DDay,

Re: one of your last posts yesterday.

Actually, Bette Davis said, "Hang on. It's going to be a bumpy NIGHT!"

About 1/4 of the way down the page:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042192/quotes

(This has always been one of my favorite lines.)

It is clear that what is needed on Barack Obama’s “economics team” is someone like Dr. Ravi Batra to shake things up. That won’t happen, since shaking the Wall Street brain trust is likely to cause traumatic “brain” damage. Economics is, after all, an imprecise “science” where there as many ideas as people, which is probably why Barack Obama does not feel comfortable with pursuing a major change of course by taking advise from a real economist—especially one who deals in nuts and bolts instead of stock market tricks. Innovative policies can either right the ship, or sink it, which is maybe why Obama prefers to depend on the advice of Wall Street “experts.” The problem is that these “experts” only know the variables of that cause the stock market to go up, or down, and how much money they or their friends will make, or not make; sometimes that variable can merely be an off-hand statement that strikes chaos in the minds of investors. Wall Street is far too conservative when it comes to governing itself or its activities; on the other hand, it is far too reckless in playing with people’s money as if it was a game of Monopoly. The funny thing is,most of the money they are playing isn’t even real anyways.

Now a comment concerning the caller on Thursday who wanted medical specialists to make millions, while primary physicians should exist as bottom feeders. The AMA was founded in 1847 for the express purpose of making the medical profession “worthwhile”—that is, to make money for doctors. That is why they restrict the number of doctors—if the pool of doctors is too big, then doctors allegedly will make less money. The AMA has been permitted to accredit medical schools; schools that enroll over the prescribed limit of medical students risk loss of accreditation. Why the AMA has been allowed to be the sole judge of accreditation and licensing procedures when its intent has nothing to do with quality but everything to do with quantity for purely monetary considerations is something that health care reform needs to address. By deliberately restricting the number of doctors, the AMA in fact reduces the quality of care.

One other thing on a local (no, not “Glenn Beck Day” where Beck will receive the key to his hometown of Mount Vernon, WA). Last June, an unarmed Snohomish County man named Nile Meservey was fatally shot by an as yet unnamed Everett police officer, apparently for the crime of being drunk. Meservey was leaving a restaurant, where apparently “concerned” patrons notified police when he got into his car. The officers boxed in Meservey with their patrol cars; one of the officers tased him while he was inside the car, instigating a muscle reaction that caused the car to lurch forward. Mesevery was then shot seven times, dying at the scene.

This man was drunk, but is this sufficient reason for police to use lethal force of an excessive nature? It was clear that he did not intend to hurt anyone. Police at the scene lied in their subsequent report, claiming that he had hit a woman with the car; the woman has denied this occurred, saying that she tripped herself. Everett police have made no effort to investigate the actions of the officers at the scene, and the county medical examiner, Norman Thiersch—who has not called for a police inquest in ten years—stated that “there’s no purpose behind an inquest.” He may be right, if for the wrong reasons; I have lived in this state for almost twenty years, and I have never heard of an inquest jury declaring a death caused by a cop “unjustified”—to be expected, since inquest questions are loaded in favor of police. In the meantime, the family of the murdered man is hoping a $15 million lawsuit will entice answers.

I missed you guys too, but I've been reading your wonderful conversations and loving them. warm wishes

That was: me too....Loretta! I was so excited that I flubbed up again. You'all are so intimidatingly smart that I get nervous sometimes.

Loretta,

HI! 'Glad to see your post. I missed you.

Thom, If you and Louise are in Portland right now you both might love to hear Dorianne Laux at Reed college at 6:30 pm tonight. She is the people's poet for our spirit.

http://www.reed.edu/visiting_writers/index.html

Here is a poem from her book "Smoke"

Figures

When he walks by an old drunk or a stumbling vet
he stops to rummage in his pockets for change
or a stray bill, remembers the cold urge
of fifteen years ago that kept his joy trapped
in a bottle or the stained nub of a roach
passed from one set of cracked lips to another.
Their creased palms open like scrolls
toward the bright coins of light, stamped like chips
of winter barter for the scraps and opiates of this city.
He won't ask and doesn't care
what his money is exchanged for: a blanket,
a pair of wrecked shoes, the harsh sharpened
glare of a needle, or a pack of smokes.
Who can calculate the worth
of one man's pain? what they need, he figures,
can't be more than what he owes.

Gerald Socha,

Wow --- it's a long list. Somehow we need to chop it up into small bites.

Thom's third hour show with Ravi Batra (sp) was great.

If I heard him correctly, the bailouts will hurt the economy. He also said that we should fix the economy first before we try to fix health care. How can we fix the economy if the bailouts have hurt the economy?

He also said that we should first bring back manufacturing jobs through the auto industry. I say we should start with mass transit and the manufacturing of the light rail system throughout the country and efficient buses. Plus, we should move forward on energy efficiency jobs. Rollback the obscene taxcuts for the rich and for American corporations.

How can the economy be fixed with the prediction that we will have another financial meltdown in the next six to eighteen months? I see 90% of Americans wailing at the wailing walls that will be built with the definite financial meltdown.

The rich and the powerful will be extremely happy with the enslavement of 90% Americans. These will be glorious times for the powerbrokers.

A PETITION TO PRESIDENT OBAMA FOR NUCLEAR WEAPONS ABOLITION

Sign petition here:

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/302/t/6687/petition.jsp?petition_KE...

To refuse to cooperate with a census worker is not only illegal but is likely to result in the loss of a great deal of money for your state of residence. Moron.

Thank you Randy,
That news puts a smile on my face. God Bless the Mt Vernon City Council. I'll bet that mayor has a fun time at City Council meetings.