Friday, August 31, 2012

WORK CONNECTS US ALL !

Work Good for Everybody !


No matter what you do, work connects us all. We depend on one another's work. Together, it's how we build, create, teach, rewire, heal and grow what's important. And this Labor Day weekend there's a new way for you to go that extra mile and thank someone special in your life. The AFL-CIO is launching a new tool that allows you to thank someone who makes a difference in your life.
Maybe it's the first coworker you ever had, the smiling face whom you buy coffee from each morning or the mail carrier who always has a good story to tell. Will you share your thanks now, with the AFL-CIO's new tool? You can send a video or an e-card message to the people whose work helps make your life better.
You can probably think of plenty of workers in your life who deserve thanks-the teachers who inspire your children, the firefighters who keep us safe, the nurses who heal our wounds or the electricians who keep the lights on. It might be workers you sometimes forget about-the waitresses who served your dinner, the accountants who worried about your taxes so you didn't have to or the mail carriers who got your package there in time for your mom's birthday.
We want everyone to know their work matters. Say thanks to the workers in your life today.

In Solidarity,

Underdog = Don Jones
Keep America Working


"Democracy...is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch"!
Liberty...is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.
Fiat Lux

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Canadian Rx. Drugs ! Order On-Line...Check it Out !



As you may know, RxRights and Roger Bate of the American Enterprise Institute are working together on a survey that will shed some light on questions such as why people buy prescription drugs from international pharmacies. Thank you to those of you who have already participated in the survey!
The survey closes next Monday and so if you haven't, please be sure to fill it out today! Our hope is to secure survey data that can be used to influence prescription drug policy.
*Please note: the survey is anonymous. In addition, RxRights will never share your personal information with others.

Thanks for all you do,

Underdog = Don Jones


Petition problems:

Thank you to those of you who have signed petition to protect access to imported prescription drugs, especially to those who have persisted despite technical issues with the petition site! Still having trouble? We have posted some tips on our website.
The petition closes on Friday. But we still need more than 17,000 signatures to reach our goal. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I again urge you to sign the petition and forward it to everyone you know. Please take a stand on behalf of the millions of Americans who can't afford the high price of U.S medicine.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

The Rich ~ The Under Taxed !




America the Undertaxed

America the Undertaxed

In refusing to turn over more than two years of his tax returns, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney brags that he paid all his taxes but "not a penny more." Meaning no matter what he paid, he coughed up a pretty minimal amount, however how you slice it. Not only can Romney get away with legally paying very little in taxes, but his low tax rate is within an already low national tax rate (click to enlarge chart).

A recent Foreign Affairs article, "America the Undertaxed," provides a much-needed corrective this election cycle. From the authors:

Compared with other developed countries, the United States has very low taxes, little redistribution of income, and an extraordinarily complex tax code. These three aspects of American exceptionalism deserve more attention than they typically receive.

Yet under the Romney-Ryan budget plan, Romney would get another $4.5 million in tax cuts. Romney would pay less than 1% in taxes of $20 million in income.

So how does the nation make up for that loss? Romney and his vice presidential running mate, Paul Ryan, have the answer: Make the middle class pay! From the Center for American Progress:

[Former] Gov. Romney and Rep. Ryan force a $2,000 tax hike on millions in the middle class. Their plan would raise taxes on 95 percent of Americans—from the single parent working a minimum wage job to the family making $150,000 a year—just to give the wealthiest Americans another tax break.

"America the Undertaxed" needs a qualification: Especially if you're extremely wealthy.

And especially if you're Mitt Romney.

Editorial : The rich, should pay their way ! Not look for loop-holes to avoid paying tax`s ! ESpecially off-shore !

" I always turn to the sports section first, which records man`s accomplishments. The front page has nothing but man`s failures."
"Democracy...is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch"!
Liberty...is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.
Fiat Lux


Saturday, August 25, 2012

IT`S HEALTHCARE ~ STUPID !



RxRights and AEI logos


Drug industry groups claim that most people buy medications online to avoid the need for prescriptions or to access inappropriate medicines. I would argue that the main reason people import drugs is because they can't afford U.S. prices.

My opinion is largely based on anecdotal information, or personal stories from folks like you. In the political arena, an argument is more successful when it has data to back it up. That's why I am writing to ask you to take this survey about drug importation today.

There has been little actual research to explain who imports what prescription drugs and the reasons behind their purchases. By disseminating the survey, RxRights is assisting American Enterprise Institute economist Roger Bate, an expert in prescription drug safety, to shed some light on these questions.

