Wagoner Steps DOWN!

http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/03/29/2009-03-29_president_obama_forces_gm_boss_rick_wago.html

Rick Wagoner, the head of General Motors, one of the biggest car companies in the world has stepped down at the request of President Obama. He rejected GM and Chrysler's requests for more government money and asked them to shape up and come up with a better plan. Wagoner has run GM for the last eight years, which have been very chaotic and rocky. GM is asking the government for more than $15 billion. President Obama is establishing a hard-line approach to get the carmakers to better allocate their money rather than just handing out free cash.

I think it's a good thing what President Obama is doing. Although I think he should not be able to tell Wagoner to step down, I believe it is a good move. I don't think the government should give out any more money. It's a waste of government funds and completely against the ideals of our government. Whatever happened to capitalism?

>_____<

oh damn, i didn't notice that Enid wrote about the same article. Sorry Mr. Park.

Obama team deploys campaign tactics to get point across

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- From fielding questions online, to the staging of events across the country, to deploying thousands of volunteers, President Obama and Democrats are using the same tools that helped them win the White House to push the administration's agenda.

President Obama held an online town hall, in which people could send in questions from their computers.

Supporters say the same tactics used during the campaign also work to educate Americans about the president's proposed budget and the stimulus plan.

Political experts say in order for Obama to keep his approval ratings high, he will need his agenda to be successful. To do that, they say, he and the White House will need to keep up the sales job.

The legions of volunteer supporters from the 2008 election are key to that effort. Democrats have a database of more than 13 million e-mail addresses and are eager to harness that support.

The Democratic National Committee has formed a new group called Organizing For America. Last weekend, it organized 10,000 volunteers to canvass across the country to get 100,000 people to pledge support for the administration's policies.

"We are not an electoral organization. I mean this is really about legislative advocacy and so we are going to continue supporting the president's agenda and we are not looking at 2010, and we are not looking at 2012," Mitch Stewart, executive director of Organizing for America, told CNN. "What we are looking at what kind of grassroots organization can best support the president's agenda."

"We are going to learn lessons or use the lessons we learned from the campaign, learn new lessons along the way, using the same tactics we used during the campaign but also developing new ones to promote the president's agenda."

Republican political experts say this is all smart politics.

"You can't allow any drop-off or fall-off," GOP media consultant Danny Diaz said. "You won't see diminished activities. You will see increased activities going forward to keep these people engaged and to bring additional people.

"It is part of the 21st century, and it is part of being the leader of the free world and having to make sure you keep people engaged, enthusiastic, giving money, supporting candidates and supporting your agenda."

Those who pledged support received follow-up e-mails this week asking them to call members of Congress to lobby them to pass the budget. Officials involved in the project said their efforts were not just aimed at the true believers.

Last weekend's canvassers didn't visit only the party faithful -- they went to all the homes on a given street.

"...We're not targeting a congressional district. We're not targeting individual voters. We are providing our supporters with information on the budget, why it's important and if they want to engage on that issue they can," Stewart said. "And we are then going to get those pledges to all members of Congress.

"So regardless if they are Democrat or Republican if there are 1,000 pledges in their congressional district or 30, we're going to give those to the members."

Diaz said the Democrats' tactics are necessary.

"This is something they will continue to do. It is not completely consistent with a new kind of politics that Barack Obama promised, but at the end of the day it is not how you start -- it is how you finish," he said.

"Will President Obama's policies energize these individuals and keep them engaged -- or will his policies and a lack of results lead to a lack of enthusiasm and engagement?" Diaz said. "That is the question."

Organizers say they are taking a bottom-up approach that also allows local groups to rally around a cause or propose their own project.

Due to today's generation widely use of the internet, this tactic will definitely reach to a variety of different audiences, especially to the younger audience. Now the younger audience will be informed about the politics going on today's society. This will be a start to a new tradition. Politics will now have a wider audience base because everyone today uses the internet.
Obama already showed how the internet does make more people involved with politics with his first online town hall meeting. Over 100,000 questions were sent online. Now politics will be more interactive and more personal to the people because of the use of the internet. Technology is huge and the government is finally utilizing it.

Budget moves through Senate committee

(CNN) -- A tightened version of President Obama's $3.6 trillion budget moved through a key Senate committee Thursday night.

Sen. Harry Reid, right, says he expects Sen. Kent Conrad's version of the budget to pass.

1 of 2

The Senate and the House are expected to vote on different versions of the budget next week.

"The budget we have now passed out of the Budget Committee preserves the core priorities in President Obama's budget plan," Sen. Kent Conrad, chairman of the committee, said in a statement.

Conrad, D-North Dakota, trimmed the president's original proposal in response to congressional projections showing larger-than-expected budget deficits over the next several years.

Conrad said he had preserved the president's major initiatives in education, energy and health-care reform in the wake of "new realities" on finances without sacrificing the administration's deficit reduction goals.

Obama has pledged to halve the deficit by 2013, a goal Conrad says his budget maintains.

Republicans and some conservative Democrats, however, have criticized Obama's budget for its hefty price tag.

Obama maintains that his budget -- and its big investments -- are essential to economic recovery.

After being labeled by Democrats the "party of no" for criticizing the budget without offering solutions, House Republicans said Thursday that they have come up with a plan B.

"Two nights ago, the president said, 'We haven't seen a budget yet out of Republicans.' Well, it's just not true, because here it is, Mr. President," House Minority leader Rep. John Boehner said Wednesday as he held up a booklet that he said was a "blueprint for where we're going."  Watch GOP leaders unveil their 'leaner' budget »

The details of the GOP budget will be presented on the House floor next week, said Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin.

"We're going to show a leaner budget, a budget with lower taxes, lower spending and lower borrowing," Ryan said.

The blueprint includes familiar Republican proposals to limit "wasteful" government spending, cut the size of government and provide incentives to private entities to expand access to health care. It also includes a major overhaul of the tax code, proposing a marginal tax rate of 10 percent for income up to $100,000 and 25 percent for any income above that level.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs laughed off the Republicans' proposal Thursday, joking that their blueprint has more pictures of windmills than charts.

"It's interesting to have a budget that doesn't contain any numbers. I think the 'party of no' has become the 'party of no new ideas,' " he said at the daily briefing.

