Obama reminding me of Waldo once again!
There seems to be a lot of discussion about a Washington Post article by Ruth Marcus titled, “Obama’s ‘Where’s Waldo? Presidency.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/01/AR2011030105489.html
I personally don’t see what all of the hoopla is about as I wrote about “Where’s Waldo” way back in September, but of course I’m just a lowly blogger with not that much traction! Ruth concludes in the end, “Where’s Obama? No matter how hard you look, sometimes he’s impossible to find.” It sure makes me wonder who is reading my blog. I only see the numbers of people that are visiting. Read my post and read her post. My videos may be gone but if you scroll down past the videos and read all of it, you might be left wondering if Ruth read my post!
http://www.ksvoboda.com/?p=660
My take of course is a little different because before the election last fall Obama started “speaking” again and it was like a mystery because he had been so silent on so many issues. Suddenly, with the election looming, he had all of these big ideas. Of course after the election he was back to the same old “Where’s Waldo” moments. You can check my post from September and see that I was first and you can have a laugh. President Obama doesn’t stand for much and in my humble opinion if you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything.
In other news, I want to get back to the Wisconsin debate. A friend on Facebook who I know is liberal wanted people to fill out a survey on Newsmax. Yes, I know I should have stayed away because everyone knows that Newsmax is a conservative site. I filled out the survey and of course being the honest person I am used one of my real email accounts. I probably should have put some fake email up, but I would never do that, so I’m stuck getting emails from Newsmax. I did unsubscribe, so maybe they will stop sending me these little tidbits of gross misinformation. However, I found one in particular quite interesting. I got an urgent message from Dick Morris. You all know Dick Morris, the Fox News guy and Republican strategist that actually worked for President Clinton. He was friends with Clinton before they became enemies and of course now he hates Hillary. Okay, I’m digressing. It seems Dick is really worried about Governor Scott Walker because those powerful unions, you know demonic like, are out to get him. Here is Dick giving his take on things:
Governor Scott Walker’s fight is our fight. If he prevails, the reforms he proposes will spread to all the states in the country. New Jersey, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Idaho are already pushing similar legislation.
But if we lose in Wisconsin, the public unions will have their way all over the nation and we will never get reform.
When Walker says he wants to limit collective bargaining to wages and benefits, what he is really saying is that he needs to be free to roll back teacher tenure, reward good teachers with merit pay, give parents choice about where to send their children, and assure that — even if there are layoffs — that they are based on merit not seniority. The union contracts all over America block these key changes. But we have to put our children first and improve the quality of our schools.
Dick goes on to mention that the League of American Voters needs your help, probably with money, to help Governor Walker. I must confess that when I first looked at that word, “League”, I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe that the League of Women Voters would be in cahoots with Fox News commentator, Dick Morris! Thankfully, it wasn’t the right league. I love the name of the group though because it made me feel like I’m supposed to be a part of the League of American Voters. After all, I vote and I’m American! Catchy, isn’t it? Dick ends his email with the following;
This is a heaven sent chance to take back our country from the control of the public employees labor unions, which form the backbone of the Democratic Party.
Please donate today!
Good God! It is a “heaven sent” chance because we all know that Jesus would have been a REPUBLICAN! Oh, I didn’t know that the whole point of this exercise in Wisconsin was to destroy the “backbone” of the Democratic Party. I thought that was the secret plan. I didn’t know they actually put it in their emails to their constituents!
I need to mention right now that the big, bad teacher unions don’t actually have the clout that Dick here seems to think. The truth is here In Sturgis we haven’t “demanded” things at our district. We’d like things but we have basically given up many things over the years. We know times are tough and we work with our administration and the school board to try and solve problems. We used to have Messa Blue Cross/Blue Shield Insurance. It was probably what people consider the “Cadillac” of plans. Some time after September 11th, 2001 insurance went up. I had to contribute $2500 a year to keep that insurance. That went on for a couple of years and it got to be too much of a burden for the group, so we gave it up. Class size used to always be no more than about 24 students. We gave that up a few years ago. Now we have classes that can be into the low thirties. When President Obama wanted everyone to compete for “Race to the Top” money, we ended up giving up on evaluations. At Sturgis the teacher evaluation will be some how tied to student performance. This happened across the state as well. Guess what? We still haven’t been “chosen” for the “Race to the Top” money. Last year the state of Michigan passed legislation that requires teachers and I believe other state employees to pay 3% more of their salary into their pension. This was done to help fund all of the pensioners that retired under the state’s special “early” incentive plan. We currently haven’t received a pay raise and because of the changes we are all making less money than we did last year.
