Originally Published In:
We know that Neanderthals and early Homo Sapiens (i.e., us humans) overlapped for tens of thousands of years. Neanderthals existed for about one hundred thousand years before going extinct, and the bulk of the evidence suggests they did not interbreed with us, though we did share a common ancestor. They were our distant cousins.
There must have been some critical difference that let us flourish but killed them off, but no one knows for sure what that difference is. We both used sophisticated tools, hunted animals, built shelters, buried our dead, sang and talked, and wore clothes.
Last week, President Barack Obama tried to sell us on his plan for fixing health care. The problem, as he sees it, is that the cost of health care is high and getting higher. Only by some sort of government action can we stop the costs from spiraling out of control. He explained that his plan does not mean the government will run all health care, but merely that people will have one more choice, a public option, in addition to the private choices they will continue to have.
There is something magical about this time of year. Birds are chirping. Flowers are blooming. What a great time to collect some taxes!
This past Wednesday, I was granted a unique opportunity to interview the President of the United States. His press people came to my house before dawn and had a bag over my head so quickly I couldn't even thank them for not waking the children. We rode in silence and in darkness, but with a great new car smell. 