schmuckwithearlaps's Comments (170)

“This is known as a twofer. Cover up the crime and save the insurance company from paying the claim at the same time (suicide=no payment). OK, it is a three in one, with the added bonus of demeaning the memory of a federal employee. Which Republican was smart enough to think this up?”

“I would have liked to see this but both Keith's 7 PM show and Rachel's 8 PM show were off the air in Los Angeles, at least on Time Warner cable Friday night. Does anyone know why these shows disappeared? I assumed it was a coup by Fox news, but I would love to know what really happened and the MSNBC web site was silent on this subject.”

“SItes such as opensecrets.org will show that this gentleman was a Democratic staffer before going to work as a lobbyist. Funny that people speak at national conferences without considering that their comments are going to be reported by at least a few liberal media folks who manage to sneak in.
Does a lobbyist need to be a cheerleader? Many of us work for organizations that we do not necessarily agree with politically to put bread on the table, but in this case the lobbyist went above and beyond the call of duty to egg on the conservatives and assure them that killing health care reform will make them the passionate love of the American people. Another American tragedy. If the job market turns around, and people feel Obama has done good things in many areas, are people going to stand there in the voting booths in November 2010 and say to themselves, "While I like Obama's success in so many things, I need to vote Republican to thank them for killing health care reform"?”

“Let's not ignore another elephant (no pun intended) in the room here. Arbitration should never be a sham, and in fact, if arbitration were a fair process it could help the victim get swift justice against the bad guys. If the victim goes to court, the defendent can drag out the case for years. Arbitration as originally proposed was supposed to allow swift action and avoid the cumbersome court system. Perhaps Franken can now take on the larger issue and impose federal standards on arbitration to make the system work as it should have for years.”

“We need to look at the facts. There has been a love-hate relationship between government and private health care for decades, and liberals have joined conservatives in this process. Many of the companies we now call insurers (because that is easier to hate) are managed care companies who were encouraged to control costs by limiting unnecessary procedures and waste. Remember all the stories about unnecessary surgery in the 70's and 80's? HMOs were encouraged to enroll seniors to cut the cost of Medicare. Unfortunately, it turned out to be just the opposite. Many of the "evil" insurance companies are actually non profit companies with no shareholders, including many Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans and Kaiser, with its countless million members. Kaiser is the closest thing to what a single payer system would look like, and everyone complains about wait times. Obama is no fool. No one has played him. He and his advisors are smart enough to understand that HMOs including Kaiser have a lot to teach us about well run health care. Perfect? No, but let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater and pretend that managed care has been nothing but a rip off. In fact, I support a public option, but I try to do so based on an understanding of the true state of our current system, not a liberal fantasy that rivals in accuracy that of the conservatives.”

“You are attempting, I guess, to elevate the level of the discussion here? The fact is that NFL and other sports team owners have been SOBs for a century. Give Rush a chance! After a year he will be a liberal. Why? Because he will be forced to deal with people in real life for the first time ever in his sad existence.”

“Go ahead and admit it! Like me, the first thing you thought of when you heard that Obama won the prize was "How are the conservatives going to take it away and make it a bad thing?" Now the right is having a field day over this award. Sorry, folks, I do not underestimate the power of evil, if mean, conservativism. Our 1789 consitution locked in conservative control forever, and nothing we do to pretend otherwise is going to do any good. Over-representation of conservative rural states, the two party system, term limits, Prop 13 (in California) and I can go on and on. The system is stacked against reform and stacked in favor of hate and fear. Winning the White House and majorities in Congress is meaningless in our structure of government where the right always wins. Do I have an answer? Well, none that any web site would print, and none that goes down too well with liberals.”

“Interesting how you guys are proving how lynch mobs are formed. You start reading ideas into my comments that are not there and then feed on each other's desire to get the rope and hang someone. The fact is that I do believe criminals should be punished whether rich or poor and that someone's tough personal history is not an excuse for hurting a child. Did I really need to start my post with these comments to prevent the hate replies? Can't we see that a person can detest RP's bad acts against a child and still believe that our society only hurts the cause of protecting children by failing to understand sexual charactaristics of normal people?”

“Some truths make people uncomfortable. Is it sick to want a system of justice in which evil doers are punshed, but at the same time that we punish people for bad actions we fail to put our heads in the sand regarding the universality of human sexual emotions? Perhaps we might cut down on the number of sex crimes by attempting to be more realistic about human behavior and less self righteous and holier than thou when judging people who fail to meet social norms.”

“Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I do not think we disagree on the need to respect girls as individuals. My point is simply that some of the self righteous comments made in this discussion of the Polanski case make me nervous. I would rather start from the assumption that a normal person is one who acts morally and ethically in the face of universal and understandable human sexual desires, and seek punishment for those who can't control their actions to meet society's standards of conduct. I do not think we can have a just system of punishment and law and order if we pretend that only a handful of dirty old men find mature teenagers attractive. Why do we need to pretend that is true to enforce our laws and punish evil doers?”

