Some guy called Thom and gave the old argument, “I don't want to pay for someone else’s health insurance” as his reason against gov’t run health insurance. This argument holds no water since he already pays for health insurance for people he has no desire to support. Most services and products one purchases have health insurance costs buried into the price of the service/product. This guy has no say in who the company he’s sending money to hires. So I would imagine he can find many people he’d not want to pay health insurance for in each company he buys a product/service from. I have no health insurance but I know I pay for a lot of health insurance with all my purchases, and that’s what I don’t like.

Last week Charles Krauthammer in an op-ed gave his usual nauseatingly arrogant and smug assessment of the Democratic congress and especially Obama’s "failure of leadership," at least as the Republicans define it. Somewhat odd given that the right has done everything it can to oppose Obama's agenda. But that was last week; this week Obama has taken some initiative that somewhat resembles a “tougher” approach to dealing with the opponents of his agenda (such as it is)—although, of course, still holding out the fig leaf of “bi-partisanship” for any Republican brave enough to wear it. It would seem, however, that Republican prefer to stand completely starkers before the American people, without the slightest hint of shame or embarrassment. It is amusing to note that in the midst of Obama’s rediscovered sense of purpose, Sean Hannity has lost some of his swagger after taking credit for “killing” health care reform, and Dick Morris is back to making a horse’s arse of himself resurrecting the government “death panel” shibboleth. Randi Rhodes also noted yesterday how the Republicans seemed rather more concerned about where they were eating their lunch than on the substance of the health care summit. To show just how disinterested (or completely unprepared) they are, Republicans wanted to know if they could work on “other business” besides health care.

Meanwhile, CNN’s Sanjay Gupta aired a brief piece on the high cost of health care, which he didn’t necessarily criticize. He noted that just the use of an operating room costs a patient $3,000 a pop. An IV bag cost $280; a surgical stapler $1,200; a chest tube $1,100; a needle for a biopsy $800; and suture threading $200. Some of this cost could be explained by so-called “administration” overhead, except that I doubt that doctor and nurse compensation was even included in this calculation. These costs are also inflated in part to cover “research and development,” and what some health industry flunky said was the government’s failure to provide sufficient funds to cover the cost of the uninsured (4 cents on the dollar, he claimed), but even if the uninsured did have insurance, this would only spread-out the overall cost, not reduce it. Now, if we had a public option, much more money would become available to spread-out that cost and make it less onerous on individuals who have to “pay” not just for the treatment of the uninsured, but everyone who works in a hospital. But I have little faith in the health care industry to do its part. It is easy enough to say tell the health insurance industry to cut the people whose job it is to say “no,” but health care providing is an ever-expanding industry, and reigning in the “administrative” costs of hospitals which would seem to be the single most difficult objective to accomplish.

There was something else of note to mention. Why is it that someone like Jon Stewart on Comedy Central has to tell us that the so-called credit card reform act is a sham? It doesn’t prevent credit card companies from jobbing consumers—they just now have to tell you beforehand that they are doing it.

Charles in OH:

First, I was just pointing out that the Yankees don't mind spending money to put a good product on the field, and secondly, the tax itself does not go to small market teams but subsidizes retired players' benefits programs and to "promote" baseball around the globe. The only money that is "distributed" to smaller markets is revenue sharing from television contracts.

@Charles: re: "Eric Cantor is a douche bag."

That's an insult to douche bags everywhere.

"Support mental health or I'll kill you!" - MAD Magazine

Bob, so sorry that I won't be contributing to you cans. My change goes toward my son's college fund. At the rate tuition is going up, I might be able to save enough to buy him a class or two.

During Lamar Alexander's rambling opening statement Obama was visibly frustrated with the tenor he was setting. Repubs plan was to talk for the sake of talking. Good to see him call them on it.

Louise Slaughter is wonderful! Her testimony is amazing!

Eric Cantor is a douche bag.

I have an awesome business idea! I'm going to build enormous 7-11s in big cities across the country. These 7-11s will have *huge* counters at the front of each store with enough counter space for all of the coffee cans used to collect pennies, nickels and dimes for all of the people in that region that have health care bills that they cannot afford!

Hillary has no place because she's the Secretary of State. If the discussion was providing subsidies to Darfur, she would have a seat.

Charles in OH

Exactly!