Fear Strikes Again

As the photo on the right clearly shows, the debate about healthcare reform has a long, long way to go.

What amazes me is that up until the moment photo was taken, nobody bothered to tell that poor chap that his sign makes absolutely no sense. Did anyone bother to read his sign, or did the rest of the protesters he was with actually think his sign made sense?

Serious intellectual debate over healthcare cannot take place when we have people like the man in the photo believing that "government" needs to get out of his Medicare. Without education, we cannot make informed decisions. This unfortunate man was probably told by his friends and neighbors that the "government" was going to mess up his Medicare, and instead of doing a little research, fell victim to fear mongering.

I see signs like this from people protesting all across the country - people who are afraid of what they don't understand. Instead of educating themselves, they lash out in anger. The talking heads on TV and radio are aware of this, and they do their best to stir up the pot by twisting the truth, spreading rumors and telling outright lies. We the people have been told what to think and how to feel by these morons, and we hang on their every word - unable or unwilling to question what comes out of their mouths.

Healthcare is a big deal. The healthcare bills moving through congress right now have the potential to affect every single American for the rest of their lives. Healthcare should be argued, discussed, lampooned, inspected, rewritten and amended. It is the responsibility of every American citizen to educate themselves - not from political talking heads, neighbors, pastors or friends, but from non-partisan independent sources. Think about who the winners and losers are in the current system, and how that will change under the proposed new one. See how other countries are running their health care systems and think about what would work here and what wouldn't - and why. And don't just think about yourself - think about how the current and proposed systems affect your friends, neighbors, co-workers, family and community.

Both Democrats and Republicans have told half-truths and made misleading statements in order to win your support. Dig through the fluff and rhetoric to get to the truth. There are many web sites that thoroughly fact-check statements made by politicians. There are also independent news organizations in print and online that will give you the facts without putting a political spin on the news.

Don't be that dude in the photo. Think.

Photo credit: reconstitution.us

Salon.com agrees with me: Your shampoo is dangerous

Salon's Bill Bunn explores the toxic stew of chemicals that we put on our hair and skin on a daily basis.

"When a man rinses his hair, all the ingredients wash down the drain, carrying the grease to boot. And as one man's shampoo travels down the pipe, it meets up with a woman's, and so on, and so on, and so on. At least 350 million gallons of shampoo and its unregulated ingredients flow down U.S. drains every year. And many of these chemicals flow straight into our freshwater systems."

Ties in rather nicely with my previous post about body washes.

Photo Credit: Salon.com

Made in China

When I was a kid, China was this far-away place that gave us things like Chinese food and firecrackers. If you dug a hole deep enough, so the cartoon went, you'd end up there. Little did I know that it was China who was digging the hole - a hole big enough to swallow the entire United States.

Have a look around your home; chances are very good that well over 70% of the household items you see are made in China. Your coffee maker, travel mug, microwave, blender, steak knives, panini sandwich press, toaster oven, kitchen table & chairs, television, TV stand, DVD player, stereo, bookcase, office desk & chair, computer, monitor, speakers, printer, wi-fi router, fax machine, portable heater, lamp, bedspread, sheets, pillows, soap dispenser, toothbrush, hair brush, broom, mop, vacuum cleaner, hand tools, power tools, light bulbs, outdoor playset, patio furniture, string trimmer and Christmas lights were probably all made in China. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

I recently started work on a Murphy bed for the guest room in our home. I went to the local Home Depot and purchased some pricey cabinet-grade birch plywood to construct the bed. Stamped on each 4 x 8 sheet: "Made In China." Made in China. Can someone explain to me how it could possibly be cheaper to produce and ship plywood halfway around the world than to just make it here in the U.S.?

I was stunned. I took a short walk around the store and picked up random items off of the shelves. Sure enough - over 70% of the items I picked up were made in China. In Home Depot. The new toilet I just purchased? China. The new carpenter's square? China.

