An interesting piece in the Wall Street Journal discusses the likely permanent loss of jobs during the Great Recession of 2009. Obviously, fields closely related to the credit and housing bubbles at the root of the current recession – mortgage brokerages, financial industry, home building etc. – have shed jobs which may never return. Also, jobs in industries that can be automated by ongoing developments in IT – secretarial, mailroom, etc. – are also probably gone for good. Add to this mix, the increasing practice of offshoring tech-enabled jobs to emerging, low-cost labor markets like China and India and it becomes apparent that it may take years for the US to return to employment levels seen pre-recession in 2006.
What was the one bright spot according to the US Labor Department? Jobs in the healthcare field. Training for service in the healthcare field puts you at the forefront of the career market for the next decade. Congratulations!
The New York Times reported over the weekend on an imminent surge in new medical schools to open in the US this year. From that article:
Great news for health care job seekers: According to an article written in 
It was announced today that President Obama has reversed a deeply immoral and perverse policy that has been in effect for the last 22 years. For the last two decades, if you had AIDS or HIV, you were precluded from entering the USA. This neanderthal policy, according to Obama, was at odds with our efforts at becoming thought leaders in the fight against HIV. In light of advancements in treatment of HIV and AIDS it was even more silly for the US to continue the ban. It kept us in the company of notoriously regressive countries like Saudi Arabia and Libya. I support this change. How do you feel about this? Sound off in the comments. 
I am disgusted with the passage of the Senate healthcare “reform” bill over the weekend. Besides the inclusion of severe restrictions on womens’ rights to abortions which sets back womens’ rights by 25 years, it also passed without any public option or Medicare buy-in. What’s left is a giveaway to the pigs at a trough that I like to refer to as the “death by spreadsheet” industry. Trying hard to believe the spin from Democratic leadership that this is an historic advancement and not a steaming pile of unmentionable garbage? Follw me over the fold for proof that the American people have just been royally screwed over. 
This morning, managing editor for TIME magazine, Rick Stengel announced the short list of contenders for this year’s TIME Person of the Year issue. As in the past, recipients of this recognition are not always recognized for good works. Sometimes they are recognized for the very damaging or disruptive actions they may have taken to propel themselves into the forefront of the collective psyche. Follow me over the fold for the list, my thoughts on each person named and the opportunity to share your thoughts. 
Late last night, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that a breakthrough deal had been reached on the contentious healthcare reform bill the President has been asking for. But have they compromised away the core of the reform in this bill? Did they deal away the part that really would have put some competition into the market to bring down the absurdly high rates people are faced with to maintain their coverage? Will it make an insurance option available to those for whom today’s coverage is already priced beyond reach?