Anderson Cooper and Jon Stewart

I just had to post this video, for my own delight if no one else's.  Other than respecting each of their journalist crafts, it would seem that each of their life paths would suggest that each is just a really decent person.  


Other than the FACTS in this video (and their presentations) I, as always...enjoy the humor that comes with the show, and with each of these men...who are also feeling men.

The Daily Show - Anderson Cooper
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

"The Progressive's Guide to Raising Hell: How to Win Grassroots Campaigns, Pass Ballot Box Laws, and Get the Change We Voted For-- A Direct Democracy Toolkit"

This review is from: The Progressive's Guide to Raising Hell: How to Win Grassroots Campaigns, Pass Ballot Box Laws, and Get the Change We Voted For-- A Direct Democracy Toolkit (Paperback)

American progressives have in recent decades gotten too shy, or too afraid, to raise hell about injustice and unfairness. They peeked out during the 2008 presidential campaign, then fell silent at the first disappointment. Perhaps they're afraid to be tagged with the dreaded label "liberal." The populist space got filled from other directions, including by Tea Partiers who happily put themselves on the line in public. 

Jamie Court aims to reverse that course by rearming progressives with tools for making change from below, and steeling them to be a whole lot less polite to power. Also a whole lot more demanding, and more nimble on their feet. 

Frederick Douglass, a granddaddy of civil rights and civil action, famously said "Power concedes nothing without a demand." In modern terms, Court tells us, that means constant vigiliance to avoid being co-opted. A "seat at the table"--whether in the corporate boardroom or the government conference room--is power's most effective tool for watering down outsider demands. 

After telling hell-raisers what doesn't work, Court offers a different toolkit for what he calls "political jiujitsu"--being alert and leveraging opponents' mistakes to shame them. then building waves of public pressure for change. His anecdotal examples of the David-and-Goliath stunts by him and colleagues at his small foundation called Consumer Watchdog range from hilarious to hair-raising. 

For instance, don't be embarrassed to carry a pig into the halls of government to make a point. Grab the chance to clobber a corporate opponent for an ad that appears weirdly racist, using shame to undercut the corporation's sponsorship of anti-consumer legislation. 

Court's anecdotes of stunts, tricksterism, successes and failures keep the book rolling, wrapping the practical details of his hell-raising toolkit. Court echoes tough progressives of the past, from Emma Goldman to the late Sen. Paul Wellstone. But his aim is to inspire action, not homage. 

It takes more dedication and resources than most individuals possess to employ Court's toolkit, but he also offers practical advice for small groups on how to amplify their message and band together. "Raising Hell" will make the most dedicated couch-potato progressive sit up and start hoping again--maybe even acting. 

Gene Sharp: 198 Methods of Non-Violent Action

Gene Sharp: 198 Methods of Non-Violent Action

Mad in Madison. It Ain’t No Tea Party

Mad in Madison. It Ain’t No Tea Party

"What Is Dead Peasant Insurance?"....Does your company have a policy like this on you?

Dead Peasant Insurance is sometimes used as a shorthand reference for life insurance policies that insure a company’s rank-and-file employees and name the company as the beneficiary. This means that the company receives the life insurance benefits when the covered employees die. This insurance may also be called “janitor insurance,”…

RECENT QUESTIONS

How did it get the name “Dead Peasant” insurance?

Winn Dixie Stores bought life insurance policies on approximately 36,000 of its employees, without their knowledge or consent, and named itself as the policies’ beneficiary. The insurance brokerage firm that placed the policies prepared two memos describing the deceased employees as “Dead Peasants.” These memos were part of the court’s record in a lawsuit in which the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit held that Winn-Dixie’s policies were a sham transaction for federal income tax purposes. The memos were later used by reporters such as Ellen Schultz and Theo Francis of the Wall Street Journal and L.M. Sixel of the Houston Chronicle and incorporated into articles about this type of insurance.

» QUESTION PERMALINK

How does a person know if he or she is covered by a policy?

It is often difficult for a person to learn whether he or she was covered by a “Dead Peasant” policy. These insurance programs became popular during the mid-1980s and have been an available investment opportunity for large companies since that time. Prior to 2006, however, there was no federal law that required employers to disclose the policies to insured employees. Any disclosure requirements that existed before 2006 were only through state laws, which were ignored in many instances. So, the only way a person could learn about the policies was through the employer’s voluntary disclosure.

» QUESTION PERMALINK

Which employers bought policies on the lives of employees?

