Where's the Outrage?

U.S. Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection
(As of April 30, 2009, 10:30 AM ET)

States	# of laboratory confirmed cases	Deaths
Arizona	1
California	14
Indiana	1
Kansas	2
Massachusetts	2
Michigan	1
Nevada	1
New York	50
Ohio	1
South Carolina	10
Texas	26	1
TOTAL COUNTS	109 cases	1 death
International Human Cases of Swine Flu Infection See: World Health Organization

Before I begin my swine flu update, I would like to point your attention to a story in which a woman who was working for a jewelry manufacturer is now being accused of stealing $12 million in gold. I think if you’re going to steal you should steal big.

The World Health Organization, which tracks worldwide infections, labeled this swine flu pandemic a level five. Their system has six levels. Level five indicates evidence of human-to-human transmission and the capability to cause “community level outbreaks.”

It is hard to get a real handle on what’s going on. Many of the media outlets, especially the 24-hour news networks, have lost their minds. The coverage is so juvenile as to be mindnumbing. According to the CDC, there appears to be 109 cases of swine flu (H1N1) in the United States. There is one confirmed death in Texas. (It appears that the child crossed the border with his family to see relatives then he fell ill.  Look for anti-immigration folks to go crazy on this.)  Several schools have closed in the Houston area.  (Maybe Texas Liberal has an inside story.) Fort Worth has become the first major school district to close with four new cases diagnosed today.  Below is a map of the distribution of swine flu cases throughout the United States. Governor Bobby Jindal, Republican from Louisiana, just announced that he believes that there are several cases in his State. Because of the onslaught of specimens sent to the CDC, turnaround times have increased from one to two days to three to four days. Interestingly, the cases from his state are people who got sick after traveling to Mexico. This may be just the flu.

Colbert lampoons the media coverage –

There are several isolated cases worldwide.

I heard an interesting conundrum on The Mike Malloy show last night. Should you be given a prescription for the antivirals that may be effective against this influenza A (H1N1)? (BTW, the WHO would prefer that we call the virus influenza “A H1N1″ instead of the “swine flu.” Whatever!)The thought process goes something like this — you have the antivirals at home and when somebody begins getting sick, they begin taking the medication. This medication can reduce the severity of the illness (if it is effective against this particular bug and that has not been established to the best of my knowledge). These medications (antivirals) are not vaccines. Vaccines you take before an infection and they help prevent you from getting the infection. Currently, we do not have a vaccine. So, back to the question, would getting a prescription for these antivirals be the same as hoarding medication? It is my understanding that the National Guard has been called out in several states to prevent a run on these medications. Unfortunately, to my reading, its recommendations from the CDC do not make a whole lot of sense. The CDC recommends that you take antivirals when you have a confirmed infection. If confirmation takes four days (at best), how effective will medicine be if you started five days or more after contact with someone who may be infected? I don’t know the answer. Antivirals are not the same as antibiotics. The CDC has stratified people according to risk. This seems to make sense. Only the people at the highest risk should even consider getting a prescription.

Swine Flu US Map 4-30-09

Tags: Healthcare, Media, The Colbert Report by ecthompson md
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From C&L: It was smart to address this, because the wingnut echo chamber in talk radio is pushing the idea that “fascist” Obama wants to take over and run more private industries:

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said he wants to get the government out of the private sector as fast as possible — but that as long as his administration is acting as a major shareholder for large sectors of American commerce, from cars to finance, he won’t hesitate to shape decisions at those firms.

President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference marking his 100th day in office in the East Room at the White House on Wednesday.

In his most extensive public comments to date on the principles guiding government-ownership stakes, Mr. Obama said at a news conference Wednesday that “I don’t think that we should micromanage.” But he added that, in the name of protecting taxpayer dollars, the government would help troubled companies make “tough decisions based on realistic assumptions.”

“Like any investor, the American taxpayer has the right to scrutinize what’s being proposed,” he said at news conference marking his 100th day in office. “I don’t know how to create [an] affordable, well-designed, plug-in hybrid, but I know that if the Japanese can…then doggone it, the American people should be able to do the same.”

