Sunday, September 13, 2009
MEDICARE FOR ALL?
To solve the healthcare problem, former Senator and presidential candidate George W. McGovern wants to extend Medicare coverage to all Americans.
There's just one minor problem. Medicare is in the hole and digging faster than ever. The projected deficit in 2007 was $74.6 trillion; in 2008, the projected deficit grew to $85.9 trillion.
There's just one minor problem. Medicare is in the hole and digging faster than ever. The projected deficit in 2007 was $74.6 trillion; in 2008, the projected deficit grew to $85.9 trillion.
DC 9/12 - CROWD SCENES AND COMMENTS
We arrived at the Vienna/Fairfax Metro station, the western terminus of the Orange line, about 11 am. Since we were late, we didn't expect much of a crowd.
Surprise! the parking garage was at least 2/3 full (on Saturday? Never) and the line to get on the train was at least 100 yards outside the station. After an hour, we finally boarded a packed train.
By the time we arrived in Washington, nearly 2 pm, the march down Pennsylvania Avenue was over - only stragglers and latecomers were still on the sidewalks. It was almost a normal Saturday along the street.
This photo was taken as we were nearing the National Mall approaching the Capitol building. It was still relatively quiet, but we could see some crowding ahead of us.
Now approaching the protest site, we can see crowds ahead. The area reserved for the protest is still ahead of us, well beyond camera range.
Now we're joined the crowd. We're still several hundred yards from the reserved area, we're now well inside the crowd.
At this point, we're still in the "outer ring" of protestors. Crowd density is about the same no matter which direction we turned.
Finally! We've gone another hundred yards or so and have made it almost to ihe inside edge of the outer ring.
At last - the ares of the Capitol grounds reserved for the protest. It's so crowded inside that the Capitol Police are only allowing new arrivals inside as some of the protestors inside depart. It takes about 30 minutes of waiting before we're finally allowed inside, but at least we can (barely) hear the speakers from our waiting area.
Inside at last. We've finally made it to within about 100 yards of the speakers' podium. We can't see the speakers easily, but large-screen televisions and loudspeakers allow us to see and hear reasonably well. It's now about 3 pm, the scheduled end for the protest.
Close to 4 pm, the protest is finally over and people begin to exit. The Mississippi contingent (!) is outside the gate, waving good-bye to the protestors.
This is a view of the Capitol reflecting pool, taken about a half-hour after the protest officially ended. The perimeter of the pool is ringed with people, 2 and 3 deep in many places.
An hour afterward, these folks, from Connecticut as I recall, are sitting on the Mall waiting for their bus to take them back home. A long day for them.
How many people attended? I don't know. The estimates I've seen/heard ranged from a low of 50,000 to as high as 2.5 million. Fifty thousand is ridiculously low by any counting standard. We were never in a position to see all, or even most, of the crowd even though we moved around as much as was possible in the crush of people, but I'm sure we saw many more than 50,000 people.
Judging from the crowding on Metro and the number of buses we saw both at the Mall and the Metro stations, the minimum had to be several hundred thousand, and a million is probably high, though certainly not out of the question.
A final note. The attendees were mostly middle-aged and middle-class, typical of working Americans everywhere. Minorities were well-represented, though probably not in proportion to the general population. Everyone was extremely well-mannered; we neither saw nor heard any disruptions for the entire time we were there.
I've seen reports on other blogs remarking how clean the area was left. The reporters are correct. There was plenty of trash, but it was all deposited in the trash containers on site. The Park Service groundkeepers will have very little to do cleaning up.
Surprise! the parking garage was at least 2/3 full (on Saturday? Never) and the line to get on the train was at least 100 yards outside the station. After an hour, we finally boarded a packed train.
By the time we arrived in Washington, nearly 2 pm, the march down Pennsylvania Avenue was over - only stragglers and latecomers were still on the sidewalks. It was almost a normal Saturday along the street.
This photo was taken as we were nearing the National Mall approaching the Capitol building. It was still relatively quiet, but we could see some crowding ahead of us.
Now approaching the protest site, we can see crowds ahead. The area reserved for the protest is still ahead of us, well beyond camera range.
Now we're joined the crowd. We're still several hundred yards from the reserved area, we're now well inside the crowd.
