The Bottom Line

Always remember...

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:31:00 +0000

“Now, we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others. It’s a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. But not only of loss and mourning. It’s also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend–even a friend whose name it never knew. “
- President George W. Bush, December 11, 2001

The President's Healthcare Speech

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:43:00 +0000

Ok, so I listened to the President’s speech, and even took notes so that I’d be able to consider things fully and not forget something that was said. I gave myself the night off from Facebook so that I wouldn’t be tempted to get into competitive urination with anyone before considering closely what President Obama had to say. I re-read my notes this morning, then taught class, then came back to try to put some thoughts down about my opinions of what happened. Thus, I hope I’ve given myself enough time to consider the President’s proposals rationally.

There are things I like, and things I don’t like. I like the idea of malpractice litigation reform. I noticed that the President tacked that onto the end of the speech and talked about doing some pilot programs in states to see how it works. I fear that, whatever happens with the pilot programs in the states, the politicians will decide that it doesn’t meet their benchmarks and scrap the idea as a whole. I just don’t think that a mistake made by a human doctor or nurse should be someone’s ticket to lifetime riches. It’s not that I don’t think that mistakes should have consequences. They absolutely should. I just think that punishment for mistakes should be limited. If we don’t keep murderers locked up for life, we shouldn’t punish doctors for life for their mistakes. Litigation reform would drive down the cost of malpractice insurance, which would reduce costs for doctors and hospitals, thus reducing the cost of healthcare.

I don’t like the President’s plans for reforming the private insurance industry. Before anyone goes nuts telling me how un-compassionate I am, please allow me to explain. Insurance in general is predicated on the idea of risk. The insurance company is betting, in effect, that you won’t have to make claims on their services very often. Thus, if you have a low risk of making claims on them, you pay a lower premium. If you are high-risk, you pay a higher premium. This is why 16-year-old drivers pay more for auto insurance than 26- or 36-year-old drivers. They are a greater risk to the insurance company. President Obama’s plan for reforming private insurance will force those companies to cover people with pre-existing medical conditions (greater risk by definition), will disallow modification of policy on sick people (which is a dirty trick, anyway), will eliminate limits on coverage and on out-of-pocket expenses (making it more likely to cost the companies more overall), and will make it mandatory that medical insurance cover more tests and procedures that it currently does (adding to both the cost and the risk that people will make claims on the insurance companies). In all likelihood, the cumulative effect of these reforms will be to drive the price of private insurance through the roof. Since insurance premiums are based on actuarial statistics and complex mathematical formulae, they will go up as cost and risk go up. It’s a natural progression.

I sort of like the idea of an insurance exchange. I certainly think it would be great if medical insurance companies could compete across state lines the way auto insurance companies can. Aside from the annoying commercials, the benefits to consumers would be immense. Low-cost auto insurance is available most anywhere you go. Low-cost medical insurance should be, as well. By finding a way to make interstate competition happen, the government would be doing a favor to the citizens of this country. If this insurance exchange is the way to do it, then so be it.
I don’t like the idea of mandatory insurance coverage for everyone, for two reasons. One, I think it’s just one more bit of freedom and choice taken away from us by a government that’s too intrusive now. Secondly, if such a thing is to be mandatory, it should be undertaken by the states, on Tenth Amendment grounds. Auto insurance is mandatory in some places, and not in others. Medical insurance should be handled the same way. The state governments, being closer to their people, know better what should be the law for those people than the national government. We fought that one out from 1776-1781. Look it up.

I’m glad that the President has promised us that no federal dollars will go to insure illegal aliens or to perform abortions. I, along with a great many other people, will be watching closely to make sure that this promise is kept.

