Counting Their Chickens

Republican Rep. Joe Barton said Republicans have plans to repeal health care reform IF it passes, and IF the Republicans get control again of Congress, according to a report from the Washington Independent:

On a conference call last month, Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) hedged a little bit on the question of whether Republicans, if they won a congressional majority in 2010, would repeal a health care bill passed by the 111th Congress. Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) is not hedging.

If they somehow manage to get the votes and get enough Democrats to walk the plank and commit political suicide, in the next Congress, I’ll be chairman Joe Barton of the Energy and Commerce committee, and we’ll repeal it.

Of course, even the most optimistic strategists would call it extremely unlikely that Republicans could get a veto-proof majority in 2010, so this is bluster. But it speaks to Republican confidence that blocking any health care reform is a political winner...

Wouldn't that be a terribly risky move by Republicans--- giving people medical care, and then taking it away? Are there other laws and programs that Barton and the GOP would like to repeal? Why don't they tell us now so they can save us any surprises?

If you are interested, the Sojourners have "A Christian Creed on Health-Care Reform" that you might be interested in reading at http://go.sojo.net/campaign/health_care.

A Must to Avoid

Mediabistro.com:
The AP's David Bauder reports the "Today" show has hired Jenna Bush Hager to be a correspondent for the show. One of the twin daughters of former Pres. Bush and Laura Bush, Hager will contribute stories about once a month on issues including education, but not on politics. Bauder reports Hager, who will work out of NBC's Washington bureau, "was intrigued by the idea of getting into television" when the show's EP Jim Bell contacted her.....

I will do my best to not watch the Today Show on those days when Jenna Bush Hager is to appear. As a matter of fact, I may stop watching the Today Show entirely.

Do Not Back Down

There are people out there who will say that the life and work of Sen. Edward Kennedy did not touch their lives. They are very wrong. Sen. Kennedy's legislative work touched all our lives and made things better for all of us.

Ted Kennedy: A Lifetime of Service

"Every American should have the opportunity to receive a quality education, a job that respects their dignity and protects their safety, and health care that does not condemn those whose health is impaired to a lifetime of poverty and lost opportunity."

Supporting the Troops and Defending the Nation

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Seapower, Senator Kennedy fought tirelessly for the men and women of our armed services and their families.

Ensuring Disabled Americans Can Live Productive Lives

A sponsor of landmark legislation including the Civil Rights Commission Act Amendments and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Senator Kennedy worked his entire career to secure a higher quality of life for men and women with disabilities.

Ensuring High Quality Education for All

Making sure everyone had access to a high-quality education – particularly the most disadvantaged – was a major legislative priority for Senator Kennedy throughout his career in the United States Senate.

Protecting the Environment and Promoting Energy Efficiency

Senator Kennedy had a long and distinguished record as a supporter of clean, renewable sources of energy who sought to reduce the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels.

Providing a Leading Voice for Human Rights and Democracy around the Globe

During his career in the United States Senate, Senator Kennedy was a leading voice for human rights, social justice and democracy throughout the world.

Fighting for Quality, Affordable Health Care

Throughout his Senate career -- and especially during his service as Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee -- Senator Kennedy championed the cause of quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

Championing Civil Rights & Promoting Fairness and Equal Opportunities for All

Senator Kennedy believed that civil rights remain America’s great unfinished business, and he had a major role in every civil rights battle in Congress for the past half century.

Fighting for Workers’ Rights and a Fair Minimum Wage

Senator Kennedy spent his career standing up for the rights of workers, the backbone of America's economy, battling for workplace safety, mine safety, fair wages, the right to organize and more.

Not many other elected officials can even come close to these accomplishments. Sen. Kennedy's lifework was within the Democratic Party and these are standards in the Party. Without Sen. Kennedy's work and devotion, so many things we see today would not have gotten done. There are those people on the right who have continued to say, "The time isn't right for (fill in the blank- Civil Rights, raising the minimum wage, equal rights, health reform, safety in the workplace, immigration reform, fixing education, improving and safeguarding the environment, etc....)." For some on the right, there will never be a time appropriate for reform, and they will continue to thwart efforts. With the leadership and inspiration of Sen. Kennedy, we must not back down on health care reform. Let us use this time to call our elected officials and tell them to pass health reform-now.

