BS: Trouble in Democratopia

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: GUEST,999
Date: 08 Oct 12 - 08:58 AM

School Budgets 101 by the AASA

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Sawzaw
Date: 10 Oct 12 - 08:18 PM

Chicago Public School Faces Nearly Billion Dollar Deficit by 2014

Chicago Public Schools voted on August 22 to spend $400 Million in reserves. This budget shortfall will be updated based on the teachers contract, which most likely means an even bigger shortfall. In addition, CPS will have to start making full pension payments again in 2014 after a 4 year pension holiday. The expected deficit that includes a $450 million pension payment is $861 Billion.

Employees are far and away the highest percentage of costs in a school district. This contract is the single most important budgetary item in getting this financial crisis under control. Across the board raises like the 16% raises CTU has already turned down. With the projected proposal, CPS estimates a $1 Billion deficit next year.

With the blatant attempt to hold the children, parents and city hostage by their strike action, the CTU is guaranteeing another round of animosity toward teachers. This is unfortunate, because many of the young teachers are now victims of the union bosses like Karen Lewis. This strike will usher in massive teacher layoffs next year, increased class sizes and most likely higher taxes, leading more residents, businesses and jobs to leave the city. CTU President Karen Lewis may as well right the names of the teachers to be laid off into the contract.

If CPS wants to prevent as many layoffs as possible and help keep the young struggling teachers in the system them follow the Zion Contract Model and the model of the private sector. Below is the example framework provide to the CPS School Board on August 22, 2012. This model provides faster raises at the bottom of the pay scale and slows as you reach the top. It ensures that those at the top, who can afford it, pay their fair share to help those struggling at the bottom.

Jeeze. It seems like when Democrats control everything they just can't get along with each other any better than Dems and Repubs.

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Bobert
Date: 10 Oct 12 - 08:27 PM

But it's okay for a bunch of Republicans to pollute Piney Point, Flordia, poison the water, take the profits individually, hide behind a corporate bankruptcy and leave the taxpayers on the hook to clean up the mess which may cost up to $400M.... Florida has already pumped 100M gallons on poison water into the Gulf of Mexico but Piney Point is one hurricane from making Katrina look like a picnic...

Hypocrites...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Sawzaw
Date: 12 Oct 12 - 10:13 PM

Jeeze. Dems just can't get a long.

LA Times: The bitter race for a San Fernando Valley congressional district took a bizarre turn Thursday when Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Valley Village) and Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) got into a near-altercation during a forum at Pierce College.

Video of the event in Woodland Hills shows the candidates exchanging words and Sherman at one point putting his arm around Berman, saying: "Do you want to get into this?"

A uniformed officer then came onto the stage and appeared to ask that they move away from each other.

Both men are vying for a newly drawn congressional district in what is considered one of the nation's nastiest congressional races.

Things were decidedly calmer at a forum on Wednesday.

Some of the more personal attacks they have lobbed at each other, regarding Berman's use of a government car and Sherman's earnings on loans he made to his campaign, were absent from that debate.

Berman called his rival a "me too congressman," alleging he's known for jumping on popular bills as a co-sponsor but has passed only three he wrote -- two of them to rename post offices.

Sherman retorted that improving someone else's bills and stopping "bad" legislation was just as important as introducing legislation.

Then he dinged Berman for voting to go to war with Iraq (so did Sherman, but he insisted it was only after he felt boxed into a choice between giving then-President George W. Bush "no power or too much power." Both said their votes were a mistake, based on erroneous intelligence reports that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was building weapons of mass destruction.

The Wednesday forum, held at ONEgeneration in Reseda, was sponsored by the League of Women Voters and four other organizations. The session broke little new ground but gave about 200 audience members a chance to size up the competitors in person.

And there was the political equivalent of party favors for those who stopped by the candidates' tables in the lobby. Volunteers offered their candidate's trademark "Congressman Brad Sherman" combs in four colors. Their counterparts handed out bags of "I'm with Howard" cheese corn.


Combs? Cheese Corn? Why not Pacifiers? Why not blindfolds?

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: GUEST,999
Date: 13 Oct 12 - 10:37 AM

What do all the following have in common?

Roy Blunt (R) U.S. Senate, MO
Charlie Crist (I) U.S. Senate, FL
Jeff Denham (R) U.S. House, CA
Alvin Greene (D) U.S. Senate, SC
Timothy Griffin (R) U.S. House, AR
J.D. Hayworth (R) U.S. Senate, AZ
Ed Martin (R) U.S. House, MO
Kendrick Meek (D) U.S. Senate, FL
Dino Rossi (R) U.S. Senate, WA
Marco Rubio (R) U.S. Senate, FL
Allen West (R) U.S. House, FL

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: GUEST,nobody in particular
Date: 13 Oct 12 - 05:27 PM

I have heard on the news many of the same reports that Sawzaw has posted. I have also heard on the news that the Chicago teacher's union make disproportionately higher wages than other teacher unions and other workers. I have also read on the news, and in about every Obama speech that the Democrat/liberals are all in favour of a 'level playing field'.
So how is this issue inconsistent with the Democrat/liberal agenda?
Just because it's a 'union'? It would be interesting to learn the back-room 'deals' that allowed this particular union to get such disproportional wages and benefits, if that is the case.

You may also consider that if these wages and benefits are truly unaffordable to the city, that an adjustment downward would certainly be appropriate or they, along with a lot of other people could be out of work!

And by the way, this banter against Sawzaw is really uncalled for. You may not like his posts, but I don't find them as deceiving as a lot of you allege in your knee-jerk re-actions.
He didn't make this up. Moreover, what seems to be 'made up' is the premise for the knee-jerk re-actions, along with the political deal making that made this a problem in the first place.