I don’t like the public option. I understand that the President believes it will be an engine of competition and choice for the American people and that very few people will sign up for it, but I’m not so sure. When the price of private insurance skyrockets (as the actuarial tables show that it must), many people and many employers are not going to be able to afford private insurance any longer and will be forced to the public option. Also, you cannot successfully compete with the entity that makes the rules. People have said that FedEx and UPS compete with the USPS, but that’s not true. By law, FedEx and UPS can only offer specialty services and cannot charge lower rates than the USPS. That’s not competition. The President made the analogy of public colleges competing with private ones. That’s a false analogy as well. With a government subsidy, public colleges can offer much smaller tuition than private colleges. Thus, you have relatively few students that go to private colleges compared with public ones. He also said that the public option would be self-sufficient, operating only from the premiums paid to it. Having been told this by the same government that brought us the “self-sufficient” Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, VA, and Post Office, forgive me if I say, I’ll believe it when I see it. Finally, I don’t like that the government will, by necessity, have access to people’s medical records under the public option. The government knows too much about all of us now. They don’t need to invade our privacy any further.

I liked that the President, at least on the surface, seemed willing to listen to other people. A good idea is a good idea and should be accepted and used regardless of where it comes from. I hope that this spirit of cooperation persists and there are good things that come from it.
I didn’t like all of the extraneous BS that went along with the speech. I’m talking about Joe Wilson screaming at the President. That’s uncalled for and he should have more respect for the office of the President than that. I also didn’t like the use of the death of Ted Kennedy to push along a political agenda. That’s uncalled for, as well. Finally, I dislike being lectured on morality and justice by liberal politicians who have told me repeatedly over the years that character shouldn’t matter. These people defended perjury from a sitting President based on the argument that “everybody does it”. They have advocating fundamentally changing the institution of marriage. They advocated the killing of the unborn through abortion. And, now, when it suits their political agenda, they begin to tell me that it is the right, charitable, and just thing to do to provide healthcare for the uninsured. When I consider the source, it’s all I can do not to laugh. Anyway, as Forrest Gump once said, that’s all I have to say, about that.

Work harder...

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:49:00 +0000

...Obama needs the money. As I sit here and watch the press conference, I begin to realize that the man is either 1)Malicious or, 2)Insane. He is telling me that a public health insurance program will somehow encourage the private insurance companies to better compete. It is impossible for a private company to compete on price with the government. The government makes policy and sets the price schedule, so that competition cannot be fair.

This healthcare business is yet another attempt to control the lives of average Americans. If socialized medicine becomes a reality, they will have all the excuse they need to regulate every aspect of our lives, in the guise of keeping the cost of healthcare down. No more soda, no more red meat, no more booze, no more cigarettes. All of those things make you too expensive to insure. Oh, and no more personal freedom. You thought that, when you turned 21, you'd be able to make decisions about your personal life, but don't count on it. After all, the government knows what's best for you. That's why they're the government...

It's game day...

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:36:00 +0000

...and I thought I ought to post something. Maybe just something for good luck...

Totally Deserved....

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:38:00 +0000

...Heath Ledger gets Oscar Nomination for The Dark Knight.

As the article says: "Best. Villain. Ever."

Classes start today...

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:46:00 +0000

...and here's your gift from The Bottom Line

Happy New Year...

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:25:00 +0000

...from The Bottom Line.

Having returned safely from Orlando, I thought I would pass along some of the wisdom I accumulated during my stay there. Thus, here are the Top Ten Things I Learned on my Disney World Vacation.

10. I hate standing in line (for most things. For the exception to this rule, see #6 on this list). Although many of the lines moved sorta quickly, I still felt like a Russian waiting in line for toilet paper a lot of the time.

9. The economic downturn has apparently not reached Orlando. Everybody and their damned brother was there.

8. If I'm ever in the position to move around according to the seasons, I'm definitely going with Florida in the wintertime. Average daytime high temp was ~76 degrees for the duration of our stay.

7. You really can get burgers and fries for four people for $30. No kidding.

6. 45 minutes in line + 2 minutes on Space Mountain = totally worth it.

5. 60 pounds carried on the shoulders for the purpose of watching a parade becomes painful after about 15 minutes.

