November 9, 2009
CNN story - Is monogamy realistic?
CNN story - Is monogamy realistic?
Posted by doctormatt at 4:35 AM
October 7, 2009
Why the Current Bills Don't Solve Our Health Care Crisis
Courtesy of Michael Moore
Huffington Post
Co-authored with Rose Ann DeMoro, executive director, California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee
Now we know why they've stopped calling this health care reform, and started calling it insurance reform. The current bills advancing in Congress look more like rearranging the deck chairs on the insurance Titanic than actually ending our long health care nightmare.
Some laudable elements are in various versions of the bills, especially expanding Medicaid, cutting the private insurance-padding waste of Medicare Advantage, and limiting the ability of the insurance giants to ban and dump people who have been or who ever will be sick.
But, overall, the leading bills and the President's proposal are, like the dog that didn't bark, more notable for what is missing.
Here are 13 problems with the current health care bills (partial list):
Continue reading "Why the Current Bills Don't Solve Our Health Care Crisis"
Posted by doctormatt at 10:33 PM
October 5, 2009
Getting Sick, Dying Quickly
"It's my duty and pride tonight to be able to announce exactly what the Republicans plan to do for health care in America," announced Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) on the House floor Wednesday night. Taking out a chart, he continued, "Here it is.
The Republican health care plan for America: 'don't get sick.' If you have insurance don't get sick, if you don't have insurance, don't get sick; if you're sick, don't get sick. ...
If you do get sick America, the Republican health care plan is this: 'die quickly.'"
Continue reading "Getting Sick, Dying Quickly"
Posted by doctormatt at 6:38 PM
September 30, 2009
Money, Morality and Ethics
Health care reform involves much more than money. It involves intense personal feelings about the kind of our society we want. These feelings too often go unspoken, even unappreciated, making intelligent discourse impossible.
Below are key principles taken from public health care debates. All are important to a few of us, and some to all of us. But we can't have it all - any one is achievable, but not every one. It's a tough choice.
Continue reading "Money, Morality and Ethics"
Posted by doctormatt at 11:31 PM | Comments (0)
Video - Robert Reich on What is the Public Option?
Posted by doctormatt at 10:56 PM | Comments (0)
Video - Michael Moore on need for Single Payer / Public Option
Posted by doctormatt at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)
The Public Option is Popular, Moral and Inexpensive, Therefore it Must Die
Continue reading "The Public Option is Popular, Moral and Inexpensive, Therefore it Must Die "
Posted by doctormatt at 8:29 AM
September 27, 2009
Bill Maher - Commentary
We have a pretty good idea of the Republican plan for the next three years: Don't let Obama do anything. What kills me is that that's the Democrats' plan, too.
Posted by doctormatt at 8:26 AM | Comments (0)
September 26, 2009
Health care as a human rights issue
Health care as a human rights issue
Posted by doctormatt at 8:13 PM
September 23, 2009
Video - Mad as hell doctors on the Ed show MSNBC
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Posted by doctormatt at 1:21 PM
Animation - Video - Why single payer is needed
Posted by doctormatt at 1:08 PM
September 22, 2009
Video - Mad as hell doctors
Posted by doctormatt at 6:32 PM
Video - Dr. Paul Song on Larry King
Posted by doctormatt at 2:17 AM
Physicians for National Health Program on Democracy Now
Physicians for National Health Program on Democracy Now
Continue reading "Physicians for National Health Program on Democracy Now"
Posted by doctormatt at 2:05 AM
Video - Why the Mass. model does not work
Posted by doctormatt at 12:59 AM | Comments (0)
The inevitability of an American single-payer health system
The inevitability of an American single-payer health system
Continue reading "The inevitability of an American single-payer health system"
Posted by doctormatt at 12:45 AM | Comments (0)
The Health Care Deceit
The Health Care Deceit by Paul Craig Roberts
Continue reading "The Health Care Deceit "
Posted by doctormatt at 12:40 AM | Comments (0)
George McGovern on Medicare for all
George McGovern on Medicare for all.
Posted by doctormatt at 12:32 AM
September 20, 2009
We can secure Medicare for All, once states begin to pass their own single-payer bills.
We remain committed to a robust public option that:
* Enacts concurrently with other significant expansions of coverage and must not be conditioned on private industry actions.
* Consists of one entity, operated by the federal government, which sets policies and bears the risk for paying medical claims to keep administrative costs low and provide a higher standard of care.
* Be made available to all individuals and employers across the nation without limitation.
* Allows patients to have access to their choice of doctors and other providers that meet defined participation standards, similar to the traditional Medicare model, promotes the medical home model and eliminates lifetime caps on benefits.
* Has the ability to structure the provider rates to promote quality care, primary care, prevention, chronic care management and good public health.
* Utilizes the existing infrastructure of successful public programs, such as Medicare, in order to maintain transparency and consumer protections for administering processes, including payment systems, claims and appeals.
* Establishes or negotiates rates with pharmaceutical companies, durable medical equipment providers and other providers to achieve the lowest prices for consumers.
* Receives a level of subsidy and support that is no less than that received by private plans.
* Ensures premiums are priced at the lowest levels possible, not tied to the rates of private insurance plans.
Posted by doctormatt at 10:00 PM
September 5, 2009
Tiny Nibbles
Posted by doctormatt at 8:42 PM
September 3, 2009
The Public Option is Popular, Moral and Inexpensive, Therefore it Must Die
Posted by doctormatt at 10:34 PM
So We Can't Have Single Payer for Health Care, But How About Single Payer for Education?
Posted by doctormatt at 10:24 PM
September 2, 2009
"Go Topless Day a big success"
I think the organizers have the right idea.
