I finished “Idiot America” and now I’m reading Matt Taibbi’s “The Great Derangement.” It’s a tad dated but I think it will be an interesting read.
One point that Taibbi makes early on is that the various factions in the American political landscape don’t have a common set of facts to work from.
The implication is if we disagree on the simplest thing, the fundamental facts, how are we ever going to agree on complex issues like policies?
While I agree that working from a different understanding of the facts makes things difficult, I’m not sure this is a change. Did Americans ever agree on a common set of facts?
Somehow I doubt it.
I think I’ll wait and see how Taibbi develops this theme before commenting further.
Monday, February 08, 2010
Super Bowl XLIV
Of course I picked the Colts. I guess that’s why I’m not working as a football analyst.
I was riding high in the first quarter with the Colts up 10-0. The onside kick at the start of the 2nd half fooled me as well as everyone else. If the Colts had recovered and scored to make it 17-6, I’m convinced they would have won. Instead it was the Saints that recovered and made it 13-10.
The fact that Manning managed a drive to temporarily retake the lead 17-13 was irrelevant. That onside kick won the game.
When it works you’re a genius. If it hadn’t worked, Shawn Peyton would have been crucified by the sports pundits.
Anyway, final score Saints 31, Colts 17 so I end up with a losing record this year in NFL playoff predictions 5-6. Guess I’ll keep my day job.
As for the Pam and Tim Tebow commercial, it didn't even make a whole lot of sense to me. If I didn't know the story ahead of time, I wouldn't know what the hell they were talking about. When it started, I actually thought at first it was a continuation of the commercial with Betty White and Abe Vigoda that had preceded it.
I doubt too many of the NFL fans rushed to the Focus on the Family web site, as they were invited to, in order to get the whole Pam and Tim Tebow story.
I was riding high in the first quarter with the Colts up 10-0. The onside kick at the start of the 2nd half fooled me as well as everyone else. If the Colts had recovered and scored to make it 17-6, I’m convinced they would have won. Instead it was the Saints that recovered and made it 13-10.
The fact that Manning managed a drive to temporarily retake the lead 17-13 was irrelevant. That onside kick won the game.
When it works you’re a genius. If it hadn’t worked, Shawn Peyton would have been crucified by the sports pundits.
Anyway, final score Saints 31, Colts 17 so I end up with a losing record this year in NFL playoff predictions 5-6. Guess I’ll keep my day job.
As for the Pam and Tim Tebow commercial, it didn't even make a whole lot of sense to me. If I didn't know the story ahead of time, I wouldn't know what the hell they were talking about. When it started, I actually thought at first it was a continuation of the commercial with Betty White and Abe Vigoda that had preceded it.
I doubt too many of the NFL fans rushed to the Focus on the Family web site, as they were invited to, in order to get the whole Pam and Tim Tebow story.
Friday, February 05, 2010
The Department of Education
I had a bit of a shock the other day while considering the issues being highlighted by the Tea Party that I couldn’t really say what the hell the Department of Education, an agency some Tea Party supporters are proposing we abolish, actually did.
The good news is that this is the Age of the Internet so I surfed on over to the DOE website. There I read the Mission Statement, the “What we Do” page, the “What we don’t Do” page and perused the list of assorted programs.
As far as I can tell the DOE does three primary things. It provides money in the form of grants and loans for education, it enforces laws against discrimination in programs that receive federal funds and it measures the performance of schools through the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
Overall it sounds like it’s primarily in the business of taking money from John and Paul and giving it to Jim. One has to wonder how one can do that when the money from John and Paul has already been spoken for. So perhaps more accurately, the DOE borrows money from China and lends it to American students and school districts while eating some of it for providing the service.
The DOE claims its mission is:
“The mission of the Department of Education is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.”
Well, I’d say based upon where American students stack up against students from other countries and the typical disparities between whites and blacks in the U.S. they’re not exactly doing a bang up job now are they?
They also apparently run the federal college student loan program. I’ve had the dubious pleasure of filling out a FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aid) form so that’s not going win any sympathy from me.
The discretionary budget for the DOE is around $50 billion. A mere drop in the bucket these days perhaps but it still represents about $166 from each of us. I’m sort of wondering whether I could do something better with that $166?
That would cover 92% of my World of Warcraft subscription.
They also administer Pell Grants which are outright gifts to college students to cover tuition and other expenses rather than loans. Pell Grants do not have to be paid back.
Some of the appropriations read like a satire. Check this one out.
$3.5 billion over 7 years for a College Access and Completion Fund, which would make grants to States, institutions of higher education, and other organizations to support innovative strategies to increase the number and percentage of students entering and completing college.
What’s wrong with this picture? Here I always thought that college was something just about everyone wanted to enter and complete, if they were capable of doing so, and that usually it was MONEY that was standing in the way. How about using this money to REDUCE TUITION COSTS! That would work.
I also notice funding appropriated for simplifying the FAFSA. NOW you’re going to simplify it?
I’m going to take a wild guess here and say that the DOE probably hasn’t come close to providing me adequate value for the money it has cost me in taxes over the years. More than likely it has siphoned money away from myself, my town and my family and spent it on maintaining itself and on other people, towns and families.
I suspect we can do without most of what this agency does. The more I read about this place the more a picture forms in my mind of self important political appointees leading a bunch of know nothing bureaucrats around and not accomplishing a whole lot other than killing trees and spending money.
Of course, I could be wrong.
I must be in a bad mood. I mean, I work for a living. I’m not sure why I should be contributing to a program like the “College Access and Completion Fund.” Hell, if you don’t want to go, or can’t cut it, go flip burgers at Mickey D’s.
Here’s another one.
$123.3 million for Developing Hispanic-serving Institutions, an increase of 5 percent, to help ensure that Hispanic students, half of whom enroll in Hispanic-serving institutions, have access to high quality postsecondary education.
