WASHINGTON -- One of the tragedies of the viciously politicized battle over health care reform is the defection of the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops from a cause they have championed for decades. Indifferent to political fashions, the bishops were the strongest voices in support of universal health coverage, a position rooted in Catholic social thought that calls for … [Read more...] about On Health Care, Listen to the Nuns (Guest Voice)
Health Care Reform Roundup
Fox News' Bret Baier spent much of a rare one-on-one interview with Pres. Obama not letting him answer the questions he asked. … [Read more...] about Health Care Reform Roundup
Toxic Washington
John Darkow, Columbia Daily Tribune, Missouri … [Read more...] about Toxic Washington
Kucinich Defends His Vote Change On Health Care Reform (Video)
Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich is now having to defend his vote change on health care reform, after for a long time suggesting he would vote not because plan did not go far enough. He's now under fire from some on the Democratic party's left, who believe that a bill that doesn't have all they want is worse than having the bill go down in flames. Kucinich went on CNN's Larry … [Read more...] about Kucinich Defends His Vote Change On Health Care Reform (Video)
No Scoring Yet, Vote Unlikely By Saturday
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 … [Read more...] about No Scoring Yet, Vote Unlikely By Saturday
AP fact-check on insurance premiums and healthcare reform
Much has been made about how insurance premiums will be positively affected by the health care bill being shepherded through the House at this hour. But the Associated Press writes a fact-check article that finds that, despite promises made by the President to the contrary, premiums will continue to increase under the new bill: Premiums are likely to keep going up even if … [Read more...] about AP fact-check on insurance premiums and healthcare reform
Catholic Consternation & Criminality
It's a tough time to be a Catholic. Today 60 leaders of religious orders representing 59,000 nuns sent a letter to lawmakers in opposition to bishops claiming the health care bill leaves loopholes for government funded abortions. The Catholic Health Association backs the bill so is siding with the nuns. As for the other denominations, a group of 25 “pro-life Catholic … [Read more...] about Catholic Consternation & Criminality
A Year After $213 Million In Earmarks, He’s Against Them
Earmarks -- those endearing Congressional plums that brought us "The Bridge To No Where" -- sort of slipped under the radar of the recent news cycles out of Washington this past week. Democratic House members have pledged to not submit earmarks for for-profit projects. Republicans have one-upped that by pledging a ban on all earmarks for a year. Earmarks are the fast … [Read more...] about A Year After $213 Million In Earmarks, He’s Against Them
Is It Right To Force Everyone To Have Health Insurance?
Republicans in Congress, Tea Party protesters, and the governors of some conservative states, all think it's unfair, unjust, and maybe unconstitutional to force everyone to have health insurance, and buy it themselves if they don't already have it from somewhere else. This strikes me as kind of odd, since virtually everyone who doesn't have health insurance in this country … [Read more...] about Is It Right To Force Everyone To Have Health Insurance?
Irish And Italians Hog All The Glory
One of the drawbacks of being a WASP is we get no ethnic holidays. It's akin to being an atheist who in good conscious cannot celebrate Christmas. I was reminded today is St. Patrick's Day when I clicked for a search. Google sprang up green. In grade school, I quickly learned not to wear green on March 17 because it was my only come-on for the girls to pinch me. I … [Read more...] about Irish And Italians Hog All The Glory
Happy St. Patricks Day !
GREEN
After President Kennedy was killed in 1963, Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously said, "To be Irish is to know that in the end the world will break your heart." Growing up in the Bronx of the 1930s, almost everyone I knew was Jewish. In our apartment building, there was one Irish family whose men sat on the front steps in summer, drinking beer and joking. As the evening went on, … [Read more...] about GREEN
Labor to Dems: Vote Yes on Obama’s Health Care Bill or We’ll Go Independent!
SEIU prez Andrew Stern is threatening to "go independent" on local races to oppose Dems who oppose Prez Obama's healthcare reform bill. Thanks to New York's fusion voting, which has empowered third parties like the New York Independence Party, Conservative Party and Working Families Party, he could actually make good on that. Meanwhile, former Dem La Plata County Colorado … [Read more...] about Labor to Dems: Vote Yes on Obama’s Health Care Bill or We’ll Go Independent!
Time To Spill The Beans On Health Reform Triggers
I hate what if stories as much as lawyers deal with hypotheticals, but here goes. I'll keep it short and sweet. If in whatever tricky procedure the House passes health reform legislation, the White House immediately must marshal its special interest supporters on a massive ad campaign to educate the public. It must explain what provisions of the landmark legislation goes … [Read more...] about Time To Spill The Beans On Health Reform Triggers
California Court of Appeals Upholds Proposition 14 Language (More Good News for Independent Voters)
California Court of Appeals says no to Proposition 14 opponents, which is (more) good news for independent voters. From CAIVN: "The Court rejected the CSEA language, preserved the lower court’s language, and ordered the restoration of the Legislative Analyst’s prediction of cost savings associated with the measure." And open primaries gaining support in Pennsylvania and … [Read more...] about California Court of Appeals Upholds Proposition 14 Language (More Good News for Independent Voters)
Health care reform and the homeless
As Congress gears up for a big vote on health care reform, it's worth considering how vagrants' health problems could affect municipal budgets. … [Read more...] about Health care reform and the homeless
Lady GaGa Lezploitation Women-In-Prison Vamp
Picking up where Paparazzi left off, Lady GaGa's new Telephone video featuring Beyoncé was released late last week. The official explicit version will pass 20 million views today. It opens in a women's prison as lady Gaga is led to her cell by a pair of butch prison guards. Thus begins her reappropriation of the women-in-prison "lezploitation" genre: The genre's two high … [Read more...] about Lady GaGa Lezploitation Women-In-Prison Vamp
David Brooks, drama queen?
You wouldn't expect it from such a moderate guy, but consider this, from Meet The Press: MR. [TOM] BROKAW: Let's begin with you, if we can, David. There are lots of declarations that are being made in Washington this week, either apocalyptic, that this is the end of the Obama presidency, or it's the deliverance of the Obama presidency. Are they both exaggerated? MR. … [Read more...] about David Brooks, drama queen?
Deem and pass: Should I get a life?
Kevin Drum, on deem and pass:If you have a life, you don't care about the subject of this post and have never heard of it. Damn it. I heard about "deem and pass" and I even sort of care about it. And I'm annoyed with Kevin for letting people know I don't have a life. (Well, I have a wife, but that's neither here nor there.) Anyhow, here's Kevin's bottom line: Like it or … [Read more...] about Deem and pass: Should I get a life?
Obama, Person to Person
Personalizing an issue is an old ploy, but Barack Obama has reminded so many of us why we put him in the White House. Rallying support for health care, the President pressed the case of Natoma Canfield, a 50-year-old Ohio cancer patient. He had used her letter to him at a meeting with health insurers, and now he was telling a crowd: "She’s self-employed, she’s trying to … [Read more...] about Obama, Person to Person