Perhaps Mr Hagee and Mr Wright can put together a Vaudeville show
for the right-wing mean extreme.       This will keep the talking-point pundits busy while we attend to the
business of the American people.
       Rovian distractions are irrelevant.  This election will be decided on the
issues. McLame is hopelessly linked with death, destruction, high

gas prices, corruption, illegal contracts, and rendering for torture, murder, and rape.
       Obama is a charismatic and intellgent leader  who can bring us home.
The worst he can be accused of is competence, skill, integrity, and leadership.
Thanks to his organizing abilities and good judgement, there are hundreds of
thousands of new voters prepared to become part of a solution.

The rest is commentary.
tim

Group says policies should promote opportunities for all Oregonians.

(SILVERTON, Ore.) - The income gap that separates Oregon’s wealthiest families from the rest of the state’s households has widened dramatically over the past two decades, according to  a study released today.

Between the late 1980s and the middle of this decade, Oregon experienced the second highest increase in the gap between the incomes of the richest and middle-income families. The gap between the richest and the poorest families in Oregon grew at the 11th fastest pace among all states over the same two decade span.
New Data Shows Oregon’s Wealthiest Pulling Away From the Rest …

Among the key changes recommended by OCPP is making our tax system more fair by expanding the Earned Income Credit, a tax credit that’s targeted at boosting the income of low-income working families.

“The task force has a great opportunity to respond to the imbalance in our tax system and foster opportunity for low-income working Oregonians,” said Sheketoff.
Oregon Center for Public Policy

Did George Bush read Robin Hood upside down? Or, backwards? If Congress allows Bush to continue with his present budget policy, he will become the anti-Robin Hood–stealing from the poor to give to the rich.
http://www.idealog.us/2004/03/bush_cuts_socia.html

It is time for accountability and economic justice in Oregon, America, and across the globe.
Together we make a difference.

regards, Tim
ActivismResource.org

Impeach Bush and Cheney for Torture

On 4/11/08, George Bush told ABC News he personally approved of the approval of torture - including waterboarding - during a meeting attended by Dick Cheney, Condoleeza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell and George Tenet.”Yes, I’m aware our national security team met on this issue. And I approved.”

In the wake of this confession, every American - and every Member of Congress - must take a stand.  Either you’re for torture or you’re against it. And if you’re against it, you must support the only Constitutional remedy: impeachment.

We don’t need a Special Prosecutor when the President has publicly admitted to approving war crimes. 

It’s no excuse to say, “we can’t impeach Bush because President Cheney would be worse.” We know that Cheney directly approved torture, so both of these criminals  must be impeached together. If convicted by the Senate or if they were to resign to avoid impeachment, Speaker Pelosi would become President, as prescribed by the Constitution.

It’s no excuse to say, “we don’t have the votes to impeach Bush and Cheney.” Democrats didn’t have the votes to impeach Nixon when they started, but when the House Judiciary Committee reluctantly adopted Articles of Impeachment, Nixon resigned rather than face impeachment.

Nor is it an excuse to say, “we don’t have time to impeach Bush and Cheney.” Bush admitted both his own and Cheney’s guilt, and Condoleeza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell and George Tenet are witnesses. There’s no need for impeachment hearings - an impeachment resolution based on Bush’s confession could go straight to the floor for a vote, just as they did on 11/6/07 when Dennis Kucinich introduced H.Res. 799, Articles of Impeachment for Vice President Cheney.

And finally, it is utterly immoral for Democrats to say, “we shouldn’t impeach Bush and Cheney because it would hurt the chances of electing a Democrat in November.” Simply stated, politics should never come before torture.

Dr. Martin Luther King famously said, “A time comes when silence is betrayal. That time has come for us in relation to Vietnam.”

Bush has admitted that he approved torture.  It is now time to impeach.
http://www.democrats.com/impeach-for-torture

 Candy,I don’t know why people enjoy wallowing in the gutter of sexual and religious

innuendo.  Private sex lives and religious beliefs have no part in politics.  But
I guess some people never moved beyond gossip and negativity. 

We need to end this war, restore constitutional integrity, and rebuild what these
thugs have destroyed.  Then we can move forward with the peoples’ business. 
(And the obsessed busybodies can buy scandal sheets, listen to Limbaugh, or stew
 in their own juices.  We have too much at stake to invest time in this drivel.)

Clinton, McCain, and Obama are the only candidates.  
McCain is not able.  No experience running a country, state, or business.
Knows little about economics or world affairs.  No platform.
 
Clinton has some good ideas, and some not so good.  Her campaign has

been poorly organized and dipping into negativity has cost her.  With the
wrong choice of a VP, she could lose the election.  With the right choice,

she would still have a tough time beating McCain and Condi.  Her voting

record is barely different than McCain’s, and her endoresement of the
“argument that our invasion and occupation of Iraq was “worth 500
thousand childrens’ lives” does not ring true.  She made a mistake supporting
this war for nearly eight years, and like sociopathic George, Hillary cannot
seem to bring herself to recognize and admit an error.  Not a good sign.

Obama has inspired a generation to civic-engagement.  His charismatic

presence and intellectual calibre are powerful considerations. His platform
is thoughtful, considered, and specific.  We need him at this critical time.
He is an anomoly.  There are no other candidates with his innate leadership
skills.  He may be more conservative than more liberal elements might prefer,

but he is an honest man, has more experience than Clinton or McCain, and

can restore our image at home and abroad while rebuilding what these thugs

have torn asunder.  

Obama and any number of VP possibilities can provide a viable and verifiable
alternative to the Cain/McBush proscription for military adventurism and trickle-
down “noblesse oblige,” where the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and the
middle class drowns in the bathtub…   We can do better.
 
tim

  Convenient Execution     The Choices…     Suicide “Surge”…   “Pre-emption” policy 
We can best support our troops by bringing them home.  To misuse our troops to enforce corporate giveaways is bad for America.  It’s time for accountability: rebid, redeploy, rebuild, & seek reparations from war profiteers.  You can make a difference. 

We are in Iraq to enforce the illegal no-bid, cost-plus, corporate welfarecontracts on Iraq which were mandated by the Bush administration withoutcongressional or judicial oversight.  This criminal enterprise is costingAmerican lives and resources and must be ended.We must rebid the contracts for the reconstruction and reconciliation inIraq and include the Iraqi people, surrounding nations, and ALL of our

resources.  We must restore the rule of law and constitutional integrity.It is time that those who have betrayed this nation be held accountable.
Tim

When our leaders condone or encourage torture, murder, or rape in Iraq, Gitmo, or anywhere else… This puts our captured troops at more risk. The Geneva Accords protect our own. A refusal to respect these accords has hurt our people, ruined our reputation, lost us credibility, and squandered the solidarity once extended by our allies. The arrogant and amoral behaviors of Rumsfeld, Cheney, and Bush are where the buck stops. We need to restore integrity, civil law, constitutional guarantees, and accountability. We were misled into this war, and it has become an overt use of our military as enforcers for no-bid contracts which should not stand. We need to do the right thing. Preserving the peace is victory, surrendering to endless war is defeat. And war of choice is rank treason. 
Our Mythical Free Press

 I was relatively surprised to hear Kulongoski (Governor of Oregon)
speaking out recently about the elephant in the room.  The $10 corporate tax
boondoggle.  There is nothing conservative about suppy-side, trickle-down,
blather like this.

