Vulture Vos to Vanquish Voters!

When Robin "Vulture" Vos touts "Our Fall Agenda" who do you suppose he means? Could Vos, Wisconsin's Public Sector Chairman for the fascist American Legislative Exchange Council (fALEC), be referring to his Corporate Masters? One of the items on the agenda to be rammed through Vos' Gerrymandered Illegitimate Legislature in the Badgered State is a perennial favorite of the folks at fALEC, Voter Suppression.

Of course the Vulture portrays his picking at the carcass of democracy as promoting election integrity, but even he doesn't believe that non-sense. That's for the consumption of the indoctrinants of the Cult of Con who uncritically accept one of the Whackiest Conspiracy Theories ever dreamed up. A Federal Judge appointed by Ronald Reagan even admitted recently that He Was Wrong when he ruled to uphold Indiana's Voter ID law stating; “I plead guilty to having written the majority opinion,” Posner wrote in his new book, “Reflections on Judging.” He said that the Indiana law in the Crawford case is “a type of law now widely regarded as a means of voter suppression rather than of fraud prevention.”

And to what does Mr. Vos point to justify placing road blocks in the way of the legitimate right to vote of thousands Wisconsin's citizens? One man, ONE! One man who was dumb, drunk and high enough to vote twice in last year's election, get Caught and go to Jail for it! One vote out of 3,028,951 cast. Why that's 0.00003%! At that rate, it's not clear how we will ever have faith again in our elections again!? What IS clear is that Vulture Vos, Gerrymanderer and fALEC corporate shill has no interest in representative democracy and No Shame.

The nine scariest words in the English language?

I'm a corporation, I'm here to write your laws!

More Good News on Obamacare!

Honestly, why does anyone believe anything said by a Republicon or one of their GOPropaganda mouthpieces? No doubt you've heard all that GOPster wailing and gnashing of teeth, blaming Obamacare for increasing premiums (cuz ya know they haven't been going up much faster than the rate of inflation for over a decade now, right?).

Well here's the real news:

Obamacare premiums are even LOWER than those previously projected by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office due to competition among the private insurance companies in the market place, especially new companies.

This means that our federal government will save an additional $190,000,000,000 (that's billion) over the next 10 years in reduced cost for subsidies.

These savings will raise the amount of deficit reduction to be realized by the law by 174% to a total of $300B.

The lower premiums are projected to mean an additional 700,000 fewer uninsured Americans, whose families will now have the security and quality of life that goes with access to healthcare.

It's your government and It's Working!

Personal Responsibility + Private Insurance + Private Providers = Obamacare

THAT'S RIGHT BABY!

Things are not looking good for swillers of ignorance and ill-will that crafted the disgustingly bigoted image above. But if you're teabaggnorant enough to believe that healthcare delivered by private providers, covered by private insurance companies and paid for by responsible citizens is SOSHILISM!, you might also be foolish enough to look a gift dark horse in the mouth.

The Wisconsin Public Radio Saint Norbert's College Survey for fall 2013 demonstrates very strong and GROWING support for the Affordable Care Act!

54% of Wisconsinites support the Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare, up from 41% in 2010.

60% of Wisconsinites favor the individual mandate for American's to take personal responsibility and buy private insurance and their families. That's up from 59% in 2009.

70% of Wisconsinites favor the public option of our federal government offering citizens coverage similar to medicare to compete with private insurance. That's up 26% from 2009.

81% of Wisconsinites favor requiring insurance companies to cover everyone, regardless of pre-existing conditions. That's up from 77% in 2009.

And a whopping 84% of Wisconsinites Disapprove of Shutting the Down Our Government over Obamacare! Furthermore, 74% believe Obamacare should NOT be part of discussions related to the budget or raising the debt ceiling, for which 42% blame the Republicons in Congress. Put that in your cup and swill it Ted Cruz!

Thank you President Obama and Democrats for demonstrating that when guided wisely Our Government Can Work to make the private sector function better for the all the people of America. Because like fire, capitalism can be a wonderful servant if tended carefully, but a deadly disaster if left to be whipped by the winds of unregulated greed!

AFFORDABLE Care Act Baby!

AFFORDABLE Care Act Baby!

