The GOP's Latest Health Care Plan

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Hostile Takeovers of the Corporate Kind, a book review

I have been a fan of the more recent writing of Jon Katz, and I was curious to read some of his earlier writing. Sign Off: A Novel of Men and Work was published in 1991. It chronicles the hostile takeover of United States Broadcasting (USB), a fictitious television network, as seen through the eyes of Peter Herbert, the executive producer of a nationally syndicated morning news program. UBS is taken over by David Nab, a self proclaimed "condo king" who has made a fortune in real estate and wishes to have the prestige that goes with owning a television network. Herbert watches in horror as, in a few short months, Nab lays waste to the network news, as well as the careers, and indeed the lives of his longtime associates, always wondering when the ax will fall on him.

This was a really compelling read. As a lowly Midwestern schoolteacher who has never aspired to the kind of lifestyle that Katz describes, I experienced a kind of guilty pleasure in reading about these people. It was a little like reading a Kitty Kelly tell-all.

Beyond the story however, I think that Sign Off made some important points. If the slash-and -burn mentality that Katz describes is accurate -- and I have no reason to believe otherwise; he did a stint as executive producer of the CBS Morning News -- it speaks volumes to the miserable failure of the mainstream media to take on the corporate culture of American politics, which we saw flourish under the Bush Administration, and sadly continues under Obama.

The novel also underscores something that I have thought about a lot in the last couple of years, watching people I love -- mostly middle-aged men -- struggle with unemployment. I believe from the bottom of my heart that a covenant was broken with American workers, people who spent the better part of their adult lives working hard and paying into "the system" only to be discarded as if they were yesterday's garbage. If you haven't been there, let me tell you -- it shatters a person's sense of self like nothing else can and has enormous impact on family relationships as well.

Furthermore, I question whether when businesses say that they are "losing money" is it really a matter of having a smaller profit margin? I think, in many cases, yes, absolutely. When corporations "downsize" or "cut the fat" it is all about increasing the profits for the stockholders. Tell me, where in the Constitution does it say that stockholders have a right to make huge profits?

Reading Sign Off, I would almost say that Katz was prescient. What happened to television news has also happened in print media, and in fact has reached into almost every corner of our society. I suspect though, that he was just observing the beginning of the corporatization of the U.S. (and the world.) Michael Moore was certainly talking about it and Ralph Nader, of course.

It was also utterly fascinating to see the anatomy of a hostile takeover. It is a term I have heard plenty of times, but really only had the most superficial understanding of what it meant. It strikes me that, among the provisions of that most horrible No Child Left Behind legislation are the sanctions for "failing schools" that include "reconstituting" a school's staff. That's nothing more than a hostile takeover -- welcome to corporatized America. (Don't get me started on Obama and education. I can hardly write about it, I am so furious.)

Sign Off is a very well-written, illuminating, and entertaining book. After many years of writing memoir, Katz is once again returning to fiction. I am looking forward to it.

Recommended, but it might take some digging to find it. It's worth the search.

Believe it or not, I've wondered about this ...

Crooks and Liars has an interesting piece today, tracing California's current fiscal woes back to 1978's passage of Proposition 13.

Here in Wisconsin we have our own version, although ours is not part of the state constitution ... yet. The other thing unique about our revenue caps that supposedly give tax relief to property owners, is that they specifically target K-12 public school districts. Our then-Governor Tommy Thompson (remember Tommy? He ran for the Republican nomination in the last presidential election) had a personal vendetta against teachers. He gave us the revenue caps and took away our right to bargain fair contracts, two gifts that have kept on giving for the last 16 years.

Delicious Synchronicity

I am rereading my favorite book by Terry Pratchett, Monstrous Regiment, and was moved to copy down the following quote:

"The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they've found it."

Then, as I perused my favorite news sites this morning I found this pearl from "Joe" the "Plumber":

Asked if he has plans to run for public office, he replied, “I hope not. You know, I talked to God about that and he was like, ‘No.’”

Weird, huh?

Lunatic Fringe

In a WaPo article today, headlined Gun Owners Attack Rush Limbaugh (no comment; I try to walk the path of nonviolence) I read that a number of national sport-hunting organizations are upset with that flaming liberal Mr. Limbaugh for doing public service announcements for the extreme fringe group The Humane Society of the United States, helping them "mainstream their image."

The Post reports:

Rush Limbaugh's new pet project -- fighting animal cruelty for the Humane Society of the United States -- is riling sportsmen from coast to coast, prompting fears that the talkster typically supportive of gun rights is aiding a group they say has a secret agenda to end all hunting in America.

Twenty-eight groups representing millions of hunters and sportsmen are demanding that the conservative radio commentator end his collaboration with the HSUS and stop "helping them to mainstream their image in the minds of reasonable people."

I have a few questions here. What the hell is a "talkster", as in "talkster backs animal group"? You mean he's not a mean-spirited, treacherous, oxycontin-using, bigoted, chicken hawk anymore? He's traded all that for the kinder, gentler handle of "talkster" -- one who likes fluffy kitties, no less? Why in the world would the HSUS want Rush to be a spokesperson? Does he even know that he is a spokesperson? The interview with Faux News' Greta Von-whatever her name is would suggest not.

