Bit of a Swiss theme this week; first the Polanski drama, then the planted articles in the Times discussing Swiss health care. See, it isn’t so bad to do without the public option – the Swiss do just fine. That is quite correct: the Swiss have a better health care system than we have, and [...]
Archive for the ‘Health Care’ Category
Swiss Health
Posted in Corruption, Foreigners, Health Care on October 2, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The Fine Print
Posted in Health Care, Obama on September 18, 2009 | 12 Comments »
Ward on Words links to a GQ article from a former Dubya speechwriter describing the TARP launch: [Dubya] especially wanted Americans to know that his plan would likely see a return on the taxpayers’ investment. Under his proposal, he said, the federal government would buy troubled mortgages on the cheap and then resell them at [...]
Reform Week: Health Care
Posted in Health Care, Industrial Policy, Joe Lieberman, Labor Policy, Obama on September 9, 2009 | 12 Comments »
The health care debate is fascinating. While the bailout and subsequent financial adventures entailed a language most Representatives could not even comprehend, most everyone with a pulse believes he understands the health care industry, and being wrong is no impediment. Reminds me of the old and undoubtedly apocryphal tale: Reporter goes to Appalachia in 1964 [...]
This Is PBS
Posted in Health Care, Olympics, Soccer, Television on September 3, 2009 | 5 Comments »
WinSmith over at Daily Kos brings up a good point: if it is so impossible for private industry to compete with the government, how public television did not destroy commercial television? In fact, how come PBS has had such little impact?
Fool’s Gold
Posted in China, Energy Policy, Health Care, Industrial Policy, Labor Policy, Obama on September 1, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Labor Day is as good an excuse as any to sit outside and have a few beers, even if we in America have to be different and observe it on the first Monday in September instead of the first day of May. If you are in Logan County, West Virginia that day, Don Blankenship wants [...]
Theology
Posted in Abortion, Health Care on August 29, 2009 | 7 Comments »
My knowledge of theology is rather limited, but I was quite surprised to see this comment from a Catholic bishop: The Catholic Church does not teach that government should directly provide health care,” Bishop Nickless of Sioux City wrote, adding, “Any legislation that undermines the vitality of the private sector is suspect. Suspect? Really? Where [...]
Strangers in Familiar Lands
Posted in Foreigners, Health Care, Housing Policy, Industrial Policy, Labor Policy, Transportation Policy on August 25, 2009 | 5 Comments »
Bryan Caplan has a thought-provoking post that the reason Americans and Europeans misunderstand each other stems from the difference between experiencing another country as a tourist and as a resident. Where American tourists go wrong: 1. In European countries, historic downtowns of the premiere cities like Paris or Stockholm are by far the best places [...]
Even More About Food
Posted in Food, Health Care, Industrial Policy, Labor Policy on August 24, 2009 | 5 Comments »
I just saw the response of Blake Hurst, a Missouri corn farmer, to Michael Pollan’s long article. Blake’s perspective: I deal in the real world, not superstitions, and unless the consumer absolutely forces my hand, I am about as likely to adopt organic methods as the Wall Street Journal is to publish their next edition [...]
Right Idea, Wrong Place
Posted in Health Care, Nancy Pelosi, Obama on August 17, 2009 | 5 Comments »
Mike Stark, who seems to be auditioning for role of marginally skinnier Michael Moore, interviewed Barack Obama deputy consiglere Valerie Jarrett on Friday and offered this curious suggestion: if the health care bill is being held up by the square states, why not hit them where it hurts and tell them no public option = [...]
Japanese Game Shows
Posted in Foreigners, Health Care, Television on August 15, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Japanese entertainment typically leaves something to be desired, at least for those of us who are not ADD fourteen year-olds with an abiding love of epileptic seizures, but every so often it comes up with a gem of Dada absurdity. Lady One Question, for example: I thought of her while watching Lawrence O’Donnell try to [...]
