Odds and Ends

Thought of the day: 'Heroes' is a fun show, but it's not that brilliant. Here's the news...

Yet another look inside the unassailable health care racket system that the powers-that-be in both parties are fighting so hard to protect... The LA Times reported that "One of the state's largest health insurers set goals and paid bonuses based in part on how many individual policyholders were dropped and how much money was saved." This is, of course, standard operating practice for how 'insurance' works.

And how do we end up spending more on health care than any other nation... including the ones with largely socialized systems? Is it just our large population? Or is the system just set up in a grossly ineffective way? The McKinsey Global Institute did a detailed study.

The anti-government-health-care rants of Rudy get fact-checked by Slate and the NY Times.

Sen. Reid's keeping the Senate open over Thanksgiving to prevent recess appointments.

Another passed bill which may/may not become law: "In a response to the subprime lending meltdown, House lawmakers approved a sweeping bill on Thursday that would ... approve new rules for borrowing standards, predatory lending and nationwide broker licensing. The bill would also saddle those who securitize mortgages with some new liabilities but wouldn't preclude the use of state law to seek redress for fraud or deceptive practices."

An incestuous story of cronyism comes to an end for the State Department and Blackwater.

Being a dictator sounds awesome: "A Supreme Court hand-picked by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf swiftly dismissed legal challenges to his continued rule on Monday, opening the way for him to serve another five-year term — this time solely as a civilian president."

A Washington Post reporter fact-checks the anti-tax math of Ron Paul.

On Sunday, the folks over at the NY Times ran op-eds praising Ronald Reagan, declaring war on Pakistan, calling Obama a pussy unlike tough guy Dick Cheney, and another mocking Obama and Clinton. Darn that liberal media!

Finally, Fox News-- as always-- fair and balanced-