The Itinerant Hoosier

Yes, President Bill Clinton.

2016-04-08T10:01:00.000-07:00

Someone shared this with me on facebook. I wanted to share it here in it's entirety. These are not my words but they very well could have been.

I leave this for you to peruse.

Mervyn Marcano

12 hrs

Yes, President Bill Clinton.

This movement unapologetically fights for drug dealers. Our brothers & sisters. Our mothers & fathers. Our cousins and friends. Us, too. Those you would cast off as murderous gangsters. The superpredators.

They were thrown away into prisons meant to strip them of their dignity as you pandered to the fears of white working-class voters. You told them they would be safer and a bit more free, distracting them from their own poverty. You even sold some of us that same story.

We lost a generation. If they came back, they came back broken. And we still haven't figured out how to make them whole when they come home. So they keep going back.

You, however, gained another term. Your friends got rich off the sweet chattel of prison labor and cell occupancy rate increases.

When the dust of your efforts began to settle, more white voters decided they wanted our neighborhoods. They wanted our homes. They followed you into the Harlems of our cities. And more of your banker friends got richer--- this time, by packaging our legacies as luxury condos and lofts. Our renaissance for your renewal.

Yes, Bill. We fight for our kin. Because we believe in the power of redemption and restoration. We have witnessed it with our own eyes, much to your chagrin. Because we know the ills of crushing poverty. Because we are the children of social programs that punish need, all the while masquerading as the laces of those ever-elusive boots we are to pull ourselves up with.

No saxophone in Harlem can erase this truth. Since Arkansas you have mastered the art of dismantling the social safety net with the blessing of those it serves. Kudos to you, Machiavelli would be proud, but let's not play pretend now.

Y'all see us now, so you belittle us from your podium. You talk down to us at your private fundraisers. We remember that rageful twinge in your eye from 2008, too. When you just didn't understand why the Blacks weren't listening.

We're listening now. In fact, all we've done is repeat what you and Hillary have said. ‪#‎samegame‬ ‪#‎differentcampaign‬

I don't know what happens in November. But know this. We are your superpredators. And we haunt. ‪#‎blacklivesmatter‬ ‪#‎blackghostshaunt‬

2016-03-14T11:19:00.001-07:00

Just a short blog post to relate something special that happened last night. Well it actually started last Christmas eve. Last night was just the culmination of what started back on Dec24th.

I have to work to supplement my Social Security as a lot of my fellow seniors do. I work at a small rural convenient store in southern Indiana, one of those nice little stores where you know just about everyone who walks through the door. You get to know their habits, likes and dislikes and any gossip going around. We have a crowd of folks who come in and socialize in our dinning room for hours on end. All that's missing is a cracker barrel and a potbellied stove

I was working at the store Christmas Eve when a young lady came in. She walked around the store, it was busy but there was something about her, the way she seemed to be waiting for something, so I noticed her from time to time around the store. When the traffic died down she came up to the counter and purchased something small, I don't remember what it was, and her change was 10 dollars and coin. When I went to give her the change she pushed it back to me and just asked me to "find someone who really needs it", then she left. I was speechless, nothing like that had ever happened to me before. I waited all that night to be able to help someone but nothing seemed to rise to occasion that I had imagined this lady had in mind, so I put it in an envelope and saved it.

Last night a lady came in the store. She had 20 dollars in cash and bought some gas. After she filled up she came back in and bought some snacks for some children she had in the van. She was making a trip with 4 children in her van. One little boy came in with me and he was a cute little handful. The lady came up to the register and had about 9 dollars in drinks and things for the kids but her card wasn't working and she was at her wits end. She had promised the children a snack and she'd put all her cash in the gas tank. As I looked across the counter, into this ladies eyes I saw that this was the time. So I took the money the lady had given me Christmas Eve and paid for her things. It was a good ending to a very frustrating week. 

Pay it forward!

Wow it's been a while

2016-03-06T23:21:00.000-08:00

My last blog entry was 2013. My how time flies. At any rate I don't plan on letting time pass like that again.
So much has happened and so little time this evening to catch up but I promise I'll be back soon.

At any rate I just wanted to share something I wrote on my facebook page to explain my thoughts on why I can really not, in good conscience vote for Hillary Clinton even though I have voted straight ticket Democrat for as long as I can remember.

At any rate, (I've said that a lot haven't I?) Here's what I said.

Let me put this in as brief an explanation as I can because I plan to go out and enjoy whats left of the day.
8 years ago a guy named John Edwards was in the same place as Bernie, fighting establishment dems for that "Other America". When he dropped out candidates vied for his endorsement and his supporters, most went to Barack begrudgingly because none of us were under the impression he was a liberal but he was better than Clinton.
Four years ago we agreed to not primary the president out of respect and we supported him even though they kept Single payer out of the debate on health care and were still cozying up to Wall Street.
That "Other America" didn't go away and in many instances grew. We felt betrayed these last 8 years and our circumstances haven't changed. Bernie is our standard bearer and despite every effort by the DNC and the media to mute his campaign he is succeeding despite those distractions.
I have very serious issues with a candidate that starts her campaign tacking to the opposition. Tell me universal healthcare is a myth when I see the rest of the world with it. Tell me free community college is a myth when I see it elsewhere (our children are our greatest investment).
We have compromised enough with the rightwing. It's time the pendulum swung the other way for a change. I don't see that happening with Ms Clinton.
As for the alternative be real Joe. Clinton will get enough GOP votes to beat anyone on the right. They don't want to see those clowns in office either.

