A Few More Points (On the VP Debate)

1. I liked it when Biden referred to advice the President of the Senate gave him way back. He informed Biden that conservative stalwart Jesse Helms had adopted a child in a wheelchair. I actually read that in a biography of Jesse Helms not long ago. Biden learned that he shouldn't judge other people's motivations, only their judgment. He stopped seeing the other side as evil, for he realized that it had good people too.

2. Does America cause good or evil in the world? Sarah Palin referred to a statement Barack Obama made about innocent people dying from our military actions in Afghanistan. She said that was not true, and that we're doing a lot of good there, such as building schools. I vaguely remember reading a while ago that innocent people were dying from our military activity. Our policies apparently accomplish both good and (unfortunately) evil. But will Obama make things better, since he supports us fighting in Afghanistan?

3. Here's a fact check about the debate tonight: Some facts adrift in vice presidential debate. Troop levels are not at the pre-surge level, contra Sarah Palin. But the article also made some interesting points about Biden and his claims. The article says Biden voted for the 1999 deregulation bill (though I've read elsewhere that he voted against it). It states McCain did not vote for the budget resolution that rescinded the Bush tax cuts. It states that McCain supports tax cuts for corporations in general, not just oil companies. It also includes a summary of Barack's health care plan:

"Obama's plan does not provide for universal coverage, only mandates insurance for children and doesn't turn the system over to the government. Most people would still get private insurance through their work. Obama proposes that the government subsidize the cost of health coverage for millions who have trouble affording it and he'd set up an exchange to negotiate prices and benefits with private insurers — with one option being a government-run plan."

But wasn't that one of Bush's criticisms of S-CHIP expansion: that the government would be competing with private insurers, then more people would prefer the government policy? And that's fine...until the government runs the private companies out of business! It's like any business: you like it when it's competing, but watch out when it becomes a monopoly!