Doctors have the Wrong Target

I don't know Kevin Hennosy, but he wrote a column for today's Kansas City Star that really hit the nail on the head. He writes:

In my experience, when consumers feel that they pay too much for insurance, they get mad at the insurance companies. Doctors are a different breed.

Rather than use the considerable financial resources and professional credibility of the medical profession to seek insurance regulatory reform that would benefit providers and patients, the doctors' lobby has picked up the insurance industry's banner.

The doctors' approach to this issue makes no sense. Insurance companies raised their rates across the country, but the medical lobby refuses to break ranks with insurers. It appears to me that the doctors have rewarded bad behavior.

In MY opinion, the task of identifying the biggest problems with the American health care system requires attention to the distinction between the symptoms and the disease. The symptoms are many. The U.S. has higher health care costs expressed as percentage of GDP than any other industrialized nation, yet our results place us in 37th place in the world, according to material presented in our class. As a nation, we are not getting the return on our investment that other nations receive. Our expenditures for medical care continue to rise, and the end is nowhere in sight. At the same time, our doctors are staging walk-outs, and pointing the finger at attorneys. Drug companies are encouraging law enforcement to arrest bus loads of senior citizens returning from Canada with life-sustaining drugs in their suit cases. Poor people go without check-ups, while the Super Bowl is interrupted with expensive commercials promoting drugs for erectile dysfunction. (Was America truly more shocked by a glimpse of Janet Jackson’s nipple than by the warning a few minutes before that patients experiencing four-hour erections should seek medical attention?!)

A listing of the symptoms could go on for pages, but the disease that permeates our health system is the power of insurance companies. At virtually every turn, the hand of the insurance companies is diverting money from the health care system to its own pocket.

The doctors so furious at rising malpractice insurance costs ignore the fact that the invoices are on the letterhead of insurance companies, and accept the proposition that their premiums are going to a horde of sharks in nice suits. They blame attorneys rather than looking at the evidence that malpractice insurance in the states with the most anti-consumer “tort reform” legislation is also rising in cost, because the underlying cause of increased premiums is the poor performance of the insurance companies’ portfolios over the past several years.

Insurance companies are also behind the failure of the market to correctly address the increase of cost. In a normal market, the increased overhead cost of malpractice insurance would simply be passed on to the consumer through increased charges for services. But, in the American market, the oligopoly of insurance companies controls how much doctors can charge for their services.

At the consumer level, prices for health insurance continue to rise, causing unrest in labor markets. Who is raising those costs? The insurance companies are the ones sending the bills.

In most investigations, the best advice is to “follow the money.” Doctors and consumers are both sending larger checks to the same entities, but almost nobody is following the money. The biggest problem in health care today is the pervasive power of the insurance companies to control the prices charged and the prices paid.

Politics and Joy - Redux

Way back in January, at the beginning of the whole election process, I wrote about how politics is not always fighting and strife, thought it often feels that way. I wrote:

Only rarely have I felt something different through politics. The first time was the night that Bill Clinton won the White House. I remember meeting a neighbor in the middle of our street and drinking a beer with him, toasting our country's suddenly brighter future. The feeling was not one of malicious pleasure at running Bush from the White House - it was purer than that. It was a feeling that the country was on the right path, and people were united behind a new voice.

Tonight, watching the New Hampshire returns, I felt a bit of that spirit. Yes, there is a negative note of "anybody but Bush", but there is something else going on, too. There is a feeling that we have a group of candidates all of whom have a better vision, and each of their victories is a good thing. I'm happy for Kerry. I'm happy for Dean. I'm happy for Clark and for Edwards. I'm happy with the Democratic party, and I can't help but swell with optimism that our country may well make a bold and bright choice in November.

Bob Harris, writing earlier this week on This Modern World, articulates the same uplifted feeling:

But sitting at home, consuming the product, it feels viscerally (not just intellectually) obvious that not only are my own emotions shared by a hundred million of my neighbors, but if wisely channelled, they're what make more actual democracy possible. Interesting.

