The Effective Range of an Excuse Is Less than a Meter

I should tell you, as is the case for tens of millions of Americans, I have health insurance whose costs are shared by me and my employer. Starting work on income taxes yesterday, I was stunned by the amounts both of us paid in calendar year 2013. I'm of the opinion and suspect I'm not alone that the time for a dialogue on how much health care costs, not what it is worth, is not only approaching but should already be here.

That, however, is not why I sat down at the keyboard in the here and now. What got me here was more sanctimonious concern and synthetic sincerity for those of us still packing lunches by the Millionaire Boys' Club, a/k/a United States Congress, as reported in this story, and taking a very brief geography refresher.

As an aside, I have to tell you, Speaker Boehner (funny how some people just look like their names) your talking points on discussing unemployment with not one word about the off-budget billion dollar a day wars you and your party gave us a decade ago, is audaciously breath-taking. If I had your nerve in my tooth, I would fear no trip to the dentist, ever.

So, from the guys and gals who attempt seemingly every other week to repeal the Affordable Care Act but who have yet to offer an alternative, a substitute or, easiest of all because it is so flimsy, an improvement, I'm now supposed to believe it's the security of personal information that drives your new concern and renewed opposition.

Puts me in the mind of joke: my neighbor asked me last winter if he could borrow my snow blower but I said 'no' since I needed it to dig a well in the backyard. He demanded to know how I could possibly use a snow blower to dig a well. I had to admit I couldn't; but since I never intended to loan it to him, I figured one excuse was as good as another.

So in that spirit, John, blow yourself; snow what I mean?
-bill kenny