American Experiment Thought

When the rights of corporations are more clearly defined or defended in opposition to the rights of individuals then the American experiment is in jeopardy of ultimate failure.

Political Humor and Must Laugh Links

Given the current political situation in our nation’s capitol where it seems funny as hell to not do the people’s business I thought it would be nice to have a few laughs on them. Pick a political subject or any politician and they are all guilty of telling you who is to blame for NOT getting the job done. Rather than let it turn your stomach sick it is probably best for your well being to have a good laugh or two. This is just a quick roundup of political humor sites that I thought were pretty damn funny. Let me know what you think?

Must see and must laugh headline news video laughs

Updated news on Tilikum the Killer Whale being a GOP operative

Political humor for the Left Coast

Open season on all politicians

WTF? And then some

The Spoof has headlines from around the world

Everyone under the Sun is fair game

Left leaning political cartoons Gary Larson style

Right leaning politics

Comedy Central has Indecision

Jokes for any political scenario

Tea Party politics explained

That's a wrap up for the funny papers for this week. Check back soon to see if the movers and shakers of the world give us more to laugh at or just shake our heads in disbelief. One thing is certain, left or right wing political minds need to laugh.

Papamoka

Rep Trent Franks wants Slavery BACK

Again, I can’t make this stuff up but here we go with yet another Republican making an idiotic comment. Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ) actually thinks that African Americans were better off without the 13th amendment to the United States Constitution. President Abraham Lincoln was wrong, and slavery was a good thing for African Americans if you listen to this bone head! And Franks is probably thinking that this is all President Obama’s (African American) fault because abortion is legal in the United States. But all of the Republican Presidents since the Roe v. Wade decision by SCOTUS in 1973 get a free pass?

I'm going to go way out on a limb and call Franks an IDIOT! Did I also mention that Franks is an IDIOT. Just to be clear, Franks picture is right there in the dictionary when you look up IDIOT! And to sum up just briefly, Trent Franks (R-AZ) is an IDIOT!

FRANKS: In this country, we had slavery for God knows how long. And now we look back on it and we say “How brave were they? What was the matter with them? You know, I can’t believe, you know, four million slaves. This is incredible.” And we’re right, we’re right. We should look back on that with criticism. It is a crushing mark on America’s soul. And yet today, half of all black children are aborted. Half of all black children are aborted. Far more of the African-American community is being devastated by the policies of today than were being devastated by policies of slavery. And I think, What does it take to get us to wake up? – Think Progress

Think Progress has the video of the Congressman discussing his opinion on what he believes is best for African Americans. I’ve taken the liberty (Hope they don’t mind) of posting some of the comments from this article over at Think Progress:

“May I recommend a month in shackles, crossing the Atlantic in the hold of a wooden cargo ship, with no latrines. Drink your own urine, congressman, and enjoy.”

“If you have to delineate the merits of slavery to bash a woman’s choice, then you don’t have an argument anymore.”

“In most societies, “crazy” people are kept on the fringes. In America, they get elected as Republican politicians. The fact that this man “represents” a group of people who put him in office is shameful.”

“. . . waiting for the non-apology “my comments were taken out of context” apology in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .”

”After twenty-five years, it’s clear that conservatism only works for the benefit of the rich and powerful. Conservatism has damaged our economy and shoved America down the road to plutocracy. The racist anti-science stances that modern conservatives take doesn’t help with their image either.”

“When barbarians want to discuss the economic success of slavery, it’s time to bar the gates and boil the oil.”

Just adding my own two cents to the topic I’m wondering what Michael Steele (African American) the current Chairman of the GOP, thinks about Representative Trent Franks thoughts on slavery? For the record I would like to be very clear that I do not think that Trent Franks opinion is that of the majority of opinion of the Republican Party. Franks is just an IDIOT and all political parties have plenty of those.

Somebody over at the GOP needs to have a talk with Mr. Franks or just whack him upside the head for being an IDIOT.