4. Georgia sucks. If they're not working on the highway or otherwise obstructing traffic, they're bombarding drivers with billboards advertising massage parlors and adult bookstores. Savannah is the only piece of it that's worth the effort.

3. Thirteen hours is a hell of a long time in the car. Just sayin'.

2. I thought I-40 sucked at rush hour in RTP. It's nothing compared to the hell that is Kissimmee traffic going toward Walt Disney World. IT was a five mile trip that frequently took > 45 minutes.

1. It really is true that , if the kids are having a good time, everything else is gravy.

More Holiday Humor

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:38:00 +0000

Christmas Physics

After many careful hours of painstaking research, I have compiled the most expansive physics experiment ever performed on Santa Claus. I hope you can give me the due credit when you show off your cute article. After all, it is my life, my thesis, my reason for existence on this blessed earth. Well, here is my inquiry into Santa Claus.

1. No known species of reindeer can fly. BUT there are 300,000 species of living organisms yet to be classified, and while most of these are insects and germs, this does not COMPLETELY rule out flying reindeer which only Santa has ever seen.

2. There are 2 billion children (persons under 18) in the world. BUT since Santa doesn't (appear) to handle the Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, and Buddhist children, that reduces the workload to 15% of the total - 378 million according to the Population Reference Bureau. At an average (census) rate of 3.5 children per household, that's 91.8 million homes. One presumes there exists at least one good child in each.

3. Santa has 31 of hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth, assuming he travels east to west (which seems logical). This works out to 822.6 visits per second. This is to say that for each Christian household with good children, Santa has 1/1000th of a second to park, hop out of the sleigh, jump down the chimney, fill the stockings, distribute the remaining presents under the tree, eat whatever snacks have been left, get back up the chimney, get back into the sleigh and move on to the next house. This means that Santa's sleigh is moving at 650 miles per second, 3,000 times the speed of sound. For purposes of comparison, the fastest man-made vehicle on earth, the Ulysses space probe, moves at a poky
27.4 miles per second - a conventional reindeer can run, tops, 15 miles per hour.

4. The payload on the sleigh adds another interesting element. Assuming that each good child gets nothing more than a medium-sized Lego set (2 pounds), the sleigh is carrying 321,300 tons, not counting Santa, who is invariable described as overweight. On land, conventional reindeer can pull no more than 300 pounds. Even granting that "flying reindeer" (see point #1) could pull TEN TIMES the normal amount, we cannot do the job with eight, or even nine. We need 214,200 reindeer. This increases the payload - not even counting the weight of the sleigh - to 353,430 tons. Again, for comparison - this is four times the weight of the Queen Elizabeth.

5. 353,00 tons traveling at 650 miles per second creates enormous air resistance - this will heat the reindeer up in the same fashion as spacecrafts re-entering the earth's atmosphere. The lead pair of reindeer will absorb 14.3 QUINTILLION joules of energy. Per second. Each. In short, they will burst into flame almost instantaneously,
exposing the reindeer behind them, and create deafening sonic booms in their wake. The entire reindeer team will be vaporized within 4.26 thousandths of a second. Santa, meanwhile, will be subjected to centrifugal forces 17,500.06 times greater than gravity. A 250-pound Santa (which seems ludicrously slim) would be pinned to the back of his sleigh by 4,315,015 pounds of force.

In conclusion -

If Santa ever DID deliver presents on Christmas Eve, he's dead now.

A little Holiday Humor...

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:22:00 +0000

The Twelve Days of Christmas

DAY ONE:

Dearest Bob,

I went to the door today and the postman delivered a partridge in a pear
tree. What a thoroughly delightful gift. I couldn't have been more
surprised.

With deepest love and affection,

Violet

DAY TWO:

Dearest Bob,

Today the postman brought your very sweet gift. Just imagine? Two
turtle doves!! I'm delighted at your very thoughtful gift. They are just
too adorable.

