Enjoy the weekend. I may watch the Super Bowl if the mood strikes me. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Giants lose as payback for beating my team, but I’ll probably be more interested in the movie trailers.
Feb 032012
Feb 022012
Plenty of nerds are up in arms over the fact that DC Comics is planning a series of prequels to Watchmen, the seminal comic that ushered the medium out of drugstore racks and into crit lit seminars. The move doesn’t particularly bother me. It may not be necessary, but I’m curious to see what the series does with the characters, particularly the omnipotent Dr. Manhattan. Then again, I liked the film adaptation of Watchmen (which a lot of geeks treated with contempt), so perhaps I’m in the minority on this as well. Alan Moore pulled himself away from his dog-eared copy of the Necronomicon to express his displeasure at DC for expanding upon his creation, but it’s a safe bet that DC doesn’t care what Moore thinks.
And while I’ll probably give the series a try, I’m not sure I want to know why the Comedian is wearing a bondage mask as shown below.
Feb 012012
Interviewing for a new nurse sometimes reminds me how much I appreciate my current staff. And the next time a candidate walks through my door wearing a wig and too-tight pants that are more suited to a night of bar-hopping, I’m not even bothering with the interview. I’m simply going to smile, thank them for their time, and direct them to the elevator.
I’ll post again once I can stop laughing uncontrollably.
Jan 312012
Here’s a sentence I never thought I’d write: I’m weirdly disappointed that Gingrich lost today’s Florida primary. I keep hoping the Republican primary will eventually be decided by some kind of Thunderdome-ish fight to the death between Gingrich and Romney with Obama serving as the robed MC. But if Romney keeps cruising to easy victories like this, all my hopes will be dashed.
Jan 302012
Like a lot of other states, Minnesota has been slow to implement the major provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Each state must establish an insurance exchange that will enable individuals to compare and purchase health plans, but our Republican-controlled legislature has been of two minds on authorizing such an exchange. Some Republican lawmakers have a pathological aversion to passing anything that might be interpreted as an endorsement of “Obamacare”, while others are intrigued by the free-market aspects of an exchange. The Dayton administration has done some preliminary development of an exchange, but legislative approval will be needed sooner than later. A DFL legislator will introduce an exchange bill soon, but it probably won’t go anywhere until the Republicans decide if thumbing their noses at the president is worth the risk of ceding control of any exchange to the feds.
Jan 272012
The Times introduces us to Jessica Ahlquist, a young woman who sued her local school district for displaying a prayer in the high school auditorium. Jessica identifies as an atheist and became the target of death threats after a judge ruled that the prayer display is unconstitutional. While the prayer is fairly bland–it asks for God to help the students be nice kids–it clearly advocates a religious perspective and has no place in a public school. That Jessica is now a pariah in her small Rhode Island town isn’t surprising, but it’s still distressing. Jessica didn’t object to the prayer itself; merely its placement in a government building. But many of her neighbors seemed to interpret her objections as a personal attack on their faith. I realize that belief is deeply entwined with the symbols of that belief, but I can’t understand how people can invest so much significance in a prayer that has less punch than a Saltine cracker.
Jan 262012
I’m off to book club soon. Depending on when I get back and how ambitious I’m feeling, I may post again later tonight.
Jan 252012
Today brought news that Minnesota representative Michele Bachmann will seek a fourth term after her presidential campaign flatlined earlier this month. I’m not surprised; the woman begins to wilt if the media spotlight neglects her for too long. But perhaps she’s a bit more vulnerable after failing so miserably on the national stage. Like any incumbent, she’ll be tough to beat, but redistricting may give her an electorate less tolerant of her fanatical views.
Jan 242012
For over a decade, Minnesota has administered a great program that enables people with disabilities to keep their Medical Assistance coverage while earning an income and accumulating savings. Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with Disabilities (MA-EPD) has served as a ladder up from poverty for many (myself included) who are capable of working but can’t go without MA. But as the Strib‘s Jon Tevlin notes, people on MA-EPD are forced back into poverty when they turn 65. Tevlin profiles a local man who may be forced to give up his own home because state law imposes strict income and asset requirements for people over age 65 who need MA. Individuals who have worked for years, saving and possibly even earning a pension, must forego the rewards of their labor and become destitute to keep their MA.
Disability advocates have long pointed out this policy shortcoming to lawmakers and have proposed changes to the law that would allow people who were formerly enrolled in MA-EPD to keep a portion of their savings and earnings when they retired. Years of budget deficits gave legislators an excuse to ignore these proposals, but an improving fiscal outlook and media attention like the Strib piece may finally prompt them to fix this oversight.
Jan 232012
Plenty of Democrats are cheering Gingrich’s win in South Carolina in the hopes that he might actually win the nomination and give Obama an easy victory. I’m not so sure. If some unexpected disaster strikes or the economy stalls again, all the other gimps and I will have to line up outside the White House and kiss Gingrich’s ring to keep our Medicaid. Then again, Romney might not be much more amenable to our plight.
The Republicans are going to do whatever they will do. I’m not going to cheer for a specific outcome and trust that the president can handle either opponent.