Federal Oversight

I am not sure about the Republican argument against Obama’s socialist takeover/makeover of healthcare in the United States, something about how the Constitution doesn’t allow for the Federal Government to require people to have health insurance.

SIDE NOTE – Please check what the Constitution has to say about marijuana (nothing, yes?) and the internet (nothing).

And from what I know, the Federal Government has the right to oversee and regulate businesses that cross state lines. I don’t think there is a national health care commission. There is a person who oversees insurance in California. Maybe other states have such an office.

I can’t imagine that the health care in any state does not cross state lines in many ways. The doctors are educated in another state. The test tubes, pipettes and needles are probably made in China. All the diagnostic equipment – MRIs, Ultrasounds etcs – if not made in another state of the Union or Germany are probably made in China. The billing services that the health insurance companies use probably are involved in more than one company and one state. The patients who get sick are crossing state lines bringing illness home from other states. Food, a known vehicle of pathogens (spinach, eggs to name a couple of recent vectors) crosses many states lines.

With all of this interstate business involved in the business of health care, shouldn’t the Feds be involved to make sure it all runs smoothly? Maybe they already are, but if so, they sure are doing a crappy job.

The Torch Relay is stupid

The torch is winding its way to Beijing. It was recently in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.

“Instead of being paraded down Islamabad’s leafy main boulevard from the presidential palace and other streets, it will now circulate around the Jinnah sports stadium in the capital, watched by 8000 handpicked guests.

How fucked up is that?

Hand picked guests!?!!?! I thought the point of the relay is to share the joy of the Olympics with everyone, not just a select few. Why have the torch relay if no one can see it?

Even worse was in New Dehli – “…the relay [was] virtually closed off from public view except for the estimated 15,000 policemen who will line the road leading from the presidential palace to India Gate.”

Doesn’t anyone think that is retarded? Again I ask – why have the torch rally if the public cannot see it? How can China not think something is wrong if so many people are wrecking havoc or at least trying to? And why are people trying so hard to keep the tradition of the torch relay alive?

I say drop the relay. Why keep a tradition started by Hitler alive?