THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE! FREE SPEECH AND FREE PRESS.....

Famed Broadcast Newsman Walter Cronkite observed, "Freedom of the press is not just important to a democracy, IT IS DEMOCRACY!" And, so it is.  And, that is why that cherished right, among others, is enshrined in the First Amendment to the US Constitution.  And, given the constant assault on free speech and the legitimate press and mainstream media by Donald Trump and his cast of characters - Kellyanne Conway, Sean "Spicy" Spicer, and Steve Bannon, architect of the Alt. Right and White House Alchemist practicing his dark arts in the West Wing and the Oval Office - 500 folks, mostly from the resistance generated during the 1/21 WOMEN'S MARCH ON WASHINGTON - UPSTATE, now known as MARCH ON! NY who traveled from upstate and were joined by others located in NJ and in NYC, assembled at Bryant Park in NYC to Rally and March in support of a FREE PRESS.  The March took us to a Rally in front of the NY Times Building at 41st Street and 8th Avenue where we all again spoke out in support of REAL NEWS and against the FAKE NEWS COOKED UP BY THE CRACKPOTS IN THE WHITE HOUSE and their Chief Alchemist, Steve Bannon.  The following commentary is the speech that I gave on that day just before the March left Bryant Park.  It appears here in its entirety.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

REMARKS BY FORMER DNC MEMBER AND ACTIVIST – 3/25/2017

ROBERT JANISZEWSKI – The Senior Progressive. http://theseniorprogressive.blogspot.com

Our nation was founded on the notion that all were created equal and that we all share – without exception – certain inalienable rights.  And, in the language of the Declaration of Independence, “that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”  Thirteen years later, in 1789, the new US Constitution expressed these rights in the first 10 Amendments - the Bill or Rights – which further outlined the “inalienable rights” that each American citizen would enjoy. 

Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, Sam Adams, and the other Founders deeply believed that free expression, debate, and the exchange of ideas through the press was THE essential element necessary to preserve a democracy.  Jefferson often spoke of the necessity of a free and unfettered press as the guardian of liberty and enemy of oppression. “Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor be limited without danger of losing it,” said Jefferson.  And, perhaps his most famous comment on this subject was “were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate for a moment to prefer the latter.”

The legitimate press and the main street media are under attack today – and have been for more than 18 months - from the right wing, and now from the West Wing.  Since the rise of Trump, Bannon, and their allies, we have witnessed attacks on the legitimate press and mainstream media over and over again.  From Alt. Right news sources like Breitbart and others, radio commentators who fudge facts and attack “FACTS” that they don’t like or disagree with, and with a President who has insisted on LYING constantly and then doubling down on each lie while attacking any press outlet that has the nerve to challenge his lie, the assault on a free and unfettered press has never been so severe. Assistant to Bannon, Stephen Miller, famously stated that Trump, “shall not be questioned” when speaking of the Immigrant Ban announced by the White House. Donald Trump was elected with a minority of the people’s votes to the Office of President, not POPE!  Trump, as President, speaks in the public square on public issues, and not on “matters of faith”.  The Donald IS NOT INFALLIBLE.

We gather here together today to celebrate that inheritance and to uphold the value of truth in our public discourse and the right to hold to and to speak out, print, and publish varied points of view in the public square. 

Like all of you, I had a life before Donald Trump.  In the 1950s I was a rock & Roll kid with a black leather jacket flirting at the school dance.  In the 1960, I was awakened by JFK, marched for civil rights, voting rights, and against discrimination.  In the 1970 I marched against the Vietnam War and ran for a seat on my local Board of education and became a union activist. In the 80s and 90s I worked on issues of rent control, affordable housing, the Equal Rights Amendment for women, labor rights, economic justice, funding for AIDS treatment, health care for children and seniors, and worked on numerous campaigns.  I retired 17 years ago, moved to the countryside, live in the woods, and enjoyed retirement – hiking, biking, skiing, reading, and writing. And, then came along – Donald Trump.  And, like the snake oil salesmen before him, Trump came fully equipped with a litany of lies that is ever-present in a never-ending torrent of deception that continues to this very day.  Here is a sample of some of his best whoppers: 

-          Barack Obama is a secret Kenyan Muslim. Why not a Martian?

-          Barak Obama “wiretapped” the Trump campaign. Not according to the FBI.

-          Trump won the election in a “landslide!” Lost by 3 million votes

-          More people attended the Trump Inauguration than at any other time in the history of the nation.  Maybe even in the history of the world??????

