The Average Man

BLOG BREAK

2010-03-06T15:53:00.000-08:00

I'm sad to say that I think my blogging is going to head from little to none for a while. I've had a great deal of fun spewing out my political views over the last few years, and I'm proud to have added my little voice to the big debates surrounding everything from Iraq to the Santa Barbara News-Press nightmare. But sometimes one has to face the fact that there is a time to take a break and recharge.

Anyway, you never know what the future brings ... When Sarah Palin is elected President in 2012, I'm sure I'll be right back here yelling at the world.

Peace!

Trekking Left

THIS IS WHY ...

2010-02-13T16:36:00.000-08:00

... AL FRANKEN DESERVES TO BE THE SENATOR FROM MINNESOTA!

IT ALSO SHOWS WHY CABLE COMPANIES ARE EVIL!

OBAMA TAKES THE GOP TO SCHOOL

2010-02-02T18:07:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't been blogging much ... been crazy busy lately.

Anyway, if you haven't heard about this, Obama recently attended a House Republican retreat in Baltimore on Friday and spent about an hour just fielding questions from angry Republicans. I know it's a little long, but it is really something to see. I mean, the talking heads are saying that this is the best political theater they've ever seen, and I pretty much agree. And I would dare anyone to say that Bush or McCain could have done this.

Heck, I'm not even sure Clinton could have done it ...

To see a link to the video, please click here.

PUPPY WEARING SWEATER

2010-01-10T16:23:00.000-08:00

Having a bad day? Just look at this puppy wearing a sweater!

THE AVERAGE MAN WISHES YOU ALL ...

2009-12-24T13:55:00.000-08:00

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

HEALTH CARE IS "LIEBERDIZED"

2009-12-17T10:47:00.000-08:00

For the first time since the election, I feel truly upset and defeated. More than anything else, I just really wanted true health care reform with a public option that would finally put those bastard insurance companies in their place. But thanks primarily to that tool of a jerk, Joe Lieberman, that is not going happen.

There was a great write-up by Bob Cesca on Huffington Post this morning that captured my feelings quite well. Here's part of it ...

I'm pissed off.

I'm pissed off at health care reform. I'm pissed off at this endless process of emotional highs and lows and exhilaration and dejection and history and infamy.

I'm pissed off that President Obama "thanked" the independent senator from Connecticut even though the senator nearly killed health care reform this week.

To that point, I'm pissed off at Joe Lieberman. I'm pissed off at his childish, vengeful, opposite-day hackery. I'm pissed off at his giant pie-shaped head and his passive aggression. I'm pissed off that he enjoys government-run Medicare benefits while opposing government-run insurance for the rest of us.

I'm pissed off at the Senate. The whole Senate. The rules, the senators, the color of the walls, the fact that a doof like Chuck Grassley can actually be elected to it. Multiple times. I'm pissed off that even though we finally have a 60 seat supermajority, it's dysfunctional and Harry Reid is in charge of it. I'm pissed off that senators of both parties receive government-run primary care from the Office of the Attending Physician, while denying it to everyone else.

I'm pissed off at cable news and the establishment press for focusing more on The David Letterman & Tiger Woods Underpants Party than the substance of health care reform.

I'm pissed off at Rahm Emanuel and I'm pissed off at the "scary profane a-hole" mythology that's built up around him, and how he only seems to use his powers of intimidation to bully the left.

I'm pissed off at the Republicans. I'm pissed off at their ongoing self-contradictions and lies and bumper sticker sloganeering. I'm pissed off that around 55 Republicans are on Medicare, yet they oppose government-run health care for the rest of us.

I'm pissed off at Tom Coburn's bulbous Dirk Diggler haircut.

I'm pissed off at having to compromise while a handful of lopsidedly powerful conservadems get whatever they ask for.

I'm pissed off at the Senate health care reform bill. I'm pissed off at the House health care reform bill. I'm preemptively pissed off at the conference report, too, and I don't even know if we'll even get that far.

