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Great Moments in Political History
At a hearing Thursday of the House Committee on Human Services, [Texas state Rep. Gary] Elkins and other members of the panel considered more than two dozen bills related to Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program.
Three hours into the hearing, Elkins asked: "What's Medicaid?"
The Houston Republican continued: "I know I hear it -- I really don't know what it is. I know that's a big shock to everybody here in the audience, OK."
Reinmoose|3.23.09 @ 2:25PM|#
Oh HE knew what it was. He was just trying to make sure that everyone ELSE did.
|3.23.09 @ 2:26PM|#
Why is this guy not in prison for fraud? If you pretended to be
a financial wizard and then blew all your client's money because
you're a fucking retard, wouldn't you be criminally liable?
It's one thing when they're sleazy, mendacious liars. It's another
when they're not even concerned about revealing profound
ignorance.
|3.23.09 @ 2:29PM|#
"It's another when they're not even concerned about revealing
profound ignorance."
I kinda prefer it all hanging out, myself.
Balloon Maker|3.23.09 @ 2:33PM|#
I probably would have wikipedia'd that shit before I said something out loud.
|3.23.09 @ 2:35PM|#
We're in dire need of an organization called Dumbass. Dumbass
will certify local, state, and federal politicians who are too dumb
to have power over anyone, anyone at all. Even pets.
Dumbass will also mock voters that insist on giving power to such
idiots. And I mean personally, not just as a group. "Mr. John
Coctosen of Houston is a fool!"
TofuSushi|3.23.09 @ 2:43PM|#
Jesse said No comment is necessary: and you guys are
stomping all over his edict!
Ouch! So am I!
smartass sob|3.23.09 @ 2:46PM|#
At least he was honest about it. I'd be willing to bet there are plenty of others in government and the population in general who don't what it is - or who don't know the difference between Medicaid and Medicare, or how state medicaid relates to Federal Medicaid.
|3.23.09 @ 2:46PM|#
Okay, so we should talk about something else. Hmmm. How about this: What's the greatest final episode of a science fiction TV series?
Barack Obama|3.23.09 @ 2:49PM|#
Ha, imagine not knowing what Medicaid is?
ON an unrelated note, what the hell is a stock market?
Bumpers|3.23.09 @ 2:49PM|#
"What's the greatest final episode of a science fiction TV
series?"
The Herculoids. In their final Herculoid Tteam-up, they blew up
EVERYTHING!
TofuSushi|3.23.09 @ 2:49PM|#
Okay, so we should talk about something else. Hmmm. How
about this: What's the greatest final episode of a science fiction
TV series?
Last episode of Far Out Space Nuts.
Mister Tax Slave|3.23.09 @ 2:50PM|#
"ON an unrelated note, what the hell is a stock market?"
It's really just a tracking poll.
|3.23.09 @ 2:50PM|#
I was thinking the final episode of The Superfriends when Superman and Wonder Woman finally consummate their love.
Mister Tax Slave|3.23.09 @ 2:52PM|#
"I was thinking the final episode of The Superfriends when
Superman and Wonder Woman finally consummate their love."
And in Kryptonian intercourse, "consummate" means -- le
buttsex.
|3.23.09 @ 2:54PM|#
That's fairly difficult, because almost all SF series have
either died before their time or stayed long past their welcome.
Very few were brought to a conclusion.
I thought the endings to Buffy and Angel were fairly satisfying,
but I don't think I'd call either of them great. (And, yes,
technically they are SF, in that demons are aliens and magic is
just reality hacking.)
|3.23.09 @ 2:55PM|#
What's the greatest final episode of a science fiction TV
series?
Here's my answer, ProL:
NOT BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
|3.23.09 @ 2:58PM|#
Episiarch,
Naturally not. As all BSG fans know, the series actually
ends with humans turning out to be earlier artificial constructs
that turned on the real humans on Kobol. Earth humans were left
ambiguously undefined to mess with our heads.
The last episode you saw was just a dream sequence.
|3.23.09 @ 2:59PM|#
Wonder Woman has a super-cervix. It says so right here in my Who's Who in the DC Universe. I imagine her Greek causeway is similarly reinforced.
