The Policy Geek: Barack Obama

Showing posts with label Barack Obama. Show all posts

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Ocassional Repost

Sometimes we like to repost blogs of friends.

So here's a post from a fellow American activist, our friend, Mike Page.
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The only way I, as one person, know how to voice my displeasure at what the GOP has been doing since election night 2008, is to VOTE AGAINST THE REPUBLICAN PARTY in every election until my dying breath.

I am a former Republican and a military veteran. My voting record, since I could first vote, went to Bush Sr (’88 and ’92), Dole (’96), Bush Jr (’00 and ’04) and Obama (’08 and ’12). Yet, over the past eight years, my eyes have been opened to the obstructionist, RACIST, presidential disrespectfulness, big business-over-people-supporting, 1%-pandering, corporate welfare-giving, social security-cutting, climate change-denying, war mongering, foreign policy-sabotaging (think Iran #47Traitors letter), military veteran-patronizing, national infrastructure non-funding, xenophobia-inciting, SCOTUS Appointee-blocking, Planned Parenthood-defunding, immigrant maligning, ARROGANCE, environmental catastrophe-inviting (think Keystone XL pipeline and EPA shuddering), union-busting, rich-getting-richer-while-poor-get-poorer-ensuring, refugee-bashing, presidential patriotism-questioning, NRA-ingratiating, income inequality-encouraging, human rights-preventing, ELITIST, war on women-perpetuating, HYPOCRITICAL, Jesus’ word-changing, sensible gun law-blocking, middle class-erasing, sacred land-selling, public land-drilling, PRIVATIZING, student loan lower interest rate-rejecting, Medicaid expansion-refusing, Equal Rights-dismissing, minimum wage hike-fighting, GREED-filled, equal pay-denying, path to citizenship-opposing, SCOTUS ruling-ignoring, gerrymandering, HATE-filled, vote suppressing, environmental deregulating, "Citizens United" supporting (think GOP-controlled SCOTUS), Koch-indebted, WHINING-because-you-didn’t-get-your-way, BIGOTRY, poor-and-less-fortunate-bashing, birther and fake scandal-creating (think also BENGHAZI, Hillary’s E-mails), presidential daughter-attacking, 60+time Obamacare-repealing (and failing), LYING, executive appointment-blocking, Peace Deal-threatening, jobs bill-ignoring, FAUX News-supporting, presidential suing at taxpayer expense, TRUMP-creating, TRUMP-supporting, TRUMP-endorsing, TRUMP-excusing, TRUMP-shackled, propagandizing, government closing and do-nothing positive GOP party that has been wreaking havoc since Obama took office.....and all this cloaked as the one true “religious,” “patriotic,” and "conservative" party and yet, contrary to the will of the American voter in two presidential elections!

While I don't agree with, nor support, all of Obama's policies, beliefs or actions, I give him credit for trying to do something to help everyday Americans struggling with day-to-day life issues which is more than I can say of the GOP party and leadership who made it their pledge, upon Obama's first election, to stop him from doing virtually anything during his presidency. Remember, it was Mitch McConnell (R-KY) who, instead of encouraging a bipartisan effort with the then-new president, is quoted as saying, "The single most important thing we [the GOP] want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president." Additionally, a Time magazine article outlined: “If he [Obama] was for it,” former [Republican] Ohio Senator George Voinovich explained, “we had to be against it."

McConnell and his henchmen failed in keeping Obama limited to one term but, even with this loss, he and his colleagues in the GOP have kept their second promise. They have done absolutely NOTHING to help the struggling American economy nor it's struggling people in well over seven and a half years and we pay them millions in salary and benefits for their inadequacy and lack of work product! The rest of us would have been fired long ago if we produced absolutely zero for those who pay our salaries!

It is just remarkable what this president has accomplished, what with the obsessive obstacles purposefully thrown in his path. Imagine what could have been accomplished if those elected, on the Right, actually worked with this president and not become the Party of HATE!

I'm no huge fan of Hillary, and yet, between these two candidates, she is light years ahead of what Trump offers in virtually every category. She will get my vote in November as voting for any other candidate is a vote for Trump. I could really care less is if you don't agree with me, so save your breath, and your hate. Trump is lying to everyone and he is going to do nothing but destroy America from within. ALL evidence, over three-plus decades of news reports, show that Trump is out for himself. He doesn't give a damn about the average citizen, despite anything he might say.

It’s past time to change the game plan and start benching the Republican party. They should not be rewarded with any vote for the incessant, intentional, obstruction of the last eight years. Please vote BLUE down the entire ballot on November 8th. Progress depends upon this. I am so done with these haters!

Don't just agree with me - Please VOTE every single time and encourage likeminded family and friends to do the same. NOTHING changes if we remain apathetic to voting!

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NOTE: Many on the Right, after seeing this essay have accused me of lying about my veteran status, or of ever having been a Republican in the first place. I welcome the challenge as to the first accusation. Please report me for "stolen valor." I am who I say I am. As for the second allegation, well, blind allegiances are just not my thing which is why, I believe, I was born with eyes, ears, and a brain. Plus, I'm not a white nationalist, so I likely wouldn't fit in with the Trump crowd. For those who quickly dismiss this essay with “TL;DR” (too long, didn’t read), maybe you should take some time to read this as it affects YOU also.

Ocassional Repost

Sometimes we like to repost blogs of friends.

