Jwill's Log

Senator Kennedy wrote a piece on a health bill that he will introducing to Congress, and I must say, I like the sound of it. I recommend that you read it (from Boston.com):

OVER THE LAST YEAR, I’ve seen our healthcare system up close. I’ve benefitted from the best of medicine, but I’ve also witnessed the frustration and outrage of patients and doctors alike as they face the challenges of a system that shortchanges millions of Americans.

We have the greatest doctors and medical innovations in the world, but more and more Americans are on the outside looking in to a world of progress and discovery that is denied to them because they cannot afford quality healthcare.

That’s wrong – and it’s about to change.

Click here for more.

Read Op-Ed (Power Struggle, by Joan Vennochi)

This op-ed by Joan Vennochi speaks about the power struggle brewing (or that has already brewed) on Beacon Hill between Governor Patrick and the Legislature. Based on what I’ve red, I would say that the Legislature is more at fault. I haven’t paid enough attention to clearly say whether Deval Patrick is doing a good job in his spot, but we might need someone new come 2010 who can better handle the legislative branch. But I would first suggest getting rid of the top members of the House and Senate. I need to pay close attention to the State House and Senate races this coming election to see if I can vote for someone else. I’m not very happy that we may end up hiking the sales tax without Patrick’s proposed ethics reform. After Dianne Wilkerson, Chuck Turner, and DiMasi, we absolutely need some reform to cut spending. Even if it’s by a little, it’s the principle that matters. We also need to get faith back in the system. Vennochi says it best: “No one looks good. It’s all about power, not the people, and it’s a turnoff.”

I found it silly when Senate President Therese Murray said that “The governor has decided he doesn’t like us”. That sounds like what an immature child would say when (s)he and someone else merely differs in opinion but can still respect each other. Also, calling Patrick “irrelevant” is beyond rude, considering he holds the highest executive office and that his opinions should be put into consideration. Maybe she’s the one that needs to go.

Also, there’s this article by Yvonne Abraham which shows the hypocrisy of some legislature members who take in a per diem while they aim to cut a program for welfare recipients. I don’t know how you read about it and not get annoyed or outraged.

Source: Boston.com
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But Cheney never cared what Americans thought about him back then, with his secretive, industry-stacked energy panels, his defense of waterboarding of suspected terrorists, and his saying that he would have invaded Iraq even if we knew Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction. So there is no reason to expect sensitivity from him now, blubbering to an excess that serves only to further creep out Americans on the Republican brand.

Dick Cheney. Need I say more? The op-ed is a good read.

Source: Boston.com
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There are times when party loyalty asks too much, JFK once said, but for Powell there rarely seems to be a time when it doesn’t. Though he owes every lofty position he has held – national security adviser, four-star general, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, secretary of state – to GOP presidents, Republicans perpetually appear to rub him the wrong way: especially the conservatives who constitute the party’s base.

I would like to see Powell as a Democrat. This article is a good read.

Source: Boston.com
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This article by op-ed columnist Derrick Jackson discusses New York Governor Paterson’s failure to adopt a tax on soda and asks whether Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick will be able to put his into law. Paterson was destroyed by lobbyists and soda company executives on his tax proposal, which was more than triple Patrick’s.

I hope that this law goes into effect. Sure, I like not paying tax whenever I may buy a soda, but for the sake of the well-being of the Commonwealth, I’d pay a little extra. The beauty of the situation is that you only have to pay just a little more, anywhere from 5 to 10 cents extra. Multiply that by the thousands of people that buy soda, and you’ve got a solid source of revenue that will help in these tough times. Sure, people may not like to be taxed, but when all you have to do is pay an extra few cents to buy a soda, something you don’t need but want, why complain?