John Oliver continues to do the work news networks should be doing. If you thought renewable energy and low natural gas prices were the big reasons the coal industry is taking a hit, well, that's only part of the story:
John Oliver, HBO and Time Warner have been sued for defamation for allegedly executing a "maliciously planned attempt to assassinate the character and reputation" of an Ohio coal company and its boss during a long-form story about the industry on Last Week Tonight's June 18 episode ... accusing Oliver and HBO of a "callous, vicious and false" attack on the coal industry, part of their "most recent attempt to advance their biases against the coal industry and their disdain for the coal-related policies of the Trump administration." Oliver's Last Week Tonight segment lampooned the Trump administration's effort to revive the coal industry, saying coal has declined over decades as other energy alternatives have advanced. He also jokingly likened coal to "cocaine for Thomas the Tank Engine." Murray's claim that President Trump "gets" the coal industry was caustically dismissed by Oliver on the show. "Uh, hang on there, Bob, no he doesn't. He barely gets what mining is," Oliver said.
The best look at Trump's recently release morally bankrupt budget, what he thinks will make America great again (besides wearing his hat), is nicely delivered by John Oliver.
Funny thing, after I post Oliver's look at health care, right-wing trolls wondered "who the heck is John Oliver?" You mean the former reporter from the Daily Show...?
Tonight with John Oliver. He is the recipient of five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Writers Guild Awards
Eh, so what!
Here's Oliver's take of a CNN video clip of Trump's defense spending along side a long scrolling list of cuts:
Oliver: "You know what, it's sort of fitting the list of budget cuts scroll by like the end credits for America. Thanks for helping us out Agriculture Department, hope you find a gig with the next country that rises from our ashes."
This whole Republican health care debacle ignores the inhumanity of their plan.
Health care is really a moral obligation to treat the sick and save lives. The ethical side of health care should state clearly it would be utterly repugnant to profit from these services. But that's not the debate we're having.
The New England Journal of Medicine put together a list of industrialized nations "universal health care" systems. It's fascinating reading, and maybe a little frustrating as well. After looking at other country's evolving efforts, and what they found worked and didn't, nothing they've done is reflected in Paul Ryan's plan. Ryan is basically reinventing the wheel here.
The Basics: I found 4 basic elements; mandatory participation, a comprehensive government plan with oversight, and supplemental funding for generally older citizens paid for the young.
Nothing in Ryan's plan echoes what other country's have already evolved to. Ryan is building an experimental flawed system that will impact every American, with no do-overs.
Best Health Care "Reform" Explanation: John Oliver does a thorough job of shredding the obvious problems in Ryan's plan, problems the media simply touches on but doesn't decisively say won't work. It's a fast 18 minutes:
No one deserves Tucker Carlson's narrowly focused snarky questioning than Paul Ryan. Ryan firmly stays within his ideological vision, at the expense of peoples lives, so he can reward the wealthy with bigger and more ghoulish tax cuts. Even Tucker can't believe it...:
Ryan lied when he said the ACA had open enrollment for the entire year. It doesn't; Nov. 1 through Dec 15 isn't a year last time I checked. The other choice: "You can enroll in or change your Health Insurance Marketplace plan only if you have a life event that qualifies you for a Special Enrollment Period." Anyone up for a life event?
Unbelievably, Ryan's plan would only allow for a once in a lifetime signup period for first time insurance purchasers, who would then have to keep paying their premiums without a break - forever - or be penalized. And that penalty would be a 30 percent increase on premiums for one year, putting affordability out of reach for most people. Republicans are guided by their suspicion that most people want to game the system, so punishment is always their top priority.
It always seemed odd that the supposed "party of responsibility" has relentlessly pushed charter schools and private vouchers that had little or no accountability. Seriously, why hasn't anyone questioned that contradiction?
That aside, Last Week Tonight host John Oliver took a look at the "profit" motivated charter school industry. We should note that if a comedian and his staff can come up with example after example of bad charter schools, then why can't Republican supporters do the same thing and rethink the whole idea? We know why; they hate public education, period, even if it's at the expense of educating Americas next generation of workers and business owners. There's money to be made now, unions to break up, and campaign donations to drain from the Democratic Party.
Oh, but they're doing it for minority students in poverty stricken urban areas, despite increasing or eliminated the income cap entirely in recent years.
John Oliver's appalling list of charter school problems should make anyone ask; why start a parallel school system fraught with massive fraud and failure? Republicans never have to answer that question.
And as you watch the jaw dropping presentation, Oliver never even addressed poorly performing online classes and private school vouchers. Isn't the whole idea of vouchers a sneaky way to get taxpayers to fund religious schools, which are predominately 5 day a week Sunday schools.
There are success stories, but few and far between. But even with those charter schools, why are we seeing them share their formulas for success with their hosting districts? That was the plan, right? If they are sharing it, why haven't I read any stories about that?
