MONKEE ARMADA SENTINEL

Entering the presidential nomination process as a distinct underdog, his expressed views were seen as more moderate than those of rivals. Other contenders, especially those with more governmental experience, had acquired enemies within the party and were weak in the critical states. As a freshman House member, he was not a particularly powerful or influential figure. However, he spoke out against the War. I’m not talking about the Iraq War, I’m talking about the Mexican-American War. And the person I am describing is not Barack Obama, it is Abraham Lincoln. The other tall skinny guy from Illinois (I know Lincoln was born in Kentucky-Obama was born in Hawaii). I know that one was a Republican and one is a Democrat, but the Republican Party then resembles more of what the Democratic party does today. Somewhere along the way they switched ideals. I am aware of the differences, but chose instead to highlight the similarities. For one simple reason; and that’s to show that it can be done. Of course I hope for a better ending to Obama’s presidency than old Abe’s, I believe the legacy they leave will be on par. This is history in the making folks and not in a Gorge Bush way. I work in a bar (more or less), after work I sit down to have a few drinks and often get into discussions with random people about the merits of Sen. Obama. The first argument often thrown up is his lack of experience. Like Obama, Lincoln didn’t have much experience before becoming president and leading the nation through a turbulent era. I am by far not the first one to draw these comparisons, just Google the two names and see for yourself. Obama himself kicked of his campaign on the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield Illinois where Lincoln served as a House Representative. He even said, ”That is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a house divided to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live.”

BARACK OBAMA	ABRAHAM LINCOLN
EARLY CAREER:
Illinois lawyer	Illinois lawyer
CAREER IN STATE POLITICS:
8 years in Illinois State Senate (1996-2004)	8 year in Illinois State House of Representatives (1834-1842)
CAREER IN NATIONAL POLITICS:
2 years in U.S. Senate (2004-2006)	2 years in U.S. House of Representatives (1846-1848)
PROPELLED TO NATIONAL POLITICS BY:
Speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention on – among other things – similarities of people in the “red” and “blue” states.	Speech in 1860 at Cooper Union on – among other things – similarities of people in the northern and southern states

Occasionally some idiot will say something about the way I talk, or dress, but mostly people call my Blackness into question, because I fuck white girls. Never the other way around mind you. I there fore have cultivated over time a rather humorous response. You see I tried fucking Black chicks, from time to time. My cock simply isn’t big enough. I’m only about nine and a-half-inches, which is just average for a black penis. To the three black chicks I have fucked, it was nothing special. It was however the holy fucking grail to white girls. I’ve never heard anything but praise from them. You see the average white penis is six to seven inches, so to them I’m packing heat. To a ‘sista’, I’m barely making the grade. They’re used to twelve, fourteen inch dongs. That’s why black girls have bigger butts. It gives them some barrier from getting impaled. Asians however, I’ve had some problems with. They for the most part are used to an average of 5 to 4 inches. The Asian girls I’ve tried to get with have been for the most part scared of my dick. I tried to hook up with this Asian girl in New York, and on our first date we went swimming. She took one look at my junk and said it was too big. And that was in the water so-fellas you know there was shrinkage. Our second date I fouled up by taking her to a Japanese film festival not knowing that she was Korean and that Japan had ransacked Korea killing all their men and raping all their women. This is why though attached to mainland China, Koreans look more Japanese. Yet after all that I think it came down to me being too big for her. Sad really I love the way they look. Spanish girls are a whole other story I’ve never had a shot with the Latinas, oh well White gals are fine by me.

