Saturday, February 27, 2010

Senator Jim Bunning Says "Tough Shit" To the Unemployed!


Tough Shit To The Unemployed!

Tough Shit To Medicare Doctors!

Tough Shit To National Flood Insurance!

Tough Shit To "COBRA" Health Care Benefits!


For decades now, Congress has routinely approved extending unemployment benefits during hard economic times.  The House did it just a few days ago, but not the Senate.  One Lone Senator, Republican Jim Bunning of Kentucky led a heated debate with Democrats over the issue.  At one point, the retiring Senator was even heard cursing on the Senate floor.

Bunning said, "Tough Shit"  as Senator Jeff  Merkley, Democrat of Oregon, criticized Bunning's stance on the bill. 

This is legislation that in addition to funding unemployment insurance and the COBRA health insurance program for people who have lost their jobs, would have also prevented a scheduled 21 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors.

Blocking this and other popular legislation seems to be consistent with the Conservative Republican philosophy of trying to make the Obama administration look incompetent.  And letting one lone Senator, who is not seeking re-election be the fall guy is an ideal way to accomplish their goals.

As Republican Senator Jim DeMint famously said about health care  "If we’re able to stop Obama on this it will be his Waterloo. It will break him,"

What Ever Happened To Putting Country First? 

And to Think,  Conservatives Claim to Be Patriots.

Just Thinking

Please feel free to comment below, ( just click on the word comment if the panel is not open) or you can e-mail me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com and your comment will be posted.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

The Health-Care Summit at Blair House


Well I just spent the entire day watching, absorbing and contemplating the health care Summit in Washington DC.  My morning started with coffee and NPR as usual.  Then onto CNN's pre-summit coverage.  I proceeded to watch the summit itself on C-SPAN-3  (fewer interruptions).  I used the lunch break to check e-mails, call my friend Billy in San Francisco about a link he sent me and then call my Mom in New Jersey to see how she was managing with yet another snowstorm.  Other than that, this entire day was dedicated to the health care Summit.  An issue I have a real vested interest in.

So at this point, as you might imagine, my head is spinning.  Yes, there was lots of "Political Theater" as predicted.  Both sides attempted to act civilly for the benefit of the TV Cameras as they emphasized the same old "Talking Points".  Simple "Catchphrases" that market research indicates might resonate with the American people. "Keep it simple for the Masses.  They're not too bright, you know."  Seemed to be the message of the day.   As a former oratory and debate student.  I find this new scientific methodology appalling.

The simple fact is, neither side is seriously considering Real Health Care Reform.  You know, something like, Single-Payer Universal Healthcare, i.e. MediCare for all.  Granted, one might argue that the Democrats are offering more than the Republicans.  But the truth is, Neither Is Offering Any Real, Concrete, Significant Change! 

Yes it's true, the Democratic plan does have some badly needed worthwhile provisions, but unfortunately, most of those don't even kick in till 2013 or 14.  Hell, By Then I Might Be Dead!  I know, perhaps I'm being just a bit melodramatic - but the truth is, sometimes, that's the way I feel.  There are after all, some procedures and treatments I desperately need, but without health care insurance simply don't have affordable access to.

Now of course the real reason that universal health-care isn't even being considered by either party, is cost.

Which brings us back to what I've been saying all along.  With the money we've been wasting on the Useless Wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and now Pakistan,  Cost would not be an issue. 

As I've pointed out in previous blog posts, and as President Eisenhower once predicted.  "Unlimited Funding of Our Military Industrial Complex Will Bankrupt The Nation."  

Those Wars, along with our Numerous Permanent Military Bases And Installations Around the World are Not Only Draining the Treasury but Doing More Harm Than Good by Actually Creating More Terrorists.
 - Just Thinking.



Here's some more photos of the summit, courtesy of CBS News...

















Please feel free to comment below or e-mail me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com and your comment will be posted.  

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

We Need a Public Option And Real Health Care Reform Now!



After the loss of Ted Kennedy's seat in Massachusetts, the idea of passing a health care bill through budget reconciliation - a process that only requires 51 votes in the Senate - has been gaining momentum. Sen. Michael Bennet from Colorado is circulating a letter to Majority Leader Reid, calling for this strategy and asking other Senators to sign.

I'd like to urge all my Blog readers to contact their Senators and ask them to sign too. I support a public option, which is what President Obama originally campaigned on. And, one of the reasons I voted for him.