Bernie Sanders isn't a phenomenon he is a continuation of our American Heritage! The great American experiment continues.

2013-10-28T09:24:00.001-07:00

My Liberal Identity

You are a Social Justice Crusader, also known as a rights activist. You believe in equality, fairness, and preventing neo-Confederate conservative troglodytes from rolling back fifty years of civil rights gains.

Take the quiz at
About.com Political Humor

This is how We the People get screwed by corruption in Washington.

2013-01-20T08:39:00.001-08:00

Annabel Park
This is how We the People get screwed by corruption in Washington.

"The provision gives Amgen an additional two years to sell Sensipar without government controls. The news was so welcome that the company’s chief executive quickly relayed it to investment analysts. But it is projected to cost Medicare up to $500 million over that period.

Amgen, which has a small army of 74 lobbyists in the capital, was the only company to argue aggressively for the delay, according to several Congressional aides of both parties.

Supporters of the delay, primarily leaders of the Senate Finance Committee who have long benefited from Amgen’s political largess, said it was necessary to allow regulators to prepare properly for the pricing change.

But critics, including several Congressional aides who were stunned to find the measure in the final bill, pointed out that Amgen had already won a previous two-year delay, and they depicted a second one as an unnecessary giveaway."

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/us/medicare-pricing-delay-is-political-win-for-amgen-drug-maker.html?smid=fb-share

Reflections...

2012-06-06T10:34:00.001-07:00

When you get older you tend to reflect a lot on your life. How things went, where you could have changed something, where things all went wrong. You do that a lot when your best years are behind you.

I was just thinking today how they used to preach at me to work hard save for your retirement and you'll be set and I did that. I worked hard, tried to start my own business a few times, took out IRAs and 401ks tried to live responsibly.

I did all that and now that I'm left, at age 63, with nothing but social security and VA health care I'm pretty damn glad I have a government I can count on that at least wont let me die. The rest of them have abandoned me. So much for doing what they tell you to do.

American Entitlements

2012-01-25T21:45:00.000-08:00

In all the campaign rhetoric we are being bombarded with the one thing the right screams over and over again is Entitlements "we need to limit entitlements" why do Americans feel entitled to anything? I would ask why not?

In any other country than America citizens are entitled to health care. From Canada to Japan citizens all over the world are "entitled" to good health through their countries health care system. Yes they have a higher tax code than we do but when you consider they get health care whenever they need it you have to consider the tax is worth it.

Some countries subsidize their education system. They know that their future lies in educating their youth so children go to school from K-College on the government and what do they reap? Well they are far ahead of us in just about every area because they have, unlike us, the educated citizens to fill the jobs they need to keep their economies going. We make sure that anyone graduating, who isn't born into wealth, is in debt for years after they graduate.

Now I can hear the rightwingers screaming nanny state, nanny state, but I assure you that no one wants a nanny state nor do we want an intrusive government. We just know that when it comes to a fair shake we have a better chance with a efficient effective government than we do with the sharks on Wall Street.

Do we like higher taxes? No. No one does but then we know the bills must be paid. If the bills aren't paid you run a deficit and the left has historically been able to keep the deficit under control more so than those on the right. We do expect more from our government when our taxes are going up but we know a bargain when we see it and some of the entitlements we already have are well worth the price.

In closing I would ask why is it being an American citizen only entitles you to a life of hard work and in the end nothing to show for it, that is unless your in the 1% of citizens who can afford whatever they want. We are suppose to be the greatest country on earth but yet those countries we look down on entitle their citizens to much more than we do and those on the right want to take back what little we do have.

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T17:15:00.000-08:00

Thank You to all my friends who have made my blog a success.

Happy New Year!

Rufus

2011-12-26T13:47:00.000-08:00

He actually showed up at my sisters door first but she couldn't keep him. He was such a personable cat you couldn't help but love him. Everywhere you'd go there he'd be.

He's a cat of few words, he'll give you one meow and you'd best figure it out from there. He and I have a routine when he's outside he comes to the door wanting me to come out as well. When I'm sitting in the garage he comes up and sits in his chair next to mine.

He's a cat that thinks he's a dog. I will walk out into the yard while he watches me but if I stop and sit on the ground he'll come running to attack me. He and I are buds!

Here's Rufus, enjoy...

Merry Christmas

2011-12-21T21:22:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas one and all! Yea there I said it Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Good Yule Tidings, Happy Kwanzaa and Hannakah...to one and all and a Happy New Year...

Enjoy...

Kroger. Are they really looking out for you?

2011-12-15T14:13:00.000-08:00

Now granted my view of Kroger Company grocers and really most of your big mega conglomerate super stores is tainted due to my being a vendor and calling on most of them in my life time. These markets have an entirely different attitudes when it comes to the people who deliver wholesale merchandise to them than they do customer relations but I feel that once you hear my story I'm sure you'll agree something doesn't sound right.

