The Scott Heard Round the World and the Book of Awesome

[Grey]

So Scott Brown wins the vote in Massachusetts. The seat that was supposedly "Ted Kennedy's," although I was under the distinct impression the seat belonged to the people of Massachusetts (silly, naive, Constitutionalist me!). The ever-drooling Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) claims this will "kill" the health care reform bill. God willing. Prediction number one is that Martha Coakley will be immediately thrown under the bus by her own party, being of no more use to them (that is of course, if they can remember her name by tomorrow; Patrick Kennedy couldn't last week); it'll be chalked up to her running a bad campaign, or Scott running a good campaign, but nothing more than that. Nothing to do at all with her stand on anything... wait, that implies she stands on anything... huh. Either way, looks like there is finally change coming to Washington, in the form of a R-MA.

Some are stating this is the beginning of a revolution of sorts, but the eternally cynical side of me is not holding my breath. My taxes are going up, not down, unemployment is going up, not down, and the deficit is going up, not down. All the while we evil, greedy, arrogant, capitalist pigs are sending more money to Haiti (the United States has been sending money to Haiti for how many years now?), as well as 11000 troops that could've been sent into Afghanistan (McCrystal requested 40k and wound up with 30k, for those with short-term memories). I'm still curious as to why the relief effort is still operating out of one airport in Port-au-Prince; I was under the impression Haiti is heavily deforested, and it couldn't possibly take that long to clear a secondary, tertiary, etc. airfield. Same with the city's ports. Anyways... on to a lighter topic.

Its been a few months now since I've seen a film that was worth the price of admission. Tonight I went to see Denzel Washington's latest film, The Book of Eli. The way the setting was done is superb, particularly the lighting. A barren, washed-out, Fallout-esque scenario of a post-Apocalyptic America. The fight scenes were done convincingly; not grossly exaggerated, but with enough flair and gore to keep you interested. The characters were the usual suspects, but not overtly or annoyingly so, and with just enough slight differences to keep things interesting. I was impressed most by the writing, something that has been sorely missing from the last two films I reviewed here (paint-by-numbers film-making). The plot... is hard to really discuss without giving the whole thing away. Its subtle in alot of ways, and lets slip bits and pieces along the way if you're attentive enough to pick them up, so that the reveal at the end closes any gaps and ties up the loose threads perfectly, without any additional help from a character all but holding your hand through the climax. All in all, good film to start the year on.

[Moon Princess]

You and you're cleaver subject titles.

I was glad when the early results came in showing the Dems would no longer have 60 seats. Massachusetts should know all too well about government run health care and how bad it is. Their emergency rooms are fuller now than they were before they passed it. That doesn't mean something won't be passed...least not yet. I'm waiting with bated breath til I know it's dead. Wonder what the State of the Union speech will be now...

No revolution. It will be interesting to see who takes some of these seats that will opening. They'll be plenty of seats open soon since so many have stated they aren't seeking re-election. I sorta thought they were doing so since they wouldn't be re-elected anyways if the health care bill passed. As to Haiti... More people will die in Haiti from the aftermath than the actual quake due to incompetence and no one taking the bull by the horn and being completely in charge. That way...no one entity is at fault. Nature did it all, right...

So that one did turn out to be a good movie. I thought it might. I know the basic premise and a lil about the plot. I don't think Denzel Washington has ever done a role like this, but it really seems to suit him. I've got a thing for Apocalyptic or post-Apocalyptic movies. Apocalyptic movies are usually all about the destruction and pretty lousy when it comes to the plot/story. Post-Apocalyptic movies tend to lean more on fantasy than reality...making survival seem easy and not caring to explain why certain things still work. I pick up on the lil things...so if they are badly done or rather not cared about at all the main plot will be even worse.

[Grey]

Apparently there was another quake in Haiti this morning. I haven't heard anything further as to the aftermath of that one, but I've also largely been tuning the bullshit out for the day. Bureaucracy at its finest. I can't help but remember the way certain elements of the American demographic were at a loss as to why Bush wasn't waving a magic wand around fixing things immediately in the wake of Katrina, yet the same group comes off as remarkably understandable as to the realities involving such an undertaking when Obama is at the helm. No double-standards here.

