Al Franken Walks Ted Cruz through the Deep Vast Mysteries of the Internet

What is it with Republicans and their mass befuddlement over the vast mysterious Internet?  Ted Stevens thought the Internet was “a series of tubes.”  Mitch McConnell says we don't need “the government tinkering with the Internet” (i.e. Net Neutrality).  And now Ted Cruz has derided Net Neutrality as “Obamacare for the Internet.”

Al Franken has taken the time to spell out a few simple facts for Ted Cruz.  Whether or not Ted Cruz will actually comprehend this information, who knows?

Here is an excerpt from Al Franken's CNN interview with Candy Crowley:

CROWLEY: [Cruz wrote] “Net neutrality is Obamacare for the Internet. It would put the government in charge of determining Internet prices, terms of service and what types of products and services can be delivered, leading to fewer choices, fewer opportunities and higher prices. Government-regulated utilities invariably destroy innovation and freedom.” Your reaction?

FRANKEN: He has it completely wrong. He just doesn’t understand what this issue is. We’ve had net neutrality the entire history of the Internet, so when he says this is the Obamacare… Obamacare was a government program that fixed something, that changed things. This is about reclassifying something, so it stays the same. This would keep things exactly the same. And the pricing happens by the value of something.

Makes sense to me, but then I'm not a Republican.

Arizona Immigration Law: A Gold Mine for Private Prisons

Whatever Arizona Governor Jan Brewer says, she likes the new immigration law for other reasons besides safety and border security. She’s closely allied with the Prison Industrial Complex.

Two of her top advisers have close ties to Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). And CCA holds the federal contract for housing detainees in Arizona. When they start rounding up all them swarthy Meskins — the new law takes effect this Thursday — Corrections Corporation of America will get even wealthier.

Hey, as long as America locks up more people than any other country in the world, we might as well make a profit from it, right? Or to paraphrase a popular poster from the late ‘60s: Prison is good business; invest your son.

Now who says Republicans don’t have any original ideas, any solutions? Al Franken comes to their defense. They do too have an agenda: They’re trying to bring the economy to a standstill because they don’t want people to get jobs before the election.

See??? The Republicans really DO stand for something.

Republican “Public Option” Gimmick

Two of the dullest tools in the shed — Senators Tom Coburn and David Vitter — have offered an amendment that’s supposed to derail the public option. Their amendment would require all members of Congress to register for public health care if the public option becomes law.

The theory was that those elitist Democrats would be afraid to actually use this lowly socialized health program themselves, since they’re only pushing it for the riffraff.

Surprise! So far, Senators Sherrod Brown, Chris Dodd, Al Franken and Barbara Mikulski have added their names as cosponsors of the amendment.

Aetna has — unintentionally of course — just come forward with an excellent case for health coverage reform. As much blood money as Aetna “earned” in 2009, they realize they can “earn” even more next year. All they have to do is raise their premiums even higher and throw 650,000 sick people onto the garbage heap.

Aetna CEO Ron Williams said:

“The pricing we put in place for 2009 turned out to not really be what we needed to achieve the results and margins that we had historically been delivering. We view 2010 as a repositioning year, a year that does not fully reflect the earnings potential of our business. Our pricing actions should have a noticeable effect beginning in the first quarter of 2010, with additional financial impact realized during the remaining three quarters of the year.”

With millions of angry, desperate, armed and dangerous Americans out there, why isn’t this pukebag in somebody’s crosshairs?

And now let’s hear it for Comcast. They may be one of the villains on other issues (i.e. Net Neutrality), but they’re on the public’s side when it comes to health care reform.

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts has sent Obama a letter saying “enactment of comprehensive health care reform legislation is, in my judgment, critical to putting this country on a path of sustained growth and prosperity.”

Supposedly a lot of large employers are in favor of health care reform since it’ll reduce their own expenses. Let’s hope more of these companies start coming out publicly in favor of it.