Daily Update: U.K. Annoyed Over American Healthcare Hyperbole, and Stuff

The town hall meetings around the country have continued, amounting to not much at all. We can lay the blame at the feet of Republicans: all fire and rain, with little ability to listen, offer alternatives, or voice legitimate concerns in a coherent way. The overriding fear seems to be a megalith government taking control and turning the United States into some form of Russia, albeit the chronic worriers have yet to realize that Russia is not the thoroughly socialist republic of past reputation. (Ever since Putin started posing topless to show off his muscular everyman body, has Russia been reliably anything anymore?). Everyone now is reading parts of the still under adjustment legislation, a document so full of vagueness and legalese as to make all the newfound amateur politicians fear conspiracy, Satan, and worse. Apparently they were hoping for something more precise, and reading in evil where none lies.

"Oh look, on page so and so the government does not explicitly say that illegal aliens would not be covered," says the newly energized legislative Joe. Or, "Hey, can you believe that after a certain period, new policies must conform to the government's guidelines on acceptable care!!!!!!!," and as if there were no current Federal guidelines that existing policies and insurance companies must comply with. "Anger, Fear, and Lunacy," as Reuuters calls it.

Overseas in Britain, it would appear they are growing tired of the hits their system is taking by those who have determined that single payer systems in the United Kingdom and Canada are the be all and end all of misery.

The Associated Press reports:

"People have been saying some untruths in the States," a spokesman for Britain Department of Health said in a telephone interview. "There's been all these ridiculous claims made by the American health lobby about Obama's health care plan ... and they've used the NHS as an example. A lot of it has been untrue."

He spoke anonymously in line with department policy.

A particularly outlandish example of a U.S. editorial, printed in the Investor's Business Daily, claimed that renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, who is disabled, "wouldn't have a chance in the U.K., where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless."

Hawking, who was born and lives in Britain, personally debunked the claim. "I wouldn't be here today if it were not for the NHS," he told The Guardian newspaper. Investor's Business Daily has since corrected the editorial.

(AP)

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Let's not let the continued healthcare fracas divert our attention from more important news, like Louisville coach Rick Pitino admitting he had an affair with an apparently crazy lady who may have carried for two seconds his child that he might have helped abort before she went on to marry one of his assistant coaches a few months after the consensual interaction which she now calls a rape but which her ex-husband assistant coach suggests is a bizarre accusation. Whew! The University of Louisville as of the current moment sees no violation of the morals clause in Pitino's contract, so sex in restaurants with women not your wife, condomless, and helping women not your wife get either an abortion or healthcare to fund an abortion is a-ok. Don't hate!

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That was not quite important news, but the continued unwinding of the extended measures the government has taken to save the American financial system from collapse is very important news. It's also news that people busy accusing the government of socialism are probably ignoring, and right about the time when unemployment begins to reverse, these people will be deep in their bunkers hiding from the un-American world that ABP (Apostate Black President) has brought down upon them. All sorts of things, like healthcare you can't lose, will be wreaking havoc upon those not safely in the mental bunker.

In any case, the Fed (evil is as evil does) announced it will end its Treasury buying market manipulation that was designed to keep interest rates low for the common man; a sign of a return to normal that will in no way satisfy the conspiracists who will see every action as its own equal and opposite evil action:

The Fed's moves were an acknowledgment that there are signs the economy is stabilizing, but also that risks remain, said Doug Roberts, chief investment strategist for New Jersey-based Channel Capital Research, a research firm. The central bank does not want to withdraw economic support too soon, he said, "they believe the economy is still pretty weak."

Also helping stocks Wednesday afternoon was a better-than-expected earnings report from Toll Brothers. The large home builder said that although revenue continues to fall, for the first time since the end of 2005 it saw an increase in the number of contracts it signed during its fiscal third quarter.

(Washington Post)

This is just the beginning of the Fed unwinding efforts to support the credit markets. More signs of thawing? Toll Brothers reporting better than expected earning, and hedge funder John Paulson buying a bazillion shares of Bank of America. This is as near as one might ever come to Jesus telling you that the bottom is nigh, and to buy banks and be rich later.

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Today I saw a movie with a friend. I wanted to see Julie and Julia, mostly for the Julia part, and the food part, and remembrances of things past when Julia Child's big head appeared on the black and white tv on PBS when I was growing up. But no. Instead I was lead to see G.I. Joe. I endured my just punishment in order to appear pro-democracy to my lovely female companion (ironic eh? a female fan of G.I. Joe). While greatly admiring the balanced use of ethnic characters, as in, doofy Wayans brother balanced by more serious black guy, the overall depiction of G.I.'s as some quasi international group of superfriends was more annoying. I also question the ability of women to do superhuman stuff in movies that is particularly physical; call me crazy, but , it never works out quite that way in real life, like when stuff has to get moved around (unless the nearest guys are too lazy to lend a hand). I had one of the original G.I. Joe dolls, including one with Kung Fu grip. Plus some gear: shovels, guns, butter. I never imagined G.I. Joe really being so international, or with the General commanding them saying, "Let's call out the Joes!"

It was also kind of funny seeing both the Joes' and Cobra's secret lairs easily penetrated despite ever increasing technological ridiculousness. Somewhere deep in the G.I. Joe organization's human resource department, someone must have said, "Ya know, we can save by buying Walmart radar systems and letting all the guards go to aerobics class on the opposite side of the secret lair at the same time. It's not like Cobra is gonna penetrate our largely unguarded perimeter with huge drill ships."

Bad movie. Bad, bad movie.

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Is there a reason why Obama will not prove that he is not part of Cobra? It's a question not yet asked, but is probably on someone's agenda of legitimate concern.