Month: December 2009

I’ve been doing this since I started blogging, and this year is no exception.

A quote which sums up my feelings regarding the holiday, even as a non-Christian:

“There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say,” returned the nephew: “Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round — apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that — as a good time: a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!”
— Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

In short, it’s a holiday that often makes people treat one another just a bit BETTER. Even if only for a short time. There’s surely something wonderous in that.

Merry Christmas, all.

The holiday travel joy has begun.

Kid 3 arrives this evening from Colorado — and so far, things are looking OK there.

Kid 1, however, has been bumped to tomorrow. TOMORROW. Flights in and out of JFK are fine. Not a problem at all. No, the problem is the ridiculous puddle-jump from Hartford to JFK. No flight crew, massive cancellations. She can’t fly out of Hartford AT ALL today. Ridiculous. The fucking airline could’ve hired a BUS to take people from Hartford to JFK and she would’ve made her connection on time. But no, the days of airline accountability are long since gone.

So tomorrow? More ridiculous. Hartford to Fort Meyers to Atlanta to KC. Yeah, Atlanta. Busiest airport, reputation for fuck-ups, 3 days before Christmas. To be honest, I’m expecting she’ll get stuck there, and we’ll see her on Wednesday.

Remember when we had an air travel system that worked?

I haven’t been posting about the “progress” that’s been made on Health Care reform efforts… Just sitting here, with each passing day, watching the hope I had during the last election bleed out onto the floor.

Here’s a brilliant thought, though. A post from Cenk Uygur which advocates ignoring the current bill (letting it die), and instead simply using a reconciliation vote to pass a law that opens Medicare to anyone who wants to buy in, regardless of age.

*Bam* Problem solved.

The influx of people buying in to Medicare would immediately solve its solvency issues. The threat to their business model would force insurance companies to lower premiums, stop the whole “pre-existing conditions” nonsense, etc., to remain competitive with Medicare, and prevent people from abandoning them.

The Republicans (and Conservative Democrats) can’t argue against Medicare, or they’ll doom themselves to political oblivion.

A simple 51-vote majority, and it’s done — doing more than the current bill would do, without all of the byzantine loopholes and special-interest crap. A simple law — remove the age restriction on Medicare, and allow anyone who wants it to buy in.

Now, how do we push this idea?