Obama defended his budget at an online town hall meeting Thursday, saying, "it's a budget that cuts the things we don't need to make room for the investments we do, a budget that cuts the massive deficits we've inherited in half, by the end of my first term, and offers a blueprint for America's success in the 21st century."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he is confident that the full Senate will pass Conrad's version of the budget next week.

Conrad's budget strikes Obama's proposal to set aside $250 billion in case more money is needed for the financial sector rescue.

It also curtails Obama's fix of the costly alternative minimum tax and doesn't account for increased payments for doctors who care for Medicare recipients, said Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, the top Republican on the Budget Committee

"You can get these presidential numbers down by using a lot of gimmicks that the president didn't use. That would be a mistake. Let's be honest with the Americans," Gregg said Tuesday.

Conrad has repeatedly said that his plan is not a "gimmick."

Republicans also have been critical of Conrad's plan to calculate the budget deficit over five years instead of 10, meaning a common measure of government spending, the 10-year cost, wouldn't officially be part of the price. Gregg has accused Conrad of trying to hide the true cost of the plan.

"In the 34 years of the Budget Act, 30 of those 34 years we have done a five-year budget, including the last five years, including two when Sen. Gregg was Chairman of the Committee," Conrad said Thursday.

Money money money moooneey. MONEY!

I certainly think 3.6 TRILLION dollars would help the economy in the short run.

I dont know about later on....maybe 

but a couple trillion dollars right now wouldn't hurt too much.

Obama's First Online Town Hall Meeting

On Thursday, Obama turned to the web for a town hall meeting with America. He bypassed the traditional news media in favor of engaging Americans directly. He is using this unfiltered online network to speak directly to Americans.

People were encouraged to send in questions to the White House for Obama to answer. Over 100,000 questions were sent to the White House website. Most of the questions focused on the economic recession and job creation. Obama also touched on education reform, universal health care, and homeownership. He joked about the number of questions submitted by people online about legalizing marijuana and if it would help stimulate the economy. His response "I don't know what this says about the online audience" before responding that legalizing illicit drugs would not be the best choice in stimulating the economy.

This is one of many ways Obama is trying to reach out to the American public. It's a good way to get his message accross to a wide audience. He is definately using the internet to his advantage. He built a strong grassroots campaign with the help of cyberspace and now he's touting his new plans directly to the people. This question-and-answer type of online town-hall meeting would garner much more support for Obama because it offers people a chance to ask the questions instead of the questions asked by skeptical reporters.

Incorporating the internet in Obama's press plan is a smart way to reach the widest range of people. Practically everyone is attached to the web in one way or another. Expect to see more of Obama using alternative forms of media to tout his new economic policy.

it's the FILLING

Meet Jonathan Krohn – home-schooled 14 year old conservative Georgian, author of the book Define Conservatism, and guest speaker at Conservative Political Action Committee.

He outlines the basic principles of conservatism as:
1. Support for the Constitution
2. Respect for life
3. Less government
4. More personal responsibility
Define Conservatism was dedicated to Ronald Reagan, William F. Buckley Jr., Barry Goldwater, and Jim DeMint (his political heroes). He plans to write a second book that will focus on Alexander Hamilton and James Monroe.

WATCH "Jonathan Krohn Addresses CPAC":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vz1TVpwme0
his impersonation thing reminds me of Amy Poehler as Caitlin in SNL (anyone remember that?).

This kid gets a lot of hate mail, saying that he is brainwashed by his parents. I don’t know if he is, but he is a pretty great communicator at age 14. I have to say I like this little guy. It’s a hopeful sight to know that not all young folks are liberals. I always have this feeling that everyone is a liberal, but then I am reminded I live in California. I’m not a hardcore conservative, but I do find myself agreeing with a lot of its principles. (I’m not against liberalism; I’m still trying to figure out my political beliefs. My parents are registered independents, but my mom is ideologically democrat and my dad wavers back and forth, so I guess I am somewhat of an exception to the whole “family is the biggest influence”-thing.)

But I wanted to post about little Jonny because he talks about a lot things we have learned in class, such as the Constitution (and how strictly or loosely we should abide to it). One principle I particularly like is “more personal responsibility.” We can’t control many things in life – from luck, or lack thereof, to how others act – but we can be responsible for ourselves. Someone undergoing an unfortunate situation, such as losing their home and having to resort to living in tents (it’s happening and it’s incredibly sad), should not feel they have to cheat or take from those in better circumstances. Basically, we can’t change the economics of it all, but diligence and persistence can change the circumstance, and even that isn’t definite because it’s life and it’s not always unfair. But this is America – land of opportunities, not land of economic equality. And no, I don’t come from a family of wealthy, business owners; not even close. But I do believe that it is unjustifiable to take from others when it is a problem involving the economics of life. In closing, I will say I am open to other people’s beliefs &

as much as you do or do not agree with him, Jonathan Krohn is going places.

court dismisses Al-Qaeda case

Continuing from the Al-Marri case which I posted about last month, US top court has dismissed Al-Marris case (link). I really think Al-Marri should get a chance to say something, in human rights way. Albeit, I do not think it will make any differnce, and I see the point why President Bush transferred him without charging. Although U.S. court dismisses his case, I think it's just stepping back to where he came from; he had over 200--I do not really remember the number--credit card frauds, lectures from Osama Bin Laden, and some kind of poisons, and I think that is kind of lucid that he is a terrorist. I do not know, but we will see the result after April 27.

This is just for fun :)

I found this article quite funny. This is from this month's Harper's Magazine by Mark Twain.

More Bomb Threats?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/03/22/uk.gatwick.airliner/index.html

It has been nearly 9 years since 9/11 yet there are still people who place bombs in airplanes. Although this one might have been a "false alarm" there are still others out there that wish to do harm to others in such a way. Because of these bomb threats, the airlines have enforced strict rules about what can and cannot be taken on the airplane. Even if it may be for the safety of the people, it's very inconvenient. What if there are things that you cannot bring in your luggage that must be brought as a carry-on, only this is impossible because of the regulations? I am waiting until the day that air travel will be safe and free from threats like bombs and hijackers. Hopefully, that day will come soon, especially since the world is relying more and more on airplanes to take them places.

Is Geithner a liability for Obama?

