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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
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Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
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Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
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Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
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Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
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January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Feb. 17, 2009 / 23 Shevat 5769
Guilt Complex (and the Stimulus Package)
By
Tom Purcell
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
I feel guilty about it, if you want to know the truth.
Maybe I better explain.
One of the provisions slipped into the pork-packed "stimulus" package
authorizes billions for digitizing medical records. It also establishes a National
Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
According to Betsy McCaughey, the former lieutenant governor of New York,
that's not a good idea. She explains, at Bloomberg.com, that the national
coordinator will monitor everyone's medical treatment to make sure doctors are
"doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective."
In other words, the government will be able to begin "guiding" doctors'
decisions it will be able to dissuade costly treatments, say, for older folks
who the government figures may croak soon anyhow.
That's why I feel guilty.
I write for a living, you see. Writing is hard. Because I am unable to
concentrate at home, I go to a coffee shop or diner every morning. One of my
favorite spots is Panera Bread.
But most mornings, I encounter a problem: retirees.
There are dozens of them at Panera Bread. They are in their 60s, 70s and 80s
one woman is 93. They are healthy and cheerful. They talk loudly and
laugh boisterously.
Who can blame them for being so upbeat? They are a reflection of an
incredibly successful civilization that, our current recession aside, produced
unimaginable wealth and unimaginable advances in health care.
Some of the retirees have new hips and knees, no doubt. Their tickers,
successfully bypassed and rerouted, are beating as good as new. They've likely
outlived a number of maladies that might have been their end if not for the
amazing drugs and medical innovations that America has produced.
But I am unable to write when the retirees are socializing at Panera Bread.
One fellow has a powerful, booming voice and loves to use it. One lady has a
cackle that sounds like fingernails scraping a chalkboard. Another fellow
breaks out whistling for no reason at all a loud, screeching whistle that
makes concentrating impossible.
It is a touch ironic that as they enjoy their coffee and camaraderie on one
side of the room, I sit on the other side working in order to fund some of
their good fortune to fund Medicare and Social Security.
It isn't their fault that Social Security is a giant Ponzi scheme that
they are drawing out way more than they paid in and that I'm surely paying in
way more than I'll ever draw out.
It also struck me as ironic that the more they talk and cackle and whistle,
the less work I am able to get done. The less I produce, the less I am able
to bill. The less I am able to bill, the less taxes I am able to pay to fund
the Medicare and Social Security that contributes to their cheerfulness.
But nothing is more ironic than this: Some of my retiree friends likely
voted for the politicians the Democrats who have promised to give them the
most stuff.
Surely, the retirees had no idea that Democrats would slip a provision by
them through which the government would begin monitoring and eventually
denying costly medical treatments to older folks just like them.
After all, says liberal Democrat Tom Daschle, who authored the idea,
America's elderly need to become more like Europeans more willing to accept their
fates and "forgo experimental treatments."
In other words, it's just a matter of time before some nameless, faceless
bureaucrat not an elderly patient's doctor decides which treatment is
"cost-effective" based on the patient's age.
It pains me to bring up the most ironic point of all, but there is no
escaping it: This could be the only time in my life that the decisions made by a
heartless government bureaucrat might unwittingly benefit me.
It has occurred to me that as there are fewer retirees talking, cackling and
whistling at Panera Bread as the government denies them treatment I'll
finally be able to get some work done.
Such are the callous, thoughtless, perverse musings that only the government
can encourage.
At least I feel guilty about it.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment on JWR Contributor Tom Purcell's column, by clicking here. To visit his web site, click here.
ARCHIVES
© 2009, Tom Purcell
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