DeLay Belayed, or Universal Health

The punster headline writers are having fun with variations on the theme of Tom 'the Hammer' DeLay being "hammered" or "nailed." Indeed, his right wing supporters doubtless feel he is being crucified for his righteousness. But R. Jeffrey Smith and Jonathan Weisman of the Washington Post seem closer to the mark when they report that by resigning his seat DeLay is allowed to convert his roughly $1.3-million campaign fund into a legal defense fund. Given a choice, the 'public' servant opts for self-interest--that's the story of DeLay and his fellow Republicans, and the Hammer's belay from the House is not going to change its culture. But why pick on the House. My friend, C, a successful businessman says of politicians, "They are all the same. The only want to know, "What's in it for me?'" Civic responsibility--forget it. Ethics--get real. Courage of their non-convictions--only before a friendly audience of their fellow callous hypocrites. So the war and the torture continue while John McCain submits to Jerry Falwell and Hillary Clinton wraps herself in the flag and on and on.

Meanwhile, the other Clinton, 'Doublewide Bubba," the former president and oral fixation of Monica Lewinsky--how could we forget--but the four-legged dogs want to know, since they weren't there--Was he wearing his boxers or briefs--the Dog doesn't know--Bubba endorses, according to AP (this from Forbes), a silly and dangerous Massachusetts plan to require people to have health insurance and to subsidize private insurance companies to make sure some plan is available. Talk about 'big government!' Talk about a waste of money! Talk about a lack of civic or communal responsibility! It would be far cheaper for the state to set up a single-payer health insurance plan, and it would be even more efficient for the federal government to expand Medicare, which works, to include everyone--efficient and economical. Fact is that government does some things better than the private sector, and health care is one of them. Everyone who looks at the issue knows that; they don't act because the insurance industry is willing to spend much of its obscene profits to protect its right to make obscene profits.