According to Washington Post article by Dina ElBoghdady, who defers to a New York Law study, 80 percent of those with health insurance are nevertheless in bankruptcy owing in the main to medical bills. Until then it was presumed that those of the 43 million uninsured were mainly affected by catastrophic bills. Moreover, the writer points out that it will be even worse as health care cost are rising at a 10 to 14 percent rate in contrast to wages at 2 to 3 percent. Of course, this is nothing...
The hoopla over “values” is deceptive rationalization. Values in the headlines seldom express self-evident truths. The value of human life, though universally self-evident in its purest terms, requires elaborate ratiocination with respect to its myriad ramifications. Throughout history, some lives were set at higher value than others who were nondescript, slaves and men sent into war. Expendable were children and virgins sacrificed to appease the gods. The value of a woman was not equal...
The reason federal income tax is “progressive” is that all other tax is “regressive”— the bulk of which, not to mention payroll tax, comes from those on the lower scale — in order to help balance or offset this regressive predominance. Of course, one could still argue that the lowest of the poor will buy the house-brand bread in supermarkets while the more well-off will buy the higher priced brand or even from a bakery but the problem is that bread is not taxed at all; and neither are the high...
I have never trolled even though I might perceive a comment unseemly. No, this is not about points; rather it is concern over ideological vindictive trolling, which, I believe, is done by some among the "elite" or power users who with one fell swoop can knock off 300 points to symbolize a behavior warning or else. If I'm wrong, then--however far-fetched-- it has to be some paranoid blogger obsessed with his ranking and if his standing is threatened will search out one infringing on h...
Granted it is difficult to admit mistakes but even more difficult to accept responsibility for them. I indict the Senate as much as the administration for not facing up to its profound duty to treat war seriously. Still, Bush as commander in chief is ultimately responsibile in time of war. I have blogged several times that in virtue of the sanctions and no fly zone that the UN signed a truce, not an end to the war twelve years ago. Clinton exhibited this many times in his aerial attacks on Ira...
All Star Baseball Lineup American League Pos Career Avg. Lifetime Mid ‘50s- Early ‘60s BA Hits HR Louis Aparicio ss .262 2677 83 Bobby Richardson 2b .256 1432 32 Mickey Mantle cf .298 2415 536 Ted Williams lf .344 2654 521 Yogi Berra c ...
All Star Baseball Lineup American League Pos Career Avg. Lifetime Mid ‘30s- Early ‘50s BA Hits HR Luke Appling ss .310 2749 45 Charlie Gehringer 2b .320 2389 184 Lou Gehrig 1b .340 2721 493 Ted Williams lf .344 2654 521 Joe DiMaggio cf ...
American League Ty Cobb OF .366 Tris Speaker OF . 345 Babe Ruth OF . 342 George Sisler 1B .340 . Nap Lajoie ...
If what one believes is the measure of a person how can belief be separated from politics — or should it? The Constitution states: ”Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Implicit in this clause is that Religion shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise of democratic principles. Obviously a patently devout citizen is not prohibited from thinking within the framework of his/her conscience, yet this does not mean th...
The cause of obsession with the cultural and social aspect of its citizens is that of the media, religion, entertainment and sports brouhaha. In the old days of New York, some had suggested that Yankee fans were elite liberals, Dodger fans were in the main Brooklyn Jewish New Dealers and Italian Palm Sunday church-goers while the Giant fans were a sad mixture of Republicans and Conservatives. Generally no one really gave a damn because it was all about the love of the game. There was also mild ...
The origin of religion is murky but there can be no doubt that primitives on awakening to a subhuman conscious world were inexplicably mystified. That they found themselves vulnerable to unpredictable phenomena soon drove them to surrendering to powerful elements over which they had no control, and ultimately worshiping thereof. Injury and disease led to witch doctors; death led to witchcraft under whose imaginative rituals the spirit of the deceased would hopefully endure. Eventually witc...
Single issue voters are not necessarily shortsighted if the issue affects the state of the union. The war or the economy is far-reaching. However, fixation against gay marriage is shortsighted since it does not threaten the nation. Bashing “Hollywood liberals” is another that hardly scars the community of values. Hollywood laissez-faire, however, is an important issue when it commercializes sex, violence, and anti-heroism and should be jotted halfway down in the voter’s notepad. Even i...
“The aim of a presidential campaign is enlightenment, not confusion.” “Ethics is a study of what constitutes propitious behavior for the benefit of all.” “Blogging is a process by which personal views become public in the market of ideas and in touch with the sensitivities of others.” “Political science is a study of public corruption and the path to corrective measures.” “Religion should inspire the soul to engage in matters of the heart and mind of other souls.” “Tr...
A married person should always cooperate with his/her mate. The breadwinner of a relationship by definition should expect the other to be subservient. You approach a red light at four in the morning and no traffic, you should slow down but not bother to stop. A motorist abruptly cuts in front of you, which warrants a prolonged blare of the horn, profanity and the finger. A woman, absorbed in a shopping aisle wanders away from her cart and purse, you must be a busy...
In my day, comparing contemporary baseball statistics with the past used to be fun — and in some cases enlightening. Of course, it was a stretch comparing stats of the 1920s to that of the 1890s because of the change in the environment such as improvements in ballparks, better traveling facilities, a somewhat livelier ball and better fielding gloves. However, statistical comparison held fast — but for a few changes like the lowering of the mound, tinkering with the ball and the designated hit...