For the first time I can remember (which admittedly doesn't mean as much as it used to) a reader accused me of some "happy talk" last week. While the feedback is always appreciated, the accusation is laughable – just ask my boss.

Yeah, things are rough right now. And from what I hear (and read) they're not getting better anytime soon. Just ask ING or Genworth, the latest carriers hit with layoffs. But forgive me if I don't climb up on the ledge and throw myself off in a fit of pathetic surrender. This industry hasn't survived – and thrived – this long riding on the backs of quitters.

That being said, we need to remain vigilant. Just days before President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration, the House is ramping up work on another, even more ill-advised expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program. The current bill would nearly double enrollment and eliminate the five-year waiting period for illegal immigrants and their children, among other things.