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October 29 To Pandemic or Not To Pandemic, That is the Question...This article from Spiegel Online asks "Is Swine Flu Really a Pandemic?" Part of the mounting evidence against the declaration of H1N1 as a pandemic is that the vaccine has been "surprisingly" effective. This has fueled speculation that this "new" virus is most likely a combination of some existing strains that most people already have an immunity to. This is adding to the concern of many in the public about the need for another flu shot during this season and helps fuel the anxiety many feel about getting an "untested" shot in the first place. The following chart from the article shows how this current virus is related to past viruses.
In a similar vein to the CBS article that I linked last week that talked about the fact that the number of H1N1 cases is overblown, this is just another example of the growing doubts among even virus experts about the premature definition of H1N1 as a Pandemic. By defining the swine flu as a pandemic, the WHO gave all the excuse world Governments had been looking for to ramp up vaccine production and exert controls over their populations. Quoting from the article:
It appears that by the end of this whole swine flu fiasco nothing much will have happened and it will all be chalked up to another case of "Chicken Little" syndrome. The last paragraph of the article sums it up nicely:
Just another example of us collectively Scaring Ourselves to Death. Evil Out October 28 How American Health Care Killed My Father (redux)The following is a presentation given at the Cato Institute by the author of one of the most fascinating articles on health care reform that I remember reading in the past few months. The article was titled "How American Health Care Killed My Father" by David Goldhill. Mr. Goldhill is an executive of a successful media company and was never much interested in health care until his father died a tragic death due to an infection he caught during a routine hospital visit. This experience prompted Mr. Goldhill to look into the American health care system and he has found some fascinating information. I don't agree with all of his remedies, but he has some insight into how to return the focus and responsibility of health care to the consumer, in other words those of us who are actually affected by a doctor's choice or a hospital's mistake. I highly recommend that you click the link above and read his article then come back here and watch the following video. It is about an hour long, but it will be one of the single best investments of time for those who are looking for what to support in the health care reform debate.
By the way if the article looks familiar, I linked it previously in my blog around the time it was published. Good information is always worth a second visit though.
Evil Out October 26 Econ 101"Economics is a study of cause-and-effect relationships in an economy. It's purpose is to discern the consequences of various ways of allocating resources which have alternative uses. It has nothing to say about philosophy or values, anymore than it has to say about music or literature."
— Thomas Sowell Just a short thought today. I have been reading an economics text recently, boring to some I know, but it has helped to reinforce some of my basic beliefs about how an economy works. The constant pull between a supply of stuff and those who want to consume said stuff is an amazing relationship. What is also amazing is how few people in our society actually understand the basics of economics. How the basics of supply and demand affect a market. The push and pull of prices. The dangers of Government control and interference on an economy. The devastation that socialism, totalitarianism, fascism, and other Government controlled economic systems have had on the people of this world. The freedom and lifting from poverty that free market economies have had. It is sad that most people don't understand any of that. To them economics is boiled down to profits bad, companies evil, and businessmen greedy.
If you want to learn more about economics then, I highly recommend that you read this book, Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide to the Economy. It is a beginner's guide to economics by Thomas Sowell, one of the greatest economics minds of our time, that is easy to read and understand and will make you more of an expert on economics than anyone in Washington.
 The more of us who understand how Economics really works, the more of us can keep the idiots in Washington in line. Here is a final quote from Thomas Sowell to end this.
“The first lesson of economics is scarcity: There is never enough of anything to satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.” -- Thomas Sowell
Evil Out
October 24 Weekly Round-Up 10/24 (Two in a week Edition)Time for the real weekly round-up, this will catch me up after being behind for two weeks. This one may be smaller than normal, but considering the last round-up was huge, that may not be a bad deal.
To lead off this week, here is a short video about the biggest piece of news this week in my opinion...The official release of Windows 7!!!!
If you are a Windows user, go and upgrade....NOW!!! You will be pleased.
 Along the lines of making criminals out of innocent people, Watch how much money you deposit in your bank account
Speaking of taking on competitors head on, Verizon is launching a direct attack at the iPhone with their new Droid phone
That's it for this week. Until next time enjoy
Evil Out
October 21 The number of H1N1 cases were overblown? Do tell...There is a very interesting report over on CBSNews.com about the fact that the actual number of Swine Flu cases has been grossly overstated. The beginning of the article opens thus (emphasis is mine):
The article goes on to talk about the fact that most cases of swine flu were most likely upper respiratory infections or other similar flu-like illnesses. If you look at the graphic below from the article not only are the actual cases of swine flu minuscule, in the states listed that compared H1N1 to normal flu, swine flu made up just a fraction of overall diagnosed flu cases.
