Let me divert your attention from what’s happening in society today to TV. Specifically, Bravo TV.

I have a confession. I absolutely LOVED Bravo’s Housewives of New Jersey! These women are pure entertainment – especially Danielle and Theresa! Every week, I was like, what could they possibly do that will top what they did last week, and every week, they showed me! In case you were not a watcher, the primary cast consisted of Danielle, Theresa, Jacqueline, Dina and Caroline. Caroline and Dina are sisters and Jacqueline is their sister-in-law. Theresa is Dina, Caroline, and Jacqueline’s long-time friend. And Danielle, well let’s just say Danielle is the outsider – her only friend is Jacqueline.

Just to give a brief recap of the show, Danielle and Dina hated each other. Throughout the season, they sniped at each other and talked about each other. Poor Jacqueline was in the middle of Dina and Danielle’s teen-age antics and she tried to be the peacemaker because Danielle was her friend and Dina is her familiy. But, that just didn’t happen. My-oh-my, what’s a girl to do!

Now onto Theresa. She said she tried to like Danielle. I didn’t see that. I honestly feel like Theresa jumped on the bandwagon, because well, Theresa, I feel, is a straight up follower! In fact, from what I saw, Theresa is the type of person who won’t like you if her friends don’t like you. In my opinion, people who are like that are just worth your time, but anyway…..

Throughout the short season of the series, Danielle held her own with Dina. She didn’t have a problem with anyone else, but Dina. But Caroline (Dina’s sister) and Theresa had issues with Danielle. Before I go on, let me speak on Caroline. She is Dina’s big sister, and felt it was her duty to protect Dina from Danielle. Whatever! Dina gave as good as she got! Caroline stuck her nose in where it didn’t belong, just like Theresa and Caroline was the oldest of all of them! She should’ve known better! She should’ve been the one who was peacemaker, but…..

Okay, on to Theresa who acted like the unflattering stereotype that people have of Italian women! You know, the one who thinks she’s a classy lady, but in reality, well classy is not an adjective that is used to describe her. She wore too much makeup, she spoke to freely about her and her husband’s sex life (I won’t repeat what she said), she spoke about the unlimited amount of money they had, she acted dim-witted at times, yadda, yadda, yadda. I could go on and on, but here’s what really got me!

On the final show, Theresa decided to have a dinner party and she decided to invite Danielle even though she doesn’t like her. Can we say “just for TV?” Anyway, at the dinner, Dina and Caroline double-teamed Danielle and who jumps in the fray? Yep, Miss no-class Theresa. Now, keep in mind, that I’m skipping over a lot of things that were said and done on the show, but I just want to get to the point where Theresa decides to flip a table and pretty much show how proud she is that she did it. Unbelievable! She did it when she tried to put down Danielle concerning a book that written about Danielle. Well Danielle pretty much made Theresa look stupid when she told her, “Pay attention, please!”

Theresa’s mouth dropped! Then she started cursing and finally flipped the dinner table. But she had the nerve to ask some of people at the party if she looked good doing it and was she classy when she did it! Huh?!! In in the infamous word of Danielle, “Seriously?!!!!!”

If you all haven’t watched it, you should really watch it, if just the last show! It is classic TV entertainment, to say the least! Also, if you watched it or if you watch it, please comment on this post so I can know your thoughts……

Let me say this right up front – I absolutely HATE IT when someone displays racist tendencies! HATE IT!

Having said that, it seems the picture below (all of the presidents of the Unites States) has been floating around the House and Senate via emails! Do you see the bottom right picture with just eyes? That is supposed to be President Obama. In my opinion, if this does not scream racial intolerance, I don’t know what does! WTH???!!!! In case you are wondering how this despicable picture is being circulated, here’s how:

The picture you’re looking at on the left was allegedly sent from Sherri Goforth, a research analyst turned executive assistant for Senator Diane Black, chair of the Senate Republican Caucus of Tennessee, on May 28, 2009, via e-mail, under the headline “Historical Keepsake Photo.”

The defense Sherri Goforth gave for sending the email is classic: She sent it to the wrong list. Uh, the wrong list? So, there’s a “right list” to send something, so blatantly racist, to? Again, I ask, WTH?!!!!!

