Former Pres. Clinton Blasts Olbermann For Politicizing Little Rock Health Care Event

May the good Lord up above forbid that Bill Clinton ever get his hands dirty with anything political. This is perplexing. Bill Clinton has politicized everything in his life, including the execution of a mentally retarded man during his presidential campaign. Bill Clinton started his card file at age 11.

Health care has become transformed from a moral calling to a scheme to make a few chosen people wealthy on the backs of desperate people and Bill Clinton is afraid of a little politics.  Here is a link to the entire story.

Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor had best start paying as much attention to some of the poorest, sickest people in America who happen to live in Arkansas.

by Steve Krakauer | 6:14 pm, November 20th, 2009

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Well this is surprising.

Former President Bill Clinton told FireDogLake today he would not attend a free clinic event in Arkansas tomorrow because MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann had “politicized” the event.

From the post:

Eve ran into Clinton Thursday in the gift shop of the Clinton Library. She’s in Arkansas covering the Keith Olbermann’s free clinic event, organized by the National Association of Free Clinics. The former President is in town for the 5th anniversary of the Clinton Library…Clinton responded that Olbermann was politicizing the clinic, and that it wasn’t helpful for Olbermann to do that. He said he did not feel he could show up now, because the event had turned political.

Olbermann began his endorsement of these free clinics on his hour-long Special Comment show on October 8. The Arkansas event was just one of six Olbermann had made part of his larger push for health care reform. According to FireDogLake: “Olbermann, who has invited his viewers to contribute to the National Association of Free Clinics in advance of the event, has said on his show that ‘I want Sens. (Blanche) Lincoln and (Mark) Pryor to see what health care poverty is really like in Little Rock.’”

Filed under: Arkansas, Health Insurance Reform, National politics

What does the U. S. Chamber of Commerce stand for?

The national mouthpiece for corporate welfare has thrown a complete tantrum over the Senate vote to talk about health care reform. The heat is on Arkansas Senators Pryor and Lincoln. This item came in today’s mail and I find it quite enlightening.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has spent millions of dollars in Arkansas over the past week attacking some Members of Congress for their vote in favor of comprehensive health insurance reform.

As a public service, Americans United for Change in Arkansas offers the viewing public a sampling of other positions the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has taken recently.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce positions:

Business should not have to give workers time off if they have swine flu. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposes a bill proposing paid sick leave for workers who contract flu-like symptoms even in light of this year’s H1N1 epidemic. 11/03/09]

Defense Contractors Have the Right to Rape Their Employees And Get Away With It. Sen. Al Franken offered a successful amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill that would withhold defense contracts to companies who prevent victims from filing lawsuits against sexual assault and harassment. The Politico noted that the Chamber of Commerce lobbied against the amendment. [Politico, 10/7/09]

Employers should be able to pay women less than men for doing the same job. The Chamber of Commerce lobbied against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which nullified an anti-labor 2007 Supreme Court decision by giving workers more time to file pay discrimination lawsuits. [Chamber, 1/14/09]

Chemicals which cause miscarriages, genital defects, and other reproductive health risks should not be banned from toys: The Chamber of Commerce aggressively lobbied against a ban on phthalates when Congress was debating the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act in 2008. The chemical gained notoriety when it was reported that Chinese toys sold in the U.S. contained it. [CAP, 7/21/09; OMB Watch, 12/2/08]

There should be no regulation Of Wall Street to prevent another financial collapse. The Chamber of Commerce has been one of the organizations leading the charge against the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency. The CFPA would set standards for traditional mortgages, restrict mortgages with hidden fees, enforce laws aimed at restricting banks from arbitrarily raising interest rates, and examine the practices of lenders and financial firms with risky products. [New York Times, 7/30/09; WonkRoom, 10/3/09]

There should be no minimum wage at all. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has argued that market forces alone should set wage scales. The Chamber has argued that living wage standards “put the interest of employees above all other considerations.” The Chamber lobbied against the latest increase in the minimum wage. [Fox News, 12/22/06; Quigley, p 132]

Filed under: Arkansas, Health Insurance Reform, National politics

Some Friday morning headlines

More than one thousand patients and over twelve hundred volunteers are signed up for Saturday’s free medical clinic at the Statehouse Convention Center. Little Rock is reported to have provided more medical personnel willing to work for free than Houston, Texas.

St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center is opening a neuroscience institute with a team of three neurosurgeons, including two big name doctors who recently departed UAMS — Dr. Ali Krisht and Dr. Osama Al Mefty.

Despite a change in federal recommendations, Blue Cross and Blue Shield and its related Health Advantage will continue to cover mammograms for women 40 and over who have “wellness” coverage.

Federal regulators have authorized Entergy Corp.’s utilities in two states to leave a multi-state agreement – a move expected to save money for ratepayers in Arkansas.

State Police, in conjunction with law enforcement agencies nationwide, will kick off a Click It or Ticket campaign Monday, leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday.

The FBI is helping investigate the slayings of five people found shot in their homes outside Hot Springs after days of dead-end leads and no arrests.

The Court of Appeals reversed and dismissed a breaking and entering conviction against a Union County handyman, citing lack of evidence. Keith White had claimed that he had permission to enter the storage area from which the admitted theft occurred.

Filed under: Arkansas

Thursday Arkansas early news

Lt. Gov Bill Halter, appearing on MSNBC with Keith Obermann, declines to answer questions about challenging Senator Blanche Lincoln for the Democratic nomination. Halter was on to discuss the free health clinic in the capitol city this weekend.

The Senate approves $412 million for construction projects at the Little Rock Air Force Base and Pine Bluff Arsenal.

One day after a federal report listed Arkansas as having the third-highest level of hunger in the nation, the Senate agriculture committee heard from four Arkansans who say hunger is a growing problem here and across the country.

Members of the Blue Ribbon Committee on Highway Finance have been told that recommendations for new sources of funding for state highway improvements could be ready for review by January.

North Little Rock Mayor Patrick Hays defends city business ethics in the wake of a federal indictment against a Cabot man that says the man attempted to defraud the city with the help of an alderman.

Unfunded capital projects during Lu Hardin’s six years as president of the University of Central Arkansas are partly to blame for the school’s financial problems.

Paul Wells, who was referred to as being groomed to be the top man at Murphy USA, is found guilty in Union County Circuit Court on three felony counts of theft of property.

The former Shannon Hills police chief who has been fighting a sexual-assault conviction for five years has admitted to molesting a girl in exchange for a shorter prison sentence.

The mayor of Ozark in Franklin County wants an outside agency to investigate a local police officer’s use of a Taser on a 10-year-old girl.

A Conway man was arrested after allegedly using a gas pump squeegee to bludgeon a man in his mid-60s after an altercation over who was first in line for gas.

Dallas County authorities say a man convicted of attempted capital murder who jumped off a garbage truck rather than return to the county jail at Fordyce has turned himself in.

Filed under: Arkansas