Seven Key Health Care Questions

Great article here.

Wheelan, an economist, asks (and answers) seven key questions.
(Side Note: I think economists should run the world.)

1. How did we get the health care system we have?

2. If we had a Canadian-style system (or British or French), would you give it up for what you have now? (And might I parenthetically add, what would the "least among us" do?)

3. What are your preferred benchmarks for quality in a health care system, and how does the U.S. system stack up?

4. Where did King Hussein of Jordan fly for cancer treatment?

(The answer is not exactly what you think, if you know the answer.)

5. Should we scrap Medicare?

6. Can our health care system get worse?

7. Do you think the American health care system will be better or worse in 10 years if we do nothing now?

Read the whole article here. It is really good.

My take on potential global warming.

I'm not a scientist. Neither are most of you. So what to do about all the scientific claims on global warming.

Here is what not to do. Don't think that this issue is in any way actually related to any other issue that has become partisan.

I truly don't understand why virtually everyone that thinks abortion is wrong, also thinks global warming is false. Or why so many who think global warming is true, think the war in Iraq was a mistake from the beginning. One should be able to study an issue and come to a conclusion on that particular issue, irrespective of other issues. To me, the fact that this has become so partisan speaks to what I guess is obvious, the deep divide and mistrust that exists in this country. It is this latter point, as much as anything, that I find so troubling. We should be able to listen to people who are experts in their field, without judging them on every other issue, which they may or may not be qualified as an expert on.

So back to global warming. I chimed in on a facebook discussion page hosted by my denomination, the CRC, here.