Thank you in advance for your efforts. Our hope is that the data that Bate collects can help to inform policy and law and ultimately improve access to affordable medicine. In order for us to best assist with this project, we ask that you please fill out the survey as soon as possible.

Thanks for all you do,

Underdog = Don Jones

"Loyalty to country, always. Loyalty to the government when it deserves it "!

"Democracy...is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch"!
Liberty...is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.

Petition feedback

I recently asked you to sign a petition to help protect access to safe and affordable drugs. Many of you have contacted RxRights to complain that you had trouble signing due to various technical issues with the White House petition website.

We picked the White House site because it is the only petition option with the guarantee of a direct response from the White House with 25,000 signatures. We also wrongly assumed that a website with government support would be much easier to use than it has been.

We have a little over a week left to get 20,000+ more signatures. If you haven't been able to sign, would you please try again? If you are fed up, please contact the White House to give some critical feedback. They need to know that the "We the People" tool is NOT working for the people as intended.


Contact RxRights:
advocate@rxrights.org
1-866-703-5442




Friday, August 24, 2012

TEA PARTY REPUBLICAN RADICALS~SCARE Me To DEATH !



Tea Party Republicans in Congress don’t get much more extreme than Florida’s Allen West (R).

Over the last two years, West has called President Obama a "low-level socialist agitator," accused Democratic Members of Congress of being "communists," and claimed Social Security is a form of “slavery.”

But those are only his sound bites. His extreme right-wing policies are even scarier.

If Allen West has his way, Florida’s seniors will never know that he voted to end their Medicare to give more tax breaks to millionaires. Right now, West is on the air with millions of dollars in ads trying to confuse voters about his radical record and smear our Democratic candidate, Patrick Murphy.

Patrick Murphy will fight Paul Ryan’s plan to end Medicare, ensure that we protect Social Security, and stand up for a woman’s right to choose. But all that won’t matter if he doesn’t have the resources to take on the millions of dollars in attacks coming from Allen West and his Tea Party backers.

Editorial : Ever wonder how on earth, these radical`s get elected ? ? ? When this writer first heard the term Tea Party, I laughed. Folks, I`m not laughing any longer ! They (Tea Partiers) Scare me to death.

"Democracy...is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch"!
Liberty...is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.
Fiat Lux
























Tuesday, August 14, 2012

PAUL RYAN (R) ~ I`VE GOT MINE !


Want to know About Paul Ryan(R) ~ Check it out !

10 Things to know about Paul Ryan


1. His economic plan would cost America 1 million jobs in the first year. Ryan's proposed budget would cripple the economy. He'd slash spending deeply, which would not only slow job growth, but shock the economy and cost 1 million of us our jobs in 2013 alone and kill more than 4 million jobs by the end of 2014.1

2. He'd kill Medicare. He'd replace Medicare with vouchers for retirees to purchase insurance, eliminating the guarantee of health care for seniors and putting them at the mercy of the private insurance industry. That could amount to a cost increase of more than $5,900 by 2050, leaving many seniors broke or without the health care they need. He'd also raise the age of eligibility to 67.2

3. He'd pickpocket the middle class to line the pockets of the rich. His tax plan is Robin Hood in reverse. He wants to cut taxes by $4.6 trillion over the next decade, but only for corporations and the rich, like giving families earning more than $1 million a year a $300,000 tax cut. And to pay for them, he'd raise taxes on middle- and lower-income households and butcher social service programs that help middle- and working-class Americans.3

4. He's an anti-choice extremist. Ryan co-sponsored an extremist anti-choice bill, nicknamed the 'Let Women Die Act,' that would have allowed hospitals to deny women emergency abortion care even if their lives were at risk. And he co-sponsored another bill that would criminalize some forms of birth control, all abortions, and in vitro fertilization.4

5. He'd dismantle Social Security. Ironically, Ryan used the Social Security Survivors benefit to help pay for college, but he wants to take that possibility away from future generations. He agrees with Rick Perry's view that Social Security is a "Ponzi scheme" and he supported George W. Bush's disastrous proposal to privatize Social Security.5

6. He'd eliminate Pell grants for more than 1 million low-income students. His budget plan cuts the Pell Grant program by $200 billion, which could mean a loss of educational funding for 1 million low-income students.6

7. He'd give $40 billion in subsidies to Big Oil. His budget includes oil tax breaks worth $40 billion, while cutting "billions of dollars from investments to develop alternative fuels and clean energy technologies that would serve as substitutes for oil."7

