In reference to Bush’s suggestion during the State of the Union address that a tax break will help poor people afford health insurance, Steven Colbert said:
It’s simple: Most people who can’t afford health insurance are too poor to owe taxes, but if you give them a deduction from the taxes they don’t owe, they can use the money they’re not getting back from what they haven’t given to buy the health care they can’t afford.
Brilliant. Just brilliant.
Farris Hassan, a Florida 16 year old has done something meaningful. He visited war-torn Iraq, on his own, without telling his parents. And what does he get for it? A lot of flak and harsh feelings.
The news is reporting it with a strong emphasis on how stupid he is, and how he could’ve been killed, and how he will get in a lot of trouble with his parents. My perspective is a lot different.
I commend him for having the guts to do it. No, it wasn’t stupid. He wanted to see how it was first-hand, with no media filter. And he did it. Yes, he’s only sixteen. So what? The kid has a bright future, as far as I’m concerned. If you can figure out how to get to Iraq via Kuwait and Lebanon, and you have the guts to actually do it, at only 16, you have my support.
Update: Rich Tatum also blogged about this, a bit more eloquently, and I completely agree with him. Be sure to read the essay Farris wrote, at the Wikipedia link above.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is coming to speak at Yahoo! next week as part of our ongoing “Influential Speakers” program. Should be interesting… I can’t listen to Arnold speak for more than 30 seconds without giggling uncontrollably. Governator is right!
Watch: Arnold is coming! (quicktime)
Today is a sad day for America.
Bush’s word for today must have been “litany“.
Jeremy Cole 