Analyst: Obama plan may give $1 trillion to
insurance companies, raise your premiums

I'll let you read the article for yourself.

Now, it's just one analyst, so it's not clear why the AP is quoting him as some huge source. Having said that, a lot of people I know have been concerned about the underlying premise of the story - namely, that if we tell insurance companies that they can't ban pre-existing conditions, that they can't drop people, then they'll just increase all of our rates (mine are already going up 25% a year, will Obama's plan stop that?). It's not clear why that won't happen under the President's plan.

Others said Obama's plan might not raise costs as much as expected if everyone is required to have insurance and receive preventive care like regular checkups or mammograms, which can save money in the long run.

LOL Okay that just made me laugh. If we lower the costs for the insurance companies they'll, out of the goodness of their hearts, cut into their growing profits and lower our premiums. Just like the airlines, now that fuel prices have gone back down, have gotten rid of those pesky "temporary" baggage charges they imposed to make up for their losses. What, you mean the airlines are actually increasing those fees again? Oh never mind. With the insurance companies' history of generosity and customer care, I'm sure they'll be different. Kind of like the drug companies. They could charge us three to five times what the same drugs cost in Europe, but they don't because that wouldn't be nice. Oh, that's right, never mind.

And as an aside, for a trillion dollars, couldn't we have gotten a bigger concession out of the insurance companies? It's not clear that we got any concession out of them at all. Maybe the insurance companies yelled at a Democrat.

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Americablog/~3/rswO9gqcAz4/analyst-obama-plan-may-
give-1-trillion.html

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Fear Factor: Pearl Harbor to 9/11

Today is a reminder for those who live in one of the few places in the world where feeling safe is commonplace of what it's like suddenly to live with fear, to have the ground stop feeling solid under your feet.

Older generations experienced this epiphany in 1941 with Pearl Harbor. Their children were baptized by the Cuban Missile Crisis. Now a new generation tells Peggy Noonan how they were transformed by the "life-splitting event" of eight years ago:

"Before it they were carefree, after they were careful. A 20-year-old junior told me that after 9/11, 'a backpack on a subway was no longer a backpack,' and a crowded theater was 'a source for concern.' Every one of them used the word 'bubble': the protected bubble of their childhood 'popped'...The video of 9/11 has firmly and ineradicably entered their brains. Which is to say their first visual memory of America, or their first media memory, was of its towers falling down."

Each generation takes a different lesson from its trauma. The Greatest had to grow up overnight and go off to fight in foreign places or stay behind to work in war plants and live with meat and gas rationing.

The Baby Boomers took the shock of nuclear reality in the 1960s to start a "youthquake" against their parents' values about gender, race, sexuality and fighting an ideological war in Vietnam.

What will this generation make out of its loss of innocence? The memorials at Ground Zero are still unfinished, but by presidential decree, today will be the first 9/11 anniversary to be commemorated as a National Day of Service and Remembrance, encouraging a tribute of sacrificing for the common good through volunteer work.

Such efforts won't get any headlines, but they are a much more traditional American way of responding to shock and awe than retreating into rancor, mistrust and selfish squabbling.



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http://ajliebling.blogspot.com/2009/09/fear-factor-pearl-harbor-to-911.html

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Asian Session: Dollar continues its weakness
against the Euro, Pound moves up after rate decision

G10 Advancers and Decliners vs USDJPY1.13GBP0.32EUR0.14CHF0.10The Dollar continued its weakness against the Euro moving towards 1.4620 as jobless claims reduced while the trade deficit widened to 12 year high. The initial jobless claims rose 550,000…

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9/11 - Eight Years Later

Today is the eighth anniversary of 9/11. For some of us it is a distant memory, somewhat abstract. For those of us who lost friends and family, it is a sadness that never quite leaves.

Earlier this week, President Obama made a speech to school children. Some idiots parents kept their children home, and some fascists school districts did not show the speech, out of racism and pure, unadulterated hatred of all America stands for.

On this day, as we remember the fall of the Twin Towers, the crash at the Pentagon, and the brave Americans who brought down a hijacked plane in the fields of Pennsylvania, let's take a look at what another president did. This is George W Bush during the 9/11 attacks. Also with school children. 

Remember, the same people who wish to silence President Obama's Frist Amendment rights voted for Baby Bush. Check the expression of stunned impotence on Bush's face. Learn to identify it. Like something out of the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

video details and more

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http://www.Demconwatchblog.com/diary/2298/911-eight-years-later

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Oh, I think thats a winner

Republican plans to win in Massachusetts, well at least they're going through the motions.[...]

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http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/11/oh-i-think-thats-a-winner/

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Baucus & Conrad cave again, toughen health care
bill's anti-immigrant provisions to appease Joe "You lie!" Wilson

Yes, because that's the first thing a sane person would think after Wilson's bizarre, and boorish, and untrue outbreak during the joint session, an outburst that has the GOP reeling: What can we do to appease Joe Wilson's legitimate concerns so he'll stop being mean to us? From TIME:

The controversy over Republican Rep. Joe Wilson's shouting out "You Lie!" at the President over his claim that illegal immigrants wouldn't benefit from health-care reform apparently sparked some reconsideration of the relevant language. "We really thought we'd resolved this question of people who are here illegally, but as we reflected on the President's speech last night we wanted to go back and drill down again," said Senator Kent Conrad, one of the Democrats in the talks after a meeting Thursday morning. Baucus later that afternoon said the group would put in a proof of citizenship requirement to participate in the new health exchange ? a move likely to inflame the left.

First off, congratulations for once again caving to the teabaggers and telling them that all they need to do is go crazy and Democrats will run scared and cave.

