Obama
Civilized Medicine, Part III. My Proposal
Aug/18/09 11:53
Originally, I was going to make my proposals for healthcare reform as the last item. But now there is so much debating, amending, backtracking, and all around lying, I can’t figure out what’s being proposed. Well, I do know there are no death panels, even if Sarah Palin makes stuff up. Since I’ve installed myself as health care czar (in my own mind), let me make my proposals. Read More...
Healthcare reform = Nazism
Aug/13/09 10:15
I have been vaguely uncomfortable with the comparison of Obama’s healthcare plan with Nazis or Hitler. Use of that analogy in a discussion or debate is often referred to as Godwin’s Law, which states that “As a discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1.” What has begun to trouble me is that either those opposed to healthcare reform are clueless about recent history, or they are representing a form of Holocaust denial, which is a belief that the murder of six million Jews during World War II did not happen. I know that certain individuals in the healthcare debate are prone to rhetorical flourish, but there is no way that healthcare reform is equivalent to Nazi’s. Unless you believe that Hitler was engaged in “healthcare reform”, or worse yet, you think the death of six million Jews is not the worst thing that Hitler did (well, the Holocaust and being directly responsible for the deaths of tens of millions as a result of the war itself).
Many others are becoming convinced that the right wing is spreading Holocaust denial as a part of making their hatred against Obama and this new healthcare plan. According to Arthur Caplan, a renowned bioethicist, “Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and the rest of the loud-mouthed right wing are, when they even hint at an analogy to the Nazis in talking about Obama’s health reform effort, engaged in something far worse than insanity. They are engaged in the vile evil of Holocaust denial.”
Those who are opposed to Civilized Medicine are so filled with hatred, that they cannot even provide cogent and positive points about healthcare reform. You just can’t make stuff up. Read More...
Many others are becoming convinced that the right wing is spreading Holocaust denial as a part of making their hatred against Obama and this new healthcare plan. According to Arthur Caplan, a renowned bioethicist, “Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and the rest of the loud-mouthed right wing are, when they even hint at an analogy to the Nazis in talking about Obama’s health reform effort, engaged in something far worse than insanity. They are engaged in the vile evil of Holocaust denial.”
Those who are opposed to Civilized Medicine are so filled with hatred, that they cannot even provide cogent and positive points about healthcare reform. You just can’t make stuff up. Read More...
Civilized medicine, Part II. Myths
Aug/09/09 10:17
I have found the commentary against the proposed healthcare reform to be both disturbing (Limbaugh’s comments dishonors the memory of the Holocaust) and silly (and kind of disturbing too). But almost all of the comments are based on myths, and as those of you who read this blog know, I can’t stand myths. The disinformation about Obama’s healthcare plan is poisoning the debate, because rational people tend to dismiss an opposing viewpoint if it has no sound foundation in logic. I think that there should be a reasoned debate on how to fix the healthcare system of the US. It’s not happening, because one side is channeling its hatred of the other side, and reason goes flying out the door.
Let me refute some of the more outlandish of the myths about healthcare reform. Let me state upfront that there were so many to choose, and some of them were so laughable, I didn’t know where to start. Read More...
Let me refute some of the more outlandish of the myths about healthcare reform. Let me state upfront that there were so many to choose, and some of them were so laughable, I didn’t know where to start. Read More...
Civilized medicine, Part I. Why?
Aug/05/09 01:01
Unless you live in a world that does not include the media or internet, you must be aware of the level and tone of debate about healthcare reform. Before we can discuss healthcare reform, we need to establish why we need healthcare reform. Cutting through the rhetoric as to what needs to be done, we still need to know the reasons that have lead the US to the point where we need to seriously consider some level of reform of the system. Setting aside some of the rhetoric and arguments, let’s look at the key issues regarding healthcare in the US. Read More...
Civilized medicine
Aug/04/09 23:44
I’m titling this post “Civilized Medicine” as opposed to “socialized medicine.” What I’m really going to discuss is Obama’s healthcare plan, but I wanted to start out by demolishing that old strawman argument that attempts to dismiss new ideas by calling them “socialist.” A civilized society owes its citizens the right to a healthy life. But that’s just semantics, and a thorough review the Obama’s proposal is warranted. When I first started to write this entry, I thought I could do it one article, albeit a long one. Instead, to make it easier to read, I’ve decided to do it over four parts over the next few days. Read More...
