Deep Something

OK, I admit I’d not given much thought to the Democratic Primary for 11th Congressional District. I’m not overly impressed with Cathy Castor, but she’s generally socially progressive, so I expected to vote for her. I frankly didn’t even know she had an opponent. That changed tonight, and Tim Curtis has earned my vote.

Read more »

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-1st TX) speaking on the floor about the terrorists babies coming to destroy our way of life. He reports a conversation with an un-named “retired” FBI agent who claimed terrorists were gaming our system by sneaking in pregnant women to have their babies here, then taking them back (and they don’t even have to pay anything for the babies) and raising them in the “terrorist way of life,” so they can send them back in 20-30 years to destroy our way of life.

Read more »

This is a letter written to Republican House Member Todd Akin in response to remarks he made today in a floor speech concern the possible repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Funny thing, we owe our victory over the British to a Gay General, and Akin wants to invoke Washington and what he would think.

Read more »

As most of you know, the United States Senate has a cloture rule which requires at least 60 votes to end debate to then vote up or down on the bill itself. It is important to note that the Constitution says nothing about the rules of the Senate, and does not require such a super-majority. Should the rule be modified to require a lower threshold for cloture, or eliminated all together? Tell us what you think in our poll.

Read more »

Many obstacles and stumbling blocks remain in the way of health care reform. The House and Senate bills will have to be merged, and then the House and Senate both will vote on the final bill. But just for fun, let’s look at what conventional wisdom says will be in the final bill and see if there is anything in it that will be an immediate benefit to people with mesothelioma cancer and other asbestos-related disease.

Read more »

Below is a youtube of a segment from Meet The Press this past Sunday in which E. J. Dionne calls out Sen. Orrin Hatch for the Republican’s continuing bullshit about the use of reconciliation to pass things based on a simple majority vote in the Senate. We need to be discussing policy and health insurance reform (or elimination), but instead, all the Republicans can come up with to try to “win” is to run around like Chicken Little complaining that the sky will fall if some Senate procedure is “out-procedured.”

Read more »

Today’s stupid health insurance company tricks includes one lady’s experience of having her insurance company deny paying for the treatment of her broken wrist because it was a “pre-existing condition,” my experience with having denial codes that even the insurance company can’t explain, and the writings of some conservatives who say we can’t reform heath care insurance because it would make a more decent society and let us enjoy more leisure time.

Read more »

Republicans sound like they’re conducting a giant experiment in saying whatever they can get away with, and I suspect they’re surprised as any of us by some of the results. That’s probably too harsh, though. What’s worse is that a good chunk of them might believe the stuff they say.

Read more »

As usual, Keith Olberman does a good job of explaining the need for healthcare reform, and explaining the public option. Olberman cites a comment by Winston Churchill: Churchill’s argument was this, “I have heard it said that the government had no mandate such a doctrine is wholly inadmissible. The responsibility for the public safety is absolute and requires no mandate!”

Read more »

CIGNA took in $19.1 billion dollars in revenue last year, with a $292 million dollar income. That doesn’t include the salaries given to people like CEO Ed Hanway. He made a cool $12 million last year, and over the past five years he took in $120 million. Hanway has $28 million in unexcercised stock options.

Read more »

There’s no public option in Senator Max Baucus’ Healthcare bill. Instead, we are forced to buy private insurance. This is a major step backwards for the healthcare reform movement! Watch the video and call your senator at (202) 224-3121.

Read more »

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich explains what a public option for healthcare coverage really means for working people.

Read more »

What does UnitedHealth Group CEO Stephen Hemsley have to lose if Congress passes real healthcare reform this year? Brave New Films is launching a major new campaign to reveal the truth about the health insurance industry, and we need your help to do it. Contribute $25 today so we can create more campaigns exposing the obscene wealth of the CEOs of Aetna, CIGNA, Humana and WellPoint and the policyholders they’ve abandoned for profit.

Read more »

Al Franken Draws The United States Of America at the SD 29 and Dodge County DFL Joint Fundraiser on April 28, 2007 in Rochester, Minnesota. This is very cool If you have’nt seen this yet.

Read more »

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich explains what a public option for healthcare coverage really means for working people.Pass it on to everyone you know. We can’t let the insurance companies decide who gets care and who doesn’t.

Read more »

These are interviews with the 60,00 to 70,000 people who turned out for the big Tea Bagger March in Washington. Apparently, you don’t have to really know anything about what you’re protesting. It’s all just bad because it is Obama, and some industry or media flak like Glenn Beck told you to be mad and scared.

Read more »

This week, we had craziness at Walmart in Georgia, Michelle Bachmann coming through for us again, teabaggers berating a lady in a wheelchair at a health care town hall meeting, and Medicare recipient getting treatment for an injury he received while protesting government run health care. But we start with just a tiny bit of the foolishness being spewed over Obama speaking to school children about doing good in schools this year. What a sad place we’ve been brought to in this country by a small group of small-minded and easily manipulated people.

Read more »

While members of the Kennedy family, to this day, continue to enter public service, the death last night of Senator Ted Kennedy brings to an end that original family dynasty. Perhaps the final tragedy suffered by this family is that Ted Kennedy didn’t live to see his life’s goal of heathcare insurance for all come to pass. Requiem eternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.

Read more »

Ed Schultz of The Ed Show interviews Robert Greenwald about an investigative report on the CEO of United Health Care Group. Turns out the guy is making about $102,000 per hour. At one point a few years ago his salary alone accounted for $1 in every $700 spent on healthcare in America. The fact is, in this country we have always recognized that some things are not best left to the marketplace.

Read more »

As is so often the case, Bill Moyers does another outstanding job of pointing out the differences in how healthcare is viewed. I continued to be amazed at the absolute stupidity of people who can’t understand that their version of “free market” healthcare is not, and will not work. In the free-market, companies are out to make a profit. They don’t make a profit by paying for your care.

Read more »