Thursday's Data

* Those interested in putting solar panels on your home should check out an article in the NY Times that indicates that prices for solar panels have decreased. Ohio has solar panel manufacturers including Willard & Kelsey Solar Group.

* Almost 700,000 cars were sold under the "Cash for Clunkers" program, according to the LA Times.

* Why hasn't South Carolina's Gov. Mark Sanford resigned yet? Hasn't his wife, family, and the people of his state had enough of him? How embarrassing! Does he think he represents Republican family values? How can anyone support a guy who cheated his wife and the people of his state?

* Here is something to think about..... If you get cancer and need chemotherapy, will your health insurance company pay for the $5,000 to $10,000/month you might need for chemo drugs? While your insurance company waits to decide whether to approve your chemo, the cancer can spread. But don't fear! Their failure to cover you will save them money, and mean a bigger bonus for their CEO!

* What every happened to Bob Bennett, former head of the Ohio GOP? Cleveland.com reports that Bennett is working for a lobbying firm. (Bennett is not a registered lobbyist. A search at the Office of the Legislative Inspector General Joint Legislative Ethics Committee, does not have Bennett's name.) Even though he is working for a lobbying firm, he is not listed as a registered lobbyist. How'd he manage that?

...Bennett is trying to persuade county GOP leaders around the state to get behind Issue 3, a plan by Penn National Gaming Inc. and Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert to authorize casinos in Cleveland, Toledo, Columbus and Cincinnati.

Penn National and Gilbert are clients of the lobbying firm Strategic Public Partners, where Bennett is a senior adviser. The firm was founded by Bennett's friend and a former Ohio GOP executive director, Thomas Whatman....

Very interesting. Should someone check into this?????

Sen. Ted Kennedy

My sympathy goes to the family of Sen. Ted Kennedy, his friends, supporters, and the people of Massachusetts.

The Huffington Post has a great article this morning on Sen. Kennedy's life and contributions.

New Rules 1-6

I'm borrowing this idea from Bill Mahre's "New Rules" segment he uses regularly on his show---

NEW RULES:

1. People who work for health insurance companies must wear shirts and hats from their employer when they attend town hall meetings and political rallies.

2. Fans of Glenn Beck should wear identifying gear so we know how stupid they are before they open their mouths.

3. People who complain that teachers make too much money should volunteer to work a day for free at a high school.

4. Republicans who don't believe in health care reform should give up contributions from health care PACs and individuals.

5. Public officials who say they believe in "family values" and the "sanctity" of marriage, must reveal how many times they've cheated on their spouse.

6. Public officials should have a posted schedule of how they've spent their day, names of people/groups they've met, and with whom they shared meals/golf/sporting events....

Monday's Notes

* Stimulus money is putting people back to work in Pennsylvania, according to Philly.com. A closed battery plant in New Castle, Pennsylvania, has reopened to manufacture "greener" batteries.

* Why is Mark Sanford still the Governor of South Carolina? The DigitalJournal has this:
According to the South Carolina Ethics Commission, they will probe into new claims that Gov. Sanford did not report private flights. Attorney General Henry McMaster requested commissioners to look into launching a new investigation.

An investigation could conclude that Sanford violated state law and would be grounds for impeachment. As Patrick McMahon of Digital Journal reported, South Carolina Republican State Senator David Thomas has called for the impeachment of Gov. Sanford....

Why are South Carolina's voters allowing this guy to escape impeachment?


* Looks like diversity training is in the future for city workers in Springfield, Illinois, after nooses were found at facilities. The Chicago Tribune has the full story.

* The Washington Post has a "POTUS TRACKER" to follow the amount of time President Obama spends on issues/problems. I'd like to see a side by side comparison of President Obama's schedule with that of President George W. Bush. Wouldn't that be fun?

Friday

* Last night, Jon Stewart had the guest on the Daily Show who has caused all the ruckus about health care reform - Betsy McCaughey. It was very interesting. After watching the segment, I came away thinking that Betsy McCaughey is just making stuff up to help stop reform. Personally, I think she is a little ditzy.