However, if the 'political deal making' happens to be YOUR particular party, no matter how dishonest, if it's YOUR political party, I guess you think its just peachy!! and then you blame and make villainous those who merely point that out to you, and make believe that YOU are the righteous ones!!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Sawzaw
Date: 23 Oct 12 - 05:58 AM

Capital appreciation bonds have become increasingly popular across the state, since they allow school districts to borrow money now without raising taxes on current residents. Instead, the burden for paying for the bonds is pushed to future generations, who are left on the hook for loans that are wildly more expensive than conventional bonds.

San Diego Unified — Borrowed: $164 Million. On the Hook For: $1.25 Billion

In 2010, the county's largest school district borrowed almost $164 million from investors using capital appreciation bonds.

The loan was part of 2008's Proposition S, in which voters approved the district to borrow more than $2 billion to complete district-wide renovations and modernization.

Just like Poway, San Diego unified won't start paying back those bonds for 20 years. The first payment is due in 2030. By the time the loan is fully paid back, in 2050, San Diego taxpayers will have paid back $1.25 billion, or about 7.6 times what the district borrowed in the first place.

That's much more expensive than a typical school bond which, like a home mortgage, is paid back every year of the loan. In a more typical bond, a district would pay back two or maybe three times the total amount of the initial loan....

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: GUEST,999
Date: 24 Oct 12 - 01:15 AM

Once again,

What do all the following have in common?

Roy Blunt (R) U.S. Senate, MO
Charlie Crist (I) U.S. Senate, FL
Jeff Denham (R) U.S. House, CA
Alvin Greene (D) U.S. Senate, SC
Timothy Griffin (R) U.S. House, AR
J.D. Hayworth (R) U.S. Senate, AZ
Ed Martin (R) U.S. House, MO
Kendrick Meek (D) U.S. Senate, FL
Dino Rossi (R) U.S. Senate, WA
Marco Rubio (R) U.S. Senate, FL
Allen West (R) U.S. House, FL

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Stringsinger
Date: 24 Oct 12 - 03:05 PM

Saw, I am surprised that you are a supporter of trade unionism.

It must be said though that Marx was an economist, not a politician, and the use of trade unionism depends on the context of a country.

It raised the standard of living for many during the FDR administration which intiated
the Wagner Act.

Also, I'm not sure all Dems are buying Right Wing text books. They are being pushed
in charter schools, however.

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Stringsinger
Date: 24 Oct 12 - 03:09 PM

"Capital appreciation bonds have become increasingly popular across the state, since they allow school districts to borrow money now without raising taxes on current residents. Instead, the burden for paying for the bonds is pushed to future generations, who are left on the hook for loans that are wildly more expensive than conventional bonds"

This is a form of a leveraged buyout of which Romoney is notorious.

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Bobert
Date: 24 Oct 12 - 04:14 PM

Interesting is that in 1904 there were three major candidates for president...Teddy Roosevelt (R), Mark Hanna (R/I) and Alton Parker (D) and all three were "pro-union"... Much like we have today, this was during the era of the robber barons and there were a select few who were getting rich beyond anyone's imagination and stagnated wages for the 99%...

I find it it interesting that all three were for the working stiff...

Today we find ourselves at the 30 year mark in the government sponsored war against unions and the working man with the Dems being just the lessor of two evils and the current crop of Republicans using emotional wedge issues to gain power to prop up the robber barons...

It's no wonder that the the middle class is shrinking and poverty is increasing...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: GUEST,Guest from Sanity
Date: 25 Oct 12 - 02:58 AM

There was a time when the need for unions and collective bargaining was indeed away to get away from the abuses from the bosses/companies/ corporations/employers who took great advantage over their workers...but like many such remedies, once they achieved power, the very people who gave aid to the oppressed, begin to abuse their purpose, and became the abusers. Some unions are necessary, some are not...some are for the workers, some are for the union bosses. Unless they police themselves and weed out the 'bad eggs', and not abuse their original purpose, the corrupt ones will(and have) cast a bad shadow on all of them.
I believe that has happened..and if not corrected will leave many innocent union workers and bosses vulnerable to an anti-union bias, which in turn has a snowball effect and discredit the legitimate ones.
Unions are NOT the problem...but CORRUPTION within certain union leadership has given unions a bad name. ...which, in turn, is making it harder, and will weaken them.
NOTE: This post is NOT anti-union...but anti-corruption and anti-abuse, by some unions.

GfS

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Sawzaw
Date: 05 Sep 13 - 03:36 PM

Roofers' Union Seeks Repeal/Reform Of Affordable Care Act

WASHINGTON, April 16, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers International President Kinsey M. Robinson issued the following statement today calling for a repeal or complete reform of President Obama's Affordable Care Act (ACA):

"Our Union and its members have supported President Obama and his Administration for both of his terms in office.

But regrettably, our concerns over certain provisions in the ACA have not been addressed, or in some instances, totally ignored. In the rush to achieve its passage, many of the Act's provisions were not fully conceived, resulting in unintended consequences that are inconsistent with the promise that those who were satisfied with their employer sponsored coverage could keep it.

These provisions jeopardize our multi-employer health plans, have the potential to cause a loss of work for our members, create an unfair bidding advantage for those contractors who do not provide health coverage to their workers, and in the worst case, may cause our members and their families to lose the benefits they currently enjoy as participants in multi-employer health plans.

For decades, our multi-employer health and welfare plans have provided the necessary medical coverage for our members and their families to protect them in times of illness and medical needs. This collaboration between labor and management has been a model of success that should be emulated rather than ignored. I refuse to remain silent, or idly watch as the ACA destroys those protections.

I am therefore calling for repeal or complete reform of the Affordable Care Act to protect our employers, our industry, and our most important asset: our members and their families."

