why don’t you play the part where cheney says the bush admin finally started thinking about changing statgies, in the Fall of 2008?

7years the bush admin waited.

Glad to hear someone( Hilary) is addressing the issue in terms that EVERYONE is thinking but no one
( political) is saying-
Pakistan must know where Al Qaeda is, she said, and could get them if they wanted to.

Good work Hilary!

With regards to the spending of so much money on this war, I sometimes wonder if this isn’t a conspiracy to destroy our nation. I know it sounds silly, but in the face of such an irrational and hate breeding war, I find it easy to suspect the motives behind continuing it.

I don’t think there is anything patriotic at all about continuing in the middle east the way we have been.

I live in NY’s 23 District and all the outside money and commentary from people like Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich have poisoned the well up here. Doug Hoffman, the Conservative, doesn’t even live in the district; the only reason he has a candidacy at all is the fact that outside money is pouring in and he stays within his protective bubble, never venturing out into the distict to meet with voters outside of hand-picked venues. Shades of George Bush! No one really cares about the 23rd district inside the Beltway or inside the major parties. This is about bragging rights and we won’t be served at all by the winner if it is the Democrat or the Conservative. They won’t meet with the voters now – that tell us all we need to know about the kind of constitutent services we’ll get. They’ll be too busy serving their paymasters, just like every other member of Congress.

Public option availability. When I renewed (as self-employed) with Blue Cross this year, I found out that I am designated an employer versus an individual. Something like that. I protested and was told cool it, stay put.
Now I think whether I qualify for the public option may depend on this sort of secret designation.

What’s the point of a “public option” that is NOT an option for whoever wants to join in?!? How’s that going to promote competition and help keep premiums down?

As long as big corporations elects politicians to govern, government will protect big corporations.

Is the “Cadillac” plan determined by cost or extent of coverage? Because I think a lot of us are paying “Cadillac” rates but unable to afford any care because of deductibles and so forth.

Jack Beatty’s comment on Kathleen Sebelius as head of the Department of Health and Human Services and her ability to “take charge” of the H1N1 vaccine production; Jack, you equate ship production which is a physical object and is produced with manpower and resources to the production of a biological agent, sorry Mr. Beatty but there is no comparison. The next time you see a pregnant woman, ask her why she can’t produce the baby in a more timely fashion.

This morning I asked? Military receiving 3 plus increase in pay . S.S. receiving none. Comments. I stated VERY CLEARLY the Military more than deserved their increase. I questionrd only why S.S. received none. Tom Ashbrook stated in a his response that I was disatified wiith the military receiving theirs. That is not true! I am a Veteran,active American Legion member and resent HIGHLY this inferance! I will expect an apology on your next program. A responce will be appreciated.

When will our “free press”, in covering economic issues, begin exposing that the emperor has no clothes. The constant focus on the GDP is ridiculous, a fact made obvious by pointing to its growth while EVERYONE knows our true economy is in terrible shape. As Robert Kennedy once noted, “(GNP/GDP)
measures everything except that which makes life worthwhile.” The GDP figures light up on our economic guidance systems like chronic “happy faces” even though
the real foundation (natural, human and social capital) may be eroding.” The ideal economic or GDP hero is a chain-smoking terminal cancer patient going
through an expensive divorce whose car is totalled in a 20-car pileup, while munching on fast-take-out-food and chatting on a cell phone. All add to GDP growth. Start by at least asking anyone who points to GDP growth as a positive factor to justify their claim. Focusing on the size of the pie without examining how it’s divided is incompetent analysis and reporting.

‘Public option availability. When I renewed (as self-employed) with Blue Cross this year, I found out that I am designated an employer versus an individual. Something like that. I protested and was told cool it, stay put.
Now I think whether I qualify for the public option may depend on this sort of secret designation.’ -Ellen Dibble

Yep, something else I have to worry about…thanks, Ellen! [laughing]

Beware Americans, the Dems are going to ram-rod down your throats a health bill that will sink our country. Remember the phrase….”will not add one single dime to the deficit.” The next phrase is “such sums” as necessary. This always means big spending, as from the bill itself:

“such sums as may be necessary” for “Large Scale Vehicle Electrification Program”
“Such sums as may be necessary” for State Energy and Environment Development Accounts
“such sums” for “Smart Grid Peak Demand Reduction”
“such sums” for national power grid planning
“such sums” for study of “Ocean Renewable Energy”
“such sums as may be necessary” for the establishment of a “Clean Energy Investment Fund”
“such sums as necessary” for the “Office of Consumer Advocacy”
$1 billion over ten years and then “such sums as necessary” for section dealing with “Greater Energy Efficiency in Building Codes”
“such sums as necessary” for section dealing with “Tree Planting Programs”
“such sums as necessary” for Transportation Efficiency grants
“such sums as necessary” for “Smartway Transportation Efficiency Program”
“such sums as necessary” for “Electric and Thermal Waste Energy Recovery Program”
$50 million for “Low Income Energy Efficiency Program”
“such sums as necessary” for “Affiliated Island Energy Independence Team”
“such sums as necessary” for Global Warming monitoring
“such sums as necessary” for National Academy of Science
“such sums as necessary” for section dealing with “Black Carbon”

55 different projects within this bill with the phrase “such sums”, or! get ready to see this bill explode with unlimited spending. The CBO already has stated this bill exceeds 1.2 Trillion. Who cares? we want our government to run our health care and our lives. Be careful what you ask for!