-          3 to 5 million illegal votes were cast in the election! Even the Republicans reject this one, though 4 improper votes were found in California. And, they ALL voted for Hillary!

-          Tens of thousands of Illegal voters took buses from Massachusetts to New Hampshire. That would require 500 buses for more for 25000 riders! There are not that many buses there or invisible buses and transparent voters voted.

-          Senator Cruz’ father was a friend of Lee Harvey Oswald and played a role in the assassination of President Kennedy. Maybe he held the rifle? Let’s have a House Committee investigate!

-          Trump said that he knows more about Isis than all the Generals!  What?  From military school? Or from playing Risk?

-          On health care, Trump said that EVERYBODY WILL BE COVERED, TAKEN CARE OF MUCH BETTER, AND AT LESS COST.  Duh?

-          “I never met a Russian or spoke with any Russians,”said Trump.  What?  He held a Miss Universe contest in Moscow in partnership with a Russian Oligarch. Trump maintains that he doesn’t even know where Russia is.  Did he think that he was in France? Or, was he distracted by all of the women around him?

-          And, what of the millions of women who marched in Washington on January 21^st for equal justice for all and the millions of others who have protested in sister marches on that day, and the millions who have attended Town Halls in protest since?  Well, they were “all paid professional protesters.”  Spicy Spicer recently said that “protesting is now a career choice for liberals.”  He left out the millions of “gift bags” from George Soros that he alleged were given to the marchers as well as the truckloads of cookies from the DNC.

-          Trump announced that more than 94 million Americans were “unemployed” – WOW! That’s 25 % of the US population!  Yet, the Department of Labor calculated the unemployment rate at 4.7%.  The difference? 88 million children, students, Moms staying at home by choice, and retirees who ummm… are RETIRED and have chosen not to work. Wake up Donald!    

-          Trump recently boasted that his administration was operating like “a fine tuned machine.” During the Republican primaries, Jeb Bush described Trump as “the chaos candidate” who would be “the chaos president”, if elected. And John McCain recently said that the White House is bumbling and chaotic! Hmmm. What do you think? Machine? Chaos? Pick ‘em.

-          Trump criticized Obama for having released “122 dangerous dudes” from Gitmo who went right back to being terrorists. The truth is that George Bush released 113 and Obama released just 9 detainees from Gitmo. Well, he had the total…

It appears that they only “dangerous dude” that poses a threat to our nation and our people is not being detained at Gitmo.  He is presently sitting in the Oval Office.

Kelly Ann Conway described these Trump statements as “alternative facts.” You and I would call them “lies.”  Kelly Ann and Sean “Spicy” Spicer consistently condemn those who dispute these Trump “facts” as the source of “fake news.”  Some media outlets, the NY Times included along with several major networks, have been evicted from official press briefings for challenging the accuracy of these “alternative facts.” Years back, NY Senator Patrick Moynihan famously said during a 1994 debate, “You are entitled to your own opinion. But, you are not entitled to your own facts.” Responding to Kelly Ann’s recent description of Trump’s “alternative facts”, Chuck Todd said, “they are not facts, they are untruths… lies.” Steve Bannon, Senior Counselor to the President, responded to this controversy by charging that “the media here is the opposition party”, and bellowing that the media should “keep its mouth shut…..” Today, we assemble here to say that in a democracy, 

SHUTTING UP IS NOT AN OPTION!

WE WILL NOT SHUT UP!  WE WILL STAND UP!  WE WILL SPEAK OUT!

We assemble here today to stand up for the truth.  We assemble today to speak out for justice and to march against the lies, deception, and propaganda that has streamed across the twitterverse, the internet, and into some print and electronic media. There are no “alternative facts.” And, there are no alien babies in the White House basement.  We call upon those who pollute our public discourse with a constant stream of lies, un-truths, and deceptions to stop the insanity of insisting that falsehoods are truths and truths are falsehoods.

Two hundred years ago, Jefferson wrote that, “The only security of all is in a free press.” 

Sixty-eight years ago (1949), George Orwell published “1984”, and introduced us to “Big Brother”, the “Ministry of Truth”, and the “Thought Police.” Some would say that we are now living the reality of “1984”- a day when thought control would be a result of oppressive propaganda repeated over and over and over again until a set of uniform beliefs would result and “Big Brother’s” words would be accepted as the ultimate truth.  Orwell warned us of a future where liberty would be lost to the growing presence of false “truths.” “Truth” as determined by the government, enforced by the “Thought Police” (Kelly Ann and Spicy), and under the direction of the “Ministry of Truth” (Steve Bannon), would become our “alternative reality” built on “alternative facts.”

