Republican Gunning for Grandma

Newsweek:

"It was Grassley himself who devised the "Throw Mama From the Train" provision of the GOP's 2001 tax cut. The estate-tax revision he championed will reduce the estate tax to zero next year. But when it expires at year's end, the tax will jump back up to its previous level of 55 percent. Grassley's exploding tax break has an entirely foreseeable, if unintended, consequence: it incentivizes ailing, elderly rich people to end their lives—paging Dr. Kevorkian—before midnight on Dec. 31, 2010. It also gives their children an incentive to sign DNR orders and switch off respirators in time for the deadline. This would be a great plot for a P. D. James novel if it weren't an actual piece of legislation."

Swine Flu Spreading at "Unbelievable" Rate

The Raw Story:

"Swine flu spreads four times faster than other viruses and 40 percent of the fatalities are young adults in good health, the world’s top health official warned in an interview appearing Saturday.
“This virus travels at an unbelievable, almost unheard of speed,” World Health Organisation Director General Margaret Chan told France’s Le Monde daily in an interview.
“In six weeks it travels the same distance that other viruses take six months to cover,” Chan said."

Stealth Astroturf Campaign Revealed

Think Progress:

"Citizens for a Sound Economy — which has also received funds from private health insurers in the past and played a critical astroturf role in killing reform under Clinton — eventually split, with one wing forming Americans for Prosperity in 2003, and another forming FreedomWorks in 2004. Both organizations, which are still funded by the Koch Industries empire, were instrumental in organizing the anti-Obama tea party protests, and have been spreading misinformation and anger at the current health reform effort. Americans for Prosperity’s anti-health reform front group, Patients United, has hosted speakers comparing the House health reform bill to the Holocaust. "

Media Matters: Conservatives' Culture of Death

"Aspray" Full Body Deodorant

Same Old Republican Games

Media Matters:

" When was the last time conservatives approached a big fight without relying heavily, if not exclusively, on misinformation and deception? Why would anyone have thought this time would be different?"

75% of FOX Viewers Believe in "Death Panels"

Health Insurance Premiums will Double in a Decade

The Raw Story:

"Insurance rates will rise 94 percent by 2020 if cost-saving reforms to the US health care system aren’t enacted, a new study from the Commonwealth Institute finds.
The 90-year-old non-profit health care charity released an analysis of health care costs and forecasts that says employer-sponsored family plans will rise from an average cost of $12,298 in 2008 to $23,842 in 2020.
By contrast, the same coverage would have cost around $9,200 in 2003."

Now We want to Kill Veterans

Huffington Post:

"The latest conservative obsession - dutifully spread via Sarah Palin's Facebook page - is marked by the same alarmism and factual inaccuracy as the hysteria over "death panels."
According to this tale, America's veterans are being steered into ending their lives via a "death book" distributed by the government.
It all started with Jim Towey, the former president of the White House Office of Faith-Based Initiatives under George W. Bush, who penned an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal describing how the Department of Veterans Affairs was using an end-of-life planning document that was aimed at steering veterans toward choosing death."
Dr. Ellen Fox, the Chief Officer for Ethics in Health Care at the Veterans Health Administration, defended the use of the booklet:
Your Life, Your Choices is an educational workbook that was designed specifically for Veterans. The authors went to great lengths to ensure it would be meaningful and helpful to all Veterans, regardless of their religious and cultural backgrounds. I am impressed by the development process they used, which included extensive input and testing by different Veterans groups, religious leaders from 10 different faiths, elderly and disabled individuals, and experienced doctors and nurses. They even made sure to incorporate everyday language that Veterans commonly use to describe medical conditions, while at the same time providing accurate information from the physician's perspective. Over the past 10 years it has been tested through scientific research, endorsed by many respected professional organizations, and widely used throughout the U.S. health care system. It is one of many educational resources we provide to help Veterans and their families. As a Federal agency we have an obligation to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars by maximizing the services we provide our Veterans. Providing an educational resource like Your Life, Your Choices at no cost to Veterans is one of the many ways we fulfill this mission. The whole purpose of this workbook is to encourage more conversations between patients, families, and health care teams. Anyone who is seriously interested in ensuring that Veterans receive the best care possible should recognize this."

The Heath Insurance Game

Trailer: Micheal Moore's CAPITALISM: A love Story

Health Care on the Back of a Napkin

Healthcare Napkins All

View more documents from Dan Roam.

