Where's the Outrage?

Jobs, Jobs, jobs

If president Barack Obama has any thoughts of becoming a two-term president, he has got to create jobs.  The jobs numbers for June were not abysmal but they weren’t good either.  I talk with Dr. Heidi Shierholz from the Economic Policy Institute.  She is a Masters and Ph.D. in economics.

The American economy has now lost 6.5 million jobs since the start of this recession.  Last month we lost 467,000 jobs.  During the first quarter of this year we lost an average of 691,000 jobs per month.  So the jobs market may be improving.  I mean were losing jobs at a slower rate.  This is of little comfort to those were losing jobs.

Most of the job losses are being suffered in those areas of the economy that are cyclical — construction and manufacturing.  Unfortunately, men tend to gravitate to these types of jobs.  Men have been particularly hurt by this economic downturn.  The unemployment rate for all men is 10.6%.  For women it is 8.3%.  The unemployment rate in the Black community is 14.7%, the Hispanic community – 12.2% and the white community – 8.7%.

We heard lots of happy talk last month when the economy lost only 345,000 jobs in May (I still find it weird to say that we lost ONLY 345,000 jobs).  The New York Times quoted chief economist at PNC Financial Services Group, Stuart Hoffman as saying, “The freefall in the job market does appear to be tapering off.  If the prelude to an economic and job recovery later this year.”

We, as progressives, must watch this new climate change Bill.  It has to have plenty of money for green jobs.  This has to act as a second stimulus, in my opinion.  Dr. Shierholz mentions that this economic downturn is far from over.  We will begin to see increases in our GDP and in the stock market before will see significant job creation.  Significant job creation may not be until the third quarter of next year.

In spite of the depressing news, this is an excellent interview on the economy.  Enjoy.

The Errington Thompson show airs every Saturday morning at 9 a.m. (EST).  Live streaming.  Podcasts can be heard on iTunes and here.

The Errington Thompson Show 7-8-09 with Heidi Shierholz from the Economic Policy Institutue [ 13:36 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Economy, Energy, Obama administration, Podcasts by ecthompson md
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Steve King is one of those representatives that should be singled out for his ability to be completely racist.  Most people try to cover up their own flaws.  Not Mr. King.

From TP:

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) was the only congressman to vote against a resolution yesterday that acknowledges the role that slaves played in the construction of the U.S. Capitol Building, reports Ryan Grim of the Huffington Post. According to the text of the resolution, which passed 399-1, its simple goal is to recognize those who constructed the Capitol with a marker:

“Whereas enslaved African-Americans performed the backbreaking work of quarrying the stone which comprised many of the floors, walls, and columns of the Capitol…

Whereas recognition of the contributions of enslaved African-Americans brings to all Americans an understanding of the continuing evolution of our representative democracy; and

Whereas a marker dedicated to the enslaved African-Americans who helped to build the Capitol will reflect the charge of the Capitol Visitor Center to teach visitors about Congress and its development…”

King has never been afraid to stand alone, particularly when it comes to his blatantly racist sentiments. He has referred to both the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus as “separatist groups” and immigrants as “livestock” who are waging a “slow-moving terrorist attack.” This past election season, he used Obama’s Kenyan heritage and middle name to proclaim that terrorists would be “dancing in the streets” if “Hussein Obama” won. In 2008, King also said that apologizing for slavery wasn’t about contrition, rather “White Americans wallowing in guilt.”

Tags: House of Representatives, Race by ecthompson md
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Al Franken has become the 60th Democratic senator.

Tags: Party Politics, Senate by ecthompson md
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If you’re single and in your mid-30s, it doesn’t matter who you go out with. Whatever you do is between you and your partner and that’s the way it should be. On the other hand, if you’re a married man with four children, you have responsibilities to provide more than just money. Now, don’t get me wrong. In this economy providing money is plenty, but it isn’t the whole story. Children need guidance, too.

Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star rightly pointed out the true tragedy in McNair’s death… his four children. Four young boys were denied a father because Steve McNair was not focused on what was most important in his life. It really doesn’t matter what was going on between Steve McNair and his wife. What matters is that McNair did not position himself for the long haul.

I spent a lot of time recently thinking about affirmative action and the black community. The Civil Rights Act passed in 1964. For nearly 20 years minorities and women made huge strides into closing the quality gap. Something happened around 1980. I’m not saying that it was just Ronald Reagan. Instead, I think it was an atmosphere of hostility towards both affirmative action and unions, which together has helped to cripple the black community. (Of course, there are other factors.  There are internal problems in the black community which are critical to retarding personal growth but, for now, I’m focusing on external problems.)

I do not have any statistics, but I would bet that a large percentage of union jobs were held by blacks. As Reagan and the rest of the conservatives waged war on unions, blacks lost jobs in droves. Wall Street applauded as large corporations shipped union jobs overseas. This devastated the black community. There were hundreds of thousands of black men without jobs and no prospects on the horizon. Many of these men, for various reasons, become incarcerated or fell into low wage dead-end jobs.

Against this backdrop, we have Steve McNair. He’s just completed a highly successful 14-year career as an NFL quarterback. The number of black NFL quarterbacks can be counted on two hands since the inception of the league more than 70 years ago. McNair had an obligation to guide his young boys through the hazards that afflict all young Americans, but especially those that have ensnared so many young black men. All McNair had to do was to stay on the path. He had made it out of the inner city (da’ hood).  Imagine being a multimillionaire. You have every creature comfort you need. Your only job is to be a husband and father. That’s it. (I’m not saying that being a husband and father is easy. I’m not saying that being Steve McNair was easy. I’m saying that he made it through the tough parts.)  You can’t tell me that McNair wasn’t on Easy Street.

I hope that Steve McNair’s sons find a new role model. Role models are so hard to find these days — especially in the black community.

What a real tragedy.

Update: Now contrast Steve McNair’s story to Arianna Huffington’s post from earlier today. Check this out -

CRETE — My ex-husband and I recently celebrated our 12th anniversary. That’s how long we’ve been divorced — one year longer than we were married.

Just like marriage, divorce isn’t easy either, and ours has been no exception. But even though we no longer had a marriage to keep us together, we had something even more powerful — our daughters. And, spurred by our mutual devotion to them, we have made a huge effort to work through all the difficulties and be friends.

She goes on to bring her point home, just in case you were to dense to figure it out.

Our children, after all, are the most important thing in our lives — and in most parents’ lives, for that matter. It’s a fact that becomes even more inescapable here in Greece, which is an utterly child-centered society. Children here are treated as little gods, creatures of worship — little totemic beings everyone wants to touch and nurture. They are made to feel so special, with even the tiniest accomplishment cause for exclamations of appreciation and praise.

The fact that Michael and I have these two girls (young women now, really) together is a bond that transcends all grievances we have had through the years.

Tags: Race, Sports by ecthompson md
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The day has come for the world to say its final farewell to Michael Jackson. The King of Pop was mourned around the world today. This morning Michael’s body was taken in a beautiful gold casket to Forest Lawn Memorial Park in LA for a private funeral attended by family.

After the family said their goodbyes in private, Michael’s body was then taken to the Staples Center for his fans and friends to adore him one last time with songs and loving words.

This event has been the biggest in my lifetime. I was certain that Michael’s memorial would just about shut everything down around the world today. I thought it was going to be an over the top “circus” but from what I’ve seen my speculations were incorrect thankfully. I was hoping Michael Jackson’s memorial didn’t turn into a spectacle.

One thing I found to be a little over the top was the lottery tickets to attend the memorial at the Staples Center. More than 18,000 people won tickets in a web lottery. In my 27 years, I’ve never heard of having to have a lottery ticket for a funeral/memorial but again this was the King of Pop’s final farewell so what should one expect huh?

Performances ranged from Usher to Stevie Wonder to a 12 year old boy who would have been apart of Jackson’s show on his upcoming come back tour.

