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If you have ever been in the hospital for a major surgery on an individual plan or had to deal with individual coverage as a self employed person - you would be 100% behind this reform. Group plans are fantastic, I love my United EPO from my company... but when I was self employed for over a decade, I had some major issues with health insurance. I also broke a disk in my back and spent 3 years fighting the insurance company trying to get the surgery paid. During that time, my credit was dropped over 150 points - I was strung along with tactics to try and make me just give up and not bother them... it was devastating. The credit score problems affected my ability to get a job and a mortgage. And this was all for someone that HAD INSURANCE. The reform package is pretty crappy but it fights for the little guy. This is just the start, hopefully all of these money hungry insurance companies go out of business or clean up their acts. Doctors don't want to deal with many of them and the bureaucracy is just incredible. I spent countless hours and thousands of dollars erasing the problems that the insurance company caused for me. My stringing me along and denying my surgery, the insurance company kept sending me back and forth to different specialists trying to deter me. This just drove up the costs even more for them. It also caused me to be on pain medicine for an extended period of time and that created a whole different set of problems. Insurance companies would prefer for people to keep popping those pills rather than fix the problem, it makes the bottom line look better for their investors. I really do not know how anyone can defend the practices of for-profit health insurance companies. The entire system is set up to prey on the weak and make as large of a profit as possible. Higher profit means worse care. It is my PERSONAL experience. I also had a guy that worked for me when I owned the bar - he was dropped from his parent's insurance his Sr year... he figured that he was young and could make it for a year until graduating and getting a real job. His appendix ruptured one night and after 4 days in the hospital, luckily he walked out a healthy man. That healthy man officially had $127K bill to deal with. So a guy that had gone to college and worked his way through school to keep his debt low now graduated with $127K in debt (and counting as fees and interest started to pile up). He had to declare bankruptcy at age 22 and cannot purchase a car or a house. He had trouble finding a good job because employers do credit checks and are not concerned about how the bankruptcy occurred. These are two small stories regarding my personal experiences with the insurance and medical field industries. I could tell a few more stories about how my grandparents were treated by their insurance companies - eventually they dropped their private insurance in favor of Medicare. They were never happier - until their last breaths. My grandfather fought in The Pacific during WWII and had access to the VA Hospital but our family along with Medicare were able to give him a very nice assisted living center that had a dementia wing. None of that was possible with private insurance, it wasn't until we went with government programs that he could get the care he needed without wiping out his entire savings. Even with all the government help, we were paying out $3800 bucks a month for the facility. Similar story with my grandmother - I am sure that you get the point. My family has had bad experiences with health insurance companies. Consequently, my brother was in a car wreck and broke his neck. Our CAR INSURANCE (State Farm) treated him GREAT. They paid for everything and settled with him for a reasonable amount in case of future medical problems. So not all insurance is evil - and car insurance is a personal policy, not a group policy. I think that the problem is with a broken health care system that has to answer to stockholders looking for higher dividends and share prices. Insurance companies should probably not be publicly traded. I know that you ahve all heard stories and I seriously doubt that I have changed a single person's mind about the insurance business. It just astounds me when someone defends an insurance company in any instance. They would never defend you - they are not on your side. Oh - and yes, I am an Independent that likes some of the Tea Bagger message... I agree with a lot of what Paul has to say, proudly voted for George W Bush (both times) and would not change those votes for the world. I also voted for Clinton the second time around and proudly voted for Obama over the Ghost and Crazy Palin. I wish that people would think for themselves and not just be sheep to their party's messages. This is more propaganda and is horse hockey - it is all about money. If these insurance companies can't make money off of more sick people - those people are going to be better off finding new coverage. These companies will be showing their true priorities over the next few years. Individuals will be able to get better coverage by a system that cares about HEALTH rather than profit.

An Angel of God appeared to me in my cubicle today. With him he had 2 golden plates which shone as bright as the sun. On the left plate was written SEC WEST and on the right plate SEC EAST. He handed me the plates and told me all other speculation was wrong and I was to spread the good word on NCAA conference expansion. On the SEC WEST plate was written: Arkansas Houston LSU Ole Miss Oklahoma Oklahoma State Mississippi State North Texas I said to the Angel. "You must be wrong. Why are Houston and North Texas on this list? Surely they are not worthy?" The Angel stated "For Texas and Texas A&M shall leave to the PAC -10. No school worth having from the ACC will desire to join the SEC so the conference must look westward for large TV markets. There will be much sadness and gnashing of teeth in Waco and Lubbock." "But..but...TCU" I said. The angel admonished me stating "TCU is too strong a football program with too little television appeal. A weaker team with much more upside is desired. Also, purple is abhorrent to the Lord." On the SEC EAST plate was written: Alabama Auburn Florida Georgia Kentucky South Carolina Tennessee Vanderbilt To the Angel I exclaimed, "That conference is insane. That makeup is much too strong." The angel replied "Yes, but the Lord shall permit their male alum to marry their sisters...all of them. There will be no opposition." With that the angel disappeared. This is a true testimony.

