The Ojai Post

Nail on the head. Thank you Mr. Smith

The federal government also gives us the Post Office (broke), Amtrak (broke), Medicare (insolvent), Social Security (insolvent), and the EPA (WE KNOW WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU).

Listen up, wing nuts - it isn't going to happen. There is too much reliable history.

This "Postman" post proves the point of the article. These angry rightwing-wing nuts will lie about anything...

And they will try to hide the fact that it was eight years of Republican "aristocratic" rule that took this country down into financial chaos.

Ignorance is profound and their angry rants are just a cover for their own failures.

Come on, the whole point of politics is to convince people to vote against their self-interest. And with healthcare, in a time of bailouts, bank failures, 10% unemployment, sinking dollar, and crazy State and Fed deficit spending with no end in sight, another goverment program doesn't sound like a good idea. The fact that it is godless is beside the point.;-)

Here's a great example of what people are "afraid of!" with socialized medecine. For those too entrenched in their position to click the link, here is the first couple of paragraphs in this article from Canada's National Post

Tuesday, February 2, 2010
N.L. Premier Williams set to have heart surgery in U.S.
Kenyon Wallace, National Post
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. -- Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams will undergo heart surgery later this week in the United States.
Deputy premier Kathy Dunderdale confirmed the treatment at a news conference Tuesday, but would not reveal the location of the operation or how it would be paid for.
"He has gone to a renowned expert in the procedure that he needs to have done," said Ms. Dunderdale, who will become acting premier while Mr. Williams is away for three to 12 weeks.
"In consultation with his own doctors, he's decided to go that route."
Mr. Williams' decision to leave Canada for the surgery has raised eyebrows over his apparent shunning of Canada's health-care system.
"It was never an option offered to him to have this procedure done in this province," said Ms. Dunderdale, refusing to answer whether the procedure could be done elsewhere in Canada.

Chingas! You just proved the author correct!

Will you ever wake up?

I've been on Blue Cross, now Anthem Blue Cross for 40+ yrs. I've had excellent coverage and help with them, and the price of the coverage is reasonable-$69/month. Their reps do everything they can to straighten things out. My father did not believe in health insurance and paid for everything out of his own pocket- my mother's open heart surgery+, all the convalescent home care. It was grim watching what he went through in his 60s. He was a Lt. Col. in the Army Reserve so got to die by government policies in a veteran's hospital. They even threw in his burial at a VA cemetery.

Cara- how old are you?
what kind of coverage do you get for $69/month?
Are you part of some very unusual group plan?
I am the healthiest 62 year old person you will ever meet.
Have no doctor/drug nor dentist coverage with Blue Cross.
$5000 deductible and I pay almost $250/month for an individual major medical policy which i have used once in 20 years.
It is the one bill i resent paying, but so be it.
What irks me is having my rates jacked around, up and down over the last 10-15 years.

I truly believe that the people that are against health care reform, as proposed by the current administration are afraid of bigger government. Most people will tell you that it does need to be fixed, but not in the socialistic model that is being proposed.We are losing sight of the big picture of to many individuals not paying there way in this system, and insurance companies making large profits dictating what and how they will pay.Yes, I do include the illegal aliens in this statement and note I mean large profits, not large profit margins.If the government could show us a well run, non corrupt, and bi-partisan program on anything we might take them up on health care reform. As it is right now the government has not shown to the people they can run any programs that do not have major problems.Do not be so arrogant to think the populace is not informed. We know enough

Great article Howard! I need to go back and read it through more slowly to savor its wisdom. Thomas Frank is one of my favorites. I love the quote,

"It's like a French Revolution in reverse in which the workers come pouring down the street screaming more power to the aristocracy."

Looks like you may even have picked up some right-wing, paid trolls with this one. There's a few people weighing in here who I've never seen on the Post before. Ant their rhetoric is a study in manipulation and misdirection of the issue to hot button topics like illegal immigration, etc. The kind of stuff you see from trolls paid by think tanks funded by the likes of the Koch brothers(pronounced Coke apparently so it doesn't sound Jewish) and Richard Mellon Scaife. They like to use short, easy to read names. Congratulations on attracting them. There are also some perennial conservatives like Johnny Chingas and The Postman who sounds suspiciously like Brian himself.

On a tangential note, the President has been kicking ass and taking names lately. He's still not as progressive a I'd like, but he's definitely making the right noises. In fact, the degree to which he's "not progressive" enough for me may actually be a matter of tactics on his part as well a deeper understanding of the whole political paradigm. Certainly his dismantling of the Republican Caucus for like and hour and a half the other day was inspiring. If you haven't seen it I urge you to go online and look for it, but you won't find it on Roger Ailes' Faux News. Apparently the whole thing scared FOX so bad that they actually dropped the feed to allow their bubble headed pundits to try to do damage control.

The kind of fact based, reality based politics that we saw as the President systematically annihilated all of the questions put to him by the 140 member House Republican Caucus is exactly what the media needs to be showing the public. It would go a long way toward removing the vail of anger and misinformation afflicting so many in the astroturf Tea Party set. Fox switching it off is tantamount to a violation of their FCC license to broadcast in the public interest. Of course, Faux has been in violation of the "public interest" for some time.

Meanwhile we may want to have a look at this pollfrom research 2000 of self identified Republicans. Apparently anywhere from 25-35% of Republicans are totally immune to reality. I suspect this fact provides the primary melody to "Brian's Song". Oh, and guess where they get their news.

No comments on the story about the Canada Premier of Newfoundland who is leaving his "free" healthcare system to come to the U.S. where he can pay to have an operation his own system denied him. There really is nothing to say about it, is there?