At this point, we're still in the "outer ring" of protestors. Crowd density is about the same no matter which direction we turned.
Finally! We've gone another hundred yards or so and have made it almost to ihe inside edge of the outer ring.
At last - the ares of the Capitol grounds reserved for the protest. It's so crowded inside that the Capitol Police are only allowing new arrivals inside as some of the protestors inside depart. It takes about 30 minutes of waiting before we're finally allowed inside, but at least we can (barely) hear the speakers from our waiting area.
Inside at last. We've finally made it to within about 100 yards of the speakers' podium. We can't see the speakers easily, but large-screen televisions and loudspeakers allow us to see and hear reasonably well. It's now about 3 pm, the scheduled end for the protest.
Close to 4 pm, the protest is finally over and people begin to exit. The Mississippi contingent (!) is outside the gate, waving good-bye to the protestors.
This is a view of the Capitol reflecting pool, taken about a half-hour after the protest officially ended. The perimeter of the pool is ringed with people, 2 and 3 deep in many places.
An hour afterward, these folks, from Connecticut as I recall, are sitting on the Mall waiting for their bus to take them back home. A long day for them.
How many people attended? I don't know. The estimates I've seen/heard ranged from a low of 50,000 to as high as 2.5 million. Fifty thousand is ridiculously low by any counting standard. We were never in a position to see all, or even most, of the crowd even though we moved around as much as was possible in the crush of people, but I'm sure we saw many more than 50,000 people.
Judging from the crowding on Metro and the number of buses we saw both at the Mall and the Metro stations, the minimum had to be several hundred thousand, and a million is probably high, though certainly not out of the question.
A final note. The attendees were mostly middle-aged and middle-class, typical of working Americans everywhere. Minorities were well-represented, though probably not in proportion to the general population. Everyone was extremely well-mannered; we neither saw nor heard any disruptions for the entire time we were there.
I've seen reports on other blogs remarking how clean the area was left. The reporters are correct. There was plenty of trash, but it was all deposited in the trash containers on site. The Park Service groundkeepers will have very little to do cleaning up.
DC 9/12 - STILL MORE PROTEST SIGNS
Tea for me, please.
"I'd rather be waterboarding," Spotted on a young man who didn't seem too impressed with the Left's "kindness to terrorists" movement.
A national monument for the "tax-and-spend"-thrifts.
A fairly common thought, widely expressed.
Too much sweetener in the Kool Aid.
DC 9/12: MORE SIGNS OF THE TIMES
Some more signs spotted throughout the protest:
"Hope and Change" seems to have morphed into "Hope for Change."
But the recycling movement is active.
At least one Democrat seems to have gone from "Hope and Change" to "Hope for Change."
Yes, we can bankrupt America.
Trust the government? Ask an indian, er, Native American.
"Hope and Change" seems to have morphed into "Hope for Change."
But the recycling movement is active.
At least one Democrat seems to have gone from "Hope and Change" to "Hope for Change."
Yes, we can bankrupt America.
Trust the government? Ask an indian, er, Native American.
A VERY GOOD POINT
Responding to an earlier article about opposition to the construction of a 765-kilovolt power line from West Virginia through Virginia to Maryland, Kenneth Haapala makes a very good point, and one I've touched on in an earlier post.
The transmission line required to distribute the power generated requires roughly 100 times the physical area of the power plant itself! And by extension, roughly 100 times the NIMBY-ism in getting it established.
The essential point is that a truly efficient national energy policy is going to require the energy source be matched to the energy consumer. The California model (import energy and export pollution via distant power plants connected to long transmission lines) just isn’t going to work.
An idea that might work (with modification) is the regional approach proposed by David Crane, president and chief executive of NRG Energy. I’m not wholly in agreement, but the concept has merit.
[T]he John Amos [power] plant has an effective capacity of 2,640 megawatts and occupies less than one square mile ... [T]he proposed Potomac Appalachian Transmission Highline {transmission line] requires a swath 275 miles long and 2,200 feet wide (about 115 square miles) ....
The transmission line required to distribute the power generated requires roughly 100 times the physical area of the power plant itself! And by extension, roughly 100 times the NIMBY-ism in getting it established.