Stewart v. O'Reilly

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Fox News: The New Liberals
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

71% of Republican Favor "Choice" of a Public Option

When asked in a recent poll by SurveyUSA (1200 ppl +/- 2.9%) "In any health care proposal, how important do you feel it is to give people a choice of both a public plan administered by the federal government and a private plan for their health insurance--extremely important, quite important, not that important, or not at all important?"
71% percent of Republican answered "extremely important" (58%) or "quite important" (13%)

Who'da thought the Republicans had a socialist wing?

Health Care as a Civil Right

Newsweek:

"The United States has two parties now—the Obama Party and the Fox Party. The Obama Party is larger, but it is unfocused and its troops are whiny. The Fox Party, which shows up en masse to harass politicians, is noisy and practiced in the art of simplistic obstruction. As the health-care debate rages, it's the Party of Sort-of-Maybe-Yes versus the Party of Hell No! The Yessers are more lackadaisical because they've forgotten the stakes—they've forgotten that this is the most important civil-rights bill in a generation, though it is rarely framed that way."

Robert Reich Calls for March on Washington

Huffington Post:

"Robert Reich, the former Labor secretary, scholar and commentator, called Tuesday for a “march on Washington” on Sept. 13 —“Grandparents Day” — in support of a health care bill that offers a public option.
While he said organizing was not his strength, he would be prepared to assist. “If enough people feel that’s the best way for their voices to be heard, and can’t be heard in any other way, then we march,” Reich said in a reader question-and-answer session in POLITICO’s Arena.
A group of conservatives have already announced a “tea party” movement march on Washington for Sept. 12. An opposing march the next day, if one were to materialize, could make for an interesting weekend."

Go Barney!, Go Barney!, Go Barney!

Ignore the Poll and Do What's Right

According to a NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, Reported on widely yestarday as evidence that support for Healthcare reform is slipping, one statistic seemed to have been missed.

From a Reuters:

"Misconceptions about the plan were widespread, however, with 55 percent saying it would give health coverage to illegal immigrants and 45 percent saying it would let the government decide when to stop care for the elderly. Both are untrue."

When Half the people in a poll believe something that is untrue isn't that poll irrelevant. It would seem to me you should throw out a poll when 45-55% of the participant are misinformed.

Welcome to the Party!

As a Gay Man who voted for Barack Obama because I saw in him the man that would bring positive change to those in my community. I would just like to say to Liberal and to those whose Lives depend on Health Care Reform. Welcome to the Party!

Huckabee Criticises President from Foriegn Soil

Isn't that usually a big time Republican Attack? I think they used it on Clinton and Carter a few times?

Washington Post:

"JERUSALEM — Former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee slammed President Barack Obama's policies toward Israel on Monday in a visit here that underscored the tensions between the Obama administration and the Israeli government over Jewish settlements in what traditionally have been Palestinian areas.
Huckabee criticized the Obama administration's calls for ending such settlements and said Obama's position had only encouraged the Palestinian government not to negotiate with Israel.
More important than Huckabee's words, however, was where he chose to deliver them: at several controversial Jewish enclaves in the mostly Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, which both Israel and the Palestinian Authority claim.

The Ultimate Sacrafice

The Democrats need to be prepared to take the ultimate sacrifice and ram through the best possible Heath Care reform bill that takes the fastest track possible to full enactment. When the National Security of our nation is threatened we ask our citizens, our children to go to War and be prepared to lay down their lives for the good of the people.
When the Health Security of our people is threatened the Congress should be willing to put their seats on the line for the good of the Nation?
We may lose some good politician in the battle maybe even a majority in the next election. But we will still have the numbers to defend the changes and block any attempt to reverse the reform until the Public has the time to see the positive results And realize the good that Republicans where trying to stop.

Hope He Doesn't Bargin This Away

Washington Post:

"In a filing by the Justice Department, administration lawyers made it clear for the first time in court that the president thinks the 13-year-old Defense of Marriage Act, which denies benefits to domestic partners of federal employees and allows states to reject same-sex marriages performed in other states, discriminates against gays and should be repealed."

57% of Republicans believe or unsure about Death Panels

The Plum Line:


Do you think the health care reform plan being considered by President Obama and Congress creates “death panels” which have the authority to subjectively determine whether or not a gravely ill or injured person should receive health care based on their “level of productivity in society”?

Here are the numbers on how Republicans answered that question:
Yes: 26
No: 43
Not sure: 31

So a startling majority of 57% of Republicans either believes or is uncertain about the veracity of the “death panel” claim, versus only 43% of GOPers who don’t beliveve it.