8. He's another Koch-head politician. Not surprisingly, the billionaire oil-baron Koch brothers are some of Ryan's biggest political contributors. And their company, Koch industries, is Ryan's biggest energy-related donor. The company's PAC and affiliated individuals have given him $65,500 in donations.8

9. He opposes gay rights. Ryan has an abysmal voting record on gay rights. He's voted to ban adoption by gay couples, against same-sex marriage, and against repealing "don't ask, don't tell." He also voted against the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which President Obama signed into law in 2009.9

10. He thinks an "I got mine, who cares if you're okay" philosophy is admirable. For many years, Paul Ryan devoted himself to Ayn Rand's philosophy of selfishness as a virtue. It has shaped his entire ethic about whom he serves in public office. He even went as far as making his interns read her work.10

“We must close union offices, confiscate their money and put their leaders in prison. We must reduce workers salaries and take away their right to strike." !
Adolph Hitler - May 2,1933
"Democracy...is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch"!
Liberty...is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.
Fiat Lux

Wednesday, August 08, 2012

Medicare for All...for Every American !



Posted: 08/07/2012 10:54 am
I read a news story this week that sent me on a nostalgic trip down memory lane. This past Monday, July 30th was the 47th anniversary of Medicare. To celebrate it, the Raging Grannies, as they're known, gathered outside the county office building in Rochester, New York to protest rumored cuts to their Medicare coverage.

They praised Medicare in song as "the best deal we have in the country," and even called for expanding it Medicare into universal health care for everyone. It seems the Republican Speaker of the House, John Boehner, was coming up from Washington to raise funds for Republican congressional candidate Maggie Brooks. The Raging Grannies wanted to make certain Ms. Brooks didn't sign on to the GOP budget which includes cuts to Medicare.

For myself, the Raging Grannies channeled a familiar voice -- the Texas twang of my boss back in 1965, Lyndon Baines Johnson.

I was a White House assistant at the time and had been working with the President and others on the team trying to get Medicare through Congress. Even with overwhelming Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, it was one tough fight. Others had tried before us.

In his 1948 State of the Union message, President Harry Truman said:

"This great Nation cannot afford to allow its citizens to suffer needlessly from the lack of proper medical care. Our ultimate aim must be a comprehensive insurance system to protect all our people equally against insecurity and ill health."

But every time Harry Truman proposed legislation to do just that, Congress refused to budge. In the 1960s, John F. Kennedy took up the cause:

"Our working men and women, instead of being forced to ask for help from public charity, once they are old and ill, should start contributing now to their own retirement health program through the Social Security System..."

But his proposal failed in the Senate by just two votes.

On the other side, actor Ronald Reagan, still in private life, had signed on as the American Medical Association's hired spokesman in their campaign against Medicare. Doctors' wives organized thousands of small meetings in homes around the country, where guests listened to a phonograph record of Reagan deploring the evils of "socialized medicine":

"Behind it will come other Federal programs that will invade every area of freedom as we have known it in this country [...] until one day, as Norman Thomas said [...] you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it once was like in America when men were free."

But now, it was Lyndon Johnson's turn. Tragically thrust into the White House by Kennedy's assassination, LBJ, the son of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal and Harry Truman's Fair Deal, vowed to finish what they had started. He pushed us relentlessly to get it done. Here he is talking to his Vice President, Hubert Humphrey, in early March of 1965:

"They are bogged down. The House had nothing this week, all ---damn week. Now that's where you and Moyers and Larry O'Brien have got to find something for them. And the Senate had nothing [...] so we just wasted three weeks [...] Now we are here in the first week in March, and we have just got to get these things passed [...] I want that program carried. And I'll put every Cabinet officer behind you. I'll put every banker behind you. I'll put every organization we got behind you [...] I'll put the labor unions behind you."

About all he had left was the White House kitchen sink, and pretty soon he threw that behind us, too.

Later that March he called me to talk about a retroactive increase in Social Security payments that we were supporting. I had argued for it as a stimulus to the economy. LBJ said okay, but reminded me that social security and Medicare were about a lot more than economics:

"My inclination would be [...] that it ought to be retroactive as far back as you can get it [...] because none of them ever get enough. That they are entitled to it. That that's an obligation of ours. It's just like your mother writing you and saying she wants $20, and I'd always sent mine a $100 when she did. I never did it because I thought it was going to be good for the economy of Austin. I always did it because I thought she was entitled to it. And I think that's a much better reason and a much better cause and I think it can be defended on a hell of a lot better basis [...] We do know that it affects the economy [...] But that's not the basis to go to the Hill, or the justification. We've just got to say that by God you can't treat grandma this way. She's entitled to it and we promised it to her."