So here's a post from a fellow activist American, our friend, Mike Page.
----------------------------------------------

Ocassional Repost

Sometimes we like to repost blogs of friends.

So here's a post from a fellow activist American, our friend, Mike Page.

The President We Don’t Deserve: Occasional Repost

Whenever we see our friend/writer David Phillips post a new piece,

we can't wait to read it, they are like a wonderful slice of

turkey with cranberry on Thanksgiving, delicious, and timely. Enjoy.

The President We Don't Deserve

by David E. Phillips

I often look back on President Obama’s inauguration in 2009 and wonder what we wanted. What we expected from a man inheriting a free falling economy, two wars, and all the rest that Bush and Cheney left behind for him. The soaring rhetoric of his campaign raised expectations to sky high levels. Every president over promises. Perhaps not all intend to, but it is a part of the campaign game. Hope and Change sounded marvelous didn’t it? That wasn’t the problem though. I think the greater issue is, it sounded easy. We should know better. Real change comes not only at a cost, but quite often in painful, ruthless inches that tax both stamina and resolve. Two things this nation has proven itself to be in short supply of.

Oh sure, maybe Obama hasn’t been all we may have hoped he would be. Occasionally, I feel that way. Then I compare him to the alternative. When I do, the air I breathe fills with jasmine, and anything I take a drink of turns to mother’s milk. That is not the prevailing opinion of the average American. For many, change has come too slow during this presidency. It’s okay to hate incrementalism. I’m no fan either. However, in a strange way, it’s almost like science. It’s not going to change whether you like it or not. For better or worse, baby steps is generally how we roll.

The thing is, that’s not all on the President. FDR was once approached by a Democratic Senator with a new proposal. He made his argument for the legislation and, at the end of the discussion, FDR said “That’s great, now make me do it.” Every President needs to be pushed by both their party and the public. Do you really think LBJ wanted to deal with the sturm und drang of the Civil Rights movement? Or FDR the great Depression? All things being equal, I would guess not. However, history met them in the form of pressure. That pressure did not come from above them–how could it?–it came from below, as a groundswell.

I mention FDR and LBJ most specifically because they probably passed more meaningful progressive legislation than any other President of the 20th century (with apologies to Teddy). We forget something though. For most of their tenure, they had very strong majorities in both houses of congress. A fact that allows for the greater passage of meaningful legislation. They also had a motivated populous pushing for change. Whether it was FDR’s New Deal, or LBJ’s Great Society, there was a hunger in the land for something more.

Barack Obama has had neither of those things. Oh, it’s true, he briefly had majorities in both the House and the Senate until he did that awful thing we elected him to do. You know, improve our health care. He did so with a flawed bill that not only wasn’t the “Medicare for all” the far left wanted, or even the more modest public option the left of center would have liked to have seen. That being said, not only was it the best he could do, but it’s also working. Even stout Obama critics from the far left like Paul Krugman accept that now.

He also passed a stimulus bill that many–including Krugman–feel was too small, but may well have staved off another Great Depression. He also moved to stabilize the auto industry. A ringing success that too few have spoken about. It appears that he has also kept us safe. There has been no second 9/11 and bin Laden sleeps with the fishes–literally. He embraced gay marriage. Begrudgingly at first and with an assist from Crazy Joe, but it’s no small thing to be the first leader of the free world to do so.

All of that doesn’t mean I believe he’s always been right. He doubled down in Afghanistan, wasn’t hard enough on Wall Street (although Dodd-Frank is not nothing), has been too slow on immigration, hasn’t solved the riddle of income inequality, and expanded both the drone program to kill, and the authority of the NSA to peep through our cyber windows. Depending on where you fall on the political spectrum of the left, those shortfalls probably fall somewhere in a range between disappointing and outright folly. He has not been a perfect President. If he were, he would be the first.

I will tell you this. His greatest political mistake was not necessarily any of the things listed above. As my good friend and fellow scribe, David Harada-Stone, once said to me, “Obama’s greatest mistake was overestimating the American public.” To this I say, and how.

We are terrible. The only group of people I can think of in this country that might be worse are those that presently serve in congress. Democrats who run from the President, and their own successes, and Republicans who run from sanity.

That truth does not let us off the hook. A few weeks ago, the center-right columnist, Jon Avlon, was on Real Time with Bill Maher, and he made the most simple and yet one of strongest defenses of the Obama presidency I have heard. He essentially said, if you compare the way things are now to the way they were when he entered the office, it is inarguable that things are appreciably better. He’s exactly right. And somehow, this is true despite zero assistance from that not so loyal opposition known as the GOP, and relatively feckless support from the party whose standard Barack Obama bears like a 60 pound stone.

For this, we–the American people–have paid this man almost no dividend. His approval ratings are underwater, and the oh so recent midterms were an unqualified disaster, due in no small part to the inability of those of us on the left to show up. We provided a vacuum for a sour, science denying, willfully ignorant, and yes, appreciably racist hard right to step right in, and wipe the floor with us. We made it so easy; it’s embarrassing.