This is just absurd! I didn't think I was going to get to use this tag again, but ... Jesus I'm sick of these people!

Miserable Failure

When asked about his son's failures, the elder Bush said, "You can go back to your, what do you call it, your Google, and you figure out all that."

Um, I think I can figure it out without my Google. Except that he and all his buds have made out like bandits. So is he a failure or isn't he?

And this investigation of Bill Richardson ... the Republicans are shocked and appalled, shocked and appalled I tell you. Never mind Halliburton, Blackwater and the Carlisle Group.

One more thing: the whining emanating from the Norm Coleman camp. Puh-leez!

OK, rant's over.

Smaller Than Life

In a NYT op ed piece, Frank Rich hits the nail on the head, concerning George W. Bush.

WE like our failed presidents to be Shakespearean, or at least large enough to inspire Oscar-worthy performances from magnificent tragedians like Frank Langella. So here, too, George W. Bush has let us down. Even the banality of evil is too grandiose a concept for 43. He is not a memorable villain so much as a sometimes affable second banana whom Josh Brolin and Will Ferrell can nail without breaking a sweat. He’s the reckless Yalie Tom Buchanan, not Gatsby. He is smaller than life. Read the thing in its entirety.

Unfortunately, probably bidden by his obscenely wealthy NeoCon pals, he is still wreaking as much havoc as he can before he exits the national scene entirely. As I've said all along, he is a mean, stupid, dangerous little man. I regret that he is not being tried for his crimes.

One reason why I do not shop at Home Depot ...

I am pleased to say I shop locally at Ace Hardware on Willy Street. It's a little more expensive, but I can find almost anything I need there including clear Contact Paper and Velcro (essential teacher tools) for sale by the yard. They give me mis-cut keys to use for counting (kids love keys), they have a store dog, and the last time I was there one of the owners told me that he went to elementary school where I teach now. Many years ago.

Why would I give my business to Home Depot, especially given this?

This is what Home Depot's founder Bernie Marcus said on a conference call yesterday:

"If a retailer has not gotten involved with this, if he has not spent money on this election, if he has not sent money to Norm Coleman and these other guys," Mr. Marcus said, apparently referring to Republican senators facing tough re-election fights, then those retailers "should be shot; should be thrown out of their goddamn jobs."

It's nice to know Home Depot supports the death penalty for not supporting their politics. The coming EFCA fight is going to be bloody.

Read the whole story here.

Remember, every dollar you spend is a vote.

I'm Curious ...

What is former HHS secretary, Republican candidate for president, and governor of Wisconsin Tommy Thompson up to these days?

Oh.

My Wardrobe

I have no way of figuring this out, but I suspect in my entire lifetime -- from the day I was born 49 years ago up until today -- the total cost of my wardrobe has not totaled $150,000. The most costly garment I ever purchased for myself may have been around $150; that was a long time ago when I was still attempting to dress like a grown up. The most costly garment I purchased in the last few years was at an art fair -- a $60 skirt made from a vintage tablecloth. Buying it felt incredibly extravagant. And you know what? Most of the clothes that I wear eventually get donated to charity. (It's actually a great cycle: I buy it at the thrift store for a few bucks. I wear it for a while. Then I give it back to the thrift store.)

Say it with me: "Jesus, I'm Sick of These People!"

Apparently it is time for Minnesota representative Michele Bachmann's proverbial 15 minutes of fame. I've gone my entire life without being aware of her existence, and then -- BAM -- here she is on my radar screen. First, there is her appearance on Hardball with a horrifyingly McCarthy-esque call for an investigation into the anti-American tendencies of all the members of Congress, starting of course, with the Democrats.

(Question: Does Russ Feingold simply seethe inside every time someone refers to Barack Obama as the most liberal member of Congress? Does he call up Dennis Kucinich and Bernie Sanders to go commiserate over a beer? Just wondering.)

If you have not seen this video clip on any number of other blogs, here it is. Be sure to watch Katrina vanden Heuvel's follow-up response. She hits the nail on the head. While it is easy to dismiss Bachmann as another far right nut job, what she is saying, combined with the bile that the McCain campaign has been churning up, is very scary. You can also go here to ask the rest of Congress to censure Representative Bachmann -- an entirely appropriate response her performance.



But that's not all Bachmann is speaking up about. The Star-Tribune reports that Bachmann is advocating for consumer choice with the introduction of a bill called "The Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Bill." She believes that government has no place telling consumers what kind of light bulbs they can buy (although apparently it is a-okay with Michele for government to tell women that they have to carry an unplanned/unwanted pregnancy to term, for example.)

Titled the "Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act," the bill seeks to repeal the nationwide phase-out of conventional light bulbs, the kind that have been used for more than a century -- pretty much since the invention of the incandescent light bulb. Read more.

