Since tonight's diary is the last one of a year I'm WAY ready to confine to the ash can of history, I thought I'd bring up a few reminders of why Countdown viewers sparkin' RULE. I know these were mentioned in the "favorites show," but I'm mentioning them again - so there! :D
Thanks to F.O.O. and Countdown viewers, thousands of people who normally wouldn't have had access to health care received desperately - needed health care, those waiting for organ transplants & were denied because of an actual - honest - to - goodness GOBP death panel in the "Show Me Your Papers" state got some extra help, and we helped a TN family get back on their feet after their "local" fire department were forced to literally sit back & watch a house burn because a fee hadn't been paid. I'm sure I forgot others, so please include what I may have forgotten in the comments. We are an okee - dokee lot, I tell ya'!
Let's move onto the final 2010 edition of SPARK. If one of your New Years' resolutions is to drive like a maniac in a foreign country, might I suggest Poland? Drivers in the "Show Me Your Papers" state are just as BRILLIANT as their Governor. Finally, even if you're in a desperate hurry for that last minute New Year's Eve "cheer," don't do what this guy did! ALTHOUGH, Hubby regularly drives a forklift for part of his job, so I got that goin' for me - YES! ;D
Let's Countdown...
Sam Seder’s back in ‘da Countdown house – thank you awfully very much!
#5 "Health Care Reform" AKA "Miller Time (Not)" - The number of Americans without health insurance and/or access to health care is now over 50 million. According to the Huffington Post & the Kaiser Foundation, over 4 million Americans lost their insurance in 2009, 1 out of 5 non – elderly people have no insurance, and over half of the unemployed have no health care coverage. The parts of HCR that could help these people don’t kick in yet. The high – risk pools are still too new to make much of a difference because not enough people are willing to take that risk yet pending all the stoooopid a – hole state attorneys general deciding to file lawsuits & stuff. End of life counseling WILL begin for some Medicare participants; take THAT, you evil willfully damn ignorant $aint $arah from Wasilla! Only 5 out of over 200 GOBP House members are actually putting their money where their pie holes are & declining their health care coverage.
Rep. Joe Walsh, from a district in IL, is one of those & is also denying his pension plan – DAMN! I hope Santa was good to Ezra Klein this year. :D Precious few people even know high – risk pools exist, and said pools aren’t well funded. The premium on the high – risk pool is $600/month?! That’s almost 3 monthly car payments for me - $HIT! Huh, our "health care" system doesn’t work so well for sick people. Ain’t irony grand?! *&^%$#@! Man, there is gonna be A LOT of HCR mess until 2014, and that’s assuming President Obama wins re – election in 2012. Just think of how many more will lose their coverage, die, and all that "fun" stuff until then.
The services provided by the National Association of Free Clinics are going to be needed for a long long long long LONG damn time; click on the above link now or ANY time of year to do what you can. Wendell Potter’s here {insert loud riotous thunderous standing ‘o’ here}! The number of people who die each year due to lack of health insurance may actually GO UP a bit until HCR is fully running in 2014 – again assuming President Obama wins re – election in 2012. I still think Mr. Potter & Michael Moore should take their show on the road – especially if the GOBP DOES try these damn "show hearings" to make people even less sure about HCR. Joe Miller’s last best chance to win that AK Senate seat went the way of bad eggnog today. If he decides to exit political or public life, PLEASE let the door hit him where the good Lord split him! ;D
#4 "Jobs Retort" - Oodles of jobs have been created over the last year – everywhere else EXCEPT this country! Thank you, Anti – US Chamber of Commerce! OK, that IPhone parts & labor shtick is worth repeating because it brilliantly illustrates what’s been (or not been) going on in this country jobs – wise! Workers in Japan earn around $61 each for their role in producing the IPhone, German workers earn around $30, South Korean workers earn $23 each, "other" nations earn $48, and China earns around $6, but they own the vast majority of our country’s debt, so I’m sure they’re not worrying. American workers who researched the thing earn a whopping $11 or so each. The monthly jobs report in the new year will include those who’ve been without work or under – employed for 5 years – not just 2 years. A whole mess of Baby Boomers haven’t saved enough for retirement, so they’re relying on the stock market & the value of their homes. OOPS! Secretary Robert Reich is here tonight! Social Security for these baby boomers IS NOT at risk. Some say that the eligibility age for Social Security should actually be lowered? Huh? How’s that gonna help? Those who have been unemployed for more than 2 years & have stopped looking for work are currently not included in the monthly jobs report; that’s going to change on Saturday.
** Wolverine got pegged in his Daddy parts with a cricket ball? Where’s them claws when you need ‘em?! ;D O...M...G...did I REALLY need to see "that woman" in this segment? I "saw" her enough at Borders today! *&^%$#@! A Turkish dude walked in front of a fuel truck. No, not a joke...a Turkish dude walked in front of a fuel truck & nearly got his stoooopid a$$ run down! **
#3 "Second Chances" - FAUX News is pi$$ed off about something President Obama did. Since when is that news? Well, whoever President Obama wants to call during his Christmas vacation is his own damn business; people at FAUX News are just jealous he’s not calling them. ;D I’ve got no problem with Michael Vick resuming a career after he served his time, but I DO have a problem with letting him own dogs or any other pets – another rumor that’s scuttling about.
Ya’ know who was a big BIG influence & instigator of Mr. Vick’s comeback, yes? One Tony Dungy... Scooter Libby works for the Hudson Institute, huh? Well, ain’t that nice they have no problems employing convicted felons, either. ;D Dr. Michael Eric Dyson gets second – chance duty tonight. Sam Seder has the GALL to claim a double standard at FAUX News?! Well, he’s not gonna get invited over there any time soon – much to his heartbreak, I’m sure. ;D
#2 "Snowed In" AKA "Snowpocalypse" - There’s still snow along the east coast, but Mayor Cory Brooker’s delivering diapers. :D So, can Newark residents call him Mayor Stork or something? HA! People sat on a tarmac for 8 HOURS?! Ya’ know, I think I’d risk arrest to get off the plane before that point.
*** I’ve got no patience for climate change willfully ignorant IDIOTS, so feel free to comment about this segment below. ***