It’s kind of weird that most critics of universal health care do not come from those without insurance but from those who are comfortably ensconced in employee-related plans. What ain’t broke don’t fix. That is, until they are inflicted with serious health problems only to discover the nightmare of paper work, proof of medical necessity, hidden co-payments for just about anything, and hospital procedures not covered — not to mention the anxiety over illness and budget. Only then to they acknowl...

Dear Gabby, I am a blogger and write what I assess as fairly good articles; but my fellow bloggers apparently disagree because they never stop by my site to see how I’m doing. Please help. Frustrated Blogger Dear Frustrated: If you ain’t writing about sex, you ain’t blogging! Dear Gabby, I’m a contributor to a site that’s predominantly conservative; however, the owner generously allows me to write my tear-jerking liberal epistles because his conservative...

Dear Gabby, I am a blogger and write what I assess as fairly good articles; but my fellow bloggers apparently disagree because they never stop by my site to see how I’m doing. Please help. Frustrated Blogger Dear Frustrated: If you ain’t writing about sex, you ain’t blogging! Dear Gabby, I’m a contributor to a site that’s predominantly conservative; however, the owner generously allows me to write my tear-jerking liberal epistles because his conservative...

Seventy-five percent of what? Bush claimed in the first debate that 75% of Osama’s people “have been brought to justice.” Did he really mean Osama bin Laden’s terrorists or was he talking about the Iraqi playing cards? As far as security experts know — unlike the celebrated Saddam henchmen — no one can be sure of how many al Qaeda leaders exist. According to The American Prospect Karen Goldberg, director of the Center of Law and Security, and Stephen Holmes, both of NYU, the estimate in 2...

The war on terrorism has been tossed around all through the campaign and indeed since 9/11, but do we really know what we’re talking about? Experts say this war will last decades or indefinitely, but give no hard reasons for their analysis. Global terrorism is a misnomer as though it were a calculated plan to conquer the world. Al Qaeda and its ilk are no Soviet Union. In a sense they are a damn nuisance, however deadly, just as the IRA was to Britain and the Chechens are to Russia. T...

Though we are told the “economy is doing nicely, thank you very much,” it is equivalent to the head of the household perceiving his or her budget in the same manner without referencing the debit column. According to The Washington Post , since 2000 revenue from income tax has declined 3% in conjunction to the GDP, and 1.2% in corporate tax whereas government spending as a percentage of GDP has risen 1.22% or a total of the GDP of over 5%. How can this stimulate the economy? Simply put: by b...

So maybe it isn’t such a big deal — what’s a commitment to reduce carbon dioxide by a mere 5.2% of 1990 levels by 2011? Notwithstanding, it is actually a greater reduction compared to the pollutants currently, except that the US responsible for 36% of pollutant gases refuses to sign on. However, Russia’s 17% of the world’s pollution aids the industrial nations to reach the 55% usage of gases in order that the protocol be approved and viable. Further good news is that US corporations working i...

Arlington National is the epitome of ultimate sacrifice that kept us free; we weep, but seldom vote in honor of those who sleep there. The self is measured by what it can procure at the other’s expense. If there’s one thing I can’t stand it is a gutless war. What idiot in the Pentagon ordered from China those abominable “republican guard” black berets and mock our fighters of freedom? I stopped ordering the US flag postage stamp for fear I would inadvertently paste it up...

“Once a Marine always a Marine” Lee1776 reminded me. This not only took me to the old days in the Pacific and Japan, but to the Marines first tour in Iraq when they were able to excel in their assault along the eastern wing of the pincer during which the spirit of the Corps was magnificent by trouncing every resistance encountered. However on their second tour, they were prohibited to carry out their intrinsic strategy — and the only tactic they know — to destroy the enemy. Marines should nev...

Compassionate conservatism hinges on what the big boys’ aim to do with excessive corporate welfare and tax cuts — they chose to invest in foreign soil and to hire cheap labor. Bush might call himself a “compassionate conservative” but he’s not stupid — he knows on which side to butter his bread. NCLB “is” the hallmark of his compassion; that is, based on the premise “failing schools,” while faith-based schools wait in the wings for vouchers. He was[?] “humble” in rejecting bef...

Guns Except for NRA extremists, thanks should be given that the right to bear arms is not driven to the forefront of the current election. Frankly, it never should have been one to begin with because at no time were gun owners threatened. There was always allowance for genuine gun-collectors to hang any fire-arm above the mantel piece and no true hunter, unless he went on a safari, really gave a damn about assault weapons. Life and Science Although pro-life vs. pro-choice...

I submit this revision and apology to those who did not comprehend the original because, I confess, I treated a sensitive situation rather glibly and satirically. Nevertheless, my ultimate goal was legitimate concern for our troops and their safety, surely not to ridicule them, and absolutely not to trigger insubordination while on tour — as one unit did the other day, regardless that it had good intentions, following orders is sacrosanct, unless, of course,such as vis- a- vis prison abus...

Let me explain my rather harsh peek into the psychology of the troops in Iraq. It was motivated by the arrogance of Republicans on this blog site taking for granted that it is the duty of troops to support and vote for their incumbent commander in chief. Obviously these bloggers are suffering from amnesia when it was perfectly okay for the military to hate Clinton, and the military absentee votes showed this both times he ran. Even Powell during the first term was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs...

Though the deciding vote is which commander in chief is more likely to end the war in Iraq and secure an acceptable enduring peace, there are other issues that are connected. Winning Iraq is of little consequence: if we expose our own borders and ports of entry; if we ignore the Palestinian-Israeli crisis; if we fail to establish common sense relationship with Iran by joining Britain, Germany and France’s current negotiations, while simultaneously gleaning rapport among its majority which ...

Why would you retain loyalty for a commander in chief that ordered you into a combat zone without sufficient protective gear? Were you that naive to think that a war of choice had such urgency, equivalent to post Pearl Harbor, that you would forgive your leaders for lack of preparation and strategy? Why hold Kerry hostage for not voting the $87 billion when you knew that appropriations were but an Administrative afterthought and political ploy, and would take months to implement, nor even now...