She wasn't a big fan of HillaryCare, but from her reading, it was a carefully drafted and thought-out program compared to what's being discussed now. She's convinced that if the administration succeeds, the ripple effect will cost Democrats the House in 2010 and her patients' their access to high quality, affordable care.
I reassured her that the Democrats would never be that foolish. I hope. Maybe it's time for Congress to get out of Washington. They'll get an earful when they do." (Liberal columnist Susan Estrich doesn't sound like she's convinced, does she? Read the full column and you'll see gets pretty sarcastic about Obama's "stimulus" too.)
* Latino Comedian Departs Democrats Over Radical Environmentalism -- "In recent months, actor and comedian Paul Rodriguez has made known his defection from the Democratic party because of the party's lack of interest in helping drought-stricken farmers like himself in California who have had water denied to them by court order under the Endangered Species Act to save an endangered fish, the delta smelt..." (NewsBusters)* Euthanasia Pushed by Quebec Doctors -- The Quebec College of Physicians is proposing Canada's Criminal Code be revised to permit medical euthanasia in "certain particular circumstances."
"Avoiding the debate contributes to the general hypocrisy around this issue," says the college's secretary, Dr. Yves Robert. "To say that it doesn't happen because it is illegal is completely stupid. We have to stop hiding our head in the sand" Robert said the "reflection document" will emphasize that politicians and lawyers have no role in a doctor's final care of a patient and ensuring death with dignity. (UPI report, July 16)
* Embryonic Stem Cell Research May Never Pay Off -- "British fertility expert Lord Robert Winston said in a 2005 lecture, 'I am not entirely convinced that embryonic stem cells will, in my lifetime, and possibly anybody's lifetime for that matter, be holding quite the promise that we desperately hope they will.'
The Imperial College, London University professor insisted research 'should be conducted, and I believe is totally ethical.' But, he added, 'One of the problems is that in order to persuade the public that we must do this work, we often go rather too far in promising what we might achieve ...'
One wonders if ES cell research patient-advocates like Michael J. Fox, Michael Kinsley and Mary Tyler Moore would be so enthusiastic if they knew this.
* SNL Comedienne Reflects on Modern Culture -- "I walked to my car in the parking lot humming the theme from Camelot. At least I got to live at the tail end of a magical place called America. I’m an eyewitness who can tell my grandchildren about a faraway land of freedom where the people who worked the hardest were rewarded. And everyone tried to out perform each other and so, everything was top quality. Houses and cars and pools and food. They were all the biggest and best in the world. And people respected God and humbly thanked Him for their blessings. But gradually, the people started taking their blessings for granted. They started to expect rewards without working for them. They felt entitled. Even the strangers who moved into the land felt entitled. No one thanked God. They even started to mock Him. Bible studies started to be referred to as “Hate Speech” gatherings…Leviticus 26 was a crumpled, yellowed page blowing in the wind…" (An excerpt from a fascinating Big Hollywood post written by comedienne Victoria Jackson. Learn more about Jackson here.)
