Open Message to John Boehner

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Wed, 04/06/2011 - 12:24pm | Thoughtful

Corporate Welfare & Millionaires' Entitlement Bailout

I don't want to hear any of this partisan drivel about how serious the Republicans are about deficit reduction until they spend the ten minutes it would take to repeal the millionaires' welfare income tax reduction from which no one would starve to death, no one would die for lack of health care, and no one would become homeless due to foreclosure. That $70 billion plus interest savings is greater than the reductions over which they are squabbling, risking a government shut down, and squelching the fragile economic recovery, thus raising the deficit more than the economy killing reductions they are trying to coerce upon this country. Blackmailing the country into continuing this reprehensible protection racket to support millionaires entitlements has been played to death, literally 45,000 deaths from lack of health insurance annually. Having been a Republican until the despicable behavior demonstrated by my former party the past two years, I can assure the congressman the hoodwinking they pulled off in the last election is so over because of their blatant hypocrisy over concern for this country or its citizens. Their indefensible actions have become obvious and their inability to shill for their corporate owners will not be as highly rewarded after the next election.

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alabaster jones 71 wrote on July 14, 2011 at 8:07 pm

I suppose this is related to

I suppose this is related to the topic at hand here regarding the corruption of both parties and how they have both led us to ruin. I had a discussion the other day about whether it would be beneficial to ban political parties entirely. Or, at the very least, ban political parties from appearing on ballots next to the names of the candidates. That might at least require voters to do a little bit of research on who they are voting for instead of just mindlessly voting straight ticket for one party election after election. Perhaps it would even force politicians to stand on their own principles and beliefs more often instead of hiding behind their party's platform in lockstep with their party bosses. I guess we can dream...

Thoughtful wrote on July 11, 2011 at 7:07 pm

The barbaric savagery

The barbaric savagery currently employed by the Republican Party compels me to question whether they actually receive campaign contributions from Al Qaeda, or whether they are merely pursuing their mission to destroy America gratis.

Yatiri wrote on July 13, 2011 at 11:07 am

They pursue their own wealth

They pursue their own wealth and power and don't give a damn about the country.

And again, the Democrats are the same. They want to be elected, stay elected, and get lots of money.

The people who bribe politicians give money to both parties. Why don't we call campaign contrib utions and lobbying what they are: bribes.

buzorro wrote on April 06, 2011 at 4:04 pm

I would agree that Repub

I would agree that Repub leadership is part of the problem, as well as Dem leadership. That being said, what is your opinion of Rep. Ron Paul? Rep. Dennis Kucinich? Sen. Bernie Sanders?

Yatiri wrote on April 07, 2011 at 10:04 am

none of the above. Can't we

none of the above. Can't we do better than to have to choose between dumb and dumberer?

Which party doesn't cheat? Which party wants to end gerrymandering, and corruption?

They all leave public service to work as lobbyists, corrupting everything. Why they even take money from people like Gadaffi to "burnish his image". They even take money from foreign governments.

The US government is up for sale it is so deeply corrupted by this 2 party system

NONE OF THE ABOVE! WE CAN DO BETTER!

Thoughtful wrote on April 07, 2011 at 11:04 am

I have always said that if I

I have always said that if I wanted to become a politician, I would change my name to "None of the Above", file last to insure my position at the bottom of the ballot, and enjoy a landslide victory. Neither the Republican nor the Democratic Parties, separately or together is capable of solving any of this country's problems because they are both owned by big money corporations and special interests, ignoring the fact that the citizenry comprises the largest special interest. They overcome that fact by exploiting the gullibility of a large enough percentage of the electorate with misinformation and billions of dollars of false advertising, especially since the Citizens United Supreme Court decision allows them to hide their sources with front groups. Disregard party and vote for independent candidates from either party or with no party affiliation by following the money to see if their contributors are likely to share your concerns and interests. This may leave one with rather a slim choice, but the only vote that is wasted is one that is cast based on parties incapable of representing your interests.

