Compromise Usually Means Nobody’s Happy

 

You’ve all seen this little illustration. In the old days perhaps you had a copy sitting next to the fax machine. There’s a variation that’s “what the kids wanted,” “What the school district approved,” etc.. 

Unfortunately, this idea now applies to health insurance. 

What the majority of Americans want is Medicare for All. 

What for profit insurance companies and their well paid executives want is mandatory purchase of coverage by all Americans (if there has to be any change at all).

What many politicians and most business owners want to do is lower costs.

Some other politicians and some insurance companies want is continuation of the status quo.

What almost all politicians are is afraid to be on the “wrong” side.

What some lawmakers are now proposing is a government run health insurance company, with a requirement that everybody buy health insurance and some way to help “lower income” families afford coverage. To me this sounds like the worst of all worlds: mandatory coverage, plus tax credits that won’t help, plus a nice new bureaucracy whose rules will probably be every bit as byzantine as those from for-profit health insurance companies.

Here’s the thing. What most Americans want turns out to be the thing a bunch of economists say would be the best thing. It would certainly be an undeniable good thing for entrepreneurs, the unemployed, those at risk of losing their jobs, and all women. 

Why won’t our elected officials stand up to insurance special interests and actually talk about what their constituents want? Why are they more afraid of special interests than they are of us?

In Closing: Since it turns out that a little daydreaming and seeing things that are “cute” does good things for productivity, here’s news on a couple of Japan’s feline stationmasters (other than Tama-san of course); Cheerios is a drug?; financial literacy video games; medical tattoos; and at least ending use of the phrase “war on drugs.”

Update: Many thanks for the link from Crooks and Liars. This is now one of my most popular posts ever. Unfortunately, that means it has been the target of comment spam, and I have had to turn off comments.

Having a Job is Job One

In April, the American economy lost over half a million jobs, and that’s still not quite as bad as expected. The Economic Policy Institute did all the heavy math to show us that we need 7 million new jobs — that’s 7,000,000 — to get back to where we were before the recession began. Don’t forget to look at their charts for job losses and unemployment rising as compared with past recessions.

Things are bad enough that USA Today had to run an item on whether or not multi-level marketing plans were “a good choice for you.” Well here’s a hint folks: when someone would rather sell you their business than their product, you don’t want it. If the product is so good, why on earth would they want more competitors selling it? 

In Closing: Worst CEOs Ever; 33rd bank failure of the year (exceeding last year’s total already, and it’s only May); when torture enhanced interrogation becomes murder, you don’t get any “valuable intelligence” from them anymore; why Republicans wanted to curtail the ability of bankruptcy judges to address debtors’ biggest debt; the President demands a bill to crack down on credit card abuses; and Happy Mothers Day.

Announcement

It is my pleasure to inform all ShortWoman readers about the relaunch of Age Against the Machine. The renovated site will feature commentary on nutrition, fitness, anti-aging, and general health. Included will be regular reviews of books, exercise programs, and other products written impartially. Oh, yeah, and I’m one of the writers. Most of the stuff I would have posted in the “Eat, Drink, and Move That Body!” will be over there instead. Come visit us!

In Closing: a lot has been said about health care, health insurance, and reform thereof in the last couple of days; Congressional leaders bowing to credit card companies while forcing the rest of us to kneel and take it; on the reform of No Child Left Behind; Sakura; and “Pull over! Hey Joe, you want a burger?” “Uh sure Barrack, let’s have a burger!” How quickly we forget how much time Mr. Clinton spent at McDonalds.

And So April Ends

In 2004 I talked about Tax Day and Evil.

In 2005 we had the horror — horror! — of Books on a Plane. Ten times as educational as Snakes any day!

For 2006, we have a suddenly relevant item on health insurance. Admittedly, I now think that universal health care is the only true way forward.

April of 2007 was a simply awful month for public slaughter of other human beings. But some weeks before the Virginia Tech incident I posted this item on domestic violence.

And in 2008 I talked about how to insure that any “reform” of the educational system actually worked.

In closing: Is it iced coffee weather?; when biometrics go wrong; auto industry bail-out taking a long drive off a short pier (sorry, the auto industry bailout jokes just drive themselves… ooops, there I go again); swine flu (or anything else) vs homeopathy; torture logic, like a boss; and fusion centers are about violating your rights, not tasty cuisine.