Looks Like my Boss and I will each be able to save over $600 per month by going to the exchange for the Platinum (top tier) Family Plan!

Now THAT is fricken family values my friends!

That's over $14,000 in SAVINGS per year for our small business, instead of having premiums DOUBLE every THREE YEARS like they have for over a decade!

Thank you Mr. President and Congressional Democrats for Obamacare!

Blitzgesetz = Lightning Law

I've coined a new term, Blitzgesetz, to describe how the Republicons approach legislation now in the various states to get their pro-corporatist laws passed with minimal debate and before the public even knows whats happening. It's another arrow in their quiver to thwart democracy. 

The best, but hardly the only example is the way Gubnah Walker proposed Act 10 late on a Friday afternoon and had it scheduled to go to a vote the following Thursday. The only thing that gave enough time to allow the public to grasp the plan and express their outrage at his divide and conquer scheme was the Fabulous 14 leaving the state and preventing a vote. Walker's War on Workers planners hadn't counted on this development when plotting their attack in launching their Blitzgesetz campaign.

Surprise! Now Walker flanked by his minions Vulture Vos and Albuta Darling, in an electioneering ploy have again hit the blitz with their new property tax bill. This Blitzgesetz came out of nowhere, has had zero Democratic input and is to be rushed through in a special legislative session and on to the Gubnah's desk by early next week! 

Wham bam thank you man! You could save $13 this December and a whopping $20 next year. Oh, but not a cent more for Wisconsin's public schools. It's a bums rush, thanks for nothing Republicons.

You can call them the Tea Party, you can call them the Neo-John Birch Society, you can call them Plutocrats, but it all boils down to good ol' fashion Fascism. And while the Nazi fascists employed Blitzkrieg (lightning war) to achieve their ends, the American fascists, in pursuit of their anti-democratic designs have unleashed Blitzgesetz - Lightning Law upon the American People!

Gerrymandering, Voter Suppression & Blitzgesetz, the TP's holy trinity.

A Call to Paul Ryan to End the Shutdown

As you may remember, I called my congressman, Paul Ryan, the other day to express my opposition to the government shutdown, and urging him to stop trying to kill the Affordable Care Act (ACA/Obamacare).  I got back a letter saying that he really didn't want to shut down the government, but that nasty Senate would only pass a resolution that adhered to the law of the land, and funded the ACA -- though it seems all other parts of the funding resolution are agreeable to all parties.

He also trotted out the usual phony numbers about how this -- and everything else he doesn't like -- is going to run the USA into bankruptcy, so we should all get aboard with his Ayn Randian plan for Utopia.  He's only doing what's best for those of us who are unlucky enough to be his constituents, after all.  It's not like he's supposed to actually represent us or anything.

Below is my response.  I suggest that all of you send him a similar letter, or make a call stating these same points to his office, which can be reached via his constituent hotline:

CONSTITUENT HOTLINE: 1-888-909-RYAN (7926)

* * *

Representative Ryan --

If you oppose the government shutdown, then work to bring a clean resolution to the floor.

The ACA is the law of the land, it was passed in the normal way, signed by the President, and upheld by the Supreme Court.

Not only that, but it was created by the Heritage Foundation and pioneered in Massachusetts by your former running mate, Mitt Romney.  Additionally, its popularity was reaffirmed by the re-election of President Obama.  You and your running mate_ lost_ that election overwhelmingly.  (And if not for gerrymandering, would likely have lost the House as well.)

The American people are for the ACA, as proven in polls of its component parts, or even merely by asking about it as the ACA rather than "Obamacare," the "pejorative" that your party labeled it with in an attempt to gin up fear.  Additionally, substantial portion of people who say they are "against" it merely believe that it doesn't go far enough.

The ACA _was_ a Republican plan, the "compromise" that your side wanted, rather than single-payer or some more progressive (and less expensive) healthcare plan that would have cut out the private insurers who, in some cases, have been sucking 30% or more of our premiums out of the system.

If you want to repeal this law, the ACA, you should repeal it in the normal way -- not via this government shut-down blackmail.

Because you say you oppose a government shutdown, I now expect that you will work to bring a clean resolution to the House, and not try to rewrite the law during this process.  I expect that you will, therefore, support the Senate version of the resolution -- which leaves the law alone, as it should.