Hillary is on the attack! Wait for it, she just may cry again. After the water-works trick worked so well in New Hampshire, she tried it again before Super Tuesday, and I suspect we’ll see more tears before Texas and Ohio. She’s holding up boxing gloves and accusing Barack of everything from stealing speech lines to copying her economic plan. Her campaign has contacted CNN and complained that she’s being unfairly scrutinized while Obama is getting a free ride. These juvenile tactics aren’t going to work. Does she really think we’re that gullible, or is she simply that desperate? According to a February 12^th New York Times article, “She has to win both Ohio and Texas comfortably, or she’s out,” said one super-delegate who has endorsed Mrs. Clinton, and who spoke on condition of anonymity to share a candid assessment. “The campaign is starting to come to terms with that.” Campaign advisers, also speaking privately in order to speak plainly, confirmed this view. So this is it, the final stretch. After losing eight straight contest in a row the great Clinton machine is showing signs of breaking down. The campaign is shaken and visibly so. Clinton’s deputy campaign manager has stepped down, key super delegates have expressed interest in jumping over to the Obama side, and she can’t get an endorsement out of Edwards. Yet we can’t count out the Clinton’s just yet. If anything they atre fighters and dirty fighters at that. Out of desperation, the Clinton campaign is lobbying the Democratic Party to reverse its prior decision and count the Florida and Michigan delegates in the final delegate count, despite their earlier disqualification. Before the primary season began the Democratic Party reached an agreement with its potential presidential candidates that they would not campaign in Florida or Michigan and that the delegates from those states would be meaningless. All the candidates agreed, which in effect, made the Florida and Michigan primaries a moot point, since none of their delegates could be used by any of the candidates vying for the nomination. The Clinton campaign was the main advocate for this “ban”, because at the time they felt that they were invincible and would have little competition from the other candidates. The cold hard truth is now Hillary is in danger of losing the nomination. Despite the fact that she went against her word by campaigning (and winning the non-races) in Florida and Michigan. The result of Super Tuesday (for the Clinton camp), was a loss of momentum over the last few weeks. Which has led to less money being raised, less positive talk in the news media, less volunteer sign-ups, and a lot less energy than Obama. She shook up her campaign by removing (or forcing the resignation of) her deputy campaign manager.

What Hillary fails to see is that this isn’t just about Barack Obama, this is a movement for change. Obama’s victories are both greater in number, and magnitude than Clinton’s victories. The percentage in all contests as of now shows Obama performing much better on average. Obama’s median percentage is 48.5% to Clinton’s 32%. The disparity reflects Clinton’s inability to perform well in smaller states, especially those holding caucuses. The average margin of victory in caucus states is even greater for Obama. There are hundreds of thousands of us who are tired of the same old bullshit! We’re tired of the government revolving around the establishment elite. She wants to tout herself as experienced well what has she truly accomplished with all her years? How come things aren’t better because of what ever it is she claims to have done? How has her experience helped shape the world so far? She failed at health care in the nineties even though she wasn’t actually an elected official and should never have been involved in the process to begin with. As a Senator she has side with Bush on the War and on Tax cuts for the rich. She has signed her name on nearly ever bill that John McCain has. How will the two of them debate on the national scale? Obama’s average vote share is not only high due to his strong performance in caucus states. He has also shown the ability to eat away at Clinton’s lead in states that she was expected to dominate. For example, her margin of victory in her home state of New York and neighboring New Jersey was half that of Obama’s margin in his own home state of Illinois. Perhaps as important as anything else in this non-election period, Hillary Clinton and her team have done a better job than anyone in modern political history at creating a narrative they want with the press corps. The media then writes and re-writes that story until it becomes (magically) conventional wisdom. With a campaign based in DC and a huge number of operatives who have twenty years of personal relationships with the national political press corps, it’s no wonder that the national punditry has written of her brilliance in defusing the Iraq War issue and her inevitability in becoming the Democrats’ nominee. No other candidate has that kind of lobbying power with the media—they dine together, vacation together, work together—and it has paid off. There will be a CNN debate on Thursday between Clinton and Obama, and my money is on some mud being slung-big time!

