Who says we're spending too much on health care?

Both Democrats and Republicans say the ever rising cost of health care is unsustainable. Republicans want sensible cuts, less regulation, tort reform, more competition across state lines, and less graft and corruption to lower our costs; Democrats are aiming at single payer--i.e., government pays all, which will raise the cost for everyone through higher taxes, just not at the doctor's office.

But who decided we pay too much? Have you looked at what the "average" household unit pays for health care compared to other items in our budget? 5.7% or $2,853, is what the household unit of 2.5 people with a gross income of $63,091 pays for health care. That household, imaginery as it is, pays 6.9% of its spendable income on household funishings, supplies and operations. Who in the government is demanding that Obama pay for your next couch or dining room suite? That household is paying 6.5% for vehicle purchases, and 17.6% total for transportation. Except for the recent cash for clunkers, when the government paid people to take out new car loans and destroy the only cars poor people could afford, we don't hear the government demanding that Honda and Toyota lower their prices or give away their products.

We pay 12.4% of our spendable income on food--7% at home and 5.4% away from home. I doubt that Obama is going to suggest that all the employed women quit and start cooking more at home so they won't be taking the kids to restaurants--or maybe he will if it's McDonald's. And entertainment, if you toss in cigarettes and alcohol is higher than healthcare at 7%.

So the next time you hear a reporter whether CNN or Fox, or a politician, left or right, moan about the rising costs of health care, ask him about the mortgage on his house, or the loan on his car, or what restaurant she's stopping at after work.

Taxes cost us 14.8% of the average paycheck, not household unit, much more than healthcare, and it will be going up as healthcare costs get buried in every additional piece of paper and rule change the government will throw at us with PPACA.

It just could be, health care is the biggest bargain in our budget.

Consumer unit

Paycheck percentage for taxes

Suspend Obamacare Rules Until SCOTUS Decision

"in the spirit of recent discussion about bipartisan initiatives to root out counterproductive regulations harming the economy, here’s a suggestion. Until the Supreme Court issues a ruling, the Obama administration should suspend enforcement of the regulations from the Affordable Care Act that have proved to be the most burdensome to doctors, entrepreneurs, consumers, and savers and investors." John Berlau, Money News, Feb. 2, 2011

Read more: Suspend Obamacare Rules Until SCOTUS Decision

Bed Bugs | University of Kentucky Entomology

Just received an invitation to attend a meeting on bed bugs at OSU, with dinner afterwards. Think I'll pass. But reading through this very long and detailed explanation from the UK entomology dept., I see that only DDT takes care of the problem--no amount of cleaning or low level pesticide seems to do the trick. However, the fact sheet doesn't recommend DDT--of course not.

Bed Bugs | University of Kentucky Entomology

And for a very biased, but unhelpful Newsweek account, read this.

Immelt’s appointment has labor leaders concerned

I need to stock up on incandescent light bulbs. Soon you won't be able to buy them. The last U.S. plant has closed (Winchester, VA). I hate those squirrely thingies. It takes about 4 to make the same amount of light as one regular. Obama talks out of both sides of his mouth--says Republicans ship jobs to China. What? So what is Immelt doing? Shipping jobs to China with Obama's blessings.

Immelt’s appointment has labor leaders concerned - Jobs & Hire

Current Drug Shortages--Some hospitals are in tough shape

What's behind this? Seems to be a much bigger problem than 2007 and 2008. Is it the impending doom of Obamacare? Years of over regulation? Loss of profit by the manufacturers, who afterall, aren't in this as volunteers or church ladies.

"The supply of these drugs has tightened in recent years as the generic-drug industry has consolidated, with many of the drugs now made by just one or two companies. In many cases patents have long expired and the original brand-name drug is no longer being produced.

Federal regulators have also stepped up enforcement of quality standards, limiting the ability of large manufacturers to ramp up production.

The drugs—typically used in hospitals and outpatient clinics—often require complex manufacturing processes with long lead times. Because factories produce many kinds of medicines, companies say they can't easily make more of one without creating a shortage in another.

