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Ou812 • "if you want President Trump to do as he promised, work with him. Would you work with someone who fought you every step? If you want a seat at the table and to be heard, be kind."
I anxiously await Liberals and especially talking radio heads utter the words "President Trump". Don't hold your breath, they are a bitter bunch unless it is the individual they voted for.
1. You can stop defending obamacare. It is a total disaster and was designed to fail from the start and you know it.
2. When obamacare was passed the Democrats had a majority in house and senate and frankly what was already in existence worked fine and was far less costly for most Americans. Regardless, stop living in the past. You are starting to sound like Hartmann.
3. Trump is not a Republican
4. You haven't seen Trumps proposal so CALM DOWN!
Republicans had 7 years to write a plan. Why didn't they? They should have written an opposing plan to Obamacare before it was written. 60 votes later to overturn it no Republican plan. Just 7 years of complaining.
How about waiting to read the republican plan and understand what is actually in it before we run off a cliff.
It seems to me everyone did the opposite with obamacare and all we got was lies, disruption, dismantling of local clinics, and skyrocketing deductibles.
I hear you B, we only know what we know - if that ...
Why am I not surprised now, to hear Corey Booker being disavowed. I don't know the details - do not presume to know the whole truth, but I have to climb up and peel my eyebrows off the ceiling when a conscientious, outspoken, outright heroic young man who is ... (( not white )) ... a rising star in political circles - suddenly is targeted with accusations/insinuations of questionable ties with big pharma.
..., wow.
What a big surprise.
I'm not sure the GOP intentionally want to hurt people. I think they lack the life experiences that build their abilities to feel empathy for anyone they don't know personally. They seem to think that being on Food Stamps means they're too lazy to work hard enough to climb the ladder to success. In fact, many of "those people" work far more hours and often 2 or 3 jobs, and practically never get to see their families - unlike the hours or days any elected official has ever worked! Some of the people on Food Stamps had good jobs until the 2008 bubble burst and they've never found another job that provides for the family responsibilities they'd been handling well for many years. Unless you know someone who is going through these kinds of crises, you shouldn't judge them. You never know what your own future holds! People who hear derogatory untruths about themselves from the GOP rarely get a chance to speak back, because they cannot contribute enough to campaigns to be noticed, or granted an audience. Their truths are never on the radar of the GOP.
Repealing the Affordable Care Act and its key provisions with no idea how to replace it with anything better, the Republicans in Congress know fully well they are literally condemning millions to death.
Individual members of Congress and the Trump Administration who sign onto such wicked legislation are evil incarnate. It turns out the so-called "death panel" that right-wingers falsely tried to pin on Democrats regarding Obamacare is actually crawling with their own vermin.
Paul Krugman in his column today came up with a word for this den of thieves and killers: "kakistocracy" -- a form of government in which the worst persons are in power. That seems pretty accurate.
Oh wait, I forgot; we're supposed to quit complaining and give them a chance. What, to destroy millions of lives and what little is left of our democracy?!
Four days to Trumpocolypse.
Where will you be when the United States falls apart?
BTW, is it not yet obvious the Repugnicons want sick people (or anyone who can't work to make the rich richer) to drop dead?
@ ErinRose # 12:
I wasn't aware of the Georgia Guidestones. Weird.
Although the statement about living in balance with nature is ageless wisdom belonging to no particular author, one can't get past the first inscription about maintaining humanity under 500 million. That's just plain nutty.
Some mysterious wealthy group of whack-jobs and their delusional insinuation that massive genocide of Earth's population is a good thing deserves absolutely no attention or respect whatsoever. The entire monument should be completely discarded and forgotten as nothing more than monumental stupidity.
In fact, it could be construed that Elbert County, Georgia is evidently using public funds to maintain a quasi-religious symbol (however unconventional), favoring one religion over others -- an interference in the private sector that is clearly unconstitutional.
@ ErinRose #12:
I absolutely agree with all of the sentiments you have so passionately expressed. The "they" are the reactionary ruling elites behind the scenes who buy and sell politicians, who are raping the population for its wealth, who benefit by keeping the status quo.
The "we" are the weak and divided who cannot resist effectively, which is always the goal of the powerful and the greedy. It is the everyday citizens who must fully realize their victim-hood and rise up to demand serious, fundamental change in every institution at all levels of society. It means a radical change in the spirit of the People, in the zeitgeist.
Historically, that also means revolution. Hopefully, the next inevitable American revolution will be peaceful, which would be much more powerful than violence, especially nowadays with so much lethal weaponry in the hands of the fascists. But revolution it must be!
The Sioux at Standing Rock are showing us the way.
#Deepspace: You bring up a point; the one about rosy cheeked workers being good workers. My take on this is, that's not the game plan. They have shipped all the jobs overseas and they are trying to murder off 6.5 billion people, according to the proscription on the Georgia Guide Stones. It seems clear to me that they WANT unhealthy people. They WANT jobless people. They WANT suffering and misery. It has something to do with their sociopathic mental make-up that requires hurting others, being greedy, and not losing sleep over any of it. These people are sick. But putting them into office is even sicker.
