ThinkFast: September 27, 2006
ThinkFast: September 27, 2006
“Congress is on the verge of barring the construction of permanent bases for U.S. forces in Iraq.” The ban, which was inserted into the annual defense spending bill, won House approval last night with the passage of the defense appropriations bill.
Bush terrorism adviser Fran Townsend acknowledged yesterday that a second intelligence estimate on Iraq exists, and will be released in January 2007. Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA), ranking member on the intel committee, said yesterday the White House is deliberately withholding the second NIE until after November’s elections.
Since 2000, “workers’ health insurance premiums have risen a total of 84 percent, while their wages have increased 20 percent and inflation has risen 18 percent.”
The journal Nature reports that Bush administration officials “blocked release of a report that suggests global warming is contributing to the frequency and strength of hurricanes,” the third such cover-up accusation in the last two weeks.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai tried to persuade oil-giant Chevron to invest in Afghanistan. “The rules are simple: Just come and look for oil, and then we’ll see what we can do with you,” Karzai said. “Are security threats a factor? No. You won’t even know about them until you turn on CNN.” Meanwhile, attacks in Afghanistan are growing more frequent and lethal.
“Three Senate Democrats proposed emergency legislation on Tuesday to reimburse states for printing paper ballots in case of problems with electronic voting machines on Nov. 7,” but “Republican leadership aides were skeptical about [its] prospects.”
The House yesterday passed a bill making it a federal crime to accompany a minor across state lines to obtain an abortion without parental consent. “This law will put those teenagers at risk who live in abusive and dysfunctional homes and would not dare disclose a pregnancy to a parent for fear of further abuse,” noted the Center for Reproductive Rights.
$1.4 million: The amount Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald has spent on the CIA leak investigation. The relatively low cost “establishes him as remarkably frugal in the ranks of recent special investigators.” (Ken Starr spent $71.5 million over eight years.)
And finally: Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA) was “diggin’ la vida loca” during pop star Ricky Martin’s testimony to the House International Relations Committee on human trafficking. “Let me just say that while my wife of 56 years considers you devastatingly handsome, I think your true beauty lies inside,” Lantos said.
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.
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It’s about freaking time Democrats started talking about the Super Bases.
September 27th, 2006 at 9:19 amThe time has come to rid ourselves of the dreaded middlemen in the health insurance industry…
…health insurance costs are a HUGE reason our jobs are being shipped overseas, and our companies can’t compete…
…GM, Ford and Chrysler can’t compete with the foreign automotive companies because of healthcare costs that drive up the cost of vehicles…
…Universal healthcare is a must if the American worker and the companies they work for are to have any semblance a healthy relationship…
…Vote for NEW leadership in the HOuse and Senate…
…vote FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE!!!!!
September 27th, 2006 at 9:32 amHow can anyone not think that permanent bases points to permanent military presence if not outright occupation, which could be/is a major rallying cry for Anti-American sentiment by the people of those countries?
A question to the neocons: Imagine Iran, a country with a strong military, pushing for Iranian Military Bases in the states of New York, Virginia, Florida, Kansas, Utah, and California. Would you, as an American, object? Would you be willing to fight against them?
September 27th, 2006 at 9:32 amNo permanent bases in Iraq? This just means they will become temporary bases….never underestimate the use of semantics!!!
September 27th, 2006 at 9:34 amGood Morning all, There is still little mention any where about the bill’s the senate are working on now….The worst is trashing hebeas corpus, geneva convention and US war crimes act instead of defending our constitution..
Please get informed, call you’re representatives and scream like hell to stop this madness, or be prepaired to be rounded up and shipped to a secret location of cheney’s choice to be tortured and called a terrorest…..
Do something for you’re country and constitution now…Stop the madness of this administration……..Blessings…….Impeach……Peace
September 27th, 2006 at 9:48 am#5 Thanks, Sharon. They’ve already got my cell picked out.
September 27th, 2006 at 10:03 am#2 big papa,
I agree with the need for something to be done, but my feeling is that the problem isn’t that healthcare costs so much as it is that they charge us so much for it. My feeling is that health care should not be a capitalist-driven, for-profit system. I mean, the point is to save lives and improve everyone’s health, isn’t it? So why should we as a society accept the fact that someone (usually a member of the Board of Directors of a pharmaceutical company) is getting stinking, filthy rich off your pain and suffering, or that of your kids, for that matter? Why should it be acceptable that people are driven into bankruptcy because of medical bills (the main cause of such filings)? I find it unconscionable that someone would place profits above human life, but that’s what the pharmaceutical, medical equipment manufacturers, insurance companies and their investors do. This must change. Have a nice day, everyone. See you tomorrow.
