I must be in a quirky headspace today.  Perhaps it's because Mr. RenaRF, in a well-intentioned moment of cleanliness, cleared out our refrigerator and, in so doing, threw out the perfectly good milk I needed for my coffee this morning.

At any rate, CNN has run their version of this story at least three times since during the 3 1/2 hours I watched it this morning.  Don't get me wrong - I think it's awful that anyone is viciously mugged, let alone an 85 year old lady.  But the question that sprang to my mind was why would we, as a society, expect a common criminal to show more and greater regard for an elderly person than one of our own Presidential candidates shows for older Americans in a way that truly matters - through legislation?

More over the fold.

The New York times ran a story on economic inequalities in access to treatment for obese children, of which there are nine million in the United States.  While this figure has tripled since 1980, there is a dearth of comprehensive, effective, or affordable programs to address the issue. Summer weight loss programs are generally costly (some cost over $1,000 a week) as most seek to turn a profit.  Furthermore, most insurance providers do not cover this cost. Dr. Walter J. Pories, a gastric bypass surgeon, calls the lack of insurance and government financing for such programs "the single most frustrating problem in dealing with childhood obesity."

cross-posted at Blue Hampshire

On Sunday I attended a Vets BBQ at the Sweeney VFW post in Manchester, NH to support the re-election of Carol-Shea Porter (D-NH) to the US Congress from the first district. An overflow crowd, they even ran out of hamburgers, greeted CSP and her guest in NH that day, Congressman Chet Edwards (D-TX) from the 17th district which includes the village of Crawford which is currently missing the idiot that is currently and woefully living in the White House, most woefully.

The two have become fast friends in DC as Congressman Edwards, Carol's new BFF down there, is the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and VA (MILCON/VA). He came to NH to see what's up first hand. He was impressed with the turnout at the event, so was I.

Carol's remarks were brief and focused on the outrage that NH is currently the only state in America that does not have a full service VA hospital. Follow me below the fold for all the remarks because as Carol told us all in attendance: "There is no excuse."

An amazing amount of simple factual truth has not dawned upon many of us or is generally actively denied since we all have a strong tendency to believe only what we want to believe, what we feel we must believe, what we have been manipulated and indoctrinated into believing, what we think will win favor with important others if we believe it, what we believe is good and proper to believe, and/or what we have a compelling emotional need to believe, and to resent and defend against acknowledgment of anything that threatens or runs counter to such belief - all in the service of believing that we know we are "right" - so "right" that everyone else in the world should think, feel, and behave just like us, and be made to by force if necessary.

• Trouble is, no matter how fervently one believes that one knows what one merely believes, one merely believes it and one might be wrong - very wrong.

This is the oral cavity of an angry American.

This American can't afford routine dental care much less those shining white veneers sported by the blowviator class.

So they listen to John McMoron wax eloquent on who's rich in America--the five million dollar a year and over class, and they get even angrier.

This American quite frankly doesn't give a rat's ass about what's-his-name and his eight Olympic gold medals.

This is a middle class American, in the nation's largest city, New York. This is an American who needs to see a dentist, but hey, he can't afford to do so.

This is an American for whom dental care is a long forgotten luxury.

This, "my friends" is America.

In my opinion, recently, the public debate has been sideswiped by discussion of foreign affairs and national security issues.

The Georgian false flag has been dropped...we are sinking into crisis mode and the fearmongers and flagwavers are out and about.

In this climate, we have stopped debating universal healthcare, and also talking about poverty.

I have not seen one commercial about Obama's healthcare plan, since the end of the primaries.

When asked about taxes last night McCain said the following:

"Lets give families a $7000 tax credit for every child they have, and lets give a $5000 tax credit to help them pay for health insurance."

Sounds pretty good, huh?

Yes, except that he is not actually proposing either of these "credits"

More below the fold

Today's Dallas Morning News has a front-page article headlined:

McCain's health insurance plan: More radical than Democrats'?

Perhaps some eyes will finally be opened among the older, conservative demographic targeted by most of this newspaper. Then again, perhaps pigs will fly. But it's worth your look, I think. Some excerpts and observations to follow...

Special Election Briefing: 5 Things You Should Know

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

MoveOn.org presents this production with a desire to seek donations.  This self-proclaimed "Progressive" organization hopes to advance the Democratic candidate, and look for dollars to do so.  In essence, MoveOn would wish the public to think that if we advocate for Barack Obama then the Party platform will be fulfilled.  As one who does not necessarily see these two entities as equivalent, I offer this audio-visual presentation more as a tool to inform than a request for a contribution.  

Debbie Cook – California’s 46th District

By Donna Smith, American SiCKO
communications specialist, California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- California’s 46th congressional district stretches along the Pacific coast from Costa Mesa to the Palos Verdes Peninsula.  The district’s U.S. Congressional Democratic Congressional candidate is Debbie Cook, the second our "healthcare heroes" featured during this countdown to the November general election.
Debbie has been on the front lines for her community for many years but it was issues like the healthcare crisis, energy and what she terms a convergence of issues that compelled her to run for Congress.

"How can we not do our best to tackle these things?" she asked.

