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POPSBeginning of the End of Free Market Health Care in the U.S.by
Rustee Yesterday 11:23 PM 
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Commercial insurers—who were still required to pay taxes, establish reserves, and adhere to other state insurance regulations—had difficulty competing with the Blues, which, by the 1950s, together were the largest provider of health insurance in America. In an effort to compete with the Blues, more and more for-profit insurance companies offered similar plans, and the model of third-party insurance plans paying the providers directly with little or no input from the patient—and paying for routine care through insurance—became entrenched. This new model was a disaster in the making. In addition to minimizing incentives for insured customers to comparison shop for medical services, it also minimized incentives for doctors and hospitals to compete on price.
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POPSWhat is Blackwater Doing in Alaska? The Blackwater guards are nominally employed by Chenega, an Alaska Native corporation associated with the Alaskan coastal village of Chenega Bay, population 86. Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, architect of the “Bridge to Nowhere” and recently convicted of a seven-felony string of corruption charges, is one of the principal proponents of the anti-missile system and was also instrumental in writing laws which help secure government contracts for Alaska Native Corporations. Chenega gets contracts through the Small Business Administration, rakes off a percentage, then lets giant Blackwater provide the actual services. Since 2000 Chenega has received over $1.1 billion in sole-source or non-compete bids from the Army, Air Force and Department of Homeland Security. It's good to have friends in high places.
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POPSStop Blaming Capitalism For Government Failures stagnation had Americans looking for an alternative. That’s what Reagan offered, denouncing big government and promising a new “morning in America.” Under Reagan, some taxes were reduced, inflation was subdued, a few regulations were relaxed--and the economy roared back to life. But while markets were able to function to a greater degree than in the immediate past, the regulatory and welfare state remained largely untouched, with government spending continuing to increase, as well as some taxes. Later administrations were even worse. Bush Jr., often laughably called a champion of free markets, presided over massive new governmental controls like Sarbanes-Oxley and massive new welfare programs like the prescription drug benefit. None of this is consistent with capitalism. As the economic system that fully recognizes and protects individual rights, including the right to private property, capitalism means, in Ayn Rand’s words,
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POPSBailout? What Bailout. Does acting quickly have the desired effect of appearing to know what you are doing? In the case of the $700B Wall Street bailout, the answer is apparently, No. The fact is Henry Paulson doesn’t have a clue how to best use this money and the program that was originally passed has changed. It is down right scary to know that Congress will vote for a plan without details of that plan and place unprecedented power in the hands of a man who has now clearly shown does not know what to do with the money. People are still loosing their homes and jobs, and our faith in our future is being badly shaken. CEO’s and big oil are walking away with record profits. Politicians grasp at any glimmer of hope to keep things working and no one is truly in control of anything.
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POPSIt's NOT a BAILOUT it's the biggest HEIST in Human History “We are in danger of being overwhelmed with irredeemable paper, mere paper, representing not gold nor silver; no sir, representing nothing but broken promises, bad faith, bankrupt corporations, cheated creditors and a ruined people.” Daniel Webster, speech in the Senate, 1833
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POPSAmerican Policy Elites Do Not Care About the Starving
World food prices grew 22% from June 2007 to June 2008 and a significant portion of the increase was propelled by the $175 billion invested in commodity futures that speculate on price instead of seeking to feed the hungry. The result is wild food price spirals, both up and down, with food insecurity remaining widespread. For a family on the bottom rung of poverty a small price increase is the difference between life and death, yet neither US presidential candidate has declared a war on starvation. Instead both candidates talk about national security and the continuation of the war on terror as if this were the primary election issue. Given that ten times as many innocent people died on 9/11/01 than those in the World Trade centers, where is the Manhattan project for global hunger? Where is the commitment to national security though unilateral starvation relief? Where is the outrage in the corporate media with pictures of dying children and an analysis of who benefits from hunger?
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POPSLogic? Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools. A president lying about an extramarital affair is a impeachable offense, but a president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy. Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet. The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's driving record is none of our business. Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery. Supporting "Executive Privilege" for every Republican ever born, who will be born or who might be born( in perpetuity.)
