Month: October 2007

What Ezra Said McCain Healthcare Edition

No Comments

Ezra Klein, once more showing that he writes better than I ever will. comments on McCain’s healthcare proposal

It’s another of these plans to sprinkle magical tax credits all across the land that will incentivize folks to buy less health insurance, but do absolutely nothing for the cost of care. Families get a $5,000 tax credit to help them buy insurance, and they can keep what they don’t use, and so the hope is, they’ll buy plans with higher deductibles, be unable to afford the deductibles, and will thus buy less care. It’s like if I tried to make food cheaper by encouraging you to diet.

I love that line on dieting, and it cuts every Republican healthcare plan to the quick.

Sweden to renew Gripens as Thailand selects Swedish fighter-17/10/2007-Washington DC-Flightglobal.com

No Comments

SAAB just scored a major export coup, Thailand has selected Sweden the Gripen fighter and the Erieye airborne early warning aircraft in a $1.1 billion dollar contract.

Considering that Thailand already operates the F-16, it’s rather a surprise, though there may have been US export issues related to the recent Thai coup.

Particularly in light of the upgrades planned, the Gripen, the smallest, lightest, and cheapest of the 4.5 generation fighters (also Typhoon and Rafale) may be the Mirage III of the next decade.

More Evidence that the Siegelman Prosecution was a Frame Up

No Comments

Read the whole article, but it appears that the first judge was removed on the case because, on the basis that, “because he was prejudiced against the prosecution. The basis cited for this prejudice was that a California U.S. attorney had, a decade earlier, conducted an inquiry focusing on Judge Clemon’s sister.”

The judge that they selected, Judge Mark Fuller, was known to have a personal grudge against Siegelman, and he also had a CURRENT complaint of criminal activity against him with the public integrity division of the DoJ.

I believe that the status of food preservation in Copenhagen is extremely poor.

One Orc in New Zealand Kills Amazon’s 1-Click Patent

No Comments

Peter Calveley of Auckland, New Zealand, after receiving poor service from Amazon, took it upon himself to document the prior art on Amazon’s one click patent. The USPTO review his research, and invalidated 21 of 26 of the claims in the patent.

Mr Calveley, whose previous claim to fame is having “worked as a motion capture performer and appeared as part of the evil armies in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings”.

It’s amazing what disgruntled customer, his blog, and a few thousand customers can do.

What is even more amazing is that the USPTO didn’t punt this whole thing.

Cristofascist Groups Rake in the Dough

No Comments

According to Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a review of IRS returns shows that Christofascist groups receipts skyrocketed in 2006.

  • James Dobson’s Focus on the Family took in $142.2 million in 2006, a $4.4 million increase over the previous year. (In addition, Dobson’s Focus on the Family Action took in $14.6 million in 2006.)
  • Tony Perkins’ Family Research Council took in $10.3 million in 2006, an increase of over $900,000 over the previous year. (FRC Action, an affiliated group, took in $1.1 million in 2006.)
  • Don Wildmon’s American Family Association took in $16.9 million in 2006.
  • Alan Sears’ Alliance Defense Fund took in $26.1 million in 2006, an increase of $4.1 million over last year.
  • TV preacher Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network took in $236.3 million in 2005, a $49.8 million increase over the previous year.

Remember, just because the Democrats won congress in 2006, and look likely to win the presidency in 2008 does not mean that they are going away.

By way of example 99.8%, or 499 out of 500 complaints to the FCC in 2003 were from the Christofascist group Action for Children’s Television.

These people are still a cancer on the body politic.

Ron Paul Needs to Do Something About This

No Comments

This is not a condemnation of Ron Paul, but of a small> segment of his supporters.

Specifically, Paul has become the “it girl” on the (literally) Neo-Nazis and White Nationalists. My guess is that his generally isolationist foreign policy appeals to him.

I have no doubt that Paul is horrified about this, and he needs to do something.

I’m not entirely sure what, maybe giving a speech at a synagogue and having pictures taken with a Yamulke on.

Quote of the Day: Barack Obama

No Comments

Barack Obama on Jay Leno:

Hillary is not the first politician in Washington to declare ‘Mission Accomplished’ a little too soon.

Pithy, quotable, and profoundly damning.

The answer was in response to statements about the inevitability of Hillary, and that was a delightfully sharp shiv. I’d like to see some more from Obama, because I still have doubts about his willingness to do it, as Sean Connery said in The Untouchables, “The Chicago Way”.

House Fails to Override SCHIP Veto

No Comments

Bummer.

By a vote of 273 to 156, the measure fell 13 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed for an override. Forty-four Republicans voted for the override.

So pass a 1 month extention, and come back again, and again, and again…

For what it’s worth, two “Democrats”, Representatives Gene Taylor (MS) and Jim Marshall (GA) voted with the Republicans.

Time to vote these jerks off the island. Do they have primary challengers?

Chris Dodd Is Now Number 2 On My Dem Candidates List

No Comments

As you are no doubt aware, the Senate caved to Bush and His Evil Minions™ on indemnifying the telcos.

The Honorable Christopher Dodd (D-CT) has put a hold on the bill.

As I have said before, this amnesty is about covering up the fact that Bush used the telcos to spy on his political opponents.

Any Senator in the race who does not do all they can to strike this provision (yes, that means signing on to a filibuster) will not get my vote for President, that means you, Clinton, Biden, and Obama.

For Senator Obama it means showing up for the votes and taking a stand. I know that you are running for president, but it seems that you are dodging these votes.

As to why Dodd is #2 on my list, behind Edwards, while is he is great on non-economic interests, I think that he is not as good on non-economic issues, particularly those dealing with Wall Street, though considering that 1/3 of Wall Street lives in Southern Connecticut, I’m not surprised.