My brothers, and two of my long-time friends, and I have been passing back and forth, about $1000 for about 25 years now….the concept is simple…we all find ourselves in the middle of ‘circumstances’ every now and then, where a little bit of help can mean deflecting a huge crisis, or hedging for time.  Of course, when there is a divorce, or a move out of State, or hospitalization, or job loss—-the impact on money resources is hit very hard—-going out to dinner or a new dress are not ‘life emergencies’…..there IS a difference!  We each ‘monitor ourselves’ for what is an emergency loan….so much so, that when one of us asks another for money, we do not have to even give an explanation….although we usually do…..the loan is not really a loan…it is a gift, that sometime in the future, we give to another one who needs it, until someone else needs it, and on and on….

Of course, personal responsibility is assumed when it comes to money——we call it a ‘hand up’ rather than a ‘hand out’…..

Oh Gosh!  You mean it is easier to spell ‘Johnson’ with a ‘t’ than it is to copy and paste ‘Levi’s-whatever-his-last-name-is’, from another post?!  hahahahaha…I will have to remember that!  As I am still teaching my fingers to spell…I THOUGHT I was taking the easy way out….hahahaha….lets’ see…Johntstont…okey dokey! ;-D

I agree with Margo:  ‘Mrs. Palin’ invited ‘Levi’s-whatever-his-last-name-is’, to stand with her, on a stage, next to her pregnant unmarried daughter….and that stage was seen all over the world… on purpose!  As a result, "Levi’s-whatever-his-last-name-is" has, in a moment of ‘self-promotion’, during a recorded and broadcasted interview, admitted he was looking for a ‘book deal’….as has "Mrs. Palin" who has already sighned her book deal!    Now why would ANYone be interested in "Levi’s-whatever-his-last-name-is"?  Unless he was pro-actively working to cash-in on his ‘moment-on-the-stage’? 

What is GREAT about Alaska is this:  Even though there are a lot of Governors who violate ‘ethics’ rules—and have done so for years——Alaska is renegade enough to call a spade a spade and do something about it!  At the LEAST, those who are finding all these ‘ethics’ violations, are teaching the rest of America how easy it has been for those with power, to abuse that power….

I’m in a mood to agree with FP—-‘where there is smoke, there is fire…’…why?  It would be too difficult to continue making these allegations, unless there was something to back it up——unless of course, it was the CIA or some entity with that much control over smear tactics……

Palin must have done something that was ‘out of the ordinary’ measured against predecessors….and since she doesn’t have a whole lot of experience in ‘politics’, she may not be savvy enough, in protecting herself, in such a way that it protects those who collaborated with her….I think that is why she is being exposed….if they don;t get her first, those that were ALSO involved in her ‘shennanigans’ will have a lot to lose themselves….

She was playing with fire, but forgot to buy her insurance—- fire extinguishers.

Tell ya what, deber…you read the proposals that Obama wants—-and THEN we will talk….not before.  I would rather you have the facts first….as opposed to the propaganda….

See, here is where we differ in understanding:  This program is NOT a "government-entitlement’ thing……oh I know it is hard to ‘keep-up’ with what the ‘thing’ is supposed to be…especially with all the junk propaganda, that is put out there by those who do not want things to ‘upgrade’ from the ‘old ways’  to what is more relevant to todays’ world.  The problem is that we are forced to ‘upgrade’ on things that do not matter—-as long as someone can get your money so they can keep doing it—- computers, TV’s, cars, anything that does not affect ‘life’ of the human body….but when it comes to quality of life for the purpose of continuing life—-it is deemed ‘not worthy’ of investment…

We soooo have chaos right now—-mostly obstructionist chaos—-but if you were to make attempt to really read and pay attention, and heaven forbid—-THINK—-for yourself,   beyond the rhetoric of obstruction, 1.  You would see this is not an ‘entitlement’ program , and 2.  It is the only ‘right thing’ we can do, to save ourselves from becoming third world to our population.  Just like all new things, it costs money up front, but over the long period, it is much much cheaper than it’s alternative…..WE can either bankrupt our savings, or bankrupt the hospitals by not paying for the emergency room visits, or die…..or we can all pay a ‘little bit’….and everyone will make money.  And do not forget that the young people, the generation of my grandchildren, who are the future of this country , will be paying in as well…..and they are healthier , and usually don’t bother….

The greatest place on Earth is the country that respects the quality of life of its citizens, and its’ place as a helping partner to the rest of the world…..like in the ‘old days’……America seems to have turned its’ back on its’ citizens—no homes, no food, no jobs….and then Bush believed we needed to isolate ourselves against what the rest of the world was asking us to participate in……..and now ‘we the people’ are an ‘impediment’ to progress?  Progress is what?  More money in YOUR bank account?  IF this program (healthcare) does not affect itself—those that ‘have’ will be paying even MORE for those that don’t have…and it won;t take long…maybe 10 years—-we will all go down, if we each don;lt do our part to pull us back up together.   

hahahaha…that’s funny….I am in favor of a health care plan that does not discriminate against people…period!  When my mother was diagnosed with cancer, the first thing that happened was this:  Her insurance was canceled!  Yup!  My father paid cash out of his savings for her treatments…he was no millionaire—-he was a factory worker for 42 years at the same company…but…what did that matter?  SHE had cancer…and the insurance company was now going to have to pay out, instead of receive money from my dad—-so they flat out canceled her……when she passed, there was just enough money left for me to pay for my fathers’ aneurism hospital stay—-for a week—-till he passed….his got canceled too, ya know….42 years of paying into the health insurance, only to be cancleled when they needed it the most….