Please do so.

Yours -- Steve Sullivan

GOPstructionist Filibastards Fear ObamaCare

Could this map illustrate why the Republicons are so afraid of Obamacare? 

Look at the south, the bastion of the GOPster's base. What if all those poor uninsured folks suddenly realized that they could get access to affordable healthcare for themselves and their families, thanks to President Obama and the Democrats? 

What if they then woke up from their FuxSnooze and realized that it was the Republicon Party and their Teabagger faction that fought tooth and nail to deny that necessity for a decent quality of life for them and their families? 

That's got to scare the livin' crap out of the Greedy Oligarch's Party!

"The real issue is not the size of government, the issue is who the government is working for." - Robert Reich. When people see what the Affordable Care Act does for them the Republicons will have to throw the term they invented out of irrational scorn and derision, "Obamacare" Down the Memory Hole, lest the American People be reminded of who actually worked to better their interests.

Now look below at the most common occupations among the uninsured, cooks, wait staff, clerks, nursing aides, maids, you know all the people that are subsidizing your middle class lifestyle through serving you cheap stuff by foregoing the "luxury" of healthcare and a living wage! 

Do the GOPstructionist Filibastards disgust you NOW!

And don't get me started on the GOPocrisy of the Crisis Conservatives, who repeatedly proclaim that Compromise is a Dirty Word, are now crying for "Negotiation"!

Wait a tick, what are the TPs putting on the table? NOTHING! How about reasonable immigration reform? NOPE! Raise the minimum wage? NOPE, NADA! Yeah it's dirty a word for them in their starched white shirts, but we're supposed to be the ones who stir up the dirt. 

Remind Your Congressman: The AHCA IS the Compromise!

Today, I'm calling my deadbeat congressman, Paul Ryan, one of the ringleaders of this foolishness -- (202) 225-3031 or local-Racine  (262) 637-0510 -- to tell him to do his job, pay the bills, and re-open our government.

I'm going to suggest you call Paul, or whomever your congressman is, and/or John Boehner -- (202) 225-0600 -- and do the same.

When I call, I'm going to remind him that The Affordable Health Care Act IS the compromise.

Here are three reasons why:

This implementation date (today) IS the compromise.  October 1, 2013, (today) is years after the AHCA passed, and years later than most of us wanted.  What we wanted was a roll out 2 years ago, right after the bill passed (March 2010).  This is the time that was picked so everyone -- including the Republicans and their Big Money backers -- had plenty of time to prepare.  But instead of preparing, they've spent their time dragging their feet, refusing to cooperate or prepare, lying about the system, and repeatedly trying (and failing) to repeal the law.  (By the way, the AHCA is the law, not a bill.)

This Private-Insurance-based system IS the compromise.  What we wanted is a single-payer system -- like most of the civilized world has -- which would have saved even more money by cutting out healthcare middlemen.  Under the AHCA, insurance is limited to only 20% profit, whereas the cost of government-run single payer would have been 10% or less of the premiums.  (As it is in the rest of the world.)  Our compromise was not putting the healthcare profiteers out of business -- as we probably should have done.

This Republican-designed healthcare system (AHCA) -- including the individual mandate -- IS the compromise.  The basis of the AHCA was designed by the Heritage Foundation (a Republican think tank) and tested by Republican Governor Mitt Romney (in Massachusetts).  This was their alternative to National Healthcare.  What we wanted was Medicare for All -- which would have bee much easier to roll out, because it would have been an expansion of an existing system, and cheaper because it would have cut out the insurance company middle men.

Those are the three reasons that came to my mind (though there are probably more).

While I'm on the phone, I'm also going to suggest that if Paul Ryan really wants to shut down the government, he should start with his own government paycheck and health insurance system.

After that, I'm going to call my sensible senator, Tammy Baldwin (202-224-5653 or 414-297-4451) and thank her for supporting the AHCA, and remind her to not back down and knuckle under, because we've already compromised -- because the AHCA IS the compromise!

I suggest that all of you call the House of Representatives (and the Senate) and do the same.  And while you're at it, check out the AHCA site at https://www.healthcare.gov/.