WTF is a “Hispanic-serving Institution” and why do we need to develop them? Can’t they just attend the same old local colleges that everyone else attends? Why do they need “Hispanic-serving Institutions?” Whatever the f--k they are.
I sort of sympathize with blacks because (1) most of their ancestors got dragged over here against their will and (2) I remember segregation and the 1950’s. I don’t have that same kind of empathy for Hispanics. I’m not even sure why Hispanics are a “minority” and Italians, Irish, Germans and god damned Danes aren’t. I’m an Austrian-Italian mutt. Where do I go and apply for my minority benefits?
Wow, here I am, racist in training.
I’m really not. I just don’t understand how it’s decided who needs special help, who doesn’t and what that special help is. Who is reviewing the effectiveness and benefits of these kinds of programs? I sort of get the feeling that once a program gets going, it becomes increasing hard to shut it down as time goes by regardless of whether or not it’s accomplishing anything that justifies the money being spent.
I think if I was ever elected president (heaven forbid), the first thing I would do is have a team of people review the value of every ongoing program in any agency and shut down the ones that weren’t returning an adequate return for the investment.
Luckily I’m not about to be elected president anytime soon but it does give me an idea for an interesting post entitled “If I were Elected President.” Think I’ll go work on that one.
The good news is that this is the Age of the Internet so I surfed on over to the DOE website. There I read the Mission Statement, the “What we Do” page, the “What we don’t Do” page and perused the list of assorted programs.
As far as I can tell the DOE does three primary things. It provides money in the form of grants and loans for education, it enforces laws against discrimination in programs that receive federal funds and it measures the performance of schools through the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
Overall it sounds like it’s primarily in the business of taking money from John and Paul and giving it to Jim. One has to wonder how one can do that when the money from John and Paul has already been spoken for. So perhaps more accurately, the DOE borrows money from China and lends it to American students and school districts while eating some of it for providing the service.
The DOE claims its mission is:
“The mission of the Department of Education is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.”
Well, I’d say based upon where American students stack up against students from other countries and the typical disparities between whites and blacks in the U.S. they’re not exactly doing a bang up job now are they?
They also apparently run the federal college student loan program. I’ve had the dubious pleasure of filling out a FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aid) form so that’s not going win any sympathy from me.
The discretionary budget for the DOE is around $50 billion. A mere drop in the bucket these days perhaps but it still represents about $166 from each of us. I’m sort of wondering whether I could do something better with that $166?
That would cover 92% of my World of Warcraft subscription.
They also administer Pell Grants which are outright gifts to college students to cover tuition and other expenses rather than loans. Pell Grants do not have to be paid back.
Some of the appropriations read like a satire. Check this one out.
$3.5 billion over 7 years for a College Access and Completion Fund, which would make grants to States, institutions of higher education, and other organizations to support innovative strategies to increase the number and percentage of students entering and completing college.
What’s wrong with this picture? Here I always thought that college was something just about everyone wanted to enter and complete, if they were capable of doing so, and that usually it was MONEY that was standing in the way. How about using this money to REDUCE TUITION COSTS! That would work.
I also notice funding appropriated for simplifying the FAFSA. NOW you’re going to simplify it?
I’m going to take a wild guess here and say that the DOE probably hasn’t come close to providing me adequate value for the money it has cost me in taxes over the years. More than likely it has siphoned money away from myself, my town and my family and spent it on maintaining itself and on other people, towns and families.
I suspect we can do without most of what this agency does. The more I read about this place the more a picture forms in my mind of self important political appointees leading a bunch of know nothing bureaucrats around and not accomplishing a whole lot other than killing trees and spending money.
Of course, I could be wrong.
I must be in a bad mood. I mean, I work for a living. I’m not sure why I should be contributing to a program like the “College Access and Completion Fund.” Hell, if you don’t want to go, or can’t cut it, go flip burgers at Mickey D’s.
Here’s another one.
$123.3 million for Developing Hispanic-serving Institutions, an increase of 5 percent, to help ensure that Hispanic students, half of whom enroll in Hispanic-serving institutions, have access to high quality postsecondary education.
WTF is a “Hispanic-serving Institution” and why do we need to develop them? Can’t they just attend the same old local colleges that everyone else attends? Why do they need “Hispanic-serving Institutions?” Whatever the f--k they are.
I sort of sympathize with blacks because (1) most of their ancestors got dragged over here against their will and (2) I remember segregation and the 1950’s. I don’t have that same kind of empathy for Hispanics. I’m not even sure why Hispanics are a “minority” and Italians, Irish, Germans and god damned Danes aren’t. I’m an Austrian-Italian mutt. Where do I go and apply for my minority benefits?
Wow, here I am, racist in training.
I’m really not. I just don’t understand how it’s decided who needs special help, who doesn’t and what that special help is. Who is reviewing the effectiveness and benefits of these kinds of programs? I sort of get the feeling that once a program gets going, it becomes increasing hard to shut it down as time goes by regardless of whether or not it’s accomplishing anything that justifies the money being spent.
I think if I was ever elected president (heaven forbid), the first thing I would do is have a team of people review the value of every ongoing program in any agency and shut down the ones that weren’t returning an adequate return for the investment.
Luckily I’m not about to be elected president anytime soon but it does give me an idea for an interesting post entitled “If I were Elected President.” Think I’ll go work on that one.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Contract from America
The Tea Party types are putting together what they call a “Contract from America” which strikes me very much like a party platform. I think it is essentially sending the message “these are the things we’d like done.”
They are currently in the process of winnowing down the ideas submitted into a more focused list. I’ve listed the 20 highest rated ideas, with commentary, below. I have corrected the spelling and English usage errors in the list.
