Another article on our healthcare crisis. Tell me again how we have the best healthcare system in the world?

"Here's a wrenching fact: If the U.S. had an infant mortality rate as good as Cuba's, we would save an additional 2,212 American babies a year.
Yes, Cuba's. Babies are less likely to survive in America, with a health care system that we think is the best in the world, than in impoverished and autocratic Cuba. According to the latest C.I.A. World Factbook, Cuba is one of 41 countries that have better infant mortality rates than the U.S."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/12/opinion/12kris.html?th

I have to compliment the Northwestern on the recent articles about the problems with Oshkosh's Healthcare costs vs service.

How is this not the lead story of the day?

Search for WMD in Iraq ended
Effort folded shortly before Christmas

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6814588/

"Bush has expressed disappointment that no weapons or weapons programs were found, but the White House has been reluctant to call off the hunt, holding out the possibility that weapons were moved out of Iraq before the war or are well hidden somewhere inside the country. But the intelligence official said that possibility is very small."

It is official, we were lied to. Tens of thousands of Iraqis, 1300+ Americans dead - for a lie.

Of course, privatization never fails taxpayers:

FINANCIAL OFFICER CHARGED WITH EMBEZZLEMENT

The financial chief for Milwaukee voucher school has been arrested in Texas. Cleveland Lee is accused of taking as much as 750-thousand dollars from the Harambee Community School.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6816790/

Press Release:

Winnebago County Democratic Party: Underheim Needs to Explain Lobbyists, Felons Gathering Signatures

1/10/2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jef Hall
920.203.6883
jef@jefhall.com

OSHKOSH – The Winnebago County Democratic Party (WCDP) Chair is calling on State Representative Gregg Underheim to explain why he had lobbyists and convicted felons gathering signatures for the Secretary of the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) ballot.

“It was disturbing to discover that two of the individuals that were hired to help Underheim collect his signatures have, in the past, pleaded guilty to felony forgery,” said Jef Hall, Chair of the WCDP. “disturbing, but also illegal.” These felons were Jennifer Kaltenberg, who plead guilty in 2002 and Tammy Drinkwater who plead guilty in 2004.

Underheim, recently re-elected with a less than 47% of the vote, serves as Chair of the Health committee and is a member of the Public Health, Insurance, Corrections and Courts, as well as Colleges and Universities Committees. Several lobbyists with direct interests in these committees’ work have circulated nomination papers for Underheim. They include Alice O’Conner (Wisconsin Medical Society), Eric Borgerding (Wisconsin Hospitals Association), R.J. Pirlot, Christine Mangi, Joan Hansen (Wisconsin Manufacturers Commerce), Michelle Mettner (Broydrick & Associates), Sandra Lonegran (Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association), James Boullion (Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin), and Chad Taylor (Michael Best & Friedrich).

“For a long-term candidate who will often tell you of all the doors he knocks, it is ironic that Mr. Underheim’s group of circulators read like a Madison insider’s party,” said Hall. “While it may be legal to have lobbyists gather signatures for sitting legislators, it appears unethical, one minute they are gathering signatures, the next they are encouraging favor on legislation. Why does a candidate from Oshkosh need felons and Madison lobbyists gathering signatures, instead of true supporters? I think Mr. Underheim owes an explanation to his constituents in Oshkosh and all of Wisconsin’s voters in the spring election.”

This is long, but a must-read when arguing with "values-voters"

Plus, I like to use sources that they will believe.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2005/001/3.8.html

I tend to agree with this:

Send a Message to God - He has gone too far this time.

http://www.slate.com/id/2112083/

I struggle with the dicotomy that we praise God for saving victims, yet not blame him (or her or them) for the people that are killed.

It is the only logical conclusion - if God chose to save some individuals, he either chose not to save, or to outright kill the others.

This is a Democrat?

http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=29417


Rep. Ziegelbauer: Minimum Wage Statement

1/10/2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Rep. Bob Ziegelbauer (920) 684-6783

Manitowoc Rep. Bob Ziegelbauer (D-Manitowoc) today released this statement on proposals to raise the minimum wage, "Raising the minimum wage seems to be a popular political idea. While we might wish otherwise, the reality is that government can't create wealth this way. This is a bad idea that will hurt poor people."

"The truth is that in a market economy the world of work is the real path to success. Minimum wage jobs are an entry level beginning for the inexperienced, the first rung on the ladder of economic opportunity, and rarely a source of family supporting income."