 As a candidate, Debbie hears her future constituents calling for sensible and meaningful action, and as a seasoned public servant she is ready to oblige.

THURSDAY NIGHT IS HEALTH CARE CHANGE NIGHT, a weekly Daily Kos Health Care Series.

I’m lucky to be alive. I’m a 53-yr-old woman who has been without health insurance for most of the last 18 years. During that time, I developed several medical conditions, some potentially fatal. Yet, because of a few sympathetic doctors, loving and generous family members, and publicly-funded or charitable programs, I’m still here to write about my experiences. I know that many others have not had my good fortune.

If you’ve read my other diaries, you know I usually don’t write about myself and I usually approach my subjects with snark. I laugh to keep from crying. However, this time I was asked specifically to write a serious and personal post. I hope those who have insurance get a sense of what it’s like not to and those who don’t pick up a valuable tip or two. I invite readers to share their stories and suggestions in the comments section.

In Part 1, I relate the background of my story. In Part 2, I will reveal the rest of my story, starting with the onset of my medical problems.

Actually I've made it before, but it's now clearer than ever -- in 2009, the Massachusetts attempt to provide universal health insurance coverage to its citizens [sic -- undocumented residents are screwed] is going to blow up like an unarmored humvee hitting a buried artillery shell.

Steffi and David, with colleague Benjamin Day, review the long sad history of failure of state level reform efforts, and they predict that Massachusetts is going to hit the wall because a) the so-called "affordable plan" that people with too much income to qualify for the subsidy have to buy is already unaffordable, and b) Massachusetts is going to lose the federal subsidy next year. Let me add to that:

As you may have heard, members of the online progressive community - including many Kossaks! - have been working together to collectively and democratically craft a Netroots Platform. Now we're rolling out what we've created and asking what you think. Ferris Valyn's diary from earlier today http://www.dailykos.com/...
is serving as the 'Mothership' as the planks are individually posted.

Without further ado, here's the Healthcare plank:

Jason Furman and Austan Goolsbee, Obama's economic advisors, writing in the Wall Street Journal today:

But Sen. McCain's plan does include one new proposal that would result in higher taxes on the middle class. As even Sen. McCain's advisers have acknowledged, his health-care plan would impose a $3.6 trillion tax increase over 10 years on workers. Sen. McCain's plan will count the health care you get from your employer as if it were taxable cash income. Even after accounting for Sen. McCain's proposed health-care tax credits, this plan would eventually leave tens of millions of middle-class families paying higher taxes. In addition, as the Congressional Budget Office has shown, this kind of plan would push people into higher tax brackets and increase the taxes people pay as their compensation rises, raising marginal tax rates by even more than if we let the entire Bush tax-cut plan expire tomorrow.

On Tuesday, five of the seven candidates for Congress met at the the Unitarian Universalists Society in Albany.  Democrats Tracey Brooks, Phil Steck, Joseph Sullivan, and Paul Tonko and Republican Steven Vasquez were all in attendance.  The debate's moderator, Dr. Robert Fropp, introduced himself as the chair of the Capital District Alliance for Universal Health care, recieving plenty of applause when he announced "I am definitiely not running for Congress."

One Democrat, Darius Shahinfar, and the other Republican, Jim Buhrmaster, were both absent from the forum.  Shahinfar because his wife was giving birth to his second child at the time, and Buhrmaster to cast votes in his capacity as Schenectady County Legislator.  The five candidates that remained were then given several questions that devled deep into one of the biggest issues of the primary.

Below the fold, a full report of the questions and answers in yet another debate in this hotly contested primary.

THURSDAY NIGHT IS HEALTH CARE CHANGE NIGHT, a weekly Daily Kos Health Care Series.

I’ve lived with illness and without health insurance for about 18 years. This diary focuses on medical savings and frugal living. If you’re uninsured and seriously ill, you’re probably going to face serious financial issues, too.  

The topics are important whether you’re a patient or a caregiver. They’ll help even if you have insurance; co-pays and uncovered items kill budgets. And, you never know when you might lose your coverage.

It took years to find all this information. Unfortunately, I learned much of it too late to help my family. Since it‘s hard to do when you’re stressed, I hope you can learn from my experiences now. I invite you to share your stories and suggestions in the comments.    

In Part 1, the subjects include planning for the unthinkable, the Hill-Burton Act, ways to avoid paying full price for prescriptions, OTC drugs, and medical devices, and dealing with long-term illness. In Part 2, the subjects will include handling debt and getting help, as well as some final thoughts and a resource list with links.

Supporters of single payer health care -- many of them people who've worked on this issue for years and paved the way for today's universal health care debate -- recently launched an online petition asking MoveOn staff to consult MoveOn members on the best way to win health care for everyone.

The issue at hand is MoveOn's participation in the Health Care for America Now coalition, an alliance of groups including SEIU, Planned Parenthood, AFSCME, and USAction who've launched a big effort to win universal health care. Health Care for America Now (HCAN) is supporting the National Public Health Insurance approach. The folks who are petitioning favor a Single Payer strategy and are asking us to consult MoveOn members on the question.

We're big fans of online petitions! And this one's reasonable enough.

In fact, we had already consulted MoveOn members on these two approaches.