The man who was a symbol of Barack Obama's moderation might become a symbol of the new president's struggle with competence.At the mere word of Mr. Geithner's nomination as treasury secretary back in November, the market jumped close to 500 points. He was hailed by market insiders as a "fantastic choice," "highly-skilled and pragmatic." He was even praised by his Bush administration predecessor, Hank Paulson, who said, "I have great confidence in his understanding of markets, his judgment and leadership, and his ability to meet the challenges that lie ahead." However recently he has had problems with tax issues and has made the market tumble by over 400 points. As Obamas top advisor, it is shame that he has made this kind of mistake especially when we are in a economic crisis. Some say his days are numbered because of his credibility. The bet is that he will be out by June 30, but can he make his name credible again and save his job ???

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/19/feehery.geithner/index.html

Is our education recession proof?

The final $787 billion stimulus bill that President Obama is expected to sign today contains $105.9 billion for education, including $650 million for the federal Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program. Even though an estimated $9.9 billion total investment is needed to ensure that all Title I schools have effective, technology-rich classrooms, according to the groups.

Even though our education system got more than we asked for, you can see the that the students today are feeling the recession take its toll. It has been reported that college admissions have been cut down, for example University of California San Diego was rumored to have only admitted 9% of applicants, whereas last year it was 40%. Many students are resorting to community colleges and then transferring after their general education, lowering the transfer rate in a few years. So freshmen acceptance rates are down, transfer rates will be down in a few years, what's happening to our higher education system? We need those funds to enter the system and we need it now.


The graphs above were obtained by me when I went to interview our own HLPUSD district's resource manager Gary Matsumoto and Norman Hsu. As you guys can probably tell, our district is actually holding out okay, but it is due to the large amount of stowed away savings HLPUSD has, that's why much of our school functions are still performing, unlike many others whereas teachers are being laid off left and right, classrooms are jam-packed, and resources are running low.

But we can only last a year or 2, maybe 3, like the graphs above said, with cuts, we can stay afloat a little longer, our students can have a comfortable education for a little longer. Because of our savings, we don't have to lay off as many teachers, even though they will have to divert some of the financial resources to other places from projects, so things will be moving around, until the Title 1 105.9 billion dollars comes.

Until then, we will just have to wait for the Cavalry. Until then, college acceptances will be more competitve, since it won't have enough resources to admit the normal rate of students before the recession hit. Although the Private Colleges will not undergo much acceptance rate changes since they are privately funded, not like UCs, where they are funded by the state. Many LAHS and perhaps students around the state and nation are on the verge of tears, seeing previous generations enter college only to have them shut the door in their faces. Seeing how 2009 is, is 2010 going to be worse for our siblings and the generations after us?

President Obama, is help really on the way?

Commentary: Obama a leader who actually leads

By Jack Cafferty

CNN

Editor's note: Jack Cafferty is the author of a new book, "Now or Never: Getting Down to the Business of Saving Our American Dream." He provides commentary on CNN's "The Situation Room" daily from 4 to 7 p.m. ET. You can also visit Jack's Cafferty File blog.

Jack Cafferty says Obama is getting things done

even though he's made some mistakes.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- What a welcome change to feel like someone is running the country instead of running it into the ground.

President Obama has done more in eight weeks than George W. Bush did in eight years -- unless you include starting a couple of wars.

While the armchair quarterbacks second guess the new president, he gets up every day and does things, lots of things.

Whether it's creating commissions for women and girls, ordering the investigation of President Bush's use of signing statements, or jamming a huge stimulus package through Congress, the man is working his tail off. And he seems to be loving every minute of it. It's almost as though our president was born to do exactly what he's doing.

He's leading, and boy, is that refreshing.

I remember many times when Bush was in office wondering who the hell was running the country. Then he would appear somewhere in front of a handpicked audience to utter some banalities or say something utterly stupid and I would be reminded. I don't miss him.

That's not to say President Obama hasn't stubbed his toe here and there. Signing that omnibus spending bill with all those earmarks in it after campaigning so hard against pork was probably a mistake. The opportunity was right there to send that bill back to Congress with a note that read, "I told you I am against earmarks and I meant it. Now do it over and send me something clean." Nancy Pelosi's head would have probably exploded, but the American people would have been ready to crown him king.

There are serious questions about whether Tim Geithner has what it takes to solve the banking crisis. Either nationalize the big ones in trouble or let them fail. It doesn't seem that just continuing to hand them money is working.

Better background checks on some of his appointees would have saved him some embarrassment. There's no excuse for asking someone like Tom Daschle with his problems to do anything.

But the point, I guess, is this: President Obama is attacking our country's problems on several fronts. He's got ambitious ideas on how to solve them, and he communicates a sense of calm and confidence to the rest of us as he goes about his business. Will all his ideas work? Of course not. But if you throw enough stuff at the wall, some of it will stick.

And at least I don't go to bed at night worried that I'll wake up in the morning to find out we're about to invade someone.

*After having read this, do you agree/disagree with Jack Cafferty's opinion about Obama's actions so far, and their effects?

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/17/cafferty.obama/index.html?iref=24hours

Obama Offers Education Plan

President Obama recently conveyed a new education plan for the people of America. In this new education plan President Obama called for longer school days and extended school years as well as more charter schools and also a greater effort from the parents and a greater effort to recruit more people into the teaching profession altogether.

"America's entire education system must once more be the envy of the world, and that's exactly what we intend to do," Obama Said. Obamas plan includes grants for states that improve early childhood education. Probably the biggest change in our education system would be the pay raise for teachers based on performance. It has incentives enough to show improvements in grades but i'm a bit concerned with the externalities that might come from "merit" pay raises, such as cheating, and corruption in public education; Although Obama did not state that pay raises would come directly from student test scores.

However i do agree that we need to lower the opportunity cost for good teachers and give the bad ones the salary they deserve. I support the tack that Education Secretary Arne Duncan took when he led the Chicago Public Schools where teachers recieved additional pay for completing rigorous graduate training. Truth be told(for me) teachers deserve a heck of a lot more credit(especially the good ones).

Presidential Elections

2008 Presidential Election
2004 Presidential Election
2000 Presidential Election
1996 Presidential Election
1992 Presidential Election

Here are the 5 presidential elections that will be the topic for Friday's essay.

Read them!

We will have a class assignment based on these 5 presidential elections.

Internship Opportunity

Can you forward to your students? I'll talk a bit about this opportunity too when I speak with your class.

