I love it when lefty liberals whine about the US being the only major industrialized country without universal govt run health insurance. I love it because, as much as their genetic makeup would drive them to blame conservative Republicans, the reality is they have no one to blame other than their own lefty liberal ancestors, starting with their beloved FDR, and the strong unions of the 1940’s.

Employer based health insurance was relatively rare of prior to WW II. When FDR and Congress imposed strict wage and price controls in 1942, the unions turned to negotiating Cadillac health insurance plans, with first dollar coverage, fully paid by the employer, as an alternative to strictly limited wage increases. The second employer based health insurance benefit to both employers and employees was the way the 1940’s govt policy treated it for payroll and income tax purposes. Employers didn’t have to pay any payroll taxes on these benefits and employees didn’t have to pay any income taxes on the benefits. Once the unions all got their “free” employer paid health insurance benefits, other non-union employers were forced to offer similar benefits just to remain competitive.

That’s how America got its employer based health insurance system.

To paraphrase Pogo: “Lefty liberals have met the enemy, and it was them.”

FR: Why shouldn't the White House be optimistic? The right wingers live in nut-otopia!!!

The problem with the healthcare law is it was money flooded by the Koch bros, ALEC, & the insurance companies and Not enough PR from the Obama administration.

When you poll people about what is in the ACA such as pre-existing conditions not being denied 85% approve including 76% republican.

From the same poll CBS/NYT poll which says people disapprove but worded differently in regards to what is in it...

Do you understand how the law will affect you and your family?

Offering discounts to reduce the Medicare prescription

drug coverage gap, called the “doughnut hole”

Allowing children to stay on their parents' policies until age 26

Requiring health insurance companies to cover those with existing medical conditions or illnesses

Requiring nearly all Americans to have health insurance coverage by 2014

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/03/27/us/03272012_polling_doc.html
=============================================================================

You will not see this on from the HATERS @ FOX NOISE!!!

Look at how FOX NOISE highlights the negative instead of what is in the law that will help people. The greedy bas-turds

Americans overwhelmingly oppose forcing people to buy health insurance: although 36 percent of those surveyed approve of the law, 47 percent do not, with two-thirds wanting some, or all of it overturned. Still, large numbers —85 percent— support key parts, such as requiring insurance companies to cover those with a pre-existing medical condition, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2012/03/27/supreme-court-showdown-justices-decide-fate-healthcare-reform-law/#ixzz1qVKHt6MV

I just peeped in @ FOX NOISE's new program called "Fox and Friends First" to get the LIE of the day. I saw the airheads, bleach blondes #1 and # 2, showing their tails and celebrating the Solicitor General struggling before the Supreme Court. I chased the channel nothing new there.

The repugs already have a video up highlighting the Solicitor General's struggle before the Supreme Court.

Hey, how many of you bet the scary pilot who went crazy on Jet Blue watches FOX NOISE?

I believe their hate and bigotry is going to come back to bite them in their corporate @zzes!!!

What are the republicans going to replace the ACA with? If you guessed nothing you are correct.

The republicans have no plan for the future of this country unless you are a plutocrat.

BTW: have you noticed all of the republican candidates platform has been drumming up hatred for President Obama and nearly nothing else? America wants to lean forward . They are sick of the hate and stagnation.

“You have to be for something in politics, you have to have some idea of a different world which is better than the one you’ve got.” David Downing

And if you don’t know what you’re for, you should at least know what you’re against.

TPM/Benjy Sarlin:

The trouble is that, as Romney is surely aware from his work in Massachusetts, that 45-year-old guy who could have had insurance but chose to take his chances is hardly the face of pre-existing condition discrimination. Millions are in danger of losing insurance for reasons well beyond their control. Most notably, as Leno pointed out, children suffering from chronic illness.

“Only in Mitt Romney’s world of tax cuts for billionaires and elevators for his cars would denying health care coverage to Americans with pre-existing conditions make sense,” Obama spokeswoman Lis Smith said in a statement.

When in doubt, just change the marketing.

"The Obama administration is now referring to Obamacare as a “bi-partisan bill” and calling the unpopular individual mandate “a Republican idea,” following three days of tough questioning by the Supreme Court."

"Bipartisan". Really? How many Republicans voted for this "bi-partisan" unconstitutional bill again? That's right, none. This comedy writes itself.

"He [Deputy White House press Secretary Josh Earnest] also referred to the individual mandate as the “individual responsibility” clause of the bill, in an attempt to distance the administration from the term individual mandate."

Source: http://freebeacon.com/white-house-tries-to-rebrand-mandate/

But it still means the government will be picking the pockets of the American people by force. In fact, the IRS wants to hire 4000 more pick pockets, ehh, agents, to do the dirty deed. All this for a system that will never exist.

Source: http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/washington-secrets/2012/03/irs-seeks-4000-agents-303-million-obamacare/416051

67% of the citizens believe ACA should be repealed. Regarding your comment: "They are sick of the hate and stagnation" look in the mirror.

Paul Ryan's Budget takes health insurance away from more than 50 million (50,000,000) Americans - to pay for a $3 Trillion tax cut for the top 1%.

Rep. Ryan (R-WI) goes after Education with massive cuts, projecting a 45% CUT in federal education spending over a decade. By limiting access to quality education for all, Ryan lays out the GOP plan to ax our childrens' chances for a good future in a competitive global economy.

How did the health care debate get so crazy? We know that the United States spends almost twice as much as other industrialized nations for health care. TWICE AS MUCH! Even at that, we have almost fifty-million people with no coverage. FIFTY-MILLION.

The majority of citizens are insured through private insurers, those grand examples of free enterprise. We pay more, insure fewer, and scream like stuck pigs when someone tries to fix this grotesque system.

Many - not all, but many - of the same people screaming that they are forced to pay for the care of others are the same people screaming that their Christian religion is under attack. Did I miss the part of the Bible where it says we are supposed to let the sick and infirm die? Did I miss the part where it says to hell with your neighbor? I didn't know the guy, but I've seen enough of this WWJD stuff, to hazard a guess. He'd probably say - I'm going out on a limb here, I don't want to hear any chain saws - "Let's pony up some cash and get this sick guy to a doctor." Ya think?

It's that individual mandate. Oh, I see. So, when your parents said you were going to the dentist for your check-up, you said, "Hey, I don't go for that individual mandate stuff. I'm not going to the dentist." Maybe, just maybe, one of your parents said, "Let me explain this mandate business son. You're going to the dentist or I can fix it so you won't have any teeth to worry about - ever."

There isn't a rational argument to be found for NOT having national health coverage. You're born. You got it. Your coverage isn't paid for with premiums, unless of course you want to buy that overpoweringly efficient and overwhelmingly profitable private insurance. Whether you opt for that choice makes no difference, you are still covered by virtue of the fact that you are a citizen of the United States. No premiums. It's paid for by taxes. Let's not pretend this care is free.

Private insurers make money in only one way. They pay out less than they take in; not a terribly sophisticated concept. They can charge their customers more and/or they can deny services. They do both. They have been increasing rates in the double digit range year after year, and they drop those people who have the nerve to get sick. That's it. That's what they do and there's no denying it. That's how they pay dividends and outrageous salaries to their executives. Do you realize that insurance company stockholders and executives are hoping that if you get sick, you die very quickly? Wow! Talk about sick.

In the final analysis, there is no excuse for not having national health care in this country. We have insurance against attacks by foreign nations. That's why we pay for a standing military. We insure against fire by having fire insurance AND fire departments. We insure against crime by having theft insurance AND police departments. But health insurance? Well, that's different. People should just die.

ROFL hee hee ☺ ☺ ☺ How can anyone take this ding bat seriously?

Palin Offers Her Insights Into Constitutionality Of “Obamacare”

Palin also suggested that she understands the Constitution better than President Obama.

http://www.newshounds.us/palin_offers_her_insights_into_constitutionality_of_obamacare_03272012

Obama/ Biden 2012 landslide for sure ; if anyone pays attention to this wing nut.

Backhouse, what happened to the people in this country who have no problem with being manipulated by corporations and the rich? Why aren't they concerned about our children's future? What do they hope to accomplish by blowing up all that was once great about America?

The Supreme Court is deciding health care? Are they for real or what? People are actually okay with this?

Good Morning Pat,

I'm sure you caught the Lawrence O'Donnell show last night! ;o)

For those who missed it, Lawrence had the police video tape from when they brought vigilante George to the station for questioning after his shot Trayvon...

It clearly shows him walking around just fine.

Then, there is the pesky little problem of him not having an DROP on BLOOD on him!

Not from his nose, not from the back of his head, not on his clothes...

Hmmmm, I wonder why....

Once again, all you apologists have been played!

You might want to watch a TRUE journalist in action for a change...

When the COMPONENT PARTS of the Affordable Care Act are explained & understood:

1) Insurance can no longer deny care due to Pre-existing conditons - 85% of all Americans are in favor of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

2) Children can stay on their parents' healthcare plan - 68% of all Americans in favor of the ACA.

3) For seniors, closing the donut hole on payments for medications - 77% of all Americans in favor.

Moreover, the Republican percentages are commensurate with these positive response percentages.

Bloomberg/The Obama Diary:

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dropped last week to the lowest level in almost four years, adding to evidence the U.S. labor market is strengthening.

Initial jobless claims fell 5,000 in the week ended March 24 to 359,000, the lowest since April 2008, the Labor Department reported today in Washington…..

Companies are retaining workers and hiring as sales improve along with confidence in the expansion. The pace of employment has gained momentum in the past three months, helping drive income growth that may ease the strain of higher gasoline prices.

…. The U.S. jobless rate could drop to as low as 6 percent by the first half of 2013, according to research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

The 9 SC Justices will take their preliminary vote on the
individual mandate tomorrow (Friday). After that they will begin to write and
circulate opinions and try to sway other Justices to change their mind.

Joe in Albany

The history of healthcare in other countries was quite similar to America's with many of the same early employee related structures. The rest of the world moved on to Universal Healthcare. Unions are not unique to the US.

To paraphrase history, that was then and this is now.

I have a gut feeling that the Supreme Court just might rule in favor of the Health Care law. They don't seem disposed to tear pieces out of the law, nor does it seem they want to destroy the whole bill. Even if they do find the law to be unconstitutional, President Obama will still win a second term. We'll just create a new Health Care plan (Obamacare II ?)

The Republicans have created far to many new enemies in this last 2 or 3 years, especially WOMEN, who are the majority of voters in our Country.

Obama in 2012.

JoAnnaSmith1

When in doubt, just change the marketing.

No, Sniff1 I keep telling you it's change the change the channel. FOX LIES!!! I thought you knew FOX NEWS sends its talking points from Roger Ailes paranoid bunker to all right wing nuts @ Fox-otpia every day.

How Roger Ailes Built the Fox News Fear Factory

The onetime Nixon operative has created the most profitable propaganda machine in history. Inside America's Unfair and Imbalanced Network

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-roger-ailes-built-the-fox-news-fear-factory-20110525#ixzz1q7zyBAZW

Smiff,

Quit bloviating. It's not pretty.

Santorum is done.....he had his fun......he shot his gun......then had to run.......and into.....the setting sun.......now it's Romney/Rubio on 11/6/12!....Have a nice "Hate Free" Day........and God Bless America!!!

the reality is they have no one to blame other than their own lefty liberal ancestors,

Wow .. leave it to Albanian nut jobs to to re-write history and push a snow-joe-job spin on actual events. Yup, as the Blowfish points out, employer provided insurance was provided by companies as an alternative to the wage freezes enacted by Congress during the 1940s. However, conveniently missing from this alteration of history, is that when we could have moved from employer based health care to a national system, it was republicans who blocked it every step of the way during the late 40s, 50s, and 60s. So this monkey on the backs of employers and employees is not a 'fault' of liberals, it is a republican mess.

Fox News President Roger Ailes’ Bunker

May 30, 2011

Rolling Stone reports that his office is bomb proof to protect him from Muslims and gays.

Inside his blast-resistant office at Fox News headquarters, Ailes keeps a monitor on his desk that allows him to view any activity outside his closed door. Once, after observing a dark-skinned man in what Ailes perceived to be Muslim garb, he put Fox News on lockdown. “What the hell!” Ailes shouted. “This guy could be bombing me!” The suspected terrorist turned out to be a janitor. “Roger tore up the whole floor,” recalls a source close to Ailes. “He has a personal paranoia about people who are Muslim – which is consistent with the ideology of his network.”

http://kunsoo1024.wordpress.com/2011/05/30/fox-news-president-roger-ailes-bunker/
===============================================================================

FOX NOISE likes to tout they are the most watched. the truth is they are many neighborhoods that can only get FOX NOISE's misinformation, lies, and distortions because there is no CNN or MSNBC for them to "lean forward" since FOX NOISE has cornered the market.

Santorum was in Wisconsin praising Scott Walker for the good job he did for the State, looks like Ricky boy is looking for an Endorsement from a lowlife like Scott Walker.

Dear JAS! ... cease writing and let comedy do its job.

Thanks

Good morning Pat and Feisty

I saw the tape and shook my head.

There were:

*No gashes on the back of his head.

*No grass stains on the back of his jacket.

* Worst, "NO" broken nose if his nose had been broken ir would have been bandaged; at least until he could get to a hospital.

Furthermore, since when did Police cars have X-ray machines and MDs in them? Only a doctor diagnoses broken bones
It is so pathetic to see the right wing nut jobs still trying to spin this.

Mother Jones publishes document trove that disputes Zimmerman’s self-defense claim
Trayvon Martin’s death extends Sanford’s sordid racial history; cartoon controversy
Sanford investigator wanted to arrest Zimmerman; a struggle for Zimmerman’s gun?

EXCLUSIVE: Zimmerman can still buy guns instantly, walk around most of America armed
Trayvon case not exactly top priority for Florida’s GOP governor

The Supreme Court is deciding health care?