* Where is Glenn Beck? Did the loss of so many sponsors cause Beck to leave the air?

Think You've Got Problems?

I'm soooooooo glad I'm not a member of the Nevada GOP. They've got problems!
Politics Daily:

The Republican senator from Nevada is involved in a sex scandal. The Republican governor has an approval rating of 10 percent. There's no answer at state GOP headquarters, and the elder statesman of party strategists is recruiting Republican supporters for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid – a Democrat -- in his 2010 re-election race.....
.....The current state of the Nevada GOP might be summed up as besieged, bothered and bewildered. There's no executive director, political director or media contact listed on the party Web site. No one answered the phone when I called and no one responded to the voicemail I left. There are no events listed for the rest of the year. And all that is just a symptom of larger problems.....

Amazing.

Forget Trying to Work with Republicans

President Obama and Democrats should forget about working with Republicans for health care reform. The GOP is not interested in a public option or a co-op.

The Hill:
...Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), however, said that he opposed the co-ops and that the idea would garner little if any support from his colleagues.

The Republicans don't care. They didn't care about health care for children (SCHIP) and they don't want to change the way we deliver health care in this country. The Republicans like things the way they are. I think that President Obama and the Dems should just push forth the legislation. If the Republicans don't vote for it or block it, it will be on their hands.

More Stuff

> Tom DeLay on Dancing With the Stars? Now I remember why I don't watch the program.

> Since he made comments calling President Obama a "racist," Glenn Beck's program has lost lots of advertisers. Do you think he'll notice?

> Wouldn't you like to get a job like Dick Armey??? Armey, who seems to hate Social Security and Medicare, makes a pretty hefty paycheck with his part-time job. According to Majikthise, Dick Armey received $400,000 from FreedomWorks, the anti-health care reform group.
Majikthise:

Former House Majority Leader turned lobbyist Dick Armey resigned from the lobbying firm of DLA Piper on Friday amid criticism of his leadership role in FreedomWorks, one of the main right wing groups organizing town hall mobs against health care reform.
Armey probably wasn't spending that much time at DLA Piper anyway. He earned a total of $400,000 from FreedomWorks and the FreedomWorks Foundation during the 2007 tax year, according to tax records. The records say that Armey was putting in 36 hours per week at Freedom Works and the Freedom Works Foundation....

While Armey, FreedomWorks, insurance executives, and other anti-health care reform groups try to stop increased access to health care, people are dying in this country because they have no health care.

> Dependable Renegade found a picture from a recent anti-health care reform rally. I think that those who are against health care reform should work on their spelling---

Are "birthers" and "deathers" just hiding their racism????

* Are "birthers" and "deathers" just hiding their racism? Why do these people have so much hate inside them? Why are the "birthers" and "deathers" all in the Republican Party?

* The "Cash for Clunkers" program has been a success. Why did Republican Reps. Bob Latta, Jim Jordan, and Jean Schmidt vote against extending it? Don't they want to get people back to work?


* More and more people are delaying medical treatment in today's rough economy. As a result, by the time people make it to a physician's office or an emergency room, choices for treatment have decreased. If you really want to know what is going on in health care, talk to doctors, nurses, and those in hospice care. Those people are on the front lines of medicine---- not right wingers, like Dick Armey.

* The Columbus Dispatch has an article about hospice care in today's paper.

* Sen. Charles Grassley had something new to say, according to Huffington Post:

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has attempted to clarify his comments on end-of-life care meaning the government could "pull the plug on grandma." He says he never used the phrase "death panel," but that there is the "possibility of unintended consequences" from the health care bill.

