Community Matters

(Community Matters) Led by President Obama, the Senate courageously approved stripping $1.75 billion from the defense budget for not-needed F-22 fighter jets. This fight has been on-going for years, but administrations unable to defeat the military industrial complex. An outstanding win for Pres. Obama. Fiscal responsibility is cited even when the question is health insurance for children, women and men.

(Community Matters) I’d just like to mention that only one hit from Australia in the last couple of weeks – not that I’m counting AW or AM. 🙂

(Community Matters) In his column today, David Brooks suggests Barack Obama is leading the Democratic Party to disaster by tacking too far to the left.

Wow, wouldn’t the President’s life (and probably even more so, the White House staffs’ lives) be more manageable if only this were true. As it is, they are assailed at every turn by the left and the right. I suppose Mr. Brooks hasn’t been surfing the blogosphere where the president is accused by the left of selling out the treasury to Wall Street, healthcare to business, the war to the defense industry. . .

Poll numbers in the middle of making sausage (aka bill writing, law making) – about as transparently as this country has ever seen by the way – aren’t expected to hold up. And, doesn’t the GOP usually cite failure to abide by polls as the courageous path?

Listen . . . I get insecure too about the numbers tossed out by Republicans, Democrats, the CBO, healthcare reform opponents, proponents . . . basically everybody. Change is scary. And so are numbers we are hearing being thrown at Republicans and Democrats alike by those whose bread is buttered (wallets fattened) by the gross inefficiencies, private only pay plans and near monolpolies enjoyed by the healthcare insurance companies. They are spending tens of millions every month persuading lawmakers to protect their interests

Yeah, I’ve dealt with these guys. I still remember 1996 while CFO of a semiconductor start up. I was sick and we couldn’t figure it out (turned out to be mono). The insurance company didn’t want to pay for certain lab tests. When I finally got through to a group manager and noted my purchasing power on behalf of 200+ employees, he apologized, approved everything and told me he’d flagged my account so I wouldn’t be troubled again. He choked when I explained he better flag everyone of my employees, that I wasn’t so much calling just to complain about my labs (I could have afforded to pay for them out of pocket) as about my concern over the ridiculous formularies & protocols they were following.

And, I remember when Michael & I were at MD Anderson. He was in a room receiving chemotherapy. His doctors wanted us to obtain an antineusea drug but his insurance carrier wouldn’t aprove it. I spent 3 hours on the telephone before finally reaching a general manager for Michael’s UT student healthcare plan. After promising to blog about the problem, write a letter to the editor of the AAS and send letters to every single regent, president and CFO of the UT system, did he find the code which allowed MD Anderson’s pharmacy to qualify as provider for pharmacy (MD Anderson is a UT school/hospital – and the code was there the entire time, mind you).

So, any surprise the insurance companies have zero credibility with me? Any surprise in this sea of lies, distortions and hidden agendas that the person I choose to most believe is President Barack Obama?

(Community Matters)

Happy Birthday, Cookie
dinner club holidays celebration ’08

Also, pls forgive the day late. We missed you at dinner club last night

(Community Matters)

(Community Matters) Kirk Rudy recommended I watch Defiance, then Doug Ulman tweeted about it. Yesterday, I watched the movie starring Daniel Craig, Liev Schrieber and Jamie Bell as the three brothers who escaped and evaded the Nazis in Eastern Europe, saving themselves and hundreds of Jews. It’s based on a true story – an extraordinary film.

(Community Matters) Kirk’s weekly newsletter discusses the abysmal condition of Texas’ Workforce Commission and unemployment benefits for Texans’

last week, we learned that the workforce commission has so badly mangled the state’s benefits system that tens of thousands of Texans who need and qualify for benefits aren’t receiving them. In fact, the agency’s having a tough time even answering calls from worried Texans. full test here

(Community Matters) Dinner last night with Barbara Wohlgemuth and Carrie Stapleton, Barbara’s in from the Cape for a couple of weeks moving into their new home overlooking Butler Park, Townlake and the Austin skyline. Terrific weekend. Good gosh wish we could get out to the Cape before end of this season, alas . . . .

(Community Matters) rats, I thought he was home the rest of the summer. Well, just gone for a few days. Luke & I might just have to throw a party

(Community Matters) just occuring to me . . . . why didn’t Clinton’s defense uncover the hypocrisy of Newt Gingrich and Henry Hyde and use it to sway public opinion, to better frame hypocrisy of house prosecutors?

(Community Matters) I’m still puzzled and bothered by this. One online shoppers’ source

Come to the market with a flexible palate. Often it is the case that common items (e.g. carrots, potatoes, and onions) are more expensive at the market than at conventional grocery stores. However, seasonal and specialty products that are outside of mainstream consumption (ethnic, heirloom, or rare vegetables, for example) can be purchased far below those prices demanded at the local supermarket. A flexible palate will not only introduce you to foods you never knew existed; you’ll also enjoy big savings. source

Occurs to me that Downtown Farmers’ Market pricing was very standardized – not a sense of competition. I know it’s not collusion but still rather extraordinary.

Noticing NYTimes article on Famers’ Markets and seeing reference to carrots at $2/bunch, yesterday’s available carrots were smaller lots and $3/bunch.

(Community Matters) Washington Post article in today’s AAS on why oil prices up when demand down and supply up – specualation? references to commodities speculation a la Rolling Stone.