One of the most talked about moments of Michael’s memorial was the few words of his 11 year old daughter Paris who broke into tears saying how her daddy was the best. This is also one of the first times I’ve actually seen Michael Jackson’s children. Now I must say one thing, Michael did a great job in keeping his children out of the media spot light.

All in all, I found the tribute/memorial for Michael Jackson to be loving and very fitting for the King he was. You will be missed Michael. RIP

Mariah Carey Sings an old Michael Jackson/Jackson 5 tune – I’ll be there

Tags: Music by Blowfish
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From Political Animal:

Sarah Palin, after avoiding public attention for a few days, spoke to quite a few news outlets today, and stuck to the line that she felt compelled to quit because the series of ethics allegations against her — all of which, she said, lack merit — were too big a burden and distraction.

It prompted ABC News’ Kate Snow to ask a reasonable question.

[W]hen I asked Palin if she ever decided to pursue national office again, as she did less than a year ago when she joined Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in the race for the White House, wouldn’t she encounter the same political blood sport? Can such ugliness ever be avoided?

Palin said there is a difference between the White House and what she has experienced in Alaska. If she were in the White House the “department of law” would protect her from baseless ethical allegations.

“I think on a national level your department of law there in the White House would look at some of the things that we’ve been charged with and automatically throw them out,” she said.

There is no “Department of Law” at the White House.

It’s tempting to think Palin may have been referring to the Justice Department, but it’s not “in the White House,” and it doesn’t have the authority to “throw out” charges against the president. Maybe she’s thinking of the White House Counsel’s Office, but again, it has the ability to defend against allegations, not “look at some of the things that we’ve been charged with and automatically throw them out.”

Indeed, the very assumption that a president is somehow shielded or protected against allegations is itself misguided.

Palin continues to be hopelessly confused about the basics of government. Maybe now that she’ll have some free time on her hands, she can brush up on Civics 101.

Tags: Party Politics by ecthompson md
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It’s been announced that the gun found at the scene of the McNair shooting belonged to Sahel Kazemi. According to police, Kazemi purchased the gun two days before their untimely deaths.

As for a recap, as many should already know; Steve McNair was found shot to death Saturday along with 20 year old Sahel Kazemi. The Tennessee Titans quarterback was shot four times at close range in which two of those shots were to the head. Sahel Kazemi, was found with one gun shot to the head.

This story is very suspicious. In my opinion, it has to be one of three scenarios. Scenario one, McNair’s wife Mechelle found out about her husband’s infidelity and hired someone to take them out. Scenario two, Sahel Kazemi’s ex boyfriend (who hoped to rekindle their relationship) became fed up and killed his ex girlfriend and her secret lover. Scenario three, Kazemi became upset with McNair for not leaving his wife and shot him in a fit of rage and turned around and took her own life.

One question I have is why? Why would he risk ruining his marriage and family? It has been said that Kazemi went from driving a Kia to an Escalade, obviously purchased by McNair. Wow, this man was spending money on this young lady. What was it about her? It had to be something pretty special or it could have been just sex and he is a professional athlete who has millions of dollars. An Escalade may have been nothing for him to buy.

According to Kazemi’s family, the 20 year old thought McNair was getting a divorce and expected to marry her star lover, however county records showed no indication of one.

This has proven to be an unexpected tragedy; I hope the families of the deceased find the answers they’re looking for.

Tags: Domestic Issues by Blowfish
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I spent a good deal of time over the last year or so reading up on healthcare and healthcare policy. I came to the conclusion that the best way to reform healthcare is to have the government pay for it: universal healthcare. This is the only way that I have found through which we will be able to deliver cost effective, high quality healthcare.

I’ve mentioned universal healthcare on my radio show (880 AM, WPEK, Saturday mornings at 9 a.m.) and on my blog (www.whereistheoutrage.net) on numerous occasions. The most frequent comments I’ve come across are that we’re just making a big government bigger, that government isn’t the solution but is the problem (a famous Reagan quote that has been parroted a billion times) and simply that government can’t do anything right (Iraq, Social Security and Katrina, to name a few). All I can do is smile when I see these comments.

