Sean Hannity interview with Michael Moore - the 10/10 interview
Written by Michael Vass
Tonight Sean hannity provided a bit more of his interview with director Michael Moore. As before I am providing an edited (for time purposes) video of that conversation, and commenting below it.
Michael Moore is really something else. Just listen to his answers. He truly believes what he is saying, which is perhaps the most dangerous aspect of the propaganda he creates.
What I find so telling is how Moore constantly refers to how others should be forced to pay for things he thinks should exist. He keeps mentioning the rich and people like Hannity. But he rarely remembers to place himself in that group. As he barely was willing to admit in the prior interview segment, Moore is a multi-millionaire. Yet he is not willing to give up his money for all the programs he wants the Government (ie you though taxes) to pay for.
The part that gets me riled up is how he wants to double the taxes of those he calls rich. Like many on the far-left he considers business owners like myself to be “rich” and thus wants to double our taxes. Well I can say that like Hannity, doubling my taxes would leave me nothing. Just like most business owners I know.
Why should my taxes be doubled anyway? Because someone else has not worked as hard as me and thus obligates me to give them my money? Because the State, County, Federal taxes I personally pay, plus the same for my business, and SS, and workers pay and the taxes for them, and taxes on any investments I might make and taxes on my home and property, just isn’t enough? Outside of the dreamland that the multi-millionaire Moore lives in, the rest of us who work hard don’t have a lot left over, if anything - in the best of economies.
At one point Moore makes the insane comment that no one pays over 50% in taxes. Is he dumb or just blind. I pay over 50%, as do many people I know, when you add all the taxes together. And yet people like Moore just want more like I’m a never ending well of money for them to drain.
How about the part when Moore is just laughing. That’s his first and natural response to a serious reality. I found that part to be so telling about his nature. That anything said that counters his views just is a joke, no matter how many facts are placed in front of him. And then he wonders why so many people don’t agree with his way of thinking.
And did you notice that Moore could not face the reality of the shortcomings of President Obama. That he has factually failed in 97% of the campaign promises he made. That the actions he has taken since in office has hurt the economy and the livelihood of MILLIONS of Americans. No, he sees a President, and likely a Congress as well, that just needs time and cannot be commented on as he continues to act in a manner that has no foreseeable positive outcome.
Michael Moore is a hypocrit. He wants other peoples money to go to do things he wants done. He wants to hide his own wealth, or the suggestion of it, and blame others for their own success. He is unwilling to accept that my hard work does not equal his resource pool. He is ungrateful in that he cannot accept that only in America is it possible for a man of his origins to become a man of the wealth and power he now has.
It’s great to be a rockstar politician
Written by Michael Vass
President Obama is a rockstar. Seriously he makes Al Gore look like a kid on American Idol. And nothing says that more clearly than the Nobel Peace Prize of 2009.
President Obama has won the Nobel for
“his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples”
Are they serious?
It was also stated that
“The Nobel committee praised Obama’s creation of “a new climate in international politics” and said he had returned multilateral diplomacy and institutions like the U.N. to the center of the world stage.”
Wow. That is something indeed. Let’s see. In the last 9 months, President Obama has prolonged the U.S. financial crisis - thus keeping the world in a recession at the same time. President Obama has developed such a wonderful climate in international politics that Iran has been hurling missiles and racing along with a nuclear weapons program without hesitation. Which says nothing of the fact that North Korea was busy shooting off its own rockets while President Obama asked them nicely to stop doing that - they responded by firing off more rockets.
Well, maybe ending nuclear proliferation is to big a task for just 9 months on the job. And President Bush is responsible for the Obama Stimulus, the increases in unemployment, the near exponential growth of the national debt, and just about everything else. At least that’s what VP Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and MSNBC keep saying.
But President Obama stands up for people. He is the staunch ally for the poor and downtrodden. Except he had nothing to say to the people of Iran as they begged for help after their national elections. While the world watched protest after protest, with the people asking for help, President Obama said nothing.
Ok, how about being green? It worked for Al Gore. Except that President Obama hasn’t done anything to move that along either. More importantly, he has placed absolutely no pressure - or even a nudge - on China, India, and several other nations whose growth in developing is creating more of a carbon footprint than if America matched every proposed green climate change President Obama ever mentioned.
Number of nuclear weapons in the world? The same if not increasing. Stability in the Middle East? Nope. America is still fighting in Iraq, and will be for a while more. Afghanistan is just getting revved up for the fighting going on their. Iran is busy feeding fighters in both nations with weapons and supplies, while keeping an iron fist on its own people. And Israel is getting antsy as they plan to bomb the hell out of someone over there. Freeing the detainees at Guantanamo? Not anytime soon. No other nation will take them, and so far no place in America is either safe, secure, or willing to take the detainees.
Honestly, what has President Obama done in the last 9 months that deserves a Nobel Prize?
Well he has smiled at lots of people. That alone is worth it’s weight in gold I suppose. Plus he has spoken, which we know gets growen men over at GE’s news media wing all aflutter. Not only did he speak, but President obama has wasted no time in rushing about the globe to apologize for everything but the existence of America. You know Chavez and Castro were loving that. If I were the British I’d feel slighted for president Obama not apologizing for the Reveloutionary War. (Well he did give the Queen an Ipod of all his speeches so that must count for something)
All in all the only thing I can think of that President Obama has done so far that might be worthy of any recognition so far is winning the election and becoming ther first Black President. Plus the fact that in a world of instant fame and popularity he is probably the biggest political draw in the world. As I said in the onset, he is a rockstar politician. But I didn’t know that was worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize.
If the world is not on the road to hell, we can sure see it from here.
Michael Moore vs. Sean Hannity - commentary
Written by Michael Vass
In a battle of political views that went about even, Sean Hannity interviewed Michael Moore tonight. I can honestly say that I find both men extreme in their views and wrong more often than not.
Given their extremes, the interview was interesting. On the one hand we have Michael Moore who seems ashamed of the wealth he has attained via the capitalist system he recently railed against. ON the other we have Sean Hannity who failed to solidify his reasoning on several issues. And it gets deeper than that.
Given that much of the blogosphere is leaning liberal I won’t bother with challenging Sean Hannity. But the words of Michael Moore do deserve deeper thought.
I find it interesting, to start with that Michael Moore is both seemingly ashamed of the wealth he has made and his reluctance to admit it. Why is it that the most extreme of the far-left tend to also have extreme wealth? Why is it that when asked about the wealth that they have generated in America under the system as it stands they tend to deflect the conversation?
Michael Moore has made millions, as he finally admits, because of the capitalist system. In no other nation could he attain such wealth. And in no other country could he so visibly and dramatically do so against the political system. he may laugh at the thought of Castro killing him for his career, but far too many others know this to be a fact. A fact he never wants to address, and steers the conversation away from.
Moore moves on to attack America, via the unpopular Iraq war. While he completely dismisses the fact that most every major Government in the world stated that WMD’s existed (and recently reports have emerged that some were moved to Syria before the start of the war). He dismisses the actions of Al Quida. He dismisses the fact that the day an American soldier placed a foot on Iraq or Afghanistan soil the reason why they were sent is moot.
At another point in the video Moore goes on to discuss the pain that President Obama must suffer through due to the actions of President Bush. Yet he also states that President Clinton, and many of his predecessors got a lot wrong as well. Which means that both President Bush and Obama are dealing with the issues from before their administrations. Yet Moore only wants to focus on the Republican Presidents. Isn’t that open of him.
Something else Moore completely ignores is how President Bush fixed the economy after the internet bust that President Clinton ignored. President Bush had his issues but why not give him credit for what he did get right. Or is that just not important?
And why is it that the far-left can sit and blame a Republican Administration for all of the woes of today, but not recognize the earlier causes of the problem? Nor do they seem willing to address the current issues that are solely in the realm of the Obama Administration? The $787 billion Obama Stimulus is all current, and a failure - by the standards that President Obama set. The Health Care Reform is opposed by the majority of all Americans, and its a complete Democrat issue. The Cap & Trade Bill is an Obama Campaign promise, that will cause more Americans to lose jobs and drive the poor poorer. Where is the criticism on that?
But perhaps the biggest issue I have with Moore and other far-left extremists, especially those promoting calls for change to a socialist agenda, tend to be ultra-wealthy. Moore may be bashful, but he is worth millions. Yet his insistance to take care of a handful of people absolves him of the wrongs he believes all the wealthy have. Odd.
He never answers why he has not donated all his wealth. He never explains why he has 2 homes, which is more than he needs. Shouldn’t he only have one home and give the other to the poor? Isn’t $1 million enough to live on? Aren’t there poor people across the nation that he could help take care of for life with his excess? Yet he is happy to live far better than most and tell the next guy to take care of everyone instead of doing it himself. Isn’t that very democratic?