To give you some background, my wife is having oral surgery is a few weeks and due to some infection in her gums our dentist prescribed penicillin for her, as he has done in the past. Now in the past we have gone to Walgreen pharmacy and paid $10.00 for a prescription however because Walgreen and my wife's insurance provider couldn't come to some kind of terms, we can no longer get them filled at Walgreen. So we went to the local Kroger store.

After turning the prescription over to Kroger my wife came home and at the appointed time she went back to the store to pick up her penicillin at which time they told her that her doctor had switched her prescription and it would now cost her $30.00. There was no mention of why it was changed so my wife, believing the doctor knows best, brought them home. After taking them for a day or two she noticed they were upsetting her stomach so we called her doctor to see if she could get them changed back. It was then that we were told that the pharmacy had called to request the change claiming my wife had told them she was allergic to penicillin.My wife told them no such thing.

Now there are so many things that disturb me about this first and foremost was why would they call her doctor and not us to confirm if she was in fact allergic? This was the first time she ever turned a prescription like this, in to them. Walgreen had it before and she took those pills with no problem. Why would she turn in a prescription for something she was allergic to and why would she tell them she was allergic to them? It doesn't add up.

They didn't mention anything about an allergy when my wife questioned the change. As far as she knew it was something the doctor decided, instead it was the pharmacy. Then there's the price thing. This whole thing cost us $20.00 more than what we had budgeted now I'm wondering how many other times this has happened and knowing how business works, I can't help but wonder how many others they've done this too after all it's about profit now not doing whats right for the consumer.

As I've said I've dealt with these people on a business level I know how they think. When you take the human element out of it, when you make it about money then you have things like this and you can't help but wonder. Is it about our health or is it about their profit?

Now, last but not least we have my wife, who was taking medication for a problem. They switched her to something that upset her system. My wife has been suffering from pancreatitis for years. That in itself upsets her system on a regular basis. She doesn't need someone doing it on purpose. This is medication it's not like they put the wrong seat covers on your new car this is something for your health and if this was just a mistake? Well that opens up a whole other bank of concerns.

This is an on going saga and updates will follow. Stay Tuned.

Attention WalMart shoppers

2011-12-12T10:01:00.000-08:00

My wife recently purchased this cute little Christmas tea-candle holder from our local WalMart. In a weak moment she had gone down to cash a check and decided to buy something. Here is a picture of the bottom with the upc code and description. Note the WalMart made in China proudly displayed on the bottom. Sam Walton would be rolling in his grave about now.

Note the charred edges around the top and how the beads have melted down.

Yes she bought a cute little candle holder which could have ruined our Christmas. She lit the candle and dozed off on the couch. Shortly there after she smelled something and when she woke the candle holder was ablaze. Had this been sitting close to something flammable my lawyers would be knocking on WalMarts door right now. As it is I'm going to be seeking legal advice.

This is a warning to anyone who has purchased these candle holders do not light them and leave the room. In fact I wouldn't light them at all.

2011-09-14T20:45:00.000-07:00

"Powerful polluters ... see it as a useful strategy to try to convince the public that the scientists are liars and that they're greedy and they're making stuff up. All in the service of their overarching strategy of creating enough doubt to persuade people that there shouldn't be any sense of urgency about addressing this crisis."

Live video by Ustream

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/14/24-hours-of-reality_n_962225.html

2011-08-30T09:02:00.001-07:00

Some Gardening advice

2011-04-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Mizbehavin;

Weed perennial beds with special care to avoid pulling up precious self-sown seedlings. When you can tell for sure what's what, pull the weeds and top-dress the plants with compost or rich soil -- just before a rain, if possible.

Provide support for flowers that need it before they start to fall over. Try twiggy prunings or pea stakes for sweet peas and ramblers. Put Grow-thru rings in place for bushier plants such as peonies, balloon flower, and globe thistle.

Spread a little lime or wood ashes around delphiniums and peonies.

Divide late-summer or autumn-flowering perennials. If necessary, go after phlox and artemisia with a sharp spade or even an ax. If delphiniums need to be divided, remove and replant the new little plants growing around the outside of the clump. Discard the hard old heart.

Trim climbing roses and attach securely to fences or trellises.

Scatter crushed eggshells in a thick ring around roses to deter slugs.

Sow annual poppies and baby's breath in borders for midsummer bloom by scattering them between the other plants, covering with fine soil, and tamping down gently.

Prune s**kers from fruit trees now before they become established.

Melons often benefit from supplemental warming, such as that provided by growing under plastic. Wait until the transplanted seedlings are established, as they cannot take up moisture very well at first and can easily get dehydrated.

Plant aboveground crops in the light of the moon.

Thin beets and lettuce and use the tiny thinnings to fill in spaces in the row or to start additional plantings elsewhere.

For a crop in two years, plant year-old asparagus roots about eight inches deep in trenches lined with rich compost. Fan out the roots and space two feet apart. Cover gently with good soil.

When potato plants come through the soil, hill them up by pulling several inches of soil around their stems with a hoe to encourage deep roots and keep young potatoes from exposure to light.

