Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension ~ Maybe Thats Me ?



Eye on Health: Lung Disease...PAH
Posted: Nov 18, 2010
By Latrice Curry , Eye on Health Reporter
Everyday activities that most of us take for granted, are extremely difficult for some people. Making it through a normal days work became almost impossible for Christine Wilkinson. "As a nurse when I couldn't do my 12 hours on the floor between patients without having to sit down all the time," says Wilkinson. After several frustrating visits to various doctors, Wilkinson was finally diagnosed with a rare lung disease, Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension also known as P-A-H. "In the nutshell it is high blood pressure in your lungs," says Dr. Mike Czarnecki. Dr. Czarnecki is known as the "Lung Doctor" and he says this condition is often mis-diagnosed as other common ailments such as COPD. "This is a rare disease and often goes mis-diagnosed because the symptoms are dizziness, shortness of breath, maybe you are unable to walk to your mailbox without getting short of breath," says Dr. Mike Czarnecki. There are four categories of P-A-H, Classes 1 through 4 with four being the most serious, where patients show symptoms with any type of activity, sometimes even while resting. While Dr. Czarnecki says most cases aren't caught in the early stages, Wilkinson's was. "I am more aware of it, the heart pain, but I am feeling better because not also having the asthma slow me down as well," says Wilkinson. Correct diagnosis and treatment is crucial. Dr. Mike Czarnecki says "Without treatment it is a lethal disease." P-A-H is more common by a 3-1 margin in women, with most of them being diagnosed in their 30's and 40's. Treatment can range from oral medications to inhaled therapies and IV therapies. Dr. Czarnecki says if you ever took the diet drug phen phen, you might be at risk, because it was taken off the market because it caused Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.
Editorial : This writer has PAH, We/Vandy think`s ? Sometimes walking can be a nightmare. Taking a shower is a nightmare. Dressing is tough. It affects you, as if you are running a race, and cannot catch your breath ! (It is shortness of Breath) I am a Male ! My medications are (revatio 20mg. tabs) 3 times a day & (tyvaso inhalation liquid therapy) 4 times a day. I`m not sure, that it is helping ? And wow is it expensive. $$$$$...You don`t want to know. If you see me out, you would think, I was fine, but, I`m at rest. When I get up to walk after a longtime idle, it is a nightmare. Oh, did I mention, I`m a Heart-Transplant 16 years post !
I do have a Female Heart ! I have never taken phen phen. Top left is my PAH Physician, Dr. Anna Hemnes, Vanderbilt University. She`s a Dandy !

Monday, November 22, 2010

Health Care ! ~ It`s All About The Money ! Insurance Money...





Health Care Giants Spent $86 Million in Effort to Kill Reform
by James Parks, Nov 19, 2010

We reported that Big Insurance funneled millions of dollars to the Chamber of Commerce to fight health care reform and millions more to try and water down the law once it was passed. Now Bloomberg Business News reporter Drew Armstrong has put a price tag on the effort to kill the bill. In an article earlier this week, Armstrong says tax records show big health insurers last year gave the Chamber $86.2 million that was used to oppose the health care overhaul law. The Chamber is not required to disclose its donors, but unnamed sources told Bloomberg that the money came from America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), an industry trade group that represents companies like Cigna and UnitedHealth Group. AHIP’s donation accounted for 40 percent of all the money the Chamber received in 2009. The money paid for advertisements, polling and grass roots events to drum up opposition to the bill that’s projected to provide coverage to 32 million uninsured Americans, a Chamber spokesman told Armstrong. But the spending hasn’t stopped. Opponents of the overhaul have spent $108 million since then to advertise against it, the New York Times recently reported—six times more than supporters have spent. Meanwhile, the big insurers continue to make outrageous profits. Six of the nation’s biggest private health insurance companies saw their profits increase by 22 percent over last year in the quarter that ended in September, according to a new analysis by Health Care for America Now (HCAN). HCAN says the $3.4 billion in 2010 third-quarter profits for WellPoint Inc., UnitedHealth Group Inc., Aetna Inc., Humana Inc., Cigna Corp. and Coventry Health Care Inc. is tied to the companies spending a “smaller share of their premiums on medical care, purging unprofitable members and burdening consumers with higher cost-sharing limits.” !

Editorial : It`s all about the money ! The Big Insurance and Drug company`s get richer and the consumer gets poorer ! President Obama pass`s laws...they learn quickly how to get around them. The Chamber of Commerce, picture at top R should read small business UNION !





Saturday, November 20, 2010

Trade ~ Trade ~ Trade ! ~ Fix it or Nix it !


Trade is the Problem ! Until it is fixed...Our Economy will Continue to Fail !

We Need to save Union City Goodyear Plant !

