Where Bush Goes, Disaster Follows

Quoted from Think Progress verbatim:

Standing in Jackson Square on Sept. 15, President Bush stated, “This government will learn the lessons of Hurricane Katrina” and promised to “get the work done quickly.” But on the eve of Katrina’s one year anniversary, here’s a look at the current state of New Orleans:

• Less than half of the city’s pre-storm population of 460,000 has returned, putting the population at roughly what it was in 1880.
• Nearly a third of the trash has yet to be picked up.
• Sixty percent of homes still lack electricity.
• Seventeen percent of the buses are operational.
• Half of the physicians have left, and there is a shortage of 1,000 nurses.
• Six of the nine hospitals remain closed.
• Sixty-six percent of public schools have reopened.
• A 40 percent hike in rental rates, disproportionately affecting black and low-income families.
• A 300 percent increase in the suicide rate.

Eighty-four percent of New Orleans residents rate the government’s recovery efforts negatively, while 66 percent believe the recovery money has been “mostly wasted.”

What Up, Hilary Duff?

It’s been a while since Paige’s Page checked in on the life of teenage superstar Hilary Duff. We find an article by Kevin Airs at the Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald, in which he follows some teen queens, including Hilary Duff, to find out how they have become “royal mess-ups”.

But today, the party seems to be over for the ultimate party girls. One by one, the teen queens are fading faster than their fake tans, with flopping movie and pop careers.

So how do you go from being a teenage sensation to an embarrassing 20-something drop-out virtually overnight? It's simple, it seems. Here's how to be a teen queen burnout.

Airs describes the mistakes that Duff and others have made along the way, and he also notes “Last year Hilary Duff and (Lindsay) Lohan were in Forbes magazine's list of the top 100 most powerful celebrities in Hollywood. Not this year. They've disappeared off its radar completely.”

Go, Cat, Go!

That’s Cat (singular) as in USA Softball ace Cat Osterman, who struck out 14 batters in 7 innings in USA Softball’s 6-1 victory last night in the opening game of the World Softball Championships. You rule, Cat!

I Independent TV

Whilst I was surfing the channels last night, I came across I Independent Television and much to my surprise, they were hosting a Green Acres marathon. How wonderful!

Until I discovered that they had edited the shows quite noticeably. They have sped up the theme song (why? I suppose to squeeze more commercials in) and they also edited out one of the best jokes (why? I suppose to squeeze more commercials in). That was very disturbing. And what were the commericals? Some were for legitimate medications, such as Levitra, but others were for what I consider to be schlock — products that aren’t worth a plugged nickel, stuff like herbal diet pills, and other pseudo-pharmaceuticals.

Boycott I Independent Television!

Lincoln vs. Bush

Skralyx compares the oratory of Abraham Lincoln to that of George W. Bush. One of them sounds presidential, one does not.

Do I Feel Safer Now?

Reuters:

From Kansas City, Missouri, to Indianapolis, Indiana, places that rarely attract notice on annual FBI crime surveys are seeing significant increases in murder. Boston, once a model city in America’s battle against gun violence, is poised to eclipse last year’s homicide tally, which was the worst in a decade.

Explanations vary — from softer gun laws to budget cuts, fewer police on the beat, more people in poverty and simple complacency. But many blame a national preoccupation with potential threats from abroad.

“Since September 11, much of the resources that were distributed to crime-fighting efforts in Boston and other major cities were redistributed to fight terrorism,” said Jack Levin, director of the Brudnick Center on Violence and Conflict at Northeastern University.

“The feds had supported after-school programs. They had supported placing more police officers in crime hot spots in major cities. These federal efforts were reduced,” he said.

So, an ineffective war on terrorism has lead to more global violence, more terrorists, and more violence in our streets.

Those Republicans in charge seem to be soft on crime. Time to vote for Democrats, who have the better ideas and better policies.

Why I Don’t Watch CNN Anymore

Another reason …

Bush’s Broken Promises

Quoting Americablog in its entirety:

Despite the promises of George Bush, it’s still a disaster:

Nearly half of New Orleans was still under water when President Bush stood in the Crescent City’s historic Jackson Square and swore he would “do what it takes” to rebuild the communities and lives that had been laid to waste two weeks before by Hurricane Katrina.

“Our goal is to get the work done quickly,” the president said.

He promised to spend federal money wisely and accountably. And he vowed to address the poverty exposed by the government's inadequate Katrina response “with bold bold action.”

