U.S. Government Experiencing Winter Blues

Published by Fred Soto• December 22nd, 2007

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There is plenty of interesting drama developing over the holiday season…

President Bush Prevented From Exploiting Legal Loopholes

Tense talks had just broken down with the White House on a deal that would have allowed the president to make dozens of those appointments if he agreed not to appoint one controversial official, Steven Bradbury, to be the permanent head of the influential Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department.

Bush declined to accept the Democrats’ offer, and Reid refused to approve Bradbury because of Democratic concerns about Bradbury’s involvement in crafting legal opinions for the administration on interrogation techniques of terrorism suspects.

CIA Tape Destruction Was No Accident

The NY Times Reported:

The commission’s chairmen said they believed that the C.I.A. had made a conscious decision to impede repeated and detailed inquiries about interrogations.

Under Bush, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer:

Home owners across the nation are looking to county governments to reassess the values of their homes in the face of flattening and falling prices that have befallen scores of markets. Downward assessments, done at the request of homeowners or pre-emptively by government, appear to be most pronounced in areas where the housing market was exploding just a few years ago, or where economic conditions are poorest.

The significance of the housing slump of course is that not only are houses overvalued and taxes unfair, people are actively seeking a reduction in their home’s value to achieve lower taxes. By doing this, their wealth diminishes (on paper) and for buyers of homes at higher prices, they will lose value if they try shopping their homes at this time.

No Child Left Behind Receives Failing Grade From Democrats

“No Child Left Behind may be the most negative brand in America,” said Representative George Miller of California, the Democratic chairman of the House education committee.

“And there’s no question about it,” Mr. Miller added. “It doesn’t help to have people putting themselves forward as leaders of the party expressing the same disenchantment they hear from the public, saying ‘Just scrap it.’ Congressmen read the morning papers just like everybody else.”

Insurance Companies Profit As Children Die

If the 9 million American children without health insurance held hands, they would easily stretch from coast to coast.

When America is driven by greed, one of the few consolations that the less fortunate have is that there are “good people” out there trying to make things right. Insurance companies are taking people’s money and making millions off of our illnesses. It’s not about finding ways to cover everyone that is in need of medical care, it’s about padding the bottom line. The less people that they insure, the more money these corporations make. At some point, we may have to find a way to monitor these companies or turn health over to the government.

“Without being able to provide for my kids,” said Tinch, “it’s a helpless feeling.”

That’s how Akia Anderson feels, too. Her daughter has a bone disease and needs an orthopedist, which Anderson cannot afford.

“That’s my baby,” said Anderson, “and I can’t do what I need to do for her. I can’t do what I need to do for her, so I feel helpless and hopeless.”

Anderson has a job, too. But, like many families, she makes too much for Medicaid and too little to afford private insurance.

We’d be better off without the government having its hands in every pie. However, if we can’t trust business to take care of our children, something must be done. At least we can hold the government accountable if it fails to meet certain standards. The way law and policy stands now, private profiteering trumps the needs of the poor and middle class.

One of the Guantanamo Bay detainees may actually be charged with a crime

Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed Haza al Darbi is accused of plotting attacks on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz and off the Yemeni coast.

He was charged with conspiring with others to attack civilians, to murder in violation of the law of war and to destroy property in violation in of the law of war, the office said in a statement.

He was also charged with conspiring to hazard a vessel and to commit terrorism, as well as providing material support to terrorism.

Hooray for justice, at least we know that it’s not all torture and illegal detention going on there.