I have written many times about our trade problem. I am deeply concerned by the rapid decline of our manufacturing sector, which imperils our position as the world's strongest economy. Over 5 million manufacturing jobs have been lost in just the last 10 years - 2.4 million are the result of our trade deficit with China. Senate passage of H.R. 2378 - a bill to deter China from its market-distorting practice of currency manipulation - should be a top priority before Congress adjourns. Most economists believe that currency manipulation gives Chinese manufactured goods a 40 percent cost advantage when shipped into our market and an equivalent disadvantage for our goods when they enter China. Left unchecked, this policy stands in the way of free and fair trade, job creation, and a higher standard of living for millions of Americans. Confronted with stiff international pressure, China made a phony pledge in June 2010 to restore flexibility to its exchange rate and allow market forces to determine the value of the Yuan. However, the value of the Yuan has risen just 2 percent since that announcement - a far cry from the 40 percent undervaluation that is fueling a massive and ever-expanding trade deficit for our nation. History shows that strong action by Congress will bring positive results for American workers and companies. The Senate voted overwhelmingly in 2005 to penalize China for currency manipulation, and the result was a 21 percent appreciation of the Yuan in the months that followed. Unfortunately, China has restored its mercantilist currency policy and American jobs are in jeopardy. The House has already taken decisive action. On September 30, 2010, the House showed a rare moment of bipartisan cooperation by voting 348-79 to pass H.R. 2378, the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act, sponsored by Congressmen Tim Ryan (D-OH) and Tim Murphy (R-PA). Now the Senate must act before closing out the 111th Congress. This issue is too important to postpone any longer. With each day that passes without action, more jobs are lost in my community and the tipping point of no return for our economy and middle-class America gets closer and closer. Ending China's currency manipulation will create more than 750,000 good American jobs at no cost to the U.S. Treasury. In fact, the anticipated growth created by such a
move could lower our budget deficit by as much as $500 billion over the next six years.
Fortunately, it is not too late to act.
I am counting on you to take
action to preserve our jobs, especially Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Union City, Tennessee and insist on a level playing field for American workers and businesses.
Please vote for H.R. 2378 and send the bill to President Obama for his signature. If you live in Tennessee ? click on title of this article or link below !
Contact Senator`s Alexander and Corker. Urge them to vote for this bill !
H.R. 2378

http://www.tennesseeanytime.org/government/elected.html

Sincerely,

Don Jones = Underdog

Friday, November 19, 2010

Social Security ~ A Lifeline & It`s Our Money !



Call Congress on November 30th to Protect Social Security!


The Social Security Works & Strengthen Social Security (SSS) Campaign wants your help in flooding Capitol Hill with thousands of phone calls to protect Social Security on Tuesday, November 30,2010 a national call-in day. The goal of each call will be to urge elected officials to oppose both benefit cuts to Social Security and the raising of the retirement age. As time nears for the full Fiscal Commission to release their official proposal, it will also be important to urge elected officials to oppose the Commission’s proposals to cut Social Security. The SSS Campaign is providing an email message, call-in script, and the following phone number for November 30: 1- 866-529-7630. Watch for these materials to come by e-mail next week. Tell Congress “NO!” to Social Security benefit cuts, and to keep their hands off Social Security!

GAO: Raising Retirement Age Would Hit Low-Income Workers, Minorities Extra Hard

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on Friday highlighting the risks of raising the retirement age. The Senate Aging Committee Chair, Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI), had requested the report to address potential problems Americans would face with raising the Early Eligibility Age (EEA), the earliest eligibility age at which workers first qualify for retirement benefits, or the Full Retirement Age (FRA). The report found that raising the retirement age for Social Security would disproportionately hurt low-income workers and minorities, and increase disability claims by older people unable to work. The projected spike in disability claims could harm Social Security's finances, because disability benefits typically are higher than early retirement payments, GAO concluded. Under current law, people can start drawing reduced, early retirement benefits from Social Security at age 62. Full benefits are available at 66, a threshold gradually increasing to 67 for people who were born in 1960 or later. The fiscal commission's leaders, Bowles and Simpson, last week proposed a gradual increase in the full retirement age, to 69 in about 2075. The early retirement age would go to 64 the same year. About one-fourth of workers age 60 and 61 - just under the early retirement age - reported a health condition that limited their ability to work. Among those older workers, African-Americans and Hispanics were much more likely to report fair or poor health than whites, according to the report. “Raising the retirement age would make it impossible for many workers to continue to work in their current conditions, while crippling their eligibility for retirement benefits,“The GAO’s report has many striking statistics that show the harm in raising the retirement age.
To read the report, click here: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d11125.pdf. <

Editorial : what part of "NO", do our Republican friends not understand ? Keep your hands off of Social Security !



China & The Unions ? "Long Read ~ But, Informative" !






Wages, Conditions Improve as Workers in China form Unions
By Kathy Chu and Michelle Yun, USA TODAY

> http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/2010-11-19-Chinalabor_cv_N.htm <

SHAJING, China — In many ways, Lan Yimin represents the new generation of Chinese factory workers. She wants fair working conditions. Time off to socialize. And a job that pays enough so she can open a milk tea business one day.
Lan, 22, is one of millions of migrant workers powering the electronics, furniture and toy factories in China's Pearl River Delta. While she's following in her parents' footsteps on the assembly line, unlike them, she's less willing to "eat bitterness" — as the Chinese call it — and toil away for meager pay and benefits. She has more job options and better access to information. And as China's economy booms, her generation is becoming bolder. "The young generation has a wider social circle; we talk more about factory conditions and we know more about our legal rights," Lan says at a workers' center in this industrial town where she attends seminars on handling late wages and contract termination.

