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Robber Baron? Oligarch? Is there really a difference. The Supreme Court is also playing its part in restoring the rule of a small number of super-rich families. There is one difference, however. In time past, the robber barons had to commit a crime in order to bribe elected officals. Now bribery, in the form of campaign contributions, is legal.
It's hard to believe that US citizens I grew up with would tolerate this abuse.
"And now the conservatives/corporatists are going in for the kill, for their top goal: the final destruction of any remnant of labor rights in America."
No, Thom, you are dead wrong! You use the term "conservatives/corporatists" repeatedly throughout your piece, but it's not just the Republicans or conservatives that are in on this game. The Democratic "neo-liberal" establishment is fully in bed with them. Bill Clinton brought us NAFTA. It's a sure bet that Hillary, had she been elected, would have soon been backing the TPP. The problem is that there is an elite class of corporate friendly career politicians in BOTH major parties, plus the corporate owned media that are perpetrating this crime against the 99%.
I posted this link on yesterday's blog, too late for most to see it. But if there is anyone here that believes the "Left" (capital L) is any more in support of the working masses than the so called "conservatives/corporatists" you refer to, then pleas read this excellent article: http://m.truthdig.com/report/item/donald_trumps_greatest_allies_are_the_liberal_elites_20170305
Thom, when will you start speaking the truth about who is behind all of this? How long will you go on villifying only the Republicans? It's the oligarchs that own both parties, and other than the rhetoric, you can't slide a thin dime between the establishment in either party!
They voted for it, denied it, poisoned it, crippled it, and millions of Americans. They are animals.
And thanks for your comments deepspace. Right on the mark, as usual. I may post that link again, when appropriate. I believe the article hits the nail on the head. As long as we (the dimwitted people) persist in playing the "good guy - bad guy game" vis a vis the Republican and Democratic parties, we are playing right into the hands of the real villains, who could care less about which party is in poewr. I only wish Thom would get off this bipolar kick. He certainly has the brains to see through it.
Now that the latest effort by Republicans to condemn untold millions of defenseless human beings and fellow citizens to a life of needless pain and suffering and early death has failed, it is imperative that Democratic leadership boldly step up and fill the vacuum with the single most important issue at the forefront of the electorate's collective mind: affordable healthcare. Republicans may be licking their wounds for awhile, but they are a criminal organization and will N-E-V-E-R give up their ultimate goal of throwing as many poor people, sick people, and old people off the for-profit insurance rolls.
Instead, Chuck Schumer curled into the fetal position and meekly offered to compromise with the genocidal maniacs rampaging through the halls of Congress. He just set the stage for yet another humiliating, and well-deserved, defeat in 15 short months by being a mealymouthed coward. "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."
The rest of the world has proven beyond all doubt that affordable healthcare cannot be achieved by compromising with those who seek to enrich themselves with the suffering of others. Even more ironic, we have proven it to ourselves over and over; yet, our purported political "representatives" keep repeating the same mistake, each time expecting a different result -- Einstein's definition of insanity.
For all it's positive effects, that's what the Affordable Care Act is -- a compromise, a three-bank-shot giveaway to the almighty gods of greed infesting insurance companies, hospitals, providers, Wall Street, and the donor class of wealthy elites. Trying to keep these blood profiteers in the game is at the core of virtually every unsolvable problem and vexation inherent to our ridiculously expensive, failing healthcare system.
If the Democrats are searching for that one cakewalk issue and winning strategy -- to be for something positive for the American people rather than only being against Trump and the Republicans -- universal single-payer, or more simply "Medicare for All," is the bumper-sticker slogan they need to repeat without let up. The naysayers will always fall back on their disingenuous, defeatist argument, "Oh, but it can never pass with a Congress full of corporate-sponsored sell-outs in both parties who always find clever ways to compromise their morals."
Of COOOUUURSE !!!
That's the whole point! All the polling continuously shows that the majority of people by large margins are absolutely on board with a Medicare-for-all system, and they need to know that whoever they vote for is on the same page. That's how you change the dynamics in Congress -- vote the bums out; or better still, don't vote them in. The People can't just sit on the couch and complain; they also need to step up boldly and demand that their politicians legislate on their behalf and pass Medicare for all. Let a president veto it at his or her own peril.
Why are Americans so timid and docile?
https://fixithealthcare.com/watch-the-movie/
Outback,
Thanks for your link! Very fitting.
Finally I have to ask, is that going into your mouth or coming out of it?
In case anyone is still on this thread, a friend sent me this earlier today. I believe this article profoundly states the problems we face. Please read it:
http://m.truthdig.com/report/item/donald_trumps_greatest_allies_are_the_liberal_elites_20170305
thom Please interview Angela Davis! thank you
All Americans should never forget.. that all orgainizations from the PTA... AARP.. all the way to the US Congress... all are ran for the benefit of those that run them...and by doing so, ruin it for the rest of us.
