Is ‘Liberal’ the New ‘Conservative’? Schwarzenegger Seems to Think So
As Governor of California, it may seem like an obvious step to toe in with some liberal ideas. California Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (of Terminator and Kindergarten Cop fame) signed on late last week to a push from state lawmakers for an outright ban of “trans-fat” foods in restaurants statewide.
This has seriously irked the senses of conservatives who think the government ought to mind its own business when it comes to the choices consumers make, but it is being lauded by overzealous health nuts who feel their own popular opinion ought to be inflicted on others.
So, government entities can dictate when and where you can smoke, what you can eat, when and where you can posess a lawfully registered firearm, how much you can flush, should pass laws to protect men who want to dress like women at work (and vice versa), should encourage homosexuality in the military, and discriminate on the basis of race so long as it benefits those who claim to be in the “minority.”
As Michelle Malkin puts it, “Is this the kind of ‘rebranding’ of the Republican Party Schwarzenegger wants the national GOP to adopt?”
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Georgia County Schools Reinstitute Paddling Authority
July 23, 2008
Health
When school starts up after summer vacation this year, parents in Twigg County, Georgia will have the option to authorize school administrators’ paddling of their children for bad behavior, according to an article from ABC News. Not surprisingly, the ABC News article’s authors characterize the practice as “beating,” and use a couple of poorly worded pull quotes from approving parents, then a barrage of quotes from psycho-social types who echo the “beating” sentiment.
Something you won’t hear from the network media, or any psychologist since it would have them all eating crow are these kinds of stats:
(Graphic sourced from: http://www.corpun.com/counuss.htm)
(Graphic sourced from: http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org)
In case it isn’t clear, that’s a direct comparison between the reduction in corporal punishment at schools and an increase in juvenile assault cases in the U.S.
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You’re Getting Screwed, but It’s Good for the Economy
That is, if by “economy” you mean pharmaceutical and health insurance companies. ABCNews.com has run an article today, painting a rosy picture of an otherwise bleak economic outlook.
According to the article, the healthcare industry has grown more than three times since the 1960’s and now accounts for more than 16% of the nation’s gross domestic product. Oil prices may be stifling growth, weakening the dollar, driving down property values, and outsourcing the U.S. economy, but don’t let it get you down.
After all, if you’re afflicted with anxiety or depression about these things, talk to your doctor about all the wonderful drugs that can make you feel better about skyrocketing insurance premiums and bloated healthcare costs, which are “welcome news for company profits and many investors.”
Any chance we’ll hear Democrats calling for “windfall profits taxes” on the healthcare industry?
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ABCNews Exposes Futility and Profitability of Gardasil HPV Vaccine
July 14, 2008
Health
ABCNews.com reports today an analysis from Kendall Krause, M.D. touting doctors’ stance in favor of administering Gardasil® (from Merck), the controversial HPV vaccine that supposedly reduces the risk of cervical cancer. A close look at the statistics cited in the report that says Gardasil’s benefits outweigh the risks, actually shows that the potential profit from administering the vaccine outweighs the logic behind vaccination.
According to the report, the Gardasil vaccine will protect women from cervical cancer, which is the cause of nearly 3,600 deaths each year. Further down in the article comes this quote from Curtis Allen of the CDC, “The vaccine protects against strains responsible for 70 percent of cervical cancer that cause 3,600 deaths a year.” That could potentially make Gardasil effective against an estimated 2,500 cervical cancer deaths a year.
However, in Australia, whose government, like the U.S., runs a public school-based program to administer the injection drug to young girls, the Department of Health and Ageing points out that, “HPV vaccination will not prevent all cases of cervical cancer, nor pre-cancerous cervical lesions.” Gardasil’s own patient information sheet (PDF) declares “GARDASIL may not fully protect everyone who gets the vaccine.” The vaccine is reportedly safe for girls as young as 9 years old.
Since the FDA approved the vaccine, ABCNews reports that, “doctors have given more than 16 million doses of the vaccine to approximately eight million girls.” According to Australia’s Herald Sun, “Some 2.2 million Australian women have received the jab.” The retail price of Gardasil is $149.73. That would be $2.73 billion spent on the drug since the FDA approved it, two years ago.
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Sen. Kennedy Doesn’t Want to Pay for Cancer Treatment
Let’s get this out front: no one wishes anyone to go through the physical trials of any kind of cancer or their associated treatment.
Mainstream media ran story after story after story on Wednesday, pouring praise on Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass) for his heroic steps through the house of Congress to go on the voting record in favor of a bill which would reverse a more than 10% cut to outgoing Medicare payments, which took effect July 1st.
On the surface, this seems like a valiant effort by an individual stricken with a life-sentence disease who fought through enduring pain to bring his voice to the Congress to accomplish a noble goal for the good of the American people. However, a second look paints a different picture.
The truth is that Medicare spending is poorly managed by the government, and holds a regular pattern of abuse of a system with failing oversight.
The overblown news stories that doctors “may” stop accepting Medicare drove droves of citizens to a panicked frenzy, wondering what would become of their healthcare. One of these aging citizens faced with the reality of Medicare cuts is none other than Senator Ted Kennedy, who likely would prefer that Medicare foot the bill for his cancer treatment. After all, cancer treatment can easily cost north of $500,000 annually (yes, half a million dollars a year).
So, how does the cost for healthcare skyrocket like this? One reason is the poor oversight of the government’s health insurance programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Fraudulent claims resulting in providers receiving payments for services never rendered or double, triple, or quadruple billing is rampant. The government relies on consumers to report suspected fraudulent practices, but patients relying on these systems never have to worry about it - they just go to a doctor, and the bill gets paid.
Another reason is that insurance companies are willing to pay these exorbitant fees, because all the insurance companies do is pass the cost (minus a profit margin) to their consumers. Anyone with a health insurance policy knows that plan premiums jump every year.
The third reason these costs skyrocket is the consumers themselves. Trigger-happy litigious consumers, armed with deep-pocketed trial attorneys, assault health-care providers to the tune of billions of dollars annually - many claims with little to no legal merit, yet providers often settle to avoid the high cost of going to trial or feeling the brunt of bad publicity. This drives up the cost of malpractice insurance, which drives up the cost of the services.
While Kennedy’s appearance in the Congress makes a great human interest story, there is far more to it than the press wants to let on.
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Did You Know?
One third of Americans identify themselves as 'Independent' when it comes to political affiliation. Don't let the Red and Blue fool you. It's okay to be Independent!
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