Let's start with the definition (I had to look it up, myself, I have to admit).

superannuate -- (1) to allow to retire from service or office on a pension because of age or infirmity. (2) to set aside as out of date; remove as too old.

This is a tough subject to write about, because Edward "Teddy" Kennedy, brother of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, has served Massachusetts in the United States Senate longer than I've been alive -- almost a half-century. Served, it hardly needs adding, with distinction. His nickname on Capitol Hill these days is "The Lion of the Senate," which just shows the respect and admiration many other politicians feel for the man.

It's also tough to write about because the Kennedy clan's history was seemingly written by a classical Greek tragedist in a particularly foul mood. And the timing, right after a matron of the family was just laid to rest, doesn't help either.

But facts must be faced, and the fact is that Ted Kennedy is nearing the end of his life. And the fact is also that he has not been an effective senator for his home state much in the past few months. The cause, of course, of this particular Kennedy tragedy, is medical. Kennedy is fighting a nasty form of brain cancer, which more than explains his continued absence from the Senate floor of late. But while this is a fact to be explained (and, one assumes, forgiven) by his constituents (who, for the most part, revere Kennedy) -- it is a fact nonetheless.

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There is certainly no shortage of irony in the debate raging across the country on healthcare reform. For me, though, the choicest bit of irony has to be the new rallying cry of those who want to shoot down any reform efforts -- that it would provide insurance for illegal immigrants. This irony is lost on those who don't know their history, though. Because fear of immigrants is what started the concept of "public health" in America. But back then, it was fear of sick immigrants infecting everyone else which drove the debate. Hence the irony.

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Whenever I talk about economic matters, I always make sure to admit up front that I (mostly) have no idea what I'm talking about. I see far too many in the punditocracy who pompously pronounce on prices, percentages, or profit margins as if they really were an expert in the field -- but who, for the most part, are merely parroting partisan politics or promoting perceptions fed to them by "conventional wisdom" popinjays. OK, that was a mouthful, but you get the point. I'm not one of these self-proclaimed "experts," is all I'm saying here.

I have a few questions about healthcare reform, even if I don't have solid answers. Solid answers, when looking at the economics of the insurance industry, quickly lead you to the equation "insurance equals discrimination." Insurance, by its actuarial nature, has to discriminate, or else it couldn't survive. But that is really a topic for another day. My questions today are about the costs of healthcare discrimination, and what reform will do to alter this equation.

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Everyone has their own opinion as to what the federal government does best -- which government dollar is the most well-spent, in other words. Some would say the military, or Medicare, or farm subsidies. For me, it's a close tie between the Interstate Highway System and the National Park System, both of which I appreciate whenever I get a chance to use them.

Which is why it was heartening to see President Obama taking his family to visit two of the crown jewels of the National Park System -- Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. Most presidents don't even get around to visiting a National Park in their first year in office, unless you count the many places in Washington, D.C. which are administered by the National Park Service (technically, even the White House would count, under this designation). And even when most presidents do visit National Parks, it is usually to make a political point or push a specific piece of legislation, with a park as a convenient photo-op backdrop.

But Obama and his family weren't pushing any environmental legislation or making any kind of political point this past weekend. They looked like any other tourist family, there to enjoy the spectacular beauty with their kids (except for the Secret Service detail, of course). Barack Obama made a trip West with his own mother and grandmother when he was a young boy, and he obviously was taking the opportunity to do the same with his children. What could be more American and more family-oriented than that?

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The healthcare reform fracas has gotten so bad, it has forced some in the media to actually do their jobs. This statement will come as a shock to anyone who has become accustomed to the way these soi-disant "journalists" present just about any issue these days -- by having a center-left politician and a hard-right politician on to "debate," and then fanning the flames by refusing to referee and provide actual facts to the discussion. But I think now (maybe) the "journalists" have finally gotten to the point of embarrassment, leading them to actually report on what is true and what is not in the entire debate. In other words, as I said, to do their actual jobs.

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One of the most striking features of the desert is its silence.

Take a walk in the desert, and you won't hear much unless the wind is blowing strong enough to whisper faintly. People are few and far between, so even human speech doesn't intrude much at all. When I planned a vacation out to some desert sights, I had no idea that the silence would be the most welcome thing about the trip. While traveling, I was not listening to any news, and therefore missed most of the town hall frenzy which took place (although I did manage to catch most of Obama's town hall in New Hampshire on television, right before checking out of a motel).

But, while the silence was indeed relaxing (in comparison to following the news as closely as I normally do), one of the most striking things to me from the trip came when the silence was broken by people talking. Because in roughly about 80-90 percent of the cases, the language spoken wasn't English.

But before I get into that, let's start with some vacation photos. These first three are from one of the most awesome natural formations anywhere on Earth -- Antelope Canyon. This is one of the few places on this planet you can go where it is almost impossible to take a bad picture. Don't believe me? Take a look:

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[Originally ran July 22, 2009 -- see note at bottom]

In a few hours from now, President Barack Obama will give a live press conference to the nation. This is part of a new and concerted media effort by the White House to make Obama much more visible in the debate on healthcare reform. But being visible is one thing, and showing leadership is another. Because President Obama has so far been unwilling to tackle the tough decisions on healthcare reform, at least not in public. And, as Obama is accusing his detractors of doing, this is nothing more than playing politics with the issue by avoiding personal political risk to himself. Disturbingly, Obama hasn't even been very good at this political cheerleading, although he has gotten better in the past few days.

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[Originally ran June 15, 2009 -- see note at bottom]

In the debate about healthcare reform, why are the loudest voices in the room the ones who seemingly are against all reform? Where are the champions of the progressive ideas? I've asked this question (at great length) before, and while President Obama has started to (half-heartedly) speak up for "the public option," so far nobody else seems to be defending the idea at all. To say this is a disappointment is an understatement. Part of the problem is that the senator all Democrats are deferring to on the issue is Teddy Kennedy. Who has his own problems with healthcare right now, which precludes his being a leading and forceful voice to the public on the issue.

Or does it?

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[Originally ran June 9, 2009 -- see note at bottom]

The debate over what, exactly, "healthcare reform" means is about to hit fever pitch (so to speak), and instead of diving into the legislative details of what seems to be emerging from congressional Democrats, I would like to make a broad suggestion in how they should be framing the issue correctly. Some may call this approach naive, but I truly believe that rather than fighting for one species of reform over the other, Democrats need to first adequately define the core principle they are fighting for. Their "values" on healthcare reform, to put it another way. And while it may not be achievable this time around, I think the goal Democrats should loudly proclaim they are attempting is a very simple one: nobody should ever go bankrupt because they get sick.

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As the Republican Party sinks slowly in the South....

That line has nothing to do, really, with President Barack Obama's second hundred days in office, but, after re-reading three months of my own columns, it was the one thing I wrote which jumped out at me as a good overview of the zeitgeist of the period.

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