What I am thankful for

Since this is Thanksgiving weekend, rather than talk politics, which will be my next blog, I decided to talk about what I'm thankful for.

Now before you log off and think I'm being sappy, give me a chance here. Throughout most of my life, and I'm not that old yet (!), I have heard people say: "To your health," "At least you've got your health...," "Happy, healthy and wise," ...I think you get the point. Well, this year, I'm really happy for my health. Or, I should say, I appreciate having my health. We all know as we age, the back doesnt bend as quickly, and the aches and pains become more apparent....but then there are more serious issues.

I recently lost my Aunt Marilyn to lung cancer- although she was near 80, that was young considering her brother, my grandfather, and even her parents lived well into their 90's. (Watch our conservatives- Leslie Marshall's got a long life span ahead! haha!) Just two weeks later, on my mother's side of the family, my Uncle Leon died of brain cancer. Just months ago her was fine- and then, while having dinner with friends, dropped to the floor. When the doctor said he had brain cancer, and that an operation could give him a 50-50 chance, surely we all thought he would survive after 3 of them!

When they sent him home with hospice care experts tell you it could be months, what they didnt tell us and didnt know is that it would be a few days. So I have stood by the funerals, burials, memorial services of 2 in my family. And I must admit- which is bizarre- but I think we all do it...who is next? When will it be? Then my mind starts to wander into when will I die? Will I see my children grow up? Marry? Have children? How will I die? Will it be slow? painful? Will I die in my sleep like my Dad did?

Being a pessimist, it is hard to have the Pollyanna view of life- that "live each day like it's your last" however true it may ring for me is harder in my "glass half empty" philosophy of life. Most of us suffer many losses in life- parents, grandparents, pets- and as we get older- friends- and for some of us, like myself, our own children. These past weeks I have been ill. I had the flu, then a cough, a sore throat, lost my voice ( which is pretty bad for a talk host!) and then got walking pneumonia. When I thought I had turned the corner, I got sick again- I wont make you sick with the details. Even as I write this- I'm still not 100%- but all of this is small in comparison with the health issues so many people are afflicted with throughout the world- and of course, this is small in the grand scheme of life- my life- your life- anyone's life- I'm sure on my deathbed I wont be thinking: "wow- I wonder how come my flu lasted so long in 2009?!" And before I close, I have a confession to make: One the 2nd part of a 3 part series on The O'Reilly Factor in which Bill interviewed Sarah Palin, Bill had me on after the interview to discuss my opinion of Ms Palin and her reponses to his questions. Of the hundreds of emails, or should I clarify and say "hate mails," a few, usually from a femal would say something like :"you dont like Sarah Palin because you're jealous!"

Well to be honest, there were years in my life, where a woman who was doing better than me professionally, was more attractive, thinner, etc. would make me jealous- to be honest. BUT.....I can honestly and truly say, (and it feels good!) that I am happy in my life now. I must be honest again- I fear saying that- often when I have expressed to the world "I'm Happy" bad things have happened like : losing a job, my father dying or finding out my son had a terminal illness.......but for the first time in a long time- without sounding sappy again or even conceited- I'm happy being me- being Leslie Marshall.

I dont aspire to be Oprah, Sarah Palin or any other female who makes more money, has a bigger career. I am truly blessed to do what I love, to have a radio show that continues to grow in a bad economy; to be asked to be on television on programs that are so highly rated and respected as "The O'Reilly Factor," to have 2 healthy children, a good marriage to a supportive man whom I love, an incredible team who believes in me and my show, a roof over my head and ....well...my health- physically, emotionally and mentally. So to conclude- here's saying Happy Thanksgiving to all of you- be thankful for what you've got- dont mourn what you've loss too long or you'll miss the living you've got to do- because none of us know for how long that will be.