Implement the Fair Tax 8692 rating
This idea has a lot of attractive elements to it. If nothing else it would significantly simplify taxes. The problem is there are lots of question about both the impact and the effectiveness of this type of tax.
Basically this idea eliminates the income tax in favor of what amounts to a tax upon consumption. It’s not a true sales tax because it includes an ongoing rebate (or prebate as proponents call it) that would effectively eliminate any taxes on people spending under the poverty level. As a matter of fact, in some cases, it could even be a negative tax where poor families would receive more in rebate payments than they paid in taxes.
The problem is that not everyone agrees the tax would work as advertised and there is concern that it may be vulnerable to fraud. Taxing would occur only once at the final sale for consumption, therefore the fear is that it might be possible to side step tax payments by disguising the purchase as an intermediary one. Also, can you spell Black Market? Think about the cross state trafficking in cigarettes.
I think this is a very complicated area and, while the Fair Tax is attractive for a number of reasons, it’s unclear to me whether it’s a good idea. - Uncertain
Legislation shall contain no unrelated amendments 4411 rating
No more “riders” tacked onto bills spending money on questionable or favorite causes. I agree with this 100%. - Agree
Congressional Term Limits 3906 rating
Absolutely agree with this 100%. - Agree
Abolish the Department of Education 3466 rating
Since I’m not 100% certain what the Department of Education does I’m at something of a loss to decide whether or not this is a good witch or a bad witch. I noticed that some of the morons commenting on this idea seem to think it would allow the states to re-institute school prayers. Clearly they don’t understand how things work.
The bottom line is I’m uncertain about this one. - Uncertain
Pass Nationwide Medical Malpractice Tort Reform 3081 rating
I absolutely agree with this 100%. - Agree
Congress shall not exempt themselves 2908 rating
I absolutely agree with this 100%. If it’s good enough for the meandering herd, then it’s good enough for those bozos as well - Agree
No lifetime salary or benefits for Congress 2876 rating
Basically you get paid for the time you serve and that’s it. This works very well in conjunction with term limits. – Agree
An Official Language of the United States 2856 rating
I agree. English should the official language. I grind my teeth every time I’m told to “press 1 for English.” - Agree
Drill Here, Drill Now 2828 rating
It’s highly debatable that this is going to solve anything. The guy that submitted this seems to think we have massive untapped oil reserves. This just flat out isn’t true. Better would be to find alternative and renewable sources. - Oppose
Interstate Health Insurance Competition 2732 rating
Why the hell not is what I say. Competition invariable leads to benefits for the consumer. – Agree
Cite Constitutional authority for creating laws 2207 rating
Anyone can rationalize anything. This wouldn’t accomplish anything. Someone can always come up with a creative explanation. If you doubt that, just check out Christian Apologetics. So this isn’t a bad idea, it’s just worthless. - Oppose
Nuclear Energy, reduce our dependence on foreign oil 1690 rating
Assuming the appropriate safeguards are in place and we have a way to dispose of all that nuclear waste, maybe. I’d like to understand a little more about the implications of this. - Uncertain
More Drilling for Natural Gas and Oil, Increase Nuclear Energy, and eliminate federal regulation and give power back to the states 1075 rating
This is sort of a combination of the two previous ideas. I seriously doubt we currently have the oil reserves to resolve the issue and I find nuclear energy questionable as a solution. - Uncertain
Federal Spending Limitations - Budget Cap 942 rating
It’s probably not a good idea to try and see too far into the future and I get the feeling this is what this idea is trying to do. On the other hand, as long as there is adequate leeway for addressing emergencies then this might be a good idea. I think it’s more complicated than it sounds however and I’d need more details. – Uncertain
2nd Amendment Rights 938 rating
I’ll let you have all the guns you want as long as bullets are restricted to target ranges and hunting preserves. – Opposed
Presidential advisers (czars) shall have no regulatory authority 899 rating
I agree with this. Advisors should be just that, advisors. Only elected officials should have regulatory power. – Agree
Bills from the House or Senate are to be Made Public 7 Days Before any Vote 836 rating
All bills are already posted and can be accessed easily from the Internet. The problem is you have to know the bill exists and its designation. I think we need a more streamlined and easy to access system. If that’s what this means, then I’m all for it. – Agree
Post all government expenditures on the Internet 575 rating
Some government expenditures are classified and have to be classified. Besides, if you post all the bills, which would include appropriations bills, this sort of becomes redundant. – Oppose
Hands OFF the Internet 472 rating
I agree 100%. – Agree
Abolish the Department of Energy. 439 rating
Like the Department of Education, I’m not certain what this department does so it’s hard for me to judge. – Uncertain
So I agree with 10, disagree with 4 and I’m uncertain about 6. In general I think all of these ideas are underestimating the complexity associated with the issue. They’re ideas that would like to grow up to be concepts that can then be matured into plans. The devil is in the details and there is usually a lot of work to be done between the idea phase and when implementation begins.
I also think some of the support is based upon unrealistic expectations as well as a misunderstanding of who controls what in some cases. Eliminating the Department of Education isn’t going to allow restoring school prayer, teaching creationism or resurrecting segregation. The Constitution isn’t going away.
I think the general consensus is if it isn’t effective, then eliminate it. However one needs to be careful that one doesn’t get a totally unexpected and unpleasant result. Just because you’re not aware of it doesn’t mean an agency isn’t performing some vital service. Often the quietest agencies are the most effective.
Still, at least 10, and possibly 16, of the ideas strike me as having merit and I’m willing to be convinced on 3 of the 4 I opposed. No one is ever going to convince me that we need unrestricted gun ownership or any gun ownership at all for that matter.
The real danger here is having a group of people, who don’t understand the complexities of the situation, trying to dictate simple minded solutions and then becoming enraged when things get bogged down due to the complexities they overlooked. On the other hand, maybe some of these things are in fact as simple as they look.
