Some question I have about this climate crisis mess.

I’m curious what it takes to be qualified to participate in a movement these days?


When I see people trying to push people out of the climate change movement instead of trying to bring more people into it in order to force immediate action I begin to wonder what the heck is going on.


It appears to me those who profited from creating this mess are trying to evade a discussion about who should pay to clean this mess up... so they sow division and confusion.


Very legitimate questions arise:


What needs to be done to head off this pending disaster?


Will the working class be saddled with the financial burden to clean up this mess; or, will the big-business crowd who derived their wealth in the process of creating this mess foot the bill?


What is it we need to stop doing right now in order to prevent further damage? Does humanity need militarism and wars to resolve problems or do we put an end to this huge carbon footprint of the Military-Industrial Complex?


Should we be marching under the banner of “Socialism or Extinction” or accept the capitalist economic system which got us into this mess?


What technologies can be used to get us out of this mess?


Is carbon capture and storage the way we want to go?


Should capitalist monopolies be allowed to profit from carbon capture and storage technologies?


Is nationalization under public ownership and democratic control the solution to bringing the energy producing industries under control?


Is there any excuse for any energy producing enterprise not using carbon capture and storage technology... if so, what are the reasons?


We apparently know the one-hundred worst carbon producing offenders and most all are in the energy producing sector... how much of the energy being produced is really not needed and being produced by obsolete methods when the energy is really needed?


And, are we missing out on many very environmentally friendly methods of heating, cooling and producing electricity simply because monopoly corporations haven’t figured out a way to reap huge profits from these technologies?


Are our schools educating youth in a way that will bring them into society to solve these problems?


Why are so many schools antagonistic to involving students in climate change issues? Is it because the power generating industry is putting a damper on science and technology that serves people and the planet rather than their drive for maximum profits?


Do the selfish and greedy capitalist monopolies want to maintain the status quo until they figure out how to reap huge profits from environmentally sound methods of production with the rest of us bearing the burden and cost of saving the planet while they profit even though this procrastination will result in our demise?


Can a system that only “works” when there is massive waste, fraud and mismanagement be relied on to save us from destruction?

Albert Einstein pointed out long ago that the choice we would have to be making would be socialism or extinction. Apparently we must make this decision now.

Can Wall Street adequately respond to climate change in the timely manner required?

How can Wall Street ever be expected to deal with climate change when the hallmarks of these capitalist monopolies are three defining features of doing business?


Waste.


Fraud.

Mismanagement.

Will the "money monsters" just "fade away?"

Some people suggest the Wall Street “money monsters” will just fade away and disappear and we will be able to solve the problems they created.


I disagree with this line of thinking.


In my opinion, these “money monsters” will have to be removed from power and any positions of influence by a well organized working class movement committed to enforcing working class power... socialism.

Socialism or extinction...

Minnesota’s first Socialist Governor, Floyd Olson, warned people back in the 1930’s that if the energy industry was not quickly nationalized and brought under public ownership and democratic control by the people, society and the environment would be paying a heavy price because the capitalist energy monopolies would be ripping people off while destroying Mother Earth.


Today we are seeing how insightful Olson was.


The fossil fuel industry in the private for-profit hands has been ripping us off while leaving behind a great big environmental mess while saddling us with this huge carbon footprint.

And the courageous working class Communist leader William Z. Foster pointed out that leaving the mines, mills and factories in the hands of the greedy Wall Street exploiters of labor would impoverish the entire working class while making a mess of the environment.


Albert Einstein explained in his famous essay, “Why Socialism?,” that we would be doomed if we did not get humanity on the road to socialism.


Fidel Castro warned us that humanity had a choice: socialism or barbarism.


Scientists all over the world have warned us that the choice is: socialism or extinction.


Today, among the industrial countries, only socialist China has hit all of the goals established for its part in action on climate change while being an anchor of international stability and world peace.


Now, here is the thing: Is there anyone suggesting that we can get out of this mess through capitalism?


Even the multi-billionaire Bill Gates questions if we can get out of this mess through capitalism.
Wall Street can’t muster the kind of leadership required to solve a complex problem like climate change. The best it can do is come up with a bunch of corrupt morons who use gangster methods to enforce Wall Street dictate.