Healthcare Reform: The Public Option and Single Payer

As a caller on Leslie's show exhibited this week, there seems to be a lot of confusion about the Public Option and Single Payer.  Some of this is natural.  Some is intentional.  Lobbying firms for the Giant Health Insurance Companies hope for confusion and misinformation to dominate what should be a conversation on real reform.    The truth is, even if President Obama wanted single payer, it would never be able to happen from the Health Care Bills in the House and Senate now.  Separate bills would have to be introduced into the House and Senate and would have to be voted on.  So some people's boogie man theory on the Public Option somehow transforming into Single Payer is legally impossible.   Anyone who reads, writes or just plain understands bills in the House or Senate can tell you that. The Public Option would compete with Private Health Insurance Plans, not eliminate them.  Imagine if you have three grocery stores in your city, and they all conspire to raise the cost of bread.  Say bread was a dollar a loaf, and the grocery store made a 90 cent profit from that.  Then say all three grocery stores agreed to raise it to three dollars a loaf.  Even though the bread is the same (or getting worse if we're comparing it to health care), you have no choice but to pay more for it.  Then every year the three grocery stores conspire to raise the cost of bread.  $4.00 dollars the next year, $5.00 the year after that, $6.00 the next year (all while the bread is getting worse).   Then all of a sudden, a fourth grocery store comes along who is not conspiring with the others.  They charge $1.00 a loaf, and still make a healthy 90 cent profit.  Eventually word gets out, and Capitalism and competition come into effect.  People start shopping at the fourth grocer to buy the $1.00 bread because they're no longer getting ripped off.  Sure enough, the other grocers (due to competition), have to stop ripping people off.  They now charge between $1.00 and $2.00 dollars per loaf, and still make a profit between 90 cents and $1.90.  So they're forced to make their prices fair, or raise the quality of the product if they're going to keep raising the price. This makes the market fair for the customer again, all while still allowing the businesses to make profits.  But doesn't allow them to conspire to rip people off and take advantage of them.  That, in short, is what the Public Option is. It is not single payer; single payer would be only Government run Health Care.  A Public Option would be just like having another company out there that you could buy insurance from.  So now instead of having say three options like Cigna, Blue Cross and Wellpoint.  You'd have Cigna, Blue Cross, Wellpoint and a Public Option plan. It will help to stop Health Insurance costs from rising every single year, which they have done in this country for decades now.  The prices are going up, even thought the actual care is getting worse.   The quality of health care for millions of Americans insured through commercial or public plans has stopped improving for the first time in more than a decade, according to an industry accreditation group's report issued two weeks ago. Don't take my word for it, check out the physical proof: http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/22/news/economy/healthcare_insurers_reportcard/index.htm?postversion=2009102211 So Americans are paying more for Health Care, even though it is getting worse.  You cannot argue with that, it is a hard fact. Despite us Americans paying by far the most for Health Care anywhere in the world, we have the 37th best care, according to independent non-partisan reports.  Again, here is the hard proof that cannot be argued with: http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html The bottom line is, if we do nothing, the Healthcare companies have no reason to stop charging us more and more every year, for care that is actually getting worse.   Mark "Marky Mark" Grimaldi Executive Producer The Leslie Marshall Show "The Only True Democracy In Talk Radio: Of, For and By The People" www.lesliemarshallshow.com

Leno/Limbaugh

As a guest on Jay Leno's new show, Rush Limbaugh stated that the subprime mortgage crisis can be blamed on: Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Bill Clinton and.....ACORN!?! As my son would say- wow, wow wubsy! Now I thought it was crazy that former President Bill Clinton was blamed for September 11th. I thought it was nuts that Saddam Hussein was blamed for September 11th. And now, I truly feel Mr Limbaugh better put down his handful of oxycontin and fast! To blame a community action organization for the subprime crisis!?!!? Even conservative listeners to my radio talk show agree that is ridiculous! As I said on my program; the financial crisis, subprime housing included is a world wide problem. It began during the Bush administration; and as much as I like to blame GW, even this isn't his fault. Nor is it Clinton's. or Obama's. How about the lenders? Homebuyers? Underwriters? Credit Approval ratings organizations? The reality is that the economy was at risk of a deep recession after the dot com bubble burst in early 2000. September 11th only made things worse. So how did the world respond? Banks tried to stimulate the economy; and not just here in the U.S., but throughout the world. And that pushed investors and lenders to take greater risks. Like lenders approving subprime mortgage loans to borrowers with poor credit or no credit and even some who had no jobs. So it was the consumer's demand that drove the housing bubble to it's all time high in the summer of 2005. And that didn't give a happy ending, that gave us incredibly high foreclosure #'s. So how does ACORN get blamed? How does President Clinton get blamed? For those that say Barney Frank could have regulated these lenders and didn't, let's not forget former President Bush's speech on October 15, 2002 at Georgetown University, when he encouraged those loans being backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. To paraphrase, he said that lower income people could get good quality homes. And GW Bush was President during the time of this financial fallout. He was the captain of the ship. He cannot have no responsibility, or in this case, blame for this problem. Neither can the top dogs at the Treasury under his command. And back to ACORN.....individuals go to ACORN when they're faced with foreclosure, or after they've lost their home; so how would a ACORN and it's members benefit from a subprime mortgage circus? Wouldn't they basically be screwing themselves to profit from something like this? Most of us never heard of ACORN until about a year ago; before then, ACORNS were little nuts that squirrels munched on!!! Lastly, why cant we ever look in the mirror and blame ourselves? Or in this case our/the borrowers and the lenders greed? Nothing too good to be true is. Too much money too fast isn't a sure thing, it's a bad thing; just ask those that borrowed from Bernie Madoff. Not to be religious here, but the bible doesn't say it's money that is the root of all evil, it is the "love" of money that is. The lenders love their money, so do we, that's how we got here and we didn't it without nuts...I mean acorns.
Leslie Marshall
The Leslie Marshall Show
“The Only True Democracy in Talk Radio – Of For And By The People”
www.lesliemarshallshow.com

Since When Did Americans Stop Rooting For the Little Guy?

