BO vs. Fox

The White House is making some serious blunders as it tries to vilify Fox News Channel. Perhaps they are trying to use Chicago style tactics against those that do not line up behind their agenda. In reality, all they are doing is demonstrating their lack of confidence in their own ideas and their own staff. It appears that they cannot defend their agenda or appointments but instead must resort to political ploys to quiet their opponents.

What better way to demonstrate the benefits of your agenda than to debate them with others of differing opinions? Why not have a representative from the White House go on Fox to debate and defend their proposal? They should go on O’Reilly, Beck, and Hannity which gives them the perfect audience. Those that do not agree will perhaps be convinced to support their proposals. This should be desirable for the administration unless they feel that their agenda does not hold up to debate.

More and more I see the administration hiding from their own proposals. It seems the less they let the public know about the details the better for them. In fact, it is exactly their strategy to minimize the dissemination of the details of their plans for us. We are supposed to be like sheep lining up and not asking any questions. The problem with Fox is that they are asking the questions and this threatens BO. They are unveiling the details to the public and this frustrates the White House. As the specifics come out BO’s popularity declines.

What’s worse for BO is that Fox is attracting record number of viewers, thanks to him. As he tries to silence his opposition he is in fact doing the exact opposite. People wonder what they are saying on Fox that has BO so riled up so they tune in to find out. BO would have done much better never singling out Fox but now that he has, he must face them directly. He has to confront the opposition or his popularity will continue to fade as people lose their confidence in him. People will assume he has something to hide.

The truth is BO and Rahm cannot defend their positions. Upon close scrutiny their ideas will be unpopular and will not pass. Their only chance is to keep us in the dark. Thank heavens for Fox which shines a bright light on their schemes.

I Just Don't Get It

I went into this hotel last week and got into the elevator along with several others. The door shut and the elevator started rising. Suddenly the lights went off and the elevator continued to rise. All you could see was the digital display of the floor you were up to and the people in the elevator became very nervous. People were screaming. It reached the top floor and all of a sudden something snapped and the elevator went into free fall. The weird thing is I waited one hour to get on the elevator and I even paid to get on knowing what was going to happen. Naturally, I was at Disneyworld at the Tower of Terror.

Can someone please explain to me the attraction of this ride? I just do not get it. And while you are at it you can also explain why people get enjoyment from riding on a roller coaster that makes you feel like you are in free fall. I experience total fear and the sensation that my private parts are transplanted into my throat. I assume I am not unusual with these feelings but the fact that some enjoy them escapes me.

Putting that experience aside, Disney does a terrific job with their customers. Their staff is wonderful, including the greeters at the airport, the drivers of the buses, the hotel staff and the employees at the theme parks. They interact with thousands of people yet are kind and patient and are wonderful with the children. Any company that wants to learn about customer service should send their employees to Disneyworld. As I also deal with the public on a daily basis I know how difficult it can be. I certainly learned from my experience at Disney and will try to be more patient with my clients.

There were many foreigners at the parks which is a testament to the global attraction that is Disney. It is a great asset to this country and generates many jobs, tax revenue, and infrastructure to that region of Florida. Walt was a remarkable man with great foresight.

My four days at Disney with my seven year old son were unforgettable. Watching his smiles as we went through the parks is something I will always remember. I thank Disney for giving me the opportunity.

Next time we go to an amusement park, though, I’ll be watching him from sidelines.

The On Call Nightmare

This week I have the distinct honor of being on call. Let me explain to you what that entails. For one, my patients and the patients of other doctors I am covering for can call me for any problems they may have during hours when the office is closed. I think the public watches too much Grey’s Anatomy because people honestly believe that I live in the hospital and my entire life is exclusively geared towards their every desire. People are surprised to hear that I actually have a life outside of medicine. Because of this, people have no problem calling me at any of hour of the night with their non-emergent issues. It is not unusual to get the call at 3 am from the patient with ear pain that has been going on for a week. The chutzpah of some people who call me in the middle of the night is not to be believed.

As bad as that part is, it is not the worst part of being on call. The worst part is the requirement to take emergency room call. As part of my privileges at the hospital I belong to, I am required to share in taking care of people that show up in the emergency room with problems within my specialty. Now this may sound like a reasonable system but the truth is the system is broken. Many times the people who show up in the ER have no medical insurance. I am required to travel to the ER, take care of the patient, travel back home, all for free (yes, I can bill the patient but I never get paid). And worse, this patient can sue me if things, for whatever reason, go wrong. A high percentage of lawsuits are generated by emergency room visits. I essentially have legal exposure and must pay exorbitant malpractice premiums without the possibility of generating compensation. Now you tell me what other profession is enslaved like this.

Taking it a step further, if I am up in the middle of the night taking care of the nonpaying patient I may have a full day the next day with multiple surgical cases and a full schedule of office visits. So here I am operating and consulting on my insured patients with little or no sleep. There is no way anyone can be at their best having been deprived of sleep. The emergency room effects the care of those who are not even there, but just unfortunate enough to have picked their appointment on the day after a bad night for the doctor.

One will ask why then would I maintain privileges in the hospital and I would answer that I really do not want to. But, I am forced to have privileges by whom else but the insurance company. To be on their panels you must maintain privileges in a hospital.

There is no doubt that the system of emergency care is completely broken. More and more doctors are electing not to take emergency call unless they are compensated for it. This will affect care for people who truly require emergent care. Ultimately, it is always the public that suffers.

Well I’ll end it there. I just heard my beeper going off.

9.8% and Counting

Week after week we see more and more jobs being lost. At least 200k jobs almost every week for months. We are up to 9.8% unemployment and that figure probably understates the actual number. The harsh reality is that these many of these jobs are not just temporarily lost but are gone forever. This trend is neither BO’s fault nor GW Bush’s as some analysts would have you believe.

Many of the lost jobs were in industries that were based on bad business models such as the auto industry where a high school graduate could get a job on the assembly line for 60 dollars per hour with unheard of benefits. This is obviously unsustainable and ultimately makes the business noncompetitive in the world market. These jobs are not returning.

Many of the jobs were in industries that were being overinflated due to bubbles. This includes the real estate business with jobs ranging from construction workers to real estate brokers to mortgage companies. Many jobs were lost here after the bubble popped and are certainly not coming back.

Many jobs were lost in the financial industry which was both a flawed business model as well as a business overinflated by the creation of debt instruments. Nothing was actually created by these companies, just the repackaging of debt and selling to the next guy. Then that guy would sell it to another guy. A huge pyramid scheme. These jobs are not coming back.

So where does that leave us? More jobs will be lost as these industries consolidate. That is why we are seeing improvement in earnings as company’s expenses are being reduced due to lower personnel cost, not by greater sales (top line growth). The economy is stabilizing but will only expand once top line growth improves which will only happen when employment improves.

A no-brainer would be to immediately encourage the production and usage of our own sources of energy. This creates new business and enlarges existing businesses in that industry. Instead of shipping billions of dollars to import energy/oil, that money could be staying here creating good paying jobs. The plan to convert all 18 wheelers to natural gas should start immediately. We have lots of natural gas and reduces our funding of despotic regimes.

The key to job growth is in new industries and small business which is being ignored by the current administration. In fact, they are being targeted for more regulation and tax increases. Small business is the generator of jobs in this country and everything should be done to facilitate and encourage their development. It is the only way to create prosperity for all of us. Energy jobs are the way to go, NOW.