Because a company’s purchase of insurance policies is not a public record, it is virtually impossible to know every company that invested in policies on employees’ lives. The following companies, however, are believed to have been named as the beneficiary of life insurance policies on …more »

» QUESTION PERMALINK

Germane to the above paste, is a bio on one of the leading attorneys who deal with this issue.  This neither a referral nor an advertisement for Mr. Myers.  However, his is a name that is frequently connected to  cases.

Mike Myers has a national law practice involving class actions and commercial litigation at both the trial and appellate levels. He has been counsel in cases involving eighteen approved class action settlements, including the Wal-Mart and Fina Oil “dead peasant” insurance cases. He has argued before the United States Courts of Appeals for the Tenth and Fifth Circuits in landmark cases involving life insurance and personal privacy rights. A substantial part of his practice concerns corporate-owned life insurance and his cases have been reported in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT, and internationally in LEMONDE’S March 18, 2003 article Les Mortelles Combines Des Patrons Américains. Mike is frequently used as a media resource on the topics of insurance and annuities. He has appeared in the NATIONAL LAW JOURNAL and on CNN’s Prime News with Erica Hill to discuss life insurance issues and consulted on the documentary film SiCKO.

Before forming McClanahan • Myers • Espey, Mike was a partner with the Houston, Texas litigation boutique McClanahan & Clearman, L.L.P. where he practiced for thirteen years. He is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law and Texas A&M University and a former member of a United States Army explosive ordnance detachment. Mike was named a “rising star” lawyer by Texas Lawyer magazine in 2006 and one of Houston’s top attorneys by H-Texas magazine in 2008 and 2009.

"The Black Hats Must Go" by Steve Beckow

2009 NOVEMBER 2

tags: 9/11, 9/11 Truth, Blackwater, CIA, Derivatives, FBI,FEMA camps, London bombings, martial law, Mumbai,pandemics, subprime, swine flu, Whackenhut, WTC

by Steve Beckow

Published in OpEdNews

Original Content at http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Black-Hats-Must-Go-by-Steve-Beckow-091102-514.html

It’s time to run the Black Hats outta town. It’s time to end the New World Order’s game, close the casino, and lock the doors.

It’s time to lower the boom of justice on the Black Hats in the World Bank, the IMF, the BIS, Congress, the Federal Reserve, the Bilderbergers, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, the corrupt judicial system, the corrupt police system, NORTHCOM, NORAD, CIA, FBI, everyone.

Everyone who turned the world into a reckless gaming house in which the rich got richer and the poor got poorer, everyone who grew more powerful at the expense of the rights and freedoms of others.

Everyone who denied basic medicare to citizens. Everyone who made subprime loans to poor people, collateralized them, raised their rates, and then evicted the owners.

Everyone who took out “Dead Peasant” insurance policies on their employees and made millions from them, sharing none with the relatives of the deceased.

Everyone who engineered 9/11, Oklahoma City, the London bombings, Madrid, and Mumbai to stampede the world.  Everyone who began illegal wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, who took away citizens’ rights, pushed for martial law, and set up FEMA camps to incarcerate “trouble-makers.”

Everyone who designed viruses – AIDS, SARS, avian flu, and now swine flu – some of them racially-specific – and vaccines whose only purpose was to sicken and kill in the name of depopulating the globe. Everyone who seeded the skies with chemtrails causing sickness and death from Morgellon’s disease.

Everyone who kept technologies from us that would have freed us from fossil fuels back in the 1950s. Everyone who murdered inventors who discovered how to make cars run on water. Everyone who created space-based weapons systems to extend their rule into space.

Everyone who kept from us knowledge of the populated world of space. Everyone who created a secret space service that has colonized Mars since at least the 1970s.

Everyone who killed to hide Roswell from us and created secret areas of research where they back-engineered miracles gained from downed space craft and from treaties with the Greys and then kept them from the public.

Everyone who ran torture prisons overseas, at secret underground bases, or at Guantanamo. Everyone who ran institutions like the School of the Americas where gangsters were trained to overthrow democratically-elected regimes. Everyone who created and used Blackwater and Whackenhut to create a private army and prison or who sentenced children to jail as a business.

Every Congressional Representative and every Senator who accepted bribes, favors, sex, trips and any other inducement that led them to sell their vote to the Black Hats.

Everyone who plotted to take over Canada and Mexico out of a so-called “Security and Prosperity Partnership” (ironic misnomer) or start a third world war with Iran, Russia, or China to bring the population down from 6.8 billion to a more manageable 500 million, destined to be slaves.