Papamoka

*** Post Tribune has picked up this post... Thanks!

Bunning to Distribute Unemployed Laxatives

Major players in the GOP are trying hard to get past the nickname “Party of No” and Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky isn’t helping matters with his latest remarks on the Senate floor. Political pundits on the left side of the aisle are going to have a field day with Bunning and his comment to Democrats regarding his stalling tactics that will kill unemployment and Cobra benefits for millions of Americans.

Apparently, Senator Bunning has a potty mouth…

Senate Democrats spent Thursday night hammering away at Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) for single-handedly holding up action in the upper chamber – but he blurted out a message to one of them on the Senate floor: “Tough s—t.”

In an unusual display in the normally sleepy chamber, Bunning – without the support of GOP leadership – has blocked efforts to quickly approve a series of extensions to measures that would otherwise expire Sunday, including unemployment insurance and the Cobra program that allows people who lose their health benefits to continue getting coverage.

And that has led to a furious exchange on the floor, with Democrats attacking the senator, who has refused to relent on his objection, in unusually harsh terms.
In a colloquy with Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Sen. Jeff Merkley, a freshman Democrat from Oregon, was pleading for Bunning to drop his objection, when the Kentucky Republican got fed up.

“Tough s—t,” Bunning said as he was seated in the back row, overheard by the floor staff and others in attendance.

A spokesman for Bunning did not immediately respond to a request for comment. – Politico

I would like to be the first to rename the GOP from the political party of “NO” to the new and improved name of “Tough Shit”. Republican Senator Jim Bunning is a gift from God to the Democrats and they should all get down on one knee to say a quick thank you prayer. I can see the jingles and campaign signs that will sprout in the spring thanks to the laxative comment from Senator Bunning. If he chooses to run for re-election then I would like to offer this free campaign slogan “Listen to your Momma and Bunning and eat your vegetables”.

This is either going to be a great bonus to the makers of Ex-Lax and Metamucil or its going to be a nightmare. Profits may rise considerably as hooligans empty the stores shelves of their product to paste the maker’s labels over every Bunning campaign sign. One could easily picture a left leaning out of work plumber putting a “Bunning for Senate” sign in a toilet out on his or her front lawn with a nice floral pattern of empty Metamucil jars elegantly landscaped around it.

I couldn’t make this sh!t up if I wanted too. I will however be watching all of the blogs and news agencies for any reports regarding the Republican Minority Leader in the Senate purchasing a bar of soap to wash a certain person’s mouth out with.

Papamoka

***UPDATE 3/01/2010***
Washington (CNN) - An angry Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Kentucky, refused to answer questions from CNN and ABC News Monday afternoon about his decision to block a bill that would extend unemployment benefits to millions of jobless Americans. An ABC News producer who was there says Bunning gave him the middle finger in response to a question.

And there is more...

By David Lightman and Halimah Abdullah | McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — The Department of Transportation furloughed nearly 2,000 employees without pay Monday as the government began to feel the impact of Republican Sen. Jim Bunning's one-man blockage of legislation that would keep a host of federal programs operating.

Bunning's "hold" also affects jobless benefits for thousands of unemployed workers, rural television customers, doctors receiving Medicare payments and others.

Poor Grades Equals Fired Teachers

When it comes to educating our children for success then there is nothing better in the world than a successful teacher. Thus the reverse is true for the parents of children attending high school in Central Falls, Rhode Island.

CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. -- Formal termination letters were sent
Wednesday morning to the entire teaching staff at Central Falls High School, who were fired Tuesday night by the district's Board of Trustees.

The firings are effective the last day of school in June. Just 50 percent of teachers can be rehired for the fall, under the school improvement model endorsed by the trustees and School Supt. Frances Gallo. - Providence Journal

If you were working in a manufacturing business on the production floor where 50% of the product you manufactured failed inspection before it even shipped and only 7% of it was actually made to the exact specification then you would certainly be fired. To be honest, the employee should have quit long before it became evident to the business owner that they simply could not understand how to make the product to begin with. That is what you call reality. Being fired is the first step the business owner has to take to make sure his business will survive in a competitive world.