September 27th, 2006 at 10:11 amWayne, I’m sure they have my cell picked out also, but there are going to have to work at putting me away…I’m not going down easy. Kicking and screaming will be my plan……Blessings
September 27th, 2006 at 10:15 amI work for a group of physician/surgeons. In the last 5 years we have not raised the prices for what we do. Not by one single cent. Yet reimbursements are shrinking, and of course your insiurance premiums are on the rise. So you know where you money is going.
September 27th, 2006 at 10:26 am…did anyone see bill bennet on the today show this morning?
i missed the beginning of the interview, but he did manage to connect “9/11…iraq” with no argument from matt… he also said that “clinton brought it up” - the talk about his work on terrorism… i’m guessing in reference to the wallace interview, which, well, we all know who brought it up…
i was waiting for the dem rebuttal… but no, that exchange was followed by “ear infections” and a hopeful vaccine…
maybe the dem spoke first? riiiiiiiight…
out to the garden again! …later…
September 27th, 2006 at 10:41 amWayne and Marge, you are both correct. Sadly the house and senate ripped the tax payer’s off in favor of the HMO’s and Pharmacutical companies when they passed the bill that gave 68 billion to the above. It was a 1500 page report that hardly any one read in the time alloted. AARP was rallied for support and they didn’t even know the night mare they have caused us seniors. This bill, and I can’t remember the number had some pages snuck into it late at night before the vote by Tom Delay. They hurried up the time for debate and from the time of delivery to the floor by week’s. From the time it was sent untill voted on and pushed through was a mere 4 day’s..The dem’s faught like hell for more time and lost….
Now million’s of us are getting the total shaft of this mess…..The winners are corprate the loosers are citizen’s like us…..Gotta keep those lobbiests and CEO’S fat and happy and screw the rest of us……Blessings
September 27th, 2006 at 10:43 amWayne #7
I’m certain we’re both right…
…Physicians, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies charge us so much because an endless chain of profiteering is taking place at the consumer’s expense…
…Thanks Marge #9 for your comments…
…I’m sure there are many physicians out there who still subscribe to the Hippocratic oath…
…and in their defense, college education/medical school is damned expensive…
…but malpractice insurance is downright criminal…
…like the double and triple dipping of pharmaceutical companies…
…who charge us (Americans) MORE than any other consumer population on the planet…
…even though OUR tax dollars help to fund their research that lead to discoveries of the drugs they sell to us…
Bushiva’s (and Billy Tauzin’s- big pharma’s point man) sham Medicare bill preventing the government from bargaining on behalf of the people for lower drug prices is exhibit A…
…What a racket…
…sorta like the defense industry (Halliburton especially) and their operatives in the White House (L’il Dick and Bushiva), house and senate…
…who create a perpetual “war on terror”…
…then take our tax dollars to pay for it- benefitting the Bushite cronies…
…They’re revolving doors (skyrocketing Healthcare costs and the so-called “war on terror”)…
…and guess who’s caught in them?…
September 27th, 2006 at 10:49 am#11 Sharon,
I believe you’re talking about the MediCare bill which was “written” by former Rep Billy Tauzin. The bill was, in reality, written largely by the Pharmaceutical Industry, which is evident from provisions such as not allowing the government to negotiate for lower prices for MediCare recipients. (Do you really believe that we citizens asked Congress to write it this way?) If memory serves, right after this bill passed (the one held open for three hours while Tom DeLay tried to bribe a Congressman - all factual), Tauzin resigned from Congress to become a lobbyist for - ta da - the Pharamaceutical Industry! And the Republicans want us to believe that they are good stewards of our money. That’s a joke! I really do have to get back to work. It’s been fun.
September 27th, 2006 at 10:53 amThe ban on permanent bases is a good thing, too bad NOTHING is really permanente, so they can have a base for ten years or twenty and say it is NOT PERMINATE since in about 5 billion years, the Sun will evolve into a red giant, and the bases will be vaporised along with the rest of this planet, they are NOT permanent. After all when all the oil is pumped out of the region, why would we want to have any bases there at all?
September 27th, 2006 at 10:56 amHamid Karzai tried to persuade oil-giant Chevron to invest in Afghanistan.
Dont tell me the people have a new constitution also saying that all new oil will be drilled for using PSA’s
September 27th, 2006 at 11:10 amJust like the attemp to steal Iraq oil ???
Wayne, Yep! that’s the bill. I was watching all the c-span coverage on that one…Been listening to the house on c-span this morning and the dem’s are verbaly kicking ass and being blocked on all issues by the Rep’s. Not even allowing any of the bill’s to go forward. ….Rotten republican basterd’s all….