INFLATION THREAT: China orders banks to boost reserves
Workers' growing awareness and their willingness to take action are slowly pushing up wages and improving conditions in the manufacturing industry. The Chinese government already moved to increase salaries and labor standards a few years ago. Now it is trying to maintain a delicate balance of improving income levels for workers while not scaring away foreign corporations with higher labor costs. "That's USA !"

As wages and other costs rise here, U.S. companies will have to decide whether to take their production to other Asian manufacturing hubs or increase prices for American consumers.

This year, strikes at Honda factories and a spate of suicides at Foxconn — a maker of electronics for U.S. companies such as Apple and Dell — raised alarm among corporations and the government that the era of the docile worker had ended.
Strikes still happen each week in China, labor rights groups say, but the government doesn't allow them to be reported. The labor unrest is even inspiring strikes in Cambodia and Vietnam, whose workers say they're emboldened by their Chinese colleagues' examples.

For now, factory workers in China "are only making economic demands, not political," says Chang Kai, a labor relations expert at People's University in Beijing who has assisted workers with strike negotiations.

But history shows that labor movements don't necessarily follow logical, or peaceful, paths. U.S. railroad and steelworkers staged massive strikes during the late 1800s that led to violence when authorities intervened.

In China, "If the government does not treat the workers' struggle for collective bargaining seriously, if it decides to treat these demands as political, then this will turn into a political struggle," says Han Dongfang, a labor activist deported to Hong Kong for his role in the Tienanmen Square protest of 1989.

To a certain extent, the Chinese government is tolerating worker unrest because it recognizes that higher wages translate into more spending that can stimulate the economy. The government wants all residents to share in the country's economic growth, says Juzhong Zhuang, deputy chief economist of the Asian Development Bank, because "high income inequality can lead to social problems that undermine long-term economic growth." The challenge is that the government wants to "offer more protection for workers, but it is also exposed to a lot of pressure from companies" resisting change, says Debby Chan, a project officer for Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM), a workers' advocacy group.

Labor unrest on rise

After this year's labor unrest, the government is stepping up efforts to unionize companies, says Lesli Ligorner, a Shanghai-based partner at Paul Hastings law firm who represents multinationals doing business in China. The idea is that if workers join the state-controlled All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) — the only union allowed in the country — they'll have an avenue other than strikes to air their grievances.

Yet having more companies establish unions does little good if those unions don't represent workers, says Han, who founded Hong Kong-based worker advocacy group China Labour Bulletin. "If I'm thirsty and you give me another cup with no water in it, I'll still be thirsty."

In Beijing, Liu Rongli is trying to make his employer more responsive to workers.

Inside a vast workshop, where crane operators sort heavy slabs of metal, Liu calls to order a meeting of the company's trade union. A shout to co-worker Gao Wei, and the full membership is soon sitting down in a grimy room.
Both of them.
The trade union was established against the odds in September 2010, thanks to Liu's perseverance.

While the group is still under the umbrella of the ACFTU, the new union better represents workers, according to Gao, because "we have a way to negotiate with management."

The ACFTU didn't respond to requests for an interview. But one trade union representative describes union meetings as straightforward affairs. The employer "guarantees major decisions in advance," according to Liu Ying, a union worker in a large, state-owned energy company in Dalian, eastern China. "The trade union selects delegates from among all the workers, people we can trust, then these representatives always raise their hands in approval."

Because the union is a "state tool, labor rights fall secondary to social stability," acknowledges Qiao Jian, a director at the China Institute of Industrial Relations.
The union does have its strengths, Qiao says. As an offshoot of the Communist Party, the union can implement changes quickly for the benefit of the country's workers.

But until major change occurs, and until workers have viable options to air their complaints, strikes will keep rising, predicts Li Qiang, founder of China Labor Watch, a group with offices in New York and Southern China.

No official numbers are available on strikes. But labor cases heard by arbitration committees more than doubled from 2000 through 2007 to 350,182, according to Chinese government data. In 2008, arbitrated cases surged to 693,000 after laws took effect making it cheaper for workers to pursue arbitration and requiring employers to provide written contracts.

Young factory workers are frustrated because they're generally not sharing in the country's economic boom, says Eli Friedman, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California-Berkeley, who spent a year and a half in China studying labor disputes. "They want to make a life in the city," Friedman says. "But if you're making 1,000 yuan a month, it's not going to cut it."

As workers demand higher living standards, companies will have to adapt, says Jeremy Prepscius, Asia managing director for BSR, which advises members on sustainable business strategies.
"The old way of managing labor is looking at workers as a plentiful resource," Prepscius says. "The new way is looking at workers as a scarce resource."

Higher price tags in U.S.

In the Pearl River Delta — known as the factory of the world — a labor shortage is giving migrant workers leverage to negotiate better wages and benefits. Evidence of this can be found along Southern China's dusty streets.

In Dongguan city, where three of every four residents are migrant workers, for-hire signs taped to telephone poles compete for people's attention. Brightly colored banners hang from factory gates;
one offers 1,300 yuan a month, about $200 U.S., for eight-hour workdays, 26 days a month.

