The Republican roots of Obamacare

You didn’t really think a clusterfuck of this magnitude could originate with a Democrat, didja? Brad DeLong: It has been a long slog, since those days in the early 1990s when right-wing policy analysts proposed an individual mandate to purchase health coverage as a respectable, market-oriented, responsibility-based alternative to either government-provided health care (the nanny [...]

The Silence of the Lambs

It all hurts. The Health Insurance Profit Protection Plan. The government mandate to fork over money to private companies. The lies. The flimflam. (“It’s called ‘Health Care Reform.’ That means ‘Health’ and ‘Care’ and ‘Reform’!”) But what hurts worse is all the people who I thought knew which end was up, who knew right from [...]

“A Tragic Setback For Womens’ Rights”

That’s what NOW president Terry O’Neill calls the bill that the House passed last night.  Here’s more from her press release this morning: The health care reform bill passed by Congress today offers a number of good solutions to our nation’s critical health care problems, but it also fails in many important respects. After a [...]

Sunday News – Late Hangover Edition

Good Morning Conflucians!!! Ouch, keep it down out there, my head is still throbbing. We had quite a late night of drinking, pounding the table (with our heads), and complete disbelief that the Democratic party will destroy themselves for this insurance industry bailout legislation. What a drama they have orchestrated. What a slaughter we will [...]

Health Care Reform: Women Will Walk

I’ve been trying to keep a low profile on the health care reform bill.  For the record, I am not in the “kill the bill” camp.  I’m in the “fix it now, not later” camp.  I follow my old inorganic chemistry prof’s admonition, “If you don’t have the time to do it right, when will [...]

Pre-”Reform” vote escapism: A meditation on things that make you smile

There is only so much negative information one can absorb without experiencing deleterious effects on health.  For that reason, I offer this thread as a way to help balance the anger and frustration many of us are feeling.  I find that it helps to reflect on those priceless elements of our world which uplift us [...]

Lazy Saturday Morning News and Views: We’re Screwed Edition

Good Morning, Conflucians! It’s nice and sunny here in central Indiana this morning. I hope you have some sun where you are too. We’ll need something cheering today to get through the Congressional kabuki theater that is going to be put on to convince the American people to enjoy being royally screwed by the health [...]

Countdown to HCR: Friday night cocktails and cameraderie at the Confluence watering hole

The clock is ticking. The whip count is changing fast and furious as arms are twisted and the administration pulls out the guilt card faster than a nun at a Catholic grade school.  The date is set; but the die is already cast. We called this outcome many months ago.  In fact, several TC’ers – [...]

Friday Morning News and Views

Good Morning Conflucians! I’ve been somewhat out of the loop, so I got up early this morning to surf the ‘net a little bit. I’ve really missed my time at TC and on the internet generally. I’ll share a few stories with you and you can post yours in the comments. I’ve missed quite a [...]

Thursday, Tell me something new.

It seems like the whole world is holding it’s breath to see if that Health Insurance bill is going to pass (as promised) this weekend. And CRAP, I guess it’s really going to happen. I say, CRAP – but, I guess that’s stubbornness as much as anything. I mean, does anyone still complain about Medicare [...]