Giant Rodent Eating Plant Discovered

Timesonline.com:

"Nepenthes attenboroughii, a previously unknown variety of pitcher plant discovered on a remote mountain in the Philippines, is so big that small rodents could be trapped inside and slowly dissolved by flesh-eating enzymes."

The Cost of Handicapping?

I wonder how much money it costs to handicapping a strong Public Option so that the Insurance Companies don't feel like we're being unfair?
If you limit the Public Option ability to get the lowest possible price on drugs for it's customers or to use it's bargaining power in anyway that will cost us money. I wonder how much?

No Public Option. No Mandates

If there is no Public Option in the final Bill I don't thing there should be a mandate for people to carry health Insurance. You shouldn't force people to put their money into a broken system.
Not only that it would total freak out the crazy conservative to be supporting the Democrats in their fight against tyranny. Wait, I got another one. The Insurance companies will go into cardiac arrest because the coverage madate is where they see their cash cow in this whole reform effort.

Give and Take

I think it important to remind people that the Progressives are the only group that has put a real comprimise on the table. When the Left was willing to give up Single Payer and put their support behind "Public Option" that was a really big deal. It was a major consession, especially concidering there are already Bills in the House and Senate for a single Payer System. Neither which have been scored by the CBO for some strange reason.
The Conservative on the other hand have sat down at the table with nothing other then to offer is a list of what they will never support. And Health Care Reform is at the top of that list.

Conseratives Invoke Reagan Against "Socialized Medicine"

It was Really Against Medicare.

Media Matters:

"On August 14, the Drudge Report, Rush Limbaugh, and O'Reilly Factor guest host Laura Ingraham featured a recording of Ronald Reagan speaking in 1961 against "socialized medicine" for the American Medical Association's Operation Coffee Cup Campaign against Medicare. Neither Drudge, Limbaugh, nor Ingraham, however, noted that Reagan was speaking out against an early version of Medicare, which has become very popular since it was enacted 44 years ago, or that Reagan's dire predictions of curtailments of freedom were never realized."

The Face of Failure

You know, far be it for me to tute my on horn...

From a Post on March 13, 2009

"Should we fail to seize this opportunity to make the changes that Barack Obama has outlined in new budget and the changes that most of us voted for in health care, energy and education it will not be because of the Republican or a popular ground swell of opposition. The face failure will be a Democratic Senator from a state of 600,000 people.
The Face of Failure will be Sen. Kent Conrad N.D. (D)

UpDate: It's hard to believe that there are 3 versions of a Heath Care Bill all with strong Public Option in the House. There is a Bill reported out of the H.E.L.P committee with a Public Option in the Senate and yet 6 Senators with a total Representation of just over 8 1/2 million people have the power to trump the rest?

Rewarding Bad Behavior

It would be an understatement to say that the Republics have shown themslves to be dishonest thugs in the debate on Heath Care. Voluntary end of Life counciling becomes a Death Panel. Town Halls have turned into nothing more the the radical conservative fringe shouting down supporters of reform and shutting down debate.
And what has this lieing, un-democratic and un-American behavior gotten them?
They're winning.

Gay Men Targeted in Iraq

Washington Post:

"BAGHDAD, Aug. 16 -- Human Rights Watch will urge in a report to be released Monday that the Iraqi government do more to protect gay men, saying militiamen have killed and tortured scores in recent months as part of a social cleansing campaign.
Although the scope of the problem remains unclear, hundreds of gay men may have been killed this year in predominantly Shiite Muslim areas, the report's authors said, basing their conclusion on interviews with gay Iraqi men, hospital officials and an unnamed United Nations official in Baghdad.
"The government has done absolutely nothing to respond," said Scott Long, director of the gay rights program at Human Rights Watch. "So far there has been pretty much a stone wall."

Stimulus Helps Lift Japan Out of Recession

Washington Post:

"TOKYO, Aug. 17 -- Japan announced Monday that its economy has returned to growth, bouncing back from what had been the steepest slide of any industrialized nation during the global economic crisis.
Japan's gross domestic product, which last winter contracted at more than double the rate of the United States', grew at an annual rate of 3.7 percent from April to June, the government said.
Helped by a rebound in exports to China and a large government stimulus program, the world's second-largest economy was able to record its first quarter of growth in more than a year, as the GDP, a broad measure of economic output, expanded 0.9 percent over the previous three-month period."