The essential point is that a truly efficient national energy policy is going to require the energy source be matched to the energy consumer. The California model (import energy and export pollution via distant power plants connected to long transmission lines) just isn’t going to work.
An idea that might work (with modification) is the regional approach proposed by David Crane, president and chief executive of NRG Energy. I’m not wholly in agreement, but the concept has merit.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
DC 9/12 PROTEST RALLY
The rally was variously estimated at over 1 million. I can believe it, since it took us an hour just to get on the Metro train in Vienna, VA, the outermost stop on the Orange line. Here are some initial pictures.
We came unarmed - this time
Priceless
Obamanomics is a loser
Sarah Palin returns
Already in debt, and can't vote
A real army of Davids
A better "clunkers" program
More signs, crowd shots, some videos and other thoughts on Sunday.
We came unarmed - this time
Priceless
Obamanomics is a loser
Sarah Palin returns
Already in debt, and can't vote
A real army of Davids
A better "clunkers" program
More signs, crowd shots, some videos and other thoughts on Sunday.
SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA
Wow. Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson finally exhibits a glimmer of understanding: “Perhaps we can never fully predict the consequences of our good ideas .... In the end, the least -- and, probably, the most -- we can do is try our best to envision which of our good ideas seems least likely to burden future generations. “
I may have to start taking him somewhat seriously.
I may have to start taking him somewhat seriously.
THERE'S A REASON IT'S CALLED INSURANCE
Edwin L. Fountain is half right:
Uh, not exactly. Here's an example from the Austin American Statesman (August 18; no link):
I'm not eligible for "health insurance" either, other than on my/my wife's employer plan (which do not have a pre-existing condition clause) because I have on my record a cardiac catherization which found a minor blockage. The fact that my cardiologist considers it insignificant is irrelevant. My brother is ineligible as well: he felt a doctor-recommended test was unnecessary and chose not to have it performed.
Insurance is, as described, a risk-pooling mechanism. The premium cost is based on the assessed risk, which can easily be adjusted to accomodate "pre-existing conditions." Automobile insurance works in exactly that way by increasing premiums for young drivers, not denying them insurance.
Here's why Fountain is only half-right: the fact is that health insurance as currently constituted is not insurance - it is prepaid medical care.
People buy insurance against risk, and they agree to pool their risks with other people. In exchange for others paying for the costs of your care if you eventually need it, you agree to pay your share of the costs of theirs. A person with a preexisting condition, however, is not pooling his risk of needing care; he is asking other insured people to pay for his certain costs of treatment. That is no longer insurance against risk. It is cost-shifting.
Uh, not exactly. Here's an example from the Austin American Statesman (August 18; no link):
I am unemployed. My COBRA expires in two months. Once in my life I was diagnosed with hypertesion. I take no nedication at all. But because the diagnosis is on my medical record, my attempts to get private insurance have been denied.
So I will ask ... the same question that I have asked of our senators (no response, of course): How am I to get medical coverage?"
I'm not eligible for "health insurance" either, other than on my/my wife's employer plan (which do not have a pre-existing condition clause) because I have on my record a cardiac catherization which found a minor blockage. The fact that my cardiologist considers it insignificant is irrelevant. My brother is ineligible as well: he felt a doctor-recommended test was unnecessary and chose not to have it performed.
Insurance is, as described, a risk-pooling mechanism. The premium cost is based on the assessed risk, which can easily be adjusted to accomodate "pre-existing conditions." Automobile insurance works in exactly that way by increasing premiums for young drivers, not denying them insurance.
Here's why Fountain is only half-right: the fact is that health insurance as currently constituted is not insurance - it is prepaid medical care.
NAIL, MEET HAMMER
"Hubris-laden charlatans" was the way ... a reader characterized the Obama administration.
Heh.
One of the secrets of being a glib talker is not getting hung up over whether what you are saying is true, and instead giving your full attention to what is required by the audience and the circumstances of the moment, without letting facts get in your way and cramp your style.
Heh.
OBAMACARE 2.0?
Charles Krauthammer thinks Obamacare 1.0 is dead and proposes an exit strategy.
The one saving grace is that the Democrats are not smart enough to listen to Krauthammer.