Why the focus shifts from Super delegates to eleged plagiarism, the Clinton camp can not escape the fact that Barack Obama’s campaign is on track to raise more than $30 million in February, while Hillary Clinton’s had to loan her own campaign $5 million. “Obama’s financial superiority is straining the Clinton campaign at this point. That’s reflected in how he spread the field on her in Super Tuesday. His ability to advertise in more states than she did, to put more resources on the ground than she did,” gave Obama an edge, said Anthony Corrado, an expert on campaign finance at Colby College. This is something that the super delegates will look at. Can you really hang your hat on a nominee who can’t even raise enough money to compete in the primaries, when you have a candidate who people are more than willing to trow money at. It’s because Barack Obama unites progressives, independents and Democrats, and discourages rather than unifies Republicans. He unites independents, the young, minorities, and progressives alike. And unlike Hillary, he will not unify the GOP, and indeed will take Republican votes. I have a friend who said that her mother whom has voted Republican for twenty-years voted for Barack Obama in the primaries here in Missouri. This is incredible, it has nothing to do with momentum this is a national surge for change and the people are saying that they are tired of politics as usual. In the polls Barack Obama can beat John McCain, Hillary can not.

————————
Listening to: Depeche Mode – Dreaming Of Me
via FoxyTunes   

The time is coming….I can feel the tingle on my back already. I love the sensation. My mind is on fire, time itself reveals it’s meaninglessness. The future becomes the past, and all doors are open. Gimmie the drug, gimmie the needle, gimmie, gimmie…fried chicken! The low buzz becomes a sacred I am one with the universe, like back in the old days when we were on acid all the time. For some reason New Order has been playing in my head a lot lately. I want to tell the world how I feel about you, but they already know. Time catches up with us eventually. My hairs a mess and my knees feel like they are going to explode. “’Heaven knows it’s got to be this time”!

 

Otto Friedrich, “Vanity” (1904) [Die Kunst 11 (1904-5), 441

————————
Listening to: The Cure – The Walk (Remix)
via FoxyTunes   

Photographica3A20My20love

According to Wikipedia:

Super Tuesday commonly refers to the Tuesday in early February or March of a presidential election year when the greatest number of states hold primary elections to select delegates to national conventions at which each party’s presidential candidates are officially nominated. More delegates can be won on Super Tuesday than on any other single day of the primary calendar, and accordingly, candidates seeking the presidency traditionally must do well on this day to secure their party’s nomination. In 2008, Super Tuesday is February 5; 24 states will hold primaries or caucuses on this date, with 52 percent of all pledged Democratic Party delegates and 41 percent of the total Republican Party delegates at stake.

Basically this when it all goes down. The big show, that will make or brake the candidate. Those that when here go on to take the nomination. So many delegates are awarded that they can’t be stopped. Now is the time to come together and stop Billary once and for all. I know the New York team won the Super Bowl, but that doesn’t mean that the New York Senator has to win Super Tuesday. Please don’t fall for those crocidile tears. I hear she’s trying to pull the same stunt she did in New Hampshire today. Hillary is not the one. She can not defeat Jon McCain and do we really need another dynasty. I’m 30 years old and I’ve never been able to vote for anyone who’s last name wasn’t either Clinton or Bush! This is not about race either, Obama’s campaign for President is built on the premise that we must unite America to solve issues of historic importance. He has focused on overcoming partisan bickering, and produced real results. The idea that someone would be able to unite America and get the government to productively work on important issues sounds idealistic. Understanding that cynicism, Obama stresses that Americans must embrace the ‘audacity of hope’. Not hope as an irrational belief, or a blind faith in optimism, but hope is as a unifying emotion, one that is resonating across the country. By emphasizing that we should all believe in the possibility of a new type of politics, Obama has converted so many people, (including Republicans), to believing in the possibility of a non-ideological leader. One that respects those who disagree with him, and works to find not just the Democratic solution, not just the Republican solution, but the best solution. Campaigning as a unifying leader, he has struck a chord across the country as shown by polls, book sales, enormous crowds, and big wins in Iowa and South Carolina. In this crucial juncture in history, only he has the potential to improve how Americans perceive politics, leading to solving some very important problems. Although the two Democratic candidates seem to more or less support the same issues and even hold similar values. The two candidate’s Iraq plans, health care plans, energy plans, ethics plans, and education plans differ greatly in the finer details. They all seem to be aiming for the same general progressive goals: pulling out of Iraq, introducing universal health care, reducing America’s dependence on oil, battling climate change, strengthening national security, and ridding Washington of corruption. The specific details of the plans are significant; yet what matters most is their actual ability of the candidate to create the political will for change. Obama, unlike the other candidate, has a history of working across the aisle and listening to opposing views, and is stressing a united America. If he is elected, Obama will do a better job not only passing the necessary legislation, but also the American people know that he is acting in their best interest. Can you imagine an American president who is elected by saying, ‘we’re all in this together and we all have a stake in each other’ . When Obama gives a speech, he connects with his audience. Obama understands the issues, where we agree and disagree, and he has the intelligent policies, along with the charisma and political talent, to lead the American people. Obama’s broad appeal will improve the long term image of the Democratic party. If Obama’s nomination fails, another Democrat would not be able to win the presidency, the Republican voters would not respect Hillary. Four out of ten Republicans voted for Obama in his Illinois Senate Race. So nows your chance to get out there and vote for him.

