1) folks don't die cheap, particularly when they're younger. they get bypasses and survive and have more incidents and so on and so on for years. whereas older folks are more fragile, so that even when they're in good health and not running up bills beforehands, when they finally shut down it happens with finality.

correct about the childhood care being cost effective. and even more so; prenatal care; even just simple vitamins.

2) the cheapness argument also makes the assumption that people are worthless and do not contribute to society; that's only true for republicans, of course. but that guy who doesn't die at age 50 is going to go on working for another 15-20 years, which presumably is worth something to society, as companies pay him and then make a profit on it. Then after he retires he will babysit for his grandhildren and volunteer at the homeless shelter and write poetry and software. the inherent value of all that to the GDP should overcome the usual costs of keeping him alive.

world's worst chip-dip.

try growing up in alberta in the 50s when it would go to 40 below every now and then. and riding your three speed to school. (nobody ever told us we were allowed to move south)

you're talking about a politican whose party idolizes george bush, sarah palin, and joe the plumber. as long as he doesn't start ululating, the base will acclaim his brilliant riposte.

Reminds me of the caption from a political cartoon from a while back (some things are timeless):

"But if anybody could get healthcare, then I wouldn't want it any more".

Ah. So instead of asking for financial help, she should really be asking for financial help. The rugged individualism of the Republican party becomes clear.

Uh, that's a point in Obama's favor. "The ethanol industry is on its back despite the billions of dollars they have gotten in taxpayer assistance, and a guaranteed market."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/business/12ethanol.html?_r=1&ref=business

When petroleum is cheap, then ethanol can't compete with gasoline. But when petroleum is expensive... then it costs too much to make ethanol, because of the vast amount of petroleum that goes into growing corn; so it's still not competitive with gasoline.

And it's an enviromental loser: "The ethanol produced on millions of new hectares of corn in the United States in the last 2 years -- touted as the green future of oil and gas -- will increase deforestation in the Amazon and result in a large increase in carbon emissions to the atmosphere. That's the conclusion from research presented at a symposium this afternoon on biofuels and tropical deforestation. In fact, most new farmland in the tropics is converted from forests that had been rich storehouses of carbon, another scientist reported.

Here's the nexus with the Amazon: When farmers in the U.S. planted more corn and less soy in 2007, Brazilian farmers started planting more soy, an increase of 500,000 hectares. Often, they cut down and burned rainforest to plant more fields.

If the U.S. reaches its target for corn-based ethanol, Coe estimated that Brazilian farmers would plant up to 1 million more hectares of soy. Depending on whether pasture or forests are converted to fields, the amount of carbon emissions released as a result would be 130 to 650 times greater than the emissions saved by burning ethanol rather than fossil fuels."

http://blogs.sciencemag.org/newsblog/2009/02/fill-er-up-with-rainforest.html

all babies born in america are automatically white. that's why nobody ever wanted to see the birth certificates for previous candidates.

I mean, he wrote:

"I feel stupid

and contagious"

QED.

“It’s more Obama Robin Hood.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aOqVquIsiZcc

"Obama's "robin hood" mentallity is dangerous! "

http://www.city-data.com/forum/elections/264466-obamas-robin-hood-mentallity-dangerous.html

"'Obama Robin Hood' announces $US3.5 trillion budget"

http://business.smh.com.au/business/world-business/obama-robin-hood-announces-us35-trillion-budget-20090227-8jer.html

"OBAMA FIRES A 'ROBIN HOOD' WARNING SHOT"

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10152008/news/politics/obama_fires_a_robin_hood_warning_shot_133685.htm

"Barack Obama as Robin Hood: Socialism With a Smile "

http://www.sixteensmallstones.org/barack-obama-as-robin-hood-socialism-with-a-smile

"Robin Hood Obama Wants To Spread The Wealth "

http://vagopcaucus.blogspot.com/2008/10/robin-hood-obama-wants-to-spread-wealth.html

"Robin Hood or Robbing Hood? "

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJQ4O0KHeVo

"Obama Admitting To Robin Hood Type Redistribution Of Wealth"

http://bluecollarrepublican.com/blog/?p=619

"Would Obama’s Robin Hood Tax Plan Redistribute Wealth?"

http://www.ponderstorm.com/2008/09/08/would-obamas-robin-hood-tax-plan-redistribute-wealth/

"'Obama Robin Hood' to tax the rich"

http://business.theage.com.au/business/world-business/obama-robin-hood-to-tax-the-rich-20090227-8jeb.html

"Bob Barr: Obama is taking ‘Robin Hood’ approach to taxes "

http://www.unitedliberty.org/288/bob-barr-obama-is-taking-robin-hood-approach-to-taxes/

"Obama’s “Robin Hood Theory” Simplified"

http://www.therepublicantemple.com/2008/11/01/obamas-robin-hood-theory-simplified/

"The Elephant in the Room: Chicago Robin Hood's plan"

http://www.republican-leadership.com/node/631

it was observed long ago, so long that i can't remember where or by whom, that any calculation of GDP which sets the value of women's (or men's) housework, childcare, eldercare, etc. at $0 since they weren't paid a salary, was severely skewed.