I’m a lifelong “Star Trek” fan. Well, since the original series came on in 1966, anyway. I was almost 14, and I was captivated.
In the series’ second incarnation, “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” a race called the Ferengi was introduced. They’re money-grubbing, power-hungry beings, guided by the “Rules of Acquisition,” which glorify greed and cheating.
Rule of Acquisition 1: “Once you have their money, never give it back.”
Apparently Scott Walker believes he doesn’t have to listen to the courts any more than he has to listen to his constituents.
Walker, Wisconsin’s ultra-corporate-friendly governor, has decided to publish the anti-labor law he illegally pushed through the state senate. The law strips most public sector unions of their collective bargaining rights.
State by state and even nationally, Republicans are moving toward requiring a photo ID to vote. It will help reduce voter fraud, they say.
They talk about dead people voting in Washington County, NC; they talk about noncitizens casting hundreds of votes.
Apparently, we have enough money for another war.
We don’t have enough to give access to quality health care to everyone.
We can’t afford to make sure schools aren’t shortchanged.
We can’t improve our public infrastructure or expand or modernize public transportation.
Upgrading the electrical grid is beyond our means.
We have to take away collective bargaining rights for people who work for a living because it’s just too expensive.
We’re talking about draconian cuts to human services because we’re in such a financial crunch.
Workers have been losing ground for 30 years because the government just can’t keep spending on regulation. And besides, it’s just too intrusive for big corporations to be regulated.
Finally, a week after the disaster at Fukushima Daiichi began, people are starting to question the information coming from officials at Tokyo Electric, which operates the plant. Might they be hedging just a little on the extent of the disaster?
Well, duh-huh, as my kids used to say.
All along, we’ve been told nuclear power was safe, often by so-called experts who couldn’t even pronounce the word correctly.
“Sure, we’re prepared for earthquakes,” they said. “Nuke-u-lar power is safe, clean and efficient.”
In the United States, they’re still saying so. All is well, let’s expand nuclear power in the US
Health care advocates from across North Carolina filled the gallery this morning when the NC House Health and Human Services Committee met to consider House Bill 115, a bill that would hand over the control of the state’s health insurance exchange to the insurance companies and their allies.
They had a bit of the deer-in-the-headlights look as they saw the gallery filled to overflowing. There wasn’t even any standing room.
North Carolina legislators are trying to pass a tort reform bill that would make it very difficult for the average person to sue for malpractice and gain anything.
Here’s why: The cap on a human life would be $500,000. I know that sounds like a lot, but in terms of legal fees and whatnot, it’s really very small. The big insurance companies who represent doctors and hospitals have millions to spend on delaying the lawsuit until your lawyer and you have nothing left, so most lawyers won’t take the case.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, which has more than 80 percent of the health insurance market in the state, is trying to gain control of the insurance exchange that goes into effect in 2014 as part of the Affordable Care Act.
Each state must create an exchange of its own, collaborate with other states to create a larger exchange or allow the federal government to run an exchange. In North Carolina, more than a million people will buy their health insurance through the exchange once the law takes effect. It is meant to offer consumers a place where they can shop and compare among plans. The number of plans is supposed to be limited so people can compare.
Ok. I have to give it to the greedy, the devoid of conscience, the Soul-less… you have played a masterful game and now that you have what’s left of humanity who still gives a damn about their fellow humans against the ropes, make it quick won’t you? I know, how bleeding heart liberal of me to ask such a thing. Suffering is such a deliciously righteous punishment for the sinner who dares point out the emperor has no clothes.
Is there anyone out there that has yet to make up your mind about which side of the divide you are on? I’m talking about the new chasm on the left, exposed by the news that Obama has come to an agreement with the Republicans that will extend the deficit and the tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. This one certainly was a nice gash. I feel what’s left of our shared liberal/progressive lifeblood bleeding out as we speak.
