Mad Tales

Marian Robinson, "Grandma" to Malia and Sasha

2010-01-31T01:16:00.000-08:00

Rep. Grayson Calls For 'Corporate Death Penalty On Contractors' Who Rip Off Government

2009-09-26T16:34:00.001-07:00

This will go into my rep and senators "in box" on Monday morning. It's long, long overdue!
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

NO PUBLIC OPTION = BILLION-DOLLAR TAXPAYER GIVEAWAY TO PRIVATE INSURERS

2009-08-29T15:58:00.000-07:00

If we do not get a public option, we will pay billions of dollars in subsidies to private insurers only. 80% of people with no health insurance work, and rightfully, they will get subsidies.

Wrongfully, all that subsidy money paid with your taxes will go to private insurers, and pay for not only health care, but also for:

. Salaries of $20-$25 million for private insurance CEOs

. Perks like private jets, bonuses, and stock shares often worth over $100 million for those CEOs

No government employee gets millions of dollars a year, and perks and stock shares worth over $100 million.

. Your firefighter, police, highway patrol do not make $25 million a year.

. Your congressmen don’t make $25 million a year.

. Your President of the United States does not make $25 million/year.

. Your Medicare, VA and Medicaid bureaucrats do not make $25 million/year.

Your tax dollars pay the salaries of all those people. None of them demand millions of dollars in salary, but they’re there when you need them.

Fighting to kill a public option means you are fighting to give billions of dollars to the same private insurance industry that has:

- Bankrupted hundreds of thousands, if not millions of families throughout the country

- Denied care and let hundreds of thousands of Americans die of preventable or controllable diseases in the past decade alone

If we are going to give up the public option in the name of “compromise” – though we have already compromised and given up single-payer health insurance like Medicare for all – then we are giving our tax dollars away so that private insurance big-wigs can live like fattened hogs.

If you won’t fight for the public option, prepare for the private insurers to make billions from your tax dollars. Getting a piece of those insurance companies is the only chance you have of not ending up broke and retiring in poverty. Because as a taxpayer, you can do absolutely nothing to control the wages of private corporate CEOs.

Democratic representatives and senators think they can bargain away the public option and stay in office. Can they?

- Will you vote for them?

- Will you give them your free labor by making phone calls, registering voters, knocking on doors to get them elected?

- Will you donate a single dime to them?

If you won’t, you have to tell them so. They expect zero consequences for giving away the public option, and giving away billions in tax dollars to private insurers only.

CNBC Host Mark Haines: Attention To Executive Pay Is "Getting Scary" (VIDEO)

2009-03-23T16:01:00.001-07:00

Burn up the phone lines at CNBC World (201) 735-4243, record your message to them.

Every single day, twice a day, more if you can. Do not allow them to go unanswered. No swearing, just voice your disgust. Tell them they are the ones destroying capitalism, they are the ones who get paid millions for destroying the system they need to survive. They should get rewarded by shares based on verifiable, not rumor-fed profits - no profits for the company, none for them. We all have to live by a merit system, no exceptions, least of all for brokers and CEOs who crippled the world economy. It's time we end the invest-to-get-rich scam that's left retirement accounts nearly empty, and go back to saving and earning dividends for intelligent value-added production instead of short-selling on manipulated stocks that profit insiders-only.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

In the Beginning, or How We Got Robbed

2009-03-06T15:05:00.000-08:00

I couldn't sleep well last night thinking of how we got cornered this way by the very banks bilking us more flagrantly than ever before.

I'm old enough to remember when regular working people were not invested in the stock market, 401k's and online trading accounts, for our retirement. We relied on social security and savings. The equity built up in a home if we could sacrifice enough to get one was our largest savings. Hopefully the house was paid off by retirement to either live in or sell when we could no longer earn income, but most hopefully to leave a house to our kids.

I remember in the Reagan-1980s, being a paralegal in a firm that set up private investment retirement accounts for small business owners. Thus it began.

Reagan and his crew decided the way to get people off the social security "dole" was to push everyone into getting their own 401k. Doctors' small practices were the first target - physicians are infamous for being clueless about investing, but they felt they needed investments to shelter their considerable pay from taxes. Reagan was trumpeting the claim that their tax dollars paid for Cadillacs for Welfare Queens, after all!

With the internet, and cable tv, the rush to get the least knowledgable and marginally-surviving people to invest in Wall St was on. Emails and glossy ads in our mailboxes, telling the average Joe and Mary - investing is so easy, you can get so rich, we have great "insider tips" for you - were as common as spam.

