ntmessage's Comments (632)

“With all of the smoke and mirrors, our country gets more opaque and transparent at the same time. Everyone with half a brain knew Iraq was about oil at the start until the media got involved. All of the smoke and mirrors and dopey rationalizations covered up that simple fact. So here is what we need to understand. The more smoke and mirrors, dog and pony shows, emotional messages, snarky justifications and orchestrated circus like situations spewing from the media, the more likely we are spot on we are with our original reasoning and motivation. Indeed, look at Iraq and Health Care. Clearly, we are on the right path with a robust public option. Let us all keep our wits about it and put backpressure those in congress that are pressuring us to support the irrelevant, expensive and ineffective legislation that will simply cost us money we do not have.

So for example. On Afghanistan, the mission was over once we lost Bin Laden. Simple, isn’t it? The original thought unfettered by the BS is still true. Keep up the good work, Zander.”

“During the savings and loan crisis, which of those banks was too big to fail? The reality is that we will always have banks that are too big and systemic that must have the implicit backing of the government like every other country bank. That being said, these banks must not have large trading desks, derivatives and a magnitude of other non-bank services. Lehman was not a bank but under regulated. Smart regulations are needed based upon data, not emotion or ideology. Ideology gave us the Iraq war, 100:1 leverage and 18% interest during the carter administration. We simply must balance those actions that truly provide confidence in our system, that make sense. Every service or product must have proper and transparent regulation. The Fed also must stay independent at all costs and be able to break up holding companies. Politics and ideology was the problem, and is not the solution.”

“Finally, some sense! Once needs to wonder if all of this message management and constant reversals of priorities is a good thing or a bad thing. If we need to have two number one priorities, it must be health care with a public option and real job growth. Most would say this is elementary and frankly most Americans really want the first two, and most Americans want Afghanistan to go away already. You can spin it, ask deceiving poll questions, hire PR or think tanks and even lie. But with the straightforward facts, benefits and trade offs the American people are right on the empirical data. Frankly, we as a country simply need to get less emotional on matters so important, where even small gives have huge ramifications. And for the emotional, not even a half way decent small town mayor ever lost an election by supporting real health care reform and jobs, anyway. Kicking the health care and jobs cans down the street with this economy is a certain political demise.”

“Violence, hate and race bating are only part of the motivation. We must include whipping up hysteria any way possible when the country needs responsible opinion when “debating” issues. Beck is certainly not a journalist. He is not a libertarian either. Once we see that this paranoia, whether real or made up, begins to uncover a brand of high anxiety induced survivalist behavior that boarders on the clinical. Intersected with the scare mongering and systematic repression of society, as seems to be the goal of certain media outlets, the true danger of what Beck represents becomes more clear. Plus these media outlets have shared interests of those exploiting the natural resources of the earth at any cost. Repress another society or start a war. Those like Beck are in fact tools of the Military-Industrial Complex who have not changed their modus operandi since the 50’s and continue to actually “create” the hysteria for their own purposes, mostly keeping certain out of date, bloated and inefficient industries from change. Our biggest, wasteful and most costly industries after health care are energy and defense. In fact, an un-virtuous cycle for the American people exists between those two industries, each action benefiting the other. Need more oil? Start a war. We need to stop wasting so much time on the Fed and the Treasury and getting on with Health Care, Energy and Defense. The peace dividend helped Clinton balance the budget. PNAC, a political/media reversed the nation back the 70s.”

“Behavior modification up against direct to consumer marketing will never work.”

