bill passed threatens to shove aside the message he promised would top his list this year: creating jobs.
Even as the White House juggles several enormous issues at once, the public takes its cues about the president's chief concern from how he spends his time, energy and capital. As Obama himself put it on Wednesday, from now until Congress takes a final vote on a health care overhaul, "I will do everything in my power to make the case for reform."
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Officers: Pakistan arrests American-born al-Qaida
KARACHI, Pakistan – The American-born spokesman for al-Qaida has been arrested by Pakistani intelligence officers in the southern city of Karachi, two officers and a government official said Sunday, the same day Adam Gadahn appeared in a video urging U.S. Muslims to attack their own country.
The arrest of Gadahn is a major victory in the U.S.-led battle against al-Qaida and will be taken as a sign that Pakistan is cooperating more fully with Washington. It follows the recent detentions of several Afghan Taliban commanders in Karachi.
Gadahn — who has often appeared in al-Qaida videos — was arrested in the sprawling southern metropolis in recent days, two officers who took part in the operation said. A senior government official also confirmed the arrest.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
Gadahn grew up on a goat farm in Riverside County, California, and converted to Islam at a mosque in nearby Orange County.
He moved to Pakistan in 1998, according to the FBI, and is said to have attended an al-Qaida training camp six years later, serving as a translator and consultant for the group. He has been wanted by the FBI since 2004, and there is a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
The 31-year-old is known by various aliases including Yahya Majadin Adams and Azzam al-Amriki.
He has posted videos and messages calling for the destruction of the West and for strikes against targets in the United States. The most recent was posted Sunday, praising the U.S. Army major charged with killing 13 people in Fort Hood, Texas, as a role model for other Muslims.
A U.S. court charged Gadahn with treason in 2006, making him the first American to face such a charge in more than 50 years. He could face the death penalty if convicted. He was also charged with two counts of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Gadahn has appeared in more than half a dozen al-Qaida videos. The video released Sunday appeared to have been made after the end of the year, but it was unclear exactly when.
Dawud Walid, the executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Southfield, Mich., condemned Gadahn's call for violence, calling it a "desperate" attempt by Al-Qaida's spokesman to provoke bloodshed within the U.S.
Walid, a Navy veteran, said Muslims have honorably served in the American military will be unimpressed by al-Qaida's message aimed at their ranks.
"We thoroughly repudiate and condemn his statement and what we believe are his failed attempts to incite loyal American Muslims in the miltary," he said.
Imad Hamad, the senior national adviser for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, based in Dearbon, Mich., condemned al-Qaida's message and said it would have no impact on American Muslims.
"This a worthless rhetoric that is not going to have any effect on people's and minds and hearts," he said.
Al-Qaida has used Gadahn as its chief English-speaking spokesman, and he has called for the destruction of the West and for strikes against targets in the United States. In one video, he ceremoniously tore up his American passport. In another, he admitted his grandfather was Jewish, ridiculing him for his beliefs and calling for Palestinians to continue fighting Israel.
___By ASHRAF KHAN, Associated Press Writer Ashraf Khan, Associated Press Writer
Associated Press Writers Patrick Quinn and Maamoun Youssef in Cairo and Rick Callahan in Indianapolis contributed to this report.
The arrest of Gadahn is a major victory in the U.S.-led battle against al-Qaida and will be taken as a sign that Pakistan is cooperating more fully with Washington. It follows the recent detentions of several Afghan Taliban commanders in Karachi.
Gadahn — who has often appeared in al-Qaida videos — was arrested in the sprawling southern metropolis in recent days, two officers who took part in the operation said. A senior government official also confirmed the arrest.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
Gadahn grew up on a goat farm in Riverside County, California, and converted to Islam at a mosque in nearby Orange County.
He moved to Pakistan in 1998, according to the FBI, and is said to have attended an al-Qaida training camp six years later, serving as a translator and consultant for the group. He has been wanted by the FBI since 2004, and there is a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
The 31-year-old is known by various aliases including Yahya Majadin Adams and Azzam al-Amriki.
