tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post3914489999050368843..comments2024-03-28T06:32:24.557-04:00Comments on The Elephant Bar: The amazing political and judicial analysis of ordinary AmericansDeuce ☂http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-9766756251550904872009-06-28T20:39:12.778-04:002009-06-28T20:39:12.778-04:00By Joan Vennochi
Globe Columnist.
THE FUZZY math...<a href="http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/06/28/the_forbidding_arithmetic_of_healthcare_reform/" rel="nofollow">By Joan Vennochi <br />Globe Columnist</a>.<br /><br /><i>THE FUZZY math behind the Massachusetts universal healthcare law is starting to add up - just as Washington studies the law as a possible model for the nation.<br />...<br />Today, the current governor, Deval Patrick, a Democrat, is skeptical about the end product. Asked during a televised town hall meeting in March if he believes national healthcare legislation should be patterned after the Massachusetts plan, he said, “I don’t know. I had real misgivings about it as a candidate. . . . I’m proud of it, but I don’t know if it’s a model for the nation.’’<br /><br />The foundation of the Massachusetts law is the so-called individual mandate. That means everyone must have health insurance. From that perspective, the Massachusetts experiment is a success. The percentage of residents without insurance was down to 2.6 after two years.<br /><br />But, the law never provided an absolute way to pay for the expanded coverage, and it never addressed how to reduce costs.<br /><br />“They decoupled the access issue from the cost issue,’’ said Philip Johnston, chairman of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, which played a key role in expanding healthcare coverage here. “The lesson is, there needs to be a dedicated revenue source to support health reform.’</i>’desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1685798919431873332009-06-28T20:22:34.121-04:002009-06-28T20:22:34.121-04:00I'm also comparing the Israeli to the Fort McD...I'm also comparing the Israeli to the Fort McDowell Apaches.<br /><br />There is an equivilency between all three and the lack of equality of outcome duw to differing opportunities. And how, as financial realities change, the stereotypical view of the under performing Indian changes along with it, sometimes.<br /><br />The Apache Reservation outside of Payson has not prospered in a similar fashion.<br /><br />Sam Stieger, the Congressman that created that Reservation said it was the one Federal action he instigated that he regretted most.<br />Gramps Rat helped run Sam's campaign for Governor, he lost in the Primary to that carpetbagging Fife Symington III, who was later convicted and pardoned by Clinton of Federal bank fraud or something similar.<br /><br /><br />Because the influence of the similar cultures, as Steven Pressfield say's, "<i><b>It's the Tribes, Stupid!</b></i>" <br /><br />The further from tribal roots, the more civilized the conduct. Tribal culture still beig the enduring enemy of civilization.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-81429473574036910882009-06-28T19:50:52.282-04:002009-06-28T19:50:52.282-04:00One must admit that the Israeli had access to an a...One must admit that the Israeli had access to an abundence of capital.<br /><br />The Rothschilds guarenteed that much.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-15720458535717933942009-06-28T19:35:08.878-04:002009-06-28T19:35:08.878-04:00The Cahokia Culture did not coexist with modern ma...The Cahokia Culture did not coexist with modern man. <br />With their stone tools they used human capital, but were not in competition with any culture that had both human and financial capital.<br /><br />So you're comparing apples and oranges, across time.<br />I'm comparing the Palis and desert cultured American Indians, today. Referencing the same realistic comparisons that wi"o" brings up.<br /><br />The Egyptians did well, too, using an abundence of human capital.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-14103080660437490272009-06-28T19:27:45.713-04:002009-06-28T19:27:45.713-04:00... the urgency of doing something ...
Scenes th....<i><b>.. the urgency of doing something ..</b></i>. <br /><br />Scenes that we've all seen before.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-11280863381848775322009-06-28T17:39:58.799-04:002009-06-28T17:39:58.799-04:00Notice the festering anger that's been buildin...Notice the festering anger that's been building for eight years on Carol's beautiful face.<br /><br />She'll no doubt find solace in action. <br /><br />Actually, her festering anger has been brewing since about 1980, with only a brief eight years respite during Willie's tenure. Look back at the Safe Drinking Water regulations laid down during that regime, to say nothing of the spotted owl fiasco. <br /><br />I wish mat was still around. I feel like a bar fight. Splintered furniture, broken mirrors, glass and blood all over the floor. Sirens wailing in the distance.linearthinkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05201292791445921817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-40706071354617569872009-06-28T17:30:24.992-04:002009-06-28T17:30:24.992-04:00rufus,
PLEASE, never mention nitrogen! Otherwise,...rufus,<br /><br />PLEASE, never mention nitrogen! Otherwise, we will be declaring war on it as well...and photosynthesis...a word that long just has to be a vestige of oppression...allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01798524644256471907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-23377425217352558792009-06-28T17:30:19.552-04:002009-06-28T17:30:19.552-04:00Carol Browner and Steven Chu.