As in all large societies throughout history, America will always have about two percent of eligible, able-body people who try to scam the system and refuse to work. Another two or three percent can't work because of their physical or mental health. We have (or should have) various programs to catch the slackers and help the helpless.
The vast majority of working-age citizens are willing and able. At the present time, 4.6 percent unemployment means 95.4 percent are employed.
Notwithstanding the "illegals" comment, I agree with ct (#2). Surely, our large workforce can somehow come together to pay for a universal healthcare program at an affordable cost to keep us all healthy, happy, and living longer. A rosy-cheeked population translates into a vibrant and productive society.
Of course, a few other issues would have to be resolved first to make it even more affordable:
Pay livable wages so workers don't have to resort to public programs to supplement their incomes -- which only serves to subsidize the profits of multi-billion dollar corporations, who deliberately pay low wages just for that outcome, i.e., Wall Mart.
Quit siphoning off premiums that go to immoral investors who profit on sickness and death.
Get all blood leaches, i.e., insurance companies, out of primary healthcare.
Instead of creating a whole new bureaucracy, use the very efficient one we already have called Medicare, which nearly everyone loves (operating on only a three percent overhead), and expand it to include all ages.
Force the pharmaceutical industry to negotiate with the government for lower prices on bulk purchases, just like the VA does.
Rein in the carpetbaggers charging outrageous prices for their products and services, such as the outrageous drug companies, the over-priced medical equipment providers, the for-obscene-profit hospital chains, the greedy doctor associations operating like price-fixing cartels, etc., etc.
Don't reelect politicians who care more about their corporate donors than their other constituents.
Do elect politicians who are committed to pass legislation to get money out of politics, nullifying the regressive laws passed by the Supreme Court's right-wing interventionists, who handed our Democracy over to the oligarchs.
If all pertinent statistics were laid bare on the evening news every night (Yeah, right!), instead of the normal fare of shallow, salacious infotainment, the stark reality of American fascism would be revealed for all to see -- God willing, arousing a passive, sedentary audience to action.
Unfortunately, 95 percent of the news that Americans consume is filtered through a corporate lens to keep people ignorant of the facts that matter the most. The lion's share of public funding in our plutocracy goes to hidden, euphemistically titled corporate welfare programs at the top of society to line the pockets of the already obscenely wealthy elites pulling the levers behind the curtain. Contrary to the corporate-sponsored, right-wing meme, an ever dwindling, adjusted for inflation, much smaller portion of public monies trickle down to those at the bottom.
I've really lost patience with the electorate. They put THE WORST people into office, and then stand before these reprobates, like little children, begging for their lives, their jobs, their health, etc., and getting denied. Meanwhile, the rich get a 44% tax break while working stiffs will only get a 2% cut in their taxes; and this is okay with them; they think this is somehow correct and right. We have seen the largest transfer of wealth over the last two decades than in the history of this county (and the world) and STILL the electorate are around voting for this but whining under their breath. What IS that; Stockholm Syndrome or something? All of this didn't come about overnight; it's been coming on for decades. Now that we have reached debarkation, now people are sobbing to these said same highwaymen for mercy. It's disgusting. At what point do people finally wake up and stop being idiots? The stupidity of it all is astounding and breath-taking. What do the electorate think they are doing????
#Luigi: Which begs the question, if these elected politicians don't care whether or not people without health insurance live or die because they consider it not their problem, then what the Hades did they put them into office for? I mean, what are they doing, and for whom are they doing it? You mean we elected a bunch of people who will change all of our laws so they intentionally don't take care of us? That makes sense. (Maybe after people get their teeth kicked far enough down their throats they will wake up, stop being church-mice Republicans, and put people into office who will do the bidding of the electorate instead of being mesmerized by how greedy a certain class of investment earners can be.)
I know it's a wee bit off topic for the thread, but ... just out of curiosity, are we no longer honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? Unless I missed it, I did not hear mention of his name, or the holiday named for him in Thom's program today.
What else am I missing here?
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/martin-luther-king-jr-day-shooting-miami-at-...
Ah, yes. Racial hatred ... alive and well in these (un)United States.
Just in case anyone cares for a recap:
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/1/16/newly_discovered_1964_mlk_speech_on
Are you kidding? Ryan has a plan, replace the ACA with exactly what we had before the ACA!
Why aren't we more worried about replacing Trump and Pence first ?.... The election needs to be declared invalid? Both the FBI and CIA are sitting on Trump/Putin collusion evidence and Obama knows about it. Not releasing it before Friday will make Pence president within months. The collusion evidence will be the excuse Trumps's own party will use to impeach him. Ryan and Turtleman both want Pence as president because they know that Pence will sign every god damn bill they send him. Obama's excuse for not doing anything will be.." I though it was just propaganda"! ..mark my word on this.
