I was listening tonight to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, someone I respect highly for her investigative journalism, and her willingness to dig into stories we don’t usually hear about.
Well, here’s the strange thing that I learned: We are about to be plunged into a nasty series of budget cuts (about $85 billion just this year) because of something called … ugh … sequestration, aimed ironically at reducing the deficit. This is because they say things are so dire. But, we have actually already seen a 35% decrease in the deficit since Obama’s first full year in office.
That’s right – our budget deficit is shrinking. Only problem is, no one seems to know about it.
So only 6% of us are clued in to what’s really happening, and 94% of us think the deficit is increasing – and that’s just fine with members of Congress who want to prove this administration is failing. Why let facts and numbers that show actual progress get in the way of politics? Continue reading »
Seems Dick Cheney thinks President Bush is suffering more than the families of the 4000 Americans killed. (Not to mention all the others killed and maimed during this horrible war, as well as their families.)
“The president carries the biggest burden, obviously,” Cheney said. “He’s the one who has to make the decision to commit young Americans, but we are fortunate to have a group of men and women, the all-volunteer force, who voluntarily put on the uniform and go in harm’s way for the rest of us.”
Poor President Bush. Oh…there was some mention of the sacrifice the families have made too. But there was also a clear message in the statement that they are all volunteers. Ah…yes. So the burden for the families is lessened by that, is it? And the President, forced to make all those hard decisions, is the one suffering the most?
I think not Mr. Cheney. You should be ashamed of yourself for what you just said. As if the pain weren’t enough for the families, this is just rubbing salt into their wounds. And into the real wounds of all those living the rest of their lives psychologically and physically disabled because of a war you forgot to adequately plan.
What were you thinking?
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To see what the National Priorities Project estimates
the dollar cost of the Iraq war to be as of this moment:
With recent breathtaking events bringing the once-mighty Bear Stearns to its knees and shaking financial markets to the core, I can’t help remembering a time when the banking industry was fairly stodgy, operating on slim profit margins and an entrenched policy of conservative behavior. (Not that there weren’t occasional rule-benders.)
For many years, banking was mostly a sleepy enterprise, with deals being done that in no way rivaled the excitement and risk of Wall Street (investment banking).
Then Glass-Steagall crumbled. For those who don’t know, the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 separated investment banking and commercial banking activities to try to prevent the great crash of 1929 from ever happening again. It also lowered risk for investors through the protective barriers it mandated.
The crumbling actually began earlier, but sped up in the mid-1990s as bank holding companies began hungrily acquiring investment banks. In 1999, The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act was passed by Congress to legitimize the acquisitions and dealings that were already happening. It repealed the Glass-Steagall Act, opening up competition among banks, securities companies and insurance companies. Continue reading »
Something is about to happen in New York that I find inspiring. And it’s being brought to us as a result of one of the most shocking and uninspiring political miscalculations I’ve ever seen.
We just witnessed the sad downfall of Governor Eliot Spitzer – not because of his policies or even his well-known contentious personality, but because this bright, talented man and former whiz-kid prosecutor thought he could get away with being a client of a call girl ring. For god’s sake…he had prosecuted call girl rings and even ran on that experience!
New Yorkers were understandably stunned by this. Many of us feel deeply let down by the man we thought, at worst, was a bit too hard-headed and unwilling to compromise his very stringent principles. We feel let down by the faith we still had in him, even after the way he stumbled when he first took office. What he did left us all shaking our heads.
In Greek tragedy, the fatal flaw most often leading to a hero’s demise was hubris, excessive arrogance or pride. One well-known example, Sophocles play Oedipus Rex, is about the tragic downfall of a man who was blinded by hubris to the truth of what he was doing. Just like Eliot Spitzer.
Ironically, his Lieutenant Governor, David Paterson, is blind – legally blind. But Paterson seems to be going into his new role as Governor of New York with his eyes wide open, Continue reading »
We have more incarcerated people in numbers AND percentage than any other country. Any other country! And, according to today’s story in the Washington Post, “One in nine black men age 20 to 34 is behind bars.” What an unconscionable loss to society.
This is staggering. And shameful.
Sure. Locking up tons of people will help keep crime down. But seriously…can’t we see something is very wrong with this picture? Do we really have the worst people on the planet?
Of course not. But I think this points to the hard truth: we are ignoring the root causes – and they won’t go away until we do something major that gets at the real problems and disparities. It’s not about locking more people up…it’s about jobs and opportunity and overcoming class and other barriers. It’s about that very small, recently much-ridiculed word: hope!
And it probably also has something to do with our core values, Continue reading »
For almost 10 years, we watched Milburn Drysdale, a gray-suited, money-hungry banker, do whatever was needed to keep his richest depositors, the Clampetts, in Beverly Hills and firmly deposited in his bank. He often had to humiliate himself just to keep their business. And sometimes he even bent bank policy a bit. (Sometimes more than a bit.)