________________________________________________

No.

The SC is deciding whether or not an act of Congress exceeds the limited powers it has been granted under the Constitution. That is simply the Constitution functioning as it was intended.

Don't like it?? Please see Article V Amendment.

Feisty, I did see Lawrence last night. What truly bothered me were the words of Zimmerman's father during his interview on tape. According to the son, evidently Trayvon said after being shot - you got me. Really? That sounds like something out of a Jimmy Cagney movie for crying out loud. Trayvon is supposed to have threatened Zimmerman with his life, even though Zimmerman is the one with the weapon. Riiiiiight.

But other things the father said really disturbed me that his son is attributing to Trayvon. None of these words for some reason made it into the police report the night of the incident. Which is bizarre.

Zimmerman is a liar, as you can plainly see from the video last night. I was quite frankly enraged that Zimmerman could be so calm, while a young kid lies in a morgue and no one is bothering to reach out to his family.

Zimmerman was in no danger. He created this whole nightmare himself.

Hey JoAnna, Health care is a Priority, not a Political game with peoples life's at Sake.

Pat, thanks for great postables. "The Supreme Court is deciding health care? Are they for real or what?"

From "Individual Mandate is Ryan Tax Credit By Another Name." (Klein today):

"We're just not sure if the government needs to call the individual mandate a "tax" rather than "a penalty," or perhaps structure it as a tax credit. As Pauly puts it, "This seems to me to be angelic pinhead density arguments about whether it's a payment to do something or not to do something."

Of course, this battle isn't really about the constitutionality of the individual mandate. Members of theRepublican Party didn't express concerns that the individual mandate might be an unconstitutional assault on liberty when they devised the idea in the late 1980s, or when they wielded it against the Clinton White House in the 1990s, or when it was passed it into law in Massachusetts in the mid-2000s.

Only after the mandate became the centerpiece of the Democrats' health-care bill did its constitutionality suddenly become an issue."

Just in case anyone cares, the US spends the most on health care yet our life expectancy at 78.2 years ranks us at the 8th lowest. Anyone else see a problem here?

Beverly, instead of partisan rants, why not understand the issue first? Insurance companies are not trying to get rid of Obamacare, they love it as it creates 50 million more people for them to administer insurance benefits for. Of course, if you poll people and say hey would you like all of these free goodies, what do you think they will say? What if you asked all of them and said do you want all of these benefits and here is the cost to you to pay for it, dont you think the answers might be different.

David, for someone who thinks they are the voice of intellectual reasoning for the looney left on here, you showed an amazing lack of understanding of insurance and how health care is paid for in this country. when you say that most americans have employer provided coverage, you could have said 85% because that is somewhat higher than most. Of the 50 million who dont have coverage, you probably could have said 13 million of these are illegal immigrants and another estimated 18-30 million elect to not have coverage for a variety of reasons. You probably should provide the number of people who cant get coverage because thats the more important number. As someone who understands economically the purpose and good intentions of the individual mandate, you probably should discuss its constitutional pitfalls by allowing the federal government force individuals to purchase something from private sellers. This all could be fixed with a universal care plan which I could actually agree with you on that one. How you completely miss the boat is the insurance companies. They dont make money on employer provided plans from denying benefits--they make money at about 7 cents for every dollar collected for administering plans created and paid for by employers so stop the soap box convenient scape goat crap that the democratic party likes to spew. Those double digit rate increases that we all have to pay each year have nothing to do with insurance companies and all to do with the increase in ACTUAL health care incurred costs. So when you cover birth control for example as a mandate, cover dependents to 26, get rid of life time maximums, pay for all the increases in our health care delivery system to deliver the finest care in the world, guess who pays for it? If you want to have a real discussion rather than partisan rants, why not discuss the real issue with health care? The bottom line is that neither the democrats or the GOP want to have a honest debate or discussion with the 85% who get coverage including the unions employees who have cadillac plans that in order to cover the other 15% and create a universal care plan, either your costs are going up or the benefits you currently receive are going down and probably a combination of both. That is probably where we need to go but its a loser politically. This isnt about insurance companies or the GOP or the individual mandate, its about having to explain that we cant fix our problems with universal care without a political discussion that will cause the politicians to get voted out of office.

Thomas Frank: How Americans Have Gotten Played -- Over and Over and Over Again

In the 12 hapless years of this millennium, we have looked on as 3 great bubbles have inflated and burst, each with consequences more dire than the last.

March 28, 2012 |

The following article is an excerpt of a piece that first appeared in The Baffler. Click here to subscribe to The Baffler and read articles by David Graeber, Barbara Ehrenreich, Chris Lehmann, Jim Newell, Maureen Tkacik, and James K. Galbraith in the current issue.

In the twelve hapless years of the present millennium, we have looked on as three great bubbles of consensus vanity have inflated and burst, each with consequences more dire than the last.

First there was the “New Economy,” a millennial fever dream predicated on the twin ideas of a people’s stock market and an eternal silicon prosperity; it collapsed eventually under the weight of its own fatuousness.

Second was the war in Iraq, an endeavor whose launch depended for its success on the turpitude of virtually every class of elite in Washington, particularly the tough-minded men of the media; an enterprise that destroyed the country it aimed to save and that helped to bankrupt our nation as well.

And then, Wall Street blew up the global economy. Empowered by bank deregulation and regulatory capture, Wall Street enlisted those tough-minded men of the media again to sell the world on the idea that financial innovations were making the global economy more stable by the minute. Central banks puffed an asset bubble like the world had never seen before, even if every journalist worth his byline was obliged to deny its existence until it was too late.

These episodes were costly and even disastrous, and after each one had run its course and duly exploded, I expected some sort of day of reckoning for their promoters. And, indeed, the last two disasters combined to force the Republican Party from its stranglehold on American government—for a time.

But what rankles now is our failure, after each of these disasters, to come to terms with how we were played. Each separate catastrophe should have been followed by a wave of apologies and resignations. Taken together— and given that a good percentage of the pundit corps signed on to two or even three of these idiotic storylines—they mandated mass firings in the newsrooms and op-ed pages of the nation. Quicker than you could say “Ahmed Chalabi,” an entire generation of newsroom fools should have lost their jobs.

But that’s not what happened. Plenty of journalists have been pushed out of late, but the ones responsible for deluding the public are not among them. Standard & Poor’s first leads the parade of folly (triple-A’s for everyone!), then decides to downgrade U.S. government debt, and is taken seriously in both endeavors. And the prospect of Fox News or CNBC apologizing for their role in puffing war bubbles and financial bubbles is no better than a punch line: what they do is the opposite, launching new movements that stamp their crumbled fables “true” by popular demand.

The real mistake was my own. I believed that our public intelligentsia had succumbed to an amazing series of cognitive failures; that time after time they had gotten the facts wrong, ignored the clanging bull@!$%# detector, made the sort of mistakes that would disqualify them from publishing in The Baffler, let alone the Washington Post.

What I didn’t understand was that these weren’t cognitive failures at all; they were moral failures, mistakes that were hard-wired into the belief systems of the organizations and professions and social classes in question. As such they were mistakes that— from the point of view of those organizations or professions or classes—shed no discredit on the individual chowderheads who made them. Holding them accountable was out of the question, and it remains off the table today. These people ignored every flashing red signal, refused to listen to the whistleblowers, blew off the obvious screaming indicators that something was going wrong in the boardrooms of the nation, even talked us into an unnecessary war, for chrissake, and the bailout apparatus still stands ready should they @!$%# things up again.

The remainder of this piece may be viewed at:

http://www.alternet.org/visions/154735

Before we go to the polls during this election year, we need to remember what we have lost over the past12 years mostly as a result of disastrous Republican policies. For the past three years or so the present administration has been trying to right the ship of state with mixed results. It is hard to make corrections of this magnitude in such a short time, especially when it took so long get us in this mess. However, what we need to do before voting, so we are not played, is educate ourselves on the issues, read and research the subjects and not rely on the journalists or the media outlets, to provide us with their opinions that may play into our own beliefs, prejudices or mindset, yet not acquaint us with the cold hard facts.

If the court does turn over the Affordable Health Care law, they and the radical right who oppose people having health care will have blood on their hands along with the pain and suffering they are causing others.

It’s sad that our country has so many selfish people that don’t give a darn about anyone other than themselves.

Evidently Trayvon said after being shot - you got me

Pat,

I was actually waiting for Daddy to add - 'you dirty rat'!

Thanks to journalists like Lawrence who never stops digging for the truth and isn't afraid to bring it to light!

And, thanks to you my friend for helping out on the Trayvon thread yesterday! ☺

The entire thread turned fugly so fast, I left & took a shower!

You can't reason with racists...

Just in case anyone cares, the US spends the most on health care yet our life expectancy at 78.2 years ranks us at the 8th lowest. Anyone else see a problem here?

____________________________________________________

Yeah, just look at all those 300++ pound whales waddling through the mall food courts, Mickey D's, airports, sidewalks, grocery stores, etc.

Phine, America loves its patriotic symbols more that the people who fight for them.

Joe, many countries have 300+ pounders waddling to an early grave. Once again, you are not unique.

Team Obama has convinced itself that it could survive the Supreme Court striking down the law.

Right, and I've convinced myself I could survive falling from a 10th story window – just think happy thoughts on the way down.

Here's the no spin reality: an adverse ruling would humiliate our constitutional Scholar-in-Chief going into the election. Ouch. Make that a bigtime ouch in the form of a dramatic rebuke of the president's judgment. Furthermore, a decision to strike down the mandate or the entire law would give greater legitimacy to the broader conservative argument that Obama has been expanding the size and reach of the federal government beyond what the Constitution allows.

Rally objective voters around THAT.

I saw a link to Pravda.ru regarding Russia's take on Romney over at The Obama Diary. It isn't pretty. Here's a short paragraph:

Somewhat like Condoleezza Rice did before the Bush regime was er..."elected" ..., Mitt Romney takes the chance to mouth off about Russia, calling her "our number one geopolitical foe" which fights "every cause for the world's worst actors". Unfortunately, such vapid stupidity has become commonplace among senior US politicians, providing the rest of the world with a telling insight as to the real nature of the political class in that country - out of touch, out of date and dangerously jingoistic. In short, overgrown self-opinionated schoolboys with super-egos but nothing whatsoever to back it up with.

*************

As some of you know, I'm planning a trip to Russia later this summer and I work alongside Russian travel agencies (in Russia) to assist me with my itinerary. I cannot begin to tell you how nice they are. I get the impression that all they want to talk to me about when I travel to Russia is President Obama, President Obama, President Obama. Never once in my communications with them have I considered them my enemy. And not once have they behaved towards me as if I were their enemy.

Mitt Romney is an embarrasment to us all.

Damage123

Aren't you all thankful for Trayvon-mania?

ATTENTION: Brain Damage

The right wing haters keeps calling the Rev's Al & Jackson race baiters, hustlers, etc. The family of Trayvon Martin asked Rev Jackson to help them. If Dr. MLK were alive he'd be there too.

The other lie about Rev's Al & Jackson not condemning "black on black" crime can be debunked too. Rev Al was on Oprah condemning it. When we had a rash of killings here in Chicago Rev Jackson was out there condemning it as well as the conditions that causes the violence (institutional racism) . Rev Jackson is constantly pleading to our youth to stop the violence. Rev. Jesse Jackson works very hard for Black people; as well as other minorities and gays. In fact, he and Rev Al are putting their lives on the line every time they step out front. Rev Al was even stabbed.

How many times have people heard the country preacher, Rev Jackson, said "Down with Dope and up with Hope" ?

Stop the violence

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dxbajKu9XI

Keep Hope Alive..... Down With Dope Up With The Rev. Jesse Jackson Hope Benedict college

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-vrnPrGhOs&feature=related

Rev Jackson has gotten hostages released without a grenade or an army on his side. He was/is more respected in the world than a Bush or Reagan.

"On Dec. 29, 1983, Rev. Jesse Jackson, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, traveled to Syria to secure the release of a captured American flier, Navy Lt. Robert O. Goodman, Jr. Goodman had been shot down over Lebanon while on a mission to bomb Syrian positions in that country. The Reagan White House expressed misgivings about Jackson's trip and his fellow Democratic presidential hopefuls thought he was grandstanding. After meeting with Syrian President Assad, Jackson announced Goodman's release. President Reagan greeted both Jackson and Goodman at the White House on January 4, 1984".

http://eightiesclub.tripod.com/id407.htm

"A five-year-old British hostage made to pose alongside Saddam Hussein in the run up to the first Gulf War, has been reunited with U.S. civil rights campaigner the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who helped secure his eventual release"

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1165186/British-child-hostage-refused-sit-Saddams-knee-reunited-rescuer-Jesse-Jackson-19-years-ordeal.html#ixzz1qVb8O4Vh

"Reverend Jesse Jackson got Sergeant Stone and Sergeant Ramirez released from Serbia".

ww.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/kosovo/interviews/gonzales.html

Let's not forget Yugoslavia.

"The Rev. Jesse Jackson was leaving a message on the Rev. Al Sharpton's home answering machine. Jackson was indeed in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in the midst of the heaviest air raids yet.

. . That song about bombs bursting in air. This is for real, baby . . .

"Jackson was there trying to secure the release of the three American POWs. He had no support from the White House, and all the experts were saying he was sure to fail. His voice on the tape early Thursday morning nonetheless had the bounce of a man who thought he actually might succeed".

http://articles.nydailynews.com/1999-05-02/news/18108300_1_rev-al-sharpton-rev-jesse-jackson-yugoslavia

Jessie Jackson is a leader and so is Rev Al. How many people can the fools at FOX NOISE or the presidential candidates draw apart from the people in the Tea Party that the Koch bros paid for??? We have a little joke here in Chicago in some circles. We wonder does Jessie woo hostages takers with his rhymes. LOL we ♥ ♥ ♥ love it!!