Understand that I have nothing against China or the Chinese people. I am glad that they are pulling themselves out of "third world" status and that fewer and fewer Chinese people live in abject poverty. They are becoming a global economic powerhouse - and that's good for them. But when I look around at the nearly 30,000,000 people out of work in the United States (myself included), I get a nagging feeling that something is very wrong here.

America imported nearly 338 billion dollars worth of goods in 2008. From China. How much did we export to China? Close to 70 billion. That's 268 billion American dollars flowing out of the country and into Chinese pockets.

But America has a service-sector economy you say. You're right. We have transitioned away from manufacturing to financial, electronic, medical and other services. And who honestly wants to work in a plant that manufactures soap dispensers? The pay would be well below minimum wage; well below what anyone could live on. But in our quest to get the most value for our dollar, we have driven American manufacturers out of business and put our fellow Americans out of work. When faced with a choice, we will usually go with the cheaper Chinese made product over a more expensive American made one. A lot of the time, the choice is made for us without our knowledge by corporate buyers who are driven to get the cheapest possible price.

We are perpetuating our own economic slump by buying cheap foreign goods. The estimated U.S. budget deficit for 2009 is 12 trillion dollars. That's $12,000,000,000,000. Who holds the majority of that debt? China.

This is not a problem that our government can fix. This is a problem that we created and that we need to solve.

So, I'm issuing a challenge to every single person in the country: next time you go to pick up that bookcase at Walmart or that set of steak knives from Target or that tape measure from Lowes, check the box to see where it came from before you purchase it. Where possible, spend the few extra dollars on the American made product. That goes for everything from toothpicks to automobiles. There are, of course, some things that America simply doesn't manufacture, and that's fine. But be conscious of your purchases. Put down that Chinese made cordless screwdriver and pick up the American made one. Will it cost more? Perhaps, but you're keeping American money in the pockets of Americans, who can then use it to invest in American industry, helping to pull us out of this recession.

When we support each other, everyone wins.


Photo Credit: Gary Tamin

Blog Action Day: Climate Change

Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world's bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day. This year's issue: Climate Change.

There has been a LOT of media attention on climate change recently. You've got the scientists and environmentalists shouting that it may already be too late to prevent ecological disasters, while climate change "deniers" are all saying it's a big hoax designed to scare people, raise taxes and put citizens out of work.

I tend to view the issue from a "human" point of view. We all live in a "closed" ecosystem. Everything that we put into the air, water or earth will eventually affect us in some fashion. It doesn't just "go away." The burning of fossil fuels for energy puts out tens of millions of tons of deadly poisons into our air, including.

• Sulphur Dioxide
• Nitrogen Dioxide
• Carbon Monoxide
• Ozone
• Benzene
• Lead
• Mercury
• Methane
• Benzoprene
• Sulfur Hexaflouride
• Particulate Matter

The above list is by no means complete. There are literally dozens of other deadly compounds released by the simple act of burning a fossil fuel.

Don't think for a second that these deadly compounds simply float away and magically disappear. On the contrary, they are floating around in your body right now. You inhale them with every breath and eat them with every bite of food. In trace amounts, to be sure, but they are there nonetheless.

Don't believe me? Look at the increasing rates of asthma, autism, bronchitis, COPD, allergies, heart disease, stroke and other ailments.

The following is from the American Heart Association's information on particulate matter - just one of the dozens of pollutants released:

"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has declared that "tens of thousands of people die each year from breathing tiny particles in the environment." A recent report released by the nonprofit Health Effects Institute in Cambridge, Mass., agrees with the EPA assessment. . . This finding is similar to those of other studies throughout the world. . .The combined long-term effect of studies in several large cities predicts 60,000 deaths each year caused by particulate matter."

So even if you think that the whole global warming thing is bunk, there is no denying that what we are putting into our atmosphere is killing us all - and that's not just people. That includes every living thing on the planet that we depend on to keep us alive.

It's time to stop suckling the teat of fossil fuels - all of them. The oil and coal companies won't do it because they've invested billions in the current technology and there's still too much money to be made. It's up to every one of us to demand a change from "dirty" energy to clean renewable energy.

If global warming is real, then we'll have dodged a bullet. But even if it isn't real, we'll have saved our own lives.

