Opening tomorrow on May 5, 2017 is the sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). The movie is Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2. I'm guessing the Volume 2 is a homage to those cassette tapes of old that are a second edition to a person's own recording of his favorite pop tunes of the seventies and eighties.
I remember the first Guardians. It had one of the best opening credit scenes of any film. In the movie we see Star-lord (Chris Pratt) start to dance to the hip song by Redbone called "Come and Get Your Love." I almost started to get up and dance. It's such a cool and happy tune. And Pratt's dancing may not make you forget Gene Kelly but it's joyous. It will put a smile on your face. Check it out. Come back and enjoy the bonus below. I've embedded Redbone performing their song.
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Why conservative Republicans oppose government assisted health care
Right now in the House of Representatives, conservative Republicans are trying to repeal Obamacare (The Affordable Care Act) and gut pre-existing condition protections for health insurance. But why are conservative Republicans so against anything that looks like socialized medicine? Why is the conservative Freedom Caucus so interested in making the replacement for Obamacare more cruel by gutting pre-existing conditions?
It all stems from the conservative Republican god, Ronald Reagan. Some of it also stems from author Ayn Rand, a favorite of conservatives like Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. (R-Wis.) Anyway in 1961, Reagan cut an LP (vinyl record) preaching the evils of socialized medicine. (Video below.) In essence he argued that socialized medicine would curtail freedom. He used a slippery slope. Reagan argues that once government tells doctors where they can practice, the number of patients they have, etc., that the loss of freedom would lead to the government telling other people what their profession would be and perhaps what school a person can attend. (At 6:50.)
A couple of things to discuss in President Reagan's speech. First, let me commend him on this speech. His delivery is excellent and there is sincerity and passion in his speech. This is a good example of why Reagan was called "The Great Communicator." Second, Obamacare does not mandate where doctors have to practice or how many patients they can have. Additionally since Obamacare has been around, the government does not tell people what jobs they must have or where they need to go to school. So none of Reagan's fears have come to fruition.
If there is a fear that socialized medicine does cause a loss of freedoms, we need to look only at a couple of western democracies. Canada and the United Kingdom have forms of socialized medicine. Neither has forced people to lose personal liberties. I could go on. Denmark, France, Norway and Sweden etc.
Everybody will get sick sometime, even conservative Republicans. Healthcare is something that government has an obligation to do for the people, the same way it must provide for the national defense. If people cannot afford to pay for healthcare, they will die. Furthermore, we need to get private insurance companies out of the health insurance business. They are not interested in paying for medical bills. We need to get a single payer healthcare plan.
It all stems from the conservative Republican god, Ronald Reagan. Some of it also stems from author Ayn Rand, a favorite of conservatives like Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. (R-Wis.) Anyway in 1961, Reagan cut an LP (vinyl record) preaching the evils of socialized medicine. (Video below.) In essence he argued that socialized medicine would curtail freedom. He used a slippery slope. Reagan argues that once government tells doctors where they can practice, the number of patients they have, etc., that the loss of freedom would lead to the government telling other people what their profession would be and perhaps what school a person can attend. (At 6:50.)
A couple of things to discuss in President Reagan's speech. First, let me commend him on this speech. His delivery is excellent and there is sincerity and passion in his speech. This is a good example of why Reagan was called "The Great Communicator." Second, Obamacare does not mandate where doctors have to practice or how many patients they can have. Additionally since Obamacare has been around, the government does not tell people what jobs they must have or where they need to go to school. So none of Reagan's fears have come to fruition.
If there is a fear that socialized medicine does cause a loss of freedoms, we need to look only at a couple of western democracies. Canada and the United Kingdom have forms of socialized medicine. Neither has forced people to lose personal liberties. I could go on. Denmark, France, Norway and Sweden etc.
