JAB, about whom the Mandarin, Dr. J., and ourselves were just speaking, has this carved into some poor slob’s entrails and sent up to the seventh floor: Your Czarness: For ‘Puter’s reference, here is someone else who is decidedly not … Continue reading →
An undercover field report, which the Operative delivered through an ingeniously complicated plan of (a) converting it to base74 notation, (b) engraving the characters on a grain of rice, (c) inserting it into a cotton swab, (d) embedding the swab … Continue reading →
Much ado is being made about an 87-year-old California woman who died in a retirement home because nursing staff were prohibited by employer policy from performing CPR on her. The story is certainly a tragedy because there is every indication … Continue reading →
Make no mistake, Dr. J. knows Catholic Doctrine regarding contraception as well as he understands the Quaker Peace Testimony. Gentle Readers, Errant Catholic HHS Secretary and Useful Idiot Kathy Sebelius put forward so-called accommodations in the HHS mandate today in … Continue reading →
The ‘A’ is for affluent. Slut shaming (also hyphenated, as slut-shaming) is defined as the act of making someone, usually a woman, feel guilty or inferior, for engaging in certain sexual behaviors that violate traditional gender expectations. These include, depending … Continue reading →
The Doctor is definitely in! LTC Dan sent this Forbes article. Dr. J. loved the point about swimming pools being far more dangerous. His insurance agent is quite aware of this statistic, and thus Dr. J. will NEVER get a swimming … Continue reading →
Even doctors have guns, ah reckon. When Dr. J. was finishing up medical school at New Atlantis Ivory Tower School of Medicine and moving on to a tony Ivy League academic medical center in the Northeast in the late 1990s, … Continue reading →
Dr. J.’s Work Wife II has something to say about your lisinopril. Dr. J.’s Work Wife II forwarded this NYT editorial to him last week and this was the first opportunity he has had to comment on it. When one gets … Continue reading →
Regarding my earlier post regarding ACA (aka ObamaCare), GorT received this note: Yes, indeed. Taxes on the rich. I just wonder where all these rich folks are going? Is there some fabulous island nation where they’re going? Operative ScottO then … Continue reading →
Again, more evidence that the Democrats have pursued and championed legislation that they fail to examine the longer term ramifications of its provisions. Case in point, the Affordable Care Act. Remember the whole “we have to pass the bill to … Continue reading →
Hold me closer, Tiny Dancer!Also, speaking of crises, why theheck are you hung like a Ken doll? Since Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) does not understand the concept of “negotiating against yourself,” ‘Puter finds it necessary to step … Continue reading →
Reader Uriah Heep writes: Dear Dr. J, I seem to remember something about a gambling and boozing ship being moored somewhere off the California coast during prohibition to get around the laws against having a good time. If it comes … Continue reading →
In order to ensure our security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire, for a safe and secure society which I assure you will last for ten thousand years… Obamacare rears its ugly head in the headlines this week. Papa John’s, along with … Continue reading →
Your Mandarin was fortunate enough to receive this message from the owner of a business that details the impact Obamacare will have on his employees: Rarely if ever have I expressed my political views to Company X Employees, but I … Continue reading →
A nice Polish lady got to conversing with us the other day, and asked if we had heard anything about Obamacare taxing people selling their homes, starting in 2013. Would this not, she suspected, severely damage home sales just when … Continue reading →
Sometimes it is not good to be the Czar. For example, he is helping his sainted mother translate some paperwork from her father, and needless to say, penmanship was pretty bad in that century. One can hardly tell a ѣ … Continue reading →
During the debate, President Obama crowed that he did not raise taxes on 97% of small business owners. Mitt Romney explained to him, to the Presidents obvious discomfort, that the 3% who suffered the tax hike actually are responsible for … Continue reading →
Are you spending my future away, Master Progressive? Gentle Readers, Please pass this on to your undecided compatriots. About 15% of the electorate is still malleable. Despite a belief to the contrary, the middle-class and lower-upper class aren’t just about … Continue reading →
Flame on! The Democrats are not going to be able to run on their record. Many are running away from Obamacare. The economy is not getting any better, and one can make the case that it is probably going to be … Continue reading →
Typically Dr. J. gives his gentle readers one required reading assignment in a post, but serendipitously there were two articles today worth reading regarding everybody’s favorite campaign issue, Obamacare, also known as the albatross around the neck of the economy. … Continue reading →
Borepatch writes: Dr. J, In re; your excellent post about the likely outcome of Obamacare – a 2-tier health care system similar to the one in the UK where the Government system stinks and anyone who can uses the private … Continue reading →
Obamacare? Not impressed! Whether you live in a free-market economy or a top-down command and control communist economy, all goods and services are rationed. In the abstract, in a free-market economy, goods and services are rationed by the actions of … Continue reading →
This better not be a tease, Mitt… Dr. J.
