House Announces Health Care Bill

Sigh. The House-sponsored health care bill does not include a "robust" public option. In fact, an estimated 90 percent of people won't be able to use it.

The bill does, however, mandate that everyone must carry health insurance. Since the poor already have a "public option," Medicaid, that means the Middle Class, who are already struggling.

I have to ask: Why is it I can choose not to have a credit card that charges me 30 percent interest but now I'll be forced to buy insurance that takes 30 percent off the top --- $$$ that feed the pockets of corporate executives, with no provisions to make sure those companies are kept open, honest and keep costs low.

Just like during the Iraq war, the Democracts have sold their constituents down the river, bowing to the vocal few rather than standing up for what they believe.

I believe the President sincerely wants change. I'm just not sure the rest of the party supports it.

A High Honor, The Nobel Peace Prize. Congratulations to the President

Congratulations to President Barack Obama for winning the Nobel Peace Prize and single-handedly returning the US to a place of admiration and respect around the world.

From the Nobel Committee: Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama’s initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting.

White House Calls Out Fox News For Lies

From Politico.com
http://www.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/1009/Dunn_slams_Fox_opinion_journalism_masquerading_as_news.html?showall

Dunn slams Fox: 'Opinion journalism masquerading as news'

When the official White House blog recently called out “Fox lies,” I noted that it was unusual for the Obama administration to so strongly condemn a news organization.

Apparently, that's part of the new White House strategy.

Time White House correspondent Michael Scherer writes that in the face of criticism from the right, "the White House decided it would become a player, issuing biting attacks on those pundits, politicians and outlets that make what the White House believes to be misleading or simply false claims.”

White House Communications Director Anita Dunn has been leading the charge, Scherer notes, and while consuming conservative media, she's become a “fierce critic of Fox News.”

"It's opinion journalism masquerading as news," Dunn says. "They are boosting their audience. But that doesn't mean we are going to sit back." Fox News's head of news, Michael Clemente, counters that the White House criticism unfairly conflates the network's reporters and its pundits, like Glenn Beck, whom he likens to "the op-ed page of a newspaper."

Keith countdowns health care debate

Keith Olbermann dedicates an entire hour discussing health care reform after disclosing his own struggles with father's illness.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The DNC fights Back....finally

This from the Huffington Post

UPDATE: Either sensing an opening to cast the Republican Party as actively rooting against America, or just fed up with the stream of negative responses, the Democratic National Committee put out an unusually blunt statement Friday morning. The gist: that the GOP sides with the terrorists.

"The Republican Party has thrown in its lot with the terrorists -- the Taliban and Hamas this morning -- in criticizing the President for receiving the Nobel Peace prize," wrote DNC Communications Director Brad Woodhouse. "Republicans cheered when America failed to land the Olympics and now they are criticizing the President of the United States for receiving the Nobel Peace prize -- an award he did not seek but that is nonetheless an honor in which every American can take great pride -- unless of course you are the Republican Party. The 2009 version of the Republican Party has no boundaries, has no shame and has proved that they will put politics above patriotism at every turn. It's no wonder only 20 percent of Americans admit to being Republicans anymore - it's an embarrassing label to claim."

FURTHER UPDATE: The progressive outlet Media Matters puts out a telling compilation of the conservative outrage...



Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/09/obamas-nobel-prize-inspir_n_315167.html

That Representative Speaks My Mind

Republicans shocked by own tactic
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/33110896#33110896

Sept. 30: Rep. Alan Grayson, D-FL, joins Rachel Maddow to talk about his tongue-in-cheek criticism of Congressional Republicans for failing to produce a health care reform plan.

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Tim Wise Discusses the Racial Undertones of Health Care Reform

Tim Wise talks about the "elephant-in-the-room" in health care reform debate, as he discusses a woman dragged from a town hall meeting when her Rosa Parks poster is destroyed.

AL Franken To the Rescue

Thank you, Al Franken. At last. A health care discussion with some decorum. I have one question: Who out there is planting misinformation about there not being enough doctors to deal with universal health care?

