August 2009 Archives

Updated (18:20 CDT) My regular readers know that I sometimes enjoy a Friday afternoon break from politics for a little rock & roll.  Today, the Beatles.  Tomorrow marks the 40th anniversary of the taking of the famous Abbey Road cover photograph for the last album the Beatles recorded together.  As you all know, the photo was taken in the crosswalk in front of Abbey Road Studios in St. John's Wood, London.  The photo is burned...

Here are two good ideas for health care reform, presented by political pundit and editorialist Charles Krauthammer.  Contrary to what you might hear elsewhere, there is no better time than the present to fix our system, before the costs bury us.  We have to focus on the real problems, though, and not the symptoms.Krauthammer first recommends what he calls "radical tort reform."  I've said before that I think tort reform is a bit of a...

Democratic Congresswoman Kathy Castor attempted to have a town hall meeting with her constituents in Tampa, Florida to discuss the issue of health care reform yesterday, but the angry mob of Astroturf protesters, both inside and outside the meeting room, would have none of that. They weren't there to discuss, they were there to disrupt the meeting and shout down the speaker. "Bitter divisions over reforming America's health care system exploded Thursday night in Tampa...

According to an article on the Huffington Post, Glenn Beck's accusation that Obama is a racist is costing Glenn Beck's time slot on Fox News some major advertisers. Among these advertisers are the consumer goods conglomerate Proctor & Gamble and Progressive Insurance. They've not abandoned Fox just yet; but they have requested that none of their ads run in Beck's time slot.  I'm personally disappointed they didn't pull their advertising before Glenn Beck had Michael Schueur on...

I would like to salute New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg and Missouri Sen. Kit Bond for being men of their principles.  They are two of only eight Republican Senators to announce their support for the confirmation of the Hon. Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court.From CNN:"There's been no significant finding against her. There's been no public uprising against her," Bond said. "I do not believe that the Constitution tells me that I should refuse to...

We've all heard the condescending retort to the proposal of any government program. The scariest words anyone can hear are, "Hi, I'm here from the government, and I'm here to help. " Thanks, Reagan. We've heard this so often that it's become kind of a "known" thing. Everyone knows the government screws up everything, right?Look at social security. It'll be insolvent by 2017, right? Here's the problem: this isn't true. Don't believe me? Liz Pulliam...

Texas has been getting an abundance of bad press lately, (and deservedly so, I might add) what with our illustrious governor threatening secession from the Union, as well as rejecting needed stimulus funds for unemployed Texans, and with 5 of the 9 House co-sponsors of the ridiculous "Birther Bill" being from Texas. So when a member of Congress from my home state does something to make us proud, I think it deserves recognition. I'm talking...

Let's face it. The healthcare system in America is a nightmare. Reform efforts are quickly becoming a nightmare, as well. On the left, we have blue dog Democrats selling their mandate down the river (while accepting millions from health industry related special interests) and on the right you've got a party so adamant about "breaking" President Obama that they're going to say no, filibuster, and fear-monger any way they possibly can in order to keep...

Step right up, ladies and gents. Be the first one on your block to have your very own authentic imitation Barack Obama Kenyan birth certificate."The recent torrent of Kenyan Barack Obama birth certificates calls attention to the relative ease with which one can acquire forged identity documents nowadays. Say, for whatever reason, you want your own Kenyan Barack Obama birth certificate. All you will need is: (1) about $200; (2) the ability to use the...

If there was any doubt remaining that the Republicans have become a regionalized party, clearly out of touch and out of step with mainstream America, this poll from Research 2000 should put an end to that. "A whopping 58 percent of Republicans either think Barack Obama wasn't born in the US (28 percent) or aren't sure (30 percent). A mere 42 percent think he was.That means a majority of Republicans polled either don't know about...