Continue reading →The Galactic Senate also voted away its citizens’ freedom… Dr. J. has said many times (and use our De Gormogonorum Mysteriis to search if you don’t believe him) that if you want high quality healthcare at the lowest costs possible, the … Continue reading →
‘Puter keeps a mental list of things that piss him off, and periodically shares them with his close friends. By close friends, ‘Puter means “anyone standing within earshot when he encounters something that pisses him off.” Here are a few … Continue reading →
I‘m not Herzog is the kind of guy you can expect to take apart a car, put it back together, and say “Here is how you improve this.” Like just about everybody else, he has an opinion or two on … Continue reading →
Never trust the guy who says, “I will be Chancellor…” Dr. J. has yet to discuss the Obamacare decision because he was out of town, but more on that later. He wanted the opportunity to read Chief Justice Robert’s decision … Continue reading →
When you stop by the Castle, askto see Mandy’s extensive collectionof things that are simultaneously liveand dead. Just don’t get too close. By now, much ink has been spilled by people far more intelligent than ‘Puter weighing in on Chief … Continue reading →
The Czar, as you know, is not the kind of guy who relies on hysteria for very long. This evening, he read the Supreme Court’s decision, written by Justice Roberts. What we find there is not a total capitulation, but … Continue reading →
Note: this is actually a combined post between the Inscrutable Mandarin and the Czar of Muscovy. Heads up, Americans: today’s SCOTUS decision is actually good news for conservatives, and Justice Roberts knows the Constitution better than your average Congressperson. Surprised? … Continue reading →
Buddy has been a source of strength to Mrs. Romney and helped her recover as she was in remission from MS. We wish him the best of luck in London. Katerina Trinko has a nice article today at NRO about … Continue reading →
The Doctor will see you now, but his sonic screwdriver will be taxed as a medical device… There was a recent survey performed by the Doctor Patient Medical Association Foundation. Basically, they obtained 36,000 physician office fax numbers, delivered ~16,000 … Continue reading →
Look out. Catholics don’t often mobilize, but when they do… Isn’t that rich. The President, in trying to convince Catholics that his HHS directive was not a violation of their religious freedom, enlisted the Catholic Health Association to support his … Continue reading →
So the Affordable Care Act (a/k/a ObamaCare) was intended to lower insurance premiums while increasing the number of people insured. The magic buried in the thousands of pages of legalese (once we read it to know what’s in it) was … Continue reading →
There has been lots of analysis and discussion about the recall election of Gov. Walker in Wisconsin and the meaning of the outcome. We’ve done a fair amount here and it’s all worthy reading. However, regardless of how the left … Continue reading →
Over at National Review Online, Ramesh Ponnuru discusses tomorrow’s vote to repeal Obamacare’s 2.3% tax increase on medical devices. Dr. J. loves medical devices, be they pacemakers, implantable defibrillators, PFO/ASD/VSD closure devices, stents, or ventricular assist devices. Dr. J. hopes … Continue reading →
If it isn’t plainly clear, the lawsuits filed today by over 40 Catholic institutions against the U.S. Federal Government challenging the constitutionality of the HHS Mandate likely puts it in pretty stark terms. The Obama Administration seriously stepped in it … Continue reading →
President Obama’s latest silly little campaign trope is the life of Julia. Like the composite girlfriend in his autobiography, Julia represents a composite of the sheeple he would like to see suckling at the teat of government dependence. Much has … Continue reading →
Gentle Readers, with Rick Santorum’s departure from the GOP race, Republicans are beginning to coalesce around Mitt Romney. And President Obama’s campaign has set its targets on him as well: Can we say ‘set its targets’? Well we did anyway … Continue reading →
If you don’t know by now, you should know that Dr. J. is about as strong a champion of religious freedom as the Gormogons get. Dr. J. as friends of every religious persuasion and also friends that are agnostic and … Continue reading →
Boy, the President and the progressive left have been on a real tear, have they not, about the fate of the Obamacare mess. Calling for impeachments of judges who vote against it. Warning them not to ignore imaginary precedents. Delivering … Continue reading →
The Supreme Court of the United States is, as everyone knows by now, ruminating over the legality of Obamacare. Things are not looking too hot for that particular law, at least based on legal experts’s opinion (real ones, not the … Continue reading →
