MEET THE CANDIDATES SHOW; TERRY HELD HOSTAGE
San Leandro progressive activist and Citizen contributor Craig Williams sits in for Nick Terry as the TnT Podcast focuses on this week’s candidate forum. Pension reform and the economy is the on the minds of all the candidates but one is talking pot and another wants to level the city. We’ll talk local politics on the East Bay’s only weekly political program–the TnT Podcast.
Here’s the Hit List of people and ideas criticized in this week’s program.
Hostage-taking, Bill Lockyer, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods Market, Joyce Starosciak, double cheeseburgers for votes, Michael Gregory, John Palau, pot farms, sticking it to the working man, lack of diversity, Republicans, hostage videos on YouTube.
ebcitizen.com 
WTF kind of comment is that Craig?
Manuel
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Many wrongs don't make it right to murder innocent civilians
Craig
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Rahm is a Communist, Craig, who are you trying to kid. He's part of that cadre of Russians whom Roosevelt gave illegal entry into the United States. It was Roosevelt and his Administration who were cozy with the Communists in Russia.
Millions of innocent civilians were killed in the rage of Communists, Craig. Don't you ever forget it. Don't also forget that it was Stalin who starved millions, it was Stalin who held purges, it was Mao and Pol Pot who murdered tens of millions. But it was the United States of America who saved the world from them.
Manuel
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Rahm is more of a capitalist than you. Yea millions of innocent civilians were murdered in the rage against Communism. Bombs from the air on villages . Now the U.S. owes a Communist country so much money , it would go bankrupt without their help.
Craig
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Every dollar spent on the Cold War saved untold millions of lives and was well spent, unlike Rahm and his worthless Father who are just Communists out of Russia, undoubtedly sent by Stalin to spread revolution.
Manuel
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Sounds like you have a little German in your accent.Your conservative leaders were cutting deals in China while your neighbors were paying big tax dollars to the Cold War effort .
Craig
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Then why is your hero Barack Hussein Obama supporting these guys on Wall Street? You want to have it both ways. Bailout Wall Street, bailout the dummy who signed an ARM mortgage and can't afford the payments, bring down everyone's wealth with socialized medicine, subsidized housing and high taxation. Let the cards fall as they may.
You don't fool us Craig. The World is full of little men like you who travel the World spreading filth. Just like Rahm Emmanuel and his worthless Father.
Manuel
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The socialists are fat cat socialists from the bailout of Wall Street or corporate conservatives sucking up to the People's Republic of China's government.Can't exist without government supports both here and in China.
Craig
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Você tem o sotaque de uma voz socialista de Nova York
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Sounds like Anonymous has a Portugesse accent? Not from the West Coast, probably not a Native American, sounds like an outsider.Not a San Leandro fore father.
Craig
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Craig, que nos Açores é você? Você não parece Português. Seu sotaque é decididamente do Nordeste dos Estados Unidos não, Portugal, Açores ou Madeira. Sua voz não é de alguém que aprecia tudo o que seu país tem para oferecer.
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I'm originally from the Azores and came to the West Coast to help people stand up to the state's biggest polluter and corporate criminal. I worked on the local hospital campaign, living wage, school parcel tax and numerous other electoral and issue campaigns. I've lived in San Leandro for 17 years.
Conservatives are angry and should vent their anger by joining the pro wrestling tour where they can show their true skills.
Most people in San Leandro are liberal or progressive like me. Occasionally I run into a frustrated conservative but they are few and far between.
Craig
Craig
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Who is this Craig Williams guy anyway? He doesn't sound like he's from around here. He has a thick Bronx accent or somewhere NOT on the West Coast.
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One in four don't have health care in California? Explain that; is it because;
1. They choose not to buy insurance.
2. Don't have insurance but use the County Hospital.
There are clinics that charge $50 for uninsured people to see a doctor. And don't give me that bull excuse about “what if you don't have $50”. That's the individuals concern not mine.
Why is it “overcharging”? Do you think medical technology just hangs on trees for all to pick?
Manuel
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There's a program in U.S./Canada border areas (slightly tongue and cheek) called Marry a Canuck.The idea is to marry for Canadian Health Care. People working for Macdonalds in Canada have more health care security than many of the “fortunate topfifth”in the U.S.
Now,one in four Californians don't have health care.Facts are facts. You can't overcharge people compared to the rest of the world and come out with a better product for society.Since our system is money driven there is also an incentive to overtreat people.
Sutter gets tax breaks for being a non profit so called charity hospital. They don't live in a classless society . The do very well in affluent areas and not so well in less affluent areas. They also “cook the books” and charge uninsured people double the standard rate to make their losses seem higher.Google Sutter uninsured pricing cases.
Craig
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Also, don't let the FACT that Canadians fly over to the U.S. to get treatment and have operations. Apparently the Canuck Doctors only know/specialize in veterinary work on beavers and moose.
