The flu- a gift that keeps on giving...

No more fever, thankfully. Joints stopped hurting. Feel a bit stronger and steadier, though I still have moments of dizziness.

Now, instead, lung and throat congestion that keeps me coughing, and coughing, and COUGHING. It's gone from being annoying to outright painful.

I can't write, can't work, can't do much of anything that badly needs doing at this point because I can't even take a deep breath without a coughing fit.

I could have gone to the Arcade Expo in Houston today, maybe run into doctorpinkerton, except for this damn flu.

The flu- a gift that keeps on giving...

No more fever, thankfully. Joints stopped hurting. Feel a bit stronger and steadier, though I still have moments of dizziness.

Now, instead, lung and throat congestion that keeps me coughing, and coughing, and COUGHING. It's gone from being annoying to outright painful.

I can't write, can't work, can't do much of anything that badly needs doing at this point because I can't even take a deep breath without a coughing fit.

I could have gone to the Arcade Expo in Houston today, maybe run into doctorpinkerton, except for this damn flu.

Stupor Bowl 2009: the Fourth Update

( For those not interested in godawful college football, this convenient cut. )

Wow- this late in the season, still either seven or (more likely) eight contenders- with four unvictorious teams. This is a banner year for suck, isn't it?

Stupor Bowl 2009: the Fourth Update

( For those not interested in godawful college football, this convenient cut. )

Wow- this late in the season, still either seven or (more likely) eight contenders- with four unvictorious teams. This is a banner year for suck, isn't it?

It passed the House.

Now, there's quite a bit I'm not happy with about the general path of healthcare reform.

Individuals will be forced to buy corporate health insurance, except for those who can't afford it. I really do NOT like this item.

Employers will be forced to buy health insurance for all employees, unless they employ fewer than either five or twenty-five (I've seen both) people. I also think this is a bad idea- indeed, employer-based healthcare is a HORRIBLE idea, especially if you want to reverse the current gaping trade deficit. We'd do much better to get employers out of the healthcare biz entirely, and instead give raises to everybody.

You can only get the public option if you're profoundly sick or absolutely destitute. Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of having a public option- to provide a CHOICE for those who are healthy, but don't want to deal with the corporate healthcare giants?

If you're poor, you get subsidies to buy your insurance... but only as tax credits which might or might not be refundable. Which means you have to have the money up front for the individual mandate, and give up that money for at least a year, before the government gives you any help at all... and then the help might not be enough.

If you don't buy insurance, you risk going to prison.

The public option, and the hardship insurance exchanges, will be run not by the federal government but by the states. BAD idea, especially for those like me who live in red states where said states will do everything in their power to prevent people from using either.

All in all, there's quite a lot to dislike about healthcare reform. And I also worry about stuff that might come later- fines and punishment for eating fatty foods, for not exercising enough, increased control of personal daily decisions on what to buy, what to eat, whether or not to smoke, etc.

BUT.

Lifetime caps on medical expenditures- that is, after a point it stops coming out of your pocket if things get really bad.

Bans on dropping coverage if a problem comes up like diabetes, muscular dystrophy, etc.

Coverage of basic checkups and preventative care made mandatory.

And, even if those don't appeal to you... look how hard the Republicans, the party of torture, the party of bigotry, the party of ignorance, the party of threats of secession and of armed revolt, look how hard they're fighting to stop this. Anything they fear so much must have more good than bad in it.

And quite frankly, having seen how they lie so blatantly, so confident in the voters' amnesia- the party of Social Security privatization and Medicare abolition, defending seniors? Death panels? Healthcare reform worse than Hitler?? After seeing their conduct in this, I might just support a bill to ban ham sandwiches if they came out against it.

So I'm a bit relieved that healthcare reform passed the House- BARELY. (220 to 215, 218 needed to pass; 39 Democrats voted no, one Republican (in an overwhelmingly Democratic district) voted yes.)

I still don't see how it- or anything- passes the Senate, though. The Republicans are united, and Liebermann has essentialy joined them, along with three or four Democrats. If there's a filibuster, nothing gets passed, because no bill the Democrats propose will get sixty votes, period.

But tonight it's a bit of a victory, so I'll sleep a little better.

(Once I take my decongestant, since I can't afford to see a doctor for this damn flu. Cough, cough, cough.)

It passed the House.

Now, there's quite a bit I'm not happy with about the general path of healthcare reform.

Individuals will be forced to buy corporate health insurance, except for those who can't afford it. I really do NOT like this item.

Employers will be forced to buy health insurance for all employees, unless they employ fewer than either five or twenty-five (I've seen both) people. I also think this is a bad idea- indeed, employer-based healthcare is a HORRIBLE idea, especially if you want to reverse the current gaping trade deficit. We'd do much better to get employers out of the healthcare biz entirely, and instead give raises to everybody.

You can only get the public option if you're profoundly sick or absolutely destitute. Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of having a public option- to provide a CHOICE for those who are healthy, but don't want to deal with the corporate healthcare giants?

If you're poor, you get subsidies to buy your insurance... but only as tax credits which might or might not be refundable. Which means you have to have the money up front for the individual mandate, and give up that money for at least a year, before the government gives you any help at all... and then the help might not be enough.

If you don't buy insurance, you risk going to prison.

The public option, and the hardship insurance exchanges, will be run not by the federal government but by the states. BAD idea, especially for those like me who live in red states where said states will do everything in their power to prevent people from using either.

All in all, there's quite a lot to dislike about healthcare reform. And I also worry about stuff that might come later- fines and punishment for eating fatty foods, for not exercising enough, increased control of personal daily decisions on what to buy, what to eat, whether or not to smoke, etc.

BUT.

Lifetime caps on medical expenditures- that is, after a point it stops coming out of your pocket if things get really bad.

Bans on dropping coverage if a problem comes up like diabetes, muscular dystrophy, etc.

Coverage of basic checkups and preventative care made mandatory.

And, even if those don't appeal to you... look how hard the Republicans, the party of torture, the party of bigotry, the party of ignorance, the party of threats of secession and of armed revolt, look how hard they're fighting to stop this. Anything they fear so much must have more good than bad in it.

And quite frankly, having seen how they lie so blatantly, so confident in the voters' amnesia- the party of Social Security privatization and Medicare abolition, defending seniors? Death panels? Healthcare reform worse than Hitler?? After seeing their conduct in this, I might just support a bill to ban ham sandwiches if they came out against it.

So I'm a bit relieved that healthcare reform passed the House- BARELY. (220 to 215, 218 needed to pass; 39 Democrats voted no, one Republican (in an overwhelmingly Democratic district) voted yes.)

I still don't see how it- or anything- passes the Senate, though. The Republicans are united, and Liebermann has essentialy joined them, along with three or four Democrats. If there's a filibuster, nothing gets passed, because no bill the Democrats propose will get sixty votes, period.

But tonight it's a bit of a victory, so I'll sleep a little better.

(Once I take my decongestant, since I can't afford to see a doctor for this damn flu. Cough, cough, cough.)