They are currently in the process of winnowing down the ideas submitted into a more focused list. I’ve listed the 20 highest rated ideas, with commentary, below. I have corrected the spelling and English usage errors in the list.
Implement the Fair Tax 8692 rating
This idea has a lot of attractive elements to it. If nothing else it would significantly simplify taxes. The problem is there are lots of question about both the impact and the effectiveness of this type of tax.
Basically this idea eliminates the income tax in favor of what amounts to a tax upon consumption. It’s not a true sales tax because it includes an ongoing rebate (or prebate as proponents call it) that would effectively eliminate any taxes on people spending under the poverty level. As a matter of fact, in some cases, it could even be a negative tax where poor families would receive more in rebate payments than they paid in taxes.
The problem is that not everyone agrees the tax would work as advertised and there is concern that it may be vulnerable to fraud. Taxing would occur only once at the final sale for consumption, therefore the fear is that it might be possible to side step tax payments by disguising the purchase as an intermediary one. Also, can you spell Black Market? Think about the cross state trafficking in cigarettes.
I think this is a very complicated area and, while the Fair Tax is attractive for a number of reasons, it’s unclear to me whether it’s a good idea. - Uncertain
Legislation shall contain no unrelated amendments 4411 rating
No more “riders” tacked onto bills spending money on questionable or favorite causes. I agree with this 100%. - Agree
Congressional Term Limits 3906 rating
Absolutely agree with this 100%. - Agree
Abolish the Department of Education 3466 rating
Since I’m not 100% certain what the Department of Education does I’m at something of a loss to decide whether or not this is a good witch or a bad witch. I noticed that some of the morons commenting on this idea seem to think it would allow the states to re-institute school prayers. Clearly they don’t understand how things work.
The bottom line is I’m uncertain about this one. - Uncertain
Pass Nationwide Medical Malpractice Tort Reform 3081 rating
I absolutely agree with this 100%. - Agree
Congress shall not exempt themselves 2908 rating
I absolutely agree with this 100%. If it’s good enough for the meandering herd, then it’s good enough for those bozos as well - Agree
No lifetime salary or benefits for Congress 2876 rating
Basically you get paid for the time you serve and that’s it. This works very well in conjunction with term limits. – Agree
An Official Language of the United States 2856 rating
I agree. English should the official language. I grind my teeth every time I’m told to “press 1 for English.” - Agree
Drill Here, Drill Now 2828 rating
It’s highly debatable that this is going to solve anything. The guy that submitted this seems to think we have massive untapped oil reserves. This just flat out isn’t true. Better would be to find alternative and renewable sources. - Oppose
Interstate Health Insurance Competition 2732 rating
Why the hell not is what I say. Competition invariable leads to benefits for the consumer. – Agree
Cite Constitutional authority for creating laws 2207 rating
Anyone can rationalize anything. This wouldn’t accomplish anything. Someone can always come up with a creative explanation. If you doubt that, just check out Christian Apologetics. So this isn’t a bad idea, it’s just worthless. - Oppose
Nuclear Energy, reduce our dependence on foreign oil 1690 rating
Assuming the appropriate safeguards are in place and we have a way to dispose of all that nuclear waste, maybe. I’d like to understand a little more about the implications of this. - Uncertain
More Drilling for Natural Gas and Oil, Increase Nuclear Energy, and eliminate federal regulation and give power back to the states 1075 rating
This is sort of a combination of the two previous ideas. I seriously doubt we currently have the oil reserves to resolve the issue and I find nuclear energy questionable as a solution. - Uncertain
Federal Spending Limitations - Budget Cap 942 rating
It’s probably not a good idea to try and see too far into the future and I get the feeling this is what this idea is trying to do. On the other hand, as long as there is adequate leeway for addressing emergencies then this might be a good idea. I think it’s more complicated than it sounds however and I’d need more details. – Uncertain
2nd Amendment Rights 938 rating
I’ll let you have all the guns you want as long as bullets are restricted to target ranges and hunting preserves. – Opposed
Presidential advisers (czars) shall have no regulatory authority 899 rating
I agree with this. Advisors should be just that, advisors. Only elected officials should have regulatory power. – Agree
Bills from the House or Senate are to be Made Public 7 Days Before any Vote 836 rating
All bills are already posted and can be accessed easily from the Internet. The problem is you have to know the bill exists and its designation. I think we need a more streamlined and easy to access system. If that’s what this means, then I’m all for it. – Agree
Post all government expenditures on the Internet 575 rating
Some government expenditures are classified and have to be classified. Besides, if you post all the bills, which would include appropriations bills, this sort of becomes redundant. – Oppose
Hands OFF the Internet 472 rating
I agree 100%. – Agree
Abolish the Department of Energy. 439 rating
Like the Department of Education, I’m not certain what this department does so it’s hard for me to judge. – Uncertain
So I agree with 10, disagree with 4 and I’m uncertain about 6. In general I think all of these ideas are underestimating the complexity associated with the issue. They’re ideas that would like to grow up to be concepts that can then be matured into plans. The devil is in the details and there is usually a lot of work to be done between the idea phase and when implementation begins.
I also think some of the support is based upon unrealistic expectations as well as a misunderstanding of who controls what in some cases. Eliminating the Department of Education isn’t going to allow restoring school prayer, teaching creationism or resurrecting segregation. The Constitution isn’t going away.
I think the general consensus is if it isn’t effective, then eliminate it. However one needs to be careful that one doesn’t get a totally unexpected and unpleasant result. Just because you’re not aware of it doesn’t mean an agency isn’t performing some vital service. Often the quietest agencies are the most effective.
Still, at least 10, and possibly 16, of the ideas strike me as having merit and I’m willing to be convinced on 3 of the 4 I opposed. No one is ever going to convince me that we need unrestricted gun ownership or any gun ownership at all for that matter.
