I can't stand the hypocricy.
Where were the Tea Party Conservatives when george W. completely erased the budget surplus he inherited from Bill Clinton?
He first went on a drunken spending spree in healthcare (Medicare Part D), which was funded ENTIRELY by deficit spending and cost over a trillion dollars. Of course, the new healthcare working its way through is deficit neutral, AND costs less.
Then there is the giant welfare state W. had in Iraq. We left money in giant pallets that disappeared. We spent hundreds of billions building roads, bridges, schools, etc. But now that Obama wants to spend a fraction of that amount to build our OWN crumbling infrastructure, the teabags are screaming socialism. Nice.
The tax giveaways to Big Oil, Bill Polluters, and the super wealthy? All fine and dandy in GOP land. Helping people save thier jobs, homes, and retirement? That calls for massive protests in DC baby. (And the Metro better be up and running for that protest--not that we support public transportation).
PS--the bailouts you teabaggers hate? Started by W. And he demanded NO transparency as to what was to be done with the money. Thankfully, by then even the cowards in Congress had enough rolling over and put in a very little oversight--(sadly, that was as much standing up as we saw during the dark years).
I invite you to join the group. I think it's good to let people know there is an opposition to something that is really so stupid and silly.
Americans Against Teabags
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Conservatives!! Stop the Lies & Hypocrisy on Health Care Reform!
This started as a comment to a GOPer but I decided to make it a post. First off, STOP LYING!
YOU WILL NOT GO TO JAIL if you don't have health insurance!
My God, how desperate are you?
There will be no death panels, no pulling the plug on grandma, and rest assured that there is nothing in this bill that will destroy the all powerful insurance companies--trust me, you conservatives have ensured that their interests are well protected.
And to the GOPers who say that they don't believe in government interference or higher deficit spending...let me school you.
The Medicare Part D Plan, which gave subsidies to drug companies for seniors, (but won't allow the government to negotiate lower drug prices for seniors--genius), is the largest government interference in decades...orchestrated entirely by REPUBLICANS!!
It cost $1.2 TRILLION, not the $848 billion cost of the Senate bill.. and unlike the Senate bill working it's way through, the Medicare Part D Bush bill was funded ENTIRELY THROUGH DEFICIT SPENDING!!
The House and Senate HCR bill are both deficit-neutral--a requirement from Obama. The nonpartisan CBO actually says they both SAVE money. Unlike the Bush bill, where not only was it thrown onto the deficit... Bush officials threatened to fire Medicare's chief actuary if he shared honest cost estimates with Congress!
The hypocrisy is sickening. They don't give a damn about government interference or deficit spending. They also didn't give a damn about seniors...they did this to get their votes. But the GOP doesn't care if there is a health care crisis. The uninsured probably won't vote GOP...so screw them!
The GOP does not want a bill that will save lives because they don't want anything perceived as a Democratic victory. They will stop at nothing, even delaying funding for our troops, in order to kill this because their own sad politics are more important to them than their constituents.
Ask them, what is their answer to health care insurance premiums RISING 10% every single year? Answer: Screw 'em...as long as we can say we screwed Obama.
Your GOP at work.
YOU WILL NOT GO TO JAIL if you don't have health insurance!
My God, how desperate are you?
There will be no death panels, no pulling the plug on grandma, and rest assured that there is nothing in this bill that will destroy the all powerful insurance companies--trust me, you conservatives have ensured that their interests are well protected.
And to the GOPers who say that they don't believe in government interference or higher deficit spending...let me school you.
The Medicare Part D Plan, which gave subsidies to drug companies for seniors, (but won't allow the government to negotiate lower drug prices for seniors--genius), is the largest government interference in decades...orchestrated entirely by REPUBLICANS!!
It cost $1.2 TRILLION, not the $848 billion cost of the Senate bill.. and unlike the Senate bill working it's way through, the Medicare Part D Bush bill was funded ENTIRELY THROUGH DEFICIT SPENDING!!
The House and Senate HCR bill are both deficit-neutral--a requirement from Obama. The nonpartisan CBO actually says they both SAVE money. Unlike the Bush bill, where not only was it thrown onto the deficit... Bush officials threatened to fire Medicare's chief actuary if he shared honest cost estimates with Congress!
The hypocrisy is sickening. They don't give a damn about government interference or deficit spending. They also didn't give a damn about seniors...they did this to get their votes. But the GOP doesn't care if there is a health care crisis. The uninsured probably won't vote GOP...so screw them!
The GOP does not want a bill that will save lives because they don't want anything perceived as a Democratic victory. They will stop at nothing, even delaying funding for our troops, in order to kill this because their own sad politics are more important to them than their constituents.
Ask them, what is their answer to health care insurance premiums RISING 10% every single year? Answer: Screw 'em...as long as we can say we screwed Obama.
Your GOP at work.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
How to Negotiate Like a Democrat
When someone like Harry Reid is a major Dem "leader", you know we are in trouble:
I remember being told in 2004 by Senate Dems that they were utterly helpless to stop the GOP jugernaut of 55 Senators when they steamrolled us with god-awful legislation, like the bankruptcy bill written by the credit-card companies.
