Americas REAL 2 party system

I have come to the conclusion that there are just two parties in America – Wall Street and Washington government. And as such, they are vying like two wrestlers for the world championship belt of complete economic control and domination. I mean unlike us, they are elitist that really want to run the world, I saw this with the bailout. But it has been made clearer with the proposed Health care debate.

It is apparent that Obama nor the members of the House have no clue of what they are talking about with respect to health care reform or even to what is in the bill that has been proposed on behalf of the current administration - even the President himself. From what I have read and heard, none of the talking heads on the media or the political class have no inkling of understanding regarding the nature and extent of the problem.

There is no real focus on the evaluation of how insurance companies make their money. This essential if they attempt to solve the most basic health care concerns of average Americans. Truth be told, we really don’t need any government healthcare. Instead, we need more regulation, both with respect to how insurance bodies operate, redacting the negative impact of capitated health care. And the FDA and drug pricing and development issues. Medicaid, Medicare and social security is broke and it is hard for me to believe that the government or Wall Street have the metal let alone intellectual prowess to run 1/7th of our economy.

See, the way insurance companies work, is by spreading risk. On one end, they have the capacity to add new individuals to purchase new policies and on the other, they can just refuse to insure, or drop people because they feel they are two expensive (usually the elderly, the poor, minorities or folks with Diabetes, Cancer of AIDS). If this as well as the fact that MBAs instead of Physicians and scientist run health care is not discussed, it is no way to get any change instituted. Thus I can see why may expect that the government, if they ran health care, would be no Different than Wall street; they too would ration health care, as they do now, when folks are elderly and most likely in the last years of their life as is the practice now.

Congressmen, who took millions from these Wall Street banks, are the same ones who are asked to solve, develop and vote on issues of health care reform. Real reform would be to regulate what is already out there and institute practical changes that actually focus on the individual instead of the bottom line and profit margin. Neither politicians nor Wall Street will ever look at this from a profit versus non-profit perspective because doing such would be pragmatic. The reality is that insurance companies are run by Wall Street via hedge funds and the government by tax payers who are hedged upon. When long ago, health care operated very cost effectively when run at the state level by not for profit health care vehicles controlled by physicians.

I’m certain we all have heard directly from our physicians words that make no sense. I mean doctors will tell you if you ask, that what “treatment that you may get, will be based on what the insurance company will say.” This is the American way. I feel the debate should be reframed. First for folks to talk about health care reform or even universal health care and they are insured is disingenuous and merely show and tell time. Especially politicians who will have their health care paid by folk like me for the rest of their life. Health care way better than what I or any one who reads this would get.

So don’t get excited if we don’t change again. For the real American two party system involve Wall Street and Washington Government. And we can’t regulate either.

Ye old revolving doors

I was some what amazed at the Bernard Madoff scandal, maybe not amazed, but rather amused. Not because a few folks killed themselves, or a lot of rich folks lost all they loot, but rather because this crook, was also once the former chairman of NASDEQ. Now if that aint funny nothing is, not to mention that his investment arm was not even registered with the SEC until September 2006. Add to that, who would not be leery of a man with the name made-off? But that is how Washington and Wall Street insiders act, they used to going through them revolving doors from Washington to Wall Street, and to the SEC in this example. Madoff had a good reputation with folk on Wall Street and for a typical insider that is good enough for them. That’s the problem.

The SEC will never work as an effective watch dog over folk like Madoff. Namely because they are folk. Madoff as others on Wall Street interchange jobs like a connecting flight through Hartsfield/Jackson international Airport. The Madoff scandal is a black eye to the reputation of the Securities and Exchange Commission, who is supposed to police shit like this. However, folks like outgoing SEC Chairman Christopher Cox seem to have no clue or worse, turn a blind eye to their own kind. Cox after all said that Bear Stearns was in good shape three days before this investment house belly-flopped. Not to mention he mad at folks in the SEC (when they had been informed for decades) for not being able to notice the foul stuff being implemented by Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC.

Folks around the world took looses because institutions like the SEC and our Federal government care more about the folks who they know and support them than the implementation of objective critical thought. In the United Kingdom, Kingate Global Fund Ltd, reportedly lost $2.5 billion. Ascot Partners $1.8 billion, Access International Advisors $1.4 billion, Maxam Capital Management LLC $280 million and the banks HSBC and RBS have lost $1 billion and $600 million. The Spanish bank Banco Santander and Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBV), have reported losses of $3.1 billion and $405 million accordingly.

I do not see these types of acts changing in the near future, and suspect a many more complex hustles in the futures and securities markets to be still in play, even with Obama naming the current head of the Wall Street Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Mary Schapiro, as the new head of the SEC. Why do I say this? Well truth is known is that the folks who work for the big banks and financial institution of Wall Street are the same ones who work in the SEC. They go back and forth like the rubber ball in a game of dodge ball. Take Cox for example, which from 1978 to 1986, who was a venture capital and corporate finance lawyer with the international law firm of Latham & Watkins. He was supposedly over the Corporate Department in Orange County (they went bankrupt a few years back). He also received a MBA and JD from Harvard as well as taught federal income tax courses at the Harvard Business School.

Schapiro is no different. She was appointed by President Clinton in 1994 to be chairperson of the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission – we see where that got us today, although she was supposed to be responsible for regulating the US futures markets. Before that, she served for six years as a Commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission being appointed in 1988 by President Reagan and reappointed by President Bush in 1989.

