On the Catastrophe in the Gulf
BP’s clip of a robot capping the smallest of the three leaks in the Gulf of Mexico.
The leak appears about 2 minutes into the clip.
On Fox News
Nothing more need be said…. 
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Bernie Goldberg Fires Back | ||||
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On the Destruction of ACORN
The ACORN videos swept through the media last year and basically incriminated the entire organization. Funding for that organization was cut by Congress and it has recently closed its offices.
Now, it has come to light that the videos were HEAVILY edited and that gross distortions and lies were perpetuated by FOX NEWS, the main carrier of that video. The person who released the video, Andrew Breitbart, also confessed to fabricating parts of the tapes and apologized at a CPAC conference in February 2010.
Read the Brad Blog for more details: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7710
And then check out Rachel Maddow’s expose on that whole debacle.
End result: The mountain of lies directed at ACORN did its job. ACORN was defunded and destroyed.
On the Republican’s So-Called Health Care Plan
So I’m watching Morning Joe and he brings up what he’s for… which seems to be the main Republican alternative to the Health Care bill Democrats just passed: Tort Reform and buying insurance across state lines.
So let’s address these issues: Tort Reform
Studies show that Malpractice Awards aren’t actually a large percentage of the health care costs. This article details how the Tort Reform argument is not a real factor and is really just a distraction. Defensive medicine is not all bad. Extra tests by doctors are not always bad or unnecessary. A 2004 report by the Congressional Budget Office said medical malpractice makes up only 2 percent of U.S. health spending. Even “significant reductions” would do little to curb health-care expenses, it concluded.
http://washingtonindependent.com/55535/tort-reform-unlikely-to-cut-health-care-costs
So what’s wrong with allowing people to buy across state lines?
Insurance is currently regulated by the states. Each state has its own standards. For insurance to be sold across state lines, there needs to be a national standard. However, that standard will be chosen by ONE state… the state the insurance company decides to base its standard. The CBO looked into this very thing in 2005 and found that the legislation “would reduce the price of individual health insurance coverage for people expected to have relatively low health care costs, while increasing the price of coverage for those expected to have relatively high health care costs. Therefore, CBO expects that there would be an increase in the number of relatively healthy individuals, and a decrease in the number of individuals expected to have relatively high cost, who buy individual coverage.”
Read Ezra Klein’s article here:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/02/selling_insurance_across_state.html
Also, according to the insurance commissioner for Kansas and president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, she predicts that “insurers will set up shop in states with few regulations and market low-cost policies to people across the country. These policies will offer minimal coverage and appeal primarily to younger consumers.”
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/triage/2008/10/purchasing-insu.html
So why is that bad? It’ll be good for healthier people, but not good for the older people whose plans will be more expensive.
So the Republican plan: Don’t get sick. And if you DO get sick, die quickly.
They really don’t have a plan. It’s all smoke and mirrors.
On the Republican Defense of Racism and Bigotry
As the historic Health Care bill comes closer to passing, several Republicans have come forward as apologists for the Tea Bagger’s racism and bigotry. Tea Baggers invaded the House Saturday to the cheers of Republican House Reps. They also shouted racial slurs at members of Congress as they congregated outside.
Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) came to the defense of the racists and bigots who shouted slurs at members of Congress Saturday. The Tea Party protesters shouted the ‘n’ word at African American members of Congress the ‘f’ word at an openly gay member.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/21/health-care-vote-live-upd_n_507238.html#s75012
Rep. Devin Nunes (R-California), you should be ashamed of yourself. Devin Nunes represents the 21st District of California.
On the Stupak Twelve
So who are these twelve House Democrats who would trash health care because they want to further restrict a woman’s right to choose?
According to the anti-choice website Life News, here they are:
Bart Stupak (D-MI)
Anh “Joseph” Cao (R-LA)
Jerry Costello (D-IL)
Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA)
Joe Donnelly (D-IN)
Steve Dreihaus (D-OH)
Brad Ellsworth (D-IN)
Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
Dale Kildee (D-MI)
Dan Lipinski (D-IL)
Jim Oberstar (D-MN)
Charlie Wilson (D-OH)
http://news.firedoglake.com/2010/03/04/anti-choice-site-names-the-stupak-12/
On Former Rep Eric Massa and Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck didn’t do himself and favors today by dedicating an entire HOUR to Former Rep Eric Massa, especially when Massa basically admitted to everything he was accused of doing. That Massa also horribly damaged the reputation of the US Navy is another matter…
There were no winners today… unless you mean everyone besides Eric Massa and Glenn Beck.
At least Glenn Beck apologized for wasting everyone’s time.
Part 1:
Part 2:
On Senators Brave Enough to Support the Public Option
These (now) 38 Senators deserve to be recognized for standing up for the Public Option.
Name Status
Sen. Daniel Akaka HI Statement
Sen. Max Baucus MT Unknown
Sen. Evan Bayh IN Unknown
Sen. Mark Begich AK Unknown
Sen. Michael Bennet CO Letter
Sen. Jeff Bingaman NM Statement
Sen. Barbara Boxer CA Letter
Sen. Sherrod Brown OH Letter
Sen. Roland Burris IL Letter
Sen. Robert Byrd WV Unknown
Sen. Maria Cantwell WA Statement
Sen. Benjamin Cardin MD Statement
Sen. Thomas Carper DE Unknown
Sen. Robert Casey PA Statement
Sen. Kent Conrad ND Unknown
Sen. Christopher Dodd CT Statement
Sen. Byron Dorgan ND Leaning
Sen. Richard Durbin IL Statement
Sen. Russell Feingold WI Statement
Sen. Dianne Feinstein CA Letter
Sen. Al Franken MN Letter
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand NY Letter
Sen. Kay Hagan NC Unknown
Sen. Tom Harkin IA Unknown
Sen. Daniel Inouye HI Letter
Sen. Tim Johnson SD Letter
Sen. Ted Kaufman DE Statement
Sen. John Kerry MA Letter
Sen. Amy Klobuchar MN Statement
Sen. Herb Kohl WI Unknown
Sen. Mary Landrieu LA Unknown
Sen. Frank Lautenberg NJ Letter
Sen. Patrick Leahy VT Letter
Sen. Carl Levin MI Letter
Sen. Blanche Lincoln AR Unknown
Sen. Claire McCaskill MO Unknown
Sen. Robert Menendez NJ Letter
Sen. Jeff Merkley OR Letter
Sen. Barbara Mikulski MD Letter
Sen. Patty Murray WA Statement
Sen. Bill Nelson FL Unknown
Sen. Ben Nelson NE Unknown
Sen. Mark Pryor AR Unknown
Sen. Jack Reed RI Letter
Sen. Harry Reid NV Statement
Sen. John Rockefeller WV Unknown
Sen. Bernie Sanders VT Letter
Sen. Charles Schumer NY Letter
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen NH Letter
Sen. Arlen Specter PA Letter
Sen. Debbie Stabenow MI Letter
Sen. Jon Tester MT Leaning
Sen. Mark Udall CO Statement
Sen. Tom Udall NM Letter
Sen. Mark Warner VA Unknown
Sen. Jim Webb VA Unknown
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse RI Letter
Sen. Ron Wyden OR Statement
These 120 House Members have also signed:
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