DISABLED---ENABLED

Letter to 60 Plus.org

 

As a 60 plus person, I felt compelled to write in response to your recent television advertising campaign advocating the Paul Ryan health care plan----you know, the plan that  privatizes Medicare, ending the program as we know it.  Insurance companies would be under no obligation to offer insurance to seniors, so many older Americans could be left with no insurance at all.

It is fortunate, indeed, to have access to the truth through non-partisan sources.  Please see the following.

 

Somehow, this must fit in nicely with your long tern vision for the future of our aging population.  To my mind, your position simply flaunts your utter disregard for the well being of our citizens who have lived and worked here the longest, and who are a great resource for cultural and social development.

 

I remain gravely disappointed with your policies toward our senior citizens. 

 

I wonder if you have given any consideration to the notion that all these older folks have younger family---people who are not pleased at all that Medicare is being phased out.  People who still have some power to change things. 

Witness the reaction Governor Walker got from his constituents as he promulgated the notion that collective bargaining for Union members was a thing of the past.  The recalls are coming, including his.  The voters are speaking loudly.

Even the Tea Party folks carry signs insisting that you 'keep your hands off my Medicare.'

It might be expedient to take these words to heart.

Sure, there are plenty of individuals over 60 who are financially stable, despite the recent re-alignment and transfer of wealth in history orchestrated by the 'too big to fail' banks, the Fed, the banking regulators, and the ratings agencies.  All fallen to greed, these institutions.  Moody's continued to rate as AAA, many investment mortgage backed plans which hovered close to complete collapse. 

 My guess that every one of your 60Plus.org members also knows a hard working American family who has been a victim of these economic machinations----maybe your neighbor you have lived next to for years has been foreclosed upon---or had to declare bankruptcy.  These are disparaging realities in disparaging times.

 

Please give this some thought:  the working people of the US have experienced stagnant wage increases over the last thirty years, while the top five percent have watched their income and wealth grow enormously----several hundred percent.

 

This impunity must stop, with the beginning of a common sense approach to simple recognition of what constitutes a sustainable society.  Otherwise, our US streets may begin to resemble cities in the Middle East---full of turmoil and determined citizens seeking justice.

 

Sincerely...........

 

WIENER IS A WINNER

“Weiner! Weiner! Anthony's a Weiner!” And the circle of kids grows larger around Anthony as he hurries through the playground, and tries to get to math class early---just to escape the taunting. His head is ringing with shame.

“Hey Weeeeener.....are you really a weener?” Says the tough kid.

Being small, Anthony worries also about the slaps, pushes, thumps and pinning to the ground by larger boys, the fourteen year olds when Anthony was eleven or twelve. It wasn't like they were smashing him in the mouth (where the teachers might deign to intervene)—but the slugs in the arm hurt, and quintessentially, the humiliation devastating.

Oh, how the loathing of oneself can be so strong in a being so young.

Seriously, traumatic and wretched events are, by default, a portion of the personality carried forth into adulthood. Here, it becomes difficult.....what portion made it into adulthood? Much behavior springs from that answer.

So forward steps the man. It is not clear when Mr. Weiner decided to not take the verbal abuse any longer, or when he began to work his body into a pillar of strength, but amongst other manifestations of this reformation was likely a bloody nose or two along the way suffered by those who continued to taunt.

Clear enough, too, is his anger. When he pointed and screamed to an unnamed colleague that 'the gentleman will observe the rule of order....!!! and a variety of other explosive episodes surely alienated him from other Congressmen and Congresswomen---perhaps engendering outright fear.

Then, there is Anthony's sex story which has so dominated our press corp; as if to out-titillate one another, picture after picture began appearing. Some, though clothed, from the Congressional Gym.

Apparently, the Congressional Gym is sacrosanct, with no pictures allowed.

It was socially unacceptable enough for Congressman Weiner to engage in the 'sexting' world, one imagines, without taking pictures in the Gym. Perhaps Congressman Paul, for example, does not wish pictures taken of him bench pressing the entire weight of the Federal Reserve, or Congressman Eric Cantor not wanting to show off his feeble legs, despite his overwhelming willingness to do so with his brain and communication skills.

One thing is certain. Childhood issues regarding esteem are no laughing matter, and aberrant reactive behavior to trauma is no surprise. One hopes another framework, or another internalized perspective will help the Congressman evolve beyond this moment in his life, and that his internal dissonance is healed.

We wish Anthony Weiner well in his every endeavor, as it is clear he is highly intelligent, passionate about fairness in politics, and a remarkable champion for human rights.

 

 

The Declaration of Independence re-interpreted by Congress

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

hen in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.....'

Continuing its thought, this document (often confused as text from the U.S Constitution by prominent Republican political leaders ) allows for the full redress of grievances held by the citizenry against perceived tyrannical rules enacted through Congressional Law, including:

'That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.'

The 'ends', of course, refer to the words recently uttered by Speaker Boehner......'Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.'

