Aislin, The Montreal Gazette This cartoon is copyrighted and authorized to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved.

As Congress stumbles toward a final deal, the process is a reminder of the disheartening political climate in which we live today. No one will really be happy with the final result. How could they be? In a world where human considerations are swamped by partisan posturing, the bottom line, if anyone can figure out what it is, will not be how much better or worse it makes our society but who wins and who loses....

James Ray who has a mega-spirituality business that revolves around ‘wealth getting,’ held a retreat in Arizona two weeks ago. For reasons not clear, he allegedly built an ungodly large 20×20 “sweatlodge,” and purported to be copying Native American sacred practices. He crammed 50 people into that skeletal structure covered by plastic tarps, and then, with the rocks smoking hot...

The Samaritans were a despised and denigrated tribal group in ancient times. Yet, who was it who had the eyes to see, the heart to act when all others avoided the battered and ran away? It was a Samaritan. As the ancient story is told… a poor soul lay by the side of the road, beaten to a bloody pulp. Men of the priestly classes crossed to the other side of the road to avoid helping the bleeding man....

Democrats and the Administration are test-flying all sorts of behind the scenes tax increases to pay for healthcare reforms. Or else they claim that proposed Medicare savings will pay for expanding coverage to uninsured people and increasing patient rights on existing health insurance policies. After 30 years of bipartisan tax cuts and bipartisan spending increases, I don’t take either party seriously with...

That is part of a very interesting conversation that TPM’s Brian Beutler had with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY):

And now the key question is emerging — so get ready to hear it often in coming days: does Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid have the votes to pass the opt-out public option in the health reform care battle? Or does his announcement portend an ugly mega-partisan battle that could end with the passage of something less with national partisan polarization lines more starkly drawn than ever? Is it a trap...

I really didn’t think the old geezer had it in him:

Q: Mr. President, do you prefer the “trigger” or “opt out” approaches to the public option? A: Yes.

The public option is dead. Long live the public option. That’s the situation now prevailing on a key sticking point in health care reform. GOPers hate the public option because they say it would symbolize the Obama administration’s encroachment into the private sector and be a huge step into socialized medicine. Democrats are split, with some progressives nearly making support of the public option...

Just talking myself through the news of the day. Again. the way one does in a trauma/ triage situ. Most minds dont follow a straight path when learning the news. They veer into old memories. They look for patterns. They try to understand, so they can see, what can be done to help. Today, I’m saying to myself… Don’t go numb like it’s the farm report, pork bellies up, oats and soy down. Don’t...

It’s now official and in a stage beyond just warnings: President Barack Obama has declared swine flu a national emergency: President Barack Obama has signed a proclamation declaring swine flu a national emergency, the White House said Saturday. “In keeping with the administration’s proactive approach to H1N1 Flu, President Obama last night signed a proclamation declaring 2009-H1N1 Influenza...

The question, which came from a reporter for the right-wing Internet publication CNS.com:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly told the press that she has the votes for a robust public option — but a report in The Politico contends she has now run into trouble: Speaker Nancy Pelosi counted votes Thursday night and determined she could not pass a “robust public option” — the most aggressive of the three forms of a public option House Democrats have been considering as part of a national...

Hasn’t it been back for weeks now? I mean, I’ve written several posts about this very thing at TMV, haven’t I? Am I hallucinating?

The choice: Protect yourself against possible HIV infection, or find an insurer who is willing to sell you a health insurance policy. You can do either one, but not both:

You wonder what bet the odds makers in Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s home state of Nevada are placing on his re-election, given his sagging poll numbers and unflattering political news such as this: Thirteen Democrats joined all 40 Republicans to block a permanent repeal of Medicare’s payment formula for doctors, with lawmakers concluding the legislation’s $247 billion 10-year price...

The House Judiciary Committee Wednesday voted 20-9 to remove federal antitrust exemptions the health insurance industry has enjoyed since the 1940s. Majority leader Harry Reid said a companion bill will be voted on soon in the Senate. Finally the Democrats in Congress have showed some spunk. If the final bill is signed by President Barack Obama, the nation’s insurers would be liable for certain antitrust...

House Democrats reportedly continue to fine-tune the pricetag.

I’m pretty sick and tired of seeing and hearing President Obama every day. His words become more meaningless with each passing week. I already agree with half of his policies and the other half I’m willing to judge later after they are tested in the real world. I am even willing to give him an another award certifying that he is the most inspiring speaker of the 21st Century despite having 90 years left...

Two men, 38 and 40 years old, died, a third person, a 49 year old woman, passed away this past week… All three died after participating in a sweat lodge … which is meant to be deep prayer over all gathered in nakedness there; no clothing to mark status, everyone as they were when they came hot and steaming from their mothers long ago. The three died, and two dozen are ill, after, it seems, inhaling...

One doesn’t normally expect to find articles of an inspirational nature in an in-flight magazine. On a flight yesterday, I started my perfunctory flipping of pages of the “American Way” magazine, and there, tucked among descriptions of alluring vacation paradises, interesting travelogues and colorful promotions for fine dining and wining, were not one, but two gripping and inspiring stories about our wounded...

Is it due to doctors, patients, lawyers or insurance companies? This American Life says, “Yes.” In an absolutely wonderful episode, they really highlight some key causes of the health care crisis and shatter some misconceptions. They even changed my mind about a few things. For example, it’s commonly claimed that we have a supply problem, and if only there were medical professionals then that...

The medical specialists most likely to benefit from the health care debate are optometrists as the Senate Finance Committee releases its 1502-page text and mental health professionals as a new poll shows a national mood swing from August rage against a public option to 57 percent of Americans in favor of it. Max Baucus’ masterwork can now be read as a sequel to the 839-page tome by the Health Education...

Proponents of government run health care are already cheering the definitive, solid as a rock, above question results of a new Washington Post / ABC poll which indicates that 57% of Americans favor a so called “public option” in any proposed health insurance reform. Well, that certainly settles that once and for all, doesn’t it? Not so fast, skippy. (Courtesy of Hot Air) My first clue that...