It is very likely that the Supreme Court voted regarding Obamacare on Friday. Now, the public won’t know the results of that vote until the opinions are written and released in June. Indeed Friday’s vote, from what Dr. J. understands, can … Continue reading →
BG writes a short essay so perfect that the Czar presents it in its entirety. Great Axe-Wielding Czar – You state, “Obamacare provides nothing that the majority of Americans want; it provides—at great cost—a handful of dark and unpleasant items … Continue reading →
Let us consider what Obamacare really is from the perspective of whether its authors were competent. We can begin with the opposite point of view: if the authors of Obamacare were incompetent, then the legislation should be scrapped and re-done … Continue reading →
#ILikeObamacare #DinnerwithBarack #ObamaCaresAboutMe #gen44 These are twitter hashtags created by various and sundry tendrils of those who wish to re-elect President Obama. These hashtags, and many before them were contrived attempts to drive the conversation on twitter. Fortunately, the conservative … Continue reading →
For those interested, you can read the testimony presented today here. Some choice excerpts: JUSTICE KENNEDY: Can you create commerce in order to regulate it? JUSTICE SCALIA: Any self purchasing? Anything I — you know if I’m in any market … Continue reading →
There’s something about Obamacare that BG just doesn’t understand. Okay, here he is in his own words: There’s something about Obamacare that I don’t understand. Okay, there are about ten million things about it that I don’t understand, but this … Continue reading →
Say Doc, The Czar has noted that a bizarre complaint about Dick Cheney’s recent heart transplant is that he is “too old” to receive one. Where has the Czar heard this before? Put simply, this is an attempt to create … Continue reading →
There is some good news out there. This is a really bad couple of weeks coming up for Obamacare. As you know by now, the SCOTUS is expected to deliver a series of death-blows to it (although the voting will … Continue reading →
Your Mandarin would ask that the loyal followers of this site take a moment to actively assist in the defense of the Constitution, and specifically the First Amendment. Regardless of whether or not you are a Catholic, or are a … Continue reading →
Definition of ACCOMMODATION 1 : something supplied for convenience or to satisfy a need: asa : lodging, food, and services or traveling space and related services —usually used in plural <tourist accommodations on the boat> <overnight accommodations>b : a public conveyance (as a train) that stops at all or nearly all … Continue reading →
Dr. J. is going to be perfectly clear. Anything less than total removal of the HHS rule requiring all insurance coverage providing free (not really free, but other people paying for your stuff) contraception, sterilization and most importantly, abortion medications is … Continue reading →
The Czar is already hearing that large (even massive) Catholic organizations across America are rallying for a major fight against the HHS letter that forces Catholic institutions hiring secular employees to cover abortion (through day-after pills), contraceptives, and a host … Continue reading →
Operative DT writes in: RE:”if they don’t want to pay for practices they consider immoral, they should stick to serving their own co-religionists rather than the wider public” Dr. the J, EMTALA has rendered even that unlikely option impossible, hasn’t … Continue reading →
This opinion piece is from Ross Douthat in the NYT from Sunday regarding HHS’s mandate regarding contraception: A parish would be exempt from the mandate, in other words, but a Catholic hospital would not. Ponder that for a moment. In … Continue reading →
Dr. J. is beating a dead horse here, but he is utterly offended by the efforts the President has made (and successfully he might at) at undermining religious freedom when it disagrees with his world view. Dr. J. is specifically … Continue reading →
For those who didn’t get the memo. Mr. Romney is crazy rich. He is worth around $200 million, earning $21.7 million dollars last year. He paid $3 million in taxes and gave almost $3 million away to charitable causes. Most … Continue reading →
Dr. J. was inspired by Kevin Williamson’s Friday column at National Review Online. He posits that Republicans are divided into two camps. Those that believe that Obama is incompetent, and those that believe that he is evil. It his his … Continue reading →
Walmart excels at providing value at a discount for many Americans. So that made Dr. J. take a moment to rethink things, as Walmart bent the cost-curve of healthcare when it introduced $4 generics. Patients went from thinking generics were … Continue reading →