I don't know if I'd have been moved the same way tonight if I was physically in Boston. Maybe I would have been outside in the Free Speech Cage or watching Hannity and Colmes chowing down on the entrails of a Campfire Girl with rib sauce. I might have seen only the gears of the machine, not its best and rarest purpose.

Instead, tonight I was reminded of what it feels like to be inspired, even though I'm aware it's a carefully-controlled show. My disbelief was suspended for a little while. Is that good? Is it bad? I have no idea yet. But it felt fantastic. Really.

It's important to remind ourselves, from time to time, that this all is about something bigger than polls and point issues. Politics without that spiritual feeling would lose its luster.

Fox News - Disrespectful and Unpatriotic

Okay, I admit this is hearsay, because I was not willing to subject myself to Fox last night, but Bob Harris reports that Fox talked through the remembrance of 9-11 and the National Anthem. Their brazen partisanship has made them lose all sense of propriety and judgment.

Blinded by the Right

What kind of insane idealogue would try to get health professionals to snitch on their young, sexually active patients? Well, the Kansas Attorney General is one. Can you imagine anything more stupid? Teenagers engaging in sexual conduct would be discouraged from seeking advice when they need it most. I'm astounded by how ridiculous the right wing zealots are, and how scary the implications of their idiocy can be.

Here's your Whiskey - Savor it

Too often, we bloggers indulge in the quick hit and the shallow analysis. Over at the Whiskey Bar, though, Billmon gives us some serious economic analysis to ponder. This is the good stuff, so please don't down it like a shot. Instead, take some time to savor how the Republicans have been waging class warfare for years, and winning against the middle class and poor.

Great Young Democrats

Readers of this blog have seen my struggles with the Governor's race in Missouri - Governor Holden deserves the thanks of every Missourian for his strong protection of our civil justice system and education, while Claire McCaskill may be the stronger candidate to run against Matt Blunt - the shallow, opportunistic spawn of a nitwit.

Thinking Democrats also face a similar tough issue in deciding whom to support for Lieutenant Governor - Bekki Cook or Ken Jacob. This could be an even tougher choice, as both candidates are charismatic leaders with a history of standing up for Missourians. Personally, I'm leaning toward Bekki - mostly because I have met her several times socially, and I know she is a warm and genuine person. I ran into her again in St. Joseph last week, and she's simply a likeable person. I haven't run into Ken in many years, but I'd be pleased to have him as my Lieutenant Governor, as well.

We also have a good race for the Treasurer spot, though I have little difficulty in supporting the dynamic Jason Klumb over the loyal and worthy, but less inspirational, Mark Powell.

In short, the Democrats have an incredible wealth of great candidates. When you add in such great people on the sidelines this time, like Steve Gaw, Roger Wilson and Robert Clayton, it's hard not to feel optimistic about our chances against the sanctimonious, rude, and immature litter of Republicans.

This is important!

One of the most astounding illustrations of the gullibility of the American public is our absolute joy in accepting breathless accounts of horrors committed by the enemy du jour. The Iraqis tossed babies out of incubators - we are better than those monsters!! (Except they didn't, and we aren't.) Hussein created mass graves with hundreds of thousands victimized - we were justified in forcing regime change on that country!! (Except he didn't, and we weren't.)

I know this is unrealistic and stupid, but I wish I could get every American to recognize propaganda when it is being used to justify violence. I wish I could get every American to realize that there are very, very few people out there who are wildly different than we are. Mass murderers do exist, and some of them achieve power, but no country has ever existed where the average citizen did not want almost exactly what you want.

One of the most unsettling parts of Fahrenheit 9-11 was the segment portraying regular Iraqi life pre-invasion. Those awful, evil, America-hating sand-niggers were shown to be normal people, getting married and doting on their children. And the prospect of "nuking them into oblivion" - the mainstay of angry conservative talk radio - became a little more nauseating. Because people over there are like people over here.

America, wake up! The next time someone tells you that another group of people is totally different from you, and they hold nothing sacred, and you have nothing in common with them - REALIZE THAT YOU ARE BEING LIED TO!!!! (And then ask why.)

More from the email bag . . .