And that’s mostly how I feel right now about this country, and those that are contained within. Embarrassed. Because if you would have told me at the ass end of the Bush Administration that in six short years, the stock market would be at record highs, millions more people would have health care, job growth would be constant and ever expanding, we would be relatively safe from terrorists and loose nukes, have many fewer troops in harm’s way, be nearing a full acceptance of gay rights, and generally just not walking around trying not to shit our pants as all that we hold dear seems to be crumbling around us, not only would I be ecstatic, I would have purchased a hammer and a chisel from the hardware store, hopped in my car, set my GPS for Mount Rushmore, and requested a photo of the man who would lead us out of that doleful wilderness so I could get to adding a fifth face to that monument. But that’s just me.

So what should President Obama do with his remaining two years surrounded by an obstructionist Republican majority, a reeling Democratic minority, and a public that can’t be bothered to know or appreciate anything he has done? He should tell us all to go straight to Hell, and do what he’s been doing for the last six years…what he by and large believes is right. Only now, he should do it harder. The irony of it all is that will probably end up being what is best for us as well.

There is no point in trying to cure the sickness of apathy, misplaced anger, and reckless stupidity that grips this country, the way many seem to foolishly fear Ebola one day will. In short, we can’t be pleased. Therefore, this president should set his sights higher–not that it will be hard to do. He should look to those who will either come after us, or are still too young to understand the complexities of the difficult times we live in. Those whom he might just be able to leave a better world. Maybe they will thank him for it. Certainly those that go on to become historians will.

And that seems to be just what he’s doing. It has barely been a week since his party and his supporters abandoned him. In that time he has pushed for–in the strongest of terms–the maintaining of net neutrality. Late last night he reached a historic accord with China (China!) to greatly reduce carbon emissions, and next week he’s primed to take major executive action on immigration reform. If you are a progressive, these are exactly the things you should want. If you are anyone else, these are exactly the things you need–whether you want them or not.

I wish I could I say we were worthy of it. That we would recognize it. That we might deserve it. Lucky for us, as Clint Eastwood once said, “Deserve’s got nothing to do with it.” And we are damn lucky. Much luckier to have Obama than he is to have us.

Follow David Phillips on Twitter @BrotherJulius83

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

The Party Of Less Than Nothing

One of our favorite writing colleagues is David E. Phillips.

He is always on the mark, and does it with style, so

with his permission, we share his work with you. Enjoy.

The Party Of Less Than Nothing

David E. Phillips

Republicans may not be ready to admit it, but they probably lost the race for the White House in 2016 last night.

The bold executive action announced last night by President Obama on immigration has put the GOP in a terrible box. Oh sure, there is risk for the administrations here as well. While the policy the President unveiled last night that delays deportations, protects up to 5 million undocumented workers, and generally looks for a more humane way forward, may be popular, the process is not. Americans generally don’t like the idea of a President circumventing congress to establish policy, even when–like here–it’s legal.

The President made a nod in this direction last night when he pointed out that if the Republican Party did not like what he was doing, they could fix that. As he put it, “Pass a bill.” It was a deft move by the President and a clear challenge to the GOP. One that I suspect they will do their best to avoid and simply turn their focus back on the President and challenge his unilateral move by doing the usual clanging of pots and pans that produces noises like “emperor,” “king,” “illegal” and “unconstitutional.” There may be short-term benefits to this strategy, but long-term, the peril is more likely to be owned by the offended party.

The truth of the matter is, the President has much less to lose. His party needed to come through for their Hispanic constituency and make good on the promise of immigration reform. One could argue that, if anything, this is long overdue. Candidate Obama promised reform by the end of his first term. The closest he and the Democrats came was a failed effort at getting the Dream Act passed that would protect the undocumented who were brought here as children by their parents. The President showed patience–perhaps too much–in allowing the Senate to craft a bipartisan bill that passed over 18 months ago, but languishes in the House to this day.

Many–including myself–wanted the President to do this before the midterms. The President delayed this action in an effort to protect vulnerable Democrats up for election in red states. As anyone who watched the results of the most recent election knows, it made no difference. As is far too typical of the Democratic Party, they made the decision to attempt to mitigate the zeal of their opposition as opposed to inspiring their base. The cost of this backward thinking was a terrible turnout and the loss of the Senate.

However, now the President is behaving like a free man. The GOP may have taken congress, and his approval rating may be underwater, but he’s not running again. To put it another way, there is little left to lose, so why not do the right thing and see what happens? Which is exactly what the President did last night.

At this point, the greatest headache for the President going forward is that this maneuver will result in the GOP attempting to make life miserable for him over the next two years. Does anyone believe this wasn’t going to be the case anyway? Last night on MSNBC, former adviser to John McCain and network analyst, Steve Schmidt declared that the President’s executive action destroyed any chance of the new congress passing comprehensive immigration reform. I had to wonder if Schmidt–often a sane voice from the right–had taken leave of his faculties. Does he really believe there was any chance of that happening with a new congress that is likely to be more emboldened, obstinate, and republican-y? Like I said, I kind of like Steve and generally think he’s a pretty smart guy, but last night we saw the guy who thought Sarah Palin as Vice President was a pretty good idea.

One need only to look at the last six years to rebut Schmidt’s quaint notion of bipartisan potential.

During the first two years of the Obama administration, when the Democratic Party held both houses of congress, the GOP became the “Party of No,” using the filibuster to an unprecedented level in the Senate to block legislation. Once they took back the House in the 2010 midterms, they became the “Party of Nothing,” making the “Do Nothing” congress of Harry Truman’s time look positively robust in terms of legislative action. Come next year, the Republicans will hold both houses of congress. So far, what we have heard from them, is their desire to repeal Obamacare, block gay marriage, and fight the executive action by the President on immigration. The problem for Republicans is to do any of these things on a large level, they will need the presidency too. Which means in 2016, they will have to run against everything and for nothing.

