Archives By Month: January 2020
Equality by Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) A San Francisco longshoreman—turned—author who achieved immediate fame for his book True Believers (1951), in which he described the underlying logic of mass movements, such as Nazism and Communism, and the characteristics of their followers.
A 1956 profile in Look magazine identified Hoffer as “Ike’s Favorite Author,” elevating this blue-collar workingman to the level of President Eisenhower’s bedside table. It wasn’t just Eisenhower who appreciated Hoffer’s intelligence and wit. Public figures, ranging from the author and historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. to the philosopher and social critic Bertrand Russell, praised his […]
The money that the taxpayers have given to the poor has not helped.
I had a discussion with a student in my class who was a tax & spend person. He was quite outspoken in his opinions that taxes should be raised to previous high levels. He seemed to be hostile to the wealthy. I asked him if he thought the rich could pay 100% in taxes. He, […]
A Piece of the Pie by Charles B. Clark, MD. Surgery of the upper extremities.
As managed care was conscripting the medical profession in the 1980s and 1990s, and doctors became impotent to the forces of control of our professional expertise, very few took the risk of not signing the managed care contracts being circulated among us. When I go to the Medical Grand Rounds at the UC Davis Medical […]
Where to now?
Dr. Rosen: It looks like the House has finally voted for impeachment. It was essentially a party-line vote which may set a precedent that whenever both houses are controlled by the same party, the president can be removed against the will of the majority. Dr. Edwards: I agree that the House has set a […]
Common Knee Surgery No Better than a Placebo
Osteoarthritis is a common degenerative disease that attacks knees and other joints. The usual arthritic symptoms of pain, stiffness and swelling prevail. The initial treatments generally are the NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). When the drugs do not control the pain, which is frequently the case, arthroscopic surgery is frequently the next option. It is estimated […]
Cost of a CABG in the U.S. is 4+ times as high as Europe Margot Sanders Katz | NY Times
The International Federation of Health Plans, a group representing the CEOs of health insurers worldwide, publishes a guide every few years on the international cost for common medical services. Its newest report, on 2017 prices, came out this month. Every time, the upshot is vivid and similar: For almost everything on the list, there is […]
Increasing Medicare Coverage only worsens the problem.
There is only one discussion in the country today. It seems to be primarily how to fix Medicare. However, Medicare is the problem. Sometimes the best way to fix a problem that has been present for half a century is to discard the problem and reassess. We have discuss several issues of Medicare improvement, but […]
Communist Reformation by Perestroika and Glasnost Outraged Soviet Bureaucrats; but allowed the surfacing of a very confidential Kennedy memo:
It was during this time that the Soviet records that were made available revealed that Senator Edward Kennedy’s message to Khrushchev was found. Senator Kennedy had sent a memo to Khrushchev about our President Reagan who seemed to be out of control and what would he suggest we should do to control him? In May […]
Kentucky allow women to see an ultrasound of their baby before it is killed Supreme Court Upholds Law Letting Women See Ultrasound of Their Baby Before Abortion BY STEVEN ERTELT | DEC 9, 2019
The Supreme Court has upheld a Kentucky law allowing women a chance to see an ultrasound of their unborn baby before having an abortion. Ultrasounds are generally done before abortionist to determine the age of the baby prior to the abortion, but abortion clinics normally don’t let women see their baby because they may change […]