The Food and Drug Administration reported a record 178 drug shortages in 2010, up from 157 the year earlier and 55 five years ago"

Drug Shortages Distress Hospitals - WSJ.com

The Reality of Drug Shortages — The Case of the Injectable Agent Propofol | Health Policy and Reform

Read list of Drug Shortages > Current Drug Shortages

Old Bag Of Nails in Tremont Center

When we lived on Abington, we were one of Old Bag's most loyal customers when it opened. We have a tradition of a Friday night date. But some time during 2003, I think, it changed the menu and took off two of our favorites. We met Bill and Joyce there (although we'd been attending the same church for years) and started going out together. After the menu change we four moved on over to Rusty Bucket on Lane. Don't mess with the favorites.

Tremont Center - Old Bag Of Nails

Politico leaves out Schumer's big gaffe

The problem is, Charles Schumer said we have 3 branches of government--the House, the Senate and the Presidency. If you watch the entire video you hear it; if you read Politico, that part is left out.

"I would urge my Republican colleagues that no matter how strongly they feel [insert gaffe here, you know, we have three branches of government. We have a House. We have a Senate. We have a president. And all three of us are going to have to come together and give some] … it is playing with fire to risk the shutting down of the government just as it is playing with fire to not raise the debt ceiling," Schumer said. "That could lead to terrible, terrible problems."

Here's how it works, Chuck:

Five blogs

were updated today--Illegals Today, Growth Industry, Church of the Acronym, Collecting my thoughts, and Coffee Spills, plus several Facebook entries. Snowed in.

Chicago Blizzard: City Officials And Residents Brace For Snow Storm

Weather news from Chicago. Stay home.

Chicago Blizzard: City Officials And Residents Brace For Snow Storm - WGN

1994--it wasn't all that long ago people were asking

What is the internet, anyway?

Firefighters forced to participate in gay pride parade win legal battle

Four firefighters lodged a complaint against San Diego for being forced to participate in the city’s gay pride parade in 2007. Although the firefighters objected numerous times to taking part in the event, the fire department disregarded their complaints and the firefighters report they were sexually harassed.

Let's not pretty up the terms. Gay Pride means pride in homosexual acts, men having sex with men (MSM) is the medical term because the costs to the health of the men are considerable, and sodomy is the Biblical term. Why should anyone, straight or gay, be forced to parade a sexual preference that may not be his own?

Firefighters forced to participate in gay pride parade win legal battle :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Wonder where the women went?

For 40 years, women have been getting special help in the sciences, math, engineering and computing fields. Summer camps, workshops, girly places on the internet to talk techy, special scholarships--collectively the government and foundations must have spent billions. There's been some headway--women now outnumber men in some of these fields (called STEM, science technology engineering math) as college grads, but they don't continue on to excel in graduate school. I suspect it's the "fun factor." How many nights can you spend on a problem eating cold pizza before it gets old? For guys, they think that's a blast. Not so much, gals. A high school science teacher told me that when she teaches physics to boys, it confirms what they already know. Not so with the girls, who have no intuitive or learned sense of the field.

So today I was browsing Crunch Gear and saw in its "About Us" there are no women. I clicked over to the job search and wondered how many women are even applying for these positions, let alone landing them and then advancing.

Douglas W. Elmendorf--a very important guy

"Elmendorf may be the most important financial analyst in America: his client list is all 535 members of the U.S. Congress. His job is to "score" or provide a cost estimate of important legislation wending its way through the House and Senate. His cost analysis can often make or break a bill's future."
Douglas W. Elmendorf - WhoRunsGov.com/The Washington Post

Others on the CBO Staff

In his own words (blog): "The United States faces daunting economic and budgetary challenges. The economy has struggled to recover from the recent recession: The pace of growth in output has been anemic compared with that during most other recoveries and the unemployment rate has remained quite high. Federal budget deficits and debt have surged in the past two years, owing to a combination of the severe drop in economic activity, the costs of policies implemented in response to the financial and economic problems, and an imbalance between revenues and spending that predated the recession. Unfortunately, it is likely that a return to normal economic conditions will take years, and even after the economy has fully recovered, a return to sustainable budget conditions will require significant changes in tax and spending policies."