And we need health care reform NOW , not sometime in 2013 or 14.

If that can't be done, then we need Medicare Expansion Immediately.

Citizens 55 and older should be given the opportunity to Buy-in to Medicare. As originally proposed by Senator Lieberman, before the Insurance Companies bought him off and he changed his mind.

Join the campaign to urge the Senate to use reconciliation to pass a public option with 51 votes.

I just called my Senators, Bill Nelson (D) and George LeMieux (R), about signing on to the Bennet letter.

Click on the link below to join the campaign to save the public option by using reconciliation in the Senate.

             http://act.credoaction.com/call/oneoffs/results_21.html     







Please feel free to comment below or email me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com and your comment will be posted.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Suspect in New York Subway Bombing Plot Pleads Guilty!

Yesterday afternoon, less than one hour after I posted a piece about the killing of innocent civilians in Afghanistan,

 "The Madness Continues"

Najibullah Zazi, only 25 years old,  pled guilty to the suicide bombing plot of the New York City Subway System. 


The plea was predicted, but who knew what he would say in court?


Zazi, a native of Afghanistan, explained to the judge...

"I would gladly sacrifice myself to bring attention to what the U.S. military was doing to civilians in Afghanistan." 

Now Do You See? 

Isn't This What I've Been Saying All Along?

We're Not Making Friends and Influencing People over There.  We're Not Changing Hearts and Minds.

 We're Breeding Terrorists!

    Just Thinking

Please feel free to comment below or email me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com and your comment will be posted.

Monday, February 22, 2010

The Madness Continues!

A US air-strike in southern Afghanistan killed at least 27 civilians, the Afghan Cabinet said Monday. General McChrystal confirmed that NATO planes fired Sunday on what it believed was a group of insurgents in southern Uruzgan Province on their way to attack a joint NATO-Afghan patrol, but later discovered that they were actually a bus load of civilians, including women and children.

Whoops, we did it again!

27 more innocent civilians die, including women and children, because we were confused about the target or something.   We thought they were insurgents.  Oh well, shift happens!


 "We are extremely saddened by the tragic loss of innocent lives," Gen. McChrystal said in the statement. "I have made it clear to our forces that we are here to protect the Afghan people and inadvertently killing or injuring civilians undermines their trust and confidence in our mission." 

 No shift Sherlock.  This is just the third time this has happened in two weeks. 

 And just what is our mission anyway?  We invaded Afghanistan, over 8 years ago, allegedly to  find Osama bin Laden.  For six years now.  Our best intelligence indicates he's probably no longer there.  In fact, we have no idea where he is.

Oh well.  We'll just continue to hang around and fight Taliban insurgents.  Doesn't matter that the Taliban had nothing to do with 9/11. 

They are Not Nice People, and We do not like them, and not that it's any of our business.   We don't like the way they treat women, either.  Besides, they are a threat to the Fraudulently Elected  "US Puppet"  President Hamid Karzai.

We Invade Arab Nations,  Kill Thousands of Innocents,  Destroy Their Infrastructure with "Shock and Awe" Bombing,  Occupy Their Land.  Set up Permanent Military Bases, and then wonder why they don't like us.

The current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost us over a Trillion Dollars and counting .  If you were to add to that the total cost of all our meddling in the Middle East since World War II, There Would Be No Budget Deficit.  We Could Easily Afford Health Care for Everyone, and  We'd Have Plenty of Money to Buy Oil with.

Isn't That What the Chinese Do?  They Need Oil, so They Buy It!
No Need for Military Intervention, Political Occupation.  Just a Simple Monetary Transaction.

But Instead, We Find It Necessary to Try and Win Their Hearts and Minds.

 - Just Thinking...

Please feel free to comment below or email me direct at  EddieOReilly@HotMail.Com  and your comment will be posted.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Bill Maher Is Back!

Real Time with Bill Maher is back for a whole new season on HBO!  Look for new episodes every Friday night at 10 PM.  Plus of course it's repeated frequently throughout the week.  This, in my humble opinion,  is one of the best hours of television you'll find anywhere.  I highly recommend it!

Also airing this month on HBO,  is Bill Maher's new comedy act.  "But, I'm Not Wrong" this is basically the same show that Esther and I saw "Live" at the Jackie Gleason theater on Miami Beach.  You have to check it out,  as Jackie Gleason would've said "It's the Greatest"! 

