"Here’s the back story: Under current law, Americans get a tax break if they get health insurance through an employer because the value of those health benefits are not subject to taxes.

"McCain accurately described the origin of health care through the workplace Sunday on ABC’s /This Week/: 'This all began during World War II with price and wage controls. And employers then, because they couldn’t give them pay raises, gave them increased health benefits,' he said.

"Providing health insurance through employment serves to organize customers into groups — mixing up people who spend a lot and those who spend a little on health care and allowing everyone to obtain insurance. But many health economists think it’s absurd to tie health benefits to employment, which restricts customer choice among other problems." Wasn't aware of the backstory here. Interesting. Personally, I believe in risk spreading across markets—I have no problem paying more than optimal for healthcare.

via img205.imageshack.us BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

You, um, can't get there from here. Earmarks make for great political theatre, but …

Maybe John was trying to get Joe to be on his ticket after he shoves Sarah overboard?

"[Louisiana State Rep. John] LaBruzzo said he opposes abortion and paying people to have abortions. He described a sterilization program as providing poor people with better opportunities to avoid welfare, because they would have fewer children to feed and clothe.

"He acknowledged his idea might be a difficult sell politically.

"'I don't know if it's a viable option,' LaBruzzo said. 'Of course people are going to get excited about it. Maybe we'll start a debate on it.'" :snort:

"I'm a retired (1999) Army colonel and was astounded by McCain's confusion about military 'strategy' during the debate. I listened to it and then read the applicable area in the transcript. Either he was using language extremely carelessly or he didn't learn some basics in his military career. He was a Navy captain who attended, I believe, the National War College and national security is supposedly his strong suit. It should be second nature."

"Sarah Palin vows to end good-old-boy politics in Washington, the same kind of politics the Republican vice presidential nominee seems to have enjoyed as a small-town mayor in Alaska.

"An Associated Press investigation has found that two months before Palin's tenure as mayor ended in 2002, she asked municipal planning officials to forgive zoning violations so she could sell her house." Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. [It also rocks absolutely.]

Crazy Legs / Palin 2008 … tee hee hee

I sure hope so!

I'm both excited and repulsed to see this—excited for Scott, and repulsed because, as a Bruins fan, I hate the Flyers.

I'm both excited and repulsed to see this—excited for Jared, and repulsed because, as a Bruins fan, I hate the Flyers.

"Almost no one (except Mr. Buffett) saw this coming, at least not on this scale. But let’s get back to the man of the hour. Why didn’t Mr. Paulson, the Treasury secretary, see it? He was once the head of Goldman Sachs, an immense player in the swaps world. Didn’t people at Treasury have a clue? If they didn’t, what was going on in their heads? If they did, why didn’t they do something about it a year ago, when saving the world would have been a lot cheaper?

"If Mr. Paulson and Ben S. Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, didn’t see this train coming, what else have they missed? What other freight train is barreling down the track at us?"

"Can we now admit the obvious? Sarah Palin is utterly unqualified to be vice president. She is a feisty, charismatic politician who has done some good things in Alaska. But she has never spent a day thinking about any important national or international issue, and this is a hell of a time to start. The next administration is going to face a set of challenges unlike any in recent memory."

OH MY HOLY CRAP this is funny.

"Yes, I saw Tina Fey and Amy Poehler last night. And, of course, the amazing thing is that a whole section of the script was directly transcribed from Palin's actual attempted interview with Katie Couric. There is no way Saturday Night Life could make more fun of Palin than she made of herself. How does McCain win an election with a national joke as his running-mate?" I don't know.

"Nonetheless, the issue of torture is so paramount and so core to the meaning and integrity of America that his stand – even now – against it deserves praise and support." Amen.

"Inside John McCain’s campaign the expectation is growing that there will be a popularity boosting pre-election wedding in Alaska between Bristol Palin, 17, and Levi Johnston, 18, her schoolmate and father of her baby. 'It would be fantastic,' said a McCain insider. 'You would have every TV camera there. The entire country would be watching. It would shut down the race for a week.'” Yeah, because that's why people get married. FOR FUCK'S SAKE.