In case the right wing nuts haven't noticed the tea party is down according to a pew research poll. "Speaking to Tea Party protesters, Michele Bachmann at times was drowned out against hundreds of supporters of the healthcare reform law outside the Supreme Court."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/27/michele-bachmann-healthcare-protest-supreme-court?newsfeed=true

Also it was the news papers and police that put out Zimmerman was white not the left or Black people.

"Soon however, it became obvious that sorting out racial dynamics in the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin would not be simple. Police described the shooter, George Zimmerman, as white. His father called him a "Spanish speaking minority" with many black relatives and friends."

http://www.njherald.com/story/17279556/ap-news-in-brief-at-558-pm-edt

The nuts in the right wing world love to sweep racism under the carpet.

Besides that, I'm still tripping that the news media is...

a. not reporting Zimmerman was NOT, I repeat "NOT" a member of Neighborhood Watch

b. the Uncle Tom going on FOX NOISE calling Rev's Al & Jackson race baiters. I need to know why is he a an-ex NAACP leader.

c. the other the Uncle Tom, a former CNN anchor, making rounds talking about he is a friend of Zimmerman.

Uncle Toms need to see the light. They are the ones helping to hold the Black race and this country back.

Feisty, they are indeed racists. No point in sidestepping the issue any longer. They are racists.

Beverly, morning. You hit hard on a lot of sore spots today!

1. We are talking about an unprecedented level of dishonesty and deceit in the GOP party. Romney's style of dishonesty really is chronically over the top. We don't want someone like this who lies compulsively in the Oval Office.

2. The Supreme Court is debating a technicality when it comes down it.

The GOP/Koch/Norquistians are only focused on tearing things down, lying, deception and negativity.

Phinephancy but you know the reasons for that right? We are not a homogenous society and there are cultural differences in various ethnic groups that heavily impact those numbers. Furthermore, we spend so much money in our health care delivery for end of life treatment, for fighting frivilous or having tests to avoid frivious law suits that its not productive that you have to look deeper than your one line statistic. Its not lack of insurance that skews those numbers. For example, the life expectancy of an african american male that is covered versus not covered by insurance is not different. What impacts the life expectancy of an african american male the most is making it alive past the teens and 20s and avoiding prison. So social economic issues impact life expectancy far more than health insurance coverage.

the US spends the most on health care yet our life expectancy at 78.2 years ranks us at the 8th lowest.

And 34th in Infant Mortality rate, but hey, who needs insurance for that? Maybe ask Santorum, where would he be without health care to cover his massive expenses? Oh, I forget, it is the Republican way to expect coverage for me, me, me, but the hell with you, you, you!!

ideo: Dear JAS! ... cease writing and let comedy do its job

Ideo, put me on ignore.

Thanks.

So it seems, judging from the police tape shown by ABC news, Zimmerman has some explaining to do.

No signs of a wound to the back of the head...

No signs of blood on the back of his head...

No signs of grass or blood stains on his jacket...

And no signs of injuries to his "broken" nose...no blood, no black and blue...no swelling...

Moreso, the police have some explaining to do.

Nothing like a corrupt police department to keep the peace.

No point in sidestepping the issue any longer. They are racists.

In a sad kind of way - I'm glad they are no longer hiding in the shadows... at least America can see racism is alive & thriving in the year 2012...

Trayvon may very well become a historic figure like Emmet Till...

Hey California Tom #1.17, The Conservative Partisans on the Supreme Court will Vote as instructed by the far right wing and the Kocheads 1%.

Interesting article on the havoc that the Supreme Court will wreak if it torpedoes the health care law, as I expect that they will. That might not play so well with voters in the election when if they realize how much damage the far right has done to the country:

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/03/28/453926/health-care-and-the-scotus-day-3-part-i-the-justices-flirt-with-chaos/

• Stripping Young People of Care: At least 2.5 million young people now have insurance because of the Affordable Care Act. All of them would be cast back into the wilderness if the whole law were struck down.
• Blowing Up Medicare: Approximately 100 million Medicare claims are processed each month using a formula that was altered by the Affordable Care Act. If the entire law were struck down, new rates could not be calculated under the old, pre-ACA formula until after a rulemaking process that can take months before is completed. The result would be massive delays in payments to health providers throughout the country.
• Pulling The Rug Out On Retirees: The Affordable Care Act also provides thousands of Americans the opportunity to retire early and still remain insured until they become eligible for Medicare. Striking down the entire law could yank insurance away from many near-elderly Americans who retired solely because of the promise that the Affordable Care Act would be there for them.
• Ungrateful States: Many of the states that are currently challenging the law have nonetheless accepted millions of dollars worth of grants under the Affordable Care Act. If the law is struck down, it’s likely that this money would need to be returned immediately, further stressing already tight state budgets.

The US has fewer doctors and hospital beds relative to our population than other developed countries. We spend more than the other developed countries on our pharmaceuticals. Japan, who spends considerably less on its health care also has the highest life expectancy. Explain this, please.

Pat, great posts. On the subject of Russian travel agents, a few years ago, I had a similar experience. My family traveled to Europe on Aeroflot, the Russian airline, and found everything to be a great experience. Never once did we encounter anyone who said anything or gave the impression we were not welcome and for that matter I didn't expect to. The mindset is so often the determining factor in how we react or behave, if that is narrowly focused, then that can lead to the wrong conclusions, travel truly broadens the mind.

Enjoy your trip, I look forward to reading your accounts.

WOW even with a video to back up the fact Zimmerman was not injured, old damage puts out the stupid notion that the police and paramedics cleaned the blood off Zimmerman,s face and close, set his broken nose with out any bandages so it would look normal, sewed up the back of his head and healed it in less than an hour. I wondered last night how long it would take this morning before one of the tea people Koch republicans told you you wasn't seeing what you were seeing on the tape.

Feisty, Bev and Pat,

Florida’s “Shoot First Law” that is preventing George Zimmerman from being arrested for murder - must now be a big subject for Congress. Since the 'Stand Your Ground" law was implemented in 2005, the number of 'jusifiable homicides' has increased by 300%.

A.L.E.C. wrote the Shoot First Law that was lobbied by Wal-Mart and the NRA. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York is asking the DOJ to investigate. This Florida law seems to be leading to more and more deaths, because it allows the guy with the gun in his hand on the street to be his own judge and jury, and gives that person the justification to kill someone in that moment.

I guess it is OK till it happens to You or someone you LOVE.

FR:

Turning back to the GOP presidential race, Romney last night picked up the endorsement of GOP Sen. Marco Rubio. And this afternoon in Houston, at 5:50 pm ET, he’ll receive former President George H.W. Bush’s formal backing.

I'm still hoping that George Duhbya Bush will endorse Romney. That would be the kiss of death to Romney's campaign, reminding voters how much damage the Republicans did the last time they ran things, and how Romney's war mongering against Iran and now even nuclear-armed Russia is so reminiscent of the enthusiasm for war that led to Bush's Iraq fiasco.

Backhouse

When the COMPONENT PARTS of the Affordable Care Act are explained & understood:

1) Insurance can no longer deny care due to Pre-existing conditons - 85% of all Americans are in favor of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

2) Children can stay on their parents' healthcare plan - 68% of all Americans in favor of the ACA.

3) For seniors, closing the donut hole on payments for medications - 77% of all Americans in favor.

Moreover, the Republican percentages are commensurate with these positive response percentages.

Thanks for reiterating the benefits of the healthcare law. Right wing jobs need to hear every minute, every hour, every day before they either lose the insurance due to exorbitant premiums they can no longer pay or can't get it due to pre-existing conditions.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6120/6875882324_780fd942bb_m.jpg

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6097/6875882142_e75ccb2429_m.jpg

GBM -- Thanks for posting that article. A very important reminder, indeed.

Lets see from today we get Backhouse claiming the constitution is just a technicality. I wonder if he would feel the same way if such a technicality was used to abridge one of his rights in the constitution but hey he never let something like the constitution get in the way of doing what the minority thinks is right.

Fiesty and others seem to never learn their lesson from something called due process and innocent until proven guilty concepts in the constitution too. I guess they forget the Duke Lacrosse scandal and the rush to judgement while not waiting for the facts to actually come out. Fiesty and your gang, did you apologize and feel ashamed after you judged those kids too? If Zimmerman is guilty let it come out and let all the facts come out first.

Phinephancy, you have to know the answer to your question right? Japan doesnt have border and immigration (legal and illegal) issues like we have. They are completely homogenous who eat a very healthy diet in comparison to the typical US citizen. Our pharma needs are growing so fast as at my last employer the top 3 items causing the high double digit health annual expense growth were AIDs medications, lifestyle drugs which are defined as anti depressants, anti anxiety, birth control and similar drugs and ob/gyn. We also want these drugs heavily subsidized and dont seem to be willing to pay for them ourselves even though we use them.

David, great points on the Medical Lost Ratio.

The Affordable Care Act requires insurance companies to spend 80% to 85% (small and large businesses respectively),

"on medical care and health care quality improvement, rather than on administrative costs,
starting in 2011. If they don't, the insurance companies will be required to
provide a rebate to their customers starting in 2012."

(Before the ACA was implemented, it was the opposite way around, with Insurance Companies keeping 80% of our premiums, and then dickering with us about whether to spend the remaining 20% on us or NOT.)

Even by itself, this aspect of health care reform (ACA) keeps health care costs down massively.

Santorum was campaigning in Wisconsin and said he was very excited to stand here with Gov. Walker. Santorum goes on to say that Walker should be re-elected, not recalled. Rick Santorum attracted a lot of attention from a group of crazy looking people ? (Tea baggers)

IRANIAN PARTY! NO! My favorite extremist Muslim Shiite Cleric, Santorum, might be knocked out? Then I'll be left to choose between the other extremist Shiite Cleric, Romney or Chinese Chairman Obama.

Like I said in another thread, I think the Iranian party will start using kids as bombs against the Chinese. But if Santorum won the nomination, because he's so honest, he'd use his OWN kids as bombs to try to kill the Chinese.

If the Iranian terrorist party wins, they'll be assured of keeping their place of power in the Supreme court, but if the Chinese win, the moment one of those Mullahs who calls themselves a judge dies, you can bet they'll be replaced by a loyal communist party member.

But car bombs it is for the Iranian terrorist party that jokes when it calls itself Republicans. They've got to stop those Chinese!

Bev,

The numbers we are bombarded with 'against' health care reform - reflect the Faux disinformation goals of GOP/Koch politicians and their mouth pieces in the media.

The reality is that the component parts of the ACA are working. They have been clearly demonstrated to the American people - and they are POPULAR.

Even though it will not be fully implemented until 2014, the ACA is meeting our needs in HUGE and important ways. No more bankruptcy, no more insurance denial due to pre-exisiting conditions, etc.

Gingerbread Momma:

However, what we need to do before voting, so we are not played, is educate ourselves on the issues, read and research the subjects and not rely on the journalists or the media outlets, to provide us with their opinions that may play into our own beliefs, prejudices or mindset, yet not acquaint us with the cold hard facts.

Just look how the First Read pundits are judging the political impact on Obama's election chances if the voters find out how much they'll be hurt if the Supreme Court decides to destroy the health insurance system that's already been set up by the ACA. They didn't even bother to mention it. The impact of the political hijinks at the Supreme Court on real people doesn't factor into how the pundits judge political issues. The pundits evaluate political candidates like contenders on American Idol: who got egg on their face, who made a blunder, who sang off key.

Gingerbread Mamma: I too am flying Aeroflot and am quite excited to meet and talk with the commies. LoL.

Seriously though, I can't wait to go and am sure I will come home with wonderful memories that I will for certain share with you. Russians, Latino's, African Americans - they extend friendship and behave with more class and dignity than white GOP Americans. Especially the males. They're nothing but a bunch of empty headed bulllies.

And they think they can dictate to everybody else?

No way. We don't want nor need them.

Pat Boston MA.

Feisty, they are indeed racists. No point in sidestepping the issue any longer. They are racists.

It ALWAYS comes back to that! Can't you guys PLEASE find a new card to play? (this same old song and dance is so worn out!)

Everybody calls it racism, when it is simply all about God's chosen people. Mullah Santorum believes that doesn't include women, Mullah Romney thinks it does include corporations, and Chairman Obama doesn't believe in God, according to all the extremists.

I am so looking forward to the replacement of healthcare laws with cutting off hands. Its going to be hard to count money without hands, but I suppose that's a better idea than taking away the dollars of the wealthy. Can you imagine all those priviledged Democrats and Republicans teens trying to get their parents to drive them to their first day of way too expensive degree not mattering college? It'll be like a funeral procession in speed, there'll be so many handicapped tagged cars trying to get on campus.

(Before the ACA was implemented, it was the opposite way around, with Insurance Companies keeping 80% of our premiums, and then dickering with us about whether to spend the remaining 20% on us or NOT.)

Even by itself, this aspect of health care reform (ACA) keeps health care costs down massively.

________________________________________________

Outhouse: Got any credible, verifiable proof of that ridiculous statement, or is it just more lefty liberal wishful "thinking"??

Having done invesment research on health insurance companies in the past, I can assure you that you are completely and totally full of sh!t with that statement.

Sooo, was the individual mandate "Constitutional" when the Republicans PROPOSED it and were FOR it back in the 80's and 90's???Do they think this fact cannot be researched and proven???

The pure HYPOCRISY of this Party is unbelievable!!!

JAS1 and "others" will not address this point about their own party and therefore have no credibility whatsoever! Again, just empty words, blindly following the twists, turns, backpeddling, lies, contradictions and hypocrisy that their leaders and pundits command!