Inside a factory of TAL Group, thousands of workers churn out as many as 33,600 shirts and 7,200 pairs of pants daily, sometimes to Chinese pop music bellowing overhead. Many work 10 hours a day.

Orderly chaos reigns on the factory floor, a blur of flying hands and whirring sewing machines. Every 35 to 45 seconds, a dress shirt is sown for clients such as Brooks Bros. and J.C. Penney. An electronic panel hangs from the ceiling, counting down how much clothing remains to be completed during the shift.

While TAL has added employees to its busy production lines, it's been harder to recruit them because of the labor shortage, admits Roger Lee, the company's chief operating officer.

Labor costs have surged 25% this year due to rising wages and benefits, forcing the company to become more efficient.

Yet even with productivity improvements, higher costs mean "we ultimately have to pass along" certain expenses to clients, Lee says. U.S. retailers then have to decide whether to raise prices for consumers.

In the textile industry, labor accounts for as much as a third of production expenses, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, meaning that U.S. consumers are likely to see higher price tags when costs in China rise. In other industries, where labor represents a small percentage of total costs, U.S. companies may be willing to bear one-time hikes.

While higher wages may crimp the profits of U.S. companies making goods in China, they also boost the bottom line of those that sell products here. As Chinese consumers' household income rises, there will be a "stronger market for U.S. goods and services," says Sandra Polaski, U.S. deputy undersecretary of Labor.

Unsafe working conditions

As workers scramble to meet production quotas, accidents and injuries can occur. Ruan Libing worked at Elec-Tech's appliance factory in Zhuhai, Southern China, for a month when a molding machine mangled his left hand. It had to be amputated.

Ruan, 22, is one of about 60 workers who lost fingers or hands or had other accidents at Elec-Tech's Zhuhai factory from July 2009 through June 2010, according to an August report by SACOM, the workers' advocacy group. The group blames the accidents on the pressure to work faster, unsafe machines and insufficient employee training.

Eva Chan, vice president of sales and marketing for Elec-Tech, says the company recently upgraded all machines in its Zhuhai factory so they require two hands to operate. No accidents have occurred since then, and the supplier — whose toasters and blenders sell at U.S. retailers such as Walmart, Bloomingdale's and Williams-Sonoma — hasn't lost any clients, according to Chan.

Walmart is "actively monitoring" conditions at the supplier's factories and has asked an independent group to evaluate the machines' safety, says the retailer's spokesman, Kevin Gardner.

Unsafe working environments and inadequate pay are common, according to Li, of China Labor Watch. U.S. companies share responsibility, he says, because "they're encouraging the exploitation of Chinese laborers by hiring factories based on the lowest price and the fastest production."

This criticism, however, ignores the fact that U.S. companies are investing more money and resources to monitor their suppliers, says Drew Thompson, director of China studies at the Nixon Center, a conservative Washington, D.C., think tank. "By and large, American companies are doing it right."

Still, labor experts generally agree that China has a long way to go in improving working conditions. And the surge in job-related strikes and lawsuits may signal that workers are no longer willing to stand idly by.

The developments are "incredibly hopeful," says Charles Kernaghan, director of the National Labor Committee, a workers' advocacy group. "You're talking about the biggest working class in the world rising up. Change will come through these people."

Editorial : China`s State operated Unions are not gonna cut it ! Only through worker organized Unions will workers prevail. Then, Chinese Government may turn organizing unions into Tennemon square ! The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is building a 100 million dollar plant in Dalian China now. It seems that livable wages are not part of the equation ! Let`s see now, We build plants in other countries and hire cheap labor and then import the product back to the United States, no tariff involved. We then close our plants and put thousands of people out of work in the USA ! Seems fair to me, seem fair to YOU ? Oh, did I mention, the price does not come down ! one more thing, Goodyear cannot sell their tire in China for five years from start of production. Me thinks that, we need ever who negotiates this crap, to negotiate for USA ! Our Politicians have sold us OUT ! Thanks to Buddy M. for this one !

Monday, November 15, 2010

Absolute Insanity ~ Tax Cuts for the Wealthy ! Have We All Gone Mad ?

'Absolute Insanity’ to Keep Bush Tax Cuts for Wealthy
by James Parks, Nov 12, 2010

Republicans on Capitol Hill want to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for the rich, which are set to expire at the end of the year. President Obama and congressional Democrats want to extend the cuts for middle- and lower-income families, but not for persons making $250,000 or more. The Bush tax cuts never came close to living up to the promise that they would create jobs—we actually lost private-sector jobs under the Bush administration. Extending the tax breaks for the wealthy also would add billions to the national deficit. In a statement today, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said it is “absolutely insane” that in these tough economic times some people want to continue the “tax give-aways to millionaires while working families are losing their jobs, their benefits and their homes.” We need to focus on creating jobs by giving tax breaks only to middle-class families and investing in rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and green technologies. Millionaires and Wall Street already had their party, which tanked our economy and left Main Street stuck paying the bill. He urged the lame-duck session of Congress not to compromise on this issue.The election is over and now it’s time for politicians to show courage and stand and fight on these issues for working families. Let the millionaires fend for themselves for a change.

Read Trumka’s entire statement here, click on link below http://www.aflcio.org/mediacenter/prsptm/pr11122010a.cfm

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Social Security ~ Is it Safe ? Rep. Miller Says, YES !




