JUST GIVE ME THE EFFING PUBLIC OPTION

My usual, shall we euphemize, casual posting schedule has been further restricted by an impending move which, although it's but a stone's throw away*, is conspiring with insanely hot-for-Portland weather to take my free time from zero to somewhat less than.

But I did want to drop by and just mention that I'm mildly confused by the recent actions of my senior Senator who, known for his dedication to health care, has suddenly decided to become obstructionist - or then again, maybe not. The issue is so divisive**, Colin Meloy urged us all to call Wyden and complain from the stage at the Decemberists show on Saturday night while, as near as I can tell, describing the situation entirely incorrectly.

On balance, it appears, Wyden's not fucking us over as much as picking some strange bedfellows to get the work done, but it makes me sweat nonetheless. My discombobulation is so severe that I wrote Wyden a scathing e-mail vowing support for anyone who ran against him before realizing that I may have gotten the wrong end of the stick, but anytime the name Wyden appears alongside Landrieu and Lieberman my hackles will remain raised.

It doesn't help, of course, that this is so intensely personal. After spending five figures per year the last several just for premiums, only to build up an additional five-plus figures in disallowed procedures, I can't even watch Sicko for fear I'll throw a clot out of frustration, let alone spend time crunching numbers and figure out subtleties. I generally consider myself well-acquainted with political nuance, but health care turns me into a reactionary narrow-mind.

* Literally, if you have a good arm.

** Edited, because I realized that the stage banter of a folk-art-rock frontman are not necessarily the A-number-one indicator that an issue is confusing.