Here is a rundown of the Super Tuesday showdown states and a capsule summary of the state of play in each state. The top ten contests are listed with an asterisk ()¹.

Alabama: With the heavy African American vote, Obama has an edge, despite Clinton’s popularity with party loyalists.

Alaska: Obama has a chance to win the caucuses here because his supporters are so committed.

Arizona: Clinton has an edge because of her strong Latino support but Obama is spending money in hopes of an upset.

Arkansas: Clinton has an edge in the state she once served as First Lady.

California: Obama has momentum and won three big union endorsements on Friday, but Clinton has led in the polls here from Day One.

Colorado: Obama is working hard to take the caucuses here. Clinton hanging on to her early lead.

Connecticut: The Nutmeg State has a habit of voting for underdogs, including Paul Tsongas against Bill Clinton in 1992. Don’t count Obama out here.

Delaware: A toss-up in a state with a large African American population.

Georgia: Obama favored, and he’s worked hard here.

Idaho: Clinton has been running ahead, but Obama’s campaign is hoping to steal it at the end.

Illinois: Obama’s home state, Clinton’s native state. Bet big on Barack, who has a diverse group of supporters.

Kansas: Obama’s mom was born here, and he has the support of the popular Democratic governor, Kathleen Sebelius. He could pull it off.

Massachusetts: Obama is coming on strong after winning the endorsements of John Kerry and Ted and Caroline Kennedy. Clinton has led in all polls, but you never know.

Minnesota: Clinton has an edge, but the strong anti-war sentiment of liberal Democrats could hurt her.

Missouri: The super battle of Super Tuesday. Bill and Hillary Clinton have spent a lot of time here. Could go either way. Slight edge to Clinton.

New Jersey: Obama could steal this state away from neighbor Clinton. He’s working hard here and has strong support among suburban liberals and African-American voters.

New Mexico: Gov. Bill Richardson is watching the Super Bowl with Bill Clinton. Clinton’s spouse would like Richardson’s endorsement. With or without it, she should carry this state unless her campaign goes into free fall.

New York: Clinton is immensely popular in her adopted state and is a likely winner, though Obama might well take a majority in New York City.

North Dakota: Anything goes. Clinton favored.

Oklahoma: Clinton is expected to win a state in which she is well-organized.

Tennessee*: Al Gore’s state could go either way.

Utah: Are there any Democrats here? If so, Clinton probably has the edge.

With that said we need to protest in a serious way that the integrity of America’s voting system has been profoundly compromised by electronic voting manipulation, and we also need to demand candidates who can tell some version of the truth that is not totally twisted by the perverse and inhuman influence of corporate financial blackmail. Until we accomplish these objectives, we will continue to have an America that invades foreign countries based on wholly fictional pretexts and kills its own citizens with impunity, and we will have presidential candidates who cannot address the real issues that threaten our very survival because they are gagged by the financial constraints placed upon them by the very forces that jeopardize our well-being and our survival as a species.

