Hodge Podge

My Fix for Prescription Drugs

2008-11-07T15:58:00.001-08:00

A friend of mine recently had to pay over $3000 for a drug that is rarely used, so therefore expensive. It occurred to me that the Pharmaceutical companies are due whatever they charge for their drugs (within reason) but the current structure leaves every person to themselves. What if we added a 40% tax to all over the counter medication.. aspirin, cough drops, etc....and then used that tax money to subsidize all prescription drugs over $15. Sure, your aspirin and cold medicine would cost a couple of bucks more, but like insurance, you would never die or lose a limb (as my friend nearly did) for inability to cover the cost of an important prescription. This is an "Everybody wins" solution to pharmaceuticals...and I think we should implement it. What do you think?

AIG Plans World’s Biggest Kegger

2008-10-08T22:40:00.000-07:00

Insurance Giant and recent beneficiary of nearly 80 billion in bailout money, shortly before sending senior executives on a $400 holiday on the tax payers dime, is at it again. Wednesday night, still beleaguered by the market “adjustments” on Wall Street, AIG asked the feds for an additional 37.8 billion dollars.

I have been in favor of the bailouts all along, but enough is enough. It seems to me to be imprudence to even consider bailing out this company in the wake of what they did with a portion of the last cash influx. It’s clear that senior executives at AIG just don’t get it.

To put it differently, How do I know that these spoiled rich elitists aren’t going to take the money and throw the biggest kegger the world has ever seen? (for marketing purposes of course) These are tough economic times. Two weeks ago they almost went belly up. Less than a week after being bailed out with our money, they were partying it up big in a California beach resort.

I’m not religious but the principle applies. “He who is faithful in little will be faithful in much”. AIG was given a chance. They blew it. The argument that AIG must be saved for the benefit of the dominoes beneath them is no longer valid. Let that bitch tumble….and oh yeah… stop payment on the last check. Enough is Enough.

That’s my opinion. What’s yours?

CNN Owes Viewers an Apology

2008-09-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

I hate Sarah Palin and nearly everything she stands for. It's a strong word, but it fits. Still though, I am a fair minded man, and I believe CNN has gone too far.

In it's synopsis of Governor Palin's return to Alaska, they chose the headline "Homecoming Queen". That is inexusably sexist and demeaning. CNN owes an apology. The network doesn't owe their apology to Sarah. She's put herself in this position and is, in her own words, "fair game". CNN owes the apology to it's viewers. We trust CNN to give us the news while attempting to maintain an objective opinion. I will give you that the line is funny, and that I enjoy seeing Sarah Palin demeaned any way possible, but CNN must be held to a higher standard and they must hold themselves to a higher standard. It's my job to lambast the unqualified woman from Alaska. It's their job to give it to us straight. "Homecoming queen" is the sort of thing that keeps women down...especially when it comes from the 5th estate. They would have a field day if Joe Biden, in the upcoming debate called her sweetheart, or honey. CNN is equally responsible to treat this woman fairly. Period!

The offending piece