Everybody will get sick sometime, even conservative Republicans. Healthcare is something that government has an obligation to do for the people, the same way it must provide for the national defense. If people cannot afford to pay for healthcare, they will die. Furthermore, we need to get private insurance companies out of the health insurance business. They are not interested in paying for medical bills. We need to get a single payer healthcare plan.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Even conservative Republicans can have pre-existing conditions
Conservative Republicans are trying to defend their replacement for Obamacare which would allow states to gut coverage for pre-existing conditions. Right now, Obamacare covers pre-existing conditions. Republican congressman Mo Brooks (Al.) who supports the conservative replacement for Obamacare put it this way:
“It will allow insurance companies to require people who have higher health care costs to contribute more to the insurance pool that helps offset all these costs, thereby reducing the cost to those people who lead good lives, they’re healthy, they’ve done the things to keep their bodies healthy, And right now, those are the people who have done things the right way that are seeing their costs skyrocketing.”
New York Magazine, Cong. Brooks to Jake Tapper of CNN
Let me translate Brooks' comment. Under the GOP plan, insurance companies could charge more in premiums and costs to people who have a pre-existing condition. Brooks implies that these high risk people are less "innocent" than a healthy person and should pay more.
But there are couple of real problems with Brooks' philosophy. One, not everyone with a pre-existing condition caused it through bad behavior. Some people just get cancer without things like smoking. That means even God fearing, clean living conservative Republicans can have a pre-existing condition. Second, it's just plain cruel. People with pre-existing conditions will see their premiums skyrocket. They will lose their health insurance because they can't afford it. And that's going to lead to more people dying.
Stop the cruelty. We need a single payer healthcare plan.
“It will allow insurance companies to require people who have higher health care costs to contribute more to the insurance pool that helps offset all these costs, thereby reducing the cost to those people who lead good lives, they’re healthy, they’ve done the things to keep their bodies healthy, And right now, those are the people who have done things the right way that are seeing their costs skyrocketing.”
New York Magazine, Cong. Brooks to Jake Tapper of CNN
Let me translate Brooks' comment. Under the GOP plan, insurance companies could charge more in premiums and costs to people who have a pre-existing condition. Brooks implies that these high risk people are less "innocent" than a healthy person and should pay more.
But there are couple of real problems with Brooks' philosophy. One, not everyone with a pre-existing condition caused it through bad behavior. Some people just get cancer without things like smoking. That means even God fearing, clean living conservative Republicans can have a pre-existing condition. Second, it's just plain cruel. People with pre-existing conditions will see their premiums skyrocket. They will lose their health insurance because they can't afford it. And that's going to lead to more people dying.
Stop the cruelty. We need a single payer healthcare plan.
Stephen Colbert takes on Trump's infatuation with 100 days in office
Last Saturday, conservative President Donald Trump was celebrating his first 100 days in office at a campaign rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Then there was the strange interview with Face the Nation's John Dickerson. He insulted Dickerson by calling his news show called "Deface the Nation." Dickerson kept his cool and didn't fight back. Well, that was too much for satirist Stephen Colbert. Check out his great monologue where Colbert goes full "Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog" on Trump. Great stuff.
Seth Meyers takes on Trump's crazy interviews for the week
It's been a bizarre week for conservative President Donald Trump. In a group of interviews he has questioned why the Civil War happened, referred to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un as a smart cookie and lamented that being President was harder than his old job. As for the last comment on the job of the presidency, I'll leave it to comedian Seth Myers for his great joke from his Closer Look piece aired last night on "Late Night with Seth Myers." Myers quipped, "You thought the presidency would be easier than being a game show host?" (At the 4:10 mark.) Check out his piece.
Monday, May 1, 2017
Shut up Donald Trump!
Sigh. This is getting tiresome. Conservative Republican President Donald Trump blames former National Security Advisor General Michael Flynn on Obama. If you recall, Flynn was fired as National Security Adviser by Trump less than one months into the job for lying to Vice President Pence about contacts to Russia.
Let's go over the facts, Lying Donald. Former President Obama fired Gen. Flynn in 2014. Okay, his security clearance was renewed in January 2016. U.S. News and World Report. After he left the Obama administration, he received approximately $33, 000.00 from Russia Today, a propaganda TV network for Russia. According to the U.S. News report, he also received a whopping $530,000.00 from Turkish government interests. That led to his retroactive filing as a foreign agent for Turkey. Further, Flynn was one of the principal national security advisors if not the main advisor for the Trump campaign. But Joy Reid and Andrea Mitchell of MSNBC report that the Trump campaign vetted Flynn. Video below.
