Olympia Snowe, Republican-Maine, Votes Senate Health Insurance Bill out of Committee in Exchange for Reduction of Penalties

That lovely young lady Senator Olympia Snowe insisted on a reduction of the prospective penalties for the Senate bill, but the bill overall remains dead on arrival and will have the unlikely distinction of doing literally nothing of consequence for long term cost control.

From whether the health care system will help or hurt the overall economy perspective, until fee for service is reformed, all other reforms are a waste of time.

Have a good weekend Common Dreamers.

[I was largely working on other projects during October of 2009, and was unable to come up with much time for Common Dreams and Unity-Progress. I felt a little guilty about having very little time for my friends at Common Dreams in October, so I felt the need to wish them a good weekend at least after I made the short comment.]

The above was in response to this article by the Mad as Hell Doctors.

Obama Wins the Nobel Prize Before the Time of His Earning One

The following was in response to this article by Michael Moore....

I hate to have to be so cynical all the time, but am I missing something? What exactly did Obama do to earn this major Prize?

I'm afraid it was awarded, as the title of Michael Moore's article suggests, prospectively. There is substantial hope, at least in Europe, that Obama will eventually actually earn a Nobel Prize. As of now, the award is nothing more than wishful thinking by those loopy Europeans who drink too much wine.

Oh well, maybe Barrack Obama will return his prize if there is no peace, as seems all too obvious will be the reality.

This commenter added quite a bit to this topic:

GUEST COMMENT

Joe in Gainesville October 9th, 2009 8:29 pm
Please folks, just take a deep breath and read what the Nobel committee said. The Nobel Committee doesn't necessarily give its award for completed achievement, but for hope and ideals. This is the other superpower, the rest of the world who protested in Feb 2003 against the war, speaking up. Use it for hope, not your freakin' cynicism. Most of the commentary I have seen on the award totally ignores the reasons the committee stated when it gave the award.

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2009

"The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.

Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama's initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.

Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population.

For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama's appeal that "Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges."

Oslo, October 9, 2009

To which I responded:

In other words, to put it succinctly, Obama won the award just for returning to some civilized diplomatic traditions as a result of not being a completely insane war monger. Unfortunately, more than this is necessary.

[And you thought I was not a good editor, laugh out loud.]

The above was in response to this article.