A bill that would put credit card reforms in place now rather than in three months was just blocked in the Senate. So it's time to take the fight straight to the banks!

Tell the credit card companies exactly what you think of them, and that they won’t get your business until they stop raising interest rates, adding new fees and penalties, and other tricks prior to the credit card rules going into effect in February.

What better way to tell the banks "bah, humbug!" than to stop charging on their cards during the holidays.

 http://www.creditcardreform.org/learn.html

We can put the pressure on at the corporate level now if we all speak out together!

http://www.creditcardreform.org/learn.html
If we had a watchdog to prevent credit card tricks and other financial scams, we wouldn’t have to rely on Congress to fix problems after they happen. An independent regulator would put our money needs first, but the banks hate the idea! http://www.creditcardreform.org/learn.html

Cell phone on your holiday list?
Verizon just hit most smartphone customers with a $350 fee for canceling their service early. Tactics like these are outrageous, and it’s time they're stopped so we can shop for the best wireless deals. A bill was just introduced; let’s move it now! 

 I HAVE worked in politics for several years. Wrote speeches for one candidate, managed another candidate's campaign, worked with Pete Wilson's campaign for Governor of California, and a few others. As a young boy, my father was also in politics, though a democrat, I met such people as JFK, Senator Joe Tydings, Strom Thurmond, Congressman Mathias, and a bunch you probably have never heard of or remember.

I tell you these things NOT to impress you, but to explain that what you SEE on television is NOT what is really going on. American politics, ever since I was a boy seeing it first hand, has slowly morphed into a cathouse of corporate whores. Most politicians pander for money, and for them to STAY in office, these politicians need BIG contributors with BIG money! And the BIG contributors are NOT friends for US citizens! 

Personally, I am stunned that people are upset with the prospect of a government alternative to health insurance that would COMPETE with the existing health insurance companies!  All this fear was made up so insurance companies can financially rape you! Think not?? Well, just do a web search on the fraud case of United Health !! Yes, look at how many people they screwed and the fines that they HAD to pay!!! Who is bankrolling the loudest protestors, and/or media experts/coverage on this subject?

Besides being the willing prostitutes of the BIG INSURANCE COMPANIES, the radical right wing has been so blatantly exploited. This is a truly unbelievable drama to see unfold. I am absolutely shocked at the ignorance and stupidity of the people doing the dirty work for these insurance companies. 

But, to put this in perspective, this SAME kind of "fake outrage" was how the Nazis came to power in Germany. It is this same manipulation that convinces people to do the unthinkable and kill another person.... we call that mixture of fanatical profit making coupled with patriotism a 'legal' war!  Those of us who have had to do it, know the difference.

But, there's BIG money in war! A few old, greedy men get rich while many innocent young men die.... all for a god damn buck!  In this last war, it amazed me how the "chickenhawks" were beating the drum for war. They didn't have the guts for it when it was their time. (Almost all of them never served themselves, nor did their sons/daughters). Check it out! 

I guess when you get in the White House it is much easier to grow testicles with someone else's blood! But, don't take my word for it, General Smedley Butler wrote a book, "War is a Racket". Read and see who profitted from World War 1. It was the same with World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Gulf War I (which was a particularly interesting armed robbery), and then the absolute raping of the Iraqi Central Bank in Gulf War II. Just follow the money, but don't be so naive'!! It's all about the money!!! Follow the money these days, and you will know who is really pulling the strings behind the scenes, as opposed to what the media says.

The Spartans had a rule of law. As a Spartan politician, IF you voted for war, YOU got a brevet commission and you marched off WITH the Army to war. Now THAT is democracy. Do you remotely THINK these candy-ass inbred Washington politicians would EVER have that kind of conviction? Not today!! 

Over the last 30 years, I have watched, to my horror, as American politics has turned into a circus freak show. Unless YOU make a conscious and honest effort to LISTEN to BOTH sides of an issue, YOU will be easy prey for those that have an agenda. In the case of health care, unless you have ACTUALLY seen universal health working in OTHER countries (like France, UK, Canada) , you don't KNOW what you are talking about. Sometimes REALITY is far different from what WE THINK we know!!!

I have found it absolutely insane that people ALREADY on Medicare have been convinced to fight against a government alternative!! WHAT ON EARTH DO THEY THINK MEDICARE/MEDICAID IS??? 

