Health Care Satisfaction - Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Why are "compassionate conservatives" so intent on thwarting Obama's health care overhaul? Because "compassionate conservative" is an oxymoron. Common questions I see raised in the blogosphere and by my conservative Facebook friends are "why should the government run it?" and "illegal immigrants will benefit too much from it" and recently, "if our health care system is so bad, why is a Canadian Prime Minister coming to the U.S. for a heart operation?"

The answer to the first question, why should the government run it, is twofold. First, the government won't run it. That is a common fear-mongering talking point. Second, if the government does not step in to change the system, then who will? My oxymoron friend say "Americans will donate to causes and help the poor". Well, some are doing that now, but not enough to help tens of millions of people. And nothing is stopping anyone from doing this - they can do it right now. That is the broken system we currently have.

Illegal immigrant fears are, in my opinion, veiled racism and more fear mongering. First, there is language in the current bills to prevent illegals from gaining access. There is less likelihood that illegals would benefit from the proposed system than they now benefit from the current system.

And for those who think our current system is so great, please realize that lots of americans go to mexico for health care:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2009-08-31-mexico-health-care_N.htm

Also, many americans are outsourcing their health care to india (for major surgeries):
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/india/090724/medical-outsourcing-india

Why outsource? Cost. Health care is too expensive in the U.S. And as an added benefit, tens of millions of American citizens are not covered.

Here's a handy "medical tourism" cost comparison chart:
http://www.medicaltourismassociation.com/procedures.html

Note my previous posting that included the National Geographic chart showing cost vs. life expectancy. The following chart compares cost to satisfaction - the U.S. scores poorly on all measured parameters:

"The disparity between how much the United States spends on healthcare and how satisfied people are with their personal health makes the country a unique case. While the United States has the highest per-capita total health expenditures of any country in the OECD, Americans report relatively average levels of perceived health, according to Gallup's Personal Health Index."

The above chart and quote come from the following report:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/117205/Americans-Not-Feeling-Health-Benefits-High-Spending.aspx

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Health Care Costs vs. Life Expectancy

"The U.S. spends more on medical care per person than any country, yet life expectancy is shorter than in most other developed nations and many developing ones. Lack of health insurance is a factor in life span and contributes to an estimated 45,000 deaths a year." - National Geographic Magazine, January 2010.

The following chart from National Geographic is just data. Unbiased, cold, hard data. The thin red line starting at the upper left part of the chart and slanting downwards represents U.S. data; the thin red line lower on the chart represents Mexico data -- two countries that do not have universal health care.



It looks like Mexico (and many other countries) get more bang for their bucks/dinero/euros/yen.

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Maya Lin - Unchopping a Tree

Maya Lin - Unchopping a Tree from What is Missing? Foundation on Vimeo.

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Try balancing the budget

Do you think balancing the budget is easy? Try your hand at it with this tool:



(and compare your results to mine!)

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Palin likes... science? Give me a break.

Of all people, Sarah Palin (someone who reads "all" newspapers and magazines) was granted an op-ed piece in today's Washington Post. I checked to see if today was April Fools Day, but apparently it isn't.

Palin has flip-flopped! She was actually against science before she was for it.

Let's look at a few of her statements (quoted italics are Sarah's words from the op-ed):

"I've always believed that policy should be based on sound science, not politics. As governor of Alaska, I took a stand against politicized science." I am going to quote a source because it sums it up much better than I could: "Sarah Palin has supported aerial hunting since taking office despite the fact that the National Academy of Sciences, the National Research Council, the American Society of Mammalogists, and more than 120 other scientists have called for a halt to the program, citing its lack of scientific justification and despite opposition from many hunters who see it as violating the sportsmen's ethic of fair chase." (http://www.defendersactionfund.org/releases/090308.html). Also, about a year ago Palin denigrated "fruit fly research" as a waste of tax dollars, yet fruit fly research has led to advances in autism research (http://localtechwire.com/business/local_tech_wire/biotech/story/1809660/).

"...I sued the federal government over its decision to list the polar bear as an endangered species..." Funny, it was under the Bush administration in 2007 when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wanted to list the polar bear as threatened – based on scientific analysis from the U.S. Geological Service (PDF: http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/special/polar_bears/docs/executive_summary.pdf).

"We can't say with assurance that man's activities cause weather changes." Palin has flip-flopped on this, initially stating that climate change is not man-made (http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/sarah_palin_vp/2008/08/29/126139.html), then later changing her position to it being very likely as she adapted to her running mate John McCain's views (http://www.factcheck.org/2008/09/palins-change-on-climate-change/). Now, who is playing politics with the climate?