“Spot on. Those avoiding the truth are unhelpful. For example, the reason independents flipped is that there is an impression, likely true, that the congress messing with the new health care bill in ways that may make sense for those in congress but add no value to the bill. Independents want a robust public option but all the politics, hyperbole and closed-door meeting say that this will be excessively and focally irresponsible in the manner that the congress is pursuing the outcome. All of the ridiculous rationalization that independents are all about what you have done lately for or against them is nonsense and simply trying to reframe the issue in a manner that will again lead to stupid and wasteful legislation. Objective thinking sees this. Carter all over and now you cannot blame a stupid bill on the President as the greedy cowards in congress did in the 90’s. The issue is all congress. The same people who felt that it was ok to add 180B of pork to TARP and now want accountability for everyone that actually needed it, conveniently forgetting where the other 180B went. We have the UAW pulling the same stunts that put out automakers almost out of business with Ford, the only company that was able to stand on its own, health care lobbies back in force and simply financial reform seemingly out of reach. Disgusting. This makes 2010 look real bad makes a one term President likely at this point.”

“The cost of the new biologics are based upon how many people would use them, the research, PLUS the costs to market and sell the drugs, along with what they think they can get away with. So when you say, what a life is worth, it is infinite. Add patent protection and now you can see the real reason these meds are ridiculously expensive. Perhaps the drug companies can move patent protection to three years instead of up to 17 years and let the government negotiate price as well. How about we start there!

We all know the “at the ready answer” is that the companies would not do the research on the drugs. This is complete BS. Most already know how much “FREE” research the drug companies and researchers get from colleges and other funding from charities and the government. So let us take that excuse away and we can do the research another way. Perhaps with government funding. Just because the Drug companies have rigged the game does not mean we should just throw our hands up when some rule created by the drug lobby is morally reprehensible in practice.

This leaves the drugs companies without any legitimate excuse to charge $300,000 for a drug, except that they are gouging people who are fearful of dying. And they can get away with it. No other reason. At all. This is their fault, not Nancy Pelosi’s. Thanks for all the tear jerking stories.”

“There is an even worse sickness affecting more people than H1N1 called the SPINE FLU. It affects many Democrats, Blue Dogs and moderate Republicans as well as some in the Obama administration. It is serious and manifests itself during real Health Care and Financial Reform debates. Lobbyists and the beltway business as usual ilk spread the virus to lawmakers, overwhelming by a factor of 10:1 the empirical thought process obvious to the other almost 300 million people in the United States of America. The cure is dumbfounding simple and already at hand. It is character and an understanding that 50 plus the VP equals a majority. Currently the virus blinds and intimidates lawmakers into believing that if they do not pass a robust public option or real financial reforms that they will be in a better position for reelection. It makes them deaf to the public who are already on board and need leadership. It confuses the lawmakers since the public is afraid of speaking out forcefully for fear of real repercussions. Passing a robust public option paid for by the Bush tax cuts and passing real financial reform legislation ala 1935 is the only cure for SPINE FLU.”

“This looks like a disaster ready to happen. A new product that does something that an old product already does and dubious new benefits. Frankly, there is nothing wrong with an IRA or a Pension or Social Security. So why do we need a new products? Simply, Wall Street wants you to start moving your money around again reaping insane commissions just to move it. Further, you will open your self up to new Sharks and Wolves looking to provide the great advice we received when buying homes we could not afford and taking out subprime mortgages. Yes, those will be the same brokers, selling these products. Lastly, did I hear works like an annuity? A life insurance product that has some of the highest commissions on Wall Street? Up to 30%? Of course the people that take those out do not know that all the money goes to the broker and not toward your return on the money making the annuity one of the worst investments (if you call it that) imaginable. Just ask Suzie if you do not believe this. And don’t forget those insurance companies are really on your side, aren’t they? Look at AIG, if we did not bail them out all of the annuities that they held could have become worthless. A new retirement product? Thanks, but NO THANKS!”

“Here is the deal. She represents not Wall Street as much as LaSalle Street, where derivative were invented for all practical purposes and the exchanges there that handle much of the futures and options contracts, which are, by definition derivatives. On today’s world it is hard to tell what goes on where, but this is a Chicago based issue more than Wall Street and why she is working extra hard against the people by misleading and implying things that are untrue. Some people call those lies. The point is of course, watering down the regulations that address more than any other regulation the basic reason why we collapsed last year is pure hubris and a violation of the public trust.”

