Americans Want to Lower Health Care Costs

No kidding, right? But here is the interesting part: They are willing to accept trade-offs for lower health care costs — like more government control over plan particulars: A new national poll indicates that most Americans are receptive to having more government influence over their health care in return for lower costs and more coverage.Sixty-three [...]

No Lower Limit to Republican IQ

Republicans are now making a big stink over Barack Obama taking his wife Michelle to New York City for a Broadway show and dinner — even though the trip isn’t costing taxpayers a penny: President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama landed in New York City late Saturday afternoon for a Manhattan date night that was [...]

Judicial Temperament and Gender

This New York Times article by Jo Becker and Adam Liptak is a perfect example of how the traditional media can invent a controversy and then report it as if it were a legitimate issue. Under the title “Sotomayor’s Sharp Tongue Raises Issue of Temperament,” Becker and Liptak go on for two screens spinning a [...]

Federal Appeals Courts

There is a lot of discussion about Judge Sotomayor.  Some of that discussion revolves around her role as a member of the 2nd Circuit.  Unfortunately, most folks do not have even a basic understanding of the role of the federal appeals courts. First, while the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) was written into [...]

Consequences

Would Saint Ronnie be rolling over in his grave?  From the Sac Bee via McClatchy.

North Korea’s Nuclear Test

The Guardian reports that the underground nuclear test was so powerful it triggered an earthquake.

A Good Man Is Hard to Find

In Congress, that is — like Sen. Russ Feingold, who sent the following letter to Pres. Barack Obama after the latter’s national security speech on Thursday: My primary concern, however, relates to your reference to the possibility of indefinite detention without trial for certain detainees. While I appreciate your good faith desire to at least [...]

Cheney and Obama: No Duel, No Contest

Chris Cillizza on the media’s “Cheney Vs. Obama” national security boxing match narrative: The dueling speeches by President Obama and former vice president Dick Cheney are being cast as a showdown over national security but the tit for tat is a mismatch from the start. Why? Here are the last four personal favorability ratings for [...]

Detainees

Go over to BooMan Tribune and read the excellent exchange between BooMan and commenter ‘maryb2004′ who is a lawyer. Also, Glenn Greenwald has his usual superb analysis of today’s POTUS speech titled “Obama’s civil liberties speech.”

Decoration Day

. . .  it used to be called.  And I think it is a more fitting name than Memorial Day. In light of Monday, 25 May, I offer the following that I received from a Navy veteran in the mail. I watched the flag Pass by one day, It fluttered in the breeze. A young [...]