Does Social Security Have WMD ?
By Rep. Brad Miller (D). Representative, North Carolina 13th District
Posted: November 12, 2010


The PowerPoint released by Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, the co-chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform ("The Deficit Commission"), said we should

"Reform Social Security for its own sake, not for deficit reduction."
No kidding. Social Security has nothing to do with the deficit. Not now, not ever !
Critics of Social Security have frequently made alarming claims about the future of the system to support calls for "reform." President George W. Bush conceded in 2005 that "it's not bankrupt yet," but said we couldn't "wait until it's bankrupt." "The problem with that notion is that the longer you wait, the more difficult it is to fix," President Bush said. "You realize that this system of ours is going to be short the difference between obligations and money coming in, by about $11 trillion, unless we act... That's trillion with a 'T.'"

That does sound scary.

So what was the period for that projected shortfall ? It was for the "indefinite future." Forecasts of the end times are usually the work of religious prophets, not economists or actuaries. According to the Book of Revelation, at the end of days earthquakes will level mountains, hail will fall mixed with fire, and a beast with seven heads and ten horns will arise from the seas. In that context, a shortfall in the Social Security system just doesn't seem like that big a deal. At least President Bush used the term "projected shortfall," but Republican talking heads sent forth to battle on cable television routinely used the word "deficit," implying that we'd have to pick up the difference. No, we wouldn't. Here's how it would work if we just left the current law alone. The system has been running a substantial surplus for a generation because the Baby Boom has been working and paying payroll taxes, and the Baby Boom dwarfs the generation now receiving benefits. The surplus has gone into the Trust Fund, which now stands at about $2.6 trillion (That's trillion with a "T.") As the Baby Boom retires, the system will stop running a surplus later this decade. Then the system will pay full benefits, including cost-of-living adjustments, from payroll taxes and the interest from the Trust Fund. About a decade after that, payroll taxes and interest on the Trust Fund will not be enough to pay full benefits, including cost of living adjustments. Then the system will pay full benefits, including cost of living adjustments, from payroll taxes, interest and the principal of the Trust Fund.
Around 2037
, the principal of the Trust Fund will be exhausted. Under the existing law, the system will then reduce the benefits to what can be covered by payroll taxes. The projection is that the benefits would then be reduced by about 22 percent. A 22-percent reduction in benefits is pretty unattractive, especially if the finances of the middle class are as fragile in 30 years as they are now. But proposals to "fix" Social Security by reducing benefits would really just swap one reduction of benefits for another. Paul Krugman argues that raising the retirement age is a reduction of benefits that works to the disadvantage of blue-collar workers: While average life expectancy is indeed rising, it's doing so mainly for high earners, precisely the people who need Social Security least. Life expectancy in the bottom half of the income distribution has barely inched up over the past three decades. So the Bowles-Simpson proposal is basically saying that janitors should be forced to work longer because these days corporate lawyers are living to a ripe old age. Would blue-collar workers be better off if we raised the retirement age or let an across-the-board cut in benefits go into effect in 30 years or so? Isn't that a question we should ask ? More to the point, Social Security has nothing to do with the deficit. "Since Social Security is legally prohibited from ever spending more than it has collected in taxes," Dean Baker correctly argues, "it cannot under the law contribute to the deficit." The Social Security system "fell outside of the mandate" of the Deficit Commission, Baker said. "They must have been expecting extra credit." We are right to worry about Social Security, and we are right to worry about our long-term deficit. But the two are completely distinct.
So proposing to "reform" Social Security because of long-term deficits is like invading Iraq because Afghanistan attacked us.
Or maybe the Social Security system has weapons of mass destruction.

Editorial : It`s politics as usual, in regard to SS# ! Ask, why do the Republicans want your $ocial $ecurity ? They say to privatize it. Now, What does privatize SS # mean ? Lets see, put it on wall street. Now looking at the recent fiasco on Wall-Street, that would be a great idea ! I know, we can take it to Vegas and gamble with it, ( Makes more sense that Wall-Street) Com`on folks, wake up and smell the honey( I`m from the South) suckle ! Stop politicizing SS# ! Keep the politicians hands and mouths off of it ! Including our Presidents ! SS# problem solved !

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Don`t Extend Bush Tax Cuts for the Wealthy ! Or Will Obama Fold ?





Tell Congress: Don't Extend the Bush Tax Cuts for the Wealthy
The Bush tax cuts, like the Iraq War, are one of the primary drivers of our large federal deficit. And like the Iraq War, the Bush tax cuts were sold to the public through outright deception.

The snake oil the Bush administration peddled was that the tax cuts, which overwhelmingly went to the rich and the ultra-rich, would spur the economy.

Now that we're facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, many so-called "conservatives," joined with corporatist "moderates," are singing the same tune. They are demanding we extend the tax giveaways for the wealthy (set to expire at the end of the year) at a cost of $700 billion over the next decade.
Meanwhile,
these same members of Congress are demanding deep cuts to the social safety net for the poor, the middle class, the unemployed and the elderly.
There is very little that so clearly demonstrates the callous venality of some members of Congress than the simultaneous demand to give Paris Hilton a tax cut while pushing benefit cuts to Social Security.

