PennP's Comments (279)

“Countrywide got et up by Bank of America. Burp.”

“For years, I've thought of junk bonds, hedge funds, and other non-investment investments as part of the biggest floating craps game in history. If our punk legislators are unwilling to trim the sails of these scoundrels--and continue to backstop them with our precious tax dollars--why not mount a movement to have faux investments like these regulated under the gaming laws that exist in nearly every state in the country?”

“Ah, the perils of multitasking. Whatever else this cadre of advisors may be doing for him, I hope they've confiscated all of his communication devices, and give him some basics on cheating in the internet age before returning them.”

“I'd be looking to Robert Gates's office as the problem, not VP Biden.”

“Something seems amiss with the SS, because this is just the latest in a series of security breaches. I think the procedures are probably fine, unless they were rewritten by the former administration upon its departure. The scrutiny should be upon the members of the Secret Service who were there that day. They permitted the intruders to enter the WH. What were the assigned SS doing, or NOT doing? It's likely that just one or two people were responsible for letting the couple in. Who are they? Every member of SS who's on close detail to the president and upper administration should have to go through complete clearance again. I'd bet money that the failure isn't procedure, it's the individuals who are not following it.

If I were Obama, I'd hire my own protection until the SS who are tasked with my security are re-vetted, and this incident has been fully explained.”

“They should appeal, but if they lose, the Corps may have the last laugh. Imagine all of the areas affected by the Corps-built levees being declared hazardous, ineligible for federal insurance or federally subsidized housing programs. I don't know if it could happen, but it doesn't make sense that something could be hazardous to human safety on the one hand, and not only just fine for human habitation on the other, but also qualify for federal funds to rebuild in the same place--while the underlying problems remain uncorrected.”

“I was alarmed when I heard her gushy superlatives on the historic passage of the bill, until I heard her ask, of its glory and wonder, "....or IS IT?" Unfortunately, her second-guessing in that show seemed to focus exclusively on the Stupak Amendment. I am hoping and praying that in future shows she will elegantly disembowel the thing, piece by piece. She's been so right on so much that I believe this will happen. But I certainly understand your qualms.”

“I live in Pennsylvania, and can assure you: Barack Obama got it right in one.

Many of the people here "cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them." I'm sure that goes for other parts of the country, too, but there's no "hidden story" here. The past year has proven that Obama understood this terrible, unchallenged flaw in the American character, and named it. Shame on those who'd pretend that this is anything but an accurate description of what generations of insularity and a culture that celebrates stunted intellect has wrought among those whom the losing candidate referred to as "good, white working people."”

“Well, I do think about the troops, but I'm from a military family. I have a godson in the Marines who's already done one tour of duty in Iraq, and the prospect of a future assignment to a new war zone hovers over his head like the sword of Damocles, at least in my mind.

I understand the difficulty of the position history has handed him, but I do wish our president would do one simple thing, and ask himself this question:

If we weren't already in Afghanistan, do the circumstances as they exist right now warrant deployment?

From all that I have read, I believe the answer is "no." Conducting a ground war must be vital to our interests, absolutely necessary, to be justified, and it must remain justified to be perpetuated. Our presence in Afghanistan doesn't meet the standard, and beyond the unconscionable fact that continuation is needlessly risking the lives of our men and women, it's weakening us at home and abroad. We should leave.”

“"In other words, if a company makes a modification to the structure of the already approved biologic that results in a new indication or any of the other items listed, they will be eligible for a brand new 12-year exclusivity period." On the same drug. That's the whole problem.”

“This is what the NIH, which has invested our taxes in studying CAM, says about Homeopathy:

"Key Points
- The principle of similars (or "like cures like") is a central homeopathic principle. The principle states that a disease can be cured by a substance that produces similar symptoms in healthy people.
- Most analyses have concluded that there is little evidence to support homeopathy as an effective treatment for any specific condition; although, some studies have reported positive findings.
- There are challenges in studying homeopathy and controversies regarding the field, largely because a number of its key concepts are not consistent with the current understanding of science, particularly chemistry and physics.
- There is limited research on the safety of homeopathic treatments.
- Tell your health care providers about any complementary and alternative practices you use. Give them a full picture of all you do to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care. "

The licensing also seems pretty sketchy. More on it at the NIH NCCAM website: http://nccam.nih.gov/health/homeopathy/

I've used homeopathy on my animals, courtesy a homeeopathic DVM, with mixed results. I've gone back to more conventional care, with my regular vets, when the homeopathy didn't improve the symptoms of a chronic condition after months of treatment, or simply stopped working entirely. And it wasn't cheap.”