A year after the storm, the federal government has proven slow and unreliable in keeping the president’s promises.

The job of clearing debris left by the storm remains unfinished, and has been plagued by accusations of fraud and price gouging. Tens of thousands of families still live in trailers or mobile homes, with no indication of when or how they will be able to obtain permanent housing. Important decisions about rebuilding and improving flood defenses have been delayed. And little if anything has been done to ensure the welfare of the poor in a rebuilt New Orleans.

The AP documents the lack of progress in six areas: Emergency Assistance, Clean Up, Housing, Rebuilding, Levees, and Poverty.

Bush’s promises meant nothing … again. Does anyone really think this man and his incompetent administration can keep us safe?

Focus on Terrorists, Not Tactics

Bruce Schneier, Minneapolis Star Tribune (via):

None of the airplane security measures implemented because of 9/11 — no-fly lists, secondary screening, prohibitions against pocket knives and corkscrews — had anything to do with last week’s arrests. And they wouldn’t have prevented the planned attacks, had the terrorists not been arrested. A national ID card wouldn’t have made a difference, either.

Instead, the arrests are a victory for old-fashioned intelligence and investigation.

Stay The Course! (Not!)

General Wesley Clark:

You see, despite what Joe Lieberman believes, invading Iraq and diverting our attention away from Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden is not being strong on national security. Blind allegiance to George W. Bush and his failed “stay the course” strategy is not being strong on national security. And no, Senator Lieberman, no matter how you demonize your opponents, there is no “antisecurity wing” of the Democratic Party.
...
In 2000, the presence of a third party candidate, Ralph Nader, no doubt played a role in the defeat of Vice President Gore and Joe Lieberman. Now Joe Lieberman is risking our party’s claim on his Senate seat by running as a third party candidate himself. Recent news reports detail the GOP’s interest in supporting such an effort. It’s time to draw a line.

I committed myself to supporting the Democratic nominee for the US Senate in Connecticut, and I ask you to do likewise. Because too much is at stake with our troubles abroad and at home, we cannot play games this Election Day. That’s why I call on all loyal Democrats to join me in urging Senator Lieberman to drop his bid for the Senate as an Independent and endorse the duly nominated Democrat.

We should thank him for his service and invite him to stay active, or even run again someday, but as a party we cannot let Joe Lieberman be this year’s Ralph Nader.

Links

Do I feel safer now? Now that I have learned that the Bush administration tried to take $6 million in funding away from efforts to develop new technology to detect explosives? No, I don’t feel safer at all.

Do I feel freer now? Of course not. While the Bush administration takes freedoms away from ordinary Americans by spying on them illegally, we find out that the latest Al Qaeda plot in Britain was stopped using perfectly legal crime prevention techniques. Unauthorized spying on citizens was not required. Oh, and Mr. Bush, when are you going to capture Osama bin Laden like you promised, and when, oh when, are you going to put Al Qaeda out of business?

Why I don’t watch CNN any more.

A while back I wrote my three congresscritters an empassioned latter urging them to do everything they can to keep us out of a war with Iran. I received a reply from Republican Randy Kuhl, saying he too was concerned and wanted us to stay out of Iran. Democrat Hillary Clinton wrote back weeks later thanking me for my letter, but she did not provide a hint of her position on the issue. Democrat Charles Schumer has not yet responded. Seems like the Republican did the best job of responding, although I'm not going to vote for him.

Nationalized Health Care

Here’s a long excerpt from an editorial by David Sirota:

Here’s an idea rarely discussed in our nation’s capital: Health insurance should not be a for-profit industry.

Think that’s a radical concept? If so, then the majority of Americans are radicals. According to a national Harris poll in 2003, a strong majority of American “would prefer health care services to be provided by non-profits or government.”

The public’s sentiment is understandable, given the facts. Take, for instance, a recent Reuters story on a major university study. “For-profit nursing homes and hospitals on average provide an inferior quality of care compared with their nonprofit peers,” the news service reported, adding that “Nonprofit hospitals are also better at keeping costs down.”

How about Businessweek’s June expose on the Veterans Administration? The magazine found that this nonprofit “nationwide health system that is run and financed by the federal government provides the best medical care in America.” It does so at the same time “VA has held its costs per patient steady over the past 10 years despite double-digit inflation in health care prices.”

