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Met a guy on a flight this week, coming in from Sweden. Aside from being blown away, once again, by foreigners' knowledge of politics in America (who runs Sweden? I have no idea), he told me something that made me laugh. Apparently in the past utilities (I didn't ask which utilities) were government-run, but more recently were privatized so there could be "competition". He said Swedes are very concerned because, although they now have a choice of companies, no matter which one they select, their monthly bills just keep increasing but their service is the same or a little worse. I'm sure this will cause wingnuts to crawl out of the woodwork and make disparaging comments about Swedes, but I found it interesting. What would really be interesting would be to figure out why my form window is "jumping" since the changes to the site...but that's another thread for the mods to review......

Put a sock in it you doofus. I went for my annual physical exam and there right at the "checkout" was a pile of living wills and other stuff about dying. Dying is the one thing in life we can all be sure of. It's awful funny that people who tell others to "change the channel if you don't like it" get up in arms about a brochure that may actually be helpful.

Same way as the Republicans putting term limits on the Presidency after FDR only to get stuck with them when they wanted Raygun as President-for-Life. Politicians.

And this just in, Armey Dickhead, having been exposed for funding the organized town hall disruptions, is being forced to step away from his little organization.... I seem to recall Obama getting hecked at Notre Dame and his response when the audience booed was to shush them and say "it's all right"... the guy only got hauled out when he became a nuisance to the people around him. Would you be shocked to learn that the AMA as well as a couple of the health insurance companies and the pharmas are actually supporting this legislation? Of course you would, because you have no idea what is in the legislation. You think it's the English or Canadian system where the doctors become employees of the state....etc. Which is of course no-where near true.

Actually I agree with that. I wish they'd given vouchers - shoot, much as I hate Wal-Mart they coulda worked a deal with Wallyworld (or some discount store) for store certificates. HOWEVER - let's be realistic. Soon there would be a thriving black market for those certificates. The thing is, there are always going to be people who abuse the system. Even, say governors who spend tax dollars to see their soulmates...that's just the way it is. I believe though that for every piece of scum who robs his or her children of the chance to have a pair of new shoes, a coat and a couple of decent outfits for back to school...there are many, many more who put that money to good use. The point of the program was so some poor kids could get excited and think positively about going back to school. Then, maybe, with a positive attitude as they grow older, staying in school and perhaps graduating and being productive people instead of leeches. I remember how, as a kid, I really looked forward to going back to school shopping. Then I couldn't wait to go to school to wear my new clothes. Poor kids don't have that. It's a very simple pleasure that can go such a long way toward a child's success. It is NOT the fault of these children that their parents are pigs. But we don't want government interfering and tell people they can't have kids, do we? Of course not. Suffer the little children....

I seem to recall that the Bush Administration set up "Free Speech Zones" for protests that were usually a LONG ways from where the activity was taking place. Shoot I remember a bunch of old farts holding up signs outside the FSZ got arrested in Florida...How soon you wingnuts forget. I guess your limited brain capacity does not allow for long memories. There is no reason why people of opposing views should not attend these sessions. Opposing views help craft better legislation. However, I ask once again, how these conversations can take place if people are not there to discuss, but to shout down other speakers and stop the dialog altogether. Picture yourself in a business meeting, where you're trying to solve a problem. It's getting somewhat heated but people are still behaving themselves. Then one guy gets up and starts screaming so no-one can talk. You're not gonna get anything done. And the guy could get his dumb self fired. I'd love to see him sue that his "free speech was stifled" and see how far he gets. Yeah private business is not the same as a public forum. But a public forum isn't an internet board where you can attack people with inpunity or the MOD can kick you off because he's a wingnut and doesn't like your views.

if you can explain how "BLEEP YOU" contributes to these discussions, I'll agree with you.

What are the odds you would be able to get another one today through private insurance? It is kinda interesting you mention going on Medicaid. When Medicaid and Medicare were signed into law there was a whole lotta screaming about "socialized medicine" then too. So too with SSI. Today, while admittedly there are abusers, those programs are lifesavers to many people.