What is the difference between the scenario above and the city of Central Falls, Rhode Island firing its high school teachers and staff? The only difference here is that the product manufactured at Central Falls High School is the children of the town’s people.

When you have that high of a failure rate and an abysmal single digit success rate then “Houston (Central Falls), we have a problem”. One cannot argue in any logical thought out process as to why the staff at Central Falls High School should remain employed if the end result is that the students will continue to be robbed of a high school education. The Board of Trustees made the right call by passing out the pink slips.

Starting fresh is not always the best possible way to go but in this case it is clearly evident by the failure rates of the students that the education system at the high school level is beyond repair and needs to be totally replaced. Now the next question that needs to be answered is if the staff and students were provided the tools necessary to succeed in educating the students to begin with and if not then whoms asses should be fired next? The root cause behind such a tragic breakdown in the educational system at this school did not just happen overnight, like an untreated wound; it has to have been festering till the only possible treatment to save the patient was amputation.

Papamoka

Solar Power Project News

"I’d put my money on the Sun and Solar Energy, what a source of Power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out, before we tackle that." -Thomas Edison

From time to time I like to check up on what is going on for new solar power projects in the planning stages or the construction phase across America. It is simply amazing to me to see how large some of the proposed solar projects are going to be when just a few years back a large project was a few solar panels on a companies roof that pushed out a few watts. Now they measure the size of a new photovoltaic power generating plant in (MW) mega watts and thousands of homes that it could power. Even twenty years ago (1990 if you do the math) it was a rarity to even hear about a solar powered electric generation plant unless it was a science fiction story.

Is it time to change the old saying “Now your cooking with gas.” to “Now your cooking with Solar?” Here is a win-win situation that construction and installation of solar panels across an entire school district is slated to start in March of 2010.

Largest District Solar Project Planned
Will save district an estimated $17 million over the next 20 years.

The Irvine Unified School District in Southern California has confirmed plans to install solar panels in 21 of its 38 facilities. The installation is predicted to save the district some $17 million over the next 20 years.

In November 2009, Irvine finalized an agreement with SPG Solar, Inc., project developers and designers of solar power systems.

“Irvine was groundbreaking,” says Thomas Rooney, CEO and president of SPG Solar. “It was the largest and most ambitious solar project for a K12 school in the country.”

Irvine agreed to lease solar panels through SunEdison, a solar energy company that finances, operates and monitors solar plants, and purchase the electricity generated at each site at a fixed rate over a 20-year payout. - District Administration

Moving over to the private sector we come to the tech industry with the mover and shaker Intel Corp bellying up to the solar power bar. Intel is gearing up for eight new solar projects in four states that they are planning to complete in seven months.

Added factoids from this article are that Walmart is the largest retail chain with on site solar power generation in the country. And check out this link to the EPA.gov that tracks green power use from all businesses within the United States.

Intel is building 2.5MW of new solar generation in 8 states; continues to lead all US companies in green energy purchases.

The world’s largest chip maker, Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC), made a huge incursion into solar power generation today with the announcement that it is adding to its clean energy portfolio with 2.5 megawatts worth of new solar power projects at eight U.S. locations in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Oregon.

In addition to the new on-site generation, Intel is also upping its renewable energy purchases by 10 percent to 1.43 billion kilowatt-hours a year of renewable energy certificates. The move solidifies the company’s position as the largest voluntary purchaser of green power in the United States. - Earth and Industry 1/27/2010

Not to be outdone by Intel Corp is the United States Army where being all that you can be is going to be a 100% self sufficient solar powered electric way of life by 2022 at Fort Irwin in California. Typical of anything the military does the price tag is rather large at $2 Billion USD.

Far from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Department of Defense is setting its own target list to achieve energy independence for the Army's biggest bases.