Manuel
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France, Portugal, Canada???? Don't make me laugh; rationed care, long waits, government taxation and government worker benefits taking precedent over the care of patients are all hallmarks of socialized medicine. How many drug patents are coming out of those countries? How many ground breaking medical devices and technology are coming out of France, Portugal or Canada?
These same people who moan and groan about San Leandro Hospital closing, a money losing operation, are the same people complaining of “profits” in other parts of the medical industry.
What are these “rankings”? How are they compared to the U.S.A.? Does the fact that the U.S.A. have an inordinate amount of illegal aliens with numerous diseases have any affect on the “rankings”?
Why shouldn't doctors be paid well? They study hard, pay a lot to get through good medical schools and American trained doctors know what they're talking about.
I'm sure you'd like a doctor with a substandard medical degree from the University of Lisbon or Sri Lanka but I sure as hell would rather have the option of getting a real doctor with a real medical degree.
Manuel
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France is ranked #1 and spend 60 percent of what we spend! It's not a money driven health care system.This good for business and their people. Sometimes paying doctors and executive salaries and bonuses dosen't produce the best results.Portugal is ranked 12th , way above the U.S.
Craig
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Hey Masnuel
Don't let facts get in your way. Canada's health system is ranked # 30 in the world, the US is #37.
So Canada's lousy system ranks ahead of ours and there are 36 countries with better health care systems than us.
Wow why change a thing!
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You heard it folks, Nadia Lockyer and the Democratic Party want a “new voice.” So don't vote for Barbara, Bill, Jerry, Pete, Mary or Ellen…they are part of the problem. Oh, wait. A little bird just told me that they only mean in the BOS race. Never mind. Silly hypocrites!
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Dianne Feinstein is my kind of Democrat!!!
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Craig,
Of course Canada Health Care is cheaper; it's like shopping at Wal-Mart versus Neiman Marcus. If all you want to do is avoid running around naked, then Wal-Mart is the happiest choice. But if you want quality then you have to pay for it.
Manuel
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There is no one in Madera who can read. Sorry about that, there is no one in Madeira who can read either.
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I think Tavares translates this blog in Portuguese and puts it on wine bottles so all the people from Madeira can read it.
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I'll be back!!!
(I escaped the Lockyer's dungeon and attended my brothers wedding just in time!)
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In more civilized places people stick to the issues and not the name calling labels. When you define someone you confine them. In Canada everyone likes Single Payer including business people because it's cheaper than U.S. health care and conservatives because there is less bureaucracy. Their overhead is less than 5 percent , ours is close to 30 percent.
Craig
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You got something against Portuguese people? Get over it anonymous babooze.
Manuel
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Diane Feinstein is a moderate Democrat, to the right of Willie Brown who is to the right of Gavin Newsom and to the right of Chris Daly.
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Are all the right wingnuts posting in this blog Portugese? Not all Republicans are mouth breathing Fascists.
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We have a non-entity claiming Craig is, “not ideological”. What do you call “single payer health care”??? What do you call his advocacy for higher taxes? What do you call his advocacy for marijuana farms? Contnue to keep your name hidden, since you are the biggest sissy.
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OK Craig, agree with your statement of policy ideas, but most people I have heard use the Progressive label are left of what used to be known as Liberal – aka Willie Brown, Dianne Feinstein or Gavin Newsom. The socialst end of the Democratic party, Chris Daly for example, use the Progressive label and are generally as far left as the tea party is far right.
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Craig isn't that ideological . Why don't these name calling right wing sissies move to a a right wing dictatorship like Columbia.
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Craig sounded like the typical crazy liberal ala Bernard Sanders of Vermont. He has no solutions other than the same tired and failed socialist policies of more government spending, free health care and legalizing marijuana. Yet they attempt to call them selves “progressives”???? Why?
Why can't these idiots stay in Berkely?
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Barry: progressive isn't far left yet some far left Democrats call themselves progressives. On the war most Democrats would rather get out ASAP and be focused on the economy and the environment. On health care, if they could have Single Payer they would take it in a heart beat. On public works projects they would rather have a government solution to jobs than no solution.We don't need to be radicals on a metaphysical level but apparently having local democratic organization in the party is too radical for some of the leadership.
Craig
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I agree with “no nuts” anonymous, most Democrats are not “Progressive” they are “Moderate” or old school “Liberal”…not the far left “Progressive” wing of the party. I enjoyed the podcast though, nice to hear various opinions.
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Steve and Craig, nice broadcast. A little tighter format and shorter. Good job. Nice to hear some variety. Are you going to do a call in? Why no video of the candidate's forum?
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Anonymous comment people have no nuts. Most Democrats are Democrats because they are progressive. U.S. capitalists are in China with their manufacturing mistress, they call it Chimerica or on Wall Street doing the bonuses bailout bambozal.
Craig
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Progressive Democrats are not real Democrats, they are socialist nut bags.
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