Comprehensive health care reform will not happen…

President Obama and the Democrats in the US Congress are in the process of hacking out a health care bill.

Some say we can’t afford to cover all Americans-it would cost too much. Others, we can’t afford NOT too cover all Americans.

With one in six Americans uninsured and with the highest health care costs in the developed world what looked like a sure thing a few months ago, has now become a huge dilemma for President Obama and the Democratic Leadership.

If Democrats don’t pass health care reform, and remember Democrats are the overwhelming majority in the House and the Senate, one of Obama’s major campaign promises will not be achieved and probably wouldn’t even be achieved in his first term. And in the end you can bet that he and fellow Democrats will pay for it come election day in 2010 and 2012. But if they do listen to the opposition, within their own party, the bill may be derailed anyway because most of these Democrats oppose a public option- a ‘government health insurance program akin to Medicare which would be open to anyone’ and would move with the individual from job to job and even state to state.

So Democrats are left with only one option. Pass a watered down version of a health care bill and tout it as reform and hype the hell out of it so that the public may actually believe that they accomplished something truly significant and monumental this session.

We all knew that comprehensive health care reform wasn’t going to be easy and that there would be significant opposition to the president’s efforts, however as Democrats appear to be lugging a bill through Congress and more and more officials talk about the spiralling costs of  the proposed reforms, at a time when the economy is in perail and a lot of people don’t know where the next pay check is going to come from, its unlikely that we’re going to see any significant reforms.

An unscientific observation has led me to believe that during these hard times, mop soda and all that while many people may understand the importance and support health care reform they are unwilling to abandon an imperfect but tried system and put their faith, once again, in an untested and somewhat dubious process, in the end Democrats will have to balance today’s hardships against tomorrow’s benefits and do what’s in the best interest of the American people and not themselves. 

Boring Barack Obama..

OMG!!!!!

I’m one of the biggest nerds in the world.

I love politics and I could listen to policy discussions on most topics but listening to President Obama’s health care town hall on CNN bored me to tears today. Even MSNBC refused to air it and they cover ever little thing he does. LOL

Yes, I know we have to fix health care.

Yes, we have to get people covered.

And the personal stories we often hear at these town halls should provide us with even more incentives to fix our health care system.

But couldn’t Obama put some interesting graphics up there? Seriously. Where are the power point presentations on how reducing health care costs could actually help Rush Limbaugh or help most of the members of the Senate live even longer? I don’t know but these health care town halls need something.

But I guess there are some things even President Barack Obama can’t do.

Oh wait the part about the retained surgical sponge in the gut that was interesting.

But you know what I really like the fact that he can bore me to tears because that means we finally have a president that reads!

 

 

Heavy metal and politics unite for one night in Tempe, AZ

Alice Cooper and President Obama will both be attending Arizona State University’s commencement ceremony to be held tomorrow at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Cooper will perform and Obama is delivering the commencement address.

ASU and Arizona officials are expecting 71, 000 people to attend ASU’s five hour long graduation ceremony some in the Arizona press have even begun to call the event ’a spectacle’ . Hmm if John Mccain was president and he was giving the commencement address would the event still be called a spectacle? 

Alice Cooper and the President of the United States on the same stage..I wonder if Obama will be able to resist the temptation to hold Cooper’s snake? I just couldn’t resist sorry..lol

Obama laughing in the face of adversity?

Obama is a funny guy. That’s one of the reasons so many of us like him.

On the campaign trail we saw brief glimpses of his humorous side but he never really loosend up always wary of the  fact that one overblown joke could cause him the presidency Obama kept his self-deprecating, dry sense of humor in check.

But over the past few months as Obama has become increasingly comfortable with the presidency and his role as president and unfortunately as the situation has become more and more dire he’s started to lighten up and it’s not uncommon for him to crack a joke during a national press conference or address and admitedly most of the time his jokes or observations are witty and funny.

But on Thursday during his appearance of  “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno a characteristically self-deprecating joke about his bowling skills left a lot of families and people hurt. Then during an interview with “60 Minutes”, which aired yesterday, Obama joked about some aspects of the American economy likening his humor to ‘gallows humor’.