- Jay

Jay Chen
Clerk, Board of Education
Hacienda-La Puente Unified School District
Direct: 626-513-2114


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <ClarkLee2K@aol.com>
Date: Fri, Mar 13, 2009 at 4:43 PM
Subject: Internship Op - Judy Chu for Congress
To: ClarkLee2K@aol.com

Gain skills and enhance your resume by participating in the

Judy Chu for Congress Internship Program!

Internship Duties Include:

• Telephone and Door-to-Door Voter Contact: Gain valuable communication skills
• Management: Help lead and supervise small and large teams to develop your leadership abilities
• Presentation: Practice your public speaking skills to educate individuals and groups
• Grassroots Organizing: Outreach to your community and motivate others

Who is eligible to participate?:

• Youth 14-17, with parental consent
• Young Adults 18-25
• Adults
• Individual members of groups
• Must be able to complete 10 hours a week total service hours

Internships offered:

• Campaign Fellowship: 10-hours a week and Leadership roles

Graduates Will Receive:

• Letters of Recommendation from Judy Chu for Congress
• Certificate of completion in team management, canvassing and voter contact

Please contact:

Arianne Garcia

Judy Chu for Congress

(626) 430-3601 | arianne@judychu.net

The "restoration of science to its proper place"?

I'm glad to see someone smarter than me finally expose the fraud of Obama's claim to "restore science to it's proper place." Click here.

Charles Krauthammer points out the hypocrisy:

Restoring? The implication, of course, is that while Obama is guided solely by science, Bush was driven by dogma, ideology and politics.

What an outrage. George Bush's nationally televised stem cell speech was the most morally serious address on medical ethics ever given by an American president. It was so scrupulous in presenting the best case for both his view and the contrary view that until the last few minutes, the listener had no idea where Bush would come out.

Obama's address was morally unserious in the extreme. It was populated, as his didactic discourses always are, with a forest of straw men. Such as his admonition that we must resist the "false choice between sound science and moral values." Yet, exactly 2 minutes and 12 seconds later he went on to declare that he would never open the door to the "use of cloning for human reproduction."

Does he not think that a cloned human would be of extraordinary scientific interest? And yet he banned it.

Science must be guided by moral principles, otherwise we end up with lampshades made of human skin, etc. The battle is over whose moral principles are the right ones. Or as it actually happens, who can persuade the rest of the country that their principles sound better.

Obama signs big spending bill despite earmarks

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090311/pl_nm/us_obama_spending

By now we have, or should have, all read past chapter 4 in "naked economics" and we should have all noticed that chapters 3 and 4, although they go hand in hand on the issue of government involvement in economics, they also show the conflicting sides of government's tinkering of the economy.

Although government can fund projects through collectively taxing whole populations to better the population, government is also plagued by corruption and corrupt bureaucrats/lawmakers. They tend to promote funds for their own pet projects in bills and more then likely the bills get passed.

Obama signed a bill knowing that there were earmarks and proclaimed that this had to be done as a message that things will be different and that future earmarks should be eradicated. However, Senator John McCain opposed this bill, saying that Obama is covering his actions with his 'rhetoric' and that basically everything Obama is saying against the earmarks is meaningless.

Let me throw up some quick rounds to shoot out some information.
-Obama heavily critized earmark spending.
-Obama went behind closed doors and, fully aware of the earmarks, signed a $410 billion dollar spending bill.
-Obama says, correct me if I am wrong, that we do not have time to deal with it. "...we have a lot more work to do."
-McCain implies that Obama is a liar, or some what of one.
-McCain "What he(Obama) should have done was say he was going to veto this bill, that he wanted the $8 billion in earmarks removed and then he would sign it,"
-Howard Dean then responded with proclaiming "BYAHHHHH!!!"


"I believe as we move forward, we can come together around principles that prevent the abuse of earmarks," he said.
Lets just all hope Obama keeps his word, I am not attacking him, I just hope he can actually better America and at least dampen this recession. I, unlike some people, would actually like to see Obama succeed because although we might not share political views, we are both Americans, and if Obama fails, then America fails.

Guess Who's Back in Court?

Nope.. not Chris Brown.. JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG!



Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said yesterday that she plans to be on the Supreme Court for years to come. She had surgery a month ago for pancreatic cancer that might have questioned her health, but that doesn't appear to stop her from work.

On February 5, Ginsburg underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer, but has returned to the Supreme Court. Ginsburg states, "I also wanted them to see that I was alive and well, contrary to that senator who said I'd be dead within nine months." Ohhh in your face Senator Bunning from Kentucky! Altough, he did apologize for his comment.

According to a statement, all her lymph nodes were tested negative for cancer. AND She's survived cancer before. She battled colorectal cancer... what is that? Anyway, the Justice resumed her daily duties in her office. She had made it apparent that she will not leave because she plans to match the tenure of Justice Brandeis (1916-1939). Although many may not agree with what she has to say, it's nice to see her back at work and healthy.


weeeee.... Thanks to USA Today.

GOP spilt over possible 2012 contenders

A recent national poll of Republicans indicate that there is no clear-cut fore-runner for the next GOP presidential nominee in 2012. Numbers indicate that Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin has 29% of the vote for support in the next presidential race. However the margin between her and the next candidate, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, is fairly slim with 26% of the vote. Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is also not very far behind with a 21% rating. The last candidate, Bobby Jindal recieved 9% of the votes.
However, while the poll showed now clear cut winner, it did show a rather significant gender gap. Among Republican Women, Sarah Palin showed to have recieved 32% of the votes. This is a 10% lead against Huckabee with 22%.
It was a bit surprising to see Sarah Palin up there on the ballot above Huckabee and Romney. It definitely shows a significant shift in a different direction for the Republican Party. As far as the gender gap issue goes, I believe that it is to be expected. Women voting for another woman just isn't that surprising to me. On a side note, I believe Bobby Jindal's vote percentage will go up with the recent publicity he has been getting.

A Lot of Hurt

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner must find someone to fill the position as senior staff in the Treasury. Annette Nazareth came into consideration; however, she withdrew from the position which put Geithner in a bad place. The senior staff now had too few people in the treasury to represent the department in meetings, which prevented them from making decisions. It got to the point where at a Senate hearing about the American International Group Inc., a Treasury member was to be sent but no one actually showed up. Geithner’s lack of senior staff concerns Wall Street especially in economic crisis. I think that Geithner definitely needs to find a member fast. As one of the teams that oversee Obama’s financial stabilization plans, the Treasury definitely needs to be at its strongest in economic declines. If Geithner continues to fail to find an assistant secretary , this country may be in for a lot of hurt.

