Cartoon and Post By: Peter Pham

healthcare debate gets heated as time is closing in

The battle over health care over at capital hill heated during a rare Saturday session where Senate Democrats voted down on an Republican Amendment to the massive healthcare overhall bill that wouldve protected massive cuts on the healthcare bill.

Obama who is at Capital Hill is pressuring Democrats to make a decsion on the #1 trillion bill before Christmas.

The legislation would provide coverage to more than 30 million additional people over the next decade with a new requirement for nearly everyone to purchase insurance. There would be new marketplaces where people could shop for and compare insurance plans, and lower-income people would get subsidies to help them afford coverage.

http://news.yahoo.com/video/health-15749655/tempers-flare-during-health-care-debate-17004624

To watch a clip of the heated debate check out the link above.

Opinion - Black Friday Sales

It is that time of year again. What are the odds on 6 deaths today? Honestly. It's become a homicidal affair, this Black Friday event, and it is aptly named. There was once another Friday with such a dark connotation. It was day considered sacred, much like it is now. It is a holiday in the Catholic faith called Black Friday because it was the day their savior, Jesus Christ, died though he rose again after three days. It is one of the most sacred days in their religion. Now the name has been re-designated to mark the most sacred day in a discount shoppers calendar. The day they will be able to afford all those lavishly useless material presents to be doled out to relatives on the anniversary of another once sacred religious holiday, Christmas. Strange how religion seems to have been overshadowed by our new belief, consumerism.

Last year a worker in a Long Island Walmart was trampled to death when unruly shoppers broke down the door and rushed inside. Two men were also killed in a Palm Desert Toys-R-Us last Black Friday after their wives got into a "personal dispute" and they both pulled out handguns, fatally shooting each other. Coast-to-coast this consumer driven society we've built is fighting back, bucking hard and turning us against one another. It is an unhealthy foundation which we have structured our whole country around, capitalistic consumerism.

Incidents like this show the violent nature we've instilled upon our society and the competitiveness of humans to the extreme; a point where community and social progress is undermined by corporate cannibalism and the lust for personal gain. Divisions wedged apart further by the contrived need for more. Cultivated by years and years of conditioning by self-serving companies run by individuals with no regard for others. If we worked cooperatively instead of competitively we might have a shot at rebuilding our country.

What is needed is a sense of community once again. Though we are undeniably building a world economy, we must first build our own correctly. The global exploitation model we're currently working with is devastating populations far beyond our own through competition for lower prices and increased profits. Those who strive to make good for all instead of just themselves are pushed aside and put out of business by those willing to exploit others to obtain their own personal success ahead of anyone else's. Operating for only a single persons gain alone is a terribly selfish way to operate and destroys our society. Much more good could be done if we helped each other out and worked toward a common good.

As long as we retain a method of operation based on the benefit of a few at the cost of others, we will suffer. This society is built on competing to become the single best, but studies show that cooperative people are actually healthier individuals in many aspects. They are more functional physically, socially and career wise. The individuals who work with others tend to be more successful than those who work alone for their personal achievement. This capitalistic, consumer driven economy is a scam we have been conned into believing will lead us to progress. It is simply untrue. Though capitalism may be great in theory, this gory celebration of corporate consumerism is one of the most blatant displays of the essential flaws in our society. We could improve ourselves vastly if we rethought the way we live, but it would take a universal shift in mentality. True change into a peaceful and cooperative society is unlikely, but attainable.

This frenzy of a day has become and unholy holiday built by corporations and mutated into a natural persons worst enemy. The addiction to material goods so ingrained in us that we will forsake all other human instincts for satisfaction. The need created for certain objects overrides the human compassion typically present, or at least the common sense. It would be understandable if it were in a region experiencing dire straits and lean times like the war torn countries we occupy, but when someone is injured then killed by SHOPPERS trampling him in a frantic dash for nonessential goods at a suburban big box store, I have to take pause and ask, "What the hell is wrong with us?"

F.T.C. 11/27/09

Walmart Event

Palm Desert Shooting

Catholic Black Friday

Cooperation Essay

Student movement reborn

Students at UC Berkeley occupied a main lecture hall last Friday in protest of the 32% fee hike imposed on public universities. This is proof the student movement is not completely dead. After years of near silence in regards to students rights, some are finally waking up enough to take action.

Students Occupy Berkeley and Give Birth to a New Movement

California in the Red

California is in the deep red with the state budget deficit and its getting worse. The state " will face a nearly $21 billion budget gap over the next year and a half, extending a fiscal crisis that already has let to steep cuts to public schools, social services, and health programs" according to (msnbc.com). With the new year just around the corner analyst are saying state leaders will have to make more cuts in the new year. Arnold Schwarzenegger California's Governor, will have to make some big decisions on how to better California's budget, by making more cuts on services that have already been affected by the budget cuts.

By: Andrew Reed

Is the New Healthcare Reform a copy of Japan's Healthcare system?