I respect that Moore is vocal about his beliefs. But I have to wonder what his agenda truly is, since he does not live by the convictions he would impose on the rest of America. It’s hypocritical, and a slap in the face to those he proposes to take care of. And it seems to be a constant among many on the far-left.
Texas Governor Perry’s cousin shot dead by police - how many bullets?
Written by Michael Vass
I have often made the point, when discussing the extreme violence and overreaction of police across the nation, that I have never heard of an unarmed White male being killed by police - with a hail of bullets that number in the dozens. I have said I also have not heard of police killing a White male that is armed in such a manner either. I may have to revise that statement.
It is now hitting the news that the cousin of the Texas Governor Rick Perry was shot and killed by police over the weekend of September 27th. The news is still being pieced together but what is known is that police received a 911 call mentioning a disturbance of some type. It is unclear whether that was disturbing the peace and/or firing a gun - news reports I’ve seen so far conflict on this.
Either way, 2 officers came to the home of Larry Don Wheeler, the aforementioned cousin. Wheeler was 74 and had been a member of Gov. Perry’s 2006 re-election steering committee (though currently Gov. Perry is denying knowledge of his cousin). He was sitting on his porch having just finished dinner. His wife was just inside the house as police arrived. The next part is completely unknown.
Somehow gunfire was exchanged between the officers and Wheeler. One officer received a wound to his hand from shotgun pellets, Wheeler was shot dead. Wheeler’s wife was amazed.
An investigation is underway. It is unknown how many shots were fired, and/or how many struck Wheeler.
If in fact Wheeler was shot some 24 or more times, potentially having been shot while lying on the ground dead or dying, then I will have to amend my claim. Slightly, since Wheeler was armed. But I believe when the facts become known, it will be far more likely that he was shot at no more than 6 times in total.
I don’t mean to be harsh, but I am trying to be fair. And I am highlighting something that so many refuse to see. The difference in police reactions, across the nation, when dealing with even an armed and possibly dangerous person that is White, as contrast to a person of color that is unarmed. If my guess is correct, and we see few shots fired, even as police were under fire, I will be left just as bewildered and angry as prior to this news by the numerous cases of police shooting young unarmed Black men between 2 dozen and halfway to 100 times.
If it takes anger by my posting this, to make the nation understand the systemic issue here then so be it. Because there is a problem. And when I can go virtually State by State from one coast to another, and from border to border, and in some extremes all in one day, and give examples of the death resulting from this police excess - its not isolated events. Not when there is no comparison that I am aware of, unless Wheeler was shot 42 times. And Vegas wouldn’t even give me odds on the chance of that happening.
I am sorry to hear of this. But at the same time, my bigger concern is the next child or parent of an Oscar Grant or Adolph Grimes, or Sean Bell, or Amadou Diallo, and on and on.
Iran and nukes? Afghanistan? Nope, Coppenhagen and the Olympics
Written by Michael Vass
Chicago wants the 2016 Olympics. At least that’s what Oprah Winfrey, the mayor, and President Obama think. Which is the problem.
I really could care less if Chicago got the Olympics of not (and neither do many Chicago residents). I don’t like the city, as my personal expereince there was negative. But the issue isn’t the weather, the corrupt politics, or the very real likelyhood that money will be siphoned off for various private interests at public expense. No, my problem with the discussion in Coppenhagen is that President Obama will be there.
Never before, that I can recall, has a sitting President gone to lobby on the behalf of a city. To be honest, it’s an action that is beneath the Office of the President. And there is no limit to the number of functionaries the President could have employed to imply or state his desire for the 2016 games. Yet President Obama chose to go and do it in person.
At the same time he is in Coppenhagen, Iran is flaunting its formerly “secret” nuclear material development plant and firing missles as they prepare for a discussion with the U.S. on Oct 3rd. Unemployment is at 9.7% and likely to go to 10% this year according to the White House, while most expect a peak in 2011 of around 11.5%. And the General in charge of Afghanistan, who has requested 40,000 more troops for a war that President Obama campaigned was the most important issue for America to resolve, continues to sit and wait for an answer from a President that has spoken to him once on 70 days.
Perhaps it’s me, but I don’t find the Olympics in Chicago some 6 1/2 years from now an immediate, important, or Presidential issue. Somehow is see the nation as having far more urgent matters to deal with.
What about the Health Care Reform that continues to be unwanted by the public, undefined and unclear in the Congress, and advocated for by the President and Democrat leaders? How about the issues of the Cap & Trade Bill that will potentially double the cost of electricity and heating homes? How about the financial system that remains weak, as some 90+ banks have failed this year alone, and the record number of Americans in or facing foreclosure without sub-prime loans?
The Olympics are prestigious, and they sometimes even make money for a city or 2 every decade or so. But is that really the most important thing for our President to do?
It just reminds me that President Obama is more celebrity than politician. He is off with Oprah, jaunting through Europe, while his responsibilities are piling up in America. It’s the kind of reaction I’d expect more from Britney Spears than the most powerful elected official in the world. But don’t worry, once President Obama gets back he will flash a smile that will melt the major media like Brad Pitt does to many teens.
Because he’s not just the President, he’s a political rockstar. And the Olympics are just the venue he needs. Bet he gets a statue in Chicago just like Sylvester Stallone did for Rocky (and built long before the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. statue ever gets finished). How’s that for “Change you can believe in.”
Glenn Beck goes after President Obama via Derrion Albert
Written by Michael Vass
There are a lot of things in this world that are wrong. There are quite a few of those things happening in America right now. But I truly believe that no matter your political beliefs you can agree that a 16 year old being killed by other kids is wrong. Equally disturbing is when anyone in the media uses this tragedy to make a political point.
Now I agree with Glenn Beck on some issues. Unlike many liberals and bloggers, I don’t have a hate of FOX News or the commentators on there. I agree with some of their views and disagree with others. It’s much like President Obama, there are 1 or 2 things I think he is right on and wrong otherwise. Still there is no universal support when anyone makes a leap that never should happen.
The following video is of Glenn Beck on his show Sept 29, 2009.
To go from the tragic death of this 16 year old, to segue into what President Obama is doing wrong in the country is a leap that just doesn’t make sense to me.
Now before I hear all the fanatics that will say this is a right-wing conspiracy or that FOX News hates African Americans, let me be clear. Such nonsense is extremism and illogical if you actually watch the cable network. In regard to African Americans they are no worse than any other media outlet. (Which is far from positive across the board.)
For those that would say this is just the racist rantings of Beck, again I disagree. Yes Beck called President Obama a racist. And he made a clear case why such a thought is possible. I don’t think it’s true, but the case can be argued. Just as the actions of many Presidents over the decades I have been alive have caused them all to be called various negatives.
Still this is different. The kids singing in a school, the gang fight in Chicago, the dumb policies of the Obama Administration and the Democrat led Congress do not all connect. Just as ACORN, Iran, and my mortgage don’t connect. You can find a connection, but that doesn’t make it true.
If Glenn Beck wants to address the idiocy of gangs, the lack of care for other human beings of the next generation of kids, the degredation of the education system and/or the commoditization of Black culture then that’s one subject. But President Obama is neither the cause nor the cure of any of those things. No matter how much the right or left wish it were true.
Beck should make an apology to the Albert family. He used their heartbreak for his political ideals, much as Entertainment Tonight used the photo of Michael Jackson, or the Associated Press used the image of the dying Marine. I disagreed with each of these things, and I think everyone should.
Glenn Beck has the ability to do good things via his show. The ACORN videos, Van Jones and other ‘czars’, the Cash 4 Clunkers computer takeover are all examples of his benefit to the nation (even if the far-left hates it). But there is a line. And Beck needs to respect that line, as well as the families involved.
Annie Leonard - Story of Stuff misrepresentations
Written by Michael Vass
Wow. That’s the word I am left with when I listened to Annie Leonard. The amount of things that she gets completely wrong with her Story of Stuff is amazing. And to think that this is targeted towards kids. It’s insulting.
I bet most of my readers have never heard about the Story of Stuff. Which makes sense since it cannot hold up to critique. But I bet that many of my readers are also unaware that some schools use this as a teaching tool.
Here is what Annie Leonard (with help from the TIDES Foundation – one of the few groups that is listed as supporting this video, most others are on hidden lists you need to search to confirm involvement.) says at the start of her video
Starting at 1:51 – 2:02 we start with America being a militaristic nation. How is that for a message for kids? Don’t mind the lie that 50% of our budget goes to the military (actually it’s more like 20%). And it just keeps going on with the America bashing. We are responsible for the Third World’s condition. We are destroying all the resources of the world. We are creating almost all the pollution in the world. We are enslaving the world. And on and on.
