What are we, idiots?

From Robert Creamer, HuffingtonPost.com:

We spend $7,290 per person and end up in 37th place. They spend only $3,601 and they are number one. That's just not right.

On the average, Frenchmen live almost three years longer than the average American. That's infuriating.

What's more, every legal resident of France is covered by health insurance, and in the U.S. 46 million people are uninsured. When someone in France goes to the hospital, everything except a small co-payment is covered - it's that simple.

The government doesn't deliver health care in France. Private doctors and hospitals do most of that. It just provides health insurance for everyone.

If you walk into one store and a suit you like costs $600 - and next door the very same suit is $300 - most people would call you a chump for spending $600. In this case the French are paying $300 and getting a better suit. What are we, idiots?

Read more.

Hilarious! Will Ferrell stands up for the real health care victims.

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

New York Times shirks journalistic responsibility

The New York Times devoted some rare space on September 20 to discussing single-payer (or Medicare-for-all) health reform.

NYT public editor Clark Hoyt ran a piece devoted to undermining the case for single-payer health care without allowing advocates to make the case in support of Medicare for all. Seems awfully one-sided. And as is predictable in such a one-sided article, they got it all wrong.

Single payer is the way to go, and enjoys huge support among those that matter - the citizens of this country. If the media reported that support as it should, maybe our representatives would feel the pressure to buck the corporate interests that are holding US health policy hostage. But, no, the media continue to enable the insurance behemoths that put profits over people's health.

You can write to Mr. Hoyt, as I did, at public@nytimes.com or call him at (212) 556-7652, and let him know the media needs to take responsibility for presenting all sides in this critical debate.

Sept 11 - Sept 12 - Today - The Future

There are some who are trying to make Sept 12 a day to divide America along ideological lines. I suppose by making it Sept 12, they think they are avoiding charges of trying to exploit Sept 11. And they pretend their Sept 12 events are about uniting 'patriotic' Americans, as opposed to the rest of us slobs who support our elected president.

Funny, I remember how the same folks were foaming at the mouth with charges of 'treason' when anyone dared criticize George W. Bush for anything -- including starting a war based on lies; spying on Americans; torture; and outing our own intelligence officers for political purposes, thereby endangering not only their lives, but the lives of all those in their networks and threatening to undo years of hard work at preventing future terrorist attacks -- small stuff like that.

But we should not be trying to make the infamous day of Sept 11, 2001 about Sept 12th, or today, or any other day. Remembering that tragic day should be about the future -- who do we want to be. Do we want to be a paranoid society that codifies into law the taking of our liberties -- liberties enshrined in the constitution, upon which this nation was built? This is what the Orwellian "Patriot Act" was about, and that's why it's important to pressure Congress to let those provisions expire when they come up for renewal at the end of this year.

Or do we want to be a nation of sane laws, laws that protect our precious liberties, laws that protect our fragile democracy and the most vulnerable among us, laws no man can be above, no matter how rich or what office they hold?

Remember how tea parties used to be?

Bush Tax Cuts Cost 2.5X as Much as the Democrats' Health Care Plan

From Citizens for Tax Justice:

Newly revised estimates show that the Bush tax cuts cost almost $2.5 trillion over the decade after they were first enacted (2001-2010). Preliminary estimates from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office show that the House Democrats' health care reform legislation is projected to cost $1 trillion over a decade after it would be enacted (2010-2019).

And yet, many of the lawmakers who argue that the health care reform legislation is "too costly" are the same lawmakers who supported the Bush tax cuts. Their own voting record demonstrates that health care reform is not a matter of costs, but a matter of priorities.

Read the new report from Citizens for Tax Justice. (PDF)

These figures make clear that costs cannot be the real concern of lawmakers who oppose the House health care legislation and yet supported the Bush tax cuts. Their position seems to be that showering benefits on the wealthiest five percent of taxpayers and leaving the bill for future generations is preferable to making health care available for all at a much lower cost and paying that cost up front. That demonstrates a different set of priorities than most Americans have, but it doesn't demonstrate much concern about costs.

One small slip for fact-checkers, one giant leap for fake news

I love it when fake news gets taken for real news, especially since it usually has more grains of truth than the so-called 'real' news on networks like Fox, etc.

Here's an article about a recent 'fake news' piece causing a big stir internationally: One giant slip in Bangladesh news

... and the story by our friends at The Onion that started it all:
Conspiracy Theorist Convinces Neil Armstrong Moon Landing Was Faked.

Speaking of fake news, check out our stories on the Humor Times website and/or fake news blog sometime (as well as in our printed publication, of course!), like this one:

Palin's Latest Shocker: Hosting New Talk Show

Spineless Dems ready to fold again - after all, Public Option only has 76% support

I consider myself an independent, even though I wind up voting Democratic most of the time. But they usually disappoint me. Like now.

Why do I vote Democratic then? Because our unfortunate 'winner take all' system means votes for minority candidates are pretty much wasted, other than for 'sending a message,' which never gets heard anyway. And Republicans seem to be against anything that might help regular citizens - especially if there's even a remote chance a bill might affect rich folks' bottom lines. Heaven forbid! After all, don't Americans worship at the feet of the rich, hoping one day to win the lottery and be just like them?

In any case, the system is rotten to the core. As I've said many times, we the people will not be served by our so-called 'representatives' until and unless the big money is taken out of politics. Because that is what our 'representatives' are representing now. They work for the people that give them the money to get re-elected. Thus, the system is rotten to the core.

The current health care debate is a perfect example. 76% of voters have consistently said in polls that they want a strong public option in any health care bill. 76 percent! Holy cow, do Democrats need more of a mandate than THAT??? Apparently so.

Because, after all, a few hysterically vocal right-wingers were whipped up by lies told them by the insurance industry, and made some noise at town halls this summer. Therefore, Dems have taken this as their cue to fold! Like they always do. Nothing new here.

We expected some results this time, what with 60 senate seats and a huge majority in the house, and, oh yeah, that 76% public support. But no-o-o-o. A few corporate sponsored 'blue-dog' Dems can take down the whole thing for their insurance company supporters.

If we lived in a just society, those 'blue dogs' would pay dearly for their obstinance in the next election, regardless of how much tainted insurance company money they will have amassed to throw at smarmy TV ads. They have failed their real constituents, and deserve to be replaced. Will voters in those states have the intelligence to see through the lies? I doubt it, but if they did, it would go a long way to restoring my faith in democracy.