And another from Island Dweller worth your time:

Your most imperial highness,

“Politico,” June 13 2013, reports members of both houses of Congress and their staffers are beginning to leave Capitol Hill en masse as their govt-subsidized health plans will be closed in 2014 and they will be directed into health care exchanges, which will make their benefits exhorbitantly expensive. Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa in his wisdom sponsored and inserted an amendment to Obamacare stating the government can only offer members of Congress and their staff plans that are “created” in the bill or “offered through an exchange” — unless the bill is amended. This forces them to take a big bite of that giant s–t sandwich they’re created for the rest of us, or publicly exempt themselves from Obamacare – which will infuriate their constituents.

The article reports many in leadership positions in Congress are talking earnestly behind the scenes about this problem. They believe this situation will create a “brain drain” (I seriously doubt that, there’s plenty of “book larnin'” among them, but very little common sense) among the staffers and some members. According to the story the problem is especially acute in the House, where the wealth of the members and their staffs is not what it is in the Senate (a fine commentary on things, by the way), hence the cost of coverage will be much more of a burden to them.

You can bet conservative media and J. Q. Public will be watching these proceedings with intense interest. If the Senate and Congress vote themselves an exemption to Obamacare there will be a revolt at the polls next time around. What’s more, no one will want to run for these posts in future, or serve as a staffer, since their health care will have become so enormously expensive. Assuming some form of common sense begins to prevail here, it’s possible we may finally be seeing the beginning of the end of unadalterated “Obamacare,” and the beginnings of a hybrid system take shape.

This whole thing reminds one of the cartoon showing the revolver with the barrel bent around to deliver the bullet to the shooter. I can’t think of a better analogy.
Your most devoted serf,
Island Dweller

Well, in most respects, Congress has its own health plan that practically bypasses Obamacare, so one is not confident that there will be such an impetus; further, you are right: the potential political windfall this could create would be too much to bear, and more than likely prudence will win out over showboating of this kind. In other words, Congresspeople will talk a lot about bugging out but basically they know they can win re-election either way. They’ll be here to stay, one fears.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.