"And the dream lives on."

Just can't believe the things people are saying about him. This was one of the most corrupt politicians in American history. He took more money from the health insurance industry than anyone. He has virtually no real legislative accomplishments to his name. In 45 years he never once spoke out about corporate corruption, but stood by, drinking on the public dime, as the Senate became the most corrupt institution in the world. Oh well. At least he's gone. Maybe Mary Jo Kopeche's soul can find some peace now.

Irony, thy name is "sam."

So sam, you assholes have yet one more chance to rail about the death of Mary Jo, yet won't give one second's glance at the thousands of Americans GWB killed needlessly in Iraq. Or at those he literally drowned in New Orleans.

Piss off.

From TPMDC:

"Ted Kennedy's greatest legacy was as a legislator in the U.S. Senate. Over 300 bills bearing his name became law, most dealing with the day-to-day social and economic needs of children, families, or the elderly."

Sam, I've been surprised at the pure hatred that so many posters around the web are showing this morning.

No decency, none at all. Just vitriolic bile.

Go join your fellows over at Free Republic. Those guys will love you over there. They'd gladly crash Senator Kennedy's memorial service and bring their guns with them, if that were possible.

Leave those of us who grieve the Senator's passing alone. Have the decency to do that.

I wanted to share a pearl of wisdom from "Beau", a caller on a local radio show this morning:

[paraphrasing; heavy southern accent] "Yea, I'm not sure why these liberals always see the need to put their celebrities on a pedestal and worship them. I don't mean to cast aspersions or kick the dead or nothin', but here was a guy who drove his car into a river and murdered a woman, [tone growing more belligerent] and called his lawyer before calling an ambulance while the woman drowned. He's a drunk and a murderer, and just recently he tried to get the law changed so MA could appoint his wife as senator in his place..." [cut-off.]

Hi, Sam.

Among Kennedy's legislative accomplishments:

1964: Head Start

-- Provided meals and early education to pre-school children through the Employee Opportunity Act.

1965: Hart-Cellar Act:

-- Changed immigration policy to abolish quotas and lift a 1924 ban on immigration from Asia.

1968: Bilingual Education Act

-- Mandated for schools to provide bilingual education programs.

1970: Voting Age

-- Lowered the age to vote to 18.

1971: Federal Cancer Research Program

-- Quadrupled the amount of money spent by the federal government to fight cancer.

1972: Meals on Wheels

-- Strengthened the federal program offering nutritional meals to homebound seniors.

1972: WIC

-- Offered food, nutrition counseling and health services to low-income women, infants, and children.

1972: Title IX

-- Demanded equal funding for men's and women's athletics on college campuses.

1974: Campaign Finance

-- Imposed limits on contributions to political candidates and set up a public financing option, post-Watergate.

1975: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

-- Guaranteed free and appropriate public education to children with disabilities.

1978: Civil Rights Commission Act Amendments

-- Expanded the jurisdiction of the Civil Rights Commission to protect people from discrimination on the basis of disability.

1978: Airline Deregulation

-- Allowed airlines to choose their own fares, reducing costs for consumers.

1980: Refugee Act

-- Established a U.S. policy for providing humanitarian assistance, admission and resettlement to refugees around the world.

1981: Fuel Assistance

-- Provided home heating fuel for low-income and working poor families.

1983: Martin Luther King Day

-- Established a national holiday to celebrate Martin Luther King's birthday.

1984: Improved Access to Polling Stations

-- Required polling stations to provide physical accessibility for physically disabled and elderly people on federal election days.

1986: Employment Opportunities for Disabled Americans Act

-- Allowed disabled workers to receive SSI benefits and Medicaid coverage.

1986: Anti-Apartheid Sanctions

-- Banned the purchase of gold, coal, iron, and other goods from South Africa to protest apartheid.

1987: Even Start

-- Offered early education, family literacy and related services to disadvantaged parents and their children.

1988: Fair Housing Act Amendments

-- Prohibited discrimination towards people with disabilities in the sale or rental of housing.

1989: National Military Child Care Act

-- Established the Department of Defense child care system.

1990: Americans with Disabilities Act

-- Prohibited discrimination against any qualified individual with a disability in job application procedures, hiring or discharge, compensation, advancement and training.

