Are Insurance Companies paying off dissenters?

*photo courtesy of carolinaliving.com*

Everyday I wake up and turn on the news. I either access it from my computer, or watch it on the hd. I get almost the same information from every outlet, and then I get their own special twist on it. On Cnn I get a more balanced view, on msnbc a more liberal view, and on fox a more 'let's kill our President' view. I hardly watch ABC but from what I hear its also balanced and a bit more family friendly. Forget all of that though, the point of this article is whats on the news, health care.

Here, both sides have got to get their priorities straightened. The democrats really need to choose a bill thats going to work, and the republicans need to stop saying the most ridiculous things about government run healthcare. They also should realize that there are a LOT of people that do not receive the benefits they do or any benefits at all. If they understood this I'm sure they would speed things along.

And yet...the scary thing I've been realizing is that only a certain few are actually doing anything about it. Health care has become almost as scary an item to discuss in this country as the middle east wars and oil. I never thought it would happen, but there are plenty of big organizations out there that do NOT want us to get healthier because it cuts into their profits! What kind of human being do you have to be to protest a government run health care program because you won't make as much money?

Is that what our country has come to? A country of greed and hatred amongst ourselves? A country that misinformed senior citizens go to bed scared every night because the big companies are constantly putting up commercials that say government run healthcare is going to kill them? Am I still in the United States?? Because this has become ridiculous.


That's what makes me wonder. That's what this blog today is about. Are media dissenters getting paid by these same horrible companies? Or are they just doing everything they can to go against the president as normal? Because it better be the latter or my faith in humanity has almost ran out. Its crazy to think that I would rather some media outlets just hate our government rather than be paid by the big insurance companies to spread fear amongst Americans.

God help us.

Tree Hugging

This is the worst kind of article to write. You see, because even though we can all say we love and need the environment, and even though we say we love Al Gore and we try our best to save our Ecosystem, we really don't. The majority of people, myself included, hardly think twice about purchasing biodegradable materials, or recycled paper, etc. I usually go to Target or Walmart and get whatever I find to be cheapest, at no thought to whether this will affect my environment in anyway. This thinking has been going on for hundreds of years, but it definitely needs to stop. We need to get past the point of selfishness and into a zone of selflessness, not only for our generation, but for our offspring.

Every year more species become endangered, we dig more into the amazon, and lets not forget we still contribute to the ever expanding ozone layer. Huge icebergs melt a little more everyday thanks to our irresponsible behavior and we as a species need to do something about it. I definitely understand the problem though, as most of us do have good intentions.

What most of us don't have however, are adequate recycling systems nearby. I remember in a town i use to live in we had a 'recycling' area in the middle of nowhere where we pretty much threw in a bag of plastic cups, lids, etc and a creepy man would give us 50 cents, and I've heard this still happens today. Not to mention our insane water usage growing up. I shudder at some memories I have growing up of wasting so much water for really no reason other than to torment a sibling or pet.

So here comes the world of the day yet again, responsibility. Its up to us to save the planet, no one else is going to do this for you. If you want your grand kids to grow up in a disgusting, sewage infested Earth, that's completely up to you. But I, I'm going to do my best to recycle, use less water, and buy Eco-friendly materials from now on.

-Eight

The Big Three

Race, Politics, and Religion.

This is supposedly yet again the election that will have everyone buzzing. This will be a historical election, they say. This election will be one to tell your kids about, they say. I personally hear this and I doubt. I doubt because 4 years ago I heard almost the exact same thing and I hoped. I put in my ballot, stayed up late watching it on TV. and I prayed for the best. The result was not very pretty.

And yet here we are I’m four years older, smarter, and more pessimistic. My generation was supposed to change the world 4 years ago and it did not. And it seriously worries me to have the same result this time around. Not to mention with a much older man that has less patience than the current president. But, I find myself asking, could this possibly happen again? Please don’t tell me the GOP actually has a possibility of winning? The answer is yes, they definitely do have a chance due to race, religion, and politics in America.

Presidential candidates today have to defend themselves in many more issues than past candidates did. Many young Americans today barely realize that JFK was a Catholic, or that Nixon was a Quaker. But these days everyone expects Hillary to explain why she’s Methodist and how is that going to help her decision making. Wait…what? How does being Methodist affect the decisions in turning around an economic recession? Or how will Christianity affect Obama’s decision to raise your Medicare? In a world where Church and State are apart, religion sure is still packing a Roy Jones’ punch.

Another factor in favor of the GOP is the obvious one, race. No one has ever won the White House without being a white man of moderate wealth. And hear what you may but I’ve heard of democrats saying they’d vote for McCain if a black man was the democratic nominee. Yeah, I heard that this century. Unfortunately that’s the truth in a surprisingly high number of older white voters. They might not discuss it too openly, and I would have never believed it was a kid, but growing up in Alabama changed me a bit.

This is but a short, opinionated article on the state of Presidential candidates and the upcoming election. Politics is a difficult thing to discuss without offending people but it has to be done. Yes, I understand some of McCain’s policies are easier and more liberal’s than Bush’s, but at the end of the day if he wins my friends will still be dying in Iraq, food will still be ridiculously expensive, and I’ll need a bike due to 6 dollar per gallon gas.

-Eight

Opec and I

OPEC and I

The last time I drove by the local CITGO, the cheapest gas in town most of the time, the sign read $3.85 for Basic. Diesel was at a whopping $4.15 a gallon. When I was ten years old I left Tampa for Alabama and gas was at a high of $1.12 a gallon. So in a period of almost 12 years gas has almost quadrupled in price. Over this past Memorial Day weekend travel on U.S. highways fell almost 5%, or 11 billion fewer miles, the most since the 1940s.

