“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Emma Lazarus’ poem makes me tear up. I’m proud of America’s immigrant history, and grateful that the door was open when my grandparents fled Russia. I am instinctively and emotionally pro-immigration. I enjoy living in a diverse and culturally rich atmosphere that is Los Angeles. But a review of serious, nonpartisan research reveals facts– some uncomfortable –about the economics of... (more...)

Here is some basic info (which is surprisingly difficult to find). Sunday (presumably) the House of Representatives will be voting on the Senate Health Care Bill (H.R. 3590). They will accomplish this vote by casting votes on a DIFFERENT bill, H.R. 4872, which includes language stating that if H.R. 4872 passes, than H.R. 3590 will also have passed. Schedule Look for the House vote at noon on Sunday. Update: The House was not able to post the reconciliation sidecar until 2 pm Eastern Time, so Sunday’s... (more...)

One of the things I admire most about Bill Maher is the ability he has to make one think. He has a way with words – he would, having been an English major – that at first infuriates or intrigues a listener, but which then implants a thought in one’s mind that simply refuses to go away until the listener strikes obedience and thinks about the sense (or lack of) in the remark. It provokes an almost dichotomous thought pattern, because if you initially agree with something he’s... (more...)

I thought God might be pleased with the Texas education board putting him into their textbooks (he likes to try to stay ahead of Paris Hilton in popularity) but he instead asked me to publish this blog for Him: Okay, I may be Old Testament School but though I’m flattered that some Texans would rather have me in their schools than gravity, I’m not comfortable going back into the classroom. I can’t fit my legs under those desks anymore and…my teen years were a bit awkward,... (more...)

House leadership is looking at passing the Senate HC bill in one step instead of two. Basically since many House members simply don’t want to vote for the Senate bill the Democratic leadership is looking into a procedure called “deem and pass”. Instead of voting on the Senate HC bill and then voting on the reconciliation bill Democrats may use a parliamentary procedure where they “deem” the Senate HCR passed when “pass(ing)” the two bills together. This... (more...)

And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. - Genesis 6 I’m an ape man, I’m an ape ape man, oh I’m an ape man – The Kinks Recently, I wrote a post (Sade and the Body)proffering the idea that the roots of sadism, and peoples’ fascination with it in films and literature, can be found in... (more...)

Unlike healthcare reform where I have spent many hours researching the issue, I know very little about the substance of financial reform.  My gut says it would be better to have an independent agency for Consumer Financial Protection but some make an argument that a financial protection agency would be better funded under the Fed.  The first question that comes to my mind is why then did the Fed miss the financial crisis?  I am not a Fed woo woo by a long shot I just think of it as another institution... (more...)

The Christian Right is a convoluted mixture of social, and religious based beliefs and they believe the way to solve the issues they deem to be important is to rule politically. They are Dominionist in nature and their belief system is centered on the idea they must control the world. They possess an “authoritarian” mindset that permeates all of their activities. In understanding them, you must understand that the basis of their particular brand of religion/social/political activity... (more...)

Well, looky here: a Public Option in the first draft of the House reconciliation bill (un-numbered yet), pg. 116, Subtitle B, Public Health Insurance Option. http://budget.house.gov/doc-library/FY2010/03.15.2010_reconciliation2010.PDF I suppose, if you are like me and favor a Public Option, we shouldn’t get too excited: the vote is a whole week away and Democrats are in charge… (and maybe we should keep this under our hats until it passes just to be on the safe side.) VN:F [1.8.5_1061]please... (more...)

Well well, I hope he is right and this definitely sets the end game for HCR which is hardly a game at all. Obviously President Obama is all in on HCR. I admire his persistence and toughness which his critics always underestimate. If Congressional Democrats want to block HCR now they are the ones who lost the battle of Waterloo by letting their General down. I just cannot understate how important it is to get HCR started, which is what this is. If the first iteration does pass the Democrats... (more...)

Keith Olbermann has lost his Dad. Sad News,  I really feel for Keith and his family.  I have  lost my Parents also, so has my Husband.  We know this territory and fully value that Keith has shared some of his difficult experience with his viewers. Keith’s remarks are below with a link to his blog where you can leave a message. Something that I truly respect about Keith is when the Healthcare debates began heating up, some political commentators were using their air time to  frighten... (more...)

Texas has just officially doomed generations of their children to ignorance and being oddities in their grasp of history and reality…because neither of those items supported the political views of conservatives and Republicans. I normally keep my quotes to a minimum but there is so much outrageousness here, I couldn’t pare it down: From the NY Times: Texas Conservatives Win Curriculum Change By James C. Mckinley Jr. March 12, 2010 After three days of turbulent meetings, the Texas Board... (more...)

This could be a very large post, but I will try to boil it down to what I perceive as the essentials. What is the REAL problem with health care in America?  I believe the lack of socialized medicine is not the problem.  Or, more precisely, socialized medicine is not the cure.  Here’s one tiny example of how private health care can actually work. I recently joined a medical group on the West coast of America called Kaiser Permanente.  They are a single payer non profit system.  Given... (more...)