About time some one said it....

One of those moments where I am happy to have Dick Durbin as my senator:

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This is an issue that just burns my biscuits every time I hear it. People just state what a huge problem medical malpractice is. With out quantifying it, or putting it in its proper context. First off it is a huge concern doctors, no doubt, the risk of being financially ruined due one error or even a perceived error is terrifying. But the numbers just do not back up the emphasis that Republicans constantly give it. Steve Benen adds some more info for this discussion.

What I suspect is that it has more to do with trial lawyers, which Republicans seem to despise, and much like ACORN they must be destroyed. Also they are easily demonized. No one likes lawyers (though I personally think some are quite swell), that is an article of faith. So they are an easy target.

Anyway it is just nice to see someone actually express the actual data on the subject.

-Cheers

Health Care Summit....Open Thread.

So I am gonna try to post my thoughts on the summit as I get to see them. Hopefully it won't be too stupid sounding.....

Opening comments:

• 10:00 It is pretty obvious at this point that both sides are fairly entrenched. I am likening it to the scene from the Princess Bride, with the Man in Black and Vizzini arguing over the impasse they have reached.
• The GOP does not want there to be a bill, so will advocate "starting over". And the Administration will face stiff political penalties if they fail to pass something.
• Starting over is not an option for the Administration. That is pretty much the stance presented in the Presidents opening remarks (opening remarks here).
• Sen. Alexander proffered the Republican talking points in is opening remarks. Be prepared to hear many times over the course of the day, "start from scratch", "government takeover", "frivolous lawsuits", and "interstate competition".

Links for more coverage:
Huffington Post has a running thread on the issue here, and Ezra Klein is dropping knowledge on proceedings here. Also I will be blatantly stealing and cross posting stuff where relevant.

• For example here is a nice exchange on what would happen to premiums under the Administration's plan as rated by the CBO, here. From my reading and the considered opinion of people like Mr. Klein I think the President has the right of it on this. People would have access to better insurance options (due to subsidies) and would trade up from the lousy insurance they have to a better insurance policy, because they could afford a better one. Not because insurance premiums had gone up, but because their ability to afford better insurance had expanded.
• The Sunlight foundation is showing the top donors of the person currently speaking. Nifty!
• Okay Sen. McCain is so not over losing. He and the President just spent several minutes going back and forth. "Where not campaigning anymore. The elections is over."
• It gets lost in the standard back and forth of political wrangling, but there actually are philosophical differences between the parties. Derek Thompson over at the Atlantic and Kate Pickert at Time-Swampland show it. In short the two camps profess to have very different views of government. The GOP mantra is that the government can not do complex things (mind you they only mention that for Democratic ideas Homeland Security, Medicare Part D, and the Tax cuts were just fine), while Democrats seem to believe that some complex issues can and should be handled by the government.
  

Lunch Break Thought: If the Republicans are going to pretend that Reconciliation is some sort of underhanded trick that it should be taken off the table, then I suggest the Democrats should follow suit with asking that filibuster also be taken off the table. I mean these are both misuses of the rules. Right?

• Rep. Paul Ryan has conditional like for the CBO.
• Marsha...Marsha...Marsha, enough with the interstate competition! Ezra knows way more about it then you do. But I will try to summarize. The reason why allowing insurance companies to just compete amongst all fifty states with out some sort of national regulation. What you would get is the laws of the state they reside in (and believe me all the insurance companies would flock to the state which offered them the the most lax legal restraints, think credit cards and Delaware) would become the de facto national regulations for health insurance. It would result in a race to the bottom. Competition is great, but you have to insure (ha!) that all the companies are playing by the same rules.
• Personally, this illustrates why negotiations should never be televised. Too many egos, and too much preening.

The Summit has wrapped up, the President closed out with a not so subtle gesture to the Democrats going it alone. I can not say I am surprised. I just wish they had figured this out last June. The Republicans were never, ever going to provide votes. Once Obama was elected they new their path back to power was absolutely dependent on grinding government to a halt. When the Republicans regain control of one (both or both chambers and the White House) of the chambers I guarantee they will change their tune once again.

