I think you're missing the point of a "universal health care database."

The point is NOT to enable any doctor access to your health care information (as you change doctors, see a specialist, etc).

The point is to that the GOVERNMENT has access to all of your health care information. That's why this is A Bad Thing(tm).

P2P and lack of security is a diversion.

Obama wants the single format health care information so that he can, in the not to distant future, start a) taxing you on your health status (Oh, you gained 5 pounds, your insurance premium goes up); and b) "better" determine who gets access to rationed medical procedures once "universal" coverage comes into play (Let's see...two people need a bypass operation...this one smokes....give it to the other guy who's only mildly overweight).

Monopolies are not inherently bad. If MS has a monopoly on the desktop, so what?

One reason MS is despised is because they use that monopoly to force their way into other markets. Be it server, handhelds, etc.

A monopoly is always open to competition if someone decides to take it on. In MS's case that was originally(?) OS2. MS is bad because of how they have (illegally in some cases) eliminated that competition, ie thru strongarming "partners" because of the monopoly status.

If OS2 or DrDos had been allowed to fairly compete with MS, we would likely be seeing an entirely different computing landscape today. Linux would, ironically, probably not exist, because we'd all be using open source OS's & desktops from MS, IBM, Sun, etc.

And I think it was yesterday that I saw an article somewhere saying that MS would have to open source at least part of Windows if it wants to survive.

Little side step....
Before we take this guy...You ever kill a flea before, Johnson? It's not easy.

(going from memory there...)

For his next trick, to highlight the need for more concealed carry laws, Bill Gates will fire a gun into a crowd while shouting "there is no reason why only the rich and politically connected should be able to defend themselves!"

Fixed that for ya.

-john

look we've pushed it to the point it's going to happen, let's not make it even worse.

Can someone please point me to a computer model that can accurately model what happened last year? No? Hmmm.

ALso, you're aware that it was warmer back in the 1200s than it is now, yes?

Hey, at least the Obama people didn't have to deal with keyboards with the "O" key removed, unlike a previous administration that removed all the "W" keys before they left...

Any problems that the program is having ... are due to government incompetence...

And just think! This is the same government that a lot of people want to run health care!

Hmmm. All this time I thought we as a nation were at war.
Silly me, apparently.

Well, no, not quite.

The point is that private enterprise is much better suited to wisely spend money than is government. Central economic planning by the government never works.

Another example would be two headlines here on slashdot. I think they were from this summer, tho perhaps earlier. First: CA bans incandescent light bulbs, mandates CFLs. A few days later, we were treated to this: Researcher gets efficiency of incandescent bulbs up to match that of CFLs. The more intelligent thing to do would have been to require a certain bulb efficiency, rather than mandating a specific technology.

The trillion plus we've spent so far should be proof enough that gov't spending is NOT the way to go here. Look how much good it's done so far.

Of course, not every use of money is equally effective at creating jobs

In this you are correct.

Where you are incorrect, is in thinking that government bureaucrats (or even The Great O Himself) are capable of making the correct decisions.

Example: any gov't bill will say $x dollars ProjectA, and $y dollars for ProjectB. 6 months later, someone at a private business develops MethodC, which is 10 times more efficient/reliable/etc than A or B. Too bad for C. Since A & B are getting the funding, C, the better technology gets ignored for the next 10 years, as A & B can't handle the load, until someone says, hey, whatever happened to C?

Government is not able to adapt to changing markets or technology. Business is.

You want to create jobs and grow the economy? Eliminate capital gains and personal income tax for a year, and lower the corporate rate to 10%. Watch the economy take off like a rocket. And before you complain about the defict this would create, Obama is promising trillion dollar deficits for the forseeable future, so what's the big deal?

-john

p.s. Somewhat related true story: A guy I know worked for a smaller town outside Chicago, and asked for $3-million to repave a short stretch of road. The town told him the repaving budget was all used up for the year, but that he could have $3-million to patch the road, and then apply for the $3-million repaving money next year. A business would just repave the road.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/01/06/2009-01-06_from_her_lips_to_gods_ear_the_fury_of_a_.html?page=0

""May God exterminate Hamas!" screamed the woman in crystal-clear understanding that the terrorist band's reckless, inhuman actions had brought death to her child."

"All the world knows that Israel would give up the fight in the event Hamas stopped firing and agreed to verifiably disarm." Unfortunately, not "all," as evidenced by some of the comments here.

Yes!

Joss is back!!

Way to go browncoats!!.....wait...damn....

"responsibility"?

Let's review:
According to International Law and the Geneva Conventions: It is illegal to hide ammunition and weapons among civilians. It is illegal to fire weapons from a civilian area/building. It is illegal to fight wearing civilian clothing (in this case you can immediately be executed if captured and have NO Prisoner of War status).

The responsibility for these civilian deaths lies COMPLETELY with Hamas.

Also, let's not forget that Hamas is intentionally targeting civilians.

I guess by your logic, WWII was the US's fault since we "escalated" by dropping the atomic bombs.

And Hamas definately has the ability to inflict 100:1 casualties. Strap a bomb on one "martyr" and send him into a crowded shopping mall. Unfortunately for you and Hamas, Israel has done a pretty good job recently of stopping those nutjobs before they can do any damage.

Until people like you start to recognize Hamas for what it is, and to accept Israel's right to exist and to defend itself, not much is going to change over there.

Whether or not that is true, in effect it does indeed eliminate the secret ballot.

Without the secret ballot it is really impossible to determine what the employees really want.

There is zero intimidation with a secret ballot. There is plenty without it.

The "alternative" here is Vinny standing over you, kindly "asking" you to sign the card, while his Two Goons casually twirl their baseball bats, occasionally casting a lazy glance at your kneecaps.

-john

Uhhh...from TFA:
"The bill would allow workers to organize by signing a petition, instead of through a secret ballot."