Tell Congress:
Don't extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. Click below.
Tax cuts for economic elites aren't free and they aren't effective. The government still needs revenue and giving away money to millionaires (who on average would receive over $100,000 in tax cuts per year if all the Bush tax cuts are extended) takes away from the money we can spend to help the victims of this economic downturn. There is simply no excuse for Congress to plead poverty when it comes to helping those in need while literally giving it away to those who don't need it.
Congress needs step up to the plate and make sure we don't continue one of the biggest economic injustices of the Bush era. Tell Congress:
Don't extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.

The petition reads:

"Let the Bush tax cuts that affect only the richest 2% of Americans expire on schedule at the end of the year. Congress needs to step up to the plate and make sure we don't continue one of the biggest economic injustices of the Bush era."
Complete the following to sign the petition. You'll receive periodic updates on offers and activism opportunities.
Tax cuts for economic elites aren't free and they aren't effective. The government still needs revenue and giving away money to millionaires (who on average would receive over $100,000 in tax cuts per year if all the Bush tax cuts are extended) takes away from the money we can spend to help the victims of this economic downturn. There is simply no excuse for Congress to plead poverty when it comes to helping those in need while literally giving it away to those who don't need it. Congress needs step up to the plate and make sure we don't continue one of the biggest economic injustices of the Bush era.
Tell Congress: Don't extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. Just click on link below or the title of this article.

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Pulmonary Hypertension...Shortness of Breath, Not Much Fun !

This Blogger has (PAH) Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension !

Shortness of breath, not much fun !

Friday, November 05, 2010

Tennessee`s Lamar Alexander (R) Opposes Healthcare ! ?



We Should Repeal the New Health Care Law and Replace It With Step by Step Reductions in Health Care Costs ?
by : Senator Lamar Alexander (R) Tennessee

When giving the Republicans’ opening remarks at the health care summit earlier this year, I told President Obama exactly what the health care reform bill would mean for Americans: “It means there will be about a half trillion dollars of new taxes in it. It means that for millions of Americans, premiums will go up, because when people pay those new taxes, premiums will go up, and they will also go up because of the government mandates.” I voted against the health care bill because it was—and is—an historic mistake. About six months after the bill became law, the Wall Street Journal reports that individuals’ premiums are already going up. I have already voted for legislation to repeal the new law, and if there is another motion to repeal it, I'll vote for it again. The wisest course now is repealing the law and replacing it with immediate insurance reforms and step-by-step reductions in health care costs so that more Americans can afford to buy insurance. For example, we should allow buying insurance across state lines; permit small businesses to join together to offer cheaper insurance to employees; limit junk lawsuits against doctors; reduce waste, fraud and abuse; and expand health savings accounts. Senators on my side of the aisle repeatedly urged these steps last year, before the bill became law. Now, we should repeal this law and replace it with sensible, thoughtful legislation to reduce your health care costs.

Alexander Op-Ed in the Tennessean: Health-care law must be reworked
Click here to read it. http://alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?

Editorial : I bet, Senator Alexander has the best healthcare insurance, that we/tax-payers can buy him ! Please read above carefully, he is not advocating to do it better, he`s advocating no healthcare for you and I at all ! I know, lets limit his healthcare insurance, perhaps he`ll change his mind ? Did you notice, he is taking care of his Dr. friends...so you can`t sue him/her ! Step by Step Reductions ? Poor Tennesseans, they just keep electing Lamar ? Why ? Notice any similarity in the pics above ?

Thursday, November 04, 2010

Roy Herron, Such Class...Once in a Lifetime ? All of Tennessee Lost !




Sometimes, Only Once in a Lifetime ! Roy Herron,

"Thank You for allowing me to Be a Part of It" !
"God Bless Roy Herron" !

by Don Jones = Underdog = http://wwwsecondchance.blogspot.com/

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Don,

Below are thoughts I shared on Election Night. I won’t subject you to them twice, but please know the gratitude expressed two nights ago certainly extends to you now -- and always.
Thank you for keeping the fight and the faith.

Your friend,

Roy
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REFLECTIONS ON ELECTION NIGHT
NOVEMBER 2, 2010

Upon one of Abraham Lincoln’s several election defeats, on a night like this, Lincoln quipped, “I feel like the little boy who stubbed his toe in the dark. I am too old to cry, but it hurts too much to laugh.”

So it is for many of us tonight.

But Scripture teaches us in Ecclesiastes:

To everything there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under heaven.
...
A time to weep, and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn, and a time to dance…

This was not our time to win this election, but there will be other elections, and there will be other times.

Perhaps for me, certainly for so many of you who have worked so hard in this campaign, there will be other times, and there will be victories.

This campaign may be over, but our work is not. People still need us. Our country still needs us.

Our cause is bigger than one campaign, one election.

To quote an author my son John shared today, “Never think that God’s delays are God’s denials. Hold on; hold fast; hold out.”

So keep the fight, not against each other, but for each other.

For those for whom the Hebrew prophets demanded justice, the widows and the orphans, the sojourners and the poor; and for all those Jesus called “the least of these,” the hungry and the hurting, the sick and the needy…

Keep the fight.

