great Presidential speech

[cyndy]

Just for the record....There are a LOT of us reading this post who are just sitting back keeping our mouths shut.Thank God, truth is available for anyone who wants it.

[mojobone]

WAIT, um, are we still talkin' 'bout the speech?http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2 ... isrespect/

[heinsite]

thanks Drew--heck, i thought i would be left out of the quote thing you did--good job BTW. (really...)i don't think i was disrespetful or hurtful to YOU..if so, i'm sorry. but i was being disrespectful to the PREZ AND CHENEY FOR SURE. that's all... IMHO they deserve it--hell, in a coupla years maybe i'll be saying the same about Obama...i hope not...but who knows?

[drew]

Ahh, the race card is being played BIG TIME now. All of the lapdog media, after determining ALL republicans are un-civil due to Wilson's outburst have now determined that we are all racist. If you disagree with the O, YOU ARE A RACIST! This was predicted by many last year after the election. Maybe this is why the media will not do any real investigations and reporting on him.Maureen Dowd (NY Times) claimed she heard (in her feeble mind) Wilson's 'intent' to say "You Lie, Boy". PROOF of racism, to her, with most media chiming in to agree.In reality, O has only been called "BOY" once since he began his presidential aspirations. In 2008 at the convention, O approached a reporter to complain about remarks about his EARS, this reporter responded that she was "just trying to toughen you up, BOY". Yep, you guessed it, it was Maureen Dowd, no wonder she's hearing racist comments in her head.

[billg]

Unfortunately here (in Virginia) there is no shortage of people who will tell you exactly how they feel about Obama being in office, you don't have to guess whether or not they're racist. These are the same folks who proudly display a confederate flag (sticker, emblem, etc.) somewhere on their vehicle, on their property, or a tattoo etc. Luckily they're a very small minority but I'm old enough to remember when that wasn't the case.I would never label all republicans as being racist, that's not true of course. But there is some of that element and I think the resentment that it produces is responsible in some small part. And I say this only because I've heard what some of these people are saying when they think that you may be in agreement with them, they've said it to me. I tell 'em they're full of crap. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm bigger than most of them I probably would have had the $*it beat out of me by now.

[toddt]

Sept 17, 2009, 4:25am, drew wrote:Ahh, the race card is being played BIG TIME now. All of the lapdog media, after determining ALL republicans are un-civil due to Wilson's outburst have now determined that we are all racist. If you disagree with the O, YOU ARE A RACIST! This was predicted by many last year after the election. Maybe this is why the media will not do any real investigations and reporting on him.So because now Jimmy Carter calls some people who oppose Obama racist, the race card is being played "BIG TIME"?I deplore the threat of being branded a racist being used as a bludgeon to defeat legitimate arguments, but Drew your comment is just Republican talking points.I don't beleive that anybody is declaring all, or even most, Republicans to be racist, but how about the "birther" issue, and more importantly the Republican elite's silence on it? Is that not racist?How's about the emphasis on his middle name (i.e. Ann Coulter: "B. Hussein Obama")? Is that not racist (or if you want to get technical, at least culturally divisive)?And how's about these?:(there are worse but I don't think this is the place to reprint them).Drew, do you genuinely believe that part of the opposition to Obama isn't racial?

[billg]

Thanks tt. Sometimes it takes a little distance to get a clear look & I think your vision is 20-20

[jonathanm]

Sept 17, 2009, 5:26am, toddt wrote:Drew, do you genuinely believe that part of the opposition to Obama isn't racial?Did he say that? Didn't see that in his argument.Most acknowledge there are racists in both parties. We can't paint the whole party, or everyone that disagrees, with that brush stroke, though.

[billg]

Getting back to the message of the speech - http://sickforprofit.com/before anyone dismisses this as purely left-wing propaganda I learned of it when i saw an interview with the former vp of Cigna Health Ins. who claims it is all factual stuff. In fact, there have been several credible health insurance insiders who have claimed this as factual info. The Cigna guy come right out and says that they only way to stop this is the public option.I think that when an insurance co. has two private jets with gold platted flatware and a CEO with a 13 million dollar mansion that refusing cancer treatment based on cost factors is at least morally wrong and should be a crime. And these folks aren't gonna let go or change anything without a pretty big fight. That's what we're seeing now with the propoganda but until "we the people" stand up to them it will only get worse.I read one report that predicts that on it's current course (based on the last 15yrs.) healthcare will cost the average American family 22k yrly within the next 15yrs. It would be a shame to blow this chance to at least attempt to fix things.

[jonathanm]

That's a very interesting thought, Bill. Where my mind went while reading your post was toward the possibility of non-profit health insurance companies...not in the 501(c)3 type of non-profit, but more like the local credit union type of non-profit. I'm gonna mull that over.You could still attract a decent CEO and pay him/her well, but the insurance company would be owned by the members.Of course, the healthy people wouldn't want to be members with the unhealthy people.I dunno, maybe something that is non-governmental, non-profit could still be worked out, though.One thing that is going to become a necessity, I think, is moving away from having insurance cover doctor visits and the like, and moving toward just having insurance cover major medical with large deductible.