“I am sure you mean Mr. B, not Cramer. Right? Teleco in the dot bomb era? Cramers macro calls during the worst market of our time got most people out and back in the market at the right times. If you stayed in you are down 40%. If you did Cramer's trade you would have almost a double. If those calls are losing money then these critics need to learn simple arithmetic.”

“But Cramer DID tell you to buy back in at DOW 6500. Why would you sell when he said and not buy in when he said? Nonsense. In that case you would have close to DOUBLED your investments.”

“Many were criticized when calling the current health care system criminal. We now see how true these informed and spot-on the posts are. True, the ridiculously expensive and mediocre outcomes we pay for, and self-selecting by the insurance companies on life and death issues come to mind. However, the real stranglehold is via other criminal modalities. Indeed collusion, monopoly and racketeering all come to mind. If someone lobbies (pays off) a representative to create loopholes for your industry does that mean it is not racketeering? Just because you used congress?

Those must be the legal and at the same time moral question that lawyers, lobbyist, think tanks and congress, along with their staffers must ponder every day. Yeah right. When the status quo talks about the complexity they have created what they are really saying is the loopholes and rigged system we have developed need to be maintained, even under an alternative name of legislation. 500 amendments in the Senate? Does not instill confidence, especially without a robust public option.

Indeed most of the rules that we keep in place like the failure to negotiate drug and device prices as well as anti competitive and anti quality industry rules are in fact the problems. The system is so rigged that of course the industry is cavalier in their quest to keep it as is and at any cost. We may have the best drugs, but the system is a complete farce.”

“Clear mission such as secure Kabul, open diplomatic links with Pashtun and Tajik's, convert Taliban to the local military, befriend all Farsi and get out. Biden messed up in regard to Afghanistan thus far by not getting in front of the military. Someone with his creds should not happen. If he resigns, he can save face and protest at the same time.”

“Biden is exasperating. Too much talk and little to show for it. For someone who claims deep understanding of the military and the wars, it seems unbelievable that Biden did not get in front of McChrystal. Seems that Biden, as usual, sent signals without ensuring that the troops were inline. Most know that the military will ask for more than is needed and for good reason of course. Margin of error. On the other hand, the military still ranks officers based upon how many feet on the ground they command. Both lead to excessive troops and costs while impeding innovation.
This Biden gaff has put the president in an impossible political situation. Someone must have signed off on the mission that led to the number of troops necessary.

The destroyer of empires, landlocked and lawless Afghanistan is so strategically located, many armchair commanders fall into the trap of neglecting to understand the people, landscape and climate. Indeed, for the Trillion dollars spent on these wars we can simply buy Afghanistan. Further the drug trade makes the primary counterinsurgency technique used in Iraq, i.e. give the locals jobs and pay them problematic, especially since there is little infrastructure.

Today, too few troops and too many missions and outposts need manning. We need a clear mission. Biden? Bueller? Yes, he should resign.”

“Indeed. Excellent. We need to embrace the genius of the AND cast off the tyranny of the OR. We can be fiscally responsible and get a public option. There is so much waste in the system, mediocre outcomes and many in congress that put pork in the bills that provide no incremental value or even negative value to the COST and QUALITY imperatives. With better quality, costs will come down so yes, when there is up to a Trillion of waste in the system today, every year, we CAN pay for it AND reduce the deficit. We depend on moderates to keep them all honest.”

“This post is spot on. There are priorities and political capital that must be dealt with in order to sustain an advantage over a prolonged period of time. The worst thing Obama can do now is give into emotion of a battle and lose the war. The mid term elections are not a given. On the other hand, a two-term Obama presidency sets the stage for legislative victories on many causes. Being outspoken without the process and legislation primed and ready to go is a recipe for failure.”

“It is unfortunate that so many reinforce politics in this country as a game alone devoid of outcome. Poor sportsmanship, cheating and sour grapes are the new norm in this game of politics. You put a team on the field and some are not playing because they do not have the ball. Some want the person with the ball to fumble, even if the team loses in the end. Most of these morons likely played few if any team sports. The spirit and worth of the Olympics is lost upon them.

