Bruce:

Your correspondent's concern with Constitutional iussues ignores the fact that insurance is intrastate commerce. Furthermore it obscures the precedents (and invalidates them) of Medicare, Social Security, a good deal of the Homeland Security machinery, and a lot of the NAtional Park service. In other words, it is disingenuous in the extreme.

In other news:

"Walking into a raucous ovation, President Obama actually appeared to be touched by the reception he was given at the AFL-CIO convention in Pittsburgh.

"You're making me blush," he said, uttering a series of "thank yous" for the prolonged applause that greeted Mr. Obama at this campaign rally-like event.

"You know, the White House is pretty nice, but there's nothing like being back in a house of labor," he added, to even more applause.

Introducing the president was outgoing AFL-CIO head John Sweeney, who declared that labor is the wind behind the president's back in his fight for health care. He also took a swipe at some of the opponents to health care, calling some their language "Outrageous disrespect for Barack Obama, the presidency itself and the millions of Americans who elected him."

Hmmmm. Seems like some folks know when they are being respected...

Oh--did you notice Bernanke announced he thinks the recession is probably over?


Affectionately,
A