This Week in the News
This week, Michael Moore's exploration of the American healthcare industry, "Sicko," continued to garner positive reviews. Moore's film, which is critical of a corporate driven healthcare system, has drawn fire from the insurance industry and their representatives who charge that Moore has exxagerated both the problems in the American healthcare system and the achievemnts of other countries, particularly those with so called "single payer" systems. Stated industry flak Paul D. Ductible, "Moore's film is just liberal propoganada. Why, if our healthcare system was a bad as he says it is, we would have millions of uninsured people, one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world, we would be spending our healthcare dollars inefficiently, costs would be skyrocketing, and every politician in the last ten years would have been talking about reform.... oh wait... I think I mixed up my notes... hold on...."
This week, while Iraq dominated the front page, the President kept his hand in domestic politics as well. The President threatened to veto a bipartisan bill that would have increased funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) by $35 billion over seven years. The program currently covers 6.3 million children whose parents do not qualify for Medicaide but who cannot afford private insurance. The bill would expand the program's reach by 3.3 million children. According to the President (we are not making this up) he is concerned that expanding the program would lead some families to chose it rather than private insurance thus expanding the size of the federal government. Leading Republicans have pleaded with the President to change his position to no avail. According to one White House source, these efforts have included short tutorials on "Why Kids and Healthcare Go Together" and "No One Likes a Cold Hearted Assh-le."
The week, Atlanta Falcons Quarterback Michael Vick was indicted for crimes arising from illegal dogfighting. This raises two important societal questions: 1) what kind of sick bastard participates in dogfighting? and 2) what type of sick bastard allows Joey Harrington another chance to start in the NFL?
This week, the government declassified certain portions of a new National Intelligence Estimate which says that Al Queda's operational capabilities likely exceed their capabilities in 2001and that the invasion of Iraq has had little effect on the group except to increase recruitment. (In other words, they can fight us over there and over here.) One army officer was relieved of his command when a soldier in his command was charged with the death of an Iraqi man. Violence increased in the areas around Baghdad. Asked how many more people had to die to preserve the illusion of leadership and national superiority, the White House responded, "We are working on that algorithm. We think the number is close to 800. But the number is self squaring and changes daily. I mean, we may have to rack up a bigger body count to convince ourselves the curent body count has been worthwhile. Its like watching cancer cells multiply under a microscope."
This week, the Administration continued its fight to keep its internal deliberations secret. Not only has the Adminstration claimed an unprecedented "Exceutive Privilege" that covers virtually all presidential communications, it now claims that the Department of Justice cannot bring a contempt charge to challenge that privilege. Asked for comment on this astonishing view of Executive powers, one White House aide would only say, "It's hail mary time. Iraq is in the dumps. The president's approval rating is at freezing. Dick is under scrutiny. Fredo (Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez) is up to his neck in a Constitutional mess. I think we are just going to go for broke and take a position that says we get to do what we want when we want. We lose and we are where we are right now. Crapsville. We win, and Dick Cheney is basically a czar. Sometimes you just gotta launch the ball downfield and see if the people will respect your chutzpah."
This week, a new CBS poll shows that while Sen. Hillary Clinton enjoys the support of a majority of female voters, older married women harbor some suspicions of her. Ever curious we sought out some older married female voters. Paula Preston of Reston, VA (54) noted, " I look at Hillary and I see a woman who stayed married to a flawed man just because he could offer her certain things she wanted. Their marriage is like a business deal with all sorts of trade offs. Its like looking in the freakin' mirror, only all I got in return was a split level in a nice suburb." Tricia Trenchmouth of Passaic, NJ offered, "Her marriage is just a cheap and cynical front. I mean, I stay married to my husband, he manages a hedge fund-- because I love him, not becuase marriage to a corporate executive provides me a certain lifestyle without having to work. I mean, if he cheated on me, I would leave all that in a minute... sure I would..."
This week, while Iraq dominated the front page, the President kept his hand in domestic politics as well. The President threatened to veto a bipartisan bill that would have increased funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) by $35 billion over seven years. The program currently covers 6.3 million children whose parents do not qualify for Medicaide but who cannot afford private insurance. The bill would expand the program's reach by 3.3 million children. According to the President (we are not making this up) he is concerned that expanding the program would lead some families to chose it rather than private insurance thus expanding the size of the federal government. Leading Republicans have pleaded with the President to change his position to no avail. According to one White House source, these efforts have included short tutorials on "Why Kids and Healthcare Go Together" and "No One Likes a Cold Hearted Assh-le."
The week, Atlanta Falcons Quarterback Michael Vick was indicted for crimes arising from illegal dogfighting. This raises two important societal questions: 1) what kind of sick bastard participates in dogfighting? and 2) what type of sick bastard allows Joey Harrington another chance to start in the NFL?
This week, the government declassified certain portions of a new National Intelligence Estimate which says that Al Queda's operational capabilities likely exceed their capabilities in 2001and that the invasion of Iraq has had little effect on the group except to increase recruitment. (In other words, they can fight us over there and over here.) One army officer was relieved of his command when a soldier in his command was charged with the death of an Iraqi man. Violence increased in the areas around Baghdad. Asked how many more people had to die to preserve the illusion of leadership and national superiority, the White House responded, "We are working on that algorithm. We think the number is close to 800. But the number is self squaring and changes daily. I mean, we may have to rack up a bigger body count to convince ourselves the curent body count has been worthwhile. Its like watching cancer cells multiply under a microscope."
This week, the Administration continued its fight to keep its internal deliberations secret. Not only has the Adminstration claimed an unprecedented "Exceutive Privilege" that covers virtually all presidential communications, it now claims that the Department of Justice cannot bring a contempt charge to challenge that privilege. Asked for comment on this astonishing view of Executive powers, one White House aide would only say, "It's hail mary time. Iraq is in the dumps. The president's approval rating is at freezing. Dick is under scrutiny. Fredo (Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez) is up to his neck in a Constitutional mess. I think we are just going to go for broke and take a position that says we get to do what we want when we want. We lose and we are where we are right now. Crapsville. We win, and Dick Cheney is basically a czar. Sometimes you just gotta launch the ball downfield and see if the people will respect your chutzpah."
This week, a new CBS poll shows that while Sen. Hillary Clinton enjoys the support of a majority of female voters, older married women harbor some suspicions of her. Ever curious we sought out some older married female voters. Paula Preston of Reston, VA (54) noted, " I look at Hillary and I see a woman who stayed married to a flawed man just because he could offer her certain things she wanted. Their marriage is like a business deal with all sorts of trade offs. Its like looking in the freakin' mirror, only all I got in return was a split level in a nice suburb." Tricia Trenchmouth of Passaic, NJ offered, "Her marriage is just a cheap and cynical front. I mean, I stay married to my husband, he manages a hedge fund-- because I love him, not becuase marriage to a corporate executive provides me a certain lifestyle without having to work. I mean, if he cheated on me, I would leave all that in a minute... sure I would..."
posted by Jack Reed at 1:20 PM
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