We’ve had a lot of medical insurance programs put in place over the years around our United States.

I remember when the non-profit medical care system was being dismantled by the feds back in the eighties, and “they” offered us HMOs. Remember? The “H” stood for “Health” and the “M” for “Maintenance”?

These organizations offered low premiums under the guise they’d work with us to keep us out of the emergency rooms and hospitals. The sales line was about prevention and how much less expensive that could be … until they had millions signed up.

And in the end HMO became just another acronym in the insurance business belt.

The newest medical care scam comes to us under the paradigm of mandated health insurance. Both Clinton and Obama have some variation of this. States are diving into this mandated medical insurance cesspool under the guise of experimentation.

The idea is to force all of us into purchasing insurance of one sort or another from private companies who’s primary objective is to show profit. As a matter of fact it’s a legal fiduciary responsibility of these investment corporations that they put the welfare of those who earn money off them ahead of those they insure!

Here’s a great example:

Health insurance companies are rapidly adopting a new pricing system for very expensive drugs, asking patients to pay hundreds and even thousands of dollars for prescriptions for medications that may save their lives or slow the progress of serious diseases.

With the new pricing system, insurers abandoned the traditional arrangement that has patients pay a fixed amount, like $10, $20 or $30 for a prescription, no matter what the drug’s actual cost. Instead, they are charging patients a percentage of the cost of certain high-priced drugs, usually 20 to 33 percent, which can amount to thousands of dollars a month.

. . .

Insurers say the new system keeps everyone’s premiums down at a time when some of the most innovative and promising new treatments for conditions like cancer and rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis can cost $100,000 and more a year.

(Co-Payments Soar for Drugs With High Prices, NY Times, 04/14/08)

Once upon a time insurance was about shared risk, but apparently now they’re about keeping costs down … for some. And of course they’re very much about profit (see here and here for examples).

What do all the above have in common? It’s all about insurance, and deliberately ignores ENsurance (yeah – made that word up – but it ought to make it into the mainstream lexicon).

As Europe and Canada have proven time and again: when dealing something as universal as the need the for medical care, the best insurance is a nationwide and paid for on a national level (yes … taxes).

That is the only insurance that can provide ensurance that we will all have access to appropriate medical care in times of injury and illness.

Insurance programs, even those as we have in here in Vermont, will never do it.

You.  Have.  Got.  To.  Be.  Kidding.  Me.

Per The Rutland Herald:

t least three companies that contract with the state of Vermont for clothes and other materials are linked to overseas sweatshops, according to human rights advocates.

Several U.S. companies that recently supplied the state with shoes, boots, uniforms and other work-related clothes have some of their materials made in factories where there are reports of forced overtime, poor ventilation, union busting and even death, activists said.

“It does appear that the state of Vermont contracts with companies that are linked to sweatshops,” said Martin Cohn of Brattleboro, the owner of a public relations firm that conducted the research. “That means our taxpayer dollars are going to subsidize overseas sweatshops.”

Yikes.

On the plus side, this seems to be ready to change in the future, but, I mean, really.  Doesn’t anyone even care with whom they do business?  And can’t we find someone, you know, in Vermont who produces work clothes?  If not Vermont, can’t we at least find someone in ^&@! New England?

More from the Herald:

A bill promoted by a group of Brattleboro high school students that would prohibit the state from purchasing clothes from such companies has passed both legislative chambers and is scheduled to be signed into law by Gov. James Douglas.

Robin Orr, the director of internal services at the Vermont Department of Buildings and General Services, said the state never considered if its contractors are linked to sweatshops, but said she is taking this information seriously.

“If these allegations turn out to be true, we will not be contracting with these companies again in the future,” she said Monday.

Once the sweatshop bill is signed into law, all contractors with Vermont will be required to show assurances that the materials don’t have questionable origins. Orr said the state plans to put that into practice as soon as possible.

Why do I get the feeling that “as soon as possible” means “during the next administration?”

Argh.

(Interesting, eh? Thanks Ed!   – promoted by Christian Avard)

…Sen. Barack Obama, standing at the podium, took a few questions. The last one from the audience, delivered via AP chairman W. Dean Singleton, was related to Afghanistan, our troops in Iraq and the threat posed by, as Singleton put it, “Obama bin Laden.

“… the Brattleboro Reformer, with a circulation of 11500, is owned by the Dean Singleton MediaNews Group…”

AP Chairman Refers to “Obama bin Laden” — In Posing Question to Barack Obama

By Joe Strupp

Published: April 14, 2008 3:00 PM ET

WASHINGTON After addressing the journalists gathered at the annual Associated Press luncheon in Washington, D.C., today, Sen. Barack Obama, standing at the podium, took a few questions. The last one from the audience, delivered via AP chairman W. Dean Singleton, was related to Afghanistan, our troops in Iraq and the threat posed by, as Singleton put it, “Obama bin Laden.

http://www.editorandpublisher….

