Perhaps, as Europeans living in the midst of socialistic medicine and working conditions (a good thing!) you've become somewhat blasé and less aware of the economic terrorism that the average working American lives under, but it's just as real as worrying about subway bombers. At ANY time, a random auto accident or misstep on the stairs or a ladder, a chance encounter with a coughing TB patient or community MRSA carrier at the gym might destroy your life savings, and leave you bankrupt.

Today, in response to comments by a few brave insurance company representatives that they were not, in their interpretation of the new laws, required to accept children with pre-existing conditions, the White House announced that the insurance companies have backed waaay down, and would, in the words of the President of AHIP (the insurance lobby), "comply with the administration's interpretation of the HCR bill". This is MAJOR change! It is exactly the kind of change the Republicans were afraid of.

Obama's success with the bill has indeed changed the playing field, tipping it way over toward a slide into Medicare We Can Buy Into, the bill currently being pushed by the Wonderboy from Right Wing Florida, Representative Alan Grayson. ( bête noire of the corporations, who seems capable of shaking off congress-speak every time an opportunity to engage in it occurs.)

I suggest you Google him, and read about his fearless forays into telling it like it is. Then compare with Howard Dean's statements just before he was mediassasinated with the "scream" narrative. Grayson is raising money nationwide to keep his seat in a strongly Republican district. He's been named by Sarah Palin as the top target by the RNC this election cycle.

Continue with the NYTimes article in the Well Blogs section about paying for other peoples' bad habits, and plug into it the concept I mention here, that people are going to be more likely to behave less suicidally if they think the future holds hope through change. I think they will. There is a wide media assault on being fat and acting crazy in consumption and behavior. May it long continue.

It's the ultimate political statement to behave rationally.

Even when the media supports Teh Stupid in order to prolong the controversy (thus attracting more eyeballs for the ads) it is STILL educating the average Joe and Jane in what's being said, and I have always thought that given enough information, the human brain will sort out the arguments, USUALLY subconsciously, and vote for the better ones. So having the media "catapult" Teh Stupid will expose it for what it is. We rationalists just need to hang in there and keep making sense, no matter how boring. We needn't dismiss the unaware as evil.