As Congress prepares to overhaul the U.S. health care system, I am really worried about the insurance companies. Who’s looking out for them? What about their health? All anybody in Washington cares about is the individual. Who cares about the corporation? I do. That’s who.
Right now I don’t have health insurance, but I don’t deserve it. I don’t want it. Health coverage is for the weak. It sounds French: “Le coverage de health!”
I don’t need a health care system that works. I’m an American! So we have a shorter life expectancy than most other industrialized nations---it goes along with my motto: “Live fast, die young and leave a good looking corpse…riddled with cancer.”
This health care overhaul really scares me. I’m scared. I’m scared that a doctor will be making medical decisions about my treatment instead of an insurance company. That’s socialism!
You know what really scares me? Do you know what gives me nightmares that keep me from sleeping? Worrying that Congress will have to use whatever coverage is approved for voters instead of that great private option they have now. The public option is for the public. If it was for Congress, it’d be called “the Congress option.”
Members of Congress deserve better coverage than the people who vote for them. They can’t reform health care if they’re sick, or if their coverage gets a socialist disease. It’d be un-American.
There’s nothing wrong with our health care system. It’s like my doctor said when I was still insured and went in for my annual physical: “What are you doing here? I just saw you last year.”
A lot of people think that the system we have now can’t be saved. They say that greed is a pre-existing condition. That’s a lot of left wing socialist propaganda! They don’t care about the insurance companies. But you know who does care? James Tripp, that’s who.
But I’m just one guy. I wish there was some group that could represent the insurance industry. And what about the poor pharmaceutical industry? They’re under a lot of stress lately. They’ve started to take their own drugs!
I just wish someone could speak for them. I say let it be James Tripp!
Wherever there’s a fight, so sick people can be denied coverage, I’ll be there. Wherever there’s a politician who wants to shorten the length of a protected patent to create a generic drug to save lives, I’ll be there. I’ll be in the way any government plan denies the reproductive rights of women. I’ll be in the way any final legislation will make it illegal to use the bargaining power of any government plan to negotiate lower drug prices.
And when people try growing marijuana for medicinal uses, I’ll be there! I’ll be in the way bullies yell at old people to scare them. I’ll be in the way kids laugh when town hall meetings get interrupted by victims of a diminishing gene pool. Wherever there’s anybody fighting a denial of coverage, I’ll be there! And when people are dying because they have no health insurance, I’ll be there too!
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
"The DAMage Report" - July 29, 2009
Here's yesterday's show with me, John Fugelsang, Rick Shapiro, Lakota Phillips and host Johnny Dam:
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
"The DAMage Report" - July 27, 2009
Here's yesterday's show with me, Lora Somoza, Tim Babb and host Johnny Dam:
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
"The DAMage Report" - July 13, 2009
Here's yesterday's show with me, Jeremy Beth Michaels, Lora Somoza and host Johnny Dam:
Monday, July 06, 2009
Robert S. McNamara: 1916-2009
When I was the News Director for WMVY FM on Martha’s Vineyard, I had occasion to interview Robert McNamara about a particular story.
I believe it was the summer of 1985, although I may be wrong. It could have been the summer of 1986. I am no longer a reporter and so I am no longer under any obligation to check the facts. It’s not really important to the story.
I do know that it was summer. I do know that Robert McNamara kept a boat docked in Vineyard Haven Harbor.
On this particular occasion my program director came to me and said, “Some people are saying that Robert McNamara’s boat is sticking out into the traffic lane.”
“Some people?” I said.
“Some people.” he said.
“What people?”
“Some people.”
I did not know who some people were, but clearly they were some people. They were saying that Robert McNamara’s boat was sticking out into the lane of traffic.
Martha’s Vineyard is an island. Although they had an airport, most people came onto the island on ferries that docked in Vineyard Haven. Some people were saying that Robert McNamara’s boat was making it difficult for the ferries to dock. It may still be that way today. Somebody else will have to check on that.
Then my program director told me I should call Robert McNamara and ask him about the charges. I inquired if he had McNamara’s number. He said, “No,” but some people he knew might have it.
Sure enough, some people did have his number and I gave him a ring. I don’t know what kind of boat he had, but it must have been a big one, the kind that some people will just never have, the kind that sticks out into lanes of traffic.
I don’t remember exactly how our conversation went, but it went something like this:
“Mr. McNamara, my name is James Tripp and I’m the News Director for WMVY. I’d like to ask you about where you dock your boat.”