My everlasting love,

Violet

DAY THREE:

My Dear Bob,

Oh! Aren't you the extravagant one! Now I actually must protest. I
don't deserve such generosity-three French hens! They are just darling,
but I must insist-you've been too, too kind.

All my love,

Violet

DAY FOUR:

Dear Bob,

Today the postman delivered four calling birds. Now really they ARE
beautiful. But don't you think enough is enough? You are just being too
romantic.

Love,

Violet

DAY FIVE:

Dear Bob,

What a marvellous surprise! Today the postman delivered five gold rings.
One for every finger. You're just impossible, but I love it. To tell
you the truth, all these birds really squawk a lot and are getting on
my nerves.

Affectionately,

Violet

DAY SIX:

Bob,

Today the postman knocked and ran. When I opened the door there were
actually six geese-a-laying on my front steps. So, you're back on the
birds again. Those geese are huge! Where in the name of creation will
I keep them? The neighbours are complaining, rightfully so, and it is
impossible to sleep through this racket.

Now let this be the end of this.

Cordially,

Violet

DAY SEVEN:

Bob,

What the hell's with you and these fucking birds?!? Seven
swans-a-swimming? What kind of goddamn joke is this? There's bird shit
all over the house and they never stop with the racket.

Stop with this sadistic nonsense. This is not funny and I am very
unhappy.

Sincerely,

Violet

DAY EIGHT:

OK Pal ! !

WHAT IN THE SCREAMING HELL AM I GOING TO DO WITH EIGHT MAIDS-A-MILKING?
JESUS!!! I THINK I PREFER THE GODDAMN BIRDS! THE GODDAMN MAIDS-A-MILKING HAD TO BRING THEIR GODDAMN COWS. THERE IS COW SHIT ALL OVER MY LAWN AND BIRD SHIT ALL OVER THE HOUSE. I CANNOT MOVE MY FEET.

JUST LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE, SMARTASS.

DAY NINE:

LISTEN SHITHEAD ! !

YOU'RE A SADISTIC BASTARD! NOW I HAVE NINE PIPERS PIPING IN MY FRONT
YARD AND THEY ARE STANDING KNEE DEEP IN COW SHIT. THIS AFTER CHASING
THOSE MAIDS ALL NIGHT LONG. CONSEQUENTLY, UPSETTING THE COWS TO THE
POINT THAT THEY ARE STEPPING ALL OVER THOSE GODDAMN SCREECHING BIRDS. THE NEIGHBOURS HAVE STARTED A PETITION TO EVICT ME.

UP YOURS ! ! !

DAY TEN:

YOU ROTTEN PRICK ! ! !

NOW THERE'S TEN LADIES DANCING. I DON'T KNOW WHY I CALL THOSE SLUTS
"LADIES". THEY'VE BEEN BALLING THOSE GODDAMN PIPERS ALL NIGHT LONG.

NOW THE GODDAMN COWS CAN'T SLEEP AND THEY'VE GOT DIARRHEA! EVERYTHING HAS TURNED TO A RIVER OF SHIT ! !

THE COMMISSIONER OF ZONING AND THE BUILDING INSPECTOR HAVE SUBPOENAED ME TO GIVE JUST CAUSE WHY MY HOME SHOULDN'T BE CONDEMNED.

I'M CALLING THE POLICE ! !

I MEAN IT. BY GOD !

DAY ELEVEN:

LISTEN FUCKHEAD ! ! ! !

NEVER IN MY WILDEST IMAGINATION DID I EVER THINK THAT I WOULD BE WITNESS TO ELEVEN LORDS-A-LEAPING ON THAT MANY MAIDS AND "LADIES."

THEY TOOK THOSE BROADS LIKE GRANT TOOK RICHMOND-- AND THEY WILL NEVER WALK EXACTLY RIGHT AGAIN. I WASN'T THE ONLY WITNESS, BY THE WAY.

