campgranata's Comments (913)

“but it IS different than alcohol; much less toxic and in all the years I worked as a drug educator I have only seen one person get angry on pot. and pot is not a gateway drug but has the reputation of being one and because many heavy duty drug users began with pot may speak to its availability and this suggests a causalilty that is false and somewhat ridiclulous as people on heroin, a mind contracting drug, do not want the mind expanding effect inherent in pot.”

“too logical. test after test has shown alcohol to be much more harmful that pot and yet stupidity reigns.”

“o.k. you win.”

“we have to stop thinking (well that too) that everyone who doesn't have health care can't afford it. I went to a town hall meeting and talked to some smokers who had been complaining about not being able to afford health care and I asked what it cost to buy cigarettes per month. by the carton, one man answered about 55 dollars per week (times 4) and he can't afford healthcare? no, he just chooses to spend his money on things other than healthcare.
I feel sorry for the working poor who really can't stretch their budgets any further than they have already but for people who make a living wage and spend it on alcohol, drugs and live well beyond their means need to start making other choices.
years ago, when my wife and I were both working and bought our house we couldn't afford new furniture so the living room was empty as we used our old living room furniture in the family room. a man was canvasing the neighbor hood for some politico one day and when he looked at our empty living room asked if this was some new style as most of our neighbors were in the same boat. but then we saved a bit and bought what we could cash and now not even the government is doing that.”

“it wouldn't.”

“why?”

“you make a good point.”

“with john mccain's money I don't think he has to worry about health care coverage.”

“excuse me sir, but you are one of those pundits and when did "high political ground' accomplish anything as the concept doesn't even exist: most of it is merely rhetoric.

remember hearing about the crusades which were about freeing the spice routes but labeled as save the holy land from the infidels because free our cardamom and cinnamon would not have worked. Of course, we need health care reform but why not do it in increments. immediately provide preventative care for the uninsured making complete physicals and other testing and treatments available. Catastrophic care is available and monies like the Hill Burton funds pay for hospitals and surgery but we need more of these funds. then when we get the hell out of the middle east where we initially went in to save quait not the oil fields, hopefully we will have the money to revise more of the system.”

“nobody said they didn't like senator kennedy but that he was not important in rome. I am not going to be an apologist for the catholic church but that is not what was said. If someone is irrelevant you usually don't have any feelings for them at all.”

“I can't even conceptionalize the concept of a trillion of anything. sure sounds like a lot though.”

“I think McCain and blarney frank need to realize who works for whom. sure some folks are heated up about the uncertainty of health care and if these two jokers didn't have the government employee (get it employee) plan they might be a tad excited too.”

“people in Ted Kennedy's income bracket don't have to worry about health plans. it is the reason many strive to be rich. they have either earned or inherited the money: either way a great idea and it does insulate them from the whims of our government.”

“why do we allow the criminals in the legal profession (read unscrupulous lawyers here) keep track of the hours they can bill a client? there should be a set fee for services. the profession (?) needs a overhaul but it is good news that they are being negatively impacted by the economy. I interviewed a lawyer over my unlawful firing and he didn't want to know much about the case but who the lawyer representing my employer was. when I told him he said I can beat him and so I didn't hire a lawyer and found I could beat him too.”

“law can be a wonderful thing however for the most part, it is not. when shakespear wrote first, kill all the lawyers they were actually doing their jobs and protecting the people against the whims of government. when we say first kill all the lawyers it is because they are manipulating the law to their own ends; the enrichment of lawyers and they are destroying the culture.”

“we can't function WELL without them. look what they have done to destroy the medical profession, without their frivolous law suits costs could be better contained.”

“great news but will there be more cases like the captain crunch debacle?”

“how about he is being naive in asking for a truce?”

“we should have journalists as bright as the deadly duo: stewart and colbert.”

“where is joe kennedy sr when we need him? he was hired by FDR to help regulate the stock market because FDR believed it takes a crook to catch a crook. so....”

“within the culture it was not a rude question nor do I believe the answer was rude it was just honest, you can tell by her reaction that she was stunned to be asked what her husband thought. I am not a fan of Hillary's because of her attempt to take out the democratic party along with barack obama but I do love her honest moments. also If I had gone through what she did in her quest for the presidency and lost I would be more than a little irritated, I would probably be in some rubber room, so lets cut her some slack. She is after all, still learning how to be sec of state and I think she will do just fine.”

“Hillary Clinton had a lot to do with killing her own health plan. Donna shalala, sec of health and human services warned her that the bill was too expensive, unwieldy and more fitting for a FDR administration than a Clinton's. The secrecy surrounding the bill angered many in congress and she carried on as though no one else was capable of creating and getting health care passed when senator kennedy had been trying to pass a health bill since 1971. she has learned a lot since then.”

“MedicAID is for the poor and mediCARE for the middle class but to be eligible for medicaid you are allowed to keep your primary residence valued at less than 750K and the spouse in the community gets to keep 150K in the bank. if you sell or give away your possessions you must wait 3 years before becoming eligible for services through medicaid. that is if you have a spouse if not you take a bigger hit financially.”

“I don't like Hillary for her performance or lack of in the senate. I don't think she did anything wrong in honestly replying to the question. it does seem odd though with her education that she doesn't speak French or Spanish. a foreign language was required when I went to school and we are the same age.
bill, get her a Rosetta stone program for xmas.”

“no, use jack to end the wars. until that happens, figure out a way to get access into the health system for physicals and testing for the millions who do not have health care. after that when we have the money to do so fix what is broken in our health care. I lived in Canada and the healthcare system sucks. when we wintered in Italy one year we we told that people die in ambulances as there are no hospital beds for them. Our landlord said, very wisely, I thought, when it is free* you need more facilities not less.

*of course it is never really free”