Origen--was he such a bad guy to have a dream?

Yesterday I was listening to a Catholic call-in talk show on 1580 am (Columbus), and a father (dad) called in upset about the litany that was going to be used at his child's first communion. I knew nothing about this--I've never been to one. He said that instead of saints, they were using Solomon, Sarah and Origen. Again, I was left out of the loop, but apparently, whoever wrote this is a sister of whoever does some of our confessions at UALC when they don't use the LBW--they just don't sound right in real time--too chatty and modern for my taste (and sins).

So the dad mentioned that Origen didn't believe people would go to hell for their unbelief, and so despite his influence on hundreds of years of Christian thought and his hundreds of written works, he is not a saint. So today I looked him up in Church History in Plain Language by Bruce L. Shelley, Word Books, 1982, pp. 98-99.

"Origen's vision, it seems knew no limits. It extended so far as to teach that all creatures including the devil himself would one day be restored to communion with God. Hell would be emptied. That doctrine above all others caused him no end of trouble. . . Origen's error lay in turning a dream into a doctrine. Orothodox Christians felt that they could not turn the dream into a doctrine because such an idea almost always tends to deny man's free will and its eternal consequences."

Sigh. Yes, it's a lovely dream, isn't it? Hell would be emptied; I'd like to see that one myself, even though I'm a firm believer in consequences.

"The end of all desires for Origen came in 254. In the persecution instigated by Emperor Decius, Origen was singled out for special attack. He was flung into prison, chained and tortured. The authorities made him as miserable as possible while preserving his life in connstant torment. Decius' reign of terror for the church ended in 251 and Origen was released. The torture, however, had taken its toll on the white-haired professor. He died 3 years later, at the age of 69 at Tyre."

Origen and Origenism - Original Catholic Encyclopedia

TOBRAMYCIN/DEXAMETHASONE SUSPENSION - OPHTHALMIC (Tobradex)

My husband has had an eye infection for 12 days. If you do nothing for conjunctivitis it's suppose to go away in 2-5 days. The "doc in a box" (after hours clinic linked to our internist) prescribed Gentamicin--after 8 days--nothing improved and he was getting a bit stir crazy from staying inside and in the family room, sleeping in the guest room. The optometrist yesterday prescribed tobramycin dexamethasone, and after 12 hours, he's 100% better. Dr. Bieber said he's seeing at least 2 patients a day with this same eye infection. So, be forewarned, "it's going around."

TOBRAMYCIN/DEXAMETHASONE SUSPENSION - OPHTHALMIC (Tobradex) side effects, medical uses, and drug interactions.

The Middle East

Biden and Clinton are all over the map on Egypt, and Obama was attending a party for his out going staff while Egypt burned. Is anyone minding the store in Washington?

"Which brings us to the question of what the United States should do. The Administration seems to have struggled to find its footing so far. Secretary of State Clinton asserted on January 25 that “the Egyptian government is stable,” and Vice President Biden assessed three days later that it was not time for Mubarak to step aside, adding that “I would not refer to him as a dictator.” The Administration has veered from calling for an “orderly transition” in Egypt to a “national dialogue” between government and protesters to resolve “legitimate grievances.” On Sunday, Clinton stated on CNN that “we do not want to send any message about backing forward or backing back. . . . We’re not advocating any specific outcome.” Well, that clears things up."

Do we support a dictator? Do we let Egypt become another Muslin fundamentalist country? Where has your personal magnetism and charisma gone, Mr. BO?

But, in my opinion, this is also not a good time to put much stock in what Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh say. They were hysterical yesterday. Beck is just out of his element--totally unprepared for this emergency, and Rush who has a better grasp of history and the world just hates Obama too much to find any rational thing to say. So in the words of Beck, "Do your own research." And pray for the Egyptian people.

