Health Care In America.

The Moral Hazard Myth
One of the great mysteries of political life in the United States is why Americans are so devoted to their health-care system. Six times in the past century--during the First World War, during the Depression, during the Truman and Johnson Administrations, in the Senate in the nineteen-seventies, and during the Clinton years--efforts have been made to introduce some kind of universal health insurance, and each time the efforts have been rejected. Instead, the United States has opted for a makeshift system of increasing complexity and dysfunction. Americans spend $5,267 per capita on health care every year, almost two and half times the industrialized world's median of $2,193; the extra spending comes to hundreds of billions of dollars a year.

I had hoped that the major corporations would unite with employee groups to try and solve this one. Instead everyone is looking to just pass the buck on to someone else.

From the "You can't make this stuff up" division.

Librarian takes heat over search.
In the face of a storm of protest, Newton officials defended their decision to demand that the FBI obtain a warrant before searching the public library's computers to track down who had e-mailed a threat to Brandeis University.

The head librarian's defiance prompted a rare public rebuke from the US attorney in Boston and a tongue-lashing from a conservative radio talk host who called her a ''loony liberal.
...

''Getting a warrant is very time-consuming," said (US Attorney Michael J. ) Sullivan, who ordered the FBI search. ''You have to collect facts, prepare an affidavit, present it to a judge . . .That's valuable time that's potentially lost in an investigation."

That whole democracy thing is such a pain in the neck.

Donald Rumsfeld compares Chavez to Hitler
"I mean, we've got Chavez in Venezuela with a lot of oil money. He's a person who was elected legally -- just as Adolf Hitler was elected legally -- and then consolidated power and now is, of course, working closely with Fidel Castro and Mr. Morales and others."

Just this morning I was thinking the same thing about President Bush - elected legally (at least the 2nd time, mostly) and then he starts trampling on civil rights - but I figured it was too over the top, even for me.

New Title Graphic

In an effort to create some visual interest for the Christmas letter, I've added one of my favorite pictures as the header graphic. I was at a conference in Vancouver a few years ago and the Queen of England happened to be staying in the same hotel at the very same time. I took this picture as a group waited for HRH to make an appearance. See the full picture here.

She gets this from me

Lilah's current IM message is a Family Guy quote.

Peter: Listen Lois, I know you're a feminist and I think that's adorable, but this is grown-up time and I'm the man.

This, from our Feminism/History major.... (That's Feminism and History.)

Cindy Sheehan, Beverly Young and Democracy in America.

Cindy Sheehan writes about her arrest.
I told him (One of the police where she was booked.) that my son died there. That's when the enormity of my loss hit me. I have lost my son. I have lost my First Amendment rights. I have lost the country that I love. Where did America go? I started crying in pain.

What did Casey die for? What did the 2,244 other brave young Americans die for? What are tens of thousands of them over there in harm's way for still? For this? I can't even wear a shirt that has the number of troops on it that George Bush and his arrogant and ignorant policies are responsible for killing.

From Reuters/Yahoo:
The U.S. Capitol Police dropped charges against activist Cindy Sheehan on Wednesday and apologized for arresting her in the House of Representatives chamber shortly before President Bush's State of the Union address.

The Capitol Police also hassled a Congressman's wife who was wearing a pro-troop tee-shirt. She said she called the cops idiots. There's too little respect for authority these days.