McDonalds

In a previous post...

I think the whole no refund, all sales are final policy for a McDonalds is pretty ridiculous. I guess it's pretty complicated pressing those cash register buttons with the little pictures on them (I kid.)

Hey! I'd like to point out that cash registers are deceptively harder to use than they seem. Especially when you work at a fast food restaurant where there are no easy bar codes to scan. Trust me. I used to man a cash register, and it is VERY annoying when a customer decides to change his order halfway through. Plus, if the employee makes a mistake on the register, the $$ recorded won't match the actual amount at closing, and guess who has to pay for the difference.

My coworker has a friend who worked at McDonalds, and he says that to input an order, you literally have to construct the burger. Add patties, buns, etc. Fun stuff.

Why would a fast food place allow refunds in the first place? It would overly complicate the process, and you'd need a whole other cash register to be able to handle that. There isn't even a barcode for the machine to scan. Should they ask for your zip code too? Not even restaurants have a refund policy. You can just usually ask for another meal for the same price, or some other form of exchange. That's because it's too complicated on counting the money after closing, if one allows refunds with such an easily consumable good.

Anyway, I don't know why I even made this post. I guess I just got kind of worked up over the fact that someone thought cash registers have little pictures on them. Admittedly, having a picture of every item would be pretty cool and about a hundred times easier.

Knowing Mickey D's menu however, that would mean a freakin' enormous cash register.

Shunning Bunning

So the GOP is SHUNNING BUNNING. From the article from politico.com, Bunning [R-Kentucky Senator] is depicted as the lunatic grandpa, who forgets what he says and is very defensive about comments he believes he did not make. To summarize the article, the GOP is simply not going to give Bunning money, so he will lose re-election, while finding a new GOP to replace him. But this will probably give the seat to a Democrat. The Republicans are really hoping Bunning will realize he can’t win and plan for retirement, but this guy is no quitter. He seems only more persistent when there are more challenges against him.

And yes, Bunning was a former pitcher for the Phillies.

According to the article:
"In his 2004 race, Bunning said his Democratic challenger Daniel Mongiardo looked like “one of Saddam Hussein’s sons.” He won that race, but only by 1 percentage point in a big GOP year.

Mongiardo, who is now the state’s lieutenant governor, plans to run for the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat, and he called on Bunning last week to bow out of the race, something that may only encourage Bunning to dig in."

Bunning is an interesting guy, no?

So I thought it over, and even though it is harsh to “shun” Bun[ning], it would save the GOP money, or at least used it elsewhere efficiently. Maybe there are nicer ways, but I guess this is politics and I still have a lot to learn.

Maybe Steele can make a move to “urbanize” the GOP here.

Limbaugh: A deliberate distraction or de facto leader?

article: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/05/limbaugh/index.html#cnnSTCText

The article focused on how Democrats see Rush Limbaugh, a conservative talk show host, as "de facto leader of the GOP," meanwhile, Republicans see this as a scheme to take away the attention from the Democrats' spending proposals. There's a lot of tension between the two parties, as Democrats call Limbaugh as the face of the GOP, and Republicans demand an apology for the "political attack game." This all started when Limbaugh vocalized his desire for President Obama to fail.

Honestly, in a time of great crisis, which we are in now, it's ridiculous to spend so much time and effort to criticize each other. But I guess if I were to lean in favor of one side, I would lean towards the Democrats. I think they made a valid point when they voiced their desire for Republicans to ignore Limbaugh and "start working with President Obama on real solutions for the American people." In such a difficult time, we should try their best to come together on the best possible solution to get America out of its crisis. I really believe we are in a desperate enough situation to put aside differences in thoughts and mediate on a solution. Limbaugh's wanting for President Obama to fail also does not appeal to me because if Obama does really fail, then so does America. It's not an immediate worry whether or not Limbaugh [or others] agrees with Obama's ways; what the focus should be on is figuring out how to better our situation.

But then again, I guess all this is part of politics, and I know politics wouldn't work that way. And part of this would be why I don't do politics. There's no real right or wrong answer to anything, so there will be tension on the differences in ideas. It was still unnecessary for Limbaugh to just call out the president, though. Maybe it'd be more reasonable if a debate between him and Obama actually happened, like how he wants. Maybe then Limbaugh will openly discuss his ideas on the issues instead of just criticizing, and perhaps it will bring light to a new solution.

Senate Republicans force delay on spending bill

WASHINGTON – Senate Republicans, demanding the right to try to change a huge spending bill, forced Democrats on Thursday night to put off a final vote on the measure until next week. The surprise development will force Congress to pass a stopgap funding bill to avoid a partial shutdown of the government.
Republicans have blasted the $410 billion measure as too costly. But the reason for GOP unity in advance of a key procedural vote was that Democrats had not allowed them enough opportunities to offer amendments.
Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., canceled the vote, saying he was one vote short of the 60 needed to close debate and free the bill for President Barack Obama's signature.
Democrats and their allies control 58 seats, though at least a handful of Democrats oppose the measure over its cost or changes in U.S. policy toward Cuba. That meant Democrats needed five or six Republican votes to advance the bill.
None of the GOP's amendments is expected to pass, but votes on perhaps a dozen are now slated for Monday night, Reid said.
The huge, 1,132-page spending bill awards big increases to domestic programs and is stuffed with pet projects sought by lawmakers in both parties. The measure has an extraordinary reach, wrapping together nine spending bills to fund the annual operating budgets of every Cabinet department except for Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs.
Once considered a relatively bipartisan measure, the measure has come under attack from Republicans — and a handful of Democrats — who say it is bloated and filled with wasteful, pork-barrel projects.
The measure was written mostly over the course of last year, before projected deficits quadrupled and Obama's economic recovery bill left many of the same spending accounts swimming in cash.
And, to the embarrassment of Obama — who promised during last year's campaign to force Congress to curb its pork-barrel ways — the bill contains 7,991 pet projects totaling $5.5 billion, according to calculations by the GOP staff of the House Appropriations Committee.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Obama's opponent in last fall's presidential campaign, called the measure "a swollen, wasteful, egregious example of out-of-control spending" and again criticized Obama for pledging to sign the measure despite his earlier promises on earmarks.
"It doesn't sound like he's willing to use his veto pen to back up his vow," McCain said.
The earmarks run the gamut. There's $190,000 for the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyo., $238,000 to fund a deep-sea voyaging program for native Hawaiian youth, agricultural research projects, and grants to local police departments, among many others.
While earmarks have come under attack from conservative watchdog groups and cable television commentators, lawmakers in both parties seek them, arguing they best know the needs of their states and home districts. Under a long-standing tradition, Republicans get about 40 percent of them since they are the minority party.
Several lawmakers took to the floor during the week to defend their projects, including Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who backed $1.7 million for pig odor research. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., promised $3.8 million to preserve and redevelop part of old Tiger Stadium to help revitalize a distressed area of Detroit.
By a 52-42 vote Thursday, Democrats cleared the way for the Obama administration to reverse a rule issued late in the Bush administration reverse that says greenhouse gases cannot be restricted in an effort to protect polar bears from global warming. Another Bush administration rule that reduced the input of federal scientists in endangered species decisions can also be quickly overturned without a lengthy rulemaking process.
The big increases — among them a 21 percent boost for a popular program that feeds infants and poor women and a 10 percent hike for housing vouchers for the poor — represent a clear win for Democrats who spent most of the past decade battling with President George W. Bush over money for domestic programs.
Generous above-inflation increases are spread throughout, including a $2.4 billion, 13 percent increase for the Agriculture Department and a 10 percent increase for the money-losing Amtrak passenger rail system.
Congress also awarded itself a 10 percent increase in its own budget, bringing it to $4.4 billion. But the House inserted a provision denying lawmakers the automatic cost-of-living pay increase they are due next Jan. 1.
Separately, the House on Thursday rejected an effort by Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., to launch an ethics committee investigation into possible connections between campaign contributions made by the PMA Group lobbying firm and special projects designated in the spending bill that benefit clients of the firm. The vote to table, or kill, Flake's resolution was 222-181.





