Be INFORMED

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Jeb Bush Says No To 2010 Senate Run In Florida...

   and thank God for that one! All that the fine citizens of Florida need is another Bush in any type of governmental office. Of course, Jeb was their Governor at one time and he is still popular down in Florida, so it is possible that the the other spawn of Bush 1 could have won the seat.

    MSNBC

Former Gov. Jeb Bush says he won't run for the U.S. Senate in 2010 to replace the retiring Mel Martinez.

Bush made the announcement Tuesday, saying "now is not the right time to return to elected office."

The president's younger brother served as governor of Florida from 1999-2007 and remains a popular figure in the state. His announcement clears the field for several other potential Republican candidates who had said they wouldn't challenge him.

   So who will the Florida Republican Party field for the seat? That is a good question and one that probably will be answered pretty soon. With Jeb out of the way, this should be another pick up for the Democrats unless they screw things up. That is not an uncommon feat for the Democrats, as we all know.

   Maybe Jeb Bush is by-passing the Senate for a straight run for the Presidency? Would be no surprise since his daddy has stated that he would like to see Jeb as the President.

Asked in a broadcast interview about Jeb Bush's consideration of the Senate seat, Bush 41 said: "I'd like to see him run. I'd like to see him be president someday."

When asked if he was serious, he said: "Or maybe senator. Whatever. Yes, I would. I mean, right now is probably a bad time, because we've had enough Bushes in there. But no, I would. And I think he's as qualified and able as anyone I know on the political scene. Now, you've got to discount that. He's my son."

   The broadcast interview was on "Fox News Sunday". If it had been on anyone else's network, Papa Bush would have been laughed out of the studio!

More Americans Getting Chronically Ill...

   and this would be nothing new since we have gotten physically lazy and we don't eat right. I also happen to think that many of our chronic illnesses are coming by way of all of the additives which we have in our foods, among other things.

  (Reuters) — More Americans are burdened by chronic illnesses such as diabetes and high blood pressure, often having more than three at a time, and this has helped fuel a big rise in out-of-pocket medical expenses, a study released on Tuesday showed.

The rise in Americans with multiple chronic illnesses comes as obesity and sedentary lifestyles have grown more common. Obesity contributes to many chronic ailments including diabetes. U.S. health officials say the rate of new cases of diabetes soared by about 90 percent in the past decade.

  Look at the jump in Americans with three or more chronic illnesses. This isn't a pretty picture.

    It jumped from 13 percent in 1996 to 22 percent in 2005 for ages 45 to 64, to 45 percent for ages 65 to 79, and rose from 38 percent to 54 percent for those 80 and older. Among all ages, it went from 7 percent in 1996 to 13 percent in 2005.

Chronic disease accounts for three-fourths of the more than $2 trillion spent on health care yearly in the United States.

The chronic disease increase was seen not just among the very oldest age groups but also in middle age and early old age -- regardless of sex, race, ethnicity and income level.