It's Monday. Summer's flaming out. And my oldest daughter just started high school.

(My youngest, on the other hand, just learned to put her own shoes on while telling me not to touch her doll, "It's very, very dangerous, Papi.")

And after last night's MTV awards show, which probably made me feel as bad (and old) as my parents did 30 years ago when they caught me listening to Grandmaster Flash, I thought I'd just run through some high (or low) lights today.

• Speaking of the VMAs, I think I've read more about Miley Cyrus's stumbling of age this morning than anything about the housing market (it's bad), Syria (it's worse) or the looming sea change in how we pay for, and distribute, health care in this country. Just one more reminder of how skewed our priorities are. God, I do sound old.
• Forget the pointless Obamacare repeal votes and defunding strategies. What impresses me are the Republican members of Congress taking a principled pass on Obamacare in a much more practical manner. A pair of North Carolina Republicans, arguing against special treatment for members of Congress, are either refusing the exchange subsidy or withdrawing from the federal health plan altogether. That's putting your money where your mouth is.
• Anybody notice the president's bus tour last week? (Or did we not pay attention to that either? Were we too busy worrying about the racists on Big Brother?) Looks like President Obama wants to tackle higher education now that he's "fixed" health care. Is there a coincidence that this president wants to "reform" two of the most expensive things we have? Is it because he took care of the housing crisis for us so well? The fact of the matter remains that we're still seeing diminishing returns on health care expenses and tuition costs in this country. Both defy traditional models of supply and demand, but no one can seem to agree why. Ezra Klein offered one explanation, and was quickly refuted.
• Which reminds me, if I hear one more pundit (or administration official) point how well Obamacare is already controlling health care costs, I'm gonna toss this keyboard across the office. Costs are moderating, people, because we're all paying for more of it ourselves. And in this economy, it means we're deciding to spend less. Which, if I'm not mistaken, most of my broker friends have been arguing long before the president ever took up the health reform banner: Make people assume responsibility for their own health care costs, and they'll manage them better. Give 'em a blank check, and don't be surprised when they drain your account. And about Obamacare controlling costs? Tell that to the executives over at Delta Airlines, who expect to take an extra $38 million hit next year.
• And, finally, no is talking about the retirement neither of my daughters will probably have. Meanwhile, we ignore common sense, bipartisan solutions in the spirit of adversarial politics. Sigh…