From James Taylor's JT album: … [Read more...] about If I Keep My Heart Out of Sight
Short-term benefits, long-term shortfalls of health care passage
In the media afterglow of the historic signing of the health care reform bill, the immediate advantages of the legislation's passage are rightfully being highlighted in news reports and analyses. Children cannot now be denied coverage based on pre-existing conditions, and insurers cannot drop their clients because they get sick. No matter how you felt about the bill's passage, … [Read more...] about Short-term benefits, long-term shortfalls of health care passage
Palin: “Don’t Retreat, Instead RELOAD!”
Seeing is believing... Er, okay. So I mosey on over to her facebook page: With the president signing this [blah, blah, blah] takeover of our health care system [blah, blah, blah] We’re going to reclaim the power of the people [blah, blah, blah] We’re going to fire them [blah, blah, blah] thanks to their destructive government-growing policies. [blah, blah, blah] [blah, … [Read more...] about Palin: “Don’t Retreat, Instead RELOAD!”
Health Care Reform Passes
John Cole, The Scranton Times-Tribune This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to appear on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Health Care Reform Passes
Will True Conservatives Stand Up? (Guest Voice)
WASHINGTON -- Every nation needs an intelligent and constructive form of conservatism. The debate over the health care bill, which mercifully came to a close on Sunday night, was not American conservatism's finest hour. In its current incarnation, conservatism has taken on an angry crankiness. It is caught up in a pseudo-populism that true conservatism should mistrust … [Read more...] about Will True Conservatives Stand Up? (Guest Voice)
Health Care Reform Passes
Bob Englehart, The Hartford Courant This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to appear on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Health Care Reform Passes
Health Care Reform is a Tough Call (Guest Voice)
Health Care Reform is a Tough Call by Martha Randolph Carr The health care bill has finally passed and will move on to President Obama for a signature. Whether or not this is good news or creates a creeping sense of dread depends on a few variables. Doctors who treat Medicare or Medicaid patients will be seeing a decrease in payouts without something to replace the … [Read more...] about Health Care Reform is a Tough Call (Guest Voice)
Obama’s Moderate Health Care Plan
Jonathan Chait at TNR argues that the health care reform legislation turned out moderate in substance (a point that I tried to make in yesterday's post here): Obama's plan closely mirrors three proposals that have attracted the support of Republicans who reside within their party's mainstream: The first is the 1993 Senate Republican health plan, which is compared with … [Read more...] about Obama’s Moderate Health Care Plan
Thread On Nature Of Morality And Its Role In Politics
There was clamoring on another thread for starting a discussion about the nature of morality. I don't really have much to say upfront other than that the topic is really complicated and been talked about for thousands of years. I would like to point to Jonathan Haidt's framework for talking about the facets of morality as expressed here, and in a TED talk. Of course another … [Read more...] about Thread On Nature Of Morality And Its Role In Politics
Yes Mr. Vice President, You’re Right
LATER: The market at work -- t-shirts featuring the VP's quote are now available. No word yet of one featuring the press secretary's tweet... The Caucus Blog reports on VP Joe Biden's "overly effusive aside to President Obama." On an open mic: “Mr. President, this is a big … deal,” he said, adding an adjective between big and deal, that begins with ‘f.’ ... For whatever … [Read more...] about Yes Mr. Vice President, You’re Right
A Moderate Christian Response to the Health Care Debate
I host a daily talk radio program in the Seattle area. Yesterday's show was dedicated to how Christians communicate in the political spectrum. I enjoyed the dialogue and the moderate callers. Yes, there are moderate Christians who actually don't believe President Obama is the anti-Christ nor the second coming of Christ. Seems like there might be hope for the less extreme … [Read more...] about A Moderate Christian Response to the Health Care Debate
It’s Law! Let The Games Begin
As President Barack Obama signed the health reform bill into law today, I couldn't help remembering Robert Redford after winning a U.S. Senate seat in the movie "The Candidate," asking his political adviser "what do we do now?" For Democrats: Don't gloat and overestimate your success for the fight has just begun. For Republicans: Your gamble of pushing all your chips into … [Read more...] about It’s Law! Let The Games Begin
Growing Evidence That High Fructose Corn Syrup Plays A Role In Obesity
Princeton releases a study about HFC effects on rats. The primary argument that HFC doesn't contain have that much of a fructose/glucose balance difference than sucrose is addressed by "as a result of the manufacturing process for high-fructose corn syrup, the fructose molecules in the sweetener are free and unbound, ready for absorption and utilization. In contrast, every … [Read more...] about Growing Evidence That High Fructose Corn Syrup Plays A Role In Obesity
U.S. Health Care Reform is a Foreign Policy Success: Financial Times Deutschland, Germany
Much of the global reaction to the passage of U.S. health care reform revolves around the clout it gives President Obama on the international stage. In her article about the president's bruising legislative victory, Sabine Muscat of the Financial Times Deutschland writes that the passage of U.S. health care reform not only saved President Obama's neck domestically, it gives … [Read more...] about U.S. Health Care Reform is a Foreign Policy Success: Financial Times Deutschland, Germany
Will HCR Revive The “Lost” Tenth Amendment
With the President earlier today signing the Health Care Reform Act as passed by the Senate and House, opponents have already responded with a flurry of lawsuits. According to National Public Radio, thirteen states’ attorneys general have filed paperwork to begin the constitutional litigation process of trying to overturn HCR. Under particular attack will be the mandate … [Read more...] about Will HCR Revive The “Lost” Tenth Amendment
Public already rallying to the health reform law
All along a chief Republican argument against the health care reform bill was that the American electorate opposed it. Republicans were confident that public outrage against it would lead to a GOP takeover of Congress and even the possibility of repeal. There were always three problems with this argument: 1) Some of that opposition came from the left. Those voters might … [Read more...] about Public already rallying to the health reform law
Save Social Security — Eliminate The Payroll Tax And The Social Security Trust
A recent AP headline read: "Social Security to start cashing Uncle Sam's IOUs." It's a very poignant headline because if you consider what went into making it, you quickly realize how utterly insane our system for funding Social Security benefits has been, and immediately understand the thing to do to rectify the insanity — pay Social Security benefits out of general … [Read more...] about Save Social Security — Eliminate The Payroll Tax And The Social Security Trust
Affordable Health Care for America: It’s Now the Law of the Land
Plenty will be said an written by politicians, journalists and pundits about the historic event we just witnessed in the East Room of the White House: President Obama’s enactment of the most extensive health care legislation in decades---perhaps in our history. As an American, I just want to express my thanks and my personal sentiments about this landmark … [Read more...] about Affordable Health Care for America: It’s Now the Law of the Land
From Now to November
According to pundits, Americans will be marking time for eight months, waiting to vote next fall in "a referendum on the most significant social legislation enacted in half a century." But like most conventional wisdom, that's too simplistic a view of the political landscape in a confused, angry and volatile time. As the President prepares to sign an interim bill and the … [Read more...] about From Now to November
What the health care law does – and when
There is a great deal of confusion about when specific benefits and taxes associated with the new health care law go into effect. Fortunately, Reuters has posted the following fact box explaining the timeline of the law's implementation. I'm posting this without comment. WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR OF ENACTMENT *Insurance companies will be barred from dropping people from … [Read more...] about What the health care law does – and when