And so, today, we – you and I – must become the truth tellers and defenders of speech, of press, of print, and of broadcast media – free to speak, to write, and to publish the fruits of their sourced and vetted research, their points of view, and their opinions, free of fear of arrest, interference, law suits, or reprisals from the “governors” as envisioned in our Constitution.

Forty six years ago, in a landmark Supreme Court Case – “NY Times v. United States” (1971) - the Pentagon Papers case - Justice Hugo Black wrote that the Founders gave “the free press the protection that it must have to fulfill its essential role in our democracy.  The press was to serve the governed, not the governors… and, that only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government.” And, so it is.  

Newsman Walter Cronkite observed that, “Freedom of the press is not just important to democracy, IT IS DEMOCRACY.”

In our recent history, President Obama encouraged us saying that “we must uphold a free press … because, in the end, lies and misinformation are no match for the truth.” This is the truth that President Trump has not grasped.  This is the constitutional right guaranteed to the press that President Trump would prefer to weaken or erase.  These are the sources of actual facts, and not “alternative facts” as generated from the unfortunate fantasies of our modern “Big Brother” or from the darkest depths of the Minister of Truth, Steve Bannon.   

So:  TODAY WE STAND TOGETHER FOR THE TRUTH!

        TODAY WE STAND TOGETHER FOR THE BEDROCK RIGHTS

            PROTECTED IN THE US CONSTITUTION.

        TODAY WE CELEBRATE OUR HERITAGE, OUR OF FREEDOM –

            RELIGION, SPEECH, PRESS, ASSEMBLY, PETITION.

        HERE IS WHERE WE TAKE OUR STAND!

        THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE!

        THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY SOUNDS LIKE!

        THIS IS WHAT OUR DEMOCRACY DEMANDS!   TRUTH, NOT LIES!

         

 STAND UP!  SPEAK OUT!  MARCH ON!

Robert Janiszewski

Former DNC Member (1990-2000)

Served as Municipal Chair, County Chair, and Campaign Chair for the

     Democratic Party from 1988-2000 including Presidential Campaigns in 1992, 1996, and 2000.

Currently author of an on-line progressive blog: http://theseniorprogressive.blogspot.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

HEALTHCARE IV: DEATH SPIRALS, PROFITS AND PAYCHECKS - WINNERS AND LOSERS

LETS TALK HEALTH CARE - "DEATH SPIRALS", PROFITS AND PAYCHECKS

First, sorry to repeat some of the "insurance company profits" in this article, along with other information presented here for the first time. I do so because I have not seen this information mentioned in any other place - print or electronic media - during the current debate on health care.  According to the CBO and the Association  of Actuaries, there is no "death spiral" other than that caused by the Republicans by creating a fire storm and rocking the delicately balances insurance system that was crafted under the ACA.  Changes and re-balancing?  Yes.  Improvements and tweaks? Sure.  Throw the baby out with the bath water?  Really?  Rocking the boat until it takes on water and then pointing to the water and shouting, "the ship is sinking!"  Read on. 

As the debate over health care continues, here comes some additional "alternative facts." The idea that the ACA is in a "death spiral" sounds suspiciously like the "death panels" fake news that was spread around during the debate on "Obamacare." Needless to say, the insurance giants - all of whom signed on and supported the ACA in the end based on the great expansion of new "customers" (either required to get insurance or subsidized with federal funds) that would enrich their companies, are NOT losing money and ARE NOT in a "death spiral." In fact, 8 million of more folks got insurance for the first time - and that means PAID FOR INSURANCE, subsidized or not, due to the ACA. The balance of those covered via ACA were the working poor who earned enough money so that they didn't qualify for standard Medicaid, but were covered through the "enhanced" Medicaid segment in Obamacare. "Working poor" were defined by income as those who were earning modest income but not enough to afford the purchase of insurance.

The next category - new insurance customers - BY THE MILLIONS - were required to have health insurance, through their employment, or through the private purchase of insurance either directly or through the "exchanges" provided for under the legislation. For individuals or families who could not afford to buy insurance, federal subsidies would be provided based on an income formula. Poorer folks would be provided larger subsidies so that insurance would be "affordable" even for those with lower income, lesser support for those with more earnings. In addition, employers with more than 50 employees could no longer refuse to cover their employees and are required to provide health care insurance for their workers.