[...] In addressing the government’s role in the private sector, Mr. Obama said his administration had no choice but to step in as the financial and auto sectors were collapsing and that “our first role should be shareholders that are looking to get out.”

“I don’t want to run auto companies. I don’t want to run banks. I’ve got two wars I’ve got to run already. I’ve got more than enough to do. So the sooner we can get out of that business, the better off we’re going to be,” he said. “I want to disabuse people of this notion that somehow we enjoy, you know, meddling in the private sector.”

Tags: Economy, Obama administration by ecthompson md
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President Barack Obama’s press conference. I would urge folks to remember that 100 days is a artificial landmark. Who cares? Here’s what I care about – Is Obama addressing the economy? Yes. Is Obama getting us out of Iraq? Yes. Does Obama have a plan for Afghanistan? Sort of. Does Obama have a plan to create jobs? Yes. What about Detroit? Obama seems to have a plan for that also. Guys, I’m done. Those are the things that I care about.

Tags: Media, Obama administration by ecthompson md
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Some faction of the Republican Party seems to be fixated on budget deficits.  I’m not sure where these budget hawks were when Bush was handing out tax cuts like they were candy, but it sure would have been nice if several of them had stood up and said, “There’s no way to pay for these tax cuts.”  So, here we are in the middle of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.  What should we do?  Should we focus on the economy?  Or should we focus on deficits?

In my mind, we need to focus on one and then the other.  We need to create jobs, high-quality jobs which will put money in the pockets of average Americans.  Once Americans began to feel that they have a steady income and that their jobs are safe, they will begin to spend money.  Currently, our economy suffers from too much supply and not enough demand.  Once Americans began to spend money that will help decrease supply and spur business to begin to increase production again.

Once the economy is fixed, we must then begin to figure out how to balance the budget and how to pay down our debt.  President Herbert Hoover, in the face of an economic crisis, decided to balance the budget and to decrease government spending.  We all know that did not work out so well for him (or for our grandparents).

Dean Baker from the Center for Economic Policy Research said it much better than I could –

The moral to this story is that the economy must take priority, not only because the state of the economy is what most directly determines people’s well-being, but also because the state of the economy will be the most important determinant of the deficit.

The experience of the 1990s provides an example of exactly this sort of story. In January of 1994 the Congressional Budget Office projected that the deficit in 1999 would be $204 billion or 2.4 percent of GDP. This projection incorporated the impact of President Clinton’s tax increase and spending cuts.

It turned out that there was a surplus of $125 billion in 1999, or 1.4 percent of GDP. This shift from deficit to surplus of 3.8 percentage points of GDP (equivalent to $540 billion in 2009) was not caused by further spending cuts or tax increases, it was caused by the strong economic growth of the period.

There is no guarantee that President Obama’s policies will be successful in restoring strong growth, but they are clearly a step in the right direction. If we have strong growth, then our deficits will be manageable. If the economy remains weak, the deficit will remain a serious burden no matter how much we raise taxes or cut spending.

Neither President Barack Obama nor I want to leave huge deficits for my old age or my kids or for their kids. As President Bill Clinton showed us, once we fix our economy, it has a great capacity to generate money which will help pay down the debt.

Tags: Economy by ecthompson md
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I found this great article by Melissa Harris-Lacewell (frequent guest on my radio show):

On Monday the New York Times reported that the percentage of black Americans who believe race relations in America are generally good has doubled since July. This statistic forces me to ask: why are African Americans feeling so good about our country in a time of economic crisis and international conflict?

It is not just the fact of a black president. Instead, with everyone analyzing the 100-day mark of Obama’s administration, I think the answer lies in understanding this historic moment through a black cultural lens. I believe African Americans are feeling racially optimistic because they respect how our first Brother President is handling his business. Not all black people of course; there is a group clamoring for “accountability.” But the polls are clear that most black people remain enthusiastic supporters of this president.

In January Obama kicked things off with the ultimate political party. African Americans stood with numb fingers and toes on the National Mall to watch a day we never thought would come. Obama had Mary J. Blige singing on the weekend, Aretha in her Sunday-going-to-meeting-hat celebrating on Tuesday morning, and Beyonce serenading on Tuesday night. It was an unrivaled R&B trifecta, challenging even the Essence festival.