Their professional...<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/obama-picks-dream-green-team/2008/12/16/1229189623217.html" rel="nofollow"><br />Carol Browner and Steven Chu</a>.<br /><br /><br /><em>Their professional credentials are seen as a sign of Mr Obama's determination to deal with climate change.<br /><br />"This is clearly a green dream team," said Gene Karpinski, the head of the League of Conservation Voters.<br /><br />The president of the Earth Policy Institute, Lester Brown, said: "We can expect some strong initiatives reflecting the sense of seriousness and the urgency of doing something about climate change"</em>.linearthinkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05201292791445921817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-48919599486351051832009-06-28T17:24:56.733-04:002009-06-28T17:24:56.733-04:00Civilizations/cultures come and go.
Drought, op...Civilizations/cultures come and go. <br /><br />Drought, oppressive religions/governments, overreaching<br /><br />Who knows? Here we are in the 21st Century, and we're no better than Mayans, tearing the hearts out of their "sacrifices."<br /><br />We're going headlong into backwardation. Declaring War on the most beneficial/life-giving component (along with oxygen) of our atmosphere.<br /><br />Some sort of weird, perverse religion gone amuck. It's mind-destroying.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-47119592320266423022009-06-28T17:18:53.253-04:002009-06-28T17:18:53.253-04:00linearthinker,
The greenhouses are a classic case...linearthinker,<br /><br />The greenhouses are a classic case in point. These people prefer arid desert to lush, green pastures. That being the case, they will have to control the entire earth to create enough deserts for their growing population.allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01798524644256471907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-81342807030104600932009-06-28T17:14:25.815-04:002009-06-28T17:14:25.815-04:00"The way we guarantee safe drinking water is ...<em>"The way we guarantee safe drinking water is broken and needs to be fixed." Carol Browner, U.S. EPA</em>.<br /><br />Those damned Bushies messed everything up.<br /><br />Brace yourselves. Utopia don't come cheap.linearthinkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05201292791445921817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-90807938219126329532009-06-28T17:03:42.707-04:002009-06-28T17:03:42.707-04:00That is good news, Rufus, even if the research see...That is good news, Rufus, even if the research seems to demonstrate the old "intuitive grasp for the obvious."<br /><br />Don't worry about word getting out. The work will be discredited and the young professor denied tenure. We mustn't waste resources on frivolous projects that refute accepted knowledge. Carbon dioxide is a pollutant, and that's it.<br /><br />Thus sayeth Carol Browner and the men in black.<br /><br />Even if the soybean refuse and corn stalks can be processed through a cellulosic refinery.linearthinkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05201292791445921817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-45950736973168891582009-06-28T16:45:10.392-04:002009-06-28T16:45:10.392-04:00Look at Israel. When Jews began to return in volum...<em>Look at Israel. When Jews began to return in volume at the turn of the 20thC, much of the land was fit only for goat herding. Now, even the Negev is bountiful - a land flowing with milk and honey</em>.<br /><br />Only when they hang on to it. The green houses in Gaza. Don't forget the greenhouses. <br /><br />Which we've been told here were looted only as some form of perverted restitution for earlier <br />wrongs endured.linearthinkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05201292791445921817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-66240807531244535812009-06-28T16:40:28.173-04:002009-06-28T16:40:28.173-04:00To anticipate, it is true the Cahokians had large ...To anticipate, it is true the Cahokians had large rivers at hand as well as adequately dispersed, abundant rainfall. That conceded, the Mayan culture did not, in counterpoint.allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01798524644256471907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-67843490371674639392009-06-28T16:39:27.168-04:002009-06-28T16:39:27.168-04:00Prior to the casino revenues being available for r...<em>Prior to the casino revenues being available for reinvestment, those Indians lived in abject poverty and no amount of 'hard work' made any difference, without capital to invest in infrastructure, employees and equipment</em>.<br /><br />The Nez might take a cue from their Apache cousins. It's been said here that no good comes from the casino receipts up there.linearthinkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05201292791445921817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-59468787735605972972009-06-28T16:35:56.366-04:002009-06-28T16:35:56.366-04:00Here is some wonderful research done at the Univ o...Here is some wonderful research done at the Univ of Illinois. <br /><br />In an ongoing program called FACE a young professor has raised soybeans, and corn in open fields with varying concentrations of atmospheric CO2.<br /><br />Amazing Results. At concentrations of 550 ppm (estimated for 2050) <a href="http://soyface.illinois.edu/results/AAAS%202004%20poster%20Leakey.pdf" rel="nofollow">Soybeans Yielded + 13%, and Corn + 26%</a>. <br /><br />Also, they used less water, and "food quality" was the same.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-12745447617347403282009-06-28T16:34:41.567-04:002009-06-28T16:34:41.567-04:00Hard labor has made all the difference in agricult...Hard labor has made all the difference in agriculture when centrally controlled. The Cahokia Culture is an excellent example. <br /><br />These people had no capital. They lived in the stone-age. Although they used copper decoratively, they never made the leap to bronze. Moreover, they did not benefit from the use of heavy draft animals, the wheel, or pulley. <br /><br />Despite these capital disadvantages, they were able to practice productive agriculture over large areas for extended periods of time through the use of the levy en masse. Using no more than simple stone tools and woven baskets, armies of Cahokians moved mountains of earth by hand, turning an otherwise riparian wilderness into a vast, productive plantation. <br /><br />Where there is the will, there is a way.allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01798524644256471907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-88307926283819164092009-06-28T16:11:14.118-04:002009-06-28T16:11:14.118-04:00(NOTHRHAR)(NOTHRHAR)trishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139410627244875589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-14283071745422210282009-06-28T16:10:16.455-04:002009-06-28T16:10:16.455-04:00Hang in there, What Is.
