A reader sent me a link to an article describing an experimental wheelchair that includes a mind-controlled robotic arm. My reaction can be summed up as follows: totally frakkin’ awesome. If Stephen Hawking refuses to meet me at the International Space Station for our zero-gravity death match, perhaps he’ll agree to an alternative. I’m picturing each of us in one of these wheelchairs in the middle of an arena, beating each other into a bloody pulp with our robotic arms until one of us cries “uncle”. It will be the beginning of a whole new spectator sport that could potentially be worth billions of dollars: Ultimate Gimp Fighting. Better yet: Rock-‘Em-Sock-‘Em Cripples.

Somebody get me Vince McMahon on the phone. He’s going to want to get in on this at the ground level.

I’m imagining Senators Collins, Snowe, Nelson, and Specter meeting for Sunday brunch this morning, toasting each other with mimosas and basking in the glow of newly realized power. The cuts made to the Senate version of the stimulus bill don’t have any clearly articulated rationale behind them other than some tired nonsense about “trimming the pork”. Explain to me how $40 billion in aid to bankrupt states is pork. Explain to me how $20 billion in school construction won’t create jobs.

When the total dollar amount of the bill is still close to a trillion dollars, I have a hard time buying the argument that this centrist-brokered deal is really about fiscal responsibility. It’s about politicians choosing self-promotion over a stimulus bill that might actually pull the economy out of this death spiral.

And it is a death spiral. Take a look at this chart, which compares the current wave of job losses to job losses in recent recessions:

Gulp.

Come on, admit it. Ever since Obama took the oath of office, you’ve private wondered what the President of the United States and leader of the free world sounds like when he’s calling someone a sorry ass motherfucker.

Wonder no more. To be fair, the clips on this site are from the audiobook of Obama’s Dreams of my Father, but it’s fun to imagine him using similar language when addressing recalcitrant Republicans.

Well, this is sad. Sasha, my family’s golden retriever, had to be put to sleep yesterday. Sasha joined our family when she was still a puppy, but she really belonged to my dad and sister. Like all pets, Sasha had her quirks (not to mention an insatiable appetite for bread), but she had the sweet, gentle disposition typical of her breed. Once, a neighbor kid came over to play with Sasha, but she was a little intimidated by the dog’s size. Sasha, demonstrating some kind of innate comprehension of child psychology, crawled on her belly towards the kid and allowed herself to be petted.

I’m going to miss her.

As the stimulus bill winds its way through Congress, one provision is generating a lot of discussion in state capitols. For states to receive the increased Medicaid matching dollars offered in the legislation, states cannot make their eligibility rules any more restrictive than they were in the summer of 2008. In policy circles, it’s called a maintenance-of-effort clause. The feds are telling states, “We’re not going to reward you for kicking people off your Medicaid rolls, so if you want our help, leave your eligibility requirements alone.”

Minnesota could lose out on a significant amount of federal aid if, as the governor proposes, parents are excluded from MinnesotaCare. This leaves only a couple other options for trimming health care expenses: cutting benefits (like dental care or physical therapy) or reducing payments to health care providers. The question on policymakers’ minds is whether the increased aid is enough to offset some of the most draconian cuts being contemplated.

Despite the repeated assertions of conservatives to the contrary, the stimulative effects of Medicaid spending are clear. You don’t have to look hard to find examples of clinics and hospitals laying off staff because fewer people have health insurance after being laid off themselves. This money creates jobs and keeps people employed, an important consideration for lawmakers to remember as they start piecing together a budget.