PHOTO CREDIT: Hans Thoursie

Did Glenn Beck Rape and Murder a Woman in 1990?

Glenn Beck's lawyers are not laughing. Neither, I'm sure, is Glenn Beck. But tens of thousands of people are having a laugh at the rumor site, DidGlennBeckRapeAndMurderAYoungGirlIn1990.com.
The anonymous author of the site says that TV loudmouth Glenn Beck uses tactics like this to spread lies and misinformation. And what's good for the goose, as they say, is good for the gander. Other websites have picked up on the site's popularity, and the alleged "rumor" has spread like wildfire.

Glenn Beck is famous for his "Obama is a racist" remarks, and ran a successful smear campaign against the President's "green jobs" advisor, Van Jones by using unscientific cause-effect logic, as well as spouting frightening allegations of communism. He famously had a "nervous breakdown" on national television because he was "frightened" about where the country was headed.

As proof of the rape allegation, a number of websites have popped up with "evidence" of Glenn Beck's wrongdoing, one even hosting a police report and news clipping showing that, indeed in 1990, a person named Glenn Beck did, in fact, rape someone in Connecticut in 1990 where Glenn Beck happened to be working at the time.

Is the rumor true? Glenn Beck isn't talking, and the DidGlennBeckRapeAndMurderAYoungGirlIn1990.com website capitalizes on this by asking him to come forward and tell the truth about the rumors. Because as we all know, a lack of a denial can be just as good as an admission - at least it is to Glenn Beck.

It's Time To Fire The Loudmouths: An Open Letter to Fox, CNN & MSNBC

An Open Letter to:

Rupert Murdoch, CEO Fox News
Jeffrey L. Bewkes, Chairman and CEO of Time Warner Inc.
Jeff Zucker, President of NBC Universal

Gentlemen:

I am writing this letter to express my concern over what I see as the deterioration of civil discourse in American society.

Your cable news networks reach an astonishing number of people throughout the country and around the world. Each of your networks provides valuable news and information to your viewers. Each of your networks also, however, is guilty of stirring up hate, bigotry, racism and fear in the very population you have pledged to serve.

I am speaking, of course, about your "non-news" programs - the programs that mix news, opinion and entertainment. These types of programs are unprecedented in the history of news gathering and reporting and I believe that they represent a real danger to American society.

By airing these types of shows in the evening and "prime time" hours, you are presenting entertainment and opinion as "news," which it is not. Between your three primary networks (CNN, Fox News, MSNBC) there is not a single program that broadcasts purely news after 4PM. Instead, there is a lineup of overly-dramatic programs and opinionated talkers - all spouting their alarmist theories, telling outright lies and badmouthing each other. There is no debate and no opposing points of view are allowed. Some have even revealed themselves to be outright racists and bigots. By displaying a news ticker at the bottom of the screen, you further validate these programs as actual news and validate the opinions of the commentators. Their hateful and vitriolic speech goes right up to the limit of free speech as defined by the Constitution, and they take no responsibility for the potential consequences of their words.

So, I'm asking each of you to do the American public a favor and stop broadcasting these programs in lieu of actual news. Bring back the "old style" news and honest debate. Bring back investigative journalism. Reporters and anchors should report - and shut up. The bond of trust between news anchors and the viewing public has been broken and needs to be restored.

We as a society need to return to honest debate and discussion about the issues of the day. Right now, we yell at each other from our entrenched positions - never actually listening to what the other side has to say, and never actually trying to understand opposing viewpoints. We make up our minds on an issue without fully understanding it - a consequence of lax reporting, opinionated journalists and financial agendas set by each of your companies.

What does it say about network news when a large portion of the American populace reports that they get their news from Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert? It says that your three networks are failing in their mandate to serve the public.

As proof that you are serious about a return to public service, you need to cancel every single show that features an opinionated loudmouth as it's main host. All of them. It's the only way to be completely fair. Any columnist that wants their show back must be held accountable to high standards of decency and fairness.