LBJ kept that promise. He pushed and drove and cajoled and traded, until Congress finally said yes. And so it was that 47 years ago, we traveled to Independence, Missouri, the hometown of Harry Truman, and there with the former president at his side, LBJ signed Medicare into law. Turning to Truman, whom he called "the real daddy of Medicare, " Johnson signed him up as its first beneficiary. Harry Truman was 81.

All this was high drama, touched with history, sentimentality, politics, and compromise. A whole lot of compromise. The bill wasn't all LBJ wanted. It was, in fact, deeply flawed. There were too few cost controls, as some principled conservatives warned, who were then rudely ignored. Co-pays and deductibles remain a problem. And we didn't anticipate the impact of new technology, or the impact of a burgeoning population.

In fact, even as he signed the bill we still weren't sure what all was in it. As LBJ himself once told me, never watch hogs slaughtered before breakfast and never, never, never show young children how legislation gets enacted.

But Lyndon Johnson had warned: "We will face a new challenge and that will be what to do within our economy to adjust ourselves to a life span and a work span for the average man or woman of 100 years."

That longevity, and the cost, are what we must now reckon with. As the historian Robert Dallek has written, Medicare and Medicaid, the similar program for the very poor, "...did not solve the problem of care at reasonable cost for all Americans", but "the benefits to the elderly and the indigent...are indisputable."

And there's no going back, current efforts notwithstanding. A new study in the journal Health Affairs finds that Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older are more satisfied with their health insurance, have better access to care, and are less likely to have problems paying medical billsthan working-age adults who get insurance through employers or purchase coverage on their own.

So sing on, Raging Grannies, sing on. The surest way to save so popular and efficient a health care system is to make it available to everyone.

Editorial : Did`nt I write this just last week ! Sure did. Thanks Bill Moyer`s.

"Democracy...is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch"!
Liberty...is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.
Fiat Lux


Monday, August 06, 2012

Barry Gardner & His Legacy.."The Gift of Life"!

"THE GIFT OF LIFE, WHAT A LOVING THING TO DO" !


As most of you know, I drink coffee at Damron`s almost every morning. We had a tragedy a few days back, A Mr. Barry Gardner was killed in a motor-cycle accident, he was just 40 year`s old. He had a son, just 10 year`s old. This son, will now live with his paternal Grandfather. I did`nt know Barry. But, I know about Barry ! He was a kind, sweet spirited man and father. How do I know this ? He was a total Organ/Tissue Donor. In his death, he saw an opportunity to give one more time. Being a total Donor, he gave life in his death. The live`s he will save and, the lives he will give a better quality of life too are astronomical ! Barry, saw the need and decided to fill that need on his death. What a loving and caring thing to do ! He leaves this world in an untimely death. His reward in heaven, will be pure gold. To his family, I say this, "Thank You" for allowing Barry to fulfill his wishes. If you are reading this and have`nt signed your drivers license to become an Organ/Tissue Donor, I urge you to do so. As most of you know, I`m a Heart-Transplant patient. Most difficult for me to be unbiased.
"Don`t Take Your Organs to Heaven, Heaven knows We Need them Here"!
"Barry Gardner a True American Hero".

"Give The Gift of Life, Be an Organ/Tissue Donor, It`s the Masonic thing to Do " !
Click on title of this blog to become a Donor !

Thursday, August 02, 2012

Fincher Supports Billionaires & Millionaires !

Hold Fincher(R) Accountable !
End the Bush tax cuts
Your member of Congress, Rep. Stephen Fincher, voted to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.

Rep. Fincher needs to hear from his constituents about this. Call him to today.
Click here for a sample script and the number to call:
Take action now!
Hold Rep. Fincher accountable.

Contact Fincher here: http://fincher.house.gov/office/washington-dc

The very same politicians who are pleading poverty and yelling the loudest about the need to make brutal budget cuts had no problem voting to give away more tax breaks to the rich and the ultra-rich.

We saw this again yesterday when our member of Congress, Rep. Stephen Fincher,District#8~TN voted to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest two percent of Americans.

There is very little that so clearly demonstrates what's broken in Congress than those simultaneously demanding to give the millionaires and Billionaires a tax cut while pushing benefit cuts to programs like Social Security and Medicare.

