The questions your healthcare debate ignores is a problem within a problem .....

The problem is that Americans have not ignored questions .... the problem is that they are subject to being posed the wrong ones ....

Your very bright new President hit the problem on the head when he uses the word "Distractions" .....

Those who stand to 'profit' from all things related to American health care have and will continue to promote as many "Distractions" as possible to ensure that they make large profits ....

Just as "Distractions" have been used to justify the worst practices that have led to the greatest fiscal disaster in America's history so too is the 'Game' in the entire health care conundrum ....

Examples of the implied weaknesses of 'other countries health care systems' that are scurrilously cast forth are the classic case in point ....

The fact that my family members have paid far less for our health care and have universal access to great health care and hence lived longer, healthier and as a result had more of the ideal of "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" truly says it all ....

Try not to fall for the "DISTRACTIONS" ... Universal State run Medicare WORKS .... at least here in Canada (and for the larger part in the many other countries cited in the article)

"Good night and Good Luck"

Though a precious few have the advantages of a 'generous' "Disability" clause in their employment contracts (the truth is that over 99% of all the worlds workers do not) ... yes indeed the Old Immigrants observation still holds true "There is no free lunch" ...

This was very skilled tongue in cheek Mr. K. ... I almost snorted before I suddenly realized that having been an ineffectual broadcaster/writer since the sixties I too have had no employment with "Disability" options to exercise ... though in honesty I'm quite certain there are a number of my cohorts who could readily point out my "Inability" to perform a multitude of tasks with the requisite ease and skill to maintain employment in a job requiring my full attention that would merit such consideration.

Since the ’Rise of the Democrats’ Herr Limbaugh seems as intellectually agog as Goebbels …. and since he is as corpulent as Goering he must be looked upon as suffering a "Dual-Disability" and thus we might give him a pass …. Unlike the nasty viciousness that the bombastic and belligerent demagogue unloaded on our unfortunate brother Michael J. Fox ….

If Rush stays in his bunker and continues to prevaricate and postulate on his desire to see the ”current resident” fail for very much longer …. Well he just might end up delivering himself to as dismal a place in history as the two other ‘G’ men ….

But having the inability to ”CLOSE” likely means that Mr. Limbaugh will bring down the entire house of cards around him along with those who have hitched their wagons to his wobbly star ….

Thanks for this Mr. Keillor

So it goes ..........

I smiled and actually had a semblance to a grin with the Cheney reference but alas my dear friend "Il est très triste qu'il y aie si peu d'informations inutiles de nos jours" - The summation of these times is so much akin to what was an otherworld environment for Mr. Wilde.

The 'Robber Barons' still prance gaily across the stage and we have as yet to see a 'Roughrider' a la Teddy who will corral their horses who are heaving havoc into all our lives.

But it was a noble gesture towards alleviating our pain ... and for that much thanks.

What with the ever increasing cost of 'energy=fuel' the motor home, the pull-type trailer, the pop-up camper and all other variations of home away from home on wheels that are all symbols of energy ’affluenza’ (sic) are akin to traveling down a Dead End Street. Seriously, they are now more of an extreme fiscal albatross to own & operate rather than any individual’s vacation dream .... and as such indeed their time has now come for their slow rusting passage into that KOA in the sky.

I truly doubt we will ever again see the sort of common distributing of ownership and use of these portable lodgings on the scale of the past three decades. We will probably see a weaning of the public from this 'lifestyle' at an ever increasing pace over the next decade without there ever being much real chance of grand resurgence ....

A more likely scenario that leaps to mind is one of a few hundred thousand "Cousin Eddie" types - a la 'Xmas Vacation - stopping by their various relatives and long-lost friends places for a bath ... and a hopefully brief visit ....

Missus and I are both in our sixties with 6 figure income and (in confession of my wanton sin of wasting hydrocarbons in years past) we too have rented (and loaned from relatives who caught the bug) these behemoths - but that was when our kids were young and they seemed practical for various vacation forays ... but we knew depreciation scales and usage value as thrifty children of depression era survivors …. so we remained fortuitously ‘unencumbered’ ... We are glad we only dipped our toes and avoided full immersion.