I can't take credit for the Scott Brown part of the thread's title. I can't remember where I caught that line on Tuesday, but I thought it was quite clever.

I can't think of any decent post-Apocalyptic films in recent years. They seemed to be very popular in the 1980s. Kevin Costner did two of them that were complete sleepers (The Postman and Waterworld) in my opinion. Then there was the Road Warrior films with Mel Gibson. And the classic Ruby-Spears cartoon Thundarr the Barbarian (a personal favourite of mine for a number of reasons). I liked the fact that in The Book of Eli the World As We Know It™ was taken out by some sort of nuclear catastrophe as opposed to the ever-popular over-use of kamikaze asteroids or that inconvenient "truth" bullshit. Has anyone blamed the earthquake in Haiti on global warming yet?

[Moon Princess]

Thing about disasters is A) the kind of people who live in the area and B) the government from the county to the city/town to the state. Katrina showed the contrast between well run states and a corrupt state. Alabama and Mississippi were fine...as was Texas after Ike. Galveston is as beautiful as ever due to the people and government building it up and putting in the seawall after the 1900 hurricane. People have to take personal responsibility for where they live and know what mother nature can do to that area. Mother nature doesn't adapt to us...we adapt to her.

Quite clever indeed.

As I said, post-Apocalyptic can be a wide range and fantasy is often used. From alien invaders in Independence Day to mutants/Vampires/zombies/creatures in I am Legend/Resident Evil/Day of the Dead and of course our own creations like in Terminator. Don't forget Reign of Fire and the dragons. Agreed, The Postman and Waterworld were sleepers. I can't think of a movie that actually uses nuclear weapons as the Apocalypse of choice....war yes, but not nuclear. Maybe that's one of the many reasons The Book of Eli was so good cause it was a first. Actually, some celebrity (I don't remember who) did say Haiti was related to global warming last week. Earth's Internal Structure...Crust - Mantle - Core along with Plate Tectonics isn't being taught anymore. The Earth is flat and we'll fall off the edge will be believed again. There's that and some saying it's punishment from God. I knew that one was coming too. It never fails.

[Grey]

I believe it was Danny Glover that made the comment regarding climate change and the failure of the Copenhagen dog-and-pony show a few weeks ago. A conclusion no doubt drawn from his extensive career in geology and climatology. Who knows? Maybe he'll be a candidate for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. "For furthering the bullshit that is anthropic global warming while simultaneously milking the Haitian earthquakes to remind the world he was an actor once and his opinions matter."

I had forgotten about I Am Legend. An easily forgettable film though.

Everyone knows Bush called God and asked him to send the hurricane to New Orleans, because he doesn't like, to paraphrase Ray Nagin, chocolate people. And Dick Cheney put on a wetsuit and personally sabotaged the levies. Common knowledge dear. >:P I don't know what you mean about different kinds of people. I thought everyone was the same. Except for the minorities that can bring diversity and alternative perspectives to both the workplace and to the neighborhood. In spite of the fact statistics have proven time and time again the only thing generally brought is Affirmative Action/EOE lawsuits (Ricci v. DeStefano, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke), guaranteed minority contracts (City of Richmond vs Croson, Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Peña) and a higher crime rate. I hope I didn't ruffle any feathers with my diverse comments and alternative perspective.

[Gregory]

I'm surprised that neither of you mentioned Mad Max. It's probably the most likely possibility in comparison to the other movies mentioned. Though I'm not sure it will come to that at all, I'm thinking we'd already be colonizing other worlds by the time it would get to that point on Earth granted there's no Global disaster.

Speaking of disasters, i'm surprised by your commentaries on current events Grey. I have a question, you see in my head I have formulated two possibilities.

1. You really care about what you are reading and seeing about politics as you can point out somewhat but not entirely obvious details regarding what's taken place and how it could affect others.

or

2. You're taking your turn at political humor as you can point out somewhat but not entirely obvious details regarding what's taken place and how it could affect others to be funny.

My question is which one is it?