The real danger here is having a group of people, who don’t understand the complexities of the situation, trying to dictate simple minded solutions and then becoming enraged when things get bogged down due to the complexities they overlooked. On the other hand, maybe some of these things are in fact as simple as they look.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Paper Linking Vaccine and Autism Retracted
The major British medical journal, the Lancet, has officially issued a retraction of the Andrew Wakefield paper which claimed a possible link between autism and the MMR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella.
The action came after an ethic judgment against Wakefield was issued last week by the British General Medical council.
For years other experts and researchers have been arguing that Wakefield’s claim was totally without merit and now the Lancet apparently agrees.
Unfortunately the damage has pretty much already been done. Based upon Wakefield’s apparently spurious claims, a whole anti-vaccination culture has evolved complete with its own celebrities.
This is a perfect example of Idiot America which unfortunately has also taken hold in Britain, Australia and New Zealand. One “celebrity component” of the anti-vaccine says her “mommy sense” knows that vaccines cause autism despite what all those silly scientists and medical experts say.
Heaven help us from ourselves.
I agree with the criticism that the Lancet should have taken some sort of official action, if only to declare the paper’s result in serious doubt, long before this.
Now we’ll see how the “mommy sense” advocates react. I’m betting there will be loud denunciations of the Lancet’s actions and cries of a witch hunt before the whole controversy slowly fades away.
Unfortunately that’s not going to bring back any of the children who have died because their parents were falsely frightened into not getting them vaccinated.
The action came after an ethic judgment against Wakefield was issued last week by the British General Medical council.
For years other experts and researchers have been arguing that Wakefield’s claim was totally without merit and now the Lancet apparently agrees.
Unfortunately the damage has pretty much already been done. Based upon Wakefield’s apparently spurious claims, a whole anti-vaccination culture has evolved complete with its own celebrities.
This is a perfect example of Idiot America which unfortunately has also taken hold in Britain, Australia and New Zealand. One “celebrity component” of the anti-vaccine says her “mommy sense” knows that vaccines cause autism despite what all those silly scientists and medical experts say.
Heaven help us from ourselves.
I agree with the criticism that the Lancet should have taken some sort of official action, if only to declare the paper’s result in serious doubt, long before this.
Now we’ll see how the “mommy sense” advocates react. I’m betting there will be loud denunciations of the Lancet’s actions and cries of a witch hunt before the whole controversy slowly fades away.
Unfortunately that’s not going to bring back any of the children who have died because their parents were falsely frightened into not getting them vaccinated.
The Budget
The budget projections coming out of the White House aren’t terribly encouraging except for one solid fact that I’m sure won’t be given the publicity and credit it deserves.
The one solid fact is that they are honest.
During the eight years of the Bush administration we got vague assurances that the budget would ultimately be balanced while the Bush tax cuts and the ill advised adventure in Iraq guaranteed they couldn’t be.
Obama is taking the position that job growth and economic stimulus take precedent over a balanced budget. I’m not 100% certain I feel comfortable with that conclusion. I would seriously like to see the justification, the projections and the math associated with it. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m not one to take anybody’s word for anything without seeing the evidence for myself.
Obama should get praise; what he’ll probably get is vilification from the Republicans for a situation that is mostly their fault. However, I’m not letting the Democrats off the hook. Clearly the administration should have been singing this tune for the last year and making the point that controlling health care costs is necessary for getting the deficit under control.
I’m in favor of the proposed tax increases (although I’m sure I will find them painful), but I’m not sure they go far enough. I think the domestic budget freeze is a good idea and actually thought it was the primary good idea McCain had during the campaign.
It’s going to be painful folks. We’ve all been enjoying the party and now it’s time to pay the band.
The difficulty will be the pundits and soft shoe politicians who will lie to you and claim it isn’t necessary or that raising taxes is going to lead to a new recession. I can guarantee it’s necessary and I think it’s more likely that not taking steps to correct the deficit will lead to, not only a new recession, but a potential economic catastrophe that would make the upheaval of the Great Depression look like boom times.
The time has come to face reality, consider the facts and ignore the Right Wing morons who are about to spin up another load of nonsense for political benefit.
The president is doing what is right. The Republicans will undoubtedly react with what they think will be popular regardless of whether or not that means the country will burn.
The one solid fact is that they are honest.
During the eight years of the Bush administration we got vague assurances that the budget would ultimately be balanced while the Bush tax cuts and the ill advised adventure in Iraq guaranteed they couldn’t be.
Obama is taking the position that job growth and economic stimulus take precedent over a balanced budget. I’m not 100% certain I feel comfortable with that conclusion. I would seriously like to see the justification, the projections and the math associated with it. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m not one to take anybody’s word for anything without seeing the evidence for myself.
Obama should get praise; what he’ll probably get is vilification from the Republicans for a situation that is mostly their fault. However, I’m not letting the Democrats off the hook. Clearly the administration should have been singing this tune for the last year and making the point that controlling health care costs is necessary for getting the deficit under control.
I’m in favor of the proposed tax increases (although I’m sure I will find them painful), but I’m not sure they go far enough. I think the domestic budget freeze is a good idea and actually thought it was the primary good idea McCain had during the campaign.
It’s going to be painful folks. We’ve all been enjoying the party and now it’s time to pay the band.
The difficulty will be the pundits and soft shoe politicians who will lie to you and claim it isn’t necessary or that raising taxes is going to lead to a new recession. I can guarantee it’s necessary and I think it’s more likely that not taking steps to correct the deficit will lead to, not only a new recession, but a potential economic catastrophe that would make the upheaval of the Great Depression look like boom times.
The time has come to face reality, consider the facts and ignore the Right Wing morons who are about to spin up another load of nonsense for political benefit.
