I find it absolutely absurd when I hear people, especially elected officials, saying, "The debate on healthcare has been too short. How can we expect to figure out such a massive change in our country with such a short conversation?" For those that don't realize -- a group that I hope would not include elected officials -- we have been talking about healthcare and fixing our system since the beginning of the 20th century. Almost 100 years! Is that a short debate? Is that not enough time to understand that corporations making billions of dollars on the health of our citizens is an immoral and irrational way to render care? Is it not enough time, from Presidents Theodore Roosevelt to F.D.R to Truman to Eisenhower to Kennedy to Johnson to Nixon to Carter to Clinton and now Obama, to figure out that we need to overhaul and change how we provide insurance and healthcare for our citizens?
The "not enough time" argument is just a smoke screen for the "we are not interested in doing this" argument, which opponents of healthcare reform are too afraid to say out loud. The "not enough time" argument is a smoke screen for the "we get millions of dollars in campaign contributions from insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and other industry lobbyists and we like that money" argument. The "not enough time" argument is a smoke screen for the "those who can afford healthcare are doing fine and those can't, well, work harder" argument that perpetuates a horrible trend in America that the wealthy dictate what the rest of the country has access to. It is time for this to end, and we are very close to making that happen.
More...
March 10, 2010
Jeb Bush Endorses John McCain In Arizona Senate Race
John McCain's (R-Ariz.) Senate re-election campaign got a boost Wednesday from former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who endorsed the Arizona Republican.
"As we continue to face tough challenges both at home and abroad, America needs leaders like Senator John McCain in the United States Senate," Bush said. "John is a proven conservative leader committed to reducing taxes, fighting wasteful spending and keeping America safe."
More...
"As we continue to face tough challenges both at home and abroad, America needs leaders like Senator John McCain in the United States Senate," Bush said. "John is a proven conservative leader committed to reducing taxes, fighting wasteful spending and keeping America safe."
More...
How Law Schools Could Improve Law Firm Diversity
Last Friday I opened an invitation to my law school reunion and I realized how far I have come since my days as a 1L. I can hold my own with Westlaw and if my life depended on it I could still write a brief. I even remember a few of those zany Civil Procedure cases. Most important, though, I learned that none of these skills, alone, will make a law student into a firm partner.
My alma mater, like most of other law schools in America, did not prepare its students, particularly those from historically underrepresented backgrounds, for navigating their careers in law firms. For today's law schools to continue stressing the importance of Pennoyer v. Neff, rather than teaching its students about the business of law firms is absolutely criminal.
More...
My alma mater, like most of other law schools in America, did not prepare its students, particularly those from historically underrepresented backgrounds, for navigating their careers in law firms. For today's law schools to continue stressing the importance of Pennoyer v. Neff, rather than teaching its students about the business of law firms is absolutely criminal.
More...
A Sweeter Kind of Philanthropy: Cupcakes for a Cause
Ever since Sarah Jessica Parker visited Magnolia Bakery on Sex and the City, cupcakes have been America's trendiest treat. Trendy may be bit of a misnomer then, since the so called "cupcake craze" has been growing for over a decade and shows no signs of fading anytime soon. However, it is exactly that special mix of hipness and surprising longevity that makes cupcakes something really sweet -- a great fundraiser.
Cupcakes for a Cause™ is an annual national fundraiser for CancerCare for Kids® built precisely on that notion. It began in 2004 in the birthplace of cupcake mania, New York City, with 12 local bakeries that sold cupcakes adorned with the signature CancerCare for Kids smiley-face and donated a portion of the proceeds to the program. The company provides free professional support services, like counseling and financial assistance, to children affected by a cancer diagnosis, either their own or that of a family member or loved one.
More...
Cupcakes for a Cause™ is an annual national fundraiser for CancerCare for Kids® built precisely on that notion. It began in 2004 in the birthplace of cupcake mania, New York City, with 12 local bakeries that sold cupcakes adorned with the signature CancerCare for Kids smiley-face and donated a portion of the proceeds to the program. The company provides free professional support services, like counseling and financial assistance, to children affected by a cancer diagnosis, either their own or that of a family member or loved one.
More...
March 9, 2010
Liz Cheney Visits the Sins of the Client on the Lawyer
Among the frightening Cheneyisms, this is one of the most bizarre. Apparently carrying on the family tradition of advocating torture and the illegal and indefinite detention of suspected terrorists, Liz Cheney now contends that lawyers who challenged such torture and detention are unqualified for public office. Under the auspices of Keep America Safe and joined by Sen. Charles Grassley, William Kristol and other conservative voices, the loyalty of Justice Department lawyers who (while in private practice) "voluntarily represented terrorists" detained at Quantanamo is being questioned.