The best thing for the Republican party, ironically, is also the best thing for the country. All the GOP would need to do is use legislation to improve Obamacare. On gay marriage, they could simply just get out of the way. The GOP loves to argue over state’s rights. Well, 34 states have decided that gay people have the same marital rights as straight people. It’s easy. Do nothing. Hell, they’re good at it. Finally, on immigration, they have a bill that has been sitting in limbo in the House of Representatives for a year and a half that was co-authored by the GOP’s great Latino hope, Marco Rubio, passed the Senate with 68 votes, and everyone believes would clear the House if only John Boehner would let it be voted on. Something he is loath to do for fear of political blowback from the tightiest of righties within his party. They may not like any of these choices, but getting those three issues off the table would allow the party to get back to convincing us that “trickle down” economics still works. For them, that’s a better–if equally stale–bet.

If this is what the GOP wants to run on in 2016, taking rights and benefits away from those who will have, by then, been enjoying those rights and benefits for years, I say be my guest. Be the Party of Less Than Nothing. Go ahead and make up the bumper stickers and everything. Let’s see how that works out. I may be mixing metaphors here, but the ball is in their court and as of last night, their bluff has been called. It’s up to them to decide if the way forward is to go backward. If that’s their choice, and I have no reason to believe they will go in any other direction, then they’ve already lost and they simply don’t know it yet.

David E. Phillips

Monday, October 27, 2014

Ebola Today: 10/27

One of the things that drives a Policy Geek crazy is, when it comes to Ebola, people irrationally blaming the President. Of course, one gets used to POTUS being blamed for everything. Benghazi, sure, Fast and Furious, yep, The IRS, ok, Immigration, yeah, it just goes on and on. But Ebola??? That one makes no sense at all.

In an effort to cut through the stupid, once again, we present: Ebola Today, 10/27.

People are going crazy about every detail of this PR nightmare. We call it a PR nightmare, because if everyone was just reacting to facts, this wouldn’t even be more than a blip on page 4 of any newspaper, a 2 minute segment at most on the Evening News. But no, we have a bunch of nonsense coming from all directions.

The Sign Language Guy
New York City Mayor De Blasio, in a press conference on Ebola, was accompanied by a man to the side of him who was translating for the deaf. CBS New York claimed the sign language interpreter for Oct. 24th press conference was “faking it.” There is video, and speculation. Tweets said he was signing song lyrics. Blogs written quoting CBS, etc. So is that true?

Of course, not. That poor guy is signing his ass off. The message is important, and deaf signers say he was getting that across, accurately. Here is a perfect example of what we are talking about. Here is a meaningful press conference, being given by a caring Mayor, being interpreted by a devoted sign language guy, with information people need to hear, and the only take away is that the CDC is “faking it.”

This is particularly troubling, the part where it is assumed that the CDC and the NIH are lying to us, or making things up. For instance, when Thomas Eric Duncan’s Texas nurse Amber Joy Vinson flew in and out of Texas, before being diagnosed with Ebola, there were reports that she had called the CDC about a fever before flying back from Akron to Dallas, and been given the go ahead. News stations were shocked. How could she have been contagious with Ebola, and have been cleared by the CDC to fly? Not surprisingly, that’s not exactly how it happened. Amber was contacted by Texas Presbyterian while in Akron, and asked how she was doing, which is standard protocol. She had a temperature of 99.5. The healthcare worker at Texas Presbyterian called that info into the CDC, who said she was cleared for travel, and that info was relayed to Amber. According to the CDC, a 100.4 temperature is symptomatic of Ebola. When she arrived back in Texas, she recorded a higher fever, immediately called it in, and sought treatment and quarantine.

The Poor French Speaking Children from Senegal
According to The Root, NBC New York, and Buzz Feed, last Friday, Oct. 24th, two Senegalese-American middle school students, 11 and 13-year-old brothers, were taken to the hospital on Friday after suffering a beating at the hands of their classmates, while the attackers chanted “Ebola! Ebola! Ebola!” The beatings were apparently motivated by some sort of fear of the Ebola virus, but local lawmakers are saying it is a hate crime. These bullies haven’t been taught any better, but whose fault is that? Where were the administrators? Where was the supervision?

Monday press conference at Harlem headquarters
of Association of Senegalese in America

Ousmane Drame, the boys’ father, explained that the children were born in the United States, but had been sent to Senegal to learn French. The boys arrived in the The Bronx three weeks ago (the proverbial 21 days), and were initially welcomed by their classmates. But as misinformation about the Ebola virus spread over the last two weeks, Drame said his sons had been cruelly harassed repeatedly leading up to the group attack.

“If they go to the gym, they don’t want them touching the ball – ‘Oh, you have Ebola, don’t play with us,'” Drame said.

Then, on Friday at lunchtime, a large group of students approached Abdou, the younger brother, and began the chanting, Ebola! Ebola! The group then attacked the boy, the father said, kicking and punching him in the face. When Amedou came to help his younger brother, he was also beaten. It must have been so frightening, and so unexpected. But are these children just reflecting their parents paranoia?

