Friday, September 25, 2009

Foreign respect

Cornel Nistorescu

from outside the country

my buddy Capt. Cod sent this along…had to put it on the blog…i am only assuming it’s really an editorial…the paper is real, and the author works there.  regardless, it’s a sentiment worth enjoying.

From a Romanian Newspaper

We rarely get a chance to see another country’s editorial about the USA

Read this excerpt from a Romanian Newspaper. The article was written by Mr. Cornel Nistorescu and published under the title ‘C’ntarea Americii, meaning ‘Ode To America ‘) in the Romanian newspaper Evenimentulzilei ‘The Daily Event’ or ‘News of the Day’.

~ An Ode to America ~

Why are Americans so united? They would not resemble one another even if you painted them all one color! They speak all the languages of the world and form an astonishing mixture of civilizations and religious beliefs.

On 9/11, the American tragedy turned three hundred million people into a hand put on the heart.  Nobody rushed to accuse the White House, the Army, or the Secret Service that they are only a bunch of losers.  Nobody rushed to empty their bank accounts.  Nobody rushed out onto the streets nearby to gape about.

Instead the Americans volunteered to donate blood and to give a helping hand.

After the first moments of panic , they raised their flag over the smoking ruins, putting on T-shirts, caps and ties in the colors of the national flag. They placed flags on buildings and cars as if in every place and on every car a government official or the president was passing. On every occasion, they started singing: ‘God Bless America !‘

I watched the live broadcast and rerun after rerun for hours listening to the story of the guy who went down one hundred floors with a woman in a wheelchair without knowing who she was, or of the Californian hockey player, who gave his life fighting with the terrorists and prevented the plane from hitting a target that could have killed other hundreds or thousands of people.

How on earth were they able to respond united as one human being? Imperceptibly, with every word and musical note, the memory of some turned into a modern myth of tragic heroes. And with every phone call, millions and millions of dollars were put into collection aimed at rewarding not a man or a family, but a spirit, which no money can buy.  What on earth can unites the Americans in such way? Their land? Their history? Their economic Power? Money?  I tried for hours to find an answer, humming songs and murmuring phrases with the risk of sounding commonplace, I thought things over, I reached but only one conclusion… Only freedom can work such miracles.

Cornel Nistorescu

 

mandatory insurance

rappers

Should I pay for you or should you pay for you?

rappers answered my question this week about whether they support mandatory health insurance for everyone.  A large response in oiur survey, had 59% saying it’s a bad idea…the e-mails that follow are those who chose to explaintheir position.

IF EVERYONE GOT INSURENCE THEN THE DOCTORS WOULD HAVE TO MAKE IT WHERE EVERYONE PAYS THE SAME FOR THE SAME THING. NOT ONE PERSON PAYING $3.00   AND THE OTHER PAYING $600.  WE NEED TO HAVE A REGULAR PRICE FOR EVERYONE AND SO IT DOESN"T COST AN ARM AND A LEG FOR THE SAME THINGS   WE, AS THE PEOPLE OF THE US, NEED TO GET SMARTER AND TELL OUR HIGHER UPS ENOUGH IS ENOUGH AND MAKE THEM HELP THE LITTLE GUY OUT INSTEAD OF THE ONES WHO ALREADY HAVE EVERTHING  
NANCY,  HOPE VALLEY

If every U.S. Citizen had insurance:
It would keep insurances costs lower. (Co-pays, etc)
The hospitals would get their earned reimbursement from insurance payers and other federal programs.
But instead:
The free care (non-insured citizen) that enters each hospital is forced to take a loss and absorb within its financial structure.
This currently is bringing down many facilities in the country…
Bad economy? This is a large part of it…….
Justine M

we are privileged living in America. We have many freedoms other countries don’t have. It isn’t good to let the state or federal government dictate to its citizens what they have to do or not do. I served honorably in the military so as to protect and preserve our freedoms not to relinquish them.
Charlie, West Warwick

be forced to buy health insurance?  we shouldn’t be forced to buy anything.  i thought this was a free country.
rae ann

