Krugman 30 October Health Care Reform Post

Just read the whole thing. Ok, here is a tiny bit of it:

For conservatives, of course, it’s an easy decision: They don’t want Americans to have universal coverage, and they don’t want President Obama to succeed.

For progressives, it’s a slightly more difficult decision: They want universal care, and they want the president to succeed — but the proposed legislation falls far short of their ideal. There are still some reform advocates who won’t accept anything short of a full transition to Medicare for all as opposed to a hybrid, compromise system that relies heavily on private insurers. And even those who have reconciled themselves to the political realities are disappointed that the bill doesn’t include a “strong” public option, with payment rates linked to those set by Medicare.

But the bill does include a “medium-strength” public option, in which the public plan would negotiate payment rates — defying the predictions of pundits who have repeatedly declared any kind of public-option plan dead. It also includes more generous subsidies than expected, making it easier for lower-income families to afford coverage. And according to Congressional Budget Office estimates, almost everyone — 96 percent of legal residents too young to receive Medicare — would get health insurance.

So should progressives get behind this plan? Yes. And they probably will.

Now for the people in the “center”: who are you with?

30 October 09 (noonish)

Workout notes 2200 yard swim; 500 in just under 9, 10 x (25 drill, 25 free) (fins), then 10 x 100 on the 2 (25 fly, 75 free). Times: first 6, 1:42 (one 1:43), next 2 were 1:41 and the last two were 1:39. Then off-strokes to cool down.

Interestingly enough, when I got home after my swim, I had calf twinges. Was it from kicking with fins or from the butterfly kicks?

News of the moronic

Just read:

The word “holiday” means “holy day.” But there is nothing holy about Halloween. The root word of Halloween is “hallow,” which means “holy, consecrated and set apart for service.” If this holiday is hallowed, whose service is it set apart for? The answer to that question is very easy—Lucifer’s!

Lucifer is a part of the demonic godhead. Remember, everything God has, the devil has a counterfeit. Halloween is a counterfeit holy day that is dedicated to celebrating the demonic trinity of : the Luciferian Spirit (the false father); the Antichrist Spirit (the false holy spirit); and the Spirit of Belial (the false son).

The key word in discussing Halloween is “dedicated.” It is dedicated to darkness and is an accursed season. During Halloween, time-released curses are always loosed. A time-released curse is a period that has been set aside to release demonic activity and to ensnare souls in great measure.

No, this isn’t a “poe” post; there are people out there running around unsupervised who actually take stuff like this seriously.

I have to remember that when I get angry that some students are incapable of learning elementary calculus.

Stewart annihilates Fox News’ purported opinion-news division: “It’s a perpetual revulsion machine” | Media Matters for America

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30 October 09: Soggy Peoria

Rain all night long and it is still coming down in buckets. Fortunately it should clear off by this afternoon.

Health care reform You can read about the new House bill here.

Here is a side by side comparison between the first House bill and the current one.

Do you think that this bill (or a Senate Bill) deserves an “up or down vote”? If so, surf here and sign the petition. No one is telling a Democratic Senator how to vote on the bill itself; we are merely asking that these idiots NOT FILIBUSTER their party’s own bill.