After he said, ” The only thing less popular than putting money into banks is putting money into the auto industry,” noting that, ” There’s got to be a little gallows humor to get you through the day.” Obama’s first statement was dead on but it’s no laughing matter. Detroit one of the US’s largest cities and the capital of the world’s auto industry is on the brink of collapse and Obama is joking about it?

Call me bias if you want (I lived in Detroit for over two years and I have a special fondness for Ferndale and Royal Oak MI) but I don’t get the joke.

Obama is the person charged with fixing all our problems and if he doesn’t make substantial headway in achieving many of them he’s going to be a one term president. And with everything he’s dealing with he’s probably suffering from  a ‘contact high’ brought on from being so close to all these disasters but frankly with the most powerful country currently on its knees and our collective suffering becoming a bit too overwhelming for even the strongest and the brightest among us I’m in no mood to laugh.

I admit I’ve never been one to laugh in the face of adversity, (I’d probably jump kick it..lol) so forgive me if I can’t laugh it off. And maybe if I lighten up I’d be able to see the humor in all of this like President Obama.

My passion for hand-written letters

When was the last time you sent or received a hand-written letter?  And cards don’t count.  

A LETTER , written by hand on paper preferably go on think about it? Hmmm..I bet you can’t remember the last time you got one? I can’t remember when I last got one either so don’t feel too bad.

Well, Obama’s letter to the Russian president  got me thinking about this simple, immensely pleasurable art form and the fact that it’s slowly vanishing from our lives-my life.

Don’t get me wrong I love email and twitter but there are only a few things more pleasurable than going to my mailbox and finding a letter from a relative or friend tucked between a mountain of bills and if you really think about it a warm letter is one of life’s simplest pleasures. 

I can still remember rushing home from school to get the latest juicy details on Canadian high school life from my Canadian pen pal and when my best friend moved to Boston we stayed in touch via letters and to this day she still tells me about those letters and how much they meant to her. And on my first day of college I received a letter from my mother telling me how proud she was of me. I honestly don’t think an email from her would have made me cry as hard as I did that day.

So I’ve resolved to start writing more letters and no I’m not giving up email I’m just picking back up the pen and you should too and maybe we’ll all start looking forward to going to the mailbox a little bit more and God knows we need a little more joy in our lives these days.

Obama is finally selling the stimulus, will it work?

 

 

Barack Obama is doing his ’presidential thing’ today.

He’s out there selling himself, his party and his recovery and reinvestment plan.  Remember it’s no longer the economic stimulus package. They’ve dropped that loser name for a more uplifting one-recovery and reinvestment sounds so much better and it kinda makes you feel good about the whole economy thing doesn’t it? ‘ Cause who doesn’t feel good a rescuing things?  Go ahead roll your eyes and laugh out loud..

Anyway, Obama is obviously the top salesman of our time and with public support for the bill at 37%Obama has  cleared his throat, fine tuned his sales pitch and embarked on a national tour via Elkhart, Indiana and a prime time news conference.

Will this work?  Can our celebrity president persuade a skeptical and depressed public to endorse and support a plan that offers little or no guarantees?  

If the numbers edge up slightly I will be surprised.  Because, right now, it doesn’t appear as if anything can get the economy and markets moving again. And the events of the past six months have forced many of us to become even more pessimistic and fearful and this will probably continue until the average person can see tangible improvements in his/her daily life. People need to have more money in their pockets and they also need to see others spending money, at the mall, at the dealerships, at their local high end grocery store etc, etc in order to boost their confidence.

However, that leads us to this inevitable conundrum how do we improve the economy if attitudes about the economy remain uncertain and despondent?  The market is a creature of the people and vice versa so if people are depressed and scared they don’t spend and we need to spend in order for businesses to invest in jobs, products and services.

President Obama is trying to convince us that government spending is our only option, i’m already convinced, but for a country built on choices and alternatives that is going to be a very bitter pill to swallow.

Another Obama nominee with tax problems?