I am sick of reading articles about Republicans Senates are against the package but I agree the package is not healthy for the economics improvement. I personally against government funding to the business directly because it does not help business. The business would continue to loss money and competitive strength. Democratic should cooperate with the Republican more to stimulus the economy. However, I mean President Obama should post some effective way to stimulus like help the business to borrow money easily or create jobs (which is the portion I agree), not funding health care and private business directly.

Obama calls for overhaul of U.S. health care system

Obama has called for the health care reform. Obama has recently been giving a speech where he is deeply promoting the forward direction of Universal Health care. My question for Obama "is this the best way?" Is America ready for a system of this type? Another big thing is that why did Obama decide to go with health care? He said that it was the way that America would be able to stimulate the economy and be able to create a massive amount of jobs for the economic rut that we are in. Mr.Obama even had Ted Kennedy a victim suffering from brain cancer come by and spoke and helped to strengthen the point that there was the great need for medical reform. Obama is also putting aside $634 billion for health-care reserve fund for the next 10 years to help achieve the goal of universal coverage. He also would require senior citizens making more than $170,000 annually to pay a greater share of their prescription drug costs under Medicare.
Melody Barnes, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, said that the costs for medicare are "exploding" that people are getting less and less money and yet they continue to see their premiums go higher and higher. As director of the White House Office on Health Reform,Nancy-Ann DeParle, the new health czar, will work with Kansas governor Sebelius as the president's point person coordinating outreach to Congress on health care issues.The administration also is planning to hold five regional health care summits in the weeks ahead to help sell Obama's health care plan. There is a drive to a national conversation regarding Health care.
I believe that times are going to get worse and worse. Who knows just how bad the economy will become i think all we have to do is wait and see. There is no money anywhere and people are dropping more and more into debt. Especially within America. Next month there will be an increase on the taxes moving from 8.25% to a 9.25%. Just how bad can it be? I can only hope that President Obama's plans are for the better. With his dedicated plan to push for medicare to become universal and in the process help to stimulate the economy and also create millions of new jobs. One can only hope that this plan will work because if it doesn't end up working just how bad will the American people have to pay for it?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/05/health.care.summit/index.html

Campaign Spending To Get Chummy With the Judges

The February to March issue of "The Economist", brought up the question of faith in the country's Supreme Courts. Our court models have been believed to be a suitable model for other countries but the recent case of Caperton v Massey brings this up to question. Don Blankenship is the chief executive for coal company Massey Energy. Blankenship spent $3 million to help get Brent Benjamin elected to West Virginia's Supreme Court. Did the $3 million Blankenship spent help the Supreme Court rule in his favor?

For the case Caperton v Massey, Judge Benjamin did not recuse himself for the hearing related to Blankenship. Judges are to recuse themselves if their "impartiality might reasonably be questioned" but in most cases, it is the judges themselves who decide whether or not they should be excused. In the case, Hugh Caperton owned a smaller coal company that Massey Energy allegedly bankrupted through fraud. Would Caperton have been given a fairer hearing if Benjamin did recuse himself?

The case of Caperton v Massey shows how public interest might pressure our justice system. Yes, Benjamin may not have been influenced by the 3 million Blankenship spent on him but it seems that way. What this does to out court system in to lessen the faith the people place in it. How much money is allowed to be spent judicial elections? The facts of Caperton v Massey have shown the problems of special-interest spending in judicial elections. What can states do to fix this problem?

Proposition 8 Protestors

Protestors supporting proposition 8 gathered on March 4 to rally through the night in downtown Los Angeles, Sand Diego, and San Francisco. Calling it "The Eve of Justice", supporters protested the ban of same-sex marriage before the supreme court on its constitutionality. Many other protests have been organized to both support and oppose prop 8. The proposition which has the possibility of being overturned was previously approved by voters last month.California Attorney General Jerry Brown is asking the state Supreme Court to overturn the proposition. "Proposition 8 must be invalidated because the amendment process cannot be used to extinguish fundamental constitutional rights without compelling justification," Brown said in a statement. While others may have conflicting views on the proposition, it is up to the Supreme Court to make the final decision on proposition 8.

Oh crap, the 6 weeks is almost over, I have to post something!

Is that what's going on?

Emergency! Octo-mom is out of McNuggets

I completely busted out laughing when I read this news article of a Florida woman calling 911 because Mcdonalds ran out of chicken nuggets. Turns out that she called 911 three times because Mcdonalds ran out of them and refused to offer her a refund.