If you give large corporations free rein to avoid and evade paying their fair

share of the taxes, then all the rest of us have to either pick up their slack, or suffer.  

The solution is forcing the corporations who want trained workers

to pay their fair share of our costs for education and training of workers.

Instead of the 4-6% free ride they get now, they should pay the 23-34%
they paid twenty years ago.  Our community colleges are absolutely capable

of providing the training programs which our corporate non-partners refuse

to pay for.  The lie in the article below tries to pit higher eduction against

apprentice programs.  This is a false choice.  If the fortune 500 stepped up

to the plate we could get the job done. So far, they are unwilling and our

legislators do not seem inclined to do anything about it.  Blaming our

schools for their intransigence is bizzare and wrong.
This is no “crisis.” It is the predictable result of refusing to invest in our people

and the abject ignorance inherent in subscribing to supply-side economic hooliganism.

We did it “their” way.  There is no such thing as “trickle-down.” The more you pander

to corporate CEO’s, the more they take out of our economy and invest in India,

China, or Swiss bank accounts.   
tim

McCain is not presidential material, but then neither was George.
We can only hope that the nightmare of the last seven McBush years
will alert the American people so that Cain is not able to do the same
thing.  To quote the current lame duck/elephant: ”There’s an old saying in Tennessee–  I know it’s in Texas, probably
in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you.
Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.” –Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002Wise men don’t need advice. Fools won’t take it. ~ Benjamin FranklinYou don’t have to fool all the people all of the time; you just have to fool enough to get elected. ~ Gerald Barzan

~~And here is the actual source of George’s misquote…  It is much older than
     Tennessee or Texas…
“If a man fools me once, shame on him. If he fools me twice, shame on me. ”
Chinese Proverb

best regards, Tim….   
  mail to:  Box 22, Lake Oswego,
   Clackamas County, Oregon  97034-0003 

                Telephone:  (503)-697-1670
                   tim@writingresource.org      www.WritingResource.info:  

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KBOO is a useful communications and teaching tool. Well-informed citizens make better decisions. Anytime you or anyone else may want to particpate regarding a topic which involves labor unions and working people… just contact Tim Flanagan or Lane Poncy.
We like to have in-studio guests in addition to call-ins. Listen in and call in with your questions or ideas. Studio Line (503) 231-8187 
The March Show is about PERS 
tentative agenda for the June Show includes: Education: Why our systems are in trouble and how to fix them. as well as Building Cultures of Peace: An International Conference at PSU
Lane and I also will host shows in September (About November Elections, and December (Where do we go from here?)  
Hope to hear from listeners Monday Night March 31st  between 6 and 7pm!

 Mr. McCain admits to not understanding economics,
cannot keep track of who is fighting whom in Iran or Iraq,
and thinks we should occupy Iraq for a thousand years while 
spending trillions of dollars and millions of lives to enforce
illegal no-bid, cost-plus contracts steeped in corruption…..  

And… he wants to bomb Iran because he thinks
The Beach Boys might approve.

This guy is supposed to be presidential material? 
I think not.

Tim

 Mr. Bush took us into a war of choice in Iraq.
As Mr. Wolfowitz was kind enough to point out,

the reason for this war was to occupy Iraq and
control the spigot.  If this is not “control,” then what is? 

Additionally Mr. Bush’s invasion of Iraq and
REMOVAL of our base within Saudi Arabia
(home country of those who attacked us) was clearly

a favor granted to the Saudi Arabian royal family
(the essental center of OPEC).  This compelled them,

according to a multiplicity of geopolitically astute analysts,

to reduce their production so that the price of oil would

go up.  …  So, in fact, the president of the richest and most powerful

country in the world, by sacrificing our troops and wasting

hard-earned taxpayer resources, has been able to control
the spigot in Iraq and influence the parameters of OPEC
production to line the pockets of his sponsors and his family.

Thus, and the proof is in the historical pudding, if a Democrat

is elected and as a consequence we can reestablish more

reponsible diplomatic relations and strategic economic
agreements with our friends and enemies… the price of oil

will be reduced… or at a minimun, the gross increase in costs

can be ameliorated.

A corrupt and morally depraved president, by working outside

the law, with little regard for the economic, military, or diplomatic

consequences for this nation, can indeed effectively raise the price
of oil.  If you do not believe this is the case…  check your wallet.

Tim Flanagan

“What is wrong with packing our courts with right leaning, 
Constitution following judges??”

“Right-Leaning” and “Constitution following” are (currently) contradictions in terms….

The right-leaning court which appointed George Bush ignored the constitution. 
The constitution says that all votes must be counted, no matter how long it takes. 
They stopped the counting on December 16.  When there is some concern

over counting the votes, the constitution indicates the winner is decided by congress,
not by a right-leaning, overreaching, anti-constitutional court. Incidentally.  Now that this out-of-control court has established this subversive precedent in law,
just last month… right here in Oregon, a Judge ruled that citizens have no right to expecttheir votes or signatures to be counted!  This right-wing extreme court has disenfranchised

American voters.  This is exactly what is wrong with a right-leaning anti-constitutional court.
best regards, Tim

 There are a number of topics not in the presidential debates:
1.   Pre-emptive agression, occupation, & exploitation                   
2.   Corporate control of health care options and alternatives
3.   A shrinking middle class and increasing poverty

4.   Lower wages and higher food, fuel, and utility costs
5.   Failing secondary schools and prohibitive costs of higher education

6.   Corruption, Cronyism, and Crime among public officials
7.   Illegal wiretapping, torture, rendition, and “signing statements”
8.   Constitutional subversion and the suspension of habeaus corpus
9.   An abrogation of treaties and a rejection of the rules of war
10. Crippled federal agencies, inadequate security, undermined intelligence
11.  An executive branch which ignores congresss and the courts
12.  Our international reputation, credibility, and honor
13.  Fiscal collapse, skyrocketing deficits, incipient recession
14.  Disappearing pensions & Social Security Trust Funds
15.  Environmental degredation:  Dirtier water, air, & food supply 

16.  The Occupation of Iraq and the Palestinian territories
17.  Religious, fundamentalist, fanatacism at home and abroad
18.  Corporate adventurism, exploitation, and mercatilism
19.  Fear-Mongering, Lies, Propaganda, & Fraud
20.  Oil Industry Corruption, Arms Merchants, & War-Profiteering
  
This would be the short list…

tmf      

Obama has alread accomplished more in one year than Bush has accomplished in seven years. 
He is uniting the nation instead of dividing it. 