The United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers, based in Washington, D.C., has 22,000 members participating in 9 regional district councils across the United States

www.unionroofers.com

SOURCE United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Bobert
Date: 05 Sep 13 - 04:05 PM

Actually, I'm not at all fond of the Affordable Care Act... It wasn't much to write home about before John Roberts completely fucked it up[ by making Medicaid optional for the states...

Here's what I would accept... It the Republicans want to get off their asses and quit blowing smoke up everyone else's and offer a viable alternative I'd be willing to consider it...

No matter...

The US cannot afford to spent 17% of its GNP on health care and I'm open to anything for now until such a time as even Helen Keller can plainly see that we need a single payer system like ev3eryone else has...

BTW, Sawz... Good to see you completed yet another stay at Betty Ford... Hope it sticks this time, 'ol buddy...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: GUEST,Guest from Sanity
Date: 09 Sep 13 - 12:44 PM

Bobert: "The US cannot afford to spent 17% of its GNP on health care and I'm open to anything for now until such a time as even Helen Keller can plainly see that we need a single payer system like ev3eryone else has..."

RIGHT!!!..It's about time, you may be starting to see that his 'plans' were NOT for the sake of just providing 'affordable' healthcare!

Until, or unless the 'media' turns on him, and starts reporting straight, without bias or agenda, you won't believe what your FRIENDS have been telling you all along....maybe then you'll see that those who have been engaged with manipulating and stroking each other, just based on political lines, really aren't your 'friends' at all!...including those who occupy elected positions!!!

Bobert, your power to relate the struggle, is in your music..yours in particular...I wouldn't entrust that gift to a crooked politician, or an exploitative political party, who's known for lying..would you???

GfS

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Bobert
Date: 09 Sep 13 - 11:16 PM

GfinS,

Just how little do you really understand about what is going on in this country???

Do you read anything at all other than Obama hate blogpoo???

You said your read the entire ACA... That was a lie... I asked you questions and you were clueless...

Here's the deal... There are two forces... The first is the anti-government that you expose over and over and over (tea party) and the second are folks trying to figure out how to get policies that help the average American...

I agree, and have forever, that the ACA ain't perfect... But it is a first step toward a realistic single payer system that works in every industrialized nation except...

...the US...

I mean, you are trying to put the blame on the wrong people... Check out the people who bought your Tea Party... They want Somalia and sounds like you do, too...

Give me a break with your BS... You are as right wing as anyone here... Maybe more so... You don't fool me... I've been around and believe me you ain't in the right league to have a snowballs chance in hell of fooling me with smoke, mirrors and pontification...

Get some real education (facts)... You are sorely lacking...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Sawzaw
Date: 22 Sep 13 - 08:45 AM

From a guy that is an expert on smoke. He gets all buzzed up and suddenly 1=2, there is a dam on Lake Pontchartrain, Obama bought his own jet & Colin Powell is an Uncle Tom.

*********real education (facts)************

Can't fool him, no way.

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Bobert
Date: 22 Sep 13 - 10:46 AM

Now you funny, too...

B;~)

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Stringsinger
Date: 22 Sep 13 - 03:35 PM

The treatise on Marx was very interesting but it's relevance to Democrats or Republicans
is questionable. The Affordable Care Act is not the perfect solution to rising health care costs but it is a reasonable stopgap. There will be many people in the low income bracket who will be affected positively by the ACA.

The trouble in Democratobia or Rethuglica has more to do with the systemic breakdown of our representative govenment being controlled by private corporate raiders. Neither Dems or Repugs are immune from the lobbying interests of the corporate crooks. As a result,
the trouble is much wider than any given political party.

The way to answer any troll who posts is to dispense with facts as you see them.

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Bobert
Date: 22 Sep 13 - 09:30 PM

The fact is that anything other than *business as usual* was an improvement...

The ACA isn't the final answer... It's the first step...

It's a sad commentary that we have to go thru all this shit to get to what the rest of the world is using that works???

Insanity on meth...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: TIA
Date: 22 Sep 13 - 10:22 PM

Tea Partiers oppose Obamacare, but support ACA. That's all you need to know.
Google it.
Fucking Idiots.

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Greg F.
Date: 23 Sep 13 - 10:06 AM

You're being too kind, TIA.

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Sawzaw
Date: 30 Oct 13 - 01:19 PM

"We will keep this promise: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period. If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period. No one will take it away. No matter what. video

"Here's a guarantee that I have made: if you have insurance that you like, you will be able to keep that insurance."

Dailymail.co.uk: Between half and three-quarters of Americans who buy their own health insurance on the open market will lose those plans in the next year as Obamacare is pushed into full implementation, according to a blockbuster report sure to give the White House a new round of health-care headaches.

'No matter how we reform health care,' a newly minted President Barack Obama told a meeting of the American Medical Association, 'we will keep this promise: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period. If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period. No one will take it away. No matter what.'

But regulations formulated by his own administration make it clear that the White House never intended to to give Americans that level of free choice about their medical insurance options.

Washington, D.C. buzzed Friday with reports of what NBC News had surfaced: an under-the-radar notice in the Federal Register, which MailOnline has dated to June 17, 2010, laying out the administration's expectation that most people who buy their own health insurance will soon have no options other than paying exorbitant rates or joining the federal government's insurance exchanges.

White House spokeswoman Jessica Santillo told NBC that 'nothing in the Affordable Care Act forces people out of their health plans: The law allows plans that covered people at the time the law was enacted to continue to offer that same coverage to the same enrollees.'

But millions of individual insurance plans don't comply with Obamacare's minimum standards, which include services like children's vision care, dental coverage and reproductive health options that some consumers don't want.

Millions more with policies written before March 2010 will lose the 'grandfather' status President Obama has promised them because of tiny, marginal changes like premium adjustments or revised prescription copay rates.