Will it cost you viewers? Yes. Will it cost you money? Yes. But America needs this. Your job is to educate and inform the public and then let us make up our own minds - a task in which you all have failed miserably.

Do the right thing. Bring back real news.

My Healthcare Solution

Healthcare.

The very word conjures up memories of hours sitting in an emergency room waiting for treatment, fights with my insurance company, stories of people dying because their insurance company wouldn't pay, news coverage of people scamming medicare. . . the list goes on.

In a perfect world, everyone would have a job or own their own business and therefore be able to pay for the healthcare needs of themselves and their families. The capitalist economic system under which we operate, however, does not allow for this. Capitalism, by its very nature, dictates that we must have rich and poor, that in a situation of scarce resources, only those with the ability to pay will receive services. It also dictates that there will NEVER be full employment. 

Thankfully we don't actually operate under a purely capitalist system. We pay taxes to our government to provide services to us. Police, fire, roads, schools, armed forces, etc. Under a purely capitalist system, the fire department wouldn't extinguish your house fire until you paid them first - a situation that used to exist until we as a society decided that the need for public safety was too great. So we each pay a little bit to ensure that everyone benefits.

And do you know what that's called? It's called SOCIALISM. Yup, socialism. Alive and well here in the good 'ol US of A.

The dictionary defines socialism as:

a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.

So, in the case of our public services, we borrow from Karl Marx - the man we all loved to hate. Imagine the chaos that would ensue if the National Guard refused to help out the people in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina unless we paid them first. . . or if the local police would refuse to fight crime in your neighborhood unless they got paid by every single person who lived there in advance. Imagine your kid being kicked out of school because he forgot to bring his money to pay the teacher. Sounds crazy, right?

So how is it that the health and well being of every single American is in the capitalist model? "Sorry, son. Your mom's got a ruptured appendix. We'd love to operate on her and save her life, but you've got to hand us $30,000 first." Unthinkable, right?

"But wait! That's why we have health insurance," you say! And you'd be right. We do have health insurance. But let's examine health insurance in more detail:

In a typical situation, you and your employer pay into a "pool," along with everyone else covered by that company. The insurance "pool" is used to pay claims to pay for healthcare services rendered by doctors, hospitals, drug companies, etc. The theory goes that the larger the "pool," the lower the cost to each individual. Each person is, in effect, paying not only for their own health coverage, but also for everyone else's, because not everyone is sick or requires the same level of treatment at the same time. So while you're healthy, your insurance premiums go towards paying for some guy in Duluth's asthma treatments. And when you have that surgery to remove your ruptured appendix, it's partially payed for by everyone else in the pool.

Now, remembering our definition of socialism, let's remove the words that don't apply in this particular situation and substitute them with our definition of health insurance. Now we end up with:

a [system] that advocates that [healthcare services] should be [paid for] by the [pool].

Holy fraking Mother of All Things. . . IT'S SOCIALISM! Okay, it's not REALLY socialism, but it's damn close. It's the exact same thing as the police service, the fire service and the armed forces. Each person pays a little so that everyone benefits from the service. The only real difference is that part of your premiums go to line the pockets of the executives.

So, now that we've removed the stigma from socialism, we can apply it to the one thing that is bankrupting every single American: healthcare. Every day, more and more people complain that the cost of healthcare is simply too high. Every day, people die because some bean-counter denies treatment because the patient is at an out-of-network hospital. Every day, people go without immunizations and treatments for contagious diseases because they simply cannot afford it - endangering the lives of everyone around them. Every day, people just like you and me DIE, simply because they couldn't afford their medicine. The very same people who gladly pay taxes for their armed forces suddenly have a problem paying taxes for their health?

We've all heard the arguments against a national healthcare system, so I won't go into them here. Some of the arguments are valid, and some are just plain ignorant. Regardless, I have a solution that I think could work:

The government would guarantee healthcare for every American citizen up to a certain level of service. After that, it would be up to the individual to buy their own health insurance to cover the remainder.

For example, immunizations, flu shots, family doctor visits, basic lab work, annual physicals, pediatricians, dental care, eye care, generic drugs and OB/GYN would all be paid for by your tax dollars.