First, California's Fort Irwin has just begun a multi-year march toward 1,000 MW in solar energy capacity and self-sufficiency from the desert sun. - Green Chip Stocks 10/2009

Then we have Arizona Public Service (APS) is heating up the race for the biggest solar concentrating plant in the world with its Solana plant 70 miles west of Phoenix.

It will produce enough energy to serve 70,000 APS customers when operating at full capacity. The plant will be built by Abengoa Solar Inc., and is scheduled to provide renewable energy beginning in 2012.

Spanish for “sunny place,” Solana will not emit greenhouse gases and will provide APS with more solar electricity per customer than any utility in the U.S. The facility also would be the largest solar power plant in the world if in operation today. - APS Green Choice 2/21/2010

Next up is great news coming from the federal government on putting the deserts of the United States to work generating solar power for 140,000 homes in California starting in 2012. Again, a huge price tag but we've all heard the stories about a certain amount of acres in the desert if used for just solar power generation could power all of the country...

The Energy Department on Monday announced a "conditional" $1.4 billion loan guarantee for a solar thermal power complex in the Mojave Desert that would ultimately produce as much as 392 megawatts of electricity. - Washington Post 2/23/2010

Break out the marshmallows because the solar power market is on fire. I'm off to fetch another bag of marshmallows seeing that the first ones keep burning to a crisp.

Papamoka

Email us at papamoka (at) hotmail (dot) com with your companies latest news if you are in the solar power industry or want to advertise your company here on this page.

Mellencamp FOR Senate

Every politicians worst nightmare is to have a rock star ask them or be legally ordered to stop playing their music for their campaign. Wouldn’t you just love the campaign that John Cougar Mellencamp could run given some of his hot tunes? Indiana would be rocking down the “Little Pink Houses” for Mellencamp if he decides to run for the US Senate as a Democrat.

Grass root efforts on Facebook are under way and growing to open the doors wide for a draft of Mellencamp as a Democrat to run for the seat soon to be vacated by retiring Senator Evan Bayh. Mellencamp plays right into the common working man voting group and his activities with Farm Aid can’t hurt him with all the farm votes in the Midwest. Break out the campaign signs for “Our Country” and prop them up on the front lawns in the Hoosier State.

It’s only fitting that since the Democrats of Minnesota voted in Al Franken, the comedian, that the good folks of Indiana vote in somebody that can actually carry a sensible tune. No offense intended to Senator Orin Hatch of Utah that dabbles in the music industry.


Video Link

Log onto your Facebook account and sign yourself up as a fan. Next stop for Mr. Mellencamp is Washington DC.

Papamoka

Internet Job Scams and Job Offers

Looking for a job isn’t as hard as it used to be when so many employers ask you to visit their website to submit an application for employment. Even the biggest retailer in the world, Walmart, directs you to a kiosk of computers in the store to enter your application on their website. Applying for work at many of your local supermarkets or home improvement chains is an application process that needs to be done online too. That’s the good news about this post.

Recently, I updated my resume on Monster, the mega job search engine, and over the next two days I was contacted by email and phone about several new job opportunities. My hopes were raised, I was getting back to the grind and a well deserved and earned paycheck. I was so surprised when I got an email from someone claiming to be from Edward Jones, the mega financial advisor company. Just a clipping from the email...

…I am a Recruiter working with a prominent financial services company. This company is one of the fastest growing financial services firms in the United States and Canada. I have come across your resume on Monster and would like to talk to you about a role that I'm currently looking to recruit for. Judging from your previous work experience, I think you would be very successful in this role. I am looking for people that may be a good fit for a Financial Adviser position, which is open to individuals looking for a career change and those with previous experience.

About Edward Jones....

Founded in 1871, Edward Jones is one of the nation's largest Full-Service Retail Brokerage Firm focused on individual investors and small businesses.
Edward Jones ranked No. 2 on FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For 2010" list in its 11th year on the prestigious list. Edward Jones also ranked No. 1 for large-sized companies.