Since When Did Americans Stop Rooting For the Little Guy?

That’s what the whole “debate” on Health Care Reform makes me wonder about. It made sense to me that Americans went ape sh%t when CEOs and Executives of companies like AIG got greedy and tried to line their pockets even further with bonuses. Yet when the CEOs of the Giant Health Care Corporations try to do the same thing, we let them cry poor and win?
Something else must be going on here.
When you do a little bit of digging, the answer becomes clear rather quickly. For every lawmaker in Congress, there are about six lobbyists pushing their health care priorities, according to a Bloomberg News investigation released ten days ago. That's about 3,300 registered health care lobbyists working Capitol Hill, outnumbering and constantly swarming 100 senators and 435 congressmen.
Bloomberg also examined new lobbyist registrations since July 1 and found that, on average, three lobbying organizations per day, many headquartered on Washington, D.C.'s K Street corridor, are lining up to lobby Congress on health reform.
After reading that you can see why it looks like Americans might not be rooting for the little guy (themselves in this case). This is because Billions, and maybe eventually Trillions, of dollars will have been spent to scare Americans, and subsequently kill Health Care Reform.
Whether it’s lobbying Congress, running scare Ads on TV, or paying to bus protestors to Town Hall Meetings, Goliath has started to thwart any momentum David seemed to have going.
But all hope is not lost. If you recall, less than 10 months ago many people and Large Corporations said that a Black man with a funny sounding name getting elected to the Highest Office in the Land was impossible. Well, score that one David: 1 Goliath: 0.
Getting Health Care reformed doesn’t have to be all that different than the election. People need to take a little time out of their busy lives to, number one, educate themselves on what Reform actually means.
A poll by the Associated Press last week highlighted what a big problem this actually is:
(Here is a link to the article): http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hfODLR0wl7aBmaQ38Za6eyzLJ9hQD9A6AE0G2
THE POLL: 45 percent said it's likely the government will decide when to stop care for the elderly; 50 percent said it's not likely.
THE FACTS: Nothing being debated in Washington would give the government such authority. Critics have twisted a provision in a House bill that would direct Medicare to pay for counseling sessions about end-of-life care, living wills, hospices and the like if a patient wants such consultations with a doctor. They have said, incorrectly, that the elderly would be required to have these sessions.
House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio said such counseling "may start us down a treacherous path toward government-encouraged euthanasia."
The bill would prohibit coverage of counseling that presents suicide or assisted suicide as an option.
Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia, who has been a proponent of coverage for end-of-life counseling under Medicare, said such sessions are a voluntary benefit, strictly between doctor and patient, and it was "nuts" to think death panels are looming or euthanasia is part of the equation.
But as fellow conservatives stepped up criticism of the provision, he backed away from his defense of it.
___
THE POLL: 55 percent expect the overhaul will give coverage to illegal immigrants; 34 percent don't.
THE FACTS: The proposals being negotiated do not provide coverage for illegal immigrants.
___
THE POLL: 54 percent said the overhaul will lead to a government takeover of health care; 39 percent disagree.
THE FACTS: Obama is not proposing a single-payer system in which the government covers everyone, like in Canada or some European countries. He says that direction is not right for the U.S. The proposals being negotiated do not go there.
At issue is a proposed "exchange" or "marketplace" in which a new government plan would be one option for people who aren't covered at work or whose job coverage is too expensive. The exchange would offer some private plans as well as the public one, all of them required to offer certain basic benefits.
That's a long way from a government takeover. But when Obama tells people they can just continue with the plans they have now if they are happy with them, that can't be taken at face value, either. Tax provisions could end up making it cheaper for some employers to pay a fee to end their health coverage, nudging some patients into a public plan with different doctors and benefits. Over time, critics fear, the public plan could squeeze private insurers out of business because they would not be able to compete with the federal government.
It's unclear now whether Obama is committed to the public option. He described it recently as "just one sliver" of health reform, suggesting it was expendable if lawmakers could agree on another way to expand affordable coverage. Now the White House is emphasizing his strong support for it.
___
THE POLL: 50 percent expect taxpayer dollars will be used to pay for abortions; 37 percent don't.
THE FACTS: The House version of legislation would allow coverage for abortion in the public plan. But the procedure would be paid for with dollars from beneficiary premiums, not from federal funds. Likewise, private plans in the new insurance exchange could opt to cover abortion, but no federal subsidies would be used to pay for the procedure.
Opponents say the prohibition on federal money for the procedure is merely a bookkeeping trick and what matters is that Washington would allow abortion to be covered under government-subsidized insurance.
Obama has stated that the U.S. should continue its tradition of "not financing abortions as part of government-funded health care." Current laws prohibiting public financing of abortion would stay on the books.
Yet abortion guidelines are not yet clear for the government-supervised insurance exchange. There is strong sentiment in Congress on both sides of the issue.