If it's number 1, then I agree with most of what you have mentioned, but I don't feel the politics are as serious or important as your posts or the media make it out to be, Only the emotions from those directly affected make a serious and convincing argument and are worth listening to. The media makes money doing this however, so I understand. But I would be curious as to what you would like the reader to take from your commentary provided you are serious.

If it's number 2, then haha sir. Though I don't feel political comedians are necessary. Politics and Polititions are comedy in and of itself. The people we trust to be our representatives are often exposed to be far worse creatures then we ourselves are, in an effort to put our best face foward we often put the sleeziest slimeball we can put in office, we just seem to find out after the fact. So having someone poke fun at it is redundant and not funny. Dennis Miller, Al Franken and most of AM radio convinced me of that. I heard Mr. Frankin is a senator now, maybe he feels he can get more material by being on the inside.

Forgive the spelling, I haven't installed a word processing program that has spell check as of yet.

[Grey]

I'm surprised that neither of you mentioned Mad Max. It's probably the most likely possibility in comparison to the other movies mentioned.

Then there was the Road Warrior films with Mel Gibson.

To answer your other question(s), I would say a combination of Number One and my own selfish honing of my writing skills. However I disagree with some points of Number One, as follows:
a) I see no purpose behind pointing out the obvious.
b) Politics result in policy, regulation, and law. There is no emotional connection to the reality of that and how it affects citizens and their rights. I invite you to stop for a moment and consider how much regulation and taxation exists in something as simple as purchasing a loaf of bread. And then work your way up from there, and ask yourself why it exists beyond the basic fundamentals of efficiency if not for the further purpose of control and conditioning.

The only thing I ask any of my readers to take away from any of my political commentary is to open your eyes and think about how the decisions, negotiations, promises, lies, and backroom dealings affect your own personal life. Some mildly regard it with the vague notion of "it doesn't directly affect me." Others follow the pendulum to the opposite side. From my experience, most do not consider it in the least. As a result the true power in this nation is being siphoned away by the political elite. High unemployment, a stagnating economy, and higher taxes inbound. All three of those directly impact those of us who are employed, unemployed and searching for work, attempting to start or maintain a business, and how much of our income the government allows us to keep. And not piss away those revenues bailing out everything from automobile companies to banks to third-world nations whose collective unwashed asses we as a nation have been wiping for years.

Your spelling was fine. I am curious, however, as to how anything I typed surprised you.

[Plaid Wolf]

If the election this last Tuesday had any meaning, i think it is a message aimed at incumbents of BOTH parties, Jackass and Dumbo....the mood is not anti-Democrat, but anti-Incumbent...

"STRAIGHTEN UP AND FLY RIGHT....QUIT PLAYING GAMES AND FIX THE ECONOMY....GET JOBS GOING AGAIN,OR PAY THE PRICE IN NOVEMBER!"

My opinion was the voters tossed out the Republicans from Congress in 06 and from the White House in 08 as they were seen as no longer able to solve the problems.....they wanted a change in terms of leadership style, not a left-ward yank. The rumblings of discontent over the last year from both the 'tea party' sorts as well as the various media events with Congressmen and Senators getting it with both barrels from angry voters should have been a warning to Pelosi and Reid that the American people were NOT wanting ObamaCare.....but wanting jobs! The message they ignored was "It's the economy, Stupid!". The fact they fixated on health care while the economy further slid downhill shows just how out-of-touch the leadership is with the people, and if that doesnt change, there will be many current members of Congress who will join their constituents on the unemployment lines....

(I will toss an aside here: Health care is NOT a right.....you will find NO provision in the Constitution ANYWHERE allowing such action But on the other hand, i DO think some legislation is needed to address issues like pre-existing conditions, and allowing insurance companies to sell across state lines. That right there is one of the reasons insurance costs so much...limited competition in the marketplace. If i could get comparable coverage in Ohio to what someone in a different state gets, but pay their lower rate, i would want that! But current law prohibits this...)

[Grey]

(I will toss an aside here: Health care is NOT a right.....you will find NO provision in the Constitution ANYWHERE allowing such action But on the other hand, i DO think some legislation is needed to address issues like pre-existing conditions, and allowing insurance companies to sell across state lines. That right there is one of the reasons insurance costs so much...limited competition in the marketplace. If i could get comparable coverage in Ohio to what someone in a different state gets, but pay their lower rate, i would want that! But current law prohibits this...)