Democrats are as "smart" as Republicans, they just ignore any real commitment to their stated ideals. Like Al Franken for example... sort of a Donald Trump clone... he reads the script and acts out his part, it's all about his success... tenure... like Joe Biden before him... Al parties with his Republ;ican friends.. notability Jeff Sessions.. they meet.. kick back and laugh as one played a "gotcha" ... as Session would put it.. "y'all got me on dat one Al" laughing "all the way to the bank." Until we real democrats (lower cased D) gte togtehr and establish a legitimate third party, nothing will change. All elected officials play the game... like actors.. they deliver polished performances according to thhier script.. and live a comfy life off teh US taxpayer. Sadly, they do not have to live under economic dislocations like those of us that pay thier way via taxes paid by the rest of us.
I think Republicans AKA "Repigs" understand healthcare.. the sad part is they don't care.. it's mind over matter... IE they don't mind and we the people don't matter. Until we shut down that 'whore house" we call "Congress" nothing will change. In the immortal words of Antonin Scalia: My duty as a Supreme Court Justice is to see that nothing happens for the first time. A "first time" would be that marketing collateral we call The bill of Rights becomes implemented in law... specifically, we are all "endowed by our creator" not just the Calvinists we euphemistically call "Republicans."
Thom gave a good explanation of "risk corridors" and how Sen. Rubio added it to "must pass" legislation. What Thom didn't explain:
-Are Democrats so dumb that they don't understand that Republicans play dirty?
Or
-Are Democrats so dumb that they don't read legislation before they vote for it?
Or
-Are Democrats so dumb they don't know how to instruct their staff to read legislation and notify them of changes and additions to bills?
Or
-Are Democrats so corrupt that they were bought and paid to ignore the Rubio addition, and pretend they didn't see it?
Thom should stop making excuses for Democrats.
And now that McConnell has unveiled his real goal, total repeal of Obamacare, all the rest was smoke and mirrors to make it look like Republicans care. If/when it passes, there will never be a replacement, not in 2 years, not in 20 years, as long as Republicans can stop it.
The Internet, like most transformational technologies, has become an ESSENTIAL aspect of our lives. I no longer have a land-line phone, and my phone service is through the internet so every aspect of my personal security is dependent upon uninterrupted, un-filtered access. Call the cops...internet; call the fire department...internet; call an ambulance...internet. The internet is not just about access to entertainment or information anymore, it is a full-blown essential service. Just like electricity or gas, it should be considered a public utility...everyone MUST have unfettered, lowest-cost access. There are plenty of towns and cities across the US that now provide FREE WIFI service to their citizens. I'd gladly pay a few extra bucks in taxes to log into a publicly-owned, non-profit fiber-optic service to get rid of the exorbitant prices I currently pay for minimal bandwidth. How much evidence do we need to see that profit-motives have never, and can never support the general welfare, nor secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posteriety..especially when it comes to essential services?
Dear Dr Miklashek Thank You for your great comments . They are right on the money
Yeah, things are getting worse. We are on a downward spiral and it will end when the US goes broke, like it happened to the USSR. Meanwhile Republicans, dominated by their owners, send us down that rabbit hole while the Democrats, dominated by their owners, don't do a thing about it. They just appear to be doing something. They say that they are doing something because a lie, when repeated continously, particularly when the person repeating it seem to have authority, can appear to be the truth.
Tell me something, is there such a thing as false news? Is the media trustworthy? If it isn't and I have heard you say that it isn't, then, why doesn't the leaders of the Democratic Party say so?
Dr. Miklashek, as well as so many others have during the course of this conversation, is making the only sensible case for a better healthcare system: one based on morality, not money.
His words are self-evident -- he is not speaking merely from an intellectual standpoint, casually musing philosophically as a partisan ideologue might when pushing a premeditated outside agenda, an abstract ideological structure manufactured by severly limited thought processes, several steps removed from the actual living of life. He expressed it very simply, very elegantly, when he said he loved his patients. That is everything! He lived it and paid the price, sacrificing himself to help others with their most basic need, which is to be healthy ...to live! What is more important than that?
Morality, that natural sense of right and wrong, comes from the heart, not the head. It cannot be taught and learned over time; it is that mysterious, instantaneous spark animating us as we meet day-to-day challenges. The essence of this miracle we call life is purity, unstained by selfish pursuits, and must be felt deeply to be understood -- which is always possible when we don't block it with petty, self-centered thoughts.
Morality is also something we must share; no one can lock it away in a vault and call it their own. Likewise, hoarding material wealth, and all the insanity and cruelty that goes with it, only blinds people to the simplicity and priceless richness of life itself -- a timeless, ongoing moment always here in the dynamic present, never in the nostalgic, dead past or in the unfulfilled, fantasized future, as the forces of ruthless ambition would have us believe. If we but realize that truth, nothing is more valuable or more powerful!
Even in retirement, Dr. Miklashek has offered us the best diagnosis. The world is a better place for all he has done and is still doing. Thank you!
