There are more than 300 million people in this country.

Between 35 and 50 million have no health insurance (and therefore coverage) at any given time.

Killing the public option took the will of 2 or 3 people.

There's some funny math going on somewhere. Actually, there's a lot of funny business going on.

We elect a President to stop the stupid ass wars we got into with the last President. And we've seen this war machine continue and expand.

We elect a President who says he'll close down the terrorist holding company in Cuba, and it might happen. Maybe. Someday. Deadline missed.

We elect a President to create universal health care. And we get legislation to make people buy health insurance (and no price control because the one thing that might have kept costs down was eliminated from the Senate bill by a couple of idiots).

Health insurance isn't health care. Health insurance is a device to deny health care even though you've already paid for it through insurance premiums. It's a malignant middleman cancer that needs to be cut out. Unfortunately, this surgery is not covered because of preexisting conditions.

I'm pissed off. I'm not a tea bagger. I'm not a gun nut. I don't think the apocalypse is coming anytime soon. I'm not a Republican or a Palinite. And I'm certainly not a war hawk.

And, when I was voting last year, I thought this was clear. I thought we were voting in someone different with ideals different from the previous administration and those who were running against him.

But I can't help thinking that we'd be at about the same place right now with McCain in charge. And that really pisses me off.

Y'know, back when the Republicans were in charge, they got their shit through the golden goose of congress. They got their wars. They got to pay off the pharmaceutical companies to keep overcharging us for Viagra. They got No Child Left Behind. And we were all left behind (and not in that religious end of the world way).

We've gotten diddley. And not even Bo Diddley, which would have been something. Bringing Bo Diddley back from the dead--even if it was just for one zombie Diddley show--that would have at least been cool.

Today Jim Cramer--who is a capital C capitalist--said we all want universal health care.

And if this is what we were trying to do, it would be an easy sell to 95% of the electorate. Taxes would rise, but you wouldn't be paying for health insurance (neither you or the business you work for), so there would be a tradeoff. And you could get blood drawn for a physical or an inoculation without having to pay for the administration of a needle.

But I don't know what this health care reform is. It seems like it's just a mandate to make everyone pay health insurance companies money. I have health insurance, and I still haven't seen a doctor in the year and a half or so I've had it. And my employer changed my health insurance provider during that time.

So much for choice. So much for available doctors. So much for nothing.

We don't want mandatory health insurance. We want universal health care.

If the step to get there is a competing plan (commonly called a Public Option) to force the insurance companies to stop jacking up their premiums 10 to 15% (or more) a year, then that's fine. But that's not happening.

And I don't know why this is happening so a couple of Senators can say they personally saved the health insurance industry. Let them quit the Senate and go work for insurance proper. They won't have to pretend anymore, and we don't have to listen to their platitudes.

And maybe we won't have to pretend when we vote that we're actually voting for a person with principles.

I'm pissed off and disappointed and feel like I've been hoodwinked.

Matt Worley is feeling more Malcolm X than MLK these days.