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Greg F.
Date: 30 Oct 13 - 05:06 PM

More SawDogshit of the usual variety.

Blow me.

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Don Firth
Date: 30 Oct 13 - 10:07 PM

Let's get serious here:

White House spokesman Jay Carney said today (October 30th) that it is true that many people will be able to keep the health care plan they currently have.

However, "There are existing health care plans on the individual market that do not meet those minimum standards required and therefore do not qualify for the Affordable Care Act."

In short, many people have health insurance that provides inadequate coverage in case of any serious health problem. These people will have to upgrade.

Analogy:   in most states (all, perhaps) you are required by law to have accident insurance on your automobile. If, say, you have collision insurance, but not liability, the state will require that you upgrade your insurance to include liability.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: bobad
Date: 31 Oct 13 - 03:42 PM

Pick a theory to fit your paranoid fantasy: The Obama Conspiracy-o-rama

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Don Firth
Date: 31 Oct 13 - 04:38 PM

WOW!! Thanks for posting that link, bobad. That's HILARIOUS in a horrible sort of way. There are people who actually believe some or all of those things.

The only problem is that will give Songwronger and his ilk enough material to keep it up for years.

(I wonder what they'll say about Hillary if she get's elected!??)

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Bobert
Date: 31 Oct 13 - 06:57 PM

20% of Americans still believe that Saddam and Iraq were in on 9/11???

Go figure...

Bob

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Sawzaw
Date: 03 Nov 13 - 08:17 AM

How many Americans believe that the West Bank is no bigger than Washington DC?

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Sawzaw
Date: 03 Nov 13 - 09:24 AM

Oops, I didn't mean for it to be that large. I apollogize. Please delete the previous post.

After being endorsed by President Obama: "So I want to first of all acknowledge your great mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, who has been on the frontlines doing an outstanding job of gathering together the leadership at every level in Detroit to bring about the kind of renaissance that all of us anticipate for this great city.

And he is a leader not just here in Detroit, not just in Michigan, but all across the country. People look to him. We know that he is going to be doing astounding things for many years to come.

And so I'm grateful to call him a friend and a colleague. And I'm looking forward to a lengthy collaboration in terms of making sure that Detroit does well in the future.

Of course, he comes from a long line of outstanding public servants. And I know that his mother, Congressman Kilpatrick, is not here. She's already in Washington. But I want to acknowledge what great congressmen you have in this city.

And being sentenced to 4 months in 2008, violating probation and sentenced to 18 moths in 2010:

Kwame Kilpatrick, former Detroit mayor, sentenced to 28 years in prison for corruption

Detroit CBS News.
Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was sentenced Thursday to 28 years in prison for corruption, the apparent last step after a series of scandals destroyed his political career and helped steer a crisis-laden city even deeper into trouble.

Kilpatrick, who served as mayor from 2002 until fall 2008, fattened his bank account by tens of thousands of dollars, traveled the country in private planes and even strong-armed his campaign fundraiser for stacks of cash hidden in her bra, according to evidence at trial.

"I'm ready to go so the city can move on," Kilpatrick told the judge. "The people here are suffering, they're hurting. A great deal of that hurt I accept responsibility for."

In March, Kilpatrick, 43, was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, fraud, extortion and tax crimes. The government called it the "Kilpatrick enterprise," a yearslong scheme to shake down contractors and reward allies. He was doomed by his own text messages, which revealed efforts to fix deals for a pal, Bobby Ferguson, an excavator who got millions of dollars in city work through the water department.

Contractors said they were forced to take on Ferguson as a partner or risk losing lucrative deals. The government alleged that he in turn shared cash with Kilpatrick.

Agents who pored over bank accounts and credit cards said Kilpatrick spent $840,000 beyond his salary during his time as mayor. Defense attorneys tried to portray the money as generous gifts from political supporters who opened their wallets for birthdays or holidays.

The government said Kilpatrick also tapped a nonprofit fund, which was created to help distressed Detroit residents, to pay for yoga, camps for his kids, golf clubs and travel.

"A man with the charisma and ability of Mr. Kilpatrick chose to use his talents on personal aggrandizement and enrichment when he had the potential to do so much for the city," Judge Nancy Edmunds said before imposing the sentence.

The sentence was a victory for prosecutors, who had recommended Kilpatrick serve at least 28 years in prison, while defense attorneys argued for no more than 15 years.

Kilpatrick, a Democrat, quit office in 2008 in a different scandal that was extraordinary at the time but seems smaller compared with the sweeping federal probe that has led to the convictions of more than 30 people. Sexually explicit text messages revealed that Kilpatrick had lied during a trial to cover up an affair with his top aide, Christine Beatty, and to hide the reasons for demoting or firing police officers who suspected wrongdoing at city hall.

Detroit voters soon will elect a third mayor since Kilpatrick's departure, although the city is under the control of an emergency manager, Kevyn Orr, for at least another year. Orr, with the blessing of Michigan's governor, took Detroit into bankruptcy in July, saying there was no other way to solve $18 billion in long-term debt. The case is pending.

"Kilpatrick is not the main culprit of the city's historic bankruptcy, which is the result of larger social and economic forces at work for decades. But his corrupt administration exacerbated the crisis," prosecutors said in a court filing last week.

CBS Detroit reports that Kilpatrick spoke in his own defense immediately before the sentence was handed down, giving a lengthy talk full of apologies and self-reflection in a subdued voice that riveted the packed courtoom and overflow room.

"I just humbly and respectfully ask for a fair sentence ... I respect the jury's verdict. I think your honor knows I have disagreed in terms of the specific things I was found guilty on, but I respect the verdict and I also respect the American justice system," he said.