Kirk-2957282

Beverly, instead of partisan rants, why not understand the issue first? Insurance companies are not trying to get rid of Obamacare, they love it as it creates 50 million more people for them to administer insurance benefits for. Of course, if you poll people and say hey would you like all of these free goodies, what do you think they will say? What if you asked all of them and said do you want all of these benefits and here is the cost to you to pay for it, dont you think the answers might be different.

First of all, Kirk who are you to talk about understanding or polls. Clearly, you don't understand the law or the poll!!!

The law is already in effect for children and people with pre-existing conditions who would have been denied Their children can stay their polices until they are 26.

Secondly, without the public option the insurance companies still get a lot. Repealing it would be even more deleterious because no middle class or poor person would be able to pay the premiums. Not to mention the health of people being effected could be in epidemic portions; spreading diseases; as well as the health of the economy would be sickly as a result.

Lady with cancer thanking President Obama for healthcare since she had been denied pic

http://liberalvaluesblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Middle-Class-Mom-ObamaCare.jpg

Did you read the letter the lady wrote apologizing to President Obama for listening to right wing NOISE & LIES once she discovered Obamacare saved her life?

Finally: A poll released by Fairleigh Dickinson University on Monday found that people who get their news from Fox News know significantly less about news both in the U.S. and the world than people who watch no news at all

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-11-22/news/30431182_1_fox-news-results-show-viewers

Fox News Viewers are the Most Misinformed: A Seventh Study Arrives to Prove It

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/11/22/374434/fox-news-viewers-misinformed-study-jon-stewart/

Well the one of the things that came to light in the Trayvon incident is that it is ok to call Zimmerman a white Hispanic which makes it perfectly acceptable now to call the president a white Black or white African American without being classified as a racist. Only ignorant zealots would argue against that.

Joe,

How did your vote for Caarl "I'm Gonna Knock You Ouuuuuuut!" Paaladino turn out for you?

Not to good huh...

Joe, you wouldn't know what truth looked like if it struck you in the nose with Caarl's baseball bat.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HA!

The pundits evaluate political candidates like contenders on American Idol: who got egg on their face, who made a blunder, who sang off key.

Houston, very well said.

Paris.

The pure HYPOCRISY of this Party is unbelievable!!!

JAS1 and "others" will not address this point about their own party and therefore have no credibility whatsoever! Again, just empty words, blindly following the twists, turns, backpeddling, lies, contradictions and hypocrisy that their leaders and pundits command!

And that is different from the LEFT in what way? Unless you are willing to recognize the same about (what is apparently) your party... not only is your party full of hypocrites but you yourself are one too!

Think about it!

(show me the clown nose, fisty!)

THE SAD CASE OF TRAYVON MARTIN AND THE POLITICS OF RACE AND HATE HYSTERIA: AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY

As you all know, I am an investigator. I am also a state-certified Civil Rights investigator with more than a dozen years of experience. I am uniquely qualified to comment on this case and I would like to share some observations with you.

I feel sorry for the men and women who are trying to investigate the killing of Trayvon Martin. Their hands are tied and their efforts hampered by the foolish "Stand Your Ground" law which appears to protect the alleged shooter.

But their jobs are made so much MORE difficult by the hysteria from both the right and the left. Threats of vengeance, retaliation, racism, and demonstrations of support and outrage all over this country make their already difficult job nearly impossible.

How soon we forget that in America, a man is presumed innocent until proven guilty. That principle is the cornerstone of American justice and makes us somewhat unique in this world. In many countries, even in Europe, if the police get a warrant and arrest you for a crime they are assumed to have the goods on you and YOU are presumed GUILTY unless you can prove you are innocent. Just ask Amanda Knox about that, I'm sure she has a brand new appreciation for our quaint legal traditions.

You are all, left and right, acting like a lynch-mob. Screaming for justice at the top of your lungs when you don't have all the facts. You weren't there. You don't know. No justice, not for Martin and not for Zimmerman, can come from hysteria.

There is plenty of blame to go around. The author of the "Stand your ground" law, the men and women who voted for it and the Governor who signed it into law are all to blame. George Zimmerman is to blame, for not following police instructions to back off. Trayvon Martin is to blame for apparently taking a short-cut through a gated community. To the dozens of black and white politicians like Jesse Jackson and others who rush to the center of the controversy to be seen in the spotlights glow and thereby pour gasoline on the fires of this tragedy, they are all to blame.

Shame on you all.

Let the police do their jobs.

None of this will bring Trayvon Martin back. It only fuels the racial distrust and polarization of both black and white Americans when we are on the verge of real progress in area of Civil Rights and equality.

No one is going to be satisfied by the results of this investigation. There is no video, there is no reliable eye-witness to the actual event. We have a dead 17 year old boy, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and a sad, frightened man with a gun who thought he was protecting his community. In the end the "Stand you ground" law will probably protect George Zimmerman from prosecution. And that will anger the black community and the left. If it doesn't and Zimmerman is charged and convicted it will outrage elements of the white community and the right.

You'll have a situation exactly like the one we have in Oklahoma City where a white pharmacist shot and killed a teenage robber. He was tried and convicted of murder and now there are petition drives demanding that the governor pardon him and threats by the legislature to pass a bill legalizing what he did and so much more. None of it is appropriate. All of it threatens to undermine our legal system. The individual in question was tried and convicted by a JURY OF HIS PEERS. His appeal is working it's way through the system.

People, let the system work.

Trayvon Martin may have had his rights taken from him by the senseless act of an individual who may have thought he was acting under the color of law. Justice will not be served by now taking the alleged shooters right to a presumption he is innocent as well as the right to his day in court.

"But you who philosophize disgrace, and criticize all fears,

Tear the rag away from your face, now ain't the time for your tears."

The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carrol, by Bob Dylan

[A poll released by Fairleigh Dickinson University on Monday found that people who get their news from Fox News know significantly less about news both in the U.S. and the world than people who watch no news at all.]

This is because Fox "news" lies...

http://www.philly2philly.com/politics_community/politics_community_articles/2009/6/29/4854/fox_news_wins_lawsuit_misinform_public

http://www.recreatingtampa.com/2010/12/the-right-to-lie-and-call-it-news/

http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/11-the-media-can-legally-lie/

The Fox "newsies" should ask Rupert to kiss them...after all, who doesn't like being kissed while they are getting screwed...

Paris: Sooo, was the individual mandate "Constitutional" when the Republicans PROPOSED it and were FOR it back in the 80's and 90's???

Unlikely.

Paris: JAS1 and "others" will not address this point about their own party and therefore have no credibility whatsoever!

I'd be just as much against it if a Republican cooked it up.

Does that help you Paris?

JoAnnaSmith1

The havoc was created by a Democratic House and a Democratic Senate that did not perform the due diligence necessary to provide the country with a constitutional piece of legislation.

The ACA if and when it's fully implemented will block insurance companies from denying people coverage if they have preexisting conditions. It already permits parents to let their adult children stay on the parents' insurance plan until age 26. To you, that is "havoc"?

There are other positive things already provided I won't bother to repeat them, since they were the whole point of my post #1.53 to which you responded. But your response studiously ignores the subject that I actually was talking about because you never let facts penetrate your hermetically sealed skull if they don't fit with your belief system. Don't you realize that people have already figured that out about you?

From Day 1 the Individual Mandate was constitutionally flimsy at best.

Please point out where in the Constitution it says "Congress shall make no law requiring people to buy stuff." Also, please explain why our very first president, George Washington required people to buy stuff -- muskets and ammunition. Should Washington be impeached postmortem for trampling on the Constitution at its very beginning?

Joe, Backhouse has never let the facts get in the way of spreading his disinformation.

Beverly, have you no ability to think for yourself? Need to cite left wing radical web pages and other disinformation and who cares about Fox News as not sure what that has to do with anything. Your response on insurance companies was nonsensical. Insurance companies will make much more with ACA than having it constitutionally repealed and using them as a scapegoat is typical democratic machine politics. Think for yourself and try to comprehend what your parrot from someone else first. Of course the benefits from ACA like preexisting conditions and coverage for dependants to 26 is already in place and mandated and of course people like it because they think they are getting it for free as other people are paying for it. The real question that the polls should ask is do you want all of these inclusions (not editorializing as to whether I think they are good or not) and here is the bill you are going to pay for it. The answers will change in the polls. Its like asking someone in your local town, "Do you want to have a community swimming pool, community festival every night with free beer and food? I am sure the answer will be at least 80% yes but if you said "Do you want a community swimming pool a festival every night with free beer and food but your property taxes are going to go up $2000 every year, then the answer is going to go way down and depend on how many people think its worth it. So yes your cited poll is nonsensical.

Houston!

I really hope we get the soft shoe dance routine with that W endorsement. Man, those were some GOOD ole' days, eh?

NOT!

Paris -- So true. What say JAS1, Bill Fairfax, WCA, NJNB etc. on the issue of mandates being a republican idea pushed by a very conservative think tank for decades?

Conservatives are nurturing hypocrites and liars. Replacing the intelligent and reasoned amongst them. Too bad. We need a two party system, but you have to have thinkers and doers to make the system work. Not deniers and naysayers. Where are all the real republicans and how come they are allowing the dumbing down of their party and electorate? Where art thou? Wake up please.

Damage123

Pat, Boston- You need to ask your friend Feisty Dumbfux if she is doing as much in Chicago as you are doing in Boston to help stop the EPIDEMIC of Black people murdering each other. Surely she can't be doing all the work that YOU are, right?

Brain Damage

W-T-F are you doing to help Black people?

Let me suggest you start by not repeating right wing, racist, LIES, & Spin. Also, you could vote for Democratic judges and legislators who don't espouse Pre-civil war and Jim Crow laws.

Excellent post Skip.

I applaud your comment. Calmer heads need to be prevail over further vigilante mentality.

I watched the O'Donnell program last night as well as Maddow and more. Lawrence once again had a terrific program with some very enlightening thoughts because of his questions and the people he chose to have on the program.

People need to remember that Zimmerman's father is a retired judge from VA who lives in an upscale area near Sanford. Because of his former stature two of the highest ranking people on the side of law enforcement went to the scene of the crime in the wee hours of the morning. Any investigation can be difficult. When someone is connected to a prominent person and involved in a crime, it will make the job of those investigating more time consuming as the try to make certain that every i is dotted and every t is crossed before making an arrest.

The last thing that anyone would want at this point would be to have Zimmerman arrested and during trial have anything that could convict thrown out or dismissed because the police/investigators rushed their findings and/or became overzelous and failed to obtain everything they could use to make their case or tainted any form of evidence/procedure because of haste.

Kirk,

The Disinformer-In-Chief.

Clara KCMO

Houston!

I really hope we get the soft shoe dance routine with that W endorsement. Man, those were some GOOD ole' days, eh?

NOT!

Good morning, Clara

It's so amazing how the Bushes try to remain relevant. When are you coming back to Chicago?

Interesting how many white people will now downplay the fact that Zimmerman's father is white and give priority to his mother's heritage as they only call him hispanic. Yet the "birthers" were downplaying Mr. Obama's mothers's heritage all together.

ANYWAY, here are some facts about inter-racial categories and dynamics within the Hispanic community. Hopefully the education will penetrate through the hate of some who post such racial ignorance on this site....(ok, not you, but the "other" people)...you know who they are!

There is such a thing as a white Hispanic. In the Hispanic community, black Hispanics experience racism with other white Hispanics!

White Hispanics - most of the people you would think of as Hispanics (JLo, Eva Longoria, Salma Hayek, Penelope Cruz)

Brown Hispanics - George Lopez

Black Hispanics - Tatyana Ali, Rosario Dawson, Sammy Davis Jr, Dania Ramierez, Christina Milian, Zoe Saldana, Juan Williams, Alex Rodriguez

*Mixed White Hispanics - Christina Aguilera, Alexis Bledel, Carmen Diaz, GEORGE ZIMMERMAN

Do Christina Aguilera, Alexis Bledel, and Carmen Diaz look "Hispanic" to you? No they all look like they could pass for white.

One is a race (white/brown/black) and the other is an ethnic group (Hispanic/African-American)

Hope this helps some. Now carry on......

DCIA--I am socially liberal but maybe I can step in and answer your question. What difference does it make if the individual mandate is a republican idea or conservative think tank idea? Economically the individual mandate makes sense and if ACA had structured it as a tax similarly to the payroll tax that pays for social security, then it would have worked. The individual mandate works if people are forced to pay a tax and then the government uses that money to subsidize health care for the uninsured in some manner. The issue is forcing individuals to buy private insurance from a private company. You have to understand the constitutional issues with that and even see the slippery slope that causes. What if the next republican president created an individual mandate requiring all people to purchase a handgun from a private retailer or pay a fine in the interests of protecting interstate commerce. My guess is the progressives on here would hate that but it would be constitutionally legal if ACA is too. This isnt a GOP or democratic issue its a constitutional issue.

Beverly in Chicago

Brain Damage

W-T-F are you doing to help Black people?

Bev,

Why do we always have to 'help Black people'?

Why don't Black people stand up on their own two feet and help themselves? Act like adults and stop blaming people for your woes!

Sorry... but I am sooooooo tired of the victim mentality!

And while we are at it, Bev... what about 'other' people of color? You only want help for Black people? Sounds racist to me!

(Now... throw your hate my way... it's really what you do BEST!)

(show me the clown nose, fisty!)

Supreme court expert Sir Jeffrey Segal of Stony Brook University and the whole law school said this would be slam dunk to see this health care law Voted down and goes on to say they have forgotten the lesson of the SC Conservative wing deciding the Presidential election in Bush v. Gore.

Houston: To you, that is "havoc"?

Houston, again, the havoc is that the Democrats produced a bill that is unconstitutional. They caused the havoc. In their rush to legislate, they did not perform the necessary examinations of their bill to verify that it was constitutional. The blame is squarely on them.

