Capitol Hill Blue Forums Hot Topics & Breaking News The RoundTable Round Table for Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Great seeing/hearing from you elise!!!!

Congrats Schlack!

recd by email today

Be sure and cancel your credit cards before you die! This is so priceless
And so easy to see happening - customer service, being what it is today!

A lady died this past September, and MBNA bank billed her for October and
November for their annual service charges on her credit card, and Then
added
late fees and interest on the monthly charge. The balance that had been
E0.00, now is somewhere around E60.00.

A family member placed a call to the MBNA Bank:

Family Member:
'I am calling to tell you that she died in January.'

MBNA:
'The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply.'
Family Member:
'Maybe, you should turn it over to collections.'

MBNA:
'Since it is two months past due, it already has been.'

Family Member:
So, what will they do when they find out she is dead?'

MBNA:
'Either report her account to the frauds division or report her to The
credit bureau, maybe both!'

Family Member:
'Do you think God will be mad at her?'
MBNA:
'Excuse me?'

Family Member:
'Did you just get what I was telling you . . The part about her Being
dead?'

MBNA:
'Sir, you'll have to speak to my supervisor.'
Supervisor gets on the phone:
Family Member:
'I'm calling to tell you, she died in January.'

MBNA:
'The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply.'
Family Member:
'You mean you want to collect from her estate?'

MBNA:
(Stammer) 'Are you her lawyer?'

Family Member:
'No, I'm her great nephew.'
(Lawyer info given)

MBNA:
'Could you fax us a certificate of death?'
Family Member:
'Sure.'
( fax number is given )

After they get the fax:

MBNA:
'Our system just isn't set up for death. I don't know what more I Can do to
help.'

Family Member:
'Well, if you figure it out, great! If not, you could just keep billing
Her.
I don't think she will care.'

MBNA:
'Well, the late fees and charges do still apply.'

Family Member:
'Would you like her new billing address?'
MBNA:
'That might help.'

Family Member:
' Glasnevin Cemetry, Finglas Road , Dublin 11, Ireland , Plot Number
1049.'

MBNA:
'Sir, that's a cemetery!'

Family Member:
'Well, what the **** do you do with dead people on your planet?'

Funny, Schlack.
Congrats to you! I went to a meeting at a bar the very first night I quit smoking and that was when people still smoked inside here. Hard but doable.
We're cheering for you.

We went out last night and saw a wonderful little bluegrass band that is really as much comedy act.
There were three men visiting from Ireland in the audiance....Cork, Dublin and Kerry with a man from Florida (not in Ireland! ).
Oh it was fun. There is nothing like an American (the leader of the band) trying to speak in brogue. The men had a blast at his nonsense.

Beautiful, Phil.
I love the art.
The guitar piece was wonderful and I always have a soft spot for the Beach Boys. Music of my bikini summers at the beach.

See y'all later. Lunch is over. Back to work!
Have a good one.
Olyve

COINCIDENCE? I think NOT!



FROM THE CHURCH OF INEFFABLE STUPIDITY:

a) Great campaign, horrible administration

What can be more frustrating than seeing a fledgling administration consistently make the wrong moves once in power?

First, Obama himself states that the most burning issue of his administration is the repair of our failing health care cystern. Then, he fails to provide anything more than vague descriptions of what constitutes reform.

Next, he sets himself up to fail. In June, then July, he makes it known that he "expects" a bill on his desk before the August recess. Unfortunately, he does nothing to push the process forward. To the contrary, he made things worse.
a. He set up a tight schedule, but without any means of making it happen
b. he created no "enforcement" of his schedule.
c. he failed to threaten congress to sit and work on a bill, any bill.
d. he failed to outline the details of what he wants in a bill. In essence, he created a vacuum.
e. Having created a vacuum, he failed to fill it.
f. he hung his strongest supporters in congress in the house out to dry, without a lifeline. The early town hall meetings failed because of the lack of any detail from the White House.
g. When the birthers filled the vacuum with allegations of death panels and worse (In large part because the White House botched its actions so badly up to August), the White House response was tepid, lazy, misdirected, and without energy.

Next, August arrives, and still, the White House fails to put out one detail of any plan that it wants. Hardly a way to lead a country. The silence and lack of leadership from Obama and his top aides is made painfully and perfectly clear, as the airways are filled with GOP and insurance spokesmen, warning about the dangers of socialized medicine. The top supporters are left without a scrap of detail or a hint of a plan with which they could have responded to the maroon morans.

If possible, it gets worse. As the polls in September show 40% of Americans support Obama on health care, his aides misread the reasons for his fall, and are now willing to eject a Public Option. YOU INEFFABLE IDIOTS! The reason for Obama's poor showing is not because his plans are too liberal. It is because he is caving in too far and too fast to the rabid right! If only Obama had taken a strong stand (A definition will be included below) at anytime since June, his numbers would be soaring, the bill would have been written, and the legislation passed by now. Unfortunately, the only thing that we can count right now is the number of opportunities squandered by Obama.

Now we enter September, and the word is out that Obama's address to congress and the nation will not contain a public option. If the rumors are right, then the Lobbyists, Insurers and the GOPers properly can declare victory. They will have stopped a huge Democratic majority in the house, a sufficient Democratic majority in the senate, and a Democratic president from passing the simplest bill - a public option, like Medicare/Medicaid for anyone who wants to sign up.

That bodes poorly for the president on every other issue he will face. The environment? dead. Banking reform? dead. Food safety? dead. Education? dead. Military cuts and rational draw down of anti-soviet weapons? dead. Peace in the Muddle east? dead. If he cannot draft, create, pass and sign into law his key piece of legislation with the vast number of Americans supporting change, it will show that no matter how strong a candidate he was, as a leader of the country, he is way out of his league.

I sincerely hope I am wrong. Health care is too important for the future of our country. Our poor, our middle class, our industry, our unions, and our country's future depends on it being fixed. Why, then, Mr. President, have you screwed it up so badly? Why the laid back, no leadership, rudderless, detail-free approach to the most important issue we face? Why create an information vacuum, then do nothing to fill it? Why, when the birthers and other nuts fill that vacuum with lies, you do nothing in response?

Why, Mr. President? Should we start looking for a new candidate for the democratic primary? Because if your future leadership approach looks at all like the last 7 months, we will need a new presidential candidate.


STRONG LEADERSHIP: A Method of mixing both a bully pulpit, facts, arguments, and weaving them in a direct appeal to the voters. At the same time, meetings with moderates of both parties, insuring that they know what might happen if they fail to stand with him. Finally, extreme pressure on Blue Dogs insuring that they fall into line.

None of which we have seen from this White House. Yo, Mr. Obama, you are NOT in the senate anymore.

Jazz is not a part of my generation, but thru the magic of dubs and remixing, I've come to know Nina Simone and I absolutely love her voice.



( Click the picture )

ps. I think the "embedding" feature is only available to mod level and higher. I couldn't get it to work, even though I copied what Phil had done in the opener.

Rick, to embed you need to select "using html and Ubb code" in the drop down just below the posting box.