“It is really sad how screwed up Americans are about sex and children. Those who really love and protect children know that health care, jobs and ending war are the best ways of doing so. Punishing criminals who hurt children is right. But why the self righteous blabber? The people who are ready to lynch the ones I worry about the most. We know the conservative bible thumbers are all paying hookers to whip them, or cruising men's toilets.
Is there no end to hypocrisy? I am tired of hearing lines such as "how could anyone be interested in a teenage girl?" Many of our great grandmothers were married by the time they were 15, for Christ's sake. Nornal men find a mature tean ager attractive, but ethics and morality require self control and discipline in not acting upon normal attractions. Why is what I just said even controversal? A hundred million men have read hundreds of issues of Playboy that used to feature centerfolds with black and white pictures of the girls fully clothed at age 13 or 14, usually standing next to a pony. All these "normal" all American men compared the preteen photos to the naked adult woman. So let's punish criminals. Rape is a felony. Let's just stop pretending that sexual interest in teens is anything but as American as cherry pie.”

“Why can't Americans deal with something that is complicated, with no right or wrong slam dunks? Yes, he did a terrible thing and no one rich or poor can be excused from raping a child based on the perp's bad life experiences. Now the hard part. I am tired of the "Get the Jew" self righteous rhetoric that I have been hearing the since this story broke. Just like the majority of criticism of Obama is pure and simple racism, the majority of hate directed at RP is because he is a Hollywood Jew. Grow up. What I am saying is true. Yesterday the British pulled a nude photo of ten year old Brooke Sheilds from the Tate Galley. That picture has been seen by millions of people for thirty years, but hey, let's strike a blow for protecting children! Let's also protect children by passing national health insurance and gun control when we can take a break from seeing the world only through show business. What an irony that Michael Jackson was put to rest with tons of forgiveness so recently. Was what he did the children more than an inch or two different than RP's crime?”

“Our ability as citizens to do something constructive when we learn about a tragic case like this requires information. I watched the tape and I think I heard her say her husband has federal employees health insurance. That is one of the top coverages available anywhere. It would be very helpful if we had some details about what exactly the insurance would not pay and why, and what the insurance policy actually said. I know this sounds technical, but that is the only way we can make sense of the current health care crisis. If she has federal employees health care and has lost her house over health care bills, that story demands specifics. I know saying that will bring on the hate mail, but it needs to be said. This family had a tragic round of bad luck with this rare illness. Does Florida have no children's hospital system that deals with rare childhood diseases? Is this 100% an insurance issue? Knowing that might allow us to articulate solutions.”

“While it is still on the Internet, everyone MUST see the Fox news take on MM's new movie. It is beyond anything my imagination might have created, and all I can think of is "this must be a SNL parody of Fox News" but it is for real.”

“Until recently, I scoffed at the town hall protesters and wrote them off as fringe groups. Now I am not so sure. It seems obvious that millions of Americans are balking at supporting Obama at this point in time. The reason is because they are frightened and vulnerable. Glenn Beck is having a field day because he is at the right place at the right time to lead the mob. The MSM are equally responsible. There is nothing that Glenn, Sean and Rush might say that will not dominate the 6 o'clock news. If these guys start talking about impeaching Obama today that is all that we will hear about from the MSM this evening. All they need is a hooklet. I just invented that word to mean they did not even need a very big hook. If they can figure out a way of going from point A to point B on an impeachment argument, then no one will be talking about another subject for months. And if they can get one wacko Congressperson to introduce articles of impeachment, the ball game will be over for health care reform. The question is, can we do anything to turn this around? I doubt it.”

“This is one of the best posts I have ready since Obama took office. It may not follow the liberal party line but if liberals are listening and if this is read at the White House, tons of good might be done.”

“Here are some additional myths about health care reform:
4. The President has done a good job of explaining the basics to the general public. In fact, he has opened the door to the right wing wackos by not explaining in simple terms what is going on.
5. Liberals are united on this topic. Most liberals want to die on the cross of single payer. Then there is a large group that supports the public option without knowing enough about it to last for 15 seconds in a debate with an opponent of health care.
6. We can predict the results of the public option on competition. Good luck!
7. The health insurance companies are behind the town hall nuts. The fact is that fringe groups are behind the town hall nuts. Ever notice the resemblance between these people and the ones who used to yell at you at airports?
8. With the public option we will all live happily ever after. While I support the public option as the best choice on the table now, health care reform is very complex and uncertain. Ideally, reform will mean good dignified care for all at a price we can afford. If we get there if will be more luck than brains. The tug of war in health care is being waged by multiple parties and we can all get torn to shreds while the victory is pushed and pulled from one camp to another.”

