Bell:

In an earlier post, I discussed my participation in a protest over Sach's bonuses, W$, and the banking system while attending “Showdown in Chicago" <link>. On Sunday night I had a brief moment with Senator Durbin while accompanying Mary Bottari, BanksterUSA http://banksterusa.org/ during her interview of him and asking questions about reinstituting Glass-Steagall. My words to him:

The Democrats have a majority in the Senate. It would be nice if the party of the majority in the Senate began to act like the Majority rather than the party of the Minority.

The Repubs would have seized the moment to ram this through and take out any defectors such as Dem in Repub skin Lieberman, etc.

In my latest post, I am negotiating healthcare insurance at my doctor or at least the lack of it in attempting to gain a price for a blood test, a urine test, and a chest x-ray. I started this venture after a battery of tests at the glamour institute of Ann Arbor. Since my insurance covers me after I am run over by a bull dozer, I asked the cost of the initial test. The second time around after the initial tests showed an elevated Sedimentation (and everything else normal) , the good doctor wanted an x-ray (turned out to be 2), a urine test, and a blood culture test to see what critters are running around in me and to see if I have a heart. Again I asked "how much?" He could not tell me and neither could anyone in the office.

The next day, I called the billing office and they told me it would be a few days before they could get a price. The billing office did suggest going outside of the system to get the tests and X-rays done as it would be substantially cheaper (40%). The X-ray were substantially more competent than the blood techs . . . one had never done the anaerobic test before . . . two small soda bottles of blood. Many have suggested, patients and people should be responsible for costs. Too this I ask how, if it takes days to get a price and you are sick? There is a serious disconnect between doctors and their business.

I would like to use one of your posts again . . .