In different countries, we have found different rules and policies for business sectors. But the common protocol for every business organization is to follow the climatic rules and to protect the current climatic condition. There is nothing wrong to grow a business in any country, but we should the rules and regulation of the climate policies. Government passes several kinds of restriction on manufacturing companies to reduce pollution, but it is quite beneficial to grow our business online so that we can produce less pollution and implement our business strategy effectively.
It is all about the 1%.
Yes, Republicans do seem to fundamentally understand the point of healthcare. It seems the point is to make twice as much profit this year than last year and then transfer that wealth right back to the top - where it belongs.
Trumpcare makes me sick. It just may deserve the ugly green Mr. Yuk stamp of approval identifying it as a poisonous healthcare scam against the people of the United States of America.
Thom, gerrymandering is not undermining our democracy. they possibly could have to limit representation. Futhermore, the famous checks and balances were there to prevent democratic outcomes. I have quite a lot of information on this forgotten history if you need a remider. Or you could read Levinson and Klarman etc
On healthcare, I find the only relevant question is this. WHY SHOULD CONGRESS HAVE BETTER HEALTHCARE THAN ANY OTHER AMERICAN? That none of you are asking this question hard and every minute of the day, makes it look as if you think congress is entitled to better converage or you are also brainwahsed when it comes to the role of the people vrs the representatives they elect, the constitution vrs the power of the people to alter or even abolish their governement, etc should they so need to.
By any ones count, we have FAR exceeded the number of reasons necessary to totally replace our government with a democratic one, which we want. If you can't understand that our citizens have that power and can use it to solve the current constitutional crisis and current global catastrophes, then you are simply buying the opposition time.
We all need to get real. There has been a coup. Financial institutions are running amok. War is spreading. Inequality is spreading. Global meltdown is in view. This is an emergency, so we had better be talking as if that were actually the case.
The founders did everything they possibly could have to limit representation. Futhermore, the famous checks and balances were there to prevent democratic outcomes. I have quite a lot of information on this forgotten history if you need a remider. Or you could read Levinson and Klarman etc
On healthcare, I find the only relevant question is this. WHY SHOULD CONGRESS HAVE BETTER HEALTHCARE THAN ANY OTHER AMERICAN? That none of you are asking this question hard and every minute of the day, makes it look as if you think congress is entitled to better converage or you are also brainwahsed when it comes to the role of the people vrs the representatives they elect, the constitution vrs the power of the people to alter or even abolish their governement, etc should they so need to.
By any ones count, we have FAR exceeded the number of reasons necessary to totally replace our governement with a democratic one, which we want. If you can't understand that our citizens have that power and can use it to solve the current constitutional crisis and current gloabl catraphoies, then you are simply buying the oppoisition time.
We are tired of the old arguments Thom, We all need to get real. There has been a coup. Financial institutions are running amok. War is spreading. Unequality is spreading. Global meltdown is in view. This is an emergency, so we had better be talking as if that were actually the case.
I'm not sure why anyone can argue for a bill that will take a service necessary for the health and well being of a society and render it useless. The citzens of this country are going to perish from stress related disorders brought on by the fact that if you get sick you might just be out of luck...how does that work? How can anyone live with themselves knowing they have brought this to even one person....Like Trump, the Republicans live in their own little bubble....take care of themselves and the heck with anyone else as long as they have theirs. Makes me sick.
Thom, gerrymandering is not undermining our democracy. The founders did everything they possibly could have to limit representation. Futhermore, the famous checks and balances were there to prevent democratic outcomes. I have quite a lot of information on this forgotten history if you need a remider. Or you could read Levinson and Klarman etc
On healthcare, I find the only relevant question is this. WHY SHOULD CONGRESS HAVE BETTER HEALTHCARE THAN ANY OTHER AMERICAN? That none of you are asking this question hard and every minute of the day, makes it look as if you think congress is entitled to better converage or you are also brainwahsed when it comes to the role of the people vrs the representatives they elect, the constitution vrs the power of the people to alter or even abolish their governement, etc should they so need to.
By any ones count, we have FAR exceeded the number of reasons necessary to totally replace our governement with a democratic one, which we want. If you can't understand that our citizens have that power and can use it to solve the current constitutional crisis and current gloabl catraphoies, then you are simply buying the oppoisition time.
We are tirred of the old arguments Thom, We all need to get real. There has been a coup. Financial institutions are running amok. War is spreading. Unequality is spreading. Global meltdown is in view. This is an emergency, so we had better be talking as if that were actually the case.
Democracy begins with THE PEOPLE
Never mind that they don't understand the importance of cradle to grave single-payer, more importantly the Teapublicans refuse to honor their responsibilty as our public servants. Thus it's possible they don't understand democracy.
We pay them to represent us, and only 17% of "us" are on board with their tax break program for wealthy Fascists.
So if Trumpcare doesn't cause voter remorse in those who voted republican, then they must be totally brain-dead. There's no other explanation for these washed-up righties. We'll maybe they like Crooked Donny's nothing burgers.