How to speak republican on war, global warming, great talking points

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXk4P12p1tU&feature=related

Conservative, Christian, Right-Wing Republican, Straight, White American male

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVkPKIo2Kew&feature=related

hey david you forgot about the 100’s of billions wasted a year in iraq and Afghanistan, 400 dollars a barrel ring any bells? the defense budget is still getting bigger? outsourcing drone attacks at twice the cost to third party contractors any bells ringing yet? 1 billion per 1000 troops. Now what would the cost of addition 40k troops be? to track down what 100 al’ queda members? Just reducing the bloated military by 200billion a year would pay for the health care bill in congress twice.

Beware Americans indeed, beware more so of this think tanks, PAC’s telling use to waste such time and treasure spending 50k dollars to bomb a hut. Beware these Think tanks such as Center for, American ”, AEI, who are lobbying and profiting from such wars,

You’re absolutely right Robert.

The important point about the economic numbers is that everything is really uneven. Some places must have had growth that was higher than 4%, since the economy isn’t growing everywhere. The Massachusetts economy shrank 1%.

On fridays show jack beatty stated someone needs to take charge of health care the way Admiral Nimitz told the USS Yorktown they only had 3 days to make repairs they said would take 3 weeks. This rapid turn around allowed the Yorktown to participate in the battle of Midway a huge victory for the allies and a major turning point in the Pacific theater, however Jack seems to be forgetting that the USS Yorktown was sunk during the battle of Midway. Good luck finding someone in Washington willing to make a political sacrifice like that for the benefit of the the country. Congress has shown me nothing to disuade me from the idea that they are nothing more than a den of jackels that cannot look past their own self interest and who is going to pay for their next multi-million dollar election campaign.

david–

Please take your offensive posts elsewhere. When you write something like “Remember the phrase….’will not add one single dime to the deficit’” those of us with half a brain can read, “Don’t trust this African-American man and his words!”

You and your ilk who heil Fraulein Palin constantly raise issues about how our President is spreading lies, but you fail to acknowledge–for obvious reasons–that He has never lied to us. And I don’t believe He ever will.

We indeed need health care reform, and now! Rep. Grayson is a true hero for bringing to the forefront the Holocaust that goes on in our country every day. How many more hundreds of thousands of babies need to die before we take on the greedy, capitalist establishment and demand what’s ours?!!

I can remember when there was time (not to long ago) when I used to really look forward to the Friday “Week in News” show. Unfortunately, it has lost it’s objectivity, balance, and truth in reporting and has become little more than Democratic party talking points. Now I know why so many people accuse NPR of being liberaly biased.

On health care reform: the low-hanging fruit is the profits, the cost of paper-pushing within doctor’s offices, the cost of marketing, the cost of competing. Of course no one in Washington is going to pick that fruit. The people who push paper, the people who market, the people who compete would all be out of work. And the legislators would be out of lots of campaign funding. Friendships and loyalties would be betrayed. Even in dying, we are being plundered of as much of our resources as possible. Nursing homes of course want people to stay on (and on and on, suffering or vegetating more than one might choose) if there is private money to be made. I have been told. Bleeding hearts of family members equal lots of dollars. Is that moral or immoral profit?
I’m in favor of profitable insurance being available for a huge variety of health-related costs, but since de facto we offer care at emergency rooms, and de facto the insured pay for this for everyone, it is only fair for a base level to be provided to all and paid for by all on an across-the-board basis.
Americans will have to pull this rabbit out of the hat, because there is plenty obscure going on, if I’m not mistaken. The goal posts have somehow vanished.

It is true, Americans will trade their freedom for government promised security in a heart beat.

The federal budget deficit tripled to a record $1.4 trillion for the 2009 fiscal year that just ended. The previous record deficit was $459 billion and was set just last year.

Congressional Research Service: “During the entire administration of George W. Bush, the Iraq war cost a total of $622 billion…Pres. Obama’s welfare spending will reach $888 billion in a single fiscal year.. 2010..more than the Bush admin. spent on war in Iraq from the first “shock and awe” attack in 2003 until Bush left office in January.” Obama’s proposal for welfare benefits will be the largest increase in U.S history. A spending total of $10.3 trillion over the next decade. Do the math people.