He is facing issues instead of hiding behind Karl Rove’s rhetoric.
Barack has reminded us who we are, what we stand for, and where we need to go from here.
His message has inspired hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Americans, to participatein our national debate.  He knows why the rule of law matters and what is at stake when we

ignore constitutional mandates and allow our freedom to be taken away. The change he
advocates is a return to grassroots activism, civic-engagement, and communities coming

together to make a better future for their children.  His rejection of war, deficits, and destruction…

and his embrace of peace, prosperity, and progress…. bodes well for this nation.

George Bush has sold us out with cronyism and corruption.  Endless war and fear-mongering to
encourage war-profiteering has crippled our nation for the next half century.  Barack has the
intelligence and integrity to put together the best and brightest minds so that our nation and our
people can find a way home.  His charismatic oratorical delivery can inspire our people to

overcome the obstacles which the current administration has created.  And he has not even

started his term of office. 

Barack may not be everything I want in a president.  But he is the best we have been offered

this season.  His life is a testament to public service and personal integrity. 

The short list of Barack’s accomplishments is below:

“Over 20 years of experience as a Senator, activist, community organizer and civil rights attorney: 3+ years as U.S. Senator, Illinois (2004-present), where he serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; 8 years as Illinois State Senator (1996-2004), where he served as the Democratic Spokesperson for the Public Health and Welfare Committee, as the Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, and on the Judiciary and Revenue Committees; 11 years as Senior Lecturer on Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School (1993-2004); 9+ years as a Civil Rights Attorney at the prestigious Chicago law firm Miner, Barnhill & Galland (1993-2002); Director of Illinois Project VOTE! (1992), which registered over 150,000 new minority voters in Chicago; Harvard Law School, J.D., Magna Cum Laude (1991); President of Harvard Law Review (1990-1991); 3 years as Director of the Developing Communities Project (1985-1988), where he worked in low-income areas of Chicago to create job-training facilities, remove asbestos and lead paint from local schools, and protect community interests; Columbia University, B.A., Political Science (specialization in international relations, 1983). He is also the best-selling author of the books Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope.

ECONOMY:
What He Has Done:
- In the U.S. Senate, introduced the STOP FRAUD Act to prevent mortgage fraud over a year before the current crisis
- Introduced the Patriot Employer Act of 2007 to give tax credits to companies who hire American workers
- Sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate to crack down on unethical lenders who prey on the poor

What He Will Do As President:
- Provide tax relief for low and middle-income workers and eliminate taxes for seniors making over $50,000 per year
- Create jobs at home by offering expanded loans and tax incentives to small businesses
- Restore fiscal discipline to Washington by reinstating PAYGO rules and reducing the deficit

HEALTH CARE:
What He Has Done:
- Cosponsored the Healthy Kids Act of 2007 and the SCHIP Reauthorization Act of 2007 to ensure that more children have affordable health care coverage
- Sponsored and passed a 2003 bill that expanded health care coverage to 70,000 children and 84,000 adults in Illinois
- Supported women’s health while in the Illinois and U.S. Senate: Created a task force on cervical cancer, provided greater access to breast and cervical cancer screenings, and helped improve prenatal and premature birth services

What He Will Do As President:
- Provide affordable, guaranteed health care coverage for all Americans, without penalizing those with limited incomes (If you prefer the plan you already have, you can keep it)
- Ensure that every child in America has high-quality health care coverage
- Lower costs by modernizing the health care system and allowing citizens to buy their medicines from other countries

IRAQ AND THE MIDDLE EAST:
What He Has Done:
- Publicly spoke out against the Iraq war in 2002, long before most politicians had the courage or judgment to do so
- Introduced legislation in 2007 to responsibly end the war, with a phased withdrawal of combat troops
- Passed the Lugar-Obama Act in 2007 with Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN) to increase U.S. security by eliminating conventional weapons and WMDs all over the world

What He Will Do As President:
- Immediately work to bring our soldiers home in a safe, responsible manner
- Redeploy diplomacy: As JFK said, “Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.”
- Ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons
- Embrace Israel as a key ally while negotiating for peace in the Middle East

POVERTY:
What He Has Done:
- Lead the Developing Communities Project in Chicago to create jobs and housing for Chicago’s impoverished South Side
- Created Illinois’ Earned Income Tax Credit to give low-income working families $105 million in tax relief over three years
- Championed multiple bills in the State Senate to help low-income families find affordable housing

What He Will Do As President:
- Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit so more families are eligible
- Raise the minimum wage and tie it to inflation
- Create 20 Promise Neighborhoods in high-poverty and high-crime cities across the nation to provide early childhood education, youth violence prevention efforts and after-school activities to entire neighborhoods

WOMEN’S RIGHTS:
What He Has Done:
- Consistently protected a woman’s right to choose: 100% rating from Planned Parenthood and the NARAL
- Co-sponsored the 2007 Prevention First Act to reduce unintended pregnancies, focusing on family planning and education
- Introduced the 2007 Communities of Color Teen Prevention Act to combat unintended pregnancies in communities of color

What He Will Do As President:
- Make safeguarding Roe v. Wade a priority
- As the son of a single, working mother, Obama will fight to ensure that women receive the same pay as men
- Expand access to contraception, health information and preventative services

EDUCATION AND CHILDCARE:
What He Has Done:
- Helped create the Illinois Early Learning Council to increase early childhood programs and services
- Proposed a bill in the U.S. Senate to increase Pell grants for students from low-income families to attend college
- Introduced legislation to create Teacher Residency Programs and increase support for summer learning programs

What He Will Do As President:
- Expand access to high-quality early childhood education and child care so every child can enter kindergarten ready to learn
- Work to place effective, qualified teachers in every classroom, especially those in high-poverty, high-minority areas
- Reform No Child Left Behind: Support struggling schools instead of punishing them

WASHINGTON ETHICS:
What He Has Done:
- Unlike Hillary Clinton, Obama does not accept money from corporate lobbyists or PACs
- Passed a law to create “Google for Government,” allowing citizens to track federal spending online at www.usaspending.gov
- Proposed extensive ethics reform in the U.S. Senate and passed the toughest campaign finance law in Illinois history

What He Will Do As President:
- If the Republican candidate accepts, Obama has agreed for both candidates to receive public funding for the general election
- End the influence of corporate lobbyists in Washington
- Support extensive campaign finance reform

CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES:
What He Has Done:
- Passed a law making Illinois the first state to videotape police interrogations in order to limit police beatings and coercion
- Lead the biggest voter registration drive in Chicago history, registering 150,000 new minority voters
- In Illinois, passed one of the country’s first anti-racial profiling laws and helped reform the broken death penalty system

What He Will Do As President:
- Ensure fair pay for all people, regardless of race, gender, or orientation
- End deceptive voting practices and voter intimidation
- Advocate rehabilitation instead of prison for first-time drug offenders

IMMIGRATION:
What He Has Done:
- Championed a proposal to create a system for employers to verify if their employees are legally eligible to work in the U.S.
- Introduced the Citizenship Promotion Act to ensure that immigration application fees are reasonable and fair
- Introduced and passed legislation to improve the speed and accuracy of FBI background checks
What He Will Do As President:
- Secure the borders with additional personnel, infrastructure and technology and crack down on employers who hire undocumented immigrants
- Improve and modernize our immigration system to encourage people to come here legally
- Promote economic development in Mexico to discourage illegal immigration to the U.S.

ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT:
What He Has Done:
- Passed legislation to give gas stations a tax credit for installing E85 ethanol refueling pumps
- Sponsored an amendment that became law to provide $40 million in funding for the creation of hybrid cars
- Worked with Republicans and Democrats to create a new plan to increase fuel economy standards

What He Will Do As President:
- Invest $150 billion over 10 years in Clean Energy resources
- Reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050
- Support renewable energy by requiring that 25% of U.S. electricity is renewable by 2025

SUPPORTERS:
Sen. Bill Bradley, Warren Buffett, Pres. Jimmy Carter, George Clooney, Susan Eisenhower, Gov. Christine Gregoire, Gov. Tim Kaine, Caroline Kennedy, Ethel Kennedy, Sen. Ted Kennedy, Sen. John Kerry, Sen. Dennis Kucinich, Sen. Patrick Leahy, Toni Morrison, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Maria Shriver, Paul Volcker, Judge Patricia M. Wald, Oprah Winfrey

Read more at www.barackobama.com

I will support any candidate from any party who offers an alternative to the Bush doctrine
of corporate hubris, executive arrogance, neo-colonialist aggression, and unending war.

While I am concerned that both Obama, Clinton, and Bush embrace versions of supply-side
economics, corporate healthcare at home, and preemptive aggression & occupation abroad…

I think that either Obama or Clinton might be preferable to the various criminals at the helm.
John Edwards is the most viable alternative for America.  His only downside, is that he marches
lockstep with Hillary, Bill, Barack, and George in supporting the execution of American citizens
and other prisoners.  No other industrialized democracy on the planet will condone such behavior.

But I would encourage widepread support  for John Edward’s campaign and exploration of his
formidable resources and useful ideas.  www.WritingResource.info/edwards.html
Edwards beat Hillary in Iowa.  He beat the most visible, well-known, and best financed candidate.
(Even though this was largely ignored by the corporate media.) If enough people find out about
his programs before February 5th, he could be elected president.  Obama could be a useful
team member due to his poltitical acumen, organizing abilities, charisma, and support.  

Hillary has too much baggage and is too willing to resort unseemly tactics and unacceptable
compromise, but she could serve a useful role in a cabinet level position on education.  And Dennis
Kucinich can provide useful guidance on a host of issues which matter to the American people. 
In spite of their variable flaws, (Kucinich is short, shrill, and not particularly presidential) we have
some good people in this horse race. 

Let us hope it does not remain a dog and pony show. 

Tim
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       “Privatized Government” is a bad idea….

“One of the key principles of the Republican Party is a smaller government. Republican strategist, Grover Norquist has even said…
“I don’t want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.”

       Over the past 6 years in Washington, the Republcian leadership has been privatizing government in the attempt to make it smaller. However, a privatized government is not a smaller government. It is just a government that gives your tax dollars to companies to provide poorer quality services.
       All you have to do is look at the mess of a privatized FEMA during Hurricane Katrina, the safety of drinking water for troops in Iraq, and most recently the poor care of injured troops at Walter Reed.
      I agree that it is important to cut wasteful spending, duplicate programs, and pork barrel projects. However, people forget that government is by the people, for the people, meaning that government is meant to provide services that people need. Services that help people. Some of these services aren’t able to be successfully done by private business.
       We shouldn’t complain that our money is being spent, we should demand that our money is being spent well. We shouldn’t be giving our tax dollars away for these services to be done by the lowest bidder. Some of these services are too important to be done by the lowest bidder. A smaller government isn’t the answer, the answer is a quality government that serves the people and one that we can be proud of.”
       Century of the Common Iowan
commoniowan.blogspot.com/2007/03/privatized-government-does-not-mean.html

       “The weight of this sad time we must obey;
Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.”
-Shakespeare’s King Lear

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I have been listening carefully to all of the candidates who are running for office.

When it comes to human decency, basic civility, compassion, integrity, and
progressive reform… there are three “progressive” candidates who have a chance
at winning the presidency.  Hillary and Barack are both preferable to any alternatives

offered by the confused and divided Republican party, but their commitments have

been too “flexible,” and their policy statments have meandered all over the landscape. 
The best and most viable candidate is John Edwards. 
He talks the talk, walks the walk, addresses the issues, has a proven
track record, refuses to back down, and is eminently electable.

There are (at least) six pivotal issues in the race which begins January 3rd.
 Iraq, Health Care, Education,  Immigration,  Rule of Civil and Constitutional Law,
 
 and   Electability.     Hillary, like her Republican counterparts (those whose “values” she
claims to share) is willing to surrender to the ongoing occupation of Iraq. 
She calls for a nebulous “Phased Redeployment” but will not commit to ending the occupation.
Her health plan is to turn it over to the insurance firms and let them
dictate terms.  Her plan to “offer and renew coverage to anyone who applies and
pays their premium” does not address the concerns of working Americans and does
not address the issue of why the richest nation on earth cannot provide universal
coverage for our people.
Her plan for education is to do nothing and hope the system fixes itself.  Her
website does not even acknowledge the crisis in our schools. In discussing immigration,
she does not even address the issue of NAFTA.   As for the restoration of the rule
of law and constitutional integrity…  Hillary seems content to surrender habeas
corpus and allow our rights and constitutional protections to remain suspended.
Her website and policy statments completely ignore these fundamental issues.  

A further concern is that Hillary is not electable. Matched against ANY republican…
she loses.   And with her baggage, lack of charisma, and shifting stands on the issues, her nomination
might well cement a Republican victory. There is too much at stake for such a gamble.

