No Cure For Stupidity

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The debate over health care is all over but the shouting.  And the death threats, the vandalism, and the racial and sexual slurs directed at the Democratic members of Congress (and their families) who voted for this bill.

We hear 'you lie" and "baby killer" being shouted in the otherwise decorous House chamber, uttered by those who should know better.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is what passes for political discourse in 2010 America.  It has devolved to the level of a five-year old.  Or is it three?

Using your First Amendment right to disagree on the issues of the day is as old as the republic itself.  But when it comes to threatening violence against elected officials, a line has to be drawn somewhere.

This is not a new problem, of course.  Since Barack Obama became President, we still have people who claim he's not really an American citizen.  Is it because he was born in Hawaii, which is so far away from the mainland that it might as well be a foreign country?  Or is it because the way he has been pushing for health care reform an indication that he doesn't really believe in democracy?

All of this seems to have been coming from the conservative fringes who have been getting their information from Fox News and from talk radio.  They also tend to be overwhelmingly white and male, and are not really interested in what the other side has to say.

The Republican Party, from whom these fringes tend to gravitate, have been slow to tamp down the rhetoric they themselves have created without devaluing their political cred.  It's to the point where any sane person who once thought of themselves as Republican are now voting as independents.

The longer this trend toward political incivility keeps going, the more likely it is that it might end with somebody getting seriously hurt or killed.  Those who think sending a dead rat or a used condom to their representative in Washington is an effective way of sending a message should be getting one of their own--a visit from the FBI.  And those who encourage that sort of thing should take a long look at themselves in the mirror.

Playing Politics With Budget Cuts

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The State of Minnesota has a budget deficit of more than $900 million.  At present, Governor Tim Pawlenty and the Democratic-controlled Legislature are working to whittle that number down to a reasonable amount.

On some of the programs where the budget axe is likely to fall, questions have been raised.  Are the cuts merely a way for the state to say, "Sorry, we just don't have the money right now"?  Or is the governor trying to impress Republican party bosses with his leadership skills, and his refusal to raise taxes?

As everyone knows, Pawlenty has been barnstorming the country with his "unofficial" 2012 presidential campaign.  He's made speeches, gone on TV shows and pressed the flesh at conservative fund-raisers to promote his agenda without actually being a candidate.  Yet poll numbers show that not many folks know anything about the governor beyond his home state.

Here's some examples of how Pawlenty's political ambitions have been getting in the way of doing what's right for the state:

• Asking Attorney General Lori Swanson (a Democrat) to look into the legality of the health care bill, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama.  This might result in Minnesota joining a lawsuit with 12 other states to challenge the new law's constitutionality, hoping that their conservative pals on the U.S. Supreme Court might see things their way.
• Threatening to zero out $2 million from the general fund of the state's public broadcasting stations.  The Legislature is considering cuts that are less harsh, but has little chance against Pawlenty's veto pen.  Whatever happens, expect more "pass-the-hat" programming.
• Wants to cut funding for the Minnesota Film and Television Board, including incentives for filmmakers to shoot movies in the state.  Without it, studios would have to find someplace else that would play the role of Minnesota.

This gives Pawlenty the opportunity to tell the GOP faithful that he's willing to stick it to the liberals in Hollywood and Washington, so long as he's saving his state a few bucks.  However, he's hurting plenty of people in the process.

But things may be changing.  The Minnesota Supreme Court is currently deciding whether the governor's practice of slashing programs single-handedly via a little-used law called "unallotment", without any input from the Legislature, is unconstitutional.

If the court rules against Pawlenty, the governor might have to find new ways to impress the GOP on his electability if he ever wants a four-year lease on the White House.  Everyone else can count the days until he finally leaves office to hit the campaign trail.

Health Care Reform Avoids The Upset

President Obama--and most college basketball fans--picked Kansas to win the NCAA men's basketball tournament.  The Jayhawks responded by losing in the second round to Northern Iowa.

Hoping to avoid a second upset of the weekend, Obama was watching the House of Representatives give him the biggest victory so far in his presidency.  The health care bill he had worked so hard for from the moment he entered the White House passed 219-212.  The bill now goes to the Senate.

All but 34 Democrats voted for the bill, while every Republican voted against it.  Still, the matter was not settled until a key anti-abortion Democrat was reassured that no federal funds would be made available for the procedure. 

The $940-billion plan, among other things, would extend coverage to 32 million Americans who are currently uninsured.  It would also require folks to get insurance or pay a fine.  No one would be turned down because of a pre-existing condition.  Most of this legislation, however, won't go into effect for a few years.  Which may be too late for some people.