The United States, as well as most of the rest of the world, has pleaded and begged to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to lower the price of crude oil. Saudi Arabia, who is a true ‘ally’ of the United States and a dominant OPEC member, has done nothing but laugh off our plea. At us, the country that supplies them with weapons, crude materials, and best of all, military might. So they can’t even discuss lowering crude oil to $100 a barrel again? Believe me when I say I understand the problem isn’t just with Saudi Arabia. I understand the economics of supply and demand and the fact that Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez hates the U.S. and what we stand for. There is no real use complaining to them though.

What we need to do is something drastic. Let’s start looking for an alternative fuel that works and is inexpensive. Hydrogen, BioMASS/fuel, compressed air have all been proven to work in place of fossil fuels, and compressed air is even supposed to be 10 times cheaper than oil. All we need is to research and develop the technology and in ten years fossil fuels might not even be a necessity. The only big problem then will be the switchover.

What will we do with the millions and millions of cars around the world that won’t take this new alternative fuel source? Sure, we can use a lot of the parts for recycling and making more cars, but what about the old engines? Are we to scrap them all, bury them, and start over? What about us poor people that aren’t going to be able to afford the new $30,000 biofuel wonder? How will Aunt Clara buy her groceries when the rich are driving the efficient new air cars and she’s paying for $7 a gallon still? All we can do is wait and see what happens…

-Eight

*Vïvå Lå Whï†ê Gïrl

Complexity in its purest form can be a gift and a curse but it’s all dependent upon one’s usage of the “double entendre” (i.e., the art of the double meaning). While it’s not necessarily a key component, or even a necessity for that matter, the idea behind writing something so complex that it evokes creative thinking is what fuels this literary passion of mine. It’s one thing to write; however, it’s another to leave an eternal handprint on society and with this first complex entry, I intend to explore black America and it’s obscene obsession with the proverbial “white girl”.


First things first, before I even get into what we will be discussing today, I just want to say that in no way am I advocating/endorsing any of the proposed behavior and that in order to fully understand where I’m coming from, all I ask is that you suspend rationality. As far as this being a race issue…understandably, I could see where people could misinterpret the intent but if you dig deep, then I really can’t see how you could think otherwise. Just know this, whenever you think things are one way, realize that a reflection doesn't have to run parallel and that surface meaning has absolutely no value here. So, with all that said, I’d like to welcome you all to a beautiful piece of strange that I like to call “Viva La White Girl”. Enjoy.


Black America’s allure for the “white girl” has been deeply rooted for years, but it’s only now becoming more prominent. Racial tension remains prevalent and follwing the recent injustice served with the controversial verdict of the Sean Bell case, you would think that it shouldn’t take something like this to bring us together. For years injustice has rang out in this country of ours only to be subdued but for so many years spent rising down, our rising up is sure to be bittersweet.; However, until that day, I guess all of this is a moot point but still, I digress.


You see, it’s not so much the fact that our purported values lack merit because, for the most part, we’re pretty prideful people. Our history is enriched with tales of courage, endurance, and standing up for what we believe in but somewhere along the way, it seems like we’ve lost sight of all that. So much attention is placed on material possessions, as well as the ever elusive chase of the almighty dollar, that “hustlin” has become an unwritten creed/guideline. I think Biggie said it best, “Either you slang rock or have a wicked jumpshot” and unfortunately, young black males are succumbing to the pressures of innercity society. They feel like these are their only two options to make it out and be successful when really, that’s not the case. Who cares what society wants you to be? The alternative is a statistic and it’s alarming to know that there are more black males in prison then there are in college. It’s a sad, harsh reality but in real life there are no gray areas. Things are what they are and unless there’s a beacon for change, things aren’t going to get better on there own.


Believe it or not, but the black male is an endangered species. As much as it hurts me to categorize us as such, the realization of such a claim has so many social aspects to it that I don‘t even know where to begin. From one standpoint, people stereotypically associate black, inner city youth with drugs and other assorted paraphernalia but also, the ideology of the black man’s kryptonite is something I feel the need to explore as well. Both are considered to be a hindrance to our society but, as far as who’s to blame, that’s another issue in and of itself. For instance, if I may, the forbidden fruit theory is the perfect foundation for this subtext so follow me if you will.


As a black male, I feel like I have certain obligations and regularities to abide by but deep down lies an embedded piece of software that causes a malfunction from time to time. It’s not prevalent in all black men but I’d say a good majority have this particular character defect. Does it make us any less black? No, it only makes us normal to be honest but jungle fever and detox is not something that go hand in hand. In theory, it would be great if it did but conversely, an addiction is only proprietary by the abuser. That being said, I never could find the logic in people’s disdain for what most consider “selling out” but, really, there’s no white or wrong. Love, like complexity, in it’s purest form is raw, uncut emotion unheralded by the fact that an overdose is remotely possible; but in all fairness, I prefer to liken these feelings to a game of Russian roulette. Either way, a metaphorical suicide is taking place in our community and to just sit idly by and do nothing, is only contributing to this unbridled truth. Things can’t be seen as just black and white anymore and until we embrace that fact, I fear racial genocide will be the end result. It just goes to show that some things on the surface are bigger than what they appear to be. The only question is, which one will be the death of us?