QFT.

If you take a hard look at almost any issue facing almost any American, you'll eventually come to some level of government regulation, bureaucracy, or taxation. That was entirely my point. I am not anti-Democrat or pro-Republican. If anything regarding the two of them, I am anti-Party. I consider myself a Constitutionalist. If its in the Constitution, that's the way it is. As per the tenth amendment, anything not covered in one through nine falls to either the individual states or the people. Abortion? State issue. Can't get an abortion in your state, move to another (this by the way goes against my own personal views as to the morality of abortion). Gay marriage? State issue, if State A says you can be married and you move to State B and they say you can't be, then either deal with it or go back to State A. Last time I checked the line was "the power vested in me by the state of A," not by the federal government. Gun rights? Guaranteed under the second amendment, regardless of how the liberals in particular want to spin it. Health care? State issue. The purchase of health insurance across state lines? That's an issue between State A and State B. The federal government has no business in any of this, and yet in these oh-so-enlightened times, they do.

Stop and think for a moment about taxation. You make $1000 this week. In New York, the state tax rates are nearly ten percent. Then add federal, social(ist) security, medicare/medicaid. Now you're at, we'll say, $750. Now go buy groceries for the week. You spend $100 more. And add an additional five to ten percent depending on your state, city, and/or county. To use my previous bread analogy, the baker is taxed on the raw materials he has purchased. Which were taxed when they were transported to him from the source to his bakery. Add in another transportation tax when its shipped to the grocer. Add in a tax for the plastic bag it comes in and the little wire tie that holds it shut. Every. Single. Step. Taxed. The point is that not only are you taxed prior to receiving your pay, lest you become acutely aware of how much you are already paying in taxes, you're taxed on nearly every dollar that the government has let you keep when you spend or invest it. And then the government spins some bullshit about requiring income tax revenues in order to function, which is a complete fallacy if you follow the money.

Back to you though, xq. I can't agree with you more on what you said in regards to health care and the economy. Insuring the few million "chronically uninsured" on the dime of the rest of us is not going to affect the economy one iota. Nor in the long run will it affect those insured, previously chronically uninsured or not. You cannot sustain that model of system. But it wins you the "mob vote." Which is the only reason the current administration and Congress are trying to pass this bullshit. If it was such a great system, why are they not the first to sign up for it? Because they do not see themselves in the same light as you and I do. There are two types of class warfare in this country; the misconception (one could even go so far as to say diversion) of rich versus poor, and the more accurate depiction of the political elite versus the sheep that keep voting them in office in exchange for a few scraps from the table.

/rant off. I hope everyone has fun filling out their tax forms this year. Expect half of the deductibles to be gone by this time next year, once the tax cuts of 2003 expire. Oh wait, that only was for those evil rich people wasn't it? Must be why I've seen a decrease every year since 2003. On a base salary of less than $35k.

Like I said before, specifically to you Gregory, this is simply food for thought.

[Gregory]

The surprise lies in two parts. One is that i've not seen you this talkative about it long ago. I didn't take you for one who would be so adamant about expressing your feelings and also to make clarifications to what is going on but I suppose everyone needs to warm up to people first and introducing yourself to new people by shocking them usually doesn't land you many friends.
The second part is I had initiallly believed you were just taking a jab at specific individuals like they are the reason we are pinching pennies and dreaming of the better days we had when in truth they are part of a long decendancy of individuals who's behaviour or roll is solely for the general public to talk about. You have perfectly sedated my curiosity and I really should have read deeper into what you have said as I thought you had bought into the mindless finger pointing bandwagon.

As far as fear of November goes, I don't think it matters. As long as they are doing what they are told, Presidents will get relected. I'm even willing to place a wager that as long as things continue the way they are and President Obama fails to succeed at pushing and successfully passing any personal legislation that drove him to take up politics in the first place he will be reelected.