Contrary to the ancient Olympics, you do not ritually sacrifice your leader. As in the battle of Thermopylae many even worse than Ephialtes abound. The modem day translation of Ephialtes is “Nightmare”, which is fostered by those that want not just Obama to not only fail, but the entire country as well. Just because he is the leader, and no other reason. In fact, when these people were in power they did their best to make our country fail anyway.

Perhaps the US should not host a games again, until we at least try to understand why the Olympics are so special. Something both the far Left (Carter circa 1980) and the far Right (All) have demonstrated as beyond their comprehension. Ethics, fair play, morals, spirit, the future and the possibilities are what we need to aspire to. Not these juvenile hissy fits that seem to have every day as a country for one reason or another.”

“I am not so sure we need a critical mass of thinking in addition to critical thinking. 70% of the country wants reform via a robust public option. The wisdom of masses who experience the failures and flaws in the current system know this and critical thought does back this up, especially when considering we need better quality and less costs and that, we are, as a people no different to other counties who have mastered this innovation.

On the other hand, critical mass is selfish and “all about me” thinking that goes on in congress when cowards do not lead and want something to hide behind. Presumably, the same thing their lobbyists want at the continued risk of our country’s moral and financial stability.

If they are for a public option, they already have critical mass thinking backed by critical thinking. Some leadership from leaders would help. Tell your lobby you will take one for the real team. The American people. And maybe even grow a backbone.”

“Somehow we subsidize that too. Don’t we?”

“Both side are always bad for the GDP except for Clinton who went center because the knew how to balance a checkbook!”

“Only actual practicing physicals and nurses should get more money from this health care bill. No one else. We must get the costs “all in” from all sources to less than 10% of GDP or we are screwed as a country more than any other reason bar none.”

“Many of the staffers handling the phones have been trying to talk people out of their opposition or spinning their constituents by using the buzzwords and misleading language we hear every day in the media. They are “handling” the people instead of listening to them. Phone calls alone seem to be useless, especially in smaller communities where “the fix is in”, like a back office of an insurance company that was put their specifically for getting that congressman’s vote alone. This was a page right out of the defense contractor’s handbook that puts factories in as many states as possible to gain political advantage. Similar techniques to overcome the stranglehold as used in those battles are needed. Putting the people paid off in the spotlight. We can forgive anyone who has taken contributions from the industry, and yet is still for a public option. Those that still are not for the public option the message is clear. Instead of health care for my children, the congressman wants to put money in the pockets of a bloated, inefficient, wasteful, corrupt and immoral user of our taxpayer money. Not defense contractors, but the health care industry. Blackwater = Health Care Industry.”

“Master Plans. Pragmatics. Bipartisanship. Honeymoon. What can actually pass?
All lame excuses of course, to get the administration and congress off the hook to actually pass a good idea that is morally right and needed for the people. Media inventions to cover-up the real facts. Once all these processes pass the congress can get back to what the mostly lawyer trained thieves do. And that is go back to work for their clients. No, not the people, but the special interests. Congress has turned into a group of lobbyists that actually work for the special interests to divert our money to “clients’ that mostly do not need the money. At least they do not need it more that the people that die every year because of no public option. The public option makes these thieves play by the rules and not keep the game rigged. Cynical? Yes. But if we think this is all politics, then we need to peel back one more layer of the onion to see that the way media politics is a cover for the special interests and their employees. Lobbyists and Congress.”

“Some feel that the Clinton-Ar­afat-Barak Camp David failure opened the door to an Israeli neoconservative driven tit-for-tat military first doctrine across the region with implicit US backing as a tool to continue the status quo development of the west bank settlements, Gaza repression and Golan for Israeli occupation for the sole purpose of specifically countering the Arab Peace Initiative, a two state solution.
In hindsight what would you have done differently to achieve peace at Camp David, given the deterioration of the region since that failure?”