Your words are, apparently, prophetic..

It's being reported that the Medicare Buy-In has been dropped by the Senate.

Next on the chopping block.. The Government Monitored "Private Plan".

I guess my label of "DunselCare" was equally prophetic... :D

Who can logically and rationally argue the label??

Michale....

When you absolutely have to please everyone its a forgone conclusion that you get the ultimate in "legislation by written by committee."—Watered-down, ineffective, contradictory and self-defeating.

But Chris has had it right all along. This is the opening salvo in a very long battle to come. There was never any hope of scoring a real victory, what we've always had to do is avoid an immediate forced surrender.

So yes, Michale, anything positive is a win and we're willing to swallow a lot of crow just to get something passed.

And Chris, Harry's check has already bounced. His protestations aside this shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone. Nor would I be surprised if Joe was not the last to kidnap the bill; since Dems have no choice but to pay any ransom demanded to anyone who does so.

'60' isn't a silver bullet, its a knife to your throat. Always has been. Never understood why no-one seemed to see that—Except the Republicans.

Lieberman Resists Medicare Buy-In Plan
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20091214/D9CJ3VPO0.html

Michale.....

Yea, The Cage was the original B/W episode that was later re-edited into The Menagerie, TOS's only 2-part episode. I am certain you know all this, but I figured I would give a little background for those less Trek-inclined. :D

The line I quoted was from the end of the second part (after the Courts Martial) when Kirk commented about Spock's "tendency towards blatant emotionalism" over the issue of Captain Pike... :D

This would have affected me no matter how I got service. Some idjit took out a telephone pole on a main road near me, so they had to put a whole new pole up and then make thousands of connections. They worked around the clock (saw them still out there past midnight) and it still took a day and a half before things started working again!

I feel for ya. When we get hit by hurricanes and lose power for a couple weeks, I go into 'Net Shock... :D

Michale.....

Yeah, I kind of thought about waiting to see what happened with the Reid compromise, but then I thought what the heck -- he doesn't get many chances at the MIDOTW...

I must be getting soft. Either that or Xmas is coming...

Heh.

As for:

We knew they were ineffectual when we elected them!—We're DEMOCRATS! And while no-one is more in awe of the party discipline shown by Republicans this past decade there's something to be said for politicians too constitutionally disorganized to really be competently corrupt.

Thanks, haven't had a good belly laugh in a while, and this fit the bill! As Homer Simpson once said "It's funny because it's true..."

Michale -

Sure that wasn't "The Cage"? Probably not, sounds like something Spock said during the actual trial.

Elizabeth -

It's nice to be missed!

:-)

Michale -

This would have affected me no matter how I got service. Some idjit took out a telephone pole on a main road near me, so they had to put a whole new pole up and then make thousands of connections. They worked around the clock (saw them still out there past midnight) and it still took a day and a half before things started working again!

OK, cleaned up the database a bit, but there may be a slight interruption in service in the next ten minutes or so, just to warn folks...

If anybody has any problems logging in or with passwords, let me know, I've been scrubbing the user list on the database. I don't think I broke anything, but you never know...

-CW

I keep tellin' ya that yer gonna have to give up your Tin Cans/String 'Net service eventually!! :D

Michale.....

"If you're gonna drag me (kick'n an'a scream'n all the way) into recognizing Reid may have inadvertently simulated congressional leadership I'm gonna have to see actual results. No way will I abandon common-sense, past history, and the known universe on spec!

I sincerely hope that MIDOTW award's only a loner ’til the check clears."

Welcome back!

It's good to have you back in the loop.

I noticed you were gone, you know. :)

My phone and internet service has been down for the last 36 hours. This postponed planned upgrades this weekend. I still hope to get some things done, but in a minor way today, so you may experience minor problems with the site.

I'll get to answering comments in a bit, just wanted to say "I'm back"... oh, and to say "welcome back" to LewDan!

-CW

Make that "The Menagerie, PART 2"

DOH!!! :D

Michale.....

"I see no reason to insult me, sir. I believe I have acted in a completely logical manner."
-Commander Spock, STAR TREK, The Menagerie PART 1

:D

Michale.....

If you're gonna drag me (kick'n an'a scream'n all the way) into recognizing Reid may have inadvertently simulated congressional leadership I'm gonna have to see actual results. No way will I abandon common-sense, past history, and the known universe on spec!

I sincerely hope that MIDOTW award's only a loner 'til the check clears.

Otherwise I agree with you. Getting anything progressive would be an achievement. Of course I too wanted actual reforms or at least something effective—But we're talk'n Democrats here. If they can accomplish anything at least its something.

Michale...

We knew they were ineffectual when we elected them!—We're DEMOCRATS! And while no-one is more in awe of the party discipline shown by Republicans this past decade there's something to be said for politicians too constitutionally disorganized to really be competently corrupt.

As for blaming Bush!? The "Party of NO!"(TM) has spent the last 12 months trying to get anybody and everybody to blame—excuse me!—CREDIT them with stopping everything and anything. Why would anyone go to the trouble of resurrecting the shrub just to deny his co-conspirators the scorn and derision they've worked so long and hard to attain?

...Still, I've been away. Its good to see you're still here amusing yourself annoying the peasants—though I'm amazed you've mellowed so much you admit to admiring Democrats! Close association with Chris and the rest here is corrupting you.

Come now...

Do you HONESTLY expect that Democrats will take the blame if DunselCare turns out badly??

Of course not.

They will simply drag out President Bush and blame all the bad things on him...

But I have to say.. I am honestly impressed by Democrats these days.

Being a Cup-Is-Half-Full kinda guy myself, I have to admire the spin of the Dems..

DunselCare has missed deadline after deadline after deadline. It's pretty much useless as real reform and it will NOT have a Public Option..

And yet, Democrats are STILL looking at this as a "win"..

I must say, I admire the spunk.. :D

I would probably admire it a lot more if I didn't know that it was based on nothing more than political expediency...

Is there ANYTHING for which Democrats would draw a bright line in the sand and say, "THIS FAR... NO FARTHER!!"

Anything???

Michale.....

Actually, I don't know what's been happening on this front...but I can imagine and I guess I've seen it one too many times already.