1990: Ryan White CARE Act

-- Provided assistance to states to develop effective and cost-efficient AIDS care programs, aimed particularly at early diagnosis and home care.

1991: Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty

-- Halved the world's nuclear arsenal through cooperation with the U.S.S.R.

1991: Women in Combat

-- Lifted the ban on women serving as combat aviators.

1992: Summer Jobs for Youth Program

-- Appropriated $500 million to give 300,000 youth with summer employment.

1992: Mammography Quality Standards Act

-- Ensured the safety and accuracy of mammograms and promoted the use of the procedure

1993: National and Community Service Trust Act

-- Created AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National and Community Service to help expand volunteerism and education grants for students who choose to volunteer for service after college.

1993: Student Loans

-- Allowed students to borrow money for college directly from the federal government.

1994: Family and Medical Leave Act

-- Provided up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for family emergencies or after the birth of infants.

1994: Crime Act

-- Secured funding for 100,000 new police officers, imposed new penalties for crimes involving gangs and firearms and authorized the Police Corps, a program to award college scholarships to students in return for a commitment to serve as police officers.

1996: Kennedy-Kassebaum Act

-- Enabled employees to keep health insurance after leaving their job and prohibited insurance companies from refusing to renew coverage on the basis of preexisting medical conditions.

1996: Mental Health Parity Bill

-- Eliminated limits on mental health coverage that differ from other covered illnesses.

1996: Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Act

-- Established Welfare-to-Work Initiatives to reduce the number of families dependent on government assistance.

1996/2007: Minimum Wage

-- Increased the minimum wage from $4.25 to $5.15 in 1996, and then again from $5.15 in 2007 to $7.25 by 2009.

1997: State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)

-- Supported state efforts to provide health insurance to uninsured children in low-income families.

2000: Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education Act

-- Improved data systems and research on the extent and severity of minority health problems, and authorized significant resources to help enhance the delivery of health care to minorities.

2000 Public Health Threats and Emergencies Act

-- Introduced initiatives to control the spread of germs resistant to antibiotics, and to protect the country against bioterrorism.

2001: No Child Left Behind Act

-- Required more rigorous testing of public school students and permitted parents to transfer their children from low-performing to higher-performing schools.

2002: Bioterrorism Preparedness Act

-- Established plan to help the country prevent, prepare for and respond to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies.

2002: Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act

-- Expanded the country's intelligence and law enforcement capabilities to help identify individuals who have violated visas or have links to terrorist organizations.

2003: Up-Armored Humvees

-- Provided funding for additional armor for military vehicles to meet the safety needs of American troops.

2003: PROTECT Act

-- Provided funding for AMBER Alert notification systems along U.S. highways and awarded grants to states for the implementation of improved communication technologies.

2005: Gulf Coast Recovery and Preparedness Act

-- Provided emergency funding to assist in the recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina.

2006: Family Opportunity Act

-- Provided states the opportunity to expand Medicaid coverage to children with special needs and allowed low- and middle-income families with disabled children the ability to purchase coverage under the Medicaid program.

Yeah, what a slacker.

The Princes of hate and malignancy are energised with the frailty of life . How fitting they miss the real strength which is the celebration of small success's and the ability to give .
What the denigration of this one life means , by giving outsize importance to missing the meaning of the man is an approximate definition of speaker nothing else .

Let's look at this for what it was. Good politician or bad he was simply a man like the rest of us. The only real difference is he was born into fame and fortune. He never really knew what it was like to live a life like the general population of the US. He was not smarter or better than the rest of us and did not accomplish any more or less then the rest of us would have given the same opportunity. He is after all just another politician who never, ever had to worry about: paying the bills, getting to work on time, climbing under the car in the middle of winter to fix an exhaust, paying for your kids college, or simply putting food on the table. His only reoccurring concern was getting elected and with a name like Kennedy in Mass I don't think that was much of a worry either. My life is no better and probably a little worse for his efforts...he did not do the middle-class American any great favors. Despite that members of my family loved him and voted for him just because of the name.

Fence sitter be missin' the point! Despite his good luck and fortune, he still fought for those much less fortunate, almost as if he had the dreaded empathy. (see list above)

1964: Head Start

-- Provided meals and early education to pre-school children through the Employee Opportunity Act.
*OK this was and is a good program

1965: Hart-Cellar Act:

-- Changed immigration policy to abolish quotas and lift a 1924 ban on immigration from Asia.
*This was not an accomplishment, took jobs from the middle class

1968: Bilingual Education Act

-- Mandated for schools to provide bilingual education programs.
*Oh ya what a great move, the only country in the world to do this, really boosted illegal / legal immigration too.