You know, at the end of the day, you can disagree with President Obama’s policies – heck, I do. And, you can disagree with what he’s done while in office thus far – again, I do sometimes. But this picture is just so shameful and well, just mean! Where are the sounds of outrage from Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly? I mean, they are against unpatriotic acts, right? Well, if Sherri Goforth’s actions don’t scream unpatriotic, I don’t know what does! She did this on government time, which means she wasted government money. Michael Steele, where are you? Isn’t the GOP more inclusive nowadays?

In Other Racists News…..

Veteran GOP activist, Rusty DePass, of South Carolina, recently displayed his racist tendencies. This past Friday, June 12, 2009, he compared First Lady Michelle Obama to a gorilla. Commenting on a report posted to Facebook about a gorilla escape at a zoo in Columbia, S.C., Mr. DePass wrote, “I’m sure it’s just one of Michelle’s ancestors – probably harmless.”

After DePass’s comment was blogged about, he had this to say, “I am as sorry as I can be if I offended anyone. The comment was clearly in jest.” Uh, not funny Mr. DePass! He then went on to say, “The comment was hers, not mine,” claiming the First Lady recently made a remark about humans descending from apes. Yeah, Mr. DePass, this is how you make an apology – try to justify why you said it. We can all learn from you! 7DayBuzz readers, as you can tell, I am being very facetious at this point. Oh, just to clarify, DePass’s claim of the First Lady saying humans descended from apes cannot be substantiated.

Again, where is the uproar from Rush Limbaugh and all of his GOP cronies that this type of racial intolerance will not be tolerated in the GOP? I have to say, it’s pretty quiet out there on the GOP front!

Things like this will continuously prevent this country from escaping it’s racist past!

Hey everybody! Guess what today is? It’s Wordplay Wednesday!

If you are new to 7DayBuzz, here is how WordPlay Wednesday works: We present five topics to you. All we ask in return is that you comment on each topic, but keep your comments to no more than five words.

Here are the five topics for today:

1) Kobe and Lakers Win Championship — Without Shaq!

2) Sarah Palin Accepts David Lettermen’s Apology

3) Same Sex Partners to Receive Federal Benefits

4) Women Dine, Dash and Then Crash into IHOP

5) Los Angeles Provides Free, Mail-In, STD Kits

Remember, your comments are only to contain 5 words or less.

“There are those who will try and scuttle this opportunity no matter what”
Barack H. Obama

President Obama is going all out to change our health care system; he will speak his mind regardless of the audience. Yesterday he told a group of doctors that he is against what he believes to be their number one priority – to limit how much money they pay out for malpractice. The response was a smattering of boos. Imagine that, you attend this function to garner support for your side from the POTUS and he plainly tells you he is against your priority that will effectively keep more money in your pocket.

Obama continued by directly addressing those he considers “naysayers,” “fear-mongers” and peddlers of “Trojan horse” falsehoods. He also spoke about those who are spreading the word that he is attempting to socialize medicine. Actually, he warned them – I’m not sure what that warning means, but it seems like he is serious about over-hauling the system.

GOP Rep. Tom Price (Georgia) thinks Obama is orchestrating a “government takeover’ of health care in America. These statement was made when talking about a committee allegedly established to overrule doctors and deny patient care. Another way to look at this could be from the perspective of patients who are placed on medicines that become addictive and do not improve the condition. Check out this rivalry on JealousBrother (click here).

What Will This Cost?

Obama let the cat out of the bag and estimated health care reform would cost about $1 trillion over 10 years! After saying, “That is real money, even in Washington” (duh), he went on to say failure to reform the system will cost trillions more in lost economic growth and lower wages.

The plan to pay for this, or find the money, was outlined, but it could be political speak in reality; smoke and mirrors meant to make us think we won’t feel the pain. In theory this plan sounds good, but the questioning side of me thinks about spreading this out over the next 10 years – obviously after Obama is out of office if re-elected.