1Posted by Richard Dunham at February 2, 2008 11:00 AM

 

————————
Now playing: Cobra Tattoo – The Mountain Goats
via FoxyTunes   

3. The Iraq war; Before I begin I would like to just say that I am not a peace-nick, I am a Anarchist and not a non-violent one! I believe that War is necessary and and conflicts must sometimes be resolved by violent actions. With that said I also believe that the Iraq War was unnecessary and a mistake from day one.Obama was an early opponent of Bush administration policies on Iraq. In the fall of 2002, before the start of the Iraq War, he addressed an anti-war rally in Chicago, saying: “I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda. I am not opposed to all wars. I’m opposed to dumb wars”. This is where I side with Barrack Obama. Obama put his political career on the line to oppose going to war in Iraq, and warned of “an occupation of undetermined length, with undetermined costs, and undetermined consequences.” Obama has been a consistent, principled and vocal opponent of the war in Iraq. In 2003 and 2004, he spoke out against the war on the campaign trail. In 2005, he called for a phased withdrawal of our troops. In 2006, he called for a timetable to remove our troops, a political solution within Iraq, and aggressive diplomacy with all of Iraq’s neighbors. In January 2007, he introduced legislation in the Senate to remove all of our combat troops from Iraq by March 2008. And in September 2007, he laid out a detailed plan for how he will end the war as president. While American casualties in Iraq may have subsided during the second half of the year 2007 still went down as the deadliest year for the U.S. military in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. 899 American servicemen and women had died there during the year. There has been a lot of talk coming from all of the candidates about what they would and would not do. Hillary Clinton claims on the podium that she would have a troops out in 60 day or begin to at least. Yet on her official campaign website she changes her tune to; “Hillary’s first official actions would be to convene the Joint Chiefs of Staff, her Secretary of Defense, and her National Security Council. She would direct them to draw up a clear, viable plan to bring our troops home starting with the first 60 days of her Administration.” Which basically means she’ll look into it on her first 60 days. She even goes on to say; “She would also direct the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to prepare a comprehensive plan to provide the highest quality health care and benefits to every service member—including every member of the National Guard and Reserves—and their families.” What happened to the rest of us? What happened to universally ‘mandated’ health care? The holes and flaws with Hillary don’t stop there but that’s another blog another time. Rather than focus on Billary’s false statements and false hopes let’s focus on some real hopes and achievable goals for Iraq. Senator Obama has been condemned by Republicans for his phased redeployment plan for being a strategy for withdrawal (which it is). And he has been accused by Senator Clinton and the far left as not being radical and quick enough. But let’s look at this realistically. There is no way in heaven or hell that we’re going to be able to just walk away from this mess. This will haunt the coming election and the next. There is no way that we can just up and leave and that is not what Obama is planning. According to his site he says himself; “He will keep some troops in Iraq to protect our embassy and diplomats; if al Qaeda attempts to build a base within Iraq, he will keep troops in Iraq or elsewhere in the region to carry out targeted strikes on al Qaeda.” It’s foolish and irresponsible to believe that we can just up and leave in 60 days. Not that Hilary plans to do that , but that’s the claim she’s making when the cameras are on. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said; “No amount of White House spin can hide the fact that the escalation’s chief objective of political reconciliation remains unmet, Iraqis have not demonstrated any readiness to stand up and take responsibility for their own country, and 2007 was the most lethal year yet for American troops.” Obama clearly states that; “The best way to press Iraq’s leaders to take responsibility for their future is to make it clear that we are leaving. As we remove our troops, Obama will engage representatives from all levels of Iraqi society – in and out of government – to seek a new accord on Iraq’s Constitution and governance. The United Nations will play a central role in this convention, which should not adjourn until a new national accord is reached addressing tough questions like federalism and oil revenue-sharing.” Meanwhile President Bush seeks to undermine any of this talk President Bush’s top diplomat in Iraq said that the U.S. plans to keep combat troops there into 2009, and he offered no deadline for a full withdrawal. Bush himself has indicated he is willing to leave more troops in Iraq at the close of his presidency than envisioned. The president said in December, that it was fine with him if Petraeus wants to "slow her down" to meet current security needs. Obama has stated he will immediately begin to remove troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months. Obama will make it clear that we will not build anymore permanent bases in Iraq. 16 months is a lot more realistic and practical. Another question is what to do with the two million Iraqis are refugees and the two million more that are displaced inside their own country. Obama believes that America has a responsibility to confront Iraq’s humanitarian crisis. Obama will form an international working group to address this crisis. He will expand services to Iraqi refugees in neighboring countries, and ensure that Iraqis inside their own country can find a safe-haven. This involves fixing our broken diplomacy record. Obama states in his plan that; “The United States is trapped by the Bush-Cheney approach to diplomacy that refuses to talk to leaders we don’t like. Not talking doesn’t make us look tough – it makes us look arrogant, it denies us opportunities to make progress, and it makes it harder for America to rally international support for our leadership. On challenges ranging from terrorism to disease, nuclear weapons to climate change, we cannot make progress unless we can draw on strong international support.” Obama is willing to meet with the leaders of all nations, friend and foe. He will do so carefully with the necessary preparation, and will signal that America is ready to come back to the table. If America is willing to come to the table, the world will be more willing to rally behind America to deal with challenges like terrorism. To make diplomacy a priority, Obama will stop shuttering consulates and start opening them in the tough corners of the world – particularly Africa. He would like to expand our foreign service, and develop the capacity of our civilian aid workers to work alongside the military. Obama’s potential to construct a new politics that is progressive but grounded in civic traditions speaks to a wider range of Americans. An October 2005 article in the British journal New Statesman listed Obama as one of "10 people who could change the world," the only politician included on the list.

