Isaiah 1:

10 Hear the word of the LORD,
you rulers of Sodom;
listen to the law of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!

11 "The multitude of your sacrifices—
what are they to me?" says the LORD.
"I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.

12 When you come to appear before me,
who has asked this of you,
this trampling of my courts?

13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
I cannot bear your evil assemblies.

14 Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts
my soul hates.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.

15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even if you offer many prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are full of blood;

16 wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds
out of my sight!
Stop doing wrong,

17 learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.

18 "Come now, let us reason together,"
says the LORD.
"Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.

19 If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the best from the land;

20 but if you resist and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword."
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

21 See how the faithful city
has become a harlot!
She once was full of justice;
righteousness used to dwell in her—
but now murderers!

22 Your silver has become dross,
your choice wine is diluted with water.

23 Your rulers are rebels,
companions of thieves;
they all love bribes
and chase after gifts.
They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;
the widow's case does not come before them.

24 Therefore the Lord, the LORD Almighty,
the Mighty One of Israel, declares:
"Ah, I will get relief from my foes
and avenge myself on my enemies.

25 I will turn my hand against you;
I will thoroughly purge away your dross
and remove all your impurities.

26 I will restore your judges as in days of old,
your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward you will be called
the City of Righteousness,
the Faithful City."

27 Zion will be redeemed with justice,
her penitent ones with righteousness.

28 But rebels and sinners will both be broken,
and those who forsake the LORD will perish.

29 "You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks
in which you have delighted;
you will be disgraced because of the gardens
that you have chosen.

30 You will be like an oak with fading leaves,
like a garden without water.

31 The mighty man will become tinder
and his work a spark;
both will burn together,
with no one to quench the fire."

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?searc...

As for Jesus, here is just one of many instances in which Jesus taught his disciples to help the poor:

Matthew 19:16-22

16 And behold, one came up to him, saying, "Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?" 17 And he said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments." 18 He said to him, "Which?" And Jesus said, "You shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

20 The young man said to him, "All these I have observed; what do I still lack?" 21 Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.

http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/matt1916.ht...

 
The Supreme Court is the only branch of our government that does not answer directly to the people. What is more, the only opportunities that ordinary people have to respond even indirectly to the decisions of the Supreme Court are in occasional media discussions that permit public comment and -- the State of the Union speech each year. At the State of the Union speech, of course, public feedback is very indirect -- consisting merely of a rare sentence or two by our elected President and applause or silence by our elected Representatives and Senators.

Like many Americans, I have read the Constitution including Article III. I have read the Federalist Papers including those that explain the importance of an independent judiciary. I have read Marbury v. Madison and related cases.

But the history of our nation did not stop, and the formation of our form of government did not end with the signing of the Constitution. Whether you like it or not, our national political culture has evolved since the time of George Washington, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton.

A number of amendments to the Constitution reflect a trend toward democratization. We broadened voting eligibility to include initially unrepresented constituencies like African-Americans and women and to permit or require direct elections for some offices that were previously filled through indirect means.

The federal courts thus far have escaped the process of democratization.

But, considering that the courts are the only branch of our government that does not answer directly to the People, surely it is not too much to ask that you and other members of the Court humbly submit yourselves to at most a couple of hours of democracy in action during the State of the Union speech. Surely it is not too much to ask that the members of the Court, who dictate essential policy to us ordinary folks on Main Street without heed to our thoughts, or feelings, quietly and respectfully listen to our elected President and elected Congressmembers once a year.

The courts are supposed to be independent, but the judiciary should not completely shield itself from exposure to the honest reactions of the People's representatives.

Yes, I am sure that it is very difficult, even painful, for you to sit through the State of the Union speech, especially when the President calls you out on a decision or two. But, next time you make a decision, remember that the pain you feel when you sit through that speech is nothing compared to the pain that many of us feel out here when you issue decisions that cause real harm in our little lives. Remember, many of us have to quietly grin and bear much worse than sitting through a tedious, insulting speech as a result of some of your decisions.