Thoughtful wrote on April 07, 2011 at 12:04 am

I have not observed Ron Paul

I have not observed Ron Paul closely enough to advance a well informed opinion, though I do believe all three present legitimate concerns to some sincere citizens. I can appreciate Dennis Kucinich's rather direct approach to some very important issues, and Senator Bernie Sanders has earned my deepest respect for his vocal and energetic advancement of single payer Improved Medicare For All in Vermont and in Washington, D.C. His efforts may in my opinion be the most significant contribution to this country in the coming century, because our corporate owned two party system will continue to sink in quicksand until this country implements a single payer health care financing system. Everyone agrees that rising health care costs are the greatest threat bankrupting our country, states, municipalities, and citizens, but the insurance and pharmaceutical owned politicians ignore the solution every other civilized industrialized nation in the world has implemented to enjoy their "unfair" economic advantage, affordable access, and superior outcomes for half the cost. Monday, April 11, 2011 is Single Payer Lobby Day at the Capitol in Springfield, and while the savings would be greater if enacted at the national level, our state is in no financial condition that we can afford to delay benefitting from the significant savings and economic advantages to be gained by adopting a single payer Improved Medicare For All health care financing system in Illinois. While the biggest fear is that of the unknown, the greatest danger is in our current path.

thechampaignlife wrote on April 07, 2011 at 7:04 am

I like the idea of single

I like the idea of single payer but, given our state's tendency for corruption, I do worry somewhat about abuses such as have occurred with worker's comp. I would hope we'd take a good look at other single payer programs in other states and countries and model ours after theirs.

To the issue of partisanship, I still maintain that we need to bring back sortition to democracy by using it in the House as a citizen check on an elected Senate.

Thoughtful wrote on April 07, 2011 at 10:04 am

I believe our dark past

I believe our dark past political history positions us uniquely to benefit from enjoying the most anti politician governor I have ever observed. After reducing the Illinois House of Representatives by 33% and supporting the creation of the Citizens' Utility Board (CUB), Governor Pat Quinn has continued to tell us what he believes will benefit us most, even if it was not what we wanted to hear, then followed through and did what was in the best interests of the citizens of this state. Though I have not agreed with every decision, I believe they were made conscientiously for our benefit. April 11, 2011, we will be communicating with our politicians our support for implementation of a single payer health care financing system, and I expect them to be more accessible and more accountable than would be the case with an insurance company executive. As we know there is a continued need to reform, improve, and monitor Medicare and any government program for duplication, waste, or corruption. But, I believe it should be very feasible to avoid the $400,000,000,000.00 annual price tag of administrative costs associated with our current for profit health insurance INDUSTRY. For the $1,000,000,000.00 taken out of the health care coffers by just 11 CEO's over a recent 10 year period I believe we could have filled 1 Medicare directorship with a little left over for administrative support and a lot of appreciative nurses, doctors, and patients to whose health care they could actually attend, rather than filling out 100 different insurance claim forms. Health costs have risen from about 8% of GDP to more than 16% over recent decades and are accelerating. What fantastic accomplishments could have been achieved for the citizens of this country with that excess 8% of GDP if we hadn't taken our eye off the ball and allowed the for profit health insurance industry to run amuck. But, more importantly a large portion of the billions of dollars spent on false political advertising in the November election came from policy holders premium dollars to enable a parasitic industry to take an even larger share of our economy without contributing anything to improve anyone's health. If you have been receiving great quality health care insurance coverage at an affordable price without substantial problems with claims at a for profit health insurance company you are probably very healthy and haven't filed many claims. Though never having been hospitalized since birth my last 3 health insurance companies still priced me out of their policies with annual double digit premium increases. Their only concession when confronted was to suggest a deductible high enough that a claim would never be filed in order to protect their profit margin. That lack of accountability seems to be the rule in the industry, as opposed to the exception in Medicare. The infrequent problems with the more than 50% of health care provided by government programs is far preferable to the infrequent satisfaction provided by the private health insurance industry. For someone to prefer to pay twice as much for health care compared to our global competitors with no better outcomes, reflects poorly on our intelligence, but even worse on our "public servants", who accept millions of dollars in campaign donations in order to continue the fleecing of the majority for the benefit of the millionaire minority.

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