C'mon Dems, get it together!

OK, so now that the Republicans are dropping like flies following scandal after scandal and failure after failure, it is time for the Democrats to unite and get a clear plan out to the masses.

1. First, they need a fresh strategy in Iraq. Inviting other Arab countries to join the coalition and help police the Iraqis, then the battle is won. The insurgency must be rooted out by the people living in Iraq, so there must be a way to inform the authorities where citizens of Iraq are safe and secure from reprisal. Focusing on closing the border from Syria and Iran are definitely top priority.

2. The Dems need to bust Bush on Osama. The Democrats would not seem so sissy-like on defense if they increased the number of troops in Afganistan and focused on infiltrating Al-Queda and remembering who started this war in the first place (five frigging years ago) and popping a cap in his ass.

3. Play the nationalized healthcare card. The money that has been spent in Iraq could have paid for national healthcare for 3 years, but I guess that money is better spent killing people who in no way threatened us. The entire nation is sick and tired of Republicans working with lobyists to create legislation that favors big business and SCREWS the people of the United States!

4. Back each other up. The Democrats need to support one another, especially the Dems that have the balls to stand up to this Republican White House, Congress, Senate, and Supreme Court. Russ Fiengold's Censure of the President needed to be backed by the Democrats as a whole, and then people will see how helpless the Democrats are when it comes to fighting this corruption.

5. Raise trade tariffs on China and propose an "international minimum wage" to force chinese slave labor to compensate their people accordingly. They also need to pound the American companies that move their factories over there with a whole new tax to make it less lucrative.

6. Play on the National Debt and the National Trade Deficit. The Republicans have ruined the countries financial being by running up both record deficits (285 billion with china in '05) and record national debt (now up to 9,000,000,000,000). And they are supposed to be the "controlled spenders" Alex P. Keaton, burn in hell!

7. Demand an investigation into the illegal wiretapping of Americans! This could very well be out of control, but nobody knows except the White House and the NSA.

8. Propose REAL LOBBYING REFORM! Lobbyists are ruining the way the government functions by greasing everyone from Duke Cunningham (the republican war hero) to Tom Delay (the former Republican majority leader) as well as top White House advisors. Everyone is getting rich except the Citizenry! Some public SERVANTS!

So if the Democrats follow these rules, they will come out on top!!!!!

More fun with Katrina and the best government $ can buy!

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government wasted millions of dollars in its award of post-Katrina contracts for disaster relief, including at least $3 million for 4,000 beds that were never used, federal auditors said Thursday.

The Government Accountability Office's review of 13 major contracts — many of them awarded with limited or no competition after the Aug. 29 storm — offers the first preliminary overview of their soundness.

Waste and mismanagement were widespread due to poor planning and miscommunication, according to the five-page briefing paper released Thursday. That led to money that was paid for work never used.

By and large, the initial criticism of FEMA, from members of Congress and others, was that the agency moved too slowly to assist hurricane victims.

Of more than 700 contracts valued at $500,000 or greater, more than half were awarded without competition, often to politically connected companies such as Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root, Bechtel Corp. and AshBritt Inc.

Democrats, in particular, in recent weeks have called for limits on no-bid agreements, which they say have been awarded to politically connected companies at the expense of a slow Gulf Coast rebuilding effort.

"Previous reports of waste in the aftermath of Katrina have been bad, but this one is worse," said Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House Government Reform Committee.

"The Bush administration has learned nothing from its disastrous contract management in Iraq," he said. "The administration seems incapable of spending money in a way that actually meets the needs of Gulf Coast residents."

The GAO report released Thursday speaks broadly and does not address the validity of no-bid contracts; those reviews are currently underway by inspector generals at Homeland Security and other agencies. But it found significant problems in its general review of the 13 contracts, most of which were limited bid.

According to the report, the GAO praised government agencies for their "hard work" in securing contracts after the disaster, but said millions could have been saved if they had adopted previous GAO recommendations to hire more personnel, prearrange contracts and better train staff.