Sir, you, like all others in our government, are a servant of the people. The Founding Fathers created an independent judiciary so that it could serve the best interests of the People without responding to the passing whims of the electorate. Therefore, you enjoy more power than any other person in the United States -- far more than the President.

As you exercise your power, please remember sir: You are a public servant -- just like the members of Congress and the President. You must serve the People -- not just the corporations or the wealthy -- in everything you do.

If the Courts do not remain mindful of the need to serve the People, not just the power elite, the People will, as they have done in the past with other offices, demand democratization of the processes that select judges.

I do not think that the direct election of judges is a good idea. It does not work well in my state, California. But direct election of judges will be adopted if members of the Court are widely perceived as arrogant and unable to accept criticism by those public servants who are elected by the People.

There have been a number of posts complaining about the quality of the coverage of Obama's health care conference by cable news networks.

Here is the painless way to cancel your cable.

Subscribe to DSL instead. Buy a gadget that connects your computer to you TV and watch whatever you want without paying for anything you don't want.

DSL internet is not free -- might even be close to the same price in many places, but you don't have to pay for the corporate nonsense on cable news and other channels if you don't want to.

You can get all of C-Span and the White House information on the internet.

We combine Netflix and the internet and don't miss cable at all.

If you are working or like to socialize or read or play board games or fish or garden or play sports or anything other than watch TV all day and all night, you will probably find that Netflix combined with the internet are all you need.

We have a pretty good-sized TV and just hook a lap-top up to the TV. We can have the sound go either through separate speakers or through the TV. It is a great solution. You do not have to be a slave to cable.

We have saved money with this method.

and get DSL. You can get a gadget that connects your computer to the TV and watch whatever you want without paying for anything you don't want. When you buy cable, you pay for a zillion stations you never watch. DSL internet is not free either -- might even be close to the same price in many places, but you don't have to pay for the corporate nonsense if you don't want to.

You can get all of C-Span and the White House information on the internet.

We combine Netflix and the internet and don't miss cable at all.

In Austria, my children were given three years of cost-free half-day kindergarten. (The teachers were extremely well prepared. It was amazing, wonderful and worth every cent the Austrian people spent on those three years.)

After their three years of (cost-free, half-day) kindergarten, my children were required to be six years old and to take a TEST, yes, a TEST before they could enter the first grade. The test required them to draw a picture. Those who could not draw a picture were deemed to lack the mental maturity and skills to enter the first grade. They had to wait.

If we tested children in this simple way before allowing them to start the first grade, we would have better results in the twelfth grade. That is because it is the children who start first grade without the dexterity, skills and maturity to learn to read, write and calculate who slow down the whole process. Experts can determine whether a child has certain minimal cognitive readiness from a picture.

Testing children before putting them on a failure track would save taxpayers a lot of money and families a lot of heartbreak.

He is running against John Boehner.

http://www.coussouleforcongress.com/index....

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Justin-Couss...


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discu...

I do not live in the 8th District but have ties there. Please watch candidate Coussole's video. (He speaks after the man with the beard whose name I did not catch.)

I think it was also Ferrie that had ties to Marcello.

Hartmann's book is The Legacy of Secrecy.

http://www.legacyofsecrecy.com /

It is very long. I have not finished it but hope to.

Here is the website link for Justin Coussole, candidate for Congress from Ohio's 8th District.

http://www.coussouleforcongress.com/index....

Listen to the video. Throughout you will hear the interference of a train, a loud siren, noise, noise, noise.

As I listened, I thought all that noise is precisely what this candidate will face during the election. I do not know Mr. Coussole personally but I am favorably impressed by his speech in the video. (He speaks after the man with the beard.)

If there is any candidate who at least from this video is qualified to replace John Boehner, sounds to me like Justin Coussole is it.

Please watch this candidate and, if you have money to donate, please give him campaign funds.

I am interested in this race not only because I believe that it is time for a Democrat to replace John Boehner but because I have ties to the 8th District.

Thanks for your help in unseating John Boehner.

really about -- transferring money from the U.S. Treasury to Halliburton and others in the defense and intelligence industries.