Mulch between rows and keep the garden weeded to give emerging seedlings a fair chance.

Get that herb garden started by putting in plants. If you include mint, plant it in a large plastic tub (the kind drywall joint compound or birdseed comes in) with its bottom removed. This will help keep it from invading the rest of the garden.

An established asparagus bed will be ready to harvest. Patrol daily and select spears of about the same size (which will require the same cooking time). If you had trouble locating those first spears, mark the bed with stakes so that you can find them next year.

Watch for signs of drought in plants transplanted from containers. Apply water (not much, but often) close to each plant's stem, where it will percolate down to the root ball. The larger the plant, the longer the recovery period, and the more diligently you need to water. Poke a pointed metal rod into the soil above the root ball. If the rod doesn't penetrate easily, the soil is too dry. If it moves around and feels squishy, the soil is too wet.

Moles generally come calling this month. They're searching for mates and also grubs in your lawn. To get rid of the grubs, apply milky spore disease (Bacillus popilliae or Bacillis lentimorbus), a dust you can buy at your local garden center. Or try a new product called Mole-Med, which has castor oil as its active ingredient. Moles don't like the taste of this any more than you do.

Prune late-flowering shrubs, evergreens, and hedges.

Don't be in a rush to plant tomato, eggplant, pepper, and other heat-loving seedlings if you live where late-May frosts are common. Old-timers will surely wait until after Memorial Day.

Don't cut the leaves off spent spring-flowering bulbs. Dying and yellowing foliage may look unsightly, but leave it in place (and don't tie it up) to help the bulbs ripen for next year's show.

If you have crocuses growing in your lawn, don't mow until their leaves have died down.

Don't force clematis to climb a lamppost or fan trellis. Instead, give it a chance to climb trees, scramble over shrubs, or romp over the ground.

http://www.americanpoliticsandmore.com/forum/index.php?action=post;quote=149528;topic=18943.0;num_replies=0;sesc=011510cbd201fc237f9871961e5944a5

Corporate Speak

2011-03-28T08:11:00.000-07:00

Or how to phrase things too pick our pockets and make us like it. I think John Steward brings it out in this segment of the Daily Show;

The Daily Show
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

It's corporate welfare. They are milking this country dry. Turning our labor force into a third world country and they call themselves patriotic.

I was watching 60 minutes the other night, which is what really inspired this blog post. They were doing a segment on corporations who are sending their profits overseas to avoid paying our taxes and supporting our country

One CEO who would talk to us was Chambers. Cisco is the giant high tech company headquartered in San Jose, Calif. He says our tax rate is insane. It's forcing companies into these maneuvers, especially when many other industrialized countries including Canada are busy lowering their tax rates in order to lure our companies and our jobs away.
"Every other government in the world has realized that the U.S. has it wrong. They're saying, 'I'm going to have lower taxes, period.' That's what you see all across Western Europe, that's what you see in Asia in the developed countries," Chambers said.
When asked if he's judged as a CEO on issues like taxes, Chambers said, "Absolutely."
He's been expanding Cisco overseas because of growing demand abroad, but also to lower the company's taxes: their average rate over the last three years was just 20 percent.
Economist Martin Sullivan says it's standard operating procedure for companies like Cisco. "U.S. multinationals are shifting their research facilities, shifting their manufacturing facilities, and shifting some regional headquarters into Switzerland and into Ireland. And those are massive numbers of jobs," he told Stahl.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/03/25/60minutes/main20046867_page3.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody

Of course I can see why Corporate America would align itself with the Swiss. Study a little Swiss history and you see why they were able to do so well, primarily they were able to profit from World War II and take advantage of their good fortune after the war. Although the Swiss remained neutral they had no problem producing arms for Nazi Germany and because their country was spared the ravages of that war they were able to recover much faster than the rest of Europe. It wasn't until just recently that much of the plundered wealth acquired by the Third Reich from the extermination of the Jews, was repatriated from Swiss banks. The Swiss attitude of looking out for themselves and their own best interests fits right in with Corporate speak.

They claim it's because of the arcane outmoded tax system we have and I will have to agree with them. If we are letting corporations evade their tax liabilities then our tax code does need to be revised, so that we all pay our fair share.

But then it's the stock holders. Those faceless contributors who demand their profits. Well shame on them! If they are demanding their profits when all else are hurting then they are no better than the French Monarchy before their Revolution. Making a profit is fine, it's how much and what you do with it once you get it.

Our country is in crisis! We hear daily how our deficit is bankrupting us and the attitudes of the mega wealthy and corporate America are doing nothing to help. All they can do is sit on their Trillions and cry that they are being taken advantage of. The madness lies in those idiots who don't have a pot to piss in who defend them things like" why are you jealous of the rich?" "take responsibility for yourself and don't worry about the wealthy". People, that atitude plays right into their hands. They love it, not only are they driving us all to the poor house but the very people they are robbing are driving the bus.