I would say we need to be cautious of any money spent and/or allocated to things like this. Think about it, all of us have had legitimate things we needed to buy, but lack of funds kept us from doing it. Are we at a point where spending money, regardless of the impact it will have on the next 10 years, could impact the generations to come for the next 50 years? Most of us have also been in a “lean time” where every expendature was questioned. Although this is not within our personal households, but on a national level, shouldn’t we have the inclination to question it as tax payers? It is something to consider.

Still As Smooth As Ever

Obama didn’t leave a bitter taste in the doctors’ mouths, he also sympathized with the situations they often find themselves in. He acknowledged the fact that our society always has them looking over their shoulders and that is the cause for expensive malpractice insurance. This got them on his side right before he mentioned how he is against malpractice caps.

I have been in the military health care system and thought Vitamin M (Motrin) was given for…well I don’t know why they give if for so much stuff. But civilian doctors seem to give medicine in excess as a defense mechanism should a lawsuit come up. Our litigious society is to blame for that one.

A Timely Warning

The president finished by adding GM and Chrysler into the mix. By mentioning how health care for auto industry workers played a part in getting GM and Chrysler in trouble, the message was clear: “If we do not fix our health care system, America may go teh way of GM — paying more, getting less and going broke.”

With increasing debt in the country and less demand for the US dollar, inflation seems inevitable over the next few years. Banks are approving loans to those with good credit at very low interest rates; for now.   Saving your cash in a low interest account will only devalue your assets even more.

What should you do? It is time to take advantage of as many of these loans as possible.  I’m not saying to go out and buy frivolous liabilities but purchase assets with these loans.  Go purchase a house, don’t prepay off your debt this year, and buy things that have real value (i.e. gold, silver). By purchasing durable goods with the dollar now, these goods will sell for a larger dollar amount later. Not because your goods will be worth more but because the value of the dollar will be worth less. Waiting to pay off your debt is also a good idea. By waiting your debt’s value becomes less especially if your debt has a fixed interest rate.

There are many great investment opportunities still out there right now; I understand they are not for everyone. But if you spend a little more now, the dollar amount you will receive in a few years will be greater and the value of debt you owe will be less.

• Phil Jackson – After winning his tenth title as a coach no other coach has more NBA championships than him.
• Derek Fisher – Fisher returned to LA after spending time withe Golden State and Utah, mainly to be in LA where his daughter could get the best medical care.
• Lamar Odom – Always considered a supreme talent, Odom was key to many of the team’s victories all year long.
• Pau Gasol – He was called soft after the playoffs a year ago, but he has been chugging along and putting in the necessary work to become a champion.
• Trevor Ariza – He seems to be getting better and better, displaying skills few people thought he had.
• Kobe Bryant – The hated one.  The best player on the planet.  The player who has went through ups and downs, but is only comparable to one player on the court…you know who.

I’ve been a fan of the LA Lakers every since they drafted Magic Johnson.  There has been no player, in the history of the game, to play with such joy as the Magic man!  But these Lakers are lead by Kobe Bryant and it has been a bumpy ride.  Forget going into all the drama and hate – the Lakers are at the top of the mountain again!

CONGRATULATIONS LAKERS!!!!!!

Most people, that I know, fall into three groups concerning Barack H. Obama, President of the United States of America (I say his whole name and title because I know it upsets some people):

1.  Pro-Obama – This is the group who are still stuck in November – sorry if that comes across too harsh.  Electing a black man to the highest office in the land has truly been a historic event, but…he still has to be president.  We can’t celebrate his election for four years and not look at the things he promised in addition to the things he is doing.  This group would have you believe that any opinions against what Obama is doing is Republican in nature.

2. Anti-Obama – This is the group who have nothing to very little good to say about our president.  This group includes Republicans (obviously), actors, athletes, singers and racists – openly and closet racists.  People in this group could belong to one or many of those groups and more that I failed to mention.  Now, now, I’m not calling any names so if you are anti-Obama, but don’t fit into any of the groups I mentioned you must belong to a group I failed to mention.

3. The Rest – The rest of us (yes, this is the group I’m in) simply don’t belong in either of the first two groups.  We simply don’t have the blind faith to follow another human being without question and do have enough common sense to see when our government is doing something shady AND people who are anti-Obama want to tear the man down.  We are basically stuck in the middle and have to take it from both sides.