The American people have allowed the hijacking of our government by the banks and the defense industry. They just use us as long as we make money for them. After that, we are expendable.

We paid into Social Security, but the money was stolen mostly by the Bush administration. As for Medicare, we also paid into that.

Medicare costs exceed what my generation paid. The reason is that we not only paid Medicare taxes for future care during our working years, but we (or our employers) also bought health insurance for care during our working years. The money we paid for insurance coverage when we were young and healthy went to the health insurance companies, their shareholders and CEOs.

If the money paid to insurance companies for the care of younger and more likely healthy people along with what is left in the Medicare pot was placed into a pool from which health care for all ages including the very oldest among us was paid, then we would be able to cover not only pre-natal services but also nursing home care for the very elderly and helpless.

Our economy is, as to essential services, inefficiently organized. That's the problem. That is why we pay so much more for health care here in the U.S. than other countries pay. And that is why so many of our outcomes are not as good as those in other countries. The insurance companies have no stake in providing preventive health care to the young. The expensive illnesses that begin in our youth are neither diagnosed nor prevented, and thus care in our later years is much more expensive.

The obesity in our nation is an example of this problem. Only now that we are starting to talk about universal coverage, is the rampant obesity, including much morbid obesity really being discusssed. As long as the health insurance companies could make a higher profit by ignoring the problem which causes serious conditions like diabetes and heart condition that become apparent as a person ages, they ignored it.

The reason that nothing is done about the inefficiency is that guys like Bernanke, the bankers, the CEOs of health insurance companies and much of our business community, earn huge amounts of money from the inefficiencies.

If the mathematicians who work on Wall Street were working, let's say, in the field of biology and trying to use their skills to help find better ways to treat diabetes, cancer and heart disease, instead of to invent derivatives if advertising executives spent more of their time to sell healthy life styles and less to sell fast food, our medical costs might be a lot lower by now.

Our economic system is archaic. Capitalism is not the problem. It is what we have done to it that is the problem. The idea of capitalism is that those who offer useful services and products profit. Enter the advertising industry and the manipulation of our beliefs and feelings about our desires -- and voila -- we have a perversion of capitalism. The rewards go to the very people who offer destructive services and products. Why? Because the big money is in selling nothing for something, not the other way around.

This is a fascinating TED talk.

http://www.ted.com/talks/jk_rowling_the_fr...

J.K. Rowling discusses, among other things, her experiences while working for Amnesty International.

This is uplifting.

http://www.ted.com/talks/jk_rowling_the_fr...

to amply cover the Social Security benefits for maybe 30 years of retirement each. It's our Medicare that we do not pay for when we are young.

Europeans do not have this problem. That is because no matter what sort of insurance coverage they have they pay into pretty much the same insurance fund all their lives. Thus, when they are younger they pay premiums that not only cover their current medical expenses but also that cover the medical expenses of the very elderly.

In our system, we (or our employers on our behalf) buy health insurance from private companies during our working years. Those premiums cover the medical costs of all who are in our pool -- but don't cover the costs of people on Medicare. Since our medical care is not that expensive when we are young -- most of the money on our care is spent in the last years or months of life -- private insurance companies can afford to pay their CEOs handsome salaries and even pay a little in profits to their private investors. The high cost of caring for the elderly in the expensive years is shifted into the government budget.

If we adopt a single payer system similar to any one of the forms used by the Europeans, we will be able to spread the high costs of medical care for seniors across our lives. It's smarter for everyone. It's fairer.

I think that the movement in the Senate toward at least starting a public option may be motivated by a recognition that we cannot balance the budget ever, ever, ever unless we reform health care insurance so that the high cost of medical care in the final years of life are spread across our entire lives. We have to pay for the medical care of the seniors who are older now. Most of them paid into private insurance all their lives. That money is gone. We have had a flawed system all these years.

Obama needs to talk straight with the American people and explain this reality. Medicare does not need to be cut. It needs to cover everyone -- cradle to grave.

He does not seem to have much of a website -- just a Facebook page.