Republicans like to point to President Kennedy's tax cuts as an example but what they don't tell you is that the tax rate then was 91% on income over $400,000. but then as now those high rates didn't generate the revenue because of tax loopholes. Today it's 35% and corporate America is making money hand over fist while not only not paying any taxes but in fact getting tax breaks and incentives. Most importantly without creating any jobs. You know what that means? That means they are "Too Big Too Fail!" and they don't need us any longer. They can make their profits without the American worker. Thats why they feel embolden to make the final push to do away with unions, because they can. People thats what Teddy Roosevelt warned against, thats why we have the Free Loader (Estate) tax.

Big money and corporate America tried to create a Fascist America shortly after FDR took office. They tried to hire General Smedly Butler to lead a 500,000 man army to protect their fortunes from the redistribution ideas of Roosevelt. You only have to research the good General to realize what they did and in so doing you have to come to the realization that thats what they are doing today. Had General Butler not turned them in they would have overthrown our country. The difference between then and now? The Internet!

Folks this was a smack in the face. This is extortion! This man said on prime time, on a national network, that they are taking their profits over seas because they don't want to pay their fair share and they are blaming us for it. This is the insanity of Corporate Speak because there are people who don't understand whats going on, that will side with them and condemn the very government that is there to protect them.

We all need to learn how to interpret corporate speak!

Mothers a Tease

2011-03-24T10:29:00.001-07:00

Going Bananas!

Just when my plants were about to give up the ghost Mother Nature gave us a taste of what is in store. We had a few days of really mild weather so I took the opportunity to take my plants out for some sun. They really needed it.

They loved it. You can see some of them shot out about 6 inches in two days. Just a couple things I've notice in growing my trees.

1.) When you replant your trees in the spring you should have a shoot at least 12-18 tall to make sure you get a tree. Your trees will have died back over the winter and once you get them back in their pots your going to need to cut that shoot back, so you'll need some plant to work with. If you start at the top and lightly squeeze the stalk, sliding your hand down the stalk as soon as it gets firm cut the stalk on an angle. If you see green in the middle then your in good shape, if not then keep going down till you do.

2.) If you have any babies, small starts coming up from the roots of the mother plant, you need to separate them from the mother and replant them by themselves. I have found that if you leave young saplings on the mother too long the mother will die. I always remove as much dirt as posible and with a kitchen carving knife I try to separate the root start as close to the mother as I can, being sure to include several nice roots on the start. Repot both of them and now you've doubled your yield.

3.) I feed mine quit often but then I keep mine in containers. If you plant yours in the ground it would depend on your soil as to how you fertilize. I have also found that in order to get any height from them you should prune the older leaves from time to time and of course you should clip and damaged leaves. Most of my trees could support 8-10 leaves.

Here's some pictures of past banana trees;

I love to use them as back ground and fill. Banana trees by themselves aren't very aesthetic but when they are combined with other plants or several banana plants they looks really nice.

I was just having some fun here. I'm thinking of getting one of these done as a film covering for an overhead florescent light fixture.

Bananas are fun. I hope you get a chance to grow some. They don't take a very big pot they don't mind their roots being cramped but they will grow bigger in a bigger pot. Water frequently and fertilize often depending on where you plant. Then at the end of the season just dig them up or do like I do and just put them in the garage pot and all..

Now I think I'm gonna have a banana split...

Why are we destroying the Earth?

2011-03-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

Since the start of the industrial revolution mankind has been systematically destroying that which sustains him, Mother Earth. The earth, our water and our air have been under attack so it's no wonder Earth is starting to fight back.

First there were the dust bowls of the 30s;

We took what nature had provided and we tilled under the very grasses that made the land so fertile. With no thought to what the consequences were they saw a gold mine and used it till they used it up. The resulting dust storms blew parts of the Midwest as far east as New York City.

Then the discovery of oil led us to further rape the land...

Then of course there is King Coal;

The Oil spills;

Fracking;

Nuclear;

But like Lemmings headed for a cliff we are ready to pursue whatever it takes to meet our energy needs. Our only focus is keep our energy use at it's current (no pun intended) levels. We are consuming or permanently damaging everything our children will need to exist on this planet once we're gone. We need to stop and think. That would be a novel start.

The Elephant in the room

2011-03-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

While walking down the street one day I heard the most God awful racket. Bang! I heard, then a blood curdling scream, bang and then another scream. I rushed to see what it was and when I turned the corner I saw the most unusual sight. There in the clearing was a grown man, in a business suit. He was standing in a clearing with a table in front of him. As I approached he raised the hammer and slammed it into his already throbbing thumb. The scream that followed was of anguish rather than pain.

I ran up to inquire about this bizarre behavior and to hopefully prevent anymore pain but when I asked the man what he was doing he just repeated over and over again, "My Foot, My Foot!". Not the answer I had expected but then I was able to calm the man down and explained that when he awoke this morning his foot was so painful that he couldn't stand it. He asked his wife, his kids and even his best friends and as crazy as it might seem, all suggested that he take a hammer and smash his thumb with it. He chose the vacant lot with the table so as not to bring too much attention to himself and he did have to admit that just after he would strike his thumb with the hammer he lost all recollection of his injured foot. Of course the pain would subside and the foot would begin to throb and now he'd not only have a sore foot but now he had a sore thumb.

