Forget the 8-ball, health care is behind the glacier in terms of top issues the public is sweating as elections near. One opinion poll lists it floe-ing behind the economy, the war and the price of gas. Democratic pollster Anna Greenberg told the Washington Post: ''For a lot of people who have health insurance, they are paying more for health ...

Respect and ridicule are never dispensed equally. Just ask ''The Big Five'' who are trying to hash out an already-overdue California budget that has a $15.2 billion hole, and growing. The Sacramento Bee threw some pretty sharp elbows in its July 1 coverage of the budget huddlers and the potentially disastrous impact they might wreak on state ...