He has posted videos and messages calling for the destruction of the West and for strikes against targets in the United States. The most recent was posted Sunday, praising the U.S. Army major charged with killing 13 people in Fort Hood, Texas, as a role model for other Muslims.
A U.S. court charged Gadahn with treason in 2006, making him the first American to face such a charge in more than 50 years. He could face the death penalty if convicted. He was also charged with two counts of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Gadahn has appeared in more than half a dozen al-Qaida videos. The video released Sunday appeared to have been made after the end of the year, but it was unclear exactly when.
Dawud Walid, the executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Southfield, Mich., condemned Gadahn's call for violence, calling it a "desperate" attempt by Al-Qaida's spokesman to provoke bloodshed within the U.S.
Walid, a Navy veteran, said Muslims have honorably served in the American military will be unimpressed by al-Qaida's message aimed at their ranks.
"We thoroughly repudiate and condemn his statement and what we believe are his failed attempts to incite loyal American Muslims in the miltary," he said.
Imad Hamad, the senior national adviser for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, based in Dearbon, Mich., condemned al-Qaida's message and said it would have no impact on American Muslims.
"This a worthless rhetoric that is not going to have any effect on people's and minds and hearts," he said.
Al-Qaida has used Gadahn as its chief English-speaking spokesman, and he has called for the destruction of the West and for strikes against targets in the United States. In one video, he ceremoniously tore up his American passport. In another, he admitted his grandfather was Jewish, ridiculing him for his beliefs and calling for Palestinians to continue fighting Israel.
___By ASHRAF KHAN, Associated Press Writer Ashraf Khan, Associated Press Writer
Associated Press Writers Patrick Quinn and Maamoun Youssef in Cairo and Rick Callahan in Indianapolis contributed to this report.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Politics And Ethics
By Gilbert Mercier
NEWS JUNKIE POST
There is a deep crisis of confidence between the people and the political class in America today, and this reality cuts across all ideological boundaries. Further, this growing mistrust between politicians, business leaders and ordinary citizens is a global problem, which brings some serious questioning about the core principles or our democracies.
This questioning can be brought down to one main question: Is corruption an inevitable consequence of power?
The latest case of this confidence crisis in the United States is the one of New-York’s Congressman Charles Rangel. The powerful politician had to resign from the House Ways And Means Committee after an admonishment by the House Ethics Committee over accepting corporate funded trips to the Caribbeans.
However and sadly, Congressman Rangel’s ethical problem is far from being the exception in Washington and other world capitals, but as matter of fact it is more the norm which allows lobbyists for private interests to buy favors from politicians very easily and on a regular basis.
General De Gaulle was an “accidental” politician. De Gaulle was put into the fray of politics, which he quite often regretted, not because of personal ambition for power but instead purely by historical circumstances.
“I have come to the conclusion that politic is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians,” said De Gaulle once. The General was famously difficult, full of himself and showing an unwavering conviction of his historical role as France’s “providential savior” due to his role during World War II. But “Le Grand Charles”, despite his flaws, was always incorruptible, and had some of the highest ethical standards for what he viewed as the mission of a public servant
“You start out giving your hat, then you give your coat, then your shirt, then your skin and finally your soul,” said De Gaulle about political compromises on an ethical stand point. And because De Gaulle was talking about the deep flaws inherent to our human nature, the validity of his point remains in effect universally.
Political leaders such as Gandhi, Mandela and De Gaulle are, in our sad state of ethical standards, the exception confirming the rule. While the three men put the public interest front and center of their preoccupations, and not their own private interest, it is not the case for most politicians.
Most elected officials pretend to share such commendable moral principles as their motivation to become public servants. However, they usually end up not serving the common interest at all, but instead they choose to serve the interest of their political patrons, campaign main contributors, families and ultimately their owns.