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Nov 13 - 03:26 AM

The reason I have not been ever asked to run for public office is that I'd probably have gathered up Sawzaw, Songwronger, and all their fellow travellers, put them in a nice, comfortable accommodation, on the lines of "Extended Stay America", and given their families a monthly benefit check, housing assistance, and a great health care package. A win-win. Share the wealth, as I always say. But some people raise such a fuss when you try to be generous.

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Sawzaw
Date: 07 Dec 13 - 07:38 AM

More liberal, populist movement emerging in Democratic Party ahead of 2016 elections

By Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post

For more than two years, President Obama has endorsed reducing Social Security payments as part of an ambitious deal to tame the national debt. But then Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) - viewed by supporters on the left as a potential 2016 presidential candidate - embraced a far different proposal: increasing benefits for seniors.

As Obama struggles to achieve his second-term domestic agenda, a more liberal and populist voice is emerging within a Democratic Party already looking ahead to the next presidential election. The push from the left represents both a critique of Obama's tenure and a clear challenge to Hillary Rodham Clinton, the party's presumptive presidential front-runner, who carries a more centrist banner.

The left's influence will be on display in coming weeks when a high-profile congressional committee formed after the government shutdown faces a deadline to forge a budget agreement. Under strong pressure from liberals, the panel has effectively abandoned discussion of a "grand bargain" agreement partly because it probably would involve cuts to Social Security.

"The absolute last thing we should do in 2013 - at the very moment that Social Security has become the principal lifeline for millions of our seniors - is allow the program to begin to be dismantled inch by inch," Warren said recently on the Senate floor, announcing her support for a bill that would expand the program.

Liberals say Social Security is one example of how Democrats are likely to face sustained pressure in coming months to move in a more populist direction on a host of issues.

"The first Obama administration was focused too much on saving the banks and Wall Street," said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), a liberal who is retiring after four decades in Congress. "There's going to be a big populist push on whoever's running for office to espouse these kinds of progressive policies."

Senate Democrats' recent decision to abandon the filibuster for almost all nominees was a major victory for liberals, who had long championed the change, and paves the way for left-leaning nominees to join courts and helm agencies.

In addition, liberals have accelerated their push for a higher minimum wage - successfully persuading Obama to support a $10.10-an-hour proposal after he suggested $9 an hour this year. They also are making a case for tougher financial regulations, specifically targeting massive banks they would like to break up.

More broadly, liberals argue that the nation must do more to narrow economic inequality, to expand the safety net to help those who have lost jobs to globalization and to relieve some of the burden of student debt - goals that the president generally shares.

Obama's defenders say he has a wide array of proposals to help the middle class that have been stymied by Republicans in Congress. Even his willingness to trim Social Security payments - by adopting a stricter formula for calculating benefits - includes protections for the poor, they note.

"It's real things in the economy that Democrats have been too timid to address or Republicans have blocked them from addressing," said longtime liberal activist Roger Hickey, co-director of Campaign for America's Future.

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Bobert
Date: 07 Dec 13 - 08:36 AM

It's about time the Dems grew some balls...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: GUEST,Guest from Sanity
Date: 08 Dec 13 - 12:40 AM

Do you mean to tell us that all this time that you thought they were a bunch of balless meeps??....and now you think they MIGHT grow some???
....Interesting.

GfS

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Sawzaw
Date: 13 Feb 14 - 11:36 AM

Well Well Well, It had to happen:
By Brett Martel Washington Post Tuesday, January 17, 2006

NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 16 -- Mayor C. Ray Nagin suggested Monday that hurricanes Katrina and Rita and other storms were a sign that "God is mad at America" -- and at black communities, too, for tearing themselves apart with violence and political infighting.
"Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it's destroyed and put stress on this country," Nagin said as he and other city leaders marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
"Surely he doesn't approve of us being in Iraq under false pretenses. But surely he is upset at black America also. We're not taking care of ourselves."
Nagin, who is African American, also promised that New Orleans will be a "chocolate" city again. Many of the city's black neighborhoods were heavily damaged by Katrina.
"It's time for us to come together. It's time for us to rebuild New Orleans -- the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans," the mayor said. "This city will be a majority-African American city. It's the way God wants it to be. You can't have New Orleans no other way. It wouldn't be New Orleans."
Nagin described an imaginary conversation with King, the late civil rights leader.
"I said, 'What is it going to take for us to move on and live your dream and make it a reality?' He said, 'I don't think that we need to pay attention any more as much about other folks and racists on the other side.' He said, 'The thing we need to focus on as a community -- black folks I'm talking about -- is ourselves.' "
Nagin said he also asked: "Why is black-on-black crime such an issue? Why do our young men hate each other so much that they look their brother in the face and they will take a gun and kill him in cold blood?"
The reply, Nagin said, was "We as a people need to fix ourselves first."
Nagin also said King would have been dismayed with black leaders who are "most of the time tearing each other down publicly for the delight of many."
A day earlier, gunfire erupted at a parade to commemorate King's birthday. Three people were wounded in the daylight shooting amid a throng of mostly black spectators, but police said there were no immediate suspects or witnesses.

"Note, too, that the people of New Orleans have just re-elected Mister Nagin as Mayor. Obviously he must have done something right. Or was it a Diebold operation in your book? I notice he didn't have to ask for a recount". Shallow logic and hollow chest beating by The A man. See Below***

Former New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin convicted on bribery, other charges

By David A. Fahrenthold, Washington Post Feb 13 2014
Former New Orleans mayor C. Ray Nagin — who became the face of a desperate, drowning city during Hurricane Katrina — was convicted Wednesday on charges of accepting bribes from city contractors while in office.

Nagin, a Democrat, was found guilty by a federal jury on 20 of 21 criminal counts, including bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud. He was acquitted on one count of bribery.

Prosecutors said that Nagin accepted illegal gifts from contractors, beginning before Katrina hit and continuing afterward. Among the gifts: money, free vacation travel and truckloads of granite for Stone Age LLC, a business Nagin and his sons owned.