"Wages are determined by the value an employee can bring to an employer. Raising the minimum will only have the effect of making it that much harder for those needing the experience, to bring enough value to a potential employer, to get that first job, and a start in our opportunity society."

"Taxing entry level jobs by raising the minimum wage will yield less jobs, but surely protect those who already "have" (the jobs, & the business), at the expense of those who "need" it most. Knocking out another bottom rung on the ladder of economic opportunity makes it harder for those who need to climb aboard and share in the prosperity of America."

"I hope that the Wisconsin State Legislature will have the courage to do what's right for those most in need of opportunity rather than what sounds good."

"On the other hand, perhaps it is fitting that Mr. Gonzales be confirmed. The system of torture has, after all, survived its disclosure. We have entered a new era; the traditional story line in which scandal leads to investigation and investigation leads to punishment has been supplanted by something else. Wrongdoing is still exposed; we gaze at the photographs and read the documents, and then we listen to the president's spokesman "reiterate," as he did last week, "the president's determination that the United States never engage in torture." And there the story ends. "

From "We Are All Torturers Now"

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/06/opinion/06danner.html?th

And we are....

Not to toot my own horn, but....

When I got on the ballot, I needed 1,000 valid signatures. At the time I had a full-time job and very few political supporters.

I turned in 1,250 signatures, of which about 1,150 were deemed valid.

How did I do it - hard work. Everywhere I went, I carried a clipboard. When I went to lunch from work, I went to places where there would be a crowd. I asked strangers on the street. I knocked on doors without lists as to whether they were Dems or not. I went to festivals and bars and asked random people.

Of the signatures I turned in, I got over 850 of them myself. I personally went through all my sheets and checked for validity, numbered, counted and sorted them myself. I knew exactly how many there were.

Why do I bring this up?

Underheim Falls Short on Nomination Signatures for DPI Race
http://wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=29172

Now, remember that Underheim had most of the last month off of work, and plenty of time to get signatures. Plus, as an incumbent Member of the Assembly he has a supporter network. Also, as a candidate for statewide office, he can gather signatures from any Wisconsin Resident.

Also, according to Underheim: he was "recruited" to run after his November re-election but would only say the request came from "a Republican, and people with a clear Republican identification."

And, "When I talked to people this time, there was an indication that I wouldn't be out there by myself this time", he said. "That makes me a viable candidate, which I was not last time. A viable candidate can put serious issues on the table and force discussion of them. And I'm going to do it."

http://www.wisinfo.com/northwestern/news/local/stories/local_19300748.shtml

Gregg Underheim, not supported by over half of Oshkosh, not supported by 2,001 people statewide.

Or, was he just not willing to do the work of getting on the ballot? Yet he thinks he can work for us?

p.s. When I was out getting signatures everywhere, very often Gordon Hintz was standing right next to me.

I am plagerizing today, but I think this is to ipmortant to lose:


Published on Monday, January 3, 2005 by the Free Press (Columbus, Ohio)
Ten Preliminary Reasons Why the Bush Vote Does Not Compute, and Why Congress Must Investigate Rather Than Certify the Electoral CollegePart One of Two
by Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman

The presidential vote for George W. Bush does not compute.

By examining a very wide range of sworn testimonies from voters, polling officials and others close to the administration of the Nov. 2 election; by statistical analysis of the certified vote by mathematicians, election experts and independent research teams who have conducted detailed studies of the results in Ohio, New Mexico, Florida and elsewhere; from experts who studied the voting machines, tabulators and other electronic equipment on which a fair vote count has depended; and from a team of attorneys and others who have challenged the Ohio results; the freepress.org investigative team has compiled a portrait of an election whose true outcome must be investigated further by the Congress, the media and all Americans -- because it was almost certainly not an honest victory for George W. Bush.

Crucial flaws in the national vote count, most importantly in Ohio, New Mexico and Florida, indicate John Kerry was most likely the actual winner on November 2, as reported in national exit polls. At very least, the widespread tampering with how the election was conducted, and how Ohio's votes were counted and re-counted, has compromised this nation's historic commitment to free and fair elections.

On Thursday, January 6, the Electoral College will be challenged by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) and other members of Congress under a law passed in 1887 in reaction to the fraudulent election of 1876. A fuller investigation requires assent by at least one Senator.

As this vote nears, Ohio’s certified presidential vote (and quite likely those of at least Florida and New Mexico) is simply not credible. George W. Bush’s ‘victory’ appears to have resulted from multiple frauds – a GOP ‘do-everything’ strategy to win the state that swung the election.
In today's article, we list the top ten glaring flaws in the Ohio vote that have allowed Bush to gather the votes to ‘win’ the presidency in Ohio with an apparent margin of 118,775 votes - the result from an official recount that manually examined only 3 percent of ballots cast.

