And I see what she TRIES to do, she's accusing Obama of being cynically calculating, first he takes the banks money via charity, before he caps their salaries. What Ellen seems to forget is that he's receiving the money in both instances, so he doesn't NEED the charity route, he can go the less pay route. So her thinly veiled accusations make no sense.
By the way, think of this: A lower salary produces less taxes for Obama as well, so it's not ALL in his favour.

Finally, the irony is rich, when RepuKKKes foam at the mouth because of the bail out, but when some of that money is coming back, it's .... socialism?? nazism?? Or whatever "ism" they think of next. I bet they're gonna accuse him of Buddhism, if they think it makes him look bad! You betcha!

But that's not the main point. You can throw a hissy fit all you want, but that doesn't make it less true that race is a part of the health care debate. Like it is of all debates.
Fact of American life is that money set aside for poor people is so little, because middle-class people (which are predominantly white) are being told that poor people, (which are predominantly black), are lazy bums who want to live of their tax money.
If moderates keep denying this, people like Bill will keep falling by the wayside.

And frankly, accusing anyone to play the race-card is a sickening practice in any circumstance, and very racist in itself, but in these foam-at-the-mouth-teabagging-with-Rash-Limpballs-and-FoKKKs-townhall times ... even more so. Have you really opened your eyes at your townhall? Maybe you went to a relatively subdued one, it's Wisconsin after all.
But it's been ugly, and racist in most other places and that's mostly from the right wing loons.
Did you see liberals with guns? Bet you haven't. Guns to a public debate, that's scary and fascist.

It's clear that US bankers have adopted this same attitude: If they don't get paid MILLIONS, they won't lift a finger.
My questions are these:
1. Was this such a hard model to come up with? My 16 year old daughter just did the exact same thing as treasurer of her cheerleading squad.
2. Is Feinstein really such "an expert" if he took this long to think of this model, and why wasn't this thought up BEFORE they got our tax money?

Of course this is a good step forward, but the principle of not using tax money as confetti or bonuses is neither new, nor complicated.

You said: "My job is to report, not take sides." yah right. Nick Nolte, you're not. Not by a long shot. I'm here to tell you that if you write sympathetically about a right wing head-in-stand-sticker, who refused to participate, you ARE taking sides. Especially since right wing solutions (fighting against clean water, 40 hour workweek, labor codes, womens right to vote, Civil Rights) tend to be on the wrong side of history.

If you are pretending you are NOT taking sides, then you suffer from even MORE stuff, than I previously thought.

He stayed on the sideline, that's an irresponsible life choice, especially in the last 8 years. And if you choose to do the same, or if you shrug this choice off as just something that people do, then yes, you ARE suffering from something, namely an illusion: That "staying out of politics" is 'okay'.

So Bill doesn't get my sympathies. There are far more people who have it worse than him or his family who did not stay on the side line, and they are far more deserving.

The story was clearly written to garner sympathy for this man and his family. But there's no questioning by you of whether his life-choices are good, bad or even a tat immoral, because choosing to ignore the ugly side of conservatism can be seen as immoral.
It's akin, but not equivalent to (of course not), pretending not to see the jews asking for a hiding place during WW2.

Do you deny that the ugly shouting comes for 95 per cent from the rightwing? You seem to assume complete balance on that front. The real insulting and revolting comparisons of Obama with Hitler, Stalin, the Joker (that one's puzzling since he won an Oscar and a sympathetic villain, so ... I guess that's just me ...), and whatever, these all come from the rightwing. Most of them are easily disprovable lies, like the Palin Deather lies, the Birther lies and the Joe Wilson illegal alien lie.
Do you really think that its as ugly on the left side? I'm curious.

I wonder, do you think this health care mess is something that "just happened" to us, like an act of God, and that Gawd will get us out of it?

Given Bills situation, joining up was the easiest and quickest way to get health care for his wife, sure. But how did he get there? Aren't the repubs big on own responsibility? Or only in the case of inner city blacks? When disaster strikes Wisconsin whites, then it's a case of "gods will"?

And this unspoken assumption which is woven into your whole article, and perhaps your outlook on life (given your reaction) is what really pisses me off the most.

You're suffering from the same misconceptions as a lot of right wingers aka reagan democrats: being apolitical (read: accepting right wing ideology as the norm, but not bothering to really think about it and not bothering to go vote) is a responsible way of living your life. It's not.