Nagin had moved to Frisco, Tex., after leaving office as mayor. He has been ordered to remain on home confinement, subject to electronic monitoring, while he awaits sentencing. Several of the 20 charges carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Those convictions ended a remarkable fall for Nagin, a former cable TV executive who denounced New Orleans's culture of corruption when he ran for mayor in 2002.

Nagin was mayor when the storm hit in August 2005 and served as a kind of human metaphor for the city's collapse. The country watched the mayor break down, just as his city did.

"They don't have a clue what's going on down here," Nagin told a radio interviewer several days after the storm, expressing outrage that federal authorities had not sent enough help. "I need reinforcements, I need troops, man. I need 500 buses, man. . . . This is a national disaster. Get every doggone Greyhound bus line in the country and get their asses moving to New Orleans."

But through it all, prosecutors said, Nagin seemed to be absorbing the corrupt ethos he had promised to fight. This year in a New Orleans courtroom, they described how Nagin had taken a variety of things from contractors seeking business with the city.

In court, Nagin denied taking bribes and said instead that he had only approved contracts from low-bidding vendors, or contracts selected by a committee of others. Nagin denied the contracts were tied to the benefits given to either himself or his family business, the Associated Press reported.

Nagin left office in 2010, replaced by Mitch Landrieu (D), the brother of U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.). Mitch Landrieu was reelected this year to another term.


***November 14, 2000 8:20 a.m. The canvassing board in Miami-Dade County unanimously votes to start an immediate hand recount of ballots in three precincts as requested by Gore's lawyers.

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Sawzaw
Date: 19 Feb 14 - 09:36 AM

Well Well Well, it had to happen.

(CNN) -- Former San Diego Mayor Bob Filner was sentenced Monday to 90 days in home confinement, three years' probation, and a series of fines totaling about $1,500 for assaulting three women while in office.

The 71-year-old pleaded guilty in October to forcibly kissing or grabbing three women at campaign events or at City Hall -- one a felony false imprisonment charge, the other two misdemeanor battery charges. Filner entered the guilty plea under a deal with prosecutors.

The three women were among 19 who accused him of offensive behavior during his tenure as mayor and as a congressman.

Filner will not serve prison time under the plea deal.

GPS monitoring will track his whereabouts during his confinement. He'll be allowed to go out for medical and therapy appointments, religious services and meetings tied to his probation. He'll also be allowed to leave his apartment but stay within the apartment complex.....


CBS/AP SAN DIEGO -- A Republican city councilman has been elected mayor of San Diego to replace Bob Filner, who resigned amid a torrent of sexual harassment allegations.

Kevin Faulconer's win means San Diego will be the nation's largest city with a Republican mayor. He will be the only Republican to lead a major city in California, where Democrats hold all statewide offices.

With all precincts reporting, the 47-year-old former public relations executive led Democratic Councilman David Alvarez by 54.5 percent to 45.5 percent. Many expected a much closer contest....

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Sawzaw
Date: 21 Feb 14 - 12:33 AM

Former Newark Mayor Is Sentenced to 27 Months

By ALAN FEUER and NATE SCHWEBER July 30, 2008

Five of the previous seven Mayors of Newark have been indicted on criminal charges, including the previous three Mayors: Hugh Addonizio D, Kenneth Gibson D, and Sharpe James D. As reported by Newsweek: "... every mayor since 1962 (except one, Cory Booker) has been indicted for crimes committed while in office".

Addonizio was mayor of Newark from 1962 to 1970. A son of Italian immigrants, a tailor and WWII veteran, he ran on a reform platform, defeating the incumbent, Leo Carlin, who, ironically, he characterized as corrupt and a part of the political machine of the era. During the 1967 riots, it was found that Addonizio and other city officials were taking kickbacks from city contractors. He was convicted of extortion and conspiracy in 1970, and was sentenced to ten years in federal prison.

His successor was Kenneth Gibson, the city's first African American mayor, elected in 1970. He pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion in 2002 as part of a plea agreement on fraud and bribery charges. During his tenure as Mayor in 1980, he was tried and acquitted of giving out no-show jobs by an Essex County jury.

Sharpe James, who defeated Gibson in 1986 and declined to run for a sixth term in 2006, was indicted on 33 counts of conspiracy, mail fraud, and wire fraud by a federal grand jury sitting in Newark. The grand jury charged James with spending $58,000 on city-owned credit cards for personal gain and orchestrating a scheme to sell city-owned land at below-market prices to his companion, who immediately re-sold the land to developers and gained a profit of over $500,000. James pleaded not guilty on 25 counts at his initial court appearance on July 12, 2007. On April 17, 2008, James was found guilty for his role in the conspiring to rig land sales at nine city-owned properties for personal gain. The former mayor was sentenced to serve up to 27 months in prison, and was released on April 6, 2010 for good behavior.

Subject: BS: Trouble in Obamacaretopia
From: Sawzaw
Date: 26 Feb 14 - 10:42 PM

Well well well, It had to happen "same way you'd shop for a plane ticket on Kayak or a TV on Amazon" or not:

The Uninsured Are Turning Against Obamacare

Huffpo 2/26/14:

The Obama administration is running into a somewhat surprising roadblock in its final push to get Americans enrolled in Obamacare ahead of the March 31 deadline: The nation's uninsured are increasingly suspicious of the law.

Fifty-six percent of those who identified as uninsured in a new poll conducted in February by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a research institution, had an unfavorable view of the health care reform law, compared to just 22 percent who said they view it favorably. The uninsured now see Obamacare less favorably than they did when the enrollment period began in October. As recently as September, more uninsured approved of the law than disapproved.