 There are also some other interesting revelations in the article, primarily that the CDC stopped testing for swine flu in July and recommended that states do the same. Quoting:
It seems to me that the best time to get accurate statistics of who has contracted a potentially fatal disease is during the epidemic. The CDC's actions seems to illuminate that the Federal Government knew as far back as July that H1N1 was neither as prevalent or as dangerous as stated. It smells a lot like trying to cover the actual number so that they can continue to spend resources as if there were an epidemic, when in truth there was not. However, some states have continued to test, like California and you can see in the graphic above that they have the largest sample of tests. Anecdotally, I have heard that here in Kansas that they are only testing for swine flu after a patient has been hospitalized just to confirm.
There are some interesting questions to be asked about this situation. The article tells us that one of the reasons this is a problem is that people who believe they have had H1N1 and are now immune or resistant to the disease, most likely have never been exposed and still are at risk of catching it. This seems like a minor concern overall, especially in light of the actual number of cases of H1N1. The more important question I feel, is when will the Government clean with the population that they have not only overblown the numbers and risk of catching H1N1, but explain why they decided to take conscious steps to hide the actual numbers.
Most likely that will never happen. On a positive note, CBS stated in the article that they are trying to use the Freedom of Information Act to get the relevant documents from the CDC about why, how, and what was decided. I hope they do soon, it might answer the question of why the Government has taken underhanded actions in bloating the risks and dangers of this flu.
Evil Out October 19 (Bi)Weekly Round-Up 10/16ish (Day Late and a Dollar Short Edition)With a vacation a couple of weeks ago and a busy weekend, I got behind on my Weekly Round-Up...so here is about two weeks worth of stuff, enjoy.
A big example of unintended consequences…John Stossel discusses the minimum wage
Here is the info on a Nobel prize for actually doing something. Coming soon...a movie Al Gore "doesn't want you to see" Speaking of Al Gore, what happens when you ask him an "Inconvenient Question" What happens when you make an "Athiest" movie that does more to hurt your cause then help it? Matthew McConaughey helps veterans An interesting Point of View defending President Obama's "Safe Schools" Czar A question I keep asking myself "Why Do Public Schools Suck?" Rush Limbaugh likes Capitalism? Shock! Is there an anti-Semitic undertone in Michael Moore's new movie? Camille Paglia's Monthly Column - "Obama's Critical Moment Approaches" Cyberthieves find workplace networks easy to hack Scammers just love dangerous website warnings A review of free security products from AVG and Microsoft Tips for Gaming with your Girlfriend Which Senator's votes are "in play" in the health care debate Will health care debate survive the Christmas Break? Tort Reform gets a boost on Capital Hill Agricultural subsidies are back John Stossel asks: "What's Michael Moore Talking About?" Democrats aren't done demonizing health insurance companies Hope and Change is killing the dollar Did you know Fox News is an arm of the Republican Party? Here are 50 examples of Government waste Program to help Veterans become Writers Do most kids even like "Where the Wild Things Are"? Disney appoints TV Executive to turn business around Here we go again (on housing and mortgages) The Government is sticking its' nose in more and more of our business Here are some thoughts from someone who earned their Nobel Prize, for Economics Speaking out against "Capitalism's Petty Detractors" Tea Party supporters are as angry at Elephants as Donkeys Net Neutrality is not the solution to bad service providers Next target of the Nanny State: Fat People Do you really need to ask why Ayn Rand is hot again? Oh look at this, The House has condemned Hate Crimes...again Mandating individuals buying insurance is madness Is the "Honest Services" law in jeopardy? SCOTUS taking up a copyright case Germany is decentralizing their energy production...why can't we? Now is the time for a little Communist humor Sweden is making biofuel...out of wild rabbits Let's hear about the problems with another country's health system for a while An interesting interview about problems with the modelling world Raven that is stalking lady detained by police Thomas Sowell asks: What are the magic numbers in politics? Thomas Sowell with more magic numbers Is Google losing ground to the 'Real Time' nature of the web? Government decides to regulate Bloggers who get payola... Here is the most common hotmail password...maybe it's time to change yours... Fascinating article about how 3-D television technologies work AT&T decides to let Skype and other VoIP programs on iPhone Internet traffic varies by season Cool new key with a built in ring Gadget hacking for a rainy day The ultimate desk accessory...a Black Hole! There you go, a bit of light reading for your enjoyment.