A background in Finance is not required for this position - training provided.

To learn more, I invite you to take an on-line assessment which will determine your potential in a competitive sales environment. Upon completion, a Recruiting Representative will be in contact with you in regards to the next steps.
***It is not necessary to add your resume to the assessment, as we already have your monster copy.

To complete the assessment please visit:
www.selfmgmt.com/cgi-bin/links.exe?Code=EJMM41

They thought that I had the potential to be a fully fledged investment guru? Um, they must have not read my resume. This definitely smells like a phishing scam to steal peoples identity or worse. I looked into the actual real Edward Jones website and they do offer careers but you really need to go through some rigorous training to be offered an investment advisor position. Right there on the site you can get all the information you might need to work for Edward Jones.

Then we come into the bait and switch scam where companies offer you a job as an insurance agent. Aflac, American Liberty and Firemans Fund insurance companies are the latest ones to offer you a potential job AFTER you pay the fee to get a LICENSE to sell insurance. Are these people selling insurance or insurance training? If I had the money to get a job I might take them up on it but I don’t which I’m sure is the case for many unemployed people. Whatever happened to companies screening candidates to become new insurance agents and paying for their training and license?

See the paragraph above as some large real-estate companies are pulling the same bait and switch.

Last but not least is the Craigslist.com scam riddled job postings. My humble apologies to the real folks posting real jobs. Craigslist is a great tool for finding local companies posting local jobs but when you get several replies back asking you to PAY for a credit report up front when you apply for the job then it is a SCAM. Do Not reply to emails from Samantha at ERG Corporation (ergcorporation.com) if you like your identity where it is. Just a quick Google Search of "ERG Corporation Scam" or their phone number 888-249-9197 comes up with plenty of bad news. XRC Corporation is the same job scam/credit report scam.

The old saying about things sounding to good to be true still holds water when it comes to looking for a job online. If you are even the least bit suspicious about any replies you get about a potential job then I highly recommend a Google search with the companies name and Scam in your search. Post away in the comments of any scams or stunts you have seen during your job search.

I wish you luck in your job search and hope you get the job and not the job scam.

Papamoka

Related Posts: Illegal Email Job Scams

Obama's Road to Recovery

I'm thinking we can let the numbers do the talking when it comes to the recreation of jobs in America post President Bush.

"One year ago tomorrow, after tens of thousands of you shared stories and called your representatives, the President signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act." - David Plouffe

Just for giggles maybe we should look at a few of the things that the President's plan has accomplished so far. I wouldn't call it a full recovery when the bars are still in the negative range no matter how small a number that might be. After-all, those numbers are not just numbers but actual people that have lost their jobs in the latest economic downturn aka recession.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:

• Cut taxes for 95 percent of working families through the Making Work Pay tax credit
• Cut taxes for small businesses
• Provided loans to over 42,000 small businesses
• Funded over 12,500 transportation construction projects nationwide, ranging from highway construction to airport improvement projects
• Made multi-billion dollar investments in innovation, science and technology that are laying the foundation for our 21st century economy
• Provided critical relief for state governments facing record budget shortfalls, including help to prevent cuts to Medicaid and creating or saving over 300,000 education jobs

Just for another set of giggles, I emailed President Obama my resume just after his state of the union speech. I'm hoping that he just might have a job somewhere in America for me. I'm not looking for the Vice President's job but I sure as hell could use the frequent flier miles that the Secretary of State racks up.

Papamoka

***Propeller has linked in with 16 Props... Thanks!

Is John McCain Done

Senator John McCain of Arizona might be looking at his last election to the United States Senate if the buzz coming from the Republican Party is on target. Die hard Conservatives are not to happy with their former GOP candidate for the Presidency and the rumor mill around Arizona is leaning towards the thought that Johnny isn’t conservative enough for their liking. McCain’s opponent in the next election is none other than the Jack Abramoff (jailed lobbyist & corruption guru) sweetheart former Congressman J.D. Hayworth who lost his last election bid to the Democrats in 2006. The question to be asked is if Hayworth can unseat the 73 year old Senator in the primary election if McCain holds the Tea Bagger revolt faction and Sarah Palin’s (Fox News Opinion contributor) political support?