For the woman at the Jackson church who passed me a note saying her three siblings had worked a combined 77 years but have now lost their jobs and need work…

Keep the fight.

For the child with the learning disability who couldn’t see the blackboard and failed three vision tests but couldn’t afford glasses because her mother is disabled and her father lost his job…

Keep the fight.

For the 63-year-old woman in Gibson County who for years has worked at a factory handling products with gnarled, arthritic fingers, and now has lost her job and doesn’t know how she’ll provide for the granddaughter she is raising…

Keep the fight.

For the Henry County man who has worked every working day for 15 years since he beat the cancer, but who has not one day had health insurance because of his “pre-existing condition”…

Keep the fight.

For the Benton County small business owner who agonizes whether to let employees go to pay for the health insurance cost increases for other workers…

Keep the fight.

For the seniors who depend on Social Security, and who, without it, would sink into poverty or worse….

Keep the faith.

For our children and grandchildren who suffer under the largest deficits and debt our country has ever known…

Keep the faith.

For the soldiers like Captain Brent Morel who gave his life defending our freedom, and for his parents, and for all the soldiers, veterans, and military families who sacrifice so much for our country…

Keep the faith.

For the strength of our state and the soul of our country…

Keep the faith.

Brothers and sisters, that is our calling. That is our cause.

No less tonight than this morning, and even more tomorrow.

Keep the fight.

Keep the faith.

I just called Stephen Fincher to acknowledge his election, and Donn Janes to thank him for his courageous campaign.

I also need to thank those of you here tonight who have kept the fight and the faith over the last year -- especially Nancy Carol Sue Jane Amy Angeline Julie Ann Caroline, and our wonderful sons, John, Rick and Ben.

And some not here -- my mentor Governor Ned McWherter, our dear friends Congressman John and Betty Ann Tanner who served us all so well, my Mother, who badly wants to be here but tonight is not able, and my late Father.

And the hardest working campaign staff in America. Campaign team, please raise your hands so we can recognize -- and thank you.

Ecclesiastes also teaches: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might.”

Brothers and sisters, we can rest assured that we did this with all our might. And as I look at you, my family, and friends as close as family, I am filled with gratitude--and with hope.

The Apostle Paul reminds us:

“Suffering produces endurance,
Endurance produces character,
Character produces hope,
And hope does not fail us…”

Many of you suffered for this campaign, working 14-16 hours a day, six days a week, for weeks on end.

Many of you left jobs and schools to join us. Others of you did your jobs or school or both and still volunteered hundreds of hours. Your sacrifice has been astounding, your work has been impressive, your commitment to our country has been, and is, inspiring.

Your suffering has produced endurance, your endurance has produced and revealed your character, and your character gives me - and many - great hope!

What you accomplished in the last year is simply amazing. You raised over $2 million dollars. You earned 8 of 8 newspaper endorsements. You gave out thousands of books, and tens of thousands of cards. You knocked on 60,000 doors. You made 130,000 calls.

You ran through parades at festivals celebrating everything edible, from strawberries to soybeans, taters to tomatoes, catfish to doodle soup, and at festivals honoring people ranging from the Irish to famous Americans like Davy Crockett and Uncle Sam.

You did everything that could be done, and if it had been our season, it would have been more than enough. And I cannot possibly thank you enough.

We traveled 40,000 thousand miles in that old red truck to talk with thousands of Tennesseans in the 8th District. From Memphis and Millington in the west to Montgomery County in the east, from Dickson and Dover in the east, to Dresden and Dyersburg in the west, and everywhere in between. And many other Tennessee towns and cities, too.

Across the state, Tennesseans have shared your stories and struggles, your trials and tears, your heartaches and hopes. I heard you, and I won’t forget.

We will keep the fight.

We will keep the faith.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

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Herron for Congress
www.RoyHerron.com
(731) 364-5415
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Editorial : To think that we missed this wonderful Man and public servant, it breaks my heart ! Once in a lifetime ? God Bless Roy Herron and his entire family ! Thank you for sharing him with us !
Your Friend,
Don Jones

Tennessee`s New Republican CongressMan/Woman

New House Members 2010 - Tennessee
(LtoR)

Fleischmann(03) ~ Desjarlais(4) ~ Black(6) ~ Fincher(8)

REP.-ELECT CHUCK FLEISCHMANN (R-TENN.-03)

Date of Birth: Oct. 11, 1962
Birthplace: New York City
Residence: Ooltewah, Tenn.
Occupation: Attorney
Education: B.A., University of Illinois; J.D., University of Tennessee
Previous Office Held: None
Family: Wife, Brenda; three children
Chuck Fleischmann won the seat vacated by former Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.), who left Congress to run for governor but lost in the Republican primary. Fleischmann moved to Tennessee in 1987 and practiced law for 23 years at his own firm, Fleischmann and Fleischmann, in downtown Chattanooga, Tenn. During the campaign he focused on problems in the healthcare law and stressed concerns about the national debt. Fleischmann may be the only member of the incoming House class who can list radio host and auctioneer on his résumé. As host of “The Chuck Fleischmann Show” in Chattanooga, Fleischmann provided free legal advice to callers. He has also served as an auctioneer on local television. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REP.-ELECT SCOTT DESJARLAIS (R-TENN.-04)

