Be warned the ads are VERY offensive. They come from a write in candidate for US Senate in Missouri. Under federal law a radio station has to run the ads unedited and the only way they can decline ads from one candidate is to decline them from all candidates, so the stations would have to give up tons of revenue. The station airs disclaimers before every ad and is donating the money from the ads to charity. They are also asking the FCC if this candidate is legitimate or not. Listen and comment. Free...

As if the last few weeks were not bad enough. The Guardian, a long time Labour party stalwart has broken ranks to endorse the Liberal Democrats in the UK elections. The Times, which has not backed the Conservatives since 1992 is doing so this year. Things do not look well for Mr. Brown.

Just in case you were tired of the old nightmares here’s a new one. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/26/AR2010042601975.html Hat tip to Rachel Maddow Thanks Rachel… first you get me upset when I disagree and yell at the TV, now I have new nightmares.

A somewhat splintered US Supreme Court ruled today that a cross can remain on a war memorial in a remote part of the Mojave desert. The 5-4 ruling overturned a decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The majority held that the cross is not only a symbol of Christianity but also represents a general symbol of sacrifice while the minority held that the symbol does uniquely represent the Christian faith. The case stemmed from an action in which the public land on which the cross stands was transferred...

To be fair probably not. But the recent surge of the Liberal Democrats in the UK elections has raised a number of eyebrows on both sides of the pond. Normally the campaigns are between the Conservatives and the Labour party with the LD’s acting as the distant 3rd party. A recent poll had the Conservatives in 1st place with 33% followed by the Lib Dems at 28% and Labour at 26% Another survey put the Lib Dems on top at 33%, followed by the Conservatives at 32% and Labour at 26%. It is unlikely...

News is breaking today of a double retirement. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who turns 90 this year, is going to retire. This gives President Obama a second court pick, though since he will be replacing a liberal with a liberal it’s not that major of a shift (other than the age factor). A number of names have been mentioned as possible replacements, I’d put the early money on Wood. Also breaking is news that Michigan Congressman Bart Stupak will also retire and that could put...

A new study shows that 47% of US households will pay no federal income taxes this year. This is the result of both lower income and rising tax credits and exemptions. A family of 4 making around $ 50,000 could avoid any federal tax liability provided there are two children under the age of 17. For comparison in 1969 roughly 16% of households paid no taxes and in 1989 roughly 20% did not pay. Certainly we cannot expect people with very tight budgets to pay taxes if they need the money to live off...

Among the many ways California is trying to resolve the budget crisis is to release certain prisoners who are either minor offenders or no longer a threat. The latter category includes some violent prisoners who have suffered illness or injury that reduce or eliminate their potential as a threat. One example is a rapist (clearly a prisoner you would not want to release) who was stabbed in the neck during a prison fight which left him totally paralyzed. Because of this he is no longer considered a...

It’s been a while since I’ve had time to post, one of the perils of self employment and tax time. Sadly I’m returning to report some bad news, a coal mine explosion in West Virginia has killed at least six people with twenty one injured and another twenty one missing. It’s easy to law blame on the mine owners but the fact is there are simply inherent dangers to mining with the accumulation of explosive gases. I do hope though there will be a complete investigation after the...

The story songs of the 60′s…..

The former First Lady and First Mom has been admitted to the hospital for tests after not feeling well for a week or so. Best wishes for a quick recovery

One more whipping boy out of the political agenda. Given the probable corruption I’m not real sorry to see them go.

Now that the passage of the package seems assured I am pondering my own feelings about it. For many the vote on Health Care Reform today is an easy one to react to. My good friends on the left will watch the vote with varying levels of celebration, a feeling of triumph and optimism for the future. My equally good friends on the right will watch the results with varying levels of dismay, ranging from disappointment to outrage over what they see as a major mistake. For me, the reaction is not as easily...

Ed Shultz was just on MSNBC discussing the health care package with a GOP congressman who has issues with the so called Cadillac tax and the fact that while most people with high end plans will face the tax, union members will not. Ed said that the issue was that union members negotiated the plans as part of their contract as so it should be exempt and that anyone who got the high end plan some other way should be taxed. Now I am sure in Ed’s mind, anyone who did not get a high end plan through...

Of course these are only estimates and I can’t see them holding the vote unless they know for sure they have the numbers. But according to the Hill, they are right on the edge with 37 Democrats voting No and at least 19 unclear, including 3 who voted No last time. If the 37 no votes stick and one of the three former No’s stay that way, then that is enough to defeat the bill. Firedoglake.com also has it very close with 205 Yes, 207 No and 10 leaning No (which would be enough to defeat)...

I’m on record as being generally supportive of Health Care Reform and while I am still undecided on the current bill I do see many good aspects. I also support the concept of a mandate requiring everyone to have some basic health insurance coverage. However on Friday I was listening to a radio show while driving to the office and someone did raise an interesting point regarding the details of the mandate as contained in the current bill. As I’ve said, a mandate is fine, but for me it...

Seems it’s a real big trend…. I suppose it make sense on some level

He’s the man… the man with the Midas touch…. a spider’s touch.

According to Firedoglake, the vote on health care reform now comes down to the Stupak block. Without them they are very unlikely to get to 216 yes votes. http://news.firedoglake.com/2010/03/19/teague-a-no-pelosi-would-have-to-run-the-table-without-stupak-bloc/ Of course to a degree the vote is more symbolic that anything else Many of the provisions won’t take effect until 2014 or later And with states ready to file lawsuits, it’s likely the rest will wait a year or two.

According to The Hill, the current whip count estimates put the No side just one vote short. Of course these are only estimates, and presumably the House leadership would not set a vote unless they have the votes. The key would seem to be a possible compromise on abortion language However those quiet whispers about possible delays in the vote could start coming out today.

One of the fun things about being a political moderate is that you can be sure no matter what you say the odds are you’ll tick off people on both sides of the political fence. I am quite sure that this will be true as I offer some of my own thoughts on what sort of proposal should be adopted when it comes to Health Care Reform. I am long on record as a supporter of reform and have also made clear my view is best summarized by the old Chinese proverb which states that it does not matter what...

According to The Hill.com there is no CBO scoring yet which means that if the 3 day rule is followed then there won’t be a vote on Saturday. So unless Obama delays his trip again it is unlikely things will happen before the Easter/Spring Break. Vote remains close, with opponents 2 votes shy of a majority. As a supporter of HRC I still hope they will be smart enough to take a little extra time to get this done right rather than meet an artificial deadline. Many bills are passed in the summer.

According to the latest whip count on The Hill, opponents of the current health care reform bill are just one vote short of victory. The maximum number of Democratic defections that would still allow the bill to pass is 37, and the current No camp has 37 votes in it. Firedoglake, a liberal leaning blog, also has some analysis that does not seem promising, though again the game is hardly over. Of course not all the no’s are firm, and things are still fluid, but time is also starting to work...

President Obama recently told the compelling story of a woman facing the loss of her home because of health care costs. Certainly there are many problems with out health care system, but it looks like this isn’t one.