And the FAns

What I find amusing is the writer's calling several games "trap" games. Really?? A trap game for a 2 win team?? Funny. I do like his emphasis on the defensive side of the ball. You know, the side (along with special teams) that was god awful last year. We will be an underdog to Rice (deservedly so, barring a miracle at Clemson). Same with Army and FAU. Funny that he has us winning every single one of these games. This is junk-food sports blogging. You know, it tastes really good, but in the end, it is horrible for you.

Skeedaddle boys ! It's every man for himself !

Heathen. Be prepared for my full 4 part series. 2. The (Big) 10 commandments. 3. The sermon on the Mount(ain West) 4. Onan spills his seed: How conference realignment will affect the NCAA Basketball Tourney.

As the wife of one of UNT's chief hecklers at the Super Pit, I thought this was really interesting. Anxious to see how all this comes out and what happens to both the ref and the heckler. http://tinyurl.com/2vnovdc

As a heckler, you are right up there too!

I'll give you a +1 for sheer audacity. I still say there's no reason our football program can't be held in as much awe as our music program. I can just see it; music school alums speaking reverentially about the Music School after their performances in church on Sunday mornings, sportscasters talking about (put name here) out of North Texas on Sunday afternoons during the football season.

I chug the kool aid of the Mean Green variety like the rest of this board, but I do believe "Nine wins" would be over the top. You've gone from one of the most negative people on this board to past optimistic. You've explained your reasoning before, but I don't see the additions of some coaches (we could have hired Stoops/Caroll/Brown/Tressell in the offseason and I don't think the would have the kind of effect you're expecting from coach Chico. I expect positive changes, but not 9 wins.

My wife's family in Mexico voted for and supports Calderon. Their only other options were the traditionally corrupt PRI ticket, and the Hugo Chavez clone. Calderon edged out the Chavez clone. So, (unbelievably), it could be worse. However, that doesn't make Calderon any less of an ass for coming over here and saying what he has - given the condition of his own country. And, it doesn't make Obama any less of a suck up and phony for getting on his knees and basically servicing Calderon for two days. Obama has his head buried so far in the sand on the illegal immigration issue that it's unlikely to end well for anyone. He's a spineless turd. And, I mean that in the most sincere and positive way. Obama is a spineless turd of the highest order. When all is said and done, his only historical match will be Britain's Neville Chamberlain who soft-pedaled Hilter's obvious threats. Peace is only a viable option when the other side wants peace as well. Mexico wants no part of keeping peace along the border. Mexico only seeks our complete capitulation of sovereignty at the border, nothing less. Therefore, there will be no peace along the border.

The following links show the absolute hypocrisy of Calderon as it relates to illegal immigration: Wolf Blitzer Interview #1 Transcript of CNN So hope the Liberals are proud of their support of the hypocrite, hope Obama was able to get back up off his knees.

We must protect this house!

You are right. My apologies to Rudy! F me for making light of 11 people and their loss. That was my intention and Rudy is the only one who picked up on that. Kudos for reading between the lines because that is what I meant when I said this was a problem for BP. What I should of started with is 11 families are morning at the colossal mess up of BP, Halliburton, and Transocean! Maybe their loss can benefit the industry as a whole. I do want more regulation and when you look at the safety records of these companies it is safe to say that they should be the enemies of the state and the lawyers who try to minimize the damage and Fox News who has not done one story on the tragic loss. Well it just gets me going! It really is not about anything other than if you are going to poke a hole in the ocean floor. Then have a plan to contain and evacuate! Or don't drill there. I applaud the Wildcatters and entrepreneurs of the world but the cost of this is going to be enormous. I have not heard yet! Have they capped the well?

What?! I said 'with all due respect'!

God, and if there gonna come hear, atleast learn the language.

if this 22 year old man had a 16 year old girlfriend, he might be playing next at penn state[sorry, i meant state pen]

At least equal parts of it anyway. And we don't need oil to get electricity. Yep, Americans want their means of transportation to be big, comfortable......and cheap. Even though there are many oil disasters similar to this around the globe, we don't seem to care until it starts directly effecting us....or at least is right in our faces.

Both parties are "spaghetti-spined". They're all politicians... it goes with the territory. Talking in circles. Posturing. It's what they do.

Two words < Seven Words http://www.youtube.c...h?v=6zpzXqq2AB4

Pure right winged ignorance. Lesbians are some of the best people in the world to sleep with. Open up your mind brah.

Two words.