Before we get to this outlandish premise, let's talk some facts. The lawyers involved did not represent "terrorists". Along with their gutting of the Constitution, the Cheneys have conveniently overlooked the presumption of innocence, but rather have chosen to presume guilt. Over 450 persons detained at Guantanamo as "enemy combatants" were voluntarily released without any charges ever having been filed. So all confined were not necessarily "terrorists". Indeed, these allegedly disloyal lawyers were seeking to have the detainees charged and tried so that determinations could be made as to whether or not they were, in fact, terrorists as the Bush administration contended.
More...
Before we get to this outlandish premise, let's talk some facts. The lawyers involved did not represent "terrorists". Along with their gutting of the Constitution, the Cheneys have conveniently overlooked the presumption of innocence, but rather have chosen to presume guilt. Over 450 persons detained at Guantanamo as "enemy combatants" were voluntarily released without any charges ever having been filed. So all confined were not necessarily "terrorists". Indeed, these allegedly disloyal lawyers were seeking to have the detainees charged and tried so that determinations could be made as to whether or not they were, in fact, terrorists as the Bush administration contended.
More...
Sick of the Health Care Distraction
I am sick of the health care being used to distract Americans from the real problems with our country. Republicans and democrats alike are using health care to manipulate the American public, me and you. One side is jamming it down our throats and the other side doing everything it can to stop it even if it has merits. None of us have a clue of what we are getting or not getting because of all the politics. And all this is taking place while neither side is doing anything to improve the conditions for our country.
Is anyone else out there other than Jesse Ventura sick of politicians getting us to focus on what they want rather than what America needs? Why can't the problems in our country be approached on the basis of priority and greatest good, rather than politics? The people I talk to everyday are concerned with jobs, opportunities, increasing their incomes, saving money and reducing the country's debts more than health care. Is health care merely a 'red-herring' to distract each us from what our elected officials don't want us to focus on? Is it possible that 'professional' politicians are using health care so Americans take sides against one another, rather than joining together to no longer tolerate political incompetence from both sides?
More...
Is anyone else out there other than Jesse Ventura sick of politicians getting us to focus on what they want rather than what America needs? Why can't the problems in our country be approached on the basis of priority and greatest good, rather than politics? The people I talk to everyday are concerned with jobs, opportunities, increasing their incomes, saving money and reducing the country's debts more than health care. Is health care merely a 'red-herring' to distract each us from what our elected officials don't want us to focus on? Is it possible that 'professional' politicians are using health care so Americans take sides against one another, rather than joining together to no longer tolerate political incompetence from both sides?
More...
Is Undercover Boss the Most Subversive Show on Television?
Is reality TV finally living up to its name?
Most of what we are served up under that rubric is actually the farthest thing from reality. The exploits of Snooki, Jake the Bachelor, and all those Real Housewives hardly reflect life as most of America knows it and lives it.
More...
Most of what we are served up under that rubric is actually the farthest thing from reality. The exploits of Snooki, Jake the Bachelor, and all those Real Housewives hardly reflect life as most of America knows it and lives it.
More...
Liz Cheney ‘Al-Qaeda 7′ Ad Disgusts More Conservatives
A group of 19 prominent Bush administration officials and other lawyers launched an offensive Monday, attacking Liz Cheney for a recent ad by her group, Keep America Safe, that questioned the loyalties of Department of Justice lawyers that had represented Guantanamo detainees.
In a statement signed by nine former Bush officials and 10 other lawyers, critics condemned the ads as a "shameful series of attacks...both unjust to the individuals in question and destructive of any attempt to build lasting mechanisms for counterterrorism adjudications."
More...
In a statement signed by nine former Bush officials and 10 other lawyers, critics condemned the ads as a "shameful series of attacks...both unjust to the individuals in question and destructive of any attempt to build lasting mechanisms for counterterrorism adjudications."
More...
Dismantling America’s Largest Public University System
In January 2010, when New York Governor David Paterson unveiled plans for the enactment of a "Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act," it set the stage for dismantling America's largest public university system.
That system is the State University of New York (SUNY). Housed on 64 campuses and offering a broad range of degrees, SUNY currently enrolls nearly 465,000 students from all 50 states and 170 nations.
More...
That system is the State University of New York (SUNY). Housed on 64 campuses and offering a broad range of degrees, SUNY currently enrolls nearly 465,000 students from all 50 states and 170 nations.
More...
March 8, 2010
Why I’m Breaking the Law for Health Care
On Tuesday, a drama will unfold in Washington that will be unlike anything we've seen in the first year of the Obama administration.
I will join dozens of leaders of unions and other public interest organizations and thousands of others to protest the major lobby that is blocking real health care reform in Congress. We will hold a rally and then march to a Washington hotel where America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), which represents all the corporate heavies in the health industry, will be plotting their next steps.
More...
I will join dozens of leaders of unions and other public interest organizations and thousands of others to protest the major lobby that is blocking real health care reform in Congress. We will hold a rally and then march to a Washington hotel where America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), which represents all the corporate heavies in the health industry, will be plotting their next steps.
More...