His full statement:

"I've said for a long time and repeated last week that we all ought to consider how we want to be treated if we are struck by an incapacitating illness, and that advanced care planning is a good thing to do. As far as legislation goes, it's not the case that provisions in the Pelosi health care reform bill this year are just like provisions Congress passed in the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003. I've never called the Pelosi provisions a 'death panel.' The issue is whether end-of-life provisions should be part of legislation that's about controlling health care spending, and which also creates a government-run health care program, as the Pelosi bill does. Doing so escalates concerns about the rationing of health care, since government-run plans in other countries ration to control spending. Putting end-of-life consultations alongside cost containment and government-run health care causes legitimate concern. This context and the details of this year's proposal are different than the 2003 legislation, which covers advice from specialized physicians outside of any larger effort to control spending on health care. It's not fair to Americans who are asking questions to gloss over those facts and, in fact, end-of-life provisions haven't been part of ongoing Senate Finance Committee discussions as a result of those realities and the possibility of unintended consequences. On this subject and others, it's important that the debate is fair-minded and based on an accurate representation of the issues involved."

Whatever.

Fear, Greed, Power, Control

I was in the car this afternoon when I caught part of the Ed Schultz radio show. A caller into Ed's show accused the Republicans of only being interested in "...fear, greed, power, and control..."

Think about it. The Republicans have used fear to try to win votes and cast doubt toward other candidates. They've been greedy. Do you know why Newt Gingrich is no longer in the House of Representatives? The Bush administration exerted their power by filling the Justice Department with poorly qualified, right wing lawyers, and then fired U.S. Attorneys who were more loyal to the law than the Republican Party. The Republicans want to control the country with their right wing, anti-women, anti-worker, anti-Social Security, anti-fair labor laws, anti-progress, and anti-immigrant legislation.

With no alternative plan of their own, the Republicans have nothing to offer except to allow the big CEO's of the health insurance companies keep their million dollar bonuses. While you might get denied treatment for anemia, the CEO of your health insurer will get more money for boosting profits. While you suffer without treatment, the CEO gets richer. Isn't it time to do something?

We cannot allow the Republicans and their insurance supporters to continue to spread lies about health care reform. There are no "death panels" in the new health reform. However, if you let the Republicans and the insurers win with their lies, your insurance company CEO will continue to decide when you've had enough chemotherapy or surgery.

Write your Senators and Representatives and tell them you want health reform. It is time.

Thursday....

Where in the world is John Boehner? Republican leader, John Boehner, is on a tour with Republican congressional buddies, Dan Boren, Greg Walden, Tom Latham, Dave Camp, Jo Bonner, and their spouses. Here is a tidbit from the US-China Business Council:

Please join USCBC for a breakfast program with US House of Representatives Minority Leader John Boehner, who will be visiting China with a delegation from the House of Representatives that includes Reps. Dan Boren (D-OK), Jo Bonner (R-AL), Dave Camp (R-MI), Tom Latham (R-IA), and Greg Walden (R-OR).

The delegation would like to hear from the US business community on current economic conditions in China and to learn more about the business climate for US companies, including the level of market access in China for US goods and services. The delegation would also like to hear viewpoints from the American business community on US economic and trade policy toward China and its impact on the competitiveness of US companies in China. Rep. Boehner will make brief remarks.

This is a joint event sponsored by USCBC and the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai.....

While Boehner's colleagues take the heat of the false statements provided by insurance companies, Sarah Palin, and Charles Grassley, Boehner is out touring Asia with his friends and their spouses on our money.

* * * While Glenn Beck has gone off the deep end with his racist attacks on President Obama, he has been losing sponsors. A site called ColorOfChange.org, invites people to join the group..."...to make sure all Americans are represented, served, and protected...." Isn't that what America is all about?

You are invited to join the campaign against Beck----
Stop Glenn Beck's race baiting

Fox's Glenn Beck recently said President Obama is "a racist" and has a "deep-seated hatred for white people." Beck is on a campaign to convince the American public that President Obama's agenda is about serving the needs of Black communities at White people's expense. It's repulsive, divisive and shouldn't be on the air.

Join us in calling on Beck's advertisers to stop sponsoring his show....

Join here---> http://www.colorofchange.org/beck/

According to ADWEEK, Beck is losing advertisers and their dollars:

Some of the nation's biggest advertisers are distancing themselves from Fox News Channel host Glenn Beck after he called President Obama a racist during a July 28 broadcast.

Geico said yesterday that it has pulled its ads from FNC's The Glenn Beck Program. Lawyers.com, which is owned by LexisNexis, has also vowed not to advertise during the show, per Color of Change. The African-American online political organization has been spurring advertisers to stop supporting the show.