So, what is all this talk about "death spirals?" According to the Trump, Ryan, and the Republican supporters of their proposed "replacement" (read retreat from) health care bill, the ACA is fading away as the large insurance companies retreat from offering coverage and, as a result, competition and choice are reduced and premiums go up. They point to "1/3 of the counties in America" as having only 1 insurance company offering coverage in 2017 as compared to 4 or 5 when the program first appeared. Of course, that means, that in 2/3 of America's counties, more than one insurance company offers coverage. And, the Republicans fail to mention that while premium rates have increased, that increased has slowed significantly compared to the failed health care system before the ACA.

Is this really a "death spiral" and is Obamacare "collapsing?"

The Republicans want you to think that, regardless of subsidies, the private-for-profit insurance companies are withdrawing from offering coverage because they are losing large sums of money and have no option but to stop participating in the exchanges attached to the ACA. This is ABSOLUTE NONSENSE. Don't let your Republican "friends" pull this one on you. Here are the facts:

All American corporations, for-profit and non-profit, are required to file annual financial reports on earnings each year in addition to filings with the IRS. The most recent filings - recorded in 2016 for the 2015 year, shows the following financial condition for three of the largest insurers in the nation - Humana, Aetna, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

HUMANA: Humana reported annual after-tax PROFITS of $1.1 to $1.2 BILLION each year from 2012 to 2015. In addition, they did a stock buy-back in 2014 with extra cash-on-hand of $4.6 BILLION. Needless to say, their stock on the Exchange has shot up quite well, thank you.

AETNA: Aetna desribed 2015 as "a banner year." In fact, Aetna also had so much cash on hand that they put in an offer to purchase Humana for $37 BILLION! By 2016, Aetna's after-tax profits went from $1.9 BILLION (2013) to $2.43 BILLION (2015). Some financial strain.......

BC/BS: Their 2016 report states that "overall profitability for industry leaders has improved based on reporting as of June 30, 2016." The BC/BS parent company was recently criticized for sitting on a cash surplus of $9.9 BILLION. Poor is me.......

So much for the Ryan position that the ACA is "imploding" because the insurance industry is losing money by participating in a "failing" insurance system. And, of course, we should simply ignore the fact that 14 million Americans will lose health care coverage initially and some 24-26 million in a few years. And, also ignore the fact that the hospitals and health care systems have expanded - including some 2.2 million new jobs - since more Americans were able to access health care professionals and facilities beyond the Emergency Rooms.

And, now the CBO says that insurance rates will spike up to 20% in the first year of the Republican plan as millions fewer will be covered, and companies are no longer required to cover their employees. Higher costs, less coverage, more hurt. And, for what? Save the "failing" insurance companies who are experiencing record profits and are flush with cash? Or, is the agenda really all about tax cuts for big corporations and the uber wealthy? This is beyond a disgrace. It is an OUTRAGE!

And, speaking of the “uber wealthy”, let’s take a look at the industry CEO’s compensation as an element in the saga of healthcare premiums.  

When you hear Paul Ryan say Obamacare is collapsing....

These high salaries have attracted some commentary– both positive and negative– about how they affect health insurance and healthcare altogether.
Wendell Potter, former public relations executive for Cigna, where CEO David Cordani raked in a $14.5 million salary in 2014, said, “There’s no doubt that one of the reasons why Americans pay more for health insurance and for healthcare than people in any other country in the world is because of this high executive compensation.”

And, of course, they all have employer-covered health care insurance….

Stand Up! Speak Out! March On! Bobby J

HEALTH CARE - A MATTER OF "DEATH SPIRALS"

ok... so my postings sometimes get so long that they become a rant! Perhaps that is a reflection of how upset I am about what Trump, Ryan and company are attempting to inflict on the American people. Or, maybe I am outraged by the duplicity and outright lying that has no place in our national policy discourse. I will admit that I cannot help being the "retired" teacher that I am, and that FACTS matter to me, not "alternative facts" or "fake news." So, this one is aimed at setting the record straight about the ACA "death spiral" that Trump and Ryan allege is taking place.... just more "alternative facts."

