Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Much Sorry with Delays
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My Yom Kippur Miracle (Repost from 2010)
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Easy for you to say: To the elites on mass immigration
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Labor Costs in U.S.
Your "identity"
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Uses of Hot Pepper Jelly/Sauce, Chutneys, and Jams
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Thursday, April 22. 2010

Thursday morning links

Cut the ‘medical’ marijuana BS


Afghanistan's "Dancing Boys"


The False Religion of Mideast Peace


Why teachers are losing respect


Michelle: All the president’s Goldman Sachs men


Obamacare: Impact on the Uninsured


Related, at Marginal:



Fearing that health insurance premiums may shoot up in the next few years, Senate Democrats laid a foundation on Tuesday for federal regulation of rates, four weeks after President Obama signed a law intended to rein in soaring health costs.



Thus begins the intentional and planned destruction of private medicine in America. But don't worry - there will always be small private clinics and hospitals for the wealthy and for the politicians. Same as they have in Cuba.


Reason: Down the Health Care Wormhole - How ObamaPelosiCare will saddle future generations with a public policy disaster


Steyn: Tomorrow belongs to Mo


Too scared to listen to Rush


Millions face tax increases under Dems budget plan

Posted by The News Junkie in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects at 05:40 | Comments (13) | Trackbacks (0)

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"Cut the ‘medical’ marijuana BS"

I was in a government office a number of years ago. On the wall was a big chart with bar graphs running along it. The headings were things like "Automobile Deaths", "Domestic Violence", and a few others.

There were a handful of drugs in each category. Alcohol, heroin, cocaine and marijuana.

Running almost all the way across the chart under each heading was the "Alcohol" bar. Then there'd be a few short bars for H and C, then this tiny sliver for marijuana.

If an alien from outer space looked at the chart, he'd say, "Well, it's obvious this 'marijuana' stuff is your legal drug of choice, and this 'alcohol' stuff has been banned from day one. I mean, my god, man -- just look at the chart!"

The fact that this was an official government chart in an official government office just added to the surreality. The obvious message was "Don't drink alcohol!" -- yet the alternatives were all illegal.

As to the article, though, I completely disagree. Nobody passes a bill making something legal just because it's "fun". If that were true, cherry bombs would be legal. The only way the laws will ever be eased is if a pretense is used, the same way the food and toy nannies use health as a pretense. In other words, "Let the system work for you, not against you." In an over-regulated society, if the only way to not have your product regulated is to prove its "health benefits", then that's the route that must be taken. An "honest debate" is a great idea, but that's not how laws get passed.
#1 Dr. Mercury (Link) on 2010-04-22 06:58 (Reply)
The Miller piece was interesting, but he still is missing the biggest obstacle to peace in the Middle East: Arafat died a billionaire, the Palestinians have developed an entire culture dedicated to war and insurrection.
#2 B Moe on 2010-04-22 07:15 (Reply)
I question whether private medical insurance will remain available at all at this rate, if ObamaCare is not quickly repealed. We've started to assume we're going to have to self-insure, which is a little scary. Kind of makes me sorry I didn't retain and invest all my health insurance premiums to date, but who could have guessed my society would go so crazy? OK, that was a dumb question.
#3 Texan99 on 2010-04-22 10:34 (Reply)
OMG! Dear Maggie's Farm folk--take a look at this and then tell me how far the Seattle leadership (extreme left and only extreme left allowed to win elections), tell me how far into a cult existence this group of fanatics have travelled. You are not going to believe this one!
Click to this link below:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011657770_lawsuit21m.html
#4 apple pie on 2010-04-22 11:22 (Reply)
I'd say they made that up, if HotAir weren't also running a story on it.
#5 Texan99 on 2010-04-22 11:34 (Reply)
No. That is posted in the Seattle Times-the local newspaper.
#6 anotherone on 2010-04-22 11:40 (Reply)
That is to say: No--it is not made up.
#7 anotherone on 2010-04-22 11:42 (Reply)
You know, I asked my CPA the following question, and he didn't know the answer. Then I asked another CPA, a friend, and he didn't know either. So I'm asking the maggiesfarm panel of experts if I should worry about this. As old folks, we are no longer employed, although my husband still freelances the occasional article. We are on Medicare as our main insurer, and have my husband's former employer as our back-up major medical insurer. In addition, we have a private insurer. Will the 'big dogs' of Obamacare insist that we buy still another Obama-approved healthcare plan, under threat of punishment? I've watched what is happening to our friends who are on Medicare Advantage, and it isn't pretty.

Should I worry about this?

Marianne
#8 Marianne Matthews on 2010-04-22 13:26 (Reply)
"Beth Allen, the alliance's attorney, said the lawsuit is unwarranted and that the three plaintiffs "were not discriminated against in any unlawful manner."

In any case, Allen said, the alliance is a private organization and, as such, can determine its membership based on its goals.

Whether the alliance is public or private will likely have to be determined in court, since the plaintiffs characterize the alliance as a "public accommodation" that's open to the public and uses public softball fields."

These are precisely the arguments that homosexual advocates used to try to compel the Boy Scouts to admit openly homosexual people as leaders and members, and the defense the BSA successfully used. Interesting how quickly they are to use arguments they once despised.
#9 RonF on 2010-04-22 14:09 (Reply)
1. Re legalizing marijuana: people DO get stoned and get into fights or make other immediately dangerous bad decisions. As with liquor. I favor legalization on both practical and libertarian grounds but it will bring its own problems. Most of the drug offenders in jail cells were arrested initially for something else -- bad driving, endangering themselves, shoplifting, etc.
2. Marianne, you should be very worried about Demcare's affect on your insurance situation. You will only be able to keep the two private plans if they conform to His Hopeful Changeness's Dogma For Insurance -- and they can't. As publicized, at least, it will be almost impossible for private insurance to survive.
#10 Geoff Brown on 2010-04-22 14:42 (Reply)
In re "medical" marijuana:

Glad to know that I'm not the only one to see through this scam. The universal level of denial around this issue is jaw-dropping. Like Stephen Gaskin used to say "You do too know what I mean."

http://washingtonrebel.typepad.com/washington_rebel/2010/03/they-dont-call-it-dope-for-nothing.html

http://washingtonrebel.typepad.com/washington_rebel/2010/03/okay-now-what.html

http://washingtonrebel.typepad.com/washington_rebel/2010/03/coming-soon-to-a-neighborhood-near-you.html
#11 Rob De Witt (Link) on 2010-04-22 18:06 (Reply)
Also (sorry to fill up your comment stream, but...,) regarding Michelle Malkin's piece on Goldman Sachs....

The real question is, eternally, Cui Bono? (Latin for "Follow The Money.) Never take your eye off the fact that market manipulators make money in both directions, and that at least one Obama intimate has a long and sordid history of doing just that.

http://washingtonrebel.typepad.com/washington_rebel/2010/04/jump-how-high.html
#12 Rob De Witt (Link) on 2010-04-22 18:14 (Reply)
Re: Medical Marijuana

While I agree that many "medical" users in California don't need it for some condition, I can tell you that I smoke it between 1 and 3 times per year for my migraines. I don't normally smoke because it makes me worthless for the rest of the day. However, I'd rather be worthless and high than worthless and in agony...
#13 Sanders on 2010-04-23 09:50 (Reply)

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