Should those middle school bullies living in The Bronx be scared of people from Senegal? Should we all be afraid?

The truth is only one case has been documented in Senegal, the country of origin of the children that were regularly bullied, and then attacked. That one Senegal case was reported almost two months ago, so on Oct. 18th the World Health Organization declared the nation of Senegal to be free of Ebola. No new cases have been documented in the 51 days since, more than twice the virus’s incubation period. Needless to say, these children weren’t anywhere near the one patient reported in Senegal at any time. But that doesn’t stop the hate, or the fear, or the ignorance, from spreading.

NY State Senator Bill Perkins was appalled, saying,
Already Ebola is a bullying crisis in our public schools, and in our charter schools. Our mayor needs to take some steps so that children in our public schools know what Ebola really is, and don’t go out and attack their fellow students.

If you ask us, Mayors everywhere need to hold public health meetings, as well as school assemblies, to talk about the truth, and hammer home the point that really, there is nothing to fear but fear itself. A teachable moment.

Can You Get Ebola When Someone Sneezes?
When your body first starts fighting Ebola, the body reacts by causing a fever. To be infectious with this virus you must have a really high number of copies of the virus in your blood. At that point, all of your blood vessels are spiderwebbing, practically disappearing, a process that can not be reversed. To be safe, if you have been exposed, and you develop a fever, call your local hospital. But running a low fever does not mean that there is enough of the virus in your blood to actually be able to infect anybody. Since all but one of the current Ebola patients in the United States are health officials, we need to have a certain amount of trust that they will sequester themselves the moment they show any fever. Again, those flying on the planes with the patients we are treating in the United States have not come down with it, and they were in a closed environment for hours and hours with those who are actually infected.

President Barack Obama gives a hug to Dallas nurse Nina Pham in the Oval Office

As for Thomas Eric Duncan, apparently you need a great deal of exposure, and exposure from a patient who is in the highly contagious stage, to catch the virus. That means exposed to feces, vomit, blood, etc. Duncan caught it while in Liberia helping a poor pregnant woman who was very ill. You can imagine the fluids there. When a person is in the later stages of the disease, as Mr. Duncan was when treated in Texas, liquid comes out of every part of them, and alot of it. That’s how Duncan caught it. Unfortunately, poorly trained staff in Texas allowed Duncan to go home, and then didn’t diagnose him immediately when he returned to the emergency room. That’s how his nurses got it. Bear in mind, Duncan is the only one that has died in the United States. He did not receive any plasma from a previously recovered Ebola patient, and he died. He’s the only patient treated in the United States for Ebola that did not receive that type of plasma infusion.

So feces from an Ebola patient, bad, and plasma from a recovered Ebola patient, good. A recovered Ebola patient can not get the virus again. So their plasma, once shared, is saving lives. This is very important. That’s why Obama made a point of inviting Nina Pham, that nurse from Texas who has recovered, to the oval office for a hug. She’s a hero. We can’t say that enough. And as of the writing of this article, both of Duncan’s nurses, Amber Joy Vinson and Nina Pham, have recovered, and have been released from hospital.

What we have to keep in mind, today, of all days, on Jonas Salk’s birthday, is we have a treatment. So as long as we have protocols, and those exposed monitor themselves for a fever, immediately quarantining themselves if they have one, we should be o.k. (Jonas Edward Salk was the American medical researcher and virologist, from New York City, who discovered and developed the first successful inactivated polio vaccine. Happy Birthday, Jonas.)

But We Hear That These Workers Took Precautions And Caught It Anyway
We have to remember that the process of medical care means that you are literally touching patients, regularly, and in that respect, it’s very difficult to come away with something like this. In fact, Thomas Eric Duncan’s family, who took care of him at home for a bit, have not contracted the disease. And those who spent time with Dr. Craig Spencer in New York, also have not shown any symptoms. So simply touching a patient, or sitting next to one, doesn’t do it.

So, again, how did the health workers catch it? We have to remember our doctors are rapping themselves with a lot of protective gear. That gear is very difficult to put on and off, as Dr. Gupta demonstrated recently on CNN. Especially, if you are trying to do it by yourself, without a partner, or without training. Some of these challenges can lead to unfortunate infections, but that’s what happens when people put themselves in harm’s way, and are willing to take care of patients with this disease. Health care workers are human too, and there are no reports of them having done all of the protocols perfectly. Although, if you listen to people on the street, they all say, “She did everything, and she still caught it. Time to freak out!! Ahhhhgggggg!!!”

Obama and recovered Dallas nurse Nina Pham in the Oval Office

The hysteria is building, and the worst thing we can do is start to attack each other over, what?, 5 cases of Ebola in the United States. Really? More people report seeing UFO’s every day in the U.S. What we have to do is keep level heads, teach our children to be kind, remind our friends not to spread misinformation and gossip, and perhaps, not travel to West Africa unless you are a health professional. Most importantly, we have to treat our health care workers as the heroes they are, and not like some zombies from Resident Evil.

Unfortunately, fear is in charge now, and fear gets what it wants.

Harry Cheadle of Vice magazine put it best today:

“I’m not sure when Americans got scared. Maybe the indigenous tribes of the plains spent evenings huddled in their teepees telling stories of twisted night creatures, maybe the nomads who trekked across that bridge from Russia to Alaska were running away from something. Whatever the case, by the time the white people showed up from across the sea and started putting women on trial for witchcraft and convincing themselves the natives were conspiring with Satan, fear was firmly established as the ruler of the continent and it hasn’t left since. The national anthem, like most of what you learn in elementary school, is mostly lies, forget the brave and the free, we’re the land of the terrorized, the home of the perpetually panicked.”

