February 15, 2010 by vortmax.

It appears that Kevin Smith is upset he was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight.  He claims it was because he was too fat.  Read the CNN Story for yourself, but I’d like to point out something he said:

Smith did purchase two seats for the flight to Burbank, but he was allowed to board an earlier flight as a standby passenger, and only one seat was available on that flight.
The extra seat is not a necessity, he said, but a luxury because “Southwest flights are cheap.”

“I’m flying on the welfare airline, food-stamp airline,” he said. “So I think I can indulge myself with two seats, and I can afford to do it.”

So, according to Mr. Smith, anyone can purchase an extra seat as a luxury.  Not according to Southwest Airlines’ Contract of Carriage (PDF).  From Section 15-G (page 12):

 Additional Seat Purchase – The purchase of more than one seat for use by a single passenger is required in the following circumstances:

(1) To accommodate a Customer of size who encroaches on an adjacent seat area and/or is unable to sit in a single seat with the armrests lowered;

(2) To transport a Customer who, because of his or her particular disability, would be unable to travel without the purchase of additional space on the aircraft; or

(3) When necessary to transport large musical instruments or electronic audio/video, medical, or other sensitive equipment unsuitable for carriage as checked baggage, as specified in Article 46.F.

It is the passenger’s responsibility to notify Carrier of a unique seating need. In accordance with Article 10.F., Carrier may refuse to transport individuals who are unable or unwilling to comply with Carrier’s seating requirements. Except as specified above, purchase of more than one seat for use by a single passenger is otherwise prohibited.

Note the emphasized section.  It states that it is prohibited to purchase a seat for “luxury.”  This makes Mr. Smith’s claim of “luxury” dubious at best.

Mr. Smith got pulled because he was mistakenly allowed on an overbooked flight as a standby passenger.  Considering he regularly buys two seats (not for “luxury,” in my educated opinion, but because he’s a “customer of size”), and he was on standby because he tried to get on an earlier flight than he was ticketed for (a change that would cost up to $100 on other airlines), he was pulled for a legitimate reason.  In my opinion, Southwest Airlines is totally in the right, and he’s just “indulging” the “luxury” of being an attention whore.

p.s. - Here’s Southwest Airlines’ FAQ on their Customer of Size policy.

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February 9, 2010 by vortmax.

From the Dallas Morning News:

Even anti-government icon Ron Paul can’t escape the conservative “Tea Party” fervor stretching across the county.

Paul, the Gulf Coast congressman whose 2008 presidential run excited libertarians nationwide, even though he didn’t get much traction overall, is considered by many to be the “father of the Tea Parties.” But he has three opponents in the March Republican primary – more than he has faced in his past six primary campaigns combined.

But here’s where it gets ludicrous:

“The word I keep hearing is ‘ineffective,’ ” said Gay, a school business administrator. “This district is not really being represented as it could be.”

Tea Party associations aside, many of the challengers’ criticisms echo concerns of Paul’s past opponents: that he is too focused on his national ambitions; that his views are too extreme; that he doesn’t support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; that he votes “no” on everything, including federal aid for his district after Hurricane Ike.

These “Tea Party” candidates are standing up in favor of even more government spending and PORK, therefore claiming it’s a Tea Party principle.

Hypocrites.

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November 16, 2009 by vortmax.

It’s that time of year again.  The time of year when the airwaves bombard us with commercialized carols and red and green ad displays.  It’s also that time again for the “War on Christmas” emails to begin circulating.

I have not received any such email, but I hear the gist of one of them is this:

President Obama is going to call the National Christmas Tree the “National Holiday Tree,” and that the Obamas are going to have a “White House Holiday Tree” instead of a White House Christmas tree.

Let me say that is complete and utterly false.

First, per the National Parks Service, the nation will still have the traditional National Christmas Tree.  So consider part 1 of the above email debunked.

Second, per the Washington Post, Michelle Obama has specified the type of “Official White House Christmas tree” she wants.  Thus part 2 of the purported e-mail is also proven false.

Finally, my favorite fact-check site, Politifact, has also debunked this false claim, labeling it a “Pants on Fire” lie, complete with sources that refute the email’s claims (including a reference to a similar e-mail about President Bush doing the same thing, which is equally ridiculous).