Second, why would anyone think that Wilson, or any of the extremists he represents, will support Baucus and Conrad's plan, regardless of the changes? Have we learned no lessons from the stimulus debate, where the Obama administration and Democrats gave the Republicans 40% of the bill as tax cuts, and almost every single Republican in the Congress (save three) voted against it?

The Republicans went insane over August, disrupting Democratic townhall meetings on health care reform, and rather than blasting them, the Obama administration praised them and Democrats saw the raucous protests as a reason to cave. And now, a Republican congressman has an outrageous outburst during a joint session of Congress - an outburst that is still causing the GOP massive headaches 36 hours after it happened - and what do the Democrats do? Do they try to take advantage of Wilson's outburst, and the negative reaction to it, to force the GOP to cave and include something we want in the plan, like the public option?

Of course not. Conrad and Baucus, in response to the opportunity Wilson presented us, decided it was best to cave like the spineless cowards, in the hopes that Wilson and the Republicans would be stop being mean to our President. Beacause that tactic has worked so well with Republicans before. My anger goes far beyond the fact that these two wimps have been handed the keys to health care reform by our President. The message we are sending the GOP is horrible. It is now open season on President Obama's agenda. All you have to do is yell, and the Democrats will flinch. It seems one speech wasn't enough to change the heart and soul of a party of cowards.

UPDATE: Wilson is holding firm. Perhaps Conrad and Baucus can delete women from the bill too, or gays, or blacks. That might finally get Wilson on board.

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Americablog/~3/nIhwvbelEd4/baucus-conrad-cave-agai
n-toughen-health.html

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Olbermann: Wilson's Factual Failure was Worse
Than His Incivility.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Olbermann goes after Wilson with a Special Comment:

"This evening I let my emotions get the best of me when listening to the President's remarks regarding the coverage of illegal immigrants in the health care bill," you hurriedly said last night as a nation caved in on you, and your own party's leadership coerced you into saying something. "While I disagree with the President's statements, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable. I extend sincere apologies to the President for this lack of civility."

For the lack of civility, Congressman?

Is that what you think this is about?

Of course your comments were inappropriate and regrettable -- you are a Republican trying to de-legitimize the elected president of the United States -- that's all you do, and that's all you've got.

Of course you let your emotions get the best of you. At a figure of $435,296 in campaign donations from the Health Sector, of course your emotions would take over when your gravy train was threatened.

It isn't about "inappropriate and regrettable," Sir!

Your comments were inappropriate and regrettable and.... **wrong**!

You got up in front of the world, embarrassed your district, embarrassed your state, embarrassed your party, embarrassed your nation, shouted at the President like he was a referee at a ballgame and you were a drunk in the stands, and you were wrong.

House Bill 3200 specifically says, Sir, in language made precise and binding -- in section 246 -- under the heading, quote:

"NO FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS"

Look, Congressman!

All capital letters!

For the benefit of the factually-challenged!

"Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States."

You got it wrong!

There is no ambiguity, Sir. There is no disagreement!

Of course, Wilson continues to argue that he is right, no matter how many times his factual error is pointed out to him.

It is... this week, evident... that the greatest threat to the nation... is not terrorism... nor the economy... nor H1/N1... nor even bad health care.

It is rank, willful stupidity.

When did we come to extol stupidity ahead of information, and rely on voo-doo, superstition, and prejudice ahead of education?

How many Republicans believe in Death Panels... and Brownies and Elves?

When did we start to listen to -- to elect -- the impregnably dense?
I was almost too fearful of using the word "impregnably" because of the prospect that Governor Palin would go after me the way she went after Letterman.

Here, Olbermann lands right on the money. It's no longer an argument between two sides who both believe in different things. It's an argument between one side trying to argue with the facts and another who will literally say or do anything in order to stop their opponents.

I have no idea whether the Republicans believe the nonsense which they are spouting, I have no idea whether it is cynicism or profound stupidity which causes them to say so many things which are factually incorrect.

But, perhaps it is because they are playing to their ever more narrow base, that they really do begin to look as if they are "impregnably dense". Either that, or they simply are.

I can't quite work out which is worse.

UPDATE:

Eugene Robinson thinks they actually believe this nonsense which they spout:

Last November?s election so wounded the GOP that the nation is now suffering collateral damage. The Republicans who were punished at the polls for the failures of the Bush years were those in the most evenly contested districts, which meant they tended to be relatively moderate. Those who represent solidly Republican districts were safe, and their greatest fear isn?t being defeated by a Democrat next fall but being challenged by a primary opponent who?s even more of a right-wing yahoo.

There are quite a few Democratic pragmatists in Congress?which is why health care reform is being worked over so thoroughly by the Blue Dogs. In the Republican ranks, especially in the House, pragmatists are few and ideologues are legion. Many of them probably believe the nonsense they spout about creeping socialism and an urgent threat to America As We Know It. But it?s still nonsense. The ideologues? sincerity just makes this toxic, rejectionist rhetoric more dangerous.

Tags: Olbermann, Special Comment, Joe Wilson

Read The Full Article:
http://the-osterley-times.blogspot.com/2009/09/olbermann-wilsons-factual-failure-
was.html

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Object Lessons (1 of 6)

We’re gonna try something new at LWC here today. Enjoy this series.Object LessonsWhen Explaining Things To RepublicansUse Short Words And Pretty Pictures

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/leftwingconspiracy/~3/2JgLIQfzJQo/

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Modern World.

Click picture to enlarge.

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http://the-osterley-times.blogspot.com/2009/09/modern-world.html

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Object Lessons (2 of 6)

Object LessonsWhen Explaining Things To RepublicansUse Short Words And Pretty Pictures

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/leftwingconspiracy/~3/dCN_gHCbCdY/

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