Anne Leonard starts this whole thing with the statement that she has spent decades traveling the world, but I have to wonder if she opened her eyes while she was on the trip. Better yet, where around the world did she go, and who with. Because it seems like she was on a trip with Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, and Osama Bin Laden.
Though another question that might be asked, and is not answered is how qualified is Leonard? She went to Barnard College (never mentions what she got a degree in) and Cornell University – where she was doing graduate work, but never mentions an actual degree. So what exactly does Leonard know? Is she an expert at anything besides America bashing?
How bad is this? Well besides the America bashing, which is constant, there are numerous facts that are just wildly wrong. And that does not consider the context of other “facts” either misunderstood or misrepresented in this video.
Like
“..we have less than 4% of our original forests left”
Well worded. Because the fact is that while almost all the ORIGINAL trees can be said to have been cut down over centuries in our nation, we REPLANTED trees. We are still replanting trees today. Because if we didn’t wood would be a scare commodity and the price for a 2×4 would be exponentially higher. But to be honest about that defeats the alarmist tone Leonard wants to hit.
Or
“Forty percent of waterways in the US have become undrinkable.”
Well again it’s not exactly true. It’s 40% that have become unfishable, unswimable, OR undrinkable. That fact is in the fact sheet she provides on her own site. So the actual number is smaller, by quite a bit. And that says nothing of the reservoirs across the nation.
“Only a handful of synthetic chemicals have even been tested for human health impacts and NONE have been tested for synergistic health impacts”
Again from her own fact sheet, the actual number not quoted is “more than 80,000” and of that number 15,000 have been tested. Which means that just under 20% have been tested. Which I would not call “a handful”. Though her phrasing does make it sound desperate.
“We each see more advertisements in one year than a people 50 years ago saw in a lifetime.”
There is no question that is true (though badly worded). Because there are more televisions today than 50 years ago. There are exponentially more channels than then (there were 3, now there are over 500). Which does not factor in the number of people increased since then; nor the fact that the internet and many mobile devices allow advertisements as well.
But the most insane part of this video may well be the one of the first things said by Leonard. Starting at 2:03 – 2:15
“…I hold true to the vision and values of the Government should be of the people,by the people, for the people. It’s the Government’s job to watch out for us, to take care of us, that’s their job.”
Did you catch that? “to take care of us” is the key there. No it is NOT the job of the Government to “tale care of us”. It does not say that ANYWHERE in the Constitution. I dare Annie Leonard, and any of her like-minded supporters to find that in the Constitution.
Many far-left radicals would like the Government to be in charge of our lives. It falls completely into the thinking many Liberals have today that the Government is smarter than you and I. That it is better at deciding everything for us. Even in the face of facts that prove the Government has NEVER been better in deciding ANYTHING than individuals in this nation.
How long has the budget been in deficit? How much is the deficit? Is Medicare and Social Security going bankrupt? How much more money does the Post Office need to run? Can you name a single department or Agency of the Government that costs less money or runs more efficiently that the year prior in the last 4 decades I have been alive?
But Annie Leonard wants to convince kids, whom this is targeted towards, that the Government is the answer to everything. They want to have these kids growing up believing that a Government where they are not free to choose is better. Which I do not define as democratic or American.
Though I am sure that Leonard got to see countries like that, as I did when I lived overseas. I think the former USSR is a better example of that kind of Government. And if you think Communism or Socialism are great just ask people from there how fun it was to wait on 8 hour long lines to go to the only McDonald’s in the nation (opened only as the country was becoming more free). Ask how much fun it was to drive cars that were just as likely to burst into flames as start. I’m not making this up, I lived these and other experiences. Sorry, I’m not an advocate.
But it does tell us why all the rest of the video, which does have a couple of points where things could be better, is geared to create America-hating Americans.
And let me remind you that this is something being taught to some kids in schools. And with the book of this collection of lies, misrepresentations, and falsified facts being released in 2010 it will be just in time for the mid-term elections. I bet it might even be part of the curriculum in more schools across the nation.
Doesn’t that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Kind of like being nauseated.
House shuns ACORN - except 75 Democrats
Written by Michael Vass
Oh the shock and amazment. Yes today the House of Representatives joins the Senate and California Governor Schwartzenagger in ending the funding of ACORN. Well most of the Senate, and most of the House.
This of course is the reaction to 5 videos from across the country (Baltimore, Brooklyn, San Bernadino, San Diego, and Washington D.C.) presenting ACORN workers as they promote and advocate brothels, the use of illegal aliens and sex slavery. Which says nothing of the voter registration fraud the organization has been in and out of courtrooms for, over 8 years in 9 States.
Even the most successful community organizer, President Obama - through Press Secretary Gibbs - denounced the actions presented in the various videos. The pressure has been so great that ACORN has moved from denials of wrong-doing, to threats of lawsuit, to now starting an “internal, independant” investigation.
But the decision to defund ACORN has not been unanimous. Even with explicit video evidence of wrong-doing - advocating prostitution and defrauding the Government - some Senators and Representatives seem to be more concerned with defending a political ally (and campaign contributor) than standing up for their constituents.
Notable for me, and New York voters is Senator Gillibrand who with 6 other Senators stood by ACORN over constituents. But the list in the House is far larger and decidedly political. 75 Democrats were the only ones to vote to allow ACORN to keep its taxpayer funding. Again I note that New York Representative Hinchey, who is my Representative, felt the same political need to support ACORN over voters.
This is something that I hope all New York voters remember during the 2010 mid-term elections, as Rep. Hinchey and Senator Gillibrand are up for re-election.
The other Representatives that voted for bringing prostitution, illegal immigration, underage sex slavery, and tax evasion via ACORN to a community near you are (by State):
Arizona -
Grijalua
California -
Honda
Roybal-Allard
Linda Sanchez
Sherman
Stark
Waters
Watson
Waxman
Woolsey
**Speaker Pelosi declined to vote - and said it was up to House-Senate negotiators to determine whether the provision to cut funding would be in the final version of the bill. Meaning she is seeking a way to ensure ACORN keeps its funding even with these votes.**
Colorado -
Polis
Florida -
Corrine, Castor, Wexler
Georgia -
Lewis, Scott
Hawaii -
Hirono
Illinois -
Davis, Jackson, Rush, Schakowsky
Indiana -
Carson
Maryland -
Cummings, Edwards
Massachusetts -
Capuano, Delahunt, Lynch, Markey, McGovern, Neal, Olver, Tsongas
Michigan -
Kilpatrick
Minnesota -
McCollum, Ellison
Mississippi -
Thompson
New Jersey -
Holt, Pallone, Pascrell, Payne, Sires
New York -
Crowley, Engel, **Hinchey**, Meeks, Nadler, Rangel - who has his own monetary and ethical issues, Serrano, Slaughter, Towns, Velazquez
North Carolina -
Butterfield
Ohio -
Fudge, Kucinich
Pennsylvania -
Brady, Doyle, Fattah
South Carolina -
Clyburn
Texas -
Al Green, Jackson-Lee, E.B. Johnson
Virginia -
Moran, Scott
Washington -
Larsen, McDermott
West Virginia -
Mollohan, Rahall
Wisconsin -
Baldwin, Moore
You might want to review this list as political ads asking you to re-elect them in the 2010 mid-term elections start to flood your airwaves over the next 11 months.
Michael Vass thoughts on Sen. Gillibrand response
Written by Michael Vass
Well in a mere 36 days since I first contacted Senator Gillibrand, I have now received a response. I suppose that can be called a quick turnaround by the standards of Congress these days. In fact most people I know, or have commented on this and other blogs I write for, didn’t think I would get a response at all.
But considering the fact that Senator Schumer responded relatively quickly, the time it took Sen. Gillibrand looks really bad. Still better than Representative Hinchey - who has yet to make any response, like the White House - but bad all the same. Of course the response I have gotten is a form letter.
Like Senator Schumer, Sen. Gillibrand has chosen to give a boiler plate response. Of the 22 questions I asked on August 11th, not one was answered. Not even the most simple and important question - Have you read the Health Care Reform proposal? Maybe my question was too difficult to understand.
Most of the response by Sen. Gillibrand is a restatement of the issue at hand. Which I obviously understand if reading my letter was ever attempted. Even at a glance.
But to be specific, Sen. Gillibrand raises questions for me, not answers them. Which is sad if, as Sen. Gillibrand says,
“I appreciate your point of view and share many of your concerns.”