Barack Obama wants to end the war, “Obama would immediately begin to pull out troops engaged in combat
operations at a pace of one or two brigades every month, to be completed by the end of next year. He would call for a new
constitutional convention in Iraq, convened with the United Nations, which would not adjourn until Iraq’s leaders reach a
new accord on reconciliation. He would use presidential leadership to surge our diplomacy with all of the nations of the
region on behalf of a new regional security compact. And he would take immediate steps to confront the humanitarian
disaster in Iraq, and to hold accountable any perpetrators of potential war crimes.
He wants the US to move towards universal health care: but his policy statments defer to the
insurance industry:  While he wants to be “Providing affordable, comprehensive and portable
health coverage for every American,” his plan still leaves the insurance companies in charge. His
Mandatory Coverage of Children is a good start, but he stops short of a plan for universal
coverage for all Americans.  On Education, Obama understands the crisis and provides
useful guidelines for reform.  He stops short of calling for universal higher education, but he
recognizes the problems in our schools and provides useful solutions.  His plan is less comprehensive
than dwards, but immensely more useful than Hillary’s avoidance of this issue. On Immigration,
Barack Obama straddles the issues:  He “believes that our broken immigration system can only
be fixed by putting politics aside and offering a complete solution that secures our border, enforces
our laws and reaffirms our heritage as a nation of immigrants.” But this political talk ignores NAFTA
and does not address the crux of the issue or offer substantive reform.  He neither mentions nor
addresses the problems created by NAFTA.  Barack does not even address ongoing concerns about 
restoration of the rule of law, nor does he even discuss constitutional concerns.  While
Barack is clearly a useful alternative to the current corrupt corporate regime… and once spoke about
real reform, his conservative policy statments and timid tiptoeing around the forces which must be
confronted do not bode well for this nation.  He has retreated, compromised, and become less palatable
as a candidate.  And while racism is now mostly undercover in America, it is live and well. 

Matched against the Republican opposition, Obama does better than Clinton,
but he loses in many polls. We cannot afford this gamble, nor should we be satisfied
with the compromises he has made.

John Edwards has an entirely different approach.  He would end the war and end the
occupation.Edwards supports the immediate withdrawal of 40,000-50,000 troops from Iraq
and the complete withdrawal of all combat troops from Iraq within nine to ten months.  He would
work for universal healthcare…   “We have to stop using words like ‘access to health care’
when we know with certainty those words mean something less than universal care. Who are you
willing to leave behind without the care he needs? Which family? Which child? We need a truly
universal solution, and we need it now.”  – John Edwards  and universal education. 

John Edwards has the most comprehensive educational reform program of any candidate.  
Strengthening Our Schools:  The Edwards Plan  Read the full Edwards plan for strengthening our schools
Expanding Opportunity Through College for Everyone  He understands the relationship between
immigration and NAFTA.  “Trade has become a bad word for working Americans for a simple reason:
our trade policy has been bad for working Americans. We need new trade policies that put workers, wages and
families first.” – John Edwards “NAFTA has actually cost us more than 1 million American jobs. NAFTA has
failed Mexico and Canada too. In all three countries, it has hurt workers and families while helping corporate
insiders.”… “Our trade policies must lift up workers around the world. Making sure that all workers share in
the gains from trade is the right thing to do economically, and it will make America safer and more secure.” 
And he would demand that we restore the rule of law and the supremacy of our constitutional
foundations.  “We are not the country of Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo. We are not the country of secret
surveillance and government behind closed doors. We are Americans, and we’re better than that.”
– John Edwards
Edward will “Say No to Torture,   Restore Habeas Corpus and Shut Down Guantanamo,  Protect Americans’
Privacy and Freedom, and Defend the Constitution.”  He stands up for working people, tells the truth, 
speaks from the heart, and his record shows that he walks the walk.  I predict he will win first or second
place in Iowa… and working Americans should support his campaign.  (he won second place)

Matched against ANY of the Republican candidates… John Edwards wins.. 

It is my hope that unions, non-profits, institutions, and grassroots organizations reconsider their
options in this upcoming election.  If we “settle” for corporate apologists who refuse to discuss the
most pressing issues of the day, such intransigence might prove fatal.  We cannot afford eight more
years of corruption, abuse, betrayal, and compromise.  If we ever hope to restore our reputation,
credibility, and honor… we must be careful in the choices we make.  Clearly Hillary Clinton stands
with corporate governance.  She does not address the economic divide which cripples our nation. 
Both Barack and John Edwards speak to concerns with poverty and a weakened middle class, but
Barack is too “politic” to advocate for the reforms are necessary to confront these issues.
John Edwards speaks for working people.  And he seems the best choice to speak truth to power.

regards, Tim

Schools, roads, utilities, security, clean water, a safe food supply, and healthy and educated citizens are critical infrastructure for our democratic republic.  These resources do not magically appear… unbidden.  
They cost money.  

Portland and Oregon’s resources for fighting crime and protecting our citizens have been compromised, because federal taxes continue to be wasted in an ill-advised war of choice.  More than 200 thousand private corporate “contractors” are now being used to to occupy and exploit Iraq.  It is inappropriate for the President of the United State to usurp the authority of our Governor, the commander of our Oregon Guard, by sending Oregon  resources and men to fight this illegal war.  Much of our expensive equipment will remain in Iraq, and too many of our personnel will be injured or killed.   There is no compelling reason for this misuse and abuse of our troops. We should demand that our represenatives end this surrender.
 
The missteps and crimes of this administration have put this nation at risk.  Now that we have created a dangerous situation in Iraq, we are  obligated to repair the damage.  But endless war and perpetual occupation are untenable.  There are better options.  We can redeploy, rebuild, and demand reparations from those who have chosen to commit war crimes. If corporate armies want to continue this occupation, they should foot the bill. The Oregon National Guard and Oregon taxpayers’ funds should not be used to buttress the corporate bottom line in Iraq.

The U.S. Constitution is clear and unambiguous: “Congress shall have power to provide; for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions.” (Article 1 Section 8 Clause 15.)

The Oregon Constitution is no less specific: “The Governor shall be commander in chief of the military, and naval forces of this State, and may call out such forces to execute the laws, to suppress insurrection, or to repel invasion.” (Article 5, Section 9)

The National Guard’s charter also gives Governors’ control of the guard. (see  Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution)

In spite of what we are being told, there is NO circumstance in these charters and proscriptions whereby the President is given ANY authority to call up the National Guard on his own - The constitutional provisions have been abrogated by congressional fiat.

“Over objections from all 50 governors, Congress in October 2006 tweaked the 200-year-old Insurrection Act to empower the hand of the president in future stateside emergencies. In a letter to Congress, the governors called the change “a dramatic expansion of federal authority during natural disasters that could cause confusion in the command-and-control of the National Guard and interfere with states’ ability to respond to natural disasters within their borders.”
http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=170453

Now, the Oregon National Guard’s 41st Brigade Combat Team has officially been alerted for service in Iraq that is set for 2009. Oregon’s 41st is among five National Guard brigades scheduled for deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan in the summer of 2009. The deployment will be Oregon’s biggest contribution of National Guard combatants since World War II. 