I'm fully aware many are of the opinion that this election will cause a rock bottom moment in history and during the next four years everyone will wake up to the republican lies....it ain't going to happen that way...we're all ffdd..meaning the entire planet if something doesn't happen to change history in the next four days.
I'm another one, retired but not yet eligible for Medicare, who would have no health insurance at all if not for the ACA. Nor would I be able to get any, having preexisting conditions.
I think the Republicans are still trying to punish Barack Obama for being black and yelling "f--- you!" at the liberal-ish majority who elected and reelected him. They know that any adequate replacement for "Obama Care" is going to look just like Obama Care.
There's no rational reason to repeal the ACA. It's politics and spite and nothing else.
Paul Ryan did not blow it with his answer to Jeff. It was the response of someone who does not care. Whether or not people without health insurance live or die is not his problem. This is who he is and this is who the party he represents is.
cccccttttt • 21 min 28 sec ago
#2
"US could afford basic healthcare for every citizen using a payroll tax.
In Japan all workers pay $100 a month.
There are many neighborhood clinics open to any citizen for $10 a visit.
What US can not afford is ultra expensive procedures and illegals.
ct"
Great idea but the key words in your plan is "payroll Tax" Once again, the worker bears the load for all those not working.
My Democratic Senator also voted against it. I wrote an email complaining that he is voting opposite of his constituents without even polling. Waiting an answer.
I was a Bernie supporter that became an anyone other than Trump supporter. Before even being inaugurated, Efhusoe, Trump all ready has a close to war or a trade war with China. His foreign policy is based on irrational Tweets at 3 in the morning. He has no rational thinking. His cabinet is even turning against him.
US could afford basic healthcare for every citizen using a payroll tax.
In Japan all workers pay $100 a month.
There are many neighborhood clinics open to any citizen for $10 a visit.
What US can not afford is ultra expensive procedures and illegals.
ct
Then why Thom did you support Hillary Clinton. She was the epitome of the corruption from money in politics. If she had won, we would of gotton someone worse than Trump in 2020,a Trump 2.0, because with HRC, it would be more wars, more empire, more neoliberalism, and more corruption. Trump puts an ugly face on empire, you know, the shit we are already have been doing for decades. Maybe with Trump, people will stop being partisan sheep and wake up. Supporting the lesser of two evils (which was the establishments plan from the beginning to get her elected because they pushed Trump, Carson and Cruz in the MSM) just gets us more evil in the end. We must break this neoliberal fever and stymie the move to more corporatist control. Get money out through an amendment. What has Hillary done since the election? Crap! What has Bernie done? Still fighting for us. No more Clintons, no more corporatists, no more neoliberalism!!!
@ k. allen #11:
I too am very concerned about the two hundred, or so, truly inspiring souls still encamped at the Sacred Stone Camp. That is no small feat in the middle of winter on the northern plains with temperatures regularly dipping well below zero, often twenty or thirty below with windchill sometimes reaching sixty or seventy below. Skin freezes within minutes. I used to work on the railroad in Eastern Montana during blizzards and am quite familiar with how deadly it can be.
The proud and hardy Lakota and Dakota people of the Great Sioux Nation, and the many other tribes who have gathered together in solidarity, have survived on this land for many, many generations. They thrived despite the harsh environment for thousands of years, only to succumb to genocide by European immigrants during the ruthless Western expansion. Millions of Native Americans perished at the hands of the fearful, the hateful, and the greedy.
For them, the Standing Rock protest is nothing new. Their story is the story of America. They are the people of the Earth. They understand how sacred the sky, the land, and the water is to all life. That is why they call themselves "Water Protectors" -- a small band of "friends" teaching the world, in harmony with a higher spirit.
The "black snake" was rerouted away from Bismark because white people didn't want their own water supply threatened. Why is it okay to threaten the water supply of the tribal lands, not to mention the millions of people down river whose lives also depend on the sacred waters of the Missouri River?
It would be supremely ironic and hypocritical for an Administration -- that gained power largely by dividing people over race, religion, and ethnicity, by playing on the fears of white people against "those others" who might threaten their way of life by immigrating to America -- to encourage further attacks (tear gas, rubber bullets, clubs, and freezing water canons) on the original indigenous people of America.
Morally, Trump has his own sacred duty to protect and to cooperate with the people of conscience who are peacefully protesting for the rights of all life on the planet against an industry that doesn't care about the rights of anyone except their wealthy investors. Will he be kind to the people and work with them? Will he too honor the Higher Spirit of Earth? Come spring, we'll all find out.
Rbd171: if you want President Trump to do as he promised, work with him. Would you work with someone who fought you every step? If you want a seat at the table and to be heard, be kind.
Tillerson correctly states the tpp does not serve the peoples interests and that is precisely why he and most our politicians will support it.
Like most of us, i hope trump will do as promised. I won't hold my breath.