In the first paragraph of her response she states that Medicare will be strengthened. Though it is factual that Congress and the White House have stated that the only way the Health Care Reform can work as currently proposed is if Medicare, and Medicaid, have massive cuts. In the range of $500 billion, which is still not enough to pay for the Reform.
Of course the reminder by Sen. Gillibrand that the health care system is broken was important. It is the single point that everyone can agree upon.
But Sen. Gillibrand went on to quote that
“…forty-seven million Americans, including three million New Yorkers, are currently uninsured…”
which is a false number. It can only be reached by including 12 million illegal aliens and 5 - 7 million Americans that CHOOSE not to have health care insurance. That’s not my numbers, its from the White House. Ask them.
But as she closes the second paragraph I again agree that Congress must act. But action does not mean chaos, or failure to be responsible. A quick, rammed through Reform that creates bigger problems than it solves is not the action we need. Creating a program that is as good as the Post Office, as President Obama has compared, or based in a similar manner to Medicare - which is bloated and part of the problem with health care - is not good enough. Bankrupting (more than has been done with the ineffective and wasteful Obama Stimulus) current and future generations of America is unacceptable.
Sen. Gillibrand then goes on to discuss, generally, the quality of care and affordability of any future reform. To which she promotes the public option. Which across America is despised and unwanted by the majority of Americans (outside of the Democrat-led Congress) according to EVERY poll since before I wrote my initial letter. It is an option that 1) requires acceptance lest anyone not taking it would pay 2.5% of their taxes as a penalty. 2) It CANNOT prevent, and likely assures, that any employer would drop any current health care plan and force employees to adopt the Government plan - even if it is inferior to the plan they currently have.
In addition questions of delays in receiving health care, reductions in quality of care, and inevitable annual increases of cost on the national budget (according to the CBO) are raised by the public option. Questions that I asked Sen. Gillibrand, which she chose to ignore.
She continues to state
“I am committed to addressing this important issue and will work with my Senate colleagues on bipartisan solution.”
Which is really the funniest part of this form letter. Because it is a fact (as found at Politifact) that all the Heath Care Reforms proposed and being debated (except for the Bachaus Bill created yesterday) are completely devoid of ideas or options presented by Republicans. So if you call Republicans trying to remove loopholes and interject proposals that actually make sense, and yet get shut out of the Bills, “bipartisan” I suppose she is working. If you call Senate Majority leader Harry Reid and Speaker Nancy Pelosi threatening to pass the Health Care Reform without any Republican support - or even several Democrats under a ‘nuclear option’ (requires 51 votes in Senate) - ‘bipartisan’ I suppose you also count to five with all yur toes and fingers.
The letter closes with Senator Kristen Gillibrand stating she hopes I will stay in touch. Which I already have. But considering how far behind she is in (not)responding to what I have to say, I expect an answer by December.
Let me ask you, my readers, is this the kind of Senator you want in the Senate? Is this a fair representation of the concerns and issues that constituents have? Is this the kind of person you want to re-elect in the 2010 mid-term elections?
I asked 22 questions, that I have read, been told, and pondered on the Health Care Reform. Between responses from both Senators for New York, no comment yet from 1 Representative (Hinchey), and the White House I am left with even more questions than what I started with.
Yet, mark my words - as I know you always do and I am greatful for - each of the elected officials I have written to will flood the airwaves with political ads insiting that New Yorkers re-elect them. Somehow I see less reason to do that today, than I did 36 days ago.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand responds to Michael Vass
Written by Michael Vass
The following is the letter from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, responding to my letter and email on August 11, 2009. This is the verbatim transcription of the letter received today in the mail.
September 10, 2009
Dear Mr. Vass,
Thank you for writing to me about the current state of our healthcare system. I appreciate your point of view and share many of your concerns. I believe that it is vital that we act now to bring forth health care reform solutions that will lower the cost for those currently covered by private insurance, strengthen Medicare for seniors and allow every American to access quality and affordable health care.
Our healthcare system is currently badly broken. Over the last ten years, health care premium increases have far outpaced earned wages and forty-seven million Americans, including three million New Yorkers, are currently uninsured and an additional 25 million are under insured. With our current economic situation, many Americans are losing their insurance coverage when they are laid off from their jobs. Even people who thought they were adequately covered with the health insurance they purchased later to learn that they are not when facing catastrophic diagnosis. This is unacceptable. No family should be one health care emergency away from bankruptcy. Congress must act to provide stability in the health insurance industry.
Quality care for the patient, affordability for families and small businesses, and patient choice are all important considerations in reforming our health care system. We need a plan in place that Americans will be able to afford, as well as allow them a true choice between competing health insurance plans. Having a public option, similar to a Medicare-for-all program, would create competition and result in lower health care costs across the board. If you are happy with the coverage you currently have, a public option would also allow you to keep it.
I have been a strong supporter of affordable, quality health insurance for all. I am committed to addressing this important issue and will work with my Seante colleagues on a bipartisan solution.
Thank you again for writing to express your concerns and I hope that you keep in touch with my office regarding future legislation and concerns you may have. For more information on this and other important issues, please visit my website at http://gillibrand.senate.gov and sign up for my e-newsletter.
Sincerely yours,
Kirsten E. Gillibrand
Is TIME hypocritical, or is Glenn Beck the problem?
Written by Black Entertainment USA
In as much as politics is entertainment these days, I want to discuss news commentators and the news media. I was motivated to do so by an article in TIME online. They were discussing Glenn Beck. Yeah, that guy.
For those that hate FOX News, and/or anything to the right, I ask you to keep reading and not zone out. For those that hate the left, do the same.
I’ve written about Glenn Beck before. On my political blog site. I have differences with many of his views, but at the same time he must be given credit for being dead-on with several issues. Van Jones was one, so is the current and growing ACORN situation. TIME notes both of these things.
But TIME meanders eventually to the question of if Beck is just there for the money, and playing both sides against the middle? Which is an important question, but not just for Beck.
Right now, politics and cable news coverage are huge business. Unlike years past where it was something more centralized to election cycles, or newspaper subscriptions, today politics is divided to channels available 24/7. Which is definitely helping to divide the nation, and occasionally inform.
Whether Glenn Beck is independent, or to the right does not matter. Whether FOX is right of center or just right of the rest of the media does not matter. They are all in it for the money. Which TIME is in it for as well. So to question the financial success of ANYONE in the media is stupid. None of us, including me (you did click on my advertisers or checked out my store, right?), do this simply for the good of our hearts. We want to be paid as well.
That is the American way.
The bigger question though is if the money is the goal or the means. Yes I want to make money, but I don’t write with that in mind. I write what I believe, and I think most pundits do the same. But in reading the TIME article you would think they are the only ones in the media that do it just to give away every dime. Which is laughable.
Let’s look at things as they are. We have a President that is not what he campaigned as (love or hate him for that as you will). We have an economy that is sour, and not likely to improve anytime soon. We have massive amounts of corruption in both Parties in Government. And the concerns of Joe Average seem the most far removed from politicians in my life (41 years).
Keith Olbermann, Beck, Bill O’Reilly, Chris Matthews and a host of others make millions because of this environment. But is that the goal? Or is it that each of them has a strong belief in what they say, and have no problem making a living from that conviction?
TIME seems to think that it’s all about the money. At least mostly so for Beck. Though they don’t mention their own revenues. Thus making their article useless, except for a subtle bashing of Beck, who has coincidentally scooped them and the rest of the media on several critical issues.
TIME mentions in the article that polls show America has the least trust in the media than perhaps ever before. And there is good reason for it. The Obama Stimulus was passed without being read and the majority of the media let it go. Van Jones made multiple radical accusations, after gaining a high political office, and the majority of the media didn’t blink. The President has made a health care policy that has no definition, and the majority of the media has not asked for details. And most recently, >ACORN has been exposed via the work of 2 amateurs and the majority of the media is just paying attention that this might be serious (a week after the fact).
Do I have a problem with the media, in particular news commentators like myself, focusing on issues they most agree with? Not at all. Do I have a problem with the same people getting paid for it? Obviously not. And of course I may be biased on this.
But I have a massive problem with the major media ignoring issues that are blatantly incidents that deserve national attention. I have a problem with anyone being paid for a job, reporting the news or commenting on it, and then not doing that job. Or worse being hypocritical.
I have yet to see coverage in TIME about the systemic bias in the legal system that continues to exist today. There was no coverage of the Megan Williams case, Oscar Grant, ACORN - the recent trouble garnered 1 article after the Senate vote but focused on past voter registration problems - and so on. For the life of me I cannot imagine why.