Exactly! And even though I just want to say "screw it" to any kind of reform at this point, I suppose I have to agree with Mr. Cesca on this point as well ...

And I'm pissed off that my progressivism leads me to the unavoidable conclusion that if we don't pass health care reform now, innumerable bad things will continue to happen due to the fact that there's a very serious health care crisis in America. I'm pissed off that I can't, in good conscience, allow my anger to coerce me into believing that we should "kill this bill." I'm pissed off about that, too ... But it undeniably makes sense to take the deal. If progressives successfully convince enough Democrats to kill the bill, do we really want to be the group that plunged the last blade into the back of reform?

Anyway, I don't know, maybe Glee will cheer me up ...

AUTO-TUNE: GOOD OR EVIL?

2009-12-13T14:33:00.000-08:00

Since there exists this intense debate (at least in my head) regarding the use of auto-tune by the cast of Glee, I thought it would be a good time to post the newest "Auto-tune the News" segment ...

AN AMERICAN IN LONDON

2009-11-21T13:03:00.000-08:00

In light of today's Senate Health Care debate, I thought I would post this funny comic strip sent to me by Queen Whackamole

STORMTROOPERS' 9/11

2009-11-12T17:50:00.000-08:00

TOO SOON?

BYE, TRAVIS!

2009-11-02T17:21:00.000-08:00

By now, I think everyone has heard the wonderful news that Travis Armstrong is leaving the Santa Barbara News-Press. What you may not remember, however, is that I was the first one to break this news way back in August of 2008. Here's what I wrote ...

I heard a rumor from Travis Armstrong's dog walker's mother's cousin's friend that he is thinking of resigning from the Santa Barbara News-Press. Apparently, his soul is so tortured by his complete and utter failure as the News-Press Opinion Editor that he can't find the inner strength to continue on with the position. According to my super-secret contact (who remains with Dick Cheney in an undisclosed location), Travis has been pondering this move for some time: "Ever since the News-Press meltdown a couple years back," says my contact, "Travis has been increasingly troubled by his declining professionalism in dealing with the Santa Barbara community. After particularly nasty editorials regarding the city council, he's even been known to look in the mirror and say '@#$% you, Travis' over and over. The situation is pretty bad."

When I pressed my contact on the specifics of Mr. Armstrong's recent tumble into depression, he (or she?) thinks that his obsession with Marty Blum is really starting to wear on his conscience. During one particularly down state, Travis was overheard saying, "Man, I blame her for everything from gang violence to gas prices. Heck, I even follow her around now and take pictures for no particular reason. What's wrong with me!?" Travis is so upset about his treatment of Mrs. Blum in recent months that he's even considering printing her response to his next unsubstantiated false allegation ... maybe.

As if these revelations weren't big enough, a friend of a friend of a friend told me that Travis even called Brian Barnwell at home last week to chat about the decision to leave the NP. According to this even more top secret contact, Travis said to Barnwell that he doesn't understand where his fascination with the former city council member comes from. "Even though you're out of office, I can't stop writing about you. " said Armstrong, "I just don't find any of the new people very interesting, you know? I'm sure I will hate one of them eventually, but for now, I get more joy out of writing about how your recent vacation to Disneyland is destroying our community."

Anyway, I'm sure Mr. Armstrong has good reasons to want to leave the News-Press, and we wish him the best of luck. Maybe San Jose will take him back. I hear their mayor is an easy target.

I also heard from another of my sources that Marty Blum -- upon hearing the news -- was quoted as saying, "Who's quiting now, poopy-head!?"

FRANKEN-STUFF

2009-10-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

One of the things I loved about the The Al Franken Show on Air America Radio was the rotating list of cool regulars. It is, in fact, Al's show that made me an instant fan of Howard Fineman and Jonathan Alter (just to name a couple). But I think my favorite guest might have been Friday staple Joe Conason. Here's a bit about him from Wikipedia ...

