Month: May 2006

Yeah, Universal Healthcare Sucks.

So it turns out that not only are Americans less healthy than the British (who have universal health coverage), Americans are also less healthy than the Canadians (who also have universal health coverage).

Specifically, Americans suffered with more diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, and arthritis. More Americans were overweight, more Americans reported not being able to afford medications. You might find it to be of concern that Canadians are three times more likely to have an unacceptable wait time to see a doctor, but it’s still only 3.5%. Think about that the next time your 10:15 appointment begins at 11:00. By contrast, Americans are seven times more likely to put off medical care because they can’t afford it.

Even Forbes is running an article that quotes experts saying things like “We (Americans) have the best doctors, best hospitals, and best nurses in the world. But the way we finance healthcare just doesn’t let us do the job. Given what we are now spending on our healthcare system, we can do better — if we just had national health insurance and were allowed to do it right.” In short, The Best is available to Americans, but it doesn’t matter if we can’t afford it. And that’s in Forbes, a publication with well-known old-fashioned socially and fiscally conservative philosophies.

The time has come to stop mucking about with an expensive system that doesn’t work, and implement a system that has already been proven in several nations.

In closing: another strand of the Gordian Knot called immigration; one town tries to decide what to do when a river doesn’t run through it anymore; the last two CEOs turned Treasury Secretary did such a fine job that President Bush nominated a third one for the job; we need alternative energy sources so badly we can’t bother with conservation anymore; and finally (thanks Brian), a man who is tough on a bathtub.

Fly Like an Eagle, to the Sea

You think it costs big money to fuel up a full-sized SUV? Imagine what it costs to fill the tanks on an airplane!

If you have the occasion to look at the back cover of Forbes’s Investment Guide Special issue, you will notice a full-page ad for Dassault Falcon, a manufacturer of small jet aircraft. The ad features rusting antique gas pumps and the all-capitals tagline “GET 20-60% MORE MPG AND LEAVE THE COMPETITION BEHIND.”

Yeah, that’s right. Luxury jets being promoted on the basis of fuel efficiency. Things are tough all over, eh?

It will be interesting to see how this same issue plays out between the world’s two largest makers of commercial jet aircraft, Boeing and Airbus.

Inflated Expectations

The Dow fell today — strictly speaking, it continued a slide from last week’s multi-year highs — along with the other indices and Treasuries on news that the Consumer Price Index rose more than expected, an annual rate of 5.1%. Even taking out food and energy, the core rate is 3%. These figures are both up substantially over last year. Of course, ShortWoman readers may remember this paragraph:

Finally, while you may be aware that Gas and Oil prices are at or near all-time highs you may not be aware that other commodities are also at high prices. Commodities being the building blocks of pretty much anything you can buy, this makes inflation almost a sure thing. Gold is also at multi-decade highs. Remember, investors usually buy gold when they are worried that all heck is going to break loose in the economy.

Seriously, how can anyone have not expected some inflation? The stuff companies use to make other stuff is at record high prices. The fuel used to power the machines that make stuff is at high prices. The fuel used to get the stuff to the store where you can buy it is at high prices. Are we surprised that there is inflation, or are we surprised that the Department of Labor can no longer hide inflation by rigging the numbers?

We might be forced to admit that the Emperor is nude. To think how recently financial news shows were talking about the Dow hitting a new record.

Fair warning, the CPI numbers pretty much mean the FOMC will have little choice but to raise interest rates at their June meeting. For pity sake, if you haven’t refinanced anything with a floating interest rate, will you please fix that?

In closing: Peruvian Princess Warrior! As “organic” food becomes more popular and more readily available, are standards for organics being maintained? Yet another article about the NSA phone record database. My favorite tidbits: yes the FISA court was told this would happen, but they didn’t actually approve it; Verizon swears they aren’t involved; and this choice quote from a Republican Senator, “For as long that I know of, the government has always had an opportunity to look at business records without a court order,” he said. “Business records are not personal property.” Alright, then the Senator won’t mind if we begin by looking at his business records? Apparently it’s ok to live in sin if you have only one kid. But have more than one, and this town thinks it can evict you. And a final bit of absurdity, “New federal guidelines ask all females capable of conceiving a baby to treat themselves — and to be treated by the health care system — as pre-pregnant, regardless of whether they plan to get pregnant anytime soon.” Boy, next thing you know it will be illegal to sell booze to any woman of childbearing age.

The Blair Shorties Project

They keep saying they are only actually listening to calls to and from known terrorists — in which case how come they haven’t been arrested yet — but nevertheless “NSA has massive database of Americans’ phone calls,” part of a government plan “to create a database of every call ever made.” Because you never know when it might be important to know exactly who you talk to and when. Firestorm already beginnning, with the President denying that the NSA is “trolling through” people’s lives (and so what does he call a list of every phone call you’ve made in the last year?) and certain congressmen saying “Umm, what?”