Warty |3.23.09 @ 3:04PM|#
What's the greatest final episode of a science fiction TV
series?
Either Quantum Leap or Pigs in Space from the Muppets.
Next question: what's the best prog album of this decade?
|3.23.09 @ 3:05PM|#
Oh, shit! I just realized that LoneWacko is the Lex Luthor of
Mexicans.
I mean, what is Lex Luthor if not a crusader against the
KryptonianImmigration threat?
|3.23.09 @ 3:08PM|#
I'm starting to think that it's better for science fiction
series to get canceled, because they rarely end well. Lots of
quasi-mystical nonsense seems to pop out at the end of these
shows.
Of course, I exempt Firefly from that belief, because it
needed at least five seasons to develop. Damn you Fox, damn you to
hell!
|3.23.09 @ 3:10PM|#
quasi-mystical nonsense
The Quotable Wife: "Ah, shit. Here they go with the mystical hoo-ha
again."
|3.23.09 @ 3:11PM|#
What about Doctor Who, which will never end unless Britain succumbs to the Rage virus and the BBC can't hold out in their fortified building?
|3.23.09 @ 3:17PM|#
While Warty remains a blasphemer, I wonder if he only saw the Fox pilot, which was really the 2nd episode shown out of sequence. I was massively underwhelmed by that as well.
|3.23.09 @ 3:17PM|#
Doctor Who was great when I was 10 and Tom Baker was the Doctor. Now...not so much.
|3.23.09 @ 3:20PM|#
SugarFree,
No. But this is: Abomination enabler!
Episiarch,
My feeling as well. I think it's the hair.
|3.23.09 @ 3:20PM|#
"Next question: what's the best prog album of this
decade?"
Radiohead "OK Computer"
this is prog huh?
|3.23.09 @ 3:21PM|#
Doctor Who was great when I was 10 and Tom Baker was
the Doctor.
The first part made the point perfectly. It's a kid's show.
Seriously though, the BBC makes what, like 10 of them every 16
months or so? They can't make better shows than that? Also, never
give actors an excuse to play dress-up.
BakedPenguin|3.23.09 @ 3:22PM|#
Lots of quasi-mystical nonsense seems to pop out at the end
of these shows.
Babylon 5 pissed me off. They get to season three, and suddenly
it's like going to space church. BSG also really pumped up the
mystical bullshit right at the end of their season three. They
should just make Touched By a Space Angel and be done with
it. Then maybe someone could make a actual science fiction
show.
Futurama adding two annoying brats was only mildly
annoying in comparison, although their writing started to go
downhill anyway in season 4. I think it was Al Gore's daughter,
myself.
|3.23.09 @ 3:24PM|#
If I am gonna get touched by a space angel, I want the bald chick in that old star trek movie.
Warty|3.23.09 @ 3:32PM|#
A train robbery in space. Fuck you, Fox, for not canceling that shit before you ever made it.
Warty|3.23.09 @ 3:36PM|#
I'll never trust anyone again, not after they had Anders PILOT THE FLEET INTO THE SUN. ARRRRRRRGH HULK SMASH ARRRRRRRGH
|3.23.09 @ 3:40PM|#
Warty,
That was the weakest show of the series. It was a huge mis-step on
Fox's part. It really was much better than that. And the kindest
treatment of libertarianish leave-me-alone on TV ever.
|3.23.09 @ 3:45PM|#
brotherben,
I'm sorry, but I made that up. Of course, there should be such a
series on HBO, starring whoever the functional equivalent to
Mathilda May is these days, because that's what HBO does best.
Bronwyn|3.23.09 @ 3:46PM|#
I tried to watch a few of the last BSG episodes and was
completely lost.
Is it worth my time to go back to the beginning?
As for best final episodes... I can't say, but I CAN say that the
final episode of Enterprise was a complete ripoff. I'm one of,
what? Five people who liked Enterprise, then they cancel it and end
it with Riker and Troi on a fucking holodeck?!? *spit*
robc|3.23.09 @ 3:46PM|#
The end of Buffy, the high school years was much better than the
series finale.
