Quotes of the Day

Did I say no more posts on this subject? OK, I lied.

"This is cutting-edge conceptual healthcare policy," said Democratic state Representative Harriett L. Stanley of West Newbury, a member of the legislative healthcare financing committee who voted for the measure. "But we don't yet know what it's really going to cost us or where we're going to get the money from. To some extent you might call it a Hail Mary pass."

Great...Flutiecare! Just what we need.

After a State House rally to celebrate passage of the legislation, John McDonough, a former state legislator who heads the advocacy group HealthCare For All, declared this package "good enough for now."

But, he, too, acknowledged, "There are questions about the financial stability. The financing is plausible, but it could go awry."

It COULD go awry? Well, that's awfully fucking reassuring!

As Judith Meredith, another healthcare advocate who celebrated passage of the legislation, said: "The funding part worries us all."

Not all that much, apparently.

If this is how the SUPPORTERS of this bill feel, we're far more screwed than I thought.

And, here's an interesting choice of phrasing.

The cost of extending health insurance coverage to an additional 515,000 people will be shared by business, individuals, and the government.

Oh, goody! The "government" will be pitching in as well! Why does this scene from The Blues Brothers spring to mind?

Elwood: What kind of music do you usually have here?
Claire: Oh, we got both kinds. We got country *and* western.

This healthcare plan is the epitome of "fairness" - it's being funded by the taxpayers *and* the government!

God save the Commonwealth.

And, major league kudos to Globe columnist Joan Vennochi for writing this piece.