Kathleen Sebelius

As I understand it, this is an issue where the fault lines may not be as clear, with some Republicans wanting to be on the side of a real solution. The shadow players, as Obama suggested in his weekly address will be the industry donors — to both sides — and lobbyists. Who represents “big health” in the current congress?

President Obama, from his recent Congressional Address:
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…this is America. We don’t do what’s easy. We do what’s necessary to move this country forward.
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And for that same reason, we must also address the crushing cost of health care.
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This is a cost that now causes a bankruptcy in America every 30 seconds. By the end of the year, it could cause 1.5 million Americans to lose their homes. In the last eight years, premiums have grown four times faster than wages. And in each of these years, 1 million more Americans have lost their health insurance.
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It is one of the major reasons why small businesses close their doors and corporations ship jobs overseas. And it is one of the largest and fastest-growing parts of our budget. Given these facts, we can no longer afford to put health care reform on hold. We can’t afford to do it.
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(APPLAUSE)
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It’s time.
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(APPLAUSE)
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…Now, there will be many different opinions and ideas about how to achieve reform. That’s why I’m bringing together businesses and workers, doctors and health care providers, Democrats and Republicans to begin work on this issue next week.
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I suffer no illusions that this will be an easy process. Once again, it will be hard. But I also know that nearly a century after Teddy Roosevelt first called for reform, the cost of our health care has weighed down our economy and our conscience long enough.

So let there be no doubt: Health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year.

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Apart from the long-term financial soundness of it, apart from the moral imperative of it, apart from the current widespread electoral popularity of it, this is the most astute long-term political move the Democratic party could possibly make.
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If the Democratic Party manages to get people in this country guaranteed access to reasonably good health care, it will be the enactment of Social Security multiplied by one hundred.
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It will be the most popular thing the government could possibly do for its citizens. It will be wildly, spectacularly popular.
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It will take decades before people get so accustomed to it that they’ll listen to somebody who says “government is not the solution, it’s the problem”.
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This is the smartest thing I’ve ever seen these people do.
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Now, let’s see if, given majorities (don’t give me that filibuster-proof necessity in the Senate –this isn’t an emergency deficit spending bill) in both Houses, and the Presidency, whether the Democrats could possibly f*ck up this precious, heaven-sent, golden opportunity to exceed New Deal and Man-on-the-Moon in the public’s mind.
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If Congressional Democrats screw Obama on Health Care, there will be hell to pay.
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It’s time.

I hope she doesn’t have a tax problem that suddenly pops up. Owing a little bit in back taxes doesn’t bother me unless it’s on Daschle’s scale. I think his was just a case of cheating on his taxes deliberately and that does bother me. What I don’t understand is why there isn’t a chorus for Palin to resign. She defrauded the state out of $17,000 for per diem and travel and got to keep the money! She only had to pay taxes on the money she stole. She also had to pay the state $7,000 for her kids mooching on the state dime. She claimed they were on state business. The expenses totaled $21,000. I’m guessing the 7k was taxes too. Maybe it’s better to let it slide for now and then use it to torpedo her shot at the presidency in 2012. After she gets the nomination of course.

@ stuartzechman: I think you nailed this one. Universal healthcare has got to scare the beejesus out of the republicans. If they think their governors are showing signs of supporting Obama’s stimulus package and breaking with the Washington leadership now, wait until the governors raise a howl if they think their house and senate members are going to try to screw them out of healthcare cost relief/reform. Good Lord…it’s fun being a democrat now.

This is where we can make a difference. We can organize the letters, the phone calls, let them no they will pay a price in 2010 for not supporting Obama on healthcare. There are even some Republicans who will be vulnerable on this issue. Like Peter King in NY who answers to too many teaching hospitals and blue collar workers who lost their health care in upstate NY to screw with this once the people know the deal.

Sacredh,
The rules are different for Republicans. The MSM will never bring up Palin’s tax issue again.