Hang in there.
(Alternat...Hang in there, What Is.<br /><br />Hang in there.<br /><br />(Alternatively, purchase yourself a sunny, narrow valley in Colorado and invite all your close acquaintances to bake bread and weave cloth and issue the occasional manifesto.)trishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139410627244875589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-4413275727958883812009-06-28T16:03:26.950-04:002009-06-28T16:03:26.950-04:00Ripping off a TPFW Cole-ism:
I'm goin' Ga...Ripping off a TPFW Cole-ism:<br /><br />I'm goin' Galt on a bottle of rum tonight with Unassuming Bad Ass and friends.<br /><br />Because it's another three day weekend and it shall not be wasted.trishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139410627244875589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-13714464373868906342009-06-28T15:53:51.752-04:002009-06-28T15:53:51.752-04:00I see the future...
Peace within our time...
Res...I see the future...<br /><br />Peace within our time...<br /><br />Resistance is futile....<br /><br />Assimilation....<br /><br />Yep...<br /><br />No more talking about it.<br /><br />Time to figure out<br /><br /> Who is John Galt?What is "Occupation"https://www.blogger.com/profile/08237879055691019968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-42034408935469316792009-06-28T15:18:20.681-04:002009-06-28T15:18:20.681-04:00War?
No more like Trish's fencing analogy.
T...War?<br /><br />No more like Trish's fencing analogy.<br /><br />This is an appeasing crowd in charge now. The most they will do is an occasional Waco from time to time.<br /><br />Even today, the news is that poppy eradication efforts in Afghanistan have failed and are being abandoned. First Afghanistan, then North America. You watch.<br /><br />Sat Jun 27, 11:15:00 AM EDTtrishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139410627244875589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-84634485342927963102009-06-28T14:58:14.039-04:002009-06-28T14:58:14.039-04:00By Mica Rosenberg
TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - The Hon...<i>By Mica Rosenberg<br /><br />TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - The Honduran army ousted leftist President Manuel Zelaya and exiled him on Sunday in Central America's first military coup since the Cold War, after he upset the army by trying to seek another term in office.<br /><br />President Barack Obama and the European Union expressed deep concern after troops came for Zelaya, an ally of socialist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, around dawn and took him away from his residence.<br /><br />Speaking on Venezuelan state television, Chavez -- who has long championed the left in Latin America -- said he would do everything necessary to abort the coup against his close ally.<br /><br />A military plane flew Zelaya to Costa Rica and CNN's Spanish-language channel said he had asked for asylum there.<br /><br /></i>desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-86182714473879567962009-06-28T14:53:06.025-04:002009-06-28T14:53:06.025-04:00Those dollars from their share of casino revenues ...Those dollars from their share of casino revenues invested in both a better standard of living, immediately, and for the long haul.<br /><br />And it was not whit that brought up Afpakistan and the drug trade.<br /><br />Credit where it is due, den mother.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-53704444994312047852009-06-28T14:50:26.828-04:002009-06-28T14:50:26.828-04:00If one looks to the Fort McDowell Apaches, one wou...If one looks to the Fort McDowell Apaches, one would find that capital improvements were what made the difference in the ag production on the Reservation. Turning desolate desert into blossoming farmlands.<br /><br />Prior to the casino revenues being available for reinvestment, those Indians lived in abject poverty and no amount of 'hard work' made any difference, without capital to invest in infrastructure, employees and equipment.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.com