While listening to Nancy Pelosi talk during the bipartisan meeting on health reform, I came up with the ultimate solution to health care reform. I won’t take all of the credit for it, it was mostly Nancy’s idea.
Ms. Pelosi wants to pass new legislature so that everybody can have access to health care. Not just healthcare, but better healthcare. The new health reform will lower costs, increase accessibility and increase performance. This is great. I didn’t realize that all of this can happen with the stroke of a pen. Capitalism and the markets are totally unnecessary… And that’s when it hit me.
If she can just legislate the way to better healthcare, she should start at the heart of the problem. Don’t mandate healthcare for everybody. Mandate away the need for healthcare at all. Mandate an end to cancer. That’s right, make it impossible to get cancer, with the stroke of a pen. Not just cancer, mandate away diabetes and obesity and heart disease and asthma and osteoporosis and depression and AIDS. Once we’re legislated our way out of all of these health problems, we’ll be in great shape. Then we can start getting into the more exciting things. Legislate my ability to fly. Legislate my ability to have mind control. Oh, and legislate the end to war and famine.
Thanks.
Tags: Health Care, Politics
Here’s a tag cloud of Obama’s 2010 State of the Union Address. Thanks to the New York times for the text and to Wordle for the tool.
Update: A lot of people are asking why the words “I” and “me” aren’t included. The reason is that Wordle probably thinks that the word is a “stop word” (a frequently-used, but unimportant word, such as “the”, “and” or “but”).
Tags: Politics
On January 22, 2009 Obama issued an Executive Order stating, among other things, that
The detention facilities at Guantánamo for individuals covered by this order shall be closed as soon as practicable, and no later than 1 year from the date of this order. If any individuals covered by this order remain in detention at Guantánamo at the time of closure of those detention facilities, they shall be returned to their home country, released, transferred to a third country, or transferred to another United States detention facility in a manner consistent with law and the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States.
That’s right. By January 22, 2010, the Guantanamo Detention Facilities will be closed. Except it didn’t happen. It’s one year later, and Guantanamo is still open. Sure some of the detainees have been transferred to other countries, and there’s talk of moving many of the inmates to another prison in Illinois (still without a trial), but bottom line, this hasn’t happened yet. Obama’s Executive Order has come due, and has been ignored. What’s the point of speaking and writing up documents when they’ll just be ignored. Was Obama hoping we’d just forget what he was saying a year ago? Maybe if he messes up the economy enough, he’ll be able to take our minds off of Guantanamo?
In the end, there is no accountability. It doesn’t matter what Obama said last year, because things are different now. We should forget about what he said the same way we’ve forgotten about bi-partisanship (when it comes to health care trying to eke by along party lines).
So Obama – don’t make promises you won’t deliver just to look good. You’ll end up looking like a fool with your pants on the ground … sorry couldn’t resist.
It’s no wonder Obama’s ratings continue to drop. There’s no way he’ll be able to keep his 510 promises, if he ever even intended to. Each broken promise will disappoint a little more.
Tags: General, Politics
H.R. 390: College Football Playoff Act of 2009 approved legislation to force college football to ban the promotion of a postseason NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision game as a national championship. The bill favors a switch to a ‘more fair’ playoff system.
I don’t see what the real objection is. Congress has nothing else on its plate now. And anyway, its right there in the Constitution :
U.S. Constitution – Article 1 – Section 11 – Clause 3
The Congress shall have Power To Define and Regulate all Competitive Collegiate Activities that Define a National Champion for the common Entertainment and general Welfare of the United States. All Championship Competitors must be Drawn in uniform throughout the several States, and with the Indian Tribes.
The Congress shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to Declare a National Champion upon Completion of the Competition, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur.
That’s right, the Constitution gives Congress the express power to determine how a college football playoff system should work.
Tags: General, Politics