You Tube: Franken Talks Down Angry Mob

What the New Credit Card Change Could Mean to You

Personally I think the "late payment" provisions of this legislation need to be made clearer. Some of the concerns raised in my previous credit card post, about companies arbitrarily moving payment due dates, have been addressed.

In theory, it looks like the concept of grace periods have been re-established, but to say payment must be due "21 days after mailing" seems strange.

There also needs to be some consistency about what constitutes being "30-days delinquent." Suppose I charge something on the 1st, the day before my statement cycles. I get a statement the following week with a payment due date of the end of the month. If miss that payment, am I really 30 days delinquent?

Yes, according to Bank of America, which holds my FIA card services credit card. For the record, overnight FIA recently nearly doubled my monthly payment, changing it from normally ranging around $125 to a whopping $250 a month. While they were at it they also increased my interest rate to 28 percent.

When I asked why, they claimed there was something "strange" in my credit profile. Knowing that not to be true, I challenged that assessment, they later claimed made a late payment -- a payment received after the due date. They failed to mention that yes, I missed the due date, but I also paid off the balance. My pay off check arrived a day or so after the due date. The next month, I used the card again.

For me the fundamental principle of offering credit cards with hopes they go into default should be outlawed. To design cards in a way that rewards looking for creative ways to make consumers delinquent is not only unfair but should be unethical. I don't care that card companies make money on getting investors to buy their credit portfolios.

Still checking for a list of congressmen who voted "no" on the house version of this bill.

Reflections on Michael Steele's Press Conference

See: Steele says time to focus on future. From the Boston Globe

Today, while talking on the phone to a friend, I stumbled on Michael Steele's press conference as it aired on CNN. I was infuriated, as so often the far right-winged Republican rhetoric tends to send me these days.

Sadly Michael use to be his own person. But after his oh-so-public Rush Limbaugh smack-down, he has lost his own voice. And today, it was even more obvious that Rush, the newly throned party King as annointed by Dick Cheney, has Steele on a very short lead. No wonder rational Republicans, like Arlen Specter, (and Colin Powell, according to Cheney) are fleeing the party.

First let me say I am so very disappointed that the far-right-winged arm of Republican party continues to pit one person of color against another. Next, we can be sure to look for Bobby Jindal --coming soon to a press conference near you. Their tactics are so transparent, and I like most Americans feel it's really getting old.

Getting back to Steele's press conference. In it he claims: "the era of apology for Republican mistakes of the past is officially over." How convenient. Let's just forget about an illegal war and war crimes seemingly commited by the Bush administration along with it. Let's forget about the multi-billion dollar deficit.

How about this: the next time a criminal goes on a robbery spree, selling all the loot and covering up his tracks, he just washes his hands, sits back and decides to be done with the past and simply move forward. He can indeed move forward, but not before paying for the crimes of the past.

Steele then dares call the Obama first 100 days a reigh of "error." As if launching an entire war search for non-existant 'weapons of mass destruction' and even more non-existant links to al-Queda -- making the entire world less safe in the process -- wasn't enough.

"American needs us now more than ever," he quips. Why?

Steele says that Republican ideas are "being delivered to Washington in a tea bag." Ideas like having Texas succeed from the union? Like pitting Steele, a black man, against the President, another black man, while reducing Steele to simply becoming the public mouthpiece of Rush Limbaugh?

"We continue to borrow money we do not have," he ascerts. You mean like the 720 billion spent waging the Iraq war? Or like squandering the budget surpus left to us by the Clinton administration?

But most appalling was Steele's use of the phrase speaking truth to power. Exactly where was the truth in Steele's speech?

Let's face it. If there was any truth to Steele's ascertions, he would have preferenced his analogies this way:

Because of the Republicans we have: "spen(t) our country into the abyss,"

Because of the Republicans we have: "borrow(ed) money we don't have"

Because of the Republicans we were: forced to "usher in the most massive expansion of federal government control in the history of our Republic."

How about this, Steele. Let's stop this revisionist history once and for all. Go back to navel gazing. That was far more productive and much less scary.

Happy Obama Day!!!!

I woke up at 4 a.m., raring to go. My roomie wanted to have breakfast before we made our way downtown so we got dressed and made our way to the hotel restaurant to be there as soon as it opened at 5 a.m.

