I don’t particularly like diet soda. It doesn’t bother my system any, but my taste buds like the heavier stuff with sugar in it. However, I will occasionally have some diet beverages in my house if guests come, and if I have some left over after they have left, I can get rid of it by mixing it half-and-half with the regular version of the same soda. It isn’t as good as the regular soda, but it’s good enough to help me get rid of the unneeded beverages in my house.

On the other hand, I don’t drink alcoholic beverages at all, not because I’m an ex-alcoholic or a reformer, but simply because I can’t stand the taste of the stuff. People say, “You can mix this with that and it will taste a lot better,” and I’ll reply, “No, I can still taste the alcohol, and quite frankly, I’m just not interested in drinking it.”

The point is that there are times for compromise, and there are times for rejecting concepts out of hand. The latest news regarding Republican senators putting forth amendments to “improve” the current health-care legislation is mind-numbing, because the Democrats’ basic plan is the equivalent of asking us all to drink bleach, and these Republican senators are out there suggesting that we mix some orange juice with it to try to make it more palatable.

Uh, guys (and gals), you do realize that bleach is fatally poisonous no matter what you mix it with, right? How about you work to make sure that we don’t have the drink the bleach, instead of trying to make it taste better? It will greatly enhance the chances of putting you in control of the drink menu in a couple of years, so that you can offer me the Dr. Pepper that I actually want, and other options for other people that suit their tastes. If they want really basic insurance (like water), then fine. If they want something more exotic like a mixed drink, they should be able to have that. If they aren’t thirsty, then so be it.

Just spare us the public option bleach.