On the other end of the political morality spectrum from Gandhi, Mandela and De Gaulle, we have such politicians as Italy’s Prime Minister Berlusconi and Haiti’s former dictator Baby Doc Duvalier. In between we have the like of Congressman Rangel. In any case, this is not a pretty picture overall. Citizens, either in the US or elsewhere, should not be complacent and assume that corruption and greed will always be a key determining factor in politics and public life. Voting is just not enough, as long as politicians are not held accountable for much higher standards than ordinary citizens, and to quote General De Gaulle again: “Politic is too serious a matter to be left to politicians”.
By Gilbert Mercier
NEWS JUNKIE POST
NEWS JUNKIE POST
There is a deep crisis of confidence between the people and the political class in America today, and this reality cuts across all ideological boundaries. Further, this growing mistrust between politicians, business leaders and ordinary citizens is a global problem, which brings some serious questioning about the core principles or our democracies.
This questioning can be brought down to one main question: Is corruption an inevitable consequence of power?
The latest case of this confidence crisis in the United States is the one of New-York’s Congressman Charles Rangel. The powerful politician had to resign from the House Ways And Means Committee after an admonishment by the House Ethics Committee over accepting corporate funded trips to the Caribbeans.
However and sadly, Congressman Rangel’s ethical problem is far from being the exception in Washington and other world capitals, but as matter of fact it is more the norm which allows lobbyists for private interests to buy favors from politicians very easily and on a regular basis.
General De Gaulle was an “accidental” politician. De Gaulle was put into the fray of politics, which he quite often regretted, not because of personal ambition for power but instead purely by historical circumstances.
“I have come to the conclusion that politic is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians,” said De Gaulle once. The General was famously difficult, full of himself and showing an unwavering conviction of his historical role as France’s “providential savior” due to his role during World War II. But “Le Grand Charles”, despite his flaws, was always incorruptible, and had some of the highest ethical standards for what he viewed as the mission of a public servant
“You start out giving your hat, then you give your coat, then your shirt, then your skin and finally your soul,” said De Gaulle about political compromises on an ethical stand point. And because De Gaulle was talking about the deep flaws inherent to our human nature, the validity of his point remains in effect universally.
Political leaders such as Gandhi, Mandela and De Gaulle are, in our sad state of ethical standards, the exception confirming the rule. While the three men put the public interest front and center of their preoccupations, and not their own private interest, it is not the case for most politicians.
Most elected officials pretend to share such commendable moral principles as their motivation to become public servants. However, they usually end up not serving the common interest at all, but instead they choose to serve the interest of their political patrons, campaign main contributors, families and ultimately their owns.
On the other end of the political morality spectrum from Gandhi, Mandela and De Gaulle, we have such politicians as Italy’s Prime Minister Berlusconi and Haiti’s former dictator Baby Doc Duvalier. In between we have the like of Congressman Rangel. In any case, this is not a pretty picture overall. Citizens, either in the US or elsewhere, should not be complacent and assume that corruption and greed will always be a key determining factor in politics and public life. Voting is just not enough, as long as politicians are not held accountable for much higher standards than ordinary citizens, and to quote General De Gaulle again: “Politic is too serious a matter to be left to politicians”.
By Gilbert Mercier
NEWS JUNKIE POST
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Leaked documents reveal GOP plan to use scare tactics to raise money
Leaked documents reveal GOP plan to use scare tactics to raise money.
National GOP leaders are doing damage control today after a Politico scoop lifted the curtain on the party's plan to tap voters' "fear" in the coming campaign season. The PR problem started when an absent-minded attendee at the Republican National Committee (RNC) confab on February 18 in Boca Grande, Florida, left a 72-page document from its 2010 strategizing session in a hotel room. Today, Politico reporter Ben Smith's expose is making headlines.
The memo tracks the fundraising presentation that RNC Finance Director Rob Bickhart delivered to the RNC's $2,500-a-head annual retreat. The best path to victory in 2010, the document advises, is for Republican candidates to depict themselves as the best hope for resisting the "trending toward socialism" taking shape in a Democrat-dominated Washington. And the document doesn't shy from making its points graphically. MSNBC showed the images this morning on "Morning Joe":
The presentation portrays the Obama administration as "The Evil Empire," including the now-infamous image of President Obama made over in the makeup Heath Ledger used in his performance as the Joker in the 2008 Batman movie "The Dark Knight." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appears as Cruella De Vil from "101 Dalmatians," and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is the witless cartoon dog Scooby-Doo. The memo candidly confirms that the aim of such caricature is to amp up "fear" among the GOP's conservative base. The memo also makes fun of major RNC donors, categorizing some as "ego-driven" and easily pacified with "tchochkes" (a Slavic word for toys).
