We salute you

Here is what you must know: your loved ones endure through the life of our nation. Their memory will be honored in the places they lived and by the people they touched. Their life's work is our security, and the freedom that we too often take for granted.

Every evening that the sun sets on a tranquil town; every dawn that a flag is unfurled; every moment that an American enjoys life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness - that is their legacy.

We need not look to the past for greatness, because it is before our very eyes.

This generation of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen have volunteered in a time of certain danger. They are part of the finest fighting force that the world has ever known. They have served tour after tour of duty in distant, different and difficult places. They have stood watch in blinding deserts and on snowy mountains. They have extended the opportunity of self-government to peoples that have suffered tyranny and war. They are man and woman; white, black, and brown; of all faiths and stations - all Americans, serving together to protect our people, while giving others half a world away the chance to lead a better life.

In today's wars, there is not always a simple ceremony that signals our troops' success - no surrender papers to be signed, or capital to be claimed. But the measure of their impact is no less great - in a world of threats that know no borders, it will be marked in the safety of our cities and towns, and the security and opportunity that is extended abroad. And it will serve as testimony to the character of those who serve, and the example that you set for America and for the world.

Long after they are laid to rest - when the fighting has finished, and our nation has endured; when today's servicemen and women are veterans, and their children have grown - it will be said of this generation that they believed under the most trying of tests; that they persevered not just when it was easy, but when it was hard; and that they paid the price and bore the burden to secure this nation, and stood up for the values that live in the hearts of all free peoples.

~~~

From President Obama's speech honoring the victims of the tragedy at Fort Hood. Click here for the entire transcript.

Dear Congressman Burgess:

(a tort reform a day keeps the doctor away)

The Republicans have ideas for health care reform. Just ask them. They'll tell ya. Tort reform, tort reform, tort reform. They have been tort reform telling us about their tort reform ideas for tort reform months. Tort reform.

I got an email from my Congressman, Dr. Michael Burgess, yesterday. Dr. Burgess reminded me that tort reform was sadly lacking from the House health reform bill. On his Congressional Health Care Caucus blog, he made this very interesting statement about the House bill:

"Medical liability reform, which has greatly improved access to health care and lowered costs in Texas, is completely missing."

Dr. Burgess also complained about the length of the House bill, which is a hefty 2000 pages.

I left a comment, but for some reason my comments never seem to appear on his blog. hmm. So just in case you stop by, Dr. Burgess, here are my thoughts:

Surely you know that Texas has the highest level of uninsured residents in the country. More than 25% of the people here have no insurance.

The Dallas Morning News recently did a comprehensive story on health care in the area. They summed it up like this:

"Medical care in Dallas is delivered in a broken market where doctors, hospitals and other providers shower patients with services of diminishing value but staggering cost."

In Texas, those of us who are self-employed are completely on our own to buy individual policies. If we have pre-existing conditions, the only fall-back option is a statewide high risk pool that costs twice as much as an already-expensive individual policy.

Tort reform may be a dandy idea for you and your doctor friends. But it has done diddly-squat for people like me here in Texas. Shame on you for implying otherwise.

As far as the length of the House bill, I do apologize. I realize it is many many pages long. But Dr. Burgess, there is a simple explanation. It includes more than one idea.

~~~

What's in the House bill?

The health reform bill that passed the House is not perfect. But in my opinion, it includes lots of good stuff! If this version becomes law (big "if" - there is still a long way to go) - the following things would happen:

Insurance companies would not be allowed to turn you down or charge you more because of a pre-existing condition.

There would be caps on annual out-of-pocket expenses - $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for a family. Just think - an accident or illness would not necessarily result in bankruptcy. What a concept.

Insurance companies could not say "Sorry, we have spent too much on you. We're not paying any more." There would be no lifetime caps on the amount they would have to cover.

A temporary national high-risk pool would help cover the uninsured right away.

In 2013, an Insurance Exchange would help individuals and very small businesses obtain coverage.

In 2013, a public option would be available as one choice in the Exchange.

There would also be new insurance co-ops to help provide choice and competition.

There would be a new tax credit for small businesses that provide insurance for employees.

The anti-trust exemption for health insurance companies would be repealed.

There would be federal subsidies for lower-income people to help them buy insurance.

About 96% of Americans would be covered.

There's more. A lot more. Some good, some not so great. But overall, there's a lot to like here. Let's see what happens in the Senate.