Sacredh because the msm only hold Democrats to this higher standard. The GOP will tell them to phuck off and they know it.

K Tizzle
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First what did the kids decide on re Choc Chip pancakes?
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Second have you heard anything about Rahm’s brother getting the Health Care Czar gig? They had something about him getting it at firedoglake but they are obssessed over there with villifying Rahm at this point so it might have just been another slap at him.

Personally I hope his brother is in there this is one overachieving clan. I could use a little sibling rivalry based competition on whose more successful. I want health care and I pretty don’t much care how I get it. They can trade souls for all I care (well as long as it’s not mine I’m hedging my bets).

Dee: “A walk through the ocean of most men’s souls would scarcely wet your feet”. I think a noted philosopher said that, but hell…for all I know it was Elvis Costello.

This is some wild sh*t. This is via Ballon Juice.
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http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/02/rick-santellis-faux-rant/#more-20449
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I am not one for conspiracy theories but uhmm this is fishy as hell.

The genius of Obama never fails to astound me. It’s more than likely inadequate, but included in the 2010 budget is over $600 billion dollars for health care. Amazing. The mandate is funded BEFORE it has actually been determined! Now THAT is scary-smart!
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BTW Sgw, Playboy actually does do journalism. And some fairly decent journalism at that (not that I’m suggesting a career change for KT or anything!) so there may in fact be a there there. If it’s true, can I make Santelli a crow humble pie?

sgwhiteinfla: Thanks for the link. That does sound like an orchestrated “spontaneous” event. This sort of thing shouldn’t surprise us though. Remember Linda Tripp wearing a wire and getting Monica to confess all the lurid details of her protein adventures and then after Bush gets in the White House Linda gets a half-million dollar settlement from the government to settle her suit? Pay-off for job well done. Raise the taxes on the scumbags. They can even claim taxation without representation since those clowns can’t even buy an election now.

I sure hope some serious journalist is planning to ask Santelli & Co. a few tough questions. Follow the money, right?

Love love aboslutely phucking LOVE reading you guys. My brain grows a bit every time.

Therein lies my inaugural post to Swampland.

Just wishing I spelled better.

COLONEL QUARK’S FIRM BREACHES MARINE ONE HELICOPTER SECURITY:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29447088

= SANDY BURGLAR ACCOMPLISHED =

sgwhite,
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I saw the same thing yesterday at eXiledOnline. linky
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http://exiledonline.com/exposing-the-familiar-rightwing-pr-machine-is-cnbcs-rick-santelli-sucking-koch/

Here in LA. we do a lot wrong, but one thing we do right is our teaching hospitals (charity). Patients pay what they can, are treated with respect. I was shocked a few years ago to find this wasn’t the case everywhere. Is this a feasible prospect nationwide?

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2196472/posts

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COPTER-GATE 2009.

Um…
What happens to Kansas now? And their Senate seat in 2010?
Or should I ask Nate?

More ass hole cop video
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[...] Kathleen Sebelius – Swampland [...]

If Playboy is correct, and they usually are.. then Santelli is toast. As much as the whole channel is in the pocket for the Republican Party, I don’t think the management of CNBC is going to be too crazy about the implications that they have been used for political purposes. Of course Larry Kudlow the poster child for corporate greed and main anti Obama figure on CNBC will defend Santelli to the end. Should get really interesting over at CNBC.

Everyone one on Swampland should watch the strip seach video, as an ex MP it is disgusting and violates every form of human decency. It happened in 2006! By the way the Sherrif has sued the television station over the news coverage. I believe it happened in Ohio so it will be interesting to see if the Ohio state government does anything or just tries to make it go away. I would expect the Obama adminsitration will be sending in the Justice Department to investigate.

The officers in the video and the officer filming the video and the Sherrif all need to go to jail. Especially the female officers involved in this event. For them to ignore a basic protocol and allow male officers to assist them in the stripping of this female prisioner is unconsciable. There are allegations from other female who have been arrested in this county that it also happened to them.