Would anyone expect a Trump or Joe Biden to lead us out of this climate crisis mess or solve any other problems nationally or globally?


Peace and socialism are the solutions to the mess we are in; there are no other alternatives. Piddling around with anything else only keeps us on the road to hell with no stopover in perdition.


The American people have great ingenuity with the ability to implement a sensible socialism... what we need is the working class to flex its muscle and remove the Wall Street capitalist class from power.

Greta Thunberg and David Suzuki... young and old

Free Rodney Reed!

Please share widely.


From The Innocence Project:


“I fear Texas may execute an innocent man.”
Bryce Benjet, Senior Staff Attorney

Texas has scheduled the execution of our client Rodney Reed for November 20th. On Tuesday, lawyers filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Reed, who has been on death row since 1998 for the murder of Stacey Stites. The petition challenges the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals’ unexplained rejection of critical evidence of innocence in his conviction for the murder.


Show your support for Reed and against his execution by signing this petition and sharing his case on social media before it's too late.


Stand with Rodney Reed


Click on the link below the picture to sign the petition...

innocenceproject.org

Stand against the execution of Rodney Reed who maintains his innocence

Greta Thunberg

Wow; I have lost a grand total of four Facebook friends because I have chosen not to join the attack on Greta Thunberg.


I have heard it all, now.


So, we are supposed to disown her as a climate change activist because the rich and powerful are lining up for photo-ops with her and to shake her hand.

They lined up to shake the hands of Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Fidel Castro, Xi Jinping, Albert Einstein.


I think it’s good they are all lining up for photo-ops with Greta.


And so what if they are backing her financially? Saving this planet is an all included, no one excluded deal. No doubt there are many among the rich and powerful who want to be able to survive without having to live on life-support in luxury multi-billion dollar bunkers.


Anyone who would exclude anyone from trying to save the planet is a fool.


If ever there was cause for a massive united all people’s front, this is the issue.


As with any issue and movements... there are those who sit in the sidelines and make excuses not to participate. And they will often put more effort into explaining their reasons for inaction then what it would have taken to participate.


While the dogs bark, the caravan passes by.

Obama's promises never delivered gave us Trump

Obama promised he would push for a single-payer universal health care system...

And he killed all discussion once elected...

Delivering his "Affordable Care Act" known as "Obamacare" but which should be called the "Health Insurance and Pharmaceutical Bailout and Profit Maximization Act" which pushed health care costs up causing insurance rates to soar.


Obama promised peace; then delivered us into a new period of drone warfare and an expanded war in the Middle East.


Obama promised reforms benefiting working people; none of which he delivered.


Obama promised to help Main-street but then bailed out Wall Street.


Had Obama just tried to deliver on his promises we would not have Trump in office today.


On top of Obama failing to deliver on his promises, the Democratic Party gave us a crooked and corrupt warmonger to vote for.


Now the Democrats are trying to shove Joe Biden, a Wall Street bribed politician, down our throats.


Don't believe the polls... Joe Biden can't beat Trump.


We are being set up for another Trump term.

The most popular blog posts I have made are about this health care mess.

I'm providing two of my blog posts from the past, but still very relevant today, on health care reform which have now had over two-million hits as my contribution to this health care debate; and I hope people will continue to use these blog posts for discussion, dialog and debate as we move towards the 2020 Elections.

As working people we must stop being so timid in expressing our views concerning the problems we are experiencing and the solutions to these problems.

Feel free to copy and paste or share this link...


http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/2017/07/democrats-led-by-bernie-sanders-are.html

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Democrats, led by Bernie Sanders, are organizing marches and protests for "Medicare for All"... but:

The only time Democrats advocate "Medicare for All" is when they are campaigning or when Republicans are in power.


The Democrats did not even improve Medicare when Obama and the Democrats had the opportunity.


Instead the Democrats increased co-pays; made people pay more for Medicare Part B; eliminated many coverages and gave doctors free reign to set fees for Medicare covered health care services instead of controlling their prices and the cost of drugs.

Most working class people can't even afford Medicare Part B.


