Hey all, a couple interesting issues have arisen both locally and nationally, and both have interested in articles on beyondchron.org this week. The reason I think they're interesting is that they're both indicative of wider political trends. On the national level, the fight for healthcare is shaping up to be a bellweather of whether real change is coming to the United States. As argued in the article below, should Obama, along with progressive and liberal forces, be able to push through his version of the plan, it would be a major victory that could lead to a series of other victories, by giving confidence to progressives, and perhaps even more, by giving Obama massive political capital earned by regular Americans seeing a difference in their lives. The "public option" is the key to this plan, as it would offer a government plan to compete with private plans. A government plan, with massive negotiating power, and no need to skim profit off the top could offer much lower rates and could ultimately open the door to true "single-payer" healthcare... http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=7039#more At the local level, our mayor is again showing his true colors by proposing a budget that massively cuts healthcare, parks, and almost everything else, while offering INCREASES to the police and fire departments! The mayor has always been a conservative self-promoter, who through slick media campaigns has gotten San Franciscans to believe he's a liberal champion. He's betting on the fact that San Franciscans aren't paying attention to the budget.... http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=7037#more Rob -- Robert Arnow Design Studio www.robarnow.com <http://www.robarnow.com> 415-552-2229