The United States government is us, Americans. The United States government hasn’t been taken over by outer space aliens or by the Russians. If the government is inefficient, it is because we want the government to be inefficient. If we want the government to work correctly, we need to demand that. We need to pressure our politicians to spend our money wisely and vigorously oppose building bridges to nowhere. If you are upset that we’re spending $900 for a toilet seat in the Pentagon, then you need to write your congressman (all politicians respond to pressure).

For some reason, the idea that the private sector is somehow more efficient and more effective than the government has been perpetuated throughout American society. I completely reject this notion. Here are a few examples of private sector efficiency. Twelve of our brave soldiers have died by electrocution while taking a shower because of faulty wiring privately contracted by Kellogg, Brown and Root. The computer giant Microsoft outsources a lot of its code writing, which may account for a lot of the problems we’re seeing in Microsoft Vista. Many Vista users had to completely wipe their hard drives and reinstall Vista in order to install Service Pack 1, which was designed to fix all the bugs in the original release. The whole process took between three and six hours. As published in the Washington Post, the Senate Commerce Committee released a report explicitly stating that, “…insurers go to great lengths to avoid responsibility for sick people, use deliberately incomprehensible documents to mislead customers about their benefits, and sell ‘junk’ policies that do not cover needed care.” Just last week, according to an operator at Charter Communications, Internet service went down for all of North and South Carolina. Where is this model of efficiency that the private sector is supposed to be?

Here’s how to get this done:

• Let’s roll Medicare and Medicaid into universal healthcare. Take out the same payroll taxes.
• Eliminate private insurance (private citizens can always buy private insurance on their own). This saves over $700 billion and will allow us to cover the 46 million Americans who are currently uninsured.
• The government can control costs by negotiating drug prices.
• Primary practitioners should be paid to take care of a population of patients. Those practitioners who do an outstanding job (controlling major diseases like hypertension, diabetes and congestive heart failure) should be paid bonuses.
• Let’s develop some sort of arbitration system to bring down medical liability costs.
• Americans will still be able to choose their own doctors and hospitals.
• Finally, let’s give tax breaks to large medical practices that open early and stay open late and on weekends to improve healthcare access.  Patients shouldn’t have to take off from work to see their doctor.

If we truly want to control costs, this is how we do it.

Tags: Healthcare by ecthompson md
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This is very funny -

Washington, D.C., 2011 — President Sarah Palin shocked the country today after she announced that she would resign her position as President because, among other things, she did not wish to become a lame duck.

President Palin, who was elevated to the post shortly after nine Inaugural balls proved too much for the elderly President John McCain — “It was one dance too many,” said a tearful Cindy McCain — has only been President for two years, but she said that she could better lead America if she was not hampered by her current position as the leader of America.

In yet another surprise, Palin, who never appointed her replacement to the Office of the Vice President said that she would be handing over the reigns to Nancy Pelosi, who pledged to be the “best second woman president this country has ever had.”

Palin likened her decision to resign to a basketball player’s decision to “pass the ball,” a quarterback’s decision to “get rid of the pigskin,” and a NASA flight controller’s decision to “ground the bird.” She also made a comparison between her role as President and her future role as an “American leader” to the difference between butter and “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter.”

She also loosely quoted General Douglas Macarthur, saying “We are not moving backward. We are moving forward in reverse.” [Read more →]

Tags: Fun, Party Politics by ecthompson md
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If I’m not mistaken, “Blame It on the Boogie” was one of the songs that Michael Jackson wrote for the 1978 album Destiny.   “Blame It on the Boogie” combined with “Shake Your Body Down to the Ground” showed that Michael had some talent writing hit tunes.

(Fixed a problem with the You Tube feed.  If you have a bad you tube video, then go and get a better video.  That’s exactly what I did.)

