Why Closing Medicare's 'Donut Hole' is a Terrible Idea
Many conservatives believe that George W. Bush betrayed their cause. Exhibit A, these conservatives say, is the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003. That law established Medicare's prescription-drug benefit plan without offsetting spending cuts or tax increases, adding $16 trillion to our unfunded liabilities. And yet, if media reports are to be believed, some of these very same conservatives want to shower the program with even more taxpayer money, for no other reason than because it polls well. (Source: Forbes.com Health News)

The changes, they are a-changin' | Mind your language
Sea change and step-change are not the same thingLast week Stephen Moss wrote in the Guardian about the Department of Transport's initiative to reduce the strain on London's transport network for the Olympics, Operation StepChange. It's a jolly pun, to be sure, but it's only going to add to the confusion in what is an already murky area.In the past month, the Guardian has run stories featuring step-changes – real or desired – in attitudes to parenting, in aviation emission reductions, in investment in Tesco stores, in the way businesses engage with communities, in the fight against Somali pirates, in the way we give to charity, in thinking about renewable energy, in the way we save, in the operations of sectarian groups in Pakistan, and in aviation technology. Meanwhile, there were ...