Giving thanks

I'm thankful for many things. But today, on the Thanksgiving Holiday, when we worship the Great Gobbler, I am thankful that I didn't run over that squirrel on my road bike. It wasn't too cold, and we were going to have the big dinner on Friday when the kids would be over, so I went out for a quick 20 miles. All the squirrels were out packing up their nuts for the winter, and one ran right out in front of my skinny road bike tire. I didn't try to miss him--I actually aimed for him--but at the last second he darted away and lived to eat my garden next spring.

And thinking back I'm thankful that my tire didn't split him in two, because later I would have felt bad that I killed a squirrel and didn't eat him. So I would have taken a piece of my turkey and carved it to look like a squirrel--the deep crease through his mid-section and all. And Di would have asked me what in the world that thing was on my plate, maybe a gopher? And I would have replied that it was the squirrel that I killed in effigy. She would ask me if it grossed me out, eating a rodent shaped piece of meat with stuffing glued on with gravy to simulate fur; cranberry sauce depicting the injury and peas for eyes. I would say that with gravy, he actually tastes pretty good. Remarkably like turkey.

So it's good that I missed him and got to eat my turkey like I normally do. And that's something to be thankful for.

Representative democracy?

So at this point in the healthcare debate, there are three senators that are key to the Democrats: Nelson, Lieberman and Lincoln. They will control the debate and will most likely kill any public option (supported by more that 55% of the voting public). But just who put these three in office? How many Americans do they represent?

Nelson: Nebraska. Population: 1.7 million; 5 electoral votes

Lincoln: Arkansas. Population: 2.8 million; 6 electoral votes

Lieberman: Connecticut. Population: 3.5 million; 7 electoral votes
Total: 8 million people,  18 electoral votes
Entire U.S.: 304 million people, 538 electoral votes (2008)

A breakdown:
Percentage of U.S. population, electoral votes:
Nebraska: 0.56%, 0.93%
Arkansas: 0.92%, 1.12%
Connecticut: 1.15 %, 1.3%
Total: 2.36%, 3.35%

Good to know that the people of Nebraska, Arkansas and Connecticut, or at least the stiffs they put in office have so much power over the shape of our future healthcare system.

Healthcare tri-fecta

I'm very disappointed in Obama and the Democratic party. Going after the insurance industry is okay, but it will do no good unless they go after the industries that the insurance industry is screwing us in order to pay: the hospitals and big pharma. Insurance is the middle man. The costs generated by managed care and pharmaceutical giants will keep climbing regardless of what happens to insurance. And creating more competition without a single-payer system will only weaken the insurance industry in their battle with managed care, and consumers will pay more.

This is a political out, vilifying one of the culprits and letting the bigger and more powerful culprits go. President Obama has had secret meetings--not secret any more--with big pharma, guaranteeing that they won't take a hit. This reform won't do anything if it only goes after the middle man.

Dr. D's Rules

Media rules
#1: Lies and misinformation don't count as opinions.
#2: Opinion doesn't count as news.
#3: Yelling does not make a lie true, or an opinion valid.
#4: Any company that ruins a Beatles song to sell a product should be forced out of the market by consumers.