On August 26, 1920, following a 72-year struggle, the U.S. Constitution was amended to grant women the right to vote. And in 1970, as an ongoing reminder of women's equality, Congress declared August 26 "Women's Equality Day." But even in the 21st century, women need to stand up and demand that equality in fact - not just in words. Note that in 2010, GoTopless will have a large rally nationwide in honor of the 90th anniversary of the 19th Amendment and Women's Equality Day.
(Although the organizer Rael has written about his UFO abduction, this certainly does not diminishes the credibility of the Go Topless movement.)
Posted by doctormatt at 8:58 PM | Comments (0)
August 27, 2009
What happened on 9-11-01?
Thom Hartmann radio show segments here
Dr. Jones comments on NIST report on building 7
National Geographic channel on 9-11 "conspiracy"
Posted by doctormatt at 10:07 PM | Comments (0)
August 16, 2009
The Brutal Truth about America's Health Care
The Brutal Truth about America's Health Care
The packed bleachers in the LA Forum tell a different story. The mobile clinic has been organised by the remarkable Remote Area Medical. The charity usually focuses on the rural poor, although they worked in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Now they are moving into more urban venues, this week's event in Los Angeles is believed to be the largest free healthcare operation in the country.
Doctors, dentists and therapists volunteer their time, and resources to the organisation. To many US medical professionals, it offers a rare opportunity to plug into the public service ethos on which their trade was supposedly founded. "People come here who haven't seen a doctor for years. And we're able to say 'Hey, you have this, you have this, you have this'," said Dr Vincent Anthony, a kidney specialist volunteering five days of his team's time. "It's hard work, but incredibly rewarding. Healthcare needs reform, obviously. There are so many people falling through the cracks, who don't get care. That's why so many are here."
Posted by doctormatt at 9:34 PM | Comments (0)
June 27, 2009
Comment on what Republican Gov. Mark Sanford really represents
Continue reading "Comment on what Republican Gov. Mark Sanford really represents"
Posted by doctormatt at 7:17 PM | Comments (0)
June 21, 2009
Most Americans favor decriminalization of marijuana
It's only "A Matter of Time". That is the name of a great book by Don Kirchner, a decorated Vietnam combat helicopter pilot whose adventures as a marijuana smuggler tells the tale of how deeply involved organized crime cartels are in the marketing and sales of this, the safest drug on the planet. It is a fascinating and exciting tale that I strongly recommend to everyone.
A matter of time also refers to the current situation in America. The people of America have reached the point of understanding that this banned plant needs to be legalized. A new Zogby poll commissioned by the conservative-leaning O'Leary Report has found 52% voter support for treating marijuana as a legal, taxed, regulated substance. The survey, published as a full-page ad in today's issue of the political newspaper, The Hill, polled a sample of 3,937 voters weighted to match the 2008 presidential outcome -- 54 percent Obama voters and 46 percent McCain supporters.
The results showed a decisive majority of 52 percent in favor with 37 percent opposed and 11 percent not sure -- slightly higher than the 46 percent support reported in an ABC News/Washington Post poll released at the end of April. In California, the respected Field poll recently found 56 percent support for making marijuana a taxed, regulated product that is legal for adults. "This new survey continues the recent trend of strong and growing support for taxing and regulating marijuana and ending the disastrously failed policy of prohibition," said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C.
Posted by doctormatt at 8:20 PM
June 7, 2009
Firm evidence of nano-thermite residue in four distinct WTC dust samples
From a paper published in the peer-reviewed Open Chemical Physics Journal by dissident physicist Stephen Jones (our own Andrei Sakharov) and eight colleagues (summary here: http://www.globalresearch.ca/... Jones states it was the most rigorous peer-review he had ever undergone, in a long and distinguished career. So far, none of the dependable debunkers have disputed this research--that would perhaps draw too much undesired attention to it.
So what does it mean?
(Courtesy of the Daily Kos)
Steven Jones April 2009 lecture at UC Davis
Continue reading "Firm evidence of nano-thermite residue in four distinct WTC dust samples"
Posted by doctormatt at 10:28 PM | Comments (0)
May 24, 2009
Republican Health Deform
Just weeks after GOP pollster Frank Luntz advised Republicans that they should not attack President Obama's health care principles without offering an alternative -- "It's not enough to just say what you're against. You have to tell them what you're for," Luntz warned -- two different groups of Republicans released separate health care bills this week. On Wednesday, Reps. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Devin Nunes (R-CA) and Sens. Richard Burr (R-NC) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) unveiled the Patients' Choice Act, while so-called "moderates," Reps. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Charlie Dent (R-PA), released the Medical Rights Act. CBS News observed that the effort "stands little chance of progressing in the Democrat-led Congress, but it makes a clear statement that the Republican party can 'emerge as the party of new ideas,' as Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele said Tuesday." However, there is nothing "new" in these plans. Moreover, both groups are more interested in characterizing the Democrats' effort as a "government takeover" of health care than offering real policy solutions. "As a practicing physician, I have seen first-hand how giving government more control over health care has failed to make health care more affordable and accessible," Coburn said in a statement. "Nothing will rally ordinary Americans against the president's plan more than his allies arguing too forcefully for a system run by politicians and bureaucrats in Washington," the authors of the Patients' Choice Act wrote in an editorial introducing the legislation.
Continue reading "Republican Health Deform"
Posted by doctormatt at 12:50 AM | Comments (0)
May 23, 2009
George Carlin on religion
Posted by doctormatt at 11:37 PM
Blue "double cross"
Posted by doctormatt at 11:07 PM