But the best part of January 20th was that Barack and Michelle got out of the bulletproof, blac Cadillac and walked the streets…and no one shot at them. I know we are not allowed to say it, but one reason black people believe that race relations have improved in America is because Barack lived through the primaries, the election, the inauguration, and now through 100 days.

Not only has he survived it; this man has been busy. Obama immediately threw open the doors to the federal government creating the most transparent and internet searchable administration in our history. He quickly ordered the closure of Guantanamo. Both acts resonated with black Americans who have often been most brutally impacted by unfair criminal practices and covert, domestic, government surveillance. Obama signed the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and imposed a cap on executive pay for banks receiving TARP funds. These policies of wage fairness were immediate signals of substantive change for black Americans who continue to experience enormous income and wealth disadvantage relative to whites. (more… )

Tags: Obama administration, Race by ecthompson md
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In my ongoing quest to try to enlighten some friends of mine, I watched Bill O’Reilly’s Talking Points, which aired last night. Okay, let’s break it down –

O’Reilly starts his rant by showing a cartoon picture of the Statue of Liberty holding a cat of nine tails. He wants us to believe that this proves that the New York Times hates America. I guess I could agree with him if the United States didn’t actively torture captives. This is what happened. Now I guess that conservatives like Bill O’Reilly and others would like to forget that chapter in our history (like forgetting the Trail of Tears or imprisonment of Japanese-Americans) but like other painful chapters before, the only way that we rectify this is by looking directly into the situation. This means investigations. O’Reilly then denigrates the New York Times by suggesting that they are unfair because of this one cartoon. A cartoon in the New York Times does not mean it’s fair or it isn’t. It has no relevance to their journalism and/or their editorial comments. So far, O’Reilly has spent a third of his three minutes babbling on about the New York Times.

Behind every liberal organization, Bill O’Reilly believes George Soros lurks. Of course, anyone with Internet access can take five minutes and find out that Georgia Soros, although a rich man, is not behind every liberal organization or even every liberal cause. George Soros is not behind the New York Times or GE or NBC for that matter. These facts don’t seem to matter to O’Reilly.

O’Reilly then justifies burying the torture story because it harms America’s image. This is one of the dumbest arguments he’s used so far. America’s image will elevate once America faces this problem and deals with it. But, on one hand, conservatives would have us believe that it doesn’t matter what our image in the world is and, on the other hand, our image around the world seems to matter to Bill O’Reilly at least in this specific instance. I guess this is one of those cases where you can have your cake and eat it too.

One of the talking points that Republicans have rolled out over the last several months is that any trial on torture will be a “show trial” or “a witchhunt”. For some reason, enforcing the law has now become no more than a show trial. Could it probably be that conservatives have embraced the wrong ideology? (Torture is good. Torture works.) Not in Bill O’Reilly’s mind. Instead, any trial will be an attempt to marginalize Republicans. Now, why would Democrats want to marginalize Republicans when Republicans are doing a great job of marginalizing themselves. You have Gov. Rick Perry of Texas who is talking about seceding from the union and less the week later is asking for federal funding to fight the swine flu. As long as Republicans continue to beat themselves, why should Democrats do anything? So, O’Reilly sees this conspiracy in which Democrats, at least some Democrats, are probably implicated in authorizing the torture, are trying to marginalize Republicans. He offers not one shred of evidence to support his premise. Somehow, exposing the ugly sore that is torture, in O’Reilly’s mind, is a win for the Democrats. I’m sorry, but I just don’t follow this illogical thought process. Americans torturing prisoners is a loss for all Americans… Democrats, Independents or Republicans. Anyone who says anything else is simply being disingenuous or stupid.