The Jacksons - Blame it on the Boogie [ 0:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Artist: The Jacksons
Tune: Blame It on the Boogie

Tags: Music by ecthompson md
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Thankfully, we have left the era of Reagan and have started something completely new.  I don’t think that it is the New Deal either.  I think that this is a new progressivism.  I might be wrong, but I do know that the era of corporatists is over.  David Broder has yet to notice that America has changed.  The Political Animal has more:

If I had a dollar for every time David Broder has spoken up to defend the virtues of “bipartisanship,” I could retire a wealthy man. And sure enough, Broder’s latest column is devoted to encouraging the Obama White House to “enlist Republican support” for the administration’s agenda.

Imagine that.

As part of his case, however, Broder takes note of the newest member of the Senate.

[Al] Franken, the loud-mouthed former comedian, will be the 60th member of the Senate Democratic caucus — just enough for them to cut off any filibuster threat if they can muster all their members.

There’s been a lot of conservative and establishment criticism of Sen.-Elect Franken this week, so I guess it’s to be expected that Broder would use derisive language and dismiss him as a “loud-mouthed former comedian.” That said, Paul Krugman’s response is well worth reading.

First, implicit in this characterization of Franken is the notion of the Senate as a decorous gentlemen’s club. I doubt that club ever existed in reality; but in any case, these days the World’s Greatest Deliberative Body is, not to put too fine a point on it, chock full o’ nuts. James Inhofe: I rest my case.

Second, Al Franken’s dirty secret is that … he’s a big policy wonk.

I used to go on Franken’s radio show, all ready to be jocular — and what he wanted to talk about was the arithmetic of Social Security, or the structure of Medicare Part D…. [W]hat will Franken do to the level of Senate discourse? He’ll raise it.

And Broder appreciates officials who raise the level of discourse in American politics, right?

Tags: Media, Party Politics by ecthompson md
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Roger Federer wins his 15th grand slam title at Wimbledon. First, let me congratulate Andy Roddick, who played a whale of a match. In the past, he seemed to have some mental problems. He would make a couple of bad shots, he would get down on himself and he would over hit and beat himself. That did not happen today. Roddick had multiple opportunities to hang his head and begin self-doubt. Andy Roddick played the best match that I’ve ever seen someone play who lost. His serve was amazing. His backhand was steady. He had great net play.

Rafael Nadal is the only tennis player in the world I’ve seen who has the ability to beat up Roger Federer. He seems to overpower and outhustle him. He just seems to be a split-second faster and stronger.  Last year was the best Wimbledon final that I had ever seen.  Unfortunately, Nadal pulled out of Wimbledon with an injury.

Roger Federer is a machine that just seems to dig deep. I’ve seen a lot of tennis over the last 35 years. I’ve seen Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, to name a few. All of these great players had some flaw in their game. Agassi hated the net. John McEnroe could be somewhat erratic, especially at the baseline. If Pete Sampras couldn’t find his rhythm, he would struggle. Roger Federer seems to do everything well. He has a great serve and volley. He has great groundstrokes from the baseline. He even has a very smooth drop shot when necessary. I’ve never seen him really flustered. He just keeps playing. That’s what he did today. He had Andy Roddick down 2-1 sets. Roddick cruised through the fourth set and had a couple of opportunities in the fifth set. Federer just kept playing his game and that’s why he is one of 15 grand slam championships.  In my opinion, Federer was the best ever.

Wimbledon - Federer is the best ever [ 0:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Sports by ecthompson md
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Latest updates below –

To me, Steve McNair did what he was supposed to do.  He stayed out of trouble.  As everybody knows, he played football for the Tennessee Titans. He was strong. He was tough. He learned the game. Today, when so many athletes can’t wait to get in front of a microphone and tell you how great they are, Steve McNair seem to be different. He was inches away from greatness.  Winning a SuperBowl would have changed his whole career, but he was inches short.

Sometimes this world is just so crazy. He died today of a gunshot wound. Details of the crime are unfolding.

