Boise Blog

A world-renowned physician traces the rise of the medical-industrial complex that has made a disaster of our healthcare system--and tells us incisively what we need to do to change it.

The U.S. healthcare system is failing. It is run like a business, increasingly focused on generating income for insurers and providers rather than providing care for patients. It is supported by investors and private markets seeking to grow revenue and resist regulation, thus contributing to higher costs and lessened public accountability. Meanwhile, forty-six million Americans are without insurance. Health care expenditures are rising at a rate of 7 percent a year, three times the rate of inflation.

Dr. Arnold Relman is one of the most respected physicians and healthcare advocates in our country. This book, based on sixty years' experience in medicine, is a clarion call not just to politicans and patients but to the medical profession to evolve a new structure for healthcare, based on voluntary private contracts between individuals and not-for-profit, multi-specialty groups of physicians. Physicians would be paid mainly by salaries and would submit no bills for their services. All health care facilities would be not-for-profit. The savings from reduced administrative overhead and the elimination of billing fraud would be enormous. Healthcare may be our greatest national problem, but the provocative, sensible arguments in this book will provide a catalyst for change.

Author: Dr. Arnold Relman
Hardcover:  224 pages
Company: PublicAffairs  (2007-04-23)
ISBN: 1586484818
List Price: $24.00
Amazon Price: $13.45
Used Price: $12.90
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Tags:   Opinion Rescuing America Health Care

Slicing through the emotional--but factually wrong--arguments of gun control advocates this book busts a number of myths, demonstrating with hard statistical data and riveting anecdotes.

Author: John R. Lott
Hardcover:  349 pages
Company: Regnery Publishing, Inc.  (2003-03-25)
ISBN: 0895261146
List Price: $27.95
Amazon Price: $11.50
Used Price: $9.95
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Tags:   Bias Guns Gun Control Wrong

Author: Martin Gilens
Paperback:  303 pages
Company: University Of Chicago Press  (2000-10-01)
ISBN: 0226293653
List Price: $17.00
Amazon Price: $14.20
Used Price: $6.80
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Tags:   Americans Welfare Race Media Politics Antipoverty Policy Studies Communication

Opinion: OPINION: Welfare banks need not lend | money, welfare, bricks, bob, don, bricklayer, way, laying, pickens, lend (more...)

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Opinion. A selection of recent opinion pieces and editorials on the changing face of welfare from The Washington Post. Deflecting Welfare Applicants (more...)

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A Times Editorial Welfare reform put to the test © St. Petersburg Times, published October 25, 2001 (more...)

Tags:   Opinion Welfare reform test

Opinion: OPINION: Big executive welfare slobs | ceos, welfare, congress, taxpayers, money, companies, three, private, bailout, corporate (more...)

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AsianWeek.com opinion ... Welfare Time Limits to Disproportionately Cut Immigrants By Kaaryn Gustafson | Special to AsianWeek (more...)

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Backstories, insights and unofficial musings from the Chronicle's opinion pages. ... Zoo directors don't usually travel with a high-powered entourage. Then again, it isn't every ... (more...)

Tags:   Opinion Shop Animal welfare

A Times Editorial Child welfare dilemma Child protective investigators should have more options for children in troubled homes than having to choose between child safety and family ... (more...)

Tags:   Opinion Child welfare dilemma

This project examines several aspects of the relationship between welfare and public opinion. The major question is whether receipt of public assistance affects the political ... (more...)

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David Blunkett deserves enormous praise for opening Britain?s doors to immigrants from Eastern Europe, while restricting their rights to social security, housing benefits and ... (more...)

Tags:   Opinion Welfare benefits universal human Times

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on Animal Welfare - Labelling (Exploratory opinion) (more...)

Tags:   Opinion European Economic Social Committee Animal

I read more and more liberal thinkers who say "giving them money" when they mean "lowering their taxes". The latest I read is Krugman's column at the NYT (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/opinion/05krugman.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss). He writes about tax cuts versus public spending in stimulus, then paraphrases Keynes: "giving money away, he pointed out, tends to be met with fewer objections than plans for public investment". He considers a tax cut giving money away. I am trying to figure out if anyone knows the origin of this thinking? Who introduced this method of labeling tax cuts? How long has it been around? When the Exxon station was charging me $4/gallon, I was spending almost $200/month on gas. Now that it is closer to $2/gallon, I spend closer to $100/month. They don't say Exxon is giving me $100 a month for gas, they are just taking less from me - so the labeling doesn't hold up under scrutiny. It is used so widely by liberals, I was curious when and who started using the labels. Thanks for the help! nothing... you need to reread. In the article: Giving away money=tax break Public investment=government spending Stimulus being refered to is not a check to tax payers, it is Obama's proposed public works project. The article is about how the fed rate cuts isn't enough, the government needs to employ people to turn the economy. Anyway, the question still stands - when did this idea that tax cuts are a form of welfare, or giving away money, start? and who started it? Saco - yeah, wouldn't it be great if the Dem congress could stop spending so much money? Still, the question stands - who started and when did it start that tax cuts were labeled as 'giving away money' or 'welfare'? (more...)