O’Reilly begins to rail on the Obama administration about releasing photographs. The photographs are mischaracterized by Bill O’Reilly as military investigations into prisoner abuse when in fact they are photographs of prisoner abuse. The ACLU requested the photographs in the same Freedom of Information Act request that released the four torture memos last week. The Obama administration is trying to be transparent and trying to comply with a court order. O’Reilly believes that the ACLU wants to “inflame the world against the USA.” Again, there is no evidence that the ACLU wants to do any such thing. Of course, in Bill O’Reilly’s world the ACLU is the enemy and therefore they must want to hurt the United States. Yet when you look at the ACLU’s charter and look at the cases that they take up, they seem to be trying to uphold the Bill of Rights.

Now comes the good part. Bill O’Reilly puts a list of Bush administration officials on the screen and states that these officials have told us that tough interrogation methods work. He then puts up the lone picture of Robert Mueller, FBI director, and states that Dir. Mueller is “vastly outnumbered.” This isn’t a numbers game. We don’t have evidence that “tough interrogation tactics” work. “I said so,” is not a good enough reason to believe any of those Bush administration officials. Where is the specific intelligence that we have gained from these tactics? If there were specific intelligence gained from these tactics, the Bush administration, in my opinion, would have been more than happy to release that information to get people like me off of their backs. All of the evidence that has been released so far, including the four torture memos, the Senate intelligence committee report and the Senate armed services committee report refuting the idea that these tactics were necessary.

Here is my problem with this line of thinking and questioning. Torture is illegal in this country. It really doesn’t matter what memos were written. Torture as defined in our laws is illegal in this country. If we are truly a country of laws then we must enforce those laws. If I get arrested for stealing, I can’t tell the police officer or the judge that I stole because I needed the money. Stealing is illegal and I will get put in jail for that. Unless Congress removes the law from our books, and that was not done, torture is illegal.

Maybe it is just me but Bill O’Reilly seems to be neither fair nor balanced in this 3:09 minute tirade. Maybe, just maybe, Bill O’Reilly may find something to talk about that Americans really cares about, like the economy or the unrest in Afghanistan, Pakistan, job losses, manufacturing in this country or the foreclosure rate. These are real issues. A cartoon in the New York Times, the New Yorker or the Washington Post is not a real issue.

Tags: Big Oil, Domestic Issues, Economy, Media, Torture by ecthompson md
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Now this is a great show. I discuss recent events, including the recent rash of trauma.

My guest is Amy Goodman from Democracy Now. We discuss her thoughtful and well-written book, Standing Up to the Madness, Ordinary Heroes in Extraordinary Times.  This really isn’t an interview.  It is a real discussion.  We cover many topics.  Enjoy!

The Errington Thompson Show 4-11-09 [ 50:03 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Books, Economy, Katrina, Podcasts by ecthompson md
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Stephen Colbert is one of the funniest men on television. His humor is complex. You have to sit back and listen and think. Republicans aren’t so good at thinking. At least, they’re not so good at thinking about humor. One of the best examples of Colbert’s ability to focus on a problem through satirical humor would be his interview with Representative Lynn Westmoreland. Representative Westmoreland introduced a bill into the House of Representatives to place the 10 Commandments on every major government building in the United States. Stephen Colbert interviewed Representative Westmoreland and asked him to name all 10 Commandments. You would figure that this would be an easy question for someone who is promoting such a bill. The representative only got three out of the 10 Commandments. Isn’t three out of 10 an F? The interview is funny and illuminating. (I haven’t looked to see if he’s been reelected. The good people of Georgia really deserve someone much better.)

Colbert took on Representative Bill Posey of Florida. This is the guy who introduced the bill which would have required all presidential candidates to prove where they were born. Watch the following video:

It turns out that a new study shows that many Republicans do not understand or get Colbert’s humor. They think he’s serious. I guess this really isn’t surprising. It’s kind of sad, really.

From HuffPost:

Last week, Stephen Colbert revisited a segment he had done on Florida Representative Bill Posey, who sponsored a bill that “would require future presidential candidates to provide a copy of their original birth certificate,” in order to put insane rumors of President Barack Obama’s birthplace to bed.