Now justices like Ruth Bader Ginsburg are trying to salvage pieces of that legislation. But that's not what the Judaical branch does. That is not what unelected officials are supposed to do. That in fact is Judaical activism at it's worst. The entire bill needs to be rejected and the elected officials in Congress need to do a better job at coming up with a solution.

Houston: Please point out where in the Constitution it says "Congress shall make no law requiring people to buy stuff."

The proof isn't for me to make, but for you to make. Please point out in the Constitution where it says "Congress can force people to buy stuff". Re-watch C-Spans coverage of the SC hearings if you want more details. They were clearly laid out.

The people of Pennsylvania said they don't want Santorum back in their state, let him go to Iran for his Votes.

But how is Congress going to come up with a solution when the Judicial Branch makes the laws now?

Alito and Roberts need to remember to pray to Mecca for guidance, and grow out their beards. Sotomayor needs to get her military uniform on.

Backhouse--huh? I didnt call the constitution a technicality and I certainly didnt make up all those false lies about insurance companies and ACA health care expense savings so could you provide me with the disinformation I provided? Oh I know your classic response when someone calls you out is I am not going to play your game which really means your the kid that gets picked last on the playground and says let me have my ball I am going home.

Paris and Bev--didnt you learn your lesson from the Duke Lacrosse scandal? If Zimmerman is guilty and a bad person let the facts play out otherwise you are doing presuming guilt without knowing the facts. I think its great that pressure is being put on the police and investigators to discover the truth but presuming and rushing to judgement on racial issues and guilt just create needless horrible miscarriages of justice.

I can assure you that you are completely and totally full of sh!t with that statement.

You're exactly right, Joe. It's astonishing what these people convince themselves is the truth. For all their bluster about relying on facts and thinking for themselves, they just make up whatever stuff they need to support their narrative.

I do not see the right's insistance on defending the actions of Zimmermand. Defending his rights under the law are one thing but his action taken that night is not one that should be so easily accepted.

As far as the decision First Read has it right Mit Rommney does not have a leg to stand on to take advantage of this. It is as simple as that.

SOB, ever the juvenile, I see.

(show me the clown nose, fisty!)

You and fist-y seen any good movies lately? Santorum wants to outlaw them, you know.

So, Outhouse: Got Proof???

Or not???

(Before the ACA was implemented, it was the opposite way around, with Insurance Companies keeping 80% of our premiums, and then dickering with us about whether to spend the remaining 20% on us or NOT.)

Even by itself, this aspect of health care reform (ACA) keeps health care costs down massively.

________________________________________________

Outhouse: Got any credible, verifiable proof of that ridiculous statement, or is it just more lefty liberal wishful "thinking"??

Having done invesment research on health insurance companies in the past, I can assure you that you are completely and totally full of sh!t with that statement.

Sick of the bickering,

I believe you have taken Bev's comment to Damage out of context since she was responding to a specific comment he made. jmo.

Nevertheless, I do agree with your point that "Black people stand up on their own two feet and help themselves". There are many ills in the black community that are their own fault and can only be fixed by the black community as a whole. HOWEVER, there are still many outside factors that continue to disadvantage the black community for reasons outside of their control. Many of these continue to stem from historical institutional racism, generational poverty, unequal education, and unequal access to opportunties. Majority of African Americas are still experiencing in this generation of young people, the first to go to college, the first to afford homes, the first wave of corporate and professional opportunites in large numbers still very disproportionate to white Americans. Many, many "firsts" still happening as a result of previous generations of oppression and denied access.

So agreed, African Americans have to move beyond a life that has been determined by past events and embrace the opportunites which are increasingly becoming available today and foward. But, please don't understimate this process for an entire community of people. White America had a 300 year head start on Freedom, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness in this country. Not saying it will take blacks that long, but it still will not happen overnight (old ways of thinking & habits of survival from generation to generation are slow to change). And unfortunately there still are many people in this country who harbor those racist oppressive views which hinder racial progress in this country.

@Backhouse - Oh joy, we have Kirk back lecturing you about lifestyle drugs and lecturing David on how the real health care system works. I didn't realize HIV, depression, or diabetes was a lifestyle choice. But now that I am informed, I am going to wake up tomorrow, turn over a new leaf, and decide to live a lifestyle of low blood sugar, and my big plan for the weekend is a bout with depression. Next month, I am thinking about having a psychotic breakdown, although I'm not sure that qualifies as a 'lifestyle'.

Damn! What a country! Pile so weak ( Romney ) It does emit much of a smell. Therefore, the republicans (smells) have to go (Rubio) to the pile. Once there, no particular distinction (all republicans) between one stench over the other.

A very ugly bastard (Zimmerman) kills a 17 year old kid in Florida because He doesn't like the kids looks, then tries to justify it by claiming his ugliness was caused by the kid hitting him. The local police buy it yet!

The House republican ticks, led by Wisconsin's, Paul Ryan have crawled to another place on the underbelly of the national body, proposing the whole swarm settle in, pierce, and blood suck there, proving once again, all these sons-a-bitches are ever gonna give us is a national carcass. They all need to be either poisoned, or pulled and squashed.

Everyone is all excited over how the SCOTUS may rule on the ACA. No point to such passion. As long as we have Scalia, Thomas, and Roberts we must endure the possibility of a ruling that says the persuasions of the individual shall always trump the collective betterment of all, or more precisely put; We must rule as our masters wish. Toward that though, they may very well rule as the government wishes.

Meanwhile the country continues. President Obama leads forward as the republicans eat at the national ass.

Oh joy, we have Kirk back lecturing you about lifestyle drugs and lecturing David on how the real health care system works

Kirky reminds me of a mosquito at a picnic - buzzing around, looking for a place to drop his little stinger... while constantly getting slapped around!

To all those who might support Mr. Zimmerman's right to defend himself according to Fla. Law, but, does not that same law apply to Trevon? Was he not "Standing his Ground" against an armed man that had been following him?

So, in my opinion even if he did punch Zimmerman; he was doing it legally and his rights should be upheld too. In fact would he not be the one who was most threatened all along? He did not have a gun in fact the only weapon he had if used was his right under the law.

There is not an argument for not arresting Zimmerman, he pursued an innocent person with a loaded gun even after he was told to not do that by the police.

Thanks Sameo, I wish more people felt the way you do. Sadly, we are not a rational species. Just look at our politics. What a mess.

Natural selection will deal with us as it has the other failed experiments in life on Earth. Sadly, for all our great big giant brains, our run as the dominant species won't come anywhere near that of the dinosaurs.

Sad, isn't it? Think of all we could have accomplished if we'd talk more and yell less. Hopefully the inevitable end will come before we spread this madness to the stars. I for one welcome our new insect overlords. They can't be any worse than the Republicans.

Obama/Biden 2012

Thank you Paris for explainign what is obvious. I do not see where anyone denies the fact that high crime rates and other negative figures amongst blacks is disturbing. I do not see what waving this point in our face does either. There are too many factors involve to pin point fault on that and the solutions are far too complex to solve easily, especially with mentalaties of mistrust (some more severe than others [racism]) on both sides.

That is why event such as the incdidents in Chicago do not relate. Black on black crime is a speparte matter and should not be brought up as a counter to this case. This case was one where Zimmerman decided to follow a young boy. Though I cannot prove he did this because of race his language in the police call would supporty my OPINION that he did. Separate from that the facts are unkown what happened next, I remember from when I first heard the story before many more details came out that who know's what happens after the confrontation. There was no end to end witness besides Zimmerman. Now that there is an investigation I am not as upset as I was before about it hopefully the justice system can sort this mess out. If not, my condolences to the family.

@Bill - Apparently, according to Florida law, you only have the right to defend if you are carrying a gun. If you are carrying scary Skittles, you loose your right to defend.

Kirk - The individual mandate works if people are forced to pay a tax and then the government uses that money to subsidize health care for the uninsured in some manner.

Fellow libs why so much hate on Kirk? Actually I agree with some of what he posted. I would have much rather had a public option to help address competition and perhaps bring down costs. Universal health care would have been better with a tax taken directly from pay checks.

Make no mistake, I don't believe in getting something for free. IMO, Obama and the Democrats made the mistake by going with the individual mandate, then they blundered further by fearing the word "tax". They feared what would happen if HCR would require people being taxed. Yes the mandate could have looked better in the eyes of the press, people and perhaps the justices if the administration admitted the mandate was a tax.

Maybe they shouldn't have tried to promote the ACA's number one virtue as cost savings. Yes it can help prevent costs by catching illness because of easier access to preventative and early screening, but all in all this ACA law will not help reduce the deficit. Perhaps it is simplistic, but I think they should have said, we are helping people. People will be able to get insurance who can not. It will not neccesarily making it cheaper for them only more accessible. There will be benefits and rules changed to make things better but it will cost money. I would've been happy to pay for that type of ACA. However, they tried to have it both ways saying that it would save money and would do it without a cost. They were afraid the word "tax" would drive votes in Congress and the voting public away.

The dems may very well pay the price if it dies. Perhaps I seem bitter, but we will never get that chance again. Not in my lifetime not in the lifetime of my child. If the mandate is deemed unconstitutional, the law will be scrapped. The new Congress will not replace it. Although Repubs may hoop and holler and congragulate themselves those that saw a brief glimmer of hope, (the uninsured and uninsurable) will be left behind.

JoAnnaSmith1

Houston: To you, that is "havoc"?

Houston, again, the havoc is that the Democrats produced a bill that is unconstitutional.

Gee, I didn't know you were an expert on the Constitution. What do we need a Supreme Court for when you can solve these weighty issues all by your lonesome?

They caused the havoc. In their rush to legislate, they did not perform the necessary examinations of their bill to verify that it was constitutional. The blame is squarely on them.

You're STILL pretending you didn't see what was posted about the serious damage that will done if the Supreme Court rules against the ACA. That's typical. You just repeat what you think is some zinger like your crap about "havoc" and then ignore all else.

Houston: Please point out where in the Constitution it says "Congress shall make no law requiring people to buy stuff."

The proof isn't for me to make, but for you to make. Please point out in the Constitution where it says "Congress can force people to buy stuff". Re-watch C-Spans coverage of the SC hearings if you want more details. They were clearly laid out.

I asked you first. Conservatives used to complain that more liberal Supreme Court invented a right to privacy that's not stated explicitly in the Constitution, even though the Fourth Amendment's statement that "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated" is, in fact exactly the same thing as a right to privacy. But now Conservatives inventing a new right that was violated by our very first president when he required citizens to buy muskets and ammunition another point you're studiously ignoring.

Although Repubs may hoop and holler and congragulate themselves those that saw a brief glimmer of hope, (the uninsured and uninsurable) will be left behind.

@YellowDog - I would add it isn't just he uninsured/uninsurable, it is everyone. If we lose are jobs, we lose our insurance. We all suffer under the pre-conditions baloney. If the law is scrapped, we all lose.

RedDev - Yeah we all lose :{

You don't need the ACA to do these

1) Insurance can no longer deny care due to Pre-existing conditons - 85% of all Americans are in favor of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

This would pass tomorrow in almost any congress

2) Children can stay on their parents' healthcare plan - 68% of all Americans in favor of the ACA.

Really extends what was already there by 2 years - this too would have passed about any congress if proposed by itself.

3) For seniors, closing the donut hole on payments for medications - 77% of all Americans in favor.

Again, Everyone agrees this should be done - it also, would pass if it was a bill all by itself.

Putting all these goodies was to get people to accept what they didn't want - an individual mandate and government control of the system.

What this amounts to is thowing a couple of cyanide pills into the party punch that you are giving people for "free" from someone elses money.

Houston: You're STILL pretending you didn't see what was posted about the serious damage that will done if the Supreme Court rules against the ACA.

Congress got it wrong Houston. Pure and simple. It's the job of the Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of the laws passed by Congress. Upholding the Constitution is what is important to the SC. It's the job of Congress to get the legislation correct. Any damage from Congress's failure to do their job is the fault of the Congress, not the Supreme Court.

Houston: I asked you first.

Houston, the powers of the federal government are enumerated in the Constitution. Debated this week by the Supreme Court was the question of if the federal government could forcibly compel people to purchase a product they may not want. From the debate and questioning that took place, that answer is appears to be no. You're going to have to deal with that fact.

Houston, what you are advocating is that an unconstitutional law be kept because it may be damaging in some way to some one. That begs the question of what other unconstitutional laws should we allow for the same reason? And if we do that, why even have a Constitution?

That's not how it works in this country, and we can be thankful for that.

Wow! One day after the Supreme Court held it's hearings and the lefty libs are ALREADY pointing their fingers at the right. There's blame, accusation, and the newest one I've heard yet... it's a republican bill. I almost fell off my chair when I read that.

Liberals will never, ever, ever take blame for their screw ups. If they screw up, it's always the republican's fault. What a bunch of maroons. Liberals, you screwed up on the ACA. Period! It was a terrible bill, too restrictive and it opens up so much government intrusion into our lives, we'd lose a lot of freedom.

Well we can be assured, since the lefty libs want such a bill, this is exactly what they want for the American public. What a bunch of hateful people.

Hi, skip.

Your post @1.79:

Very thoughtful and very insightful. I’d like to share a little something with you…

My son is 18 years old. As an African American father…as an American who has served in this nation's military to defend (and if necessary, die for) the rights of all its citizens…as a human being with a willingness to serve others and a faith in God that knows no creed or color…I have to say that, if there is any justice at all in this country...then the alleged (and admitted) shooter of this young man must be brought to justice.

I try, as best I am able, to instill in my son a clear sense of what is right and what is wrong. In spite of this nation's shameful legacy of slavery and Jim Crow laws and segregated social policies, I've always tried to give to my son the sense that his life is worth something. I want him to feel and understand and know that he does not have to live in a place where anything except what kind of man he is, not what kind of man he looks like, will be used by his fellows to measure his worth.

