Two things that I saw while out shopping today.

[nenena]

1. John Deere fruit snacks.

They exist.

2. An actual headline on the front page of USA Today: "Democrats Push Opt-Out Public Option."

I was going to LOL at the redundancy in that headline, but then I realized that said redundancy is actually sorely needed. Especially when I live in a country where "medical counseling" somehow reads as "death panels" to a frighteningly large percentage of people.

Edited to add: Oh dear, I was very very very wrong about the meaning of the "opt-out" in that article headline. It is not, unfortunately, a redundancy. Rather, it is a stunning example of a completely asinine concession to the completely asinine states' rights advocates opposing the bill. Suddenly I am having flashbacks to NCLB. Oh dear Lord.

Comments

[broccoman.livejournal.com]

Not a fan of it. The people who need it the most won't get it, as their states would opt-out.

Olympia Snowe's trigger idea would work, if I didn't find it was just a ploy to buy time to scuttle it down the road.

[nenena.livejournal.com]

Wait, are you fucking kidding me?! That's what the "opt-out" in the headline refers to?!

(*goes and actually reads the article*)

Holy fucking shit!!

I have no words.

[broccoman.livejournal.com]

Harry Reid's idea.

The best idea I've heard was actually opposed by the person who proposed it. He suggested letting all Americans get Medicare.

The best idea I can think of is a cap on how much you have to pay based on gross income, and a max deductable you're allowed to have. If you can't find insurance at that rate, government takes a portion of your income and you go on Medicare.

[corinn.livejournal.com]

Sigh. That state opt-out option would make the legislation pointless, wouldn't it? I guess I really do need to write to my Congressman...

[broccoman.livejournal.com]

Not entirely, but it would places like here maybe, and definitely wacko states like SC and TX.

[neocloud9.livejournal.com]

Oy vey.

[evercool.livejournal.com]

John Deere fruit snacks...

......


....what are the flavors? xD;

[evercool.livejournal.com]

PS. American headlines are always full of fail!win.

[nenena.livejournal.com]

Y'know, I have no idea what the flavors are. The box showed that the snacks come in red, yellow, orange, green, and purple colors. Whatever those flavors are supposed to be.

[the-terrible.livejournal.com]

John. Deere. Fruit. Snacks.


*long pause*



...yup. Brain is broken.

[olgiebear.livejournal.com]

My god.
I googled John Deere fruit snacks due to WTFness and they really do exsist.
I mean...WTF...why would a tractor company need fruit snacks? It's like they have some sort of glacier slow plan to take over the world...but I'm most likely over reacting. Still. The logic and relation fail is through the roof.

[nenena.livejournal.com]

Well, I have immediate family who works for John Deere, and I grew up surrounded by John Deere kitsch. ;) Obviously their main business is their farm and lawn equipment, but they do have a very lucrative side business selling toys, collectibles, memorabilia, apparel, and even food items.

The fruit snacks are a bit much, though, IMHO.

[meiousei.livejournal.com]

I cannot believe I have never seen JD fruit snacks before.

Also, this health care reform debate is defying the very laws of ridiculous at this point.

[elwafler.livejournal.com]

You know what I said a long time ago?

Fuck this, I'm moving to Norway. I haven't done that yet, but I will.

[philippos42.livejournal.com]

What the Senate is talking about isn't even an opt-in for most Americans.

State legislatures can vote to have no public option in exchanges in their state. Exchanges will in any case only be open to those who do not have employer-provided insurance.

If you go through the exchange & get the public option, you will have to pay 10% of your annual income on health care before you get coverage. That's OK if that's a premium, but what I heard on NewsHour sounded like it's the co-pay, even after the premium. I need to check that.

I'm telling everybody. If you are over 25 & don't have a Congressman sympathetic to actual public health care, please run for the House. Primary registration is probably in February in your state. If you are over 30, run for the Senate or back an actual reformer. We need to turn out the fuddy-duddies, & I think that's going to take a new movement.