I never heard of Roger Simon before today, and I honestly have no idea whether I would love or hate his politics. He must have politics because he is a columnist at Politico.com.

Anyway, Red, Blue, Striped or Plaid we all have a date with the Reaper. Roger Simon had to leave a down payment, but most of him is still above ground and he sends a report from the frontier…

Q: Where have you been? It’s been months.

A: I decided that while anyone can write about health care from the outside, it takes a real journalist to explore it from the inside.

Q: So?

A: So I had my legs cut off.

Q: That’s not funny!

A: You’re telling me. You want to know what’s funny about losing your legs?

Q: What?

A: They’re always in the last place you look.

Read the rest here.

Roger Simon, long may you wave. Gallantry is an archaic concept but you might just CPR it back into life. No matter how smart, wise or powerful we might get, mortality will win in the end. But you’re still working. I hope you end up as a curmudgeonly centenarian. Way to go, dude.