If I say nothing publically about something as tragically senseless as this, then I would be lying to everyone I know (white man and black man, Jew and gentile, old and young, rich and poor) when I say I believe in this country. I'd be lying to my son when I tell him that you do what's right, not what's easiest or what's comfortable. I'd be lying to myself when I say that the promise of this country far exceeds its failures. I'd be lying to God when I tell Him in my prayers I will seek His face in all my dealings, and that His word will order my steps all the days of my life.

I am not a black person who seeks to shame or denigrate any caucasian person in this country, and I certainly don’t ascribe all of the inherent and proffered difficulties that come from the black experience in America to lie solely at the feet of those whose ancestors left a particularly difficult mess for them to have to clean up, in reconciliation. And as someone with your professional experience in civil rights must know, the paranoia of black people in this country towards law enforcement (particularly at the local level, as in this instance) is not founded on figments of imagination. You know that, unfortunately, there have been both overt and covert rules which a black person must comport and conduct himself in this country.

And after having said all that, I must also believe in due process afforded to all in the country. What I personally believe about this senseless tragedy must be secondary to the pursuit (such as there can be with such a horrendously processed case as this) of what can be considered justice. Unfortunately, justice often cannot be conveyed in strictly legal terms. Not when the charges and guardians and dispensers of that justice operate from so calloused and slanted an emotional, social and psychological bent as the Sanford Police Department largely did in this instance.

Sooner or later, I believe that the only way we can continue to improve race relations in this country, is to do so one person at a time.

In the greetings we offer one another. In the courtesy of holding a door open for someone. In the quaintness of a simple handshake or smile.

In simply living our lives with dignity and respect for one another.

We all will find precisely what it is we’re looking for in this life, Skip. You know this, I believe.

I would hope we would look for the truth. But I’m afraid we’ll have to make due with facts. Too many of the facts currently available will not serve justice, I’m afraid. The young man is dead. Unnecessarily and undeservedly so. And, as has all too often been the case where the law is concerned, the law cannot itself reveal or convey intent: simply collate facts to meet the requirement the law. It is what we do as a civilized society. What we MUST do. I acknowledge that.

The only burden that must be met, skip, is the burden of proof.

Thank you Marcoo, I am a bit younger than you but believe very much in what you eloquently said. It is a hard feeling to put in words and you did a most excellent job. I too try to solve it the same way one greeting to another one person at a time. Not with the idea of returning the hate of those who cast their opinions on me but with the hope of possibly changing it.

The events over the past two weeks are shaping up very well, indeed, for political moderates.

- Newt Gingrich has been relegated to a footnote in history - a very good thing.
- Ronald Reagan has finally been moved to the dustbin of history - the era of Reagan is over at long last - an excellent development.
- The evangelical extremists have demonstrated that obtaining salvation by attacking women's wombs is only a perverted view of the world. The country finally is beginning to understand that finding Jesus in women's underwear is not exactly mainstream religion. Is shouting "Oh, God ..." in church really religious?
- Progressive ideas are in the news again. Progressives are REAL Republicans - not Democrats as the RWNJ would have you believe. Maybe there is a chance that the Republican Party will actually begin to heal itself.
- There is a very real possibility that the ACA 'Obamacare' will be struck down. Obamacare is the biggest obstacle to enacting true health care reform - single payer, universal health care. SCOTUS striking down Obamacare simply means that the RWNJ cannot obstruct universal health care with any market based alternatives. Health care reform will be demanded by the voting public - avoiding reform is NOT an option.
- SCOTUS striking down the individual mandate will be the greatest protection of Social Security ever provided by the court. It will not be possible to 'privatize' Social Security if the individual mandate is determined to be un-Constitutional.
- The gun nuts are on the defensive. 'Defending' yourself with a firearm does not allow anyone to act like an idiot - and - the country is beginning to see exactly how an armed idiot behaves. Is the NRA simply a club for idiot gun owners? Maybe this will force the NRA to clean up its act and rejoin the mainstream.
- The Republicans are rallying around the 'next worst President in US history'. Romney provides the pathway to minimizing (or hopefully eliminating) the influence of the RWNJ on political discourse.

Overall, a very good two weeks for rational people with moderate views. Keep up the good work!

Beverly...put the bong down. Jackson and Sharpton are self-serving opportunist hypocrites. Remember when those Rugby players from Duke were accused of raping a black female stripper at a frat party about 4 years ago? Well good ol' Jesse and Al descended on that scene like flies on sh*t...started foaming at the mouth and bringing all kinds of heat on the Rugby players. As it turned out, the stripper LIED about everything. Of course, an apology from the two opportunists to the Rugby players was nowhere to be found!

marc00 -- I salute you good sir. What an eloquent thoughtful perspective you bring to the table. Carry on soldier. May you continue to be an example of goodness.

Regards.

JoAnnaSmith

Houston, the powers of the federal government are enumerated in the Constitution.

Where in the Constituion does it say that George Washington could force people to buy guns and ammo? Was he just another out-of-control tyrant trying to steal our liberty?

From the debate and questioning that took place, that answer is appears to be no. You're going to have to deal with that fact.

The Supreme Court also ruled that an escaped slave named Dred Scott had to be returned to his master. We've had to deal with the ramifications of THAT fact for 150 years.

Houston, what you are advocating is that an unconstitutional law be kept because it may be damaging in some way to some one.

It will be damaging to LOTS of people in the ways that I enumerated and that you ignored. As for your claim that it's unconstitutional, it looks like at least four Supreme Court Justices don't agree with you. And Justice Kennedy and even Roberts expressed concern about the chaos that would be unleashed if they struck down the entire law. But they're not experts at Constitutional law like you are.

That begs the question of what other unconstitutional laws should we allow for the same reason? And if we do that, why even have a Constitution?

Yeah, why do we need a Constitution if a majority on the Supreme Court can just dictate to the other two branches of the government? Why do we NEED those other two branches, at least when they're not controlled by Republicans?

Skip and marc00, Thank you both for very thoughtful posts.

Houston: It will be damaging to LOTS of people in the ways that I enumerated and that you ignored. As for your claim that it's unconstitutional, it looks like at least four Supreme Court Justices don't agree with you. And Justice Kennedy and even Roberts expressed concern about the chaos that would be unleashed if they struck down the entire law. But they're not experts at Constitutional law like you are.

Now you're just hoping. Must be the Hope part in "Hope and Change". I can appreciate your anger, Obama and the Democrats in Congress have really bungled this one. The Judicial branch is one third of the government, and they don't dictate anything Houston, they just rule on the constitutionality of the laws the Congress writes. Too bad the Democrats and Obama got it wrong. What's even worse is Obama is a constitutional lawyer, correct? He should know better.

The entire law needs to be struck down. It's not up to Supreme Court justices to pick and choose what parts they think are good, and eliminate the parts they think are bad. Doing so is judicial activism at it's worst. The job of legislating belongs with Congress.

Houston: Yeah, why do we need a Constitution if a majority on the Supreme Court can just dictate to the other two branches of the government? Why do we NEED those other two branches, at least when they're not controlled by Republicans?

Now you're getting just as incoherent as the Solicitor General Virilli. Wow that guy had a bad week. He even had the liberal judges prompting him to try and get him back on track. It was embarrassing to watch Virilli thrash around, kind of like you're doing right now.

Smiff,

Too bad the Democrats and Obama got it wrong. What's even worse is Obama is a constitutional lawyer, correct? He should know better.

God, you're so tiresome. First, the law hasn't been struck down--and it may not be. If it isn't, what are you going to say then? Second, Obama didn't write the law; the House did. He had input, but he didn't get all he wanted, and there were things in the law he didn't want. So stop speaking nonsense. Third, No one ever knows when they write a new, large, complex piece of legislation whether challenges to it will be successful. With the exception of constitutional law expert Smiff, apparently.

It's not up to Supreme Court justices to pick and choose what parts they think are good, and eliminate the parts they think are bad. Doing so is judicial activism at it's worst.

Not so. I'm not an expert on constitutional law, but I've studied the subject, and the one thing the Court has always tried to do is rule as narrowly as possible. True judicial activism would be to strike down the entire law--the very opposite of what you are suggesting.

This is why I don't get into it with you. You simply don't know what you're talking about half the time ("half the time" is being generous).

Beverly, @1.41

b. the Uncle Tom going on FOX NOISE calling Rev's Al & Jackson race baiters. I need to know why is he a an-ex NAACP leader.

c. the other the Uncle Tom, a former CNN anchor, making rounds talking about he is a friend of Zimmerman.

Uncle Toms need to see the light. They are the ones helping to hold the Black race and this country back.

This is as racist as it gets people, "Uncle Tom" in its common meaning is a term used by black people for the "Whitey lovers" in their midsts, identical meaning and usage to the term "@!$%#-lover"

And you all are crying that racism should end when you are the largest proponents of continuing and perpetuating it!

Shame on all of you!

Thanks Yellowdog--not sure why I all the libs attack me for every post but if you dont toe the party line, then you must not be included in the club I guess. Fiesty, can you point out the post in which I got slapped around after using my stinger? So far, I havent gotten a single slap because I havent posted anything that was worthy of a slap just pointing out factual points that dont seem to be known or considered before some partisan based rant. For example, Houston, you keep talking about our first president requiring citizens to buy muskets and ammo as a case precedent for the individual mandate. Besides the absurdity of someone using precedent from 200 years ago from progressives who believe the constitution is a living breathing document that must change with the times, that was under a different clause and wasnt under the interstate commerce clause. Obama is trying to say the individual mandate is constitutional because of the feds ability to regulate interstate commerce. Just because Obama had a noble ambition that ended up in a failed bill that doesnt do what he intended doesnt make it constitutional. There are some good things in ACA and some bad and some very bad. I personally would keep it and wish both parties had the political will to address the issues that need to be changed in a fashion that is best for this country but that wont happen. But if you cant see that there are some bad things in ACA or that it truly does stretch constitutional boundries then you are no better than the right wingers on this board that are unwilling to admit there are some parts of the bill.

Jacky boy: This is why I don't get into it with you. You simply don't know what you're talking about half the time ("half the time" is being generous)

Jacky, didn't you have me on ignore? Make it so, will you?

After that you can get back to your one-liner idiot comments and cheer-leading of others like the Dumb Fux. I can't say you don't know what you're talking about, mainly because you never say anything. You don't like what I write, then don't read it. Or are you too boneheaded to scroll by it?

JoAnnaSmith1'

-- Lots of ranting and raving, and repeating, but no explanation of why President George Washington could mandate citizens to buy weapons under the US Constitution while President Obama cannot mandate they buy health insurance. No explanation of why the opinions of the progressives on the Supreme Court count less than her own. No explanation of where in the Constitution it says that Washington and Obama couldn't do what they did. And total indifference to the millions of people who are going to be hurt if the Supreme Court decides to wreck the system already set up by the ACA. Delusions of grandeur, much?

Houston,

Agreed.

Smiff,

I said you were wrong and explained why. But you didn't respond to my comments, did you?

Nice work Houston & Jack!

You reduced Sniffy to a incoherant hot mess begging for people to ignore her... ☺

Sounds like poor Sniffy finally admitted she's a goof only good for a cheap laugh!

It will be fun watching her & her minions unravel like a cheap sweater as the election grows closer! lmao

*popcorn*

To David Walker: To add more heat to your furnace; The ceo of united healthcare took home $128,000,000 in 2007 while the company denied life saving funds for procedures to save lives. the fact that We DO NOT have AnAmerican NationalHealthcare system while we FULLY FUND Israel's, amongst the best in the world, along with Political Sewage like TheVomitorium for ANY public Office, Is a National Disgrace. But Oohh what an innocent face!! so Wholesome, He could NEVER do anything Unsavory......could he?????????????

PhantomBeast:

Oh, but there's more. When the Senate Finance Committee was writing the Health Care Reform Bill, its chair was Senator Max Baucus (D-Corporate-owned sellout). The main staff position on this was a woman name Liz Fowler. She wrote the the government report that provided the foundation for the legislation.

Liz Fowler was the former head lobbyist for - DRUM ROLL, PLEASE - WellPoint. This link will leave you seething. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WellPoint.

The career politicians have to go and they have to go right now. I have a great respect for institutional memory, but our Congress is so damned corrupt, these guys have to be thrown out.

I came late to the boards but Bev, Feisty, et al, Zimmerman showed absolutely NO signs of any altercation with Trayvon. Even if he chose not to go to the hospital, if his nose was broken as claimed, it would be swollen and red. It was clear nothing was wrong with his nose.I'm guessing that is why he's in hiding. Wouldn't do for him to be seen in public without any injuries would it?

And, to those who keep screaming about Al Sharpton, Jesse jackson, President Obama, weighing in - how short are your memories or are they just selective? Both Romney and Santorum said an in-depth investigation needed to be done. Of course they were just covering their a**es!

As for the Healthcare program - I never try to guess this Supreme Court's actions. Who knows how hard the right is trying to buy off Alito, Scalia, etc. It's really frightening that they serve for life!

*** So much for Simpson-Bowles' popularity: Last night, the House defeated -- by a 38-382 vote-- a budget amendment on the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles recommendations. ... What was more cynically sad were the statements of praise from folks like Paul Ryan and Steny Hoyer about the vote on Bowles-Simpson, even as both of them voted AGAINST the legislation. In addition, the House also defeated -- by a 0-414 vote-- President Obama's budget. But a caveat here: The House didn't vote on the president's budget, per se; it voted on a summary of the numbers in an amendment offered by GOP Rep. Mick Mulvaney. Bottom line: It was a political gimmick.

How do these Teapublican jagoffs like Paul Ryan sleep at night, look in the mirror, show their faces in public, etc.?