One of the less stable correspondents from the right sent an email announcing that Bush is "dumb like a fox", citing a Time magazine article about the 9/11 Commission Finding Ties Between al-Qaeda and Iran. He then points out "And dumb old President Bush has us positioned with our military on 3 sides of Iran."

I know that this guy doesn't speak for the entire right-wing, but most of the stuff he sends me comes straight off the Republican talking points. So, prepare yourself for the new defense of Bush - we invaded Iraq on made up reasons so that we will be in a better position to invade Iran. Got that?

An Open Letter from a Republican

A lawyer in Missouri wrote this letter and shared it on a listserve. I know the guy, and he's not kidding when he claims to come from the Republican side of the aisle. How much damage will the religious right do to the Republican party by alienating the libertarian side of the party?

Dear Senators Bond and Talent:

In this time of “real issues” and “real problems” faced by our Country, I am very disturbed and disappointed that your vote was in support of the Constitutional Amendment to “define” marriage. I have previously voted for both of you. I have traditionally considered myself a Republican in my views. I am a father, and I have been married now for 27 years. The definition of my marriage and my family is not the concern of government. The definition of the union of others, similarly should not be the concern of government. It is my duty to teach my children values and to exhibit my own values in the conduct of my life. It is not the duty of government to usurp that role, either as it pertains to me, my children, or others.

I believe that our Constitution is a document of inclusion… meant to embrace and not exclude. A document, by definition, which protects the rights of the minority from the transient political whims of the majority. I urge you to similarly view the Constitution is such a light and not use it as a tool seeking to divert the attention of the People from the real needs of the time, such as: the economy, health care, foreign policy, national security, and the preservation of personal liberty, just to name a few.

I fear that those who focus on political ends become blinded to the actual views and needs of the electorate. We need health care, We need preservation of jobs, We need a reasonable tax burden, We need participation in partnership with other Countries of the world, We need a balance struck between security and the preservation of personal liberty so that by our own political deeds we do not accomplish the goals of terrorist, that being the destruction of those freedoms that have long distinguished us in the world. We need a sound energy policy and the development of renewable resources. We do not need to stir dissent within our own house, nor sow the seeds of division and discord.

Mine is but one vote, however, I suspect that my views are more mainstream than the view of those pundits who purport to “protect” my family values for me.

$1 to RIF for your Most Memorable Reading Experience in the Last Ten Years!

A friend of mine forwarded this email from someone at Reading is Fundamental, and it seems like a worthy enough cause to share:

Help RIF and talk about your most memorable reading experience of the last ten years........

Powells.com celebrates our tenth anniversary with an invitation to share your most memorable reading experience of the past decade. For each response submitted, we'll donate $1 to Reading Is Fundamental, the nation's largest nonprofit children's literacy organization. Ten finalists will each win Powell's Cards worth $100. One grand prize winner will claim $1,000 in books - guaranteed to make the next decade of reading a memorable one, indeed. Submit a response (300-750 words) by July 31 and we'll even throw in a commemorative tenth anniversary
mousepad free with your next order!

Just a word about Powells: it is a fabulous independent bookstore in Portland that sells both new and used books. Their inventory is amazing: you will find pretty much anything you are looking for there, even if it has been out of print for 20 years. The company is very active in community service, and they have consistently supported Portland area schools and literacy programs. They also sponsor incredible literacy events. is fabulous, and if you buy $50 worth of books shipping is FREE. Plus, they're in Oregon, so there's no sales tax. What a deal!

As for me, my most memorable reading experience of the last 10 years is actually an unpleasant one. I was working for Spherion, a staffing company, and the legal division had just been taken over by the "professional recruiting group", which was basically the people who headhunted for accountants. I had met my new boss, a guy named Eric Archer, and he sent me a copy of a book called Who Moved My Cheese, by Spencer Johnson. I was pleased and flattered that the new head of my division had recognized my value and had taken the time to choose a book for me.