Dick Morris went on to include the message from the League of American Voters and here is the main part:
This is why the League of American Voters is urgently launching a national effort to help Gov. Walker and to stop these bloated unions.
The League of American Voters is at the forefront of the battle in Wisconsin defending Scott Walker.
Dick Morris, the famous Fox News analyst, says “The League is the most effective grassroots organization in America.”
Dick credits the League for having stopped Obama’s “public option” healthcare takeover. The public option would have destroyed private health insurance, and we stopped them.
The League also led the fight to force Pres. Obama to renew the Bush tax cuts. Our national TV effort with Sen. Fred Thompson worked. Obama caved.
Now, the League has prepared a powerful new radio ad to air throughout Wisconsin in support of Gov. Walker.
With your help we plan on exposing the Obama-Labor machine in ads across the nation.
But it underscores the truth, Obama and his public union cronies are desperate.
They’ll do whatever it takes to keep power.
That’s why Obama says “Punish our enemies… Reward our friends.”
But together, you and I can help Scott Walker do what’s right for Wisconsin — what’s right for America.
I think it’s funny how the league used the term “Obama-Labor machine”. I, for one, don’t much care for Obama any more than I care for Dick Morris. After all it is Obama that pushed for “merit” pay. The big question that begs to be answered is who is going to decide what is meritorious? Obviously, there is no extra money, so how is “merit” pay ever going to happen any way? A teacher friend of mine, who is conservative, said today that maybe they will lessen our pay and if you qualify for “merit” pay you’ll be at the level you are at right now! I think that’s what I understood him to say today. Stranger things have happened. After all Dick Morris and Bill Clinton were once buddies.
Finally, I find it interesting that the league closes with the salutation, “Yours for Freedom”. Those big bad unions are against freedom, you know. They stifle freedom because they work for worker’s rights and we all know if workers have rights the places they work for have to follow some RULES! Yes, if Dick has his way, teachers will go back to the good old days when they swept the floor, put the wood in the fire, and of course were ever so single and virginal.
This is Dick long before he sent out the email that didn’t really talk too much about education.
Just remember what Greta said about the election in 2012 because that’s what this is really about. Dick says, “They’re digging their own grave.” It’s interesting that these analogies are still being thrown around so easily by some commentators and politicians considering the shooting in Arizona. I, for one, think it’s about time we stop with all of the targets with a bull’s eye on them and the sports analogies for politics. Dick would love to witness the death of the Democratic Party and possibly democracy. However, the death of the Democratic Party happened long ago. The Democratic Party today is but a shadow of its former self and the same could be said of the party of Lincoln.
REALITY!!
( Gov. Peter Shumlin: Real Healthcare reform — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yFUbkVCsZ4 )
( Health Care Budget Deficit Calculator — http://www.cepr.net/calculators/hc/hc-calculator.html )
( Briefing: Dean Baker on Boosting the Economy by Saving Healthcare http://t.co/fmVz8nM )
START NOW!
As you all know. Had congress passed a single-payer or government-run robust Public Option CHOICE! available to everyone on day one, our economy and jobs would have taken off like a rocket. And still will. Single-payer would be best. But a government-run robust Public Option CHOICE! that can lead to a single-payer system is the least you can accept. It’s not about competing with for-profit healthcare and for-profit health insurance. It’s about replacing it with Universal Healthcare Assurance. Everyone knows this now.
