Pelosi takes on Eric Cantor's Remarks About the "Occupy" Protests

Nancy Pelosi Backs Occupy Wall Street Message, Tells Eric Cantor To Shove It
Zeke Miller

In an interview with ABC News' Christiane Amanpour, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she supports the message of the Occupy Wall Street protesters that "change has to happen."

PELOSI: "Well, I support the message to the establishment — whether it's Wall Street or the political establishment and the rest — that change has to happen. We cannot continue in a way that is not relevant to their lives. I think one of the most angry responses I've seen to actions in Washington came after we passed the TARP bill. And that was the bill that pulled us back from a financial crisis — and this was during the Presidency of President Bush. The thought was that once we did that, there would be capital available and Main Street would benefit from the resources that went largely to people on Wall Street. That didn't happen and people are angry.

I think people are angry that they don't have jobs — by and large. There's nothing that makes you angrier than not being able to provide for your family or understand what your prospects are for the future. And I do think that, from what we saw after TARP, that the focus on Wall Street was one that they thought was a legitimate place to go: 'Don't do this again. Don't put Main Street at the mercy of Wall Street.' And again, not to paint everyone on Wall Street with the same brush. That would not be fair. But actions were taken that risked our economy, and that shouldn't happen again."

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Updates on the "Occupy" Movement

Occupy Wall Street fervor growing in South Florida
Hundreds mobilize to motivate change

Several hundred people gathered to voice their opinions on government and corporate policies.


October 08, 2011|By Wayne K. Roustan, Sun Sentinel

LAKE WORTH — Despite the stormy weather, hundreds of people showed up at Bryant Park in Lake Worth and Stranahan Park in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday to add their voices to the grass-roots chorus echoing from protesters in the Occupy Wall Street movement in recent weeks.

Dispensing with the traditional organizational structure, this South Florida Occupy gathering had no leaders, no spokespeople, no organized agenda http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifand no relationship with any other established group such as the Tea Party.

Many participants said they simply came to share opinions, trade information and express outrage just like you might do on Facebook or Twitter only in a live, face-to-face social network, according to attendee Rachel Shidaker.

"We're trying to create a platform for people to voice their opinions and concerns about their government to create and implement goals to better their national and local governments," she said.

The crowd in Lake Worth grew to more than 200 from 19 at the first meeting a week earlier. About 150 people showed up in Fort Lauderdale.

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Back From A Long Hiatus

Back with coverage of some of the same problems and many new problems in our Nation and the World.

* Our Economy is still hanging on by a thread as is many in the world. * The GOP is still holding up everything in Congress. * We are still in Afghanistan and somewhat still in Iraq., and have taken part in the UN's action in Libya. * There has been an Arab Spring that has changed, for the moment, many North African Arab Nations with a populist movement. * We have our own populist movement that has started recently, just less than a month old, here in the United States called Occupy Wall Street which has quickly spread across the Nation and many parts of the World. * President Obama is trying to pass a much needed Jobs Bill which includes help for our crumbling Infrastructure and Tax help for Small Businesses and it's being blocked by the GOP which because of the Corporate backed Tea Party has turned extremely Right Wing.

And there's a lot more, so lets get started with news stories and comment.

"We Are The 99%" The chant from all the Occupy groups across the Nation.

Here's a video from The Rachel Maddow Show where Ezra Klein was subbing for Rachel, and his guest Naomi Klein who wrote the book "Shock Doctrine": 'The Sky's The Limit' A interview with Naomi Klein on Occupy Wall Street

Mad as Hell Doctors in Chicago (Video)

Seniors....this is a must read

If a good Health Care Reform gets voted in, Seniors have more to win than lose. That won't be what happens if we don't get a good Health Care Bill.

Why seniors would be health reform winners, not losers

HOWARD GLECKMAN
Last updated: September 3rd, 2009 12:26 AM (PDT)

Opponents of health reform have targeted seniors with a blunt message: You will be big losers if “Obama-care” is enacted. In the words of Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele: “Senior citizens will pay a steeper price and will have their treatment options reduced or rationed.”

Scary words. But, in truth, seniors are likely to be big winners if responsible health reform passes and prime victims if it fails. The casualties will not only be today’s elders, but the Baby Boomers, who are the next generation of seniors. They will all pay the price if the existing health system is allowed to fester.

It is true that, today, seniors have a pretty good deal. Nearly all those over 65 already have insurance through Medicare — a government program. Seniors and younger people with disabilities who are both very poor and unable to care for themselves are also eligible for long-term care benefits through Medicaid, which is run jointly by the federal government and the states.

So if seniors already have coverage, don’t they have everything to lose from change? Isn’t cost control just a fancy euphemism for cutting benefits? And what about those bureaucrats deciding who gets care and who doesn’t?

These claims are both irresponsible and wrong. But their biggest flaw is that they ignore the real problem: Without fundamental changes, Medicare and Medicaid are unsustainable. Like a poorly built house that has gone too long without repairs, they will soon collapse without major renovations. And seniors will face both massive tax hikes and huge increases in their monthly insurance premiums.

To understand why, remember that Medicaid and Medicare Part A hospital insurance are funded with tax revenues. Medicare Part B coverage for doctor visits and Part D drug coverage are financed through a combination of taxes and premiums. Many seniors also pay extra for Medicare Supplement (Medigap) insurance.

In just 10 years, according to the Medicare trustees, Part B premiums are expected to increase from about $96 a month to more than $130, while Part D premiums will rise to $50. Add a few hundred dollars more each month for Medigap coverage and many seniors will be spending $5,000 annually on Medicare. Higher-income seniors will pay far more — as much as $420 a month for Part B alone.

That is the future seniors face if we do nothing.

The pressure on taxes will be even greater. In a decade, nearly 30 cents of every federal tax dollar will go to Medicare and Medicaid. By 2035, these two programs will spend more than 40 percent of our taxes. That means we’ll need huge tax hikes to pay for these programs and keep the rest of the government running,

As for rationing, Medicare already decides what to cover. Nobody seriously expects it to pay for any treatment patients want. It also rations by deciding how it pays physicians and hospitals. For instance, doctors are paid more for tests than office visits, so patients get more MRIs and less face time with physicians.

Health reform is not about choosing between rationing or not. Rather, it is about whether we will continue to spend health dollars in the crazy way we do now or find a better way. Done right, it can mean less treatment but better health.

One example: Critics of reform call “comparative effectiveness research” a backdoor trick to deny care for the frail elderly. They are wrong. Done well, it can improve care at less cost.

Today we know very little about how medications affect seniors. So they often get too many drugs that can make them ill, or even kill them. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a research program to tell us what drugs work best for the elderly?

How about Medicaid? Today, because the program is required to pay only for nursing home care, beneficiaries are more likely to get their assistance in a facility than at home.

Health reform could give consumers more choice. Instead of a government bureaucrat saying you must move into a nursing home to get benefits, seniors would have more opportunity to decide where they want to live. It is hard to see how that makes them worse off.

Critics are right to say that poorly designed could put seniors’ health at risk. But with well-structured reforms, seniors would get better medical and long-term term care, and get it in a way they and the nation can afford. That’s why they, as much as anyone, should be supporting health reform.

Howard Gleckman, a senior research associate at the Urban Institute, is author of “Caring for Our Parents” and a frequent writer and speaker on long-term care issues. He wrote this for the McClatchy-Tribune News Service.

So before you believe what one party or the other tells you, check for yourselves. Do the work of research! Don't just believe what you hear. Your life and health depends on it!