Conason was a regular guest and a guest host on The Al Franken Show, where he had the distinction of being the only guest with two theme songs. He made an appearances every Friday as a commentator, as well as co-judging with Al their weekly quiz show Wait, wait, don't lie to me.

So, anyway, I was kind of excited this week to see that Noozhawk has added Joe to the list of syndicated columnists they carry. And not only that, but the first column they printed is an excellent discussion regarding health care. It starts off this way ...

Popular disgust over the fat premiums that financial executives bestow upon themselves is burgeoning, and rightly so. Those Wall Street piggy banks are filling up with billions upon billions of government-subsidized dollars.

But anyone infuriated by the grossly inflated compensation of the masters of finance should check out the incredible earnings of the top executives in the health-insurance business. They’re among the most highly paid suits in the country — not owing to any skill in providing health care, which they don’t do, but because they have succeeded in denying care, quashing competition, driving up costs and winning federal subsidies for their companies.

Joe goes on to give more details on the evilness that is the health insurance industry and then ends with this ...

They blatantly curtail competition, lobby for federal subsidies, boost premiums, ration care and cut access, while insisting that a public option would cause all those terrible consequences. Obviously, they believe that the rest of us are chumps. And they may well be right.

You go, Joe!

Since I began this post talking about Al Franken, I'd really like you all to watch this brief clip of Al questioning a woman from the Hudson Institute (over health care bankruptcies) ...

Now, THAT is how you fight for Americans!

OBAMA VS. FIRE

2009-10-18T00:17:00.000-07:00

I can't help but notice that the increase in frequency and intensity of California wildfires has some of my Santa Barbara friends a little spooked as of late. Well, no need to fear fellow citizens, Obama is on the case ...

Obama To Enter Diplomatic Talks With Raging Wildfire

IS OBAMA NOBEL-WORTHY?

2009-10-10T01:03:00.000-07:00

So, one of my Republican friends chats me today to dogmatically state that it is indeed "absurd" and "shameful" that Obama should receive the Nobel Peace Prize. While I was able to get him to back off the shameful comment, he's still pretty convinced the whole thing is absurd.

Now, while I can understand those who feel the President hasn't accomplished enough for this prestigious honor, I think maybe (lighting rod) Micheal Moore said it the best in his recent post. And I especially enjoyed this quote ...

P.S. Your opposition has spent the morning attacking you for bringing such good will to this country. Why do they hate America so much? I get the feeling that if you found the cure for cancer this afternoon they'd be denouncing you for destroying free enterprise because cancer centers would have to close. There are those who say you've done nothing yet to deserve this award. As far as I'm concerned, the very fact that you've offered to walk into the minefield of hate and try to undo the irreparable damage the last president did is not only appreciated by me and millions of others, it is also an act of true bravery. That's why you got the prize. The whole world is depending on the U.S. -- and you -- to literally save this planet. Let's not let them down.

I so agree with this!

Anyway, if this entire political jibber-jabber has you down, I suggest you watch this video of pigs the size of teacups. I mean, how can you be angry after that? ...

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Truth is an Absolute Defense

2009-10-02T09:57:00.000-07:00

Freshman Florida congressman Alan Grayson went to the House floor yesterday and described the Republican health care plan as "don't get sick, and if you do, die quickly." The Average Man promptly went to his website and gave him twenty bucks. Apparently I wasn't the only one, as he raised $100K yesterday!

Now, even better -- he goes on the Wolf Blitzer show and Does. Not. Back. Down!

YEAH!!!

Now let's see if some other Dems will learn a lesson.

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS RULES!

2009-09-23T14:15:00.000-07:00

Since I'm a proud tv-aholic, I feel the need to say a few words about this year's Emmy Awards Show ... Firstly, I have to strongly emphasize up front that -- even though many of my shows didn't win anything -- this year's broadcast was infinitely better than the last one. I mean, who thought having a bunch of reality show people host the Emmys was a good idea? This time, on the other hand, it was hosted by the increasingly impressive Neil Patrick Harris. And he was probably the best host I've seen in the last 10 years.