Then I read the book, and I realized the guy was both semi-literate and insane. The book is a horrible piece of trash - a thin pamphlet written for people who have never read a real book. The poorly written message is that you are a powerless mouse, personally and professionally, and, when change is imposed on you, you should not question the change or try to seek justice - you should simply scurry about and try to make do. Receiving it from your boss is a message that you're about to see how much can change, and your opinions are not welcome.

Sure enough, the book was well-chosen, as the new management began changing everything from compensation plans to computer systems, and began insisting that we shift our focus from client service to short-term profits and slimy tactics.

The book alerted me to the fact that I needed to get out of the company. While I love reading, my most memorable reading experience in the last ten years was paging through Who Moved My Cheese, and realizing I needed to find a better job.

More Proof that I'm a Bad Person

I laughed at this page, which purports to be the homepage of "BASH - Baptists are Saving Homosexuals", and addresses the issue of whether Bush is gay.

I know, I know - just chalk this up to a little Friday fun.

Edwards - Vile Ambulance-Chaser?

The Republicans have rallied around a talking point intended to diminish John Edwards, the nezt vice-president of the United States. That talking point emphasizes that Edwards made his money as a personal injury lawyer - that parasitic species that exists only to destroy American businesses with frivolous lawsuits.

The Bush-loving Tucker Carlson chose to make this an issue, pointing out that Edwards "was a personal-injury lawyer specializing in Jacuzzi cases". Instead, Carlson thinks America should vote for a man who made money the American way - by screwing taxpayers with the assistance of his bigshot father.

Here's a little background on that "Jacuzzi case" those "compassionate conservatives" are talking about:

"On a summer evening in 1993, David Lakey took his little girl swimming at a recreation center in Raleigh, N.C. Valerie Lakey was 5 years old, a good swimmer, and she and her friends liked to splash around in the children's wading pool that stayed open a little
later than the big pool where they usually swam.

That's what Valerie was doing when a nearby mom heard her call out for help. Valerie was sitting on the bottom of the shallow pool, and the suction from the drain was holding her down. David Lakey raced to free his daughter but couldn't. Other parents jumped in the water to help, but they couldn't get Valerie loose. Valerie was scared, and she began to say that her stomach hurt.

Time passed, and somebody figured out how to turn off the pool's pump. The suction broke, and Valerie was released from its grip. But as David Lakey pulled his daughter from the water, blood and tissue filled the pool. Valerie's intestines had been sucked out.

David Lakey slumped to the ground on the side of the pool. He held his daughter on his chest, praying as they waited for an ambulance. Over and over, he told Valerie, "Daddy loves you. Daddy loves you. Daddy loves you."

This account of what happened to Valerie Lakey comes from "Four Trials," the book John Edwards wrote last year as he prepared to run for the presidency. Edwards represented Valerie in a lawsuit against the company that made the drain cover in that swimming pool. A jury awarded her $25 million, compensation for a life of intravenous feedings and colostomy bags."

Would you trade your child's intestines for $25 million? Tucker Carlson might, but would you? How about if you found out that the pool-drain company knew that people had been injured before by its product, that the product could have been made safe by the use of two inexpensive screws, and that the company had thought about including a written warning with the product but didn't do so?

The Republicans want to put a cap on the recovery of children who have their intestines sucked out by negligent corporations - oh, a couple hundred thousand dollars ought to take care of something like this.

People like John Edwards see situations like this and say why. Republicans see injured little children and say why not.

An Epidemiologist looks at Terrorism

I've not yet had the opportunity to meet Jessica Wilson, but I hope to remedy that sad fact someday. Her blog, For the Record, is a collection of the finest and most accessible thinking one can find on the internet. Today, she brings to our attention "Hatred is the virus, love is the vaccine", which highlights a speech by epidemiologist Larry Brilliant.

For those multitudes of Americans calling on our military to level Fallujah and the rest of Iraq, please think about his perspective:

The only thing that will prevent terrorism, if I may use a four letter word, is love.

I'm not speaking metaphysically about brotherly love. I am speaking practically. The Al Qaedas of the world cannot recruit and plot in secret in villages far away, if half the people love America or, better still, what America stands for. That is why it is so important for America to stand for something worthy of love.