“Oh, that again?” he said or something like it.
“Can I record this interview for broadcast?”
I don’t remember exactly what he said, but the general tone was, “You’re darn right you can!” Clearly, here was a man who wanted to get out his side of the story.
I said, “Some people are saying that your boat is sticking out into the lane of traffic, making it particularly hard for the ferries to dock.”
“Some people?” he said.
“Some people.” I said.
“What people?”
“Some people.”
“Well, that’s a lot of horse hockey,” he said, or something like that or not like that at all. He then went on to defend his boat slip. He outlined the history of his boat in that slip with a passion I’m sure he brought to his study of the history between China and Vietnam. By the time he was done he had me thinking, “Mmm…maybe some people are wrong.” Of course, maybe they were right. On any occasion, I had my sound bite. Thank-you, Mr. McNamara.
Perhaps I should have asked him if his boat was sticking out too far into the Gulf of Tonkin, but that was another story, not as important as this particular one.
To this day I’m not sure what kind of a boat he had. I was never invited onboard.
I believe it was the summer of 1985, although I may be wrong. It could have been the summer of 1986. I am no longer a reporter and so I am no longer under any obligation to check the facts. It’s not really important to the story.
I do know that it was summer. I do know that Robert McNamara kept a boat docked in Vineyard Haven Harbor.
On this particular occasion my program director came to me and said, “Some people are saying that Robert McNamara’s boat is sticking out into the traffic lane.”
“Some people?” I said.
“Some people.” he said.
“What people?”
“Some people.”
I did not know who some people were, but clearly they were some people. They were saying that Robert McNamara’s boat was sticking out into the lane of traffic.
Martha’s Vineyard is an island. Although they had an airport, most people came onto the island on ferries that docked in Vineyard Haven. Some people were saying that Robert McNamara’s boat was making it difficult for the ferries to dock. It may still be that way today. Somebody else will have to check on that.
Then my program director told me I should call Robert McNamara and ask him about the charges. I inquired if he had McNamara’s number. He said, “No,” but some people he knew might have it.
Sure enough, some people did have his number and I gave him a ring. I don’t know what kind of boat he had, but it must have been a big one, the kind that some people will just never have, the kind that sticks out into lanes of traffic.
I don’t remember exactly how our conversation went, but it went something like this:
“Mr. McNamara, my name is James Tripp and I’m the News Director for WMVY. I’d like to ask you about where you dock your boat.”
“Oh, that again?” he said or something like it.
“Can I record this interview for broadcast?”
I don’t remember exactly what he said, but the general tone was, “You’re darn right you can!” Clearly, here was a man who wanted to get out his side of the story.
I said, “Some people are saying that your boat is sticking out into the lane of traffic, making it particularly hard for the ferries to dock.”
“Some people?” he said.
“Some people.” I said.
“What people?”
“Some people.”
“Well, that’s a lot of horse hockey,” he said, or something like that or not like that at all. He then went on to defend his boat slip. He outlined the history of his boat in that slip with a passion I’m sure he brought to his study of the history between China and Vietnam. By the time he was done he had me thinking, “Mmm…maybe some people are wrong.” Of course, maybe they were right. On any occasion, I had my sound bite. Thank-you, Mr. McNamara.
Perhaps I should have asked him if his boat was sticking out too far into the Gulf of Tonkin, but that was another story, not as important as this particular one.
To this day I’m not sure what kind of a boat he had. I was never invited onboard.
Friday, July 03, 2009
"The DAMage Report" - July 2, 2009
Here's yesterday's show with me, Mary Kennedy, Mike Dorval and host Johnny Dam:
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
"The Damage Report" - June 15, 2009
Here's yesterday's show with me, Bill Freiberger, Lawrence Ziese and host Johnny Dam:
Saturday, June 13, 2009
"The Damage Report" - June 12, 2009
Here's yesterday's show with me and comedians Jann Karam, Jodi Miller and host Johnny Dam:
Thursday, June 11, 2009
"The DAMage Report" - June 10, 2009
Here's yesterday's show with me, John C. McDonnell , Lakota Phillips and host Johnny Dam:
Saturday, June 06, 2009
"The DAMage Report" - June 5, 2009
Here's yesterday's show with me, Rick Shapiro, Bob Bledsoe, Suzzanne Monk and host Johnny Dam:
Thursday, June 04, 2009
"The DAMage Report" - June 3, 2009
Here's yesterday's show with me, Jon Huck, John C. McDonnell and host Johnny Dam:
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
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