Sunday, February 28, 2010

Quake




The fifth most powerful earthquake since 1900 hit Chile yesterday morning. The 8.8 magnitude quake has leveled buildings, mared roads, and already killed an untold number of people and may cost insurers $2 billion to $8 billion, according to estimates from catastrophe- modelers AIR Worldwide and Eqecat Inc.


Not much from the White House yet on the earthquake in Chile, but it's still very early and we are told Obama is monitering the situation. Meanwhile, other countries are already sending aid and assesing damages.
The tsunami generated by the quake topped at 3 feet, much milder than feared.

The Chilean government has deployed several thousand troops in effort to halt the massive looting in cities affected by the quake. Many people are still missing and some communities in the worst-hit central region of the South American country are still largely cut off by mangled roads.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Looking foward


The Olympics are one of the great unifying events, one of the events that allow us and the world to share in triumphs and come together around the spectacle. (so that's how it relates to government.)

So The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics has ended. The United States wound up in 1st place with a phenomenal 37 medals, with Germany coming in 2nd with 30 and Canada in 3rd with 26.

Check it out at the official website.

However, only 9 of thsoe 37 medals were gold, with 15 being silver and 13 bronze medalions. Canada won 14 gold medals, but only 5 bronze. Korea recieved 6 gold medals with Kim Yu-Na grabbing the gold in many ice-skating events. And let's not forget our speed skater Apolo Ohno or our victorious hockey team. And of course we encourage you to look into all the dedicated athletes who broke records and defied boundries. And don't forget the few who've died or been unfortunately disqualified.

Wow, it's been a really packed few weeks, hasn't it?

The United States triumph has led to a renewed invigoration of patriotism in America. Indeed, the federal government has at least some say in the budgeting and training of athelets and competing of them too: we boycotted the 1980 summer games in Moscow because of the war in afganistan.

So look into it.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Animals have rights too

They may not be human rights, but they still deserve the same protections. Or think of it in the way that humans have rights to own animals and they have the right to uphold thier rights through upholding animals. Assumer the former if you wish an unhurt head.

There are many opposing arguments for that assumption, but I'm not here to indoctrinate you. Look it up, or consult your local library.

So Anyway, there exists an animal welfare bill that is requiring animal rights officers to have adequate background checks and undergo longer periods of training.

This has arisen controversy over an already low-budget service requiring more expensive training. Proponents of the bill point to corruption and incompetence in undertrained officers that results in more animal rights abuse. Dissenters claim the agency is already streched too thin and cannot keep up with the instances of animal rights abuse.

We could give them more money, but nobody wants to spend any. Not even the politicians.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

give up.

Explaining the title: Its not that I am against Public Health Care: I am all for the public option. BUT THE DEBATE WAS KILLED! PEOPLE ARN'T GOING TO LET IT HAPPEN!

Plus, the plan's all revamped now and has major changes, incorporating a bridge between the house and Senate bills.

Here's the meaningless mumbo-jumbo of exact articles and stuff.

Title I. Quality, Affordable Health Care for All Americans
Title II. The Role of Public Programs
Title III. Improving the Quality and Efficiency of Health Care
Title IV. Prevention of Chronic Disease and Improving Public Health
Title V. Health Care Workforce
Title VI. Transparency and Program Integrity
Title VII. Improving Access to Innovative Medical Therapies
Title VIII. Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act (CLASS Act)
Title IX. Revenue Provisions
Title X. Reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act

Below is the lobotomized explanations of the stuff.

Paying:
"The House and Senate health insurance bills lower premiums through increased competition, oversight, and new accountability standards set by insurance exchanges. The bills also provide tax credits and reduced cost sharing for families with modest income. The President’s Proposal improves the affordability of health care by increasing the tax credits for families."

Consumer Protections
The Senate bill includes a “grandfather” policy that allows people who like their current coverage, to keep it. The President’s Proposal adds certain important consumer protections to these “grandfathered” plans. Within months of legislation being enacted, it requires plans to cover adult dependents up to age 26, prohibits rescissions, mandates that plans have a stronger appeals process, and requires State insurance authorities to conduct annual rate review, backed up by the oversight of the HHS Secretary.