For any serious or expensive conditions, you would have private health insurance to take up the slack. It's only fair that people with expensive needs pay more for their treatment. Additionally, people whose medical conditions are due to lifestyle choices would have to pay even higher: Lung cancer from cigarette smoking? Pull out your wallet, buddy.

Who would be excluded? Non-citizens. If, however, you are from a country that provides universal health care, we will cover your treatment and send the bill to your home country. If you have a valid work permit and are paying taxes on your income, you get the basic government services. 

And now comes the whining: 

"We'll have to wait in long lines for treatment!"
I have two issues with this statement:

1. Are you really that selfish that all you care about is your own health and no one else's? Shame on you.
2. This statement is only halfway true. Initially, yes, there could be longer waits for treatment as more people use the system. But more demand will create much needed jobs and boost the economy.

"Some bureaucrat will dictate when and how I die!"

I've got news for you: The insurance companies are already doing this. And their primary interest is boosting company profits, not taking care of you. Insurance companies are in business TO MAKE MONEY, and for NO other reason than that.

"The government can't handle something so complex - they'll mess it up!"
People, the government IS US! So, if the government is stupid, it's because the stupid people elected stupid politicians. Are you really ready to call yourself an idiot? I thought not. Additionally, the government is already providing health care services to Americans. Every member of the armed forces is covered by universal health care. Every member of Congress is also covered. And there's one more group that also receives free health care: felons. Yup, felons. Go to jail, get 3 squares a day, air conditioning, library, gym and free health care.

This is the richest, most powerful nation in the world. In 2006, we spent close to $7 billion a month for the war in Iraq. We could spend 1/12 of that amount and provide coverage for every uninsured person in America and have money left over.

My plan is by no means complete. It's just an idea for right now. If you've got some constructive criticism or a better idea of your own, then add it to the comments. If all you want to do is bitch about how "socialism" is taking over America, leave your comments to yourself. We are looking for SOLUTIONS here. The current system is broken - even the insurance companies admit it. The government is US, so it's up to US to find a solution.

PHOTO CREDIT: Pam Roth

Microsoft Shoots Self In Foot. . . Again.

Microsoft recently released pricing information about their new "Windows 7" operating system. I have tinkered around with their newest and shiniest operating system and I have to say that I was impressed with it's features, speed, stability and overall quality.

And then I got to the price. . .

$200 for "Home Premium," and $319 for "Ultimate?" Seriously, Microsoft?? SERIOUSLY?!?

THE VERY NEXT DAY, It was announced that the much-vaunted Windows 7 "Genuine" software protection had been cracked and beaten. Curious, I tried it out and it worked like a charm. So potentially, my out-of-pocket cost (along with millions of others) for Windows 7 is absolutely $0. Fortunately for Microsoft, I'm a Mac user, so it's irrelevant in my case.

But it got me thinking about the constant back-and-forth battle between Microsoft and the countless software hackers out there trying to beat their "Genuine" software protection. It's been going on since the days of Windows 95, and it looks like it's never going to end. Fortunately, I have a solution:

The way for Microsoft to virtually eliminate all this back-and-forth with hacks, cracks, patches and updates is to. . . are you ready for this. . . LOWER THE FRAKING PRICE!

I gladly shell out $129 for a single copy of Mac OS X Leopard (or $199 for a 5-pack) because it's so inexpensive! And that's not some "upgrade" copy either - it's the FULL VERSION.

How about $149 for a single copy of "Home Premium," give us a break and say $199 for a 5-license pack, and perhaps $249 for the "Ultimate" edition? You already own 90% of the home and business computer market, and by lowering your prices you allow more people to legally purchase your products. And don't even get me started on the "umpteen" different versions of Windows you're putting out there to artificially segment the market: Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, Ultimate, "E" edition (now replaced by a version that lets you pick your web browser to satisfy European Union regulators), Smack Yo' Mama Edition, Nerd Edition and the always fun Pimped Out Edition.

Sure, there will always be a very small minority who insist on having things for free, and there will always be hackers out there who do it for fun, but if you stop TREATING people like criminals, maybe they'll stop ACTING like criminals.