In case you're not familiar with Bill Maher's work,  permit me to post here one of my favorite videos.  In this video, Bill addresses the health care issue, the French, and lots of other topics I tend to agree with him on, and much like Bill Maher.  I'm Never Wrong!  (well hardly ever, anyway.).

Check out this video.  It's lots of fun...



The video stops kind of abruptly at the end.  But then again, let's face it, there's certain things you can say on HBO,  that you simply can't get away with on YouTube.

Please feel free to comment below or e-mail me direct at EddieOReilly@HotMail.Com and your comment will be posted.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Joseph Stack's Suicide Bombing


When I first heard that the Austin plane crash this morning involved a building that housed IRS offices, I must admit I was immediately suspicious. Turns out, it probably wasn't an accident after all.

It's obviously no accident that the apparent suicide note found online coincides with the Austin Plane Crash and the Fire at Joe Stack's house. 

But, it's No Act of Terrorism either, at least according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Even though, it clearly fits the definition of terrorism...

Terrorism: - The calculated use of violence or the threat of violence against civilians or governments in order to attain goals that are political, religious or ideological in nature.

I only bring this up to make the following point. Terrorists, be they individuals or groups,  can come from anywhere.  They Know No Nation,  Salute No Flag and have Allegiance to No Government.   And yet,  our nation's  "War on Terror"  has caused us to invade Afghanistan, Iraq  and now Pakistan.  Unnecessarily killing tens of thousands of innocent civilians (collateral damage we call it) and thus creating even more terrorists, and making us considerably less safe in the process.   Is this the best way to win their hearts and minds? 

It's not that I'm not a patriot, because I am, but I really do question the wisdom of these wars, which are bankrupting our nation, both morally and economically.

Joe Stack was obviously a terrorist,  a Home-Grown,  Domestic Terrorist but a Terrorist nonetheless.  A man whose heart and mind we obviously lost.

Unlike the "Shoe Bomber" or the "Christmas Day Bomber" Joe stack was successful. Which of course was much like another home-grown terrorist named Timothy McVeigh.  Perhaps our greatest threat comes from within after all.

What surprises me however, is how well written and articulate his suicide note/manifesto proved to be. Despite what you may have read, heard or presumed, these are not the ramblings of some crazy lunatic but rather the very lucid thoughts of a frustrated and troubled man. (i.e. a home-grown terrorist)

While his final thoughts are rather lengthy, I do think they're worth reading. So rather than just offer you a few quotes, out of context. I thought I'd print out for you the complete text.


So for those of you who are curious, here in its entirety is
Joe Stack's Final Statement...


 "If you’re reading this, you’re no doubt asking yourself, “Why did this have to happen?” The simple truth is that it is complicated and has been coming for a long time. The writing process, started many months ago, was intended to be therapy in the face of the looming realization that there isn’t enough therapy in the world that can fix what is really broken. Needless to say, this rant could fill volumes with example after example if I would let it. I find the process of writing it frustrating, tedious, and probably pointless… especially given my gross inability to gracefully articulate my thoughts in light of the storm raging in my head. Exactly what is therapeutic about that I’m not sure, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

We are all taught as children that without laws there would be no society, only anarchy. Sadly, starting at early ages we in this country have been brainwashed to believe that, in return for our dedication and service, our government stands for justice for all. We are further brainwashed to believe that there is freedom in this place, and that we should be ready to lay our lives down for the noble principals represented by its founding fathers. Remember? One of these was “no taxation without representation”. I have spent the total years of my adulthood unlearning that crap from only a few years of my childhood. These days anyone who really stands up for that principal is promptly labeled a “crackpot”, traitor and worse.

While very few working people would say they haven’t had their fair share of taxes (as can I), in my lifetime I can say with a great degree of certainty that there has never been a politician cast a vote on any matter with the likes of me or my interests in mind. Nor, for that matter, are they the least bit interested in me or anything I have to say.

Why is it that a handful of thugs and plunderers can commit unthinkable atrocities (and in the case of the GM executives, for scores of years) and when it’s time for their gravy train to crash under the weight of their gluttony and overwhelming stupidity, the force of the full federal government has no difficulty coming to their aid within days if not hours? Yet at the same time, the joke we call the American medical system, including the drug and insurance companies, are murdering tens of thousands of people a year and stealing from the corpses and victims they cripple, and this country’s leaders don’t see this as important as bailing out a few of their vile, rich cronies. Yet, the political “representatives” (thieves, liars, and self-serving scumbags is far more accurate) have endless time to sit around for year after year and debate the state of the “terrible health care problem”. It’s clear they see no crisis as long as the dead people don’t get in the way of their corporate profits rolling in.

