HEALTH-CARE AND THE POLITICS OF CORRUPTION
BY IRV RIKON
Passage of the health-care reform bill heralded a tremendous victory for President Obama, but the Democratic Party did not emerge a winner. Democrats publicly bickered among themselves, conservatives and liberals having conflicting ideas on what the bill should contain, while the two chambers of Congress proffered different versions before a compromise was reached, roughly a year after debate on the measure began. The final bill signed by the President numbered more than 2,700 pages, mainly the result of "pork barrel" insertions introduced by various Congresspersons.
Ask a Congressperson whether he/she had read the entire bill and understood it, you'd probably get one of two answers: "Yes, I did, and I do," or "No, I didn't, but my top aides went through it all." The reply to the first should be, "If you devoted that much time to reading this one bill, then you must have neglected other equally pressing legislation,"
and to the second, "But the electorate didn't vote for your aides. It voted for you. You're the one who should make the final decision based upon your knowledge and understanding."
The Republicans came off even worse. Not a one voted for passage. All the G.O.P. did was say "No" and complain about the bill's high cost. That complaint is legitimate. The country's budget deficit is enormous. As matters now stand, your great-grandchildrens' great-grandchildren will be taxed to pay this bill. Yet Republicans presented few viable alternative proposals and none that could be accepted as compromise. Political parties that win elections don't act like ostriches with their faces in the sand. They advance sound ideas for debate and discussion.
As for the Tea Party movement, its members completely misread history. The original Boston Tea Party was a legitimate rebellion against perceived tyrrany. Congress is not tyrannical. Nor are all our elected officials dishonest. All do accept "campaign contributions," without which they could not be elected. Every Tea Party candidate would lose without money to campaign. Money talks. Money creates the politics of corruption. That fact should be the reason for rebellion.
Consider the health care package; consider the lobbyists who walked the halls of Congress and openly or tacitly promised support to elected officials who voted their bosses' way: lobbyists represented doctors, lawyers, hospitals, insurance companies, pharmaceutical corporations, manufacturers of prosthetic devices and others I'm sure I've left out. Perhaps you spoke with your congressperson. Possibly you contributed to his or her campaign: $100 or $10 or $1. The combined lobbies contributed multiple thousands of dollars to get what they wanted. It's a form of bribery, only the media don't call it that for fear of being sued for liable. Money talks. In these days, when the primary goal of many elected officials is to be re-elected, and since most of the electorate learns of political candidates' ideas through paid political commercials disseminated via the mass media, money speaks louder than those voters who hold opposing points of view and cannot afford the advertising. Elections are not as much Democrats vs. Republicans as they are access to monetary power vs. the powerless. (And yes, I firmly believe in the capitalist system.)
The recent Supreme Court decision that allows corporations to spend as much as they are willing simply displays the ignorance of the Court majority.
Can something be done to change the situation? Over the long haul, yes.
Supreme Court appointees should by law be restricted to serving 20 years and no more. No one else is granted lifelong jobs. Why should they have the privilege? When the country was born, lifetime expectancy was 40 years or so. Now it's double that. Let's get more fresh air into the Court.
Political campaigns should be publicly funded. That would mean increased taxation, but it's worth the try in an effort to gain "honest" government. The media -- C-Span or something like it -- should be open to political debate during campaign years.
All money/financial bills should be written with a "Sunset" provision. Since such bills are ultimately paid by taxpayers and such bills often don't work but become boondoggles for the lawmakers, three years after
such a bill becomes law, it should be voted on again to determine if it is to be continued. I say "three years," but I note also that some of the provisions in the health-care law actually take effect in 2014, an election year. Legislators are not likely to vote against a money bill during an election year. Such votes on whether to continue or not continue a money bill should be taken during an off-election year, 2013 as in this example.
I have other ideas, but I have limited space in which to write, and I'm positive that YOU also have ideas. Let's have a discussion on behalf of good and honest government.
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Showing posts with label IRV RIKON. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IRV RIKON. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT - CV AND OUTSIDE THE GATES
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
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BY IRV RIKON
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Welcome!
