Recent Comments

1. almost 11 years ago on Jim Morin

   Radish,Back in the 90’s, I had a kid who worked for me who, at 17, had been ticketed numerous times for speeding and racing, sometimes being clocked at over 120mph. His parents had enough money to pay to keep the points off of his license, so he never had to face any consequences for his behavior. At 19, he and three of his friends were killed when he lost control at 90mph on a state route and the car rolled. Four kids who would still be alive If he had been subject to punishment earlier and lost his license.

2. almost 11 years ago on Ted Rall

   “In Chicago Obama used his bible (Rules for Radicals) to get put on ballets.”

   I have not seen the “rules for Radicals” ballet, and I consider myself fairly culturally literate. I’ll keep an eye out for a performance. It sounds interesting. Any idea who composed the music?

3. almost 11 years ago on Steve Kelley

   I have no problem with people using their cellphones on a plane, as long as they have the courtesy to step outside during the conversation…

4. almost 11 years ago on Kevin Kallaugher

   Enoki,The laws of physics were no different now than they were in 1813, but technology HAS changed. Yes I agree, nuclear power is attainable now, hydrogen power in the near future, but they too were impossible less than a century ago. What I am saying is you are discounting what may become a viable option for energy resources, even as a supplemental resource, just because you either a) do not know how to make this energy source viable and efficient yourself, or b) do not see an immediate profit from it. Allow people with the knowledge and vision to make it work achieve their goals instead of deriding them for every failure. How many failures did Edison, or Bell, or any of the early auto manufacturers like Ford or Benz have before creating a viable product? I would much rather have people working on making solar or wind power efficient now before it becomes an absolute necessity that we use it, and make the transition from fossil fuels smoothly rather than abruptly. Imagine you’re alternate scenario, with nuclear and hydrogen providing infrastructure power while wind and solar provide local supplemental power. That would free us from the chaos of the international oil trade, allowing more money to be spent on infrastructure development and social development. Actually, that sounds EXACTLY like what was happening when I lived in Germany and Finland. We are falling behind the rest of the industrialized world because too many people here have been convinced these alternatives don’t (and won’t ) work by the people who make the money from oil and coal.

5. almost 11 years ago on [Deleted]

   A good post, and it proves the point I was making. 200 years ago, powered flight, automobiles, and electrical power were all impossible. They could not exist at that time. As scientists and visionaries developed new theories and technologies, all of these impossibilities became realities so commonplace we take for granted the scientific vision behind them.This is your shortcoming. You and people like you want to insist that technology is a its’ apex, that we will never replace oil or coal, and that alternative energies will never work. Your kind has always been proven wrong and always will be. Think about that as you type your response on a computer smaller than your house, transmitting it over an internet that didn’t exist 30 years ago.

6. almost 11 years ago on Kevin Kallaugher

   DF -It is that type of attitude that prevents us from going forward technologically (and socially) in this country. Why use gas lamps when candles work just fine? Why use electric lights when gas lamps work just fine? Why move to wind or solar or any other energy source if coal works just fine?Every new technology needs time to develop and be perfected. Yes, moving towards solar or wind completely too soon can cost more money than staying with coal and oil, but not allowing companies to develop and perfect these technologies will cost more money in the long run. What happens when the accessible coal and oil are gone? Suppose your neighborhood is discovered to have coal or natural gas under it – do you move, or allow a company to put a mine in your backyard? Do you want to live in the same neighborhood as a coal mine or refinery?Solar and wind power are renewable sources that, when perfected, will eventually be able to handle most of our energy needs. At that point, people like you will complain and belittle those who are trying to make it more efficient, or cheaper, or perhaps those developing orbiting ion collection sails to transfer energy back to earth.

7. about 11 years ago on [Deleted]

   Enoki, Research the term “Chargemaster” as it relates to hospital administration. A big reason many insurance companies forbid certain procedures is because there is no standard pricing across the board for medical services, and the Chargemaster can even apply different prices for the same procedure to different insurances. Individuals forced to pay without insurance can expect to pay anywhere from 200% to 5000% of what is actually charged to a hospital. An example of how this works – my wife had an emergency room visit while in another state. The hospital did not initially bill the insurance, but sent us a bill for $15000. I submitted it to my insurance myself, and had all but $300 covered. When I received my insurance statement, it showed the same list of services, but the total cost paid was $2000. That is a difference of $12,700 between what I was charged and what the insurance company was charged for the same procedures.Eliminate the Chargemaster, set a standard set of pricing for medical services and prescription drugs, and health care costs are reduced dramatically, with or without Obamacare.

8. about 11 years ago on Chris Britt

   How about the D.C. Honkies? Or perhaps something that reflects the city more accurately, like the Washington Pork Barrels?

9. about 11 years ago on Steve Benson

   Only the most moderate candidate (from either side) will have a chance at winning in 2016. I doubt Cruz will get past the first few months of the primaries. The extremes of both sides of the political spectrum do have a place in our government, but neither should be considered a viable leadership position. The extreme opinions should be listened to and used as the basis of political negotiations while working for a compromise, but should never be considered “gospel” and not used for an all or nothing stance.

10. about 11 years ago on New Adventures of Queen Victoria

    “The third is an xray of the head of the average Internet troll.”You mean like (enter name of commenter from editorial page here)?