Fans of the early, early days of rock 'n roll might recall the Platters' 1955 hit, “The Great Pretender”:

“Oh yes, I'm the Great Pretender, pretending that I'm doing well.

My need is such, I pretend too much. I'm lonely, but no one can tell…”

Well, it seems we've found a variation on this could be making the rounds as Gov. Whinin' Jim Douglas' new campaign song:

 “Oh yes, I'm the Great Preventer, preventing what would do us well.

My need is such, I prevent too much. life in Vermont is hell…”

My apologies to the Platters there, but as you probably know by now, the Guv. vetoed the recent Instant Runoff Voting bill, as expected. Gotta keep those damn lib'ruls in check – it's his life's calling, you know (well, that and telling everyone else how miserable life in Vermont really is). 

More below the jump… 

In yesterday's Times Argus, Curtis Fisher of Common Cause Vermont ably eviscerated Douglas' “logic” for vetoing the bill, basically exposing the governor's b.s. and hypocrisy for exactly what it is:

If Douglas was so concerned about the constitutional implications of IRV (specifically the one-person, one-vote issue), then why did he sign the Burlington charter change allowing its use in the mayor's race? If he genuinely believes IRV to be unconstitutional, then he was negligent in signing the first IRV bill. If not, he has disingenuously used the Constitution as cover for his irresponsible veto.

Douglas then notes a legal opinion by the attorney general that questioned (incorrectly, I believe) whether instant runoff voting could be used for electing the governor, lieutenant governor and treasurer without first amending the state Constitution. Douglas ignores the fact that 1. this legal opinion also states that “A constitutional amendment is not legally required for the other statewide offices…”; and 2. this bill does not even address those offices! Douglas suggests that advocates pursue a state constitutional amendment to obtain IRV in Vermont after stating that he believes IRV runs afoul of the U.S. Constitution. Voters should be insulted by this political doublespeak coming from the governor.

Finally, Douglas outrageously asserts that “it is mathematically impossible for the candidate chosen by the IRV process to receive a majority of first votes cast.” This is nonsense, as most candidates elected using IRV in the United States in recent years won more than 50 percent of the first-choice votes. Either the governor didn't read the bill he vetoed, or he is blowing smoke to confuse the public.

So Gevernor Douglas is a also a flip-flopper, as well as an impediment to progress. He knows damn well that in many cases the only way a Republican in this state can get ahead in any kind of three-way race is to keep things the way they currently are, marginalizing the majority that is often expressed by the Dems and the Progs.

It is very important that wheneve we talk of Governor Douglas, we use these words that present an accurate assesment of what he really is, to rough up  that 'likeability' veneer that has served him so well in his reign. Flip-flopper. Obstructionist. Out-of-touch. Standing in the way of progress. You get the picture. I'm sure you can think of a few more.

It's high time that the Dems and Progs in the legislature twisted some arms, and handed the Great Preventer the veto override he desperately deserves. The previous attempts to stand up to Douglas have been rather uninspiring, but perhaps with Symington and Shumlin eyeing the higher offices, they might find the necessary backbone. We shall see.

 Loading ...

……has puzzled veterans’ advocates

The cost two wars are imposing on the people that fight them are huge.

$2.5 billion wisely spent for helping people who fought is not too much to spend.

Where’s McCain? The Straight Talker(TM) himself can’t get straight with this and make up his mind .

The bulk of this bill is one year old and he has yet to make a decision !

..

the presumptive GOP presidential nominee has said repeatedly that he supports the concept but has yet to delve into the details of the proposal.

A McCain spokeswoman said Wednesday that the senator has not yet made a determination.

McCain’s silence has puzzled veterans’ advocates, who wonder why the much-celebrated prisoner of the Vietnam War is reluctant to support a better GI Bill for a younger generation.

An updated GI Bill, sponsored by Sen. James Webb (D-Va.), would offer Iraq and Afghanistan veterans up to four academic years of full, state college benefits — covering room, board and other expenses. Webb says it maintains “the spirit of the original World War II GI Bill,” which offered far more comprehensive benefits than the GI Bill of today. Many of Webb’s colleagues agree. The proposal is supported by 52 additional senators, including 10 Republicans.

……The Bush administration and some congressional Republicans have quietly resisted the Webb bill. They cite its cost — an estimated $2.5 billion in the first year — as well as concerns that an improved education benefit would entice troops to leave service earlier, exacerbating the already substantial retention problems surrounding today’s all-volunteer military.

http://www.washingtonindepende…

Vermont, of course, leads the nation in per capita fatalities in the Iraq war. What may be less well-known is that Richard Cody, the Army Vice-Chief of Staff, is a native of Montpelier.

