How American Civilization Collapses

A while ago I wrote a post titled  Corruption, Greed, And incompetence. When we talk about corruption, we think of big government and big business. But corruption pervades every aspect of American culture and society. It’s a rot and decay that threatens to destroy American civilization. We hardly notice anymore.
Here’s an example of the current [...]

Health Care Bill Passes, 220-215; Pelosi, Hoyer, Clyburn Win Big One For Obama (Kratovil Votes No)

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, Whip James Clyburn, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer
We saw democracy in action tonight. Democracy is not a sure thing. How small is the margin between success and failure.  Between victory and defeat. Progress and regression. How many votes to change history? Whose effort turns the battle? Whose vote moves [...]

Message to Rep. Frank Kratovil Regarding Health Care

Here is a message I sent to Rep. Frank Kratovil today through his Web site, http://kratovil.house.gov/index.html.
Rep. Kratovil
Thank you for releasing a statement explaining your position on the health care bill. The reasons you give for opposing the bill ring hollow to me: i.e. the bill doesn’t reduce health costs enough, and the bill [...]

Maryland Rep. Frank Kratovil to Vote ‘No’ on Health Care

Rep. Frank Kratovil, Democratic congressman representing the Maryland Eastern Shore (and portions of Anne Arundel, Harford and Baltimore Counties on the Western Shore), has released the following statement on the health care bill pending in the House of Representatives this weekend.
“We need health care reform that reduces long-term health care spending and expands coverage, but [...]

Health Care Public Option Vote Set For Saturday

The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote Saturday on a health-care bill, including the provision for a “public option” to offer health insurance in the marketplace in competition with private insurance companies.
This is said to be a hard vote for members of Congress representing close districts, including Maryland’s Eastern Shore congressman, Rep. Frank Kratovil, [...]

America Has The Best Health Care In The World! Right?

We have pretty good health care in American.  Right?  We do, don’t we?

Olympia Snow — Republican Presidential Candidate?

Sen. Olympia Snow is suddenly looking like a potentially superior candidate for president, a candidate who just might be able to lead the Republican Party out of the wilderness. If you never heard of the senator from Maine, you have by now.
Sen. Snow, 62, has the experience and gravitas. She has served in Congress since [...]

Sen. Max Baucus and Health Care Cooperatives — The Key Word Is “Private”

Nonprofit health-care cooperatives are IN the health-care reform proposal released by Sen. Max Baucus today, and the much-debated “public option” is OUT.
The long-awaited proposal from Sen. Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, is the last of the major Congressional health-care proposals to be finished. It is the product of long negotiations among Sen. Baucus [...]

Health Care Opponents Find That “Divide and Conquer” Works

Senior citizens, it turns out, are the surprise weak link in the coalition of Americans that President Barack Obama needs to pass health-care reform.
Senior citizens are splitting off from mainstream America, creating the inter-generational conflict I hoped would never happen.
Senior citizens are saying, “I’ve got my Medicare.” And they don’t see any reason to share [...]

Health Care ‘Haves’ and ‘Have-Nots’

There are two fundamental goals for health care reform in America. The problem is, many of us accept one goal but reject the other.  Therein lies the conflict that is roiling town-hall meetings across America this week. This is democracy in action.
The two goals for health care reform:

Universal Health Care. That is, make health care [...]