Help My Man with His Ph.D. Project? You Must Live in Cache County, UT

SO, Josh is on the brink. He's been working hard and put together a fantastic Ph.D. project. It's multi-stage, and chock full of primary-investigator goodness. I can't really say much about what it's about, but you can get $2 cash money just for taking a survey, and $20 if you are selected to participate in a three-week study. You can find out more by checking out his ad on Cache Valley Daily.

If you live here in Cache Valley, we could sure use a little help. You can email him at jdmarquit@msn.com.

It's so exciting that I can almost taste it. The day Josh graduates is close at hand. Provided we get through this project, of course.

Health Care Reform: It Doesn't Have to be Complicated

Thanks to Momocrats for bringing this to my attention. It's a pretty handy video that explains the Obama health care plan succinctly. Do you have four minutes? Watch this video. It's obvious that we're not talking about government takeover or death panels. We're talking about affordable health care. And that includes a public option that no one will be forced to use if they don't want it.



Also, enjoy this great video from Funny or Die. Love it.

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Constitution Day

Today is Constitution Day. I encourage you all to read this document that sets forth our government. It's a great document, and it's not that long. Here is the preamble, with the original spelling and usage common at the time:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

One of the things that I love about the Constitution is that it is a living document. That means that it can be amended. I love how the founders of our country were forward-thinking enough to realize that changes to society and the country would mean that amendments would be needed for the Constitution. Of course, they also understood that changing the Constitution should not be done willy-nilly, and so made the process a bit difficult. But there is still a mechanism to accept change, and that is important.

At any rate, it's always a good idea to actually read the Constitution and know what's in there. You might be surprised...

Liberal

SO, if you know me at all, you know I'm a crazy liberal. So I liked this image. Of course, I am not a Democrat (I am not fond of the two-party system). I consider myself a progressive with populist leanings. Which makes me liberal. And I really identify with this JFK quote.

Do We Want Access to Affordable Health Care or Not?

Remember back when we wanted health care reform? Back on the campaign trail, Barack Obama pledged to make health care a priority. Now that he is, of course, no one wants health care reform. Oh, we say we do, but once someone starts getting serious about it, we listen to outrageous bits of misinformation and catchy soundbites that are outright lies, and then decide we don't want it.

New flash: We already have "death panels"

One of the biggest frustrations I have with the "debate" (read: loud screaming that isn't backed by facts) is all this "death panel" talk. Opponents of a public option for health care scream "socialism" and "death panels" loudly, even though a public option is neither. In fact, the very things they are screaming against are what we already have. They're called insurance companies. Here is an overview of what we already have with insurance companies:

• You are assigned to a "group". Your premiums are based on everyone in the "group." Therefore, if someone else needs a lot of health care services, everyone in the group sees increases in premiums. You subsidize other people's heath issues -- no matter where you are getting your health care.
• You are told where you are allowed to get treatment, usually with a specific provider.
• You might be restricted from seeing the care provider of your choice, limiting you to where someone else tells you to go.
  
• You can be dropped from your coverage, even if you face a life-threatening condition.
• A panel of people decides whether or not you can have coverage at all.
• A panel of people decides whether your current condition deserves coverage.

The cruel, cruel irony here is that opponents of a public option use these very spurious arguments that are false when it comes to a public option, but true when it comes to what we already have. People are upset about our current system, and they are screaming for more. The whole point of health care reform is to stop the above abuses and provide Americans with an affordable option.

Public option health care: It's called an option for a reason

A public option would be that: an option. If you can't afford health insurance, you would have the ability to go a public plan -- one that requires premiums on a scale based upon your ability to pay. This option does not deny coverage for necessary treatment, nor does it stop you from getting coverage if you have a pre-existing condition. You can be treated where you would like to be treated. And you can't be dumped. If you like your current plan, it's easy. Keep it.

A public option is in no way a takeover of the health insurance industry. It simply provides a way for those who are uninsured, underinsured or fed up with their current insurance a competitive and affordable health insurance option. If the so-called "free market" refuses to provide something that the people want, and feel they should have, what's wrong with the government providing an alternative?

Here is a great article on the myths surrounding the public health care option.

Below is a flow chart that simplifies the public option visually. It's from Buck Naked Politics:



You can learn more about the practice of rescission. And, finally, this great video on the craziness involved in the health care "debate" and how the health insurance industry works:

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Happy Labor Day!

Today is Labor Day. I don't have much to do today, but I do have a little. I've got it done, and now I'm ready to enjoy myself a little bit. But first, I took some time out to consider the history of Labor Day. This presentation from The History Channel offers a great history of Labor Day.



It serves as a great reminder that, no matter what you think of Labor Movements today, and no matter what you think of what unions have become, there were many brave people who fought and sacrificed so that we could enjoy many of the workplace advantages that we take for granted.

Happy Labor Day.

Barack Obama's Nefarious Message: Stay in School

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The misinformation campaign that our current president faces is so incredibly ridiculous that I can barely contain myself. I mean, really? We've reached a point in our society that just because the other guy wins, we throw a tantrum and demand that our kids not be "indoctrinated" by his evil message of "work hard and stay in school"?

I didn't like George Bush. But if he had addressed the schoolchildren about the importance of staying in school, I'd have been all for it. In fact, I had no problem with my son learning about him in school. I thought he was a lousy president, but I did make sure that my son knew that even though I didn't agree with him, he was still the President, and that I admired him for the strength of character it took to overcome his drinking problem. It's about having a certain amount of respect for the person elected by the people. And about teaching my son that civil dialogue, rational discussion and listening to a variety of different viewpoints should be the way we do things. Screaming talking points, without stopping to think about them, or even finding out if they contain factual information, is not real political discourse.

Besides, last time I checked, you could go to the school and listen with your kids. It's a public school. You can go observe anytime you want. Go to school on September 8 and watch the message. Make sure that you know exactly what your kids are up against so that you can contradict Obama point for point. We don't want them getting any crazy ideas that if you work hard, do well in school and try your best, you have a shot at success. Hell, you just might become President of the United States. You don't even need to come from money or a political dynasty.

What a crappy message to send to our children: "Anyone really can become president."