If I had to contribute any commentary or advice, it would be what I learned the brief time I was homeless. If you are in need remember this, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease". Don't settle for letting your alderman, congressman, senator, president, mother, or even God know you need help and then think you did your part. Because you're still not warm, you're still hungry, and you're still scared. Bitch and complain and keep at it, they will give you what you want just to shut your ass up. And if you bitch and complain about the right things, (employment, housing) you'll find yourself not needing to yell so much for quite awhile (self sufficiency). It's a misconception that more often then not, complainers are silenced in unfavorable ways, that's true for naysayers and public disturbers but not for the desperate and hungry, especially if you are a mother. Hell even conspiracy theorists rarely get silenced, they just get bored warning ignorant masses. You may feel like you are lowering yourself, ignore that feeling, your stomach, your children, and your life will appreciate you for it.

Please forgive the spelling, I really need to get off my ass and download Word.

[Moon Princess]

Quite right about health care XQ. As it is now, government already controls so much of it via medicare/medicaid and many other lil programs. They think they can make it better by controlling it all. They certainly know how to take care of our Soldiers with crumbling buildings, lil staff, denied services, waiting lists etc. Soldiers don't get proper equipment to fight to begin with and then... >_< Enough said.

Gregory, if you're that concerned about spelling you don't have to get Word. If you are using IE there are spell checker add-ons. If you were using Firefox, which I use...it's the best, it has one built into the system.

[Plaid Wolf]

As I told Rushita many years ago when we were discussing government run health care, "What the American people are afraid of is a government health system that has all the efficiency of the Postal Service, and the compassion of the IRS..."

And dont get me started on the VA....they mismanaged my Dad's health issues to the point that when the finally found the kidney cancer that killed him, their response was to shrug their shoulders and tell him "Enjoy what you have left" As it is, all i will say to any ObamaCare advocate is "VA"....the men and women who served our country selflessly deserve the absolute BEST medical care possible...and often get the worst care possible. What the veterans get through the VA is what we would get in any government system...

Leaving aside the constitutionality of the Senate bill anyway (who in the hell EVER tried to place a provision in any law prohibiting future Congresses from repealing it?) I am pleased that it wont happen as it stands...

[Sagittarius Knight]

I agree with you guys in that the administration has done a less than stellar job on the issues at hand.

But I will say this - if you want to make any changes to the healthcare system, now is the perfect time to do so. I think the Obama administration had good timing on this - as people are losing their jobs left and right, many not being able to pay for their own mortgage, etc - government run healthcare seems very nice, if you've nothing else. A lot of people complain that Canada's healthcare system is horrible, but from what I've heard, Canadians have it pretty damn good.

The healthcare system in the US is bad because the people working in hospitals are afraid of their patients. There's so many laws that can make it SO damn easy for a patient to sue for malpractice, that it's ridiculous. Then there's all the patients who aren't able to afford to pay for said healthcare, which puts enormous constraints on it and the staff. The staff then becomes jaded. They end up caring more about how fast they can get you out of there and how they can avoid a lawsuit more than they do about your health. It's because of this that we have a shortage of doctors and nurses and therapists, etc. They have to pay ridiculous amounts of money so they can be protected against malpractice - and often enough people choose to become NP's than they do MD, because it's basically cheaper malpractice protection.

Tucson has Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) that is government run. If you have a low income you can apply for it and make healthcare very much affordable. My dad has MD and they provide him with top notch care. My mom had a breast cancer recurrence and I can't even begin to tell you how amazing they have been to her. The doctors, nurses, and all staff have been great to my parents - they show that they really do care about their well-being. It's a system similar to this that the Obama administration should use as a model for their healthcare bill. In fact, I'm surprised that McCain hasn't brought it up. But this brings me to my next point...

I really do believe that the Obama administration hasn't been able to deliver on their promises precisely because of the republican party. President Obama completely crushed the republican party in this past election, and they're bitter about that. Then there's people like Rush Limbaugh, and the big companies that back people like Rush, who want to go make these "Tea Parties" and talk smack about the democrats every chance they get. Insurance companies have never really been on the side of the consumer / patient. They don't look after you - they look after the premium you pay to them for their "what if" services. They care about being able to make a 300-500% markup on every single item that is labeled for healthcare. So yes, they WILL use all their resources to make sure the healthcare reform doesn't come to pass. Not all republicans are bad though, just as I think that not all democrats are good.