“I wouldn't count the Grand Old Party out yet. I recently happened upon this curiosity in the Janary 7, 1954 issue of Jet Magazine:

"George W. Lee, Nashville GOP Committeeman, telling of the scarcity of Republicans during the depression: 'They were so scarce that when one of them died you had to put 20 cans of baking powder in his coffin so he would rise when Gabriel blew his horn.'”

“Here is a link to the President's plan:

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/”

“If states are permitted to opt out, their residents should be permitted to buy insurance plans offered by other states, or to purchase Federal insurance (Medicare), at the same or lower cost to them than the offerings in their own state. The opt-out state should be required to provide subsidies to the other states or Feds if needed, and should lose all federal subsidies for the companies operating in its states.

Forget "ethics," because it's not in the equation, on anyone's side. It's money, money, money. Calibrate the solution accordingly, and remove the loopholes and workarounds, and you'll get participation. "Opt out"
for a law is ludicrous--laws are not optional. It's turning health insurance reform into a suggestion that winds up a financial boondoggle for the currently uninsured, and a bonanza for the insurance industry.

What happened to the compete-across-state-lines proposal, anyway?”

“People with certain auto-immune disorders are advised to do everything they can to lower fevers because elevated body temps (whether via fever or prolonged sun exposure, hot baths, etc.) can trigger exacerbations.

Also, I'd be concerned about making such a broad statement about the tonic effect of fevers. The first time I had influenza (regular, tested), my temp topped 104F, and I discovered that delirious trumps salubrious--breaking that fever was the first thing the doctor wanted to do.”

“"...I was never sick enough to consider going to see my doctor or going to an ER..."

It's not clear from the piece whether Dr. Brilliant actually got tested for swine flu. If he did not, this could have been a nasty "regular" virus.

I'm not sufficiently confident of the safety of the vaccine, which has been rushed into production, to take it.”

“"The hard-won rights, opportunities, and advantages were supposed to have netted women more than just another burdensome role to play--'you at work.' They were supposed to have fostered in each woman feelings of fulfillment and happiness, and even, for the special few, the sustained thrill of living of an authentic life."

This is a work/occupation-oriented perspective of what leads to happiness/satisfaction that seems to be predicated on a male model, although I don't know if it works for them, either. I wonder whether embracing workplace interpersonal dynamics and internalizing pseudo-supportive "shoulds" in our personal and professional lives can undermine actualization and the ability to live "an authentic life," which might account for the parallel increase in employment and unhappiness among women.

I think that in middle age, as the energy of youth wanes and distractions like the reproductive drive fall off, the need for substance increases. It becomes easier to see the crummy deals we've made in our work and personal relationships, the compromises we've made in our aspirations, and our complicity in it all.

If we have created lives that fall short of fulfilling, we first need to be conscious of that fact, and stop accepting half measures. We have to learn about ourselves as individuals so we understand what we must do to live more satisfied, happy lives. And we have to have the courage and resolve to make the changes needed to get there.”

“Jimmy Carter hit the nail on the head.

Beware of backing out the picture so much that this particular issue seems dwarfed by others. This is a noxious aspect of our society, and working around its reality isn't making it go away. From what I see, it seems to be hardening into a nasty mass of self-justifying hatred.

Ever since Barack Obama became a real contender for the presidency, his candidacy has been met by a certain sort of disbelief that segues readily into sneering outrage that he's somehow managed to dupe most of the country into accepting him. The insistence that he is Muslim, African, Indonesian, Martian, The Joker, Hitler, etc. is about saying, with varying degrees of contempt and malice, "He's not one of us, and he doesn't have the right to pretend he is."

Understand how serious this is for these people: like Mr. Limbaugh, they want to see Obama fail, despite the cost to the country, because their very identities and feelings of self worth are tied to beliefs that do not permit someone with his skin color to hold the highest office in the land. Treading lightly around this and pretending it's not as vile, pervasive, and as serious as it is, amounts to respect, if not enabling.”

“I always thought liberal consumption of alcohol and a hand on the light switch were the keys to looking better in the buff, but I guess I was wrong.

Regarding seeing spectacular colors when going to sleep as a child, that's a natural phenomenon. Many children have a veritable fireworks when they close their eyes--I remember wondering how anyone could say that closing your eyes made everything "dark," because it sure didn't for me. I can't find a reference for info on it at the moment, but understand it's something we lose by adulthood, like the ability to hear certain high-pitched sounds.”

