Back from Vacation...

More frequent posts are in order, I know. Short, computerless, vacation for the 4th - yes, Rush, even liberals are proud of our heritage as a nation. It's the current government we have a problem with. And fatass blowhards like you.

I was actually thinking alot recently about health care in America. Who has seen Michael Moore's "Sicko"? I watched it over the past week. How, exactly, does the richest nation in the world have inferior health care to Costa Rica? Why is it such a a bad idea to mandate health care for all Americans? The state and federal governments in this country have ample experience regulating the insurance industry. There is no reason the private insurers would have to disappear - they would just have to follow some rules.

1) Doctors choose the medical procedures. Period. If a doctor decides it is necessary, the patient gets it.

2) Doctors have no direct contact with the insurer. This would ensure the adhearence to rule #1. Hospitals would have insurer liasons that handle all billing and payment, and those people would be strictly monitored to prevent fraud or insurance company bribes.

3) All services would have mandated pricing. It would have to be based on the location of the patient/hospital, but there is a price that everyone may complian about while still staying in business. No more HMO's driving the price as low as they can, and if the law includes provisions limiting malpractice awards and insurance costs, then doctors could afford to lower thier prices somewhat.

4) Once all the aspects of coverage are set, the insurers should be allowed to compete openly, in all states, for business. Each insurer would be required to offer one plan, at one price. But they - with some limitations - could set that price and market to every American. Payment for the plan would be some combination of employer sponsored, individual premiums, and government subsidy for people already eligible for Medicaid, which would be eliminated. We may have to maintain Medicare, at least in some form. The medical costs of those over 65 would drive up the price of everyone else's coverage too much.

Is this idea perfect? No. But it does give everyone coverage, spread the burden across as many stakeholders as possible, and at least partially maintain the capitalist ideals of the USA.

Social Networks: The crack of the new millenium

Those things are the most pointless waste of time in history, most of the time. Seriously, does anyone need to know the last time Bill got drunk? Or that Katie is at Subway? (That one is for you, Twitter) And yet, somehow - if you are like me - we can't stop surfing the stupid things. Then we put our own pointless information up, so our "friends" (many of whom we've never met) can waste their time looking at what movie we want to see this weekend.

On this point: Thank God for Facebook!! How many unreadable Myspace profiles are out there? For those addicted to posting in pink letters on a dark pink background - I CAN'T READ A DAMN WORD! The day Facebook allows that crap in the background is the day I officially proclaim as the beginning of the Apocalypse. And next time you are rabidly anticipating your friend's addition of a new "person she'd like to meet", and it comes up in lime on a key lime background - rendering it useless - You, miss pink on pink, deserve it. Mr. Pink should come to visit you for the garbage you've piled onto the world.

(First comment identifying the movie reference in this post wins a copy of the unreleased Steve Buscemi sex tape!!!) (If anyone actually wants to see that)

So much promise.....At first.

This has got to be the most disappointing election in my lifetime. And it is still months away.

I remember a couple of years ago, thinking "Gosh, a Clinton-McCain election would be the best possible thing - I could live with either winner!" Well, the demise of Hillary took care of half of that (more on Obama in a second) and McCain is now trumpeting the Bush line, like the last 8 years have been just peachey. Is anyone better off now, than in 2000 - aside from Halliburton executives?

So, now the choice becomes: another 4-8 years of King George the II, or throwing ourselves into the total unknown. Read the Obama website before you vote. I'll be voting for Obama simply because the option is unacceptable, but if there was another option, I'd consider it.

Where do we go from here? Into the wild blue, I guess. I'm seriously considering England. Think about it. If Obama wins, the war will end, the troops will come home, and our taxes will be higher then those in Britain. If it's McCain, your money will continue to support the murder of Americans and Iraqis, all for oil - and Halliburton, of course.

Good luck. We'll need it.