That was back when the banking industry was fairly stodgy, operating on slim profit margins and an entrenched policy of conservative behavior. (Not that there weren’t occasional rule-benders like our Milburn.)
For many years, banking was mostly a sleepy enterprise, with deals being done that in no way rivaled the excitement and risk of Wall Street (investment banking).
Then Glass-Steagall crumbled. (The Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 had separated investment banking and commercial banking activities to try to prevent the great crash of 1929 from ever happening again, by lowering risk for investors through protective barriers between different types of financial institutions.)
Barack Obama had a great day on Super Dooper Tuesday. But there are still many who “just don’t get him”.
We have so many real, in-our-face problems and we’re looking for real, immediate solutions. That’s understandable. And while Barack tells us he can get us there, he won’t capitulate by simply offering media-friendly versions of easy answers. That’s one of the reasons I like him so much. But that’s also one of the reasons he has people calling him empty-handed.
People ask “What will he do for us? Words and hope can’t put food on my table.” No, and neither will easy answers that sound great in sound bytes but fall short in reality. It takes a strong, sincere person to honor that.
Barack Obama has something much more important than easy answers: he is daring to ask different questions – really intelligent questions that look at problems from different angles.
I’ve made a good living as a business consultant helping to change organizations and internal processes – and I am not a traditional consultant by any means. Just like Barack, I’m not afraid to try to reframe original questions to help get us to real, structural solutions. And for me, that’s what Obama offers.
Solutions to complex problems do not have easy answers. And many of our problems are intertwined with other issues, not all apparent at first glance. We need someone who can pull together, inspire, and lead a team of bright, energized people who have a vision that takes into account all the pieces and all the ways they connect with each other. And we need someone who gets that if we have a solid, well-crafted larger vision, we CAN institute some solutions now and the rest in phases – interlocking solutions designed to eventually help alleviate the deeper problems.
And I believe Barack gets this and will do all he can (and we can) to work for real, lasting change – not the kind that just gets you votes and applause in the short run.
Politics isn’t easy. Either is change. I know that. I’ve seen solutions for change work and I’ve seen others collapse under their own weight. And often the only difference is someone at the outset forgot to ask the right questions – or challenge the long-held status quo. No matter what polls are saying.
I’m not voting for a bag full of predetermined answers (although he already has a solid take on the issues and can hit the ground running). I’m voting for someone who will roll up his or her sleeves, gather together bright minds, and not be afraid to ask lots of tough questions while looking for new solutions – solutions that take in the best ideas from all sides. And for me, (although I believe Hillary Clinton can also do the job) that person is best exemplified by Barack Obama.
Of that, I have no question.
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Not directly related, but still one of my favorite speeches about how you get things done in politics. From The American President:
Look…I believe anyone has a right to run and I certainly welcome some of his views. From the CNN ticker:
“John Edwards, the banner of Democratic Party populism, is dropping out, and Dennis Kucinich dropped out earlier, so in terms of voters who are at least interested in having major areas of injustice, deprivations, and solutions discussed in a presidential campaign, they might be interested in my exploratory effort,” Nader said.
CNN goes on to say:
Nader said he finds Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both unacceptable candidates, and he said whichever wins the party’s presidential nomination will not have an impact on his decision to run.
“They are both enthralled to the corporate powers,” Nader said of the two leading Democrats. “They’ve completely ignored the presidential pattern of illegality and accountability, they’ve ignored the out of control waste-fraud military expenditures, they hardly ever mention the diversion of hundreds of billions of dollars to corporate subsidies, handouts, and giveaways, and they don’t talk about a living wage.”
Look, Ralph. You have a lot to add to the discussion. I only wish you would add it by helping build and not tear down.
I just want to remind everyone that you told us there was no difference between Bush and Gore in 2000. Well, Ralph…you were wrong. Hugely, grandly, unforgivably wrong. While you may have some great points to make, your understanding of the larger picture is flawed big-time. BIG TIME! Seriously, even if you just look at the Supreme Court…what were you thinking???? Not to mention a little thing called Iraq.
That’s all. Nothing I can say to influence him. He has a right to run. And I doubt we’ll make the same costly mistake we made before. Many many Democrats are genuinely excited about the current front-runners – although I know there are also people who will vote for him to register their dissatisfaction with the state of politics in general.
But seriously Ralph…I am still waiting for that apology I know you’ll never give.
I’m adding my voice to the many counting down the days until we have a new president. Since images have powers that even transcend the awesome power of words, put this date in your head:
01-20-09
This is the first day without George W. Bush as our president. Pass it around. Draw it in the sand. See it as the day our country begins to regain its sanity and its respect among the rest of the world. See it as a vision of peace and not war. Of concern for those who are hurting and not just for those who have and want more. A time to rethink how we spend our precious dollars and resources. And respect for more than the need to mark our territory and “win”, whatever that means in Bizarro speak.
In case you haven’t seen the site that’s made the date 01-20-09 into a passionate campaign (and, more power to them, successful business):
For the last 7 years of the Bush administration you’ve provided me with more than ample practice letting go. Really…I’m grateful. As I watched our government do things that set my teeth chattering, I took it as an opportunity to practice letting go. As I saw things we held so near and dear turned on their heads, I again and again practiced letting go.