This list involves very large totals of uncounted, tainted or fraudulent votes. Taken together, they exceed Bush's margin of victory in Ohio.

These expert analyses are based on state and local Board of Election statistics, U.S. Census reports, and other public documents. They were not conducted with any assistance from John F. Kerry’s campaign. All the conclusions presented can be re-checked among the wide range of documents posted at freepress.org under the Election 2004 department. The authors will also respond to specific journalistic inquiries at truth@freepress.org. Additional key sources are specified below.

These flaws involve very large numbers of votes. But they cannot fully explain how the results were recorded on Election Day for one crucial reason: the paper and digital record trail needed to analyze the actual voting has been sealed from public scrutiny by Ohio’s Republican Secretary of State, Kenneth Blackwell, who both administered the state's election and served as the co-chair of Ohio's 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign.

Blackwell and other Republican officials continue to discount such criticisms. Blackwell has written that the election ran "smoothly." His office has refused subpoenas requesting him to testify, terming them a form of "harassment." Ohio Republican Party Chairman Robert Bennett has said that this year's election had "fewer glitches" than previous ones. "We have bipartisan (election" boards and very specific rules and procedures," he says. "To have fraud within the counting process in Ohio, you would have to have massive collusion."

Nearly 85 percent of the state used paper ballots. Most were tabulated electronically – meaning an evidence trail exists, if it has not been destroyed or fatally compromised. But we have reason to believe this destruction has already occurred in a number of Ohio counties, rendering a full recount and audit impossible.

While the anomalies we have found in the Ohio vote are deep and serious, an in-depth study now indicates shocking parallels in New Mexico, which we will discuss in tomorrow's article.
The Bush-Cheney ‘do-everything’ strategy in Ohio covered a very wide range of tactics, from disenfranchisement of minority voters to discarding of ballots to tampered tabulators and much more.

Taken as a whole, this compendium of error, fraud, cover-up and contempt indicates that this was not a legitimate election, and is not worthy of being certified by the Congress of the United States:

1. More than 106,000 Ohio ballots remain uncounted. As certified by Blackwell, Ohio’s official results say 92,672 regular ballots were cast without indicating a choice for president. This sum grows to 106,000 ballots when uncounted provisional ballots are included. There is no legal reason for not inspecting and counting each of these ballots. This figure does not include thousands of people who did not vote, despite intending to do so in Ohio’s inner cities, due to a lack of voting machines, having no available ballots, intimidation, manipulation of registrations, denial of absentee ballots and other means of depriving American citizens of their rightful vote.

2. Most uncounted ballots come from regions and precincts where Kerry was strongest. In Hamilton County, 4,515 ballots or 51.64 percent of the uncounted county total, came from Cincinnati, where Kerry won 67.98 percent to Bush’s 31.54 percent. In Cuyahoga County, 4,708 ballots or 44 percent of the county total came from Cleveland, where Kerry won all 65 precincts. In Summit County, 2,650 ballots or 48.72 percent of the county total came from Akron, which Kerry won 68.75 percent to Bush’s 28.00 percent.

3. Of the 147,000 combined provisional and absentee ballots counted by hand after Election Day, Kerry received 54.46 percent of the vote. In the 10 largest Ohio counties, Kerry’s margin was 4.24 to 8.92 percent higher than in the certified results, which were predominantly machine counted. As in New Mexico, where George W. Bush carried every precinct whose votes were counted with electronic optical scanning machines, John Kerry's vote count was significantly lower among ballots counted on Election Day using electronic tabulators.

4. Turnout inconsistencies reveal tens of thousands of Kerry votes were not simply recorded. Systematic mathematical scrutiny reveals that the certified results at the statewide and precinct-to-precinct level display key patterns against a backdrop of implausible results. Most striking is a pattern where turnout percentages (votes cast as a percentage of registered voters) in cities won by Kerry were 10 percentage points or more lower than in the regions won by Bush, a virtually impossible scenario.

In Franklin County, where Columbus is located, Kerry won 346 precincts to Bush’s 125. The median Kerry precinct had 50.78 percent turnout, compared to 60.56 percent for Bush. Kerry’s lower numbers are due to local election officials assigning more voting machines per capita to Republican-leaning suburbs than the Democrat-leaning inner city – a political decision and likely Voting Rights Act violation. If Kerry-majority precincts in Columbus had a 60 percent turnout, as recorded throughout the rest of the state, he would have netted an additional 17,000 votes.