And the Democratic Party in Ohio doesn't seem to have much of a website either. What is going on? Is anybody home?

A new study says low-income Americans are facing a higher unemployment rate today than at the height of the Depression. The Center for Labor Market Studies at Boston’s Northeastern University divided US households into ten groups based on annual income. The lowest tenth, with an annual household income of $12,499 or less, had a fourth-quarter unemployment rate last year of 30.8 percent. The next lowest-income group had an unemployment rate of 19.1 percent. The top two groups, with incomes above $100,000, had an average unemployment of 3.6 percent.

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/2/11/head...

A man and his wife had the good fortune to possess a goose which laid a golden egg every day. Lucky though they were, they soon began to think they were not getting rich fast enough, and, imagining the bird must be made of gold inside, they decided to kill it. Then, they thought, they could obtain the whole store of precious metal at once; however, upon cutting the goose open, they found its innards to be like that of any other goose.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goose_Tha...

America was the golden goose. The greedy on Wall Street, in our government and in our mega-corporations were awe-struck at how hard-working and productive we were. But when we got hungry and demanded a fair share of the wealth that we were creating for our greedy masters, Wall Street, our government and our mega-corporations looked for cheaper employees, outsourced our jobs and left us to waste away.

So here we are, slowly dying, while the vultures on Wall Street, in our government, in our mega-corporations and in the leadership of the countries to which our jobs were outsourced pick at the little flesh remaining on our bones. Soon nothing will be left of us and then . . . . . You finish the story.

and who knows what else.

Let's review the list of Obama's top campaign contributors.

University of California $1,591,395
Goldman Sachs $994,795
Harvard University $854,747
Microsoft Corp $833,617
Google Inc $803,436
Citigroup Inc $701,290
JPMorgan Chase & Co $695,132
Time Warner $590,084
Sidley Austin LLP $588,598
Stanford University $586,557
National Amusements Inc $551,683
UBS AG $543,219
Wilmerhale Llp $542,618
Skadden, Arps et al $530,839
IBM Corp $528,822
Columbia University $528,302
Morgan Stanley $514,881
General Electric $499,130
US Government $494,820
Latham & Watkins $493,835

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/con...

Over a million came from (employees of) companies in which Prince Alwaleed had a huge interest. So now we know who owns our government.

And McCain?

1 Merrill Lynch $378,995 $378,995 $0
2 Citigroup Inc $331,666 $331,666 $0
3 Morgan Stanley $268,952 $268,952 $0
4 JPMorgan Chase & Co $230,757 $230,757 $0
5 Goldman Sachs $230,345 $230,345 $0
6 AT&T Inc $211,938 $199,438 $12,500
7 US Government $208,379 $208,379 $0
8 Wachovia Corp $195,313 $195,313 $0
9 UBS AG $188,593 $188,593 $0
10 Credit Suisse Group $183,153 $183,153 $0
11 US Army $167,820 $167,820 $0
12 Bank of America $166,026 $166,026 $0
13 PricewaterhouseCoopers $161,150 $159,150 $2,000
14 Blank Rome LLP $154,276 $154,276 $0
15 Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher $152,596 $150,096 $2,500
16 Greenberg Traurig LLP $148,937 $146,437 $2,500
17 US Dept of Defense $145,355 $145,355 $0
18 FedEx Corp $134,474 $132,474 $2,000
19 Bear Stearns $117,498 $117,498 $0
20 Lehman Brothers $116,957 $116,957 $0

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/con...

McCain is less "owned" by Saudi Arabia's Alwaleed and friends than Obama. Interesting.

I am not a Republican and did not ever support or vote for McCain, but . . . . we have to be honest about our own situation. Our president needs to explain to us the extent to which he has been influenced by money from corporations in which investors who are not American and otherwise could not vote in our elections. Same for all the Republicans. After all, McCain did not take as much as Obama from Citicorp, but he took plenty.

Also, we need to know whether these candidates got money from employees of financial institutions that were failing and how much and whether those institutions then influenced not only the bail-out but the policies of the government after the bail out.