poisonwood's Diaryland Diary

Date: Aug. 15, 2009 . Time: 8:37 a.m.

clothing match Entry:

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clothing match

Interesting article about the clothes people wear to protest.

The assemblies have the look of a lone bean-counter and a throng of unhappy workers. Visually, there's nothing to indicate we-are-all-in-this-together. It's an odd juxtaposition, given that during campaigns, politicians are quick to roll up their sleeves or slip into a Carhartt jacket when making a sales pitch to the working masses. The point of the clothing change is to indicate empathy and solidarity. Instead, for these town halls, the legislators have been going out in full Washington regalia. (President Obama has been photographed dressed more casually in the Oval Office than he was for his recent question-and-answer session with the regular Joes of New Hampshire.)

The author clearly thinks the protesters are idiots, and the pols indicate the same by their attire. Many of them probably are. But these meetings with those people shouting are a very graphic representation of what I feel all the time. It doesn't matter what I vote, do, say, or write: our representatives are going to do exactly what they want to.

8:37 a.m. - Aug. 15, 2009

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real beauty

I am definitely feeling pressure to look good on my wedding day. It's actually stressing me out. Normally I don't worry that much about what I look like - probably not enough, actually. I should probably focus more on looking professional and put-together at work. For the wedding, though, it's like, should I have my hair done? Makeup? Should I try to lose weight? Be doing pushups for arm tone and crunches? Go to the tanning bed?

8:31 a.m. - Aug. 14, 2009

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tort reform

There is one very obvious health care reform that no one is talking about - tort reform. Why is no one talking about this? We could do absolutely nothing else, and health care costs would probably drop significantly, increasing by a large number the people who could afford health care without any government support.

Why not:

1.) Put a cap on the amount people can sue for for "pain and suffering" (ie not compensation for costs incurred to remedy a wrong)
2.) Require people to pay the legal expenses of a doctor they sue if they (the person suing) loses

Yes, this would mean that some legitimate suits wouldn't get filed. But, guess what - someone is going to lose here. Either we are going to make the % of GDP we pay on health care even more ridiculous or health care quality for people who have stellar insurance is going to fall - or we'll keep the status quo with somewhere around 20% of people uninsured.

3:35 p.m. - Aug. 13, 2009

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