The president is doing what is right. The Republicans will undoubtedly react with what they think will be popular regardless of whether or not that means the country will burn.
Monday, February 01, 2010
The Accuracy of Pam Tebow’s Abortion Tale
Some people are challenging the accuracy of Pam Tebow’s story that, after falling ill in the Philippines, she chose not to follow a doctor’s recommendation to abort the pregnancy which ultimately led to the birth of Tim.
Apparently the fly in the ointment is the fact that abortion is now, and was then, illegal in the Philippines.
Well, that may be, but the fact of the matter is that the abortion rate in the Philippines is higher than that in the U.S. and, apparently, is one of those things where the well to do can get it done safely under a doctor’s care and the not so well to do have to settle for, shall we say, a far less safe approach.
So I don’t find it at all surprising that the doctors caring for an American missionary lady could, would, and did recommend an abortion. I believe Mrs. Tebow.
Another point being made is that the commercial would be misleading if it didn’t at least include the information that abortion was illegal in the Philippines. I doubt they’ll bother since that would introduce a second rationale for the decision (fear of getting thrown in the hoosegow) in addition to pure religious fervor. Which is, I’m fairly certain, the reason the opposition wants it brought up.
I think the ad is inappropriate and CBS shouldn’t air it but I’d like to keep the argument focused on that question. I don’t think personal attacks on Tim or Pam have any place in the discussion and clearly questioning the veracity of the story is a personal attack.
Besides, as I’ve said about David and Jesus and the adulteress, even if the story isn’t true, it should be. I don’t have a problem with the story; it raises questions that we all need to consider as part of the abortion question. I just don’t think the Super Bowl is the right venue for raising those questions.
Apparently the fly in the ointment is the fact that abortion is now, and was then, illegal in the Philippines.
Well, that may be, but the fact of the matter is that the abortion rate in the Philippines is higher than that in the U.S. and, apparently, is one of those things where the well to do can get it done safely under a doctor’s care and the not so well to do have to settle for, shall we say, a far less safe approach.
So I don’t find it at all surprising that the doctors caring for an American missionary lady could, would, and did recommend an abortion. I believe Mrs. Tebow.
Another point being made is that the commercial would be misleading if it didn’t at least include the information that abortion was illegal in the Philippines. I doubt they’ll bother since that would introduce a second rationale for the decision (fear of getting thrown in the hoosegow) in addition to pure religious fervor. Which is, I’m fairly certain, the reason the opposition wants it brought up.
I think the ad is inappropriate and CBS shouldn’t air it but I’d like to keep the argument focused on that question. I don’t think personal attacks on Tim or Pam have any place in the discussion and clearly questioning the veracity of the story is a personal attack.
Besides, as I’ve said about David and Jesus and the adulteress, even if the story isn’t true, it should be. I don’t have a problem with the story; it raises questions that we all need to consider as part of the abortion question. I just don’t think the Super Bowl is the right venue for raising those questions.
Abducting Haitian Children
Well, I guess they weren’t really abducting them or so they claim. Ten certifiable American morons were arrested while trying to bus children out of Haiti without any of the necessary legal forms and permissions.
The latest “Ugly American” poster children are members of the Southern Baptist Convention from Idaho and, according to their spokesman, were “just trying to do the right thing.”
Needless to say the Haitian government is furious and insisting that the Ugly Ten be prosecuted in order to send a strong message against trafficking in children.
Haitian and U.S. official are considering a trial in the U.S. since Haiti has a few more important things to worry about than these idiots. If that’s the case, I’ll be surprised if they get more than a slap on the wrist. What they should be sentenced to do is clean out the latrines in the disaster area for about six months.
I have no sympathy for these people but they probably don’t deserve jail time for stupidity. I would like to see a hefty community service sentence that will help them to develop a little cultural sensitivity.
What am I kidding? Fundy airheads develop cultural sensitivity? I might as well ask for hell to freeze over.
The latest “Ugly American” poster children are members of the Southern Baptist Convention from Idaho and, according to their spokesman, were “just trying to do the right thing.”
Needless to say the Haitian government is furious and insisting that the Ugly Ten be prosecuted in order to send a strong message against trafficking in children.
Haitian and U.S. official are considering a trial in the U.S. since Haiti has a few more important things to worry about than these idiots. If that’s the case, I’ll be surprised if they get more than a slap on the wrist. What they should be sentenced to do is clean out the latrines in the disaster area for about six months.
I have no sympathy for these people but they probably don’t deserve jail time for stupidity. I would like to see a hefty community service sentence that will help them to develop a little cultural sensitivity.
What am I kidding? Fundy airheads develop cultural sensitivity? I might as well ask for hell to freeze over.
Friday, January 29, 2010
More on Tim Tebow
Ok, so I’m not thrilled about Tim’s upcoming Super Bowl ad and I find the bible references on his eye blacks (something the NCAA might have done something about and I’m hoping the NFL will do something about) annoying.
You will notice that I’m assuming he will play in the NFL. I assume that because although he’s a fundy airhead, he’s a pretty good football player.
I’m sort of wondering how he would fit in with the Giants. The Giants don’t really have someone that could be effective out of the Wildcat formation. Tim might just fit that role quite nicely as well as be a sometimes tight end or slot receiver.
With both Manning and Tebow in the formation, the defense would never know whether a shift into the Wildcat was coming or whether they were going to have to worry about Tim going out on a pass pattern. That could really be fun to watch.
Besides, can you imagine Tebow in the Big Apple? That could really be fun to watch too.
I suspect that Coughlin has too many other problems he needs to address and is too conservative a coach to go for something like this, but then again, hey, ya never know.
You will notice that I’m assuming he will play in the NFL. I assume that because although he’s a fundy airhead, he’s a pretty good football player.
I’m sort of wondering how he would fit in with the Giants. The Giants don’t really have someone that could be effective out of the Wildcat formation. Tim might just fit that role quite nicely as well as be a sometimes tight end or slot receiver.
