In honor of Senator Edward Kennedy I feel Congress should rename the healthcare bill to 'The Senator Edward Kennedy Healthcare Bill'. This is the logical next step toward the inevitable passing of meaning healthcare for all Americans. All thinking people know that we must contain runaway healthcare costs through reform. We are destined to fail if we are not in this together. The naysayers to meaningful reform are being ignored the longer they speak out. All those naysayers in Congress should return their tax payer funded healthcare and donate it to a needy American family.
The status quo brought down our mortgage industry because we were too happy with easy gains. The status quo brought down our banking industry because we were too afraid to interfere. The status quo brought down our credit industry because we were too afraid to regulate. The status quo brought down our automobile industry because we were too afraid to innovate. The status quo brought down the twin towers because of our failure to adapt to new threats. The status quo brought down our fellow citizens when Katrina struck a crumbling infrastructure. The status quo will bring our country to panic if we fail to act on Meaningful Healthcare Reform.
Destructive Criticism serves no purpose except to expand self interests, build ones ego and line ones pocket with money. It is not fair and serves no constructive purpose. No one is better off when they hear destructive criticism. The motivation behind destructive criticism is not noble. Destructive criticism delays, misguides, destroys and offers pollution not solution. The words “I hope President Obama fails” represent pure hatred and contempt for the American people. Words like that are powered by a big ego, juvenile need for attention and sagging ratings. The pointless dribble of the naysayer does not deserve respect. President Obama invites all views in a discussion and then decides. President Obama’s guesses are better than some people’s facts. Please join in and refute destructive criticism whenever you detect it. I enjoy a fair debate but destructive citicism is an all consuming waste of time.
Rush Limbaugh and ‘Tokio Rose’ have a lot in common these days. Both tried to launch mental attacks against the United States of America and was intent to disrupt the morale of those listening. It is reprehensible to say ‘I hope President Obama fails’. In our current economic climate, when people are committing suicide over losing a job, to make a statement like ‘I hope President Obama fails’ is as serious as yelling ‘fire’ in a public theater. I hope President Obama considers putting a sock in the big box broadcaster that support bad behavior by appointing a progressive FCC commissioner to restrict corporate multiple station ownership and restore localism. During the Russian cold war days, this Limbaugh character, a divider and hater of people, could be accurately renamed ‘Rushian Limbaugh’. The big box broadcaster that encourages yelling ‘fire’ in a public theater should be responsible for statements like these. I gave up listening to over the air broadcasting a long time ago because the big box broadcaster silenced the voices of the many in favor of the few. I hope President Obama can deflate the broadcasting ‘bubble’ before all you hear on the radio is Limbaugh.
The problem with the American auto companies is that they are too slow to respond. My sources tell me that it takes an American auto company 5 years to develop the smallest innovation. That means a new idea takes 5 years from conception to construction. In contrast, the Japanese take only 8 to 12 months to do the same. Even if by some miracle someone gave the American auto companies the ultimate innovation, it would take them 5 years to receive a dime of profit. If the American auto companies are too large for their own good, we can only hope that some visionary lawmakers provide a way to break them up into smaller independent units. To be independent would mean they would not answer to any auto czar. These smaller units would rise or fall on their own merits. The competition for innovation would be against science. The net result in my opinion would encourage measured risk taking. A creative and nimble company is better than a company that is set in its ways and failing. I have been looking to buy a production electric car for over 30 years. I know I am not alone in my desire to own an electric car. I now drive 2 Toyota hybrids because I am tired of waiting for the big 3 American auto companies. I intend to stay the course until the big 3 innovate their way out of this mess.