Cody was recentl the subject of a “Talk of the Town” piece in the New Yorker, and his observations of military preparedness after five years of Bush's illegal war in Iraq, coming, as they do, from someone in a position to know, should be read by everyone concerned about our national security.

The current demand for our forces in Iraq and Afghanistan exceeds the sustainable supply, and limits our ability to provide ready forces for other contingencies. . . . Soldiers, families, support systems and equipment are stretched and stressed. . . . Overall, our readiness is being consumed as fast as we build it. If unaddressed, this lack of balance poses a significant risk to the all-volunteer force and degrades the Army’s ability to make a timely response to other contingencies.

 It's worth reading the rest of the piece.

I am continually frustrated, bewidered and infuriated by the depressing lack of outrage in the United States. The criminality of the Republican leaders in Congress for most of the past dozen or so years has been met with relative silence. Criminality and prevarication has been the default policy of the Bush adminstration since Mister Bush was socially promoted to the presidency in 2001. Given the magnitude of the outrageously blatent crimes, the lack of citizen outrage is spiritually deafening.

I like to think of myself as someone who is at least keeping score of the

So when I saw the details of this: 

Staff Sgt. Hartley, the son of a police officer and a career military man, was on his fifth deployment when he was killed on 8 April 2008.

I felt disappointed in myself. I realize the what has been done to our military is reckless beyond words and what this Republican administration has done to the troops went from cruel to insane even before the 2004 campaign of reelection dishonesty about everything importnat to the troops and their families

Staff Sgt. Hartley died April 8 in Kharguliah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Georgia.

I remember when “A Deployment” – just (just!) one deployment – was frequently an earth shattering event for an entire extended family, if not a community not to mention what it meant to the individual we recruited into our armed forces.

“A Deployment” – One Deployment to a war zone overseas.

Since 2002, Republicans talk about deployments and deployment extensions like just another semester in college spent not bothering to collect enough credits to graduate.

“A Deployment” has become just another piece of devalued currency to the GOP war machine.

When a family member had “A Deployment” to a war zone several years ago, it rocked my family. Prior to Dubya's social promotion to the presidency, I've had neighbors and business friends who had “A Deployment” and it shook our community with anxiety.

Five deployments to an endlessly scheduled political cycle of violence is obscene.

It is a mind numbing obscenity in its undervalued and underappreciated signigicance. It is mind numbing in context of so many obscenities comitted by Mister Bush in our name against the world, against the people of Iraq, against our future, against our military and against Staff Sgt. Hartley, his family and his community. No one in the U.S. military was recruited to do what we are making them do in Iraq. No one in the U.S. military was recruited to do what we are making them do to Iraq.

Five Deployments.  In a year when finding it in one's heart to feel pride in the United States is a legitimate campaign issue to the right wing chickenhawk criminals who are responsible for Staff Sgt Hartley's obituary, I do not possibly know where I could find capacity to be proud of the United States.

( – promoted by odum)

Did anyone catch the governor delegating out the dirty work on the first day of trout fishing?  Last night, in a report by Andy Potter, WCAX aired someone from the Fish & Wildlife (LaRoche?) baiting the governor's hook.

Vermont taxpayers have been paying a heckuva lot of money for Douglas “communications” staff and far more photo opps than the average governor.  Now we're paying top guys from Fish and Wildlife to bait his hook?

Even Dick Cheney might concede that's like paying some one to zip up your fly. 

The nice thing about the brief video moment is that it showed a lot more about our Governor's love for the sport than this piece of propaganda from the Guv's site.

Kinda makes you wonder:  did Dubie have to do the dirty work at the Lake Champlain International?

Frankly, I don't know a single person who casts line to water, man or woman, who doesn't bait their own hook or pick their own fly.

'Cause in Vermont, that just ain't what we call fishin'.

Maybe there shouldn't even be a question mark there, but today's Free Press has a story that seems to demonstrate that the Douglas administration is following Bush's lead when it comes to science: If the facts don't fit, stick to the party line.

It's a story about turtles up in Lake Champlain, and whether they will be harmed if the Missisquoi Bay causeway is removed.  After the study was done, complete with scientific analysis, Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Wayne Laroche scrubbed the plan to remove discussion that removing the causeway would hurt the turtles, and a scientist who worked on the panel objected:

“My read is that the commissioner would like this plan to minimize any obstacles it might put in the way of removal of the Missisquoi Bay causeway and his priorities for fisheries management,” [Middlebury College professor Jim] Andrews said.

