Thankful Thursday

I know it's not Thursday but still, today I am thankful for/that:

1. Enough food to eat.


2. The clothes on my back.


3. The freedom to speak my mind.


4. Those who stand to protect me and my family from those who would do us harm.


5. Wisdom.


6. Laughter.

What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for/that:

1. A cool breeze.


2. A good night's sleep (when I can get it).


3. Baby Girl is a year old already. She's already said "no" and escaped the house on many occasions. Trying to break big brother's record I suppose.


4. General good health.


5. Friends who have pools and are happy to share them.


6. Yarn! I should be in YA: Yarn-ophiles Anonymous.


7. The chorus of crickets in the night time.

What are you thankful for?

Flag@whitehouse.gov Disabled

I'm a bit late to this party but my first response upon hearing that the powers that be in the White House finally got a clue and closed up shop on their fishing for "fishy" information my first thought was simply, good. My second thought was, didn't anyone on the President's staff see what a bad idea the whole thing was in the first place? As aggravated as the American people are why would anyone think it a good idea to ask them to inform on each other to the White House? The terms tin ear and tone deaf are coming to my mind as I contemplate the whole thing.

For the moment the White House seems to have gotten off lightly. Commenting on the first post I wrote about President Obama's attempts to utilize the internet to interface with citizens I said, "As far as the Obama admin. utilizing web tech now I think they're setting themselves up to be mauled by the tiger they're trying to ride when they try stunts like this." Flag@whitehouse.gov will hang over President Obama's head for quite some time.

Who's Your Mayoral Candidate?

My fellow Syracuseans, as you may have noticed lawns in our neighbourhoods have been sprouting campaign signs like a rotting log sprouts mushrooms. We get to pick a new mayor this November. Primaries are September 15, 2009. So far Alfonso Davis (D), Carmen Harlow (D), Otis Jennings (R), Steve Kimatian (R), Stephanie Miner (D), and Joe Nicoletti (D) have thrown their hats into the ring. If you've decided already who's your candidate and why?
In race for Syracuse mayor, money takes sides
For the Democratic front-runners, two questions to address

Please Not the Lobotomy

Since the President wants us to keep an eye out for any "fishy" misinformation about health care reform I thought I'd point out this bit of misinformation floating around. Time and again it has been said that those who oppose the current push health care reform don't want to do anything to reform health care. Now there is nuanced distinction that needs to made here in order to counteract this articular piece of misinformation in the health care reform debate. We're not opposed to health care reform. We are opposed this.

111TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 3200
To provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 14, 2009
Mr. DINGELL (for himself, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. STARK, Mr. PALLONE, and Mr. ANDREWS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Education and Labor, Oversight and Government Reform, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

This 1017 page bill that our Senators and Representatives have admitted that they have not read. This 1017 page bill that the President wanted passed into law before August when the majority of our elected officials who would have to vote on it had not read it. This 1017 page bill that is even now being altered by unknown individuals in unknown ways. This 1017 page bill that no one who advocates for its passage seems to understand sufficiently to explain. This 1017 page bill that is so convoluted as to ensure confusion and chaos were it ever passed into law. This 1017 page bill that has been bought and paid for (and probably written by) unknown lobbyists and special interest groups that we are supposed to believe is in our best interest. This 1017 page bill that comes on the heels of a string of other bills rushed into law that have thrown hundreds of billions of dollars into the ether.

And advocates of this 1017 page bill want to portray those who oppose it as scared and uninformed statists? I'd say shrewd and justifiably weary of another poorly thought out poorly written bill being forced upon us at break neck speed.

Since we are discussing health care I feel a medical analogy would be appropriate. And since the President has singled out surgeons for special mention on more than one occasion it will be a surgical analogy. That 1017 page bill that five different committees are mucking about with is like a lobotomy. We don't want the lobotomy. We want laparoscopic surgery to fix the bits that don't work well while doing as little damage as possible to perfectly healthy tissue. We want proper identification of problem areas. We want precision procedures that address specific problems with minimum disruption to those systems that function properly. That is a far cry from doing nothing so how about we put that bit of misinformation to rest?

Tell Them How You Really Feel

The White House wants to know what the American people think about health care reform so I told them. This is of course only my opinion. Feel free to share yours at flag@whitehouse.gov or go to www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/.

Dear Mr. President and White House Staffers,

Please make the entirety of all the bills being considered for health care reform available with out restriction on the internet. Provide for the American people the names of those who wrote those bills. We want to know the reasoning behind the various clauses in those bills. Please provide us detailed analysis of how each clause would be implemented if made into law. Please explain in exquisite mind numbing detail how these proposed reforms will be paid for. As you may have noticed you have the full attention of the American people now. We are more than eager to know the intentions of our government.

Assurances that all will be well are insufficient. Anecdotes and hypothetical scenarios are insufficient. Complaining about particular news organisations is insufficient (and should be beneath the office of the President). Claiming that American citizens who oppose this particular drive for large scale reform are somehow un-American, in the pay of a particular industry, fear mongers or, to use the new term, "evil mongers" is insufficient (and frankly it makes supporters of health care reform sound desperate).

Instead of using the resources of the White House to get Americans to pass on information about our lawful exercise of our freedoms of speech and expression please dedicate yourselves to the task of explaining why anyone should believe anything that the administration has to say about the consequences of the various reform bills if they become law.