The embrace of harsh rhetoric and the swipes at the large donor set seem to signal the GOP establishment's growing comfort with employing tactics associated with the activist Tea Party movement—and with plying Tea Party sympathizers for cash. Of course, it isn't unusual for parties out of power to court controversy and play with fire to rile up donors and grass-roots activists. The RNC has caught heat for fundraising tactics in the past, most recently when it was caught sending out fake census forms to raise money. And Democrats have shown a demagogic streak in the past, depicting George W. Bush and Dick Cheney as Bond-like supervillains and playing up alleged GOP plans to kill Social Security to rally voters behind a popular entitlement program.
When asked by Yahoo! News if the leaked presentation reflects a coordinated effort to appeal more to the Tea Party movement, RNC spokesman Doug Heye replied that the group's chairman, Michael Steele, "was recently invited by Tea Party activists to a meeting, which he was happy to do. Following the meeting, it was clear those in the meeting shared a common goal: stopping the Obama/Pelosi/Reid agenda." As for plans to further that alliance with the inflammatory material in the memo, Heye reiterated what he'd told Politico earlier: "The language and the imagery will not be used in any capacity in the future."
There's no question that the Obama-as-Joker image—long a familiar icon at Tea Party rallies—is a toxic association for the GOP establishment. Oddly enough, though, that image's origins can be traced to the activist left. As revealed by the Los Angeles Times last year, the image was created by a supporter of Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a University of Illinois student named Firas Alkhateeb, who told the Times that he uploaded the photo onto his Flickr page, and a conservative activist promptly snatched it up.
Such are the odd convergences of movement politics. However, the RNC may have more trouble distancing itself from the equation of Democratic policy with socialism, however, since Michael Steele is credited with originating that meme in the health care debate.
– Brett Michael Dykes is a contributor to the Yahoo! News blog.
National GOP leaders are doing damage control today after a Politico scoop lifted the curtain on the party's plan to tap voters' "fear" in the coming campaign season. The PR problem started when an absent-minded attendee at the Republican National Committee (RNC) confab on February 18 in Boca Grande, Florida, left a 72-page document from its 2010 strategizing session in a hotel room. Today, Politico reporter Ben Smith's expose is making headlines.
The memo tracks the fundraising presentation that RNC Finance Director Rob Bickhart delivered to the RNC's $2,500-a-head annual retreat. The best path to victory in 2010, the document advises, is for Republican candidates to depict themselves as the best hope for resisting the "trending toward socialism" taking shape in a Democrat-dominated Washington. And the document doesn't shy from making its points graphically. MSNBC showed the images this morning on "Morning Joe":
The presentation portrays the Obama administration as "The Evil Empire," including the now-infamous image of President Obama made over in the makeup Heath Ledger used in his performance as the Joker in the 2008 Batman movie "The Dark Knight." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appears as Cruella De Vil from "101 Dalmatians," and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is the witless cartoon dog Scooby-Doo. The memo candidly confirms that the aim of such caricature is to amp up "fear" among the GOP's conservative base. The memo also makes fun of major RNC donors, categorizing some as "ego-driven" and easily pacified with "tchochkes" (a Slavic word for toys).
The embrace of harsh rhetoric and the swipes at the large donor set seem to signal the GOP establishment's growing comfort with employing tactics associated with the activist Tea Party movement—and with plying Tea Party sympathizers for cash. Of course, it isn't unusual for parties out of power to court controversy and play with fire to rile up donors and grass-roots activists. The RNC has caught heat for fundraising tactics in the past, most recently when it was caught sending out fake census forms to raise money. And Democrats have shown a demagogic streak in the past, depicting George W. Bush and Dick Cheney as Bond-like supervillains and playing up alleged GOP plans to kill Social Security to rally voters behind a popular entitlement program.