Big

When I have dinner at a nice restaurant, I can reasonably expect that people at neighboring tables will not be blowing cigarette smoke at me. When I buy a ticket on an airplane, I should reasonably expect to have a seat — a whole seat, without somebody else’s flesh crammed against me.

I have some little stack chairs in my kitchen. They’re not fancy, but they do the job and are easily moved around the house. There is no harm done if a black person, or an Hispanic person, or a Catholic sits on these chairs. Nothing bad will happen if an elderly person or a man or a young child sits on them. However, these chairs would probably break if a 400 pound person were to sit on them. That’s not because they are bad people, it’s just that the chair isn’t designed for them.

Differences in access to the health care system notwithstanding, being a different religion, nationality, gender, or having a different marital status does not automatically put someone at risk for heart disease, dementia, high blood pressure, cancer. None of these things is a leading indicator of diabetes risk. Obesity is a risk factor for all of the above. True, race can be a risk factor for heart disease and cardiovascular disease among other conditions, but some researchers feel that other risk factors (including income) are also at play. Weight loss  in the overweight and obese reduces the risk of heart disease, osteoarthritis, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, some cancers, incontinence, infertility, and diabetes almost universally. This holds true regardless of whether it is done with “diet and exercise,” or more radical interventions such as gastric bypass surgery. 

Yesterday I read two items on civil rights. The first was Sojourner Truth’s brilliant speech on women not being inferior to men, usually known as “And ain’t I a woman?” The other was a Reuters item entitled Obesity becoming U.S. civil rights issue for some.

A civil rights issue? How? I can’t become a man without surgery, I can’t become black, I can’t become Asian. I can learn foreign languages but that will never change my national origin. However, I can control my weight, and I can do it without surgery. I can gain weight; I can lose weight. One is harder than the other I confess, but yet I can.

The only way I can possibly rationalize being overweight or obese as some sort of civil rights issue is if we are going to say that obesity is in fact a handicap, covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Even then, ADA says “reasonable” modifications, and that often modifications must be paid for by the disabled person effected. Why do I have the nagging feeling that won’t be acceptable to the “fat acceptance” crowd?

Don’t get me wrong, I am not “just bagging on fat people.” There are two points in this article on which I can agree. First, “promoting health at every size” is a good thing. However, every doctor knows that “healthier at a normal size” is a better thing. I reject the idea that “fat is my normal.” To accept that means you accept that humans are rapidly evolving to be heavier, with weaker hearts, brains, joints, and pancreases. You aren’t going to get Marcus Welby to “tolerate” the fact that these people are more likely to get chronic illnesses — don’t even get Dr. House started (no really, I can’t stand him). Granted, the medical community often has not done a great job helping these people, but the “fat acceptance” crowd doesn’t want them to do a better job. They want medical professionals to tell them it’s ok to be fat.

Second, of course everybody should be able to buy clothes that fit and look good on them! Believe me, I know a few things about the difficulties of buying clothes when you don’t perfectly fit the fashion industry’s ideas about your body. Short people and tall people have understood for years that there would be times they had to order things from catalogs, get things altered, or even have things custom made. Welcome to my world, Big Girls! If the fashion industry thinks that the one in 5 American women who are under 5’2″ are not a viable market, I don’t know what makes them special. Clothes are not a civil rights issue.

Over the years, I have known many overweight or obese people who were smart, hard working, funny, and great to be around. But if they are on a plane next to me, they had better stay on their side of the armrest. And when they visit, they better not break my kitchen chairs.

In Closing: HFCS; B of A’s Judgement Day; the first swine flu death was a tax inspector who probably knocked on 300 doors while ill; huh, Reagan thought torture was a bad thing (an inconvenient truth indeed); oh no, Steve Jobs is too sick to attend a hearing regarding his property;  and maybe the bank’s pain should be spread around.

Piggy Piggy Piggy

Or, Thoughts on Swine Flu and a Possible Pandemic Thereof.

There is growing concern about a swine flu outbreak in Mexico that has already crossed the border into our country. Dozens of cases in the States and more overseas have been confirmed. Preliminary reports seem to indicate that there may be a higher than typical death rate from this strain (this may be caused by economic factors rather than some greater virulence). Official CDC updates are available via Twitter.