Then there is Medicare. Harvard researchers have documented that America’s elderly, who are covered by the program, are 20 percent happier with their health care than other Americans who are in the private, for-profit system. And while roughly 15 cents of every dollar goes to “administrative” costs in the for-profit system, just 4 cents of every dollar goes to the same in Medicare.

So if Americans want the private profit motive removed from health care, and the data shows nonprofit health care delivers better, more cost-efficient care, then why do so few politicians in Washington talk about creating a government-sponsored, nonprofit universal health care system? Especially at a time when health care premiums are skyrocketing, more Americans are going uninsured, and voters consistently rank health care as a top concern, the question is critical.

Some claim the silence comes from voter opposition to the general concept of government health care. That assertion is not supported by facts. A 2003 ABC News poll found roughly two-thirds of Americans support a “universal health insurance program, in which everyone is covered under a program like Medicare that’s run by the government and financed by taxpayers.” Similarly, a 2005 poll by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center found a strong majority support “government guaranteeing health insurance for all citizens, even if it means raising taxes.” That included about half of core GOP voters.

No, as with everything in Washington, the real answer to the question is found by following the money. Politicians don’t talk about creating a not-for-profit health care system because they operate in a pay-to-play culture — one that rewards their silence.

Since 2000, the health industry has donated more than $370 million to the lawmakers of both political parties.

Kobayashi

Takeru Kobayashi eats 58 brats in 10 minutes! He started by eating 23 in 3 minutes. Wow!

This Week In Priorities

The General has an interesting set of photos. The first shows two Massachusetts Senators, both Democrats, at a funeral for a deceased soldier. They pay their respects, very somberly, and comfort the family. He contrasts that with photos of President Bush and Vice President Cheney, neither of whom has ever attended a funeral for a deceased soldier — not a single one.

The Republican “Hide and Lie” Strategy

Republican Congressman running for re-election, who voted lock-step with President Bush on many issues, including Iraq, Medicare, tax-breaks for oil companies, etc., are using a campaign strategy to hide from their association with the President. They go so far as to lie that they have been independent thinkers who don’t do what their party or the President says they should do. (via The Left Coaster)

The Elements

Tom Lehrer took the names of the chemical elements and performed them musically, to a “possibly recognizable tune”. Here, Mike Stanfill animates Lehrer’s “The Elements” in a delightful way. (via)

Raising Minimum Wage Fails

A few days I wrote about how uncompassionate conservatives were doing everything they could to prevent a vote on raising the minimum wage. These uncompassionate conservatives would only allow a vote on this if it would be coupled with a massive tax cut for the richest Americans, costing the US Treasury over $300 billion. Turns out, these uncompassionate conservatives are among the very few Americans who would benefit the most from this tax cut. No wonder it was such a high priority for them. The 8 million Americans who currently work for minimum wage, only a fifth of which are teenagers, and many of whom are their family’s major wage earners, aren’t a priority for them.

Anyway, coupled with this tax cut, the minimum wage raise bill was rejected by the Senate. Can you say “uncompassionate conservative”? I knew you could!

Lies and the Lying Liars

I hate it when a politician blatantly lies about his past record. I hate it even more when its a Democrat, but that just what Joe Lieberman of Connecticut has done — lied about his past record. Well, Joe isn’t really a Democrat, is he?

Today, Lieberman told the New York Daily News: “I supported our war in Iraq but I have always questioned the way it was being executed”.

The problem is, Joe never did question anything. Christy at Firedoglake links to videos of Lieberman’s speeches, and articles quoting Lieberman, and there’s not a criticism of the President to be found.

Shame on you, Joe. You deserve to lose. All politicians who lie so blatantly about their past record deserve to lose.

P.S.: A mailing supporting Lieberman claims that he was one of the first to oppose President Bush’s social security phase-out destruction plan. A mailing from New York Senator Hillary Clinton also claimed Lieberman fought Bush’s plan “tooth and nail”. Newspaper articles from that time show that Lieberman was the last Democrat to get on board his party’s attempt to block Bush’s social security plan. I wrote Clinton a letter asking her to provide evidence to support her claim, but I never heard back.

What Are Those Republicans Doing For You Today?

Mary at Pacific Views tells us how those devious Republicans are taking away some protections you might have right now. Things like protection from food-borne illnesses, regulation of tobacco companies (preventing those tobacco companies from recruiting minors), and over-riding state laws with a higher minimum wage than the current federal law (which would result in a decrease in pay for many Americans already living at the poverty level).

As Mary says, “Who said the Republicans didn't care about ordinary Americans”?