After breakfast we caught the hotel shuttle to the Foggy Bottom Metro stop. There was a bit of a backup, but it was not too bad. Once on the subway platfor

m two trains that were out of service passed us by. The next train was full, so we waited for the next one. It was also full.

We started talking to a transit policeman who was directing people traffic in the subway. He wanted us to wait for the next shuttle, which he said was immediately behind this one. While we were chatting, two young girls walked right in front of us and tried to get on the train ahead of us. It was like we were completely invisible to them. The cop made them get off again, though.

Interestingly enough, the train we missed stayed stuck in the tunnel for about 10 minutes before it was able to move. Since I have claustrophobia, I have to say I'm very glad we did

n't get on that particular train.

We moved up on the platform to the front and were able to board the next train without problem. We were standing, but at least we were on the train. The train slowly made its way to Capitol Hill.

We were supposed to get off at the Capitol South train stop, but apparently it was closed because it got too crowded. We had to get off the train at L'Enfant Plaza instead. Needless to say all the planning and scoping things out from the day before got tossed out the window.

By the time we got off the train it was 7 a.m. We asked directions to the Silver ticket area and were told to walk toward third street. When we got to third street saw that the Silver Ticket line extended way 

back past the Native American Museum all the way down to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum --- about five blocks!!!

So we made our way back to the end of the line, which for all intents and purposes was about exactly where we got off the train in the first place.

Check-in went smoothly. The line started to move at 8 a.m. and everyone was orderly and moved quickly. They checked our bags and one officer groped by fanny pack like he was adjusting his family jewels. That was really weird.

We moved quickly to try and place ourselves were we had planned. Only there was a fence running down the length of the Silver section and we could only stay to the left of it

. My friend Pat thought that we should move closer to the jumbotron. I wanted to actually see the Capitol and really hoped to get closer. So I suggested we try to cross the street as soon as we could.

The policeman there held up the crowd from crossing because someone neeed to be carried out on a stretcher. So we waited. By and by he let small groups of people cross the street. Once across we got as close as we could to the divider that faced the Capitol grounds. 

We could see it...but there was a huge tree obstructing our view from the right side of the building. We were almost resolved to having to watch the whole thing on the jumbotron when suddenly the gates fell down opening up the Silver section clear down to the reflecting pool.

Immediately I moved to the left to be in clear view of the Capitol. I didn't go down the steps because I thought there would be a better vantage point from the top of the steps, rather than down below by the pool. 

Unfortunately when I moved, I lost my two friends.

Calling them by phone was no help. All cell phone calls were blocked. I was able to call briefly but got disconnected. I tried texting them. In the end, we remained separated for the entire ceremony.

My view was pretty good. I could see three jumbotrons and had a nice view of the Capitol platform.

I remember when we first caught glimpse of the Presidential motorcade as it headed towards the Capitol The crowd

 cheered as soon as they saw it, and the sound became even louder when we could actually see the black SVUs ourselves as they neared the grounds. It was very hard looking through my binoccu

lars, so I elected to watch the jumbotron like everyone else. More cheers for Presidents Clinton and Carter, little for the first President GW. Boos for Chaney. One women behind me said it would be fiiting to sing the classis song by Steam, "Na, Na, Hey, Hey, Kiss Him Goodbye," when Bush walked on. Interestingly enough, everyone else must have had the same thought because sure enough, people spontaneously erupted singing that v

ery song.

More cheers for Colin Powell. And then there they were. Joe Biden, Jill, Michelle, the girls and the future president. The crowd went crazy. I think it was then I realized I was crying.

More cheering of course, as Biden is sworn in. Then it was time for Yo-Yo Ma, and other m

usicians to perform. Simple Gifts is one of my favorite songs. I use to sing it in choir and wished I could play it as well as it sounded on the mall. Later we would

 learn it was all recorded, but the sweet musice filled the air almost making the wait for 

the moment of truth somewhat tolerable. Then it was time.