“Ms. Myss, I'm a great fan of your perceptive views on illness, and have at least two of your books. I also appreciate the passion you bring to this view of our ongoing crisis of culture, on exhibit in full flower at this moment in the area of education, thanks to Obama's upcoming speech. Personally, I ascribe 85% of the hostility to the president's actions to poorly rechanneled racism, but that's probably being unfair to all those people who simply don't want kids their kids to hear a pep talk about the virtues applying themselves in school.

I would like to make a suggestion on your use of the word "soul," which is a definitely religious concept and enters slippery-slope territory when it comes to public school agendas. I believe a better word, and one to which we once addressed many of your deepest concerns, is "character." The character of our country, and the character of the people. Another word for what could be taught in school is simply "citizenship." Let's make those great virtues of integrity and decency that you espouse part of being a good American citizen, and that will carve out the squishy questions about whether the schools are overstepping and usurping the roles of parent/church/temple/ashram/etc. in teaching our young good values.”

“Hey, what's with all the negative reactions? I'm the original Debbie Downer, but I read this piece hoping for at least a couple of usable ideas from the five and I think they're ALL good, sound approaches to bucking up your morale. Keeping your chin up helps free up energy you'd otherwise waste on anxiety, so you can put it to use for problem-solving. Plus when you're contracted in fear and dread over impending doom that, as Mr. Canfield points out, may or may not materialize, you compromise your resilience, making recovery worse if disaster does hit.

So I'm going to quit worry about falling off the ladder, and clean the gutters.

Tomorrow.”

“"Free" is a funny word.

Norway has a 28 percent minimum income tax rate. Earn much over $73K a year, and you can add 9 percent more to that. Have the audacity to bring in $119 or more, and that surchage jumps to 12 percent. Add 7.8 percent for their social security programs, and you're looking at at minimum of nearly 36 percent, and possibly as much as 48 percent national income tax.

But wait--there's more! You have the privilege of paying a 1.1 percent tax on your assets if you have over $78K in whatever Norway considers wealth. If you're married, the ceiling rises to a bit over $156K. You get to pay this every single year!

And that's not all! Just about everything you buy gets hit with a handy-dandy value-added tax of 14 percent for food and 25 percent for most everything else. Plus, there are gift and inheritance taxes, property taxes, corporate taxes, and other charges.

With as much as 50 percent in income taxes and a walloping 25 percent surcharge on most purchases helping to cover the tab for that medical care, "free" is a misnomer.

According to the Norwegian Tax Administration, "In addition to covering joint expenses, taxes are designed to contribute to greater equality between individuals." This isn't an economic or political objective, it's social engineering, and I can't see it flying in a contentious democracy.”

“Most people indulge indoors, which places them out of the reach of the carcinogenic sun. The users I recall didn't tend to do yardwork or run around the reservoir when they were ripped. Didn't do much of anything, actually.

I'm thinking that less time exposed to the carcinogenic sun might account for the lowered head/neck cancer among potheads, not any cancer-protective factor in cannabis.”

“Black cats are ill omens. The familiars of witches, harbingers of bad luck. Felix the Cat isn't known for being lucky, either. You can't employ political humor relying upon a frame of reference that's two generations old--if in fact it's legitimate at all. The cartoon was a bust from a sensitivity perspective, and lacked the heft in humor it would have taken to lift it over its conceptual inadequacy.

Does that help?”

“"I've calculated the cost of all that over seven years, and here's what it comes to: zero."

This mindset is part of the problem. There are lots of other problems, much bigger, but this kind of thinking disserves the entire discussion.

First, let's stop talking about how wonderful the health care is in foreign countries. For every paen, there's a horror story. Besides, what we're talking about is not health CARE reform, it's health INSURANCE reform. If we'd start languaging it correctly, we could knock out the hysteria on both sides of the issue and place the focus where it belongs: The INSURANCE industry, the RATES being charged by hospitals and doctors, and the lack of accountability by the insureds. Recipients of services have no incentive to identify overcharges and protest ridiculous rates as long as someone else is footing the bill. That's a recipe for opportunistic corruption, which is what we've got.

Instead of deciding that the system is cool because he didn't have to shell out for the services his child received, the author might want to find out exactly what he did pay in terms of taxes and surcharges, and more to the point, what others paid on his child's behalf. Otherwise, this is just an endorsement of benign paternalism, which is not going to fly in a pay-as-you-go, JIT world with an ever-shrinking base of tax-paying workers.”