Pawprints From Space

It appears the real audacity of President Obama's hopes was bipartisanship. As the health care reform debate continues to move along - flaring up here and there in town hall meetings, talked about on all the news programs and talk shows (please note, there IS a difference between journalism and entertainment, to whit: The CBS Evening News is journalism; Glenn Beck's radio show is entertainment), ranted and raved over on the editorial pages of those papers still in existence, blogged about, etc. - the one thing that seems clear is that there will be no bipartisan effort on this subject. Over the weekend some administration folks stated that the so-called "public option" might not actually be necessary to passing the bill. This "public option" has been the big beastie under the bed for those opposed to the potential legislation. Republicans have been screaming about the addition to a "public option" from Day One. Some have guaranteed that there will ...

In all the brouhaha over health care reform and the economy; let's not forget about Iran and what its people are going through. In typical agenda setting fashion, the media has turned its attention away (for the most part) from Iran and the aftermath of the elections. By doing so the topic has lost its "top of mind awareness" and when that happens Americans tend to think the problem is over. It is not over. The media has simply gotten bored with it. They are setting the agenda for what we are to think about, not exactly what to think mind you but certainly what to think about. The famine, for example, in Ethiopia hasn't gone away simply because we haven't seen it in the news lately. Those arrested in Iran are facing trials that are travesties of justice. Some of the clerics on the ruling council are calling for the execution of those who have taken part in the protests, people are being killed while in custody, women are being raped and now Mr. Ahmadinejad is sayi...

The yelling continues across the country at the various town halls. The misinformation continues to fly from both sides. And in our area no one wants to hear about it. Not that I can completely blame them. I did find an interesting link to a summation document on the White House web site. Check this out: http://www.whitehouse.gov/health-insurance-consumer-protections/ It boils down what the President's thoughts on the subject are. Gee, don't see "single payer plan" on that at all. In fact, he doesn't seem to be for that one bit. The public option is just that, an option. It isn't the only option, just one of them. The insurance companies would compete for our business along with this option. Competition is a good thing. As the President noted, Fed Ex and UPS do quite well in competition with the US Post Office. What I like about the President's ideas are the elements aimed at that insurance industry. I mean come on, when I moved to Hartford the Aetna comp...

Been a while, been busy with the new kitten funny how a small fuzz-ball can take over your house, your life and your wallet. But I have been paying attention to the "news" and other assorted insanity ... The fact that we have a version of democracy that allows us to shriek and yell and be idiots in public towards our public officials is a good thing. Freedom to speak one's mind without fear of being locked up (most of the time) is a good thing. The ability to act like a rational adult and discuss our concerns with each other as if we actually are civilized beings is a much better thing. I am referring of course to the recent outbursts during town hall meetings regarding the proposed health care reform bills. I say "bills" because as I type this there are at least four of them in one stage or another of development. This too is a good thing, it means there are options, there are things we can discuss and tweak and refine until we get something that will work. I a...