If I don’t have health coverage and I go to the hospital who pays the bill if i cant afford it?  Not me.  You shouldn’t have to force people to buy coverage but it may be the only way to solve this problem.
Danny,  Warwick Neck

Everybody must buy heath insurance or pay a fine. Brilliant.
Is that like everybody driving in RI has insurance? Ha!
Just make it a standard deduction from a paycheck, like social security,
and get over it.
Companies don’t want to pay to insure workers anyway.
And insurance companies run this country.
stuckinri

Friday, September 18, 2009

Buried ACORN

rappers

Can’t get the story

The left-wing community organizing group ACORN has been getting hammered recently because some of its employees were recorded while advising a purported pimp and his hooker how to get subsidized housing, and avoid paying taxes.  It’s classic tv…practically worthy of Saturday Night Live, if it wasn’t a taxpayer funded group.  The Congress voted this week to cut off funding to the group, but Rhode Island’s junior Senator, Sheldon Whitehouse, voted to continue funding the organization.  It’s made a few rappers unhappy..not just about the vote, but about the coverage, or lack thereof, in the local media.  Here are the comments:

Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE) introduced an amendment to the HUD and Transportation appropriation bill to strip ACORN of all federal funding.  A week ago, Johanns wouldn’t have gotten the amendment to the floor.  Today, however, after three straight days of BigGovernment.com’s video exposés of ACORN offices in Washington DC, New York City, and Baltimore offering assistance to pimping, tax evasion, and trafficking in underage Salvadorean girls, Johanns not only got his vote — but he got an impressive bipartisan showing.  The Senate passed the Johanns amendment 83-7.

The nay votes?

Dick Durbin (D-IL)
Roland Burris (D-IL)
Robert Casey (D-PA)
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

Sheldon Whitehouse one of 7 Senators to side with ACORN whats his reasoning?
David D.

I’ve responded to several of your Rapp Questions, but now I feel the question should be directed at you (journalists). Do you feel the media has been accurately reporting on recent events?  Do you feel your political commentary is fair and balanced?  When I watch people like Lester Holt comment that Van Jones resigned “after pressure from the GOP” I have to ask myself - did he really listen to the comments that Van Jones made?  Is that acceptable behavior for a high-ranking government official?  What about ACORN and the blatant disregard for the law, or simple ethics for that matter?  I guess it’s okay that President Obama served as their attorney.  Do you think “60 Minutes” 
or another such show would even consider doing an expose on ACORN? I’m not holding my breath.  Fox News keeps getting bashed for reporting these items, but I don’t see the media refuting them.  The US Census Bureau has now severed ties with ACORN and their potential involvement with the census - sounds like big news to me, but not highly publicized.
Mary Beth
Swansea, MA

I’m very disheartened by the fact that most news stations and newspapers are not reporting on the Baltimore ACORN story. This is a radical group who has close ties with our President, was a major campaign contributer, and recieved federal stimulus money. Now they give advice to a couple posing as a Pimp and a Prostitue on how to evade taxes and start a brothel with underage girls from El Salvador. How are you not reporting this! -Kendra

I will by next week have people watching your news stations to see who the sponsors are and reporting to the tea party on what is, or most importantly is not reported on.  The public is deeply disappointed by what we now believe is a state controlled media.  Thank you for your attention to these paramount issues to us.
Ronald L.

IS HE NUTS!  Whitehouse will never get reelected if I can do anything to help his opponent.  One of seven Senators voted to continue funding for this bogus group of nitwits.  83 Senators voted NO. 
J.S.

who works for who?

Mark P

voters are the boss

To whom this may concern:

Its time that the politicians start working for the people of all the states in the country, the Democrats need to work with the Republicans and stop trying always being the big cheese. The Democrats always need control. well its not your control it is the people of this country , I hope that next time around the Republicans can build up the party and continue working for the people of America .

Mark P