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The autumn-winter holiday season is almost upon us. The local Arts and Entertainment season 2009-2010 has already begun.Here's a sampling beginning with the complete Century Village schedule.
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C.V.
NOV. 14 - ANNA MARIA ALBERGHETTI - Music and charm from a veteran performer.
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NOV. 17 - THE TONY PACE SHOW - He sings; he makes you laugh; he has you thinking he's a whole lot of other guys.
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NOV. 21 - "LET'S HANG ON" - Singers and dancers pay tribute to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.
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NOV. 24 - "CAVENDISH CLASSICS" - Great moments in opera and musical theater with tenor Eduardo Calcano, baritone Graham Fandrei and two sopranos new to our stage.
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NOV. 28 - MARK AND CLARK - Twins with twin baby grand pianos, playing music and making us laugh as well.
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DEC. 1 - "JINGLE BELL ROCK" - Young singers and dancers rockin' to live music for the holiday season.
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DEC. 3 - "CAVENDISH CLASSICS" - "Hooray For Hollywood."
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DEC. 6 - "TONY MARA'S DREAM" - The Doo Wop team, back again by popular demand.
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DEC. 10 - "THAT'S AMORE" - And that's MARK ADAMS as DEAN MARTIN with sexy girls ala the Gold Diggers.
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DEC. 12 - "MOSTLY MERCER" - A tribute to Songwriter JOHNNY MERCER and to the singers who sang his songs played and sung by EQUINOX JAZZ, an ensemble of eight musicians.
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DEC. 13 - "BALLET FEDOTOV" - West Side Story: A ballet danced to the music of LEONARD BERNSTEIN and choreographed by Vadim Fedotov, a former Soviet choreographer.
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DEC. 15 - "THE BROADWAY BOYS" - Show tunes and classic pop songs with funk, jazz and folk.
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DEC. 19 - "SARGE" - "I may be black, but God knows I'm Jewish." A singer who sings with many voices, pianist, and stand-up comedian.
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DEC. 22 - "THE NEIL DIAMOND TRIBUTE" with JAY WHITE.
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DEC. 26 - MAL Z. LAWRENCE - Catskills on Broadway and more.
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DEC. 27 - "TERRY JOHNSON'S FLAMINGOS - The Flamingos of course are songsters. Terry Johnson was the lead singer and main song writer for the group.
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DEC. 31 - DINO DE LUCA - Music and comedy for New Year's Eve.
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JAN. 2 - THE BRONX WANDERERS - Five guys sing doo-wop, plus songs of the Four Seasons, disco, soul and Sinatra.
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JAN. 3 - CIRCUS, CIRCUS CABARET - I quote the publicist: "The best artists from Latin, jazz, modern and classic dance, along with with a whole array of circus actors, contortionists, acrobalance and silk acts join together to present a colorful, captivating evening of fun."
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JAN. 5 - CAPITOL STEPS - Return engagement for the group with the best political satire today. (You can see 'em here or pay more at the Kravis Center.)
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JAN. 9 - Humorist VIC ARNELL
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JAN. 10 - SHALOM - One of the world's leading dance troupes, here's Israeli entertainment at its best.
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JAN. 12 - CHITA RIVERA - The lady probably needs no introduction. Actress, singer and dancer, her Kennedy Center honors and multiple Tony awards and nominations tell it all. (You can see her here or pay more later in the season at the Kravis Center.)
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JAN. 14 - CAVENDISH CLASSICS - A tribute to Mario Lanza.
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JAN. 16 - CLINT HOLMES - Vocal stylings with a bit of dancing and a touch of comedy.
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JAN. 19 - "THREE TENORS AND A DIVA" - Not the three tenors, but then they didn't have a beautiful soprano working with them.
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JAN. 23 - MARTIN DUBE - From Canada, his singing voice has a five-octave range. He does impressions, and he's a comic.
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JAN. 24-25 - THE ANNUAL CENTURY VILLAGE RESIDENT SHOW. This is always a season highlight. You, your friends and neighbors give it all they've got -- and they've got plenty! This year they pay tribute to the people of the United States of America, with song and dance and, above all, with conviction.