Of course the man in my parable is a congressman and the pain in his foot is our broken health care system but instead of addressing the problem to alleviate the pain he would rather hammer away at Medicare and Medicaid. This has never been more evident than in our recent budget negotiations. The chorus of Republicans lining up to call for cuts to both Medicare and Medicaid is deafening but are cuts actually what we need?

Very few people realize just what Medicare actually does. Here is a simple definition.

Medicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over, or who meet other special criteria. Medicare operates similar to a single-payer health care system.^[1]
The program also funds residency training programs for the vast majority of physicians in the United States.
The Social Security Act of 1965 was signed into law on July 30, 1965, by President Lyndon B. Johnson as amendments to existing Social Security legislation. At the bill-signing ceremony, Johnson enrolled former President Harry S. Truman as the first Medicare beneficiary and presented him with the first Medicare card, and Truman's wife Bess, the second.^[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_(United_States)

The key Phrase in there is "Single Payer" Yes folks Medicare is "Socialized Medicine"! Make no mistake that is what bothers Republicans. The fact that Medicare is Socialized Medicine and is working very well. As well as funding will allow.

Now we come to the Elephant in the room. The American Health Care Industry or For Profit Heath Care;

Health care in the United States is provided by many separate legal entities. Health care facilities are largely owned and operated by the private sector. Health insurance is primarily provided by the private sector, with the exception of programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and the Veterans Health Administration.

The U.S. Census Bureau reported that a record 50.7 million residents (which includes 9.9 million non-citizens) or 16.7% of the population were uninsured in 2009.^[1]^[2] More money per person is spent on health care in the USA than in any other nation in the world,^[3]^[4] and a greater percentage of total income in the nation is spent on health care in the USA than in any United Nations member state except for East Timor.^[4] Although not all people are insured, the USA has the third highest public healthcare expenditure per capita, because of the high cost of medical care in the country.^{[clarification needed]}^[5]^[6] A 2001 study in five states found that medical debt contributed to 46.2% of all personal bankruptcies and in 2007, 62.1% of filers for bankruptcies claimed high medical expenses.^[7] Since then, health costs and the numbers of uninsured and underinsured have increased.^[8]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_the_United_States

I worked in the "Health Care Industry" for seven years, in various occupations. I started in collections then went into purchasing where I used the internet to sell the hospitals old equipment. My last position was in maintenance. I was able to see the industry in a way that most people don't and it allowed me to critique the system from within.

Collection proved to be the most depressing of my positions. By the time accounts got to my desk they had exhausted all hope of being covered by any form of insurance and the burden of payment was on the patient. Calling people who can't speak English, elderly that for some reason or another fell through a crack and owe thousands of dollars in unpaid medical bill but religiously sending me twenty dollars a month. It was heart breaking calling patients who were just able to make ends meet and having to cajole, coax beg and sometimes threaten them in order to get a payment. I couldn't help but reflect on the fact that in other countries, like Canada, England, Norway, Japan, Germany in fact most developed nations, my position wouldn't even exist. Only in America would we create jobs where you can suck blood money out of the sick and call it an occupation.

It was in collections where I learned about an EOB (Explanation Of Benefits). It's that little accounting tool the hospital uses to mask what they are actually charging for their services. It's a very innocuous document, it even states right on the front that it's not a bill, but it is, it tells you who is going to pay what and the outcome all depends on insurance and what agreement your hospital made with the insurance company. To give you an example I once had a stress test done. When I got my EOB they explained that the total cost of the procedure was around a thousand dollars. The hospital contracted with my insurance company to write off half of the procedure, my insurance company paid nothing and I was left with paying the other half of the procedure. There is no rhyme or reason as to what they pay and don't pay, the percentages they use and how they assign liability and they like it that way.

My second job allowed me a sense of satisfaction, at least I felt that I was contributing to the good of the system. My job consisted of working with the different departments in the hospitals, gather their old medical equipment and posting them to a web site. I was able to assist third world country's in getting equipment they wouldn't be able to ordinarily afford. The dark side of this job was the waste. The money that was paid for equipment such as an open MRI I sold for just five thousand dollars when it cost the hospital in the six figures. The money I received in fact only covered the expense of getting the machine out of the hospital. The robot surgical arms, three all together, that the hospital just had to buy. Within a few years they were obsolete and the surgeon who demanded them had moved on to private practice. Because the voice activation tapes were no longer available we had to throw these machines in the trash. Half a million dollars down the drain.

The most disturbing position I had was maintenance. Being able to see behind the scenes was like going through the kitchen at your favorite restraint, once you've been there you'll never eat there again. I witness things in this department that should be a crime. I was told to take a desk, with a top that was half inch think wood, solid wood, dismantle it and throw it in a dumpster. I watched as patch after patch was put on first one problem after another, all with the excuse that we needed to cut expenses. This worked as long as nothing happened, but then something happened. Something happened in the form of a spring deluge. One of those things you never think of but should. Needless to say the patches blow out the band aids came off and the hospital experienced a flood of biblical proportions.

Hospitals are only interested in aesthetics. They want eye candy for the sick because here's the kicker, they don't want you to get well. If you have good insurance they want you coming back over and over again. They make no money off healthy people, they want you sick and in their hospital. I actually heard something to that effect in a departmental meeting once. It's a hard fact but our nations hospitals want the people who have insurance to remember them when they get sick again, they just love repeat business.