————————
Now playing: Motivation – Tripping Daisy
via FoxyTunes    

   
   
   
   
   

    Previously in this blog
I’ve tried to highlight the achievements of one Barack
Obama. I have detailed his accomplishments in the Illinois State
Senate and the Us Senate. Now I would like to highlight his plan for
America and how this country would be better off,  under his bold
vision. It would be long and nearly impossible to read if I simply
repeated his plan as posted on his website.
But feel free to go over and read it all yourself in detail. I highly
recommend  you download each of his PDFs
and see for yourself the great stuff he’s got planned. The only way
its going to happen though is if we stop Hillary and Obama receives
the Democratic nomination. Edwards
dropped
out this morning so now it’s down to two.
Super
Tuesday is
next week and if you live in one of the ST states I hope you will be
voting and letting your voice be heard. Change is possible if you
have hope-the man says.

    What I can do is give those of you too lazy to read
for yourself a slight overview of the plan and highlight the major
talking points. There are some truly radical things included, like
fixing the  Drug Code¹
and ending the disparity between crack and powdered cocaine
sentencing, and reforming mandatory minimums. That’s mainly for us
colored folks though. There’s tons of stuff on equal rights and
increasing opportunities for women and minorities.  But lets start at
the beginning. This weeks hot topic-the economy. Now, I now most of
you don’t own your own hoe or have mortgages but there are bigger
things at stake than whether suburban dads can keep their credit
scores up. I’ve put together a quick run down of what could be, if
you have the courage to elect the only candidate ready for real
change. What we don’t need are more typical empty promises. Barack
has a practical plan, and not just hallow rhetoric like some other
candidate.