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JAN. 28 - CHARO'S ALL NEW VEGAS REVUE - Songs, dances and laughs, Charo is always cuchi cuchi fun.
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JAN. 30 - LUCIE ARNAZ - Her parents were the legendary Lucille Ball and Dezi Arnaz, but Lucie has carved out an amazing career of her own.If you've never seen her, you should, right here, right now.
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FEB. 2 - THE PLATTERS AND THE CORNELL GUNTER COASTERS. They take you back to the fifties with doo-wop and early rock.
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FEB. 6 - NEW YORK GILBERT AND SULLIVAN PLAYERS: "I've Got A Little Twist". A revue that pays homage to a pair of Brits who wrote operettas that were unconventional but are unique in musical history.
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FEB. 7 - "Stayin' Alive: ONE NIGHT OF THE BEE GEES": They're not the real thing, but they look and sound like the group that helped to immortalize such movies as "Saturday Night Fever" and "Grease".
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FEB. 9 - TOVAH FELDSHUH - Broadway, television and film star, Ms. Feldshuh has also starred in local theaters. A multiple-award winner in virtually every entertainment medium in which she appears, you should see her. By the way, her last Broadway show garnered critical raves.
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FEB. 11 - MARILYN McCOO AND BILLY DAVIS, JR. - THE FIFTH DIMENSION was their group. Their singing contributed to the success of the musical "Hair". Their talents and exuberance continue undiminished.
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FEB. 13 - "Stringfever" - Four world-class British musicians play electric string instruments in a way you haven't yet heard! Even those who don't like classical music will get a charge over this.
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FEB. 16 - TONY DANZA - His TV sitcoms and talk show are what he's best known for, but he also sings and dances.
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FEB. 20 - WENDY LIEBMAN: "WHAT A WORLD BY A NICE JEWISH GIRL" - Stand-up comedy, distaff style.
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FEB. 21 - CAVENDISH CLASSICS: A tribute to the musical team of Lerner and Loewe with GARRETT STATES, CHERYL CAVENDISH and Ernesto Tres Palacios.
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FEB. 23 - "Give My Regards to Broadway" with DEAN REGAN.
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FEB. 27 - "FEVER, THE MUSIC OF PEGGY LEE," starring BUDDY GRECO and LEZLIE ANDERS. Mr. and Mrs. Greco are real stars in their own right, and PEGGY LEE was one of the great all-time "pops" singers. (The same show, with another performer, will have just played The Kravis Center.)
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MAR. 2 - THE FOUR FRESHMEN - Forties and fifties songs by a group that carries on the tradition of its founders.
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MAR. 4 - CV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - Another annual event that makes all Century Villagers proud. It's our own symphony orchestra playing light musical classics.
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MAR. 6 - DICK CAPRI AND STEVIE STONE - Comedy tonight!
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MAR. 9 - "PURE PIAF": A one-woman musical revue starring ALEX RYER, who both tells the EDITH PIAF story and sings the chanteuse's songs.
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MAR. 11 - TONY ORLANDO - Return visit by the popular singer.
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MAR. 13 - "FORBIDDEN BROADWAY" - Now in its 25th year, this is the show that spoofs Broadway musicals. Even if you've seen the troupe, you haven't, for it annually updates its material. (See it here. You would have paid more earlier in the season at the Kravis Center.)
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MAR. 14 - "BALLROOM WITH A TWIST" - Extravagant dance production directed and choreographed by "Dancing with the Stars" own Emmy-nominated Louis van Amstel, who "pushes the boundaries of ballroom dance".
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MAR. 20 - CAVENDISH REVUE - "Great American Musicals on Parade".
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MAR. 23 - "SOPHISTICATED LADIES" - Tap dancers, singers andmusicians pay tribute to the great DUKE ELLINGTON, the Cotton Club and the Harlem Renaissance.
