Monday, October 26, 2009

The LO/KPOJ "Lost Limerick Challenge"

This morning's Oregon news limericks, as written by me, read by quizmaster TJ of Loaded Orygun, and gamely tackled by Thom Hartmann (sitting in for Carl Wolfson and Christine Alexander) and Paul Pimentel on the KPOJ 620AM Morning Show, are posted at LO.

Thom seemed a little baffled at first by the whole limerick thing, but got through it like the trouper he is.

In the process, though, p3's Literary R & D department overbudgeted, producing an extra limerick that didn't make it on the air. So here's your chance once again to play along at home. Fill in the blank with the word or phrase from this week's Oregon news, about something that shouldn't be happening in Oregon:

If your job situation is naught-ery,
Your options might be diddly-squat-ery.
Break your leg? Catch the flu?
Then the best you can do
Might be hope for health care through a ______________.


(The answer can be found in the Comments below, or in this week's Spanning the State at Loaded Orygun.)

1 comment:

Nothstine said...

Answer: Lottery

The story: Over 140,000 low-income Oregonian adults are currently uninsured. Once again, the state will randomly pick names for a chance to apply for the Oregon Health Plan.

This year there are about 35,000 openings--1 in 4 odds of finding a golden health care ticket.

Last year it was 83,000 Oregonians chasing only 3000 openings--making the odds 1 in 27.

Why do something as cruel as use a lottery to decide who has a shot at the Oregon Health Plan? Because it's the only way around the ethical quagmire of having to decide who deserves protection: the youngest? or the sickest? or the poorest? etc.

Because that would be rationing, and the conservatives who oppose universal health care say rationing is bad.

Is this really the best Oregon can do?

Seriously?