Taking It From Both Sides

Recently, I have been taking it from both sides.  One side says (not in these words) that I’m drinking the Obama Kool Aid and the other side says I sound like a Republican.  The truth of the matter is this: my parents taught me to have some common sense, I’ve been let down by human beings before, I’ve been (figuratively) kicked when I was down, I served in the US Air Force for 20 years, I have seen immoral acts played out by those who should be of the highest moral (and spiritual) standards, I have been the victim of obvious and descrete racism, I have been played by some of the best and I’ve been burned trying to get away with some stuff myself!  Basically, I’m going to question almost everything because I refuse to be somebody’s fool!!!!!!!!!

Having recently nominated myself the spokesman for group 3, “The Rest”, I would like to say we will remain faithful to our common sense and remain steadfast in our believing of the following:

1. Everything Obama is doing and has done isn’t necessarily the best thing for our country and that belief alone does NOT make us Republicans.
2. Everything Obama is doing and has done does not make him the anti-christ and/or the worst president in the world.  This thing isn’t over yet and if people think the direction we are going is going to lead to Socialism and/or the end of the US as they know it then that is their opinion.
3. I have seen Obama’s swagger before, in nightclubs all across America, and that swagger in combination with a nice speaking voice/rhythm isn’t enough to have me caught up.
4. Comparing Obama, and his swagger, to every person with a voice means absolutely nothing!  John Voight, Rush and every other person who has either been compared to Obama or tried to go head to head with him is missing one thing: they are not the President of the United States of America.  They really need to make suggestions to help and get off his…I almost lost it there.
5. The Obama administration has made some mistakes, but at least they are trying!  I don’t think anyone can say Obama is doing things to make the country worse or for his personal gain – something we couldn’t say for the past 8 years.
6. Bush and Palin ARE INDEED two of the biggest…negative examples (you thought I was going to say idiots) for the Republican party.  Rush Limbaugh is probably third and Joe Biden, while not a Republican, is gaining fast in the idiot department!
7. We need more rational thinking and less thinking along party lines.  A Republican administration got us here and a Democratic administration might not be able to get us out of this mess.  If these political parties were the answer we wouldn’t have problems.  Think about it!

Do you have the common sense to form an opinion without bias?  If so, it is plain to see that no one person, or group of people, has all the answers.  That would make them God and there is only one Him!

I’m going to jump right in and say that in the most generic way, government healthcare insurance for everyone isn’t a good idea.  I’m using the word generic to mean everyone shouldn’t be under a system like this.  It probably wouldn’t happen, but it is necessary to break down, not only what a system like this would mean, but also who it would benefit.

Immediately throw people who can afford their own doctors out of this equation.  I think it is safe to say that people with the means to do so would want to choose their own doctors and wouldn’t be part of a government healthcare system.  It is a really big stretch, but could you see Bill Gates and Oprah waiting down at the free clinic?  I don’t think so!

What President Obama Wants

Obama wants this done period.  Reports are saying he is flexible on how things work out as long as it gets done.  For many, regardless of party, this is refreshing coming from the president.  Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa said, ”When the president is flexible on controversial things … I think that that’s good news.”

Those of us who still have just a sliver of faith in our president need to hear some positive things about him since everyone is so eager to tear him down.  I’m sure [wink] there are some who will read this and will have negative feelings about Obama.  He could make it rain, like Pac-Man Jones in a strip club, for some people and they will still find fault!

Can he at least get an E for effort?

What The Hang Up Is

Of course, the hang up is money.  Somebody is going to have to pay for this and the last thing we need is more debt.  In true political fashion, the wrong move by Obama could cause some to doubt his words.  Check this out: To pay for the health care overhaul, Congress is seriously considering a first-ever tax on some employer-provided medical benefits. But Obama campaigned against that last year, and its inclusion would require him to reverse course. Obama says health care legislation must be paid for, but his own list of tax increases and spending cuts doesn’t cover the full cost.

Uh, Mr. President, there are people waiting to jump on you (again) with both feet if you go back on your word.