The Republicans had some legitimate gripes about what they saw as the government takeover of the health care industry.  But they lacked a better idea besides doing it over, which might have resulted in no bill at all. Some Democrats even held their noses as they were voting for the bill.  But the "Keep Your Government Hands Off My Medicare" crowd left a lot to be desired as they revealed themselves to be racist jerks, shouting slurs at certain black and gay congresspersons during protests yesterday at the Capitol.

Once the reforms become law, can we please move on to other things?  There are so many other issues that need to be taken care of, but had to be put on the back burner.  Or are the coming midterm elections going to be all about health care ad nauseum?

In the 1930's, it was Social Security.  In the 1960s, it was Medicare.  What happened tonight was the creation of one of the most significant social reforms in the country's history, and how it will be implemented will help define the Obama admninistration for years to come.

In other words, folks:  As far as health care is concerned, we're not in Kansas anymore.

The Return of Tiger Woods. Alert The Media.

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Tiger Woods has decided to go back to doing what he does best, which is getting on the golf course and intimidate the hell out of everyone he plays.

In one of those tightly-controlled statements he's become famous for, Woods will mark his return to the pro golf tour by entering The Masters, the one place in the world where golf is the main topic of conversation, TV announcers sing the praises of Augusta National--or else, and not a word about the club's discriminatory practices or how many women Woods allegedly slept with.  He has won here four times, the last being in 2005.

Oh yes, Woods' statement also said that he's still working on getting back together with wife Elin, and that he'll remain in treatment for the foreseeable future.

Now we're back to two tours--the Tiger Woods tour, where he plays anywhere he wants as long as it's close to a major, and the PGA Tour for everybody else.

Woods' return is great news for the PGA Tour, the TV networks and his remaining sponsors.  It's not so great for the other players on the tour, who have been struggling to get any kind of recognition as long as Tiger's around.  For instance, did you know that Ernie Els, a world-class golfer in his own right, won the Doral event near Miami last weekend?

It would be a remarkable feat for Woods to win the Masters after being away for so long, but we don't think that's going to happen.  He'll be too busy shaking the rust off his game.  No, the most important accomplishment he can take from Augusta is that he's playing golf again.  But what happens when he leaves that protective cocoon?  Whether anyone will remain in awe of him after all those bimbo eruptions is another matter entirely.

The Not-So-Golden Gophers

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The University of Minnesota men's teams in basketball and hockey concluded their regular seasons running hot and cold, leaving supporters to scratch their heads wondering why all the inconsistency.

First, basketball.  Coach Tubby Smith was brought in here from Kentucky to help salvage a program ravaged by dissension and scandal.  That he's done, but this season has been more of a challenge.  Two players are no longer with the team, either because they were in academic or legal trouble.  The Gophers lose to teams they shouldn't have lost to, and blow big leads because they lack the ability to put away an opponent.

The expectations of finishing high in the Big Ten confrence standings and scoring an NCAA tournament bid almost became too much to ask of Tubby's bunch, in which they finished the regular schedule with a 9-9 mark.  Instead, they defeated Penn State, Michigan State and Purdue (in that order) before losing to Ohio State in the championship game just to get into the tournament.

In spite of themselves, the Gophers are actually going to participate in the March spectacle, playing Xavier in  a first round game Friday at Milwaukee.

As for hockey, the Gophers concluded their season with a 4-1 loss to North Dakota in the third game of their WCHA playoff series.  They finished seventh with a 13-14-2 mark behind league champion Denver University.

Coach Don Lucia's resume includes two national championships with the Gophers in the past decade.  In the State of Hockey, that's all people ask.  But when you have this boatload of hockey talent seemingly at your doorstep and your team struggles to get into the playoffs, people have a right to ask why that is.

This season, along with the usual run of injuries, the Gophers have had spotty performances on the ice when it counted.  That's not really Lucia's fault, because he's playing with whatever he's got available.  What doesn't help the situation is that every year, some players leave the team in search of greener pastures with the National Hockey League team that drafted him.  And though the Gopers still get the cream of the recruiting crop, there are four other schools in this state that play Division I hockey.  So, if you're a talented player, the 'U' isn't your only option.

There have been calls for Lucia's removal because some people believe he's lost his motivational touch with the players.  But as long as his teams make the post-season (which is never a guarantee in any sport), he'll still be coaching games at Mariucci Arena.  The same could apply for Tubby Smith.

Crying Over Too Much Milk?

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You may have heard about actress Lindsay Lohan suing E-Trade Financial for $100 million over a commercial that's been airing since the Super Bowl.  It's one of those "talking baby" ads that tell us how easy it is to buy or sell stocks over the Internet.  In one of them, a girl baby named Lindsay is referred to as a "milkaholic".  Well, Lohan seems to believe the ad was about her.

She also believes that the name Lindsay has achieved one-name status, just like Oprah or Madonna.  Which should come as a surprise to the millions of girls and women named Lindsay.