Karen, will Time be doing a story on this?

OT: But CNN & Fox News carried Rush’s speech commerical free & it lasted an hour?

sg asks: Second have you heard anything about Rahm’s brother getting the Health Care Czar gig? They had something about him getting it at firedoglake but they are obssessed over there with villifying Rahm at this point so it might have just been another slap at him.
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I’m hearing Nancy-Ann Min DeParle, as I noted in the post, but what I’m hearing may well be wrong. She’s in my book group (The Village! The Village!), so if she’s there tonight, I’ll ask her. But she’s very discreet, so I’m sure she won’t tell.
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As for your earlier question on the pancakes (this was the running drama on my Twitter page yesterday): Swampkid had whipped cream on his; Sleepoverkid had syrup.

Sleepoverkid-Tee hee!

gunny, are you on twitter? i need to know which of our swampland regulars are, so i can follow them.
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also, if any of the rest of you are, please let me know.

completely OT, except it’s a weekend and it’s breakfast time. I gave up syrup on pancakes and waffles when I discovered the elixir that is ricotta topped with mandarin oranges.
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Last week I twittered the service for some of my tweets who couldn’t make it, but I also found that it was an interesting way to take notes for myself. I hear that some Twitter clients help you “aim” your tweets at specific groups of followers. If anyone know how to do that, it would be appreciated. my followers fall into three very distinct and probably mutually exclusive groups. (political pals, fellow UUs and other digital humanities types — only know one person in my universe who combines any two of those).
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I have two twitter accounts: @joyomama is personal, @nicewhitelady is for ethical fashion/conscious consumption stuff. But I gather from previous discussions that most of the Swampland regulars aren’t into fashion.

KT-Idon’twritewellenoughforTwitterIattemptedtosignupbuttherewasaproblemwiththewayIformtweets.

Sebelius story I didn’t put in the post:
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I was interviewing her by phone the day the levees broke in New Orleans. (This was for her selection as one of our best Govs, though I didn’t tell her that. I said it was just for a profile.). But rather than talking about her, we ended up talking about the horror we were seeing on our TV screens. I remember being really impressed by her understanding of disaster preparedness, and she was spot on about where the government had failed and how bad the situation that followed would be. She also was already marshaling what she could bring to bear to help (housing for refugees, for instance). Alas, I didn’t have those notes with me as I was writing this post from home last night, so you’ll just have to trust me that she was really, really smart.

“so you’ll just have to trust me that she was really, really smart.”
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Hopefully she is not “wicked smart.” If so we are all doomed.

Unlike in 1994, when Hillary Clinton’s task force worked out a detailed plan in secret, and then delivered it to Capitol Hill, Congress will be driving the train this time.
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KT repeats the Oborg talking point that the problem with the Clinton health care plan was that it was drawn up in secret.
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She doesn’t bother to mention the fact that Ted Kennedy is putting together a plan in the exact same way — a small group of representatives of special interests meet in outside of the public eye, and are sworn to secrecy. This, despite Obama’s promise — specific on this issue of absolute transparency in the process.
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Karen, WHERE THE F*CK IS THE TRANSPARENCY IN THIS PROCESS — AND WHY METION THE SECRECY OF THE CLINTON INITIATIVE WHEN EVERYTHING IS BEING DONE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS NOW?!?!?!
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The reason that the Clinton initiative failed wasn’t because of its secrecy, but because nobody in Congress was involved in crafting the program — no one “owned” it in Congress, so when corporate america decided to oppose the program, Democrats in Congress weren’t invested in the process.
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The Kennedy initiative is a joke — you cannot come up with an economically efficient, workable plan by negotiating with insurance companies, and the for profit health care industry. Clinton operated in “secrecy” because the only way to get “trade secrets” out of the for-profit health care industry is to promise confidentiality. Kennedy is working in secret because he doesn’t want to show the country how much he is selling out to big business. (I’d love to see Conyers supoena Kennedy, and demand all the records from his little group.)
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Neither Kennedy nor Obama is allowing single-payer advocates anywhere near the table — despite the fact that everyone familiar with health care economics recognizes that the only way to cut costs is a single payer program.
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Just as with the “economic recovery” package, Obama is refusing to take a stand, and letting special interests run the process through Congress. And just like with the economic recovery package, what we’re going to wind up with is something that is grossly inefficient, and inadequate in terms of accomplishing what is needed.