WASHINGTON - After spending hours in debate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the $1.4 trillion health care bill was approved by a narrow margin of 220-215 yesterday.
Is this the start of Socialism? No, this isn't socialism, but what is making so many American’s nervous is the cost of this measure and the fact that a number of Democrats (39) and all the republicans, except one opposed it.
“Last night's decision was the proper decision for my district even though it was not the popular decision for my party,” Anh "Joseph" Cao, House Republican from Louisiana said.
One of the many issues and concerns is Democrats are ignoring that any American that chooses not to carry health insurance faces an IRS tax penalty that would range between $750 to $3,800 labeled as an “Excise Tax” even though President Obama stands firm by saying it is not a tax.
“For us to say that you've got to take a responsibility to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase,” Obama said in a “George’s Bottom Line” interview with George Stephanopulous. “What it's saying is, is that we're not going to have other people carrying your burdens for you anymore than the fact that right now everybody in America, just about, has to get auto insurance. Nobody considers that a tax increase.”
This new plan is somewhat a copy of Japan’s healthcare system, the number one country in the world in government run healthcare, but their system has put its country in extreme debt.
In Japan, the average cost of healthcare insurance for a household is $530,000 yen per year and the government pays half of the bill. This is approximately $490 per month in the American dollars. This is an alarming rate for the lower class who can't afford healthcare insurance. For it to work in the US, the government has to at least pay half, if not more.
The Japanese government pays on average of 70 percent of the services rendered. Medicare on the other hand will pay 80 percent for some services, but actually pays an average of 42 percent for all services combined. What is saving Japan from going into world default is the fact that Japan only owes 10 percent of its debt to other countries while the US owes four-times that amount to Japan and China combined.
So, the issue isn't so much the plan, it is the cost and the risk it brings. Is it worth it for how much this measure is going to sky-rocket our GDP? Japan's GDP is 228 percent. The US is sitting at approximate 83 percent and this study was done in March. Now that the House is adding $1.4 trillion to the US debt, it's only going to go up as this healthcare bill continues. The US will soon be in the number two spot for the largest debt-to-GDP in the world.
Next, the Senate will meet to pass its own version of the health care bill. Once the Senate bill is passed, a congressional conference committee will be held to consolidate the two legislations for final approval by President Obama.

Citations
Analysis-How much debt is too much: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/reuters/2009/10/22/2009-10-22T172527Z_01_N22443509_RTRIDST_0_ECONOMY-DEBT-ANALYSIS-GRAPHIC.html
Debt Loads of G20 Nations: Japan, U.S. Deep in the Hole: http://seekingalpha.com/article/125072-debt-loads-of-g20-nations-japan-u-s-deep-in-the-hole
For US and Others, How Much Is Too Much Government Debt? http://www.cnbc.com/id/33435720
Landmark health insurance bill passes House: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33748707/ns/politics-health_care_reform
President Obama on "This Week": http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/09/20/president_obama_transcript_abc_this_week_98392.html Rising Debt a Threat to Japanese Economy: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/21/business/global/21yen.html
Rising debt a threat to Japanese economy http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/business/40981-rising-debt-a-threat-to-japanese-economy-

Senator of Maine Olympia J. Snowe Republican, made her decision on Tuesday to vote towards the health care plan “when history calls, history calls” she said. At the white house, Obama called the event “a critical milestone” toward the remaking the nation’s health care system, According to yahoo.com. “Snowe's vote, therefore, does not guarantee anything, but it keeps the hope of bipartisanship alive and more significantly it gives Senator Snowe a fair amount of leverage over what the final bill will be” according to the Huffington Post.

Snowe, who was born in Maine 62 years ago and grew up in the state, has been working away in various political capacities for about 36 years. According to (theglobeandmail.com.)

To view a video of Senator Snowe on the “Today Show” click here. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/33306039#33306039

By: Andrew Reed & Melissa Kinder

The NY Times will cut 100 jobs, roughly 8 percent, from it's newsroom staff by the end of the year through voluntary buyouts and layoffs if needed. The announcement came in a memo from editor Bill Keller Monday.

This layoff comes as part of a string of reductions for the paper due to the recession. Last year about 100 positions were cut as well as the staff taking a 5 percent pay cut this year. The drop in advertising which the paper depends on for revenue is indicative of the hard times all Americans are feeling.

This means that the biggest newspaper in the country will be reducing it's services yet again. It is unfortunate that during a time in such dire need of in-depth watchdog journalism papers are getting cut instead of expanding.

Though the departments and sections most affected by this reduction have not been identified yet, they will surely be devastated. When there are less reporters there is less coverage. Less coverage means many stories will go overlooked and uncovered due to lack of resources.

Political scandals and discrepancies will go unchecked if there are not vigilant reporters checking facts and keeping politicians honest. Organizations putting on helpful local events will go overlooked because there are not enough local reporters to cover them. Cuts just result in less information distributed to the public during a time where community matters more than ever.

Full Article

Congress Still Can't Agree on Healthcare Bill

On October 19, an TV ad was released which focuses in favor of the “Public Option”. In the commercial, the ad is directed towards Senator Harry Reid to push for a public option for Nevada residents.

According to the ad, Nevadans are in favor of the public option by 52 percent to 40 percent against. According to a report published by The Huffington Post, “there have been indications that he's prepared to abandon the government-run plan.”

Read more at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/19/harry-reids-toughness-que_n_325349.html

It has been over a month since President Obama proposed the Health care bill initiative in his State of Address speech and Congress is still in debate about which legislation to pass.
According to a CBS/New York Times Poll, 47 percent of American’s approve how Obama is handling the healthcare reform, and 42 percent do not approve.

Pakistan: At War With Itself