Everyone who developed HAARP and used it to cause or amplify earthquakes and hurricanes (including Katrina), killing tens of thousands. Or ULF (ultra-low-frequency weapons) and experimented with them, bringing down the I35W Minneapolios bridge.

Everyone who speculated in currency and brought down national economies which they then held hostage to onerous debt payments. Everyone who made loans to third-world countries and then robbed them of their resources when they couldn’t pay.

There is so much more – a media bought and paid for, deep underground military bunkers, Pine Gap, Australia, space base, Area 51, depleted-uranium weapons, printing truckloads of dollars.

This planet, reeling under the black-hole debt of the derivatives megabubble, will no longer tolerate your rule.

We know you, Black Hats. We know the whole range of your activities. We know you inside and out.

We know your business. Three showers a day won’t keep you clean.

The Black Hats, the hangers on, the vultures, the whole gang – it’s time for you to go.

From W.H. Murray

“Until one is committed, there is [always] hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”

Perceptual Experiment/Science and Fluid Intelligence

Perceptual Experiment
http://www.personalgrowthcourses.net/video/perceptual_experiment

Science and Fluid Intelligence

When scientists on the static intelligence end of the spectrum encounter evidence which seriously questions the established paradigm, they attempt to discredit the new information using laws and principles previously agreed upon under the old paradigm. If they fail at this, the new evidence is then deemed not worthy of study and discarded. At worst, the evidence is actively attacked as being irrational or unscientific, even though it may be easily tested and verified.

Scientists with a high degree of fluid intelligence who are attracted to study matters outside the current paradigm are often labeled kooks or wacky by those operating with static intelligence.

Yet history shows that it is often these "kooky" scientists who go on to make the most astonishing discoveries which pave the way for entire new areas of study which were once considered nonsense. Einstein, Galileo, and Pasteur were all ridiculed by many respected scientists of their day for their amazing discoveries which ushered in entire new branches of knowledge.

All of us are sometimes resistant to letting go of old beliefs, while at other times we are excited to explore new ways of thinking and being. Static intelligence and fluid intelligence are but two ends of a continuum, and each of us shifts to varying points on that continuum over time. To demonstrate this, visit the link below to take a short test on the sharpness of your perceptual abilities:

www.personalgrowthcourses.net/video/perceptual_experiment

Things are not always as they appear. Now watch this impressive eight-minute clip which may expand your beliefs about animal intelligence:

www.personalgrowthcourses.net/video/elephant_artist_hkc

While reading through the materials in the Hidden Knowledge Course, be prepared for the unexpected and consider choosing the more fluid end of this spectrum of intelligence. Consider also opening to support in exploring areas where you might feel stuck in old belief patterns.

In recent years, many key pioneers have been successful in operating within the modern scientific paradigm with a very high degree of fluid intelligence. These courageous individuals have used accepted scientific principles and careful research to challenge old paradigm beliefs. Below are a few shining examples of this pioneering group:

• Stanford University's neuropsychologist Karl Pribram and his in-depth studies of the holographic qualities of consciousness.
• University of Connecticut Psychologist Kenneth Ring who completed breakthrough studies of near-death experiences.
• Dr. Hal Puthoff and Russell Targ (see his excellent paper) of Stanford Research Institute in their copious studies of remote viewing and nonlocality.
• UCLA's Valerie Hunt in her systematic studies of human energy fields and measurable psychic phenomena.
• Dr. Bruce Lipton's pioneering cell biology research suggesting that contrary to popular belief, genes are not the primary regulators of life. Rather the way we perceive our life and world may be a key factor in determining gene activity.
• Princeton University's PEAR Laboratory (now closed) which established the ability of consciousness to interact with physical matter.
• Robert Monroe, founder of the Monroe Institute which teaches methods to achieve out of body experiences and remote viewing (see his landmark bookFar Journeys).
• The many pioneers of quantum physics who are finding that for deeper understanding of our world, it may be impossible to separate the physical world from consciousness.

Two classics which challenge static scientific paradigms using reliable, verifiable research from hundreds of scientific studies are the books The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot and The Field by Lynne McTaggart.The paradigm-busting film What the Bleep!? covers similar territory in a less scientific, yet very fun way.

These engaging books and film are highly recommended for those interested in exploring the work of scientists who are promoting greater awareness of ourselves and our universe, and helping people to develop more fluidity in consciousness.

  Sacred Cows

Sacred Cows © Spyder Webb of sacredcowsonline.com

"The degree of our enlightenment is the degree of passion that we will have for the entire world."~Greystone Mandala~

.....not JUST a self-centered, narcissistic interest in our own individual quest for consuming. It is no new news that the world is finding a divide between the alleged "haves" and "have nots". I say "alleged" because being insulated by the constant prison, and greed,  of "having" goods severely clouds the higher vision of so many.  Nothing makes it clearer than the dichotomy in our political system today, with many couching their greed in political terms, when it really is not at all political ... it is rather a a rationalization of greed.


True character, and its usual attributes are slipping away.  I look at the children in my sphere with both joy and sadness.  The deficit, when it really comes down to it, is the least of their problems.  With parents and extended systems, who continually lie, cheat, plunder, and believe that they have succeeded without realizing how many backs they have climbed over ... well, I'll say no more. You get it!


You may or may not like Michael Moore.  At the very least he speaks a BUNCH of truth...which is the predominant reason for his rejection by those who are materialistically insatiable, who have little compassion for truth and for every soul with which they inhabit this earth.  I found this letter to be spot on. ..compelling.  (Unless the reader cannot handle true facts.) You can make your own decision, of course.  One of my outreach goals is to offer information which perhaps the busy person of today misses out on. "


I congratulate Moore on creating a forum for those youth whose voices, opinions...MUST be heard....MUST be affirmed ... MUST be considered for their own truths.

Friday, February 18th, 2011

Dear High School Students:


How inspired are you by the thousands of students from Wisconsin high schools who began walking out of class four days ago and have now occupied the State Capitol building and its grounds in Madison, demanding that the governor stop his assault on teachers and other government workers? I have to say it's one of the most exciting things I've seen in years.

We are, right now, living in an amazing moment of history. And this moment has happened because the youth around the world have decided they've had enough. Young people are in revolt -- and it's about time.

You, the students and young adults, from Cairo, Egypt to Madison, Wisconsin, are now rising up, taking to the streets, organizing, protesting and refusing to move until your voices are heard. Effing amazing!! It has scared the pants off those in power, the adults who were so convinced they had done a heckuva job trying to dumb you down and distract you with useless nonsense so that you'd end up feeling powerless, just another cog in the wheel, another brick in the wall. You've been fed a lot of propaganda about "how the system works" and so many lies about what took place in history that I'm amazed you've been able to sort through all the bs and see the truth for what it is. This was all done in the hopes you would just keep your mouths shut, get in line and follow orders. And don't rock the boat. Because if you do, you could end up without a good job! You could end up looking like a freak! You've been told politics isn't cool and that one person really can't make a difference.

And for some beautiful, unknown reason, you've refused to listen. Maybe it's because you've figured out that we adults are about to hand you a very empty and increasingly miserable world, with its melting polar ice caps, its low-paying jobs, its incessant war machine, and its plan to put you in permanent debt at age 18 with the racket known as college loans.

On top of that, you've had to listen to adults tell you that you may not be able to legally marry the person you love, that your uterus isn't really yours to control, and that if a black guy somehow makes it into the White House, he must've entered illegally from Kenya.

Yet, from what I've seen, the vast majority of you have rejected all of this crap. Never forget that it was you, the young people, who made Barack Obama president. First you formed his army of election volunteers to get him the nomination. Then you came out in record numbers in November of 2008. Did you know that the only age group where Obama won the white vote was with 18-29-year-olds? The majority of every white age group over 29 years old voted for McCain -- and yet Obama still won! How'd that happen? Because there were so many youth voters of all races -- a record turnout that overcame the vast numbers of fearful white adults who simply couldn't see someone whose middle name was Hussein in the Oval Office. Thank you young voters for making that happen!

Young people elsewhere in the world, most notably in the Middle East, have taken to the streets and overthrown dictatorial governments without firing a shot. Their courage has inspired others to take a stand. There's a huge momentum right now, a youth-backed mojo that can't and won't be stopped.

Although I've long since left your age group, I've been so inspired by recent events that I'd like to do my bit and lend a hand. I've decided to turn over a part of my website to high school students so they -- you -- can have the opportunity to get the word out to millions more people. For a long time I've wondered, how come we don't hear the true voices of teenagers in our mainstream media? Why is your voice any less valid than an adult's?

In high schools all across America, students have great ideas to make things better or to question what is going on -- and often these thoughts and opinions are ignored or silenced. How often in school is the will of the student body ignored? How many students today will try to speak out, to stand up for something important, to simply try to right a wrong -- and will be swiftly shut down by those in authority, or by other students themselves?

I've seen students over the years attempt to participate in the democratic process only to be told that high schools aren't democracies and that they have no rights (even though the Supreme Court has said that a student doesn't give up his or her rights "when they enter the schoolhouse door").

It's always amazed me how adults preach to young people about what a great "democracy" we have, but when students seek to be part of it, they are reminded that they are not full citizens yet and must behave somehow as indentured servants. Is it any wonder then why some students, when they become adults, don't feel like participating in our political system -- because they've been taught by example for the past 12 years that they have no say in the decisions that affect them?

We like to say that we have this great "free press," and yet how free are high school newspapers? How free are you to write or blog about what you want? I've been sent stories from teenagers that they couldn't get published at school. Why not? Why must we silence or keep out of sight the voice of our teenagers?t's not that way in other countries. The voting age in places like Austria, Brazil or Nicaragua is 16. In France, students can shut down the country by simply walking out of school and taking to the streets.

But here in the U.S. you're told to obey and to basically butt out and let the adults run the show.

Let's change that!  I'm starting something on my site called, "HIGH SCHOOL NEWSPAPER."Here you will be able to write what you want and I will publish it. I will also post those articles that you've tried to get published at your school but were turned down. On my site you will have freedom and an open forum and a chance to have your voice heard by millions.

I've asked my 17-year-old niece, Molly, to kick things off by editing this page for the first six months. She will ask you to send her your stories and ideas and the best ones will be posted on  MichaelMoore.com  .I'll give you the platform you deserve. It will be my honor to have you on my site and I encourage you to take advantage of it.

You are often called "our future." That future is today, right here, right now. You've already proven you can change the world. Keep doing it. And I'd be honored to help you.

Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com

"Transform Fear Through Core Issue Work" from Want To Know.com

Transform Fear Through Core Issue Work

Most of us have one or more core issues or challenges which surface repeatedly over the course of our lives. These issues are usually rooted in deep, unexpressed fears. Depending on your perspective, core issues either cause all sorts of problems, or present many opportunities for transformation. When you choose to look at core issues as an opportunity, you are much more likely to transform your fears into learning tools which lead to a better life. Below are the most common core issues, their related fears, and suggestions for dealing with them.

Examples of Common Core Issues and Associated Fears

• Abandonment – Nobody cares about me. I'm all alone. I don't matter.
• Arrogance – I'm better than all of you. I'm too much. I'm right and you're wrong.
• Damaged – Something is wrong with me. I'm a failure. I'm damaged.
• Inferiority – I'm not good enough. I'm stupid. I'm worthless. I'm boring. I'm hopeless.
• Rejection – I'm a burden. I'm unwanted. Nobody wants to spend time with me.
• Shame – I'm bad. I'm evil. I'm a mistake. I'm a monster. I'm disgusting. I'm possessed.

Our core issues often originate from childhood family scenarios. They can be a result of negative messages that were repeated many times to us by our parents or other significant people in our lives. Or one of these beliefs may have been driven deep into us during one or more traumatic experiences. Was one of the above statements drilled into you in your early years?

Note that some people are overcompensators. If you are in this category, you may unconsciously do everything you can to make it appear as if you are anything but your core issue. For instance, someone with inferiority as a core fear might outwardly appear very macho or domineering. Yet deep inside, this is covering up a fear of being inferior. A person dealing with shame may be overly nice and giving to cover up a fear that they are really bad. Particularly if you are having trouble finding a core issue, notice if any of your behavior is opposite of the core issues above.

Examples of Behavior of Overcompensators

• Abandonment – Always need to be included, join everything to avoid deeper feelings.
• Arrogance – Act very humble, hiding their deeper belief that no one can match them.
• Damaged – Present themselves as always great, avoid talking about their problems.
• Inferiority – Macho, domineering, need to prove they are better than others.
• Rejection – Present themselves as incredibly desirable, yet reject others easily.
• Shame – Overly nice and giving. Overcompetency. Secretly fear being exposed as fraud.

Whether you are an overcompensator or not, by exploring the deep, underlying fears of your core issues, you can transform your life for the better. Though you may find that you have more than one core issue, generally one will be more prominent than the others. Particularly if this is new to you, we highly recommend you first focus on exploring your most prominent core issue. To deal with this core issue, you can design intentions to gradually shift this deeply ingrained fear.

Suggested Intentions for Transforming Fears, Core Issues

• Abandonment – I am worthy of love. I can find ways to safely share myself with others.
• Arrogance – I can learn from all around me. I can see goodness in everyone I meet.
• Damaged – I am whole and complete just as I am. I can choose to love all of me.
• Inferiority – I am a good, valuable person. I can make meaningful contributions to the world.
• Rejection – I am an attractive, interesting person. People can enjoy getting to know me.
• Shame – I can be gentle with myself. I can hold the best intentions for all deep in my heart. 

At the root of all of these core issues is a lack of acceptance and a deep feeling of being disconnected. The disconnection can be from ourselves, from others, from our spiritual nature, or from any combination of these. Here are two empowering intentions for dealing with these most basic core issues: May I ever deepen my acceptance of myself and all around me. May I choose ever deeper connection with myself and all around me.

The above intentions are merely suggestions which you may or may not choose to use. By developing your own statements that resonate more strongly with your personal experience, you can transform your fears on a deeper level. Set aside time to explore these issues. Change the wording any time you find something more appropriate. You might also invite close friends or family members to give suggestions. Writing down your intentions is highly recommended. Consider writing a set of life intentions, and review them frequently to help keep you on track.

Once you have developed your intentions, cultivate an awareness of how and when your core issue is triggered. Notice when you are telling yourself that same old story. Each time this happens, remind yourself of your deeper intention and open to shifting from your old, disempowering self-image into a new, fuller way of being. You can continually choose transformation by remembering to recognize fear as an invitation to growth.

This is not to suggest that you avoid or suppress your fears and core issues. Working to accept and understand all parts of yourself, including your core issues, opens the door to transformation and allows you more easily and naturally to access your beautiful deeper essence. This, in turn, can help you to live a much fuller and richer life. For overcompensators, who often have a strong tendency to avoid their fears, this is particularly important. You can find some empowering ideas on developing acceptance and understanding at this link.

Don't be surprised if after having a significant breakthrough in transforming a core issue, you eventually find the same issue rearing its ugly head again in a different form. Most people find that transforming fear through working with their core issues is like peeling away layers of an onion. You make a significant breakthrough, only to eventually find the same issue manifesting in another, more subtle form. Yet as each layer is peeled away, you will very likely find your life to be richer, more meaningful, and more enjoyable than it was before.

By identifying and choosing to deal with our core issues, we can transform our deepest fears and end up feeling more alive and more connected with ourselves and with those around us. This then inspires us to participate more fully and effectively in building a brighter future for all of us.

For more on transforming fear and core issues, there are many books, therapists, and workshops which explore this fertile topic. We particularly recommend two inspiring books. Eckart Tolle's A New Earth provides many powerful suggestions to recognize and transform limiting aspects of ourselves. Undefended Love, by Jett Psaris and Marlena Lyons, also gives excellent ideas and tools (note that the language in this book is of a new age flavor). Or search "transform fear" and "core issues" on any search engine to find more. By transforming your fears, you can have a richer life.

http://www.WantToKnow.info

"There Is Still No Such Thing as Socialsecuritymedicareandmedicaid!"

FEBRUARY 16, 2011, 9:54 AM

There Is Still No Such Thing As Socialsecuritymedicareandmedicaid

And President Obama, I’m glad to see, knows that:

The truth is Social Security is not the huge contributor to the deficit that the other two entitlements are. I’m confident we can get Social Security done in the same way that Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill were able to get it done, by parties coming together, making some modest adjustments. I think we can avoid slashing benefits, and I think we can make it stable and stronger for not only this generation but for the next generation.

It’s also important to realize that the conceptual issues are very different for Social Security than they are for M&M. For SS, we decide the level of benefits; for M&M, we can’t do that, because health costs for any individual are unpredictable; so cost-savings on the health-care programs essentially involve deciding what we’ll pay for rather than how much we’ll pay. (Death panels!)

I like the way Jonathan Bernstein puts it:

In my view, those who are upset about the long-term federal budget deficit should talk about it in terms of what it is, health care costs. Just as the phrase “weapons of mass destruction” encourages sloppy thinking (because nuclear weapons are not really similar at all to chemical and biological weapons in lots of important ways), talking about “entitlements” confuses the budget situation. I could see “Medicare and Medicaid” or, perhaps, “government health programs,” but not entitlements.

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