And justice? You’ve got to be kidding!

How can any rational individual explain that white elephant conundrum in the middle of our tax system and, indeed, our entire legal system? Here we have a system that is, by far, too complicated for the brightest of the master scholars to understand. Yet, it mercilessly “holds accountable” its victims, claiming that they’re responsible for fully complying with laws not even the experts understand. The law “requires” a signature on the bottom of a tax filing; yet no one can say truthfully that they understand what they are signing; if that’s not “duress” than what is. If this is not the measure of a totalitarian regime, nothing is.

How did I get here?

My introduction to the real American nightmare starts back in the early ‘80s. Unfortunately after more than 16 years of school, somewhere along the line I picked up the absurd, pompous notion that I could read and understand plain English. Some friends introduced me to a group of people who were having ‘tax code’ readings and discussions. In particular, zeroed in on a section relating to the wonderful “exemptions” that make institutions like the vulgar, corrupt Catholic Church so incredibly wealthy. We carefully studied the law (with the help of some of the “best”, high-paid, experienced tax lawyers in the business), and then began to do exactly what the “big boys” were doing (except that we weren’t steeling from our congregation or lying to the government about our massive profits in the name of God). We took a great deal of care to make it all visible, following all of the rules, exactly the way the law said it was to be done.

The intent of this exercise and our efforts was to bring about a much-needed re-evaluation of the laws that allow the monsters of organized religion to make such a mockery of people who earn an honest living. However, this is where I learned that there are two “interpretations” for every law; one for the very rich, and one for the rest of us… Oh, and the monsters are the very ones making and enforcing the laws; the inquisition is still alive and well today in this country.

That little lesson in patriotism cost me $40,000+, 10 years of my life, and set my retirement plans back to 0. It made me realize for the first time that I live in a country with an ideology that is based on a total and complete lie. It also made me realize, not only how naive I had been, but also the incredible stupidity of the American public; that they buy, hook, line, and sinker, the crap about their “freedom”… and that they continue to do so with eyes closed in the face of overwhelming evidence and all that keeps happening in front of them.

Before even having to make a shaky recovery from the sting of the first lesson on what justice really means in this country (around 1984 after making my way through engineering school and still another five years of “paying my dues”), I felt I finally had to take a chance of launching my dream of becoming an independent engineer.

On the subjects of engineers and dreams of independence, I should digress somewhat to say that I’m sure that I inherited the fascination for creative problem solving from my father. I realized this at a very young age.

The significance of independence, however, came much later during my early years of college; at the age of 18 or 19 when I was living on my own as student in an apartment in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. My neighbor was an elderly retired woman (80+ seemed ancient to me at that age) who was the widowed wife of a retired steel worker. Her husband had worked all his life in the steel mills of central Pennsylvania with promises from big business and the union that, for his 30 years of service, he would have a pension and medical care to look forward to in his retirement. Instead he was one of the thousands who got nothing because the incompetent mill management and corrupt union (not to mention the government) raided their pension funds and stole their retirement. All she had was social security to live on.

In retrospect, the situation was laughable because here I was living on peanut butter and bread (or Ritz crackers when I could afford to splurge) for months at a time. When I got to know this poor figure and heard her story I felt worse for her plight than for my own (I, after all, I thought I had everything to in front of me). I was genuinely appalled at one point, as we exchanged stories and commiserated with each other over our situations, when she in her grandmotherly fashion tried to convince me that I would be “healthier” eating cat food (like her) rather than trying to get all my substance from peanut butter and bread. I couldn’t quite go there, but the impression was made. I decided that I didn’t trust big business to take care of me, and that I would take responsibility for my own future and myself.

Return to the early ‘80s, and here I was off to a terrifying start as a ‘wet-behind-the-ears’ contract software engineer... and two years later, thanks to the fine backroom, midnight effort by the sleazy executives of Arthur Andersen (the very same folks who later brought us Enron and other such calamities) and an equally sleazy New York Senator (Patrick Moynihan), we saw the passage of 1986 tax reform act with its section 1706.

