Tearin' o' the Green

I've been reading comment boards following stories about the Irish austerity plan. The ignorance displayed by conservative commenters is uniformly appalling. To a person, they assume that the most free market economy in Europe is a socialist dystopia bankrupted by union greed and an idle citizenry dependent on massive entitlement programs.

Possibly in a parallel universe, but here on earth the actual facts speak an inconvenient truth. The crisis in Ireland is the same as the crisis here: A failure of free market capitalism specifically brought on by a real estate bubble.

Not only is Ireland not socialist, neither is any country in western Europe. England, Italy, Spain, and the Scandinavian countries have socialized medicine, but that's because they each concluded long ago that the free market could not efficiently and equitably deliver health care access to an entire population, something that each country decided was a moral right. So, they removed the free market from the equation. That's a long way from a socialized economy.

All other nations in Europe provide health care via insurance. This system is heavily regulated because these countries very sensibly don't trust the free market to accomplish much for population health, but it's not socialized medicine.

Norway has nationalized its petroleum reserves, which, contrary to what the teabaggers might think, is not remotely socialistic. It simply means that the state (a.k.a., the people of Norway) retains ownership of the country's most valuable natural resource. Private companies extract and commoditize the oil, then split the profits with Norway. Norway gets a platinum-plated health care plan and financial security for its aging population out of the deal. If that's socialism, smite me with it.

One commenter confidently wrote that Irish crisis was a result of -- I kid you not -- Keynesian economics, a phrase he no doubt picked up from Glen Beck's whiteboard. As Ireland often ran surpluses before unregulated bank speculation defecated on people's lives and as the government is now desperately trying to balance the budget on the backs of the innocent, it's literally impossible to see where Keynes fits in.

Well, as he often does, the great Christy Moore knows the right of it. This one goes out to Pat, Ann, Ian, Mina, Declan, Mary, and all of my Irish friends:

House to 9/11 First Responders: Get Sick and Die

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I Give Up - 9/11 Responders Bill
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Check your congressperson's vote here.

The Washington state delegation voted as follows:

1. Inslee (D) Y
2. Larsen (D) Y
3. Baird (D) Y
4. Hastings (R) N
5. McMorris-Rogers (R) N
6. Dicks (D) Y
7. McDermott (D) Y
8. Reichert (R) N
9. Smith (D) Y

To his shame, former sheriff Dave Reichert put the interests of multinational corporations ahead of his brother and sister first responders. I sent him the following letter:

Please explain to me how you could under any circumstances vote against the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, especially when the funding mechanism meant closing a tax loophole that allows foreign multinational corporations from avoiding tax on income earned in the Unites States.

You spent a career as a first responder. You know what is expected of them, the risks they take, and the sacrifices they make. How could you set their interests and needs aside in favor of a corporate tax break?

I am embarrassed for you and for the 8th District. We deserve better.

Please contact your representative one way or another about this bill. Express anger to Republicans and urge Democrats to revisit the bill without the political convenience of the 2/3's procedure.