Terrorism is like an epidemic. Hatred is a virus, love is the vaccine. A community immunized by love and tolerance can ward off occasional preachers of a message of violent hatred. When there is no one in the village who loves America, we lack eyes and ears and friends and the Al Qaeda's of the world have found fertile breeding and recruiting grounds.

Sorry for the Light Blogging

I've been working hard on a new blog for my Missouri Bar Board of Governors race. Wish me luck - all the candidates are top-notch.

Persona non grata

In a prior post, I wrote about how I feel that commenting is one of the things that makes blogging important. Since that time, I've learned that I've been banned from blogging on a couple right-wing sites because I pointed out factual errors in their posts.

It must be tough to exist in the world with such thin skin that you need to block the facts . . .

Neil Young Keeps On Rockin' In the Free World

To pre-1978 me, Neil Young was simply the Y in old CSNY songs, and the annoying voice in such annoying songs as "After the Gold Rush" and "Heart of Gold." Those are the songs that got St. Louis radio play back then, and I was not a fan, much preferring the more approachable songs of soft-rock favorites like Billy Joel and James Taylor. What can I say? I may have been the first "emo" high school student, or I may have just been a wimp. (Perhaps the past tense is wrong - I still enjoy some of the great ones, like Captain Jack or Fire and Rain.)

In 1978, I went away to college, and a friend introduced me to the real Neil Young. Amazingly powerful guitar with lyrics that bristled with passion and engagement, I found myself cranking "Southern Man", "Walk On", and "Helpless" with abandon. The songs of Neil Young provide a raucous soundtrack of a time when I learned a lot about myself and others.

To hear Neil's amazingly prescient "Rockin' in the Free World" at the close of Fahrenheit 9-11 was, for me, the most powerful part of the movie. It reminded me of college days, and how much people cared and thought and discussed the issues of the day, in long conversations into the night. At Union College, I was chair of "Intellectual Cabaret", where we would have speakers come in and debate issues such as "What is Art" or "Evolution", and we would fill the coffee house with people who wanted to participate (or who wanted the free beer and pretzels).

My point in this rambling reminiscence? Neil Young has been an alert, passionate and urgent voice for decades. A dozen years before 9-11, he sang out:

"But there's a warnin' sign on the road ahead
There's a lot of people sayin' we'd be better off dead
Don't feel like Satan, but I am to them
So I try to forget it, any way I can."

Go get the album - Freedom. While you're at it, you ought to pick up Tonight's the Night and Live Rust. Crank 'em.

One of those thousand little cuts that kill our country

Bob Harris, subbing in at This Modern World, provides a tiny example of how our great nation has suffered in the hands of Bush. In the context of the colossal loss of power and prestige Bush has brought to us, it is nothing. But it still makes me sad for what we could be now, and it makes me determined to get us back on the right path.

The International Cricket Council has opted not to play matches in the United States, because the "disturbing possibility that a high-profile Muslim player could be stranded at an American airport, trying to explain to bemused immigration officials that he had a vital cricket World Cup match to play in Florida, was a damaging scenario that the ICC and the West Indies World Cup organising committee dared not take."

So, a few cricket matches won't take place on our shores, and a few citizens won't get exposed to a sport that unites much of the rest of the world, and our splendid isolation will claim a few more victims.

It's no big deal. It's just one of the countless millions of opportunities to grow that our country will miss because of Bush.

Kerry/Edwards

Since I preferred Edwards to Kerry, guess who was thrilled to see that the next Vice President of the United States will be John Edwards?! He's smart, charismatic, and a doesn't have that implacable sneer of Cheney. He's great, and will add some energy to a campaign that is already dominating the idiot son of 41.

For the heck of it, here's my son Sam's take on seeing the two of them on the same day as primary candidates.

Irony Overload!

Bush has questioned whether Edwards has sufficient experience to be vice president.

Honestly, you can't make up material that good.

Flip-Flop On Governor

At the suggestion of a good friend, I have taken another look at the Governor's race in Missouri. A few weeks ago, I jumped off the fence, and endorsed Governor Holden, mostly because of information that Claire McCaskill had endorsed tort reform. Well, my friend pointed out, the truth is a little more complex than that.