From ESPN:

Former NFL quarterback Steve McNair, whose most noted drive was the final one of the 2000 Super Bowl, was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head Saturday afternoon in a downtown condominium. Police said a woman was also shot dead.

McNair was 36 and played 13 seasons before retiring in April 2008. Police spokesman Don Aaron said officials tentatively identified the woman, but did not release her name. He confirmed she wasn’t McNair’s wife, Mechelle.

He said authorities were still investigating the shootings and that no suspects were in custody. (more…)

Update:

Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron identified the woman as 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi, whom he called a “friend” of McNair’s. She had a single gunshot wound to the head.

You don’t accidentally shoot somebody in the head. You shoot somebody in the head when you want to make it personal. Although I haven’t been able to figure out any of the reports about where Steve McNair was shot, it is clear that his “friend” was shot in an up-close and personal manner. It’ll be interesting and revealing to figure out where he was shot.

It appears that Steve McNair was with this friend the night before he got shot. She was charged with driving while intoxicated in a car that was registered to both her and Steve McNair. (The plot thickens.)

Update II: Steve McNair was found with several gunshot wounds.

Keith Norfleet, Kazemi’s boyfriend for four years before they broke up five months ago, said he came to pick up the car for Kazemi.

Norfleet said McNair was in the car with her when the stop occurred, a fact that was not in the police affadavit but was confirmed by police Saturday night. McNair later bailed Kazemi out, according to bail bondsmen.

Norfleet said she told him she was seeing McNair, whom she met while working as a waitress at Dave & Busters. He was worried about her dating a married man and hopeful that they’d get back together. They had been living together for four years, since they moved from her family’s home in Jacksonville, Fla., to Nashville.

Old boyfriend still hanging around. I’m sure that the police will crawl up this man’s butt. In my opinion, Norfleet and the wife are the two most likely suspects.

Update III:

So, authorities are saying that this was a murder-suicide. We got no details yesterday about where the pistol was found or even if the pistol was found in the apartment. Today, we know that Steve McNair was shot several times, including once in the head. We also know that his girlfriend had a single gunshot wound to the head and a pistol was found lying beside her.

I don’t know. This sounds awfully convenient. This neighborhood where the condominium is located has been described as an upscale, sleepy neighborhood. Nobody heard several gunshots in the middle of the night? In spite of my skepticism, I find this awfully tragic.

Tags: Sports by ecthompson md
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This past Wednesday night, Beyonce graced the stage of Phillips Arena in Atlanta, GA. I’ve never seen Beyonce in concert so I was totally excited to see Ms. Sasha Fierce perform.

I must admit I was actually surprised that the arena seemed to be sold out. Being that the tickets were pretty costly, many of her fans, including myself, found a way to still make it during this recession.

One of my friends actually found a way to get around paying 70 something for “nose bleed” seats. She discovered that if she joined the Beyonce fan club for $20 she could get tickets for $20 apiece. So that’s basically how I ended up experiencing Ms. Diva herself.

I will say I was a little perturbed that it took almost an hour for the Diva to come out, but once she stepped on stage I soon realized the wait was well worth it.

The energy of the show was none stop. What floored me even more was the fact that Beyonce did so much dancing, moving, and even soared through the air to a second stage but still sounded steady and even when singing her hits.

All in all, Beyonce gave a great show and proved that she is truly something fierce and is a true diva.

Editor’s note: Beyonce was in Philly several days ago.  The video below was her tribute to Michael Jackson.  The video was shot by someone in the audience.  Beyonce is singing Michael Jackson’s I Can’t Help It.

Tags: Entertainment by Blowfish
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This is a different video.  How many stars do you recognize?

Artist: Michael Jackson
Tune: Liberian Girl

Tags: Music by ecthompson md
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Keri Hilson with Kanye West and Ne-Yo.

Artist: Keri Hilson
Tune: Knock You Down

Tags: Music by ecthompson md
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I hope most of us, all of us, had a safe and wonderful Fourth of July. To me, holidays are about family, a time to reflect back and to look forward.