An additional cause for concern is the level of preparedness in this country. Since some sources say we have a shortage of doctors in even the best of times, this could be a really big deal. Of course it doesn’t help that pandemic preparedness funds were opposed by certain Republicans. Oh, and a few Dems. I guess they don’t understand that the rain falls on the good and the bad alike — and more to the point rich people get sick too. 

Oh, and this could adversely impact the economy, too. As if we need more problems. 

The CDC is advising people to take the same normal precautions they would take against colds and flu:  wash your hands; stay home if you are sick; don’t send sick kids to school.

On a happier note, mambo! Oink, Oink!

In closing:  Sorry kid, talk to the King about changing your name to Sonic when you turn 18; and City Shrinkage.

Happy Earth Day

It would have been easy to miss the fact that it’s Earth Day. It doesn’t get much attention anyway, and that’s a shame. If there’s one thing we all have in common, it’s that we live on Earth.

But as we live in a world where our atmosphere is increasingly out of whack, where coyotes and cougars are more commonly seen in suburban neighborhoods, where there are cities so polluted they literally shorten the lives of the inhabitants, where the water isn’t doing much better than the land, where we are forced to buy expensive fuels that foul our air from nations that don’t like us very much (and yet some complain that somehow it would hurt the economy to change that), we probably ought to pay more attention.

Today, the President told us that we can improve our environment and our economy at the same time by converting to renewable energy. Yesterday, conservative hot-spot South Dakota approved a $700 million wind farm. Around the world, millions of people are celebrating Earth Day, even if most Americans wouldn’t know it.

Whether you respect our planet as the creation of God, or merely a place we humans cannot live without, give a thought for Earth Day.

In Closing: Why is anybody shocked that the President wants to see to it that laws are followed?; on black swans and not black swans; if waterboarding works, how come we had to do it to one guy over 180 times in one month?; Business Week asks how much we’ll lose on TARP, but the answer is most of it; 5 tips for applying for an SBA loan, but all you need is #5 (be prepared to put up the house); how Canadian banks avoided the worst of our problems; universal health as a stimulus plan; loan modification plans as a bank windfall; believe it or not the rate of Chapter 13 bankruptcy is down; our “conservative” Supreme Court limits the rights of cops to search cars on  pure traffic stops; note the huge gap between top quintile income and top 1% income and then tell me how taxing the top earners is bad (boohoo, get a tax shelter); credit card fee reforms might actually happen (and benefit consumers); and last, our thoughts go to the family of David Kellermann, who took the coward’s resignation from Freddie Mac last night.

Thoughts for Tax Day

Ok folks, this is teabagging. It’s also not really safe for work. 

So it turns out that most Americans are OK with big government, and almost half of us think we pay about the right amount of taxes. All things considered, that’s a remarkably high percentage

That being the case, what the heck is with these anti-tax “tea parties”? Is it in fact a faux-grassroots (tea tree roots?) movement? Have you noticed that most of the pictures are really close up, so you can’t tell if there are dozens or thousands of people present? Is anyone actually serving any tea? Because I could really use a cup right about now.

When you really boil off the ethers, the “tea party” crowd appears to be saying “what has the government done for us?” Indeed, I think it was put best in Monty Python’s Life of Brian:

All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?

Just insert Government where the original says Romans. See? 

Bloody Romans Government.

Look. Here’s who is paying taxes. Here’s where that tax money is going. Here’s what the President would like to do with the tax code. Of course I have an alternate idea, but it’s never going to happen. 

If you seriously think your taxes are too high, what do you propose be cut?  Roads (got helicopter?)? Give up public schools and live with the fact that even if you can afford private schools, most of the next generation’s workers will be illiterate? Give up city sewers, and all the power generated by Hoover Dam? Hire your own security team and get a sprinkler system, because police and fire department are both government? Food safety (not that they’ve been doing a great job, but you know)? I imagine property inspectors would be in demand, because building inspection is another government function. 

Do the “tea baggers” even really know what they are protesting?

In fact, if you want to see how well things run when there is no government, take a good hard look at Somalia. 

Follow up: Chuck Butcher has some interesting observations about the “crowds” too.


