tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-122687272024-03-12T18:56:12.139-07:00Vibes WatchA blog about the city of Los Angeles, the Green Party, and green politics in L.A.michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.comBlogger196125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-10211652778760672172009-03-16T19:06:00.000-07:002009-03-16T19:16:48.867-07:00AIGIf you are legally obligated to pay someone a bonus, even if the company basically goes bankrupt, is it really a bonus?michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-36801092929877227462009-03-07T16:21:00.000-08:002009-03-07T16:24:04.088-08:00The recession hits homeNo, I didn't lose my job. But walking down Montana Ave. this morning, every block seemed to have one or two empty store fronts.michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-25246883260986297282009-03-01T11:29:00.000-08:002009-03-01T12:48:32.406-08:00A Down Payment on Health Care ReformYou may have heard that President Obama's budget proposal includes a $630 billion "down payment on health care reform." What does that mean? As far as I can tell, the $630 billion is just a placeholder for potential spending as part of health care reform, the shape of which is unclear right now. This could be smart. When Congress debates different health care proposals, cost might be less of an michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-61489090514604700902009-02-17T17:42:00.001-08:002009-02-17T19:17:32.703-08:00Atul Gawande's Path Dependency ThesisWriting in The New Yorker in January, Atul Gawande makes a case for a pragmatic approach to health care reform. The thesis of his article, "Getting There From Here", is that reform of the health care system must build on what already exists, because so many people depend on the current system. A single-payer system, in particular, would be too much of a break from the current system either to winmichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-1957337090172421522009-02-16T11:04:00.000-08:002009-02-16T14:34:32.833-08:00Healthy San Francisco - a model for Los Angeles?Healthy San Francisco is the name of the innovative program San Francisco developed to provide affordable health care for uninsured residents. Healthy San Fransisco is not complete health care insurance. It instead provides a baseline of care. One of the solutions that San Fransisco came up with to limit costs is to only cover health care within city limits. Participants are given a "medical homemichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-74381026131228825132009-02-16T10:21:00.000-08:002009-02-16T10:40:36.226-08:00Creating a Health Care Effectiveness ClearinghouseSome ideas are just no-brainers. The idea of an independent agency to study the comparative effectiveness of different treatments is one of them. It will improve health care by promoting more effective treatments, and it will lower costs by reducing the use of expensive but relatively ineffective treatments.So it is great news that the stimulus bill "will, for the first time, provide substantial michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-39801815993466627792009-02-16T10:13:00.000-08:002009-02-16T10:21:40.510-08:00LA Greens Health Care Event - Feb 18 @ 7pmAt the LA Greens meeting this week, we'll be tackling the issue of health care. There is reason to be hopeful that a national universal health care plans is within reach, and I think the Greens should be part of that conversation.I'm going to post some notes from the research I've been doing for that meeting on this blog. First, here is the blurb I wrote for the LA Greens event:LA Greens Health michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-55513660954539746702008-08-30T22:51:00.000-07:002008-08-30T22:58:28.387-07:00Linda Piera-Avila for City CouncilLinda Piera-Avila, a longtime member of the Los Angeles Greens, is running for City Council in Santa Monica. I am doing her website for her using Apple's iWeb program. The first four pages are up now at www.linda-piera-avila.org.michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-72923847885194377492008-01-14T20:35:00.000-08:002008-01-14T20:36:53.542-08:00Debate videoVideo segments from the Green Party presidential debate are now up on YouTube. The candidates' opening statements are shown above.michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-38256610844870120682008-01-13T23:16:00.000-08:002008-01-13T23:33:00.413-08:00Green Party presidential debate coverageThe Green Party presidential debate was earlier today. I wasn't there, and I'm looking forward to seeing the video, which isn't available yet. Above is a photo that was posted online. The story excerpted below, from the San Fransisco Chronicle, says that Nader came late and did not participate in the debate, but addressed the crowd separately. He still has not formally entered the race, although michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-77954277791833272652008-01-11T09:20:00.000-08:002008-01-11T09:39:57.974-08:00Who really won in New Hampshire?Within all the analysis of the primaries, there is one fact that is rarely mentioned. Clinton didn't win in New Hampshire--she got more votes, but the same number of delegates as Obama. See Slate's explanation of why both candidates got 9 delegates. Iowa is pretty much the same, with Obama only receiving a couple more delegates than Clinton. And Edwards is still in the race.I don't understand howmichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-55634748740414609942008-01-01T23:26:00.000-08:002008-01-01T23:52:21.781-08:00Greens in Iowa won't be caucusing this weekWith all the attention on the Iowa Caucuses -- the first "voting" in the 2008 presidential election -- I was curious to see what Greens in Iowa are up to. Just coincidentally, today is the first day that Iowans are able to register on government forms as members of the Iowa Green Party. As can be seen on the Being Green in Iowa blog, there is some resistance within Iowa itself to the very idea ofmichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-12892786907649678272008-01-01T23:05:00.000-08:002008-01-01T23:08:13.018-08:00Green Party Presidential Debate - Jan. 13There is a Green Party presidential debate planned for Sunday, January 13 at 2pm in San Francisco (with video to be made available soon afterwards on the web). Jared Ball, Cynthia McKinney, Ralph Nader, and Kent Mesplay are expected to attend. Cindy Sheehan is one of the moderators.michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-35660405217720610492008-01-01T22:11:00.000-08:002008-01-01T23:04:19.917-08:00The Green Party presidential candidatesWith the presidential primaries officially starting this week, and the California primary on February 5, many people still do not know who is running for the Green Party nomination.Here are the names that will be on the Green Party ballot in California:Jared BallElaine Brown*Jesse JohnsonCynthia McKinneyKent MesplayRalph NaderKat SwiftI'll post more about these candidates in the coming weeks.*michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-38494861274279955732007-12-31T16:30:00.001-08:002007-12-31T16:30:22.704-08:00Hello 2008I'm thinking about bringing this blog back. No promises though. I am a busy and easily distracted person.But I'd like to bring it back for a couple reasons. First, 2008 is a presidential election year, so there should be some exciting Green Party news and gossip worth discussing. Secondly, I'm pretty discouraged about the state of the Green Party right now, and I need to decide if it is still a michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-85479414731304784912007-08-18T01:01:00.000-07:002007-08-18T01:11:31.349-07:00one step away from a thought crimeHow do you spin the conviction of Jose Padilla this week? Perhaps the President was justified in declaring Padilla an enemy combatant and waiving Habeas Corpus? Or was he not justified in ignoring the Constitution, because our legal system is strong enough to convict Padilla?After reading the article below, it seems to me that the answer is that both the legal system and the President's michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-60124657286920666672007-06-04T15:30:00.001-07:002007-06-04T15:30:14.930-07:00Green Party - Daniel Brezenoff for Congressmichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-57338589236875694792007-04-04T23:22:00.001-07:002007-04-04T23:24:38.861-07:00Air Guitar Nation and the politics of spectacleI went to see the documentary Air Guitar Nation this evening, and it was the most inspiring movie I've seen in quite a while. I thought it would be no more than a lame joke, but what I found was a movement to turn possibly the most natural, participatory, fun and democratic activity into a non-commercial, pro-peace happening. As the organizers of the International Air Guitar Championships (which michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-36051497608833299212007-03-11T19:07:00.000-07:002007-03-11T19:09:59.644-07:00Confession: I'm a bad citizenI didn't vote on Tuesday. But I wasn't the only one. Only about seven percent of registered voters participated, mostly by mail. This despite school board races where millions of dollars were raised (and prehttp://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifsumably spent). What happens when nobody votes? As City Beat put it, "the apathy-tainted results still stand".Also in City Beat this week, a cover story michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-90933215536866733702007-03-11T17:54:00.000-07:002007-03-11T18:10:48.951-07:00When presidents attackI couldn't resist posting the picture above, from the front page of the LA Times. Doesn't it look like President Bush has pounced on an unsuspecting prey? Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva doesn't look very comfortable. Bush got an unfriendly welcome in Brazil, so I wonder if this an attempt to make him more popular by tying him to Lula. Or more likely, this is an attempt to make Lulamichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-45501528049009953202007-03-08T00:16:00.000-08:002007-03-08T01:28:59.299-08:00More from Sonoma: national GP politics[First off, to correct a common misconception, the retreat was not a decision-making event. There was strategy discussion, but no strategic decisions. Secondly, this post goes into a lot of detail about internal Green Party debates. Sorry if it bores you.]Part of the discussion in Sonoma focused on national Green Party dynamics, and how California fits into that. One of the things that makes me michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-73524179939884309102007-03-01T01:04:00.000-08:002007-03-01T01:16:20.449-08:00Jose Padilla: nondelusionally paranoid?Dahlia Lithwick has a great article in Slate this week on the hearing to determine if Jose Padilla is mentally fit to stand trial. Here are a few paragraphs from the piece:That's why it's worth keeping an eye on the proceedings this week in Miami as federal Judge Marcia Cooke tries to determine whether the alleged "dirty bomber"—scratch that—alleged "apartment bomber"—um, scratch that—alleged michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-55344933926157051962007-02-28T23:12:00.000-08:002007-02-28T23:51:35.176-08:00Former Black Panther running for Green presidential nominationEarlier this week, Ga. Green Elaine Brown announced that she is running for president in the Green Party primary. From the national Green Party's newsletter:Former Black Panther Party leader, noted author, community and prison justice activist Elaine Brown announced this week that she intends to seek the Green Party¹s nomination for a presidential bid in 2008. "The 2006 elections signified a massmichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-75557504084493897762007-02-27T22:57:00.000-08:002007-02-28T00:13:31.575-08:00Cynthia McKinney at the Green Party of Calif. strategy retreat[Sorry it has taken a while to get this up. I would have posted from Sonoma, but we were in a no-wifi zone (below).]The Green Party of California has had a lot of issues since the 2000 election including accusations of spoiling, infighting in Los Angeles and on the state coordinating committee, fundraising problems, and a bitter split over the 2004 presidential nomination. At this GPCA strategy michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12268727.post-63492817367278093042007-02-23T14:58:00.000-08:002007-02-23T15:01:44.172-08:00On my way to SonomaFor the GPCA retreat. So check back in a little while for updates.michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09812806517835177897noreply@blogger.com0