One wonders what noble deeds might be accomplished if these words functioned as the blueprint of said deeds---Congressional Law and Congressional behavior coming directly under the auspices of our rather magnificent Declaration of Independence.   It is difficult to conceive of these days.

In his troubling speech, Speaker Boehner encourages people to believe it is a pursuit of life liberty, etc. to join him in his noble fight against President Obama's Health Care plan.  Do everything your Republican Party can to make Obama a one-term President--that's the ticket.

This infantile screaming about 'the government takeover of healthcare' simply is not sound, representative behavior when Boehner's Republican Party front runner for President in 2012 enacted a similar plan in his home state of Massachusetts. It had some initial bumps, but still regarded by many as a success and possible model for the Nation.  So, what is the problem?

Approximately 300,000 more Massachusetts residents are insured today than were covered in 2006 because of presidential candidate Romney. In addition to the state plans, some are insured through federal programs like Medicare. Businesses haven't balked at the fees or left the state, as some critics had warned. And insurance companies say that while they're not raking in significant profits, their bottom lines are edging upward.  Apparently, a good foundation from which to chisel a comparable, fair national system.

So, why would our good Speaker and his Republican followers followers wish to deprive the United States citizenry of an already designed, inclusive health plan? After all, a healthy nation is a productive nation. And proactive health care saves millions of employer down-time dollars.

These people who are advocating for the destruction of such a system, the very same people who promote the evisceration of Medicare, need to be careful the next time one of them waves the Declaration of Independence around in such a cavalier manner---the public may act accordingly as they wake up to the realization of this egregious abridgment of their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Already there are groups emerging calling for a Constitutional Convention, and others who have a much more promising and well organized approach. Something to think about.

 

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Patriot Act--Where Is The Outrage?

From our friends at pennlive, written by James Miller.  I would have written it myself, but James has done a superlative job.

 

If you ever wanted to see the federal government at its most efficient, look no further than May 26

After a two-day filibuster by Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, the U.S. Senate voted 72 to 23 for a four-year extension to the USA Patriot Act.

The Patriot Act, which passed immediately after the 9/11 terrorist attack and dramatically increased the government’s authority to search through private records without a warrant, holds an ironic name for a country founded on the principles of limited government.

Immediately after Senate approval, the House of Representatives went to work and passed the bill by a vote of 250-153. President Obama, who was visiting Europe at the time, gave the order to sign the act by what is known as the “autopen.”

So much for gridlock and a broken Congress.

And like that, a legitimate debate on civil liberties in this country is once again undermined in the name of the perpetual war on terror. While Republicans by and large support the Patriot Act, Democrats played a large part in getting the extension through Congress. That should not be surprising; the notion that Democrats are the anti-war party has always been laughable.

After all, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and much of the Vietnam War were fought when Democrats were in the White House. Now, after nearly a decade of scathing criticism thrown at the Bush administration from the left, Democratic majority leader Sen. Harry Reid used several parliamentary maneuvers to circumvent a filibuster. Perhaps he does not remember back in 2005 when he triumphantly declared the Patriot Act “dead.”

With all the talk of debt reduction in Congress, the extension of the Patriot Act signifies neither party’s interest in winding down the largest military budget in this country’s history. Yet Obama’s supporters in the media have barely batted an eye.

The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution that guards against unreasonable search and seizure is irrelevant when it comes to scoring political points. Actually, you might as well add the whole of the Constitution to that generalization.

The lack of outrage from the public toward the Patriot Act comes down to lack of knowledge of what it allows for. The law doesn’t magically give intelligence bureaucrats the foresight to track the dealings of terrorists. It is much more personal.

Imagine yourself on the phone paying for a VISA bill that totals more than $5,000. Because payments over the phone are technically wire transfers and the payment amounts to more than $5,000, you can bet that someone in the federal government is observing and recording the transaction.

This isn’t conspiracy theory run amok; it is a literal provision in the Patriot Act that is enforced.

From your VISA bill, the federal government can derive what type of medication you take, what kind of firearms you purchase and what types of books you read. Even phone companies such as Verizon and AT&T are prohibited from informing you that your conversations are being monitored. These provisions might seem insignificant, but angels will not always be in charge of monitoring your private activities.

Rather than have a legitimate debate on the role of privacy in the war on terror, Congress did what it does best and waited until the midnight hour to pass the extension without substantial discussion.

The Patriot Act has become symbolic of the frightening notion that as citizens we are no longer innocent until proven guilty, but rather we are assumed guilty and must prove our innocence.

It is a mockery of the principles this country was founded on.

Benjamin Franklin famously opined that “they who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty or safety.”

Liberties are never lost all at once and complacency and apathy are the perfect mixture to dissolve them further.

It is well past time to have a meaningful debate on the role of civil liberties in this country and how much we are willing to give up in the name of “safety.”

JAMES MILLER of Middletown is a Koch Summer Fellow at George Mason University.