5. Many certified turnout results in key regions throughout the state are simply not plausible, and all work to the advantage of Bush. In southern Perry County, two precincts reported turnouts of 124.4 and 124.0 percent of the registered voters. These impossible turnouts were nonetheless officially certified as part of the final recount by Blackwell. But in pro-Kerry Cleveland, there were certified precinct turnouts of 7.10, 13.15, 19.60, 21.01, 21.80, 24.72, 28.83 and 28.97 percents. Seven entire wards reported a turnout less than 50 percent. But if the actual Cleveland turnout was 60 percent, as registered statewide, Kerry would have netted an additional 22,000 votes. Kerry is also thought to have lost 7,000 votes in Toledo this way.

6. Due to computer flaws and vote shifting, there were numerous reports across Ohio of extremely troublesome electronic errors during the voting process and in the counting. In Youngstown, there were more than two-dozen Election Day reports of machines that switched or shifted on-screen displays of a vote for Kerry to a vote for Bush. In Cleveland, there were three precincts in which minor third-party candidates received 86, 92 and 98 percent of the vote respectively, an outcome completely out of synch with the rest of the state (a similar thing occurred during the contested election in Florida, 2000). This class of error points to more than machine malfunction, suggesting instead that votes are being electronically shifted from one candidate to another in the voting and counting stage. All reported errors favored Bush over Kerry.

7. In Miami County, two sets of results were submitted to state officials. The second, which padded Bush's margin, reported that 18,615 additional votes were counted, increasing Bush’s total by exactly 16,000 votes. Miami County’s turnout was up 20.86 percent from 2000, but only had experienced a population increase of 1.38 percent by 2004. Two Miami County precincts were certified with reported turnouts of 98.55 and 94.27 percent. In one of the precincts this would have required all but ten registered voters to have cast ballots. But an independent investigation has already collected affidavits of more than 10 registered voters that did not cast ballots on Nov. 2, indicating that Blackwell's officially certified vote count is simply impossible, which once again favoring Bush.

In Warren County, in southern Ohio, an unexplained Homeland Security alert was cited by Republican election board officials as a pretext for barring the media and independent observers from the vote count. In Warren and neighboring Butler and Clermont Counties, Bush won by a margin of 132,685 votes. He beat Gore in these counties in 2000 by 95,575 votes, meaning an implausible pickup of almost 40,000 votes.

But Bush’s numbers meant 13,566 people who voted for C. Ellen Connally, the liberal
Democratic candidate for Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice, also voted for Bush. In Butler Country, Bush officially was given 109,866 votes. But conservative GOP Chief Justice Moyer was given only 68,407, a negative discrepancy of more than 40,000 votes. Meanwhile, Connally was credited with 61,559 votes to John Kerry's 56,234. This would mean that while Bush vastly outpolled his Republican counterpart running for the Supreme Court, African-American female Democrat running for the Supreme Court on the Democratic side outpolled Kerry. By all accounts such an outcome is inconceivable. Again, it indicates a very significant and likely fraudulent shifting of votes to Bush.

8. Democratic voters were apparently targeted with provisional ballots. These ballots require voters to fill out extensive forms at the poll. Under extraordinary rules established by Blackwell these ballots were set to be discarded if even minor errors were committed. Poll watchers in Cleveland and Columbus have testified that most provisional ballots were given to minority and young voters. The same is true with presumed liberal college and university students. In Athens, where Ohio University is located, 8.59 percent of student ballots were provisional. At Kenyon College and Oberlin College, liberal arts institutions, there were severe shortages of voting machines when compared with nearby religious-affiliated schools. Students at Kenyon waited up to eleven hours to vote. Provisional ballots were also required of mostly African-American students at Wilberforce College.

9. Ohio's Election Day exit poll was more credible than the certified result, according to intense statistical analysis. In-depth studies by Prof. Ron Baiman of the University of Illinois at Chicago shows that Ohio's exit polls in Ohio and elsewhere were virtually certain to be more accurate than the final vote count as certified by Blackwell. Ohio's exit polls predicted a Kerry victory by percentages that exceeded their margin of error. Compared to the voter access, voting technology and vote counting problems in Ohio, the exit polls were far more systematic and reliable. Critics of the exit polls’ accuracy say too many Democrats were sampled, but a detailed analysis of that assertion shows no credible evidence for it. The stark shift from exit polls favoring Kerry to final results in Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio all went in Bush's direction, and are, according to Baiman, a virtual impossibility, with odds as high as 150 million to one against.

