February 2011
40 posts
January 2011
41 posts
“
…In July of 1798, Congress passed – and President John Adams signed - “An Act for the Relief of Sick and Disabled Seamen.” The law authorized the creation of a government operated marine hospital service and mandated that privately employed sailors be required to purchase health care insurance.
Keep in mind that the 5th Congress did not really need to struggle over the intentions of the drafters of the Constitutions in creating this Act as many of its members were the drafters of the Constitution.
And when the Bill came to the desk of President John Adams for signature, I think it’s safe to assume that the man in that chair had a pretty good grasp on what the framers had in mind…
” —“Congress Passes Socialized Medicine and Mandates Health Insurance - In 1798,” Forbes (via iteeth)Quote(s) of the Day
- further proof my father doesn't get out much.
- scene 1.
- bartender at keegan's: "what can i start you off with? bloody mary, beer?
- dad: "beer? on sundays? when did they start allowing that?"
- son: "it's just liquor stores that don't sell on sunday."
- dad: " ... "
- Scene 2.
- bartender: "so no beer then, what can i get'cha?"
- dad: "do you have coke or pepsi products?"
- bartender: "pepsi."
- dad: "good."
- the "good" was said in the same manner one might say it after asking a 12 year-old if he was staying off drugs.
uh, i need to read more than just the first lines of stories.
yep. i do.
“Liberal linguist George Lakoff thinks liberals approach the task of public persuasion like social scientists, thinking that facts and logic will persuade, but conservatives think like marketers and understand, like the makers of an effective TV commercial, that the wires of the brain react positively and negatively to particular words and images.”
—
this may just be the most concise and accurate description of why people would ever vote to the right. well, that and god told them to. … but again, i said accurate. (me)
This feels helpful to me, as someone who tries to influence public policy… an effective communicator will attempt to appeal to both emotion and logic when making an argument. But it still goes against my instinct to let logic trump emotion when making public decisions (those that affect people other than myself and my personal network).
(via annunciate)
Gun Violence Statistics →
lcav.org
startling. sad.
What happened today is not a gun issue, per se, but these stats are nevertheless compelling, especially:
- In the first seven years of the US-Iraq War, over 4,400 American soldiers were killed. Almost as many civilians are killed with guns in the US every seven weeks.
- Between 1955 and 1975, the Vietnam War killed over 58,000 American soldiers – less than the number of civilians killed with guns in the U.S. in an average two-year period.