Evil Out October 13 Unintended Consequences The unintended consequences of Government action can be seen in a myriad of different ways. One of those is the damage that has been done to the makers of vaccines in this country. Because of tight Government control of the vaccine market and the loosening of malpractice lawsuits and awards over the past several decades, the number of vaccine makers in our country has shrunk from around 20 to 5. Year after year these manufacturers cannot keep up with demand and there are always shortages in vaccines early in the flu season that persist until the end of the season and we are left with excess vaccine. This problem has been exacerbated this year since there are currently two strains of flu circulating. Because of the hysteria over the H1N1 virus it has taken precedence over the seasonal flu when it comes to manufacturing vaccine. Therefore you end up with notes like the one I received from my company about the annual flu shot clinics they offer. The text of the note is below:
In an effort to expedite the distribution of the H1N1 flu vaccine, vaccine manufacturers have temporarily halted distribution of the seasonal flu vaccine resulting in an unexpected shortage of available seasonal flu vaccine across the country. In order to provide the flu vaccine to as many of our employees as possible, [My employer] utilized past historical data to estimate the number of flu vaccines needed for each clinic and allocated the vaccines accordingly. Unfortunately, the popularity of the Family Flu Clinic exceeded our expectations, and we administered all of the allotted vaccine for that clinic prior to everyone receiving a flu shot.
A finite number of flu shots will be available for employees only on a first-come-first-serve basis at each of the three remaining clinics. Please refer to [the company intranet] for the dates, times and locations of the remaining flu shot clinics.
For those employees whose family members were not able to receive a flu shot at the Family Flu Clinic, please note that the Centers for Disease Control is anticipating that distribution of the flu vaccine will resume in early November and should be available through your physician’s office. Please contact your doctor for more specific information on the upcoming availability of the seasonal flu vaccine.
We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.
So here we are where my company provides us with annual flu shot clinics and because of Government priorities, my company cannot provide its’ employees with flu shots. Why? Because the Government has forced the limited number of vaccine manufacturers to focus on H1N1 vaccine. The unintended consequences of “doing the right thing” for decades has been to make us less safe and has been rationing of services that individuals demand. This is one small example of Government interference with the free market in Health Care. Imagine this expanded upon the whole of the health system and you begin to understand why people, like myself, are worried about reforms that increase Government control and further remove market forces from the health market.
Evil Out October 12 Lobbying Members of Congress... For years we have heard about the evil of Lobbyists and their effects on congress and politics. Groups of people from the NRA to the NAACP have spent years lobbying congress for their members and usually whether that is a good thing or not depends on your opinion of the groups involved. Personally, I think lobbying is an acceptable method of approaching the political debate. It allows large dispersed groups of people to have a direct line of communication with those involved in actually making the laws that govern them. Even corporations and companies need to have that power to lobby, after all what is a company or corporation, but a group of people. Where is this leading you ask?
Rep. Barney Frank made some interesting comments about how the LGBT community should spend more time Lobbying than protest marching. Quoting from the AP story, it appears Congressman Frank understands that lobbying is how to actually put real "pressure" on congress.
You see that is what lobbying does. It allows the smaller distinct voices in our society a chance to "put pressure" on the members of Congress and other legislative bodies. Does this mean these groups shouldn't protest and march for their causes? No, of course not, but these small groups need to understand that they do not represent the majority of society and movements only attract real legislative attention when they are too large to be ignored. We've seen this recently in the negative public reaction to immigration reform that killed the McCain-Kennedy bill a few years back and even with the anti-health reform movements over the summer. Further back you saw this at work with civil rights and the suffrage movements. However, these became large movements that were too hard for legislators to ignore. Smaller movements such as LGBT, NRA, Unions, and Retirees need to pool their resources to make a direct impact on the lawmakers themselves. It is a fundamental part of our Representative Republic. Should there be limits on lobbying? Probably, but the best medicine for corruption in the lobbying system is daylight. Full disclosure laws about whom is taking you where or giving you what would do more to put limits on the system than the "strict" regulations we have now that encourage companies and lawmakers to skirt the edges of what is legal and ethical. So let them lobby, just make sure we know who is talking to whom. Evil Out. October 10 You gave what? To Whom? You're Kidding, Right?!?
In what has to be one of the more asinine and sophmoric moves in the history of the Nobel prize committee, they have awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize to our glorious leader, President Obama. The reasons for giving it to the President? Because, and I quote:
Even in their own literature they admit that he has done little, but talk about these issues. There is nowhere that the Prize committee cites specific contributions to where our President has worked to be "the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses." [as per Nobel's will] Even the President himself seems to be a bit baffled, in one of his rare moments of candor and self-depricating humor [one of his more endearing traits, imo], in his own talk about the award yesterday.
This particular Nobel award has been used over recent years as a kind of "movement call" for causes that the committee endorses or prefers, but they have usually gone to people who have at least done something. Not just talked about something or looked good on stage while promising something. World reaction has been mixed on the award and even the committee chairman, Thorbjørn Jagland, admitted that the award was given more for an illusory boost to the President's agenda.