Folks, Harry Truman used to have a sign that read "The buck stops here." Flynn was no longer in the Obama administration and was fired by Obama. This Russia and Turkish stuff by Flynn comes as he was in the Trump campaign. Lying Donald, stop passing the buck. You sir, were responsible for Flynn. He was and is your guy. Donald Trump. SHUT UP.
Let's go over the facts, Lying Donald. Former President Obama fired Gen. Flynn in 2014. Okay, his security clearance was renewed in January 2016. U.S. News and World Report. After he left the Obama administration, he received approximately $33, 000.00 from Russia Today, a propaganda TV network for Russia. According to the U.S. News report, he also received a whopping $530,000.00 from Turkish government interests. That led to his retroactive filing as a foreign agent for Turkey. Further, Flynn was one of the principal national security advisors if not the main advisor for the Trump campaign. But Joy Reid and Andrea Mitchell of MSNBC report that the Trump campaign vetted Flynn. Video below.
Folks, Harry Truman used to have a sign that read "The buck stops here." Flynn was no longer in the Obama administration and was fired by Obama. This Russia and Turkish stuff by Flynn comes as he was in the Trump campaign. Lying Donald, stop passing the buck. You sir, were responsible for Flynn. He was and is your guy. Donald Trump. SHUT UP.
Bengals bungle with second round pick
I've previously wrote that the Cincinnati Bengals gambled by picking wide receiver John Ross in the first round of the NFL draft because of his ACL injury. But then came the second round and the Bengals became the Bungles again. They used a high pick and selected Oklahoma running back, Joe Mixon.
In case you didn't know, Joe Mixon as an eighteen year old got into a fight with a young lady and decked her. It was such a vicious punch that the woman suffered a broken jaw. (Bengals Introductory Press Conference with Mixon. ESPN) What makes it worse, is the video of the incident has been on the internet.
Now the Bengals have a long history of drafting and or signing "bad hombres" as Trump would put it. Stanley Wilson. Chris Henry. And who can forget the epic meltdown in that 2016 playoff game with the Pittsburgh Steelers by Vontaze Burfict and Adam "Pacman" Jones? Bad behavior off the field translates to bad behavior on the field. But the Bengals have not learned the lesson.
So, what about the player? Joe Mixon is first round talent. He's arguably the best running back in the draft. He's got great vision and bursts through the hole. Excellent speed. Good hands. He will break tackles. See video below. Looking at both the negative and the positive, I would not have wasted the second round pick on him. Too risky. Pick this guy in the late rounds, perhaps even in the seventh. Let's face it, he had few callers. Reports indicated that only four teams were interested. CBS Sports.
The question for all of us is whether Mr. Mixon can stay on the straight and narrow. I would suggest that Joe Mixon show the world some humility. No matter how great he can be, he should devote his free time to charity. Show the Cincinnati community that he's a different man from his youth.
In case you didn't know, Joe Mixon as an eighteen year old got into a fight with a young lady and decked her. It was such a vicious punch that the woman suffered a broken jaw. (Bengals Introductory Press Conference with Mixon. ESPN) What makes it worse, is the video of the incident has been on the internet.
Now the Bengals have a long history of drafting and or signing "bad hombres" as Trump would put it. Stanley Wilson. Chris Henry. And who can forget the epic meltdown in that 2016 playoff game with the Pittsburgh Steelers by Vontaze Burfict and Adam "Pacman" Jones? Bad behavior off the field translates to bad behavior on the field. But the Bengals have not learned the lesson.
So, what about the player? Joe Mixon is first round talent. He's arguably the best running back in the draft. He's got great vision and bursts through the hole. Excellent speed. Good hands. He will break tackles. See video below. Looking at both the negative and the positive, I would not have wasted the second round pick on him. Too risky. Pick this guy in the late rounds, perhaps even in the seventh. Let's face it, he had few callers. Reports indicated that only four teams were interested. CBS Sports.
The question for all of us is whether Mr. Mixon can stay on the straight and narrow. I would suggest that Joe Mixon show the world some humility. No matter how great he can be, he should devote his free time to charity. Show the Cincinnati community that he's a different man from his youth.
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