The door to exam room 1 opened, and Doctor Gillis breezed in, Gary’s chart in hand. “Morning, Gary,” he said cheerfully. “How are you?” Gary waved back and said “Great, just a checkup today. The factory’s making me get a … Continue reading →
‘Puter had a little time to reflect this morning during his 5:00 AM walk. He got to thinking about ObamaCare, and the government’s claim that it has the power to require Americans to buy insurance because their inactivity affects commerce. … Continue reading →
MEMORANDUM RECD Castle Gormogon IN RE Order [redacted] from Confucius, Œc. Vol., commanding Dr. J to report on what it’s like to be spied upon by someone other than Gs UNCLASSIFIEDTO BE READ ALOUD TO GPPOST ON BLOG Dear ŒV, … Continue reading →
Your family or the government? At least, that was ‘Puter’s takeaway after reading this Megan McArdle piece over at The Atlantic. Ms. McArdle looks at the significant problems New York has with state run facilities for the elderly and the … Continue reading →
From the good doctor: Dear The Czar, Dr. J. has spoken in the past with regard to the McDonalds recovery, and the effect that healthcare waivers had on hiring. Today there was an article posted on CBS Marketwatch. Heavily paraphrased—A … Continue reading →
Dear The Czar, Mickey D’s created 25% of the new jobs in April. Wesley Smith, at The Corner speculates that a waiver exempting them from Obamacare helped. That theory was originally floated in this forum. However, truth be told, Dr. … Continue reading →
Free breast, genital and rectal exams! While you’re unconscious and without your consent. Some, like ‘Puter, see this as a natural consequence of socialized medicine (i.e., ObamaCare). Others, like Czar, see this as a natural consequence of Saturday nights at … Continue reading →
‘Puter notes that a United States District Court Judge sitting in Richmond, Virginia struck down (on motion for summary judgment, no less (a very high bar)) the individual mandate portion of President Obama’s health care debacle. ‘Puter has a few … Continue reading →
When October rolls around, peoples thoughts turn to employee benefits! Not really, they turn to football, the Phillies sweeping the Reds (yeah, it’s Doc-tober boys and girls), pumpkin patches and apple pie. But, it is also open enrollment time, which … Continue reading →
Phil Klein got a chance to talk to Rep. Paul Ryan about ObamaCare. Ryan, who is a very smart cookie, wants us to take a step back and be patient with this ObamaCare thing. No, not to embrace it. We … Continue reading →
From Dr. J: Dear Gort,I completely echo your sentiments regarding President Obama’s alleged poor choice of words. There is a more insidious and ominous aspect to this statement. The use of the word absorb, regarding a terrorist attack, reveals the … Continue reading →
That’s the sound as we march towards one of the biggest tax hikes in history under a President who said: “I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses that create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow. I will … Continue reading →
…are we going to have to have this fight over every goddamned decision these evil bastards make?! Yes, evil. They’re going to let people die because they don’t believe it’s in “society’s” interest that they live. Evil. In September, the … Continue reading →
Yesterday into last night, the GOP forced the Senate to consider 29 amendments to the health care bill. The democrats voted each one down. Keep this in mind when Obama continues his stumping for public support for this bill. I’m … Continue reading →
‘Puter has a nasty cold, dutifully provided him by the divine Mrs. ‘Puter. ‘Puter was whining about his minor affliction to his sister. ‘Puter writes: I heard that under ObamaCare, there will be no more colds. Or alternatively that the … Continue reading →
So the Obama Administration has targeted a number of groups, largely behind outcries from the left that these organizations “make too much profit” – oil/gas companies, banks, federal IT contractors, insurance companies, etc. I’m waiting for the next shoe to drop. It … Continue reading →
Gormogon operative FJR reports to ‘Puter from an undisclosed yurt on the central Eurasian steppes with the following observation on charity: Since the Federal Government has decided that it is their job to be benevolent I have decided to redirect … Continue reading →
‘Puter thinks not. Check out this week in history: March 21, 2010: Our Glorious Leader and his People’s Patriotic Party passed possibly the most fiscally irresponsible piece of legislation in generations without a single opposition vote. March 23, 1775: Patrick … Continue reading →
…unless you’re looking at “responsiveness to the needs and choices of the individual patient”. The much touted U.N. World Health Organization’s ranking system’s assessment that our country’s healthcare system ranks number 37, only slightly better than Cuba is misleading. Why … Continue reading →