Do not get tricked into arguments of absolutes! It's a way to confuse you. In this world, there are NO absolutes!! There is NO absolute democracy!! If so, then WHO voted for the IRS??

There is NO absolute communism, otherwise, HOW DOES WAL-MART SELL YOU ALL THOSE CHINESE PRODUCTS!!

And socialism? What stupid argument is that regarding health. You have NO problem using our national road system (paid a toll lately), that's socialism. Your water system, sewer system, police protection, fire protection, all government agencies, education, and the military... they are ALL socialism. By practice, socialism is a means to do collectively what we can NOT do individually!  So, in the event of a catastrophic medical emergency, you either bank several million dollars for that dreaded event, or ALLOW for a medical safety net that EVERYONE can have and afford!

Now, if that bothers you, then go find out how much that road you drive EVERY DAY to work costs, and PAY your government back for using it!  Are you getting it? THAT's "socialism"! Socialism is NOT by definition a bad thing. There IS NO government on earth EVER, that has NOT had some level of socialism. IF you HAVE government, you WILL have some level of socialism! There's NO way around it!! Government IS socialism in practice!! That simple common sense explanation does NOT require a college degree in political science. (Fact is, there is NO science in politics!) 

Before I close, let me add one more point. To serve as an elected representative of the people is a distinct honor and a sacred trust. The majority of our elected representatives  have failed us miserably. This country is in serious need of an enema. The political circus freak show MUST stop. This nation does not have the luxury of indulging in such cynical extravagance as fear mongering and media manipulation.

As Senator Moynihan said, "you are entitled to your own opinion, but NOT your own facts". The blatant lies that have spewed across the media and the internet undermine the democratic process. We stand at the threshold to a complete fascist state unless we change our ways immediately.

We MUST have debate based in fact. Shouting down opponents, fear mongering, lying; are all the ways of fascism! This country MUST bring back the "fairness doctrine" to the media, so BOTH sides can be heard! (Republicans eliminated this, and have been fighting to keep it banned ever since.)

This crazy shouting about health care has to be brought back to reality. In 2004, the government spent over $335 MILLION PER DAY for a WAR in IRAQ!!! That is absolutely outrageous. Think about that for a moment. This nation has absolutely NO protest against spending $335 MILLION each and every day to KILL people, but go absolutely crazy when the idea of saving lives and affordable health are brought to the table. 

What IF that $335 MILLION per day WAS funneled to health care? How many people would be alive today? How many people would have a better quality of life?  It is a sick revelation to see America WILLING to spend BILLIONS to kill people, and not a dime to save them! Americans don't even blink at the hellish cynicism that comparison shows! 

To the democrats elected BY THE PEOPLE who desperately wanted change, GROW A SPINE! The Republicans are the whores for BIG pharma, insurance companies, and weapons manufacturers. By their own actions, they have made their intentions clear! Do you actually believe they will change THEIR agenda??? 

Let me put it another way. To do the same things over and over; and yet, EXPECT a different outcome IS insanity!  The people, the clear majority, WANT affordable health care, lower taxes, less government, and a sensible government that is not owned by corporate America. Ladies and Gentlemen, READ your Oath of Office! And GET ON WITH IT !!! Do YOUR DUTY!!! To SERVE the PEOPLE is an HONOR, NOT A CAREER !!!

To my fellow Americans, STOP ranting about YOUR rights! You have NO rights except those that the government deems you will have! Get that straight! Every existing right you have at present, comes with a corresponding RESPONSIBILITY to use it!

Freedom of speech does not allow for lying, misinformation, or deceit. Lying is NOT a responsible exercise of this "right." 

The right to bear arms requires the discipline and security of owning a firearm. Using a handgun to rob a 7-11 is not a responsible exercise of this "right."

On the other hand, the failure of upholding the rule of law, gave you a corrupt federal taxing authority that willfully violates unlawful seizure without due process everyday. That could be changed, but Americans are too lazy to do the right thing.

Bottomline, we have a perfectly good Constitution that no one (when was the LAST time YOU read it) reads or obeys. So, for the last 100 years, the government has filled the void and stepped in... they are all too happy to explain what it means to you!  Hey wake up! Our forefathers were NOT career politicians or lawyers, and our Constitution was written by them! Think about that for a while!