Every one get on you’re phones and internet right now and scream to stop
September 27th, 2006 at 11:36 am( HR6166 ) it is unconstitutional and will allow the guilty in the administration to get off scott free and permit them to hold any one with out representation for as long as they please. It wipes out hebeas corpus, the geneva convention and the US war crimes act…….Blassings
I don’t know if any of the rst of you saw it, but Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf was on the Daily Show last night. It a shame onto the American people that this man is wittier and more articulate in English than President George W. Bush.
September 27th, 2006 at 11:46 amWalt I saw the show, best comment when Jon Srewert asked Musharraf who would win an election in pakistan, Osama or Bush?
Musharraf responded they both would lose badly……
He is NOT afraid of the Idiot so why should we be.
September 27th, 2006 at 11:52 am#18 He is NOT afraid of the Idiot so why should we be.
Comment by clif
He enjoys diplomatic immunity. We don’t. :)
September 27th, 2006 at 12:10 pmNot inside Pakistan, from a CIA funded hit squad. Saddam, Diem, Allende, Noriega, all had diplomatic immunity until we decided they no longer needed it.
September 27th, 2006 at 12:22 pmThe Health Insurance industry in America must be eliminated, but nobody in DC has the guts to do it, so expect health care services to get worse!
September 27th, 2006 at 12:24 pmNot inside Pakistan, from a CIA funded hit squad. Saddam, Diem, Allende, Noriega, all had diplomatic immunity until we decided they no longer needed it.
Comment by clif
Ah, but did we try to take them on American soil, where they would be protected by our own laws (which, in theory, apply to everyone)?
But I see your point. :)
September 27th, 2006 at 12:30 pmWayne the only one to “end” up on American soil is Noriega because WE brought him here. And remember Musharraf said that AFTER he was offered the Air Forces version of the first stage of urban renewal. The demolition part. And they had planned on a complete renewal of the whole country if Musharraf is accurate.
September 27th, 2006 at 12:45 pmThe Fitzgerald versus Star fiscal responsibility example is just a microcosm of the government as a whole and truly shows WHICH PARTY is more fiscally responsible. Repubs need to stop running on the “saving you money” platform — it’s just not true! Democrats need to run on that ideal more, I think. A lot of the public doesn’t care about the moral high ground, but if you bring their pocketbooks into the equation WATCH OUT! So sad… But so true…
September 27th, 2006 at 1:49 pm#9, Marge N. Overa - I absolutely agree. Doctors are getting sucked into this unfairly. Of course there are bad apples, but by and large the small practices that most of us frequent the most often are not milking the system. Some people may argue that salaries are too high for doctors, but I disagree. Doctors must endure a VERY long time on low wages and massive student loans to get where they are, so they deserve it. However, I don’t think it’s all insurance companies. You have to look at some of the very large hospital corporations, medical equipment manufacturing, and drug companies too. The largest companies are the ones with the lobbiests and they are the ones milking the system for everything its worth, while passing the blame onto things like “frivilous lawsuits” and whatnot. Don’t be fooled about tort reform!!! Some may think its frivilous now, but when they get the wrong arm amputated, you KNOW they will want the ability to sue the hospital out the butt, and as well they should! What are the chances of you needing to file a law suit for LEGIMATE malpractice versus the chance you’ll be a CEO of a large medical corporation? You do the math.
September 27th, 2006 at 1:57 pmWayne-
I totally agree that health care should not be allowed to be for profit. It is absolutely immoral to reap vast profits on the suffering of others. I understand that it costs a lot for medical school and for drug and medical research, but it seems to me that these things should be subsidized by the government - just take some from the defense budget - it’s over-bloated anyway…
September 27th, 2006 at 2:08 pm#26 Abner,
Thanks. Research already is subsidized by the government. NIH grants do research to find what kinds of things work and the information (paid for by taxpayers) is supposed to be available to everyone who can then look for substances that can make the things that work. True, there’s more research involved that the pharmaceuticals have to pay for, but they can always reduce how much they spend on advedrtising, free samples to doctors, and packaging of the products. (My job involves having products packaged and I can tell you that the packaging for drugs is unnecessarily expensive and wasteful.)
September 27th, 2006 at 3:01 pm2005
Flip Flop Flip Flop the Bush courseless course of Flip Flopdom, blatant lies and hypocrisy
September 27th, 2006 at 3:01 pm7-Eleven ends its cooperation with Venezuelan gasoline supplier Citgo, partly over Chavez’ remarks calling Bush ‘The Devil.’
more here
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April 8th, 2008 at 6:14 pmChristopher
Have you considered the fact that the aarp might be trying to do something that will have long range benefits, beyond the scope of our lives, affecting our children? They are a large organization now, over 30 million I think, a powerful lobby.
April 11th, 2008 at 5:19 pm