July 9, 2009

Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. From Wikepedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinjiang

The heavy hand of the Chinese descends on another ‘autonomous’ region and ethnic minorities. The oldest trick in the book is to blame outside agitators.

I hope the riots continue in Western China. China has been dumping Han Chinese into all of it’s outer regions. This region is rich in natural resources (oil for one). Tibet and now in China’s oil-rich Xinjiang territory. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/07/china-riots-west-descends_n_226785.html

Like Mexico, China exports its internal economic problems to outlying territories or countries. China with it’s expanding population growth, in spite of the one child policy, continues to cannibalize minorities. “The Han Chinese allege the Uighurs are backward and ungrateful for all the economic development and modernization the Han have brought to Xinjiang. They also complain that the Uighurs’ religion _ a moderate form of Sunni Islam _ keeps them from blending into Chinese society, which is officially communist and largely secular.”

Chinese paramilitary police patrol in Urumqi

URUMQI, China – Thousands of Chinese troops flooded into this city Wednesday to separate feuding ethnic groups after three days of communal violence left 156 people dead, and a senior Communist Party official vowed to execute those guilty of murder in the rioting in western China.

Long convoys of armored cars and green troop trucks with riot police rumbled through Urumqi, a city of 2.3 million people. Other security forces carrying automatic rifles with bayonets formed cordons to defend Muslim neighborhoods from marauding groups of vigilantes with sticks. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090708/ap_on_re_as/as_china_protest
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July 7, 2009

The Waste Paper called The Arizona Republic Even though the newspaper classified ads are not the wisest place to look for employment, I was shocked when I looked at the Arizona Republic’s jobs listings this Sunday. A total of three pages. On a side note, every time I buy this newspaper, I realize it’s not worth buying or reading, content is abysmal, it’s crammed with ads and circulars. There is one job opening for the five people that are looking for one. If you are unemployed, potential employers want nothing to do with you.

The capitalist, corporate owned media has lost it’s collective mind. http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2009/07/06/michael-jackson-freak-show-rip

Today, the Michael Jackson Memorial is being broadcast live over most major networks. Wouldn’t it be lovely if this much attention could be focused on genuine issues.

Money Talks and the People Walk. Obama and his administration are shills for the special and moneyed interests in this country, hidden behind the “We Are Change”, transparent (not), populist agenda. Of course when you compare his administration to Bush Jr. it all feels like a kumbayah moment, but don’t be fooled, like the Wizard of Oz there is a midget behind the curtain, The inordinate influence of lobbyist dollars continues to pollute Washington and the hallways of Congress, distorts policy imperatives, and corrupts what little democracy, oops I meant plutocracy, that we still have in this country.

The total lobbying expenditures by industry from 1998-2009 listed on OpenSecrets.org http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/top.php?indexType=i
Industry Total
Pharmaceuticals/Health Products $1,620,092,198
Insurance $1,219,675,114
Electric Utilities $1,123,686,238
Computers/Internet $923,921,793
Business Associations $847,374,264
Oil & Gas $785,613,021
Education $785,401,763
Real Estate $746,372,293
Misc Manufacturing & Distributing $742,937,497

I am tired of his shuck and jive. I am tired of his empty rhetoric and faux reform efforts on most of the major issues, especially genuine assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure and health care.

They have never been for single payer, universal health care. The current housing assistance does NOTHING to many people who face negative equity in their homes. “Lenders avoid redoing loans according to the Boston Federal Reserve” http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2009/07/07/lenders_avoid_redoing_loans_fed_concludes
The penultimate ‘cool’ empty suit.

Health care in the US is rationed by one’s ability to pay. http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/07/the-truth-about-foreign-health-care.php

Memo To Rahm: Do You Think We’re MotherF#@kin’ Stupid? posted by Lee Stranahan at The Huffington Post.
In the past few days, a disturbing reality has come into razor sharp focus – the White House may be completely willing to go along with the lobbyist funded Senators on selling out real health care reform for America.

If anyone wanted to hold on to the illusion that perhaps President Obama was actually doing a head fake with ‘moderate Democrats’ in his call suggesting that they shouldn’t be attacked for taking huge amounts of health industry money in exchange for creating faux reform legislation that would entrench and benefit the private insurance industry, Rahm Emanual made it clear on Monday that the compromise is a pre-approved condition at the White House.

According to the Wall St. Journal…http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124692407982802911.html

It is more important that health-care legislation inject stiff competition among insurance plans than it is for Congress to create a pure government-run option, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said Monday.

“The goal is to have a means and a mechanism to keep the private insurers honest,” he said in an interview. “The goal is non-negotiable; the path is” negotiable. His comments came as the Senate Finance Committee pushed for a bipartisan deal.

In the past few days, a disturbing reality has come into razor sharp focus – the White House may be completely willing to go along with the lobbyist funded Senators on selling out real health care reform for America.

If anyone wanted to hold on to the illusion that perhaps President Obama was actually doing a head fake with ‘moderate Democrats’ in his call suggesting that they shouldn’t be attacked for taking huge amounts of health industry money in exchange for creating faux reform legislation that would entrench and benefit the private insurance industry, Rahm Emanual made it clear on Monday that the compromise is a pre-approved condition at the White House.

According to the Wall St. Journal…

It is more important that health-care legislation inject stiff competition among insurance plans than it is for Congress to create a pure government-run option, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said Monday.

“The goal is to have a means and a mechanism to keep the private insurers honest,” he said in an interview. “The goal is non-negotiable; the path is” negotiable.

His comments came as the Senate Finance Committee pushed for a bipartisan deal. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lee-stranahan/memo-to-rahm-do-you-think_b_226749.html

From Robert Kuttner at The Huffington Post, Three Reasons we need an economic wake-up call.

“We now have fewer jobs than in May 2000 when the recovery began, though the economy now has 12.5 million more workers. And there is less than one job opening for every five people seeking jobs. Hidden unemployment is also setting records – people with part time work who want full time work, as well as people whose hours have been involuntarily cut.

Until strong economic growth returns, companies will not resume hiring. And as long as layoffs continue, that means fewer customers and the downward spiral continues.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-kuttner/3-reasons-we-need-an-econ_b_225962.html

or

July 6, 2009

Think the game is stacked against consumers in the health care reform legislation is stacked against us. You bet. Lobbyists are spending $1.4 million per day.

From The Washington Post,
Familiar Players in Health Bill Lobbying Firms Are Enlisting Ex-Lawmakers, Aides

By Dan Eggen and Kimberly Kindy
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, July 6, 2009

The nation’s largest insurers, hospitals and medical groups have hired more than 350 former government staff members and retired members of Congress in hopes of influencing their old bosses and colleagues, according to an analysis of lobbying disclosures and other records.

The tactic is so widespread that three of every four major health-care firms have at least one former insider on their lobbying payrolls, according to The Washington Post’s analysis.

Nearly half of the insiders previously worked for the key committees and lawmakers, including Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), debating whether to adopt a public insurance option opposed by major industry groups. At least 10 others have been members of Congress, such as former House majority leaders Richard K. Armey (R-Tex.) and Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.), both of whom represent a New Jersey pharmaceutical firm.

The hirings are part of a record-breaking influence campaign by the health-care industry, which is spending more than $1.4 million a day on lobbying in the current fight, according to disclosure records. And even in a city where lobbying is a part of life, the scale of the effort has drawn attention. For example, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) doubled its spending to nearly $7 million in the first quarter of 2009, followed by Pfizer, with more than $6 million.

The push has reunited many who worked together in government on health-care reform, but are now employed as advocates for pharmaceutical and insurance companies. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/05/AR2009070502770_pf.html