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MAR. 25 - JAY SIEGEL'S "Tokens" - An outstanding vocal group, which first made the music charts in 1961 and roared again in the '90s with "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (from the musical The Lion King.)
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MAR. 27 - SAL RICHARDS - Comedy tonight.
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MAR. 28 - JAKE EHRENREICH IN CONCERT: FROM BROOKLYN WITH LOVE. - Mr. Ehrenreich's one-man musical comedy A Jew Grows in Brooklyn ran for months in downtown West Palm Beach and across the country. Now he's in Century Village to entertain you with a new show.
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SELECTED A & E HAPPENINGS OUTSIDE THE GATES:
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THEATER
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DRAMAWORKS (West Palm Beach) (Ticket information and reservations: 514-4042 or http://www.palmbeachdramaworks.org/.) Through NOV. 29 - Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House. It's still the definitve work on women's liberation.
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DEC. 18-JAN 31 - Michael Frayn's Copenhagen. Tony Award winner on morality and one man's conscience in discovering the atomic bomb.
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FEB. 19-APR. 4 - David Mamet's American Buffalo. The play that made Mamet famous and the use of four-letter words popular.
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APR. 23-JUN 13 - Edward Albee's Three Tall Women. They're all the same woman at three different stages of life. Pulitzer Prize winner.
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Through NOV. 29 - Seth Rozin's Two Jews Walk Into A War. -- World Premiere Production. Comedy-drama STARRING AVI HOFFMAN AND GORDON McCONNELL. Don't miss this one! It's an outstanding play!
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DEC. 9-JAN. 17 - Carter W. Lewis The Storytelling Ability of A Boy. Two children and their teacher: Strong language and adult themes.
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JAN. 27-MAR. 7 - Israel Horovitz's Sins of the Mother. Southeastern Premiere. A new mystery by one of the Elders of contemporary theater.
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MAR. 24-MAY 2 - Dr. Radio. A World Premiere musical from the creative team that developed last season's smash hit, Cagney.
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MAY 12-JUN 20 Christopher Demos-Brown's When the Sun Shone Brighter. World Premiere on the subjects of sex, lies and politics.
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NOV. 10-15. - Grease, the hit musical, starring American Idol winner Taylor Hicks.
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JAN. 5-10. - Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific. An all-time great musical, the Tony Award-winning revival still runs in New York.
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FEB. 2-7 Marvin Hamlish's A Chorus Line. Another great all-time multiple-award-winner, on the heartaches of breaking into showbiz.
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MAR. 10-28. - Jersey Boys. Smash-hit musical on FRANKIE VALLI AND THE FOUR SEASONS.
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MAY 4-9. - Burn the Floor. They're talking about ballroom dance in the rock and roll era: a dance show with energy to burn!
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NOV. 10-22. - Fanny Brice:The Real Funny Girl. World Premiere Musical telling the comedienne's true story while using the songs that helped to make her a star.
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DEC. 1-13. - Neil Simon's Lost in Yonkers. Multiple-award winning autobiographical comedy by one of America's greatest playwrights.
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JAN. 12-31. - La Cage aux Folles. Still another multiple-award winner, with Jerry Herman's best score, this sentimental musical comedy is about a subject that once was considered taboo. The show itself is regarded as a classic.
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FEB. 9-28. - Tintypes. A somewhat forgotten musical on the subject of immigration in pre-World War One America, this revue has garnered a strong cult following over the years. It's fun, and you'll know the songs.
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MAR. 9-28. - Anything Goes. Cole Porter's Kiss Me Kate is better plotted, but the songs in this musical read like "Cole Porter's Greatest Hits". You'll recognize all the songs and will be tempted to hum along.
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CALDWELL THEATRE COMPANY (Boca Raton) (561-241-7432 or 877-245-7432 or http://www.caldwelltheatre.com/.)
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NOV. 8-DEC. 13. - The Vosey Inheritance. Written over a hundred years ago by Harley Granville-Barker and adapted by David Mamet, this is the story of a Bernie Madoff-type Ponzi scheme. ALL-STAR CAST!