Among the findings:
•Non-existent communication with local officials led to misjudgments on the need for temporary housing. They included $3 million that FEMA spent for 4,000 base camp beds that were never used and $10 million to renovate and furnish 240 rooms in Alabama, which housed only six occupants before being closed.

•Poor coordination between FEMA and the Army Corps contributed to waste in an Americold Logistics LLC's contract for ice. "The local Corps personnel were not always aware of where ice might be delivered and did not have authority ... resulting in inefficient distribution," it said.

•Inadequate planning led to the award of a Mississippi contract for classrooms without competition. "Information in the contract files suggests the negotiated prices were inflated." A review of that specific contract, with Akima Site Operations LLC, was continuing.

• FEMA had only 17 of the 27 monitors it deemed necessary to oversee the installation of temporary housing in four states, leading to inadequate controls. The 13 Katrina contracts reviewed involve the following 12 companies: C. Henderson Consulting; Americold Logistics; Clearbrook LLC; CS&M Associates; Gulf Stream Coach Inc.; Morgan Building & Spas Inc.; Bechtel National; Fluor Enterprises Inc.; CH2M Hill Constructors Inc.; E.T.I. Inc.; Ceres Environmental Services Inc.; and Thompson Engineering Inc.

Just another reason to love Jessica Simpson!

LOS ANGELES — Jessica Simpson didn't want to meet the president.
Concerned about politicizing her favorite charity, the singer/actress on Wednesday turned down a invitation to meet with President George W. Bush at a major Republican fund-raiser.

The sexy "The Dukes of Hazzard" star still plans to visit Washington on Thursday to lobby members of Congress on behalf of Operation Smile, a non-profit venture offering free plastic surgery for disadvantaged children overseas with facial deformities.

But people close to Simpson said she passed on a request to appear that same evening at the fund-raiser of the National Republican Congressional Committee -- even after she was offered some private time with Bush -- because Operation Smile is a non-partisan group.

"It just feels wrong," one Simpson insider told Reuters on Wednesday, adding that the actress keeps her political views private."She would love to meet the president and talk about Operation Smile ... but she can't do it at a fund-raiser for the Republican Party."

Deeper and Deeper.....

Here is just one more nail in the coffin of our childrens children. While Bill Clinton eliminated National Debt and left the country with a surplus (which George Bush gave away in the form of a $300.00 check to everyone in the country), George Bush is scrambling to break every record of National Debt! (Keep in mind China holds $4,000,000,000,000.00 of that Debt) Here is your republican senate hard at work....

MAR. 16 11:51 A.M. ET The Senate voted Thursday to allow the national debt to swell to nearly $9 trillion, preventing a first-ever default on U.S. Treasury notes.
The bill passed by a 52-48 vote. The increase to $9 trillion represents about $30,000 for every man, woman and child in the United States. The bill now goes to President Bush for his signature.
The measure allows the government to pay for the war in Iraq and finance Medicare and other big federal programs without raising taxes. It passed hours before the House was expected to approve another $91 billion to fund the war in Iraq and provide more aid to hurricane victims.

Associated Press/WASHINGTON
By ANDREW TAYLOR
Associated Press Writer

Lighten it up with a joke... about medicaid ; D

The phone rang. The lady of the house answered
"Yes?"
"Mrs.. Ward, please."
"Speaking"
"Mrs Ward, this is Doctor Jones at the Medical Testing Laboratory.When your Doctor sent your husband's samples to the lab, the samples from another Mr Ward were sent as well, and we are now uncertain which one is your husband's. Frankly, it is either bad or terrible."
"What do you mean?" Mrs. Ward asked.
"Well, one Mr. Ward has tested positive for Alzheimer's, and the>other for AIDS. We can't tell which your husband's is."
"That's terrible! Can we do the test over?" questioned Mrs Ward.
"Normally, yes. But Medicare won't pay for these expensive tests more than once."
"Well, what am I supposed to do now?"
"The people at Medicare recommend that you drop your husband off in the middle of town. If he finds his way home, don't sleep with him."