Date of Birth: Feb. 21, 1964
Birthplace: Sturgis, S.D.
Residence: Jasper, Tenn.
Occupation: Physician (general practitioner)
Education: B.S., University of South Dakota; M.D., South Dakota School of Medicine
Previous Office Held: None
Family: Wife, Amy; three children


Scott DesJarlais unseated four-term Blue Dog Rep. Lincoln Davis (D) to take the state’s 4th congressional district. Born in South Dakota to a barber and a nurse, DesJarlais moved to Tennessee to practice medicine in 1993. He’s never held public office. A general practitioner, he campaigned with support from the Tea Party and ran on the traditional conservative planks of family values, the Second Amendment and opposition to abortion. But it was his positions against healthcare reform, corporate bailouts and government spending that seemed to resonate most deeply with voters in the conservative district. (Washington, he says, is “firmly on a path toward socialism.”)


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- REP.-ELECT DIANE BLACK (R-TENN.-06)

Date of Birth: Jan. 16, 1951
Birthplace: Baltimore
Residence: Gallatin, Tenn.
Occupation: Registered nurse, small business owner
Education: A.S.N., Anne Arundel College; B.S.N., Belmont University
Previous Office Held: State senator
Family: Husband, David; three children

Diane Black, a conservative Republican and longtime Tennessee state legislator, will assume the seat that was held for 26 years by Democratic Rep. Bart Gordon, who retired. Though she barely squeaked through the Republican primary, Black’s first term in Congress was essentially secure after several high-profile Democratic candidates declined to run against her. Immigration has become a big issue in Black’s Tennessee district. She has highlighted legislation she sponsored in the state senate that would require jailers to check the immigration status of anyone arrested for possible deportation. A career nurse, Black has also argued for the replacement of the Democratic healthcare law. She has proposed alternatives such as allowing people to purchase insurance across state lines and creating new tax deductions for medical costs.
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REP.-ELECT STEPHEN FINCHER (R-TENN.-08)

Date of Birth: Feb. 7, 1973
Birthplace: Memphis, Tenn.
Residence: Frog Jump, Tenn.
Occupation: Farmer, businessman
Education: None
Previous Office Held: State senator
Family: Wife, Lynn; three children

Stephen Fincher finds himself holding public office for the first time after defeating Roy Herron (D). Fincher won the GOP nomination after an intense primary season in which Tea Party-backed opponents blasted him for accepting roughly $200,000 in farm subsidies each year. He also faced skepticism from GOP voters after the NRA endorsed his opponent, state Sen. Roy Herron.
Fincher is the managing partner of a farming operation that produces cotton, corn, wheat and soybeans. He played up his community ties during the campaign, highlighting his membership in a gospel group that was started by his grandmother and touting his work with a youth baseball association and local charities.
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Editorial : Listen up folks, these newly elected Representatives, do not, I repeat do not have the middle class in mind ! Better watch them closly. I will. However, I do wish them well and hope they succeed in making Tennessee a better place to live ! I think, it is going to be a bumpy ride !

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

The Rich get Richer...The Poor get Poorer

$AVE THE BILLIONAIRE'$ TAX LOOPHOLE!
Posted by Jim Hightower





Look out, they're angry. Foaming-at-the-mouth angry. And they're lashing out, saying they won't take it anymore. As one of their leaders angrily cried, "It's a war." Indeed – they're on the move to take their country back.

Forget the Tea Party rowdies, this is the Champagne Party ! More precisely, it's the Dom Pérignon-$1000-a-Bottle-Champagne-Party, propelled by – get this – billionaire's rage. Yes, some of the richest, most pampered people on the planet – people who literally wallow in luxury every day, with never a concern about losing a job, a home, health care, or getting their kids into college – these people are wailing in self-pity. They are Wall Street hedge-fund operators, which essentially means they are high-flying financial flimflammers. What has stoked them into an elitist fury is an Obama proposal to close off a ridiculous tax loophole that has let them pay only 15 percent of their lavish income in taxes, rather than the 35-percent rate that us commoners pay. One of the richest of the ragers, Steve Schwarzman of the Blackstone Group, sees Obama's proposal as an outrageous intrusion into the suites of the elite, comparing it to "when Hitler invaded Poland." This over-the-top-tantrum from a multibillionaire – a guy who spent $3 million in 2007 to throw himself a birthday party! Come on, Steve, pay your taxes! Pathetically, the real root of this sad Hedge Fund Rebellion, is a feeling by these powerful, super-privileged megalomaniacs that they are being picked on. One even whined that asking hedge funders to pay taxes at the same rate as everyone else amounts to the "persecution of the minority."
Good grief man, get a grip! Next thing you know, these doofuses will hire Glenn Beck to host a weepy telethon to "Save the Billionaires Tax Loophole."

"Why Wall St. Is Deserting Obama," The New York Times, August 31, 2010.

"The Angry Rich," The New York Times, September 20, 2010.

"Blackstone Chief Sorry for Comparing Obama to Hitler," http://www.newsweek.com/ , August 17, 2010.

"A 'Fat Cat' Strikes Back," http://http://www.newsweek.com/ , August 15, 2010.