So as you can see, people taking time to educate themselves and their friends and family on what actual Reform would entail is quite a big deal. If that can be done, a similar strategy to the 2008 Presidential Campaign can be enacted. Getting normal Americans to inform themselves and then use that information to educate others around them. An educated and active Public is a nightmare for the large Health Care Corporations and their lobbyists. So in turn, it is also the best chance for Real Health Care Reform.

Mark "Marky Mark" Grimaldi
Executive Producer
The Leslie Marshall Show
"The Only True Democracy In Talk Radio - Of, For and By The People"
www.lesliemarshallshow.com

Former President Clinton and North Korea...

Barack Obama didn't do it. GW Bush didnt do it.  Hilary Rodham Clinton didnt do it, but her husband did. I'm not talking about cigars, a blue dress or a woman named Monica. I am talking about two women. The release of two women. The pardon of two women and those two women are Laura Ling and Euna Lee.  For those Bill Clinton haters, this will be a tough pill to swallow. Without notifying the media, without cameras rolling and completely of his own doing; Former President Bill Clinton met with Kim Jong Il in North Korea this week and after exhaustive talks, a "special pardon" was granted and as simple as one snapping one's fingers, Laura Ling and Euna Lee will be released and will return home to their families, their country and their freedoms.  Now there are those that will always think of Bill Clinton as the impeached President.  There are those that remember the 8 years of his Presidency with fondness due to a thriving economy and for the most part, a time of peace for America.  A time when the world loved us. And a time, whether you loved or hated him, you couldnt move when he spoke because you were captivated by his enthusiasm and charisma as a speaker.  I met former President Clinton in 1992 during a Health Care Summit at the White House. As a nationally syndicated radio talk host who had just taken over for Tom Snyder at Daynet on the ABC Satellite Radio network, I had been invited with others in my line of work.  I remember a very large ( in more than name!) talk host who said "When you meet him, you just can't hate the guy" and although I harbored no hatred toward this President, quite the opposite, the big talk host guy was right. President Clinton has an energy about him that no other President has had during my lifetime.  Honestly, I have never met a person whose hand I have shaken and actually felt the energy coming through. His smile is infectous. His words are powerful.  And he, no matter how polarizing a figure he might be in our politically divided nation, he is still respected and viewed as extremely powerful throughout the world.  Many times during the past 8 years under the Bush Administration, I would hear my conservative counterparts blame Bill Clinton.  The bad economy? Clinton's fault.  9/11? Clinton's fault.  Terrorism? Clinton's fault.  No national healthcare plan? I think you get the point.  It's almost as if right wing conservative Republicans love hating the man.  So it makes me wonder. How will they hate him now? How will the right turn this heroic act into something heinous?  Will they say Hilary is ineffective as Secretary of State because her husband had to do her bidding? Or that President Obama used former President Clinton?  Perhaps that President Clinton needed attention and to be in the limelight? I can hear it now.  And I'll be there to debate that point as a talking head on the t.v. talk shows.  President William Jefferson Clinton might have his faults, he might have been impeached; but he held the position as leader of the free world for eight years. He was loved and highly respected, his words commanded attention and obviously they still do.  President Clinton once said he admired former President Jimmy Carter's work in a humanitarian capacity post presidency and he wanted to follow in his footsteps.  I believe with this one gesture, this one magnificent victory, President Clinton has done that and more. As an American, I am proud of my former President. As a woman I am greatful. Thank you President Clinton, for reminding us of all the good you continue to do for our nation.   Leslie Marshall The Leslie Marshall Show "The Only True Democracy in Talk Radio – Of For And By The People" www.lesliemarshallshow.com

Is President Obama more secular than religious.