1970: Voting Age

-- Lowered the age to vote to 18.
*This was nothing but a ploy to get Dem votes

1971: Federal Cancer Research Program

-- Quadrupled the amount of money spent by the federal government to fight cancer.
* I'll give you this one as a plus

1972: Meals on Wheels

-- Strengthened the federal program offering nutritional meals to homebound seniors.
* I'll give you this one too

1972: WIC

-- Offered food, nutrition counseling and health services to low-income women, infants, and children.
* another plus

1972: Title IX

-- Demanded equal funding for men's and women's athletics on college campuses.
* .........and drove the cost of college up so kids like mine who are smart, honor role, non-athletic, top 3% on scholastic achievement can't afford college...being white males doesn't help either.

1974: Campaign Finance

-- Imposed limits on contributions to political candidates and set up a public financing option, post-Watergate.
* a good plus

1975: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

-- Guaranteed free and appropriate public education to children with disabilities.
* another good one, but drove local and state property taxes up because these programs are expensive as hell...a middle class burden

1978: Civil Rights Commission Act Amendments

-- Expanded the jurisdiction of the Civil Rights Commission to protect people from discrimination on the basis of disability.
* OK another good one

1978: Airline Deregulation

-- Allowed airlines to choose their own fares, reducing costs for consumers.
*I'm on the fence on this one

1980: Refugee Act

-- Established a U.S. policy for providing humanitarian assistance, admission and resettlement to refugees around the world.
*even if they can't speak English because we have bi-lingual education.

1981: Fuel Assistance

-- Provided home heating fuel for low-income and working poor families.
* a good one

1983: Martin Luther King Day

-- Established a national holiday to celebrate Martin Luther King's birthday.
* Just another day off for federal and state employees......but nothing for the working class...what was the point.

1984: Improved Access to Polling Stations

-- Required polling stations to provide physical accessibility for physically disabled and elderly people on federal election days.
* A no brainer

1986: Employment Opportunities for Disabled Americans Act

-- Allowed disabled workers to receive SSI benefits and Medicaid coverage.
* Another plus
1986: Anti-Apartheid Sanctions

-- Banned the purchase of gold, coal, iron, and other goods from South Africa to protest apartheid.
* No impact in any real way
1987: Even Start

-- Offered early education, family literacy and related services to disadvantaged parents and their children.
* a good program
1988: Fair Housing Act Amendments

-- Prohibited discrimination towards people with disabilities in the sale or rental of housing.
* again a no brainer, good program

1989: National Military Child Care Act

-- Established the Department of Defense child care system.
*good

1990: Americans with Disabilities Act

-- Prohibited discrimination against any qualified individual with a disability in job application procedures, hiring or discharge, compensation, advancement and training.
*good
1990: Ryan White CARE Act

-- Provided assistance to states to develop effective and cost-efficient AIDS care programs, aimed particularly at early diagnosis and home care.
*good

1991: Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty

-- Halved the world's nuclear arsenal through cooperation with the U.S.S.R.
*Not sure he really had much to do with this one

1991: Women in Combat

-- Lifted the ban on women serving as combat aviators.
*Again part of the movement.

1992: Summer Jobs for Youth Program

-- Appropriated $500 million to give 300,000 youth with summer employment.
*no comment

1992: Mammography Quality Standards Act

-- Ensured the safety and accuracy of mammograms and promoted the use of the procedure
*no comment

1993: National and Community Service Trust Act

-- Created AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National and Community Service to help expand volunteerism and education grants for students who choose to volunteer for service after college.
*How about just helping kids pay for college by getting colleges to lower costs.

1993: Student Loans

-- Allowed students to borrow money for college directly from the federal government.
*What a joke, kids have to borrow but corrupt and broken banks, and auto manufacturers get free money. What an F'n joke. Once again not helping those who really deserve it.

1994: Family and Medical Leave Act

-- Provided up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for family emergencies or after the birth of infants.
*This program is so abused it is not funny. It has been expanded to cover days out of work for just having a headache. This program needs to be totally revamped. It is a gift to those with the poorest of work ethics.