Other than that, though, I honestly couldn't say anything better than Ken Levine did in his recent entry on Huffington Post. Here are a few of my favorite observations:

Yay for Kristin Chenoweth, who won for a show that ABC canceled. Her voice is so squeaky high anyway that when she started to cry garage doors all over America went up. But her emotional speech felt very real and heartfelt and after directing her last sitcom, I'm relieved that I didn't kill her career.

The Reality Show montage: five minutes of angry people being bleeped. This is the "excellence in television" we're celebrating tonight.

I was ... happy for Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin (although I would have been happier for Jim Parsons). [Note: Jim Parsons is on The Big Bang Theory; the show of which I recently saw a taping.]

Jeff Probst -- Best Reality Host. Hugh Laurie can't win an Emmy but this guy now has two for saying, "Wanna know what you're playing for?" every friggin' episode.

Family Guy might've won for Best Comedy had they campaigned. [Note: Family Guy gets some love!]

No one who watched any of the mini-series or movies-for-television had the slightest clue what the Dr. Horrible bit was all about.

No big surprises for the honored shows. Mad Men, 30 Rock, The Amazing Race, The Daily Show. All well deserved. But if Lost, Dexter, Family Guy, or The Colbert Report had won I wouldn't have been that upset. [Note: Again, more Family Guy love!]

Considering that Ken Levine was a former head writer for MASH, I probably shouldn't be surprised that I agree with all of his observations. At any rate, if you enjoyed Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, you HAVE to watch this bit they made just for the Emmy show:

WHY PRIVATE INSURANCE IS EVIL

2009-09-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

In honor of Obama's health care speech today, I thought I would do another quick post on this all so important debate. First, I want to give a shout-out to a nice little article that I read on the Indy's site today; it really hits home all the reasons we need to get this thing done. Here's my favorite part ...

I trust the V.A., Medicare, and Social Security far more than an industry that takes profit made by denying coverage to millions and hands it over to lobbyists to make sure that the common guy doesn’t ever get a break.

One of the saddest things I see recently are the misinformed people at political rallies shouting down politicians trying to express themselves. They say they are afraid of socialism while they collect their Social Security checks and rely on Medicare. They say they don’t want a government plan, but they are willing to let a CEO making $30 million a year decide that millions of people be denied insurance so their profit margin moves up. I don’t think they are hypocrites, I think they really must be afraid.

I think that pretty much says it all. But, if this guy's story doesn't get you, then watch ...

We are better than this!

HEALTH WARS: A NEW HOPE

2009-08-31T17:04:00.000-07:00

So, it looks to me like the health care debate took an interesting turn recently. Outside of Teddy's unfortunate demise, I've noticed a little bit of a sea change in some recent town hall meetings. Before I get into that, however, I want to repeat my disgust for those right wing organizations and satanic insurance companies that encourage clueless nutjobs to crash real health care discussions and yell things like "I want my country back" or "Obama is a Nazi." I mean, I'm all for a constructive argument, but what do these kind of comments have to do with anything remotely health care related?

Okay, back to my original point ... I was perusing The Huffington Post the other day and saw the headline McCain Evicts Angry Woman From Town Hall ... Honestly, I almost didn't read the thing, because I was sure the woman in question was probably ejected for stating her support for the public option or something of that nature. But it turns out that the post was actually quite interesting. Here's a couple quotes I really liked:

After McCain opened it up to questioning, one man angrily pointed at him and asked the senator why he deserves a better health care plan than him.

"I'm trying to get it for you," McCain told him. "We'll do it for you. We'll make it affordable and available to you."

Other audience members in the crowd of 2,000 told McCain about their medical problems, such as HIV and multiple sclerosis.

McCain urged them he would fight for health care reform but reiterated his opposition to President Barack Obama's plan to create a government option to compete with private insurers, arguing that it would be the eventual end of private insurers in the U.S ...

