During one of the Republican primary season debates Wolf Blitzer posed a question to the candidates about healthcare. He imagined a young fellow who was significantly ailing and was in the emergency room of a hospital where they determined that he would die if not treated immediately. Blitzer further said to imagine that his hypothetical… [read more]
Meals and Deals
You’re sitting at a window table of a delightful restaurant with a companion who is both interesting and interested and the conversation is engaging. Your waiter brings your food and drink at just the right times and everything is delicious and so satisfying that you don’t even notice your growing sense of contentment. Your belly… [read more]
Brilliant – And Monstrously Harmful
Republicans relentlessly attack Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and spending for nearly all purposes other than defense. It seems they will do and say anything, factual or otherwise, to kill these programs. Death through legislation has not worked, though, so a while back they switched their strategy starting with Ronald Reagan. He could not have been… [read more]
Lemmings and Leaders
It’s a common belief that those cute little lemmings follow one another over a cliff and are dashed on the rocks below to their instant demise. In point of fact, lemmings aren’t particularly smart, but they do have enough innate mental ability not to follow their pals over a cliff and commit suicide. That is… [read more]
Fear, Lies and Politics
According to every poll on the topic, the level of trust we Americans have for our elected officials is abysmally low – somewhere in the neighborhood of 11% for our congress people. We’ve been fed a steady diet of lies and misleading information for so long that the truth is hard to identify and we… [read more]
Fire, Hijacking and Teaching Moments
“We’re living in an extraordinary teaching moment,” said Thom Hartmann to a Tenth Dems crowd Friday evening, “ . . . [with] the issues of the commons writ large.” That’s “commons” as in what is common to all of us, like our humanity. Case in point: Have you heard the names of the 11 men… [read more]
For Those Who Would Persuade Us
Get over your smugness – you aren’t smarter, they aren’t dumber and doing what is best for America isn’t about crushing those who disagree with you. If you need to crush others, get that that’s about your ego and your fear. See your therapist immediately. Recent times have shown over and over how difficult it… [read more]
How Gullible Are We?
President Bush had intelligence information in advance of 9/11 that clearly and plainly warned of a plot by al Qaeda to attack America. He was told that they might use airplanes and that an attack was imminent. And he dismissed all of it and even belittled an agent who brought him information, saying, “Alright, you’ve… [read more]
I’m A Christian
That’s what the caller said to the talk radio host. Then he proceeded to make his comments about health care reform. I can’t help but wonder what, “I’m a Christian,” means or why he invoked his faith as preface to his comments about a hot political issue. Actually, I’ve heard many people declare their Christianity… [read more]
Grant Park
Yes, that Grant Park. The one that the world remembers from the 1968 riot that happened concurrent with the Democratic National Convention. It was defined by the Kerner Commission as a police riot, which infuriated Hizzonor The Mayor (Daley the First) and confirmed for much of the world that Chicago was still a frontier town. … [read more]
