Other news

1. Medicare. In the annual report on Medicare from governmental actuaries, the news is good. The new health care law will significantly improve the outlook for Medicare, IF it is implemented the way it has been designed. The life of its trust fund will be extended by 12 years, until 2029.

Take note Republicans. People don't want you to mess with their Medicare, so you'd better not mess with the health care reform -- or else you'll be messing with Medicare.

2. Social Security also got a favorable report from the actuaries. It is expected to run a surplus until 2024. No need to rush to fix that one either, it seems, certainly no big overhaul or privitization; maybe a little tinkering and up the retirement age -- 6 months or so ought to do it for now. So stop fear-mongering, you Republicans.

3. By a vote of 63-37, Elena Kagan was confirmed as the fourth ever, and the third currently sitting, woman Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court. Republicans did a lot of grandstanding, some of it was possibly ideological, but most of it was pure politics, their stated reasons often being at direct odds with Ms. Kagan's actual testimony. Pay no attention to them, Ms. Kagan; that's just how they are. I just looked at the individual pictures and statements of the 37: man, what a bunch of dried up, prissy, constipated looking old prunes. No wonder we can't get anything done in the senate.

4. Massachusetts became the 6th state (along with HI, IL, MD, NJ, WA) to adopt a law to assign its electoral votes to the candidate for president who wins the national popular vote, regardless of which candidate won the vote in MA. It will be law as soon as Gov. Duvall Patrick signs it, and he has said he will. If enough states adopt this voluntary plan, it will effectively allow us to elect the president by popular vote without having to amend the constitution to do it.

5. What's with Christopher Dodd lecturing freshman senators about changing the filibuster rules. He warned them, patronizingly telling them that they don't know what they're talking about, never having been in the senate when their party was in the minority.

I assume what Dodd meant was that he wants to keep the filibuster so Democrats can use it when they are next the minority party. That is just playing politics. No matter which party uses it to obstruct progress, it should be changed. Tom Harkin's proposal seems entirely reasonable, useful to slow down a vote but without constituting minority rule by blocking. If Dodd really wants to preserve minority rule, then I'm glad he's not going to be back next term.

With the senate's makeup of two senators from each state, the filibuster can block legislation with only 40 votes -- which could conceivably come from the 20 least populated states and represent only 11% of the voters. That shouldn't be.

Ralph