... When McCain was trying to answer questions from reporters after the town hall, one audience member yelled at him that he gets hundreds of thousands of dollars from insurance companies every year.

In a voice of feigned surprise, McCain said "Really? I didn't know that."

So, here's my question: What exactly are you trying to do to help those people, Senator McCain? Because all I see from you and your party is a group of selfish politicians agreeing to vote against any Democratic proposal and going out of their way to protect private insurance companies that (frankly) could care less about the people of Arizona.

Anyway, after reading that, I was like, "Finally, some genuine anger about real health care issues!" But wait: it gets better ... Not too long before McCain's town hall, there was actually another one held by Senator Tom Coburn where a woman in the audience cried when she told her story of a sick relative and health costs. Coburn answered with the following:

"What's missing from the debate is us as neighbors helping people who need help," he said.

I think the absolute absurdity of this was expressed quite well by a blogger named Kitty commenting on another site:

How's that, senator? Is the solution to throw a bake sale every time one of our neighbors gets sick? How many cupcakes will it take to defray the cost of a heart transplant? How many cookies do we need to bake to pay for a child fighting leukemia? Should a neighbor stop by to hook up a patient to the chemotherapy bags? Maybe we should do away with Medicare and get all the grandmas in the kitchen cooking up goodies to pay for all these health costs, including their own.

Very well said.

So, here's the thing ... When Republicans are confronted with real people fighting real health problems, they clearly have no solutions and no compassion. Let's just hope that a few more of these kind of town halls make people wake up to that fact.

BEST WEEK EVER!

2009-08-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back from my vacation, but I'm having a difficult time thinking of something to write about this week. The big political thing on my mind is health care, but I'm just too upset about the whole process right now to say anything constructive.

So, instead, I'm going to list all the amazing things that happened to me last week ...

Sunday - I met up with a high school buddy of mine in Burbank, and we went to a cool little restaurant/bar called Fiamme (in Thousand Oaks) to see Jana Anderson and Sharon Celani perform. These two women are backup singers for Stevie Nicks, and they were nice enough to chat with us after the show and take a couple of pictures.

Monday - My friend and I spent most of the day at Universal Studios. If you haven't been on The Simpsons ride yet, you must do it asap!

Tuesday - The last event for my Burbank trip was a taping of the CBS show The Big Bang Theory. Despite the fact that we almost didn't get in, it turned out to be a great evening. And guest star Lewis Black was just f'ing hilarious!

Wednesday - I turned 41, drove back from Burbank, and went to (my favorite place) Hollister Brewing Company with the wife and friends for a b-day outing.

Thursday - After 18 torturous months, I got my (second set of) braces off. FYI, I'm not doing that a third time no matter how bad my teeth get.

Friday - A group of us headed down to San Diego and caught a Padres game. Before the game, though, some of us went to (another favorite place of mine) The Neighborhood. Much wonderful beer and food was consumed.

Saturday - The big event of the week was the Stone Brewing Company 13th Anniversary Beer Festival. This day included massive drinking of great beer, massive swimming in the pool, massive amounts of great food, massive playing of Wii, massive playing of pool, and massive tiredness on Sunday.

I'm not sure if this was my best week ever, but it's definitely my most eventful in recent memory. Anyway, here's hoping I have something interesting to write about next week.

TV WILL ROT YOUR INTELLIGENT DESIGN

2009-08-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

So, it seems that my Comic-Con excursion was not nearly long enough to satisfy my geeky nature. Thus, I will be off again next week to see a taping of The Big Bang Theory at the Warner Brothers lot.

If you haven't seen the show before, it's basically about two white and nerdy roommates who live next door to a hot blond. Add in a couple of geeky co-workers, and you have a show.

Anyway, here's a nice little video (put together by a fan) using the cool theme song written by the Barenaked Ladies.