First, if you didn't want to invoke a hero-big sacrifice sentiment, then you shouldn't have written your story as if he WAS a hero. Especially using an almost fictional narrative style .... well, this kinda takes the cake.

Second, the family stayed out of politics of this issue? What right did they have to do that? As Americans and as grown-ups they had a responsibility to get informed. If they didn't wannna do that, then they shouldn't complain about the consequences. And maybe they don't, but then they shouldn't accept/collaborate with an article like yours which DOES make it out as if they DO complain about the consequences.

Thirdly, "at what is actually happening on the ground, "?????
This really makes me mad. The only ones who are looking at what is actually happening on the ground, are the Democrats.
The ones who are obstructing this are the Repubes.

And anyone who STILL thinks Health Care is about preventing poor (read: black) people profiting from middle class (read: white peoples') taxes, deserves every bad thing that falls on them, sorry to say.
Read up. Do the math.

Solidarity amongst Americans? Yes, only when its about killing people. Taxes to pay for stuff that benefits everybody? Yes to the FAA, yes to NASA, and other stuff that doesn't really benefit all and especially poor people, but NO to Universal Health Care or even the already squeezed Public Option? Which is more like a community college vs Harvard-Yale-Princeton.

I mean, get real.

I don't get it. The guy needed health coverage with a wife battling cancer. If he went the "non-apolitical" route ... best case scenario, something changes in 2013. Wife's dead by that point.

The guy did what he had to do."

eeeh, my point is that he DID NOT do what he had to do. He didn't get informed. THEN He was too intimidated by harsh words (which mostly still come from rightwingnuts, NOT from the left) to get really informed when it was clear as day that he should, ESPECIALLY WITH A SICK WIFE.
To feel pity for him .... I guess you could, but I won't. Bill stuck his head in the sand, every chance he got. Why should we feel sorry for HIM now? ESPECIALLY since he's NOT a soldier to be noble to make a "sacrifice" for country, but to get money, in the form of health care. I wanna bet if he could get the same benefits by becoming a teacher, he would do that.

Most Democrats already knew that Health care was a big problem. If they knew it, why not Bill? Democrats are, on average, in no way smarter than apolitical Republicans, I'll assume he's right wing cos of the story.

What have the military done, to be above insults? I really don't get that. For that matter, why the police, why the firemen? I'm not sure if you get all the statistics, if a job as nurse, lower-income neighbourhood teacher isn't deadlier, especially with the amount of guns our dear police lets out on the streets these days.
But I digress.
Every time the US Army did not defend its territory or us citizens, but only acted to further US interests in influence and power, it was an extension of corporate interests. I'm not saying that is immoral, but for sure it aint "noble".
The Bosnian war, fought (or rather executed) by remote control, was the only war which served no direct US interest, other than prestige.

"Their apolitical nature makes them typical Americans."
Well, that's one of my points. If typical Americans expect to get away with this apolitical stuff, they're wrong, have wrong and will be wrong. Caring about what happens around you, this is not some hobby you can pick and choose. too many americans think politics is some hobby or whatever. If you can't be bothered to participate, you get the government and Health Care you deserve: one that doesn't care about you

PS
I wanna thank you for you well written reply though, even if we don't agree on some points.

MiddleClassBill is a stupid repub, because he STILL doesn't get it:
Attacking the Speaker on her goddamn LOOKS, is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from attacking Palin on the stupid things Palin DID and SAID. Palin LIED, repeatedly. Pelosi DID NOT lie.

But since repubes got NOTHING, they're only left with:
"Oh she LOOKS bad ...."
and
"Yes we tortured people, but, since we TOLD Pelosi about it, that makes it OK"

adding:
They didn't tell her.
Waterboarding is torture is I-effing-LEGAL

worthlesscitizen in reply to a comment from MiddleClassBill is a stupid repub, because he STILL doesn't get it:
Attacking the Speaker on her goddamn LOOKS, is soooo shallow, when you could be attacking her on the issue.
But since repubes got NOTHING, they're only left with:
"Oh she LOOKS bad ...."
and
"Yes we tortured, but, since we TOLD her about it, that makes it OK"

Obama gave us very little:
No fire in the debates
No fire in the acceptance speech.

It's all well and good that he's the bigger person here, but it wasn't JUST independents that elected him, and he should do well to remember that.

This could be a tragic, strategic mistake. People will stay home in 2010 AND 2012. Keeping Lieberman on as chair, will feel like betrayal.

It most definitely is NOT CHANGE we need.

Consider this a warning.