The message from the midterm elections is clear. The American people want real healthcare reform. They want that individual mandate requiring them to buy private health insurance abolished. And they want a government-run robust public option CHOICE! available to everyone on day one. And they want it now.
They want Drug re-importation, and abolishment, or strong restrictions on patents for biologic and prescription drugs. And government controlled and negotiated drug and medical cost. They want back control of their healthcare system from the Medical Industrial Complex. And they want it NOW!
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WILL NOT, AND MUST NOT, ALLOW AN INDIVIDUAL MANDATE TO STAND WITHOUT A STRONG GOVERNMENT-RUN PUBLIC OPTION CHOICE! AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE.
For profit health insurance is extremely unethical, and morally repugnant. It’s as morally repugnant as slavery was. And few if any decent Americans are going to allow them-self to be compelled to support such an unethical and immoral crime against humanity.
This is a matter of National and Global security. There can be NO MORE EXCUSES.
Further, we want that corrupt, undemocratic filibuster abolished. Whats the point of an election if one corrupt member of congress can block the will of the people, and any legislation the majority wants. And do it in secret. Give me a break people.
Also, unemployment healthcare benefits are critically needed. But they should be provided through the Medicare program at cost, less the 65% government premium subsidy provided now to private for profit health insurance.
Congress should stop wasting hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money on private for profit health insurance subsidies. Subsidies that cost the taxpayer 10x as much or more than Medicare does. Private for profit health insurance plans cost more. But provide dangerous and poorer quality patient care.
Republicans: GET RID OF THE INDIVIDUAL MANDATE.
Democrats: ADD A ROBUST GOVERNMENT-RUN PUBLIC OPTION TO HEALTHCARE REFORM.
This is what the American people are shouting at you. Both parties have just enough power now to do what the American people want. GET! IT! DONE! NOW!
If congress does not abolish the individual mandate. And establish a government-run public option CHOICE! before the end of 2011. EVERY! member of congress up for reelection in 2012 will face strong progressive pro public option, and anti-individual mandate replacement candidates.
Strong progressive pro “PUBLIC OPTION” CHOICE! and anti-individual mandate volunteer candidates should begin now. And start the process of replacing any and all members of congress that obstruct, or fail to add a government-run robust PUBLIC OPTION CHOICE! before the end of 2011.
We need two or three very strong progressive volunteer candidates for every member of congress that will be up for reelection in 2012. You should be fully prepared to politically EVISCERATE EVERY INCUMBENT that fails or obstructs “THE PUBLIC OPTION”. And you should be willing to step aside and support the strongest pro “PUBLIC OPTION” candidate if the need arises.
ASSUME CONGRESS WILL FAIL and SELLOUT again. So start preparing now to CUT THEIR POLITICAL THROATS. You can always step aside if they succeed. But only if they succeed. We didn’t have much time to prepare before these midterm elections. So the American people had to use a political shotgun approach. But by 2012 you will have a scalpel.
Congress you could have pass a robust government-run public option during your lame duck session. You knew what the American people wanted. You already had several bills on record. And the house had already passed a public option. Departing members could have left with a truly great accomplishment. And the rest of you could have solidified your job before the 2012 elections.
President Obama, you promised the American people a strong public option available to everyone. And the American people overwhelmingly supported you for it. Maybe it just wasn’t possible before. But it is now.
Knock heads. Threaten people. Or do whatever you have to. We will support you. But get us that robust public option CHOICE! available to everyone on day one before the end of 2011. Or We The People Of The United States will make this midterm election look like a cake walk in 2012. And it will include you.
We still have a healthcare crisis in America. With hundreds of thousands dieing needlessly every year in America. And a for profit medical industrial complex that threatens the security and health of the entire world. They have already attacked the world with H1N1 killing thousands, and injuring millions. And more attacks are planned for profit, and to feed their greed.
Spread the word people.
Progressives, prepare the American peoples scalpels. It’s time to remove some politically diseased tissues.
God Bless You my fellow human beings. I’m proud to be one of you. You did good.
See you on the battle field.
Sincerely
jacksmith – WorkingClass 🙂