Additionally, Procter & Gamble, Progressive Insurance and SC Johnson all said their ad placements during the broadcast were made in error and that they would be correcting the mistake moving forward, per Color of Change.....

I'm not African-American, but I signed up with the ColorOfChange organization. You can too! Stand with me against the racist rants of Glenn Beck.

Did you know.....?

* Have you noticed that all the right wing wackos yelling and screaming at the townhalls have similar signs and pictures? Here is a hint--- insurance companies are behind the loud, obnoxious townhalls---
RawStory:

Health insurance companies deserve “a great deal of the blame” for the sometimes violent disruptions to town hall meetings on health care, says a former health insurance company executive turned whistleblower.

Wendell Potter, a former executive with health insurer Cigna who now works as the senior fellow on health care at the Center for Media and Democracy, told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow that health insurance companies “are very much behind the town hall disruptions that you see and a lot of the deception that’s going on in terms of disinformation that many Americans, apparently, are believing.”

On her show Monday night, Maddow cited statistics from the Securities and Exchange Commission showing that profits at the US’s ten largest health insurance companies skyrocketed more than 400 percent between 2000 and 2007, from $2.4 billion in 2000 to $12.7 billion in 2007....

* Do you know where Republican Rep. John Boehner has been?
U.S. Embassy Mongolia:
Representative John Boehner (R-Ohio), House Minority Leader, met today with the President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj and Prime Minister Bayar Sanj of Mongolia at Government House in Ulaanbaatar. He was joined by the members of the delegation which he is leading: Congressman Dan Boren (D-OK), Congressman Jo Bonner (R-AL), Congressman Dave Camp (R-MI), Congressman Tom Latham (R-IA) and Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR). The delegation discussed the sound state of U.S. – Mongolian relations.....
...Today’s meetings cap the group’s August 9 and August 10 visit to Ulaanbaatar and the surrounding countryside where the Members of Congress viewed U.S. Government funded aid projects.

Do you think that Boehner and his pals did some golfing at the Ghenghis Kahn Golf Course in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia? Does Boehner tie all his "fact-finding" trips to the location of golf courses?

* Did you know that Glenn Beck's continuing racist rants have lost him sponsors? (DailyKos)

Ohio Politics

>>> Where in the world is Republican Rep. John Boehner???? Visiting his home district? Having town hall meetings? No. Boehner, other Republicans, and their spouses are on a road trip. On the 10th, Boehner was in Mongolia. I wonder if he did some golfing. http://www.montsame.mn/index.php?option=com_news&task=news_detail&tab=200908&ne=473

Oregonlive.com has this on the trip:

Speaking of members of Congress taking wing for far-flung destinations, it turns out that Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., is on a pretty momentous congressional trip of his own this August recess.

Walden has joined House Minority Leader John Boehner and four other members for a trip to Germany, Switzerland, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, and Vancouver, B.C. Walden's wife, Mylene, is accompanying him, as are the spouses of the other members. (The spouses get to fly free, but they have to pay other expenses on their own.)....

Must be nice.

* It looks like everyone wants to be the Ohio Secretary of State! Why would anyone seek this elected office? Cleveland.com explains:

.....Four people want to succeed incumbent Jennifer Brunner, who is fighting Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher for the Democratic Senate nomination. The secretary's familiar duties are to oversee elections and archive documents. Less familiar to voters is the duty prized by politicians: to help draw General Assembly districts....
....Republicans in the hunt to become the next secretary of state are state Sen. Jon Husted of suburban Dayton and former Ashtabula County Auditor Sandra O'Brien....
.... The Democratic candidates are Franklin County Commissioner Marilyn Brown and state Rep. Jennifer Garrison of Marietta....

Husted has been plagued by the fact that he does not live in his home district in Kettering but rather in Upper Arlington, Ohio. He has received thousands of dollars of political contributions from those associated with White Hat Management and the Brennan family, owners and supporters of charter schools. (http://www.sos.state.oh.us/Campaign%20Finance.aspx)

* Here in Ohio, school districts are dependent on the passage of school levies to fund their districts. As a result, when voters vote down a school levy or operating request, school children lose programs and teachers. However, the other result is that homes lose their values in that district. In a recent request for more school funds, voters have again voted down the most recent South-Western Schools levy request.