Louise doesn't mind a spirited debate but when faced with aggressive people who don't want to discuss but to disrupt...look out. As a little kid I was in awe of her when she was a homemaker and she's a lot steelier now. My Congressional district is kind of big, and others in this area had overflow problems with their venues, so my Congressman opted for a telephone conference. There was a chance to listen, and to speak, and if people started screaming abuse or whatnot the conference operator could disconnect them. So one could actually accomplish the goal which was to learn and express opinions.

Obviously it's needed because kids need to get the most out of school so they learn the difference between "there" and "their".

Boy wouldn't it be GREAT to have a Donovan McNabb - TO reunion in Buffalo? Someone wanna start the thread (again)? LOL

Did anyone ever consider that as employees this new healthcare policy would give you some power? Think about it: today, companies who provide HC benefits feel free to trim them, raise the price etc and in general toy with their employees because, particularly in a downturn, they know that their employees will take it. Why? Did you ever pay COBRA? Yikes! But if employees know that they can take jobs elsewhere and still obtain reasonably-priced healthcare, they'll be able to move more frequently. So, this actually levels the playing field for employees because it weakens the employer's ability to hold employees hostage for healthcare. The company will actually have to invest in retention through better working conditions etc. Gee. It could even weaken unions' power a little because healthcare is such a big bargaing chip with them. Wingnuts would like that.

HEY! These are EVERDAY AMERICANS, remember! Gee. Boy howdy. Gotta love those wingnuts. They love Hitler.

Love to know his thoughts on the vicious, bloody Russian mob.

So we interring Canadians?

I don't know why you'd worry. According to you wingnuts the government is so incompetent it couldn't find its own ass with its hands (to use a human metaphor). So any neighbor's report would probably just end up in a black hole or trashbin. Right? Right! Make up your minds will you wingnuts? The fact is that those services are available today to either really poor people who need them or are court-ordered...and people with private health insurance (EAP or other related program). This just makes it available to the majority of hard-working taxpayers who fall thru the cracks.

Yeah buddy, she went overboard on that one. I tried to imagine a male SoS and how he might react to such a question...I could see him saying the words BUT the apparent rancor and hostile body language...no. Of course she could have just been tired. But that's no excuse. I don't think it's going to cause an international incident, in fact apparently the two spoke after and straightened it out but, I would imagine if she were to react with a similar demeanor to, say Russia or North Korea, I'd want to build a bunker in my backyard.

What I was trying to say is that without the government, and the programs and services it provides, America wouldn't be where we are today. No way, no how. If the government is competent enough to field armies that bring tears of pride to wingnut eyes, it's competent enough to replace big fat profit-taking corporations that only succeed by hindering access to healthcare. In short, it's just more wingnut hypocrisy. They are too lazy to actually read the legislation, their wingut leaders tell them any time the government does anything it's bad, so they rend their garments instead of engaging in discussion. And they are SO stupid they don't realize they're the ones being used. Somewhere in boardrooms across America corporate fat-cats are laughing their asses off at the stupidity of the people who are so ignorant and easilty frightened. How ironic that those are typically the same people who are hurt MOST by the policies they support. But it has always been so.

Not surprising that you'd automatically jump to that conclusion. Those - go on and say it, bigot-boy "Welfare Queens" of which you speak in veiled terms - are in the minority. There are plenty of good, honest hardworking people who go bankrupt because they can't make the gap between their benefits and actual costs. My sister in law was covered under my brother's insurance ... when she was diagnosed with a degenerative brain disease so rare there are only about 500 known cases in the US. She was 36 years old. Her prognosis: her brain will slowly turn to mush, while her strong young body stays alive. She needed to go into a home. His healthcare wouldn't cover it. So ... with two young sons to raise, what would you have him do? Go bankrupt and move into a box? Throw her into a box? What about my friend Angie who works at a Fortune 15 company? She was engaged to a very nice guy. They set a date. He lost his job, and a month after that was diagnosed with cancer. He was lucky and qualified for medicaid. If he married Angie, he'd lose that. But, Angie's healthcare plan wouldn't cover his pre-existing condition. Suddenly, marriage isn't really such a sacred institution, is it? Why don't you come right out and admit that you think sick people give you the creeps and you don't like to be around them and it's their own fault for being sick?