So TIME may wax and wane on the success of conservative pundits (with minor comments on Liberal pundits), but their job is to cover the news. Not Glenn Beck and his success, but the national news. He is doing his job – like it or not. TIME needs to do theirs.
No wonder so many find the news media to be so useless. It’s not just politically polarized, it’s stuck its head in the sand to the issues that are the core of its existence.
Letter to Senator Gillibrand about ACORN
Written by Michael Vass
The following is a verbatim copy of a email letter sent to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand at 7:41am today. Feel free to copy and paste this letter to the Senator as well.
Senator Gillibrand,
I am a 41 year old, New York State resident, American citizen, professional blogger, small business owner and member of the press.
I have been following coverage of the investigative reporting on ACORN that has been released during the last week. I have followed the responses of ACORN to these videos. I have read about the accusations of lawsuits by ACORN, and the potential charges being brought against the individuals that have highlighted the corruption of various ACORN offices.
I have a question for you.
Please explain to me, as a constituent and tax paying business owner of New York State, why you were among the 7 Senators that voted to continue to give the tax dollars of myself and other New York residents to ACORN?
I believe that I have a right to this answer. Because if even 1/10 of the problems and crimes highlighted in this video are accurate, and they have been noted to occur in our State, then I do not wish this organization to receive any of my tax dollars. Nor do I believe the majority – if not all – New York Residents would wish this either.
In 2010 you will be seeking re-election. I am aware of the fact that you support HR 3200, but did not conduct any town hall meetings to discuss this controversial topic. Nor did you respond in any manner to a letter and email sent previously to you about this issue. I am aware that you have received an endorsement from ACORN this June.
If I am to vote for your re-election, I believe that the very least you can do is to explain your vote for ACORN. As one of the 2 Senators of the State of New York whose responsibility is to represent me and others in this State, I believe this is a duty you have.
Thus if you have made a statement explaining your actions, please make me aware of it. If you prefer, as I would, a direct response you can reach me at info@vassconsult.com or 718-344-6921. I am also willing to meet with you for an interview on this subject that I can present to my readers in New York as well as the 125 countries around the globe that read my writing every month.
Sincerely,
Michael Vass
President – M V Consulting, Inc.
718-344-6921
info@vassconsult.com
Senator Gillibrand and ACORN - a connection becomes clear
Written by Michael Vass
So now it becomes a bit more clear. The connection between Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and ACORN.
As I have stated before Sen. Gillibrand was one of 7 Senators that voted to have ACORN keep it’s funding from the Government. At the time I was at a loss for why this might be the case. Especially in light of the multiple videos highlighting ACORN employees, across the nation, engaging in acts to defraud the Government and abuse taxpayer money.
Then I received an email from a reader in New York State. They refered me to a link at The Albany Project. Which I set about verifying. And then I found the confirmation from the New York Daily News - June 16, 2009.
Senator Gillibrand got votes promised from ACORN. And likely Working Families Party, which the head of ACORN also is tied to.
Just from my own speculation I believe that this endorsement also carries more than a bit of cash as well. Though not enough to be the top 5 contributors to Senator Gillibrand.
To be fair, ACORN does not show in the top 100 contributors to Senator Gillibrand. ActBlue, Goldman Sachs, the Teamsters Union, Citigroup, Cablevision, Morgan Stanley and Pfizer all do, but not ACORN. At least not directly.
Still, an endorsement form an organization known to (allegedly) commit voter fraud on behalf of Democrat candidates is worth it’s own weight in gold to a junior Senator that was never elected to the position and wants to be re-elected. At least I would believe so.
Perhaps it is this recent and critical (according to the New York Daily News) endorsement that motivated Sen. Gillibrand to be among the very few Democrats in the nation that voted to continue to fund this organization with taxpayer money.
If I am wrong, I welcome Senator Gillibrand to respond to this post. Or she can contact me directly and I will provide that conversation to you my readers verbatim. Or I am always willing to interview Senator Gillibrand in person on video.
Though considering Senator Gillibrand was unwilling to even send me a confirmation email of the emailed and written letter I sent her (and Senator Schumer, and Rep. Hinchey), I doubt her response.
All just a bit of information that I suggest voters in New York State consider while Senator Gillibrand floods the airwaves with political ads celebrating how great she has been for New York State and why we should re-elect her.
Michael Vass comments on Senator Gillibrand
Written by Michael Vass
Considering the events related to ACORN, I was left with a nagging question with Senator Gillibrand’s vote to fund ACORN.
Senator Gillibrand supports ACORN and prostitutes in vote - seemingly
Written by Michael Vass
So I have to say I am surprised tonight. Not that another ACORN branch has been shown to be just as actively willing to provide criminals with housing paid for by taxpayers (Brooklyn makes 3 and another is expected Tuesday morning), or their efforts to help people defraud the Government. No it was the reaction in the Senate.
Now I say the Senate, because MSNBC, CNN, and all the other major media outlets to my knowledge refuse to cover this news story. Obviously a case of a major organization abusing taxpayer funds (of which some $5 billion in Stimulus money reportedly was expected to be paid to ACORN) on top of their constant voter fraud court cases, is not considered newsworthy to the main media. But the Senate reacted almost as quickly as the U.S. Census on this matter.
Amendment to H.R. 3288: Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 was voted on today in the Senate. This states
Which makes sense since there seems to be no question of the abuse in that organization.
Of the 90 Senators that were involved in the vote, 83 voted to ensure that not another taxpayer dollar from HR 3288 would be given to ACORN. That’s Democrats and Republicans alike.
But 7 Senators voted in favor of allowing ACORN to give your taxes to criminals – including people that would open a brothel with underage illegal alien girls working as prostitutes in a house next to you.
That is where I am surprised. That in the face of video proof, any Senator would still think such an action was ok. Obviously they aren’t worried about any of the criminals moving into a house near them or their families.
The senators that voted in favor of ACORN, over their constituents, are:
-
Sen. Roland Burris – Democrat - Illinois
Sen. Richard Durbin – Democrat – Illinois
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand – Democrat – New York
Sen. Robert Casey – Democrat – Pennsylvania
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse – Democrat – Rhode Island
Sen. Patrick Leahy – Democrat – Vermont
Sen. Bernard Sanders – Independent – Vermont
Of particular note is Senator Gillibrand. She is one of the senators for NY, and is supposed to represent me and others in the State. Not one person that I know of - other than perhaps a crack dealer - feels that funding brothels, importing illegal aliens, or advocating the use of minors as sex slave is a good thing. Senator Gillibrand obviously does not represent me.
But Senator Gillibrand is up for re-election in 2010. And I hope that in all her political ads and forthcoming speeches she does not forget to mention to the people of New York that she is ok with the above living next door to anyone (except perhaps herself). And I truly hope that during her re-election campaign in 2010 someone asks her why she is ok with this.
ACORN to sue for being caught breaking the law
Written by Michael Vass
Last week, video was released revealing that the Baltimore offices of ACORN had no problem introducing a brothel of underage illegal aliens to a likely unsuspecting neighborhood. It was a shock and I wrote about that.
ACORN responded to the video, and the FOX News coverage (NBC, CBS, and the other major news media seemed to find fraud uninteresting), by initially ascerting that the video was false. They then took the normal corporate (and political - think Hillary Clinton before and during the Primaries) out in stating that this was a unique situation with 2 rogue representatives. ACORN assumed none of the responsibility and fired the 2 women involved.
Then the very next day, video of the exact same scenario taking place in Washington D.C. was revealed. And again ACORN denied responsibility, as well as firing 2 more employees.
This morning there is another video of an ACORN office in Brooklyn. Is anyone seeing a pattern?
Well now ACORN has decided that they need to sue. They want to go after the filmmaker and FOX News. The filmmaker is obvious - he is the one catching them city after city as ACORN members discuss how to defraud the Government, withhold taxes, and commit crimes. And FOX News is involved because they covered the news story when no other network would touch it.
It takes real big balls to sue someone for catching you break the law, and sue other people for letting the public know about it. It takes balls to imply a racial aspect to why someone might want to reveal you breaking the law. All the while you are getting paid billions (roughly $5 billion from the Obama Stimulus as I recall) with public money.
And if you think I’m taking this out of context, here are the words of ACORN
Notice that this is the fault of FOX News. Because even though they did not make the video, nor are the people in the video their employees, it has to be their fault. And note the touch of “they hate minorities” that’s in this statement. Just don’t pay attention to the fact that it is the ACORN employees that are violating the law.
But it gets better. ACORN claims that this is also a way to distract from the Health Care Reform Bill. You know, that piece of legislation that every poll in existence says the majority of Americans don’t want since August and Democrats are trying to pass anyway.
“It is not coincidence that the most recent attacks have been launched just when health care reform is gaining traction. It is clear they’ve had these tapes for months.”