pluk: good point, though the actual legislating will be done out in the open, i think. (i hope.)
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my understanding is that the kennedy group is keeping the white house apprised of where they are. the opposite was not true in 93-94. i had a number of interviews with lawmakers like john dingell, henry waxman and pete stark, who fumed that they were being kept in the dark.

my understanding is that the kennedy group is keeping the white house apprised of where they are. the opposite was not true in 93-94. i had a number of interviews with lawmakers like john dingell, henry waxman and pete stark, who fumed that they were being kept in the dark.
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interesting that two of the three (conyers, waxman) congresscritters you mention are strong advocates of single payer, while Stark is an advocate of a system that would evolve into single payer (leave the current employee system in place, but add a federally funded and administered Medicare-like program — we already know that the “private” medicare HMO experiment is a failure — much more expensive to taxpayers than tradition medicare, and employers trying to keep their health care costs down would wind up in Stark’s “Americare” program).
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Are Waxman and Conyers ‘being kept apprised’ of what Kennedy is up to now?
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(and of course “the legislative process” will be public — what isn’t public is the selling out to the insurance companies, drug companies, and the rest of the greed-based health care system that will form the basis of “health care reform”.)

oops, confused dingall and conyers above — both are strong supporters of HR676 (Medicare for All) and I get them confused at times.

not sure conyers is a player here, but my understanding is that waxman has given the senate the lead. and his longtime chief of staff/alter ego, phil schiliro, is now the white house’s chief legislative guy, so (again, i’m assuming) that they are in communication. but you’re right: i should ask waxman’s folks. it’s been hard getting through to them lately, or even to get them to return my calls, because they have been preoccupied with the stimulus stuff. Waxman’s got a very full plate over there at energy and commerce.

I wonder how much we’d save as a nation if we funded fitness centers, required nutrition education and phys ed programs emphasizing life-long physical activity in schools, paid for preventive medicine, and, especially changed the subsidies we give farmers so it was cheaper to grow fruits and vegetables than it is to grow grain.
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Perhaps we’re making a tiny bit of progress, with the corn industry having to do commercials making fun of people who don’t want to consume fructose.

“though the actual legislating will be done out in the open, i think. (i hope.)”
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Didn’t that come up during the primaries? I thought there was something along the lines of saying he would air the task force on C-Span. I couldn’t find it with Google. Does anyone here have Lexis/Nexis?

Karen – oh no, I’m going to have to learn a whole new thing now, aren’t I. I’ve been resisting Facebook because I don’t have enough time, and now apparently I have to twitter if I want to stay in touch.

She’s in my book group (The Village! The Village!), so if she’s there tonight, I’ll ask her.
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LOL
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Beat me to it, KT.
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LOL
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Very funny. Just woke up 20 minutes ago. funny

SZ: We’re reading “White Tiger.” Wonderful book.

Never mind. Asked and answered.
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““I’m going to have all the negotiations around a big table,” Obama said in Virginia in August. “We’ll have doctors and nurses and hospital administrator. Insurance companies, drug companies — they’ll get a seat at the table, they just won’t be able to buy every chair. But what we’ll do is we’ll have the negotiations televised on C-SPAN, so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents and who are making arguments on behalf of drug companies or the insurance companies.”
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http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=38D88581-18FE-70B2-A84E7936B202231F

