A note to those who might use this blog to inflict others with their narcissism, take it back to the self serving abyss of a blog from whence you came. I posted this as a subtle hint that your petty dark needs of self aggrandizement pale in comparison to the reality of lightness and humor in this world...take the hint and put the cold wet noodle you call an ego in check.

Well said, baci. My question is -- did this guy know how to play the banjo BEFORE his brain surgery?

Thanks for putting things into perspective baci.
I enjoy this blog and find that many postings and comments both enlighten me and give me chuckle.
I love the banter but some can be insulting and a person's intelligence.

The banjo? He needs his head examined.

.....insulting to a person's intelligence.....

I feel like I missed something regarding narcissism and self-serving abysses. Darn--I thought I was reading this every day.

Unless, you're all talking about ME and I'm just to narcissistic to know that I'm awful.

Its OK, you can tell me...

Joke:

What is perfect pitch?

Answer:
When you throw a banjo out a window and you hit an accordion player.

Disclaimer: I love the accordion, and am in no way discriminating against a particular instrument. Now a banjo on the other hand...

what's the difference between a banjo and a trampoline?

a banjo is more fun to jump on.

What's the difference between a banjo and a lawn mower?

You can tune a lawn mower.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Blaize told me once that he had five very nice, expensive accordions sitting in the back seat of his old beater. He was taking them over to the Accordion Museum when he stopped at the gas station to pick up a pack of smokes.

When he came back to his car after being gone for all of two minutes, he was startled to find an empty parking space where his car used to be...and five very nice, expensive accordions in its place.

Because the glass is half empty, because unfettered optimism worries me, because I hate unicorns, because I am a bad,bad person:

Would Eddie Adcock have been able to get this career saving surgery under a socialist system of universal health care?

Discuss.

There are very few true accordion players that I have listened to. One is Suzy ludwig and the other is Blaze.

nnn,
yep he would have ... and his kids would have gone to college for free! He would have a surgeon who was from and under served minority that got to the hospital using public transportation. His long term care would involve wellness not welfare for the insurace overlords and faeries would fly out your butthole while the leeches of corporate greed would shrivel and have to share a pittance of their wealth with everyone. And we'd all have real world wide democracy based on information and global action not who can out wealth each other to the poor house. I reject your half emptiness and raise you a future based on the best qualities of humanity. Your pessimism is a tired excuse for non-action.

I think not. I think in your unicorn world it would play out like this:

Some faceless bureaucrat from the ministry of health (appointed to said position via nepotism or affirmative action) would decide that the cost to fix Eddie's tremor was not worth the benefit to society. After all, nobody likes the banjo.

Its a good thing Eddie thinks higher of himself. Its a good thing Eddie worked hard and saved his money. Its a good thing Eddie's brain surgeon attained his position through merit, skill, and intelligence. Its a good thing Eddie had a choice.

Your supposed altruism is a tired excuse for chewing up all that is good and worth a damn in this world. Pave that road all the way to hell, baci.

Pluck a few for me Eddie.

ah nattering nabob-- when I was living in Canada (not a citizen) and the pain of a kidney stone attack was giving me projectile vomiting, and my friend drove me to the hospital, they didn't ask questions. They fixed the problem, quickly and well. When I was broke with a badly abcessed tooth in Duluth, I just had to take a lot of aspirin til it burned out. Thank god for an idiotically strong immune system.

And yes, in Canada faeries regularly fly out of people's buttholes. Riding little tiny unicorns.

Blaize?! Suzy Ludwig?!?

Morons.

Everybody knows that Lorren Lindevig and Myron Floren are where its at for accordion genius.

Throw a little Marv Niemi and Florian Chemelewski into the mix and you'd have a rollickin' good time. :)

In regards to Canada health care, recently members of my office took a business trip to Montreal for our international convention.

While we were there, my boss ended up in the hospital with a case of shellfish poisoning. He was in the hospital for 20 hours, two cat scans, multiple doctors, medicines, an MRI, and an ambulance ride from his hotel.

Cost? $800 for everything.

Canada is doing something right. That's not to say socialised medicine is not without its problems, but it definitely would appear that it has more benefits than detriments.

Interestingly enough, the prime minister of Canada, Conservative Stephen Harper, is trying to let insurance companies through the door, but is receiving a lot of resistance from Parliament. Smart Parliament.

nnn,

That's right! There are NO faceless bureaucrats in the current system making arbitrary decisions about peoples lives. There are no corporate medico-oligarchs making share price bonuses at the expense of our monthly insurance rates... yeah, it's working great! Really, do you think that any sane and reasonable CEO would kick free health care for his employees out of bed? The only capitalism which seems to be working in the one run by the Chinese Communist Party.

BTW I'll be doing no paving of any road, the road to hell was paved for me already by Eisenhower, a gift to the auto and oil industries and paid for by your parents (or theirs).