If this is what Liberals call gaining traction on health care, they really see the world in a slanted view. And as for the timing, well it does take a while to go city to city and find massive amounts of corruption. Then you have to edit the tapes. But aside from all that, ACORN employess seemingly across the country are breaking the law. So what does it matter when the tapes come out?
This implies this is not rogue employees, but a systemic purposive direction from the organization itself. But if you see that, ACORN believes you must be a Right-wing, racist, Republican without a soul. But again, don’t pay attention as your taxes go to pay for them to break the law.
“This recent scam, which was attempted in San Diego, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia to name a few places, had failed for months before the results we’ve all recently seen. I am appalled and angry; I cannot and I will not defend the actions of the workers depicted in the video, who have since been terminated. But it is clear that the videos are doctored, edited, and in no way the result of the fabricated story being portrayed by conservative activist “filmmaker” O’Keefe and his partner in crime. And, in fact, a crime it was - our lawyers believe a felony - and we will be taking legal action against Fox and their co-conspirators.”
This is a scam? If it’s a scam who is losing money, besides taxpayers funding an organization that apparently supports criminals? Back a decade or so things like this were called investigative reporting. It just happened to not be by a news organization.
And while ACORN seems willing to name places across the country it did not work, there are plenty were it seems it did. Including in NYC, a place they said was a failure. But honestly, it shouldn’t happen anywhere - especially not on my tax dime.
And while it is editied, when I listen to the guy say “there is a tax code for prostitution?” and the immediate timestamped answer is “performing artist”, or when ACORN employees repeatedly say “don’t say prostitute anymore” well that isn’t doctored.
And I wonder if my blog, as well as hunderds of others, will be included in that conspiracy to spread awareness of ACORN breaking the law.
Oh, if ACORN didn’t do anything wrong, why are they firing so many people? And if this isn’t news, what the hell is?
“ACORN members are committed to the empowerment of their communities - Black, Latino, poor, and working families – at the deepest level. We are an organization committed to halting the foreclosure crisis and keeping people in their homes.”
Empowerment of who? Keeping who in homes? Crackheads and gangs? Meth labs and pimps? Illegal aliens? Because the video really makes you wonder who ACORN is helping, how and why.
No matter how ACORN, liberal and democrat supporters, want to twist these events we are all left with a single thought. Billions of tax dollars have gone to an organization that apparently is willing to cheat the Government and improve the lives of criminals - among others. Why would anyone want to support that?
The end is nigh - Paris Hilton confirms it
Written by Black Entertainment USA
In news surely signaling the end of the civilized world, Paris Hilton has become a part of history.
No it wasn’t as the worst actress ever, and it’s hard to be worse than Mariah Carey in Glitter or Jennifer Lopez in Gigli. It wasn’t for being the most vapid and talentless celebrity since… well since she showed up, either.
Paris Hilton in fact has had a quote recorded in the Oxford Book of Quotations.
The quote was
“Dress cute wherever you go, life’s too short to blend in.”
Now generally Oxford is considered a higher place of learning. Tomes using the name tend to be reference materials with some considerable standing. Most consider being in an Oxford reference material a high honor. Yet I think they really have dropped their prestige on this one.
Paris Hilton is someone who in a generation, if it takes that long, won’t be remembered. As she shouldn’t be. But if this is the best kind of quote coming out of the world at this time, I’m afraid to wonder if anyone will be around to care.
Honestly, I hope this is based the Hilton business making a bribe. The family that controls the huge hotel conglomerate just felt that Paris needed a publicity make-over (badly), and that this might lend some substance to a person adverse to such. If so, I’m sure that this is an attempt to obfuscate the jail sentence and the notoriety that mockery of justice logged into the history books.
If it turns out to have been the result of a massive bribe, I will feel so much better. Because it means that the world is not going to hell in a hand-basket.
Taxpayer-funded ACORN improving neighborhoods everywhere
Written by Michael Vass
OK, I really just can’t imagine this. Not that I have learned this has happened, but that I am not seeing this across all the major news media.
Of course I’m speaking about ACORN.
Wow. Seriously, this isn’t major news on every channel? And remember, your taxes pays ACORN and thus this advice.
What a community organization. Think of all the good that ACORN is doing for that community in Baltimore, MD. That new neighbor you have might be quiet because of the new meth lab they set up, and wrote off as a house cleaning business.
And I know what my detractors will say. ACORN wasn’t responsible for this. These women did this on their own. This does not reflect on the rest of the national organization. You must be a tool of the Republicans and Fox News.
But just maybe I’m a guy trying to make a living that doesn’t want my hard earned tax money going to ANY organization that would hire anyone that would think of helping create a brothel with underage illegal aliens. And I seriously doubt that these women were working without supervision, completely on their own in ACORN facilities.
But I bet that crack dealers are looking forward to dropping by the local ACORN office to see if they can get a bump in their business. Or maybe they will be upset that the secret just got out.
Of course ACORN was swift to act on this news story. The video was posted on biggovernment.com at 6am today. ACORN came out with a denouncement of the video at around mid-day I believe. They claimed that this was a false story. That it was “gotcha news”. But I think the whole thing looks more like a sting that police do to capture pedophiles, or drug dealers, and others of such ilk.
As the day went on, more people kind of heard this story. And ACORN insisted they needed to see the full video and transcript before they could respond. Which I’m sure they had early in the day. But at 6:51pm ACORN made the announcement that you knew was coming.
The women were fired. ACORN denied any knowledge or wrongdoing. They covered their asses just as people got home and saw this mockery of community service (though ACORN might have classified the prostitute under that title as well).
Let me ask this, do you think ACORN was without a clue about this kind of action? Were these women rogues that acted without supervision and complete authority under the name of ACORN?
Or do you think than an organization that has been in multiple courts across the nation every time there is an election - simultaneously, a group tied to various misdoings and embezzlement, a group with deep financial backing and massive political connections and agendas, just might have had a clue what their employees would say (or even might have been trained to say).
My old friends and I have an equally old saying
“You may not be a ho, but you wear her clothes well.”
ACORN might be a great organization, but it sure acts and looks like a seedy corrupt group of nay-do-wells with an agenda.
President Obama gets heckled - cue the laugh track
Written by Michael Vass
So how surprised can we all be now that President Obama was effectively heckled on national television?
I know some will claim that this was a racial event. That this has never happened to a White President. That it’s because of a lack of respect to African Americans, or some such theory. I think that argument is garbage. It hides the truth of the matter.
The fact is, I believe, that the major media and Democrats are responsible for what happened last night. And this is not because of my politics, it’s based on precedent.
The moment that the media and Democrats laughed off, and in some cases applauded, the reporter in Iraq that threw a shoe at President Bush a precedent was created. They instilled the thought that the President is not to be respected, that to publicly insult a President is acceptable. They opened a door that diminished the President, every President. They just didn’t think it would apply to them.
But they were wrong. This event proved it. And it will now become something that I fear will happen over and over again. This is now a problem that ALL Presidents will be faced with in the future. Because some decisions have consequences you just can’t backtrack through.
Do I think that Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina was wrong? In the most stern manner. EVERY President deserves the utmost respect. Even when they are mixing facts, spinning polispeak, and/or blatantly lying – even on national television. There are forums for disputing and proving the misinformation of a President, what happened last night was not one of them.
Still it is not possible to completely disrespect one President, to lambast him and openly ridicule him, and assume that you are not affecting the Office of the President. Disagreeing, arguing, debating, are all the most American of political actions involving our elected officials. I support all forms of RESPECTFUL discourse in our political system. But for the last 8 years before President Obama, respect was not the word of the day. And this is the result.
So am I surprised? No. When the media and Democrats encouraged the shoe throwing at President Bush I was just waiting for the next shoe to drop. And now it has. I hope that the same people that were laughing at President Bush are as cheerful now. They should be since they are the ones that made it all possible.
Michael Vass comments on AP photo of Marine
Written by Black Entertainment USA
Dear Readers,
Sometimes being a member of the press sickens me. It happens in times where the press and media reach below the bowels of the lowest common denominator and dredge up muck. We all learned about one such instance when Entertainment Tonight published a photo of the dead body of Michael Jackson on a stretcher as doctors struggled to save his life. I spoke harshly of that decision and those that would benefit from the suffering of a family in a time of grief.
Yet again I find myself having to denounce a decision of another news organization. This time it the Associated Press. Normally this is a news agency of high regard and solid reporting. But I assume that the need to make a profit in a recession exceeded the obvious and declared standards of good taste and respect. Such is the media of today.