The survey results illustrate just how deep a hole the Obama administration is in when it comes to gaining the support of those the law is most intended to benefit. Indeed, the new findings show the uninsured feel worse about the law than the public at large. Thirty-five percent of Americans approve of Obamacare and 47 percent are against it, according to Kaiser.

Now President Barack Obama and his allies are once again promising to ramp up their outreach efforts to get as many uninsured Americans as possible signed up for coverage.

"We've got more work to do. The fact is that we want everybody covered, not just some. That was always the intention and everybody now has the opportunity to get covered," Obama said at an Organizing for Action event Tuesday. "Right now, we've only got a few weeks left. March 31, that's the last call."

In addition to Obama personally promoting the law and the Affordable Care Act's health insurance exchanges offering an easy way for people to comparison shop, Vice President Joe Biden appeared on ABC's The View Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is traveling the country to get the word out, and Democratic members of Congress are pushing back after Republican efforts to repeal the law.

At the same time, organizations supportive of health care reform like Enroll America*** and Organizing for Action are vowing a big, final push to boost enrollment numbers past the 4 million already signed up for private coverage.

An unfavorable opinion of Obamacare among a majority of the uninsured arose in spite of ballyhooed "microtargeting" campaigns to reach that part of the population, including those run out of the White House and those carried out by Enroll America, a nonprofit led by Obama campaign veterans. Using census data and other information, the idea was to target education, outreach and enrollment efforts in geographic areas with large concentrations of low-income, uninsured people who could benefit from the law's subsidized or no-cost health insurance, including cities like Houston and Miami located in states resisting the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

The skepticism among the uninsured revealed by this survey isn't reflective of what Enroll America workers and volunteers hear from the people they contact, Anne Filipic, the group's president, said during a conference call with reporters Wednesday. The emphasis during those interactions is on practical concerns, not politics, she said. "The focus is on the opportunities that are available to consumers."

Enroll America announced its final push for 2014 enrollment Wednesday, calling it "Countdown to Get Covered." The organization, boosted by allied groups including the Service Employees International Union and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, will stage more than 3,000 events across the country, including a bus tour through Ohio and Texas that will include local elected officials and leaders of religious organizations. The bus will visit Austin, Texas, during the South By Southwest music festival. Special emphasis will be placed on reaching out to African-Americans and Latinos and to students at community colleges.

"We know that people are hungry for these new options and eager to enroll when they find out what is available to them," Filipic said. "We will be pushing right up until the March 31 deadline to make sure as many Americans as possible are able to get covered."

The relatively small impact of these kinds of campaigns so far, however, is evident in another finding from the Kaiser Family Foundation poll: just 15 percent of the uninsured and 13 percent of respondents overall said they'd been personally contacted about the Affordable Care Act by telephone, email, text message, or door-to-door visit.

Combined with a relentlessly contentious political debate and overwhelmingly negative news media coverage of the troubled rollout of the health insurance exchanges, it's not surprising that uninsured Americans continue to have poor knowledge of the Affordable Care Act.

More than one-quarter of the uninsured report knowing nothing at all about the health insurance exchanges, with 37 percent more saying they know only a little. That compares with 24 percent who claim some knowledge and 12 percent who told pollsters they know a lot.

And 60 percent of the uninsured didn't know (or refused to respond) that March 31 is the last day to obtain health coverage for 2014 and to avoid financial penalties for violating the law's individual mandate requiring most Americans get covered. Less than a quarter of the uninsured knew about the March 31 deadline. In spite of all the outreach work and the publicity about Obamacare, lack of awareness remains a major obstacle, just as it did in September before enrollment began.

***EA's president, Anne Filipic, was a senior staffer with the Obama For America campaign in 2008. She later served as deputy executive director of the Democratic National Committee; as an Obama White House official under Valerie Jarrett; as an aide to Health & Human Services (HHS) director Kathleen Sebelius; and as deputy director of President Obama's Office of Public Engagement, where she networked with community organizers.

Enroll America is a prime beneficiary of an Obamacare stipulation that provides millions of dollars in grants to hire—at rates as high as $48 per hour—community activists and organizers to serve as "navigators" who help individuals enroll in health-insurance plans provided by state or federal exchanges. The healthcare law specifies that these "navigators" must be attuned to the racial, ethnic and cultural sensitivities of "underserved communities"—a requirement which, by the calculus of the Obama administration, is best fulfilled by activists who embrace identity politics.

In the spring of 2013, as Obamacare was starting to be implemented in a piecemeal fashion, numerous analysts predicted that tens of thousands of such activists would be hired as navigators in the coming months. As one health expert with close ties to HHS put it: "The navigator program, as evidenced by the leadership of Enroll America …, will be a jobs program for unemployable Obama For America [the precursor to Organizing For Action and Organizing For America] campaign volunteers and ACORN remnants." EA president Anne Filipic, for her part, expected her organization to spend some $100 million—much of which would be federal money—on the enrollment effort.

Also in the spring of 2013, controversy was sparked by reports that the EA-affiliated navigators who were helping people fill out healthcare application forms, were simultaneously presenting those applicants with voter-registration forms. As healthcare policy expert Betsy McCaughey puts it, they were using the healthcare enrollment process as a vehicle to "steer the uninsured into the Democratic Party." Louisiana Congressman Charles Boustany sent a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, complaining that this practice "could lead some to think [that] voter registration is somehow tied to [healthcare] subsidy eligibility."

Equally controversial was the revelation, in May 2013, that Kathleen Sebelius had been actively soliciting, on Enroll America's behalf, large financial donations from companies in the healthcare field as well as patient advocacy groups, churches, and other charitable organizations—all to help EA's effort to implement Obamacare.

To create a media campaign that would promote Obamacare to the American public as effectively as possible, EA hired Lake Research, a political strategy firm which has also been commissioned for message-management by such high-profile organizations as ACORN, MoveOn.org, and the National Council of La Raza, as well as by 39 members of Congress, all Democrats.