HEALTH SCARE

2009-08-05T17:34:00.001-07:00

So, I'm still really upset about the whole health care debate, but my anger has now shifted from Obama and Democrats to the American people themselves ... Based on polling, it seems that the non-stop lies and scare tactics used by conservatives is actually working; the public has started to back off from their desire for real health care reform and a strong public option. What just drives me crazy, though, is the fact that the folks being tricked by these talking points are the same exact people whom the insurance companies are going to screw as soon as they get sick. Why don't people understand that!?

Anyway, here's Keith Olbermann's Special Comment On Health Care Reform. Once again, he's right on ...

COMIC-CON!

2009-07-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

Soon I'll be off to the San Diego Comic-Con ... one of my favorite things in the whole world. Thus, I probably won't be blogging for a couple weeks ... but wanted to leave you with a couple things that made me smile:

First is this picture of a dog in China that is nursing two baby pandas after their mother abandoned them. Now, tell me you're not having a better day after seeing that?

Second is this thing called Auto-Tune The News, which -- I think you'll agree -- is the only way to watch the news:

PUBLIC OPTION NOT OPTIONAL!

2009-07-12T14:53:00.000-07:00

I need to vent for a couple minutes here ... I am becoming increasingly annoyed and frustrated with the health care debate going on in Congress right now. Specifically, I am tired of Obama and the spineless senators in Washington being so wishy-washy on the public option. They keep talking about bipartisanship and compromise, blah, blah, blah ... Look, what we should have in this country is a single payer system that covers everyone. Since that is "off the table," however, then a public option IS THE COMPROMISE!

There was a great editorial in the New York Times recently that outlined some of the horrible tactics used by private insurance companies. Here's a piece of it ...

A House oversight subcommittee took a close look at a particularly shameful practice known as "rescission," in which insurance companies cancel coverage for some sick policyholders rather than pay an expensive claim. The companies contend that rescissions are rare. But Congressional investigators found that three big insurers canceled about 20,000 individual policies over a five-year period — allowing them to avoid paying more than $300 million in medical claims.

The companies typically argue that the policyholders withheld information about pre-existing conditions that would have disqualified them from coverage. But the subcommittee unearthed cases where the pre-existing conditions were trivial, or unrelated to the claim, or not known to the patient. When executives for the three companies were asked if they would be willing to limit rescissions to cases where the policyholder deliberately lied on an application form, all said they would not. This tactic will not be ended voluntarily.

Meanwhile, the Senate Commerce Committee was getting an earful from a former head of corporate communications for Cigna, a big health insurer. He charged that the industry deliberately confuses its customers by making it hard to obtain information about its practices and issuing incomprehensible documents.

He also charged that the companies "dump the sick," through rescissions and by purging small businesses whose employees’ claims exceed what underwriters expected. They are often hit with huge rate increases intended to force them to drop coverage.

I'm sorry, but that is simply unacceptable ... which is why I'm feeling much the same as Bob Cesca in his recent Huffington Post column. Here's a bit of it ...

If President Obama is truly serious about changing the way Washington operates, he'd begin to aggressively hector the entourage of lawmakers that I've not-so-affectionately nicknamed the "Coalition of the Corrupt and Spineless" (COCS) -- the Democratic Senators who have very obviously been bought off by the healthcare lobby, along with other almost-as-awful Democrats whose cowardice is only matched by their weakness of will.

Throw down, Mr. President ...

... There can be no denying that the COCS are flagrantly and unapologetically legislating against -- what's the word? -- overwhelming super-majority popular support for the public health insurance option. And why is that? I can't recall another example in recent memory when the collusion of lobbyists, corporate PACs and members of the United States Senate has been quite this obvious.

We can only conclude that the COCS are entirely ignoring the will of the American people because they're hiking the Appalachian Trail with the healthcare industrial complex.