The AP published a photo of a Marine, Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard, as he was dying from wounds received in a firefight in Afghanistan. This went against the multiple requests of the family NOT to publish this photo.
“Bernard’s father after seeing the image of his mortally wounded son said he opposed its publication, saying it was disrespectful to his son’s memory. John Bernard reiterated his viewpoint in a telephone call to the AP on Wednesday”
Not only did the AP decide that the wishes of the family were unimportant, they ignored requests via phone and in writing from Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Gates directly contacted the president of the AP Thomas Curley in a phone call and then again with a letter that states in part
I cannot imagine the pain and suffering Lance Corporal Bernard’s death has caused his family. Why your organization would purposefully defy the family’s wishes knowing full well that it will lead to yet more anguish is beyond me. Your lack of compassion and common sense in choosing to put this image of their maimed and stricken child on the front page of multiple American newspapers is appalling. The issue here is not law, policy or constitutional right – but judgment and common decency.”
I believe the wishes of the family should have been respected. I believe that Gate’s request should have been honored. I see no benefit to the stories of Afghanistan, or to history, from the display of the final moments of this Marine. The only attempted result of this picture (that I will never publish) is to create controversy and profit.
Not only did the AP use the death of this Marine, the Buffalo News, (Wheeling, W.Va.) Intelligencer, Akron Beacon-Journal and the St. Petersburg Times all ran the photo. I denounce the use of this photo. I am appalled by decision of the editors of each of these news organization in seeking to gain profit and circulation via profiteering on the death of a Marine and controversy that can only amplify the anguish of the Bernard family.
The Bernard family has my most sincere and deep condolences. Lcpl Bernard gave his life for this country, something I deeply respect and understand. His memory should be honored, not disgraced.
I recommend to all my readers to avoid the AP, Buffalo News, (Wheeling, W.Va.) Intelligencer, Akron Beacon-Journal and the St. Petersburg Times if at all possible. While it cannot right what has been done, perhaps losing the circulation and profits they have held above dignity and respect will prevent another such travesty.
Sincerely
Michael Vass
President - M V Consulting, Inc
info@vassconsult.com
Things you might want to know before 2010 mid-term elections
Written by Michael Vass
I’ve been thinking about how my senators – Sen. Schumer and Gillibrand – refused to speak to their constituents over the 2009 summer break about health care. Which of course lead me to think about how Sen. Gillibrand wouldn’t even send me a email confirmation on my letter to her, Sen. Schumer sent me back a form letter response that had about as much information as a glass of kool-aide, and Rep. Hichney just didn’t care enough to do anything.
But the 2010 mid-term elections are coming up soon. And elected officials all over the nation have begun to ramp up their political ads swearing they are working hard and deserve our votes. It’s time for another ride on the polispeak spin cycle.
Which lead me to this. Any elected official who is seeking re-election should be able to answer a couple of simple questions to their voters. If they can give a real, direct, simple answer they deserve a vote (assuming you agree with the answer) and if they can’t they need to be ejected. Simple enough right?
I would love to see answers to these questions:
Ten simple questions. They each should have simple direct answers. And I’m willing to bet that 90% of the elected officials won’t answer all of the questions, nor will the answers be simple clear or direct. In fact I doubt most voters will get an answer to even 1 question.
These questions are based on one thing, is your elected official doing their job. If they are they should be able to answer every question without pause. You may not like the answer, but that does not mean they are not doing their job.
But if you have an elected official like mine – Sen. Schumer, Sen. Gillibrand, and Rep. Hichney – you can expect to be ignored. Which is fine as I will ignore their ballot when it comes time to vote.
I ask all my readers to provide these 10 questions to every elected official they have. Especially those that are up for re-election. Especially if they are running ads on television – and won’t appear in a town hall or other event to answer your questions.
I want to hear back from you all about which elected officials actually answer any of the questions. Not form letters that say nothing, but an actual answer.
I guarantee that if we band together and make them publicly accountable for failing to respond, they will answer our questions for fear of losing their elections. Which they should lose if they can’t do the first RESPONSIBILITY of their job – being accountable to their voters.
Trust that as 2010 mid-term elections move forward I will be on Sen. Schumer, Sen. Gillibrand, and Rep. Hichney about their refusal to acknowledge voters and concerns. I don’t work for them, they work for me. Time we remind ALL our elected officials of that fact.
Darfur - the genocide is not over United Nations
Written by Black Entertainment USA
Have you ever wondered what is more important, politics or people? You may not, but the United Nations certainly has. And they picked politics, or so it seems.
I have long been an advocate of helping the people of Darfur from the genocide that has been ongoing from the Sudanese government. For years I have tried to add my voice to that of Don Cheadle, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and hundreds of other non-celebrities. We all have asked the U.S. Government to get involved and to do something, while we have all acted directly. But all the U.S. Government has done is talk about HR 180 IH.
Hundreds of thousands have died since 2003. Millions have lost their homes and now live in refugee camps fearful of Sudanese government attacks. Government-allied militias - janjaweed - burned down villages, government planes dropped bombs on populated areas and reports of rape by the gunmen were rampant. And the U.S. Government was not concerned.
Yet today, the U.N. did something even worse.
Yet somehow I tend to believe this statement more
”There are no more people on their land to kill,” said Abdelwahid Elnur, exiled leader of one of the oldest rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army
In America politicians have been waiting for this day. Their inaction and the major media’s failure to discuss what has been called the worst humanitarian crisis has been astounding. 6 years of what the U.S. Government described as genocide equated to so much paper shuffling. And now the U.N. wants to have the world’s businesses and governments reigniting financial support of a government that is headed by a leader wanted for war crimes and has a warrant for his arrest since March of 2009.
The U.N. might as well say that the Sudanese people, especially those in Darfur, are not important enough to care about. Because their statements via Adada, and the inaction of America, seems to have said that loud in clear politically.
A genocide does not end because you can’t find as many people to kill as you did 6 years prior. A nation that actively killed people for no reason other than they existed is not something the world should ignore. And were this in Europe I guarantee we would not – World War II proved that. The people of Darfur deserve no less respect.
Congress, President Obama, and Secretary of State Clinton don’t have the combined balls of a mouse on this issue. But that does not mean we, the American people and those reading this around the world, are equally as impotent. We can still do something.
I again urge those that can do something to help Not On Our Watch and other aide organizations that seek to help those suffering in Darfur. Together we can make a difference, we can help children, mothers and fathers. Because if we don’t neither the U.N. nor the U.S. Government seems willing to.
“Change you can believe in” shouldn’t just be an empty American political slogan.
What politicians won’t do that you do
Written by Michael Vass
I was discussing the Health Care Reform Bill and the inaction of Senator Schumer, Senator Gillibrand, and other politicians the other day when I had a friend state a brilliant idea.
“Let all the politicians and elected officials live on $7.25 and hour and then let’s see how they act.”
Wouldn’t that be interesting? Imagine that.
I did, and I fleshed out the thought a bit more. Why not have every elected official have every asset frozen upon taking office. This way even if this Senator or that Representative, or those members of the city council and so on, are multi-millionaires (which the majority of elected officials are) they will effectively become minimum wage workers.
In addition, take away the ability of elected officials to write bad checks. In case you did not know, members of Congress cannot be charged with writting bad checks - or at least they are never charged with that. So while you and I can be put in jail for fraud an elected official just says
“What did you expect. Have you looked at the national debt lately?”
Add to this paycheck another factor. Every official is entitled to the same healthcare that the lowest income bracket they represent can afford. Which would mean that if you represent say Mississippi, you can be assured to have the same healthcare that families living on $12,000 in that State get. Not more, not better. The same exact care.
Also, elected officials love the free dinners and meals they get to have. If it were up to me, other than when receiving representatives of another country, no elected official would be able to have anything more than what the lowest income bracket citizen they represent could afford.
Thus if the meal is free, and they want to have cavier I’m all for it. They can have as much as a family living on $7.25 an hour (minimum wage) could afford to have after taking out for the cost of living. So take
$290, sorry I forgot taxes make that $256 and subtract electricity (which President Obama promised to increase the cost of), rent (say $600 is average for a month), a phone (~$60), a car payment (~$125), insurance (~$210), gasoline (~100 a month at current levels), 10% for the general cost of a child (I’m sure it’s more), which gives you a total of say -$187 (negative $187). I’m not sure how much caviar that will buy, but elected officials are welcome to it.
[If I am way off on these numbers, please do inform me of a more accurate set of numbers.]
The same policy would apply to the free plane trips (except to get to D.C. and back to their home office), vacations, and “official junkets and conferences” that tend to take place in Rio, the Bahamas, and other such luxury spots.