“We don't like this process of one person hijacking the plan; one person saying he wants to edit the plan for four years until it meets his particular goals,” he added.

This isn't just an institutional fight. Here's what a biologist at UVM says:

 “As a scientist, those rub me the wrong way,” C. William Kilpatrick, a University of Vermont biologist and member of the state Scientific Advisory Group on reptiles and amphibians, said of the two points.

He said Laroche had no scientific evidence to back up either idea and that they contradict one another — if the turtles can swim upriver, then they are also strong enough to swim through the causeway opening.

“Things got added to the plan that have poor scientific validity,” he said, adding later, “There seems to be a political filter there.”

Hmm, here we have a politically charged inquiry, an apparent dispute as to the scientific validity of the claims, and the administration dumping the science to arrive at a predetermined political position.

You should read the whole story at the Freeps, and then think about whether  you sense a common thread between Bush and Douglas. 

( – promoted by JulieWaters)

Soaring prices on grains and rice could be the worst wave of economic shafting we’ll see.

Statistics are projecting something of a perfect storm:

400% – Rise in the price of spring wheat over the last year

75% – Average world food price rise since 2005

16 million more people at risk of food insecurity for every percentage point rise in the price of staple foods

33% – Amount of maize harvested in US this year that will go to produce biofuels

That’s worldwide, not just our tanking dollar. Experts say it doesn’t have much to do with population, but in distribution. Droughts in Australia and the emerging middle class in China (who are adding much more meat to their diet) are factors, but the sheer amounts of crops biofuels will consume are staggering. From The Australian:

“The most contentious development among these is the rise in biofuels, and the use of food for fuel has attracted widespread criticism. Global biofuel production doubled between 2000 and 2007, from 21.8 billion litres in 2000 to 72.7 billion in 2007. The US has a target of 163.6 billion litres of biofuel by 2022.”

That ain’t chicken feed.

More below the jump:

The Australian continues:

“The US produces 43 per cent of the world’s biofuel, mostly from corn; Brazil produces 32per cent from sugar; and the European Union 15 per cent, largely from oilseeds. More than 40 countries have implemented policies to encourage the use of biofuels.”

From the UK Globe and Mail:

“Starting next week, Britain will require gasoline and diesel sold at the pumps be mixed with 2.5-per-cent biofuel, rising to 5.75 per cent by 2010 and 10 per cent by 2020, in line with European Union directives. Ontario’s ethanol-content mandate is 5 per cent. As the content requirements rise, more and more land is devoted to growing crops for fuel, such as corn-based ethanol. In the EU alone, 15 per cent of the arable land is expected to be devoured by biofuel production by 2020.”

And from Canada, the CBC reported on the stress to the meat industry:

“High feed prices are a problem across the country, from the concentrated feedlots in Alberta to hundreds of smaller farms, like the one Bob Murphy has operated for four decades in the small eastern Newfoundland town of Brigus.

“When the Canadian dollar went from – I don’t know what it was – 90 cents to $1.10, the price of cattle dropped 20 cents a pound, in a matter of six weeks,” Murphy said.

“So, you know, that just … well, it ruined my year.”

“Murphy said the (price of) feed – which farmers use to fatten up their animals before slaughter – is now killing them (the farmers).

“I know a guy who [has] a thousand head on feed in P.E.I.,” Murphy said. “So, just figure it out, how much they’re losing. If they’re losing $200 or $300 a head, how long can you stay in business doing that?”

Cattle farmers are trying to reduce the cost by shortening the “finishing time”, the time cattle are grain-fed to bulk them up, resulting in thinner cattle and meat that isn’t top quality.

The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) warned two weeks ago that it will be forced to ration food aid. Factor in the high petroleum costs of transporting any relief and the costs are doubled and trebled. This situation is volatile. Last week there were fatal food riots in Haiti, ongoing violent food-price protests in Egypt, Burkino Faso, Morocco and the Ivory Coast. These follow many riotous protests in Senegal and Mauritania earlier this year. Rice is so valuable throughout Africa it is now transported in armoured truck convoys (hijackings and killings had escalated). Armed soldiers now guard fields and warehouses. Export bans are being instituted. Argentina and India have introduced bans and/or added taxes on exported products such as wheat, dairy products and meat. Russia has frozen the prices of staple foods. Manufacturers in China and Thailand will have to negotiate food price increases with their governments from now on. Algeria and Saudi Arabia have increased food subsidies across the board to producers and distributors.

Here in the good ol’ USA, Bush has decided that the amounts of exported grains will remain the same to China, regardless of the possibility that Americans may soon be paying $2 or more for a pound of flour. When bread becomes a luxury, we’re in deep doo-doo.