We have critical problems at here at home in Oregon. A waste of precious resources in Iraq is perhaps the most serious military, economic, and diplomatic blunder since the lackadaisical response to the fascism which led to the Second World War. 

The patently unconstitutional congressional tinkerings which have put our Oregon National Guard at risk in Iraq do not serve us well.

We can do better.  

Contact Elected Officials  or write a letter to the editor, get active! 

Tim Flanagan

It is a long way to November…  And regardless of who the VP may be…
Hillary in the White House means more surrender to the insurance
industry, unending war in Iraq, and a continuing expansion of the unfair
trading practices which lower wages and export jobs. 
Evidently the Republicans like what they see…

Get Ready for Hillary
Tough choices for the Right.

By Bruce Bartlett

“To right-wingers willing to look beneath what probably sounds to them like the same identical views of the Democratic candidates, it is pretty clear that Hillary Clinton is the most conservative. John Edwards is the most liberal, and Barack Obama is somewhere in between.

At this point… cities, towns, and states across the nation see diminishing returns from incapacitated federal agencies
while representative democracy and efficient adminstration are “drown in the bathtub.” Our water, air, ecosphere, and
food suppy are at risk. We see increasing casualties. This waste of our resources in the occupation of Iraq is undermining social services, short-changing community development, and crippling education.  

The occupation of Iraq is not some removed ”international issue…” Nor should it be relegated to second-tier status as  a ”national issue” which is somehow beyond our purview. This unforgivable waste of resources in corporate adventurism
is a local issue because it has local consequences for Oregon, Portland, and our families. 

Our Guard units have been undermined and critical equipment commandeered and sent to Iraq. None of that equipment will be coming back and too many of our state Guard will perish in that fiasco. While our state becomes less and less capable of responding to emergencies, our schools are forced to cut programs for art, creative writing, journalism, music, and physical education.  The fiasco in Iraq is a Portland concerns with local consequences. 
This ill-fated blunder is a local issue in every city in America. 

The disappearance of many native Americans tribal cultures,
provides stark evidence of genocides which have
occurred in the short history of American culture.

We may not have had ovens… but we did have death marches
and an “open season” on Native Americans which did destroy whole
cultures.

Our young nation’s groping for adulthood has been steeped in
Genocide, Slavery, Arrogance, and Intolerance. But when the
chips are down, revolutionary spirits have risen to the task
of challenging these forces as contrary to our most sacred
trusts..

Martin reminded us to protect our constitution and Bill of Rights.
While the ugly genocide perpetrated against native Americans and
overt slavery are both “behind us,” this does not mean they have
disappeared.

They are baggage we carry. And as long as we remember the lessons
learned, we can move forward to more progressive and compassionate
ground. Denial of this mixed legacy serves no useful purpose. The
current right-wing fringe which controls our nation seems obsessed
witih denial.

~The war in Iraq is “going well,” in spite of 700 thousand dead,
hundreds of billions wasted, millions of refugees dispossessed,|
and the loss of our reputation, credibility, and honor.

~Our economy is “doing just fine,” in spite of having been crippled
debt for the next half century, while we see net job losses, lower
pay, reduced benefits, raids on pensions, rampant corruption, no-bid
cost-plus contracts on our people, and attacks on unions and working
people which are beyond the pale.

~We are “winning,” by surrendering to using our troops as mercenaries
to enforce a corporate occupation and exploitation of Iraq. We should
“support” our troops by abandoning them as targets in an ill-conceived
neo-colonialist corporate agenda for occupation.

War is not Peace. Crippling Debt is not prosperity. Subversion of the
constitution is not necessary. And toture, murder, rape, and rendition
should be roundly condemed. Facts remain.

Tim

10/06/2007 04:29:54 AM 

What happened to the nation that never tortured? 
The nation that wasn’t supposed to start wars of choice?
The nation that respected human rights and life? 
A nation that from the beginning was against tyranny? 
Where have we gone?  How did we let these people take us there?
How did we let them fool us?  Molly Ivins  (1944-2007)
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Saturday, October 27th
A National Day of Protest Against the War in Iraq
11 Regional Demonstrations
Boston, Chicago, Jonesborough (TN), Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle

Visit www.oct27.org for information and resources about the mobilization near you. Download flyers and web buttons, sign up to volunteer and more!
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              The Wordsmith Collection                                    06/12/2007 11:21 PM                                              Writing, Activism, & Creative Arts  %3

As for Healthcare… 
Kucinich and Edwards have put together what passes for a reasonable beginning towards universal healthcare.  And Edwards aleady has some
actual union support and funding.  But the corporate press has not seen
fit to talk about Obama’s plan.

As for Hillary.  Her recent appearance on Letterman was telling.  She came out of the closet as the Republican soul (Daddy’s girl) she has always been. She says those are her real “values.”  Frightening.  I just hope union and/or Democratic party officials do not get suckered into backing her charade.  
 
 
Scroll down for the specifics of Obama’s plan which the corporate press claims have not been advanced: (It is specific, comprehensive, and more complete than either Edward’s or Kucinich’s plan)