Whether or not you believe Lohan is reacting like someone out of a Carly Simon song, you have to admit that she might have a point.  Too many tabloid headlines have depicted her as a young woman who has self-destructive tendencies when it comes to booze and sex.  Her run-ins with the law, and her stints in and out of rehab, have been well documented.

Lohan used to be this on-the-rise star who first appeared in Disney movies, then got great reviews for her roles in "Mean Girls" and "A Prairie Home Companion".  Now she's a cautionary tale about the dangers of being a star in Hollywood in the 21st century.  Her most recent movie, which was intended for theaters, ended up on cable.  Basic cable.

Should this case ever get to trial (and there's no guarantee that it will), we'll be hearing plenty about how Lohan was allegedly damaged in some way by the E-Trade babies.  What she really needs to do is to get her life and career back together, so that we won't have to hear tales (true or not) of her acting like an idiot.  Then maybe her cautionary tale will have a happy ending.

Another Barrier Broken at the Oscars

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Once again, the motion picture academy decides to bestow its Oscar on yet another depressing film that almost no one saw, and starring nobody you've ever heard of.  This time it was "The Hurt Locker", the story of a group of American soldiers who defuse bombs during the Iraq war.  It won six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

Kathryn Bigelow made history as the first woman to win an Oscar for directing "Hurt Locker".  Not to begrudge her accomplishment, but would anyone have heard of her if she wasn't once married to James Cameron, who was nominated in the same category for "Avatar"?  By the way, the biggest grossing movie of all time nabbed three technical awards.

Sandra Bullock won Best Actress for her role in "The Blind Side", one of those movies where a rich white person saves a black person from a terrible fate.  Bullock's also the recipient of a Razzie for her role in the future DVD clearance bin classic "All About Steve".  So she's had quite a weekend.

Mo'Nique won for Best Supporting Actress in the pretentiously-titled "Precious:  Based On The Novel 'Push' by Sapphire".  Is there going to be a point where an African-American who wins an Oscar is no longer such a big deal?

Best Actor went to Jeff Bridges for "Crazy Heart", playing a broken-down country singer.

Christoph Walz' role in Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorious Basterds" netted him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

The three-and-a-half hour Academy Award telecast was hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, who appeared with nominee Meryl Streep in the film "It's Complicated".  Their routine wasn't easy to understand, either, as several jokes fell flat.

Other observations:

•  What happened to the phrase "And the Oscar goes to . . . "?  No one used it this year.
•  Finding new ways to test the patience of the audience during an already-long show, the Academy brought back testimonials to the nominated actors and actresses.  They should have taken a cue from Tom Hanks, who simply announced that "Hurt Locker" had won best picture without bothering to read the rest of the nominees. 

Is a Cure For The Health Care Debate In Sight?

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The debate over health care has been with us forever.  Well, it may not be forever.  But it sure seems like it.

President Barack Obama, who's apparently ready to move on just like the rest of us, has told Congress that he wants the $950 million health care package he's been stumping for on his desk to sign before the end of this month.

The President must have come to that conclusion after hosting a much-ballyhooed summit, consisting of congressional leaders from both parties.  It was a mind-numbing snooze-fest, seemingly made for C-SPAN, that was full of the usual partisan talking points and not much else.  But then again, laws aren't usually made in front of the TV cameras.

Having failed to do much of anything with a super-majority, Senate Democrats must now pass Obama's plan by themselves through a process called reconcilliation--which simply means it's a majority vote, and they just happen to have the numbers.  The Republicans might object, but they've used it in the past to push through tax cuts (twice) for George W. Bush when he was president.

The GOP won't be of much help in the upcoming voting.  They say they want a do-over because they believe Obama's version of health care is too much of a bitter pill for the American People to swallow.  What's their alternative?  It seems they want no bill at all or, if there must be one, it would be written in such a way that it would favor the health care providers.

If you want to know how desperate the situation is for people who can't afford health care, look at Minnesota.  Governor Tim Pawlenty has vetoed a bill that would continue General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) for poor and indigent individuals past April 1, citing its expense with the state facing a $994 million deficit.  The Minnesota Senate overrode the veto, but the House did not.  Negotiations are ongoing for some kind of compromise.

If GAMC is not renewed, its 30,000-odd participants would be moved to Minnesota Care, which some people view as an inadequate solution.  What happens when these people get sick?  They go to the hospital emergency room, where by law doctors have to treat them.  And who pays for this?  Minnesota taxpayers.

There are similar stories like this all over the country.  While the debate goes on in Washington, people are getting sicker (and in some cases dying) because the cost of health care is getting beyond their reach.  It's time to stop talking and start acting on a healthier America.  Because something this important shouldn't wait forever.