The SEC, regardless of who runs it, will never look out for the common man (folks who don’t work on Wall Street or hold political office). In October of last year, they gave "preferential treatment" to Wall Street executive John Mack during an insider trading investigation because he was about to become CEO of the Morgan Stanley investment banking firm. Now I am only saying that it is impossible for folks to police themselves. I don’t think you would let Crips police Crips in a federal correctional facility, so what is difference here? None, nada, zero is the answer. I don’t know why folks are so protective of the next president of these United States of America; likewise, I do not know why they are hypersensitive of folks who review and evaluate his proposed policies and his cabinet choices. It only makes logical sense to me. I remember doing the same regarding the current Bush – especially with respect to his incessant mentioning of “compassionate Conservatism.” His words, policies and appointments demonstrated neither compassion nor conservatism to me, especially with appointments of folk the likes of Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz. No one, in particular black folks didn’t say a word against my evaluative pragmatism then.

Obama is the president and as president it is our job to be critical and free thinking about his office, policy and problem solving capacity – especially with respect to his words and what he said he will do. The only difference outside of his color for me is that his mantra is not “compassionate conservatism” but rather “change.” Show me some change, or better yet, where is the beef. For we will continue to have these problems until we clean house. These same old Washington folks done messed things up enough, don’t you agree? I feel that we can find just as competent folk, if not more competent folks outside the beltway. I’m just glad medicine isn’t like that, or else one would only be able to have an expert physician or Surgeon in Washington, DC.

Monkey in the middle

I have repeated on inordinate occasions that I see no difference between democrats or the GOP. In my defense, I have asked for proof with regards to policy, affect and impact on problem solving and/or saying what they do. To this date no one has accepted this challenge and those that do tend to assert America is a democracy when I ask, as opposed to KNOWING it is a republic.

Now, as the typical Washington inside machine operates, it reared its selfish and good old folk head again. The U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama was appointed by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to the former attorney general of Illinois Roland Burris. When Jones got to Washington, The Senate good old boys told folk he was not accepted (his credentials were not in order). He was refused entry to the Senate based on them citing Article 1, Section 5 of the U.S. Constitution, which states "Each house shall be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its own members."

In two words – bull shit. This is purely political, blocking the appointment of one man because they dislike the other. And I tell ya if as many black folks who followed Beyoncee would follow this the same way, these folk in Washington would have a lot of noise back home in their districts. I was optimistic that Obama meant what he said, and would do accordingly. But I am slowly becoming disillusioned. He spoke of change, and not having the “good old boy” network of “Washington Insiders” in his administration – yet he does. I won’t even get on the usual talk of tax reduction, war ending and other stuff that all democrats and republicans chant like some Taoist mantra.

The situation with Burris is ridiculous and shows us how theatrical politic inside the beltway are. If I know the signature from the Illinois Secretary of State is not required but rather ceremonial, then they should too. Blagojevich legally appointed Burris to the seat vacated by President-Elect Obama. Now I don’t really give a care about Senate appointee Jones one way or the other, but I do care about the right of the Illinois citizenry. That's some of the dumbist shit I done seen in recent times. I mean they give more attention to this than the economy, the decline of the dollar, a non-existant manufacturing base, despots like the former NASDAQ Chairman (Madoff) or education.

As it stands, seems as if the Senate is reminiscent of a bunch of kids on the little rascals refusing another kid into the he man woman hatters club, or not letting a kid play with them because he friends with another kid they don’t like. Go pick on the kid you don’t like, Senator Burris aint done nothing wrong and should not be treated as if he is the governor. That man is 71 years old and you holding the ball over his head, and passing the buck like he a monkey in the middle.

Point of order: told yawl I could write a post about Beyoncee.

Whoop That Trick

The audacity of some Negroes and aunt Tomisinas have to criticize folks just because they don’t present the modus operandi of that reflects their own personal penchant. Me I could care less what other think of me but more so what I think of myself.

A long time ago we would never criticize each other in public, but now that has changed with the basic desire many of our upper class citizens. I just read an article by one Jill Nelson. Mrs. Nelson (if married and able to keep a husband), indubitably has a problem with Young black men who are not equal in her personal experiences. What I do know about Slim Goodie is that she was born in Harlem, raised in Harlem and graduated from the City College of New York and Columbia University’s School of Journalism.

In a recent article she wrote that “Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, and Will Smith--all of them previously recognized by the academy either as nominees or as Oscar recipients--convinced Terrence Howard not to sing the song from Hustle & Flow at the Academy Awards,” even writing that.” Poitier is quoted as having told Howard, "Do not get up there and represent the African-American community singing about a pimp."

The types of magazines she write for probably are not read by Three-Six, let alone folks who listen to the band. I do read The Washington Post, The Nation, and The Chicago Tribune though, but I don’t particularly care about what I consider “uppity Negro / House Slave Fiction.”

Her recent book, Finding Martha’s Vineyard: African Americans at Home on an Island, may give us some insight into her expanse of what it may be like to be a young African American man in Memphis, who has made it basically by ingenuity and telling the world about what he lives and experiences daily in his. According to Jill, she described Three 6 Mafia as “barely able to speak English” and described their award acceptance as a “spectacle of the group members onstage, complete with gold fronts and baggy clothing that featured designer names in oversize letters--the modern-day equivalent of branding slaves as property.” Now i dont expect everone to speak memphis, but I do expect folks to be able to comprehend the sheer joy that was honestly displayed by my home boys. When I spoke with Frayser boy the monday after he apeared on stage to get his acadamy award, he was still excited.

Miss, Ms. or Mrs. Nelson, Bravo, for in your honor I would hope that one day someone walks up to you and recants the words of that famous Memphis philosopher Ska Face Al Kapone “whoop that Trick.”