... and I just heard the news about the Congressional vote for Obama's heath reform act.

People from smaller, more paternalistic industrial democracies are unlikely to appreciate what a feat that was, but I *do* know what a feat it is to get something on that scale to happen in the US.

Folk from the smaller, more paternalistic industrial democracies virtually never understand what it really implies to the individual for US citizens to have guaranteed freedoms in a Constitution interpreted by a legal system based upon Civil Code, but I do, and all I can say is...

Congratulations.

That was a Amazing feat.

Did you know that in Canada, a member of parliament *must* vote the party line whether or not he and/or his constituents agree with an act?

His only option is to cross the floor and join a different party, or declare himself independent and start of a new party.

Canucks generally don't appreciate just how complicated it is to gain even limited consensus in a population the size of the US, among reps who do not have to vote a party line.

It's still up to the Senators. On one hand they tend to be more thoughtful than Congressmen, and so are more likely to see the benefits to overall national well being of a stabilization to the health concerns of the American citizenry, but on the other hand, they are Senators, and therefor very closely schmoozed to those super rich-and-powerful holding deep investments in the private health insurance industry.

If foreigners understood how powerful are the forces with their investments in the private health insurance industry, they would understand that this is something on the level of legalization of unions and the granting of universal emancipation, which means, not as big as the abolition of slavery, but getting close.

I'm impressed. I really didn't think it would get through Congress, but bloody hell... it passed!

That's one giant leap for man, and one small step for mankind.