Here's the thing ... Every single one of us is probably going to get pretty sick one day, and I'm tired of feeling like that event will be filled with non-stop insurance nightmares. I actually have a great insurance plan (generally speaking), but I don't feel at all comfortable. Why? Because -- if I were to need thousands of dollars worth of medical care -- I think my insurance company would drop me in a second (or maybe refuse to pay large chunks of my medical bills).

The fact is that 76% of Americans want a public option, President Obama wants a public option, and pretty much everyone thinks that insurance companies are the devil.

So, why is this so f'ing hard to get done!

Why American Policy SUCKS

2009-07-01T20:54:00.001-07:00

This is so amazing, I'm just gonna reprint it completely.

From La Vida Locavore:

Out of curiosity I decided to see who was spending the most on lobbying in America. And Oh My Goodness - NO WONDER our policy sucks. No wonder it's nearly impossible to pass health care reform that provides all Americans with affordable care, a global warming bill that doesn't suck, and the Employee Free Choice Act. No wonder we're in these two stupid wars. I know everyone's aware of the problems lobbying poses to our country, but good lord, if people saw the sheer magnitude of it (and the comparatively paltry amounts spent in the people's interest) they would be outraged. So here goes. Here's the list of the top 100 (ranked by amount spent on lobbying in Q109). Enjoy.
I pulled up all of the reports for first quarter 2009 but over 20,000 items came up (and the report only shows the first 3000). OK, try again - all reports for over $1 million for first quarter 2009. This time a little over 100 came up (including AIG, who spent $1,250,000 on lobbying during that period).

So here's how to read this list: These are the amounts spent by the corporations listed. However, many (if not most) of these corporations ALSO contract out to private lobbying firms, so the amounts you see here MIGHT not be the total amount they spent on lobbying in Q109. For example, Monsanto spent $2,094,000 for its in house lobbying but then contracted out to Arent Fox LLP; Lesher, Russell & Barron, Inc. ($60,000); Ogilvy Government Relations ($60,000); Parven Pomper Strategies ($40,000); Sidley Austin LLP; TCH Group, LLC ($50,000); The Nickles Group, LLC ($63,000); The Washington Tax Group, LLC ($40,000); and Troutman Sanders Public Affairs Group ($30,000) - for a total of $2,437,000 in first quarter 2009.

Health Care, Health Insurance, & Pharma
3. Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America: $6,910,000
6. Pfizer, Inc: $6,140,000
12. American Medical Association: $4,240,000
18. American Hospital Association: $3,580,000
19. Eli Lilly and Company: $3,440,000
37. America's Health Insurance Plans, Inc: $2,030,000
39. CVS Caremark Inc: $2,005,000
47. Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association: $1,800,000
49. GlaxoSmithKline: $1,780,000
63. Merck & Co: $1,500,000
65. United Health Group, Inc: $1,500,000
69. Sanofi-Aventis U.S. Inc: $1,460,000
76. Novartis: $1,347,134
87. Abbott Laboratories: $1,260,000
89. Astrazeneca Pharmaceuticals, LP: $1,250,000
92. Medtronic, Inc: $1,238,000

Oil
2. Exxon Mobil: $9,320,000
4. Chevron U.S.A. Inc: $6,800,000
7. Conoco Phillips: $5,980,935
16. BP America, Inc: $3,610,000
20. Marathon Oil Corporation: $3,380,000
45. American Petroleum Institute: $1,810,000

Defense
5. Lockheed Martin Corporation: $6,380,000
11. General Electric Company: $4,540,000
28. Northrop Grumman Corporation: $2,570,000
30. Boeing Company: $2,410,00
51. Honeywell International: $1,760,000
73. Raytheon Company: $1,360,000

Telecoms
10. AT&T Services, Inc: $5,134,873
14. Verizon (excluding Verizon Wireless): $3,760,000
21. National Cable and Telecommunications Association: $3,370,000
23. Comcast Corporation: $2,760,000
68. Motorola, Inc: $1,470,000

Automotive
22. General Motors: $2,800,000
27. United Services Automobile Association: $2,590,244
52. Ford Motor Company: $1,750,000
84. Toyota Motor North America: $1,290,000
86. Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers: $1,264,400