And here are The Wordsmith Collection’s most current  updates:
http://www.writingresource.info/healthcareupdate.html
and related pages:
http://www.writingresource.info/healthcare.html
http://www.writingresource.info/healthykids.html

~~~Barack Obama’s Plan for a Healthy America:
Lowering health care costs and ensuring affordable,
high-quality health care for all

Pauline Taylor, 55, a nurse who lives in Iowa City and is a member of SEIU Local 199, a health care workers’ union, [said], “He touched on all the highlight”s…(Obama’s plan) is wonderful.” Taylor said she liked the emphasis on preventative care and getting more generic medications on the market. A nurse for 33 years, Taylor said she has seen what happens when medical conditions go unchecked for years. “People will not put off going to the doctor for so long,” she said.

-Iowa City Press Citizen 5/30/07

Barack Obama believes we live in the greatest country in the world and that when it comes to health care, America can and must do better. The Obama plan will save a typical American family up to $2,500 every year on premiums by:

Providing affordable, comprehensive and portable health coverage
for every American:

Modernizing the U.S. health care system to contain spiraling health care costs and improve the quality of patient care; and Promoting prevention and strengthening public health to prevent disease and protect against natural and man-made disasters.

Quality, Affordable & Portable Health Coverage for All

1. Obama’s Plan to Cover the Uninsured. Obama will create a new national health plan to allow individuals without access to affordable insurance to buy coverage similar to that available for  members of Congress. The Obama plan will have:

Guaranteed eligibility. No American will be turned away because of illness or pre-existing conditions.

Comprehensive benefits. The benefit package will be similar to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), and cover all essential medical services, including preventive, maternity and mental health care.

Affordable premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
Subsidies. Individuals who do not qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP but still need assistance will receive an income-related federal subsidy to buy into the new public plan or purchase a private health care plan.

Simplifying paperwork and reining in health costs.
Easy enrollment. The new public plan will be simple to enroll in and provide ready access to coverage.

Portability and choice. Participants in the new public plan and the National Health Insurance Exchange (see below) will be able to move from job to job without changing their health care coverage.
Quality and efficiency. Participating insurance companies will be required to collect and report data to ensure that standards for quality, health information technology and administration are being met.

2. National Health Insurance Exchange. Obama will create a National Health Insurance Exchange to help individuals who wish to purchase private insurance. The Exchange will act as a watchdog group and help reform the private insurance market by creating rules and standards for participating insurance plans to ensure fairness and to make individual coverage more affordable and accessible. Insurers would have to issue every applicant a policy, and charge fair and stable premiums. The Exchange will require benefits comparable to those offered in the new public plan. Insurers would be required to justify an above-average premium increase. The Exchange would evaluate plans and provide information about differences between them.

3. Employer Contribution. Employers that do not offer or make a meaningful contribution to the cost of quality health coverage for their employees will be required to contribute a percentage of payroll toward the costs of the national plan. Small employers that meet certain revenue thresholds will be exempt.

4. Mandatory Coverage of Children. Obama will require that all children have health care coverage.

5. Expansion of Medicaid and SCHIP. Obama will expand eligibility for Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.

6. Flexibility for State Plans. Obama’s plan allows states to continue innovating on health care reform.

Modernizing the U.S. Health Care System to Lower Costs and Improve Quality:

1. Reducing Costs of Catastrophic Illnesses for Employers and their Employees. Catastrophic health expenditures account for a high percentage of medical expenses for private insurers. The Obama plan would reimburse employer health plans for a portion of the catastrophic costs they incur above a threshold if they guarantee such savings are used to reduce the cost of workers’ premiums.

2. Lowering Costs by Ensuring Patients Receive and Providers Deliver Quality Care.

Helping Patients

Support disease management programs. Seventy five percent of total health care dollars are spent on patients with one or more chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Obama will require that providers that participate in the new public plan, Medicare or the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) utilize proven disease management programs.

Coordinate and integrate care. Over 133 million Americans have at least one chronic disease and these chronic conditions cost a staggering $1.7 trillion yearly. More than half of Americans with serious chronic conditions have multiple physicians, leading to duplicate testing and conflicting treatments. Obama will support greater integration and coordination of care for those with chronic conditions.

Require full transparency about quality and costs. Obama will build on his efforts in the U.S. Senate and Illinois State Senate to ensure that patients receive accurate information about hospital and provider quality. Obama will require hospitals and providers to collect and publicly report measures of health care costs and quality, including data on preventable medical errors, nurse staffing ratios, hospital-acquired infections, and disparities in care.

Ensuring Providers Deliver Quality Care

Promoting patient safety. Obama will require providers to report preventable medical errors, and support hospital and physician practice improvement to prevent future occurrences.

Aligning incentives for excellence. Both public and private insurers tend to pay providers based on the volume of services provided, rather than the quality or effectiveness of care. Providers who see patients enrolled in the new public plan, the National Health Insurance Exchange, Medicare and FEHBP will be rewarded for achieving performance thresholds on outcome measures.

Comparative effectiveness research. Obama will establish an independent institute to guide reviews and research on comparative effectiveness, so that Americans and their doctors will have the accurate and objective information they need to make the best decisions for their health and well-being.

Harnessing the power of genetic medicine. Genomics has the potential to revolutionize the practice of medicine, but despite significant scientific advances, very few genomics-based tests or treatments have reached consumers. As President, Obama has a plan to overcome the scientific barriers, adverse market pressures, and outdated federal regulations that have stood in the way of better medicine.

Tackling disparities in health care. As a United States Senator, Barack Obama has fought to maintain funding for the Centers of Excellence in Women’s Health at the Department of Health and Human Services and helped spearhead legislative efforts to address gender and ethnic health disparities. As President, Obama will continue to challenge the medical system to eliminate inequities in health care through quality measurement and reporting, implementation of effective interventions such as patient navigation programs, and diversification of the health workforce.

Reforming medical malpractice. Obama will strengthen antitrust laws to prevent insurers from overcharging physicians for their malpractice insurance, and will promote new models for addressing physician errors that improve patient safety, strengthen the doctor-patient relationship, and reduce the need for malpractice suits.

3. Lowering Costs through Investment in Electronic Health Information Technology Systems. Obama will invest $10 billion over five years to move the U.S. health care system to broad adoption of standards-based electronic health information systems. Obama will ensure that patients’ privacy is protected.

4. Lowering Costs by Increasing Competition in the Insurance and Drug Markets.

Increasing competition. The insurance business today is dominated by a small group of large companies that has been gobbling up their rivals. Obama will prevent companies from abusing their monopoly power through unjustified price increases and force insurers to spend more funds on patient care instead of keeping exorbitant amounts for profits and administration.

Lowering prescription drug costs. Pharmaceutical companies are selling the exact same drugs in Europe and Canada but charging Americans more than double the price. Obama will allow Americans to buy cheaper medicines from other developed countries if the drugs are safe. Obama will also repeal the ban that prevents the government from negotiating with drug companies for the Medicare prescription drug benefit, which could result in savings as high as $30 billion. Finally, Obama will work to increase the use of generic drugs in federal benefits programs and prohibit drug companies from keeping generics out of markets.

On Tuesday in Iowa City, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, a Democrat, announced his [health care plan]… one aspect is particularly noteworthy: It includes limits on the profits of private-sector health-care businesses. He believes that’s the right move for consumers, but it risks offending some powerful interests. He did it anyway. That tells voters something important about him.
-Editorial, Des Moines Register, 6/1/07