There is some good news. In New Jersey, nurse Kaci Hickox, who we wrote about yesterday, was discharged after testing negative for Ebola. So cooler heads prevailed there. After all, she was not symptomatic, and she tested negative twice.

What’s today’s takeaway? We have 316 million people in this country, more or less. And 5 cases of Ebola. Sure as shootin’, there are political operatives out there who know that fear can keep voters home on Nov. 4th. That’s a week from today.

Let’s keep it all in perspective, and not let them fear us into failure. So keep calm. And read this column. We’ll try to bring you everything we can, daily.

The Policy Geek

UPDATE: The director of the CDC said that active 21-day monitoring began Monday in seven states for air travelers who enter the United States from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, the hardest hit countries in West Africa. Those states with fear driven Governors are New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, Illinois, and Georgia.

Also, on Monday, a 5-year-old boy who recently visited West Africa, and had a fever, tested negative for the virus in New York, according to health officials. So if you hear about the young child in New York, you can tell your friends, he’s fine. Just a little kid with a fever. Like we see every winter, everywhere.

Lastly, according to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, it seems we are also putting our Army troops, those who have just completed a mission to set up Medical Facilities in Liberia, into 21 day quarantines In Italy, no visitors, even though they were never in contact with any Ebola patients while on the African continent. Again, fear is winning. Along with those troops, we have also quarantined our two star Major General Williams who is head of U.S. Army, Africa. That’s right, the man in charge of the Army in the entire continent of Africa is also in quarantine. This is policy that makes no sense. And we predict will cause more damage, than not.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

How To Occupy (Chapter One)

Occupy Baltimore (Lindo, 2011)

Reports from the ground: Recent violent episodes have forced us to leak part of my upcoming book, Occupy Everything: Messages From The Movement avec slices of some of my favorite interviews these last few months. We've seen, and listened to, and videoed Occupy meet ups and conference calls from Wall Street to Maui, HI, from Los Angeles to Washington DC. We've surfed YouTube and trolled on twitter for photos and livestream updates and blogs. Having mashed that all together and run it through the old looking glass, a mosaic of the movement has started to definitely piece together. And now, in an effort to project a general understanding of the movement and its goals, we document some of our findings here including valuable links in hopes that you might find it enlightening and worth sharing. Peace.

Introduction: The Occupy Movement meet ups, wherever they've been, wherever we've seen them, and walked through, and ate with, all have similar themes and consistently the activated inhabitants (from far reaching parts of the United States) form a melody worth paying attention to. But it isn't the actual messages of the movement we are most impressed with. Those issues will change over time. It's their method that we've have found most inspiring.

(explaining the setup...) "Those committees that meet during each General Assembly, well, they have specific conversations about detailed concerns, local and national, and how best to remedy those concerns. So their mechanism of consensus has its positives and negatives, just like some of our State Legislators, but for the most part, y'all can all agree to be ruled by those rules and we Occupiers can agree to play by the rules we occupiers have created for Occupy." ~~ Jeff Stiles, Occupier Boston

These "take a stand" warriors are all sick and tired and not gonna take it anymore, and that's a concensus that's common in each city, from Oakland to Baltimore. It's in the way they arrived there. It's in what drew them out, and the jeux de vive of this movement is in the way they work towards change for the better. After bubbling up problems, they share solutions through music, art, speeches, and film.

Occupy Los Angeles (Lindo, 2011)

"What I am most impressed with, about the Occupiers, is that they all exist in this same alternative brain trust universe: Living in the Question of things, instead of being committed to a preconceived answer." ~~ Dee Lincomb, Facilitator and Occupier Wall Street

Taking A Stand is not the same as choosing sides, it would appear, or forming resolutions, or collecting evidence for one position or another. From the initial calls to meet up that were put out by Yes We Camp and others to Occupy Wall Street starting last September and following the action up until the 'Occupy' mention in the President's State of the Union this last February 2, 2012, Occupiers worldwide have shown a spotlight on issue after issue by simply standing still and talking about it. And the objects of their conversations have started to take notice.

Downtown Baltimore (Lindo, 2011)

Bank of America found out right away when it was targeted for planning to up ATM fees.The backlash from the announcement triggered the creation of Bank Transfer Day which officially took place Nov. 5, 2011. Occupiers upset by new and changing bank fees, helped push the movement as it caught fire across the country, with most of the largest national commercial banks also becoming the focus of the frustration. According to ABC News, in October 2011 alone, Credit Unions around the country gained 650,000 new customers and $4.5 billion was moved out of major banks. This action has grown since then, and is showing no sign of slowing down. When the not so invisible hands of the protesters reached into the marketplace and took out all of their money from the big bank system to move to credit unions, Bank of America, along with the other big banks who had planned to start charging the same fees, got the message and canceled their planned additional money grab. So, are they effectual? Yes.

Occupy Wall St (TedLabs, 2011)

What then makes the work of these Occupiers as powerful as it has proven to be in our national discourse? These people across the board are searching for the questions to ask so as to live a more worthwhile life. Some do it with yelling, some with art, some with dance, some with conflict resolution. That's a mouthful, but it's true. Late nights in solar powered tents have lead us to that generalization. Early mornings waking up to skid row crazies descending on the previously considered free speech zone tend to solidify the overall theme these campsites give off.