We need to do something to lose the labels - I don't want to vote for a democrat or republican, I don't want to be affiliated to a party. I simply want to vote for whoever I feel is best suited for the job and really looks out for my interests. People in the parties only care about their own. Look at Palin, for example... Or Pelosi.

As for New Orleans / Haiti... well.

In New Orleans' case, the mayor had seriously dropped the ball. The rich sector hogged all the resources (they had the police and military guard their homes while people were dying in the poorer sectors). The Bush administration had their heads so far up their asses that they had no clue what to do. The military were treating their own people -- those who they should protect -- like animals, really. Remember that video where the military throws the supplies to the people from the freeway to a road below them? Or how if anyone tried to get close to the military to get supplies they had guns pointed at them? yeah... It was a disaster on every possible level.

As for Haiti, look at their infrastructure. It's horrible, and it was already very bad before the quake. Also the magnitude was much, much worse than Katrina dished out. New Orleans had some time to prepare for the disaster, some kind of plan should have been started.

However, these are simply my opinions, and I welcome and all debate.

[Sagittarius Knight]

They think they can make it better by controlling it all. They certainly know how to take care of our Soldiers with crumbling buildings, lil staff, denied services, waiting lists etc. Soldiers don't get proper equipment to fight to begin with and then... >_< Enough said.

Hrm. The military has ALWAYS gotten the shaft as far as soldiers are concerned. They're expendable meatbags as far as they know. Most of the money really goes for the defense contractors, or some other kind of research. I've heard that often times the soldiers have to go with 3rd party equipment, and pay out of their own pocket to get semi adequate protection.

Once the soldier has performed their duty, they're simply thrown aside and given the cheapest healthcare available so they can stfu. Considering these are the very people who are put on the line (and quite honestly, not for our freedom, oh no - they just tell you that. but I think they have other agendas in mind, and the soldiers must do what they're told, whether they like it or not), I think it's very unfair that they are given this kind of treatment.

Unless you're in the top brass, in which case you're gonna be totally fine.

This isn't a new thing though - look at the vietnam vets, or WWI and WWII, etc. This has been an ongoing problem since forever, and the military seems to think they're doing a banged up job. I honestly think it's more of a military issue than a governmental one.

[Grey]

I don't have the stats in front of me but off the top of my head its something like ~9% of the US population has served in the military, yet ~60% of the nation's homeless are veterans. The Viet Nam veteran issue should have been a wake-up call, and its only a taste of what's to come in my opinion. Due to advances in battlefield triage and subsequent patient care, more troops are surviving their injuries than any previous conflict. As a result a higher percentage will reintegrate into society. While the lip service paid to our veterans is beyond positive compared to those of the Viet Nam era, I see that with every application turned in and every job denied, its just that. Lip service. Oh you were in the military? Cool. And that's it. What it means is beyond most employers for the simple reason that, again, ~9% of the population has served. That percentage was much higher post Viet Nam, higher still post Korea, higher still post WWII. What I take from that is most employers do not fully grasp what capabilities, skills, and experience the former soldier will bring into the job. Consequently more and more veterans find work in the public sector, where they meet, moreso than the private sector, stricter enforcement of Affirmative Action laws, workplace diversity bullshit, racial quotas, etc.

As for healthcare, Dan specifically, I know I'm on the outside looking in. You said this was the perfect time to enact it. Which to me, is precisely why this administration is attempting to. However, as you also said, people are losing jobs, cannot make mortgage payments, etc. Which is precisely why a government-operated healthcare system will not properly function. The government prints money, but they do not create money. This is why no amount of government programs or spending will halt a recession or boost the economy. Since a taxpayer-funded healthcare program relies on the revenues generated by a working population, you end up with poor funding, which results in poor and untimely patient care, rampant fraud throughout a system already rife with it, and once again those of us who choose to work paying for those who do not.