Dems kept offering amendments to that bill:
--give soldiers a break from bankruptcy serving overseas. DENIED.
--give people a break who are bankrupt because they had no medical insurance and had high hospital bills. DENIED!
The bill passed just the way Bush and the GOP wanted it. They negotiated--by saying my way or the highway. And as expected, our guys caved.
GET US IN OFFICE! The Dems cried. Things would be different!
So we did. We put into office a Dem prez, a supermajority in the House, and a "fillibuster-proof" Senate. NEVER will we have this majority again--but it apparently isn't enough to get any of our signature legislation passed.
It didn't have to be this way...
Reid could have broken the healthcare reform bill in two.
Reid could have at least threatened Reconciliation.
Reid could have at least threatened nuking the fillibuster to 55 votes. (67 to amend rules, but 51 to start fresh).
What did we have to fear? Retaliation? Really? Would the mean GOP "slow down" the Senate? What would that look like? Put the jobs creation bill up...let them try to stop it...just what the F*&K are you so damn afraid of?
Give 'em Hell Harry, my ass!
I remember being told in 2004 by Senate Dems that they were utterly helpless to stop the GOP jugernaut of 55 Senators when they steamrolled us with god-awful legislation, like the bankruptcy bill written by the credit-card companies.
Dems kept offering amendments to that bill:
--give soldiers a break from bankruptcy serving overseas. DENIED.
--give people a break who are bankrupt because they had no medical insurance and had high hospital bills. DENIED!
The bill passed just the way Bush and the GOP wanted it. They negotiated--by saying my way or the highway. And as expected, our guys caved.
GET US IN OFFICE! The Dems cried. Things would be different!
So we did. We put into office a Dem prez, a supermajority in the House, and a "fillibuster-proof" Senate. NEVER will we have this majority again--but it apparently isn't enough to get any of our signature legislation passed.
It didn't have to be this way...
Reid could have broken the healthcare reform bill in two.
Reid could have at least threatened Reconciliation.
Reid could have at least threatened nuking the fillibuster to 55 votes. (67 to amend rules, but 51 to start fresh).
What did we have to fear? Retaliation? Really? Would the mean GOP "slow down" the Senate? What would that look like? Put the jobs creation bill up...let them try to stop it...just what the F*&K are you so damn afraid of?
Give 'em Hell Harry, my ass!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Paula Dockery Is Our Joke
I watched her speech announcing her campaign. It's pretty tough to mount a campaign when the only thing you are known for is being hell-ben on killing a popular project like SunRail. But you know her campaign is in trouble when she spent her whole speech railing against unethical political practices--only to thank our local corrupt gadfly Doug Guetzloe for getting her into the race.
Thankfully, SunRail passed. Her opposition to SunRail, this time, was that it didn't go where people wanted, like "DisneyWord" or the "airport". Yeah. Because THAT is where Central Floridians want to go. Let's face facts: she attacks SunRail because Jeb Bush overturned the amendment that approved the high-speed rail project and instead supported SunRail, and that cost her husband millions.
Not much of a campaign slogan, but what else has the Florida GOP got going on these days.
Thankfully, SunRail passed. Her opposition to SunRail, this time, was that it didn't go where people wanted, like "DisneyWord" or the "airport". Yeah. Because THAT is where Central Floridians want to go. Let's face facts: she attacks SunRail because Jeb Bush overturned the amendment that approved the high-speed rail project and instead supported SunRail, and that cost her husband millions.
Not much of a campaign slogan, but what else has the Florida GOP got going on these days.
Monday, December 07, 2009
Seminole Democrat Endorses Paul Partyka Over Suzanne Kosmas FL-24
If Paul Partyka was in Congress instead of Suzanne Kosmas, we would have had one more critical vote for health care reform.
The bill that passed the House was not perfect...nor could it be. There are things that I hated about it, such as the Stupak amendment. However, as a Democrat, I never would have allowed opponents to kill the bill and defeat not only our best, but our only chance at reform. If that had happened, healthcare reform would have died. Again. And this time, it would have been permanent. With a Democratic supermajority in the House and Senate, and a Democratic president in the White House, if we couldn't get reform passed now...we never would have.
But had Suzanne Kosmas gotten her way, the very same person who rode into office on the coattails of Barack Obama campaigning on healthcare reform, the bill would have been defeated.
That means millions more would be denied insurance because of a pre-existing condition. Millions more would be without any type of health insurance for their families because of job loss or rescission. And millions more would die.
I asked Paul Partyka what he would have done. He told me that he believes in Heathcare Reform and would have voted to move the bill to the Senate "to continue the process and not slow it down". On the other hand, the Democrats that worked hard to elect Kosmas watched in amazement at her betrayal of our signature issue by joining Republicans in voting to defeat reform.
I wrote to Kosmas and she emailed me back to tell me the bill doesn't do "enough" to rein in costs (so...best to do nothing??) and that her decision was based on conscience. Absolute Malarkey.