"We never thought we'd live in a country that created Free Speech 'Zones'." ~~ Police Officer Seaton, Occupy Los Angeles

Occupy Baltimore (Lindo, 2011)

These people don't have the answers. They aren't even sure exactly what's caused the problems. One universal theme amongst the fairly organized din, and there are many, is a general dislike for the current status of our two party system. According to these rather interested and inspired 99%ers, the two party system is, by its very nature, dysfunctional in American politics and from the wide spectrum of people who attend Occupy General Assemblies, the general tenants of this dislike are manifested in lots of different ways. No matter what direction they come from, they all have a problem with the entrenched two party system that dominates our political discourse and it goes a little something like this:

"Both Parties are letting us down. Republicans specifically seem to be 'of money' that has talked them into believing they are the OPPOSITION PARTY. That if there are two parties, one must be right and one must be wrong, so that the only way the Republicans can be right is IF we are wrong, if the President is wrong, if the liberals are wrong, only then can they be right. Everyone else needs to be wrong for them to be right." ~~ Joseph Sattano, Occupy Los Angeles

"This way of thinking is now a prerequisite with the way money has twisted the system. So they (the GOP) spend EVERY WAKING SECOND talking about how wrong we are. Not methodically working to solve problems at all. Unless they are the problems of those who have the money, like lowering taxes and loosening regulations, not being forced to offer health care as an employer, etc. etc" ~~ Melissa Balin, StayOccupied

"Right-left, on-off, correct-wrong, this will never work in a Working Congress. The two party system has to be rethought. In the upcoming elections, I for one will be looking for the people who are talking about this sort of thing in their stump speeches. I want a one HOPE country. My entrenched Democratic friends may disagree, and I'm sorry, but if one party thinks its number one goal is to DESTROY THE OTHER PARTY, something has gone terribly wrong. We need a win-win every day in every way. Not a win-lose system of government. I am looking for those win-win candidates." ~~ Anonymous Member, Occupy Wall Street

Occupy LA (Lindo, 2011

So each day these 21st Century warriors huddle together across thousands of miles to try and figure out where to start. They set up libraries and reading lists and numbered in the 30s in Maui, the Occupier numbers peak in cities like Los Angeles and DC in the thousands. (How To Occupy, Chapter One continued in next blog post.)

Lisa, The Policy Geek

Friday, September 30, 2011

Occasional Repost

Waiting For Godot

By Tim Valentine

(Valentine Art, 2011)

We have a question for our Republican, Conservative and Tea Party ‘friends’, regarding their support for tax cuts.

For years, decades even, members and supporters of your Parties, along with others, have told those who were disadvantaged that they should pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Often this advice was given without any consideration, comprehension or experience of what it is like to be disadvantaged, and with no thought as to their perspective.

Some have managed, against tremendous odds, obstacles and disenfranchisements to lift themselves out of desperate situations and into manageable ones. These people are Americans who often are left with few other dependable options for assistance. If you dare to have a conversation with, not at, but with, someone in these groups who are not Republican like yourself, you might just gain the opportunity to learn a different perspective that might lead you towards another consideration.

We are not as you describe us to be when you’re speaking to the media or your fellow Republicans. We are not as you assume, as you ignore our opinions and experiences or when you criticize Democrats or the President. We are Americans just like you.

(Adam Nelson, 2011)

So why should the Janitor, Building Attendant or Administrative Assistant pay more in taxes in terms of the rates and percentages than the CEO, IT Director or the Delivery Driver?

Why should people who are economically identifiable as what any economist, financial professional or tax codes would consider Middle-Class, Working-Class, or Unemployed pay more in taxes? Did you know you pay taxes on Unemployment? Those entitlements are not tax free. Especially why should our fellow Poverty-Stricken Americans who are often under-employed, pay more in taxes than those who the same economist, financial professional or tax codes would economically identify as Upper-Class and in more common terminology, Rich or Wealthy?

CNN Politics: “Cantor Says No To Jobs Bill Spending”
CBS News: “House GOP Rejects Obama Jobs Proposal”
The New York Times: “House Republicans Outline Common Ground on Jobs”
GOP.gov: “House Republicans Plan for America’s Job Creators”

(Adam Nelson, 2011)

The full version of the House Republicans Plan for Jobs is 10 pages. President Obama’s is 199 pages. How comprehensive do you suppose both plans are in comparison? Simply, which proposal is a better plan for how to create jobs? Are you purposely trying to unemploy Americans?

We ask you these questions, because what you’re doing by taking these positions in your campaigning and policy proposals contradicts the best economical interests of those who support and align themselves with your ideology and principles! Statistically the Republican Party include a high percentage of believers who are by all economic indicators Middle-Class, Working-Class, Unemployed or among the Working-Poor. You've grabbed many of the less educated and less informed.

(Adam Nelson, 2011)

Are the values of your largest and frequent financial contributors more important than those who vote for you? Do you take these positions without consideration of their actual effect they will have on the real Middle-Class, Working-Class, Unemployed or Working-Poor? Do you know your policies will in no way benefit them? Are you comfortable with only benefiting your major contributors?