The Peace Prize is probably the least relavent and useful prize given by the Nobel committee. It has become more of a reflection of the political beliefs of the committee as opposed to a reflection of actual accomplishment. The other Nobel prizes in the "soft sciences", such as economics, are used in a similar manner. Usually the "hard science" prizes are awarded for actual world-changing work, often years after the work was done and its' effect has been seen. The "it might be too late to resopnd three years from now." standard would be a disaster and a farce in the other Nobel awards. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised or even incredulous about this award, look at some of the past peace prize recipients:
There have been many people who have recieved the award who have done work to bring peace to this world, but many other awards are simply given to make a statement. This year, though, the award couldn't have gone to a more empty suit. Evil Out October 06 Free(dom) Love My overriding philosophy in life has become one based on freedom. Freedom, or Liberty, is one of the pillars of our society, but it is perhaps one of the hardest to accept or practice. Freedom is the one of the foundations of Christianity, but is often missing in many Christian's lives. Freedom is also a scarce commodity in this world. Being free means taking chances, it means failing, it means taking responsibility for your actions, it means letting others be responsible for their actions, and most importantly it means letting others be free. This is a concept that is easy to say, but difficult to live. So in a celebration of freedom, I found some incredible quotes from historical figures through the ages. Read and enjoy.
Finally, a quote that seems to be about freedom, but is really not. It shows where the thinking of many in our society has moved in regards to Freedom.
Think about it.
Enjoy your freedom and let others enjoy theirs.
Evil Out
October 03 Weekly Round-Up 10/02Another week has passed and another round-up is here. To start of for your viewing enjoyment, here is Rep Ron Paul on the Daily Show:
I realize many of his supporters during the Republican primary were kind of nutty, but can you imagine the difference in the debates in Washington right now if he was the man on top....Now onto the links for the week:
From one director who makes delusional fantasies to anthor, here is an interview with Quentin Tarantino
Of course that may cause you to ponder what is the proper role of the Government in securing the web
It's always a sign of a weak mind when one resorts to calling opponents Nazis...how about equating opposing healtcare reform to the Holocaust
When writing major legislation don't get specific...just leave spending amounts open ended...that'll cut costs
Now for a special Boortz section of the Round-Up...he's been on his game this week:
...and now back to our regularly scheduled Round-Up...
WIC has been around for decades and they are just now getting around to allowing WIC funds to buy Vegetables?
In the wake of one Second Amendment case, the Supreme Court is taking up another contraversial gun case
Finally, did you ever wonder if you were an Anti-Obama racist? Check out this chart to see:
 Have a good week
Evil Out October 01 Driving with Distractions During a "national driving summit" Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood announced that the administration plans to combat the "growing problem" of distracted driving. The recommendations range from increasing awareness via PSAs and other "public awareness" campaigns to a bill by Rep Schumer to take away highway funding if states did not pass laws banning texting while driving. Now while I don't have a problem in general with the Government promoting safe driving behavior, I think it points out where my fundamental dispute with many in our country and in our Government lay with regards to the proper role and scope of Government.
Distracted driving is a problem, one that "according to some studies" is growing*, is this truly a problem that demands more laws and restrictions on the freedom of the people in this country? The number of deaths attributed to "distracted" driving was about 6000 in the past year (and has hovered in the 5000-6000 range for some time now), this accounts for only 16% of all fatalities in auto accidents. A recent study found that over half (52.7%) of auto fatalities in the US had more to do with poor roadway conditions, most of which were due to poor maintenance and design. In other words if distracted driving caused 6000 deaths, than poorly maintained and designed roads caused around 20,000 deaths in the same period. These road-condition deaths could have been greatly reduced or prevented through proper maintenance and design.
Now which is a more proper role for Government to take in this debate...expending large amounts of resources and creating new laws and regulations in order to curb 6000 deaths which are caused by the irresponsible actions of individuals...or...expending large amounts of money and resources to repair, maintain, and redesign dangerous roadways in this country in order to prevent 20,000 deaths which are caused by the irresponsible actions of Government?
The Government has a responsibility to provide for the "common welfare" of its' citizens. It only makes sense that part of this would be to actually provide safe and effective roads for travel. While punishing those who are irresponsible is part of the Government's duty it has a greater duty to mind its' own house before it moves in and starts to restrict the freedom of individuals in our society. Liberty is one of the three fundamental values this country was founded upon and we should always be suspicious and resistant to a Government whose first inclination to "solve" a problem is restricting freedom and liberty. We need to hold the Government accountable for its' dereliction of duty first.
Evil Out
* at least according to almost every news article I read, however no corresponding study was linked for this statistic in any article I read. I also could not find any similar study although I didn't spend too much time researching it. |
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