Even though the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the way that Ohio funds public schools was unconstitutional, nothing has been done to fix it. (For information about the school funding lawsuit, see schoolfunding.info for details about the lawsuits.)

With the failure of the school levy in South-Western Districts, students are fleeing. No one will want to buy a home in a district that does not make education a priority.

Can Republicans Read?

Apparently not. Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, and the rest of the blathering idiots on the right seem unable or unwilling to read the proposed health care plan.
Here is what Huffington Post published:

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich defended the bizarre claim by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin that the president's health care plan would result in a "death panel" that could kill her Down Syndrome son.

"You are asking us to trust the government," Gingrich declared on ABC's "This Week." "You are asking us to decide to believe the government should be trusted."

....Reminded by host George Stephanopoulos that there was no such thing as communal standards in any health care bill -- just language that would allow for optional Medicare consultations on end of life decisions -- Gingrich grew a bit flummoxed.....

*Note: According to allwords.com, "flummoxed" means...... confused, Confused, perplexed or flustered.

Do you know why Gingrich was confused? Because he is an idiot. He has repeated this lie and others about health care reform so many times that he has forgotten about the truth.

If you've ever had a family member who has been terminally ill, you are well aware of the family conferences that are held with doctors. Families members and doctors work together on end of life issues. The family of the terminally ill decide on the type of therapy that they want for the patient. It has nothing to do with euthanasia. It is about having the patient have a good quality of life.

There are no death panels!

This line in the bill allows for consultations to be paid for by Medicare.

It looks like the mobs and right wingers showing up at the town hall events will believe anything that their leaders and mouthpieces tell them. Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, and the right wing supporters of the status quo, are too enamored with their own voices to read the truth.

If you'd like to Email Newt's spokesperson, use this address: ricktyler@newt.org

FAT CATS

At one time or another, many of us have had a claim denied by our health insurance. Why do these insurance companies deny health claims? Are there medical reasons? No. Chances are that those people deciding whether your claim is honored are usually clerical personnel--- not medical professionals. Many times, insurance workers are rewarded or given bonuses for saving money for the company (aka= denying your claim). The CEO's of these health insurance companies are making an obscene amount of money, while you are denied your medical claim. John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, and the rest of the elected Republicans are getting huge political contributions from these insurance firms who all want to keep the status quo. That is why Boehner, McConnell, the GOP and the CEO's are against health reform.

How much are these health insurance CEO's being paid???? I'm so glad you asked!!!!

From insurancecompanyrules.org:

Insurance Company CEO Compensation 2006-2007

Insurance Company	Chief Executive Officer (CEO)	2007 Total Compensation	2006 Total Compensation
Aetna	Ronald A. Williams	$23,045,834	$19,802,476
Cigna	H. Edward Hanway	$25,839,777	$21,014,486
Coventry Health Care	Dale B. Wolf	$14,869,823	$13,034,126
Health Net	Jay M. Gellert	$3,686,230	$6,066,913
Humana	Michael B. McCallister	$10,312,557	$5,798,613
UnitedHealth Group	Stephen J. Hemsley	$13,164,529	$15,549,028
WellPoint	Angela Braly (2007) Larry C. Glasscock (2006)	$9,094,271	$23,886,169

* The Huffington Post is reporting that some denied health insurance claims were put at the door of Stephen Hemsley, the CEO of United Health:

A new video puts denied health insurance claims on United Health Care CEO Stephen Hemsley's doorstep.

The video, made by Brave News Films' Robert Greenwald, intercuts stories of people suffering because of denied claims with images Hemsley's fancy homes, along with details about how much money Hemsley's got ($744,232,068 in unexercised stock options, for example).

Holly Bailey says in the video that United Health Care refused to pay for medicine she couldn't live without.....