You are all wrong. Chubby Carrier is the true accordian diety of our time.

Ann -- Even if one has medical insurance in the US, one might end up with experiences like yours. I sprained my wrist while in NYC. Even though I have insurance, the thought of sitting in an ER in NYC was more painful to me than my wrist. I knew I'd be there for days, maybe weeks. So I just iced it, popped aspirin, drank good wine, and kept it raised.

Well, nice try anyway, baci.

Some people just can't be that open-minded.....wait for it....wait for it.....

censorship. shameful. i miss burly.

My Mom dated Lorren Lindevig in high school. She's never had insurance 'till she qualified for Medicare. Now she doesn't freak out so much about her health. I had an experience like Ann's while in Canada- respiratory infection instead of kidney stone, though. My total bill- $22.50
My son had some kind of stomach bug and threw up on the intake desk at the walk-in clinic. They wouldn't see him (since he threw up) and sent us to the emergency dept. Total bill JUST FOR THE WALK-IN visit: $150. The ER visit was something over $1000. Oh yeah, we've got insurance. You know what I had to pay? Just over $1150. It seems that I had to alert the insurance company in advance of my son's illness for it to be covered. Yeah, the system works real well here- if you are an insurance company!

I'll take full responsibility for censoring burly...he posted a reply to this thread that I, as the author, found utterly abysmal and a continuation of really hateful energy up with which I could not put... so yeah I deleted it,...and I got so flared that I responded in kind to a milder version of the same rightwing tripe...what, cant they take the same BS they've dished at us? Ever try to post a progressive comment on their usual haunt of a blog? I'm sick of the fascists crying foul as the Hindenburg of a regime that they support sputters and dies on it's own sick greed. The left has fought with the gloves on for far to long. What you call censorship I call a fair fight.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions

ain't no party like a chubby party and the chubby party won't stop!!

baci, i challenge you to a brain-surgery banjo-pickin' duel! side by side! surgeon decided by coin-toss. winner gets to open for too many banjos at carmody's ...sometime, loser has to take on the job of censoring everything.

challenge accepted ... only pre-condition is a pre-duel safety check-in and that paul metzger is the brain surgeon for both us simultaneously. BTW I started this thread as a get-real-and-get-off-the-high-horse type post but I got caught up in my own drivel. For that I apologize.

The road to hell is paved with Republicans.

Dear CensorMom,

That you'd describe my contributions to local political discourse as tripe surprises nor vexes me, but the "right wing" part? Wow.

I was gonna make fun of you, but it just doesn't seem fair now. I mean your dangerous ignorance still freaks me out, but it's OK little buddy. From now on we'll just get those kid locks for all the drawers and cabinets and things. Oh, and those plastic lattice barriers for the stairs. And outlet covers. OK, you get in bed now.

"Dear! Is the G-I-N in the freezer?"

-Muffled Speaking-

"Well, put in there, wouldya!?"

Goodnight little guy. And don't come out tonight, OK? Sleep tight.

Also, I find the strength of your response to my kool-aid drinker baiting to be quite odd. Especially in light of the fact you weren't a participant in the Hazel thread whatsoever.
Unless, of course, you were. Hmmm.

"Cuz, reality is actually SWEET!"

Anybody recognize this empty ethos? Cause I do.

Stimulus--->response, better than I expected.

What most of you missed (getting back on topic) is that Eddie's surgery was elective. It is likely that he paid for it out of his own pocket as I doubt any insurer would cover it. Elective brain surgery under universal health care would probably not be allowed (if we follow the british model)even if you could pay for it yourself.

If you wanted such elective surgery under a centrally planned universal health care system, you would have to fly to a Latin American country, pay your money, and take your chances. I'd rather seek out the best and brightest under a system that rewards competence, but then I like my brain unscrambled.

Don't get me wrong, I like health care - I owe my continued existence to a smart doctor (an underrepresented lady doctor no less) who told me to STFU and listen. Affordable health care is a laudable goal. Your means to that end, though, is unacceptable to me.

Censor this post if you can't handle your sacred cows being grilled. I don't really care, I can find another outlet. I doubt I'll persuade any of you to change your minds anyway. If only I could get you to think instead of reacting like an open brain poked with an electrode...

The Dude abides,
nnn

I've been pessimistic before and it just made me tired, cranky and less horny. I like being energized to make positive change, happy with the luxuries of modern life, and able to get wood as desired.....how about you old man? BTW sparhawk was right, It was wrong for me to practice the methods of other blogs and censor anyone. I tried on the hobnail boots of the enemy and found them to wreak of plastic bottled booze and overpriced pharmaceuticals....

...mommy...why is daddy puking in the basement again...he must be cold sleeping in the freezer...

dont worry little baci...there's always tomorrow, it's only a day away