The First Real Weekend of Summer (It Seems) Review

Healthcare remained the key topic 'round here over the weekend, beginning with my opinion that the urgency to pass a bill within weeks is faux (and reckless). I subsequently honed in on one reason government operatives might be so keen on universal healthcare: It opens the door to control of people's behavior and, therefore, the people themselves. Monique got down to the dirty work and enumerated some of the bad to worse aspects of the healthcare reform legislation.

On a related note, I took some cues from music to understand why the cult of Obama will persist regardless of the consequences of his presidency.

Turning to another hot federal issue, Monique passed along an alternative from state Rep. John Loughlin (R, Tiverton, Portsmouth, Little Compton) to "cap and trade." And broadening the topic, she listed some of the major expenditures of our government and queried about the source of funding.

Meanwhile, I dipped a toe in the simmering waters of turmoil between merchants and credit card issuers, the former of whom are looking to the government for advantage.

Monique suggested, following a Providence Business News article, that Rhode Island's economic outlook is for continued winter. Looking even more locally, I couldn't help but chuckle at the difficulties resulting from arduous zoning rules in Tiverton that are intended to micromanage economic development and are succeeding (after a fashion) at just that.

And finally, with a religious undertone, we mused on the preponderance of asterisks and disclaimers in our culture.