For you who are unfamiliar, here is the core text of the IRS Section 1706, defining the treatment of workers (such as contract engineers) for tax purposes. Visit this link for a conference committee report (http://www.synergistech.com/1706.shtml#ConferenceCommitteeReport) regarding the intended interpretation of Section 1706 and the relevant parts of Section 530, as amended. For information on how these laws affect technical services workers and their clients, read our discussion here (http://www.synergistech.com/ic-taxlaw.shtml).

SEC. 1706. TREATMENT OF CERTAIN TECHNICAL PERSONNEL.

(a) IN GENERAL - Section 530 of the Revenue Act of 1978 is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new subsection:

(d) EXCEPTION. - This section shall not apply in the case of an individual who pursuant to an arrangement between the taxpayer and another person, provides services for such other person as an engineer, designer, drafter, computer programmer, systems analyst, or other similarly skilled worker engaged in a similar line of work.

(b) EFFECTIVE DATE. - The amendment made by this section shall apply to remuneration paid and services rendered after December 31, 1986.

Note:

 "another person" is the client in the traditional job-shop relationship.

 "taxpayer" is the recruiter, broker, agency, or job shop.

 "individual", "employee", or "worker" is you.

Admittedly, you need to read the treatment to understand what it is saying but it’s not very complicated. The bottom line is that they may as well have put my name right in the text of section (d). Moreover, they could only have been more blunt if they would have came out and directly declared me a criminal and non-citizen slave. Twenty years later, I still can’t believe my eyes.

During 1987, I spent close to $5000 of my ‘pocket change’, and at least 1000 hours of my time writing, printing, and mailing to any senator, congressman, governor, or slug that might listen; none did, and they universally treated me as if I was wasting their time. I spent countless hours on the L.A. freeways driving to meetings and any and all of the disorganized professional groups who were attempting to mount a campaign against this atrocity. This, only to discover that our efforts were being easily derailed by a few moles from the brokers who were just beginning to enjoy the windfall from the new declaration of their “freedom”. Oh, and don’t forget, for all of the time I was spending on this, I was loosing income that I couldn’t bill clients.

After months of struggling it had clearly gotten to be a futile exercise. The best we could get for all of our trouble is a pronouncement from an IRS mouthpiece that they weren’t going to enforce that provision (read harass engineers and scientists). This immediately proved to be a lie, and the mere existence of the regulation began to have its impact on my bottom line; this, of course, was the intended effect.

Again, rewind my retirement plans back to 0 and shift them into idle. If I had any sense, I clearly should have left abandoned engineering and never looked back.

Instead I got busy working 100-hour workweeks. Then came the L.A. depression of the early 1990s. Our leaders decided that they didn’t need the all of those extra Air Force bases they had in Southern California, so they were closed; just like that. The result was economic devastation in the region that rivaled the widely publicized Texas S&L fiasco. However, because the government caused it, no one gave a shit about all of the young families who lost their homes or street after street of boarded up houses abandoned to the wealthy loan companies who received government funds to “shore up” their windfall. Again, I lost my retirement.

Years later, after weathering a divorce and the constant struggle trying to build some momentum with my business, I find myself once again beginning to finally pick up some speed. Then came the .COM bust and the 911 nightmare. Our leaders decided that all aircraft were grounded for what seemed like an eternity; and long after that, ‘special’ facilities like San Francisco were on security alert for months. This made access to my customers prohibitively expensive. Ironically, after what they had done the Government came to the aid of the airlines with billions of our tax dollars … as usual they left me to rot and die while they bailed out their rich, incompetent cronies WITH MY MONEY! After these events, there went my business but not quite yet all of my retirement and savings.

By this time, I’m thinking that it might be good for a change. Bye to California, I’ll try Austin for a while. So I moved, only to find out that this is a place with a highly inflated sense of self-importance and where damn little real engineering work is done. I’ve never experienced such a hard time finding work. The rates are 1/3 of what I was earning before the crash, because pay rates here are fixed by the three or four large companies in the area who are in collusion to drive down prices and wages… and this happens because the justice department is all on the take and doesn’t give a fuck about serving anyone or anything but themselves and their rich buddies.

To survive, I was forced to cannibalize my savings and retirement, the last of which was a small IRA. This came in a year with mammoth expenses and not a single dollar of income. I filed no return that year thinking that because I didn’t have any income there was no need. The sleazy government decided that they disagreed. But they didn’t notify me in time for me to launch a legal objection so when I attempted to get a protest filed with the court I was told I was no longer entitled to due process because the time to file ran out. Bend over for another $10,000 helping of justice.