"[T]here is an exit strategy. And a politically clever one, if the Democrats are smart enough to seize it."(1) Forget the public option."And here's what makes it so politically seductive: The end result is the liberal dream of universal and guaranteed coverage -- but without overt nationalization .... Of course there is [a catch]. This scheme is the ultimate bait-and-switch [to] government-subsidized universal and virtually unlimited coverage [that] will vastly compound already out-of-control government spending on health care."
(2) Jettison any reference to end-of-life counseling.
(3) Soft-pedal the idea of government committees determining "best practices."
(4) More generally, abandon the whole idea of Obamacare as cost-cutting.
(5) Promise nothing but pleasure -- for now. Make health insurance universal and permanently protected.
The one saving grace is that the Democrats are not smart enough to listen to Krauthammer.
ROBINSON STRIKES OUT AGAIN
Eugene Robinson, the Washington Post's (sub)premier columnist, is upset that medical personnel have participated in torture (without admitting that there are those of us who do not necessarily feel that enhanced interrogation is torture): "As for those who said yes, the law should hold them accountable."
Um, Eugene, three things: One,the Hippocratic Oath to which you appear to refer is a medical oath, not legal requirement; it isn't illegal to violate it.
Two, many parts of the oath are controversial even within the medical community. Are you aware that the original oath prohibits abortion? [I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy.]
Three, the phrase "Above all, do no harm," usually attributed to the oath, doesn't specify an object, so the relevant question is "harm to whom?" I'd suggest you look up Asimov's Zeroth Law for a possible answer that you might find disconcerting.
Um, Eugene, three things: One,the Hippocratic Oath to which you appear to refer is a medical oath, not legal requirement; it isn't illegal to violate it.
Two, many parts of the oath are controversial even within the medical community. Are you aware that the original oath prohibits abortion? [I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy.]
Three, the phrase "Above all, do no harm," usually attributed to the oath, doesn't specify an object, so the relevant question is "harm to whom?" I'd suggest you look up Asimov's Zeroth Law for a possible answer that you might find disconcerting.
Friday, September 11, 2009
ADIOS, ACORN
Don't let the door hit you on the way out ....
"The Census Director has sent a letter to the National Headquarters of ACORN notifying the group that the Census Bureau is severing all ties with the community organizing group for all work having to do with the 2010 census."
"The Census Director has sent a letter to the National Headquarters of ACORN notifying the group that the Census Bureau is severing all ties with the community organizing group for all work having to do with the 2010 census."
HEALTH CARE FOR CLUNKERS
Dr. Helen Smith commiserates with the automobile dealers who haven't been paid by the government for the clunkers they sold and relates her own Medicare experience.
Cham wonders:
I remember. It was early in my childhood, but Cham's wonder is largely accurate. Of course, we only went to the doctor when we were sick - there was no preventive care at the time.
Cham wonders:
I wonder how much healthcare would cost if everyone had to pay cash out of pocket. There would be doctor's offices on every corner and minimal staff, just like in South and Central America. You could be seen on a walk-in basis, no appointment necessary.
I remember. It was early in my childhood, but Cham's wonder is largely accurate. Of course, we only went to the doctor when we were sick - there was no preventive care at the time.
WRONG AGAIN
Barack Obama: “Today we are all New Yorkers.”
No. Today I am a (Shanksville) Pennsylvanian: “No one could have guessed that al-Qaeda’s attack on America would be defeated aboard United 93, only minutes after it began. I hope, with all the ferocity of a broken heart that will never mend, their defeat came as a stunning surprise to those animals. I hope every one of them died with a passenger’s hands around his throat. “
No. Today I am a (Shanksville) Pennsylvanian: “No one could have guessed that al-Qaeda’s attack on America would be defeated aboard United 93, only minutes after it began. I hope, with all the ferocity of a broken heart that will never mend, their defeat came as a stunning surprise to those animals. I hope every one of them died with a passenger’s hands around his throat. “
KEEP THE CLUNKER
I left my pickup in the parking garage this morning with the window down, doors unlocked, and the key in the ignition. Four hours later, it was still there.
Must be the “I miss W” sticker on the bumper.
Must be the “I miss W” sticker on the bumper.
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