Never mentioned is the expensive, complex web and maze of the supplemental health insurance industry we are being subjected to to "cover" (with all of its own deductibles) what Medicare still won't cover.


Thousands of working class families are forced to file medical bankruptcies because they can't afford the Medicare co-pays--- working class families are losing their homes, cars and everything they worked a lifetime to buy to pay health care debts.


Working class homeowners are being "offered" the scam of reverse home mortgages touted on television by Hollywood hucksters as a way to pay medical bills.


Hundreds of doctors, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and nursing homes are making big profits off of Medicare; this is wrong, too, but Democrats have done nothing to stop this.


In many cases, patients routinely get double-billed for Medicare services.


Al Capone would have loved the Medicare racket.


As even the Wall Street Journal has noted, doctors and the reactionary American Medical Association have been put in charge of establishing what doctors get paid for their services under Medicare and this has pushed all health care costs up.


Medicare could have been a step towards a National Public Health Care System but instead Obama appointed the reactionary Alan Simpson to launch an attack on Medicare and Medicaid.


And to top it off, all of these profiteers are colluding to undermine Medicare by routinely intentionally not "coding" bills properly so Medicare--- and insurance companies--- will deny claims. Insurance companies will not pay claims denied by Medicare.


Democrats will now try to convince people they are for Medicare for All in an attempt to prevent a discussion about the real solution to this health care mess: a National Public Health Care System which would be based on the model of public education... but, here again, Obama encouraged a massive attack on public education by supporting private charter schools instead of defending the integrity of public education.


Republicans and Democrats despise any program that is public; they love private for profit everything... just like the greedy doctors, pharmaceutical companies, insurance industry, hospitals and nursing homes... and these contributors to their campaigns prove it.


Here is what we need...


A National Public Health Care System---


We need a health care system that is all-inclusive and comprehensive covering everything from pre-natal to through burial:


General health.


Dental.


Eyes.


Hearing--- ever priced hearing aids?


Mental.


Family planning--- including abortions. Everything Planned Parenthood does should be included and expanded.


Publicly financed. Publicly administered. Publicly delivered... just like public education.


How to pay?


With a huge Peace Dividend... end militarism and these dirty imperialist wars. We don't need to update and upgrade the nuclear weapons arsenal. We definitely don't need a trillion-dollar F-35 fighter jet program.


We don't need over 800 U.S. foreign military bases dotting the globe... we do need hundreds of community and neighborhood health care centers dispensing free health care across our country creating twelve to fifteen million good-paying jobs.


We must insist on progressive funding for a National Public Health Care System (tax the rich, end militarism and wars, a tax on Wall Street transactions) instead of the regressive and reactionary method used for funding public education--- local property taxes, which serves to under-mine and under-fund public education.


And we must insist there be no for-profit feeding at the public trough with a National Public Health Care System like there is with public education.


Those supporting Medicare for All and Obamacare are very selfish people even though they hypocritically claim to be so concerned about people who will lose coverage but they don't give two hoots about those of us who can't afford the "benefits" of what they are defending and offering. If they really cared they would be calling for reforms to the present Medicare mess rather than calling for shifting this mess to even more people with the co-pays and expensive Medicare Part B.


I realize these co-pays and the high price of Medicare Part B mean nothing to these selfish well-heeled upper middle class Democratic party hacks but they should be held accountable for what they want to dump on the rest of us.


When all is said and done, these Democratic Party hacks don't even have any intention of delivering what they claim to be supporting--- they are just playing us for fools just like they have done in every single election since 1948.


When they finally delivered Medicare it was only for a small part of the population and they never made any attempt to improve it but they sure spent a lot of time making it less inclusive--- these aren't people we can entrust with health care reform--- after all, it was these same Democratic Party hacks who worked behind our backs to derail even the mild single-payer reform.


The price we pay for these dirty imperialist wars is not having the world-class National Public Health Care System we are entitled to. We have created the wealth being squandered on militarism and wars as the Wall Street crowd profits from both health care and militarism and wars and these Wall Street parasites hoard the rest of the wealth we have created.