The Statue of Liberty opened today for the first time in eight years. I remember going to the Statue of Liberty as a boy. I thought that the color green was odd and I remember the long walk up the stairs. After looking out over New York Harbor, just for a minute, it was time to descend back down the stairs. Back then there was no worry about terrorism. There were relatively long lines. I don’t remember anybody even worrying about the elderly trying to truck up all those stairs.

Although some have told us that 9/11 has changed everything, I’m still not sure that that’s right. 9/11 has changed some things. Some things haven’t changed at all. The way I take care of patients in the hospital, for example, hasn’t changed at all. On the other hand, traveling around the country has changed significantly.

I’m glad the Statue of Liberty is reopened. Happy Fourth of July!

Tags: General by ecthompson md
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Cenk Uyger from the Young Turks is in the HOUSE!!

• Buncombe County Dems announcement.  Rally today!!
• I would like to start the show by saying Happy Birthday to my wife.  She is 29 today.
• I will be playing Michael Jackson today.  As everyone knows by now, he died on Thursday.  There is some speculation that he had a narcotic overdose.  I was a big fan and saw him in concert three times.  I will focus on the positive.  I will be playing some of his lesser known songs because I was a fan. 

WAKE OF THE SCANDAL

• A new SurveyUSA poll in South Carolina finds that 60% of residents think Gov. Mark Sanford (Republican) should resign, while 34% think he should remain in office.

GOOD NEWS

• In an 8-1 decision the Supreme Court of the United States held that 13-year old Savana Redding’s constitutional rights were violated when school officials suspecting her of hiding prescription-strength painkillers and strip-searched the girl. The only dissenting justice was Clarence Thomas.

85%:

• Percent of Americans who say they are concerned about their future health care costs, according to a new Washington Post/ABC News poll.

For my Dare to be Stupid segment – I serve up – JON, KATE… AND THE GIRLFRIEND?

• That’s right. 23-year-old Deanna Hummel will appear on Jon and Kate plus 8 when the show returns in August. She’s the lady the photogs caught with Jon, prompting the couple’s split on national tv. Sorry, Jon, but you’ve lost all sympathy

Let’s Rewind

• Waxman-Markey is a big split personality of a bill. Its efficiency and renewable requirements would make a dent in greenhouse gas emissions, even if not a very big one. But the cap-and-trade at the heart of the legislation is another story. Why do we need cap-and-trade, a carbon tax or anything similar? If we could just flip a switch and turn off emissions quickly, there would be no need to discuss complex schemes. In that case, the best approach would just be to notify everyone they were required to stop polluting a year or three from now. Because greenhouse gas emissions are so interwoven into our infrastructure, we’ll have to phase out this type of pollution slowly, over decades.
• “House Republicans presented a four-page outline of their healthcare reform plan Wednesday but said they didn’t know yet how much it would cost, how they would pay for it or how many of the nearly 50 million Americans without insurance would be covered by it.”

I discuss current events with Cenk Uyger of the Young Turks who has an opinion or two to share with us!!!  This is a great interview.  We talk about events here at home and in Iran.

The Errington Thompson Show 6-27-09 [ 50:18 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Civil Rights, Domestic Issues, Healthcare, Iran, Music, Podcasts, State and Local Politics by ecthompson md
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Well first of all, happy Independence Day to all of our readers!! Secondly, it’s been announced that our Lady Liberty’s crown has finally reopened after nearly eight long years.
As you guys may already know, the Statue of Liberty closed down after the horrific September 11th attacks back in 2001. The statue’s base, pedestal and observation deck reopened five years ago in 2004 but the crown remained closed until today.

The reason for the crown’s closing was because of the unsafe evacuation route of the staircase which was not in accordance with the fire and building codes.

