Great society

IMNSHO the left, liberals & progressives need to stop whining about big brother, corporations, tea parties etc. & work to build a greater society/infrastructure. When Bush was president, naturally he drained the energy of socially conscious activist, now that Obama is president, we have to take on the evil tea party. It is nauseating to be told what the rules are without any rationale of why the rules are. The world should be a better place and that place can only be with action not pointing the finger. Please be well & work at building a better society!

Alternative greed

Ultimately my belief in social democracy and egalitarianism helps me to understand just how perilous alternative medicines and therapies can be. I am and have always been disgusted by the unnecessary greed of many pharmaceutical giants, but one must separate corporate greed from qualitative science. Sure maybe some pharmaceutical companies adversely seek to repress cogent science if it disagrees with the profit motive, however questioning merits of an entity, does not in and of itself call into question the efficacy of a treatment. Therefore, we must attack the problem of corporate malfeasance at its roots, not by the root.

Take smeone like John Mackey, CEO of wholefoods who support and seek to distribute alternative medicines without FDA approval or sound scientific evidence. He is an alternative capitalists, and is in no way standing up to medical industry, he is simply creating a new and even more dangerous one. And while it deeply saddens me to see almost narcissistic free spirited sheep being duped into heeling oneself through embracing alternative medicines, because they are an alternative to big-pharma(a catchall term which I do not fully comprehend) I find it far sadder to see people in need being charmed by snake heelers or denied adequate care by the gods of the invisible hand.

Don't make concessions to those who can't be persuaded by argument.

Dear President Obama,

A lot of democrats who will lose their seats in the midterms are identified as blue dogs & as a block these representatives are mostly clustered in competitive Southern or Midwestern districts. These are also many of the same districts that look to be hit hardest by this "wave election." I am not implying that the moderate to conservative positions that these DINOS (Democrat in name only) have taken is the rationale for why they have lost so many seats, but it certainly has not been a winning strategy either. For all the efforts you've made to accommodate so many of these representatives, what is the thanks you get, do they highlight the agreements between the blue dogs and your administration with such laudable sentiments as, "I never voted for Obamacare" or "He can take his endorsement & shove it."? Former Chairman Dean is right, we need to broaden the democratic coalition & build a fifty state strategy, but that is not done by replacing the House of Representative with the House of Referendums. It is not compromising, rather it is condescending for a representative to take a political position based on an impulsive reaction, often media driven, of the electorate. This strategy can best be described as a vain attempt to siphon off votes from people who are sympathetic to tea party positions or worse and more likely a cynical power grab. Further, I do not direct these sentiments at your administration as you've shown tremendous conviction in passing thorough legislation and an ambitious agenda that is unparalleled in recent presidential history, while risking nearly all of your political capital. Why? I can only assume because it is right for the country.
Nov 3rd-Jan 3rd, why not spend the same energy overhauling a broken immigration system, that risks so many lives and the workings of our society at large, as you did reforming health care? It may not be popular in the current climate of distorted information and polarizing snap poles, but it will further bolster your legacy as a great president, effective legislator and most importantly it is right for the country. I think, you'll also find that Hopey Changy thing will work out great for you after all.

Yours hopefully,

Julian Eaton