Poor, Poor Pitiful Me

The recent debate over the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) brought to the public consciousness the question of how poor one must be to qualify for subsidized health insurance. If one begins with the assumption that the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) is the absolute minimum needed to subsist in our society, then it would [...]

Turkey Day

Tuesday’s lead on the nightly news was, “Bush Pardons Another Turkey.”
I immediately thought that Alberto Gonzales, David Addington or one of the other Bush-appointed co-conspirators was about to join Scooter Libbey in absolution.
Yet the turkey in question was of the feathered variety, a favored foul whose life would be spared in this annual Thanksgiving ritual.
It [...]

Poison Pen

When newscasters comment that President Bush has yielded his veto pen, I wonder if there really is a writing instrument specific to this purpose. I imagine him clutching a pen engraved not with the Presidential Seal but the skull and bones, and for ink it spills the blood of brave American soldiers. 
There is no longer [...]

Purple America

On a recent drive from Pasadena to Sacramento, I had to stop for gas around the midway point of Kettleman City, California, which is little more than a one-block way station for truckers and travelers. Gas stations conspire for the highest prices the market will bear and fast food restaurants advertise 99 cent specials to [...]