This idea has gained some traction on Capitol Hill as an alternative to a public plan. Kate Pickert takes a look at how health care cooperatives might work, and discovers that their experience in the real world isn’t very encouraging.

The common disclaimers apply: The source of this poem cannot be verified.

Today’s NYT has a poll confirming what we saw last week in the Wall Street Journal/NBC poll. Politicians may be deeply divided over the most contentious issue in the health care debate; the public is not. The poll found 72% in favor of “the government’s offering everyone a government administered health insurance plan like Medicare [...]

Our friends at C-SPAN were there last night, and bring us some highlights. They included Barack Obama telling the jokes that didn’t make the cut for the White House Correspondents Dinner. (It seems to cut off a bit before the end, so I’m trying to get the full one.)*: And comedian John Hodgman tests whether [...]

Inspectors General are supposed to cause problems. They exist as watchdogs on executive branch agencies, and by extension on the president himself. It is more often the rule than the exception that an Inspector General does not get along with the agency that it inspects. All that is proper. The prison guard doesn’t have to [...]

To start your weekend off right, this look back by Paul Slansky. Though, as usual, we are open to commenters who want to tell us why you think you will remember this week.

The key committee chairmen put out an outline today of their approach to health care reform (more in-depth info here), and there’s one thing they want you to know about it: “Uniquely American,” said House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller. Added Energy and Commerce’s Henry Waxman: “Uniquely American.” And what does former Energy [...]

The U.S. House of Representatives today overwhelmingly passed a resolution 405-1, with two voting present, criticizing Iran for its recent crack down on protestors and communication lines in the wake of last week’s contested election. Ron Raul was the lone dissenter. The House of Representatives expresses its support for all Iranian citizens who embrace the [...]

I doubt it was anything other than a coincidence, but it’s worth noting that on the same day that Obama spoke about the importance of “comprehensive immigration reform” in remarks before Hispanic Prayer Breakfast, the U.S. Catholic Bishops called for reform of the nation’s immigration laws at their annual gathering and offered their assistance in [...]