10. The Ohio recount wasn’t random or comprehensive and may have involved serious illegalities. Under Ohio law, 3 percent of the ballots in a precinct are examined by hand. If the numbers match what was counted on Election Day, then the rest of the ballots are compiled electronically. In many districts, Republican Secretary of State Blackwell chose the precincts to be counted in a partisan manner, weighing the choices toward precincts where there were no disputes while avoiding those being contested. Moreover, there have been numerous confirmed instances where employees of the private companies that manufactured the voting machines had access to the machines and the computer records before the recount occurred. In at least two counties, technicians from Diebold and Triad dismantled key parts of voting machines before they could be subjected to audits for recount. In some counties, vendor companies conducted the recount – not public election officials. At least one county---Shelby---has admitted to discarding key data before the recount could be taken. In Greene County unrecounted ballots were left unguarded in an unlocked building, rendering the recount moot.

These ten points are among the most serious clouding the electoral outcome in Ohio, but are only part of a larger pattern. Their correlation with similar evidence in New Mexico, Florida and elsewhere gives them added gravitas. Scores of sworn affidavits and the on-going work of teams of attorneys, statisticians and other experts have revealed far more points of contention and suspicion, many of which we will present in tomorrow's article.

The sources used for this report are available at http://freepress.org. The statistical analysis was primarily done by Richard Hayes Phillips, PhD. A transcript of his deposition in the election challenge lawsuit detailing these findings can be found at: http://freepress.org/images/departments/Dep_Phillips.pdf. The exit poll analysis was by Ron Baiman, PhD, and a transcript of the deposition describing his analysis can be found at: http://freepress.org/images/departments/Dep_Baiman.pdf. Additional material appears in court filings in Moss v. Bush and related legal actions filed with the Ohio Supreme Court.

Taken together, these ten points involve votes that cumulatively exceed Bush's 118,775 vote margin in the state.

These flaws must be thoroughly investigated before Congress ratifies the Electoral College. The legitimacy of the presidency and American Democracy is at stake. In tomorrow's article we will outline more of the evidence leading up to Thursday's historic vote.
Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman are co-authors of OHIO'S STOLEN ELECTION: VOICES OF THE DISENFRANCHISED, 2004, a book/film project from http://freepress.org. Tax-deductible donations are welcome there and at the Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism, 1240 Bryden Road, Columbus, OH 43205.
© 2004 Columbus Free Press

To give the tsunami tragedy some perspective, and if we consider ourselves citizens of the world as well as America (I do):

Assuming:

6.5 Billion people on Earth
270 million Americans

Then:

The 114,000 currently estimated dead in the tsunami is equivalent to 4,735 Americans (proportionately) or 50% more than died in September 11th.

Some statistics on our 'generosity'

According to a poll, most Americans believe the United States spends 24 percent of its budget on aid to poor countries; it actually spends well under a quarter of 1 percent.

Mr. Powell pointed to disaster relief and said the United States "has given more aid in the last four years than any other nation or combination of nations in the world." But for development aid, America gave $16.2 billion in 2003; the European Union gave $37.1 billion. In 2002, those numbers were $13.2 billion for America, and $29.9 billion for Europe.

Victims of the earthquake in Bam, Iran, a year ago are still living in tents because aid, including ours, has not materialized in the amounts pledged. And back in 2002, Mr. Bush announced his Millennium Challenge account to give African countries development assistance of up to $5 billion a year, but the account has yet to disperse a single dollar.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/30/opinion/30thu2.html?oref=login

Yet how much military aid does Isreal get per year from us?

$2.16 billion

http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/11/21/israel.us.aid/

Does this seem right to you?

An update to yesterday's post (in the interest of integrity, I won't just change the previous):

1000,000+ people die in the worst natural disaster in modern history.

Bush stays on vacation, make no public statement

Damage is spread across an entire continent.

The US pledges $35 million in aid.

What is $35 million?

Bush is spending over $35 million on his inauguration.

Oshkosh is spending over $2 million on the band shell.

Are we building 17 bandstands for the survivors?

Or just holding one party?

Here is a my response sumbitted to the Northwestern to this letter:

Evolution in school has led to moral decline

http://www.wisinfo.com/northwestern/news/opinion/stories/opinion_19198513.shtml

My letter:

In response to Mr. Gardinier's recent (Dec 29th)statement, "is it a coincidence that our nation has been morally declining over the past 164 years?"

