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15541 [lbo-talk] The Chinese assembly line -- rank: 1000

Miles Jackson wrote: >Why are they called "U. S. companies"? Given the data here about >where the profits are being generated, it seems a little quaint >and/or naive to associate these huge corps with some specific nation. Because they're headquartered in the US, their senior execs live in the US, their accounts are kept in dollars, most of their shareholders are US entities, and if they run into trouble, they'll turn to Washington for help. Doug

Document Size:	5050
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Fri Feb 10 12:55:15 PST 2006

15542 [lbo-talk] Short-Term Tactics at Odds with Medium-Term Needs -- rank: 1000

Nathan Newman wrote: >But you'd rather have your preferred rhetoric defending a non-existent >single payer system than an actual legislative victory that helps working >families. Which pretty much sums up a chunk of the far left these days. Yeah, politics should be about conforming to what exists rather than trying to challenge it. And one of the bedrock principles of social democracy, universal public health insurance, is now far left. Bizarre. Doug

Document Size:	5218
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Fri Feb 10 11:45:40 PST 2006

15543 [lbo-talk] It pays to be stupid in America -- rank: 1000

John Lacny wrote: >Wojtek Sokolowski quotes: > >> Stella Awards It's time once again to review the winners >> of the Annual "Stella Awards." The Stella Awards are named >> after 81 year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled hot coffee on >> herself and successfully sued McDonald's (in NM). That case >> inspired the Stella awards for the most frivolous, >> ridiculous, successful lawsuits in the United States. > >This is a lot of right-wing ...

Document Size:	6370
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Fri Feb 10 10:26:20 PST 2006

15544 [lbo-talk] 75 Cents a Minute -- rank: 1000

Jim Devine wrote: >Doug: >> I'm going to sound like I'm channeling James Heartfield here, >but Carrol's post is an example of the exhaustion and fundamental >conservatism that has taken over much of the left ... . I thought we >were supposed to be about criticizing the quality of things and >social relations under capitalism - not criticizing growth and change >in themselves.<< > >Yoshie: >Isn't 99.99% of growth and change in the present stage of >capit ...

Document Size:	5610
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Fri Feb 10 08:52:32 PST 2006

15545 [lbo-talk] the Chinese assembly line -- rank: 1000

Marvin Gandall wrote: >Carrol Cox: wrote: > >>Growth is a core part of the evil of capitalism. >> >>Socialism must find a way either of stopping growth (probably necessary >>for human survival) or of slowing growth to the point at which change >>becomes imperceptible. >> >------------------------------------- >And all of these years I have thought that socialism was for an expansion of >the productive forces, for a society of material abundance ...

Document Size:	6527
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Fri Feb 10 07:16:09 PST 2006

15546 [lbo-talk] the Chinese assembly line -- rank: 1000

Carrol Cox wrote: >Growth is a core part of the evil of capitalism. > >Socialism must find a way either of stopping growth (probably necessary >for human survival) or of slowing growth to the point at which change >becomes imperceptible. Are you objecting to growth or change - or both? Doug

Document Size:	4909
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Fri Feb 10 07:13:18 PST 2006

15547 [lbo-talk] citizens & SP -- rank: 1000

John Lacny wrote: >I agree with Nathan's sentiment that he's more excited about the efforts to >make Wal-Mart pay than he is about single-payer -- not because single-payor >would not be a good thing, but because the efforts to make Wal-Mart pay >involve a lot more people and are really on the agenda. So Wal-Mart will be the piggy bank for universal coverage? A company with about $10 billion in profits, that, if evenly divided, could provide health insurance for about 2 million people ...

Document Size:	5152
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Thu Feb 9 12:59:58 PST 2006

15548 [lbo-talk] citizens & SP -- rank: 1000

Nathan Newman wrote: >Not to pull the activist card, but I get a bit sick of being miscontrued on >these issues when I've probably spent more hours actively working to pass a >single payer law than most people on this list. Not to pull the activist card, but why not pull the activist card? What's happening to you? At this rate, you'll be joining the DLC in a few years. Doug

Document Size:	4827
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Thu Feb 9 12:56:45 PST 2006

15549 [lbo-talk] citizens & SP -- rank: 1000

Nathan Newman wrote: >Which is why at the moment I'm much more excited by the "fair share" >legislation targetting employers like Wal-Mart than single payer, since a >whole bunch of folks are very excited and involed in thinking about >challenging irresponsible corporations, rather than sitting in wonk rooms to >design the perfect payment system for health care. Wow. This is surreal, looking-glass stuff. Let's see, which is more wonkish: "play or pay," which in ...

Document Size:	5714
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Thu Feb 9 12:55:29 PST 2006

15550 [lbo-talk] citizens & SP -- rank: 1000

Nathan Newman wrote: >As I've said, in practice a move towards single payer health care is less >likely to look like Sweden and more likely to look like Social Security-- a >system with minimal benefits and which excludes large chunks of the >population. I almost let this slip by without comment. What's wrong with SS? It could be more generous than it is, but it's near-universal, immensely popular, and largely successful at reducing elderly poverty. It's about the only welfare state ...

Document Size:	5459
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Thu Feb 9 10:57:29 PST 2006

15551 [lbo-talk] citizens & SP -- rank: 1000

Nathan Newman wrote: >I think your maximalist demand sucks. It doesn't say anything about tax >fairness in funding-- a single payer system funded by a sales tax would >fulfill your criteria. Why the fetish for "public funding" over SEIU's >core criteria >http://www.americansforhealthcare.org/action/hcv.cfm >which spells out full coverage and fair financing, while leaving the details >open? Wow, that's really something Nathan. When I forwarded Fitch one of your ...

Document Size:	6216
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Thu Feb 9 09:58:33 PST 2006

15552 [lbo-talk] UFW threatens to sue Marc Cooper... -- rank: 1000

...for writing critical piece in LA Weekly: <http://www.laweekly.com/index.php?option=com_lawcontent&task=view&id=12593&Itemid=47>.

Document Size:	4795
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Thu Feb 9 09:28:32 PST 2006

15553 [lbo-talk] Missile Dick Chicks vs Judy Miller -- rank: 1000

<http://www.gawker.com/news/judith-miller/judy-millers-fan-club-cant-penetrate-her-defenses-153775.php> Judy Miller's Fan Club Can't Penetrate Her Defenses READ MORE: HUMOR, IRAQ WAR, JUDITH MILLER, NEW YORK TIMES, TOP, VIDEO We have little idea what the hell's going on in this video, but, still, it's pretty priceless when a few girls in blonde wigs and faker accents attempt to present Judith Miller with a missile-shaped achievement award that appears to be made from a dildo. We're sad to ...

Document Size:	5297
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Thu Feb 9 09:17:37 PST 2006

15554 [lbo-talk] The Chinese assembly line: where's the other $19.65? -- rank: 1000

Sean Johnson Andrews wrote: >But isn't it also true that little of this profit is really >beneficial to "America" since little of it is reinvested in US >infrastructure, most of it is kept abroad, even if it doesn't stay >in China? Corp profits have thrived in this expansion, up an average of 25% a year. But corporate investment hasn't followed suit - corps have been transferring buckets of cash to shareholders, via dividends, buybacks, and takeovers. They don't keep it abr ...

Document Size:	5316
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Thu Feb 9 09:12:41 PST 2006

15555 [lbo-talk] Fitch on radio -- rank: 1000

Bob Fitch is going to be on my radio show this evening. The station is in a fundraiser, so I'm going to be doing a lot of begging, but I'll have Fitch around all hour. Doug

Document Size:	4621
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Thu Feb 9 08:43:30 PST 2006