I Just Saw the Movie Contagion...

...and I'm pretty sure I'm sick with the disease from the movie.

Support the Psychic Chimp in a Great Cause

Check out PsychicChimp.net and buy a t-shirt to support a great cause. The short of it is, help the PsychicChimp and a friend who lost a loved one to Cystic Fibrosis raise money to battle the disease. Go to PsychicChimp.net for a better explanation. Bottom line, buy freakin' a t-shirt.

Also, need a unique, custom t-shirt made? Check out the PsychicChimp.net's new site.
(And yes, I personally know the PsychicChimp and/or the owner/proprietor of PsychicChimp.net.)

A Public Service Announcement...

...On Behalf of Insurance Company Executives

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

The above made me think of the funny BillionairesForWealthCare.com at the 9/12 protest in DC.                                                          

Palin on Health Care...

Palin wrote an op-ed piece about health insurance reform. Given her history as a public figure why is anyone listening to her about anything? Here are some of my past thoughts on Palin:

Related Posts:

Palin vs. Letterman

Palin quits

Palin's upcoming memoir

Video of Palin with a turkey being killed in the background

Palin during the campaign

Palin get's pranked by a Candian radio DJ pretending to be the Prez of France

This Is the Speech Some Folks Are Afraid Of?

The White House released a transcript of the speech President Obama is due to deliver to students across America, or at least to those students allowed to see and hear it by their parents and/or schools. Read the transcript of the speech, please. What are some afraid of?

Keep in mind that I believe past presidents have spoken students. Was there this type of outcry when they addressed students?

Maybe Obama's opponents should keep their eye on the ball. Why all the fuss about a speech written for kids and asking them tp try to do well in school? Maybe GOP'ers, and everyone else for that matter, would be better served discussing what exactly President Obama is going to say in his address to Congress regarding health insurance reform. Just a thought.

Rep. Bachmann: Taxes, Slavery, Health Care & Wrist Cutting, Oh My!

*The sad thing is that I'm just paraphrasing from a speech Rep. Bachmann (MN) recently gave. And I'm only barely exaggerating what she said. I swear. I think she meant that people should make a covenant, slit their wrists and become blood brothers in the fight against health insurance reform. That's not much less crazy.

Usually the "blood brother" thing, if I remember my old cowboy movies correctly, meant cutting a finger or the palms of the hands and then shaking on it. If people do what she says and slit their wrists then, I sure hope they have some type of health care or they might be dead blood brothers.

Sidenote: Rep. Bachmann is the gift that keeps on giving, and giving, and giving, and giving.

More Soclialist Talk

Way back in October of 2008, during the presidential campaign, I expressed my thoughts about cries of "socialist" and "socialism" by McCain and other GOP'ers. The point being, if a public health insurance option is socialist so is social security, social security disability, unemployment benifits, police and fire departments, medicare, medicaid, etc...

- Grassroots?

(or alternate title: It's Health Insurance Reform not Health Care Reform)

I know the above is mean. It is what it is.

It's health insurance reform, not health care reform, we are debating about. Let's be clear about that. No one's arguing we should change/reform the way we train our doctors and nurses in America are they? You see, most people have no problem with the health care they receive. The problem occurs when people don't have access to health care because they don't have health insurance. So what is being contemplated is health insurance reform.

Don't let the wingnuts frame the debate. Who likes health insurance companies? Not many. If you frame the debate as reforming health insurance there's a chance of convincing those on the fence that we actually do need health insurance reform. President Obama has tried to frame the issue as such. Others need to do so as well. The Dems, including Obama, have done a terrible job of combating the misinformation out there to date. Just remember, we're debating about health insurance reform, not health care reform.

Want to read more on the lies regarding health insurance reform? Click here.

By the way, guess who wants no health insurance reform at all? If you said health insurance companies and fake GOP "grassroots" groups you get a gold star.

And let me ask some other questions:

Why is anyone listening to Palin and her "death panels" nonsense? What's funny is that the provision Palin is mischaracterizing most likely will not be in the final bill. This is Palin remember? She's the one who reads all the periodicals, sees Russia from Alaska, and quit her job. Maybe she doesn't understand that any health care provider makes decisions as to what care they'll pay for. Does Palin think insurance companies don't have actuarial tables read by insurance agents that decide who receives what care and when? Would those be "Insurance Agents of Death" according to Palin?

Speaking of health insurance companies...are health insurance companies out to give you the best health care they can?

Or are health insurance companies, like any insurance co., in the business of collecting premiums and denying claims/benefits in an effort to maximize profits? (To quote from the greatness that is The Jerk, "Ahh, it's profit deal.")

Government backed health care like Medicare, Medicaid, health care for our armed forces and those in the Senate and House of Representatives is a good thing right?

But, offering a viable, government backed option to the roughly 50 million Americans without health care is bad? Really? Really?

And I'm tired of hearing about how much it's going to cost from Blue Dog Democrats and GOP'ers. How much did we spend (are we still spending) in Iraq again?