Financial
32. Financial Services Roundtable: $2,260,000
33. Prudential Financial, Inc: $2,180,000
41. American Bankers Association: $1,890,000
61. Visa, Inc: $1,540,000
74. Investment Company Institute: $1,359,917
75. Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association: $1,350,000
82. J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.: $1,310,000
90. Citigroup Management Corp: $1,250,000
90. Credit Union National Association: $1,250,000

Biotech
36. Monsanto: $2,094,000
40. Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO): $1,920,000
44. Bayer Corporation: $1,843,672

Railroads
24. Association of American Railroads: $2,759,545
54. Union Pacific Corporation: $1,717,108
71. BNSF Railway: $1,400,000

Life Insurance
42. American Council of Life Insurers: $1,867,075
44. New York Life Insurance Company: $1,840,000
64. State Farm Insurance: $1,500,000
93. The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company: $1,237,000

Other
1. Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A.: $9,996,000
8. National Association of Realtors: $5,727,000
9. U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform: $5,480,000
13. AARP: $4,090,000
15. Southern Company: $3,650,000
17. Altria Client Services Inc: $3,580,000
25. Amgen, Inc: $2,750,000
26. National Association of Broadcasters: $2,600,000
29. Edison Electric Institute: $2,550,000
31. Fedex Corporation: $2,370,000
34. Textron, Inc.: $2,140,000
35. General Dynamics Corp: $2,101,945
38. International Business Machines (IBM): $2,030,000
43. United Technologies Corporation: $1,860,000
46. Recording Industry Association of America: $1,810,000
48. CTIA-The Wireless Association: $1,790,000
50. Time Warner Inc. $1,780,000
53. The Dow Chemical Company: $1,735,000
55. American Electric Power Company: $1,716,913
56. Microsoft Corporation: $1,650,000
57. Qualcomm, Incorporated: $1,620,000
58. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc: $1,600,000
59. L-3 Communications: $1,580,000
60. Exelon Business Services, LLC: $1,540,000
62. Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc: $1,530,000
66. Norfolk Southern Corporation: $1,485,026
67. Koch Companies Public Sector LLC: $1,480,000
70. American Airlines: $1,450,000
72. Oracle Corporation: $1,390,000
77. Air Transport Association of America, Inc.: $1,340,000
78. Disney Worldwide Services, Inc.: $1,330,000
79. Sepracor, Inc: $1,324,157
80. National Association of Home Builders: $1,320,000
81. UPS: $1,316,426
83. Siemens Corporation: $1,300,000
85. Duke Energy Corporation: $1,282,770
94. Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S., Inc: $1,230,000
95. Business Roundtable: $1,220,000
96. Wellpoint, Inc: $1,220,000
97. American Wind Energy Association: $1,212,504
98. F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: $1,206,427
99. National Rural Electric Cooperative Association: $1,200,000
99. CBS Corporation: $1,200,000

Good. Freaking. Lord. Is this really more cost-effective than simply obeying laws?

FINALLY!

2009-06-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

After several months of Norm Coleman assishness, Al Franken is finally named the second Senator (elect) from the great state of Minnesota. Go Vikings!

Anyway, it is now time for the Democrats to grow a pair and get something substantial done. I, for example, want real health care reform WITH A PUBLIC OPTION. If the Dems -- yes, including you, Obama -- can't get this done now, you are going to lose seats in 2010 ... and probably should.

TL Out!

STUFF

2009-06-25T22:11:00.001-07:00

I know I haven't posted in a while, but (I swear) I couldn't actually get to the site. Anyway, here are a couple things that are totally awesome ... First, look, a kitten sleeping in a wine glass! How cute is that!?

And then there's this ...

Fossil remains
Second, an archaeological team, digging in Washington DC , has uncovered 10,000 year old bones and fossil remains of what is believed to be the first Republican Politician....

Funny, right!?