There are plenty of changes that can be made, and all of them involve the federal government butting the hell out and letting the system handle itself. You mentioned medical malpractice suits; so why not a cap on payouts on the often vague claims of pain and suffering? Its the laws, as you said, that make it so easy. Laws come from where? Exactly my point. If a doctor sews me back up with a scalpel inside, or amputates the wrong limb, that's one thing. I'd hazard a guess that most of the claims are total bullshit, and doctors consequently have to purchase a ridiculous amount of insurance, and pass the cost on to the customer. Medicare/medicaid is the same way. If the cost of a procedure is $1000, and medicare only covers $800, the remainder is passed on to other patients. Illegal immigrants? Same story. They get treated, they don't pay, and who gets to pick up the tab? Everyone else.

I don't know anything about big, evil corporations backing a talk show host. I know I've personally not been approached by anyone handing out wads of cash asking me to attend a tea party to make the president look like a dunce. I think he's doing a good enough job of that on his own, to be honest. I always thought it funny that if a group of students protesting a war, a group of gays parading in the streets demanding God knows what, etc. its a grass-roots movement. If some angry taxpayers get together to complain though, well damn, that has to be coordinated and funded by some corporation. As far as insurance companies, I like how AARP (who sells medicare supplements) is all about a healthcare plan that, as it stands last time I read it, cuts medicare (thus increasing the need for supplements). Companies exist to make a profit. Profits allow reinvestment in new technologies, services, etc. Thus creating new jobs. Its basic supply and demand, and there's nothing evil about it any way you want to spin it. People are people, and some will succeed and some will not. Its as simple as that, and anyone that thinks person A is making too much money could probably do the same if they actually tried. Other than they don't want to put in the effort and time it takes to get to that point; no, they're content to sit on their ever-widening ass waiting for the next check from Uncle Sam, funded by what the federal government has seized from legitimate businesses operating inside the law.

What it comes down to, particularly in regards to healthcare, is personal responsibility and the priority you place on it.

I see three things in common with New Orleans and Haiti:
1. A welfare state begging for help because God knows, no one can help themselves. For an entire week on any major network, in both cases, you could see people standing around as if waiting for someone else to come and fix it.
2. Rampant looting from the poor unfortunates who were caught up in the disaster. Not looting food, fresh water, etc. Looting everything from every store they could come across. I'd draw down on anyone I didn't know in that scenario myself.
3. Inept management and unnecessary bureaucracy, and the chance to make a quick political buck, standing in the way of charitable (not taxpayer) donations and assistance. The lack of any government and any administration to find that magic wand to wave and make everything immediately better.

In short, I have no problem with anyone wanting to help, assist, fund, donate, whatever, the people of Haiti. Or any disaster. What I object to is the doling out of my tax dollars to the very governments that could not function properly in the first place, in the idiotic hopes they'll figure it out this time around. There is no Constitutional authority for any US administration to do this. Heartless? Doubtful. Its been proven time and time again that a civilian agency, i.e. the American Red Cross, perhaps with the assistance of government resources, such as the National Guard, etc. can do a much better job than one government cutting a check to another government and hoping things work out.

Gregory, I am very passionate about what matters to me; my independence, and anything that threatens or impedes my pursuit of it. I want nothing more than to make my way through life with as little government involvement as possible. I understand government is necessary, and has been, in this country, outlined to the letter in the US Constitution. Unnecessary regulation, taxation, social engineering, etc. is getting in the way of those of us with the ambition and drive to succeed at what we want to do with our lives. I will succeed regardless. The government isn't some crutch or scapegoat I blame my problems on. But why should I settle for what part of my income my government lets me keep, when they dole out the rest to someone else who is lacking the drive to even get out of the house and look for work? The Democrats in particular like to use the word "fair." I don't see the fairness in my producing and someone else consuming what I produce. That's what it boils down to for me. I've been (and to a degree currently am still) in some rough patches. I refuse to turn to the government for any assistance. I'll make my way without them. Therefore the rewards of that should by mine alone. I'm a third-generation immigrant (Polish and German predominant). There wasn't any of these programs when my great-grandfather got off the boat from Poland, yet he managed to make things a little better for the next generation. Likewise with my grandfather, and my father. But none of them got to where they were waiting for that check in the mail.

That's my spiel. Offline for most of the week, so if anyone posts anything specific to me it might be a bit before I answer. I will say that its nice to engage in any sort of conversation here again.