What We Don’t Want

What we don’t want, or need, is a cattle call in the doctor’s office.  If government healthcare becomes a reality, the next problem could be the quality of care given – I’ve been down this road before with another version of government healthcare and it still burns me up.  I envision long waits, short visits and Motrin (vitamin M) in mass quantities. 

Think about it from a doctor’s point of view.  They are sitting there with massive student loans, expensive malpractice insurance and need to find a way to pay the bills.  If they were to see patients in this system, would they be paid as much as they normally would?  If not, that means they need to up the quantity per day; I already think many doctors rush in (late) and rush back out.

What We Have

What we have is a president who means well, people in need and a potential massive bill that must be paid.  Even if those things are worked out, the quality of care is still to be determined, but I don’t think it will be all that great.  Unfortunately, I don’t think Obama is in a winnable situation.  If he fails people will be all over him and if he somehow succeeds, people will be all over him because they simply don’t like him.

He is doing the honorable thing – at least that is how it seems to me.  He is trying to help those he can despite the naysayers.  We really didn’t think he would say, “During my term I’m going to put more money in every Republicans’ pockets.” did we?  Come on!

I was watching CNN earlier today and they were talking about an award show wherein the winners had to keep their acceptance speech to a minimum of five words or less.  I thought that was interesting, but effective, especially since people have a tendency to get long-winded on award shows, if you know what I mean.  So I thought to myself, why don’t we try that out on 7daybuzz and viola, here we are!

This is how it’ll work:  We will present five topics to you, and what we ask in return is that you comment on each topic, but keep your comments to no more than five words.  This will be fun and plus, it will give you a chance to show off your vocabulary skills!  We will only do this on Wednesdays so you all will have all week to wonder what we’ll talk about on Wednesdays.  The topics will be what’s happening in the news (popular and well, maybe a little odd).  Okay, so here are the five topics for today:

1)  Jon Voight calls President Obama a “false prophet”

2)  Barry Bond’s wife files for legal separation

3)  Bankruptcy judge allows Chrysler to sell to Fiat

4) Orlando Magic trounces Los Angeles Lakers

5)  Banks to return $68 billion in bailout money

Remember, your comments are only to contain 5 words or less.  Let’s see who can be the most descriptive!

This week, Newsweek decided to put Oprah on their cover. But, it wasn’t to celebrate Oprah, it was to disparage her. The cover of the magazine (see for yourself) depicts an angry-looking Oprah and is titled, “Crazy Talk: Oprah, Wacky Cures & You.”

Obviously, this picture is not flattering to Oprah and it definitely makes her look a little ‘crazy;’ hence, the headline.  But is it fair?  The writers of the article,  Weston Kosova and Pat Wingert, are of the belief that Oprah uses her influence to promote certain health remedies that could be dangerous to viewers.  Now, granted, Oprah does have a lot of clout amongst her viewers, and she does seem to have the ability to sway people to see things her way, but this article may be stretching things a little too much, don’t you think?

 I mean, just because Oprah has allowed Jenny McCarthy to voice her opinion that vaccinations caused her son’s autism, in addition to showcasing a viewer who admitted swallowing 60 supplements a day, does this mean that Oprah is of the same belief?  Not really.  In fact, I know quite a few people who believe that vaccinations cause autism,  and they’ve felt this way long before Jenny McCarthy appeared on Oprah. 

You would think, based on my defense of Oprah, that I am a fan.  Well, believe it or not, I’m really not.  I think her topics, as well as her show are, for the most part, boring.  But, that’s neither here nor there.  I do recognize that Oprah is a talk show host presenting a slew of topics — some of which you may agree with, and well, some you may not. 

Oprah defended herself against the Newsweek article with the following response, “”For 23 years, my show has presented thousands of topics that reflect the human experience, including doctors’ medical advice and personal health stories that have prompted conversations between our audience members and their health care providers.  ”I trust the viewers, and I know that they are smart and discerning enough to seek out medical opinions to determine what may be best for them.”

What do you think about this?  Can Oprah easily sway people?  Or are the authors of the Newsweek article just trying to stir up more buyers for the magazine by putting Oprah on the cover?