THE "60 MINUTES" CAMERA CREW AND STAFF ARE JUST NOW LOADING UP THEIR CAMERA AND EQUIPMENT ON A CHARTERED PLANE AND ARE RACING AGAINST TIME TO HAVE THE FIRST CHRISTMAS SPECIAL ON PAY TV.

FOR THE RECORD, ALL 23 OF THOSE GODDAMN BIRDS ARE DEAD. THEY WERE
TRAMPLED TO DEATH IN THE ORGY. AS GOD IS MY WITNESS, SOMEHOW, SOME DAY, I'LL GET YOU ! ! ! !

I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOUR FUCKING FACE AGAIN AS LONG AS I LIVE!

MISS VIOLET MONICA HABERSHAN

DAY TWELVE:

LAW OFFICES GOLDSTEIN, SILVERBERG AND O'REILLY

Dear Sir:

This is to acknowledge receipt of your latest gift of twelve drummers
drumming, which you have seen fit to inflict upon our client, Miss
Violet Monica Habershan.

The destruction, of course, was total. All correspondence should come
to our attention. If you should attempt to reach Miss Habershan at the
Charter Glade Sanitarium, the attendants have been instructed to shoot
you on sight!

With this letter, please find attached a warrant for your arrest.

I might have known...

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:27:00 +0000

...Carolina cancels Christmas.

Communist pinko liberals.

In tribute to our beloved brethren in Chapel Hole, I post the following video:

Good to see you, Trav...

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:10:00 +0000

A shit-ton of driving last night, but totally worth it. The food was good and it was great to see Travis before he returns to the land of the Christmas Pickle. In tribute to Travis, I post the following video:

Bowl-Eligible...

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 01:27:00 +0000

...6-6 overall, 4-4 ACC

Great work, Pack!

Nothing could be finer...

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 23:22:00 +0000

...than a good pimp-slap on a Saturday afternoon in the fall

Q: How do you keep a Carolina football player out of your yard?

A: Put up a goalpost

One of the great time-wasters ever...

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:40:00 +0000

...now in Flash.

In addition,

GO TO HELL CAROLINA!

GO STATE!

It's Coming...

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:11:00 +0000

DeAndre, take some lessons.

In honor of Veterans' Day...

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:09:00 +0000

In Flanders' Fields, the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky,
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below

We are the Dead. Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders' Fields

Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be it yours to hold it high
If ye break faith with us who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow,
In Flanders' Fields

--Lieutenant Colonel John McRae
Royal Canadian Army
December 8, 1915

Two quotes for the future of the country...

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:05:00 +0000

The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.
--Alexis de Tocqueville

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard.
--H. L. Mencken

Today's the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:43:00 +0000

Vote for the Old Guy and the Hot Chick.

Just For Mike...

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:07:00 +0000

Ahh, vintage commercials...

I have to agree with Casey on this one...

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:25:00 +0000

...This is awesome.

Politics, n. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.
--Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

Today's Musical Selection:

Joan Baez--Blowin' in the Wind

It looks as though Obama will win...

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:23:00 +0000

...and Americans seem intent on abandoning the economic system that has produced the highest standard of living and the greatest prosperity in the history of the planet. I don't say it's without problems. There are good times and bad. However, in the overall sense, our economy has produced a more prosperous society than has ever been seen before. Obama is a socialist. He believes in the redistribution of wealth through taxes and social programs. He has said so himself, so I won't belabor that point. However, we need to ask ourselves this question: Have we ever seen an economically strong socialist country? I can't remember one. The Soviet Union couldn't feed its own people. The Chinese have engaged in population control measures that can only be called draconian and they still have trouble feeding themselves and still managing to compete in world economic circles, especially in areas of quality control. Also, socialist governemnts in the 20th century were responsible for well over 100,000,000 deaths, so there's a moral dimension as well. So, I leave this election cycle with a vote for a cause that's foreordained to fail and look for my future activity to the advice of Dylan Thomas:

Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

If nothing else, I will rage against the dying of the light...