Latreasa L. Goodman went to Mcdonalds, ordered a 10 piece chicken McNugget meal and paid. Soon after, the cashier told her that they were out of McNuggets and told her to choose something else off of the menu. She offered Goodman a McDouble but she wouldn't take it. The store had a no refund policy and Goodman claimed her call was an "emergency." A policeman came to console her and cited her for a 911 misuse charge. She's due to appear in court next week or so.

"When you feel that you've been mistreated or misused or robbed out of your money, you have the right to call 911," Goodman said. "That's the purpose of 911, so I thought."

I think the whole no refund, all sales are final policy for a McDonalds is pretty ridiculous. I guess it's pretty complicated pressing those cash register buttons with the little pictures on them (I kid.) Of course, calling the 911 because they wouldn't give you back your money is over doing it. Her citation was completely justified but I would be surely disappointed if she got jail time for that. At least her little McNugget stint got her her refund as well as a free meal for her next visit.

Pass those free chicken nuggets for octo-mom's litter next time.

And on the subject of 911 calls, two 911 calls were released to the public today from Nadya Suleman. One of them was made by octo-mom last year in October. She frantically called 911 because she couldn't find her 5 year old son. He was missing for an hour and she went crazy trying to look for him. At some point during the phone call she threatened to kill herself. Five police cars rushed over to her house. Turns out the little boy followed his grandma around the block. J.

The second phone call was earlier this year on January 23rd. One of her children called and hung up. The operator called back and the 6 year old answered that he was with his babysitter and his parents "went to, like a party." This was around the time octo-mom was in the hospital about to give birth.

Click here to listen to both of her 911 calls.

Octo-mom's released 911 phone calls aren't as ridiculous as the chicken McNugget lady but they were both false alarms. In both cases police arrived for nothing. When it comes to screening 911 calls from emergencies and false alarms, to what extent does the emergency have to be for 911 to send out police units? Should there be punishments for false alarms and prank calls?

Also, what is the point of releasing 911 calls to the public, especially the hilarious and weird ones? The released 911 calls from octo-mom is only going to garner more critism on her part. I suspect that if her children are taken away from her, this 911 call would be used in court to build a case depicting how unstable of a mother she is. I thought that 911 calls were released to the public only if the police needs the public's help in identifying a voice or a situation.

Obama takes aim at costly defense contracts

By Ross Colvin
Wed Mar 4, 6:20 pm ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Wednesday the U.S. government was paying too much for things it did not need and ordered a crackdown on spending "plagued by massive cost overruns and outright fraud."
The Democrat, under fire from Republicans for the $3.5 trillion price tag for his 2010 budget plan, also took aim at predecessor George W. Bush and noted the cost of government contracts had doubled to more than half a trillion dollars over the past eight years.
Obama, who inherited a $1.3 trillion budget deficit when he took office on January 20, said wasteful spending was a problem across the government, but he zeroed in on the defense industry and costly weapons projects hit by "delay after delay."
"The days of giving defense contractors a blank check are over," Obama told reporters in a briefing on his reforms.
He has singled out the ballooning costs of a Lockheed Martin Corp project to build a new presidential helicopter fleet as an example of the procurement process "gone amok."
Defense companies, however, bristled at Obama's suggestion they had been running wild with taxpayers' money and insisted there had always been oversight and accountability.
Obama said he was ordering a reform of the way the government did business, a move he said would save taxpayers $40 billion a year and help cut the budget deficit, which he has forecast will hit $1.75 trillion for the 2009 fiscal year.
"We will stop outsourcing services that should be performed by the government and open up the contracting process to small business. We will end unnecessary no-bid and cost-plus contracts," he said.
Critics say cost-plus contracts invite abuse because they allow companies to charge the government costs plus a fixed profit, no matter how poor their performance.
Obama has tried to show his determination to apply fiscal discipline even as he ratchets up government spending he says is vital to tackle the worst economic crisis in decades.
Republicans, including his opponent in the election, Senator John McCain, support procurement reform but say his budget proposal is part of a "tax-and-spend" onslaught.



I personally rooted for mcCain, but Obama has made some good decisions even though he continues to be attacked by Republicans and the press. If I were president I would love to have a new helicopter fleet. But Obama made the right choice and voiced his opinion that this was an example of how defense contractors have been given too much money.
According to President Obama, Bush practically gave these defense contractors blank checks throughout his administration, therefore leading to the $1.3 trillion budget deficit. Hopefully Obama can come through with his plan and save the country $40 billion a year.
This move by Obama also shows that he is on the side of the small businesses, believing that it is up to the the government and the help of "small contractors." I believe that the president should stay unbiased when it comes to this, but when large companies start contributing to large debts, then it is time for change.

Could Twitter be a bad thing?

As many of you may know, Twitter is the new way of 'personal communication' for many people. It's no surprise that many who hold office have a twitter account to keep the people updated. Twitter may help to better connect with people on a personal level but has using twitter gone too far?

Last month, Rep. Pete Hoekstra traveled with a Congressional delegation last week through Iraq. On the way, he provided many descriptive details about his arrival and his journey in Iraq on the famous website, Twitter. Examples: “Just landed in Baghdad. I believe it may be first time I’ve had bb service in Iraq. 11th trip here,”, “Moved into green zone by helicopter Iraqi flag now over palace. Headed to new US embassy Appears calmer less chaotic than previous here.”. The House Armed Services Committee and the Select Committee on Intelligence do not like it when members of Congress discuss details of their travels, especially for their own safety. Hoekstra got in some trouble for giving out details like these. I believe Hoekstra was putting his life in danger especially in times of war. What's on the internet is available for a lot of people to see. Hoekstra didn't mean to put his life in potential jeopardy but he could've done so. Do you believe using twitter maybe more dangerous than beneficial for those who use it?

Twitter has caused some trouble, but now is using twitter while the President Obama gives his address rude?

As President Obama spoke to Congress in a joint session last week, many who were in the same room with President Obama weren't necessarily paying much attention. Tweets were being sent as he spoke at the joint session. Senator McCaskill of Missouri, congressmen John Culberson, Rob Wittman, Bob Inglis, and others used their Blackberries, iPhones, and other means of communication to send Tweets from the floor of Congress. Some even had front and center seats. Ironically, before President Obama spoke, Democratic House Representative Jared Polis sent out a tweet, saying how it would be impolite to be sending out tweets during the President's address, and still many did so... What I really wanna know is.. does anyone think it would be impolite for many who were at the floor of Congress to being sending tweets while the president talks? If so, can anyone tell McCaskill, Culberson, and Wittman to take a hint?