When asked by Yahoo! News if the leaked presentation reflects a coordinated effort to appeal more to the Tea Party movement, RNC spokesman Doug Heye replied that the group's chairman, Michael Steele, "was recently invited by Tea Party activists to a meeting, which he was happy to do. Following the meeting, it was clear those in the meeting shared a common goal: stopping the Obama/Pelosi/Reid agenda." As for plans to further that alliance with the inflammatory material in the memo, Heye reiterated what he'd told Politico earlier: "The language and the imagery will not be used in any capacity in the future."
There's no question that the Obama-as-Joker image—long a familiar icon at Tea Party rallies—is a toxic association for the GOP establishment. Oddly enough, though, that image's origins can be traced to the activist left. As revealed by the Los Angeles Times last year, the image was created by a supporter of Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a University of Illinois student named Firas Alkhateeb, who told the Times that he uploaded the photo onto his Flickr page, and a conservative activist promptly snatched it up.
Such are the odd convergences of movement politics. However, the RNC may have more trouble distancing itself from the equation of Democratic policy with socialism, however, since Michael Steele is credited with originating that meme in the health care debate.
– Brett Michael Dykes is a contributor to the Yahoo! News blog.
Senate rejects $250 checks for elderly
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A measure to give some 57 million elderly people, veterans and persons with disabilities a $250 check was rejected by the Senate on Wednesday, a setback for the powerful seniors' lobby.
President Barack Obama has called for Congress to approve the payments to make up for their benefits not increasing this year, but the Senate defeated it 50 to 47.
The payments would have added $13 billion to a $108 billion job-creation package pending in the Senate.
Congress approved payments last year as part of the $862 billion stimulus package.
Social Security payments for the elderly and disabled will stay flat this year for the first time since 1975 because they are tied to consumer prices, which decreased amid the worst economic recession in 70 years.
That follows a year in which payments rose by 5.8 percent, largely due to a spike in gasoline prices.
"It is wrong to turn our backs on seniors in this moment of economic difficulty," said Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, who sponsored the amendment.
But Republican Senator Judd Gregg pointed out that the bill would defeat the purpose of indexing Social Security payments to inflation.
"The law says it shouldn't be given," Gregg said.
At least 10 Democrats agreed with Gregg and joined 40 Republicans to defeat the proposal.
(Reporting by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Xavier Briand)
President Barack Obama has called for Congress to approve the payments to make up for their benefits not increasing this year, but the Senate defeated it 50 to 47.
The payments would have added $13 billion to a $108 billion job-creation package pending in the Senate.
Congress approved payments last year as part of the $862 billion stimulus package.
Social Security payments for the elderly and disabled will stay flat this year for the first time since 1975 because they are tied to consumer prices, which decreased amid the worst economic recession in 70 years.
That follows a year in which payments rose by 5.8 percent, largely due to a spike in gasoline prices.
"It is wrong to turn our backs on seniors in this moment of economic difficulty," said Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, who sponsored the amendment.
But Republican Senator Judd Gregg pointed out that the bill would defeat the purpose of indexing Social Security payments to inflation.
"The law says it shouldn't be given," Gregg said.
At least 10 Democrats agreed with Gregg and joined 40 Republicans to defeat the proposal.
(Reporting by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Xavier Briand)
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Fw: A final vote on health reform
Darlene Keller --- On Wed, 3/3/10, President Barack Obama <info@barackobama.com> wrote:
|
President Obama will Triumph
Obama Will Triumph -- So Will America
By Frank Schaeffer
Before he’d served even one year President Obama lost the support of
the easily distracted left and engendered the white hot rage of the
hate-filled right. But some of us, from all walks of life and
ideological backgrounds -- including this white, straight,
57-year-old, former religious right wing agitator, now progressive
writer and (given my background as the son of a famous evangelical
leader) this unlikely Obama supporter -- are sticking with our
President. Why?-- because he is succeeding.
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