Call Rep. Fincher and tell him the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy need to end. Click here for a sample script and the number to call.

We know this issue isn't going away, which is why it's critical that all of Rep. Fincher's constituents who oppose the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy speak out.

Whether or not we will change his mind, the worst thing we can do is stay silent on this issue and allow the only feedback he hears to come from the millionaires and billionaires who are lobbying for tax breaks.

Send a clear message to Rep. Fincher that his constituents will hold him accountable for this vote.

Call Rep. Fincher and tell him the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy need to end. Click the link below for a sample script and the number to call: I Just made my call, will you ?

http://act.credoaction.com/call?tg=FHTN_08&cp_id=249&id=44432-3026155-ORTPqFx&t=7

Thank you for all you do,

Underdog = Don Jones

HOW to FIX CONGRESS...You Bet`Cha !



How to Fix Congress !

I very much agree with this...

We the people are the rightful masters of both the Congress and the Courts - not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow men who pervert the Constitution.

Abraham Lincoln

"IN GOD WE TRUST"

Winds of Change....

Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward

this email to a minimum of twenty people on their

address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message.This is one idea that really should be passed around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2012

(1.) No Tenure / No Pension.

A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they're out of office.

(2.) Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.

All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.

(3.) Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

(4.) Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise.Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

(5.) Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

(6.) Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

(7.) All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void effective 12/31/12. The American people did not make this present contract with Congressmen/women. Congressmen/women made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in

Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Don't you think it's time ? Congress is part of the problem, not the solution ! They are now part of the 1% !

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS !

Please keep this blog going, and thanks for all you do,

Underdog = Don Jones

Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Tennessee ~ So Sad ! Tennessee A Laughing Stock !






Tennesseans Call on Rep. Keisling to Apologize for Assassination Email

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester is calling on Rep. Kelly Keisling to take responsibility for using taxpayer resources to send out unfounded and disgusting conspiracy theories about our President.

“Republicans in the legislature are bound and determined to turn Tennessee into a laughing stock with their ridiculous antics,” said Forrester. “For Kelly Keisling to use state resources to send out a rumor-filled and dangerous email is an egregious abuse of power and tax payer dollars. The people of his district and of Tennessee deserve to have a representative who is focused on their well-being, not in spreading fear and inducing panic. “

In a statement released to media by the House Republican Caucus Press Secretary Brent Leatherwood, Rep. Keisling was vague about who was responsible for this email being sent out on the taxpayer funded email account. The original email, sent by Legislative Assistant Holt Whit, claims that Keisling himself requested the email be sent to constituents.

“If you promote this kind of a foolish and malicious rumor, you should take ownership of it,” said David Harper, Democratic candidate running to replace Keisling. “It is totally inappropriate for my opponent to use taxpayer funds on an effort to distract voters from his failure to deliver on his campaign promises. I chose to run because I could no longer tolerate these crackpot conspiracy theories and side-issues taking priority over local needs such as jobs, education, roads, and infrastructure.”

Background

Tennessee Lawmaker Says Obama May Stage Fake Assassination. Keisling "sent an email from his state email account to constituents containing a rumor that Obama and the Department of Homeland Security are planning a series of events that could lead to the imposition of 'martial law' and delay the election [Political Wire, 7/31/12]

Kelly Keisling, Tennessee Legislator, Mass Emailed Obama 'Staged Assassination' Rumor. A Republican member of the Tennessee state legislature emailed constituents Tuesday morning with a rumor circulating in conservative circles that President Barack Obama is planning to stage a fake assassination attempt in an effort to stop the 2012 election from happening. Keisling's assistant, Frankie Anderson, confirmed that the email was sent "at Keisling's request" from a state account under the name of Holt Whitt, who is identified in the email as Keisling's assistant. Anderson said he is filling in for Whitt. [Huffington Post, 8/1/12]

Tinfoil Hat Society: State Legislator Warns of Obama's Fake Assassination Plot [Updated]. Keisling has released a statement: "Earlier this week, I forwarded an email from my legislative office that should not have been sent out. The message was inappropriate for distribution. I regret the error and pledge to be more cautious regarding the information distributed from my office in the future." [Nashville Scene, 8/1/12]

Editorial : Rep. Keislings Does`nt need to apologize. He needs to resign ! This is not and should not be a partisan issue. http://state.tn.us/results.html?q=Search+TN.gov&sa=Search

"Democracy...is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch"!
Liberty...is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.
Fiat Lux