New York Times 2-page ad by John D. Haywood

A two page ad appeared in the New York Times on Sunday, September 21, paid for by a John Haywood who apparently was a candidate for President in 2012.  See this link: http://www.haywoodforpresident.com/. There is also a web site that summarizes his biography and stands on issues: http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/134878/john-haywood#.VCWVqvndWSo
 I found very little other information about him.  While I like most of his very outspoken positions, it appears to me that he would have difficulty running for any office after expressing these opinions in print. Other on-line pundits believe this one advertisement may have cost him around $100,000.  If I had to guess his mindset, I would say that he is a loyal American, who has serious concerns about how our country is being run.  He probably realizes that he will never get a chance again to implement any of these policies and is "hanging up his spurs."...  However, he wants to use some of his savings to get some of these issues out on the table to get people thinking about them as we approach another election.  I applaud him for sticking his neck out! 

He took firm positions on health care, global warming, income tax reform, US policy on Israel and anti-semitism, recreational drugs, judicial reform, and others. 

I was very surprised to see that I agree with many of the points he presented.  About the only one I completely disagree with is his proposal for a "Hefty Tax on Craig's List."  I get the idea that he is concerned that Craig's List's free advertising has killed the want-ad sections of newspapers, which, in turn is damaging the free press.  The problem is that Craig's list isn't the only place where free or very cheap advertising can be done on the internet.  VRBO, for example has killed off all of the vacation rental advertising in the newspapers.  I was surprised to see his very last proposal was to replace our uranium/plutonium nuclear power reactors with thorium ones.  For decades, I've wondered why the US DOE has not been working on the development of a thorium-based nuclear reactor system.  It would produce much less toxic waste, be safer, not produce weapons-grade materials, and could be lower cost in the long run.  

I also agree with his positions on Israel and calling anyone who disagrees with Israel's policies an anti-semite.  Our country needs to separate opposition to the policies of the Israeli Government, from those of the Jewish religion or people.  

I was surprised that the New York Times didn't seem to allow me to read the advertisement on line without subscribing to the newspaper.  I can see them protecting copyrighted news articles, but I would think their advertisers would want their ads made public.  I was able to copy/paste some of the article from another web site: Campaign Outsider -- I also copy/pasted a blurry photo that was posted on the site of the full two page ad.  Below is the text of the ad:

COMMON SENSE II

BY JOHN HAYWOOD

Efficient Health Care

In a July 13, 2012 interview with Betty Liu of Bloomberg Television, billionaire financier Warren Buffet was asked: “A few weeks ago we heard from the Supreme Court, they upheld the health care reform act, the Affordable Care Act. Was that the right decision?”

Buffet: “Well I think it’s the right decision, but think that the health care problem is the number-one problem of America and of American business. If we have 17 or 18 percent of our GDP going to health care and we’re competing with countries that have 10 percent. That’s seven or eight points. There’s only 100 points in the dollar. And to have a seven- or eight-point disadvantage is huge. And a lot of businessmen complain about corporate taxes….Corporate taxes are less than two percent of GDP. So if you eliminated all the corporate taxes you’ve got seven points against you in health care.”

If the United States adopted Britain’s infinitely more efficient National Health Service (while retaining, as the British have, for-profit care for the 10% that want and can afford it), America’s bill for health care would drop from 17.5% GDP to 9% GDP.

If Helen Thomas Wasn’t Safe, Who Is?

She was the 90-year-old dean of the White House Press Corps. She was also the daughter of Lebanese immigrants. Soon after Mr. Obama’s inauguration Thomas had the audacity to ask him whether any Mideast Country had nuclear weapons. His evasive reply made clear there would be no change in American policy toward Israel.

The following year Thomas was recorded saying the following about the Israelis: “Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine; Remember, these people are occupied and it’s their land. It’s not Germany, it’s not Poland. Why push people out of there who have lived there for centuries?” Thomas’s hell was about to begin.

The White House Correspondents’s Assn. publicly called her remarks “Indefensible;” her speaker agency publicly dropped her; her book project publicly terminated; a journalism group’s award named for Thomas publicly “retired;” and a planned commencement speech publicly canceled. Former White House Press secretaries publicly condemned her.

President Obama also went on record, calling her remarks “Offensive.” Her effectiveness as a reporter having come to an end, she resigned her job. On her death in 2012 newspapers across the land reported that she, a Semitic woman, had been an anti-Semite!

Legalize All Drugs, Place Them Under FDA Regulation, Tax Their Sale Moderately, and Treat the Addicts

One hundred years ago, before the first war on drugs began, 3% of Americans were addicted to drugs.

Beginning in 1914 the federal government engaged in a continuing and escalating war on drugs. Each escalation brought more violent crime committed by desperate addicts, more incarcerations, incredible expenditures of taxpayer money, more gang wars, violence in nations producing/transporting the drugs, and monumental profits for criminals.

Yet, today, 100 years later, 3% of Americans remain addicted to drugs. Almost all of them wind up in the clink. Only 11% get treatment even though treatment methods have advanced.

Haywood ran almost a dozen ads in the New Hampshire Sunday News during the 2012 Granite State presidential primary. Which got us to wondering: Is the Times spread a trial balloon for the 2016 race?