I wonder how much we’d save as a nation if we funded fitness centers, required nutrition education and phys ed programs emphasizing life-long physical activity in schools, paid for preventive medicine, and, especially changed the subsidies we give farmers so it was cheaper to grow fruits and vegetables than it is to grow grain.
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geez, federally funded fitness centers? Do we really need to subsidize the upper-middle class in this way? And people already know what they are “supposed” to eat, they choose not to — spending more on “nutrition education” would be largely a waste.
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and you obviously have no understanding of the interplay between eco-systems and agriculture. Most of the land devoted to grains is unsuited for “fruits and vegetables”, either because of soil conditions, or because of a lack of consistent rainfall. “Grains” are basically weeds that don’t require near-constant irrigation to thrive. Fruits and vegetables require a lot more moisture — and our fresh-water resources are stretched thin as it is.
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Paulnnto Obama also said that in a speech to AARP.
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I hope he is able to do this, I am looking forward to seeing what a conservative economist said on MSNBC yesterday morning the “angry insurance companies”

“angry insurance companies”
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Is there a less sympathetic group among working people than the insurance companies? They will have to bring better than Harry and Louise this time.

Didn’t that come up during the primaries? I thought there was something along the lines of saying he would air the task force on C-Span. I couldn’t find it with Google.
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I remember that debate as well, and it was what I was talking about in comment 31 — Obama was being critical of Clinton’s failed health care initiative, focussing on its “secrecy” aspect (which is why I said Karen was repeating Oborg talking points), and went on to claim that everything would be done ‘transparently’ through open hearings that would be broadcast. (At the time, I said that Obama’s suggestion was laughable — as if people would watch any such hearings — and noted that secrecy is necessary if you are going to rely on the private sector because they aren’t going to open their books to public scrutiny.)
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Another aspect of this is the whole “Health Care Reform House Party” crap that Obama and Daschle pushed in December. At the time, I said that was just a PR stunt — and with Obama leaving the decisions to Congress, its pretty obvious I was right.

Pnnto — Obama said that in August 2008, and while its an approximation of what he said during the debates, its not precisely what you were asking about (what he’d said during the primaries, most notoriously during one of the debates.)

Do we really need to subsidize the upper-middle class in this way?
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Paul Lukasiak:
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I’m not initially for this idea either, but wouldn’t the point be to try to reduce the health and fitness disparities between upper/middle and lower income people?
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In this context, “subsidizing the upper-middle class” seems less the case than “helping poor neighborhoods construct more parks and Y’s”.
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Again, I’m not at all convinced that’s what we should be doing, but your characterization seems odd.

Is there a less sympathetic group among working people than the insurance companies? They will have to bring better than Harry and Louise this time.
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I disagree. The insurance companies won’t fund ads complaining how bad reform is for them, rather they will fund ads that say its bad for people like “Harry and Louise” — unless, of course, the “reform” is a sellout to the insurance companies. But if that happens, big and small business will likely do the same kinds of ads; the insurance companies will go along with “reform” as long as everyone has to buy insurance. Business groups don’t want mandated coverage through employers, although they are happy with an “individual mandate”.
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The only “reform” that won’t meet with extreme resistence from special interests is one that includes only an individual mandate to purchase insurance. That would require massive subsidies by the federal government for insurance coverage — subsidies that are grossly inefficient because insurance companies are in the business of maximizing profits, not providing health care services.
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stuart — there is a huge difference between “fitness centers” and parks/green spaces/recreational areas (which I support). The health benefits of more “parks/green space” is that they provide a congenial place in which to walk… (one good example is dog-walking. When you take you dogs to a park, you spend more time there walking than when you take them “down the block” until they “do their business”).
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And I think there is a massive difference between “fitness” and “recreation”. “Recreation” provides fitness as a byproduct of an activity that is enjoyable on its own — and while there are those who think that “working out” is fun, for most people its “work” not “recreation.”