Colbert thought a similar measure should be taken to end the whisperings that Posey was a human-alligator hybrid. Posey, in response to Colbert, said, “I expected there would be some civil debate about it, but it wasn’t civil…There is no reason to say that I’m the illegitimate grandson of an alligator.” And one wondered, “Does Posey not realize that Colbert is not speaking in earnest? His reaction seems uniquely stupid!”

Stupid, yes. But apparently it’s not unique at all, according to a study from The Ohio State University, which proves, with math and stuff, that lots of conservatives seem to not understand the intrinsic, underlying joke of The Colbert Report:

This study investigated biased message processing of political satire in The Colbert Report and the influence of political ideology on perceptions of Stephen Colbert. Results indicate that political ideology influences biased processing of ambiguous political messages and source in late-night comedy. Using data from an experiment (N = 332), we found that individual-level political ideology significantly predicted perceptions of Colbert’s political ideology. Additionally, there was no significant difference between the groups in thinking Colbert was funny, but conservatives were more likely to report that Colbert only pretends to be joking and genuinely meant what he said while liberals were more likely to report that Colbert used satire and was not serious when offering political statements. Conservatism also significantly predicted perceptions that Colbert disliked liberalism. Finally, a post hoc analysis revealed that perceptions of Colbert’s political opinions fully mediated the relationship between political ideology and individual-level opinion. (more… )

Tags: Party Politics, The Colbert Report by ecthompson md
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This is huge. Arlen Specter (Republican-Pennsylvania) has announced that he will be joining the Democratic Party. There appears to be little or no room for moderate Republicans in the Republican Party.

From WaPo:

Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter will switch his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat and announced today that he will run in 2010 as a Democrat, according to a statement he released this morning.

Specter’s decision would give Democrats a 60 seat filibuster proof majority in the Senate assuming Democrat Al Franken is eventually sworn in as the next senator from Minnesota. (Former senator Norm Coleman is appealing Franken’s victory in the state Supreme Court.)

“I have decided to run for re-election in 2010 in the Democratic primary,” said Specter in a statement. “I am ready, willing and anxious to take on all comers and have my candidacy for re-election determined in a general election.”

He added: “Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans.”

President Obama was informed of Specter’s decision at around 10:25 a.m., according to White House officials, and reached out to the senator minutes later to tell him “you have my full support,” and we are “thrilled to have you.” (more…)

As usual, Steve has the correct perspective:

… talk of a “filibuster-proof” Democratic majority is a stretch. For one thing, Norm Coleman just received a powerful reminder incentive to keep his legal fight going for as long as humanly possible. For another, the Democratic caucus, even at 60, still has Ben Nelson and Evan Bayh to consider.

But if reaching the 60-vote threshold doesn’t make Arlen Specter’s big switch “huge,” what makes today’s news a seismic political shift? It’s further evidence of a Republican Party in steep decline, driven by a misguided ideological rigidity. Indeed, Specter suggested as much in his statement: “Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right.”

Steve wraps up this post with:

Indeed, it sends a signal to voters: the Republican Party is home to Limbaugh, Tea Baggers, Palin, right-wing blogs, the Rove/Cheney/Gingrich triumvirate — and no one else. The party that’s been shrinking to generational lows just got even smaller.

For three months, the conservative message has been that President Obama, his widespread popularity notwithstanding, is some kind of radical ideologue, far from the American mainstream. Specter’s departure from the GOP sends the exact opposite message. Moderate Republicans are teaming up with Obama, and leaving the party that has “moved far to the right” behind.

I couldn’t agree more. Just sit down and watch Fox News. Look at the issues that they are talking about: Obama shaking hands with Chavez and whether Obama is appeasing our enemies. These are amazingly tone deaf non-issues. Americans are hurting and the Democratic Party is at least attempting to address the problems that concern Americans.

Tags: Obama administration, Party Politics by ecthompson md
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I’ve recently had the opportunity to read two of Malcolm Gladwell’s books — Outliers and Blink!  These are two of the best books that I’ve read in a very long time (that don’t deal strictly with politics). Outliers is a book about success.  The author takes the premise that we’ve been fed over the last 30 or 40 years, that successful people work harder and are smarter than the rest of us and says he doesn’t believe that premise is true.  He then, through a series of examples, begins to convince us that people who are highly successful have opportunities that are not available to the rest of us.  Why were the Beatles so successful?  Why do most professional hockey players have birthdays between January and April?  Why was Bill Gates so successful?  Why do affluent kids do better in school than poor children?  The common thread in all of these situations is opportunity.