According to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, this is what the bill would do for Florida 24 residents:
• Improve employer-based coverage for 463,000 residents.
• Provide credits to help pay for coverage for up to 176,000 households.
• Improve Medicare for 122,000 beneficiaries, including closing the prescription drug donut hole for 11,700 seniors.
• Allow 21,000 small businesses to obtain affordable health care coverage and provide tax credits to help reduce health insurance costs for up to 19,800 small businesses.
• Provide coverage for 92,000 uninsured residents.
• Protect up to 1,400 families from bankruptcy due to unaffordable health care costs.
• Reduce the cost of uncompensated care for hospitals and health care providers by $12 million.
What does she present to say it costs too much? NOTHING. However, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office says the Democratic bill with a strong public option SAVES tons of money.
Again, we need a better Democrat. Not a Creigh Deeds Democrat.
We need Paul Partyka.
It isn't just that he is a real Democrat that will fight for healthcare reform. He has an amazing American success story involving a tough immigrant upbringing with a displaced family to achieving the American Dream through hard work and education. I knew Paul Partyka as mayor when I lived in Winter Springs. Winter Springs is a very conservative city in the most conservative county in Florida, yet Partyka served two terms here as mayor, and then served as an official with the Seminole Democrats. He is currently the president of the Oviedo-Winter Springs Regional Chamber of Commerce. He is also currently a managing partner at a commericial real estate firm.
More importantly, he is a Democrat with true Democratic principles. Most importantly, he is a Democrat who can win.
Suzanne Kosmas cannot. The Obama Democrats who worked tirelessly to put her in office will not be there for her in 2010. The independents will not vote for someone who doesn't stand for something. And the GOP she tried to appease with her vote? They will go for the real conservative in the race, thank you very much.
This is what primaries are for. I handily endorse Paul P. Partyka for Congressional District 24, and urge my fellow Democrats to do the same.
The bill that passed the House was not perfect...nor could it be. There are things that I hated about it, such as the Stupak amendment. However, as a Democrat, I never would have allowed opponents to kill the bill and defeat not only our best, but our only chance at reform. If that had happened, healthcare reform would have died. Again. And this time, it would have been permanent. With a Democratic supermajority in the House and Senate, and a Democratic president in the White House, if we couldn't get reform passed now...we never would have.
But had Suzanne Kosmas gotten her way, the very same person who rode into office on the coattails of Barack Obama campaigning on healthcare reform, the bill would have been defeated.
That means millions more would be denied insurance because of a pre-existing condition. Millions more would be without any type of health insurance for their families because of job loss or rescission. And millions more would die.
I asked Paul Partyka what he would have done. He told me that he believes in Heathcare Reform and would have voted to move the bill to the Senate "to continue the process and not slow it down". On the other hand, the Democrats that worked hard to elect Kosmas watched in amazement at her betrayal of our signature issue by joining Republicans in voting to defeat reform.
I wrote to Kosmas and she emailed me back to tell me the bill doesn't do "enough" to rein in costs (so...best to do nothing??) and that her decision was based on conscience. Absolute Malarkey.
According to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, this is what the bill would do for Florida 24 residents:
• Improve employer-based coverage for 463,000 residents.
• Provide credits to help pay for coverage for up to 176,000 households.
• Improve Medicare for 122,000 beneficiaries, including closing the prescription drug donut hole for 11,700 seniors.
• Allow 21,000 small businesses to obtain affordable health care coverage and provide tax credits to help reduce health insurance costs for up to 19,800 small businesses.
• Provide coverage for 92,000 uninsured residents.
• Protect up to 1,400 families from bankruptcy due to unaffordable health care costs.
• Reduce the cost of uncompensated care for hospitals and health care providers by $12 million.
What does she present to say it costs too much? NOTHING. However, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office says the Democratic bill with a strong public option SAVES tons of money.
Again, we need a better Democrat. Not a Creigh Deeds Democrat.
We need Paul Partyka.
It isn't just that he is a real Democrat that will fight for healthcare reform. He has an amazing American success story involving a tough immigrant upbringing with a displaced family to achieving the American Dream through hard work and education. I knew Paul Partyka as mayor when I lived in Winter Springs. Winter Springs is a very conservative city in the most conservative county in Florida, yet Partyka served two terms here as mayor, and then served as an official with the Seminole Democrats. He is currently the president of the Oviedo-Winter Springs Regional Chamber of Commerce. He is also currently a managing partner at a commericial real estate firm.
More importantly, he is a Democrat with true Democratic principles. Most importantly, he is a Democrat who can win.
Suzanne Kosmas cannot. The Obama Democrats who worked tirelessly to put her in office will not be there for her in 2010. The independents will not vote for someone who doesn't stand for something. And the GOP she tried to appease with her vote? They will go for the real conservative in the race, thank you very much.
This is what primaries are for. I handily endorse Paul P. Partyka for Congressional District 24, and urge my fellow Democrats to do the same.
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