In short until we address the elephant in the room there will never be a true fix for Medicare/Medicaid. The bills are controlled by the health care providers. I have shown three brief examples as to why they are culpable in the problems facing Medicare not to mention unscrupulous doctors over billing the system to Hoveround dealers selling scooters for seniors. Medicare would be fine if the private sector wasn't milking it like a cash cow.

Toilets?

2011-03-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

Open Letter to Sen. Rand Paul.

Senator Paul, in all fairness I didn't vote for you, so it just stands to reason that I would be more critical of you than say one of your supporters. I followed your campaign. Unlike those good folks who voted for you I saw through your frat boy politics. I was at then Senator Bunnings office one cold February day when your minions descended on a peaceful rally of demonstrators.

Lt Governor Daniel Mongiardo organised the rally to protest Sen. Bunnings refusal to allow some Kentuckians an extension of their unemployment benefits. Your mindless supporters added nothing to the debate but rudely continued to shout down the speaker. This wasn't the first or last time you did this. I saw your facebook page extolling your people to attend. Like I say I know how you operate.

Now to the subject of my blog and in light of everything I've said, you can imagine my disgust at your recent antics in the recent hearing on of all things, the efficiency of the 100 watt light bulb. I'll let the video speak for itself. Then comment some more when it's done.

I couldn't really believe what I was hearing but then I considered the source. I think I now have a clearer understanding of your worship of the "Aqua Budda".

First off I can't believe the media has given you a pass on your opening line. Pro Choice? Senator this is about light bulbs why in Gods name would you have to inject abortion in here? Was it because she was a woman and all women are pro choice by gender. Did you at any time in this hearing, have the urge to tie this woman up and have her kneel before your porcelain god? I should say Aqua Budda?

Was it because she's a Democrat, a liberal? Senator I assure you not all Democrats or liberals like the idea of abortion. I love children. I wish every child could be born and born healthy. That they would all be wanted and cared for and that they would all be given the opportunity to succeed like everyone else. Thats not reality Senator. Reality is it should be a womans choice. She is the one who will carry the child and she is the one who will ultimately raise the child so it should be her choice. Yes we should do everything in our power to help prevent them but abortions should be safe and legal. It should be just between a woman, her doctor and her creator.

Yes it's easy to pick on our big bad government, restricting business and fair trade. Those poor corporations, forced to finally quit making bulbs that are inefficient and wasteful. Cajole you Senator? People have known these bulbs were bad for the economy, inefficient, bad for the environment and so on and so on for years but because of free market capitalism and uninformed people still buying them they had no incentive to quit making them. Now they do.

Senator I don't think you know what you were elected to do. Your there to protect the people of your state from people who would harm them. You are there to make sure that just because I am ignorant of something your going to have my back and insist that the companies I buy my light bulbs from sell me the best products available and when they try and sell me something that is harmful to me, or the country I love so dear, then you are there to pass legislation to stop them. The free market has had their chance to do something about it. Now it's time for congress to step in.

You took this opportunity to bash another woman, thats all this was about. You wanted to put her in her place. You have a history of this Sir;

Personally sir I thought this was about jobs. I heard you say in your campaign over and over again it was about jobs. I still don't have one and my toilet doesn't flush all that well either. So I really don't want to hear about yours. Where's my job?

2011-03-10T14:31:00.000-08:00

I am posting this in it's entirety instead of a blog post today. I think this is more important than anything could say.

Heartland Revolution

This is a revolution aimed at combating leaders and groups who prey on the fears of the American people to advance their own corrupt agendas and line their pockets in the process.

Republicans make no bones about their support of tax cuts for the wealthiest people in the country. Those who benefit most from this philosophy are the ones who have the vast resources to contribute millions of dollars to groups that have repeatedly lied and distorted the truth about Progressive leaders in America.

Progressive Democrats have taken the high road, time-and-again abstaining from using the tactics of fear and division that Republicans draw like a gun. Now, our message is being drowned out by the millions being spent against us. Our hand has been forced. It is time to unify our resources; to galvanize our arsenal of truth, to bring accountability and conventional wisdom back to American political discourse.

We believe that our vision for the future of this great nation walks in-step with what our citizens demand and deserve from their leaders. If we were to simply give up or stand aside just because we can't stomach a good fight, we'd be doing ourselves, the American people and future generations a grave injustice. "Get up. Fight back." Our motto is resoundingly necessary in a political climate wrought with half-truths, scare tactics and outright lies perpetrated by special interest-fueled right wing propagandists. We've watched while they have slandered our leaders and misled American citizens about initiatives and reforms that will prove crucial to the stability of our system and the American family. Most average citizens worry about finding good jobs and working to support themselves and their families. When they take the time to perform their civic duty and inform themselves about the issues facing their nation, they are bombarded with the tiresome, unfortunate politics of fear.

They deserve more. They deserve the truth. We will adamantly, vigorously and defiantly expose and oppose the big business politics of right-wing America. We will do so using our greatest asset: the truth. Part of what has been so overwhelmingly frustrating for Democrats over the last decade has been the fact that our pragmatism, tried and tested conventional wisdom, common sense solutions and widely accepted beliefs have been so tainted and overshadowed by falsehoods and fear.