And think of how much smoother and faster Windows would be without all the crap you've stuffed in to look for hacked copies and keys?

Will you, Microsoft, take my suggestion and make it into reality? Probably not. And so the battle continues, with me looking on from the distance as I happily pull out my debit card and pay the $30 upgrade fee for Apple's "Snow Leopard," making my entire out-of-pocket cost for Apple's latest and greatest OS a whopping $159. And it's all legal.

Golden Shower Journalism

TV news used to be about integrity. Reporters and anchors were all interested in "getting to the bottom" of a story and being the first to report it to their viewers. We trusted what they said without question. They were essentially hard-nosed newspaper reporters on television. They asked the "tough" questions, followed up with a "thorough" analysis.

Then something changed. Network executives decided that they wanted to turn their news organizations into money-making enterprises. Pretty soon, we started seeing lots of flashy graphics and dramatic music for even the most mundane of stories. Then the "crawlers" started appearing on the bottom of the screen - don't care about that particular news story? That's okay, because we have 12 others running along the bottom of the screen to keep your ADD brain occupied. Not enough? That's okay, because now we have "NEWS ALERTS!" Sounds important, right? It's not. Just another tool to keep your eyes glued to the screen.

Then the ads started. The shameless self-promoting ads from the news organizations that touted just how good they were at bringing you the news. Each network claimed to be "number one." I'm sure that they each were "number one" at something, but I have no idea as to what it was. It was like the cola wars all over again. I started longing for the days when news used to be "boring."

After that, the talking heads appeared. Under the pretense of getting all sides to a story, networks started inviting non-reporters on their news shows to give their opinion and have spirited debates over issues - or so I thought. Instead of debate, we wound up with two or more polar-opposite people trying to talk over each other while the poor news anchor tried to maintain some sense of order.

But what I saw as unwelcome chaos, network executives saw as "drama," and apparently so did millions of TV news viewers. Before long, all of the big cable news networks had people yelling at each other onscreen. One cable news network decided to brand this organized chaos as their tag-line. "Fair and Balanced," they called it. I called it rubbish.

But why bother with the pretense? Why not just give these talking heads their own shows? BRILLIANT! This was the point where the dam burst and the flood of faux news spilled all over the television landscape. Now we have an entire cast of lunatics on TV all telling us that we should be TERRIFIED that some public official has done something that may or may not make our lives a living hell. I speak of such non-news brokers as Glen Beck, Rachel Maddow, Lou Dobbs, Keith Olbermann, Sean Hannity, Nancy Grace, Chris Matthews and others like them who don't actually report a damn thing. They spend all of their time trying to make us frightened by telling us that either those damn liberals or those damn conservatives or some other damn group are going to screw up the entire country. Every day the rhetoric gets louder and louder, and I see more and more people affected by it. My brother has conveniently coined a term for this type of "news." He calls it "Golden Shower Journalism." It's so gross that you can't bear to look away.

This is not debate. This is not news. This is ENTERTAINMENT disguised as news. And yet it is more than that: It is the disintegration of civil discourse in American society. It is the end of discussion, debate and compromise. It is people YELLING AT each other instead of talking to and listening to each other. Reason has gone out the window, replaced by fear - fear that keeps people coming back to watch more, wanting to see what that they are up to next. Because the price of freedom is vigilance! We've got to watch out for them! They will be the downfall of this nation, mark my words!

Folks, there is no "them." There is only "we." We can have different opinions and ideas, but in the end we are all citizens of one nation. WE need to send a signal to these news networks that this kind of FILTH needs to be taken off the air.

I don't watch ANY cable news after 4PM. In fact, the ONLY cable news I watch nowadays is Headline News' "Morning Express." They report the news, and then they SHUT UP. No commentary, no opinion, no "debate." After that, I get my news from NPR.

I don't need a bunch of high-paid talking heads to do my debating for me - and neither do you. Let's send these idiots a message by NOT patronizing their nonsense any longer. BRING BACK REAL NEWS!