Where are those billions, probably trillions, invested in the 401k's that were supposed to insure our old age now? Well, they paid for those exorbitant salaries, those obscene bonuses, the "trust us" tv/radio/web ads, those conferences and corporate-named stadiums and every other "advertising" scheme ever devised by man.

Not a day goes by without ads pushing us to not save in a regular local savings account, but instead dump every dollar to invest. Workers whose wages were daily falling farther and farther behind the managers and big-wigs were scammed, pure and simple, out of the savings that could help them buy and keep a house, or to help a son or daughter make a down payment on their house.

I remember - before Reagan - not being able to get a credit card without having worked at least 3 years at one job, and unless I paid no more than 33% in housing costs from my wages or salary.

Then after Reagan scammed his way in, I remember the credit cards coming into the mailbox almost as fast as spam comes into the inbox.

As unions were busted, everyone was shucked and jived into making up the lost wages with credit cards, all while setting aside - often with employer matches especially in their own companies - their 10% of ever-diminishing-in-real-value wages into 401k investments, investments we didn't understand - often we didn't even know what we were invested in.

As long as we could feed these corporate-tapeworms their obscene wages and bonuses, perks and elite lifestyles, their "creative" means of squandering that money of ours and squirreling it away in overseas tax shelters grew, and grew.

When the wages inevitably became pitifully insufficient to pay living costs, never mind 401k's and credit cards, the housing bubble was the answer for the addicted corporate tapeworms. There weren't just the usual rope-a-dope infomercials, there were entire hour-long programs on network tv and cable about the glories of house-flipping, the utter casualness of "moving up" with a bigger, fancier house, in a more and more expensive area.

I watched the charade, and being only-human yearned to buy and flip. "Luckily" I was decimated w/disability thanks to lousy HMO care before I ever had the means. Even still, I was cajoled by my friend's brother, one of the seemingly millions of mortgage-brokers, who kept telling me I - get this - could become a mortgage broker with a mere $100 for a "license" and could quickly own and maintain a house in California on social security - no more than $15k/year - plus get my $1,000 commission for everyone I could hustle into getting a new mortgage through me.

I only resisted because I had a friend do the application through me after my friend's brother paid the $100 for me to be "licensed" to fill out mortgage apps, a pyramid-scheme that paid them bonuses for their bringing in more brokers, usually poverty-level, clueless "brokers" like me!

My friend had perfect credit, equity in one very very humble home she'd worked decades to pay off. What did the broker come back with? A high interest mortgage with a balloon. She wanted to take it to get me the $1,000 commission, because I was pretty much living in poverty, as I am now. Instead, I sent her to her realtor for the very-slightly-better home she was trying to purchase, who promptly came back with a lower-interest fixed mortgage. To me, the scam was crystal-clear then, and I never again tried to hustle a single client.

In sum, we got hustled to "invest" and rely on something other than or on top of social security decades ago. Without privatizing, the other-people's-money-addicted-tapeworm corporate scum hustled us out of decades of savings. With credit card offers like spam, and advertising paid for with our suckered 401k dollars, with the ads to push us to get another credit card, to get a "reliable broker" and invest every dime we didn't really have thanks to those credit cards, they stole the retirement money of millions of people.

Privatizing social security was the last gasp, to make it mandatory to put whatever we hoped to have when we couldn't work anymore into their gaping tapeworm mouths.

We keep asking for help from the very people who got rich screwing us. Congress, the Senate, bankers and brokers. I listened heartbroken to Washington Journal this morning while an elderly, disabled but not-quite retirement age woman talked of not being able to take what little was left of her 401k out without penalties and interest, while her humble house was getting foreclosed on. People too disabled and depressed and isolated to even find out they could qualify for a waiver to get their 401k's are literally suffering hunger, worrying their way into fatal heart attacks, while our "retirement" dollars feed tapeworms.

I watched all this, with no background whatsoever in finance, and begged and warned people to not think they were able to beat "The House" with a 401k, that it was nothing more than a gamble, that they could not possibly know where that market would be when they needed their retirement funds the most. I felt like Don Quixote against the windmill.

It wasn't until the tapeworms went after our last refuge and tried to privatize social security outright that people began to wake up and realize, "No matter how much I save (when they were really only investing/gambling, not "saving"), I have no safety net. No, don't privatize the only albeit insufficient safety net I have left - social security!"

What if, instead of waiting for rescue from all those invested in this worldwide Ponzi scheme, we all pulled our 401k's out, every dollar in the bank, ripped up every credit card and refused to pay another dime after banks were already paid back the principle - sometimes twice over? This is exactly what the tapeworms are trying to stop us from doing, with their threats to the ones who get voted in or out to back them up or else the elected ones will pay, not the tapeworms.