I was in Europe, Amsterdam, when I have to have a tooth pulled—-and it was free.  I was in France and had to see a doctor—almost free…I was in Canada and sprained my ankle really bad——went to the doctor and it was free….the advertising on TV by the right wing re: Canada is a bunch of hogwash—-mere propaganda…….

I suppose if the naysayers to the inevitable—-a health care plan that puts people first and greed last—-were to speak to truth rather than manipulate words and obstruct progress, I might listen to them…but for now…what I see is a bunch of people who are having a temper tantrum, because they (GOP & Insurance companies et al) don’t want to play fair—-In the lobby arena, it really is money that is more important than human life, isn;t it?

Welcome!

How come you wrote that this article came from the NY Times?  Yet at the bottom it says it came from the NY POST?  

C’mon Kelly—-if you are gonna try to pull the wool over our eyes, it might be a good idea if you dotted your ‘i’s and crossed your ‘t’s before posting….The NY Times is said to lean Left—-and the NY Post is said to lean Right…so you think you can just pretend the NY Times wrote this, and therefore we will believe it?

That the temper tantrums are getting stronger, and more frequent, could be indicative of a frustration of knowing that there is more likely than not,  ‘a‘  healthcare plan, different than what is in place right now, that WILL come to fruition——in spite of the feet stomping, the shouts, and the tears against it.  

Huffpo reported on the GOP internal memo to ‘obstruct’….a shame…

There is a problem, and instead of acknowledging there is a healthcare problem, and working toward ‘solutions’, the effort is focused on ‘stopping change from the way it is"…kinda like having a leak in the toilet, by putting expensive towels around it, instead of fixing the leak for good.

A few days ago, I had this great idea!  I thought that an expose’, FULL of ‘bribe’ payments made by the healtcare lobbys’, to specific Congresspeople, would be a nice piece of research to implode onto the public…..

Can you imagine the repercussions?  A national news blitz, interrupting prime time TV in lieu of ‘commericals’, identifying which Congrress person got money from Insurance companies, for instance—-how much money they got, how many years they got it….the total dollar amount—-veiled as campaign contributions—-We don;t have to know what the insurance companies wanted in return—-all that needs to be exposed is who in congress, accepts money from healthcare…and then allow the connection of the dots to : "Who in congress, thinks they are more important than you, and what is best for your country! "

yes…. and we have discussed this a couple of times, already…..of COURSE it shoud be allowed!  As SG states, this is a medical ‘condition’. 

Why have a NEW health care program, if we are now going to do the same thing that the insurance companies do?  When they decide who is going to live?  And who is approved to die?

Good point, Maggie! He made a ‘decision’……had he made a ‘mistake’, then he would not qualify as a worthy candidate to make choices for a constituency, as a Governor. ………a ‘mistake’ usually implies not having thought thru all scenarios and repercussions, FIRST, before taking the subsequent steps….

Persons who knowingly make the choice to have an affair, have no right to smear someone else who has had an afffair.  Persons who dip into the taxpayer coffers for extravegant dinners, trips, and hotels, should not accuse someone else of being immoral and unworthy for doing the same thing.  Persons who find themselves in an affair outside of marriage, while campaigning on family values, should resign!  Being ‘responsible’ also includes, taking responsiblity, and getting out of the public spotlight as a means of protecting your children for the repercussions of your errors in judgement, and protecting your constituents from all the skeletons that will continue to be uncovered, BECAUSE he refuses to resign…

Do we have a cult mentality here? 

This morning, I can honestly say, Maggie, that I concur with the ‘endangered species’ idea.  I just finished reading the Politico story on Sanford,  regarding his lavish spending on his travel—$12000 for business class airfare, while his staff had to travel on a $1900 coach class ticket, overseas….one example of ‘wasteful spending while traveling ’ that Sanford himself, vehemently attacked his opponents for doing, when he ran for office….he said he was not going to do that—he was different—-ha!   

The ‘do as I say, not as I do’ syndrome…..

My concluding thought this morning?  Whatever it is, that those who call themselves ‘Christian Conservatives’, are accusing someone else of doing—-chances are they are doing it too, and want to make sure they ‘deflect’ the attention away from themselves.  My mother used to say ‘It takes one crook to know that another is a crook"…..I say, point one finger at someone, and you have 4 pointing at yourself…….

People are not stupid—they see the double standard being applied. The veils are being lifted, and we are now seeing who these people REALLY are!  Would you use the word Hypocrite?

 

I have to admit that I have watched these hearings every day this week…..in fact, I recall watching them on Fox news the first day, when all networks covered them live.  I wanted to gauge whether the networks commented on her differently—or whether there was going to be a built-in partisan divide.  Sotomayor is not the ‘liberal’ the GOP was hoping to shine the light of fear onto, for those on the right side looking for soemthing to fear.  Question after question failed to tip her off the ’rule of law’ seat…and she was very cautious and careful guard her ‘opinons’…keeping them to herself.

I was not surprised with the Sessions questions, although, I felt he showed himself in a negative frame, rather than she.  I was appalled at Lindsey Graham, as he attempted to belittle her, with his condescending ‘advice’, as if she were a child that needed the slight ‘threat’ to remicd her that she ’needed’ to learn something about how to be an appropriate ‘person’…and that her free speech was not equal to others’ free speech.

I agree with everyone who agrees with Gemmel, however, the first day or two, this was a grandstanding for the cameras…a ‘show’ of political finesse, by the committe members as individual personalites….while Sotomayor, IMO, has stuck to abstract of law.  I have no idea, for example, how she feels about abortion, for one…her ‘personal opinion’ on many topics, was never revealed…