And where do all those folks yelling at the town hall meetings get those papers in their hands? Who's funding this "grassroots", town-to-town, bus tour called "Hands Off Our Health Care"? Where are the hard hitting journalists investigating who exactly is funding this bus tour? (FYI, unlike some other bloggers, I, in no way, consider myself a journalist.)

"Hands Off Our Health Care" sure sounds like something an insurance company would say doesn't it? Maybe someone should look into that. Just a thought.

Check out their ride:

- Biden's Fake Interview With the Wall Street Journal Regarding Russia

Vice President Biden gave an interesting, to say the least, interview to the Wall Street Journal. And Gibbs had to deal with it later of course.

- Another Racist GOP'er? You Be the Judge

From Wonkette: Another GOP member, a Dr. David McKalip, is the latest GOP'er to send out what in my humble opinion is a racist email with the subject line "Funny Stuff" to a tea bag organization's listserve on Google. Daily Kos doesn't pull any punches about what it thinks of the email or what should be done about it. Unfortunately for him (and fortunately for us and his non-white patients) one of the recipients of his email decided to forward it to a media outlet. He's admitted that he sent the email. But, when pressed about whether the email was racist he ended the interview. This guy is not uneducated, he's a freakin' neurosurgeon. He's very much a public figure in that he's written at least one anti health care insurance reform editorial for the St. Peterburg Times, helped found an anti-health care insurance reform organization, and is a member of the American Medical Association's House of Delegates. Below is the picture from the email he sent:

RNC Chairman Steele & GOP Trying Old Tricks

The RNC's chairman, Mr. Steele, rolled out some of the same talking points that McCain tried to use in last year's campaign. He referred to the celebrity of Obama, as well as a talking about "real Americans". Here's some of the speech if you're interested:

Lastly, and this is confusing, the RNC also has pending for a vote a resolution calling on the Democratic Party to rename/rebrand itself the "Democrat Socialist Party". To reiterate, the RNC is taking time and money to consider and vote on a resolution essentially asking the Democrats to change the name of their party. Brilliant. And remember, this is more of the same from last election when they attempted to brand Obama as a socialist.

Some claim or are worried that the Republicans have become the "No" party. Some are worried that all they do is call the Dems names and don't offer any tenable solutions to issues and problems that the nation faces. What is the GOP against, in other words what do they say "no" to? Here's an incomplete list of what many in the GOP are against:

1) gay rights

2) abortion

3) government regulation

4) immigration reform

5) health insurance reform

6) stem cell research

7) environmental law reform

Fewer and fewer people identify with the GOP and what they stand for or against. Maybe the GOP should change their name to the "White Male Christian Republican Party". I'm joking of course. But see, my joke illustrates the GOP's problem because it's exactly that, a joke. I'm making a joke by demanding or suggesting that the GOP change it's name. The GOP's problem is that the RNC is actually taking time and money to seriously consider whether it should "demand" that the Democratic Party change its name. That the GOP would take time and money to consider what amounts to official name calling of the opposing party isn't funny or a joke, it's just sad.

more thoughts on the last debate

More Thoughts:

McCain stated early on that, "Americans are angry." Yes, if they attend your rallies they do seem very angry. It's just a question of at what or who.

According to McCain, Obama is for class warfare. Really? Since when? Based on what? Giving tax cuts to the middle class?

McCain says says tax rates for businesses are high. I don't think that's going to resonate with any middle-class voters, but with rich folk, it will, especially with Exxon making record profits for how many years in a row?

McCain again mentions the over-head projector. Again. OK, we get it. Obama got an over priced projector for his home state/town, no one cares.

McCain had a nice line about not being President Bush. Obama a took while to link him to President Bush, but did make the link eventually.

McCain did make eye contact with Obama. Good. Or is it? Especially when the he began sighing audibly when split screens started later in the debate.

Once the "negative campaigning" questions started McCain looked angry, and from there on started sighing audibly off screen.

Obama thinks Biden is qualified to be POTUS but, he doesn't mention "she who shall not be named (Palin) ," unless forced to; later on he is force talk about her and, is very cordial speaking about "she who shall not be named" without saying anything.

McCain says Palin is tough on reform. But what if she is POTUS? McCain never answers the question. He does say that he thinks Biden would not be so good.

Health care debate goes over most people's heads. But, McCain throws out some numbers, namely, the average health care cost for Americans is $5,800.00. McCain offers a $5,000.00 tax credit, whatever that means. Where does the other $800.00 comes from for the average American come from?

Education: It's a state/local thing, let's be honest. Not to say that it's not a problem that needs serious attention. More on this later.

No one looks good when they interupt someone else.

And twice McCain bagged on Dallas. He referenced Kennedy not being able to carry out debates with Goldwater because he was assasinated in, you guessed it, Dallas; debates, by the way, that Kennedy never agreed to. And the Cardinals beating the Cowboys this past Sunday. McCain, apparently doens't care for Dallas.