Promoting Prevention and Strengthening Public Health
Obama’s emphasis on reducing waste and inefficiencies and increasing spending on prevention appealed to Dr. George Weiner, director of the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at UI. The cost of providing health care to those without insurance often is more expensive than prevention would have been, he said. “I’m excited about his plan and others,” Weiner said.
“The time is right for universal health care.”

-Cedar Rapids Gazette, 5/29/07

Barack Obama believes that protecting and promoting health and wellness in this nation is a shared responsibility among individuals and families, school systems, employers, the medical and public health workforce, and federal, state, and local governments.

1. Employers. An increasing number of employers are offering worksite health promotion programs and insurance plans that cover preventive services. Obama will support and expand these important efforts.

2. School Systems. Obama will work with schools to create more healthful environments for children. He will work to get junk food out of vending machines in schools and improve nutritional content of lunches through financial incentives, increase grant support for physical education, expand federal reimbursement for school-based health services, and provide grants for health educational programs for students.

3. Workforce. Obama will expand funding - including loan repayment, adequate reimbursement, grants for training curricula, and infrastructure support to improve working conditions - to ensure a strong workforce that will champion prevention and public health activities.

4. Individuals and Families. The way Americans live, eat, work, and play have real implications for their health and wellness. The Obama health plan will require coverage of essential clinical preventive services such as cancer screenings and smoking cessation programs in all federally supported health plans. Obama will also increase funding to expand proven community-based preventive interventions.

5. Federal, State and Local Governments. Governments at all levels should develop a national and regional strategy for public health that includes funding mechanisms for implementation. Senator Obama also supports greater organization of the 3,000 health departments in this nation and supports collaborative arrangements between government and the private sector. The Obama plan will also force government to examine its own policies, including agricultural, educational, and environmental policies, to assess and improve their effect on public health in this nation. As president, Barack Obama will prioritize these activities to strengthen prevention and public health, as well as fight for the following initiatives:

Fight AIDS Worldwide. There are 40 million people across the planet infected with HIV/AIDS. As president, Obama will continue to be a global leader in the fight against AIDS. Obama believes in working across party lines to combat this epidemic and recently joined Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) at a large California evangelical church to promote greater investment in the global AIDS battle.

Improve Mental Health Care. Mental illness affects approximately one in five American families. The National Alliance on Mental Illness estimates that untreated mental illnesses cost the U.S. more than $100 billion per year. As president, Obama will support mental health parity so that coverage for serious mental illnesses are provided on the same terms and conditions as other illnesses and diseases.

Protect Our Children from Lead Poisoning. More than 430,000 American children have dangerously high levels of lead in their blood. Lead can cause irreversible brain damage, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and, at very high levels, seizures, coma and death. As president, Obama will protect children from lead poisoning by requiring that child care facilities be lead-safe within five years.

Reduce Risks of Mercury Pollution. More than five million women of childbearing age have high levels of toxic mercury in their blood, and approximately 630,000 newborns are born at risk every year. Barack Obama has a plan to significantly reduce the amount of mercury that is deposited in oceans, lakes, and rivers, which in turn would reduce the amount of mercury in fish.

Support Americans with Autism. More than one million Americans have autism, a complex neurobiological condition that has a range of impacts on thinking, feeling, language, and the ability to relate to others. As diagnostic criteria broaden and awareness increases, more cases of autism have been recognized across the country. Barack Obama believes that we can do more to help autistic Americans and their families understand and live with autism. He has been a strong supporter of more than $1 billion in federal funding for autism research on the root causes and treatments, and he believes that we should increase funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to truly ensure that no child is left behind.

More than anything, autism remains a profound mystery with a broad spectrum of effects on autistic individuals, their families, loved ones, the community, and education and health care systems. Obama believes that the government and our communities should work together to provide a helping hand to autistic individuals and their families.

Barack Obama Wants to Hear Your Ideas on Health Care
Share your voice on these issues by using our MyPolicy tools. With the help of your insight, Barack will further develop his health care plan to take into account our common experiences and build the political momentum to enact real reform.

WWW.BarackObama.com
 

National healthcare reform legislation is on the radar:
the so-called “Conyers Bill,” introduced by Rep. John Conyers, Dennis Kucinich, and some others that essentially creates a mechanism for extending Medicare to all.  The resolution is pretty self-explanatory:  
http://www.house.gov/conyers/news_hr676.htm.

Universal Health Care
Issues & Options
                            Universal health care gains traction    

          George, Dick, Alberto, Condi, Rove, Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld, and the rest of these hacks have crippled our nation, undermined our economy, sacrificed the peace, and made us demonstrably less safe and secure.  These problems, however, are not without solutions.  
          We must end the occupation and exploitation of Iraq.  Then we can reconnect with the international community, provide leadership on environmental issues, stop producing nuclear weapons, and once more provide basic services for the American people.  Only when we restore the rule of law and bring back habeas corpus can we reestablish credibilty, restore our reputation, and rediscover honor among nations. 
We must stop torturing people, provide leadership in the Middle East, and stem the tide of corruption and greed which has overwhelmed our government, stranded our troops in a neo-colonialists occupation of Iraq, and sacrificed what good will we once had after 9-11.
           Unless the Democrats are willing to step up to the plate and face the music, we will lose what meager progress has been made and doom our nation to four or eight more years of corruption, incompetence, and betrayal.  Our constitution makes it abundantly clear that the first order of business in congress should be to Impeach, Remove, Indict, and Imprison those in our governmet who betrayed our people.  Until and unless we get this done, our tailspin will lead to its logical conclusion.  If we allow these thugs to get away with their crimes,
our nation will not recover. 
           The fools who claim they “do not have time” to pursue impeachment are simply avoiding responsibility, begging the question, passing the buck, and failing to lead. 80 percent of America wants this war to end so we can begin to rebuild.  They also want those who abused their trust to be held accountable.  The American people are angry.  And deservedly so. It is time for congress to get the job done. Not a penny more for occupation and exploitation.  The no-bid, cost-plus contracts on the American people must be abandoned in favor of open-bidding by responsible parties who will back up their investments with troops, security, and integrity.  It is time to give Iraq back to the Iraqi people and bring home our American troops who were so cyncially misused by the base criminals at the helm.  It is time to face reality. 

With the AP news item claiming that President Bush is likely to
prevent aides from testifying before Congress about the firings
of federal prosecutors - once again claiming executive privilege -
it appears that the executive branch of our government believes
it is above the law and answers to no one.

The president has commuted the sentence handed down to Scooter Libby by the court.

I feel it is time to impeach both the president and vice president to prove to future members
 of the executive branch that they do answer to the people and must also follow the law.

Kenny Loper

Lexington

You have a point Kenny.  We can either reestablish the rule of law,
or surrender to an extant corporate fiat which has disenfranchised
average Americans, trashed Bill of Rights, contradicted our constitution,
and made the illegal, legal and the morally reprehensible crimes of
torture, murder, and rape… ostensibly legal.  Where are the conservaties?
Where are the liberals?  Where is anyone with common sense and moral
integrity? Why have we allowed these criminals to destroy our nation,
cripple our military, undermine our credibility, trash our reputation,
and dishonor our country?  It is time for Accountability.

Not only is impeachment possible and prudent.  It is necessary
and long overdue.  As I said on the air last month…  We must
Impeach, remove, indict, and imprison.

And not necessarily in that order.

Tim Flanagan, editor:  www.TheWordsmithCollection.org
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