1. 
       On economy; Obama plans to cut income taxes by $1000,  for
       working families. Unlike the Bush tax cuts which  gave cuts only to
       individuals earning over $1 million a year. Obama will provide over
       150 million workers  (like you and me), the tax relief we need.
       Obama wants to create ahttp://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/history/reich/reports/pay.pdf">http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/history/reich/reports/pay.pdf">http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/history/reich/reports/pay.pdf">
       “Making Work Pay”http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/history/reich/reports/pay.pdf">*http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/history/reich/reports/pay.pdf">
       tax credit. Similar to the $100 million Earned Income Tax Credit,
       he passed while in the Illinois Senate. The bill provided each
       individual taxpayer a credit  against the Illinois Tax Act in an
       amount equal to 5% of the federal income tax credit allowed.
       Increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit, will make sure that
       full-time workers earn a living wage that allows us to raise our
       families and pay for basic needs. Along side of that Obama plans to
       raise the minimum wage, and index it to inflation.  He stated
       November 10, during a speech in Des Moines,  Iowa that; “I’m
       in this race to take those tax breaks away from companies that are
       moving jobs overseas and put them in the pockets of hard working
       Americans who deserve it. And I won’t raise the minimum wage every
       en years-I will raise it to keep pace so that workers don’t fall
       behind. That is why I am in it. To protect the American worker. To
       fight for the American worker.” This applies to the rest
       of us, for those of us lower on the totem pole.  Barack also plans
       to ensure our freedom to unionize., fight attacks on workers rights
       to organize, and protect striking workers. Obama co-sponsored the
       Employee
       Free Choice Act,
       a bipartisan effort to assure that workers can exercise their right
       to organize. Obama has fought the Bush Administrations National
       Labor Relations Board
       , and their efforts to strip workers of their right to organize.
       Obama also plans to expand the Family
       and Medical Leave Act.
       This will provide low-income families with a refundable tax
       credit to help with their child-care expenses, and encourage
       flexible work schedules. Strengthening the economy only begins with
       the worker it also extends to trade, technology, bankruptcy reform,
       credit cards and this weeks buzz topic home ownership. Obama plans
       to fight for fair trade not just free trade. He plans for a trade
       policy that opens up foreign markets to support American jobs. He
       will use trade agreements to spread positive labor and environmental
       standards around the world. He stands firm against bad agreements
       like the self">Central
       American Free Trade Agreementself">,
       that failed at these important standards. Obama believes that ²
       and it’s potential were oversold to the American public and he will
       work to fix NAFTA so that it works for American  workers.  Obama
       also wants to improve transition assistance by extending it to the
       service industries where I work. Creating flexible education
       accounts to help  workers retrain before they lose their jobs.
       Barack Obama also suports job creation, he plans to double federal
       funding for basic research. And make the research and development
       tax credit permanent, to help create high-paying, secure jobs. Obama
       plans to make long term investments in education, training, and
       workforce development. He wishes to invest in US. Manufacturing,
       create new job training programs for clean technologies, boost the
       renewable energy sector and create new jobs. Obama genuinely wants
       to restore strength to our ailing economy. The current hot topic in
       the media is housing crisis. Obama plans to create a universal
       mortgage credit. A 10% credit to provide tax relief to homeowners
       who do not itemize. This credit will provide an average of $500 to
       10 million homeowners, the majority of whom earn less than $50,000 a
       year. This is more than the band-aide currently being attempted. The
       current bill in debate calls for one-time tax rebates to go
       primarily to individuals making less than $75,000 and to married
       couples making less than $150,000.  It does not as Obama would have
       call for accountability in the sub-prime mortgage industry. He has
       introduced comprehensive legislation over a year ago to fight
       mortgage fraud, and protect consumers against abusive lending
       practices. His durbinin/">durbinin/">durbinin/">Stop
       Fraud Actdurbinin/">durbinin/">
       provided the first federal definition of mortgage fraud, increasing
       funding for federal and state law enforcement programs. He’s created
       new criminal penalties for mortgage professionals found guilty of
       fraud, and requires industry insiders to report any suspicious
       activity. Obama also plans to close the bankruptcy loopholes for
       mortgage companies, create funds to help homeowners avoid
       foreclosures, and mandate accurate loan disclosures.
      