Yet think what would happen if we carry out our threat to make a run on the banks. How would paychecks get honored? The first thing they'd do is refuse to cash them. How would our bills get paid? How could we buy food? Every dollar we earn usually goes straight into direct deposit. We haven't had cash in our hands from our work in decades.

The thought of those banks leaving us that bereft is probably what's making BO's hair so white, so fast. He became our president in the worst of times. He has to save those thieving banks to save us. Damn.

Type rest of the post here

The Wingnut Revolution

2009-02-28T04:17:00.001-08:00

Bob Cesca, your best written and funniest posting in a while, and frighteningly informative, as I have enough health problems - watching Glen Beck would do me in. Thank you!
About Michele Bachmann
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Reid And Top Democrats Brush Off Obama On Earmarks

2009-02-26T03:41:00.001-08:00

Actually, Obama has said repeatedly he won't tolerate wasteful lobbyist-serving earmarks, so yes, they did know, and no, they didn't need a crystal ball. And as you can see from comments here, Obama's got the backup here, not Reid. I already wrote Reid at reid.senate.gov and told him so. I went to his state to register voters and GOTV for Obama, and I'll do it again to get rid of Reid, if needed. Feel free to do the same!
About President Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

MCCAIN IS WRONG ON FANNIE PAY

2008-09-20T22:11:00.001-07:00

On the campaign trail in Minnesota today, McCain incorrectly suggested that the executive pay that former Fannie Mae CEOs Frank Raines and Jim Johnson earned came from taxpayers.Why do neither McCain not Palin know that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were public companies with shareholders - before the government just socialized them with a bailout? How can those two help pull our economy out of China's banks (with interest), when they don't even know the structure of ownership of the biggest mortgage lenders in the U.S.? After all the trash-talking from ditto-heads calling Obama, of all things, a "socialist" - y'all eat those words, now! I have never seen such government takeover - socialism - of such loser loans from every loser in financial services until now. We keep hearing we can't "socialize" health care, yet you want to privatize medical care to corporate bottom-line bureaucrats, privatize even K-12 education and preschool, make state universities dependent on corporate grants, privatize retirement, and "socialize" friggin' debt - bad debt! No wonder so many fiscal conservative socially moderate Republicans are voting for Obama, and welcome to Sanity and Pragmatism - finally! Obama is a quick-study, he respects free markets and sensible regulation, and he'll make it a priority to keep people in their homes so the country doesn't tumble into Squatters Wars and Tent Cities in abandoned developments.No more oil men or oil women in the White House. Out with lobbyists and PACs, let the true experts and successful business people in again! Let us work on the cutting edge of science, technology and industry again and damn the speculation bubbles. We want to export quality solutions and products for the 21st century. We need Real Change.

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What Obama Should Say

2008-09-11T02:44:00.001-07:00

I will not apologize for saying the truth, even if it hurts McCain's and Palin's feelings. These past eight years, Americans have suffered a lot more than hurt feelings... This is a democracy -- not a monarchy. You don't get to demand "deference" from the American people as if they were your royal subjects

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Barack Obama's Plan to Support Working Women and Families

2008-09-06T13:42:00.001-07:00

I want Sasha and Malia and your daughters and sons to grow up in an America where both work and family are a part of the American Dream, and where that Dream is available to all. So I hope you look closely at the ideas in this booklet and let us know what you think. Together, we can change America. Sincerely, Barack Obama

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Lieberman 2006: "Barack is a blessing, a gift"

2008-09-02T23:17:00.001-07:00

Lieberman has certainly changed his tune. What a traitorous "friend" he is! No wonder Obama is so utterly done with him.

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Progressives and Obama: A Clash of Narratives

2008-08-18T16:17:00.001-07:00

Good critique by progressive writer and activist Norman Solomon, of how counterproductive it is for progressives to dismiss Obama and oppose his candidacy because he is not obeying their non-party line. I would add that neo-cons who don't trust McCain are not making the same mistake.

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The Truth About McCain's Swift Boat Economics

2008-08-18T15:56:00.001-07:00

There's no truth to Senator McCain's Swift boat ads on economics. In Swift boat country, there is no place for truth. McCain knows he can say anything he wants, regardless of how untrue it is, and his claim will be treated seriously by the media.

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Swift Boat Author Smears Self

2008-08-16T13:36:00.001-07:00

Buy Obama's Dreams from My Father in hardcover for everyone you know, now, and push the liar Corsi's book off No. 1 in hardcover bestsellers. The neocons are buying Corsi's book by the palette - in mass bulk - so let's not let that Corsi book be a reflection of what Americans like to read. Get yourself the iTunes audio book if you haven't yet - it won an Emmy for Obama's great and very personal reading!
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Barack Obama - The Tide Is Turning

2008-07-25T03:11:00.001-07:00

This song from Roger Waters' 1987 album 'Radio KAOS' perfectly illustrates the both the dark age of the Bush administration, as well as the hope for a better future which Senator Obama brings to America and to the world. When Senator Obama delivered his historical Philadelphia address, this song instantly came to mind, so ...