Click here for the official summary of the House bill, or here for the entire bill. Here is another good summary.

~~~

YAY!!! Health reform passes the House

The House of Representatives did it!!! They passed their version of health care reform last night, 220 - 215. They even got one Republican vote, from Joseph Cao (R-New Orleans) so they can call it a bipartisan bill, which I really don't care about except that it pissed off Eric Cantor, which only adds to my glee.

The House bill has some really, really good things in it. I will detail them later.

For now, if you have been listening to the scary voices telling you the Big Bad Government is going to take over your health care, I just have one thing to say:

Don't be afraid.

The bill that just passed the House will make things better. Even for you.

For the Democrats who decided to vote "no" on this bill, I have another thing to say:

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Here are their names:

Adler
Altmire
Baird
Barrow
Boccieri
Boren
Boucher
Boyd
Bright
Chandler
Childers
Artur Davis
Lincoln Davis
Chet Edwards
Gordon
Griffith
Herseth-sandlin
Holden

Kissell
Kosmas
Kratovil
Kucinich
Betsy Markey
Marshall
Massa
Matheson
McIntyre
McMahon
Melancon
Minnick
Scott Murphy
Nye
Peterson
Ross
Shuler
Skelton
Tanner
Taylor
Teague

~~~

Unemployment hits 10%

(smile. it might keep you from screaming.)

I found a funny Odd News story for you! This will make you smile. Unless you just lost your job. Which is highly possible, since the unemployment rate is now officially over 10%.

In fact, if you include the long-term unemployed who for some reason have dropped off the radar, the rate is closer to 18%.

Think about this for a minute. These cold statistics represent people. American families. Your friends and neighbors, who have suddenly realized that, number one, their job is gone and number two, their health insurance is teetering on the brink.

Maybe they can afford COBRA for a while. Maybe they have a spouse who is still working.

But maybe, God forbid, they will come down with the sniffles or a pesky rash.

Maybe they will try to buy insurance on their own, with a "pre-existing condition" now on their record. Good luck with that.

Maybe they will find a job that doesn't include benefits and doesn't pay all that well. If they are "lucky" enough to find an insurance company that will cover them, they may very well have to choose between making a mortgage payment and making an insurance payment. Good luck with that, too.

Oh, you're waiting for the funny story, aren't you? Sorry about that! Here it is:

Dick Armey, Mr. Teabagger himself, is featured in an interview with the New York Times magazine in which he says, I kid you not:

"The largest empirical problem we have in health care today is too many people are too overinsured."

Oh my gosh Dick, you are so funny! Stop! My sides are hurting!

Why are all the funny people from Texas? Kinda makes me want to move.

~~~

Teabaggers rally against health reform. Oh good grief.

(another Mad Hatter Tea Party ... sigh)

Michele Bachmann organized a rally in Washington today. Woo hoo. She urged opponents of health reform to come to the halls of Congress, look their Congress-people in the eye, and tell them "Don't take away my health care."

"Nothing scares Congress more than freedom-loving Americans," Bachmann told Blondie Anchorwoman on Fox & Friends.

Ironically, at the very same time a side banner proclaimed: "House version would provide coverage to 96% of Americans."

Here's the video:




Meanwhile, John Boehner, who is one of the reasons I will need to ask God's forgiveness when I reach the pearly gates, showed up at the rally and told the Tea People, "This bill is one of the greatest threats to freedom I have ever seen."

I have a few questions.

Firstly, Michele, who the heck is talking about taking away your health care?? We can all tell that you need health care. Preferably long-term residential health care. The only way you will lose your health care is if you don't get re-elected. (come on, Minnesota! you can do it!)

Secondly, John, what types of freedom will this dastardly bill take away?? The freedom to be rejected by heartless insurance companies when you get sick? Providing health care to your fellow Americans is one of the greatest threats to freedom you have ever seen? Give me a break.

I'm getting tired of this whole debate. The reform bill will probably end up so watered down, it won't make any difference anyway.

Tomorrow I'm gonna find something fun to write about.

Yahoo Odd News, here I come!

~~~

The best things in life are very expensive

(the best things in life are free? hah! think again.)

Here are some things you can get without spending a penny:

~ used chewing gum from the sidewalk

~ bricks, gravel, dirt, broken appliances and a lovely floral sofa with a missing cushion from the "Free" section of craigslist

~ the swine flu

Oh. Wait. If you got the swine flu, you might need Mucinex, Tylenol, or that excellent NyQuil stuff, which was originally called Cheese-Heroin Extra-Addictive Night-Time Formula. That stuff is expensive.

Plus, if you get the swine flu you might have to visit the doctor. He might write a prescription for Tamiflu. Or send you for x-rays. Or check you into the hospital.

All of this will cost you LOTS of pennies.

Let's face it. Health care is expensive. So why should health care reform be free?

Why is it such a big deal that the current reform proposals will cost around a trillion dollars?

-Haven't we spent that much on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?
-Didn't we lose much more than that through the Bush tax cuts?
-Isn't the net effect of reform a reduction in the federal deficit?
-What the heck?

Where were all these "fiscal conservatives" when the Bush administration was running up record deficits?

Maybe they were working on the fiscally conservative version of health care reform, which to date includes 4 ideas, none of which will help me get affordable health insurance.

Seriously. Four ideas.

I think John Boehner should try selling these ideas on craigslist. Put them in the "free" section, John. Maybe somebody will take them off your hands.

~~~