RE: ACA -- If the entire law is struck down, would this make me turn my back on the president and vote for Romney? Hahahaha! Uh, NO. Obama/Biden - 2012!

RE: Video of Zimmerman... Agreed that he was very calm after taking human life--certainly not shook up after a supoosed fight for his life. We can bet he called his father--the judge--some time before he headed to the police station, and one has to wonder about the judges influence in the way things went. It makes me think of the Joran van der Sloot case. But his father--the judge--had passed away when Joran got caught killing again in Peru, so he was finally convicted.

RE: Santorum. It's over, including the VP slot -- not gonna happen. But Santorum and Newtie should slog on to the convention, definitely.

Could you fake liberals do me a favor and stop cutting and pasting ENTIRE ARTICLES from other sites? (Except for Beverly, because she is very limited and I wouldn't want her shut out completely. Besides, the stuff she actually types herself is..... painful to read.)

It would also be nice if you could not bring up Treyvon Martin on every single thread over and over and over and over... It becomes tiresome.

Obama is incompetent. As a constitutional scholar, he fails miserably. A true student of The Constitution would never need to have his handwork checked by the SCOTUS.

It will help people? IRRELEVANT!

It will be terrible for some people if it is repealed? TOO BAD!

The job of SCOTUS is to rule on the constitutionality of the law. Not if they like it. Not if they like Obama. Not if they think the law is good for you.

If they rule against it, it will mean that Obama should have followed the Constitution when he had the damn thing written. Whose fault is that? Obamas. It's Obamas fault if it doesn't pass muster. Obama, the lawyer, the law professor, the constitutional scholar, The President.

If it's declared unconstitutional, it will be Obama's fault. Blame him for your projected woes.

What do you expect from a man who had his appointee Holder issue a legal opinion that The President deciding to asassinate you constitutes due process. Some constitutional scholar he is.

And you fake liberals who don't call him out on things like that make me sick.

Get out of here with your fake liberalism. Supporting a man who signed the patriot act. Supporting a man who says he can asassinate you anytime he wants to. supporting a man who signed the NDAA, and thinks he can lockup anybody he wants without giving them access to a lawyer, or the courts, or even thier own family. Supporting a man who continues the endless wars and involves us in more and more war every day.

SHAME on you fake liberals.

I call you FAKE Liberals.

True Liberals would never stand for these things!

The President could call home the troops ANYTIME HE WANTS TO!!!!!!

Shame on all you fake pretend liberals. You make me sick.

Ron Paul 2012. End the wars NOW.

The problem, as I see it, with public perception of the ACA is that negative propaganda has brainwashed a certain segment against it (and anything else Obama has tried to do).

When polled on the individual components of the president's health care reform, 75% of Republicans are in favor of it!

There has been such a push to turn people off the ACA that they robotically oppose it without knowing anything about it.

This is Republicanism in action, folks, doing their level best to undermine any progress in this country for their own selfish need to grab back power and control.

Sorry GOP. You have gone too far and it's going to backfire on you big time.

kaybee,

This is Republicanism in action, folks, doing their level best to undermine any progress in this country for their own selfish need to grab back power and control.

Hardly,

Republicanism (read em and weep liberals) is about giving and preserving power in the citizens....

Why don't we try telling the people what their true heritage is, afraid they might reject your statist big government socialist ideals?

Egilman, what "republicanism" actually means is irrelevant. What that guy was referring to by "Republicanism" was the current ideologies of the Republican party. The original Republican party, the party of Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Eisenhower, was very progressive. Not the case anymore. You forget that it was under the Republican administrations of Roosevelt and Taft that a Socialist Party candidate got a significant share of the vote in the 1912 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1912). 6% of the vote may sound a lot, but it is nowhere near what a socialist would get today.

Go back to Ron Paul camp, Egilman. Go back to repealing anti-trust laws, Social Security, and the Federal Reserve. Go back to the days of Standard Oil and sweatshops. Go back to the days of Grover "Force the railroad workers to work" Cleveland, your hero's hero.

Individual mandates are a Republican idea, prior to Obama called a "conservative means to health care reform". So much for the Affordable Care Act being socialist.

That's a rather bleak outlook, IR, but true.

It the Court does overturn the law, you have to wonder just how bad things will get before even some of the people on the Right jump up and shout, "Enough! We've got to fix health care!"

The truth is, the only "fix" is to remove it from corporate control where the overriding--and only--concern is to maximize profits.

IR:

You hit the nail on the head. The Republicans have no ideas. None. They can always tell you that new ideas will not work, but they cannot tell you what will work, and there's a very good reason for that.

To their regressive minds, the current and grossly inefficient system facilitates the flow of capital upward. The rich get richer. That's all there is to it. That's what works. That is the goal of the Republican Party - the destruction of democracy, the silencing of the working class, and in the end, subjugation for all under the heels of the ultra-rich.

McConnell finally got something right. This current bill and the approach to getting national health care is a mess. It's loaded with good stuff. Piggybacking on your parent's policy until you're 26. Good. No more refusing to insure patients with pre-existing health conditions. Good. The problem is, it's so big and so unwieldy it's easy to demonize, especially for a low-intelligence, sound bite craving right wing.

Again, the future of this country depends on smashing Republican control of the government, and demanding that Democrats do what must be done. That means voting and it means watching them like hawks. It's pretty sad that the only thing that commends Democrats is that they don't lie as much as Republicans.

IR---if only the Republicans could use that relentless determination to accomplish what their corporate masters bid them to do for the GOOD of all Americans. Think how much better off we would be.

Some of the Conservative justices said we are ready to toss the entire health care law because we are under extreme pressure from the 1% and the rightwing.

SF, How true. But as their main goal is to make sure that President Obama will not succeed, so stated by the Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, it will be an ongoing dream to expect them to do otherwise.

It is so shortsighted to allow this blind hatred to guide them in their duties to the American People especially when we know that so many of their ideas are in the bills and legislation that they now oppose with venom and extraordinary vigor.

IR,

Your analysis is spot on.

If the GOP want to run on "common sense" patient centered stance when it comes to heath care, you need to look no further that the GOP controlled states and the merger of heath care and women's heath care needs.

Absolutely no common sense there, but absolutely centered on women patients to bring about their social agenda

IR - You said it well, friend.

I also like what an opinion piece in WaPo has to say on the issue of the Courts and the ACA challenge.

By E.J. Dionne Jr., Published: March 28

Three days of Supreme Court arguments over the health-care law demonstrated for all to see that conservative justices are prepared to act as an alternative legislature, diving deeply into policy details as if they were members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Senator, excuse me, Justice Samuel Alito quoted Congressional Budget Office figures on Tuesday to talk about the insurance costs of the young. On Wednesday, Chief Justice John Roberts sounded like the House whip in discussing whether parts of the law could stand if other parts fell. He noted that without various provisions, Congress “wouldn’t have been able to put together, cobble together, the votes to get it through.” Tell me again, was this a courtroom or a lobbyist’s office?

It fell to the court’s liberals — the so-called “judicial activists,” remember? — to remind their conservative brethren that legislative power is supposed to rest in our government’s elected branches.

Justice Stephen Breyer noted that some of the issues raised by opponents of the law were about “the merits of the bill,” a proper concern of Congress, not the courts. And in arguing for restraint, Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked what was wrong with leaving as much discretion as possible “in the hands of the people who should be fixing this, not us.” It was nice to be reminded that we’re a democracy, not a judicial dictatorship.

The conservative justices were obsessed with weird hypotheticals. If the federal government could make you buy health insurance, might it require you to buy broccoli, health club memberships, cellphones, burial services and cars? All of which have nothing to do with an uninsured person getting expensive treatment that others — often taxpayers — have to pay for.

Liberals should learn from this display that there is no point in catering to today’s hard-line conservatives. The individual mandate was a conservative idea that President Obama adopted to preserve the private market in health insurance rather than move toward a government-financed, single-payer system. What he got back from conservatives was not gratitude but charges of socialism — for adopting their own proposal.

The irony is that if the court’s conservatives overthrow the mandate, they will hasten the arrival of a more government-heavy system. Justice Anthony Kennedy even hinted that it might be more “honest” if government simply used “the tax power to raise revenue and to just have a national health service, single-payer.” Remember those words.

One of the most astonishing arguments came from Roberts, who spoke with alarm that people would be required to purchase coverage for issues they might never confront. He specifically cited “pediatric services” and “maternity services.”

Well, yes, men pay to cover maternity services while women pay for treating prostate problems. It’s called health insurance. Would it be better to segregate the insurance market along gender lines?

The court’s right-wing justices seemed to forget that the best argument for the individual mandate was made in 1989 by a respected conservative, the Heritage Foundation’s Stuart Butler.

“If a man is struck down by a heart attack in the street,” Butler said, “Americans will care for him whether or not he has insurance. If we find that he has spent his money on other things rather than insurance, we may be angry but we will not deny him services — even if that means more prudent citizens end up paying the tab. A mandate on individuals recognizes this implicit contract.”

Justice Antonin Scalia seemed to reject the sense of solidarity that Butler embraced. When Solicitor General Donald Verrilli explained that “we’ve obligated ourselves so that people get health care,” Scalia replied coolly: “Well, don’t obligate yourself to that.” Does this mean letting Butler’s uninsured guy die?

Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick called attention to this exchange and was eloquent in describing its meaning. “This case isn’t so much about freedom from government-mandated broccoli or gyms,” Lithwick wrote. “It’s about freedom from our obligations to one another . . . the freedom to ignore the injured” and to “walk away from those in peril.”

This is what conservative justices will do if they strike down or cripple the health-care law. And a court that gave us Bush v. Gore and Citizens United will prove conclusively that it sees no limits on its power, no need to defer to those elected to make our laws. A Supreme Court that is supposed to give us justice will instead deliver ideology.

ejdionne@washpost.com

Sorry about the formatting! It's not cooperating.

Patriotic American U.S.A.

Some of the Conservative justices said we are ready to toss the entire health care law because we are under extreme pressure from the 1% and the rightwing.

What do those greedy bas-turds have to lose? They are set for life. Especially, America's favorite Uncle Tom, Justice Clarence Thomas. Look at all those gifts he got.

Justice Thomas Reports Wealth of Gifts
In the last six years he has accepted free items valued at $42,200, the most on the high court.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1231-04.htm

"The Conservative justices on the SC are the Power switch for the GOP/T-Nuts Far RightWingers"

The #2 string today provides the most laughable and fun reads today. It is amazing how convoluted the LWNJs get in the face of defeat.

GBM--love the Easter avatar--very cheery. I think had Hillary Clinton been elected President there would have been the same intransigence; the Republicans just aren't going to cooperate with any Democrat because they see it as their right to hold the Presidency. I do think there is extra incentive with President Obama, especially among their base.

US Supreme Court on health care has drawn the Court more deeply into Presidential Politics than any other time since they helped "W" steel the Election in 2000 and cleared the way for George to become President of the United States. Lets not make another mistake like "W".

Agree SF, we only have to look at how the Republicans treated the Clintons, of course, he then gave them a reason to hound him making it just worse. The fact that President Obama is black in addition to being a Democrat is now driving their hatred to even further heights or depths, depending on their perspective.

Of course, this fact draws them into a frenzy that would make a rational person wonder does one have to be a little off kilter to be a Republican, as they certainly seem to attract the lesser 'angels' amongst us...and are quite proud of that too. I guess that's their definition of diversity, sort of a mixed bag of misfits who have strong leanings towards paranoia.

re

Gingerbread,

When you talk about Republicans, are you referring to the ones in Washington, or are you generalizing?

I admit all lies are terrible and its an awful part of politics.

However, many of the republicans I have seen have thought it is okay to jusify 5 lies by a republican with one by a democrat. Then after you come back at them with another 5 they hold you to that same 1. So you come back with the haymaker a whopping 20 new lies and they will simply in great detail tell you the future implications of that 1 lie, the past implications of that lie and the possible new lies that could eventually be caused by the one lie and the future implications of those possible lies.

"... Slavery is a perfectly legal institution ..."Conservative Supreme Court before the Civil War

- let's hope these conservative jerks don't pull another one with Health Care!!!!

Does Nancy Grace live if Florida? If so, she must be a threat to someone.

WCA: "Before you can take over our city, we will burn it down first."

No disrespect, but is there anything left to burn down?

No disrespect, but is there anything left to burn down?

Yes. We bailed out GM, remember?

Ruken: Yes. We bailed out GM, remember?

I guess Malik Shabazz now has a target.

I guess Malik Shabazz now has a target.

Who?

JAS1- I guess Malik Shabazz now has a target.

GM was a Conservative target even in their press, and still is.

Now why would I bother to put you on ignore gal? You do not write comedy but your flaming mendacity does amuse in a wry sort of way.

Ruken: Who?

See post #4. And do try and follow the thread.

Ideo: Now why would I bother to put you on ignore gal?

Because people that you disagree with easily get under your skin and you don't seem to have the mental capacity to competently respond to the posts. I mean if you want to be annoyed all the time, that's your problem. Case in point, you tell me to stop writing, but then you say I amuse you. Kind of contradictory isn't it? You're really not that bright Ideo, maybe go play with someone more on your intellectual level like the Dumb Fux.

JAS1, the truth is there really isn't much left to burn down.

50 years of Democrat rule has resulted in a slow burn of pretty much any hope Detroit ever had. I have llived my whole life hearing how "It's not to late for Detroit to make a comeback"

I wonder where the outrage is for the children that were shot and killed here since the start of the year?

And it's not even summer yet. That's when the bullets really start flying.

See post #4. And do try and follow the thread.

Those people scare me.

I went to Detroit once to watch the Tigers vs Twins and I would have paid good money for Kevlar.

