Now that Dems Control Everything, "Health care is coming back. It may be a bad dream for some," Hillary Clinton tells The Associated Press.

But some would argue that the former first lady needs to wake up and smell the coffee (again) - universal healthcare is unworkable and unaffordable. Case in point:

The Golden Gate Restaurant Association, has filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court to block the San Francisco Health Care Security Ordinance, which offers some 82,000 uninsured residents access to medical services. The 800-member culinary trade group contends that the health care program violates the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (Erisa), which administers employee welfare benefit plans.

The ordinance, which takes effect July 2007, is expected to cost $200 million a year and will be financed by taxes, sliding-scale premiums and contributions from businesses located in the city – among them, 2,500 restaurants, cafes and bistros –that would total $30 million to $40 million a year. "We are for health care and support expanding coverage for all. But there are no cost controls in this ordinance. Many businesses simply can’t afford it," Kevin Westlye, executive director of the association, tells The New York Times.

The restaurateurs have a decent chance of prevailing: This past July, a federal judge in Maryland ruled that the state’s health insurance law violated Erisa, because it mandated an employer contribution to the plan.


The Top 10 Safest And Most Dangerous Cities In The US

Morgan Quitno Press recently published its 13^th annual ranking of the safest and the most dangerous cities in the US with populations of at least 75,000, based on the rate of murders, rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts reported to the FBI. The 2006 ranking of the 371 cities meeting the criteria was based on final 2005 FBI statistics (released Sept. 18, 2006).

Human Events reports that in 2005 the mayors of the Top 10 Safest Cities in America were evenly divided between Republicans (Greece, NY; Cary, NC; Colonie, NY; Mission Viejo, CA) and Democrats (Irvine, CA; Troy, MI; Newton, MA; Amherst, NY; Brick Township, NJ). The mayor of Coral Springs, FL, is an Independent.

In contrast, nine of the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities in America were run by Democrats in 2005 (Gary, IN; Youngstown, OH; Oakland, CA; Cleveland, OH; Birmingham, AL; Camden, NJ; Compton, CA; Detroit, MI; St. Louis, MO). Flint, MI had a Republican mayor in 2005.

The Stiletto recalls that it was a Republican mayor – one Rudy Giuliani – who brought order, peace and prosperity to New York City, long written off as "ungovernable."


Update

Schools Swarming With Saudi Students

Thanks to a joint education initiative by the US and Saudi governments, 10,936 Saudi students - a record number - are now enrolled at 733 colleges and universities in this country, with 3,000 more expected to arrive next semester. Nearly 87 percent of these students are studying at institutions of higher learning in just four states (California, Florida, Colorado and Virginia).

So what are Americans supposed to get out of this educational exchange? Kumbaya, a professor tells The Washington Post:

According to the State Department, 9,471 Saudis were given student visas in the year ending Sept. 30 under this new program - 297 percent more than the 2,383 issued the year before. The Washington Post reports that State Department officials who agreed to be interviewed for its article insisted on anonymity – the anonymice strike again - and that the department's public affairs office "declined to provide an official to speak on the record."

The Stiletto thinks if no one at the State Department is willing to defend this program publicly, it is a tacit admission that opening our doors to thousands of young Saudi men - an unknowable number of whom may be harboring secret dreams of lounging in heaven with 72 virgins at their beck and call - is irresponsible, to say the least.

The Washington Post did not offer any details about a yet-to-be implemented reciprocal program in which students from the US will study and teach in Saudi Arabia. The Stiletto is willing to bet that to do so, both genders will need to give up:
† Freedom of worship if they are Christians or Jews. There are no churches or temples in Saudi Arabia, and Americans have reported their bibles being confiscated upon landing at the airport.

† Freedom of speech. Non-Muslims cannot discuss their religion, or they will be arrested for proselytizing. (On the other hand, non-Muslims are free to convert to Islam – sword held menacingly close to throat, optional.)

† Freedom of association. Women in Saudi Arabia never walk alone or in the company of a man who is not a relative; dating and any form of intimate contact between unmarried men and women is strictly forbidden.

Why any American would voluntarily give up his or her personal and religious freedoms for any reason is beyond The Stiletto’s comprehension.