Politics

Much has been said about healthcare in the last few months. It seems there is nothing more to talk about. I mean come one we’re headed towards National Socialism or Communism (interesting how one policy can lead to wildly divergent political outcomes eh?), we’re going to kill grandma, we’re going to ration healthcare, we’re going to take healthcare decisions out of the hands of patients and put it in the hands of bureaucrats (a dramatic shift, no doubt, from my insurance company denying any and every treatment I’ve ever needed until I called in to bust some balls). Well this post is about absolutely none of those things, so I’d appreciate it if we could avoid such silliness.

No, this post is about the costs to our healthcare that arise from our social isolationism. Okay, so the title is a bit misleading, it says individualism, but I tend to not see a dramatic difference. Individualism encourages us to look to no one but ourselves for our necessities, which when taken to its logical endpoint, means we become more isolated. Semantics aside, my argument is pretty simple: our isolationism is costing us in our healthcare spending – and big time. Read more…

Governor Quinn has named four new members to the BoT, all of whom are U of I alumni.

The new members are:

1. Former Springfield Mayor Karen Hasara
2. Timothy Koritz, a staff anesthesiologist at Rockford Memorial Hospital
3. Pamela Strobel, retired executive vice president and chief administrative office of Exelon
4. Carlos Tortolero, the president of the National Museum of Mexican Art.

The US House of Representatives held a moment of silence for Michael Jackson!  There is so much wrong with this I just don’t know where to begin.  A washed up, perverted, butthole surfing, child molester, 400 million in debt, main claim to fame is his ability to moon walk while holding his nuts and squealing Wheeee Heeeeee.  Our congress is more out of touch that the worst loons the Roman Empire ever dreamed of at its most decadent and depraved!    Did someone spike the drinking fountains on the Hill with LSD or something?  What the hell is going on!?!  Maybe I am looking at this from the wrong perspective.  I always believe the challenge in life is to take a disadvantageous situation and turn it to my advantage.  So maybe if we encourage this type of insanity these ass clowns will have so many “moments of silence” they will never say anything and possibly not do as much damage!  Finally a way to shut them up!

Incredulously,

Ragnar

The Supreme Court today refused to hear a case challenging the Pentagon’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. There’s been an enormous amount of frustration in the gay community over the White House dragging its feet on this issue, and it certainly doesn’t help that the Obama administration was urging SCOTUS not to hear this case, arguing that DADT is “rationally related to the government’s legitimate interest in military discipline and cohesion.”

I share the growing fear that the Obama administration has decided to distance itself as much as possible from gay rights issues, and that it has no plans to act on behalf of the gay community unless it is absolutely forced to. It’s hurtful and disappointing and, for a president who has been fairly gutsy on national security and foreign policy, genuinely surprising to me. Read more…

I’m not sure how many of you in the Agora are following the card check legislation, also known as the Employee Free Choice Act.  This is an epic battle between labor unions and business.  The EFCA would simplify the process of forming a union by allowing a majority of workers to sign a card supporting a union, rather than voting on unionization.  It also includes binding arbitration provisions, and increased penalties, but most of the media focus is on “card check.”  This eliminates the company’s opportunity to launch a campaign against unionizing, or take affirmative steps to address the needs of workers to preclude the need to unionize. Big business has chosen the secret ballot as the symbol of their battle, which I consider a mistake.  I think a well reasoned explanation of practical objections, particularly those based on current economic circumstances, would be a better way to sway public opinion, in part because explanations of the current unionization regime don’t seem particularly unreasonable in the public mind.

Recently Sen. Specter, a moderate, endangered Republican, stated he will not vote for cloture to bring the card check vote to the floor.  Now a compromise proposal is being floated, but both main interest groups are opposing it.  All along both groups have vowed that no compromise would be acceptable.  I suspect that position will hold, at least through 2009.  But the reason isn’t Arlen Specter.

In the media we may hear lots of stories about why the bill is held back.   The story may center on specific moderate Senators, or we may hear a narrative about how the EFCA is too bloody of a battle to fight now when we are facing economic disaster, or that the Dems are waiting for Frankin, or that unions need to wait for the economy to recover to weaken the business’s gloom and doom predictions.  But what’s really going on?  It all comes down to money.  This is the kind of fight that employs a great many lobbyists, many of whom have less and less other paying work due to clients cutting their lobbying budget or being unable to pay their bills.  Too many people on both sides are getting paid for anyone to want to draw thier guns.  Why fight the war when after it’s waged the retainer checks will stop coming in?  And until the vote takes place, both unions and business groups will stay especially interested in fundraisers for moderate, endangered members like Specter.