“This is a really important topic. I put it another way: "What is the missing piece that causes us (yes, us) to fail and let's the right wing set the table?" I find it too easy to but the burden on the President. Sometimes the people need to rise up and be heard. The town hall loud mouths have been declared by the MSM and Sen Grassley to be the true majority and we have sat back and taken it. I do not just mean liberals, I mean everyone to the left of Sean Hannity. I can't believe that more than 15% of Americans are right wing wackos. So why are the wackos always heard above the rest of us? I can't entirely blame the MSM, honestly, although they are easily duped, if not already corrupted to the core.
The truth is the liberals and moderates have been corrupted also. People are taking seven or eight prescription drugs a day including happy pills to make them harmless. They are enthralled by HDTV, video games, Starbucks, Perez Hilton, and everything else that distracts from action. Why worry about universal health care when you can worry about John and Kate?
We have made ourselves into passive, useless sheep who have lost our edge, lost our will to fight and lost our willingness to get hurt or die for the right cause. The first step in the right direction is to walk to the mirror and then look at it.”

“With all due respect, this article is too brief to be of any help. It states the gentleman's opinion with no evidence or examples that this is good advice. It assumes that the person giving out free advice all day is competent to do so. There was a time that the word for someone who attempted to solve other people's problems before his was asked was known as a busybody. I do not doubt that the author can prove his point, it is just that he has not done so in this post. I realize I can read all his books and attend his lectures to learn more, but a post like this ideally will stand on its own. This is an interesting topic, and I am sure the author is most qualified to address it, but I am left with the old cliche "a little learning is a dangerous thing." I do not want to see tens of thousands of liberals reading this piece and going off half cocked and giving out gratuitous advice!”

“I appreciate all the thoughtful comments to my post. I hate to be negative at this moment in history, and I will attempt to regain some positive thinking despite the health care reform debacle.”

“I wish I could mourn without feeling angry today. Rather than remembering Ted, all I can think about is how the right wing and the main stream media (pardon me for being redundant) would not allow anything but total praise to be heard anywhere in America when Pres. Reagan passed away, but today, the airwaves and Internet will be full of venom and hate against the Kennedy family. Sorry to be so negative, but Ted's death comes at a time where he did not live to see the sad fact that liberals can't fight, and having won in November we can't wait to surrender that victory to the fascist mob. Sad but true.”

“Tell it the way it is! The big three....u­nemploymen­t, Afganistan and health care. Three stikes and you're out. Obama is looking like one more second rate Democrat. He should be out of both foreign wars by now, be doing SOMETHING about nobody working, and leading the charge on heatlh care reform. Instead he is sending more young people to die in Afganistan, engaging in trickle down economics, and afraid of his own shadow on health care. Third party, anyone?”

“Chris is right. Why is no one asking, "What would Uncle Joe say?" Uncle Joe would be against death panels. After all he is the one who said "When one person dies its a tragedy, when a million people are enrolled in Blue Cross its a statistic". That should be Obama's slogan! When one person dies its a tragedy. Stalin also said "How many divisions has the Pope?" By this he meant that the Pope was very good at dividing public opinion on payment for abortions. But mainly Stalin is remembered fondly for two things. First, the Stalin-Hitler pact of 1939 led directed to World War Two the following month. Second, Stalin's trust of Hitler led to Operation Barbarosa in 1941 in which ten million Russians were killed because they were unprepared for Hitler's surprise attack. This puts him in a class with the Senate republicans whose pockets are so bulging with health insurance company money that they care nothing for their people, and do not know who the enemies really are. Grassley will sooner than later have the same expression on his face that Uncle Joe had when he heard the news that Hitler's troops crossed into Russian territory. If I recall, his comment was "Uh, oh." It will happen when the insurance companies abandon him when he is no longer of use to them the day after they kill health care reform.”

“This is a time for a little bit of liberal self critcism. We blew it, and have no one to blame but ourselves. Because we believe(d) Obama could do no wrong, we stood by and watched him mess up his chances on health care reform. Yes, have fun blaming the evil insurance companies and the Republican thugs, but the fact is this mess is our fauilt. We liberals are divided among the fanatics for single payer who do not read the British press accounts of the horrors of single payer care, and the Obama worshipers who can't believe he can be a bad politician. Read the articles in the Guardian about British death hospitals before you complain about dealth panel rumors.
We could have had health care reform this year if liberals had joined together on a plan that could be articulated in five sentences and that everyone from Obama to Barbara Boxer fought for every day for the past six months. Instead the Republicans and wacko talk radio jocks are doing their "thing" like any good wind up dolls, and we are standing there with our ***** in our hands, if you pardon the Godfather reference. It is simple, folks. Unite around a clearly understood, clearly articulated plan. Uniting around smoke and mirrors does not work.”

“I am really shocked that you would not display my last comment. All I was trying to say is that I agree with the author that a country's progress in health care reform is based on its social history since WW two. In our country the big change was the conversion of the health insurance industry from non-profit to for profit, and the long term impact of that change. In addition, our government system is what is killing health care reform, traced to the 1789 system left behind by our so called founding fathers, including the wonderful Senate with small states out-voting big states, that does not work in 2009. I concluded with the thought that this is a Republic not a democracy as the right wingers say, and that is the crying shame.”