We don't need, nor want, a market-based for-profit health care system--- the only way to resolve this health care mess is through a socialized National Public Health Care System... about as controversial as public education and would be based on the model of public education which has been proven to work so well when properly funded and administered.


And let us be clear about this:


Defending Obamacare is not the way to get us closer to real health care reform.


The Affordable Care Act should be repealed and replaced with a National Public Health Care System.


Obamacare is nothing but the "Health Insurance and Pharmaceutical Industry Bailout and Profit Maximization Act."


Obama promised single-payer Medicare for All when first campaigning for president which probably won him the election--- and then he turned around a betrayed those who voted for him.


There are many ways to pay for a National Public Health Care System:


Through a Peace Dividend.


A payroll tax on employees and employers.


A hefty tax on corporate profits.


A tax on all Wall Street transactions.


It will probably take a combination of all of these.


And it wouldn't hurt to have a government concerned about a healthy food chain and a healthy and safe living environment, along with a healthy and safe working environment with a focus on an education that emphasizes how to stay healthy and fit... and a health care system which stresses preventative health care.


How can we be healthy when our air, water and land is being polluted and contaminated?


I could mention more about the working environment and the toll working long hours at poverty wages takes on a person, too, but this would be well beyond the thinking abilities of the well-heeled upper middle-class muddle-headed intellectuals who are selfish Democratic Party hacks pushing for Medicare for All in order to keep health care in this country market-based and for-profit.


The American people want no part of a health care system that includes the health insurance industry and its over-paid corporate executives.


The American people want no part of a market-driven for-profit health care system.


It must also be noted the very same Democratic Party hacks, over-paid media pundits, think-tanks and front groups and their "partners" now pushing this Medicare for All scam, which was mobilized under the leadership of the Campaign for America's Future, were the same ones who banded together to derail and disrupt the single-payer universal health care movement in order to make way for Barack Obama's "Affordable Care Act" which has only made health care more expensive for most people while still leaving tens of millions without any access to health care.


We should also remember that it was President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins, who fervently advocated for socialized health care.


We need a National Public Health Care System--- everyone in; nobody left out.


Eleanor Roosevelt advocated health care as a human right in helping to draft the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights; so did Dr. Martin Luther King.


Repeal Obamacare and replace it with a National Public Health Care System.


I'm wondering why all of these other health care schemes have been so shrouded in lies and deceit?


Put doctors and all health care workers on the public payroll and make education free through university.

Posted by Alan Maki at 11:18 AM


http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/2017/11/one-of-my-blog-posts-hits-all-time-high.html

Sunday, November 12, 2017

One of my blog posts hits an all time high for The Podunk Blog

My blog post on health care hit an all time high for my blog posts. People continue to read and share this post:

http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/2017/07/democrats-led-by-bernie-sanders-are.html

The hits on this post have reached 1,729,234.

This leads me to conclude there is tremendous interest in a National Public Health Care System... socialized health care.

So, why aren't more people talking about a National Public Health Care System as an alternative to the mess we have now with this for-profit health care system?

It seems people are afraid to venture beyond what is considered appropriate to talk about with-in Democratic Party circles... "affordable health care (Obamacare)," single-payer universal health care and Medicare for All... all of which leave the for-profit system of health care intact... and each leaves us with private delivery of health care intact.

I encourage more people to join me in speaking out for a National Public Health Care System... don't be bullied by the Democratic Party hacks.

The Democrats have no intention of delivering single-payer or Medicare for All. They have been using both to get votes and then once elected, these Dumb Donkeys capitulate to the health care industry which includes a bunch of greedy insurance companies, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment manufacturers, hospitals and nursing homes, credit card companies and doctors.

There are those who peddle the lie that socialist Tommy Douglas fought for single-payer universal health care in Canada... this is another great big fat lie. Canadians won single-payer as a compromise while fighting for socialized health care and even after winning the single-payer reform, Tommy Douglas urged Canadians to continue the struggle for socialized health care because he realized the short-comings of allowing the for-profit crowd to feed at this huge public trough and leaving health care delivery in the hands of greedy doctors seeking to make their fortunes from people who are sick.