Well certainly good luck to Detroit and Michigan. Something must change for that city and that state to recover. Detroit has had a tremendous history but now something outside of that city's government needs to help lead it back to its former success. It's not clear why there is so much resistance to the outside support, so much so that people are inciting violence to prevent it. It's a thought process that baffles most people.

Maybe Feisty Dumbfux, Beverly Dumbfux and Pat Dumbfux can join this thread and tell us of Shabazz' virtues and positive attributes?

It appears there are two Malik Shabazzes ... one a minister and the other, the leader of the NPP. Stick to the facts people.

Sorry about that ideo, should have checked the source. You are correct.

Interesting that that was your take away from my post.

Sad, but interesting.

The GOP/TP has a new health care plan and its about time, they call it ( Don't get Sick and if you do - death )

WCA ... what is sad, is that everyone seems to want to hang someone of late. I can only wonder what this board will be like come the Fall.

As to Detroit and the general political canon shots across the bow ... Conservative Czars good, Liberal Czars bad?

Not a Czar, ideo.

A financial Manager.

Maybe we should just let Detroit Rot, eh?

White collar auto,

Unfortunately none of the events you listed made National headlines because it was Black on Black crime. It only gets National attention when they can put a racial spin on it... how sad our country and especially our media is.

I have heard a few Balck Americans screaming "where is the outrage when we kill each other?" I wish more would listen to them and act.

David,

Great article. I wish he had added NASCAR and other car racing to the waste of oil. It simply stuns me that no one ever brings this up.

David -- That was very moving and so vividly true. Thanks for posting and sharing. I'm hitting the print key now.

@Jack - I agree with you on NASCAR .. I am an avid fan of automobiles, but watching those cars burn up fuel for no other reason than cheap (or expensive) entertainment thrills is at best, disgusting. I stopped watching the events years ago, and will not support the sport until they convert to electric or solar racing.

David, thanks for that link, it really underscores what a poor job we are doing as stewards of our children's legacy. Despite their claims of worrying about their children's future, Republicans have little or no interest in bettering the world for all. As long as they feather their own nest, they feel that's all they have to do. Further emphasizing their mantra, me first or **** you I got mine.

Yet they don't mind using up EVERYONE'S legacy.

Great posts to day David. Thanks.

David -

Thank you, thank you, thank you - that was one of the best things I've read in a long time. It never ceases to amaze me that the people who cry the loudest about the monetary debt we're leaving for our children and grandchildren are the same ones who feel no shame at all about the rest of the sad legacy we're leaving them. I've often thought about that just in terms of oil, but the author here is far more visionary than I am and sees the much larger picture so much more clearly. And you're right, we simply aren't doing enough. Anyone who reads our posts every day can see that we can't even work on the basic things like tolerance and respect and looking out for our fellow man - the things that would be the one legacy we could still leave all our grandchildren - and without it costing any of us a single penny.

I urge everyone to read Mr. Ward's letter to his grand-daughter. We aren't doing enough. But it's never too late to start doing more. As Mr. Ward concludes:

"I know a better world is possible. We create that better world by reaching out to one another, listening, learning, and speaking from our hearts, face to face, neighbor to neighbor, one community after another, openly, inclusively, bravely. Democracy is not a gift to be practiced only when permitted. We empower ourselves. Our salvation is found in each other, together.

Across America this morning and all around the world, our better angels call to us, imploring us to rise up and be as resilient as our beloved, beautiful children and grandchildren, whose future we make today. We can do better. I promise."

@David - great link and thanks for sharing. The 'drill baby drill' crack whore politicians as in Palin, Cheney, Bush and the posters such as NJBJ, Bob-Vagina, WCAs are a disgrace. Responsibility is beyond them, but what would one expect from the selfish crowd that has one concern in life, the balance of their checking account.

GOP/TP New Slogan, Drill baby Drill to China for the 1% and the hell with this Country's Environment. "HOME RUN David Walker" What they are doing is a total disgrace to this Nation.

David, Jack and Red, I'm a car nut as well. As for motorsport I follow road racing more than NASCAR. And it does bother me how much fuel is used.

However, statistics show that much more fuel is consumed by flying the NBA and NFL teams around the country continuously.

David, that was moving and makes me want to bike/walk everywhere more than I already do. My husband and I have no children yet and recently I wondered if it would be too selfish of us to propogate our own genetics by bringing another person into this world that will hurt them and show them no kindness like the one our predecesors left us but my husband would have none of it. I know he's right but it just seems so bitter sweet to bring a new life onto this already used up earth.

Jack and RedDev, I've never been a fan of NASCAR for that reason and because of their need to use so many tires and the danger of it all. It's not exciting, it's terrifying that people have decided to pass their time by going as fast as they can in a circle for hours until one or more of them burst into flames and/or fatally wrecked. I was still pretty young when Dale Earnhart had his crash and I guess it made a significant impact on me.

fielden, if what you say is true about NBA and NFL teams it gives me even more reasons not to like those types of sports as well. Why do we have to pay these guys so much? Men.

Carole. but wait, Romney will change what he said by next week.

Women's earnings haven't changed at all in the United States and in fact remain stagnant, unchanged by any reason and this is continued spin by males and extreme feminists that want to oppress the masses of females in this country and keep them in service only jobs.

Maybe it's because most of the females in college were in liberal arts classes, with only a few in the College of Engineering.

Just a thought.

Mackie,

You missed the main point of the article: women who at 18-21 who had access to birth control pills in the 60' and 70' were able to plan their pregnancies for the benefit of their family and did increase their family income by 8%. Back in the 60's women did not have maternity leaves. Just use your vacation days.The family leave act helps all families in the last decades.

I agree that 8% of a low paying job is a lot less that a paying job that pays decent wages.

All 18-21 year old need a good education to train them for good jobs, and the glass ceiling needs to be broken in every profession so women will be judged on their ability not on their gender.

Santorum is not the one who has any credibility on this subject.

My response to anyone thinking of voting Republican, if you have a vagina....DON'T

I have a vagina, but my vote will go to the best candidate, not by party affiliation.

Just remember that all the republicans candidates including Ron Paul has signed a pledge to overturn Roe v Wade. They pledge to support the person-hood amendment.

A bill so radical that the republicans could not get it passed in ultra conservative Mississippi. This is the bill that the republicans candidates have vowed their support.

If you think the government should have control over your reproductive system then vote for a republican. In China the government has control and force women into abortions. If you give the government the right to do one, what is stopping them from doing the other.

If you think you should have the right to decide about your own body then vote for a democrat.

Me....I'll be voting for women's freedom of choice.

VOTE FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS.....VOTE OBAMA/BIDEN 2012

Americans First,

You will be voting for Less rights for EVERYONE

Have you heard of the Patriot Act? The NDAA? HR347 makiing it a FEDERAL OFFENSE to protest on Federal land or near anyone with secret service protection?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEDlr-jYTrc

It doesn't matter if you are a woman or not Obama has stripped you of more civil liberties than ALL OTHER PRESIDENTS COMBINED!

This country has more importaint issues than the right to kill unborn babies and free birth control rite now.

THETOTAS,

Nice to see you have brains in addition to your vagina please loan some to Americans first and gingerbread mamma.

" Ryan has a plan and he calls it, take away everything and give it to the Rich"

Then on to their winning issues like $4 gas

Only those uninformed think a POTUS is responsible for price hikes on the global oil market.

Only those clueless leftists ignorant of basic economic laws of supply and demand can claim that drilling for more oil wouldnt help lower prices.

Ruken: Only those uninformed think a POTUS is responsible for price hikes on the global oil market.

You mean like the guy in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnLP12X3EgM

Or the Democrats in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9Oek6ZboAI

Are these people uninformed?

Only those clueless leftists ignorant of basic economic laws of supply and demand can claim that drilling for more oil wouldnt help lower prices.

Yea, because the USA has enough oil to compete with output from OPEC right?

You mean like the guy in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnLP12X3EgM

Or the Democrats in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9Oek6ZboAI

Are these people uninformed?

Yes. They all are.

Only those clueless leftists ignorant of basic economic laws of supply and demand can claim that drilling for more oil wouldnt help lower prices.

Perhaps you should find out how many economists out there are talking about energy prices now operating independently from the fundamentals of supply and demand.

Only those clueless leftists ignorant of basic economic laws of supply and demand can claim that drilling for more oil wouldnt help lower prices.

Want cheap gas .. eat beans. While you sit in the corner relishing your nasty aroma, the rest of us will continue to find alternate pathways for responsible energy resources.

Bob--Watch out -- the smart Bob from Va. might be on the blog!

Why do we even care? It's March.

Cant wait till November, the Democratic losses in the US Senate will be huge.

Cant wait till November, the Democratic losses in the US Senate will be huge.

May I use that crystal ball? I want the next Mega Millions numbers.

[Why not report Rasmussen, also?]

You mean FoxMussen...there, fixed it for you...

Hey Mick - yes, Rasmussen is a Fox shill who only happens to be the most accurate pollster over the past decade with no preference to Dems or Republicans.

And this differs from the Fox shills for the GOP how?

phine - you are comparing apples and oranges you moron. Compare MSLSD TV hard news and Fox's hard news viz. Brett Baier's Nightly Newshour. You'll have your answer.

I am not writing of MSLSD's opinionists - I am writing of their hard news folks - T. Chuck Todd, et al., so when you bring up Hannity or O'Reilly, et al., you are being disingenuous at best and at worst a dum-dum.

rebel, the Bush administration itself claimed that no useful information was obtained from waterboarding Khalid. Bush himself said that finding Bin Laden was not a high priority.

Fox has been repeatedly shown to have distorted the truth and their viewers have been repeatedly shown to be less informed than those that get news from other sources or from no news at all.

fielden - sources for your assertion Fox News, their hard news division, has distorted the truth more than MSLSD TV?

And that they are less informed LMAO - Republicans are less informed than Dems and the OWS morons? What is your basis for that distortion?

You made it up! I want to get you a job as a columnist at the NY Times - for all the news that is unfit to read, plagiarized or just plain fiction!

[...sources for your assertion Fox News, their hard news division, has distorted the truth...]

rebel w/o a clue:

Actually, felden is correct, Here are links to the Fox "news" case:

http://www.philly2philly.com/politics_community/politics_community_articles/2009/6/29/4854/fox_news_wins_lawsuit_misinform_public

http://www.recreatingtampa.com/2010/12/the-right-to-lie-and-call-it-news/

http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/11-the-media-can-legally-lie/

A poll released by Fairleigh Dickinson University found that people who get their news from Fox News know significantly less about news both in the U.S. and the world than people who watch no news at all:

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-11-22/news/30431182_1_fox-news-results-show-viewers

Fox News Viewers are the Most Misinformed: A Seventh Study Arrives to Prove It:

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/11/22/374434/fox-news-viewers-misinformed-study-jon-stewart/

Until such time that "MSLSD TV" (whatever you mean by that) goes to court to uphold it's right to LIE to the American public like FOX "news" did, I will continue to consider it one of my many news sources, and Fox can go "FOX" themselves...

And before you "shoot the messenger" and discount the sources, I suggest you do your own research.

Here you go, rebel:

Perhaps you should get a job at Fox News (sic). You would fit right in.

Well, I am unable to paste the link. Thanks, Mickey, for covering for me.

[Thanks, Mickey, for covering for me.]

T'weren't nuthin'... ;)

Rick--you make a good case for universal single payer health care. It would be a hell of a lot more effective than us paying for emergency room services.

King--you sound like Mitch McConnell- First job is to hope America goes down the drain to satisfy your tribal idiology. Let us all hope that things continue to improve. America wins.

I would love for things to improve. But reality and fantasy wishful thinking are two different things. You can sink into fantasy and I will stick with the facts and make reasonable predictions based thereon.

Here are a few facts.

Under Obama the government has been on a record setting pace of deficit spending\

Under Obama the national debt has climbed to a record high, currently just a hair under $16 TRILLION and projected to climb to over $20 TRILLION.

Obama talks about a" balanced" approach, but has presented no plan to balance the budget or even put a serious dent in the national debt. The budgets he has proposed, which was overwhelmingly shot down by the Dem controlled Senate, call for continued substantial deficit spending and increases to the national debt, no end in sight.

The overwhelming majority of Americans do not approve of Obamacare, yet he has done nothing to either repeal it or amend it and now it is likely to be declared unconstitutional. Meaning, no progress whatsoever will have been made on health care during Obama's time in office. All becuase he took a my way or the highway approach to its crafting and passage.

And the list goes on and on. He has no accomplishments to run on , so the divisive and demonizing political tactics are what he and his supporters are going to resort to in order to try to keep him in office. We all know that and it has already started.

You have to be a old white republican from the south with your inability to see yourself as a racists. This is nothing more than a law that promotes the legal murder of blacks by the white population. If your a white republican from the south you are a RACISTs. Anytime a Bush signs legistation someone dies, thats a fact. You have to get your information from someone other than russ limbaugh or fox fake news. I see you have read the taking points for the day from fox fake news go ahead and spread you hate maybe they will make a place for you as a taking head with no facts, you'll fit right in

I am not a racist and I am not from the South. Nor do I condone murder of anyone or assaults. The fact of the matter is that the facts of this case were (and remain) largely unknown. Yet the extreme left immediately (without knowing the facts) jumped on the racist band wagon in order to continue their repeated attempts to divide and conquer by making unjustified attempts at playing the race card. They are the true racist plying their wares in this matter.

I don't think any one that reads your post can conclude anything other than you are one of them, spewing your racist hate to promote a political agenda.

BTW, can you give us any of the facts? I didn't think so. And what fact do you say I posted is incorrect? And please point out a single word of hate in my post, there are none.

"The guys in White are looking for Sick Rick, a vote for him will go to his Sanatorium"

WE WILL NOT VOTE FOR HIM!

The democrats are counting on that sweetie.