Anyways, it was informative. The Republican leadership has shown themselves to be petulant preening sycophants who care more about returning to power then about improving their constituents lives. But then that is just my opinion.

-Cheers

Policy Wonk Nirvana....

Tomorrow February 25, 2010 the much ballyhooed Health Care Summit will be taking place at Blair House. The summit will be around 6 hours long.

I am sure I will be in policy heaven, or hell tomorrow.

Some must reading before tomorrow:

• Kaiser Foundation lets you do the comparison of the various health care reform plans (From the HELP committee to the Republican non-plan)
• Ezra Klein does some nifty explaining

Suffice it to say, tomorrow is an important day for health care reform. And I suspect I shall be insufferable after subjecting myself to that much raw politics.

Stay tuned.

-Cheers

Presidential Playa?

I don't know, I have been working on a theory for sometime that the President may be a playa....

No offense Michelle, but your hubby has been hobnobbing with some hotties.

Case in point back during the campaign there were rumors swirling about Scarlett Johansson, and missives going between the two.

Fast forward to this past year, the President meet and greeted Khloe Kardashian, some might say it is a coincidence, but in a few weeks time he will also be meeting with her sister Kim Kardashian because of this.

Coincidence? I think not!

I knew there was a fix in for the Saints! Perhaps Obama put a tax lean on the Manning family to ensure his dalliance with the Kardashian clan would reach fruition!

And finally there is this:


Evidently Shakira was recently invited to the White House and got to meet with the President and Veep. That is quite the reception for a foreign national. Who's only authority is derived from the lack of prevarication of her pelvic region!

I think that instead of Camp David, the President has been taking trips to Camp Bootie.

Mrs. O, you have been warned!

Anyway I am gonna keep digging on this pressing story to see what new leads I can come up with .

-Cheers

Still one of the best videos....

Again, I know that my attraction to things Kyle might make some people look askance at my sexuality, but dammit I do not care this is still one of my favorite videos of all time.

Kylie Minogue - New Music - More Music Videos

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This video is just chalk full of fierce and glam!

And goshdarnit, I just love every minute of it.

-Cheers

We are a no good torturing nation....

The argument that we should "not look back" has always wrung hollow to me. That said, the only way to discourage tortures use by public and military officials was to hold its architects accountable. So this story in the Washington Post was amazingly disappointing.

I understand that as a people we do not want to believe that we did something evil or that evil was done in our name. We are always the good guys! But the biggest part of what it means to be American is to stand up for what is right and for our principles. Hiding from what we have done and trying to explain it away is not the American way. It is a cowards way out. And those who advocate tortures use are cowards as well.

For further reading on related torture matters I would point you to this post by Glenn Greenwald and these comments by James Fallows (it remains to be seen if the media will cover it in this way).

-Cheers

A woman's burden...

I had to read this post a couple times, and then hit up the links in the article for more information but I am still having some problems getting my head around this.

I cognitively understand what is going on here. But I have problems internalizing how the victim is to blame.

It isn't just an issue of cultural learning, though. It's also a way for women to emotionally distance themselves from rape victims: I won't be attacked, because I'm not one of those girls. Rules give the illusion of control; if you abide by them, you'll be safe. Thinking of rape as it is -- a random, unwarranted violation -- can be terrifying and paralyzing. It's much easier to think about any kind of assault as being predictably triggered, and therefore preventable. It's a sort of armor women can put on to feel safe and invulnerable.

I guess what has me conflicted is I absolutely understand the coping mechanism going on here. Something horrible has happened, there must be a reason for it. Even if you blame yourself, that is some form of control over an uncontrollable happening.

From my understanding, this stems from the intrinsic belief that everything is avoidable. I don't subscribe to that belief, but then I haven't been raped so I haven't had to deal with the emotional and physical trauma that cries out for a reason.

No one wants to think of themselves, as at the mercy of a cruel and distant fate. But I can't help but have even more sympathy for when this happens. I know it doesn't help, but it must be said isn't your fault.

-Cheers