A quick review of the last 164 years:

The end of slavery, the beginning of women's suffrage, equal protection under law regardless of race or position, voting rights, the civil rights movement and act, the GI Bill, Social Security, the New Deal, the Great Society, standing up to dictatorship in WW2, Badger and Senior Care ensuring helthcare options for Wisconsin's poor, labor movements ensuring safety at work, fair pay and the 40-hour work week, universal education for all Americans, abolition of poll taxes, equal housing laws, Americans with Disabilities Act, and many more.

I believe each of these were huge moral steps ahead for American society. When people try to isolate moral issues by a narrow religious view, society as a whole falters.

Allowing your society as a whole to prosper by offering economic and social equality in opportunity (not result), is a more moral stance than one that says if you do not worship my god or conform to my standards, you have no rights.

Unfortunately, Mr. Gardenier and those that share his views seem to long for the good old days of equal rights for white, male, heterosexual, christian property owners only.

That is not a land in which I want to live. And it is definitely not a moral value.

Aid grows amid questions about Bush
Should vacationing president have spoken out?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6763683/

It is a shame that this person represents my country:

Earlier yesterday, White House spokesman Trent Duffy said the president was confident he could monitor events effectively without returning to Washington or making public statements in Crawford, where he spent part of the day clearing brush and bicycling.

Once again, as the death toll in this tragedy approaches 100,000; I would like to apologize for our nation's leaders.

40,000+ people die in one of the worst natural disasters in history.

Damage is spread across a continent.

The US pledges $15 million in aid.

What is 15 million?

Bush is spending over $35 million on his inauguration.

Oshkosh is spending over $2 million on the band shell.

What's wrong with this picture?

The best Christmas present I recieved this year was America: The Book A Citizen's Guide to Democract Inaction.

It is great - read it.

The best present I purchased for myself was Green Day's American Idiot - Album of the year!

"Troops are being shoved two or three times into the furnace of Iraq by astonishingly incompetent leaders who have been unable or unwilling to provide them with the proper training, adequate equipment or even a clearly defined mission."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/24/opinion/24herbert.html?th

Here is a great editorial:

"I'll give you 10 news stories from the past few weeks and you tell me what they all have in common."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/26/opinion/26friedman.html?th

I'll give it away:

"The common denominator is a country with a totally contradictory and messed-up set of priorities."

I will disagree with him on his analysis. I think this reflects most of the Republican agenda - HYPOCRACY!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6732614/site/newsweek/

Transition: And Another Year of War
By Dirk Johnson

NewsweekDec. 27 / Jan. 3 issue - You hear the bell ring, or a knock at the door, and there stands a military officer with a crisp uniform, a grim face. Even before this dreadful moment of truth, some families have feared the worst: an unaccustomed telephone or e-mail silence, or just a deep-in-the-bones intuition that something's wrong. And now the words are spoken.

That silence will never end, the tears never quite dry.

In the past year, more than 800 American troops came home from Iraq or Afghanistan in caskets. The death toll of American soldiers now exceeds 1,400. Hundreds of Iraqi police and military have been killed, along with a much larger number of civilians—how many, it's hard even to estimate. In the name of freedom, as President Bush proclaims, dead American troops are lauded as heroes—and no one can argue. Whatever the merits of the American policy, they made the ultimate sacrifice.

One was the Arizona Cardinals' Pat Tillman, who decided it was trivial to play pro football while others were laying their lives on the line. According to the elegiac initial accounts, he died in a fire fight with enemy forces; we now know he was shot accidentally, by "friendly fire." This doesn't detract from his heroism or his sacrifice. But there is also no denying: Pat Tillman died for a mistake.

Tillman was the rare celebrity exception among the GI Joes and Janes: This war hasn't piqued the patriotism of many latter-day Glenn Millers and Ted Williamses. Some 20 percent of those killed were reservists, attracted in part by such benefits as college tuition. It's fair to assume recruiters didn't dwell on the chances of their being sent overseas to brave bullets and bombs—often with substandard armor and equipment. In almost every American neighborhood—rich, poor, middle class—cars sport yellow ribbons to show support for the troops. But those troops come disproportionately from the poorer parts of big cities and from speck-on-the-map towns: Makoti, N.D.; Bartonville, Ill.; Moose Lake, Minn.; Rupert, Idaho. America's vast and prosperous suburbs are largely missing in action. Today's volunteer military mirrors the Vietnam-era draft, where the privileged and educated found ways to avoid combat.