“The insurance companies won’t fund ads complaining how bad reform is for them, rather they will fund ads that say its bad for people like “Harry and Louise” ”
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That was my point. People like H&L are much more aware of how screwed up healthcare coverage is now. Certainly much worse than 16 years ago. People look at the back of their pay stubs.
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I see how much money my (by my I mean where I work not my as in ownership) company contributes to insurance and have never understood why responsible companies would fight reform.

Pluk – I don’t believe I said that the same farmers would be growing fruits and vegetables as grow grain, now did I.
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And the grain farmers would be free to grow grain. I just don’t want to subsidize them.
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Nutrition education is not just a matter of knowing what we’re “supposed” to eat, and by “people already know,” you’re making rather too broad a statement.
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I’m guessing you and I have a different vision of what a “fitness center” necessarily entails.

pluk #49 – good points. I would like to see schools go back to having regular phys ed from kindergarten on up, structured it to build the habit of fitness.
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On sgw’s link to the Playboy Santelli story (also covered here Rick Santelli’s Planted Rant ?, I think it is really important to understand this is how they play, and that this is only the first of many efforts to derail President Obama’s plans. That this one ultimately fizzled is only partly relevant. The teevee chatter cooperated by playing Santelli for days and days.
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We’ve seen this happen too often in the past not to understand that it does, in fact, happen. And to know they are very very good at it. And, from my vantage point, it is only a “conspiracy theory” when you lack substantive evidence of its veracity. Once you have that evidence, what you have is an actual conspiracy.
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Unfortunately, we have a msm media that rarely if ever makes that jump. For example, just watch what happens when someone tries to bring up The Project for the New American Century on any news show. They are laughed at, and the term “conspiracy theory” almost invariably comes up. But it wasn’t/isn’t a theory at all. It is a bone fide neoconservative organization, publicly promoted by the leading lights of the movement, with white papers on every conceivable topic posted on their website. Utterly public, utterly real, yet dismissed by the msm.
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And Al Giordino was on fire after Obama’s address:
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… Okay, here’s what I think just happened: The President has reframed the narrative from the stale dysfunction of Democrats demonizing Republicans and Republicans demonizing Democrats and stepped over that puddle of slime to create a more authentic narrative: The American people vs. the special interests (and note that the ones he mentions are universally from the corporate sector).

kathy, this is what you said…”changed the subsidies we give farmers so it was cheaper to grow fruits and vegetables than it is to grow grain. ”
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now, this implies that farmers will chose to grow fruits and vegetables, rather than grains, because its cheaper. And THAT is what I was discussing.
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If what you are trying to achieve is more consumption of fruits and vegatables, then you subsidize that consumption (by doing stuff like requiring a substantial percentage of food stamps to be used only on fruits/vegetables.) But subsidizing growers isn’t the answer — there is a question of appropriate arable land, and the shortage of fresh water resources. (One thing that could be done is providing additional funds to state and local government for not changing zoning laws that take farmland and turn it into McMansion developments.)
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The other point here is that because of the shortage of suitable land for growing more fruits and vegetables, we’re already importing billions and billions of dollars worth of fruits and vegetables. Providing a subsidy for those growers doesn’t make sense in terms of budget priorities.
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And the grain farmers would be free to grow grain. I just don’t want to subsidize them.
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I don’t have a problem subsidizing grains produced for human consumption — however I would agree that subsidizing the production of feed stock directed at the production of “flesh” foods (meat, chicken) should be elimimated (subsidizing feed for egg-producing chickens and milk producing cows isn’t a bad thing.)
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Nutrition education is not just a matter of knowing what we’re “supposed” to eat, and by “people already know,” you’re making rather too broad a statement.
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nonsense. Its not as if people don’t the basics of good nutrition. People choose to not “eat healthy” because its easier and more pleasurable to eat what they want to eat.

