I don't have that much taken out for insurance, a little under $15. But, my check is pretty small (what with the non-profitness and all). Taxes already take a pretty huge chunk (though I almost always get a pretty big refund.)

In short, I need free health care and more money.

On a scale of 1-10, how sad is this customized car? [link]

If 10 = awesome? I give it a 6. It loses points for not having actual wings.

I think Bush and the neo-con philosophy is all about an ownership society.

And a tax-and-spend society too, apparently. And not even in a bleeding-heart way! Taxing and spending in an idiotic-mushy theory of loving one's fellow man is one thing; taxing and spending in cynical and heartless ways is just kind of -- are you TRYING to get yourself diselected?

If you don't own your own home and you're not a business person, then you're not much of an American.

Spoken like somebody who does not live in any of the five most expensive housing markets.

So basically Bush took No Child Left Behind, saw how well that was working, and the Decider decided to fix the insurance problem just like he fixed our educational system.

Fantastic!

The customization, not too sad. Not happy, but not too sad. The joy over it, if meant with neither irony or sarcasm, extremely.

Noting only that health insurance is considered taxable income if you get coverage for your same-sex partner on your health insurance (assuming that you work for an employer that allows you to do so).

If you don't own your own home and you're not a business person, then you're not much of an American.

I do own my home and am, relatively speaking, a business person, but so far the Bush "tax cuts" have all been designed to benefit people who are not me. I'd have to make a good deal more money and have children to benefit.

Taxing health insurance benefits sounds like a good way to convince the American public that government health care might not be such a bad thing.

And a tax-and-spend society too, apparently.

In light of the deficits, I'd call it borrow-and-spend.

Meanwhile in MA, which is trying to do something about health insurance for all its citizens, the first draft of the plan has come back requiring members at three times the poverty rate ($29,600/year, btw) to pay $360 a month.

To their credit, it sounds like everyone involved in putting together the plan is appalled and are studying ways to bring it down more.

24: I was so hoping that

I fell asleep while watching it, so I still haven't seen the whole thing. I saw the reveal of the brother, though. We didn't start until well after 10, and I'd had two glasses of wine by then, because I have some muscles acting up, and no prescription for anything useful (wine application was successful, though).