Investor Kicked Out, WellPoint Refuses Further Disclosure of Toxic Political Spending

Investor Kicked Out, WellPoint Refuses Further Disclosure of Toxic Political Spending

May 16, 2012 Aaron Krager No Comments
WellPoint executives hemmed and hawed at questions pertaining to political spending at Wednesday’s annual shareholders’ meeting. Health plan members and union leaders, who represent members with WellPoint health insurance, wanted to ask CEO Angela Braly why the company spends money to influence policy that contradicts their business model. Outside a group of people wearing white jumpsuits labeled “WellPoint cleanup crew” took care of the toxic money coming from the company’s political spending. They were denied entry to the hotel and had to leave the toxic mess upstairs. “WellPoint and its subsidiaries give financial support to the anti-union governors of Indiana, Wisconsin and Ohio, who are trying to nullify the Affordable Care Act and roll back workers’ right to bargain for a better life,” said the organization Health Care for America Now. The Affordable Care Act, also called Obamacare, mandates individuals to purchase health insurance and thus providing millions of more...
Read more »
BofA Dealt Punches from 99%, Shareholders Tell their Side

BofA Dealt Punches from 99%, Shareholders Tell their Side

May 10, 2012 Aaron Krager 1 Comment
“Bank of America, Bad for America” went the chant of protesters outside of the Charlotte headquarters with a large ball and chain marked with the word “DEBT” sitting it the background. Meanwhile shareholders piled into the annual meeting that serves as a formality of transparency for publicly traded companies . Unlike previous years, executives experienced something more than formality as people armed with shares of the big bank came to the mic demanding answers and accountability for Bank of America’s alleged fraudulent mortgage practices, funding in predatory payday loan stores, investing in dirty coal, and crashing the economy. The laundry list of wrongdoing by the bank cost millions of families their homes and their health. According to a Bloomberg report from the inside a shareholder complained of his stocks loss of value and called the bank a “felon.” CEO Brian Moynihan responded with a loaded defense saying, “We abide by...
Read more »
Faith Leaders Criticize GE, Global 1% in Direct Action

Faith Leaders Criticize GE, Global 1% in Direct Action

May 7, 2012 Aaron Krager No Comments
A new front of activism seems to have taken hold in recent weeks. Grassroots organizations that traditionally advocate for legislative goals and hold newsworthy protests in front of tax dodging corporations. Lately, the organizations teamed up to confront the global one percent on their own turf: during the annual shareholder meetings. Faith leaders took the frontline at General Electric and a couple other meetings that I had the opportunity to witness. Pastor Kevin Johnson highlighted Detroit’s hypocrisy when it came to its decision to utilize the police force. “Because millionaires and billionaires come to town, look at the great show of police presence we have today,” said Pastor Kevin Johnson, who was escorted out of the meeting despite being a shareholder. “It’s not fair to the individuals that live in the city of Detroit.” One homeowner told me that the wealthy refuse to hear our cries. All the while they...
Read more »

Get the Hell Out, Hateful Remarks at Opposition

politics / progressives don't get it
Jan 30, 2012 Aaron Krager No Comments

“Liberals should just move to Canada or Europe if they love socialism so much.”

I’ve heard something to that effect many times over the course of my short life. It felt like I heard it on a daily basis during the build up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. I sat on the side of it being an unnecessary war and to let the inspectors do their job. If there were weapons of mass destruction then the inspectors would find them and provide the evidence needed to warrant the war.

Despite the rationale, people called me unAmerican, unpatriotic, and a communist. But I wanted my country to do the right thing because I love it so much.

Sadly, the vicious name calling serves its purpose. Since President Barack Obama took office he faced the impossible task of fending off these attacks. He’s Kenyan, he’s Muslim, he’s a terrorist, a socialist, a communist, a terrorist sympathizer. Just to point out a few.

During the last weeks of the Republican primary, tea party favorite Newt Gingrich, seems to enjoy calling him the “food stamp president.”

Gingrich’s new nickname serves to describe Obama as a welfare queen… or king. The perjoritive phrase, originating from Ronald Reagan, rings in the ears of conservatives. It thrives on their false stereotype of lazy African-Americans collecting a free check from the government. According to Newt, Obama enables this with the growth of food stamps usage – during an economic recession no less.

A few years ago it seemed this type of demagoguery only came from shock-jocks and hardcore political pundits of the right. Think Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Glenn Beck. Now it comes from people running for President. It comes from the men and women who sit in the House of Representatives.

Florida Congressman Allen West has said a lot of derogatory things towards the President. Just the other night he told an audience that he believes Obama should “get the hell out of the United States of America.”

No joke. He really did.

“Take your message of equality of achievement, take your message of economic dependency, and take your message of enslaving the entrepreneurial will and spirit of the American people somewhere else. You can take it to Europe, you can take it to the bottom of the sea, you can take it to the North Pole, but get the hell out of the United States of America.”



West did not direct his message solely at Obama but also Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. The disparaging remarks show the hatred conservative leaders have for their opposition. The mere idea of person supporting a social safety net program or opposing an idiotic war throws them into a hateful diatribe against the person… not the idea.

Notice that. They attack the messenger. Not the idea itself. Not the merit of the idea. They do not offer evidence to contrast a policy proposal. For them to win, they must denigrate the people in the opposition.

If that does not work then they turn to threats. A new Facebook page, featuring a picture of a home burning down, threatens the jobs of Wisconsin recall signatories.

Anti-government crusader Grover Norquist is even going so far as threatening impeachment against Obama. Norquist’s reasoning lies in the Bush tax cuts. He wants them extended but Obama does not. If they lapse then Norquist wants impeachment proceedings and conviction in the Senate.

In civics classes they taught about healthy policy debates. I grew up thinking these actually could exist. Unfortunately, a disagreement in ideas gives conservatives the right to pursue a trial of “high crimes and misdemeanors.”

I am not even going to get started on the GOP state rep that said people should pray for Obama’s death, the Congressman who called him a Marxist.

Is it too much to ask conservatives for some civility?

Related posts:

  1. Dyson on the election results
  2. Two reasons why the Tea Party makes no sense
  3. It has to be the punch line
  4. Obama needs an ‘American President’ moment
  5. West Wing Wednesday
Posts of Note

© Aaron Krager 2008-2012 | Have any questions? Send me an email.

Design