I know that becoming outraged over her wing-nuttery is just one more distraction in a time when serious issues abound, but it really gives me pause. It reminds me that things could get even worse than they have been under BushCo, and that's just plain terrifying. For 8 years I have been saying that bullies at the top give rise to bullies at all levels of society, and that is perhaps the most harmful legacy of the Bush years. Here is hoping that Bachmann's 15 minutes are up.

Dana Perrino is a nasty piece of work.

This response from the White House to the bill that would extend unemployment benefits across the country is about as callous as anything I've seen. She makes it sound like people who are unemployed are sitting on their asses, eating bonbons, and watching daytime television.

Believe me, Mr. Ether would like to have regular employment.

How do these people sleep at night?

One more thing ...

This constant barrage of "Maverick, Maverick, Maverick, Maverick" reminds me of a coloring book that kicked around my house when I was a little girl. It was The John Birch Society Coloring Book (not approved by the John Birch Society.) I read it a lot -- once I even colored in it, a picture of a witch burning at the stake, but someone put a stop to that -- and I had no idea what any of the captions meant or what the John Birch Society even was. But I pretty much memorized that book, and remember most of it to this day.

So, there was a double page spread of a row of men in suits, wearing hats, carrying briefcases. The first one is saying, "I think for myself." The second one, "So do I." The third one, "Me too." The fourth one, "Ditto." and so on.

The thing is, if you have multiple people all claiming to be mavericks, don't they kind of cancel each other out?

A Must-Read Blog Post

No, not here. At Enriched Geranium, my beloved's blog. It's about the so-called bail out and is called "Follow the Money." It knocked my socks off -- and I live with the guy! I mean, we talk about this stuff all the time, and I was still impressed. He pulls a lot of things together in a way that makes an enormous amount of sense.

"Brain To Nowhere"

H/t to my dear spouse, Enriched Geranium, who posted it first. Ken Lonnquist (writer of the eighties classic "Peepee in Jars") and Dave Adler pay tribute to ... well, you'll see.

Jesus, I'm Sick Of These People

I'm just about as sick of hearing how John McCain is a "maverick" as I am of hearing that he was a POW. (I'll bet you didn't know that he was a POW, did you?) Here is Sarah Palin, being interviewed by hard-nosed investigative journalist Katie Couric:

COURIC: You've said, quote, "John McCain will reform the way Wall Street does business." Other than supporting stricter regulations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac two years ago, can you give us any more example of his leading the charge for more oversight?

PALIN: I think that the example that you just cited, with his warnings two years ago about Fannie and Freddie--that, that's paramount. That's more than a heck of a lot of other senators and representatives did for us.

COURIC: But he's been in Congress for 26 years. He's been chairman of the powerful Commerce Committee. And he has almost always sided with less regulation, not more.

PALIN: He's also known as the maverick though. [My italics. By the way, I think that sentence would have had more oomph if she had begun it with the words "Yet however." "Yet however he's also known as the maverick though."] Taking shots from his own party, and certainly taking shots from the other party. Trying to get people to understand what he's been talking about--the need to reform government.

COURIC: I'm just going to ask you one more time, not to belabor the point. Specific examples in his 26 years of pushing for more regulation?

PALIN: I'll try to find you some and I'll bring them to you.

Sarah Palin is dangerous. She's also a blithering idiot, but that didn't stop people from falling for the lies of Bush/Cheney now, did it?

You want a maverick? Here's a real maverick!

Don't Mourn, Organize!

Two little ways to take action today, right now.

First of all, this PBS poll is making its way around via email, asking whether you think Sarah Palin is qualified to be the vice president. If you haven't seen it, go here to put in your 2¢ worth.

Second thing regards the proposed bail out. HuffPo had an article about "section 8" of the bail out proposal crafted by the White House. Section 8 reads

Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.

Read it carefully and think about what it means. Non-reviewable by any court of law or agency (including the U.S. Congress.) It amounts to highway robbery -- the White House can take any amount of taxpayer money to give to their friends and nobody can say anything about it. I find this horrifying. It makes me feel sick to my stomach, literally.

For what it is worth, the folks at ImpeachBush.org are on it and have an easy link for sending a message to your representatives in Congress, stating that you do not support a bail out for the fat cat bankers who will only get richer at the expense of ordinary citizens. They correctly refer to the bail out as "a bankers' coup d'etat." Friends, whether or not the current financial disaster was engineered, it is being manipulated into a major power grab by the neocons, as surely as the 9/11/01 attacks were. Click here to send letters to your representatives.

Unbelievable

As someone who is just a heartbeat away from becoming a librarian -- well, OK -- actually I have to pay the $100 for my license and then find a job -- this is shocking. Nay, appalling!

[Former Wasilla mayor John Stein] says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. "She asked the library how she could go about banning books," he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. "The librarian was aghast." The librarian, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn't be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire her for not giving "full support" to the mayor. Read the rest at Daily Kos.

Sarah Palin sounds like a monster in every way.

"What are they, getting married?"

That's what Cinderbelle had to say on viewing this:

Then she said, "Can you imagine Barack Obama saying that about Joe Biden?"

The REAL John McCain

How is it that these obscenely wealthy politicians manage to convince a percentage of hardworking Americans that they are "one of them"? Please spread this around.