The big difference is the presence of women—who account for about 15 percent of the dead. Not so long ago, prevailing wisdom held that Americans would never abide female soldiers' having to dodge bullets. Wrong. "Putting women in danger on the battlefield has not caused much upset," says Charles Moskos, a military sociologist at Northwestern University. "There's been no particular uproar." Holly McGeogh, barely out of high school, wrote an e-mail to her grandparents from Iraq last winter. "I can't believe I'm only 19 and have my combat patch. What's even cooler is that I will be only 20 when I do get out... I will have accomplished so much in my life. Cool, huh?" McGeogh liked shopping and the outdoors, hunting with her dad. It was the life she longed to return to in her little hometown of Taylor, Mich. She came home in January. An American flag was draped across her casket.

© 2004 Newsweek, Inc.

I'm sure privatizing Social Security and setting up individual tax-exempt health-care accounts will correct this problem:

Blacks dying for lack of health care
Disparities cost 886,000 lives in the U.S. in '90s

More than 886,000 deaths could have been prevented from 1991 to 2000 if African Americans had received the same care as whites, according to an analysis in the December issue of the American Journal of Public Health. The study estimates that technological improvements in medicine -- including better drugs, devices and procedures -- averted only 176,633 deaths during the same period.

Can we for once have a solution that will focus on those who need help, not those who can afford help......?

What if Rummy had never been born?

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/19/opinion/19dowd.html

A must read....

In case you are interested in the America/Europe Debate:

The Great Powers of Europe, Redefined

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/17/opinion/17gartonash.html?oref=login&th

I think that Europe has spreading democracy right in this case.

They have proven that you can change governments with the carrot not the stick. Something Bush needs to learn.

The great Paul Krugman once again saying it better than me:

Buying Into Failure

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/17/opinion/17krugman.html?oref=login&oref=login

Excerpts:

In particular, the public hasn't been let in on two open secrets:

Privatization dissipates a large fraction of workers' contributions on fees to investment companies.
It leaves many retirees in poverty.

More than 99 percent of Social Security's revenues go toward benefits, and less than 1 percent for overhead. In Chile's system, management fees are around 20 times as high. And that's a typical number for privatized systems.

In Britain, which has had a privatized system since the days of Margaret Thatcher, alarm over the large fees charged by some investment companies eventually led government regulators to impose a "charge cap." Even so, fees continue to take a large bite out of British retirement savings.

A reasonable prediction for the real rate of return on personal accounts in the U.S. is 4 percent or less. If we introduce a system with British-level management fees, net returns to workers will be reduced by more than a quarter. Add in deep cuts in guaranteed benefits and a big increase in risk, and we're looking at a "reform" that hurts everyone except the investment industry.

Advocates insist that a privatized U.S. system can keep expenses much lower. It's true that costs will be low if investments are restricted to low-overhead index funds - that is, if government officials, not individuals, make the investment decisions.

So the Bush administration wants to scrap a retirement system that works, and can be made financially sound for generations to come with modest reforms. Instead, it wants to buy into failure, emulating systems that, when tried elsewhere, have neither saved money nor protected the elderly from poverty.

Then, go here and buy a t-shirt that will let everyone know who has it right (mine comes in on Monday):

http://www.cafepress.com/ninjasfordean.9396884

What are we teaching our children about who to look up to?

Miller to Honor Swift Boat Vets' Group

The American Conservative Union on Thursday announced it has tapped Sen. Zell Miller, D-Ga., to present the "Courage Under Fire" award to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth at the Conservative Political Action Conference's Feb. 18 banquet.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=512&ncid=703&e=2&u=/ap/20041216/ap_on_go_co/miller_swift_boat


Pres. Bush awards Presidential Medal of Freedom to Tenet, Bremer, Franks

It's the president's latest answer to criticism of his Iraq policy. Tuesday's Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients are former CIA chief George Tenet, former head of the US Authority in Iraq Paul Bremer and former CentComm Commander Tommy Franks. All three men were central to the president's policy in Iraq.

President Bush said, "These three men symbolize the nobility of public service the good character of our country and the good influence of America on the world."

Tenet has been criticized for intelligence lapses leading to the attacks on September 11th, 2001. It was Tenet who said the case for Iraq's weapons of mass destruction was a slam dunk.
Bremer oversaw creation of the interim Iraqi government. His decision to disband the Iraqi army after the US invasion is widely seen as a factor in the ongoing unrest.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honor.

http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2689817

No politics for this one, just want anyone in the blogosphere to know that the Nada's are a great band.

