Trillium

GOP = BUSH

After the Republican presidential candidate debates the other night, I think Paul Krugman has it right.

Mr. Bush has degraded our government and undermined the rule of law; he has led us into strategic disaster and moral squalor.

But the leading contenders for the Republican nomination have given us little reason to believe they would behave differently. Why should they? The principles Mr. Bush has betrayed are principles today’s G.O.P., dominated by movement conservatives, no longer honors. In fact, rank-and-file Republicans continue to approve strongly of Mr. Bush’s policies — and the more un-American the policy, the more they support it.

When asked about torture, the majority of the candidates said go for it. The only candidate against torture was John McCain, the only man in the group who has actually been tortured.

Are the American people really going to elect another "Bush". Bush has been a disaster. The worst president in history. Yet here we have a whole slate of GOP candidates saying they would be more "Bush" than Bush is. Is it really possible to win the nomination by saying you would be just like G.W. Bush?

Hopefully, Bush was correct when he said "fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice....can't get fooled again."

White House Supports Troops?

White House: 3.5 percent pay hike unnecessary

Troops don’t need bigger pay raises, White House budget officials said Wednesday in a statement of administration policy laying out objections to the House version of the 2008 defense authorization bill.

The year before I went into the US Navy an E-3 was making $180.90 a month. In 1972, the year I joined, an E-3 pay had been increased to $333.60, almost double. We now have a professional army (all volunteers). They should be paid a civilian wage.

UPDATE: Bush threatens to veto troop pay raise and $40 increase in family survivor benefits.

Skateboard Park for Saranac Lake

Please help make a modern skateboard park in Saranac Lake a reality.

Below is the text of an email I received requesting help to build a skateboard park in Saranac Lake.

DEAR FRIENDS AND FRIENDS OF FRIENDS:

Please help us with our goal of getting a skateboard park in Saranac Lake .

We have applied for a grant from Hamburger Helper and it is only available till the end of May. An important element is the show of support from the community. To that end, comments can be added to the site. The more support the better our chances of getting some funding.

So please add your comment and please forward this notice and web site to ALL your acquaintances, and encourage them to add their support. And do it ASAP.

www.myhometownhelper.com

-Go to ‘Find a Project’
-Enter NY and Saranac Lake
-Choose the second site for the Saranac Lake Skatepark(without the number) (I submitted it twice because I thought there was a problem –oops!!)
-Add your comment.
-Accept the terms and submit

THANK YOU, Peggy

US Healthcare Costs

I got this chart from Washington Monthly. Kevin Drum got it from the Commonwealth Fund.

the U.S. health care system ranks last or next-to-last on five dimensions of a high performance health system: quality, access, efficiency, equity, and healthy lives. The U.S. is the only country in the study without universal health insurance coverage, partly accounting for its poor performance on access, equity, and health outcomes. The inclusion of physician survey data also shows the U.S. lagging in adoption of information technology and use of nurses to improve care coordination for the chronically ill.

USA ranks last. Ok, the dreaded Canadian system of healthcare doesn't do much better....except for the bottom line. Canadians lead "long, healthy, productive lives" when compared with Americans. And, at half the healthcare cost.

Whining About Gas Prices

Why do we have to pay such high prices for gas? Ever hear of supply and demand? Ask any capitalist and they will explain it to you. Cut the demand and the prices will go down. How do you cut the demand? Maybe not buying full sized SUV's is the place to start. Don't look to our government to help lower gasoline prices. First of all, I'm not sure there is much they can do. Attempts to take over the Iraqi oil fields have been a dismal failure.

Here is a great example of a consumer complaint about gas prices.

"I drive 55 miles each way to work every day," Sandy Colden, of Medford, N.J., said one recent morning while loading groceries into her Honda Pilot SUV. "So I really don't have a choice, unfortunately."

She doesn't have a choice? How about driving a more fuel efficient car? If you are going to commute 110 miles to work and back everyday, maybe you should think about junking the SUV.

Americans have no concept of what other people around the world pay for gas. Netherlands $6.48/gal; Italy $5.96/gal; UK $5.79/ga/; France $5.48/gal; Ireland $4.78/gal; Japan $4.24/gal.

Lot's of information about energy prices and where we are going here at the Energy Information Administration.

Also, check out this cool "gas prices by county" temperature map at gas buddy.

Save the Bunny. Operate!

HERE

Bob and Sam

Time to Take a Stand

Senator Harry Reid has agreed to allow a vote on the Feingold-Reid Amendment which proposes to end the Iraq War by cutting off funding March 31, 2008. The vote will take place this week. A good majority of the American people want to end this war. Now we get to see which senators agree or disagree.

No Contest

Time to Listen Mr. Bush

I sincerely doubt that we will be out of Iraq before the end of Bush's term as President. He wants to be able to leave office saying that he didn't "cut and run". That will be his legacy and his legacy will be built on the backs of all those soldiers and civilians who are killed or wounded between now and Jan. 2009.