In late November 2013, EA announced that it was severing all ties to its state communications lead, Christopher Tarango, when the latter was caught illegally engaging in covert political activity—which members of 501(c)(3) nonprofits are barred from doing. Specifically, Tarango had conspired to provide a list of potential Obamacare enrollees—obtained via the "commit cards" that EA was distributing door-to-door to help people select health-insurance plans.

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Obamacaretopia
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 Feb 14 - 12:44 AM

Good to see you back, Sawzaw.

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Obamacaretopia
From: GUEST,Guest from Sanity
Date: 27 Feb 14 - 01:23 AM

Good to see you back, Sawzaw and Joe Offer.

Regards!..........(both of you!!)

GfS

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Sawzaw
Date: 27 Feb 14 - 09:14 AM

I see someone does not want to see criticism of Obamacare.

"There's plenty of horror stories being told, All of them are untrue." Senator Harry Reid average net worth of $4,567,527.00

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: GUEST,GUEST
Date: 27 Feb 14 - 04:15 PM

Waaaaaaaaay back toward the beginning, Don Firth had it right when he said:

"There ARE some intelligent, well-meaning people in Texas."

They're called VISITORS...

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 27 Feb 14 - 04:18 PM

Lots of good people around Austin. Willie Nelson supports farmers and legalizing weed, can't get more intelligent and well meaning than that.   Not their fault Rick Perry and the Yahoos are the LOUDEST band in town.

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: GUEST,Guest from Sanity
Date: 28 Feb 14 - 01:36 AM

Sawzaw: "Former Newark Mayor Is Sentenced to 27 Months"

"Five of the previous seven Mayors of Newark have been indicted on criminal charges, including the previous three Mayors: Hugh Addonizio D, Kenneth Gibson D, and Sharpe James D. As reported by Newsweek: "... every mayor since 1962 (except one, Cory Booker) has been indicted for crimes committed while in office".

You'd think, if only the AG was honest, they'd go after Corzine, the crooked as shit governor!!

GfS

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: GUEST,Guest from Sanity
Date: 28 Feb 14 - 08:06 PM

The Healthcare lie, that even Bill Clinton decided not to tell!!!

GfS

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Sawzaw
Date: 08 Mar 14 - 06:52 PM

Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday morning to charges stemming from the misuse of campaign funds.

"Sir, for years I lived off my campaign," Jackson Jr. told the judge. "I used money I shouldn't have used for personal purposes."

The Chicago Democrat, who appeared somber in court in Washington, D.C., said repeatedly that he was guilty of all of the charges.

"I did those things," he said more than once, referring to the information provided by the prosecutor.
When asked if he wanted another moment to to consult with his attorneys, Jackson Jr. looked at his father who was seated in the back of the courtroom then turned to the judge.

"I am guilty, your honor," Jackson Jr. said. "I accept responsibility."

At 11:12 a.m., the judge officially declared him guilty.

His wife pleaded guilty just a few hours later. Jackson now faces 47-57 months in prison.

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Mar 14 - 08:48 PM

Muh call, it's muh call
There's all of that muh call
Jesse's in the jail house
But his missus's in the hall
Muh call

Could be worse, could be worse
Could be poetry and verse
Could be doctor or her nurse
But that ain't all
Muh call

Subject: RE: BS: Trouble in Democratopia
From: Sawzaw
Date: 02 Aug 14 - 11:48 PM

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The NBC Charlotte I-Team has obtained new documents showing how a company owned by former Charlotte Democrat Mayor Patrick Cannon kept a profitable parking contract at Carolinas HealthCare System for more than a decade without competition from other bidders.

Cannon has pleaded guilty to a federal corruption charge for using his office for personal gain.

The NBC Charlotte I-Team first started asking questions about Patrick Cannon and corruption not when he was arrested in March, but more than a decade ago.

That's when Cannon's company EZ Parking won a profitable contract to manage 12,000 parking spaces for Carolinas Medical Center s main campus, at CMC Mercy and CMC Pineville, a $1.2 million annual expense for the hospitals.

We reported in June 2004 how Cannon's company s pitch to CMC touted him as a highly visible member of the city council, and thus able to contact city authorities to resolve any emergency.

At the time Cannon said he did not draft the statement, saying, It's a typographical error; something that shouldn't be there because obviously no one contacts about those things anyway from CMC and I think it would probably be inappropriate for me to do that kind of thing anyway.

EZ Parking was not the lowest bidder on the CMC deal but it won anyway. A CMC spokesman says the medical center considers value rather than price alone and at the time a CMC Vice-President told WCNC-TV that he thought Cannon s company offered the best service.

Cannon said at the time, I imagine in CMC's mind we were the best qualified to perform the job.

When the I-Team pressed him, asking if it had anything to do with you being a highly visible member of the city council, Cannon replied, smiling, I sincerely doubt that. I've probably lost deals because I'm a member of the city council more than I've gained deals by way of being a member of the city council.

In words now rich with irony, Cannon told WCNC-TV in 2004, It's inappropriate in my opinion to go out and use your title for something that might give you the edge per se.

Because now Canon has pleaded guilty to using his city office for personal gain and is probably going to prison. But CMC has never put the parking contract back out to bid.

The hospitals just kept renewing it.

At one point an internal email from CMC shows a hospital employee even talked about automatically renewing the deal but was told it was against hospital policy.

The day after Cannon was arrested, an email shows EZ Parking called CMC to assure the hospitals that investigators did not ask for or attain any information on any clients including CHS (Carolinas Healthcare Systems), the parent company of CMC.

EZ parking is not being investigated, the memo says.

And according to the email, Patrick Cannon is now a silent co-owner of 50 percent of the company.