Not that I was always successful…but I always appreciated the almost constant opportunity you laid before me. Truly I did.
And now as the primaries unfold, and I once again feel hope surging through my veins, I understand that you, in your infinite wisdom, may once again provide me with generous opportunity as you see fit.
Please don’t think I’m not grateful for all this opportunity…but really, can’t we give someone else this gift for a while? I don’t want to be a hog. You know me…I’m all about sharing.
So Universe, this coming election day, if it isn’t too much trouble, couldn’t we PLEASE let Republicans have a chance to practice letting go? I would consider it our special gift to them. And I promise to keep practicing on my own, anyway. Really. You’ve shown me the way. A lot. I mean a LOT!
Well…thanks for listening. Now back to regular programming.
I just learned there are people working to sell doctors on NOT pushing those pricey major pharmaceutical products. Instead, they talk to them about alternatives, showing research that explains how effective many generic and lower-priced choices can be. Hallelujah! Someone is trying to break the seemingly forever honeymoon between big pharma and our doctors.
Pennsylvania’s unsales program is costing $3 million over three years and is already helping to pay for itself. Avorn says a new state study reported that the unsales pitch on acid suppression drugs alone saved state programs about $572,000 a year as more doctors switched from brand-name Nexium to generics, antacids and other over-the-counter drugs that work as well for many patients.
This is good for the state and for our pocketbooks. I remember almost falling over when my doctor prescribed Nexium and I saw how much it cost – especially when added to my deductible. Holy crap!
It pisses me off to know doctors fall for the sales pitches of big pharma. I once had a doctor friend who went to all kinds of fancy conferences (read vacations) and saw nothing wrong with it since he truly believed he could remain impartial. Maybe he could. But I know most doctors are too busy to keep up with all the choices out there.
And so I applaud this new program. South Carolina just started one and other states are considering it. To me it’s inspiring to see people recognize a problem and find a clever win/win solution. As long as the unsales reps provide doctors with the most accurate information out there, this can only be a win for all of us.
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Note: This was originally published on a blog I had for a very short time recently. Decided Out of My Head was as good a place as any to rant about Big Pharma!
I just watched the CBS game show Power of 10 hosted by Drew Carey and was shocked by one of the poll results. For those of you who don’t know the show, basically the show polls people ahead of time and asks them how they feel about a certain question or issue. Then a contestant has to guess, within a range, how people responded.
The show makes a point of telling us that the polls are national and do not reflect any one area of the country or segment of the population. I cannot verify that of course, although the website does assure us the polls are conducted by a professional polling organization. (See note below.)
Tonight, the last question was about Iraq. The poll taken asked a supposedly national sample whether the U.S. should stay in Iraq to “finish the war.” Continue reading »
Well…here they go again. Presidential politics at its slimiest. This time Republicans are playing games with the electoral college to try to insure a Republican remains in the White House. They know that, under current conditions, there’s a good chance a Democrat will be elected. No guarantee, of course – just a good chance.
But they don’t like those odds – or playing fair, it seems. So they targeted a normally BLUE state, California, and are trying to change the way votes there go to the electoral college. Continue reading »
We’re often quick to embrace new technologies even before we understand them. Did you know there are now antibacterial silver nanoparticles showing up in various everyday products like washing machines and food storage containers and slippers and even computer mice?
But wait…first you might want to ask “what’s a nanoparticle and why should I care?” Good question.
A nanoparticle is a microscopic particle whose size is measured in nanometers. And a nanometer is one BILLIONTH of a meter. Most of us can’t even wrap our brains around how small that is. But nanoparticles are being touted as a revolutionary technological advance that can change our lives. Continue reading »
Oh pulleaze! I just heard that President Bush in accepting the resignation of Alberto Gonzales said that his friend’s name was dragged through the mud for political reasons. Yes…that’s exactly right. But Mr. President…the political reasons started with the politically-motivated shenanigans in your very own office.
When will you stop passing the buck? When will you stop placing the blame for your own administration’s considerable mistakes on others?
It would be so refreshing to see you stand up and say:
“Boy did we screw up! Let’s see what we can do to make this right. Hey…I have an idea. Let’s try working together for a change, with each person, no matter what party, rolling up his or her sleeves and accepting responsibility not only for what s/he did, but for finding lasting non-political solutions. I don’t care who started it, let’s end all this non-productive bullshit NOW.”
Just a momentary fantasy. Sadly, right now the miasma of blame on all sides is so thick it feels like no one can get beyond it. But oh how I like to imagine they can.
Remember President Harry S. Truman? He had a sign on his desk that said “The buck stops here!” If only President Bush would just start to give a buck about the rest of us.
Something is about to happen in New York that I find inspiring. And it’s being brought to us as a result of one of the most shocking and uninspiring political miscalculations I’ve ever seen.
