My emergency room doctor best friend is a huge universal health care supporter. Which makes sense. They have to take care of the uninsured and are not equipped to provide, for example, preventative care.

Which makes sense why my primary care doctor views it the way he does -- because with universal health care, people are coming to his door.

Okay, cuz I know you all want to know the outcome of the saga of the Unplanny Brother, I mentioned getting a drink at this kid friendly bar/restaurant in my hood and so he replied that they'd just have dinner there. which was my original suggestion. And, now, looking at their Restaurant Week (which starts today) menu, they have a lobster entree on it. Hilarious. I still really want to stay home but going 5 minutes away to a place where I feel okay being an unhairwashed slob will have to do (if i get to hang with cute niece person).

Yay for new job, Allyson!!!

IObamaN, our new president is not above telling the GOP what's what:

The top congressional leaders from both parties gathered at the White House for a working discussion over the shape and size of President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus plan. The meeting was designed to promote bipartisanship.

But Obama showed that in an ideological debate, he’s not averse to using a jab.

Challenged by one Republican senator over the contents of the package, the new president, according to participants, replied: "I won."

The statement was prompted by Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl of Arizona, who challenged the president and the Democratic leaders over the balance between the package’s spending and tax cuts, bringing up the traditional Republican notion that a tax credit for people who do not earn enough to pay income taxes is not a tax cut but a government check.

Obama noted that such workers pay Social Security and Medicare taxes, property taxes and sales taxes. The issue was widely debated during the presidential campaign, when Sen. John McCain, the Republican nominee, challenged Obama’s tax plan as "welfare."

With those two words — "I won" — the Democratic president let the Republicans know that debate has been put to rest Nov. 4 .

Democratic and Republican aides confirmed the exchange. A White House spokesman said he wasn’t immediately aware of the exchange. The aides who heard the remarks stressed that it wasn’t as boldly partisan as it might sound.

Still, other Democrats echoed the sentiment. As he left the White House, House Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina was asked about Republican complaints that Democrats aren’t listening to what their GOP colleagues have to say. "We’re responding to the American people," he said. "The American people didn’t listen to them too well during the election."

"When universal health care kicks in, where are we going to get enough doctors to treat them all?"

This exactly happened, apparently, - masses of people seeking routine dental and pediatric care - when England went to National Health in 1948, according to Atul Gawande's article in the current New Yorker here: [link]

2 week, post-surgery check-up - All good. YAY!

Yay!!

Yay!

WOOT!

ION, I want to eat like a giant cake or maybe a pie. I could definately down a few cinnamon rolls. Chances of me sneaking bad for me food around mac is zero. I could buy him something in order to have soemthing myself. bad mommy.

Can't you get something to eat on the train? Like a single cinnamon roll?