But this one has actually withdrawn her nomination.

Nancy Killefer was nominated by Obama back on January 7,  for the post of Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). According to the White House Killefer has withdrawn but no other details have been reported.

MSNBC is reporting it’s due to tax issues.  First there was Geithner, then Daschle now Killefer.

Killefer knew that she wouldn’t have been confirmed since she would’ve been the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.  This is quite unfortunate since she would have been only the sixth woman in Obama’s cabinet.

But I have to ask again. What is it with these people and taxes?

Nobody likes to pay high taxes but as Holmes said, ” Taxes are what we pay for a civilized society.”

However, like Norah O’Donald of MSNBC I am left wondering ” Why isn’t the Obama administration fighting for her the same way they fought for the others? “

On the surface it just doesn’t seem fair and if she was forced to withdraw her nomination for a  $1 000 tax problem than I think Daschle should do the same.

Welcome, President Barack Obama! We’ve waited long enough…

Today the world welcomes the 44th President of the United States Barack Hussein Obama.

For two years we have followed and commented on every detail of his life and his family’s life.  We have scrutinized and demanded his positions on every issue. We have even witnessed him ’brushing his shoulders’ off after a few missteps on the campaign trail. Along the way he captivated and inspired us with his soaring oratory and solid belief that WE can change the world. 

To all of you who called, walked and knocked on doors for Obama and Obama/Biden because you wanted to change Washington D.C, the country and the world today is YOUR day!

To all of you that have suffered, due to the arrogrance, bumbling incompetence  and divisive policies of the previous adminsitration today is YOUR day!

To all American troops across the world, today is YOUR day!

To all Iraqis who long for peace and sovereignty. today is YOUR day!

To people across the world who believed in America even when we had lost our way today is YOUR day!

To Michelle, Malia and Natasha today is YOUR day!

Finally to all Americans STAND UP AND RAISE YOUR GLASS IN CELEBRATION OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA FOR TODAY is OUR day!

Now, let’s get to work rebuilding this country we don’t have a moment to lose.

Obama had dinner with some conservatives now all want their turn….

 

Apparently Obama had dinner with some of his harshest conservative critics the other night.

Now, it seems many prominent members in the fourth estate want their turn at hosting the president-elect or an invite to the White House from President Obama.

Tonight on MSNBC Clarence Page said he’s waiting for his invitation from Obama, Pat Buchanan talked about not being invited to Bush’s White House (code for he wants an invite to Obama’s) and Chris Matthews talked about being invited by George Bush Snr for dinner and a movie and how it was according to his father the greatest night of his father’s life and David Shuster talked about the dinner on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue too.

My God people have some respect for yourselves.

Stop kissing up to Obama let him come to you.  He’s already extended a hand in friendship to some of his former foes  (so Pat you will probably get a call don’t worry) so you can be sure he will be extending his other hand to his friends as well.

Talkin’ ’bout a revolution; the election of President Barack Obama

 

On November 5th, 2008 my mother went to my dad’s grave and laid a wreath in celebration of Barack Obama’s victory the night before.

As I answered the phone that joyful morning a tearful voice greeted me on the other end,”I’ve just come from your dad’s grave,’ she sobbed, ” I told him the revolution we always talked about has finally taken place…”

With tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat I told my mom that I wish I had been with her to say a few words as well. What I would have said?  I can honestly tell you I don’t know and that’s one of the reasons it has taken me this long to write this blog.

Words CANNOT and DO not do Obama’s election to the highest office in this land and arguably the world, justice.

How can they?

Words cannot adequately express the effect of 300 years of slavery and another 90+ years of segregation/Jim Crow on a people can they? And words cannot express what it means to me and countless others like me black or white to see a black man lead a nation that once classified black people as nothng more than cattle.

How can words….they are no words that adequately express that triumphant feeling in my mother’s heart as she spoke those words at my father’s grave that morning just as they are no procedures that could bring my father back to life to witness that pivotal moment in Grant Park but on November 5th 2008, the revolution he always preached, longed and sometimes even begged for finally came I hope that he is finally, finally resting in peace.