The final season annoyed me because they didnt kill off Faith. I
wanted to see an episode where Slayer powers jumped from random
teenie to random teenie as they got slaughtered.
|3.23.09 @ 3:48PM|#
Bronwyn,
I thought Enterprise actually got okayish its final
season. Then they aired that last episode--yuck.
|3.23.09 @ 3:50PM|#
What's the greatest final episode of a science fiction TV
series?
Does The Prisoner qualify as science fiction?
Bronwyn|3.23.09 @ 3:55PM|#
For some reason, I liked it. I enjoy TNG, but it's more of the
hokey, self-conscious series, like TOS. Enterprise was somehow less
hokey and I related better to the characters, although I always
thought (and was very sad to think it) that it was too easy to
catch Scott Bakula acting.
I really liked Connor Trinneer and Linda Park.
Oh, well. I just deleted the final episode and pretend it doesn't
exist.
|3.23.09 @ 3:56PM|#
On topic:
It's a crying shame a nation as great and wealthy as this one
cannot see fit to provide its elected Legislators with funding for
some sort of staff, with various assistants, and researchers who
could explain this stuff to them.
Those poor, poor Congressmen; they must be so busy researching the
intent, content, and effect of the legislation they vote on, it's a
wonder they ever have time to campaign for re-election.
|3.23.09 @ 3:57PM|#
Although I wasn't really a big fan I thought Star Treak:TNG had
a good ending episode. It seemed to wrap up the series pretty
well.
And the first Firefly was uneven but it did have one of the best
lines ever.
Doc: "What are we doing today?"
Kaylie: "Crime."
Actually now that I think about it all of Joss Whedon's shows start
out uneven. It seems to take a while for him to get in to the
groove.
robc|3.23.09 @ 4:00PM|#
Pain,
Dollhouse has been pretty even so far.
Maybe it wont look so looking back on it from season 2 or something
though.
But, Buffy Season 1 looks really shaky, especially the first 3-4
episodes. They started to get in the groove when Quark took over as
Principal.
robc|3.23.09 @ 4:04PM|#
I think Whedon took some time to get the story arc for Dollhouse well defined in advance, hence the lack of shakiness. It was pretty clear to me that Buffy was done on a season by season basis, based on video game levels. Kill a bunch of small monsters, have some interactions with the big bad interspersed, then kill him at the end of the season. Save game, advance to next level, start over.
|3.23.09 @ 4:08PM|#
robc,
Have you ever seen the half-hour Buffy sitcom pilot? Wow, that is
bad. And Willow was recast.
|3.23.09 @ 4:36PM|#
Bronwyn,
I'd say yes. I don't see how anyone can watch the Miniseries and
not get immediately hooked.
I also liked the end, but I tend to give the benefit of the doubt
to series I love.
Chris Matthews|3.23.09 @ 4:55PM|#
"And Willow was recast."
NO! She was the hottest thing I've ever seen on TV. I taught her
how to let go in order to better enjoy the little man in the boat
and she taught me to TWITTER!
ChrisO|3.23.09 @ 5:35PM|#
Next question: what's the best prog album of this
decade?
The Flower Kings - "Unfold the Future"
MJ|3.23.09 @ 11:05PM|#
Rep. Elkins, I hope that comment was meant, in context, to be ironic. If not, that's something you ask your staff to research for you, off mike.
MJ|3.23.09 @ 11:17PM|#
"I don't see how anyone can watch the Miniseries and not get
immediately hooked."
Wrong, the BSG miniseries was passable. Anyone who watched "33" (
1st ep, 1st season) and was not hooked had no soul.
|3.24.09 @ 1:10AM|#
Does The Prisoner qualify as science fiction?
I say so. And The Prisoner and Twin Peaks had
probably my two favorite series finales ever, even though most of
Twin Peaks' second season wasn't good IMHO.
I probably would have wikipedia'd that shit before I said something out loud.
So, so true. Or at least called my life line.
Mike E.|3.24.09 @ 3:03PM|#
Medicaid? Isn't that the zit creme that Keith Moon uses on the cover of The Who Sell Out?
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