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Sipping beer in a noisy bar outside Phoenix, John "Buck" Hayes and his friend Kermit Thompson represent the rift that has made the Republican primary facing Sen. John McCain one of the country's most watched Senate races.

Hayes, 52, speaks reverentially of the four-term senator, describing him as a "steady fighter" who has the clout in Washington to call things as he sees them. Thompson, 70, a former McCain supporter, counters with this: "He's gotten too liberal for me."

Two years after he beat a crowded field to lead the GOP presidential ticket, the 73-year-old McCain is up against what some say is his toughest re-election battle in years as voters in his home state decide whether they want an experienced maverick or a diehard conservative. - USA Today

One of the talking points on McCain’s re-election viability is the immigration issue where his views are not in line with many of the folks in his states political party. J.D. Hayworth is playing up his difference of opinion with McCain on immigration with every political speech. In a state that has an ongoing issue dealing with illegal immigrants and border patrol, immigration may end up being the issue of this campaign for the Senate that sends John McCain home from Washington.

Political experts in Arizona say the immigration issue, not an intraparty feud, is central to any struggles McCain may face. McCain's support for comprehensive immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrations already in the country, has hurt him politically in the past, including nearly derailing his presidential bid. Hayworth has derided such reform as amnesty for illegal immigrants.

"It's not a secret that Senator McCain has different feelings on immigration than Hayworth," said Matt Roberts, a spokesman for the Arizona Republican Party. "That's the issue garnering the most amount of attention and people feel strongly on both sides." - Fox News

On the flip side of the coin are the Democrats who seem to favor the candidacy of Air Force Reservist Rodney Glassman for McCain’s seat with a grass roots effort that features a $20 maximum political donation. Glassman is from the Tucson area where he is a city council member and very active in the local community. Questions abound if Glassman the Democrat can beat Hayworth the Republican in a predominate red state election campaign. That is if of course John McCain is done.

Papamoka

Toyota Pulls a Detroit of Yesteryear

Once upon a time not so long ago there was a scary monster that ruled the land by seeding the world with its demonic like fire breathing spawn (cars). They used to call it the Detroit Big Three. Its children would roam the world devouring liquids (GM SUV) at every gas station, rusting (Chrysler) out right before our very eyes, and exploding in flames like a Phoenix (Ford Pinto) when offended by a fender bender. Till one bright and shinny day, a bunch of knights (engineers) from Japan decided that they could rid the world of these monsters by offering a tamed down domesticated version of the DBT from across the big blue sea. All was well with the world. The End… or was it?

Toyota has lost its way when it comes to quality and the only one they have to blame is themselves. It’s easy to be the number one car manufacturer in the world if you ignore your customers and just keep pushing out units as fast as your factories can make them. Toyota basically refused to look in its own rear view mirror. So when did Toyota stop following the “Don’t do what the DBT did” business formula? The answer to that question is simple. When profit was more important than the quality of their product. AKA, if you build it then they will buy it or being number one is systemic with built in arrogance.

"Consideration for customers was lacking in Toyota," Seiji Maehara, Japan's minister in charge of transport, said this week after the government learned that the carmaker had known for months about a problem of squishy brakes on its Prius hybrid.

Yet until the Japanese government pressured them to recall more than 400,000 Priuses and other hybrid models on Tuesday, Toyota executives had insisted that the braking issue was a matter of driver "perception."