KT, thanks for the Sebelius story. I’m not on Twitter although I regularly follow Swamplanders there. Even my mom is following pourme! The internet takes enough of my time already; I can’t justify adding a Twitter account.
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I think Sebelius will prove to be a more effective advocate for health care reform than Daschle. She just looks so honest and trustworthy. Plus she can better appeal to women, who are disproportionately affected by the health care crisis.
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About fitness centers and parks, might the cost-benefit analysis vary with climate? In London local councils have their own fitness centers – they’re open to non-locals for a reasonable guest fee, and you see a different side of local life unlike in a hotel gym – which seem to foster a sense of community.
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nonsense. Its not as if people don’t the basics of good nutrition. People choose to not “eat healthy” because its easier and more pleasurable to eat what they want to eat.
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pluk, “easier” is probably the key word there. I doubt it’s a coincidence that Europeans work fewer hours than Americans and eat healthier.

Can someone explain to me why Karl Rove who is ducking a Congressional subpeona is on my Tee Vee this morning on “This Week”?

sb Katrina will have NO trouble with Karl.

Oh goodness do I love Katrina.

“Can someone explain to me why Karl Rove who is ducking a Congressional subpeona is on my Tee Vee this morning on “This Week”?”
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I think the law that Karl Rove has to be on your tee vee was passed with full bi-partisan support. Please don’t tell me you now have a problem with it.

Funniest stuff I’ve seen up in a while; Culture of Truth translates the bobble-head shows live today:
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Culture of TrÜth | Homepage | 03.01.09 – 10:42 am | #

Schieffer: Let me quote Newt Gingrich extensively on all your big spending and debt and socialist agenda
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Emanuel: recall dipsh*t we inherited the debt and big spending and lies
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Schieffer: No!
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Emanuel: i agree with Newt that we don’t want to subsidize big businesses and lie
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Schieffer: no no no you are big spenders i mean look at this funding for sick children and dental work – isn’t this just Bridgework To Nowhere???
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Emanuel: F*ck off old man

Pluk – not wishing to pick a fight, but I think that’s what you inferred, not what I implied. Sorry I wasn’t exact enough so that you inferred that. So let me expand. “changed the subsidies we give farmers so it was cheaper to grow fruits and vegetables than it is to grow grain.” We could do that my reducing the subsidies we give to grain farmers and using the monies to increase subsidies to those growing fruits and vegetables.
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And as for your saying “and you obviously have no understanding of the interplay between eco-systems and agriculture.” : I have a degree in geology and 45 years experience as a serious gardener, and now teach others in my community how to garden. There are, of course, a great many people who know more about ecosystems and agriculture than I do, but I’ll put my knowledge of growing vegetables up against any nonprofessional. Considering you were taking me to task for what you inferred from my sentence structure, your initial response to me was more intellectually lazy than i expect from you.

sz, I rather liked this one from Culture’s home at http://www.moonshinepatriot.blogspot.com/

Gregory: The Economist magazine says your bill spend on pork instead of job creation

Axelrod: unlike throwing $9 billion out of an airplane

Gregory: but that was before when money was free

Axelrod: oh right i forgot

Gregory: what else?

Axelrod: we’re going to cut taxes and rebuild schools

Gregory: but you’re depending on a psychological bounce – while the media is determined to destroy you

Axelrod: but then you’ll lose your jobs too!

Gregory: we don’t think that far ahead

Gregory: Republicans say your bill was not Republican enough

Axelrod: such a shame – one more GOP bill and we would be invaded by Micronesia

Gregory: also they said you spend you too much

Axelrod: i never heard much about ‘generational theft’ when the GOP was spending like drunken sailors on tax cuts for their rich friends

Gregory: would you concede it was a mistake to let Democrats write this bill

Axelrod: on sure maybe we should have let Lindsey Graham write it – then it would have really really big debts and higher taxes on poor people

Gregory: now you’re talking!

Axelrod: i was kidding Dancin’ Dave

Gregory: Speaking of Republican objections to the bill -

Axelrod: were we?

Sebelius has her work cut out for her. We are at a time in our civil evolution where we must look with an encouraging eye toward equality in health care. …………….

http://thefiresidepost.com/2009/03/01/of-bankruptcies-and-health-care/