So now we come to the present. After my experience with the CPA world, following the business crash I swore that I’d never enter another accountant’s office again. But here I am with a new marriage and a boatload of undocumented income, not to mention an expensive new business asset, a piano, which I had no idea how to handle. After considerable thought I decided that it would be irresponsible NOT to get professional help; a very big mistake.

When we received the forms back I was very optimistic that they were in order. I had taken all of the years information to Bill Ross, and he came back with results very similar to what I was expecting. Except that he had neglected to include the contents of Sheryl’s unreported income; $12,700 worth of it. To make matters worse, Ross knew all along this was missing and I didn’t have a clue until he pointed it out in the middle of the audit. By that time it had become brutally evident that he was representing himself and not me.

This left me stuck in the middle of this disaster trying to defend transactions that have no relationship to anything tax-related (at least the tax-related transactions were poorly documented). Things I never knew anything about and things my wife had no clue would ever matter to anyone. The end result is… well, just look around.

I remember reading about the stock market crash before the “great” depression and how there were wealthy bankers and businessmen jumping out of windows when they realized they screwed up and lost everything. Isn’t it ironic how far we’ve come in 60 years in this country that they now know how to fix that little economic problem; they just steal from the middle class (who doesn’t have any say in it, elections are a joke) to cover their asses and it’s “business-as-usual”. Now when the wealthy fuck up, the poor get to die for the mistakes… isn’t that a clever, tidy solution.

As government agencies go, the FAA is often justifiably referred to as a tombstone agency, though they are hardly alone. The recent presidential puppet GW Bush and his cronies in their eight years certainly reinforced for all of us that this criticism rings equally true for all of the government. Nothing changes unless there is a body count (unless it is in the interest of the wealthy sows at the government trough). In a government full of hypocrites from top to bottom, life is as cheap as their lies and their self-serving laws.

I know I’m hardly the first one to decide I have had all I can stand. It has always been a myth that people have stopped dying for their freedom in this country, and it isn’t limited to the blacks, and poor immigrants. I know there have been countless before me and there are sure to be as many after. But I also know that by not adding my body to the count, I insure nothing will change. I choose to not keep looking over my shoulder at “big brother” while he strips my carcass, I choose not to ignore what is going on all around me, I choose not to pretend that business as usual won’t continue; I have just had enough.

I can only hope that the numbers quickly get too big to be white washed and ignored that the American zombies wake up and revolt; it will take nothing less. I would only hope that by striking a nerve that stimulates the inevitable double standard, knee-jerk government reaction that results in more stupid draconian restrictions people wake up and begin to see the pompous political thugs and their mindless minions for what they are. Sadly, though I spent my entire life trying to believe it wasn’t so, but violence not only is the answer, it is the only answer. The cruel joke is that the really big chunks of shit at the top have known this all along and have been laughing, at and using this awareness against, fools like me all along.

I saw it written once that the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting the outcome to suddenly be different. I am finally ready to stop this insanity. Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let’s try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well.

The communist creed: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.

The capitalist creed: From each according to his gullibility, to each according to his greed."

Joe Stack (1956-2010)

02/18/20


Please feel free to comment below (click on the blue comment button)
 or e-mail me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com 

Friday, February 12, 2010

Five year old Kyler Is Dying of Cancer Because His Insurance Company Refuses to Pay For Treatment!

So often during the health care debate, you'd hear some people say.  "I want my doctor making my health care decisions, not the government!" It was almost as if they really believed their doctor was in charge. 

When the sad truth is that Doctors in the American Health Care System are mere "Advisors" and the Insurance Companies are Now and Always have been the "Decider's".

Take the case of  five-year-old  Kyler Van Nocker...


When Kyler was only 2 1/2 years old.  He was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, which is a very rare form of childhood cancer that targets the nervous system and creates tumors throughout the body.  Kyler was successfully treated at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and it seemed as though the young boy had his childhood back.  Unfortunately however, the cancer returned in September of 2008.

Kyler's Doctor along with a team of medical experts prescribed MIBG Therapy.  A treatment that has been used very successfully in Europe.  Doctors said the boy needed this treatment if they were going to save his life.

In direct contradiction of the advice of medical professionals however, the HealthAmerica Insurance Company, a division of Coventry Health Care*  denied the treatment, calling it  "experimental"  and  "not medically necessary."  -  Which of course in layman's terms means  -  it's too expensive.  