In the United States, where years-old problems with a sticking gas pedal led to a suspension in January of the production and sale of eight vehicle models, Toyota had also neglected customer complaints, blamed drivers and was not forthcoming with federal investigators. - Washington Post

Recalling 400,000 cars is a huge admission of a serious quality control problem and that is not the way to keep repeat customers. Numbers of that size recall are nothing new to Toyota but seem to be the status quo. Going back to just August of 2006 it was evident then that Toyota had a quality problem and yet they still pulled a DBT. Has Toyota taken up the old DBT quality standard of built in product obsolescence? Could this quality problem be a precursor as to what will happen to Toyota jobs here in America?

At Toyota's annual executive meeting in June, its outgoing chairman, Hiroshi Okuda, its new chairman, Fujio Cho, and its chief executive, Katsuaki Watanabe, all vowed to the gathered managers that the quality issue would be addressed, according to a senior Toyota executive who attended the meeting.

"The quality issue is a big concern. They're embarrassed about it," said the executive, who insisted on anonymity because the meeting was private. He added, "You think about Toyota, and quality is in our DNA. We are concerned about looking like the rest of the pack. The market is forgiving because of our long reputation, but how long will they be forgiving?" - New York Times

There is a reoccurring pattern when it comes to the blame game at Toyota and that is and has been to blame its engineers. Yes, they do have some ownership but the boys in the executive branch are the ones making the decisions that the customers end up buying and owning. Companies like the “New” Toyota are their own worst enemies when they “choose” to ignore the reason they became successful to begin with. QUALITY!

Click on the link for the full list of the latest Toyota recall. And you can be sure that the insurance industry isn't going to miss a heartbeat raising your rates when it comes to your Toyota car insurance. Poor safety performance on any vehicle is too good of an opportunity for them to miss.

UPDATE 2/15/10: Toyota considers incentives to maintain customer confidence post recall according to CNN Money

Papamoka

***Washington Post has linked to this post... Thank you!

Anthem Blue Cross Rate Hike

If you were wondering what was going on with the health care policy debate then maybe you should take a look at what the health care insurance industry is doing. Maybe we should let the insurance companies dictate competition in the market place like the Republican Party is fighting for to keep health care insurance rates down? All of this bull coming from the Dem’s and left wing loonies is all probably just smoke and mirrors to scare average consumers. Anyone in America can get health care insurance at affordable rates. Even Michael Steele, the GOP Chairman, knows that health care coverage is and always will be very affordable in America.

“Trust me, after taxes, a million dollars is not a lot of money,” Steele said. - Think Progress

I’m wondering if Mr. Steele would like to get his health care insurance from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield in California that is raising premiums for their policy holders by 39%? Just write the check out and don’t forget the stamp Michael. HHS Secretary Sebelius is pissed and she isn't signing a blank check to Anthem Blue Cross...

Sebelius Calls on Anthem Blue Cross to Publicly Justify 39 Percent Premium Increase

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today sent a letter to Anthem Blue Cross and called on the company to publicly justify its decision to raise premiums for its California customers by as much as 39 percent. In her letter, Sebelius notes that the parent company of Anthem Blue Cross, WellPoint Incorporated earned $2.7 billion in the last quarter of 2009.

“As we continue the health insurance reform debate in Washington, this announcement reminds us that too many Americans can be left with unaffordable insurance each time the rates or rules change in the private market,” Sebelius added. “It’s clear that we need health insurance reform that will give American families the secure, affordable coverage they need.” - Health & Human Services

Things that make you go Hmmmmmmm? Feel free to view and sign the petition HERE to have Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield explain how they can justify a 39% health insurance premium increase. Otherwise you can keep on driving by this horrific accident called a health care system because there is nothing to see here, keep moving, nothing to see here.

Papamoka

Go Saints - Superbowl XLIIV

The good old Superbowl is upon us once more and as always there are the chants pro and con for any given team. My good friend over at the Gun Toting Liberal happens to have his pick in for the winner and I'm going with his pick... Saints! You'll have to pardon the video but I couldn't resist stealing it from the GTL. This one is for all of you correct grammar blog watchers.