Mind you, I don’t want any elected official stripped of their money. Nor would I prevent them from growing that money as they do know (blind trusts). The day they leave elected office they can go right back to life as usual. But while in office EVERY elected official should live no better than the lowest average citizen they represent.
This way they would remember, no matter how long they get re-elected, what they are there for, and who they serve. Because their life would only improve if those they represent improve.
But I guarantee that not one elected official will back this idea. In fact I bet that not one official would live 1 year under these terms and conditions.
That’s something that I think everyone should consider as the various elected officials make comments about how they know this Bill or Law will be good for the people they represent, or that they are doing the right thing by not reading whatever they are voting on.
Before you vote in 2010, I dare you to ask your elected official to take up this challenge. I want to see the reply from Senator Schumer, and Senator Gillibrand, and all the other elected officials. I guarantee not one will say yes. But they will tell you how great they are and how they know better than you how you should live.
Sen. Gillibrand can do commercials, but won’t talk to voters
Written by Michael Vass
Has anyone noticed the new ad for Sen. Kristen Gillibrand that has been airing in New York State? I saw it for the first time yesterday, and I am trying to get a copy for my readers.
Essentially the political commercial shows a smiling Sen. Gillibrand in various poses and in the public while the voice over describes the ‘intense’ efforts she has made to secure health care for New York residents. Which sounds fantastic. Too bad that’s all it is, a bunch of air.
I take exception with Sen. Gillibrand and her ad. The effort is obvious that she is gearing up for the mid-term elections. She is spinning her polispeak, and trying to set aside any questions voters might have about her time in elected office. She is trying to look like she has done something for voters.
But Sen. Gillibrand is far more accurately visualized as a groundhog. By that I mean she is afraid to stick out her head and see what voters have to say. On Aug 14th it was reported by the New York Daily News that both Sen. Gillibrand and Sen. Schumer will not hold any town hall meetings about the current Health Care Reform Bill in Congress. Add to that the fact that Sen. Gillibrand has so far refused to respond, in any manner, the letter I sent her and Sen. Schumer and Rep. Hinchey. That letter was sent on the 11th, via email and in physical form.
So far, only Sen. Schumer has responded to the 22 questions I posed to the NY elected officials. And that response was a form letter that did not answer a single question I asked, nor provided a single detail or fact about the Health Care Reform that he is an advocate of. But at least he did have a response.
Sen. Gillibrand therefore is in the lowest level of elected officials in my mind. She is preparing to spin ads and polispeak her way through the 2010 mid-term elections. Yet she refuses to do the most essential thing a Senator should do, listen to her constituents. She won’t even provide us with a single reason to consider the Health Care Reform Bill. Which I find insulting.
Perhaps the New York Democrats believe they don’t need to answer to the voting public. Perhaps they believe they know what is best for all New Yorkers. Because that is what their actions seem to portray. But in 41 years of life I have yet to see a single politicians that is more concerned about the public than their own political careers. This is just the most obvious reflection of that attitude.
This is not about political parties. This is about an elected official doing their job. It is their obligation to make us informed of critical, and all, proposed laws they will vote on. It is their obligation to vote as is our consensus. Not to their party line or benefit.
Sen. Gillibrand will be filling the airwaves with comments of how she has done a great job, but I ask how good can she be if she has no idea what people feel? She wants to state she is representing the State with honor, yet how honorable is an elected official that can’t be bothered to respond to constituents? She wants to smile at us through a television screen, but does not have the conviction to face us in person. Imagine how strong her voice could be in trying to vote along our views? Imagine who she really cares about, the elected politicians and Party members she surrounds herself with or the public she is sworn to represent?
The question is not if I agree with everything she votes for or states. No elected official can be loved by all the public all the time. But that is a far cry for blatantly ignoring the public as they try to ensure that she hears our voices.
I spare Sen. Schumer only because he has at least made the appearance of listening. That only places him 1 notch above Sen. Gillibrand. It’s a minor notch and I will address it once I see his political ads throughout 2010. Rep. Hinchey is right at the same level as Gillibrand for me, he just hasn’t put any ads out yet.
Don’t forget this display of respect to the public in 2010. Never forget how well our Senators and Representatives have listened to our direct opinions. Never forget how well they consider the thoughts of regular people they represent. Because by November of 2010 they will be counting on you not remembering.
Sen. Schumer responds to Michael Vass
Written by Michael Vass
On August 11, 2009 I sent email and written letters to Senator Gillibrand, Senator Schumer, Representative Hinchey, and President Obama about the proposed Health Care Reform Bill currently in Congress. To date there has been only 1 response, from Senator Charles Schumer.
The entire email from Senator Schumer can be seen in the comments section of the post Asking Sen. Gillibrand, Sen. Schumer, Rep. Hinchey about the Healthcare Bill. This post is a commentary on the response I have received compared to what I asked.
First I want to thank Senator Schumer for responding. On an issue that is so critical to the nation, and so hotly debated, information is critical. I am happy to be able to share his response with all my readers, and the constituents of New York State that Sen. Schumer represents.
As to what I asked Sen. Schumer, I detailed 22 questions that I have found to be among the top questions Americans have about the health Care Reform and how it will affect American lives. Senator Schumer provided me what I believe is a form letter response. That response did not answer even the most simple question I asked,
“Have you personally read and understood all 1000+ pages of the proposed Health Care Reform Bill?”
Worse, the letter sent to me by Sen. Schumer assumes I support the Health Care Reform being proposed, and the public option.
“Thank you for contacting me and expressing your support for increasing access and coverage in health care reform.”
To be clear, I took a neutral stance in my letter asking that he provide answers to questions only.
Sen. Schumer further stated
“I also strongly support the establishment of a public health insurance option which would create a not-for-profit insurance plan, started by the government, which would compete on a level playing field with existing private health insurance plans. Because the public health insurance option would be not-for-profit, it would help to lower premiums and, therefore, exert downward pressure on the premiums of existing insurance plans. This change is pro-consumer because it adds competition to insurance markets, allowing New Yorkers and all Americans one more choice of affordable and comprehensive health insurance.”
It’s a nice pat response. But it does not address the question of why alternatives are not on the table. Like increasing competition by allowing Americans to pick ANY insurance plan in the nation and not just those in their state. Or the question of why any employer would continue to pay increased costs to maintain a healthcare plan (that workers may be happy with) when they can increase funds by dropping healthcare and forcing workers onto the Government plan (which they may not like or want). Or other questions that I directly asked about
“2) Does the current Health Care Reform Bill (HCRB) require any Americans to switch existing coverage to a Government plan? If so how many Americans are estimated to be required to change and where does that estimate come from?
7) Is there a punitive cost to the HCRB? To clarify, it has been stated that those electing not to take the Government plan will incur a 2.5% penalty assessed in their taxes. Is that correct? Is there any additional cost beyond that?
11) Will the American Government have access to private patient information that is currently restricted by law from the Government database?
12) What incentive will private insurers (who employ tens of thousands of Americans) have to compete with a Government plan that is paid for by taxpayers and thus can be run at an annual loss?
15) Will Congress and/or any elected official be mandated to be covered by the exact same Government program as the general public? If not why?19) Why is there a need to pass the HCRB before the 4th quarter? Already we have seen that immediate passage of the Obama Stimulus package created unforeseen problems, as one example. Why is taking more time to review all aspects of the 1100 page Bill, and it’s most likely effects, counter-productive to the American public?
21) How many of the estimated 47 million people (roughly 12% of all Americans) without healthcare will remain without coverage based on the HCRB, if any?”
Notice that not one of my questions, and there are more, is answered. Not one of the issues that Americans across the globe have raised is covered. Not one reason other than Sen. Schumer says it’s a good idea and that he is working hard is provided.
Now I will not make a conclusion about the response of Sen. Schumer, beyond what observations I have already made. I leave that to you my reader.
Is his response to my 22 questions good enough? Is his answer enough of a reason for you to support the Health Care Reform? Are your questions answered?
I do not know if, or when, any other elected official will respond to my 22 questions on Health Care Reform. I do know that when the mid-term elections of 2010 come up, I will make sure that the several hundred thousand voting Americans that read my posts are reminded of the verbatim response (or lack thereof) our elected officials felt was worthy of giving the public.
In addition, I will be sending another letter to Sen. Schumer. In that letter, which I will provide to my readers on this blog, I will remind the Senator that he failed to address a single concern I mentioned. And that as a voting New York State resident, as well as member of the press, I am deserving of a bit more than what seems to be a form letter that fails to provide any direct or indirect information on one of the admittedly most important issues of our day.
Perhaps Sen. Schumer will respond better on the second try. In addition, I will attempt to contact the Senator via phone.
More as I have details.