Obama's science policy
Apr/27/09 08:10
Today, President Barack Obama gave a speech (audio version can be found here) to the National Academy of Sciences, the nation’s prestigious science advisors. The speech reaffirms his campaign promises regarding science policy (how refreshing that a politician actually follows up on promises made in the heat of the campaign) and follows up on his executive order to reverse George Bush’s ill-founded partial ban on stem-cell research. Below are a few key points of the speech that deserve repeating.
At such a difficult moment, there are those who say we cannot afford to invest in science. That support for research is somehow a luxury at a moment defined by necessities. I fundamentally disagree. Science is more essential for our prosperity, our security, our health, our environment, and our quality of life than it has ever been. And if there was ever a day that reminded us of our shared stake in science and research, it’s today.
Federal funding in the physical sciences as a portion of our gross domestic product has fallen by nearly half over the past quarter century. Time and again we’ve allowed the research and experimentation tax credit, which helps businesses grow and innovate, to lapse.Read More...
Our schools continue to trail. Our students are outperformed in math and science by their peers in Singapore, Japan, England, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, and Korea, among others. Another assessment shows American fifteen year olds ranked 25th in math and 21st in science when compared to nations around the world.
Healthcare IT growth potential
Apr/13/09 07:09
Today, Kim Hart at the Washington Post wrote an interesting column about one of the positive effects of the recently passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (stimulus package) for the health care industry. Approximately $19 billion of the package is specifically targeted for health information technology (HIT) upgrades for providers such as hospitals, clinics, and individual physician practices. As discussed previously, improved HIT is a cornerstone of a long-term plan to improve the quality and decrease the costs of health care in the US.
Investment in HIT should have some positive consequences to the healthcare industry:
Investment in HIT should have some positive consequences to the healthcare industry:
- Improve health care quality
- Prevent medical errors
- Reduce health care costs
- Increase administrative efficiencies
- Decrease paperwork
- Expand access to affordable care
Politics and the FDA
Mar/26/09 10:50
With the election of Barack Obama, many believe that there would be a change in healthcare policy, reversing some of the policies of his predecessor. I had discussed some of the predicted changes several times recently. Additionally, with the appointment of a new FDA Commissioner, Margaret A. Hamburg, I was becoming confident that the FDA would become an advocate for consumers and industry, and that many of the more egregious political decisions that harmed the medical products industry would be overturned or modified. It is clear that the change would be take time because of the many priorities in the new Obama administration, but decisions such as the executive order clearing the way for research using embryonic stem cells are moving medicine and science in a healthy direction.
I personally object to political considerations taking priority for science and medicine. It’s a waste of money, it places undue burdens on both the medical products industry and the agencies that regulate them, and it increases the amount of time to get products onto the market. In addition, it allows foreign companies, whose regulatory agencies may not have these egregious political issues, to bring to market products that help their citizens. In some cases, foreign subsidiaries of US companies provide newer products to residents of those countries than they do for US residents. Read More...
I personally object to political considerations taking priority for science and medicine. It’s a waste of money, it places undue burdens on both the medical products industry and the agencies that regulate them, and it increases the amount of time to get products onto the market. In addition, it allows foreign companies, whose regulatory agencies may not have these egregious political issues, to bring to market products that help their citizens. In some cases, foreign subsidiaries of US companies provide newer products to residents of those countries than they do for US residents. Read More...
Obama & Healthcare 2
Jan/25/09 08:50
According to a report from The Center for Public Integrity, which produces original investigative journalism on public issues, there are over 45 million Americans who lack health insurance. Politicians of all political outlooks have constantly promised Americans a plan for health insurance. Nothing has happened.
President-elect Barack Obama made health care a critical part of his election platform and is now a central facet of his presidential agenda. I can assume that with the current economy, there will be opposing forces of “we can’t afford it” and “we need it for the unemployed”, so it still will not be easy. Read More...
President-elect Barack Obama made health care a critical part of his election platform and is now a central facet of his presidential agenda. I can assume that with the current economy, there will be opposing forces of “we can’t afford it” and “we need it for the unemployed”, so it still will not be easy. Read More...
US Election 2008
Nov/05/08 12:32
Yesterday evening, I watched history being made when Barack Hussein Obama II was elected the President of the United States. For me, the historical importance had nothing to do with his race or color, but it had everything to do with a number of critical issues that are of importance to not only the US, but the world.
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