The company is obviously engaging in the time honored industry practice of  "Delay and Deny".  A tactic frequently used with expensive cancer treatments in the hopes that,  in the meantime -  The Patient Will Just Die!

This is a perfect example of why our  "For-Profit"  Health Care System is Terminally Flawed.

As a self-employed small business owner, most of my adult life, I definitely believe in Capitalism and Free Enterprise, but not when it comes to Health Care.  Profit motives should have no place in the human health care system.

As a society,  Our Humanity causes us to spare no expense when it comes to treating beached marine life, wounded animals or endangered species.  But somehow we manage to look the other way when  Men, Women and even Children fall through the cracks of our profit driven health care system.

 Now I ask you, How Sad is That?


*The Dow Jones Newswires reports today that Coventry Health Care's fourth-quarter earnings rose 24%, beating profit expectations, as overall membership rose while medical costs fell.

"Coventry's medical-loss ratio, or the percentage of premium revenue used to pay patient bills, declined [to] 83.2% from 83.8% a year earlier and 84.4% in the prior quarter," notes Dow.

This has helped boost Coventry Health Care's profits to $109.1 million, or 74 cents a share, up from $88.2 million, or 60 cents, a year earlier. Revenue increased 15% to $3.43 billion as premium revenue rose 17%.

According to CNBC, Company Chairman and CEO Alan F. Weiss stands to make $23 million in salary, compensation and bonuses.

How nice that little five-year-old Kyler Van Nocker was able to help with that.  Kyler's mom and dad and the entire Van Nocker family must be proud.  -   Just Thinking


 Please feel free to comment below or email me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com and your comment will be posted.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Liar, Liar Pants on Fire! - The Top Lies of 2009!

The following is a blog post I started to write in late December of 2009.  Since I failed to finish it at that time.  It's been sitting in my "Draft File" until now.  When I finally completed it.

As an American, I believe in the Constitution, and I believe in freedom of speech.  I also believe we're all entitled to our own opinion, but I don't believe that were entitled to our own set of facts.  Truth after all is Truth And Lies Are Lies!   We should always endeavor to remember that a half truth - is a whole lie.  With that thought in mind, let's look at some of the biggest lies and fabricated deceptions of 2009.

"The Birther Movement"  This is the ridiculous notion that Barack Obama is not really a citizen.  It's ludicrous I know, and yet the rumor still persists.  I just got an e-mail about it the other day.  This of course is spurred on by conservative talk-show hosts, right-wing Republicans.  And of course Sister Sarah  (Palin).  This despite the fact that even our conservative Supreme Court has declared his birth certificate to be valid.

"The System Worked!"  said Cabinet Secretary and head of the Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, with reference to the failed Christmas Day bombing event. -Yes it's true, even Democrats try this, but at least she knew enough to retract the statement hours later. 


"Health Care is Socialism"  No - Health Care is a basic Human Right!  (or it least it should be in an ethical society)  Bailing out Wall Street bankers while they collect million-dollar bonuses.  Now that's Socialism!  Unless of course you believe that socialism is only for the rich and capitalism is only for the poor and uninsured.

"DEATH  PANELS" " Sarah Palin claims on her Facebook page that  "The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil."

-- No Sarah, such a Lie is downright evil and you should be ashamed of yourself !  -- Needless to say, none of the health care bills before Congress ever contained anything even remotely similar to a Death Panel.  It takes a Devious and Evil mind to conjure that one up, but Sarah was apparently up to the task.  - Just Thinking...

Note:  The  "Pants on Fire"  graphic is from the St. Petersburg Times,  PolitiFact.Com  website.

Please feel free to comment below or email me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com and your comment will be posted.

Obituary for the USA - Sad, Very Sad!


There is an e-mail floating around the inter-net dealing with the 2008 Obama/McCain election.

Some unreported facts or stats about the 2008 election supposedly written by
Professor Joseph Olson of Hemline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, points out some interesting facts concerning the 2008 Presidential election:

-Number of States won by: Democrats: 20; Republicans: 30
-Square miles of land won by: Democrats: 580,000; Republicans: 2,427,000

This chain e-mail is a HOAX!

The "statistics" are grossly incorrect, and Prof. Olson says he didn’t write it.
Full Question:
Is this true?