In completely unrelated news, speaking of the NSA, “The government has abruptly ended an inquiry into the warrantless eavesdropping program because the National Security Agency refused to grant Justice Department lawyers the necessary security clearance to probe the matter.” Well! That takes care of that!

Of course the Senate has taken some time out of their busy schedules to extend a tax break on stock dividends. Yeah, because that’s really on the top fo the list of American’s concerns right now. After all, the National Debt isn’t growing fast enough.

The Seattle Times asks Why does a good economy not feel that way? Now if we can get people asking that in places like Topeka and Oklahoma City and Memphis, we are in business.

Yet another serious vulnerability of Diebold voting machines has been found.

Maybe you are aware that the President has been in the practice of signing laws with a statement saying he doesn’t have to follow them. I suppose it’s easier than vetoing. The Boston Globe has compiled a few such statements for you. There are several serious issues involved, particularly since some of the laws were basically intended to stop a certain practice of the Administration. You may dimly recall from High School Civics that the Executive Branch — of which the President is the head — is supposed to enforce the law. The President has said essentially that he can ignore laws he doesn’t like. Oh, that’s only “when they conflict with his legal interpretation of the Constitution.” I don’t want to take his words out of context. How can we trust them to enforce the law when they won’t even agree to follow the law? How can the President be made to follow the law? Can we trust him to surrender the Presidency at the end of his term, or will he decide there was a problem with the Constitutional Amendment limiting him to two terms? And a more scary thought, if we can’t trust the President to follow American laws written by Congress, how and why should Iran trust him to follow international law during and following talks on nuclear weapons?

Finally, while you may be aware that Gas and Oil prices are at or near all-time highs you may not be aware that other commodities are also at high prices. Commodities being the building blocks of pretty much anything you can buy, this makes inflation almost a sure thing. Gold is also at multi-decade highs. Remember, investors usually buy gold when they are worried that all heck is going to break loose in the economy.

Sorry to be all doom and gloom today. You weren’t expecting comics, were you?

I Appreciate Teachers…

But I Hate Teacher Appreciation Week.

Depending where you are, either this week or next is Teacher Appreciation Week. The fact that it is a week at all is evidence that the whole thing is out of hand, inasmuch as the National Education Association only recognizes a National Teacher Day.

If you have a child in a school that celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week, you have most likely been approached — or at the very least received a note — reminding you of the event and asking you to help out at a teacher luncheon or maybe contributing for a group gift. Perhaps your local parent/teacher group is really out of hand and has organized events and suggested gifts for each day of the week. By way of contrast, look at the suggestions from the actual national PTA and the California PTA. Notice the emphasis on small tokens of esteem and community building expressions of gratitude. Oh, and better yet, notice that the folks in California encourage periodic (and inexpensive) appreciation of teachers throughout the year.

Someone needs to take the handful of busybody parents who are turning this into a big magilla aside and explain a few things to them. Teacher Appreciation is about saying thanks, nothing more. Parents do not have the time and money to pick a thoughtful gift or five for each of their kids’ homeroom teachers. And let’s not forget that in a modern school there are specialists to consider! Even if you only spend $5 on each of them, it adds up in a hurry. It is hardly fair to leave out each child’s Spanish, Drama, Music, PE, Art, Science and Math teacher. While you are at it, don’t forget the staffers who make it possible for everyone to get work done: the Principal, teaching assistants, reading specialists, school librarian, and probably a half dozen other people. Do we appreciate them any less because they don’t have a homeroom? Should we?

Nor, frankly, do teachers want to be buried under a mountain of gifts no matter how thoughtful from each of the hundred kids who they teach in any given week. They can only use so many “World’s Best Teacher” mugs, there’s only room for so many bouquets on their desks, they don’t a mountain of muffins for breakfast, they can really only keep track of a dozen or so Border’s Gift Cards without splitting their wallets.

And worst of all, kids get caught in the middle, ferrying notes and gifts. There is inevitably somebody who has brought something cooler and somebody who has brought nothing. And who exactly is teaching the kids during that teacher appreciation luncheon on Friday? Nobody.

This is a holiday not even Hallmark could love. Yeah, they’re skipping this one in favor of Mother’s Day.

In closing: You won’t be needing those Fourth and Fifth Amendments, will you? Good, good. Thoughts from Blumenthal on the Administration. What has Al Gore been up to lately? Some funny pictures. An article about why there never seem to be any pens in the supply closet. And last but certainly not least, Willie Nelson on the growing farm crisis: why good farms, healthy food, healthy environment, and healthy local economies go together.