LETS TALK HEALTH CARE - AND "DEATH SPIRALS"

As the debate over health care continues, here comes some additional "alternative facts." The idea that the ACA is in a "death spiral" sounds suspiciously like the "death panels" fake news that was spread around during the debate on "Obamacare." Needless to say, the insurance giants - all of whom signed on and supported the ACA in the end based on the great expansion of new "customers" (either required to get insurance or subsidized with federal funds) that would enrich their companies, are NOT losing money and ARE NOT in a "death spiral." In fact, 8 million of more folks got insurance for the first time - and that means PAID FOR INSURANCE, subsidized or not, due to the ACA. The balance of those covered via ACA (non-insurance clients) are the working poor who earned enough money so that they didn't qualify for standard Medicaid, could not afford to pay for insurance based on income, but were covered through the "enhanced" Medicaid segment in Obamacare. "Working poor" were defined by income as those who were earning modest income but not enough to afford the purchase of insurance.

The "golden" category (for the insurers) - new insurance customers - BY THE MILLIONS - were required to have health insurance, through their employment, or through the private purchase of insurance either directly or through the "exchanges" provided for under the legislation. For individuals or families who could not afford to buy insurance, federal subsidies would be provided based on an income formula. Poorer folks would be provided larger subsidies so that insurance would be "affordable" even for those with lower income, lesser support for those with more earnings. In addition, employers with more than 50 employees could no longer refuse to cover their employees and are required to provide health care insurance for their workers. In any case, all of these would have to purchase insurance, directly or indirectly.

So, what is all this talk about "death spirals?" According to the Trumpers, Ryan, and the Republican supporters of their proposed "replacement" (read retreat from) health care bill, the ACA is fading away as the large insurance companies retreat from offering coverage and, as a result, competition and choice are reduced and premiums go up. They say over and over that "1/3 of the counties in America" as having only 1 insurance company offering coverage in 2017 as compared to 4 or 5 when the ACA program first appeared in 2010. Of course, that means, that in 2/3 of America's counties, more than one insurance company offers coverage. Further, the Republicans fail to mention that while premium rates have increased, that increase has slowed significantly compared to the failed health care system before the ACA.

Is this really a "death spiral" and is Obamacare "collapsing?" The Republicans want you to think that, regardless of subsidies, the private-for-profit insurance companies are withdrawing from offering coverage because they are losing large sums of money and have no option but to stop participating in the exchanges attached to the ACA. This is ABSOLUTE NONSENSE. Don't let your Republican "friends" pull this one on you.

Here are the facts:

All American corporations, for-profit and non-profit, are required to file annual financial reports on earnings each year in addition to filings with the IRS. The most recent filings - recorded in 2016 for the 2015 year, shows the following financial condition for three of the largest insurers in the nation - Humana, Aetna, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

HUMANA: Humana reported annual after-tax PROFITS of $1.1 to $1.2 BILLION each year from 2012 to 2015. In addition, they did a stock buy-back in 2014 with extra cash-on-hand of $4.6 BILLION. Needless to say, their stock on the Exchange has shot up quite well, thank you.

AETNA: Aetna described 2015 as "a banner year." In fact, Aetna also had so much cash on hand that they put in an offer to purchase Humana for $37 BILLION! By 2016, Aetna's after-tax profits went from $1.9 BILLION (2013) to $2.43 BILLION (2015). Some financial strain.......

BC/BS: Their 2016 report states that "overall profitability for industry leaders has improved based on reporting as of June 30, 2016." The BC/BS parent company was recently criticized for sitting on a cash surplus of $9.9 BILLION. Poor is me.......

So much for the Ryan position that the ACA is "imploding" and is in "a death spiral" because the insurance industry is losing money by participating in a "failing" insurance system.  The result, or so the story goes, is that insurance companies are losing so much that they are pulling out of the exchanges. NONSENSE. On the contrary, they have been enriched by the addition of millions of new customers, 3/4 of which have been subsidized to be able to but insurance for the first time. 

And, of course, we should simply ignore the fact that 14 million Americans will lose health care coverage initially and some 24-26 million in a few years. And, also ignore the fact that the hospitals and health care systems have expanded - including some 2.2 million new jobs - since more Americans were able to access health care professionals and facilities beyond the Emergency Rooms.
And, now the CBO says that insurance rates will spike up to 20% in the first year of the Republican plan as millions fewer will be covered, and companies are no longer required to cover their employees. Higher costs, less coverage, more hurt. And, for what? Save the "failing" insurance companies who are experiencing record profits and are flush with cash? Or, is the agenda really all about tax cuts for big corporations and the uber wealthy? This is beyond a disgrace. It is an OUTRAGE!

Stand Up! Speak Out! March On!