2. On Health Care; Now I admit to me this
       is one of the most important topics. I haven’t been to a doctor
       since I was in prison, and much of that is due to the fact that I
       simply can not afford it. Health care comes at a price that most of
       us can not afford. Health insurance premiums have risen four times
       faster than wages in the past six years. Nearly 11 million of those
       with insurance , last year ended up spending a quarter of their
       salary on health care. The increasing co-pays and deductibles
       threaten acces to health care for any but the wealthy. Over half of
       all personal bankruptcies are caused by rising medical bills.
       There’s a lot of hype surrounding the issue, and as the two
       candidates slug it out over their respective plans. I’ve broken down
       the talking points of Senator Obama’s and stood them next to
       Hillary’s so you be the judge. First just how “universal”
       can we expect either of their health-care plans to be? Obama’s plan
       creates various mechanisms to make sure that both private and public
       insurance is more available. Clinton’s plan sort of does the same
       thing, but it also creates a “individual mandate”. She
       would require that every one buy health insurance. Obama also
       creates a mandate, but only for children. Under Obama’s plan we
       would remain free to buy insurance or not. The main argument here is
       that how would one enforce a insurance mandate. Would not having
       insurance be punishable by jail time? Or would you get a ticket for
       walking with out insurance (much like driving with out it)?  Obama’s
       resistance to the “individual mandate” makes perfect
       sense. Hillary has no outline for how she would even enforce  her
       mandate, which in itself make s me both nervous and suspicious as to
       how committed she actually is. There is a lot of debate as to
       whether the government can mandate that you have health-care.
       Forcing people to pay for health care will be hard enough. The most
       obvious and logical solution is to make health insurance a function
       of the government, as it is for the poor and elderly. There’s
       nothing odd about the government collecting insurance premiums in
       the form of taxes for Medicare or Medicaid. Yet this presents
       Republicans with the argument that “Big Government”
       will steal your wages if you don’t buy insurance! And they would be
       right, but what’s more important here is the question. Public health
       is an issue that effects us all. There’s nothing I hate more than
       being on the bus with people sneezing and coughing all around me, or
       riding the train touching poles that good knows what has been wiped
       on. Clinton and Obama both have plans that would steadily enlarge
       the role of government in health insurance. These are accommodations
       to the political reality. Senator Clinton advocates incremental
       reform. The best argument there is that it probably won’t work and
       that’s when the federal government would step in and take over. Her
       plan consist not of one big idea but several small ones, most of
       them familiar. Hillary purposes a competition between private plans
       and a public plan. Senator Obama would establish a National
       Health  Insurance Exchange that would create “rules
       and standards for participating insurance plans”. Meaning that
       anyone could buy private health insurance through the NHIE, and be
       guaranteed a certain price (on a sliding scale) with a certain bit
       of coverage. The participating insurers would not be permitted to
       exclude customers with pre-existing medical conditions. Oddly enough
       this is based partly on the Massachusetts health-care plan that was
       signed into law by former Governor
       Mitt Romney, himself on the presidential trail. The hazard,
       however, with regulatory services in general is that the more
       complex they are the more they are susceptible to pressure from
       lobbyist. The cost of Hillary’s plan is around $110 billion while
       Barack’s stands at $50 to$65 billion. Which is the biggest
       difference between the two. Both Senators plan to pay for their
       respective plans by allocating the funds from the Bush tax cuts that
       expire at the end of 2010. Obama would also invest $50 billion over
       five years to accelerate the adoption of electronic health records,
       a vital and necessary reform that would reduce medical errors and
       hopefully save lives. It would also save money by avoiding needless
       duplication. Such as blood test that are preformed more than once
       because of lost paper work. Obama and Hillary both cite a Rand
       Corporation study that predicts saving up to $77 billion a year. A
       similar proposal from the two would allow Medicare to negotiate
       prescription drug prices, producing savings as high as $30 billion
       annually. Implementing Obama’s plan though would cost employers only
       if they refused to provide health-care for their workers. It would
       require them to contribute a percentage of payroll to the new public
       health plan.  Obama would however limit the liability of small
       businesses for “catastrophic” care expenses. Obama care
       would be great for employers because  the public insurance part
       would take care of providing care to their employees. Obama also
       wants to invest in  prevention, support disease management programs,
       coordinate and integrate care, and require full transparency about
       quality and cost. The most important and least talked about part of
       Obama’s plan is the public insurance part, because it’s portable.
       You can remain in the plan even if you change jobs.

I’m going to have to save my third talking point
the Iraq situation! For another time I’m running long and have to get
to work. Pray I don’t get hit by a bus I still don’t have health
care!

   

————————
Now playing: The Son Never Shines (On Closed Doors) – Flogging Molly
via FoxyTunes