The Statue of Liberty is a world wide symbol of piece and democracy for our country and was given to the United States by France as a gift of friendship, dedicated in 1886. The Statue of Liberty was made a National Monument in 1924 and one hundred years later she was restored for her centennial on July 4, 1986. The 305 feet tall Lady Liberty faces the New York Harbor and welcomes all who comes to explore her history.

Now I must admit I have not had the opportunity to visit the Statue of Liberty but hope to someday visit the National Monument of my country and travel to the top.

Tags: Domestic Issues by Blowfish
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Maybe Governor Sarah Palin needs a new speechwriter.  Maybe Mark Sanford will be free soon.  Alaska Governor Sarah Palin gave a rambling and somewhat confusing speech today.  She is stepping down as governor of Alaska because she wants “no more conventional politics as usual.”  During her speech, she took a couple of digs at the press and at “big government.”  She used an analogy on basketball which almost made sense… kind of.  Then she came back to the analogy later in the speech and mentioned something about an “audible,” which I thought was a football term and not a basketball one, but what do I know? The one thing that is clear is that she wants to “build up and not tear down.”  Yet she seems to want to fight for something. But what?

Then there is an interesting part of her speech where she seems to be telling conservative Republicans that she is open for business.  She’ll be happy to come and campaign for you.  She’ll be happy to raise money for you.  The only thing she didn’t do was leave a too-free number (1-800- I can fundraise for a fee).

Not only will she not be seeking reelection, but she’s stepping down as governor almost immediately.  She talked about not being one of those who “goes with the flow.”

The governor couldn’t be stepping down because she’s just penned a multi million dollar deal to write a book.  With that kind of money, she could hire consultants and Republican strategists to teach her conservative philosophy and learn the issues. Naw, I’m sure I’m just being too cynical.

So after listening to her speech for over 10 minutes, I know she’s stepping down as governor but I have no clue as to why.  My question is whether if she were vice president would she be doing this same thing?  Would she be stepping down as vice president now?

Update: Sometimes you just know there is more to this story that it first appears.

From TP:

Max Blumental reports on The Daily Beast that Sarah Palin may have quit her job today because she was trying to avert a major, yet-to-be-disclosed corruption scandal. The gist of the rumor is that an Alaska building company called Spenard Building Supplies (SBS) was awarded a contract by Palin to build a hockey arena in Wasilla, AK, and in return, SBS helped construct Palin’s home:

Many political observers in Alaska are fixated on rumors that federal investigators have been seizing paperwork from SBS in recent months, searching for evidence that Palin and her husband Todd steered lucrative contracts to the well-connected company in exchange for gifts like the construction of their home on pristine Lake Lucille in 2002. The home was built just two months before Palin began campaigning for governor, a job which would have provided her enhanced power to grant building contracts in the wide open state.

SBS has close ties to the Palins. The company has not only sponsored Todd Palin’s snowmobile team, according to the Village Voice’s Wayne Barrett, it hired Sarah Palin to do a statewide television commercial in 2004.

Though Todd Palin told Fox News he built his Lake Lucille home with the help of a few “buddies,” according to Barrett’s report, public records revealed that SBS supplied the materials for the house. While serving as mayor of Wasilla, Sarah Palin blocked an initiative that would have required the public filing of building permits—thus momentarily preventing the revelation of such suspicious information.

Just months before Palin left city hall to campaign for governor, she awarded a contract to SBS to help build the $13 million Wasilla Sports Complex. The most expensive building project in Wasilla history, the complex cost the city an addition $1.3 million in legal fees and threw it into severe long-term debt. For SBS, however, the bloated and bungled project was a cash cow.

Alaska bloggers have reported in recent weeks that “a long simmering embezzelment/IRS scandal is still being looked at by the feds.” In her press conference today, Palin asked the public to “trust me with this decision and know that it is no more politics as usual.” But she also bemoaned “political operatives” who have “descended on Alaska” to investigate “all sorts of frivolous ethics violations.” Palin said this “politics of personal destruction” was one of the key motivating factors behind her decision today.

Tags: Domestic Issues, Party Politics by ecthompson md
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