One is a narcissistic ball-buster who wears scary makeup and whose hair appears to have been created in a plastic factory.  She is a media-loving, cold fish who has a known history of sexual shenanigans, and has a fixation on outward displays of her wealth.  

And the other is a pretty cool singer who actually earns her living!

Medicare currently provides reimbursement for medical care to those of us who are 65+ years old.  There aren't too many in that group who have never had a health issue, and even fewer who have never had a chronic one (eg:  high blood pressure, arthritis, injuries, surgeries, and even cancer etc) --

Notice:

[insurance companies absolutely LOVE any of those things, because they get to charge more for premiums, or outright deny coverage, based on the fact that they would not be able to charge those unfortunate people enough to make a profit]

The link has been taken down, but a link to the audio is below, provided by flower! Thanks for that, flower!

Update: my link worked 5 minutes ago, but I think it keeps crashing.

As someone who could win prizes for the worst pictures in the world, I want to share this one, fairly decent one of me.  

Oh, and on a more important front, BRAVO EGYPT!!!!  It has been 25 years since I was in Cairo, and I have many miles under my belt, but Egypt was one of the most interesting places I have ever been - in every way.  

...but there are billionaires out there who can never spend what they have (notice I did not say "earned").  Why should so many people suffer?  Why should people starve, and watch their children starve?  Distribution?  Oh, so inconvenient.

Why should health care at this stage of our planet, where there are preventative vaccines, and medications that can prevent complications, be considered to be "extra's"?  There is enough money in this world to distribute wealth, food, and health-care.  

There is no appetite for it, however, so all the talk is bogus.  

Who'd have thunk it?  I just don't know what to think anymore.  

More than a week ago, news anchors were predicting this very capitulation ,er... outcome.  I mean, to a tee!  Why not at least be a little mavericky and do something that might surprise even a news chuckler.  If your "strategy is predicted by every 'Who Flung Dung' in front of a camera, I would like to suggest that it isn't a strategy at all.

I won't repeat myself about letting everything expire and then...blah, blah, blah.

But did you catch this?

When the President described the tax cuts that the middle class could count on, he said, "Not only the Bush tax cuts, but" also the ones from last year.  (that last phrase is not a direct quote, but it paraphrases his statement)

Is there any reason in anyone's thinking that he could not utter the words, "The Obama tax cuts?"

Anyone?

Seriously, I hope enough Democrats walk away from this to doom it.

How else can you explain the outrage of the President going on a State Visit?  Cost?  That is only the excuse.  I honestly think that these people object to this trip because there is an accepted "truth" among republicans that our President is just living in the White House, but he is not actually Our President.  How else can one explain the "Opt In" for students nation-wide to hear the message that President Obama gave in September?  Can anyone imagine anything equivalent with any former President?  Yet they get away with it.

My first OPEN THREAD referred to Virginia Thomas, because I didn't feel that it was appropriate to refer to "Ginny," as she is known by all who love her.  Now, I think I know her really well, but I still definitely don't love her. I just prefer to call her "Ginny," because my mother was named Virginia and she hated the name GINNY.

This is more of a rant than a thoughtful blog, but I just want to register my opinion on this concept of billionaires using THEIR OWN MONEY to run for office. I have been struck by the way this has been portrayed, as though it stemmed from some altruistic motive of the billionaires to serve our country. How about reporting that most of the self-financing politicians run on the backs (and donations) of poor schmucks who give a hugely larger percentage of their income in the false belief that the wedge issue republicans are on their side.