Not only is this book is very well written, it is also highly entertaining and informative.  I believe that the information in this book can be used by parents to do a better job at raising their own kids.

Below is a nice interview that Malcolm Gladwell did with CNN.  Watch the video:

Tags: Books, Education by ecthompson md
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John Nichols has a great article about how three Republican and some Democrats killed funding for pandemics (see below). What I want to know is what did the Bush administration do about pandemics? Bush and the gang spent billions of dollars on Homeland Sercurity. There was talk of bioweapons. What did we do to prepare ourselves for these bioweapons? Would that be about the same thing as a pandemic?

From The Nation:

When House Appropriations Committee chairman David Obey, the Wisconsin Democrat who has long championed investment in pandemic preparation, included roughly $900 million for that purpose in this year’s emergency stimulus bill, he was ridiculed by conservative operatives and congressional Republicans.

Obey and other advocates for the spending argued, correctly, that a pandemic hitting in the midst of an economic downturn could turn a recession into something far worse — with workers ordered to remain in their homes, workplaces shuttered to avoid the spread of disease, transportation systems grinding to a halt and demand for emergency services and public health interventions skyrocketing. Indeed, they suggested, pandemic preparation was essential to any responsible plan for renewing the U.S. economy.

But former White House political czar Karl Rove and key congressional Republicans — led by Maine Senator Susan Collins — aggressively attacked the notion that there was a connection between pandemic preparation and economic recovery. (more… )

Tags: Congress, Healthcare by ecthompson md
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What’s up with the Swine Flu? It seems every time I turn around there is something out there that is really, really bad and it is going to kill me.

Eight students from NY have swine flu. From CNNHealth.com:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed cases of swine flu in eight students at a New York preparatory school, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Sunday.

The students have had only mild symptoms and none have been hospitalized, he said. Some of the students have already recovered.

More than 100 students were absent from school due to flu-like symptoms last week. New York health officials tested samples for eight students Saturday and determined the students were probably suffering from swine flu, and the CDC confirmed the diagnosis on Sunday, Bloomberg said. (more.. )

What are the facts about Swine flu? Get your answers here.

Swine flu has been declared a public health emergency. Watch the video:

From a disease a day (scary sounding web site but packed with some good information), tips on prevention:

The bottom line – How do I avoid it?

There is no vaccine at the moment that can protect you from the swine flu. There are steps you can take to lower your chance of getting it or of passing it to others -

1. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
2. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
3. Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
4. If you get sick with influenza, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.

Thanks for the heads up from Roy who pointed out this video from the CDC on Swine Flu:

Tags: General, Healthcare by ecthompson md
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The media is fixated on President Barack Obama’s first 100 days. There is a stupid internet poll which MSNBC is doing: Rate President Obama’s first 100 days. Simple enough. If the sample were fair, we would see what Gallup saw, that the vast majority of Americans believe that President Obama is doing a good job. 86% of Americans believe that the president has met or exceeded expectations. Right-wing folks are flooding the poll and throwing off the results.

Do me a favor and check out this poll. Thanks.

Tags: Obama administration, Party Politics by ecthompson md
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It is rare that I watch a dance troupe and see something new and different. I think that this group Flawless was exactly that.

Enjoy!!

Tags: Entertainment by ecthompson md
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Elizabeth Warren is the Leo Gottlieb Professor of Law at Harvard.  She teaches contract, bankruptcy and commercial law. She is chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel. Here she is on The Daily Show.  She explains the good, the bad and the ugly of the bailout/TARP money. This is a GREAT Jon Stewart interview.

Tags: Economy, The Daily Show by ecthompson md
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I’m very happy to have a great video of Mike Finnigan from Crooks and Liars. Mike has been on my radio show. He has a great working knowledge of music and helped me with my tribute to Miles Davis. From listening to Mike speak, there was no way I would have known that he has such a soulful voice. Mike has played with Etta James and Jimmy Hendricks. Now that’s cool. William Wolfrum has written a great post on Mike.