"We can say, however, that any potential benefits of proposed emissions reduction policies are far outweighed by their economic costs." No, actually, we can't say that. Emissions reductions are projected to reduce health care costs for people with respiratory ailments (http://www.kelowna.com/2009/11/26/carbon-reduction-strategies-have-health-benefits-study-millions-of-deaths-could-be-avoided-by-getting-out-of-cars-breathing-cleaner-air/). Efficiency and energy savings will occur over the life-cycle of factories, institutions, and residences, providing long-term benefits that conservatives are quick to dismiss (PDF: http://www.cleanerandgreener.org/download/jci798s.pdf). Additionally, emission reduction and energy efficiency programs are projected to create jobs (http://www.nce.co.uk/most-popular/sustainability-news/carbon-emissions-working-from-the-top-down/5208935.article and check out just a few of the sites posting carbon emission jobs: http://www.sustainlane.com/green-jobs, http://www.job-search-engine.com/keyword/carbon-emissions), but instead, Palin chooses to use typical fear-mongering about job loss in her uneducated arguments.

I also find it funny that Palin cites what other governments are doing (in Europe and Australia), as she is someone who has such little understanding of foreign policy (http://fabiusmaximus.wordpress.com/2008/09/26/palin-4/).

I also find it revealing that Palin wants creationism taught in science classes (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/08/mccains-vp-want/).

I am disappointed in The Washington Post for giving a "personality" like Palin a soapbox -- especially in an area (science) in which they have no knowledge and zero credibility. I now expect to see op-eds from Jon Stewart, Glenn Beck, Stephen Colbert, Joe the Plumber, and The Family Guy on such topics are brain surgery and high fashion.

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Obama - The Honeymoon is Over

Obama is not a liberal.

From continuing with the Bush bailouts, to keeping the Bush/Cheney secrecy policies, to his inaction on gay marriage, to shooting more missiles into Pakistan, if anyone thinks Obama is a Liberal, they are mistaken. Now he is selling clearcutting rights to a roadless rain forest -- and the government will probably build the roads. The honeymoon is now officially over for me.

Obama Approves Logging Contract For Largest US Rain Forest

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Purple America -- or, Take those Red States and Shove Them

The typical depiction of the 2008 red vs. blue electoral map looks like this:



It's a big improvement over the 2004 map, but it sure does seem top have a lot of red on it. The reason for that is that many red states take up a lot of real estate, but have very few people in them. Wyoming, for example, has about as many people in it as the city of Washington, DC. Yet Wyoming is huge and gets painted red, compared to the blue dot of DC.

Thanks to a professor of physics at the University of Michigan, there are now maps that represent the population of a state instead of its geographic size. These maps are called cartograms. Here is the one for 2008:



Now you can see why Obama was elected. Most of the country is "blue".

You can read more about it here, where he also colors the states red, blue, and purple based on the percentage of people who voted each way. For example, if a county voted 51% for Obama and 49% for McCain, is it really blue, or is it almost a perfect mix of red and blue (purple)? This is a purple map of America:



And here is the purple cartogram:



Pretty cool, eh? OK you purple Americans -- let's work together to make this country a better place and let's not give in to the Bush/Cheney/Rove/McCain process of trying to divide us. We have more in common with each other than Bush-McCain have with us. Time to get to work.

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Obama is Pro-Life

I am quite pleased that U.S. voters denounced the policies of George W. Bush and the damage he has inflicted upon our nation and upon the world. This so-called pro-life president has presided over hundreds of executions, both at governor of Texas and as president. He has waged war on the poor by his unfair tax policies that favor wealthy CEOs. He tried to wage war on the elderly by attempted to privatize Social Security. He has waged war on the health of every American by reducing our air and water quality. Bush conducted a preemptive war in Iraq based upon lies. According to Jesus -- Bush's favorite "philosopher" -- we should love our enemies, turn the other cheek, heal the sick, and feed the poor. Bush has been an anti-Jesus in many ways. John McCain would have continued Bush's war, his tax policies, and would have reduced the availability of health care.

Thank you America for electing Barack Obama!

According to Catholics for Obama:

Is Barack Obama Really Pro-Life?
The answer is "yes." Looking through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching, Senator Obama has spent his entire career striving for the common good. He supports health care programs that will cover all Americans, a living wage for working families, and solutions that allow distressed families to stay in their homes. And rather than trying to overturn Roe v. Wade, an ineffective strategy for 40 years, Senator Obama will reduce abortions. How? By promoting health care for pregnant women and better infant care, day care and job training. In fact, data has shown that social and education programs actually reduce abortions.

