Clinton frees American journalists in North Korea!

Well here is some good news.

American journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling were freed today from their 12 year labor sentence in North Korea. Amazing! Right?

Let's hope so. The two journalists were arrested on the North Korean border for allegedly crossing into North Korea territory (yeah, ok DPRK...) and were sentenced to twelve years of hard labor for 'crimes against the state.' Bill Clinton, seemingly out of the blue, flew to North Korea and said what apparantly were the right things. The prisoners were freed this morning.

What did Bill Clinton say? Just apologize? Did he threaten them with death (not likely)? Whatever it was, it worked. Maybe he said nothing....maybe DPRK was happy just to have attention.

Either way, a special congrats to Bill. Way to go!

Misguided arguments on misguided legislation

It's not a fluke that this video has been released.

These remarks, comically thrown in with the flurry of multitude of controversial statements leaked during this congressional recess, has sparked widespread public outrage amongst Americans who believe in a private-enterprise solution to one of our nation's biggest problems.

What people don't understand is that the main issue with the current legislation has nothing to do with creating a 'public option' to compete with other insurance companies in insuring the remaining 48 million uncovered Americans. The issue at stake here is a government regulated health care industry that will inevitably run the private insurers out of business. It's a means to an end. The Democratic Party knows darn well that a 'universal health care' plan will not fly - this, they use fiscally conservative rhetoric like 'competition' and 'insurance choice' to portray what indeed is a very fiscally liberal program.
"Regional Family Health Care"?
One of the most frustrating 'strawman' arguments raised is the claim that those against this health care legislation are against the poorest Americans being covered: a claim so callous it contradicts the very views of those who suggest it. Numerous solutions ranging from private insurance legislative reform, to regulating tort insurance premiums on doctors, to proposing subsidized tax credits for uninsured Americans have all been advocated -- only to have fallen on deaf ears.

When the bundled mess that is the Republican party finds its conservative constituency, maybe it can vocally propose workable legislation that will help get all Americans covered under a business-like option. In the meantime, however, those in favor of private enterprise will continue to be in the passenger's seat while our government expands control over our own health.

Of course, in the spirit of politician accountability, that job could already be done for us...