For those of us in the Christian faith, we understand what the true meaning of Christmas is.  The blessing of the birth of Jesus Christ will never be forgotten, no matter how many jingles, ads, or hyperbolic chain e-mails we receive.

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October 31, 2009 by vortmax.

Once again, Jon Stewart nails it:

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September 29, 2009 by vortmax.

This weekend, the largest free clinic ever in the US was held in Houston’s Reliant Center:

It’s an epidemic here in Texas and Harris County — people without health insurance. On Saturday, the uninsured lined up to get their needs met.

More than 2,000 people came to Reliant Center to see doctors for free. Many of the people we talked to can’t afford health insurance, especially in the rough economy. Some say it shows the need for health care reform.

Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn advocates using charity as the final option for health care.  So does  Virginia Congressman Eric Cantor, as seen in a previous post.

Coburn and Cantor are obviously not people who have had the indignity of having to beg for something (other than more donations to their campaigns), yet they expect the uninsured to rely on just that.  Become indigent, become poor, even sign up for a government-run health care system (Medicaid).  And, if all those fail, “hope” that the goodness of others will keep them well enough to stay healthy and become productive members of society.

In my opinion, begging is not an option.  It’s humiliating and no guarantee of getting health care.  If someone can convince me that it is, I’ll be happy to hear them.

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September 25, 2009 by vortmax.

Representative Eric Cantor (R-VA) participated in a town hall meeting hosted by the Richmond Times Dispatch.  Democratic Representative Bobby Scott also attended.  Together, they took questions from the audience regarding their position on health care reform.  The discussions were quite civil.

However, one of Rep. Cantor’s responses has me shaking my head.  Here’s the video:

Paraphrasing:
Attendee: “A relative lost her job.  She later finds out she has cancer.  She has no health insurance. What is your proposed solution?”

Cantor: “Sell everything to pay expenses.  Once a certain poverty level is reached, apply for Medicaid (government-run health care for the poor).  After that, look to charity or indigent services for assistance.”

Is this the Republican “solution?”

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September 20, 2009 by vortmax.

If you remember your social studies and civics courses, you most probably are.

From Oklahoma’s News 9:

A thousand students were given 10 questions drawn from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services item bank. Candidates for U.S. citizenship must answer six questions correctly in order to become citizens.

About 92 percent of the people who take the citizenship test pass on their first try, according to immigration service data. However, Oklahoma students did not fare as well. Only about 3 percent of the students surveyed would have passed the citizenship test.

The news story has the 10 questions, and I was able to answer all 10 off the top of my head.  Can you pass the test?

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September 2, 2009 by vortmax.

Brian Donohue of the New Jersey Star Ledger attended a town hall meeting with Rep. Frank Pallone (D) of New Jersey’s 6th district.  He filed this report:

Speaks for itself.

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August 26, 2009 by vortmax.

For me this is a season of hope — new hope for a justice and fair prosperity for the many, and not just for the few — new hope.

And this is the cause of my life — new hope that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American — north, south, east, west, young, old — will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege.

- Senator Ted Kennedy at  the 2008 Democratic National Convention

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August 25, 2009 by vortmax.

From the UK Guardian:

In the furious debate gripping America over the future of its health system, one voice has been lost amid the shouting. It is that of a distinguished gynaecologist, aged 67, called Dr Joseph Manley.

For 35 years Manley had a thriving health clinic in Kansas. He lived in the most affluent neighbourhood of Kansas City and treated himself to a new Porsche every year. But this is not a story about doctors’ remuneration and their lavish lifestyles.

In the late 1980s he began to have trouble with his own health. He had involuntary muscle movements and difficulty swallowing. Fellow doctors failed to diagnose him, some guessing wrongly that he had post-traumatic stress from having served in the airforce in Vietnam.

Eventually his lack of motor control interfered with his work to the degree that he was forced to give up his practice. He fell instantly into a catch 22 that he had earlier seen entrap many of his own patients: no work, no health insurance, no treatment.

He remained uninsured and largely untreated for his progressively severe condition for the following 11 years. Blood tests that could have diagnosed him correctly were not done because he couldn’t afford the $200. Having lost his practice, he lost his mansion on the hill and now lives in a one-bedroom apartment in the suburbs. His Porsches have made way for bangers. Many times this erstwhile pillar of the medical establishment had to go without food in order to pay for basic medicines.

Even more to think about.

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