Today's Musical Selection:

Skid Row--Wasted Time

I liked this one...

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:57:00 +0000

Unedited SNL Bailout Sketch

I'd vote for this guy...

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:46:00 +0000

Stylin' and Profilin'...

A-Dub vs. Trent Edwards

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:03:00 +0000

Reminds me of what Leon Spinks used to say to people. People would ask him, "Leon, What do you do?" Leon's answer: "I knock motherf*****s out."

It looks as though I'm unable...

noreply@blogger.com (Jedi Master) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:18:00 +0000

...to perform the second half of my civic duty, at least according to Travis. I'll definitely vote, but shutting up about the choice we're about to make probably ain't gonna happen. According to the polls, the American people seem to be on the verge of choosing Senator Obama as President. Because of this, I am posting ten questions I have for the Senator, or any of his supporters about how his upcoming Presidency will affect me and others. Sorry, Trav...

1. Senator Obama has promised to cut taxes for 95% of Americans if he is elected. He has also proposed about $800 Billion in new spending. How does he propose to reconcile the two?

2. Senator Obama has promised to close “corporate tax loopholes” so that Corporations have to pay the actual tax rates specified in the law, about 30-35%, if I remember correctly. I am in favor of clearly written laws, so closing loopholes doesn’t bother me. However, I am at a loss as to how a de facto tax increase on companies already having financial difficulties would help our economy in these troubled times. Please explain.

3. Senator Obama has accused John McCain and other Republicans of advocating tax cuts for both “the wealthy” and “corporations that ship jobs overseas”. His answer to these problems seems to be to tax both “the wealthy” and “corporations that ship jobs overseas”. I don’t understand how he intends to prevent the wealthy from investing their savings in other places to avoid the taxes (thus hurting the US economy) or how he intends to prevent corporations from moving offshore to avoid the taxes (thus hurting the US economy and taking the jobs a lot of people need with them).

4. How does Senator Obama intend to keep Corporations from passing their tax burdens on to the consumer in the form of price increases? Or, to put it another way, will the individual get some sort of tax reduction, only to see it obliterated by higher prices because of higher taxes on the companies that provide goods and services?

5. Senator Obama has proposed a “windfall profits” tax on petroleum companies. What exactly is a “windfall profit”? Also, in relation to the previous question, how will he prevent the petroleum companies from passing on these increased taxes to consumers in the form of price increases? It seems that, at a time when gas prices are already very high, this could be a serious problem.

6. Senator Obama has proposed at least some level of “nationalized health care/socialized medicine”. How does he intend to make sure that, under his program, the quality of American health care continues to be the best in the world? Evidence seems to indicate that other countries with these kinds of programs, such as England and Canada, seem to suffer in terms of the quality and availability of medical services. Is such a drop-off acceptable to Senator Obama as the price of doing business or does he have some sort of plan to keep it from happening?

7. Senator Obama voted against requiring notification to the parents of minor children who cross state lines to get abortions. How does this sort of vote reinforce the American family at a time with the family unit is in trouble in America?

8. Senator Obama has often voted for, and advocated, restrictions on individual gun ownership. He has also stated that abortion is a woman’s right under Roe v. Wade (1973). How does Senator Obama now see gun ownership in the light of D.C. v. Heller (2008)?

9. Several prominent Democrats, including Senator John Kerry (D-MA) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) have endorsed the idea of reinstating the Fairness Doctrine. How would Senator Obama respond to such ideas? If implemented, how would he protect the First Amendment rights of his opposition on talk radio and the internet from the economic realities that would, almost certainly, force them off the air and the Web under such rules?

10. In his first Presidential debate with Senator McCain, Senator Obama was unable to decide which of his proposals he would cut due to the financial crash and bailout. I would like to know the answer to the question as posed by Mr. Lehrer during that debate.

Today's Musical Selection:

The Byrds--Turn, Turn, Turn.