Read the fine print.

Come ask me those questions when you, or someone you love, is dying and might be able to be saved but for the fact that you don't have access to the services you need. My friend's 36-year old wife was diagnosed with cancer a year ago and given about 10% chance of living. Fortunately HER medical benefits were extensive. Today, she's finishing her last handful of radiation treatments and thanks to very aggressive surgery and chemo, her tumors are gone. That this could not be possible for someone else merely because that person did not have the same medical coverage means that our society values people of a certain socio-economic strata for no other reason than that they belong to that group.

Ah yes, that's the line of last resort for wingnuts when you cannot defend the indefensible. Your own ex-governor is walking around telling people that Trig (as if Downs wasn't enough of an issue, she names him "Trig"?!) could be euthanized because Obama is going to create "death boards" that limit healthcare. Gimme a freaking break. I just read an article yesterday about a guy who worked in a grocery store. He had cancer. His health insurance benefits had all run out. So, Capt. Phil Harris (F/V Cornelia Marie) attended a fundraiser and pledged $1 donation to the guy's medical fund out of every pound of his coffee that was sold. The guy died Friday. And he died because HIS health care benefits were "exhausted". Sounds like rationing to me. In June, my husband and his band did a fund raiser for a 19-year old girl with MS. That's awful young to have MS. And what's worse, her insurance company cut off her PT benefits - apparently the insurer decided that the PT wasn't going to reverse her condition and that's that. Her doctor didn't agree but... insurance pays the bills So the family is doing everything they can to raise money to pay for the therapy themselves. It was sad to see this pretty young girl tottering around the room - she refused to use her walker. A WALKER at age 19. Sounds like rationing to me. Oh she's not dead but...at age 19, the insurance companies have written her off. Nice. So don't tell ME I have a problem. The people with the problems are those who are too stupid to realize when they're being suckered by the giant corporations and their lobbyists. People B word and piss and moan about "the government". Our government equips and trains the BEST military in the world. Our government provides services and facilities and infrastructure that we rely on every day just to get THROUGH our day. Is if perfect? No way. But all things considered we do damn well for ourselves in this country, and the government is a part of that. AND the government is a NONPROFIT entity, unlike the health insurance industry. They need profits and there's only one way for them to get them: at the expense of the patient.

I read it this morning and agree. Well done for a wingnut. Actually this just proves out what my husband says all the time, that guys like O'Reilly and Limbaugh don't believe half the crap they sling around. They're just shock jocks like Howard Stern. It's just sad how many stupid people out there take their word as gospel truth, I can't stand Howard Stern either.

The stock market is not an indicator of what's happening today. It's a predictor of what is coming. The continued improvement indicates an increased confidence and optimism. As to the jobless claims - 300k job losses on top of what was already lost between the start of this recession in December, 2007 and early 2009, ain't good. But the fact that we're not seeing 600k at a time is a good sign, and that's all. It's no consolation to the people looking for work. Don't I know it - took me almost 2 years to land a decent job when I lost mine in 2002. I survived but I sure wouldn't wish it on anyone and I sure wouldn't want to go thru it again.

Hmmm seems to me that when unemployment dropped under the Bushistas it was because of his glorious leadership? $100b is a lot of money. We're seeing an improvement in WA, slowly but surely. I supposed you'd have been happier if the govt just gave the money away like the Tooth Fairy? Or did you LIKE watching that bridge collapse in Minneapolis?