With both Manning and Tebow in the formation, the defense would never know whether a shift into the Wildcat was coming or whether they were going to have to worry about Tim going out on a pass pattern. That could really be fun to watch.
Besides, can you imagine Tebow in the Big Apple? That could really be fun to watch too.
I suspect that Coughlin has too many other problems he needs to address and is too conservative a coach to go for something like this, but then again, hey, ya never know.
More on the Tim Tebow Ad
Apparently the overwhelming majority of folks don’t see a problem with the Tim Tebow anti-abortion ad to be aired during the Super Bowl.
They are entitled to their opinion but I respectfully disagree for two reasons.
The first is that you are not entitled to exercise your right of free speech on anything at anytime or anywhere. I can think of any number of situations where it would be inappropriate, disrespectful or downright rude.
I consider this case downright rude. I’d like to enjoy the game. I don’t mind advertisements which claim they can improve my enjoyment of life such as beer and car commercials (probably because I’m used to them). I do object to political propaganda. I would object just as strongly to an ad by Choice supporters or Gay Marriage advocates.
My second objection is the sponsoring organization. Regardless of whether the ad is tastefully done as CBS whines, one has to consider the source and what the source stands for. Would CBS air a tastefully done ad submitted by the American Nazi Party or the KKK? Somehow I doubt it.
What Focus on the Family advocates is as objectionable to many Americans as what the American Nazis or the KKK advocate. They would deny other women the right to make the choice that Pam Tebow had full freedom to make; they would relegate gays to second class citizenship and they would happily dismantle the separation of church and state and establish a Christian pre-eminence.
You will excuse me, but Focus on the Family can go to hell. I’d rather not be subjected to their mutterings while I’m trying to enjoy myself. In the same vein, Pam and Tim might want to reconsider the company they're keeping.
They are entitled to their opinion but I respectfully disagree for two reasons.
The first is that you are not entitled to exercise your right of free speech on anything at anytime or anywhere. I can think of any number of situations where it would be inappropriate, disrespectful or downright rude.
I consider this case downright rude. I’d like to enjoy the game. I don’t mind advertisements which claim they can improve my enjoyment of life such as beer and car commercials (probably because I’m used to them). I do object to political propaganda. I would object just as strongly to an ad by Choice supporters or Gay Marriage advocates.
My second objection is the sponsoring organization. Regardless of whether the ad is tastefully done as CBS whines, one has to consider the source and what the source stands for. Would CBS air a tastefully done ad submitted by the American Nazi Party or the KKK? Somehow I doubt it.
What Focus on the Family advocates is as objectionable to many Americans as what the American Nazis or the KKK advocate. They would deny other women the right to make the choice that Pam Tebow had full freedom to make; they would relegate gays to second class citizenship and they would happily dismantle the separation of church and state and establish a Christian pre-eminence.
You will excuse me, but Focus on the Family can go to hell. I’d rather not be subjected to their mutterings while I’m trying to enjoy myself. In the same vein, Pam and Tim might want to reconsider the company they're keeping.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
The Best Medical Care System in the World?
On September 11, 2009, I made the following statement in a post related to Obama’s promises about Health Care Reform:
“The next time some right wing yahoo claims that our health care system is the envy of the world and Obama is trying to destroy it, tell him to STFU and check the facts.”
Well, Governor Bob McDonnell came pretty close last night in his response to Obama’s State of the Union address when he said:
“Most Americans do not want to turn over the best medical care system in the world to the federal government."
I’m sure the French would agree since, the last time I looked, the World Health Organization (WHO) rated their medical care system the best in the world. Where are we ranked you ask? We’re ranked 37th, just behind Costa Rica.
McDonnell is entitled to his opinion about the US “medical care system” but the facts appear to tell a different story.
As stated above, the US is ranked 37th in health care by the WHO. We’re just behind Costa Rica and just ahead of Slovenia. France is 1st; we’re 37th. Japan is 10th; we’re 37th. Saudi Arabia is 26th; we’re 37th. Chile is 33rd; we’re 37th. Dominica, a freaking 291 square mile island nation in the Caribbean, is 35th; we’re 37th.
WTF Bob? Does this look like we have to worry about being knocked out of the #1 position? Or do you figure the WHO is part of a Left Wing conspiracy hell bent upon destroying our health care dominance?
One caveat here. These ranking are a bit old. The last time the WHO did this was in 2000 but there's no reason to expect that the US has improved. As a matter of fact in factors being measure, such as preventable deaths, the US appears to be falling further behind.
One of the major factors taken into account in considering the adequacy of health care is the rate of preventable deaths per 100,000 people. In a 2002-2003 study of 19 industrialized nations supported by the Commonwealth Fund the United States placed dead last. Allow me to repeat that, dead goddamned last. Worse, as alluded to above, the US declined from its 1997-1998 ranking by having the smallest improvement. In those five years nations such as Finland, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Ireland and Portugal passed the US by.
Now let’s talk about infant mortality rate. You know, that thing that’s such a big problem in third world countries? Well the U.S. is ranked 46th according to the CIA World Factbook. Would you like a list of some of the 45 countries that do better? How about Cuba at 44th, Portugal at 30th, Slovenia at 19th, the Czech Republic at 14th, Hong Kong at 5th and Singapore at #1.
Or do you figure the CIA is a part of the same Left Wing conspiracy as the WHO?
Please explain to me how these statistics translate into “the best medical care system in the world?”
But you know, by now I expect Republicans to lie. But it would have been nice if the media, that so diligently reported McDonnell’s statement, also provided the facts.