On "The O'Reilly Factor" last week, I was asked if the President is more secular than religious. Some examples are his not yet selecting a church to worship on Sundays, covering the religious symbols behind him at Georgetown University when he spoke there and the Pentagon not allowing a military jet fly over at the "God and Country" festival, etc.
I'm amazed that in a country that prides itself on Separation of Church and State that we even have these discussions. Although religion certainly does play a part in politics; just look at GW Bush's win in the state of Ohio over Kerry; that isnt what America elects a President to do. I dont care if, where, when President Obama goes to church or why. Faith is a very personal thing in my opinon.

And to use our hard earned tax dollars in a recessive economy for a fly over at a festival!?!!! I dont care that they've been doing that for 42 years! That is a clear case of pork barrel spending. I want my tax dollars going toward areas of improvement for our country. I want our military fighting terrorists whether in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan or here at home; not part of some dog and pony show at a festival.

The Pentagon clearly stated the festival's website was Christian and although most Americans dont like to admit it, we might have judao christian roots; but as Bob Dylan says, the times, they are a changin'. The U.S. is a melting pot not only of different political ideals, race, various ethnicities and cultures, but various religions.

In addition to Christianity and Judaism, there are worshippers that are Muslim, Hindu, Buddhists, Parsi's, BaHai, Wicken, Kabbala, Christian Scientists, Scientologists, Hari Krishna.....just to name a few. The President has it right as does the Pentagon. Dont favor one religion over another, keep the practice of seperation of church and state...well...seperate....and dont waste Americans tax dollars on festivals especially when many have lost their jobs and possiblty their homes

Leslie Marshall, Host
The Leslie Marshall Show
"The Only True Democracy In Talk Radio - Of, For And By The People.
"http://www.lesliemarshallshow.com/

The Real Deal With North Korea

Many Americans know the name Kim Jong Il, but not Kim Jong Un. Well they should know the latter soon. At least that’s the way North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Il would like things to go. That’s because Kim Jong Un is his 26 year old son, and chosen successor. Kim Jong Il had at least five children with three women; three sons and two daughters. Kim Jong Un, 26, is the youngest with his older brothers being 38 and 28. This very young age and lack of political experience may explain why the North Korean Dictator is acting crazier than ever lately. His recent stroke and health problems have forced him to reveal his successor earlier than he probably would’ve liked. Now he is trying to leave his son a Nuclear-Armed North Korea. Something he believes would give 26 year old Kim Jong Un instant credibility despite his age.

There is only one known photo of Kim Jong Un outside of North Korea, and it is from when he was 11 years old. Not much is known about the future Dictator. Intelligence reports say that the North Korean successor is very much like his father. “We picture a charismatic young man, authoritarian, politically astute and precocious and ambitious,” said Cheong Seong-chang, a researcher at the Sejong Institute, near Seoul. “We picture Little Kim Jong-Il.”

North Korea’s intentions may be to create nuclear weapons in order to garner respect for their future leader. They may have no intention of actually using them. However, the United States and its Allies in the United Nations cannot take that risk. Not with Kim Jong Il at the helm. Making matters worse, the North Korean Dictator may be planning to launch a missile towards Hawaii in early July, some Intelligence Reports have cited. The missile most likely would not reach Hawaii, but just the act of firing a missile toward the United States is a message in and of itself. It would be extremely difficult for the United States not to react with some measure of its military if that occurred. Even if it was just to shoot the missile down. And who knows what reaction that would conjure up from North Korea’s Kim Jong Il.

The good news for the U.S. and South Korea is that both China and Russia are pressuring North Korea to reengage in talks. A statement issued by Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev pressed for a peaceful resolution of the Korean standoff and the "swiftest renewal" of the now-frozen six-party talks involving their countries as well as North and South Korea, Japan and the United States. Another good sign is that top U.S. and Chinese military officials will meet next week to discuss North Korea and maritime conflicts with the aim of improving cooperation between Beijing and Washington, the Pentagon said on Friday.

It is in the best interest of all parties involved if North Korea comes back to the table and ceases their crass military actions. In the meantime, President Obama has the right attitude and approach on the situation, and seems to have hit the proverbial ‘nail on the head’ while speaking at the White House with the South Korean President by his side: Obama said that, in recent years, North Korea's provocations have been "rewarded" as Western countries offered fuel, food and loans in exchange for promises of good behavior that are eventually broken.
"We are going to break that pattern," Obama said. North Korea "will not find security or respect through threats and illegal weapons."

Mark "Marky Mark" Grimaldi
Executive Producer
The Leslie Marshall Show
"The Only True Democracy In Talk Radio - Of, For And By The People."
http://www.lesliemarshallshow.com/