Mike sings and plays the piano on this Gospel tune.  Enjoy.

Artist: Mike Finnigan
Tune: Let me see the light

Tags: Music by ecthompson md
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I have lived long enough to see a number of highly rated, great prospects crash and burn. I have lived long enough to beleive that the draft is nothing more than a crap shoot. You can place these college students in all kinds of situations but you never know until they get on the field. Joe Montana and Tom Brady were both completely overlooked by the “smart” football brains. Ryan Leaf and Eric Couch are just two recent examples of folks who really didn’t live up to expectations.

So, I sit back and watch and hope that we will catch lightening in a bottle. We’ll see. Only four or five guys out of the 200 or so will be outstanding. Another 10 or so will be solid players for years to come. The rest will be less than average or a complete bust.

As a Dallas Cowboy fan, I wish that Jerry Jones could learn how to spot talent. I wish that the Cowboys could pick up an offensive lineman, a linebacker or two and a cover safety. That’s all I want.

Tags: Sports by ecthompson md
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Had I written this only a couple of days ago, I would have been arguing for a single-payer system. I like the simplicity of a single-payer system and  I like the fact that insurance companies would be taken out of the loop. Finally, I love the idea of taking all of that money that was being used for administrative costs, used to deny claims and used to figure out who was or was not in the plan and use that money actually taking care of patients. I like the way that sounds. BUT… it will not work (I did more reading). The single-payer system should have a lot of upfront cost savings. The problem is that the savings from consolidation are not sustained over the long term. Also, in any system that has one payer in control of that much money, folks will figure out how to game the system. Then costs increase.

I have a problem with the way that physicians get paid. It seems to me that family practitioners and surgeons are different animals. The FP/internist seems to be positioned to really prevent problems. Surgeons intervene when problems occur. Should they get paid the same way? It seems that there should be different incentives for these two different groups of physicians. The FP/internist-type physicians should get paid to keep their patients healthy. Surgeons probably keep the system that we already have: fee for service.

Anyway, back to the overall program. I reluctantly think that any plan will have to be some type of hybrid. The single-payer system does not deliver the long-term savings and cost control that we need. Insurance companies need to be forced to compete. The basic plans that insurance companies offer must be the same and there should be no premiums for any American. No deductibles. Small co-payments. No one can be denied. Insurance companies can offer additional coverage.

There must be a government organization that oversees the insurance companies and runs this insurance exchange. A National Health Board. This is the centerpiece of the book Healthcare Guaranteed by Ezekiel Emanuel.  I think this is the most thoughtful and intelligent system I have come across. It seems to contain everything. Costs are controlled by a few mechanisms: competing insurance companies, encouraging physicians to push healthy lifestyles and forcing drug companies to keep costs down. Also, everyone is covered. Everyone still has choice. Many, if not all of the programs that help deliver healthcare today (Medicare, Medicaid and SChip) will be rolled into this new program overtime. What’s to complain about? (How to pay for it. More on that later.)

Tags: Healthcare by ecthompson md
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30 years ago, Donna Summer had the #3 song in the land. My friends and I were preparing to graduate high school. So this is a salute to those guys. I hope that they are well.

Artist:  Donna Summer
Tune: Bad Girls

Tags: Music by ecthompson md
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As Marcy notes this was a Friday night news dump.  The amount of information about enhanced interrogation techniques is coming into focus.  There were more than one or two voices that made it clear that these techniques violated American and International law.  The Joint Chiefs asked each branch of the military about this techniques and the answer that came back from all branches was that these techniques violate international and US law.

From WaPo:

“The unintended consequence of a U.S. policy that provides for the torture of prisoners is that it could be used by our adversaries as justification for the torture of captured U.S. personnel,” says the document, an unsigned two-page attachment to a memo by the military’s Joint Personnel Recovery Agency.  (The whole JPRA document can be seen here).

Tags: Bush Administration, Countdown, Torture by ecthompson md
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