Kaiser Family July '09 Tracking Poll: 59% Support Public Option

"The public plan option – cause of much discussion and disagreement on Capitol Hill – is backed by a solid majority of Americans in the current poll (59 percent)."

Saving Medicare

There is nothing more frustrating then when the answer is starring everyone in the face and no one sees it.

As Obama like to remind everyone Medicare will be in the red inside a decade and not much in the current reform bills will stop that. The "Exchanges" won't be fully operational for years, even then the saving from direct competition between the private companies won't be felt for years after that
The Public option, even if it survives, won't be available for years and even then there will be limited access. And most importantly does nothing to help the people fighting for their lives today.


The easiest way to save Medicare right now is to allow a younger and healthier population, income based premium access to Medicare. Not only is it an easy to understand "Public Option", it offers a relatively quick lifeline to those most in need.

If we look at this issue with the urgency that a single mother with a Cancer diagnosis and no insurance is watching this debate we see a couple things that can be done right now. First Pass legislation that forbids denial and desparate pricing for pre-exisiting condition. Outlaw Annual or lifetime caps on benefits and restrict companies ability to drop coverage.

These things could go into effect tomorrow. Insurance Companies won't like it and it probably will effect their bottom lines, but last time I looked their bottom lines were pretty fat.

The other thing that could be done quick is open access to Medicare. Many on the right point to medicare and point out that Medicare is almost bankrupt. Well DAA! it only covers old and disabled people. Opening Medicare up to everyone is the answer starring us in the face.

IBM uses DNA in Microchips.

Reuters.com:

"SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - International Business Machines Corp is looking to the building blocks of our bodies -- DNA -- to be the structure of next-generation microchips.
As chipmakers compete to develop ever-smaller chips at cheaper prices, designers are struggling to cut costs.
Artificial DNA nanostructures, or "DNA origami" may provide a cheap framework on which to build tiny microchips, according to a paper published on Sunday in the journal Nature Nanotechnology."

50% of Income Goes to Top 10%

The Raw Story:

"In recent years, the fact that differences between rich and poor are the greatest they’ve been since the Great Depression has become a popular talking point among liberal-leaning economists.
But an updated study (PDF) from University of California-Berkeley economist Emanuel Saez shows that, in 2007, the wealth disparity grew to its highest number on record, based on US tax data going back to 1917.
According to Saez’s study, which Nobel prize-winning economist Paul Krugman drew attention to at his New York Times blog, the top 10 percent of earners in America now receive nearly 50 percent of all the income earned in the United States, a higher percentage than they did during the 1920s."

Health Care and Tort Reform

I'll support Tort Reform when 100,000 people arn't dying every year from medical mistakes

Bob Dylan Stopped by Jersey Cops. Reverse Profiling?

Huffington Post:

"(Associated Press) Rock legend Bob Dylan was treated like a complete unknown by police in a New Jersey shore community when a resident called to report someone wandering around the neighborhood.
Dylan was in Long Branch, about a two-hour drive south of New York City, on July 23 as part of a tour with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp that was to play at a baseball stadium in nearby Lakewood."

"The incident began at 5 p.m. when a resident said a man was wandering around a low-income, predominantly minority neighborhood several blocks from the oceanfront looking at houses"

Health Reform and Small Business

NY Times Editorial:

"The impact on small businesses has become a flashpoint in the increasingly raucous debate over health care reform. Trade associations are charging that the pending bills — which would require all businesses to provide coverage to their employees or pay a penalty — would place a huge financial burden on their members. Republican leaders are doing their best to inflame the fears and opposition of small business owners.
These proprietors would be wise to ignore the rhetoric and take a closer look. A vast majority of small businesses and their workers are likely to benefit greatly. They should be supporting, not opposing, reform."

Where Did the "Death Panel" Come From?

NY Times:

"...it has a far more mainstream provenance, openly emanating months ago from many of the same pundits and conservative media outlets that were central in defeating President Bill Clinton’s health care proposals 16 years ago, including the editorial board of The Washington Times, the American Spectator magazine and Betsy McCaughey, whose 1994 health care critique made her a star of the conservative movement (and ultimately, New York’s lieutenant governor)."

Hannity's Focus Group Backfires

The Democratic Pledge

Senate Democrats need to make a pledge that if a plan comes to the floor with sufficent majority to pass they will not stand in the way of reform by taking part in a filibuster to prevent the bill from being brought up for a vote.

