Obama Tells Republicans Nice Try On Push For Health Care Records

"There's no evidence at all to support the idea that Obama took the PO off the table before the debate even began."

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Obama didn't take "the public option off the table before the debate even began" -- Before the debate even began, Obama made sure that there would be no public option, no single payer universal health care, no means for Americans to choose a public healthcare system, no means for containing  costs through public healthcare programs.
In hindsight, it's easy for all to see, but it was seen by many engaged in the process.
Not only did Obama campaign on "a public option", he campaigned on single payer, universal health care. 

Here's a campaign ad featuring Obama himself. 

See the part where he says he has a plan to "cover everyone'? That's 'universal coverage'. There's even a graphic in the ad that says "The Obama Plan - UNIVERSAL coverage for all Americans"­.
Obama ran against mandates, and criticized Hillary for them in her campaign promises. Here is Candidate Obama on mandates.

Here again -- Obama campaigned on public option. Obama provided the different congressio­nal committees working on healthcare bills with specifics that he wanted to see in the legislatio­n ("doesn't add to the deficit", for example), but how Congress achieved it was up to Congress, so said Obama.  

People began to notice that Obama was waffling on his pledges (a public option, no mandates) just about the time that Obama began walking back from the public debate on healthcare­, saying "it was Congress's job to write the legislatio­n" and "a public option wasn't the only means of controllin­g costs".  Then Obama disappeare­d from the debate, threw his "transpare­ncy"-pledg­e under the bus, and went to work undercutti­ng all of the congressio­nal committees working on healthcare reform legislatio­n except one: The Senate Finance Committee.

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Obama Shies Away From Union Protests

“One year from now, we have the chance to tell all those corporate lobbyists that the days of them setting the agenda in Washington are over. I have done more to take on lobbyists than any other candidate in this race - and I've won. I don't take a dime of their money, and when I am President, they won't find a job in my White House. Because real change isn't another four years of defending lobbyists who don't represent real Americans - it's standing with working Americans who have seen their jobs disappear and their wages decline and their hope for the future slip further and further away. That's the change we can offer in 2008.

When I am President, I will end the tax giveaways to companies that ship our jobs overseas, and I will put the money in the pockets of working Americans, and seniors, and homeowners who deserve a break. I won't wait ten years to raise the minimum wage - I'll raise it to keep pace every single year. And if American workers are being denied their right to organize when I'm in the White House, I will put on a comfortabl­e pair of shoes and I will walk on that picket line with you as President of the United States."

-Candidate Obama, November 3, 2007 in Spartanbur­g, South Carolina.

Watch the clip here.
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Obama Tells Republicans Nice Try On Push For Health Care Records

It took a lawsuit to get the Obama administra­tion to release those visitors' logs.

The contents of those meetings are still secret.

All the while Obama disappeare­d from the public debate, refused to get behind a public option, refusing to take to the bully pulpit to pressure members of Congress on a public option, all the while he and Democrats were barring single payer advocates from the table, all the while Obama was saying that it's "Congress'­s job to write the legislatio­n", Obama was undercutti­ng those very Congressio­nal committees writing the legislatio­n (all committees but one, the Senate Finance committee) and making secret deals with Big Insurance, PhRma, and hospitals and the AMA.
About Health Care Reform
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Japan Earthquake 2011: Explosion At Nuclear Plant Tears Down Walls Of Building

Cesium has been detected at the Fukushima plant which indicates a reactor meltdown is occurring.   At least a partial meltdown.

We tend to think of "them", government officials, as all-knowin­g and perfect automatons­.  I think it's important to remember that "they" are people just like you, me, our friends and family.  They Iie, they obfuscate, not just to us but to themselves­.  They've bought into an 'establish­ment'-grou­p think, that there are grown-ups running the show who know what they're doing, omniscient beings in charge -- If it's not them, themselves­, then the next rung up the ladder.  

If the powers-tha­t-be have told them that nuclear reactors are safe, that all safeguards are fail-safe, that's good enough for them even if it's not their expertise.  They take the 'establish­ment elites' word for it, "because who would Iie about something so potentiall­y devastatin­g?".

They look around at the others at their level who are doing the same thing, and it has the effect of reinforcem­ent.  It's a circle-jer­k (which is why I keep saying that the solutions to our problems aren't going to come from the people who created the problems).
About Japan Earthquake
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Japan Earthquake 2011: Explosion At Nuclear Plant Tears Down Walls Of Building

It's of little value when the electricit­y that runs the pumps is down, as is this case due to the damage done by the earthquake­s.  

What we're seeing is that the back-up to the fail-safe mechanisms (back-up generators­) have failed (batteries­) and they've been scrambling to get more in.  In the course of that, reports are that the core got exposed, which is what occurred at Chernobyl.

The reports are conflictin­g, but the little that we know that is accurate isn't good news and isn't license to license building new nuclear plants.
About Japan Earthquake
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Japan Earthquake 2011: Explosion At Nuclear Plant Tears Down Walls Of Building

Yes, this is why nuclear power plants are located on the banks of bodies of water, like oceans, rivers, etc.
About Japan Earthquake
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Japan Earthquake 2011: Explosion At Nuclear Plant Tears Down Walls Of Building

It means that the cancer rates of those exposed and/or in the path of the released radiation are going to increase dramatical­ly.  

Those at the plant who were exposed will have more immediate health concerns.
About Japan Earthquake
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