The Sebelius Effect?

Now with former Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius recently appointed as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, her pro-choice views are under the spotlight more than ever.
Catholic League President Bill Donohue denounces her as "an enemy of the unborn" and derides her for the criticism she has received from the last three archbishops of Kansas City. In her defense, Catholics United group solidly countered with reminders that Sebelius has reduced the number of abortions in her state.

"My Catholic faith teaches me that all life is sacred, and personally I believe abortion is wrong," she said then. "However, I disagree with the suggestion that criminalizing women and their doctors is an effective means of achieving the goal of reducing the number of abortions in our nation."
How will Sebelius affect legislation on abortion? How will it go hand in hand with her health care reform?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/03/healthcare.fight/index.html#cnnSTCText
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/02/sebelius.abortion.fight/index.html?iref=newssearch
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/02/sebelius.hhs/index.html#cnnSTCText

Also I gained five pounds, and it really sucks.

President Obama to blame for stock market's fall?

This is an interesting article that I came across in CNN

From CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

As the stock market continues to drop, President Obama is running out of people to blame, according to an editorial in the Wall Street Journal.

Before the president took office, in early January, the stock market was over 9,000 its highest level since last fall. But in the last two months, it has dropped 25% to its lowest level since 1997. It closed today with a gain of 150 points.

The Journal suggests that Mr. Obama’s policies are slowing, if not stopping, what would be a normal economic recovery. “From punishing business to squandering scarce national public resources, Team Obama is creating more uncertainty and less confidence,” said the editorial.

The editorial takes issue with the way much of the administration’s stimulus spending went to social programs rather than public works, how the Treasury has been managing the bank bailout plan, and how tax cuts were devoted to income maintenance rather than giving incentives to work or invest.

The Journal also points out how the market took a dive after the President announced his budget. The paper called it a “declaration of hostility toward capitalists across the economy.”

The editorial suggests Democrats benefit from blaming all bad economic news on President Bush,
and there’s a new poll out that shows Americans kind of agree with that. The NBC/Wall Street Journal poll shows 84% of those surveyed say this is an economy Mr. Obama inherited and two-thirds of those people think he has at least a year before he becomes responsible for it.

By the way — this poll also shows the president’s favorability rating at an all-time high and the Republicans at an all-time low.

Here’s my question to you: Should President Obama be blamed for the continuing fall of the stock market?

Our 44rth president hasn't even completed the first 100 days and is already on the hot seat for the blame of the economic downturn of the precious stock market. Although it might be easy to believe that Obama's economic methods are not really helping the economy or the stock market he had already stated that this process of recovering would take time.

It might be that things are "slowing down" (of course it's just the Journal's suggestion) but who wouldn't be cautious in guiding a whole nation through these hard times? I guess that famous quote is true: Things will get worse before they get better. People tend to be more pessimistic around this time only making things more judgmental.

It is funny and ironic how people, journalists, and sometimes our own legislature are quick to point the finger when things turn sour considering that most of the time it is they who put themselves in this position. The industries, markets, and banks should have been prepared for the worst case scenario.


Like the article,

What is your opinion? Should our new president be blamed for the stock market's fall?

How politics is done: demonization

Interesting article from Politico:

Top Democrats believe they have struck political gold by depicting Rush Limbaugh as the new face of the Republican Party, a full-scale effort first hatched by some of the most familiar names in politics and now being guided in part from inside the White House.

The strategy took shape after Democratic strategists Stanley Greenberg and James Carville included Limbaugh’s name in an October poll and learned their longtime tormentor was deeply unpopular with many Americans, especially younger voters. Then the conservative talk-radio host emerged as an unapologetic critic of Barack Obama shortly before his inauguration, when even many Republicans were showering him with praise.

Soon it clicked: Democrats realized they could roll out a new GOP bogeyman for the post-Bush era by turning to an old one in Limbaugh, a polarizing figure since he rose to prominence in the 1990s.

This is politics. Find out through polling that a particular constituency doesn't like someone that disagrees with you. Demonize him and make him the face of your opponents, painting them with the same broad brush. From Jefferson and Hamilton (who were not saints) to Carville and Greenberg (and Ann Coulter, who does a lot of this as well)--my how far we've come.

Also, how many Democrats wanted Bush to "fail" just like Limbaugh wants Obama to fail? I guarantee you Carville and Greenberg did. At least Limbaugh is transparent about it rather than sneaking around with focus groups and polls, hatching "enemies list" style plans from inside the White House.

In some ways, I hope Obama fails too. I hope he fails in this attempt to transfer wealth from the younger generation to the older through outrageous deficits. I hope he fails to undermine charities, who do the yeoman's work of compassion in this country, by taking away the charitable tax deduction for those earning more than $250K/year. I hope he fails to reward those who made irresponsible financial decisions with the hard earned money of those who didn't. I hope he fails to increase capital gains taxes and thereby drive investment out of the country. I hope he fails to sell out missile defense in exchange for empty promises from Putin (a former KGB officer, invader of Georgia, and who regards the breakup of the USSR as the most catostrophic event of the last century).

And I would submit that this is exactly what Limbaugh meant, and people like Carville know it. But they also know that they can "win" by demonization because voters don't look that deep (and Rush helps them by being provocative). Hopefully, you will not be fooled by this when it happens, regardless of what camp it comes from.

Radiation Problems for Healthcare

Hi. This is Wallis.

This is not someone else using using Wallis's account to upload his news story because Wallis's computer doesn't let him post.

This is Wallis.

It turns out that Americans are being exposed to more radiation in hospitals than necessary. Doctors are referring patients to highly radiated imaging tests even when they don’t really need it. Doctors use tests for research purposes as well as financial incentives and can offer better treatments but the cons are that medical costs skyrocket causing healthcare to go up as well. I definitely think that Congress and federal government should look into some sort of healthcare reform for this unnecessary increase in costs. It turns out this new imaging technology doubled cost of Medicare to about 14 billion dollars from 2000-2006. I believe that all this money that could be used for other purposes instead of being poured into the unnecessary uses of imaging machines. It is not right for doctors to refer patients to imaging tests for their own financial purposes, because eventually the tax payer has to pay for it. It may be important to see to it that everyone gets their health care but not if it calls for improper spending of money.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090304/hl_nm/us_radiation_imaging