Interesting theories about paid trolls to come on OjaiPost.com. LOL~! How many people read this? 20? 100? I don't think I have changed anybody's mind in the few times I've posted here, maybe the pros will have better luck!;-) Cheers.

Johnny be good...

You keep proving this thesis over and over again.

Thank you!

The few poll questions I saw I agreed with but I don't consider myself a republican, I refer to myself as a conservative. I'm thinking about registering as a independent. Many of these republicans have no spending control and are only out for bringing home the pork, just like the democrats. I believe in limited government, and strict adherance to the constitution, along with states rights.

What a joke that question and answer thing was, They get to ask a question but then Barack gets to go on and on and the questioner is not allowed any follow up. Some of his responses didn't even address the question!

Obama doesn't seem to know (or care) what he's doing. He certainly doesn't understand what's required to create a positive business environment. I was pleased with his gesture for nuclear power but he will most likely let the greenie lawyers tie things up to accomplish his true agenda. The progressives must be very pleased with the down turn of the country and the economy in that it's in line with their general philosophy of a more primitive society, nevermind how many working people suffer or are unable to send their kids to collage. If fact even having kids just is a bigger carbon footprint to them. California is the perfect example of where the country is going, but that's what they want.

The progressives must be very pleased with the down turn of the country and the economy in that it's in line with their general philosophy of a more primitive society, nevermind how many working people suffer or are unable to send their kids to collage.

Brian - it's completely erroneous statements like the above which make it impossible to have any meaningful dialogue with you. You have absolutely no understanding of the person on the other side of the table.

Progressives are business leaders, blue-collar workers, entrepreneurs, parents, students, family and friends. They too want to build a thriving business, support their family, send their kids to a good school (or to do a collage with them).

Progressives are homeowners and have investments, and 401K's and IRA's. To demonize 50% or more of the country, and assume that a "downturn" is "pleasing" to progressives is quite frankly bizarre. Where would you get the idea that the progressives' "general philosophy" is to have a more "primitive society"?

You may be a self-identified conservative, but your talking points come straight from Rush, Bill and Glenn.

It's my understanding that progressives are against oil products, against dams (for collecting water), against mass production of food, against pesticide use, against individual responsibility for basic social needs, and against individual freedom.

you forgot to say progressives are against doing laundry, driving the speed limit and flossing.

Brian -

If by "against", you mean "are looking for alternative, sustainable solutions to", you might be getting closer.

Your statement that the progressives' "general philosophy" is to have a more "primitive society" is really ignorant and quite frankly, insulting.

And regarding "individual freedom"? The Republicans are pro torture, pro warrantless wiretapping and anti gay marriage.

Before agriculture, people lived according to the abundance of wild game and edible plants. This was a primitive way of life, which led to a nomadic, “primitive society”. When food was plentiful times were good, when they were not, times were bad.

The early agrarians found that it was easier to kill game if they were trapped it in a natural enclosure and animal husbandry was born. Likewise, early humans developed corresponding techniques to grow and harvest plants and avoid the feast and famine that had characterized our ancestors "primitive" life.

In our continuing desire to avoid the "feast and famine" scenario, humans are continually seeking ways to conserve and manage our resources. In this context, it of course makes sense to seek out new possibilities to find ways to stretch of the availability of existing resources and eventually find more sustainable replacements. Since the beginning of Agriculture it has been in our nature to find these fixes to avoid the drawbacks, primarily death, of the old way of "doing business".

Capitalism, in its current form, relies on scarcity to create markets. When a commodity is abundant, prices are low, when they are scarce, prices go up. Importantly, it is not the actual physical quantity on hand that is taken into account, but the perception of abundance (or its lack thereof) that truly creates the market and sets the price.

This market system is also at play in other areas - fear and security immediately springs to mind. The perceived increase in the level of fear creates a market for increased security.

As we continually strive to smooth out the "feast or famine" curve in all aspects of our lives, as is our want post the discovery of agriculture, capitalism in its current “profits first” form is found lacking. A shift of focus onto the abundance of resources, security, skills etc., and how to make the best use of, and conserve reserves, has led to the birth of social capitalism and social entrepreneurs.

These are members of our community that our committed to finding solutions that work for community stakeholders and not just shareholders. These solutions take physical (new forms of capturing and delivering energy) well as conceptual form (new economic and educational models) and could be described as "progressive."

Early corporations behaved progressively in this way, especially when corporation charters required that they “serve the common good”.

We face many challenges:
-peak oil production in the face of escalating demand,
-sustainable and safe energy production and delivery
-the need for a clean sustainable water supply,
-feeding a growing population while preserving our topsoil and watersheds,
-conveying the concept that healthcare costs don’t begin at the hospital door, but in our environment, our misuse of resources, and a sedentary lifestyle at home and in the office,
-instilling in our fellow citizens a collective feeling of solidarity, not a dependence upon charity
-truly understanding that we are social creatures and yearn for social inclusion,
(consider our system of punishments – it starts with a time out/go sit in the corner and progresses to incarceration, solitary confinement and ultimately to exile. In all cases the individual has been excluded from the group.
-availing of the unique talents of all members of our community to face these challenges without fear
Nous sommes tous de lopins et d une texture si informe et diverse, que chaque pièce, chaque moment fait son jeu. Et se trouve autant de différence de nous a nous mêmes que de nous a autruy. - Michel de Montaigne
Which roughly translates to:

We each have within ourselves so much diversity and texture, so many aspects, each with its own role to play, that the differences within ourselves are greater than those between us and others.

Thank you, Wayne!

No THANK YOU Suxa!!

I spy an imposter!

The real Wayne would never say anything mean-spirited.

Thanks xena!