There’s actually a second lie in that one sentence. The second lie is that the federal government wants to take over health care. No Bob, the federal government wants to REGULATE health care and establish standards for health insurance in the same way that it regulates air travel and establishes standards for aircraft safety. The FAA doesn’t own the airlines nor build the aircraft but it sure as hell dictates the rules and regulations under which they operate.
Why shouldn’t health care be regulated by the federal government as well? A bad health insurance policy can kill you just as dead as an unsafe aircraft. Or do you think we should de-regulate the air travel industry?
We can argue about the positives and negatives of government regulation all you want, but let’s at least be accurate about the objective here. Obama isn’t trying to “turn over” the health care system to the federal government, he’s trying to establish regulations and standards in order to (1) reduce health care costs because one thing we are undoubtedly #1 in is the cost of health care, (2) improve the access to, and the efficiency of, health care so we can move up from that 37 spot and (3) extend health insurance to the almost 50 million Americans who don’t have any. By the way Bob, when one of those 50 million gets sick, guess who ends up paying for their care? We do Bob, you and me and everyone else.
Tell you what Bob, before you come up with answers or say that the president’s answers are the wrong ones, how about you figure out what the questions are.
Ok, I’ve finished ranting and raving. I realize McDonnell had to toe the party line but that’s part of the problem. The party line has become more important than the welfare of the country because the party line has become more important than the truth.
The funny thing is I tend to agree with McDonnell’s general theme that the government is trying to do too much. Let’s leave Iraq; that should free up some time and money.
I also violently disagree with McDonnell and the Republicans about the Bush tax cuts. They were an absolute disaster and part of the reason we’re in the budget hole we’re in. They have got to go.
I don’t expect anything to change in Washington as a result of Obama’s speech. It’s going to take more than rhetoric to change things.
“The next time some right wing yahoo claims that our health care system is the envy of the world and Obama is trying to destroy it, tell him to STFU and check the facts.”
Well, Governor Bob McDonnell came pretty close last night in his response to Obama’s State of the Union address when he said:
“Most Americans do not want to turn over the best medical care system in the world to the federal government."
I’m sure the French would agree since, the last time I looked, the World Health Organization (WHO) rated their medical care system the best in the world. Where are we ranked you ask? We’re ranked 37th, just behind Costa Rica.
McDonnell is entitled to his opinion about the US “medical care system” but the facts appear to tell a different story.
As stated above, the US is ranked 37th in health care by the WHO. We’re just behind Costa Rica and just ahead of Slovenia. France is 1st; we’re 37th. Japan is 10th; we’re 37th. Saudi Arabia is 26th; we’re 37th. Chile is 33rd; we’re 37th. Dominica, a freaking 291 square mile island nation in the Caribbean, is 35th; we’re 37th.
WTF Bob? Does this look like we have to worry about being knocked out of the #1 position? Or do you figure the WHO is part of a Left Wing conspiracy hell bent upon destroying our health care dominance?
One caveat here. These ranking are a bit old. The last time the WHO did this was in 2000 but there's no reason to expect that the US has improved. As a matter of fact in factors being measure, such as preventable deaths, the US appears to be falling further behind.
One of the major factors taken into account in considering the adequacy of health care is the rate of preventable deaths per 100,000 people. In a 2002-2003 study of 19 industrialized nations supported by the Commonwealth Fund the United States placed dead last. Allow me to repeat that, dead goddamned last. Worse, as alluded to above, the US declined from its 1997-1998 ranking by having the smallest improvement. In those five years nations such as Finland, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Ireland and Portugal passed the US by.
Now let’s talk about infant mortality rate. You know, that thing that’s such a big problem in third world countries? Well the U.S. is ranked 46th according to the CIA World Factbook. Would you like a list of some of the 45 countries that do better? How about Cuba at 44th, Portugal at 30th, Slovenia at 19th, the Czech Republic at 14th, Hong Kong at 5th and Singapore at #1.
Or do you figure the CIA is a part of the same Left Wing conspiracy as the WHO?
Please explain to me how these statistics translate into “the best medical care system in the world?”
But you know, by now I expect Republicans to lie. But it would have been nice if the media, that so diligently reported McDonnell’s statement, also provided the facts.
There’s actually a second lie in that one sentence. The second lie is that the federal government wants to take over health care. No Bob, the federal government wants to REGULATE health care and establish standards for health insurance in the same way that it regulates air travel and establishes standards for aircraft safety. The FAA doesn’t own the airlines nor build the aircraft but it sure as hell dictates the rules and regulations under which they operate.
Why shouldn’t health care be regulated by the federal government as well? A bad health insurance policy can kill you just as dead as an unsafe aircraft. Or do you think we should de-regulate the air travel industry?
We can argue about the positives and negatives of government regulation all you want, but let’s at least be accurate about the objective here. Obama isn’t trying to “turn over” the health care system to the federal government, he’s trying to establish regulations and standards in order to (1) reduce health care costs because one thing we are undoubtedly #1 in is the cost of health care, (2) improve the access to, and the efficiency of, health care so we can move up from that 37 spot and (3) extend health insurance to the almost 50 million Americans who don’t have any. By the way Bob, when one of those 50 million gets sick, guess who ends up paying for their care? We do Bob, you and me and everyone else.
Tell you what Bob, before you come up with answers or say that the president’s answers are the wrong ones, how about you figure out what the questions are.
Ok, I’ve finished ranting and raving. I realize McDonnell had to toe the party line but that’s part of the problem. The party line has become more important than the welfare of the country because the party line has become more important than the truth.
The funny thing is I tend to agree with McDonnell’s general theme that the government is trying to do too much. Let’s leave Iraq; that should free up some time and money.
I also violently disagree with McDonnell and the Republicans about the Bush tax cuts. They were an absolute disaster and part of the reason we’re in the budget hole we’re in. They have got to go.
I don’t expect anything to change in Washington as a result of Obama’s speech. It’s going to take more than rhetoric to change things.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