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JAN. 3-FEB. 7. - Lauren Wilson's Chemical Imbalance: A Jekyll and Hyde Play. A farce, with many of the Caldwell's favorite comic actors.
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FEB. 21-MAR. 28. - The Old Man and the Sea. Adapted for the stageby Eric Ting and Craig Siebels from Ernest Hemingway's famed novella.
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APR. 11-MAY 16. - Richard Greenberg's The American Plan. A drama unfolding in the 1960's Catskills: a budding boy-girl romance and a manipulating mother who intervenes.
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MUSIC AND DANCE
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NOV. 16-17 - VIENNA CHAMBER ORCHESTRA, PHILIPPE ENTREMONT, CONDUCTOR AND PIANO.
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NOV. 18 - TEATRO LIRICO D'EUROPA presents VERDI'S La Traviata.
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NOV. 20-22 MIAMI CITY BALLET - Dances by Balanchine and Paul Taylor.
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NOV. 23 - GARRISON KEILLER: TALES FROM LAKE WOBEGON. Mr. Keiller has been recognized for years as one of America's greatest vocal story-tellers.
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NOV. 27 - JIGUL THUNDER DRUMS OF CHINA. Until you've heard Chinese (or Japanese) percusssion instruments, you ain't heard nothin' yet!
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NOV. 28 - SMOTHERS BROTHERS WITH NORM CROSBY.
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NOV. 29 - DAVE KOZ AND FRIENDS: A SMOOTH JAZZ CHRISTMAS 2009.
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NOV. 30-DEC. 1 - BOB LAPPIN AND THE PALM BEACH POPS: A TRIBUTE TO THE SONG-WRITING GENIUS OF JOHNNY MERCER.
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DEC. 3-6 BILLY CRYSTAL "700 SUNDAYS" - An entertainer who needs no introduction, this show was a smash hit on Broadway. The Sunday performance here will be followed by a black-tie dinner-dance (extra charge, of course!)
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DEC. 9 - JIM BRICKMAN: BEAUTIFUL WORLD CHRISTMAS.
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DEC. 10 - A TRIBUTE TO GERSHWIN, BERNSTEIN AND ALL THAT JAZZ STARRING DAVID AMRAM.
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DEC. 11&13 - PALM BEACH OPERA: BEETHOVEN'S SYMPHONY NO. 9 (CHORAL.)
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DEC. 12 - THE CHRISTMAS MUSIC OF MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER BY CHIP DAVIS.
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DEC. 15 - (11am & 2pm) GOTTA GET A GIMMICK: BURLESQUE TO BROADWAY STARRING QUINN LEMLEY. (8pm) SALVATORE LICITRA, TENOR and WARREN JONES, PIANO.
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DEC. 16 - RONAN TYNAN: THE GIFT OF CHRISTMAS SUNG.
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-DEC. 17 - ISRAEL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA, PINCHAS ZUCKERMAN, CONDUCTOR AND SOLO VIOLIN, AMANDA FORSYTH, CELLO.
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DEC. 18 - BARBARA COOK.
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DEC. 19 - THE POLAR EXPRESS (Gosman Amphitheatre.)
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DEC. 21-23 - Chicago - The great Kander and Ebb musical.
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DEC. 24-26 - MOSCOW CLASSICAL BALLET: The Nutcracker.
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DEC. 26-31 - Forbidden Broadway (Rinker Playhouse.)
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DEC. 29 - TOMMY TUNE AND THE MANHATTAN RHYTHM KINGS.
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DEC. 30 - WOODY ALLEN AND HIS NEW ORLEANS JAZZ BAND.
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DEC. 31 - BONFIRE: Musical Strings (as seen on PBS.)
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MUSEUMS
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Through Dec. 6 - "GEORGE SEGAL: Street Signs.
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Through Dec. 27 - "NEW YORK NEW YORK: The 20th Century."
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Through Jan. 17 - "WILLIAM KENTRIDGE: Five Themes".
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DEC. 5 - JAN. 10 - Fashioning Kimono: Art Deco and Modernism in Japan.
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