Priorities

Health care is important. It's good that the US Senate looks set to pass the bill, though at rather a high cost to women with unwanted pregnancies.

Talking of high costs, who is paying the highest cost of climate change? The developed countries that are due to cough up funds to help those most likely to be affected (though most still owe the last lot of aid they promised, so don't hold your breath)? Or the countries they are supposed to pay it to?

The people of those countries will pay for the developed world's luxury by either drowning or frying. Their wildlife, already decimated by our hunting, our greed for hardwood, or beef for our burgers, or the coltan to enable us to have the latest mobile phone, is dying of hunger, thirst and habitat loss.

So President Obama leaves an unresolved climate conference to see through a bill which will enable health care to the poorest US citizens, while the poorest citizens of the world - some of them fellow countrymen of his own father and family - are left to pay for our greed.

When there is no longer a world to have health care in, it will look like a pretty stupid choice. But will there be anyone left to realise this?

Mr Obama, to say I am disappointed in you would be like saying I'm quite fond of having breathing. Understatement in the extreme.

You gave the world hope. The world has been betrayed.

If only Al Gore had been given the Presidency when he won it, instead of being cheated out of it by the Bush Brothers, we might be living under very different circumstances today.