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POPSNuclear smackdown in New Europe Medvedev also sees the war in South Ossetia as symptomatic of a larger and more deeply-rooted problem. Medvedev: “A barbaric aggression against South Ossetia and the global financial crisis – two very different problems which nevertheless have common traits and a common origin...A local reckless enterprise provoked a rise of tensions far behind the region’s borders, in the whole of Europe, in the whole world. It called into question the efficiency of international security institutions and practically destabilized the basics of the world order. The lessons of mistakes and crises of 2008 proved to all the responsible nations that it is the time to act, and it is necessary to radically reform the political and economic system." Medvedev is right. The present architecture for global security needs to be thoroughly revamped as does the global financial system. Unilateralism, preemption and the Bush Doctrine have only made the world a more dangerous place. So, too, Wall Street's disp
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POPSObamas poor country formative education,blinkers OFF I recently heard Mick Dobson Aboriginal australian spokesman heartened by Obamas intention to embrace issues with the Indiginous Nations issues in USA.I hope like others that he is not blinkered to overseas exploitation of other indiginous cultures and walks the talk globally,, cherry picking will be the cowards way given his pride in statements that he grew up in the "poor" country till he was 10. That country has extremes between rich and poor and justice is often very expensive depending on colour and religion.Melanesians have no respect or rights and due to USA policy in cold war years had their self determination shredded by US and corrupt Sakano,s expansionist ambitions.
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POPSAnd Now We Begin This = Early this year, investors had begun privately demanding that AIG pay off its billion-dollar guarantees. But in mid-September, when the demands for cash reached a public crescendo, AIG had to admit that it didn't have enough cash on hand to meet the obligations. In the first weeks of its federal rescue, AIG has used the loan money to post collateral demanded by these firms, sources close to those deals say. "No one else benefits," former AIG chief executive and major shareholder Maurice R. "Hank" Greenberg wrote to AIG's current chief executive on Thursday. "Unless there is immediate change to the structure of the Federal loan, the American taxpayer will likely suffer a significant financial loss." Yeah - and the new Obamunist Treasury Secretary will magically make things better?
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POPSIraqi War: Winners and Losers American and British corporations like Haliburton, KBR, AMEC, Aegis, Erinys, and others in Iraq have come out as the biggest winners. Iraqi civilians didn't have a chance. Not news but still the graphic is disturbing.
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POPS“Joe the Plumber?” Here’s the real story of Dad the Mechanic. By the time my Dad’s cancer was killing him, he decided to spend $10,000 on a (futile and excruciating) chemotherapy regimen. Eight weeks later, he was dead. But before he died, he admitted that the government he had voted for absolutely didn’t care about people like him. “Joe the Plumber” This man supports anti-worker policies and then wonders why he can’t get ahead. He hasn’t undergone the training that is required to be a plumber, but claims that Democratic policies are what’s holding him down. Please, let's not get fooled again!
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POPSTurnbull says Rudd has insulted all Americans The friend of corporations is learning to polit talk. (Bit like wanking to the noise of the hollow followers) If anything was said it would have been in jest, which I'm positive many Americans would see that Rudd probably had to do that. Pity it leaked though. One reporter reassigned to the gardening section.
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POPSFan The Fire That's Burning Your House. This theme of Mom and Pop stores against giant corporations, can also be seen in the recording industry, with major labels vs. indie labels. Which I am sure that the Grouch knows a whole lot about.
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POPSOct.29, 2008 Obama: "One Week Until We Change America" If Obama were merely talking about changing our priorities, or changing our politics, or changing direction, he would stick to saying those things. But to speak of changing America is going not to a tailor but a surgeon, expressing a desire for an alteration not to the clothes, but to the wearer. Taken with recent revelations about Obama's desire to redistribute wealth, it becomes pretty obvious that, as is a defining characteristic of liberals, he wants to throw away the baby with the bathwater and do away with the economic system that made America the most powerful country in the world, replacing it with a system that purports ensure social and economic justice. w/t Mona Charen, and Terrestrial Musings agrees.
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POPSLondon Is The World's WiFi Capital A cool detail: home network users are more security-savvy than companies. 90% of Londoners have encrypted their home networks, but only 80% of corporations.
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POPSVideo: Bush Might Bomb Iran if Obama Wins
The idea here, some have suggested, is to suggest an anti-war appeal: If Obama is elected war with Iran will start. This incredible twisted suggestion is typical of other new McCain ideas, like he is the one really opposed to Bush policies although he voted for them 90% of the time. The twisted idea, too, that McCain's support for tax breaks for the SuperRich and Corporations is really to help out 'Joe the Plumber,' because the wealth will 'trickle down.' According to this twisted reasoning, McCain is the anti-war in Iran, anti-Bush policy guy, and pro-voice for the Middle and lower classes. ?? Other Republicans also just, seriously, going nuts: that McCain campaign worker who carved a B into her cheek (backwards) and tried to blame it on a "Black pro-Obama mugger." ?? Latest...some Republican arrested for making death threats against the Sec. of State of Ohio (who's in charge of elections) -- because she shut down a Republican attempt at voter suppression. ??
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