SAR #12186

“What we are going to see is Republican-controlled state governments refusing to expand Medicaid out of bitter hatred toward President Obama and spite for the working poor who need access to health care.” James Kwak.

Job Description: A politician's job is not to create jobs, but to create conditions that encourage individuals and companies to create jobs. And The Mitten wasn’t that kind of businessman. He didn’t create jobs. He bought and sold businesses, seeking to maximize his profits no matter the effect on the workers or the company. If money was to be made by running the company into the ground, well, it was just business. That's the business model Romney wants to bring to the presidency.

Child's Play: Perdue Pharmaceutical – which has already been fined for downplaying OxyContin's addictiveness – is now shoving it down the throats of children as young as six in hopes of getting the FDA to let them addict kids.

Fuligo septica: Some on the right argue that states should turn down expanded Medicaid because the working poor will stop working if they get 'free' healthcare insurance: “this expansion is expected to reduce full-time employment among able-bodied adults, because they would no longer need to be employed full time to obtain health insurance.”

Let Me Count The Ways... And Means: Candidate Romney has some $30 million tucked away in at least 12 Cayman Islands based funds and a Swiss account that holds $3 million, plus interests in other tax havens. Romney says he has not used these offshore accounts to avoid taxes. Why have them, otherwise?

Kneejerks: Here's the 'expanded Medicaid' deal. The ACA requires (participating) states to open their Medicaid programs to all who earn less than 130% of poverty level wages. For the first few years the federal government will pick up 100% of the added cost. After that, the state would have to fund 10% of the cost of the new beneficiaries – their state's poor who would now have health insurance. Insure more of your citizens and eventually pay a small bit of the cost. No brainer, right? Nope, because if you are a Republican governor and do what is good for the people of your state, the right wing Tea Party fanatics – with Karl Rove and Koch brothers' money - will call you a socialist. Partisan posturing is way more important than taking care of the poor.

Precisely“Wall Street never seems to get the message that bribing government officials–and paying each other off–to get access to lucrative municipal-bond underwriting business is illegal. Wall Street has never learned this lesson because the minuscule price it ends up having to pay for misbehaving has absolutely no deterrent value whatsoever.” Every time the bankers get caught, we're told “Don’t worry, we’ve learned that lesson, and it will never happen again.”

Mean. Viciously Mean: Iowa Republicans want to halt Medicaid funding for abortions for rape victims.“The petitioners ask the department to withhold medical coverage from women who have been raped or whose pregnancy has taken a catastrophic turn.”

Heroism: Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) says he can spot a “true hero” and knows that his Democratic opponent, Tammy Duckworth, is not one. Ducksworth, is a double amputee veteran helicopter pilot injured in Iraq.

Pride: The coin of patriotism has two sides. One is joining together in the common defense. The other is joining together for the common good. Both require sacrifice. Both provide great rewards. Both are joint undertakings by the people – everyone together, for the people - not for just the rich. Not for just the Republicans.

For The Defense: Barclays says that it was not alone in rigging Libor, lots of other big banks were in on the deal. And besides, the Bank of England asked/told them to do it (and they suggested the Fed was also on board). Best of all, if this leads to some shuffling of the chairs at the BOE, there's a good chance that the new leadership will be from... Goldman Sachs.

The Parting Shot.