Clipmarks | masbury's clips

Frontline on Health Care in Capitalist Democracies - Now on Web

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 03:13:48 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: A rare chance to see inside the healthcare setups of other nations at Sick Around the World

Clip Source: masbury.wordpress.com

FRONTLINE TRAVELS … to find out how five other capitalist democracies–United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Taiwan and Switzerland–deliver health care and what the United States might learn from their successes and their failures. … Reid turns up remarkable differences in how these countries handle health care–from Japan, where a night in a hospital can cost as little as $10, to Switzerland, where the president of the country tells Reid it would be a “huge scandal” if someone were to go bankrupt from medical bills

[Video]

Tags: health care, pbs, frontline, news, politics

"Gay activists" to "Take Over Cities of America"

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:49:07 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Drop everything! "Bigger threat" than terrorism, warns OK State Rep. Sally Kern.

Clip Source: thinkprogress.org

Oklahoma State Rep. Sally Kern (R) came under intense criticism for making a host of incendiary remarks toward gays. For example, she said gays are a “bigger threat” to our nation than terrorism. She also warned, “Gays are infiltrating city councils.” As an example, she cited the town of Eureka Springs, AR, whose city council she claimed is now “controlled by gays.”

The American Family Association (AFA) has joined in promoting this myth of the evil gay agenda

Tags: gay, politics

White Women Quit Clinton

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:35:20 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: graph from McClatchy

Clip Source: www.mcclatchydc.com

Tags: politics, women, news

Health CEOs and defense contractors score big during economic slide

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:32:28 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: No recession here

Clip Source: rawstory.com

"In recent months, Mr. Parmar, who lives in Colts Neck, N.J., said he bought 140 acres in Mineola, Tex., and is spending $20 million to begin building a refuge there for abused tigers," the Times notes. "Since January, he said he added to his car collection with a $110,000 BMW 750 Li (for his girlfriend) and a Bentley Arnage for himself, for about $300,000. He is leasing a Maybach through Luxautica, an 'ultimate car club' that has annual fees of about $125,000."

Why? A little reported fact of the hemorrhaging US economy is that healthcare companies -- and more widely known -- defense contractors, are raking it in.

Blue Cross & Blue Shield is also doing well, lavishing the parent of its Illinois CEO with massive bonuses for 2007.

Cigna's CEO received $22.7 million in 2007

This is up from $15.2 million in 2006.

Defense contractors are also posting growth

stock value of America's big defense contractors has swelled, on average, more than 150% in five years

Tags: economy, healthcare, ceo, politics, news

Republican Rep: "That boy ... " (Obama)

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:22:16 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Rep. Geoff Davis: "was not trying to be racist." LOL! He doesn't even have to try!

Clip Source: rawstory.com

Rep. Geoff Davis was speaking to about 400 donors at a fundraiser in Kentucky, when he said of Obama, "That boy's finger does not need to be on the button."

A Davis spokesperson said the two-term Republican "misspoke" and was not trying to be racist.

Later, Davis issued a written apology to the Democratic frontrunner.

Tags: politics, race

Frmr Labor Sec: Bitterness? You bet!

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:05:48 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Time to focus on how to fix what caused it!

Clip Source: www.dailykos.com

The average man in his 30s is earning less than his father did thirty years ago. Yet America is far richer. Where did the money go? To the top.

Are Americans who have been left behind frustrated? Of course. And their frustrations, their anger and, yes, sometimes their bitterness, have been used since then -- by demagogues, by nationalists and xenophobes, by radical conservatives, by political nuts and fanatical fruitcakes – to blame immigrants and foreign traders, to blame blacks and the poor, to blame "liberal elites," to blame anyone and anything.

Rather than counter all this, the American media have wallowed in it

Instead of focusing on how to get Americans good jobs again; instead of admitting too many of our schools are failing

instead of showing why we need a more progressive tax system to finance better schools and access to health care, and green technologies that might create new manufacturing jobs, our national discussion has been mired in the old politics

Tags: reich, bitterness. obama, politics