Remote Area Medical in L.A. this Week

INGLEWOOD, California (Reuters) - Inside an aging sports arena, where rows of dental chairs and a hospital smell have replaced the former Los Angeles Lakers basketball court, thousands of Americans are seeking free healthcare.
Hundreds were turned away just on Tuesday, the first day of a weeklong clinic run by the nonprofit Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corp as part of its mission to provide free health, dental and eye care in needy spots around the world. Continue reading
Who They are.

Why Ochestrate when You can Just Agitate

We throw word around in this society like Nazi or terrorism much too easily. The Liberals call the Conservatives Nazi and vise versa. Which, instinct tells me should not be possible to exisit at both ends of the spectrum. I'm sure I'm guilty to doing it a time or two. But in my defense I was making a comparison between the Principle of Fascism and American Society at the start of the Iraq War, but I wasn't calling anybody a Nazi. OK, may somewhere on this blog I called someone a Nazi... ok, maybe twice. Alright, it was 11 times. Wait it might be a dozen but that one I said she was "acting like a Nazi."

The path the Republicans are heading down can be such a dangerous one . It contains a much too high degree of unpredictability. When you purposefully inflame, not very well informed people or worse societies most vulnerable, with outright lies and horrific distortions, We might as well start a campfire in the living room and hope for the best.

The Republicans are rightfully being punished for incredibly, if not historically, poor governance. No matter how you look at it, where we stood when the Republicans came into power, with budget surpluses going forward that could have made Universal Heath Care a walk down a government funded walking path, maybe even keep grandma alive indefinitely. When we compare that with where we are now standing in the wreckage of an economic collapse brought about by unregulated financial shell games. Two wars with hundred of thousands of innocent lives disrupted by violence and death and a constitution so distorted the question is will we ever get it back to where it belongs? Needless to say the Republicans need to go sit quietly in the corner and think about what they've done.

So the Repubs at the moment have zero political power in Washington. They are a minority in the House and totally impotent in the Senate of course I'm not using impotent, Vitter, to challenge any Senator's, Vitter, sexual prowess or competency, Vitter. I'm using it as term to

represent your political powerlessness, Vitter. They see their only option is to mount an insurrection, to shutdown debate by shouting down other views and hijacking town hall meetings.

The Republican do have an impressive army of storm troopers who will believe anything they are told even the most ridiculous. It is army of fringe conservatives, "the birthers", "the teabaggers" the anti abortion crowd even the the gun fanatics... "Obama to deny healthcare to accidental gun shot victims ... Our children at risk!" Can you hear the scary music?

It not very hard for the Repubs to mobilize the activist fringe. They send out the emails with crazy distortion or flat out lies. Talk Radio beats the drums of fear and anger. The idea of disrupting town halls takes root. Now if your town has a population of 100,000 it's very likely you got 15-20,000 crazy conservatives, in the south probably more, living in your neighborhoods ( did anyone hear scary music again?). So even if you only active 1% of those. You got 150-200 people. more then enough to disrupt any town hall meeting. All you have to do is tell them where to go. Why orchestrate when you can agitate.

It's one thing to use your supporters to come to the Health Care debate with a coherent discussion of the issues it's quite another to use a stick of lies and distortion to poke and agitate people, to the point of furious anger and then throw open the gate.

Chris Mathews, Where you been hiding?

Put the Pieces Together

We got "The Birthers" and "The Teabaggers". There was a Majority of Americans., before the The Iraq War that thought Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11. So it might be a good idea for Democrats to ignore the Polls and just do the right thing for Health care.

I should say from the onset that I am a Medicare for all, single payer person, but unfortunately American's aren't there yet. But there does seem be the all the ingredients for a pretty good plan.

First the "Exchange" that the Dems are talking about is ridiculous. It is phased in over many years and not everybody qualifies for access. The Senate has the Wyden-Bennett Bill that sets up a perfect one stop shop for Health Insurance. A Health Insurance WaWa if you will or for people outside the northeast a health care 7-11. But really most likely a website. That "exchange" represents a truely open market with all Insurance companies forced to compete side by side.

The Wyden-Bennet plan also includes premium subsidies up to 400% percent of the Federal Poverty Level.

This piece of the puzzle will go a long way in tamping down inflation rates for private insurance. Which the CBO doesn't know how to score, by the way.

The next piece is premium based access to Medicare with the same subsidies as the private exchange. Medicare would also use these premiums to close the 20% gap and the donut hole in the drug program and bring medicare in line with private plan copays.