I have nothing against Pres. Obama because he is an American who happens to be black. I do oppose the policies he and the Pelosicrates are pushing. Do the math people, or, are you the ones who max out 5 credit cards and buy things you can’t afford and then expect a bailout! If you are expected to live within your means then lets demand the government do the same. If not, Americans get ready for what you ask for.

David, if you are suggesting that across-the-board health reform will add to the deficit, I ask you to reconsider. What I pay in premiums should cover three or four people. Let that go to one source, and pay for what it needs to pay for. What Americans are paying for now is the insurance industry itself. There are many ways of redirecting our floods of dollars to do the job those dollars need to do without increasing the federal debt, and without it becoming a government program as such. “Competition” as to who can extract the most money in the name of health is making us sick as individuals and as a nation.

I think you’re on to something Louise. Please elaborate.

David,

if i did the math like you say, don’t forget the 5 trillion surplus that bush had coming into office. if you add that surplus bush spent. Plus the fact that most of the war’s in iraq and afghan amount were counted in a special budget. Or the fact of the additional cost for PTSD, Mental health for returning VETS, that will continue to cost use millions if not billions more per year. Or the bail-out started by Bush to Wall street who still has the gun to the American people head. remember how much the Tarp bill was?700 Billion btw only 3 pages pushed by bush and when obama came with strings Wall street lobbied the hell to prevent any strings whatsoever.

I guess as you suggest we could do nothing for welfare benefits, unemployment, what do tell do you think will happen than? more crime perhaps?or the fact as more and more people become poor and the rich get richer what do you think happens? what happens to our GDP and deficit if people who were once middle class are now poor or unemployed?

Maybe your one of those who benefited from the drop in the U.S., deregulation, massive give away to wall street, so i may understand your feeling or lack of feeling for others. Is it much more “American” to allow the weak and poor to starve? if so than why give Charitable organization tax free status? since the poor did it to themselves right? maybe privatize the police and fire department, hey we could save a few bucks, maybe stop investing in education as well?while china and Europe invest in its people keeps social nets so their people can recover much quicker.

Correct me if i’m wrong i recall you saying your a fire-fighter or something like that when you were referring to the state giving you special info about terrorist suspects? should you allow someone’s house to burn down cause they can’t pay the fire department?

“If you are expected to live within your means then lets demand the government do the same. If not, Americans get ready for what you ask for.”

I would agree except the fact that it wouldn’t happen in our military , or corporate world as well. Which would requiring Corporation to limit risk, and the military to limit armor, weapons.

America became great cause it tried to raise the poor, to be and weak to become working members of society, who pays taxes and contributes to the good of the country. In recession or depression the government is last resort, if it is not a new government often through violent ways comes to fruition. If helping the poor and providing safety nets (in which the republicans tried to destroy)does not work than why do we do it all across the world? cause the less poor often times the less violence, genocides, more stable government, less the case of radical.

But if this is what you want? you wouldn’t have to fear our government to long but the same poor you let grow and grow in numbers will no hope or fear left.

I agree, if Louise can tell us how to get better Republican representation on the airwaves we would all be in much better shape. Where is William F. Buckley when we need him. If Lousie is merely sniping, first at us then at the show, well, that’s we’re used to it.

At least this “conservative troll” can produce one thing that the “liberal messiah” can’t produce; I have my original birth certificate to prove I was born within these United States (I was required to have it when I enlisted in the Marine Corps). Where’s Obama’s original birth certificate?? Maybe the fine people at A.C.O.R.N. are safe-guarding it for him.

Michael,
Do you have an unlimited bank account? Can you keep on spending and borrowing money to pay for projects you can not afford. Do you have a bank that will allow you to spend, spend and go deeper into debt without stopping you, or does there come a time when the bank says you must pay all this back. The value of our dollar is dropping and a majority of foreign interest are dumping the dollar for the Euro. There will come a time very soon when inflation will rear its ugly head as it did in the 70’s, remember the joy of those times?
Iam all for helping the poor, who are poor by circumstance and not by convenience. I live in a county where I am the minority. Our group has served as firefighters and EMT’s to the poor at no charge to them for decades. I have seen what entitlements do to some people, it ruins them, they learn to become mouchers. There are three types of people now in America, the workers, the mouchers and the looters. Figure out who goes where.

A bit of info on those terrible insurance companies.
FACTCHECK:
Health insurers posted a 2.2 percent profit margin last year, placing them 35th on the Fortune 500 list of top industries. As is typical, other health sectors did much better – drugs and medical products and services were both in the top 10.
The railroads brought in a 12.6 percent profit margin. Leading the list: network and other communications equipment, at 20.4 percent.

