Laurie Anderson’s terrific performance of “Only an expert (can deal with the problem)” on The Late Show Wednesday night provokes thought on our current reliance on precisely the wrong experts to deal with the problems we face.

It’s a nice trick, WellPoint: send your VP to write a law mandating that the middle class buy shitty products like yours, then watch that VP move into the executive branch to “oversee” the implementation of the law. What could go wrong?!?!

On Friday afternoon May 21, WellPoint released the official tally for the voting from their contentions annual shareholders meeting on the 18th. Our resolution to return Wellpoint to non-profit status received over 30 million votes, 9.4% of the shares voted. That is a jaw dropping vote of no confidence in the management of this company. But the story isn’t over yet. Our shareholder resolution for WellPoint to return to its non-profit Blue Cross roots will be back next year. And the SEC has proposed a new regulation that would allow shareholders to directly nominate corporate board members called “Proxy Access.” If this goes into effect this fall as expected, I intend to run for the WellPoint board.

Using some of the strongest language I’ve ever seen from this group, Health Care for America Now basically charged WellPoint with murder today, responding to the Murray Waas article showing that the insurance giant systematically dropped breast cancer patients from the rolls.

The fact that the health care bill was written by WellPoint for the benefit of Wellpoint is bad enough. The fact that Max Baucus celebrates this is worse. And the fact that WellPoint jammed the bill through with the help of Evan Bayh, who is adding to his personal fortune at the expense of breast cancer patients, is absolutely despicable.

The insurance industry has spent their money well, spreading it across both parties. They got what they paid for with this neoliberal health care bill.

We all have to appreciate honesty and transparency in this age of misdirection, obfuscation, and triangulation. So, let me rise and extend my compliments to Senator Max Sieben Baucus (D-MT), who, in the midst of a dewy-eyed tribute on the Senate floor, said just about all you need to know about the new health care reform law, and the 14-month fight to shape it.

The Senate has voted on the last of the many amendments to the reconciliation bill, none of which have passed. Kent Conrad spoke about the two technical changes to the bill cited by the Senate parliamentarian, and the presiding officer (in a surprise appearance, Vice President Joe Biden) confirmed that there would be no further points of order risen. . . the final tally will be 56-43, the reconciliation bill has passed, and it will pass the House with the technical changes this evening.