1994: Crime Act

-- Secured funding for 100,000 new police officers, imposed new penalties for crimes involving gangs and firearms and authorized the Police Corps, a program to award college scholarships to students in return for a commitment to serve as police officers.

1996: Kennedy-Kassebaum Act

-- Enabled employees to keep health insurance after leaving their job and prohibited insurance companies from refusing to renew coverage on the basis of preexisting medical conditions.
*Ya only if you keep paying. Didn't help me a bit when I got laid off

1996: Mental Health Parity Bill

-- Eliminated limits on mental health coverage that differ from other covered illnesses.

1996: Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Act

-- Established Welfare-to-Work Initiatives to reduce the number of families dependent on government assistance.

1996/2007: Minimum Wage

-- Increased the minimum wage from $4.25 to $5.15 in 1996, and then again from $5.15 in 2007 to $7.25 by 2009.

1997: State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)

-- Supported state efforts to provide health insurance to uninsured children in low-income families.
*Excellent program

2000: Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education Act

-- Improved data systems and research on the extent and severity of minority health problems, and authorized significant resources to help enhance the delivery of health care to minorities.

2000 Public Health Threats and Emergencies Act

-- Introduced initiatives to control the spread of germs resistant to antibiotics, and to protect the country against bioterrorism.

2001: No Child Left Behind Act

-- Required more rigorous testing of public school students and permitted parents to transfer their children from low-performing to higher-performing schools.
*now here is a program with a dark side no one talks about. This hurt, big time, those students who excelled. It took away honors programs and forced exceptional students to be slowed by challenged students. This program needs to be radically changed.

2002: Bioterrorism Preparedness Act

-- Established plan to help the country prevent, prepare for and respond to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies.

2002: Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act

-- Expanded the country's intelligence and law enforcement capabilities to help identify individuals who have violated visas or have links to terrorist organizations.
*try repealing the bi-lingual education law, that will help as well.

2003: Up-Armored Humvees

-- Provided funding for additional armor for military vehicles to meet the safety needs of American troops.
*Oh come on, your kidding right?

2003: PROTECT Act

-- Provided funding for AMBER Alert notification systems along U.S. highways and awarded grants to states for the implementation of improved communication technologies.

2005: Gulf Coast Recovery and Preparedness Act

-- Provided emergency funding to assist in the recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina.

2006: Family Opportunity Act

-- Provided states the opportunity to expand Medicaid coverage to children with special needs and allowed low- and middle-income families with disabled children the ability to purchase coverage under the Medicaid program.

For those who are casting stones at an accomplished human being, take a look in the mirror and share with yourself how you are accomplishing making your immediate world a better place. If you, indeed, are performing a service to your community, bless you. Now, take your nasty criticisms of another and document all the ways you may have fallen short of perfection. Don't be any kinder with yourself than you are with another. Imagine at your death that your family and loved ones are assaulted with all the failures of your life, denying anything positive your may have given to others.

How does it feel? Well, Ted Kennedy has a family and many who loved him, in spite of or because of his flaws, and they are hurting at this time. Take your acid waste to another site and deposit it on the heads of your fellows in hate. They thrive on this bile.

I am committed to Oneness through Justice and Transformation
peace,
st john

I've said this when the good Senator from Massachusetts was alive, and repeat it now: The Kennedy brothers came from wealth, but worked ceaselessly to better the lives of those less fortunate. The first 3 gave their lives for our country. The fourth dedicated his life. Though he made some mistakes and had a drinking problem, he always rose to the occasion when needed most. I wonder who among us could have done better after seeing his 3 senior brothers die or be murdered in service to the nation.

Some have called Ted the "least" of the Kennedys, I would argue that the "least of the Kennedys" has done far more good for our nation in his lifetime than the "best of the Bushes" --- the rival New England family of blue-bloods who frowned upon the upstart Irish Kennedys.

RIP Ted. You've earned your rest. A thankful nation mourns you.

sam's vitriol is not surprising. But no accomplishments? That's really bizarre even for a Republican. sam is obviously a person who doesn't think Obama was born in Kenya. He thinks Obama was born on Neptune. I'd say get a grip on reality, sam, but you're too far a way. I'd say tether yourself to reality, but there's no tether that long. So, hell, just float off into space.