In Closing: how likely is Gramma to be online?; it’s almost iced coffee season; a creepy Japanfilter, kids playground on former execution site; a slow-motion environmental disaster; a quirk of the current recession is that more men are losing their jobs than women (perhaps because the men had relatively high wages compared to the women?); where to find pirates; Goldman Sachs joins the list of banks trying to pay back the TARP money; international travel may be difficult for some Bush Administration figures; extremists suck; study says charter schools close over money, not academics, but neglects the fact that the money wouldn’t be a problem if they had students, and having students would be easy if they had good academics; how to scare people about cyber-terrorism; and COLBERT in space. 

Finally, I may have missed Blog Against Theocracy Weekend. However, I think the most important thing you need to know about theocracy is how well it “works” in Afghanistan. Theocracy is not good. That’s why the First Amendment specifically protects us from government mandated religion.

My Shorties Valentine 3-D

Cola Deconstructed: The nice folks at Beachbody have a few things to say about soda pop, one of the biggest calorie sources in the American diet.  Let them run down the ingredient list, and then maybe have a nice cool glass of iced tea.

And now for something completely different: Tastespotting. Hey, if you are going to consume lots of calories, they should be really delicious! Besides, pictures can’t make you gain weight… can they? 

While we’re on the topic of food: Next season’s Top Chef will attempt to prove they’ve not jumped the shark by having a “masters” series. Judges will include Neil Patrick Harris and Morgan Spurlock. Competitors will include Roy Yamaguchi and Wylie Dufresne. No word yet on whether I’m setting up the DVR for this.

Huh, it’s a while till lunch, isn’t it: Hospital food could be as bad for you as whatever put you in the hospital. 

This final thought about food: Studies finally admit what many have suspected for a while. Food safety is “no longer improving.” 

Japanfilter!: It’s been too long, hasn’t it? Amazing Modern Samurai, My Japanese Coach for DS, and Please Don’t Trample the Geisha.

Gun Control is about Aim: Thank [Diety] he was as bad a marksman as he was an English student! “The man who gunned down 13 people at an upstate New York immigration center fired 98 shots from two handguns in a little more than a minute, police said Wednesday.” Imagine the carnage if he were actually a decent shot.

Way to Not Get It, Chrysler: The only new car in the 2010 lineup? An SUV that gets a whopping 20 MPG. Gee guys, don’t knock yourselves out. There’s only a huge list of SUVs that get better mileage than that. 

Silver Lining?: The current economic woes are having one good effect. It’s sharply reducing the trade deficit. We’re already down to levels not seen since 1999.

Be Afraid If You’re Brown: Can you prove you are a United States citizen with things you normally keep in your wallet? It turns out most people can’t.  

On a Kindle, nobody knows you’re reading schlocky romance novels: As much as 50% of electronic books sold  might be romance novels! 

Something new for you to read: The Awesomer. 

The ACLU Doesn’t Want the TSA taking the Ultimate Upskirt Pix: Ok, actually they are against new see-thru camera technology. Your choice is to let them look at you nude through your clothes, or let them fondle you pat you down.

I don’t usually follow sports, but: Imagine a young man who works hard and overcomes injuries. He finally lands his dream job. The first full day of work, everything goes great! Everybody is happy with his performance. But all that is cut short when, mere hours later, he is killed by a drunk driver. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t let people you know drive drunk. Do call the cops when you see a drunk driver.

And one last thing: The economy is lousy and lots of people are out of work. Those that do have jobs are under a lot of stress. Take care of yourself, people. Someday we’ll look back at 2008 and 2009, laughing about what awful times those were. In the meantime, reach out for help. Or reach out to help, where you can. We’re all in this together.

The Whole Country’s Going to Pot

Before I get going, let me make something perfectly clear. I don’t do drugs. I have never purchased illegal drugs. I have never used them. The closest I’ve ever gotten to smoking a joint is walking through an apartment or dorm hallway late on a Saturday night — which would probably have made me test positive for pot. I rarely use painkillers more potent than Ibuprofen. I’ve never even bought a pack of cigarettes — my friends and I tried when we were 5 but were thwarted by the clerk at the White Hen Pantry (I got in trouble for crossing the street, too). If it weren’t for the fact that I do like booze, I’d be straight edge. 

