Meteoric depression

[altivo]

Still down in the dumps, maybe farther than yesterday. This is so unlike me I don't know what to make of it. Read Kyell Gold's latest story posted on FA, which didn't help. It's not porn, which pleased me as I think he's a really fine writer when he talks about feelings, hopes and fears of his characters rather than describing every "unf" in

Comments

[hgryphon]

I agree with the sentiments you express about the rumors and fear mongering surrounding the health care reform. Having not read any of the proposals, I don't know if they will or won't do enough. And naturally the insurance companies are going to do what they can to protect "their" territory, including lie, cheat, steal, and kill, but then that's kind of old hat to them, isn't it?

[altivo]

Yes, it's business as usual for the US. Company thugs hired to keep control of the masses and the government. No different from 50, 100, or 150 years ago. It never seems to change, and most people never seem to catch on.

[hrrunka]

Perseids were washed out here last night; horizon-to-horizon cloud and steady drizzle. The night before one member of my local astronomicl society left a webcam running and managed to catch at least one.

[altivo]

For all the hype about how magnificent this meteor shower was going to be, it seems like quite a dud to me. I've seen better in years when there was no advance warning at all. We had unusually clear skies last night, and before moonrise I could even see the Milky Way. In 30 minutes' time I managed to see just one meteor trail.

[hrrunka]

In recent years (mainly since the recent apparition of comet Swift-Tuttle, which is responsible for them) there've been a few short sharp peaks from the Perseids which have, apparently, been quite spectacular. They're also not easy to predict. The news media leaps on the "spectacular" but tends to ignore the detail..

[altivo]

I've been relying not on popular media, but on academic astronomers like Guy Ottwell, and on government agencies like NOAA. Of course I should know better. The weather service is part of NOAA and the quality of their work has been declining rather than improving.

[bariki]

Chin up, pony. *noses*

As for health care reform, even with the best of intentions and a super-majority, the chances of a decent health-care package making it onto the president's desk are slim. There are just too many vested interests for it to be otherwise. I'm not saying I like it - it just sucks: you'd think America, that spends the most per capita on health care of any country, would have the best care in the world for its citizens. It's sad that this isn't the case, and terrible for those left out.

[altivo]

The problem is Americans, who are so very proud of their own ignorance, narrow mindedness, and lack of foresight. I had hopes that we'd see real change after the last election, but it's all business and corruption as usual.

[equattraction]

Here is a Canadian health care story.

A while back I was exercising my stallion in the sand ring when I experienced a severely torn retina in my left eye ... big black blobs.

I phoned my doctor, and an hour later I was in his office. Fifteen minutes later I was being examined by the ophthalmologist down the hall. The next morning at six a.m. I was in the nearby hospital for cryosurgery (painful but fast). During the following months I was examined often by the surgeon. My eye is now perfectly healed, and I am back chasing my stallion around the arena.

The entire procedure was free except for $25.00 for some eye drops. My taxes are a bit higher than they might be if I was living in the USA, but it is worth it.

If you folks want a universal health care program, you need to write to your representatives as often as you can, and to support your president. He is trying as hard as he can, and he wants to hear from you. Good luck!

[altivo]

I agree. I'd very much favor a plan like Canada has. Unfortunately, the commercial interests in the US have a stranglehold on the government. They are also able to panic and chase people around like lemmings by spreading misinformation and doubts, which they are doing now at a high intensity.

The truth is, a complete reworking into a Canadian style system would not likely raise taxes significantly, and even if it did, that increase would be offset by the reduction in out of pocket expenses we now pay for health coverage if we can get it. The people screaming the loudest would probably end up paying less, taxes included. But one of their big complaints is that they don't want to "pay for other people." This is disgustingly selfish, but the truth, which they refuse to see, is that they pay for other people all the time. Medical costs are raised to absorb the price of charity care and low income care at fixed prices. That would stop.

This "let them eat cake" attitude among some folks just sickens me, it really does.

[hrrunka]

total made up fictions

The Register picked up on one of those fictions...

[altivo]

Yes, and that one is still circulating and being believed. It's just incredible how ignorant people are, and how stubbornly they refuse to surrender that ignorance and see reality.

[keeganfox]

Perseids were a no-show here as well. Typical England, overcast.
I'll second you on the health care hysteria, too. It's like even the mention of it disconnects rational thinking. According to the conservatives, you're going to have a panel of bureaucrats deciding what, if any, care you get. Like having an HMO do that is any better. They screech about "rationing" and people actually believe that they're they're going to break their arm building a treefort, and call 911 only to hear that they've used up all the ambulance services for that month.
"Sorry, we're unable to help you, due to heath care rationing."And they -believe- it! Or they think that the rest of the first world suffers in agony for months because of "long waits", yet they've never experienced any other heath care system, ever

[altivo]

It looks like a lost cause to me. Obama was a big talker, but now he's backing down and his proposals are just chaff. Between this failure and his unwillingness to lend real support to the rights of gay citizens, he's lost what little support he had from me. As far as I'm concerned, he's just another power drunk, corrupt politician.

You're right of course. All the hysterical screaming about "death boards" and "long waits" and "bureaucrats deciding treatment" completely ignores the same powers being wielded now by the MBA bureaucrats who run HMOs and insurance companies. The ones who control health care now are largely concerned with their own profits, to hell with the patient. How is that any different from a government agency making a decision? We've seen that government agencies are willing to waste money on ridiculous and pointless wars. At least they aren't worried about "profitability."