Welcome to My Periodic Journal of Rants, Raves and Bits of Humor ( or how the world is seen and understood by me).

Today I wanted to blog good news, it is more difficult finding good news than you can imagine. Let me start with a bumper sticker observed by my good friend and wholesale jewelry vendor Szarka from the Turquoise Magpie and Szarkas Designs:


" Of course I trust the government, just ask an Indian
or Whale !"


That pretty much sums it up in plain english. A couple of things to back it up follow:

The stimulus bill is well on it's way to passage. After weeks of wrangling, showmanship and public relations work the bill is out of the senate to the house of represenatives and on it's way back to the senate. Each branch of government says they are fighting tooth and nail to save the taxpayers money. C'mon they are spending approximantely $ 800 billion on a 800 page bill that not one of them has read, furthermore if you think this is the end you'd better think again. Although some what skeptical about the bill and the governments ability to do anything effective and beneficial I am how ever extremely happy for the Salt Marsh Mouse, the reason for my euphoria apparently the Salt Marsh Mouse is indigenous to Nancy Pelosi's district and is endangered so there is $ 30 million in the stimulus bill to save the endangered mouse. Gee maybe Mrs. Pelosi knows some one ( read - spouse, offspring, relative, friend or campaign contributor) who is in the " Saving Salt Marsh Mouse" business.

While billions are being spent around the country in urban settings to eradicate rats, mice and other pests people in Mrs. Pelosi's district are interested in saving some of them.

One onerous part of this legislation is an attempt to over haul health care (government style) . You may remember Tom Daschle who was a heart beat away from being Secretary of Health and Human Services and stepped down at the very last moment not because his views were opposed by the Obama vetting team, not because his views were bad for the country, no because Mr. Daschle did not pay tax on some $ 140000.00 on income and benefits he earned while being a lobbyist for health care companies.

Seems like Mr. Daschle wrote a book in 2008 titled " Critical: What We Can Do About the Health Care -Crisis" before being considered for the secretary's post.

Now bear in mind he has no effect other than lobbying now that he had to decline the nomination but his ideaology is aligned with the " National Health Care" gang in power now. Some of the provisions in the stimulus bill relating to health care are virtually identical to what Daschle prescribed in his book.

Here are a few quotes:

" The next President should act quickly before critics mount an opposition".

"Health care reform will not be pain free. Seniors should be more accepting of the
conditions that come with age instead of treating them".

" Doctors have to give up autonomy and learn to operate less like solo
practitioners".

" The goal is to slow development and use of new medications and technologies
because they are driving up costs" he goes on to praise Europeans for being
more willing to accept " hopeless diagnoses and forego experimental treatments"
and to chastise Americans for expecting to much from the health - care system.

Remember this was the man who President Obama said was the single best man in the country out of 305 million people to reform and run the health care system.

Well seems like some of his ideas have cropped up in the stimulus bill. The stimulus bill bestows power on the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology who will monitor treatments to make sure doctors are doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective as to reduce costs and " Guide " the doctor's decisions.. Hospitals and doctors that are not deemed meaningful users of the new system will face penalties by the HHS secretary, who will be empowered to impose " more stringent measures of meaningful use over time"

The Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research will slow the development and use of new medication and technologies because they are expensive. Drugs that are found to be less effective and in some cases more expensive will no longer be prescribed. It approves or rejects treatments using a formula that divides the cost of treatment by the number of years the patient is likely to benefit.

I could go on and on this information is voluminous. If you are disbelieving at this point Google " Stimulus Bill" and read it yourself.

Meanwhile think about the bureaucrat responsible for evacuating people from New Orleans before Hurrican Katrina hit being the one to apply the above formula and then using his opinion to approve or reject chemo therapy for your mother, father, child , spouse or even you.

Who ever is appointed to the Health and Human Services will have to adhere and promulgate these type of mandates. It appears right now it would apply to Medicare and other government run health care programs ,but aren't these the guys who are advocating a national health care system. God Bless us all.

As one commentator put it " Good bye America it was fun while it lasted".

This is just the tip of the iceberg, believe me if you have ever believed anything.
More to come.

I welcome your comments !