On the Repeal of Health Care Reform

Today, the House of Representatives will be voting on the “Repeal the Job Killing Health Care Law Act.” This bill, written by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, would repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that was passed by the last Congress, and, despite some requests that, in the wake of the Tuscon shootingsContinue reading “On the Repeal of Health Care Reform”

On Health Care Reform, Then and Now

Saturday mornings I have a routine. I get up. I fix coffee. I eat a bowl of cereal. I listen to Weekend Edition Saturday on NPR. This has been my routine for pretty much the past three years; prior to that, I always worked on Saturdays, and thus Weekend Edition wasn’t something I could listenContinue reading “On Health Care Reform, Then and Now”

On Health Care Reform and the Republican Party

Are Republicans genuinely interested in governing? Are they genuinely interested in solving society’s problems? I have to wonder. The Republicans have been saying, all along, that they’ve been frozen out of the health care reform process. That the Democrats are ignoring their ideas. And yet, Ezra Klein of the Washington Post points out that theContinue reading “On Health Care Reform and the Republican Party”

On Writing My Congressman

The text of an e-mail I just sent to Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger: Dear Representative Ruppersberger, Like many Americans, I have been following the health care debate the past year. I believe that the health care system we have is broken and badly in need of repair. I find it appalling that in this, one ofContinue reading “On Writing My Congressman”

On the Path to Health Care Reform

So. Where does health care reform go from here? (For those reading at some future date, the context — Martha Coakley lost a special election in Massachusetts, depriving Democrats of the 60 vote majority they had in the Senate). As strange as this sounds, I think that health care reform is in a better positionContinue reading “On the Path to Health Care Reform”

On Health Care Bills and Their Length

Ten and twelve year-old children can read through J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels. I heard an interview on NPR where one young girl read through the final book twice in twelve hours. Harry Potter, massive tomes that they are, are often and avidly consumed by children. So, why are Republican Senators having such a difficultContinue reading “On Health Care Bills and Their Length”

On Letters to Congress

Wednesday night, like millions of Americans, I watched President Obama’s speech to a joint session of Congress on the need for health reform. And, like millions of Americans, I heard a Congressman shout out from the floor “You lie!” when the President insisted that his plan did not cover illegal aliens. It turned out, theContinue reading “On Letters to Congress”

On Health Care Reform and the Debate

Can we invoke Godwin’s Law on the protestors railing against health care reform? We have cases such as these: A woman in Massachusetts compares reform to Nazism and holds up a sign of President Obama with a Hitler-esque mustache, prompting Representative Barney Frank to ask her what world she lives in and compare speaking withContinue reading “On Health Care Reform and the Debate”

On John McCain’s Health Care Plan

John McCain has offered a health care plan as part of his platform. Employer provided health insurance would be taxed as income, and then the taxpayer would receive a tax credit when they file their 1040s — $2,500 for the individual, $5,000 for a family. For workers who can’t get health insurance through their job,Continue reading “On John McCain’s Health Care Plan”

On Words and Policy Solutions

Words are tricky things. The way you use words, the way you define words, indicates the way you see the world. Or even, how you want to see the world be. Consider John McCain campaign advisor John Goodman. (No, not the actor.) Goodman is the president of the National Center for Policy Analysis, and oneContinue reading “On Words and Policy Solutions”