I am just back from my third time seeing them live.

Check them out at:

http://www.thenadas.com/

-jef-

I have a solution for the Rumsfeld problem

It is no secret that I am enamored with Janeane Garofalo. So in my regular searches for new Janeane news, I found this virulent anti-Janeane site:

http://www.dynamictruth.com/enemies/garofalo.html

This site is particularly upset with Janeane because of a March 7th O'Reilly interview in which she makes some wild, unpatriotic accusations about our upcoming war with Saddam.

Some out-takes:

"Bill O'Reilly asked Garofalo, "If you are wrong... and if the United States - and they will, this is going to happen - goes in, liberates Iraq [with] people in the street, American flags, hugging our soldiers... you gonna apologize to George W. Bush?"

"Garofalo replied, "I would be so willing to say, 'I'm sorry.' I hope to God that I can be made a buffoon of, that people will say, 'You were wrong. You were a fatalist.' And I will go to the White House on my knees on cut glass and say, 'Hey, you and Thomas Friedman were right... I shouldn't have doubted you.'"

"Garofalo claims that our military - the best military the world has ever seen - will kill 100,000 Iraqi civilians in this next war."

Let's see, according to Janeane, the Iraq War will result in 100,000+ Iraqi casualties, we will not be welcomed as liberators, and the post-war will be difficult.

Now, on March 6th, 2003; Janeane Garofalo knew more about the future of the Iraq conflict than our President, out Vice-President and our Secretary of Defense.

I say, fire Rumsfeld & hire Garofalo. She'll do a better job.

Social Security Reform:

This is from MSNBC's coverage of the 'summit' today:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6718105/

"As the huge Baby Boom generation reaches retirement age beginning in about 2010, Social Security faces a shortfall projected at $3.7 trillion over the next 75 years."

WOW! $3.7 trillion over 75 years, that's a lot of money!!! We better do something right away to save Social Security.

I AGREE WITH BUSH THAT WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING TO END THIS SHORTFALL!

Here's my proposal:

3.7 trillion / 75 years = $49.3 billion per year

$49.3 billion / 270 million Americans = $182.72

That's right, we can save Social Security, perhaps the most successful Government program in history if each of us merely kicks in $182.72 per year.

It is not broke, do not fix it.

Sign of the times:

Steinbeck’s hometown closing all its libraries

“Unfortunately part of the $8 million solution is the $3 million library program,” Salinas City Manager David Mora said in an interview on Wednesday. “But in addition to the libraries we are not hiring police officers, we are closing recreation centers, we are making further reductions in maintenance services.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6719008/

I wonder if they could afford more property tax cuts for their wealthy. To many people say this is an expenditure problem, I say when you say you can't afford police and libraries, you have a tax collection problem.

This is sickening:

As if Rep. Petri's ties to Walgreen's through his huge ownership of stock was not conflict of interest enough, now his allies in passing the Medicare Drug rip-off are cashing in as well:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/16/politics/16drug.html

Some selected lines:

"Representative Billy Tauzin, a principal author of the new Medicare drug law, will become president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the chief lobby for brand-name drug companies, the trade group announced Wednesday."

"Drug makers said that the job was not a reward for Mr. Tauzin's (I have found that when they say something is not something, that is exactly what it is... -jef-) work on the Medicare bill, which followed the industry's specifications in many respects. The law was signed by President Bush on Dec. 8, 2003, a few weeks before a lawyer for Mr. Tauzin began talks with the drug trade group."

"Mr. Tauzin (pronounced TOE-zan) and Mr. White refused to discuss Mr. Tauzin's new salary, except to say it was comparable to the pay at other large trade associations. People at other trade groups said they believed that Mr. Tauzin would receive $2 million a year or more."

"Representative Pete Stark of California, the senior Democrat on the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, said: "As a member of Congress, Billy negotiated a large payout to the pharmaceutical industry by the federal government. He's now about to receive one of the largest salaries ever paid to any advocate by an industry.""

"Mr. Tauzin wrote large parts of the new Medicare law as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee and as a member of the conference committee that hashed out differences between the House and the Senate in four months of intense negotiations last year."

"The law steers clear of price controls and price regulation, which are anathema to drug companies. The law forbids the government to negotiate with drug manufacturers to secure lower prices for Medicare beneficiaries. "

Why are we disillusioned with our government? This is shamefull.