Give the American people the facts. Nothing more, nothing less. Do not expect us to be cowed by stereotypical portrayals our refusal to blindly follow along with the current plans for health care reform. Do expect us to continue to exercise the freedoms granted to us by our Constitution. Do expect us to cry foul when our government misbehaves. Do expect us to continue to demand the facts. And finally do expect us to wonder, out loud, just what the administration will do with all of the names and email addresses collected concerning health care reform.

Respectfully,
Samantha Pierce

http://unclesamscabin.blogspot.com/2009/08/this-is-me-being-un-american.html
http://unclesamscabin.blogspot.com/2009/08/white-house-needs-informants.html

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for/that:

1. Another yummy meal courtesy of the garden.


2. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.


3. One more birthday.


4. A safe place to shelter from the storm (literally and figuratively).


5. The opportunity to be the answer to someone else's prayers.

What are you thankful for?

This is Me Being Un-American

Perhaps some on the side of the current administration are starting to get the message that claiming that those who disagree with them on health care insurance reform are political hacks and industry shills makes them look desperate. Perhaps some of them are even beginning to realize that their dismissive reactions thus far have just aggravated their opponents even more. I found the reports of Pelosi and Hoyer's opinion piece in USA Today absolutely hilarious. 'Un-American' attacks can't derail health care. And to think I was actually starting to believe those who said for eight years that dissent was the highest form of patriotism. Silly me!

Now when I was in grade school a debate required at least two differing view points. Back then a debate involved trying to persuade your opponents to your way of thinking with well reasoned arguments. Arguments such as, try it you'll like it or just trust me or sit down and shut up didn't really fly then. Back in the day you were actually expected to know in great detail what you stood for on your side of the debate. You were expected to be able to articulate your arguments to any who asked for an accounting of your position on the issue. I guess that's all changed now.

But enough of me lamenting this new hope they don't notice while we change everything definition of "debate". Let's actually talk about this current push for health care insurance reform. Now is there anything anywhere in the three bills floating around that addresses the essential black listing of women of childbearing age by insurances companies? (I.e. healthy women having to pay higher premiums than men, having waiting periods before their coverage kicks in to make sure that they aren't pregnant when they purchase their coverage). How about the blacklisting individuals with disabilities? Does anything in these bills require insurance companies to offer coverage to anyone willing to pay their premiums? How about requiring them to make public how they go about setting their premiums? Does anything in any of these bills do anything to address the bureaucratic nightmare that individuals with disabilities face when trying to access government run services for the disabled?

For years there have been attempts to shine a light on where the money goes that gets paid out for health care. How much did that throat culture cost? How much for that MRI? How much for the office visit? How much does your family doctor get for seeing you in the office? How much goes for office expenses?But these measures have always been deemed anathema. I wonder where we would be now if people had a clearer view of where their health care dollars were actually going.

It would be nice wouldn't it if someone who was pushing these bills would take the time to enumerate what's in them and explain why they are all so for them. I'd really like to hear from the people who wrote the bills whoever they may be. Declaring that we need health care insurance reform or that we need to do something is a completely unacceptable reason to do this.

Lest We Forget

From this I draw the conclusion that the Pres is okay with the debate when people side with him but not so much when they disagree. That's human and to be expected I suppose. But using the power and authority of the White House to try to intimidate your opposition, the very people you are supposed to serve, into submission to your will is a bit much don't you think?

Thanks to the Wizbang gang for posting this so I didn't have to go digging for it myself.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for/that:

1. Nap time. There is nothing so soothing as the sound of small children sleeping during the day.


2. Summer sunshine and flowers.


3. The freedom to speak my mind.


4. The freedom of those who disagree with me to speak their minds.


5. Euna Lee and Laura Ling are home safe with their families.

What are you thankful for?

White House Needs Informants

Part of me wanders if this is how the Stasi got started.
White House's Call for 'Informants' Draws Conservatives' Ire

Conservative bloggers and opinion leaders Tuesday expressed outrage over the White House's call for informants to notify it of "disinformation" regarding the health care debate.

From the White House Web site:

"There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end-of-life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain e-mails or through casual conversation. Since we can't keep track of all of them here at the White House, we're asking for your help. If you get an e-mail or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov."

Then the rest of me remembers that this is America, land of the free and home of the brave. We can be a belligerent bunch of loud mouths when the spirit moves us (see the Gates Crowley encounter for and example of this). Especially when there is even a hint of someone trying to mess with our constitutional rights. Particularly when the rights involved are freedom of speech and expression and the "someone" seems to be our own government.

So the White House wants to know what people are saying about health care insurance reform? Go right ahead and tell them! They've even given you a handy dandy little email address to send it to, flag@whitehouse.gov. Let the White House know exactly what you have to say about health care insurance reform. And don't just keep it between you and the White House staff. Tell everyone you know so that they can send what you have to say to the White House too. They can even add their own opinions. We can start the biggest chain letter ever all about health care insurance reform! Wouldn't that be something. I know I'll be emailing some scuttle butt to my friends and family tomorrow in hopes of rating a report on me to flag@whitehouse.gov.

The internet is a double edged sword. I would have thought that the current administration would have realized that by now after they had to slog through all the alien abduction and marijuana questions and suggestions at change.gov between the election last year and the inauguration in January.

Now should anyone feel the need to report this post to the government please be sure to get my stance on the issue correct. Trying to rush through health care insurance reform is a bad idea. You get four years to be President not four minutes. The President needs to take his time and get it right not get it right now. Senators and Congressmen have no business voting yea or nay on something they can't even take the time to read. Who wrote it if none of the people pushing it actually know what's in it? The price tag for this monstrosity is too high. If I think of anything else I'll post it and you can report it later okay. Good night.