Ask our elected officials how much they are worth? Do not get me wrong, I want every American to prosper and to live happy and productive lifes. Whatever the party you belong to,the math still must add up. You can not increase expenses without consequences.

I went to YouTube and looked at old Buckley videos. Impressive comparing to today’s pundits. But still you can tell he built his philosophy around a few rigid talking points. I saw him debating Chomsky on the issue of Vietnam war and he was just Communism this and Democracy that. Very predictable, but enjoyable to watch. Unquestionably smart, both of them. O’Reilly or Hannity are not even in the same league, let alone same ballpark.

Alex, I don’t think there is true statesmanlike thought behind current Republicanism. I listen hard because though facts can be thrown up against facts, as here in this thread, facts can be manipulated, but the theory underlying their use is key. Certain interests and certain voting blocs constitute one party, sometimes both. So I hear William Kristol’s father was a considerable Republican thinker, but neoconservatism and Reaganism have both played out.
I was thinking of Buckley because one of his proteges was on Charlie Rose Thursday or Friday night, and I believe it was that man, author of historical political biographies, that said Buckley’s way of keeping the non-elites on board with conservatism was to “use” McCarthy (did he regret that move, was the question). So McCarthyism stirring up fear and dreadful antagonisms was the way a certain conservative philosophy gained not only ascendancy but success at certain elections. Manipulation of the vote makes a mockery of “democracy” all over the globe, it seems.
Is it the elitism of Republicanism that both attracts the Joe the Plumbers and abuses their allegiance once the vote is cast?
Let me postulate that Republican elitism is equivalent to Democratic idealism. The Republican kind of hope is more pragmatic, more tied to today, the dollars and cents, an easier case to make. Democratic vision reaches farther into the future, so it offers less at close range, which is where easier political arguments are made.
I heard this morning on Weekend Edition that no one is capable of arguing the reality of global warming in a politically winning way; the Pew poll on “belief in global warming” in various constituencies indicates this failure to persuade, and the contention was that these months while healthcare has been on the agenda, the Republican talkshows have persuaded all their listeners that global warming isn’t real, so global warming is being dealt with out of sight (with Copenhagen looming). Oh, they have persuaded most Republicans? Oh, warming really is being dealt with? But how?
I have started to read the Economist, which I don’t think is even American… I am for underdogs, and I can see where they are.

Obama and his fellow Democrats (who control the Senate and House) are bankrupting this country and the same liberal On Point bloggers want to discuss conservative comentators. With the terrible job “your” president is doing, I’m not suprised you want to change the subject.

Obama and his fellow Democrats (who control the Senate and House) are bankrupting this country and the same liberal On Point bloggers want to discuss conservative commentators. With the terrible job “your” president is doing, I’m not surprised you want to change the subject.

How short a memory we have. While the Democrat’s are not innocent by any means GW Bush and the Republican’s are the also responsible for a huge amount of the fiscal problems this country now faces. One could say a very substantial proportion. “Mission accomplished” I’ll say so. Bush really did his part in messing up the economy, tax cuts during a time of war and out of control spending to name a few areas that can be neatly hung on his shoulders.

The question is, as there seems to be enough blame to go around, how do we get out of this mess? What kind of country do we want? Do we want to move towards a third world type of economy that is made up of a majority making low wages and with no prospects of growth? Or do we want a society that reflects progressive ideals that support good living wages and health care to name a few areas that are in desperate need of fixing.

It’s amazing how people on the right are still harking on that absurd nonsense about Obama’s birth certificate.
This is just empty rhetoric, period, made by a political ideology that has no ideas of how to lead this country other than saying no to everything. Better yet it seems the conservatives are bent on being lead by zealots such as Palin and Beck which is a sad state of affairs.

check out what i found

here is an e-mail circulating among conservatives to invade this poll and distort the results:
Note:Fox News is losing in an NPR Poll, but with the power of the Internet we can turn that around in a few hours.

If you haven’t heard this, the White House is accusing Fox News of not being a legitimate source of news, calling them biased, etc. They have tried to block Fox reporters from news conferences, etc., NPR has put a survey online for us to voice our opinion. Currently it is 59% in favor of the White House, because mainly liberals log on to the NPR website.

If Fox loses this poll you can bet Obama will mention it as support for his attack on Fox.

Let’s show them how we feel about honest conservative news reporting.

To vote log onto:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2009/10/in_white_house_vs_fox_news_war.html

Then … forward this to everybody !

We all know that Fox news is distorted and merely a conservative leg of the Republican army. Now we know!!!

Obama is more preoccupied with Fox News than he is with “his” failing economy, high unemployment, the falling dollar, the exploding federal deficit, or defeating Al-Qaida or the Taliban. It’s nice to know where Obama’s priorities are.