Healthcare

Ok so here's my take. 90% of the country has been paying 9% of their free time focusing on this, despite the fact that it's worth 25% of their income.

Yeah there was all the republican scare tactics about death panels, pulling the plug on grandma, socialism / fascism / anyism you'd like to pick this week, but at the end of the year and a bit - long debate, they lost. Full fucking stop. Barack Obama is getting some sort of socially beneficial policy through. And while I will strenuously protest the fact that there was no public option, a weak-sauce version of getting any kind of real health care reform which works for rich and poor alike through, he has defeated a republican congress which has not, does not, and will not for the time-being, vote for anything he tries to get through. These people lack any principles.

This man is one of the most intelligent, charismatic presidents for a looong time in this country, and although there are right wing militia groups getting arrested for assassination plots as we speak, at the end of the day, this man is making this country a better place, and somewhere I'd like my kids to grow up, rather than somewhere I'm just visiting for a while.

Do it Obama. You promised change. You're only delivering small change so far, but if you turn this ocean liner around, then your presidency will be truly monumental.

http://www.youtube.com/theyoungturks#p/search/0/sO6JXVBeBgs

What's with all the torture?

Okay this really gets my goat, or however the expression goes.

We know it happened, we know it was authorised. So prosecute someone already. I can't believe people aren't more pissed off about this.

Look it's like this - Obama's not gonna do anything cos he's got so much more shit to push through in this administration, and he wants some Republicans to support it. In my view he's wasting his time since they have opposed every major piece of legislation he's proposed so far, but I get it - spirit of bipartisanship and all that malarkey.

The only way to guarantee things get done in government, is for people to get so pissed off about something that it will cost votes to oppose it. So the American people need to get angry about this. Ok I get that it's a shameful thing, and people in this country (and the West in general) don't like talking about shameful things (re: slavery, annihilating indigenous populations, exploiting the third world), but this is not something that you can brush under the carpet - it's not going away. People died.

It's like the whole Iraq war thing. People were all gung ho about it when it kicked off, like "USA USA" shit, and then when it was costing thousands of lives, and $10B a month, people started getting all antsy. Even Obama opposed it only as a strategic blunder. That's not the point! No-one has a right to invade a sovereign nation except in self-defence.

Empires rise and fall and I think this one's falling right now. You just have to look at the facts, all the indications that are being indicated by the indicator, or whatever that Bush guy used to say. But there's an opportunity to strengthen the framework that makes sure the next empire (China) doesn't completely fuck you over when they snatch the baton. These are embodied in the UN and the Geneva convention, so start playing by the rules and you'll be able to call someone out if they break them too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4E0UtxI7b0