One Year Ago Today

steve wynn on fox news for 10 seconds

10 seconds was all it took as i was surfing by to see that steve wynn is not only the victim of some bad plastic surgery but also a complete fucking asshole who knows so little about anything other than sleaze that he should just shut the fuck up about everything, especially health care in the united states.  of course, frank luntz is an incomparable douchenozzle as well. 

yikes! cenk uygur goes off on congressman over social security

holy jeebus, cenk went absolutely crazy on earl blumenauer on his show this evening.  it was pretty fun to watch, because the asshole congressman tried to drag out some zombie lies bullshit about social security life expectancy and benefit cuts, and good ole cenk was actually prepared to refute the lies.  that hardly ever happens on the tee vee.  usually these fools get to spout their bullshit and lies and the clueless host just nods and maybe drools a bit while they spew.

cenk very helpfully pointed out that cutting benefits--and raising the retirement age, which is cutting benefits as well--hurts the people who work the hardest and need retirement and social security benefits the most.  the congressman was part of the muddle-headed fools in the democratic party and elsewhere like aarp who will sell the majority of americans into poverty without a second thought because their personal wealth and retirement are secure and worry free.

if we were really interested in stimulating the economy, we would lower the social security and medicare eligibility retirement age to 55 or 60, along with expanding medicare eligibility in steps to everyone 50 and over, then 45, then 40, until we cover everyone.  that would free up jobs for the currently unemployment when more people retired earlier, and it would free a up a buttload of money currently wasted on medical insurance and outright private insurance industry theft giving even more stimulus to the economy.

what are the chances of earl blumenauer or nancy pelosi or harry reid or tim geithner or barack obama even understanding such a basic concept, let alone working diligently, showing leadership, wielding political power and expending political capital to get it done and make our economy and our society healthier?

digby on aarp and the social security grand bargain

as usual, digby is all over this shit, and the point is well-made: as soon as they are willing to give in to the forces who want to eliminate social security completely, they have lost.  of course, aarp has always been more about making money off the old folks than actually advocating for programs and policies that would most benefit the old coots.

the scariest thing in the universe

you, your child, or kitten have been seriously injured or are gravely ill, and, as you speed to get badly needed medical attention, you suddenly find the only doctor available is one of the drooling retards from fox news.  at that point you fling yourself off the roof, smother your child with a pillow or toss the kitten into the pond with a brick and burlap sack.