Additionally, Obama worked with the poor in the slums of Chicago. Here is more from the Catholics for Obama website:

Before he was a devoted husband and father, or a U.S. Senator, or a presidential candidate of historic accomplishments, Barack Obama took a job working as a community organizer for a group of 8 Catholic parishes in one of the nation’s largest cities. With funding from the U.S. Bishops and working for three years out of an office in a Catholic church rectory, he embarked on a campaign to empower the lives of thousands of people who were suffering through economic circumstances not unlike what has befallen our country today. This booklet tells the story of his early exposure to Catholicism, compares the contours of his public life with the Catholic Social Tradition, and explores the reasons why many Catholics will be enthusiastically voting in 2008 to elect Barack Obama as the next president.

George W. Bush and John McCain are Pro-Death and Pro-Rich.

George W. Bush has been the anti-Jesus. In the past eight years, John McCain has turned into W's cheerleader. Let's not forget that Bush was handed jobs by his dad -- jobs he did not work hard at and did not deserve. He was an alcoholic who nearly abandoned his family. John McCain would have flunked out of the Naval Academy (assuming he could have ever gotten in) and should have flunked out of flight school but for his admiral father and the legacy of his admiral grandfather. John McCain committed adultery -- cheating on his first wife with his current wife (and Cindy McCain was a drug addict and stole drugs from a charity she ran -- which she could only do because of the wealth her father amassed selling alcohol). John McCain has cheated on taxes, has been involved in financial scandal (Keating 5) and lied about his several plane crashes in his biography. And there is so much more that is immoral about these men. Bush and McCain are not honorable men and they are no friends of the poor, the sick, the destitute. Yet, because they say they are "pro-life", the Church endorses them and coerces its followers toward them.

Pro-life Christians who support either Bush or McCain represent the kind of illogical and hypocritical militancy that caused me to run from the Catholic church.

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Following the Election Results

Get out and Vote for Obama!

Here is a cool widget that you can use to track the election results today:



May the force be with us.

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Report Voting Problems

There are several resources that you can use to report problems at polling places. Here are a few ways to do it:

To report a problem or for general elections/voting questions:

Call: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)
Email: help@866ourvote.org
Twitter the problem: http://www.866ourvote.org/page?id=0057

ACLU Voting Rights Project: 877-523-2792

A few basics to help you out:

1. Bring ID. A driver's license or voting card are best. A passport or military ID are also good. Some places will also take a phone or utility bill with your name and address on it (you need to check your local laws). Some states (like Virginia) will allow you to vote without ID if you are not a first-time voter and if you sign an "Affirmation of Identity".

2. If you are not on the voting list, ask the poll worker to call the general registrar to double-check if you are on the official list.

3. If all else fails, state that you want to cast a provisional ballot.

 

 

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McCain's Chappaquiddick?

Did John McCain kill someone with his car while he was a young Lieutenant in the Navy?

For the past two months, a major American magazine and an allied news service have been engaged in a legal battle with the United States Navy over records that they believe show that John McCain once was involved in an automobile accident that injured or, perhaps, killed another individual.

Vanity Fair magazine and the National Security News Service claim to have knowledge "developed from first-hand sources" of a car crash that involved then-Lt. McCain at the main gate of a Virginia naval base in 1964, according to legal filings. The incident has been largely, if not entirely, kept from the public. And in documents suing the Navy to release pertinent information, lawyers for the NS News Service allege that a cover-up may be at play.

(Read more here)

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GOP Senator and Vietnam Veteran Endorses & Votes for Obama

Former Sen. Larry Pressler (R-S.D.), who was the first Vietnam veteran to serve in the United States Senate, is the latest Republican to back Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

Pressler "cited the Democrat's response to the financial crisis as the primary reason for his decision."

"I just got the feeling that Obama will be able to handle this financial crisis better, and I like his financial team of [former Treasury Secretary Robert] Rubin and [former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul] Volcker better," he said. By contrast, John McCain's "handling of the financial crisis made me feel nervous."

(Read more)

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Palin Blinks - She Would Not do it Again

Given the chance to do it again, Sarah Palin says she would turn down John McCain's offer to be VP.

"You know, if I had to make such a decision today, it would be, no, there are a lot that Alaska could be, should be doing to contribute more to the U.S. and I think that I can help do that as governor of the state staying here."

Say it ain't "No", Sarah. I guess you can say that Sarah blinked -- a bit of a delayed reaction, but a big blink.

The sound clip can be found here:
http://www.entertonement.com/clips/20324/Sarah-Palin/John-McCain/John-McCain%27s-Running-Mate/It-would-be-no

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Bush Endorses McPalin

It is sad when comedy shows like The Daily Show and Saturday Night Live (SNL) are more honest than the "main stream" media. SNL cracks me up with their political skits, but the point(s) they are making are on the mark.

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