That’s been one of my mantras – focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains. - Steve Jobs
"The first Howard Zinn Memorial Lecture is delivered by veteran journalist, Bill Moyers. Citing Zinn as his inspiration, Moyers focuses on the challenges facing our democracy. He decried what he says has been a 30-year trend toward plutocracy, where the rich get richer at the expense of the average citizen."
"Wendell Potter is a straight-shooter– and he hits the bull's-eye here with an exposé of corporate power that reveals why real health care reform didn't happen, can't happen, and won't happen until that power is contained." Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers interviewed Mr. Potter on July 10, 2009, and again on March 5, 2010. This is the place to start. Learn why and how health insurers/corporations are skewing our beliefs and perceptions about health care through ruthless PR campaigns funded with their (our) member's premium dollars, all while protecting their Wall Street investor profits and mind-bogglingly high executive compensation packages. Watch Michael Moore's Sicko, if you haven't yet done so. Get Deadly Spin. The truth is out there. We Citizens need to dig to find it!
The Center for Media and Democracy at prwatch.org is a great source. The insurers are cutting spending on care and dropping unprofitable members while racking up third-quarter profits of $3.4 BILLION. All this while Republicans are aiming to kill consumer protections by repealing the new law.
"The insurance companies are jacking up rates and selling lousy coverage without regard to the devastating impact on real people's financial security and their health," said HCAN (Health Care for America Now) Executive Director Ethan Rome. "Their behavior is offensive, and it's outrageous that the Republicans in Congress want to give control of our health care back to the insurance companies by repealing the Affordable Care Act. We need the law and the protections it provides."
Wendell Potter states on his website, "Since I walked away as head of communications at a top health insurance company in May of 2008, I've worked tirelessly as an outspoken critic of corporate PR and the distortion and fear manufactured by America’s health insurance industry. It is a PR juggernaut that is bankrolled by millions of dollars, rivaling lobbying budgets and underwriting many "non-partisan" and "grassroots" organizations."
"The twentieth century has been characterized by three developments of great political importance: the growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power, and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy." Alex Carey
We must be vigilant. We must inform ourselves of the truth, however difficult it is to unearth.
"The FDA is now taking aim at raw cheese producers and has created a climate of fear among those who make farmstead cheese for a living. The agency's longterm goal is to eliminate access to raw dairy products. Read "FDA's Ace in the Hole" at farmtoconsumer.org/ace." Weston A Price Foundation
We are trashing the planet and its creatures in a very big way. The biggest "landfill" is midway between San Francisco and Hawaii, floating at the surface of the ocean, concentrated by the currents of the Pacific Gyre. Known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, it's roughly the size of Texas and contains about 3.5 millions tons of plastic trash. According to the Sea Studies Foundation, "every bit of plastic that has ever been created still exists, except for a small amount that has been incinerated, releasing toxic chemicals." The Earth cannot digest petroleum-based plastics. "Fish are ingesting toxins at such a rate that soon they will no longer be safe to eat." Plastic water bottles by the millions, their polypropylene caps, toothbrushes, plastic bags, toys, shoes, wrappers, are only part of the massive accumulation.
For more information on the problem, watch Captain Charles Moore's presentation at TED. The first part of cleaning up our act is to stop using so much plastic. Stop buying anything packaged in plastic, as much as possible. Do not use plastic shopping bags-- bring your own cloth bags to the store. This is a gigantic problem. Please do your part to minimize your own contribution to the garbage. Encourage your friends and family to learn about this and take action. Thank you.