Does the phrase 'I was for it before I was against it' sound familiar? It was used by the Republican's on Democratic candidate John Kerry in a previous election. That phrase alone was key to the demise of John Kerry. When Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin was asked about the bridge to nowhere, ABC news September 15, 2008 stated 'she was for it before she was against it'. In another interview, Palin was asked about the Bush doctorine. Anyone in politics should know what the doctorine means even if we do not. It was so obvious that Sarah Palin did not know the facts, that NBC Saturday Night Live on September 13, 2008 used Palin's ignorance of the facts to open the show. The Republican's would go ballistic if Joe Biden made such a mistake. Barack Obama accurately uses change as a foundation for his message and now John McCain is using it as well. The words 'experience and judgement' were used against Barack Obama. Sarah Palin now makes 'experience and judgement' an acceptable talking point because she is a 'reformer'. Sounds like a double standard to me. John McCain said in September 2008 that 'The economy is fundamentally sound'. He abruptly reversed his position on the economy when he was informed of the seven hundred billion dollar economic bailout plan. If you are an undecided voter, please look at the facts and make an informed descision by voting for Barack Obama.
Is the Federal Communications Commission in the pocket of the conservatives? Some people think so for good reason. If you go to www.fcc.gov and navigate your way to the audio page, examine the non commercial educational portion of the FM broadcast allocation. You will soon discover a strong bias of conservative religous ownership. Both presidential candidates agree that federal funding should not be given to religous organizations. If a private organization takes federal money, the federal money takes control. Spectrum has financial value and spectrum has been awarded. If you examine the commercial portion of the FM broadcast allocation, you will soon discover almost all big corporate conservative ownership. The ratio is obvious and biased toward the corporate conservative end. It was not always like this. The FCC should not be put in the middle of this mess but they changed the rules. I don't listen to broadcast FM anymore and subscribe to satellite radio to get fairness. The AM broadcast stations, at least in the Midwest, are also solidly conservative. I don't listen to AM broadcast either. I hope Barack Obama wins big and appoints a progressive FCC commissioner to return to fairness, restrict corporate multiple ownership and restore localism. If possible, I would replace my AM/FM car radio with an MP3 and internet radio. Does anyone else feel this way?
The oil infrastructure has a choke hold on all of us. The next big step is to allow an alternative fuel infrastructure to phase out the oil infrastructure. It is all about the infrastructure. When the Republican candidate says drill off shore, he is really saying protect the oil infrastructure, keep the status quo and continue the pollution. The republicans want to give tax breaks to the oil companies when we should give tax breaks to Americans. Keep our jobs here and reward American energy performance not oil companies. Giving up oil will not be easy. We must give up comfort today for tommorrows children.
Are you tired of high gasoline prices. You will get more of the same with McCain. The free market will force smaller cars, plug in fueled/electric hybrids and all electric cars. The automobile company that uses the best battery or fuel cell will be the leader. Gasoline hog manufacturers will suffer and their lack of vehicles sales prove it. Smart automobile companies will lead through discovery, creativity, and innovation. It makes no sense to burn foreign fuel in your American car. If you chant 'Buy American' then fight for American based fuels. "Buy American" means just that. Electricity produced from American renewable energy makes the most sense. Keep our jobs here.
Ethanol does not cause widespread food prices to go up. The reason for high food prices is shipping and processing costs directly caused by high fossil fuel prices. Non food ethanol crops like sawgrass, cattail and kelp are possible and proven. Imagine if sawgrass were planted in the right of way of Americas highways and processed to make ethanol for our cars. Sewer companies on land could use cattails, which are fast growing, water purifying and high ethanol producing. Sewer companies that dump in the sea could use fast growing kelp to purify waste water and produce ethanol. This proven technology could hold us over until the next big renewable infrastructure is created. The automobile companies need to bring back a real flex fuel engine and stop pushing the compromise they use today. I believe a flex fuel vehicle should get the same or better MPG. The sawgrass, cattail and kelp ethanol jobs should stay here.
Hydrogen produced from renewable sources make the most sense. Using carbon based sources to create hydrogen, no matter how cost effective it may seem at the time, just shifts the problem and drains American jobs. There are two hydrogen production cars today and they are BMW and Honda. The big step is the incorporation of hydrogen safely into our society. All the money thrown overseas at about one billion dollars a day should be used to innovate better hydrogen use. It is best to have more than one choice when it comes to energy to keep prices low.
Imagine if every home is outfitted with a solar panel and small but efficient wind generator. This would decentralize and strengthen our electric grid by contributing power all the time. Decentralized American renewable energy can create American jobs and secure our energy future by reducing our carbon and nuclear tendencies.