Both Holden and McCaskill support some forms of tort reform - and I agree that some aspects of the tort system could bear some examination. The worst aspects of tort reform - caps on non-economic damages and limitations on attorneys' fees, are the real threat to our civil justice system, and both Holden and McCaskill can be counted upon to veto any such laws.

My friend tells me "I looked Claire in the eye, she is not signing a a tort reform bill."

Okay, good enough for me. First I was on the fence, then I was off it, now I've jumped it. I'll have a Claire sign in my yard before the sun sets tonight.

Regardless, I'll be supporting the primary winner against Blunt.

Senator Talent and Congressman Akin hate our Constitution

Missouri Republican Senator Jim Talent and Republican Congressman Todd Akin are sponsoring legislation to limit the power of federal courts to rule on the Pledge of Allegiance. Why on earth would they do something so incredibly stupid? Well, according to Akin, he KNOWS it's unconstitutional! Akin wrote that the Supreme Court's recent dodging of the issue on standing grounds doesn't change (I swear I'm not making up this priceless quotation!) "what remains obvious: that under a fair reading of the court's Establishment Clause precedents, 'under God' is unconstitutional."

Apparently, Talent cares even less about history than he does about the Constitution - he wants to send a message to judges that "We've managed this without you for 200 years and we can manage it now," he said. "So stay out of it." Hasn't anybody told that ignoranus that "under God" was added during the McCarthy era?

A Vote for Bush is a Vote for the Draft

As regular readers know, I am an extremely proud parent of two outstanding teenagers. They are 17 and 18, and their hopes and dreams mean more to me than my own.

Their hopes and dreams don't include going to Iraq to fight in an adventure mapped out by neocons and falsely described as a "war on terror". Their hopes and dreams don't include dying in Iran or wherever else Bush may choose to send our troops if he were to be elected in November.

Their unwillingness to serve as slaves to Bush's shenanigans is not unusual. 37% of all college students said they would be "likely to try to evade the draft," while another 21% would be willing to serve "but only if stationed in the United States." Only 35% of college students today would be "willing to serve and fight anywhere in the world."

It is becoming increasingly obvious that Bush will be reinstating the draft if he gets a second term. Of course, he is presently denying any such intention, but I don't trust him in the slightest. He has lied to us often in the past, and nobody would expect him to be honest about his plans to adopt such an unpopular policy. But, if he were elected in 2004, with a vice-president who has no intention of seeking the presidency, his administration would be free to defy public opinion.

Now, even the right-wing news sources are admitting that "the Pentagon has stepped up preparations for a new Selective Service System that could allow for a full-blown draft by next year."

Look at the evidence. Our troops are stretched incredibly thin. "Stop move" and "stop loss" are two new policies introduced to force soldiers to continue their deployments indefinitely. On Tuesday, July 6, thousands of former soldiers are going to find orders calling them back to the army. Does that sound kind of like a draft to you? Do you think things are going to get better, or get worse? If they get worse, who else can they come after?

The Bush administration, egged on by chicken-hawk neocons, probably thought that they could get away with invading a sovereign nation without instituting a draft. Who knows - perhaps they could have, if they were competent. But they aren't competent, and Iraq continues to become a death trap for American troops. Now, Bush is rattling his sabre at Tehran, and God only knows what other insane plans the neocons have whispered into his ear for 2005.

If you have teenaged children, or if you know teenaged children for whom you wish a future that does not include serving as a target of enraged Iraqi's (or Iranians, or Koreans, or . . .), then, please, please, please, do not vote for Bush in November.

Saddam Connection Confirmed!!

The Bush Administration has been trying to divert attention from the fact that Iraq had nothing to do with 9-11 by claiming that al-Qaida had contact with Sadam Hussein prior to 9-11. To help people assess the relevance of this assertion, I offer up photographic proof that Rumsfeld is a member of al-Qaida:

Why was Rumsfeld there? To reassure Saddam that his use of chemical weapons against the Iranians was not really a problem . . .