Even so, I support the decriminalization, legalization, and regulation of marijuana. 

I was very dissapointed to hear the President make light of the millions of people in this country who agree with me, and with well educated people like former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper. 

Now, keep in mind, I am not saying “oh just repeal all the drug laws and let us have all the hard stuff we want!” I am saying that marijuana can and should be legal, subject to variations of laws already on the books pertaining to cigarettes and alcohol: minimum age to purchase; clearly labeled THC content; the Surgeon General’s warning against smoking; limitation on what sorts of fillers or additives can be used; regular inspections of the farms, preparation facilities, and suppliers; licenses (and license applications!) for the retail sellers; subject it to taxes; jailtime for people who circumvent the rules, provide it to kids, drive while high, or cause injury to someone while high.

Here are some of the things I think would happen if this were done, from source to end user:

Farmers would have additional, legal crops they could grow. Not only could they grow pot legally, they could grow industrial hemp. Hemp is an old crop, friendly to the environment, with lots of uses. Hemp can be used to make stuff like rope and fabric and paper. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both grew it. Both would make great crops for farmers transitioning out of things like tobacco here, or opium in Afghanistan.

It would take production out of our neighborhoods and forests. The ability to grow the stuff in a legit farm takes the profit motive out of turning private homes into illegal farms in our neighborhoods, using lots of electricity and bringing criminal elements into residential communities. Likewise, there is little reason to start a pot farm in a national forest when you have competition from legit farms, you can’t sell to legit suppliers, and the market for illegal supplies has dried up.

It would provide legit jobs for farm hands and workers at processing facilities. We could use some job creation, right?

It would take money out of the underground economy, and put it into the regular economy. Not only would it reduce the number of ways illegal enterprises have to make money, our states and communities would benefit from more tax dollars. Since it seems like just about every community and state has a budget shortfall these days, that seems like a good thing too.

It would keep drugs out of the hands of kids! Instead of being available from that shady guy on the corner, it’s behind the counter at the mini-mart with the cigs, or it’s behind the counter at the liquor store. The nice lady at the White Hen Pantry doesn’t want to lose her job or cost her boss’s pot resale license, so she won’t sell it to the group of kindergartners that wandered in from the apartment complex across the street. 

It will reduce the number of people — of all ages — using harder stuff. Let’s face it, the shady guy on the corner who sells pot would really rather sell you higher margin products that ensure more repeat business through addiction. Stuff that is substantially worse for you than marijuana. 

It will have a positive influence on the War On Drugs. There will be fewer fronts on which to fight. It will save thousands of millions of dollars each and every year. It will help slow the rapid filling of our prisons with largely non-violent offenders (who after prison find themselves unable to get college financial aid, and in some cases unable to get a Real Job that would permanently keep them out of prison). 

It will reduce the influence of criminal organizations both here and in other nations. Legalization chops off their product and their customer base. This will inevitably reduce the flow of money to Mexico’s drug lords, and help their government regain full control of the country. How did America destroy the mob’s influence? It repealed prohibition.

It will bring thousands if not millions of people into compliance with the law. “Just Say No” never worked for anything, and that includes smoking pot. Legalization will change the fact that all those people are breaking the law, and turn them into people who are paying taxes on products.

It is the compassionate thing to do for people who really need it. Nobody disputes that pot is a great pain reliever, nor that it stimulates the appetite and reduces nausea. Some claim that there are legal drugs that do the job just as well, but others dispute that. It is worth noting that the Obama Administration has already decided against prosecuting medical marijuana cases. It’s hard to listen to some of the anecdotal stories of how medical marijuana made someone able to survive, or simply allowed them to die without pain and still think it’s bad.

That’s one person’s opinion. Take it or leave it. 

In Closing: advice for people who don’t like gay marriage; a tale of two depressions; double standards; one in five pre-schoolers is not just overweight, they’re obese!; homelessness is up all over; 10 cars that could have saved Detroit 10 years ago (if Forbes were honest with themselves); Ezra Klein on how we cleverly hide our health care waiting lines; and finally, if you haven’t already spoken out on the “conscience” rules for health care “providers” about to go into effect, do it today. I wrote about it here, and it’s not dead yet.