Invest in Community Health Centers.
Community health centers play a critical role in providing quality care in underserved areas. About 1,250 centers provide care to 20 million people, with an emphasis on preventive and primary care. The Senate bill increases funding to these centers for services by $7 billion and for construction by $1.5 billion over 5 years. The House bill provides $12 billion over the same 5 years. Bridging the difference, the President’s Proposal invests $11 billion in these centers.

Strengthen Oversight of Insurance Premium Increases.
Both the House and Senate bills include significant reforms to make insurance fair, accessible, and affordable to all people, regardless of pre-existing conditions. One essential policy is “rate review” meaning that health insurers must submit their proposed premium increases to the State authority or Secretary for review. The President’s Proposal strengthens this policy by ensuring that, if a rate increase is unreasonable and unjustified, health insurers must lower premiums, provide rebates, or take other actions to make premiums affordable.

Improve Individual Responsibility
All Americans should have affordable health insurance coverage. This helps everyone, both insured and uninsured, by reducing cost shifting, where people with insurance end up covering the inevitable health care costs of the uninsured, and making possible robust health insurance reforms that will curb insurance company abuses and increase the security and stability of health insurance for all Americans.




According to Hills,
But the proposals — few of which are new — lack any ideas aimed at wooing Republicans, who have expressed intense skepticism about Obama’s stated intention to reach out to them. Pfeiffer emphasized that the plan does not represent a compromise package negotiated between Obama and the Democratic leaders in Congress

Well good. Obama must be tired of compromising and getting nothing for his trouble. He must be a better man than most, though, if he's willing to extend a hand untarnished by spite and resentment.

Read More Here: http://www.heartland.org/healthpolicy-news.org/article/27103/Obamacares_Last_Stand.html
And Here: http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2010/02/22/obama-health-care-plan-explained/

Sunday, February 21, 2010

“If we’re honest, part of the controversy also is that despite the extraordinary work that has been done through the Recovery Act, millions of Americans are still without jobs,” Mr. Obama said. “Millions more are struggling to make ends meet. So it doesn’t feel like much of a recovery yet. I understand that.”

(From http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/us/politics/18obama.html)

The economy has indeed lost jobs on Mr. Obama’s watch, but the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office recently calculated that the recovery package, formally called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, had saved or created between 900,000 and 2.3 million jobs.

The economy has shed some three million jobs over the past year, but it would have lost closer to five million without stimulus,” said Mark Zandi, “The economy is still struggling, but it would have been much worse without stimulus.”

But how efficient was it? putting 800 billion dollars into the economy may have helped, but could we have spent it better? Some people say yes.

Money is just green paper. Putting more money into the econom without increasing production will just lead to inflation. Likewise with benefit packages: giving people money won't help revitalize the economy.

But it will help the person.

Read more about it.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Broken


Two months into the new year, Congress is at a standstill, stuck in party-line votes, heated debates and electoral politics.

Democrats are afraid to take chances on anything that might alienate voters, and Republicans can stand pat and hope the anti-incumbent mood brewing in the country will help weaken Democrats' control of Congress.

And we're still in a recession. No matter what economists predict and analysists observe, the unemployment rate is high and stuff.

According to a national poll , Eighty-six percent of people questioned say that the system of government is broken, with 14 percent saying no.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released February 16 found that 56 percent of those sampled said most Democrats in Congress do not deserve to be re-elected. An equal amount also said that most of their Republican counterparts don't deserve re-election.

Republicans are blaming it on democrats. "Obama has't reached out his hand to the conservative part of america." Is it someone elses fault you're not more open-minded? Is it the African American's fault that you're racist because he didn't "Reach out his hand to you"? Unclench your fist, Bish.

That's not to say Democrats are perfect either. Who was Scott Brown's opponent? Oh that's right, some chick who didn't get out enough to win one of the MOST DEMOCRATIC STATES IN AMERICA.

The main problem I have with republicans complaining about the economy is that they had 8 years in power to prevent and fix the crisis AND FAILED. What have republicans accomplished in the last decade? Not much. And they think they deserve a second chance? Your second chance is available now.

Unfortunately Democrats haven't accomplished much either in the past few years. Lets keep our fingers crossed

Friday, February 19, 2010

And I Hear He Was Such a Great Author





Once upon a time people smoked cigarettes. Everyone smoked some sort of way: housewives and the proletariat smoked Virginia Slims or Marlboro Lights, Career women smoked Mores, and teenagers go for menthols and anyone who didn't smoke was usually a uptight square, ambiguously gay or a puritan. (or so I've heard)

That's part of the reason why the general populace was reluctant to heed the Surgeon General's 1964 announcement that smoking was bad. Nowadays it is accepted that, say, ingesting smoke while pregnant could mess up your baby, and smoking in much of America is taboo.