Full Answer:
First, Joseph Olson is a professor at Hamline (not Hemline) University School of Law in St. Paul, Minn. None of what appears in this e-mail was written by him. He has been denying authorship of this old hoax since earlier versions first cropped up after the 2000 election. Most recently he posted a disclaimer about the 2008 version on his university profile page:

Olson: "There is an e-mail floating around the internet dealing with the 2008 Obama/McCain election and the 2000 Bush/Gore election, remarks of a Scottish philosopher named Alexander Tyler, etc. Part of it is attributed to me. It is entirely BOGUS. I’ve been trying to kill it since December 2000."
 
More important, the "unreported stats" listed in this e-mail are all wrong:

■President-elect Barack Obama actually carried 28 states (and the District of Columbia), not 20 as claimed in the message. Sen. John McCain carried only 22 states, not 30.

■The total area of states won by Obama is actually 1,483,702 square miles, significantly more than the 580,000 stated by the e-mail. McCain’s states have an area of 2,310,315 square miles, not the 2,427,000 claimed.

■The population of counties carried by Obama is just under 183 million, not the 127 million claimed. McCain carried counties with a total population of just under 119 million, far fewer than claimed in this message.

■The murder rate for counties carried by Obama was 6.56 per 100,000 inhabitants, less than half the rate claimed in the message. The rate for counties carried by McCain was 3.60 per 100,000, much higher than claimed in the message.

The only sad thing here is that some people believe this crap.  What's even sadder is that some people pass it on!

You know, forget college.  Some people need to go back to high school.  - Just Thinking...


Please feel free to comment below or email me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com and your comment will be posted.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Sarah Palin for President in 2012!!

A Sarah Palin candidacy in 2012?   Is it possible?   Could it be true?

I Sure Hope So!!

As has been reported by most American media, and carried live by all the major news networks,
on Saturday night, Sarah Palin delivered the keynote speech at the first "National Tea Party Convention" in Nashville.  The People for the American Way called it  "A broad, right-wing political barn burner!"

It incorporated Religious Right rhetorical swipes and jabs at President Obama's foreign policy - things the Tea Party movement itself has never been about. But it also included plenty of obligatory red meat attacks on the Democrats' agenda and Obama administration initiatives famously unpopular with that crowd such as The Stimulus Plan & Health Care Reform.

To the amusement of many pundits and casual political observers  (such as myself)  Palin was seen on camera checking crib notes she had written on her hand as she delivered the speech...




This from the woman who has repeatedly criticized President Obama for using a Teleprompter. (Something that all presidents and serious candidates have been using for decades)  Something that Sarah however, much to the dismay of the McCain campaign in 2008, proved to be incapable of reading.

She taunted the millions of Americans who, driven by a sincere desire for change, were inspired by Barack Obama's candidacy for president:  "How is that hopey-changey stuff working out for you?" She asked.  (Contemptible Bitch!)

Beyond the theatrics, her speech was full of empty rhetoric aimed at capitalizing on the anti-establishment rage that defines the Tea Party movement. It was filled with blatant lies, riddled with inaccuracies and bent the truth repeatedly.  (Fox News has taught her well!)  But more important than what it lacked,  is what it revealed and acknowledged:

1. That the Right is running on empty. They have no ideas or solutions for dealing with the significant problems that we face. Their movement at this time is all about exploiting and inciting the rage of disaffected and frustrated Americans.

2. As the Tea Party movement becomes increasingly co-opted by the Republican establishment, the tea party narrative has managed to become the narrative of the Extreme Right Wing.

Personally I'm fine with all of this, since polls seem to indicate in a general election the "Extreme-Right"  is supported by, at best,  no more than 23% of the American Voters. So I say let Palin Run!   A Palin candidacy in 2012 would only ensure a Democratic Victory. 

So Sarah, You Go Girl!

Run Sarah - Run!

 - Just Thinking...


Please feel free to comment below or email me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com and your comment will be posted.

Monday, February 8, 2010

A Brief Apology

As many of you have reminded me via e-mail, I have been neglecting my blog recently and for that I really do apologize. I greatly appreciate the few readers I have and I can assure you, It is not my intention to take you for granted. 

Truth is, I've been rather Disgusted, Depressed, and perhaps even a bit Overwhelmed by the realization that yet another Administration is likely to come and go without delivering us Real Health-Care Reform. 

An issue that is near and dear to me, since due to pre-existing conditions.  I have been without Health Insurance for several years now. A reality that sometimes, literally -- Paralyzes Me With Fear! 

Please feel free to comment below or email me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com and your comment will be posted.