The Right Side of History | The Middle East

Update: I have no idea who Mark Levine is, but he's getting play in AlJezerra and Huffington Post. Mark Levine: Obama: Say the D-Word
"It's incredible, really. Cairo is burning and the President of the United States can't bring himself to talk about democracy in Egypt, or the Middle East more broadly. He can dance around it, use euphemisms, throw out words like "freedom" and "tolerance" and "non-violent" and especially "reform," but he can't say the one word that really matters: Democracy."

Now listening to Mubarak who says he wasn't interested in being a dictator, but doesn't want to abandon his responsibilities. Hmmm. A little late to the gate.

Observation on State of the Union

By Ann Coulter.

"Obama said, "We are the nation that put cars in driveways and computers in offices; the nation of Edison and the Wright brothers; of Google and Facebook."

And then the government outlawed Edison's great invention, made the Wright brothers' air travel insufferable, filed anti-trust charges against Microsoft and made cars too expensive to drive by prohibiting oil exploration, and right now -- at this very minute -- is desperately trying to regulate the Internet."

The Key to Health, Wealth and Success: Self-Control

Now someone needs a study to see if a little parental control can help that very young child develop some self-control. Couldn't hurt.

"Problems surfacing in adolescence, such as becoming a smoker or getting pregnant, accounted for about half of the bad outcomes associated with low self-control in childhood. Kids who scored low on such measures — for instance, becoming easily frustrated, lacking persistence in reaching goals or performing tasks, or having difficulty waiting their turn in line — were roughly three times more likely to wind up as poor, addicted, single parents or to have multiple health problems as adults, compared with children who behaved more conscientiously as early as age 3."

The Key to Health, Wealth and Success: Self-Control – TIME Healthland

Sen. Inhofe Shapes Major GOP Bills to rein in EPA

Looks like at least some Republicans understand what happened in November. According to the NYT (via ClimateWire), Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), will unveil a bill with House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) that would strip EPA of its authority to limit carbon emissions from power plants, refineries and other stationary sources.

At the same time, he will be a "first co-sponsor" of a much broader bill that would bar the federal government from regulating greenhouse gas emissions under any existing environmental law. That measure will be introduced Monday (today) by Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), who serves on the Environment and Public Works Committee, on which Inhofe is the ranking Republican.

Sen. Inhofe Shapes Major GOP Bills to Fight EPA's Greenhouse Gas Regs - NYTimes.com

Professor Cornpone, Newt Gingrich

When I worked in the Agriculture Library in the late 70s, ethanol, biogas, and saving the environment were huge topics. I did a lot of reading on it, and why it failed. It's bad for the wallet, and bad for the environment. I was shocked to see it resurrected as part of the current green movement, and to see miles and miles of fertile midwestern farm land converted to products to make energy for our cars and industry, when it took so much energy and water to make the conversion.

And now Mr. Randy himself, Newt Gingrich, wants to hitch his star to the Renewable Fuels movement, aka, burning food instead of feed people. The man is a moral mess. He married one of his high school teachers, left her for wife #2 when she had cancer, and left #2 for #3, one of his staff with whom he was having an affair all while he was investigating President Clinton for his moral lapses with an intern. In late 2009 he converted to Catholicism. He is a historian and in an interview I heard he liked the 2000 year tradition he was joining, so he doesn't think of it as a conversion. Those pesky marriage vows and bonds had already been taken care of so he could marry wife #3 who is a devout Catholic.

Why should anyone including Calista Gingrich, believe anything this man says? Really. Do we want this couple in the White House? Also, as much as I admire Roman Catholics for their stand on life, on marriage they are simply duplicitous. Liberal on annulments; conservative on divorce. So the rich and famous and political like the Kennedys and Gingriches can get their pass for playing around, but the ordinary teacher, clerk or nurse can't without a lot of soul searching, agony and money clout by someone in the church helping them out.

Review & Outlook: Professor Cornpone - WSJ.com