Krugman takes on the myths and concludes:

So what's the reality of the proposed reform? Compared with the Platonic ideal of reform, Obamacare comes up short. If the votes were there, I would much prefer to see Medicare for all.

For a real piece of passable legislation, however, it looks very good. It wouldn't transform our health care system; in fact, Americans whose jobs come with health coverage would see little effect. But it would make a huge difference to the less fortunate among us, even as it would do more to control costs than anything we've done before.

This is a reasonable, responsible plan. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

I'd imagine we can do even better than that now that we have 50 votes for reconciliation (not 50 for a public option yet, though).

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.

First victim was the leader of the Socialist Party, Agnes Kant, who resigned - to the dismay of many, who mourn the loss of an adequate and driven politician. The dominant reason for her departure? Her media-image mostly, the disappointing local election results second. Another victim of mediacracy.

Yesterday, minister Eurlings (CDA), whom many expected becoming a serious candidate for Balkenende's successor as party-leader (or prime-minister), announced his retreat from politics. Reason: wanting to spend more time with his family and girlfriend. Babies are now assumed by many.

Yesterday evening came the news of the passing of the founding father of D66, Hans van Mierlo, also known as the Dutch Kennedy in his early years.

He served as minister of foreign affairs in the first Kok government, and was the prime architect of the first coalition which deliberately eschewed the Christian Democrats (CDA) from power. Democracy in the Netherlands would not have been the same without Van Mierlo, in fact, it can be argued that Van Mierlo was a catalyst of a process that is still on-going: an electorate that has gone increasingly adrift. Van Mierlo was still involved with D66, and spoke and advised on regular basis with Pechtold, the popular D66 leader of the moment.

And today, as Oui has blogged here, comes minister of Finances, Wouter Bos (PvdA), who also steps back, in favour of his family.

So. PvdA and SP will head into national elections on June 9 with a new face. CDA sticks to Balkenende, and the party may face internal turmoil later this year with a succession struggle if the elections results are to be disappointing and Balkenende will resign, because I can't imagine Balkenende returning to Parliament. That is, if Balkenende doesn't miraculously performs a phoenix...

Now back to your ordinary Friday blogging.

The ME is scheduled for dinner and a movie. How about you?

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

I'm expecting my daughter at any moment, and just flung open the front door saying "Hello, beautiful," to...somebody else.  One of my son's friends, in fact.

This already has the signs of something I'm never going to be allowed to live down...

Acknowledging the re-tread premises of the "documentary," WaPo root columnist scoffs at the plaintiff, "Who do you think you are? Ken Burns?" According to wiki,

the film opened in limited release on October 9, 2009, becoming the fourteenth highest grossing film for the weekend of October 9-11, 2009 with $1,039,220 in 186 theaters with an $5,587 average.[10] The film expanded to 466 theaters on October 23.[11]

It's now available by cable PPV ($4.99 - purported median value of African American female "wealth").
So if saw a stack of DVDs at a 7/11 discounted two for $4.99, I still wouldn't buy it. Gotsta save my pennies. Baby needs a school field trip to Colonial Williamsburg, VA, cradle of the American way!

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

wot?

One of Miami-Dade's hospital networks has been given six weeks to live.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

I had dinner / booze last night with a Hungarian woman I met back in Laos. She was visiting SF last June, fell in love with the place, and decided to stay here for the full length of her one year tourist visa and might try to come back. I didn't realize she was here - we're friends on facebook but she rarely uses it and messaged me out of the blue a week ago.

It was really nice to transform back into traveling-millman for a evening. It was also nice to get a refresh on the "correctness" of my future plans which get dulled by "regular life."

you are the media you consume.

Heydar Aliyev, the son of Ilham Aliyev, the oil-rich country's president, allegedly spent almost £30 million (US$44 million) on nine waterfront mansions in the southern Gulf emirate earlier this year, reports said.

The boy, who was 11 at the time, made the purchase in the Palm Jumeirah development over two weeks, the Washington Post reported on Friday.

Heydar's name and his date of birth appeared on Dubai Land Department records, which were obtained by the paper.

The details listed on the property records were the same as those of the son of the former Soviet Republic's president, whose annual salary is about £150,000 ($228,000).

The purchases are about the equivalent to 10,000 years' worth of salary for the average citizen of the country.

The clips from 'I, Robot' show what it does.

You can't be me, I'm taken

Pluto's declassification as a planet may have drawn some disappointed murmurs from the grown-ups, but the pain is apparently even more real for a bunch of little school kids.

In his book, "The Pluto Files," celebrity astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson showcases his collection of hate mail from third graders who were disappointed at Pluto's reclassification in 2006 to a dwarf planet. The little Pluto fans demanded the immediate reinstatement of their beloved chunk of rock back into the official roster of the solar system's planets.