who had a master's degree and a reading specialist. If we had stayed in that town, she would have been my son's teacher. I was thinking about teaching him to read that year before kindergarten and asked her, in an earnest parent way, what she used to teach kids to read, phonics, or whole-language,or whatever other methods were out there.

You know what she said? She said, I use whatever works for that kid. I thought that was pretty profound, actually. Not married to a program, or a philosophy, or a theory. She cared if they learned to read, and did what it took for each individual child to make that leap.

I ended up teaching my child using a book called "teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons" the year spring before he started kindergarten. That was what worked for him. I think some of the "whatever it takes for this kid in front of me" mentality would do a lot of good for all the different kids out there, far more than an administration-and-ideology heavy prescribed program.

I want single-payer. I think it is criminal to bankrupt someone over needed health care. I don't think it's the insurance company's fault that providers charge so much. I don't think people (like you?) should complain that they pay premiums and still have to pay for part of their care. It IS a shared responsibility.

Of course you don't choose to get sick. I don't choose to be diabetic (please don't preach to me about health care costs, okay?). People should be protected by insurance from crushing debt, like the $50,000/month chemotherapy costs. But they should not complain that they have to pay a $30 copay, as you did, to cure a short-term malady, manage a life-long condition, or ameliorate the effects of bad genetics (my 3 cholesterol and triglyceride lowering meds, for example).

One of the reasons healthcare reform failed in the 90's is because the plan took into account cost control, which made doctors, hospitals, and other providers very angry. My point is, and has been, that much of the problem is the out of control rise in the costs of health care, and that finding a convenient whipping boy like insurance companies will do nothing to control costs. More than a third of insured Americans are covered by self-insured plans, which means that rates are set only upon the cost of care, with no profit. Nevertheless, trend factors in the double digits occur each year (except last year) for self-insured plans. These are not the fault of the insurance companies.

Outrage, anger, and action are necessary. Some of this should absolutely be aimed at vile insurance company practices. But very very much of it is caused by irrational price hikes in the price of medical services (please don't say it's the liability coverage, that protection from negligence is less than 1% of the medical costs). We need to look at why the cost of drugs rose just before the Medicare part D plans went into effect (so they could pretend there was a "discount"?), why patients of medical groups that have bought MRI machines get referred for an MRI twice as often as other patients, why it takes a specialist to decipher your hospital bill, and why virtually every one of those bills has an error on it, never in your favor.

In the example I first responded too, Blue Cross did nothing but pay its share of the bill as its contract required. My point is that the anger is misdirected-the treatment should not have cost $75,000.

but it's not because I'm afraid of it. Jesus.

Certainly people who wish to post anonymously have something to say. I just wish I could choose not to read it (before I already have). Couldn't we have just one more radio button at the top, to say either "Read only signed" or "Filter out anonymous"? Of course, I suppose I'd like a couple more, filter out Shooter242 and filter out Brightstar, but hey, getting rid of the anonymice littering the letter section would be good enough.

No, thanks. Fox news doesn't meet my standards would be enough.

With the list of things that go wrong with cats, apparently on a regular basis, I'm just gonna say I'm really glad I'm very allergic to them! Saved!

$600 of rice, beans, and canned food.

the interviewer asked if the telecoms should not, indeed, be held liable, if they had broken the law. McConnell outright lied, saying that their analysis was that no law was broken. Renee should have followed up by saying, well, if no law was broken, then why on earth would they need immunity? Surely they will prevail in court, if no law was broken.

She didn't, which was too bad.

Was Keillor born rich? Do you suppose in his college years, he might have lived in some substandard apartments, used the bus, had his car towed? Oh no! If he is comfortable now, he was always comfortable, and the poster's discomfort is ALL HIS FAULT!

There's winter lots of places dude. And whining, too, I guess.

"...but some Americans, no matter how he denies it, are deeply distrustful of him, with a middle name like Hussein...not something many Americans are the least bit comfortable with...it may be prejudiced and narrow minded, but not going to go away...sorry!"

Have you ever noticed...that's it the repubs....who think they are making a good point....and know very little punctuation.....besides the ellipse?