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Bush + McCain v. Maliki + Obama

2008-07-23T05:34:00.001-07:00

Digg it, it's animated! You know you need a good laugh.

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Obama's Strategic Vision

2008-07-23T05:23:00.001-07:00

He has no military experience, but he outshines McCain in a more important area.

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Half Of McCain's Campaign Cash Came From 500 Bundlers

2008-07-17T02:53:00.001-07:00

Republican John McCain's elite fundraisers have helped collect more than half of his presidential campaign money, while Democratic rival Barack Obama has relied on his own top fundraisers for nearly one-fifth of his coffers, a USA TODAY analysis shows. Kindly remember that we only know who is bundling for whom because Obama pushed through the legislation to make it public information. Aren't you glad he did?

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The American Left: Dogmatic rhetoric is self-defeating

2008-07-14T04:18:00.001-07:00

Great article on the benefits of Obama's mantra to end the name-calling and accusatory style of politics that the Left has adopted to respond to the Right. Before our beloved Left goes ballistic, note this is from In These Times - a Left blog.

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My Plan for Iraq

2008-07-13T22:08:00.001-07:00

On my first day in office, I would give the military a new mission: ending this war.

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Obama's New Radio Ad - MP3

2008-07-11T23:37:00.001-07:00

Text & MP3: Obama's new Radio Ad debunks McCain's lie that Obama wanted to raise taxes on the middle class. GREAT AD! Barack is one Democrat who will not be swift-boated!

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What Iran Wants - ForeignPolicy.com

2008-07-11T23:32:00.001-07:00

Check this out:

FP: What do Iranians think about the U.S. presidential election and John McCain versus Barack Obama?

KS: There’s far more intrigue about Obama than about McCain. Apart from the fact that he advocates dialogue with Iran, he’s African-American and his middle name is Hussein, who is the paramount figure in Shiite history and culture. If Obama were to win, it would be much more difficult for Iran to constantly paint the United States as this grand oppressor. It’s interesting to note that a few days after the hostages were taken at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, the Iranians released all the women and blacks because they said these groups were historically oppressed by Americans.

An Obama victory in November could tremendously change the dynamics in U.S.-Iran relations. If you’re a hard-liner in Tehran and you survive in isolation, like Ayatollah Khamenei, it presents far more of a quandary for you to have a president in Washington who says “Let’s be friends” than one who says “Let’s be enemies” and essentially continue the status quo. I would wager the vast majority of Iran’s political elite, who do want to see some sort of reconciliation, support Obama. But then you have a small, but powerful minority who survive in isolation, much like Fidel Castro in Cuba. They see Iran opening up to the world as a threat to their interests, and I’m sure they would much prefer John McCain to be president.

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Have We Missed the Key to Obama's Leadership Style?

2008-07-11T23:25:00.001-07:00

I'm starting to suspect we've all missed the real story behind Barack Obama's leadership style. His recent actions may not have been driven by calculation or centrism, as most people thought, but by something else. - Writer makes the point that Obama has a Japanese-style of leadership, perhaps from his Hawaiian upbringing. Interesting, and a valid comparison.

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(Liberal) Fear of a Black President

2008-07-11T21:57:00.001-07:00

About Barack Obama
Regarding the FISA progressive-backlash. All the things Obama's done to protect and help people as much as he could, with as much cooperation from either side as he could get, outweigh this single-issue for me, because the FISA bill was not the end-all be-all of the privacy war. It's about more than someone reading our email, as if that were something new. The internet was developed for the Pentagon. They've had a record of everything on the web since Day One. And I haven't considered my phone calls private since I heard of Watergate - as it happened!

What's BO done to impress me? http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gA2VRM3QhIBwdNeApjcfZZ0SKbCQD91H8GT04

And what will he do with all these unconstitutional laws signed by Da Bush?

http://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/2008/05/28/bushs-laws-will-be-scrutinized-if-i-become-president-obama-says/

Review and revoke 'em, in the first 100 days, when unconstitutional.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

The Week That Should Have Ended McCain's Presidential Hopes

2008-07-11T15:15:00.001-07:00

This is the week that should have effectively ended John McCain's efforts to become the next president of the United States. But you wouldn't know it if you watched any of the mainstream media outlets or followed political reporting in the major newspapers.

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