So After the 2009 U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit confirmed nearly all of the impositions a trial judge placed on tobacco businesses in 2006, which limited tobacco marketing and required potential health risks to be made known, the Tobacco industry decided to appeal to the Supreme Court. The main charge is whether the tobacco business is guilty of misleading the public on the adverse health risks involved with inhaling foreign substances.

RICO, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, was also invoked. I admit I am a bit confused because RICO targets criminal organizations that are involved with stuff, not corrupt businesses who bend the morality line trying to make money.


(And that's Kurt Vonnegut acting all cool up there, folks. At least he admitted it was "A classy way to commit suicide" Ironically, he died of brain injuries when he fell in his apartment. At age 84.)

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Fire and Rain

Prince Saud al-Faisal said the threat posed by Iran demanded a "more immediate solution" than sanctions.

"Sanctions are a long-term solution. They may work, we can't judge. But we see the issue in the shorter term maybe because we are closer to the threat... So we need an immediate resolution rather than a gradual resolution."

Earlier, aides to Mrs Clinton - who is on a tour of the Gulf to try to build support for more sanctions on Iran - revealed she would press Saudi Arabia to help persuade China to support a tougher stand against Iran's nuclear ambitions.


Well, on one hand, nukes are bad. Radiation that lingers for centuries, and even nuclear power-plants break down sometimes. Terrorists could overthrow Iran and get access to the power to use against the western world.

But informed people know that nuclear power-plants do not equal nuclear warheads: the enrichment grade for nukes is much, much higher than for power-plants, that nuclear power-plants are encased in concrete and more safeguards than the Death Star and that the only instance in history where a power-plant has blown up was when the soviets took out all the safeguards to see what would happen, and that terrorists could more easily ask the underground in Russia or China for old nukes, which wouldn't need massive amounts of inrichment.

Furthermore, the UN would watch Iran nuclear power, with on-the-sight delegates as well as satalites that can see mosquito scratching themselves.

So why is Mrs. Clinton worried about Iran and Nuclear Power?

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Scared

Keeping with the terrorism motif of last time, read this:

"Asked if another attack like the underwear bomber or the Christmas attack would actually happen, vice president Joe Biden said, "Well, I think there are going to be attempts."

The vice president expressed optimism about Iraq, saying it could end up being "one of the great achievements of this administration."

"You're going to see 90,000 American troops come marching home by the end of the summer," Biden said. "You're going to see a stable government in Iraq that is actually moving toward a representative government."

He said he had visited Iraq 17 times, going every two or three months.

"It has impressed me," Biden said. "I've been impressed how they have been deciding to use the political process rather than guns to settle their differences.""

Lets look at the first line: "Well, there are going to be attempts."

What does this mean? Frankly, it means he doesn't know. But rather than admit that there is no way to know and that there probably won't be another devastating terrorist bombing, he dodges responsibility and inadvertently may induce unfounded panic. Read more here.


Now that last quote is worrying. If you do the math, going to Iraq an average of two times every five months means he has been to Iraq means he has been visiting the middle eastern country for almost five years. And he's "impressed {by} how they have been deciding to use the political process rather than guns."

While this may be directed at the new regime moving for a representative government, in which he is surprised that change is coming non-violently, or the old regime opposed to the constitution, the fact remains that Iraq, as well as many other middle eastern countries, are not barbarians and are perfectly capable of politics and government and were for years. Where do you think the first assassins came from? True, they may not share all our values, such as separation of church and states and woman's rights, but they know how to vote:

On October 15, 2005, more than 63% of eligible Iraqis came out across the country to vote on whether to accept or reject the new constitution. On October 25, the vote was certified and the constitution passed with a 78% overall majority, with the percentage of support varying widely between the country's territories.

