That AC was me.

But doctors in small towns (population 10k or less), barely scraping by because half of the population is at or below poverty level, are paying the same as those in this big city. They all have to meet the same federal mandate to bill electronically (which requires internet access to a clearinghouse) and provide electronic medical records to insurers and other doctors as needed. And I do the IT from 400 miles away, also requiring that I have remote access. I found an excellent package for about $5k, for my wife's practice, but it is tailored to the small to mid-sized practice. We also pay $2k/yr for maintenance and updates. But it's on MacOS, an OS which is now mature enough to avoid software-shaking changes from year to year. (macpractice.com)

It's not about billing. It is about the time s/he wrote "need to monitor this patient for depression" or "watch patient for drug misuse." These are the private notes of the doctor to him/herself and the staff, used for medical purposes, but which there is no reason they should be seen by a patient or others.

Texas was NEVER part of Mexico. It was a Comanches territory which Mexico wanted but could never settle, since they kept being killed by the Comanches. As much as the revisionistas want it to be so, it took Texans to kill sufficient numbers of Comanches to settle this place in the "white way." (Obviously, I am torn between the wrongness of having done this, and ultimately, the lack of any way to change the past.)

Bill Maher is not a libertarian. He is for freedom of some things, and for restriction of some things. He wants guns outlawed because he doesn't see value in them, but he also wants to smoke all the dope he can. That is NOT libertarian. A true libertarian wants people to be free to do as they please, with government only an arbiter of overlap. (Thus, a distinction from an anarchist.)

So I guess you are saying that fighting off English control because it had become tyrannical and oppressive was a bad thing? Are we really going to have to review American history here? And you are entirely wrong about the nature of the colonial militia. Everyone had a gun. They were expected to bring it to the battle. And letting the government control the people is NOT what this country is about. The People control the government. When Uncle Sam starts trying to be my mommy, it's time to knock him/her down a notch or two (at the ballot box, preferably.)

No one said it was a gun owner that made a threat. Or that there was any actual threat. In fact, the reports I read early say that the police have found no basis for concern, which is why they hired private security. It's not that we gun owners cannot face reality, but if we only consider the target shooting aspect of owning a handgun, why would those people want others to know that they have one? As far as the self-defense aspects of owning a handgun, we don't go around saying what is in our head, which is a version of "geez, I hope I never have to use this thing, but I'm ready to shoot someone, and possibly kill them, if it comes to 'him or me'." Texas specifically made the identity of concealed handgun licensees non-public for this very reason. It is also why there is a federal ban on federal registration of firearm ownership, including a prohibition on records about background checks made of potential buyers.

Homebrew... many recipes are free and the ingredients are widely available, or grow your own (sort of). Kind of like compiling your own kernel, so to speak.

Let's ignore the presence of Turtle Creek and other somewhat stagnant bodies of water in the vicinity, or the age of that population compared to the city as a whole. All it takes is a collection of infected vectors in a natural, or semi-natural, body of water, and all that takes is a collection of infected carriers in the trees. Lots of trees in the park cities. Lots of birds. Lots of ponds and creeks. Lots of old people. Maybe Jerry Jones...

If someone has nothing to hide, their life is not worth living.

WTH are you talking about? Texas has no state income tax, but does have a corporate "franchise tax" ( in essence, an income tax). The majority of government function is paid by property taxes, both individual and business. Businesses come here because we are business-friendly and the people know how to work for a living (no to cast aspersions elsewhere). The State recognizes that without business, people don't work, and people who don't work can't pay taxes or buy food.

I get that. Funny.

Scope creep... or a creep scope?