Our message came to its culmination in 2008, and when it came under fire the following year, what began as a slight decline in public opinion became a free-fall leading to the loss of the US House of Representatives in the 2010 mid-term election. Many factors were at play in 2009 and 2010. Lack of unity, lack of leadership, lack of guts; all things we can control. But as if our own disarray weren’t enough, a barrage of money. Big money, spewing from every orifice of the Conservative Republican movement—the floodgates were opened by the court ruling of Citizens United v. FEC, which allowed corporations to pump cash into political coffers of those whose common goals were to sway public opinion in favor of Republicans.

How do we fight it? By playing their game, but playing honest; playing harder. We can no longer be afraid of this struggle. If we back down at this juncture, we will have proven everything the other side says about us: that we are ideological, intellectual, ineffective leaders who are only good at sitting around pontificating about what is best to do for the country while everybody else is at least doing something.

The 2008 Democratic Primary showed us that there is a force of Progressives in the middle of this country struggling for their voice to be heard. Our perseverance in getting our Blue-Collar message out is just the kind of reinforcement these folks need to begin effectively fighting the Republican forces that dominate their political landscape. They need good candidates, they need funds, they need volunteers. When we can begin to chip away at these rural Republican strongholds and make our appeal to the backbone of the nation, we can start to bring back some conventional wisdom to our public debate. If we back down from this fight, we will not deserve to represent the American people because we will have already thrown them to the wolves.

Republicans have proven over the last 15 years that this is not a game. They play for keeps and we’re trying to play keep-away. We are running out of time to prove ourselves worthy of the support of the most prevalent fighting spirit in the world… the spirit of America. The choice is ours. Lend us your voice, that we might make a difference. Let us take the message to the big wigs and the fear mongers and the race-baiters and the money changers that we’re not finished speaking… in fact, we “have not yet begun to fight!"

http://www.facebook.com/heartlandrevolution?sk=info

2010 Patio and garden

2011-03-04T10:31:00.001-08:00

We started out great last year. I moved a privacy fence to the other side of my driveway and opened up more of my back yard for garden. I even plowed up behind the garage and planted corn, sunflowers and cucumbers. The weather turned warm very early and it allowed me to get out somethings sooner than I had been able to in years.

I took some landscape timbers I had laying around to make a frame for the area I freed up by moving the fence. Laying two 8ft landscape timbers, lengthwise on top of one another I was able to make a frame measuring 6ft by 16ft by 8in, level with my drive way. I then bought bags of Peat Moss, composted cow manure and top soil. I started with a layer of peat moss, then a layer of cow manure with a layer of topsoil on top. I left some composted leaves and other compost-able material underneath, then as the year went on I would add discarded vegetables, watermelon rinds, corn cobs, anything the worms could turn into compost. I grew my peppers, heirloom tomatoes, egg plant and okra there.

The patio started out good but the heat took a toll on my riser plants. I had some Nasturtiums that developed some kind of fungus that shot out tentacles,the tentacles emanated from the base of the stalk then wrapped themselves around the limbs till they choked out the vegetation. It reminded me of the feelers that a cucumber plants puts out to latch on to other vegetation. It also attacked a thyme plant that I had but none of the others were bothered with it. I learned that in hot weather you want to be careful with over watering. I almost lost my red creeping thyme due to the roots sitting in water and the heat virtually cooks the roots. Even my "Purple Grass" was a disappointment. I love to blend in a planter or two of Purple Grass each year. The purple tassels make a nice contrast to the rest of the patio but this year they didn't produce any tassels.

My banana trees thrived very well in the heat in fact by the end of the season I had approx 20 trees in pots around the patio. I also cleaned off a smaller riser in a less sunny part of the patio the grow plants that didn't require as much sun light. With my tomatoes and other exotic plants though we still had a nice patio scene this year.

I'm such a terrible blogger

2011-03-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

I guess it's because I can't come up with a theme for my blog. You know what, I don't think I'm going to come up with a theme I think I'm just going to make this about whatever strikes me as important for the day.

I don't know about you but I get into great debates with myself on a daily basis and I come up with so many ideas while driving down the road but wouldn't you know it, by the time I get back here I have forgotten what it was all about. Enter mp3 recorder.

I got an mp3 recorder to help me with learning my quartet music and I plan to carry it with me on a daily basis so that I can record my little pearls of wisdom and share them here. In that way all of you can just kick the crap out of them when I do an make me feel more insignificant than I already do.

BTW be sure to click on the ad-sense bar. You don't have to buy anything but if you do I get paid for it. I don't get a lot but every little bite helps. If you have a blog on here you should check into it as well. It really is money for nothing.

Mitch McConnell Don't Know the Words To "My Old Kentucky Home"

2010-08-10T19:29:00.000-07:00

Mitch it's your state song. You sure you can find your way back to Kentucky without help?

Hillbilly Report:: Is this the man we want representing us?

2010-08-03T13:29:00.000-07:00

Hillbilly Report:: Is this the man we want representing us?