And have known for a while: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_Empire#Law

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Terrorism

Read: (Skip to the end if you are bored)

In a transparent display of theatrics, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, asked the three administration officials if another “attempted attack” on the US was likely in the near future. If the witnesses answered that such an “attempt” was unlikely, they would be accused of offering a false sense of security to the country. A vague answer would land them in hot water for not appearing to know that which they are paid to find out. A definitive “yes” would add to the oft-times irrational fear that many of those in the Congress stoke that Osama bin Laden and his henchmen are lurking on every airplane with a “dirty bomb.”

The appropriate answer for intelligence professionals would be, “Madam Chairman, the possibility of attempts to commit further terrorist acts against our country and its people is always present, but trying to assign a definite percentage or liklihood to such an occurrence would add nothing to the public’s or the Senate’s understanding of the problems we face and of our abilities to detect and deter such efforts.” Instead, all three officials succumbed to the theatrics of the moment and dutifully opined that “an attempted attack . . . is certain.” (From Here.)


Also:

Criticisms of post-9/11 efforts to protect the United States from attack range from claims that America is more vulnerable than ever to the contention that the transnational terrorist danger is vastly over-hyped.[1] A review of publicly available information on at least 19 terrorist conspiracies thwarted by U.S. law enforce­ment suggests that the truth lies somewhere in between these two arguments.

U.S. agencies are actively combating individuals and groups that are intent on killing Americans and plot­ting mayhem to foster violent extremist political and religious agendas. A review of the data suggests several important conclusions:

* Combating terrorism is essential for keeping Amer­ica safe, free, and prosperous.

* Counterterrorism operations have uncovered threats that in some cases, although less sophisticated than the 9/11 attacks and at most loosely affiliated with "al-Qaeda" central, could have resulted in signifi­cant loss of life and property if they had been con­ducted successfully.

* The best means to prevent terrorist attacks is effective intelligence collection, information sharing, and coordinated, determined counterterrorism opera­tions that can stop attacks before they are mounted.

* Effective operations often require federal, state, local, and international cooperation.



Such approaches leave one crucial thing out: WHY terrorists are attacking America. We can stop a body from sneezing by plugging up the nose, or we can try to treat the root of the disease. (HAHA, cringe at my analogies!)

So let's look: in 1940, Al-e Ahmed created a philosophy known as Gharbzadegi- hatred of westernism. Al-e Ahmad argued that Iran must gain control over machines and become a producer rather than a consumer, even though once having overcome Weststruckness it will face a new malady - also western - that of "machinestruckness."

Gharbzadegi does not encompass all of the motivation behind terrorists, but its a start. Nothing can condone terrorist attacks on innocent civilians, but look at what was targeted: The World Trade Center, symbol of Western Economy. For years the middle East and its unique culture and society have been maligned for being too different. Bombs send a message speeches can not. This is simply for your information. Look into it further, for I am tired.

Read more http://www.mcclatchydc.com/226/story/17659.html

Wednesday, February 3, 2010





Government Health Care programs are reaching a record cost of 1 trillion dollars, accounting for half of total government health care expenditures. in 2008, 47% of the 2.34 trillion dollar health care expenditure went to government health care programs. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimates in a paper to be published Thursday in the journal Health Affairs that the proportion will rise to 50.4% by 2011. Last year, the federal actuaries had predicted the 50% mark wouldn't be reached until around 2016.


"It's going to be a desperate issue five to 10 years out," said Gail Wilensky, the former top Medicare official in the George H.W. Bush administration. She said the U.S. will have to decide soon between raising revenue to pay for Medicare or reducing benefits.

Many states are having trouble funding Medicaid. President Barack Obama's budget proposal for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 calls for $25 billion in federal help for covering Medicaid costs.

In Response to mounting health care costs, the Republicans suggested we abandon it all and start over.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

NASA and DEATH

NASA's budget is being cut. Excuse me while I mourn for a while.

"sniff"

Although it makes sense that space exploration is not the highest priority when bailing out big buisness is necessary to preserve the existence of America. And global foriegn relations are deteriorating. And the environment is toast.

It's this last one that is problematic. If America dies, gosh forbid, at least the Chinese and Russians will continue the Human Race (And Mandarin sounds cooler than english too). If the earth Dies, we're kinda screwed.

Not that all hope is lost. Obama is providing $6 billion for commercial space exploration. If we build one within 15 years, we may get to Gilease 581 (a potentially habital planet 20 light years over Australia in sprin (or maybe fall)) by 2300. Wee!

Also, the new NASA will focus more on earth, so we can understand ourselves more.