Perhaps it isn’t about people for you, but the position, perception and power that is the motivation. When you have taken seriously what the American Jobs Act is outlining and proposing, it is difficult to understand why you oppose the bill. Anyone who loves and respects America would agree upon the tenants of the American Jobs Act, making it difficult to ignore the questions asking for the true reasons as to WHY you would oppose the bill. You’ve had to of proposed these same suggestions at some point in your career or at least mentioned them. Generally ya liked these things before you were agin' 'em.

We, continue to gather and wait for your response, because this isn’t about the election, but about We the People. We the People who can not continue to wait.

I’m providing a direct link to the American Jobs Act (http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/legislative/reports/american-jobs-act.pdf) as reference for these questions we, the American people who are considered Middle-Class, Working-Class, Unemployed and Poverty stricken, request your response.

Tim Valentine

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Gettin' 'Er Done

Accomplishments Thus Far Of The Obama Administration

Friday, September 9, 2011

Being Stretched Thin

(Busy Woman, 2011)

As a Policy Geek, you are absolutely fascinated with a wide range of things. A vast array of media, blogs, historical facts, or policies that are coming down the pike...just a whole lot o' things that can turn a wonk's head and get her all riled up. And you often find yourself, at least I do, thinking nationally. So when a historical speech comes along like the one on jobs that was just on the air yesterday coming from the United States President and in front of a joint session of Congress, everyone where I was was huddled around the radio and the internet to follow the fun. Would he be charismatic? Would he sound like he was in charge and bringing the fight to them? What would he say about Unions and their importance? How would regulation fit in, and oh-my-goodness what was he gonna say about pulling out on that ozone legislation Friday last?!

Mitt Romney had a particularly funny take on regulation. As Jon Stewart points out in his late show that aired on 9/7/11, Romney suggested that every time we create an important life saving, health restoring, environment conserving regulation, we should remove an equally-big-previous regulation that was already in place and protecting U.S.citizens. That's like fixing a flat tire, only to take out the alternator in exchange. I mean that makes no sense whatsoever!

We waited for the speech to begin. What would POTUS say? Popcorn was heating up in the background.

And so he began. In a room full of men and women who usually chatter on and on, you could hear a pin drop in his pauses. He sounded strong. Applause started out timid and luke warm. Then he started to begin that refrain. "Pass this Jobs Bill." He announced initiatives that were proposed by both the GOP and Dems. He talked about rebuilding America, futurizing schools, creating science labs, and hiring more teachers while cutting the red tape from starting these projects quickly. And when he talked about tax credits for hiring vets, even Eric Cantor stood up to applaud. The 6 million long term unemployed applauded too, in there homes, at the bars, in their cars, listening to the speech.

Then he said, "I reject the idea that we have to strip away collective bargaining rights to compete in a global economy." From our listening point, the crowds seemed to be applauding a little louder for POTUS. He also said, "I reject the idea that we need to ask people to choose between their jobs and their safety. I reject the argument that says for the economy to grow, we have to roll back protections that ban hidden fees by credit card companies, or rules that keep our kids from being exposed to mercury, or laws that prevent the health insurance industry from shortchanging patients." And the applause was growing. Congress started cheering. "Pass This Jobs Bill Right Away!"

(Moroccan Arab Spring, East Asia Forum. 2011)

He referenced Lincoln and the foundational elements of any modern nation and economy, infrastructure. Crumbling bridges and highways, congested airports, inefficient rail and waterways will be focused on, and when he said that "we are a nation with responsibilities to ourselves and with responsibilities to one another, and members of Congress, it is time for us to meet our responsibilities," again we in our coffee clutch cheered and heard people in neighboring offices do the same.

There’s always been a thread running throughout our history -- a belief that we’re all connected, and that there are some things we can only do together, as a nation. And Americans — 14 million unemployed Americans — do not have the luxury to sit through the political games in Washington. As the President noted, the next election is 14 months away.


James Montgomery Flagg, 1917 (AskART, 2011)

In this speech he worked on offering hope to millions of unemployed Americans, and economic relief and predictability for employers. These are the kinds of speeches that got the man elected. The kind of speech they heard in Cairo, and around the world that caused a movement for equality that is still growing and flourishing. Now, the Arab Spring has us all spun around. Is it good? People are getting shot and martyred. Is it better? Are we killing too many people helping NATO patrol with drones? Is there a right answer? If your a populist, the right answer is a negotiation, a grand bargain of what everyone thinks is right. Let's see how this gets discussed in the next few days by the Right. I'm thinkin' Crossroads had their hatred written up at least 5 days before the speech was given, talking points for everybody, come round boys! And the Jobs Bill hasn't even been brought before Congress yet! That fun is supposed to come next week.

The only way this Policy Geek knows how to keep on keeping on is to continue to listen, self educate, share, and stay on top of what is coming in and out of Congress and in and out of the White House. Hope you are too. But, if you're not, no worries. Us Policy Geeks will chew it up for ya and pass it along. We'll do it on Facebook and Twitter and Patch and Current, and all you have to do is tune in and turn on. We Can Do This!! One active citizen helping another. Yes We Can.

Lisa Lindo
The Policy Geek

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Monday, October 27, 2014

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Friday, September 30, 2011

Waiting For Godot

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Accomplishments Thus Far Of The Obama Administration

2009

2010

2011

Friday, September 9, 2011