One problem with the Dems plan was calling it a "Public Option". What's a Public Option? Ever heard of one before? Me neither. Access to Medicare, Gotchya!

Reality Check: Medicare

Feel a Draft?

Financial Times:

"US banks stand to collect a record $38.5bn in fees for customer overdrafts this year, with the bulk of the revenue coming from the most financially stretched consumers amid the deepest recession since the 1930s, according to research. The fees are nearly double those reported in 2000."

Republicans Lie. Who'da Thunk It?

Washington Post:

"Health reform is a test of whether this country can function once again as a civil society -- whether we can trust ourselves to embrace the big, important changes that require everyone to give up something in order to make everyone better off. Republican leaders are eager to see us fail that test. We need to show them that no matter how many lies they tell or how many scare tactics they concoct, Americans will come together and get this done.
If health reform is to be anyone's Waterloo, let it be theirs."

UnAmerican

It doesn't matter if the town hall protesters are organized or not. It doesn't matter if they are bused in or reading from a script or are just passionate individuals. To shout down your neighbor or disrupt meetings to stifle debate is unamerican.

Unions Being Threatened

Huffington Post:

"One of the country's largest unions has been hit by a wave of hostile calls and even death threats from people upset with its involvement in town-hall health care debates.
The Service Employers International Union was, as one aide put it, "deluged" with calls on Friday after several conservative media outlets accused the organization of trying to assault demonstrators who had showed up to protest Obama's health care agenda. Making it even scarier for union employees, the address of the union's St. Louis headquarters was mentioned on air by conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh."

"Damn It"

Mumbled under the breath of Republicans when the unemployment rate went down.

Al Jazeera on US Healthcare

Part 2

CNN Refuses to Run Healthcare Ad

New DNC Ad: Stop the Townhall Mobs

Olbermann on Blue Dog Sellouts

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Implosion Goes Bad

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Pacific Plastc Patch

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Marine scientists from California are venturing this week to the middle of the North Pacific for a study of plastic debris accumulating across hundreds of miles (km) of open sea dubbed the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch."
A research vessel carrying a team of about 30 researchers, technicians and crew members embarked on Sunday on a three-week voyage from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, based at the University of California at San Diego.
The expedition will study how much debris -- mostly tiny plastic fragments -- is collecting in an expanse of sea known as the North Pacific Ocean Gyre, how that material is distributed and how it affects marine life.

Jonathan Alter: Keep Your Hand off My Healthcare

NEWSWEEK:

"Go ahead, shoot me. I like the status quo on health care in the United States. I've got health insurance and I don't give a damn about the 47 million suckers who don't. Obama and Congress must be stopped. No bill! I'm better off the way things are.
I'm with that woman who wrote the president complaining about "socialized medicine" and added: "Now keep your hands off my Medicare." That's the spirit!
Why should I be entitled to the same insurance that members of Congress get? Blue Dogs need a lot of medical attention to treat their blueness. I'm just a regular guy and definitely deserve less.
I had cancer a few years ago. I like the fact that if I lose my job, I won't be able to get any insurance because of my illness. It reminds me of my homeowners' insurance, which gets canceled after a break-in. I like the choice I'd face if, God forbid, the cancer recurs—sell my house to pay for the hundreds of thousands of dollars in treatment, or die. That's what you call a "post-existing condition."
I like the absence of catastrophic insurance today. It meant that my health-insurance plan (one of the better ones, by the way) only covered about 75 percent of the cost of my cutting-edge treatment. That's as it should be—face cancer and shell out huge amounts of money at the same time. Nice.
I like the "lifetime limits" that many policies have today. Missed the fine print on that one, did you? It means that after you exceed a certain amount of reimbursement, you don't get anything more from the insurance company. That's fair." READ MORE

Gunman Opens fire at Tel Aviv Gay Youth Club

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - A gunman sprayed automatic fire at an Israeli club for gay teenagers on Saturday, killing two people and wounding at least eight, police and witnesses said.
The shooting spree in central Tel Aviv set off a citywide security clampdown, reviving memories of Palestinian attacks that have ebbed in recent years. But a police spokesman said that the incident was "criminal, rather than nationalistic."
Citing witnesses, Israeli television said a black-clad, masked gunman stormed into the Tel Aviv Gay and Lesbian Association building and opened fire in a basement room where teenage homosexuals were holding a weekly support group.