You could have heard a pin drop as Obama was sworn in. When the Presidental theme played indicating our new President was indeed, President, there was cheering and crying and shouting and we all hugged one another. Most of all I remember the hugging, there we were, most of us complete strangers, people of all races, ethnicities, genders, colors, political persuasions, all hugging one another like old friends. It was a moment I'll never forget.

You could almost hear a pin drop as Obama delivered his acceptance speech. 

Inauguration Countdown: Day Three

Three days before the inauguration.

We spent most of the day at the National Building Museum, the official location of the Commander-In -Chief's Official Inaugural Ball. We took a tour of the facility, which has been one of the primary locations for the Inaugural Ball since it was built in the 1800s as was the location of the Inaugural Ball of Grover Cleveland. I took tons of photographs even though tonight they were setting up for a Mayor's Association event. Although you usually can take photos the night before the ball, security is so tight the museum will be closed after tonight.

I finally found the Obama t-shirt I was looking for. At the event in Indiana, I saw a shirt with the red, white and blue drawing of him above the word "HOPE." I didn't buy it then because the vendor said it was up on the website. But when I checked, no such shirt. Today a vendor right outside the Metro was selling one. Now I have that t-shirt, an Obama bobble-head doll, a new Obama/Biden Inaugural sweat shirt and an inaugural wool hat. Guess that's enough Obama-memorabilia for one trip.

Inauguration Countdown

I arrived in Washington at about 6 p.m. on Thursday. Snow was falling lightly. I had phoned in a prescription earlier to my pharmacist, only to realize I wouldn't have time to pick it up. Darn.

The train was packed. The plan was I would stop at BWI to wait for my friend's plane to arrive. But the only available train got me there two hours before. So I decided to just head straight to the hotel instead. I was hungry and tired. Sitting for two hours at the airport just did not sound like the best way to spend two hours. When she arrived, I was sitting at Union Station, waiting for the Red line to take me to the hotel.

The trip to Washington was uneventful, really. I found a seat, sat down. I brought my computer, of course, but didn't feel like writing on the train. I also brought a host of DVDs with me and didn't want to watch them, either. Whomever was sitting in those seats before me left a pretty big mess...water bottles left in the seat compartment on the back of the chair where magazines should be. I've had this thing about public trash, a compulsion you might say. I was thoroughly grossed out, but decided to try to ignore it and focus on removing the lint from my wool coat.

Union Station was busy as it always is. I arr ivied around rush hour, so it was full of commuters. I called the hotel ahead of time to find out the Metro train to catch to get me to the hotel. Bought my metro ticket with the help of a busy commuter I let go ahead of me in line. Then I headed off to Woodley Park station to wait for the hotel shuttle.

Hotels should take note. If you have a shuttle, you should at least tell your guests what to look for when they're taking it. An unmarked black van was parked at the curb when I got there. So was a white one and a blue one. Neither of them had the name of my hotel on them. Since all three were down a flight of stairs and I had lots of luggage, I was not too keen on venturing down, only to find none of them were looking for me. So I stood in front of the station, as I was directed by the hotel, looking like a damsel in need of rescue by a hotel van.

Needless to say when I called back 20 minutes later, the hotel said the van had come and gone without seeing me there. And sure enough the van I was looking for was the black unmarked van I had seen earlier. I got to the hotel, had dinner and went back to my room.

I have to mention that when I checked in, I was so hungry and tired that I checked in, got my key, went up to my room and came back looking for the restaurant. It was only then that I realized there was a life-sized standee of Barack in the lobby. Life-sized! And standing right by where I checked in.

I walked over to the attendant to ask if it had been there when I checked in. He assured me that it was. Aye Carumba...

Dinner was great. Funny how a hamburger and onion rings hits the spot. After coming back to the room, my friend finally arrived...hungry and tired. Back to the restaurant again.

Tomorrow, I'll sit down and figure out what we're going to do in the days leading up to the inauguration. Another friend is picking up the tickets on Monday. Sounds to me like we're as far away from the Capitol Hill steps as you could get.

Bought an inaugural sweat shirt and hat. Now I need inaugural mittens, LOL.

More later...

President-elect Obama addresses U.S. economic crisis.

I found this latest announcement very encouraging: