I finally got around to watching Sicko by Michael Moore and it's a great picture. He's an antidote to all the lies and propaganda fomented by the business elite in America who don't want the population in general to realize how badly they're getting screwed. And for those who dispute this claim a few facts I'd like to point out.
Health Care: The emphasis is on profit, with a great effort going into providing the least amount of care while charging as much as the market can bare. The result is that Americans pay more per capita than any other nation and have lower life expectancy than most western nations due to poor preventative care and lack of adeequate treatment even when they are insured. Former insurance executives have testified that their decisions to deny care based on financial considerations have killed many people. All in the name of making money, which the health care insurers do in record amounts. Is it right that CEOs of major insurers become billionaires while the ill die? Health care bills are the leading cause of bankruptcy and homelessness in America today.
Corporate fraud: Enron was a blatant example but there are many more. Enron manipulated the energy supply in California and other places around the turn of the millenium creating artificial shortages which could be exploited to great profit as well as rolling brownouts and blackouts, disrupting the economy and life in general. They also lied about the companies bottom line greatly increasing stock value and executive wealth, this at a time when Ken Lay was the national energy advisor to Bush and Cheney. Cheney still refuses to release policy papers from those times. Investors lost billions. Same with those who bought stocks in many other companies that were involved in the same practice like Worldcom, Johnson & Johnson and Toiko. Halliburton managed to avoid most of the fallout from this scandal paying only $7.5 million in an investor lawsuit, another example of how above the law some Americans have become.
Now we're dealing with the Subprime scandal where many Americans were talked into mortgages they couldn't afford all so the loans could be bundled and sold on the markets as commodities with expectation that as many as 20% would default. Brokers and investors could make huge profits if they moved the paper fast enough, but thousands of US citizens have been made homeless across the US and the economy depressed all so a few on Wall Street could get a little more wealthy.
Then we get to the Iraq War which has to be one of the most immoral wars in history when you consider the false justification, the close involvement of the President and VP with some of the largest contractors of the war, the MILLIONS of Iraqi casualties, orphans and refugees, the thousands of US casualties and the HUNDREDS of thousands of US veterans who gave their service and are now living on the streets of America. That's just scratching the surface of the moral degeneracy of the US elite. Paris Hilton may be entertaining but she's the poster child of something very dark taking place in the highest levels of the most powerful nation on Earth at the present.
Oh yah, I forgot Delay, Cunningham, Foley, Allen, Craig, Libby, and the other corrupt or just downright creepy ****s who represent the elite rightwing in America today.
There are those who criticize Moore for his views, but the sad fact is he's doesn't go nearly far enough. From what I know from my own ancestors and study of history I believe that a situation like this can't go on forever. Societies are self correcting when the needs of the people are not being met and the powerful exploit the vulnerable to satisfy their greed. I believe it was Jefferson who said that the tree of liberty needs to be watered periodically with the blood of patriots and tryrants.
I think it's pretty obvious who the tyrants and the patriots are and Michael Moore is one of the good guys. Way to go Mike, great movie.
Health Care: The emphasis is on profit, with a great effort going into providing the least amount of care while charging as much as the market can bare. The result is that Americans pay more per capita than any other nation and have lower life expectancy than most western nations due to poor preventative care and lack of adeequate treatment even when they are insured. Former insurance executives have testified that their decisions to deny care based on financial considerations have killed many people. All in the name of making money, which the health care insurers do in record amounts. Is it right that CEOs of major insurers become billionaires while the ill die? Health care bills are the leading cause of bankruptcy and homelessness in America today.
Corporate fraud: Enron was a blatant example but there are many more. Enron manipulated the energy supply in California and other places around the turn of the millenium creating artificial shortages which could be exploited to great profit as well as rolling brownouts and blackouts, disrupting the economy and life in general. They also lied about the companies bottom line greatly increasing stock value and executive wealth, this at a time when Ken Lay was the national energy advisor to Bush and Cheney. Cheney still refuses to release policy papers from those times. Investors lost billions. Same with those who bought stocks in many other companies that were involved in the same practice like Worldcom, Johnson & Johnson and Toiko. Halliburton managed to avoid most of the fallout from this scandal paying only $7.5 million in an investor lawsuit, another example of how above the law some Americans have become.
Now we're dealing with the Subprime scandal where many Americans were talked into mortgages they couldn't afford all so the loans could be bundled and sold on the markets as commodities with expectation that as many as 20% would default. Brokers and investors could make huge profits if they moved the paper fast enough, but thousands of US citizens have been made homeless across the US and the economy depressed all so a few on Wall Street could get a little more wealthy.
Then we get to the Iraq War which has to be one of the most immoral wars in history when you consider the false justification, the close involvement of the President and VP with some of the largest contractors of the war, the MILLIONS of Iraqi casualties, orphans and refugees, the thousands of US casualties and the HUNDREDS of thousands of US veterans who gave their service and are now living on the streets of America. That's just scratching the surface of the moral degeneracy of the US elite. Paris Hilton may be entertaining but she's the poster child of something very dark taking place in the highest levels of the most powerful nation on Earth at the present.
Oh yah, I forgot Delay, Cunningham, Foley, Allen, Craig, Libby, and the other corrupt or just downright creepy ****s who represent the elite rightwing in America today.
There are those who criticize Moore for his views, but the sad fact is he's doesn't go nearly far enough. From what I know from my own ancestors and study of history I believe that a situation like this can't go on forever. Societies are self correcting when the needs of the people are not being met and the powerful exploit the vulnerable to satisfy their greed. I believe it was Jefferson who said that the tree of liberty needs to be watered periodically with the blood of patriots and tryrants.
I think it's pretty obvious who the tyrants and the patriots are and Michael Moore is one of the good guys. Way to go Mike, great movie.
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