I appreciate you continuing to share my blog post on National Public Health Care... I encourage you to pick up your pen and write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper today. The letter need not be long. Just hit on the main points as I did in this letter to the editor:

http://www.wacotrib.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letters-readers-sound-off-on-abortion-and-health-care/article_0ca775ed-97a4-5d56-9b66-6ac79817d9ed.html

Real health-care reform

Health-care reform discussion is being manipulated with the choices — Ryancare versus Obamacare — being dictated to us just like the candidates placed before us in the last election. We are supposed to select the lesser evil and be happy.

What we need is a national public health-care system based on the model of public education. Publicly financed. Publicly administered. And publicly delivered.

Alan Maki, Lakeway

Or, if you want to get further into it, something like this letter which I wrote that was published previously in the Austin American-Statesman:

http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-austin-american-statesman-publishes.html

I do not understand how it is that people who call themselves socialists and revolutionaries can be bullied, badgered and intimidated into allowing Democratic Party hacks and politicians to manipulate and control this health care debate when the whole idea behind the need for socialism is solving the problems of working people... problems like health care.

It would seem to me advocating socialized health care would be the best way to show people WHY we need socialism... I don't understand how you explain the need for socialism by advocating capitalist "solutions" to our problems... and make no mistake--- "affordable health care," single-payer universal health care and Medicare for All are capitalist "solutions" to this health care mess... all of which only alleviate part of the problem/s for very short periods of time before very severe problems inherent in the for-profit health care system arise.

Posted by Alan Maki at 1:43 PM

What's going on in Hong Kong?

This is an interesting discussion.

George Galloway for Kalima Horra on Al Mayadeen TV, discussing the ongoing protests in Hong Kong:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg4wqJ15e-o&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0JHReCUuWCbLUuCO9tdZA05zJ0s2bKceQALrhHr0QEEVdKyRbuJt3tfPM

Public education: A working class issue

Defend Public Education


Public education is being undermined with exorbitant charges and increasing fees for everything from books to music and sports and school lunches and after-school programs.


The required list of supplies parents have to provide grows every year... supplies that should be provided for free as part of a public education.


Big business profiteers are undermining public education along with the bankers who keep our public schools in constant debt.


Every year the list of what students and parents need to pay for grows by leaps and bounds; this is unconscionable.


Public education should be free; and free from fees for books or school lunches or anything else.


School boards are dominated by real estate and other business interests who see public programs like education as a threat except when they can scheme and scam to make a profit.


Superintendents and school administrators are over-paid while teachers and other education workers are under-paid.


The entire purpose of public education is being undermined by the likes of the billionaire John Bircher Betsy De Vos, Trump’s Secretary of Education.


Pre-school through university should be completely free, paid for by general revenue funds.


It will be a great day when the generals have to hold bake-good sales and public education is financed with a Peace Dividend instead of rapidly rising regressive property taxes which are driving down the standard-of-living of working class families. Increase the taxes on big-business, the oil and gas industry and big agri-business to help pay for public education.


The right wing believes it is only necessary to provide a limited amount of education for working people... just enough education to enable workers to be employed at their poverty waged jobs.


The intent of Wall Street is to eliminate public education... in the meantime these Wall Street investors will continue to undermine our system of public education so people lose confidence in public education so people will not band together to defend public education.


The filthy rich are so arrogant they truly believe only their children are worthy of receiving an education.


Wall Street wants to return to private for-profit market-driven education... their model for education is based on their private for-profit market-driven health care system.


No universal social program works better than public education when it is properly funded and properly administered and delivered by caring and concerned teachers and education workers who are adequately paid who share an empathy for our youth and who concerned for their future.


Public education...


Publicly funded.


Publicly administered.


Publicly delivered.


We need to build a National Public Health Care System created around the model of public education.


Defend public education...


Advocate for a National Public Health Care System.


Advocate for a National Public Child Care System.


Pay for it all with a Peace Dividend and get the greedy fingers of big business, real estate developers, construction firms, book publishers and the banks out of the public till.


Profiteers feeding at the public trough, who also think they have the right to dictate what is taught, are undermining public education.


Public education did not exist in this country until workers demanded it; workers must defend public education.


Alan Maki
Contact: 512-517-2708
e-mail: red_finn@live.com