There are NO rights without responsibilities!! Stop being so lazy! If you want a democratic republic, YOU must get educated and informed! That is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY! And that requires the discipline to listen AND learn from BOTH sides!! A one-sided conversation is not a conversation! That doesn't exist! Or, as my father always said "when everybody is thinking the same way, nobody is thinking."

If you REALLY believe in American values, then get educated. Seriously, the hard part is actually listening to people you disagree with. That action, by its nature, educates you. But, if you approach EVERY issue with your mind made up... well, then, don't even bother going through the motions... it will only frustrate you!

As I said at the beginning, I don't vote. Since 2000, I made the conscious decision that I will not validate this circus freak show.  The American society has lost its way, and I have not only departed the political process, but the country as well.  I am ashamed of the extreme divisions in this nation. This is NOT the America I grew up in! This is NOT the America that I swore an Oath to defend. This is NOT the America that I once was willing to lay down my life for. That America is gone. To see this happen in my life time is an absolute shame.

No, I did not vote for Barack Obama. But, I have great hope in him. He is NOT part of the old regimes and power broker elites. And if he succeeds, maybe the America I remember will re-emerge, like a Phoenix. But, I have seen too much hate, fear, and lies in this country to allow myself much optimism.

I give this message to my fellow Americans. The sick, profiteering regimes prior to Obama got us to this dismal point. If the people of this nation can not rally behind this President and see ALL Americans as Americans, then the future of this nation is bleak. And it will die, not from some outside force or enemy, but by our own hands. I am leaving this country because I can not bear to see it self-destruct. I now sadly admit that I believe the only time Americans will wake up is when they feel great pain. The painful days are coming....  and no, do not be so foolish as to believe Barack Obama brought them!  These days were conceived and grown 25 years ago... and now, this nation shall reap what it sowed

Click here today and we'll fax a flier to Sens. Boxer and Feinstein on your behalf,asking them to support a strongpublic health insurance option.

 

Click here 

Health care reform is in trouble in the Senate.

Conservatives in Congress, including some Democrats, are trying to kill Obama's public health insurance option not by opposing it outright, but by pushing weak half-measures and calling them "public plans."¹ The latest is a proposal for small, regional "co-ops" that would have no chance of competing against insurance companies to bring costs down.²

If we act immediately, we have a good shot at defeating ploys like the "co-op." The key is to make it clear that we support a strong public health insurance option and lay out exactly what that means.

http://pol.moveon.org/fax?tg=FSCA_2.FSCA_1&cp_id=967&id=16427-8424909-UAPGdzx&t=3

It's up to us to remind our senators that an overwhelming majority of Americans—83%—supports a public health insurance option,³ and that weak half-measures like the "co-op" plan are no substitute for real reform.

• Available to all of us: A strong public health insurance option should be available to anyone who chooses to participate. If you like your current plan, you can keep it; if you want to participate in the public health insurance plan, you can choose that.

• A national plan with real bargaining clout: In order to truly control costs and compete with private health insurance plans, a strong public health insurance option must be available nationwide.

• Ready on day one: Every day we wait on real reform, health care costs continue to rise. A strong public health insurance option with a broad network of providers right out of the gate is key to building a competitive program that will help control costs.

• A truly public plan: To ensure it's held to the highest standards of accountability, a public health insurance option must be truly publicly run—accountable and transparent to Congress and to voters.

If thousands of us send faxes to Senate offices this week, we can make sure that message is heard loud and clear. Can you fax Sens. Boxer and Feinstein today? Click below and we'll send one for you: 

http://pol.moveon.org/fax?tg=FSCA_2.FSCA_1&cp_id=967&id=16427-8424909-UAPGdzx&t=4 

Thanks for all that you do.

–Patrick S., Kat, Justin, Wes, and the rest of the team

Sources: 

1. "A Public Health Plan," The New York Times, June 21, 2009. 
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51519&id=16427-8424909-UAPGdzx&t=5

2. "A co-op for the public option? Let's talk principles," The Now! Blog, June 12, 2009. 
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51498&id=16427-8424909-UAPGdzx&t=6

3. "New Poll Shows Tremendous Support for Public Health Care Option," Blog for Our Future, June 15, 2009 
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51510&id=16427-8424909-UAPGdzx&t=7

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