Here is the website set up by SickforProfit.com and an excerpt about one of the CEO's:

CIGNA CEO

Edward Hanway

Five-Year Compensation, as of April 30, 2008 (Forbes)

$120.51 million

Total Value of Unexercised Stock Options (Forbes)

$28,881,000

Value of New Jersey Beach Home (Cape May County Assessor)

$13,607,400

Articles:

The family of a 17-year-old girl who died hours after CIGNA reversed a decision and said it would pay for a liver transplant plans to sue the company, their attorney said Friday.

Hundreds of entertainment industry workers in California and New Jersey who buy health insurance as a group are being hit with a rate increase that will raise some family-plan premiums to more than $44,000 a year....

Boehner, McConnell, Glenn Beck, Limbaugh, and the rest of the right wing will do whatever they can to stay on the good side of these fat cat CEO's. While they excite their right wing base, people are dying every single day that claims are denied. We need health care reform. Please support change.

"...Corporate Republican Funded Public Relations..."

Last night on the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC-TV, host Rachel Maddow hit the nail on the head when she described the mobs showing up at town halls as "....corporate Republican funded p.r. ...."
The following video is from MSNBC:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

If the people at the health care town halls are actually being paid by the insurance companies, supplied transportation, and a script, it looks like a grand corporate take over. Have insurance companies, their lobbyists, and supporting groups become so greedy that they would deny the uninsured medical treatment? What do you think?

It seems that the Republicans and their corporate supporters/lobbyists will go to any extreme to stop health care reform. They'll shut down discussions to yell and scream and prevent any intelligent discourse. What we have is a Republican Party and their supporters/lobbyists protecting their big money and deep pockets to keep the status quo. Since the Republican Party is out of ideas, yelling, screaming, and corporate-sponsored outrage, has taken the place of civility.

Republicans Support Mobs, Birthers, Tea Baggers

Without any fresh ideas of their own, the Republican Party has become a magnet for birthers, mobs, tea baggers, and frustrated lobbyists. We are all aware of the birthers and their fruitless conspiracy theories that are really rooted in racism. Now Republicans and their supporters, like insurance companies, have organized mobs to infiltrate and disrupt Democratic town meetings. It appears that Republicans have joined forces with anti-health reform groups (lobbyists) to recruit and bus peopleto create "You Tube" moments at town hall meetings. (DNC)





Unable to intelligently discuss their opposition, the Republican Party has resorted to mobs. These are the same groups that sponsored and protested the Florida recount in 2000. Last night on the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC, she identified by name and occupation, members of the "Brooks Brothers Mob" outside the Florida recount office from 2000. The "mob" was made up of then current and former employees of the RNC and Republican members of Congress.

Birthday Wishes!

Happy Birthday, President Obama!

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....And now from the right side of lunacy and racism.......

Huffington Post has an MSNBC video of Orly Taitz.....(You Tube)



In case you didn't know------ this woman is the leader of the "birther" movement. Need I say more?

Poking Fun at the "Birthers"

The tin foil hat wearing birthers are at it again. Now they say they have a copy of Obama's Kenyan birth certificate. Omg! Will these birthers ever quit????

Over at Democraticunderground, a poster has set up links for you to make your own fake birth certificate. This is all because head "birther" and lawyer-dentist, Orly Taitz, has posted a "birth certificate" at her website. The sad thing is that these "birthers" are wasting so much of their lives on this completely cockamamie conspiracy theory.

Ouch! in Philly

* Do you think your city has problems? Philadelphia needs some money that can only come from a sales tax increase that must be approved by the Pennsylvania state lawmakers. Here are some of the proposed cuts if the city does not get the money, as posted at WHYY:

..Police
Eliminate 972 positions including 739 sworn officers, 43 civilians, and 190 by attrition.

Fire
Deactivate 6 engine companies, 3 ladder companies, and 5 ALS medic units.
As a result eliminate 36 officer positions, 120 firefighter positions, and 40 paramedics positions.
Engine and ladder deactivations will likely result in the complete closure of fire houses....

...Streets
Reduce trash pick up to twice a month, eliminating 350 positions.
Reduce citywide cleaning and eliminate all citywide support staff, an additional 50 positions...

Ouch! Would these budget cuts cause chaos in the City of Brotherly Love? (By the way, the entire list of proposed budget cuts is quite long, and sad.)