On January 5th (Tuesday), press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked whether President Obama supports televising the healthcare reform bill reconciliation debates and discussions as requested by the open letter from the CEO of C-SPAN. Mr. Gibbs responded by saying that … Continue reading →
To continue a meme from my last post, I’ll reference a FoxNews item. Apparently, President Obama and democrat congress members are meeting to hammer out a compromise on the health care reform bill differences between the house and senate. Now, … Continue reading →
…for all good men to come to the aid of their country. People should be asking a few simple questions: (1) if healthcare reform was so critical that it needed to be enacted in Augustbefore Thanksgivingbefore Christmas, then why is … Continue reading →
I wonder what kind of backroom deals and promises were made to the “on the fence” senators to agree to the Reid bill? Likely most of them will include some job protection/offers for next fall when their complete disregard for … Continue reading →
Under the guise of protecting children, government scolds in Britain (formerly Great) will now be entering citizens’ houses to make certain that safety precautions have been taken. “What the heck’s that got to do with ObamaCare, ‘Puter?”, you query. Check … Continue reading →
The Volgi pointed me at this article as he knows that I somewhat buy into broad generational patterns. To set some parameters around this (and for more details, go check out “The Fourth Turning” by Pete Peterson), let me outline … Continue reading →
Democrats have longer argued against the tax cuts to empower wealth creation labeling it “voodoo economics” and “trickle down” economics. Well, as the unemployment rate crossed 10.2% (a point which POTUS Obama said it would not cross with these programs … Continue reading →
‘Puter heard an interesting twist on poverty this weekend, one which he had not considered before. And it came from an unlikely, very liberal acquaintaince. Poverty, as ‘Puter always thought of it, is “the state of one who lacks a … Continue reading →
‘Puter was lounging in the Castle Gormogon rumpus room the other night watching his assistant Sleestak beat Czar’s houseboy Dat Ho in a rousing game of Twister/Jenga that their lot is wont to play, when it occurred to ‘Puter that … Continue reading →
In two words or less: loser pays. If that won’t wring the litigation-based waste out of the health care system, nothing will. But again, ‘Puter expects President Obama to put the interests of reliable, big-dollar Democrat campaign donors like the … Continue reading →
‘Puter’s been reading a lot of the commentary on President Obama’s address to the joint session of Congress last night. Here’s one item that ‘Puter thinks has gotten short shrift. President Obama declared that in his preferred health care reform … Continue reading →
One plain fact should outweigh all the words of Barack Obama and all the impressive trappings of the setting in which he says them: He tried to rush Congress into passing a massive government takeover of the nation’s health care … Continue reading →
The New York Post carries an opinion piece in today’s edition tangentially supporting the Mandarin’s excellent post below. In the piece, the Hoover Institution’s Paul E. Peterson posits the following: public option = public schools = FAIL. Read and enjoy! … Continue reading →
Plug the Democrats’ description of health care reform as a “moral duty” or “moral imperative” into the universal translator and out pops “health care opponents are ignorant racists who want you to die poor and in pain.” Thank goodness for … Continue reading →
‘Puter’s been doing some thinking here, which is always dangerous. ‘Puter’s noted a disturbing connection between the Department of Justice’s witch hunt at the CIA and ObamaCare’s failure to address tort reform. Bear with ‘Puter for a minute. Attorney General … Continue reading →
By Rahm Emanuel’s brother, Obama’s health-care advisor. Get ready to suffer and die. It’s your duty. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →Don’t believe your Gormogons that government health care will be a colossal fustercluck? Behold, ‘Puter gives you the following example! The Veterans’ Administration sent out letter to at least 1,200 Gulf War veterans informing them that they have Lou Gehrig’s … Continue reading →
Tea Party organizers are planning anti-ObamaCare rallies all across the country, evidently one in every congressional district this Saturday. Rats, and the Czar will be convalescing in a heated pool on Saturday. But liberals should know this, because they won’t … Continue reading →
President Obama had a teleconference yesterday with thousands of religious leaders. In his “40 Minutes for Health Reform” call with Christian leaders, there is an unstated assumption that Christianity requires support of his health care reform efforts. ‘Puter’s not a … Continue reading →