Tags:   Question origin Dems calling tax cuts giving money welfare

Personal Essay/ How to help my community ?We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.? This rather famous phrase came from the preamble of the United States Constitution, identifying what roles and/or objectives are able to create a perfect society. Although these times have proven that the United States is far from the utopia that it has ever dreamed of; this goal can still be accomplished one step at a time. In my opinion, the most challenging step that has been collapsing our society would be the economy. This issue has been affecting our nation for years, and it seems that no matter what idea that has come across to heal this crisis, more and more suffer poverty. We must ask ourselves: whom does the economy affect most, where does this problem begin, and what idea starts out producing petty cash to individuals and then ends up with funding an entire community? We must think of an idea in which can be funded without hurting the economy even more. The fate of our nation lies within the youth of America. Education is a key phase in a child?s life in which can help train a student to become wise, intelligent, strong, and seeking. There are many high school students who suffer from financial difficulties in turn having them put aside their schoolwork and studies in order to work and raise money for their families. Unfortunately, many students end up dropping out of high school. This affect could cause the person to become needy for money, and would develop a trait within that person to cause crimes such as theft, burglaries, and might even cause murder towards an innocent human. It is very critical to correct this problem, so that a child is able to obtain an education, and that his and/or her family will also be saved from their turmoil against poverty. I propose that the United States create a certain financial aid that begins at high school throughout undergraduate school, in which a student?s family will be funded with an amount of money suitable enough to help that family with their finances. This aid can only be given to families whose child attends high school or a 2-year/4-year college. This means that if that student drops out of high school or college, this aid will no longer be given to that student?s family. One way in which to fund this financial aid without taking money out of any more Americans would be by creating another lottery. Just as how the lottery helps fund our school system, creating this new lottery can help run this financial aid. Another way of how to keep this aid afoot is by America trading some of its energy resources to different countries and/or territories in exchange for profit. This aid does not only help families with financial debt, but it also can help lower the rate of high school and college dropouts. These ideas may not be the very best, yet they stand in the right direction without hurting anyone even more with their finances. I cannot just sit down while my own kind or even ones who are suffering even more than I am are going through such havoc and difficulties. This is an essay from the heart speaking of what must be done to correct a wrong, and produce a right. It is with this financial aid that we can finally bring our country towards a perfect society, towards a utopian empire. We finally can say that: ?We the People of the United States are forming a perfect Union?. It is with these words that God leaves you that will help trigger stamina within to lead our nation towards its perfect society; ?Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you?. You figure out the rest! (more...)

Tags:   Question college essay ideas sense Rate

i am writing a position paper in my governmenet class, i am not going to tell you my opinion and i dont want you to read the other responses before writing your own. right your opinion only! should welfare have more restrictions and should we continue handing out welfare to US citizens? please be specific. i did do a ton of research, but i dont want to say to much and risk influencing anyones opinion. (more...)

Tags:   Question POLL welfare restrictions

Historians have been studying the causes and effects of the Great Depression for years. There are many that have stated that government intervention in the 1929 Great Depression actually made the situation worse. Bush has thrown money at the problem with the TARP money. Obama has said he is going to throw even more money at the problem. My question here is - will throwing money at the problem only make the situation worse as FDR did during the great depression. There are many good articles and books on this topic and here is a link to one. What are your thoughts on this? I think we are wasting our money and it will not help. Obama has called trillion dollar debts "ridiculous", but he plans on spending a trillion dollars anyway. So what gives? http://www.cato.org/pubs/policy_report/v25n4/powell.pdf Economic historian Burton W. Folsom exposes the idyllic legend of Franklin D. Roosevelt as a myth of epic proportions. With questionable moral character and a vendetta against the business elite, Roosevelt created New Deal programs marked by inconsistent planning, wasteful spending, and opportunity for political gain -- ultimately elevating public opinion of his administration but falling flat in achieving the economic revitalization that America so desperately needed from the Great Depression. Folsom takes a critical, revisionist look at Roosevelt's presidency, his economic policies, and his personal life. Elected in 1932 on a buoyant tide of promises to balance the increasingly uncontrollable national budget and reduce the catastrophic unemployment rate, the charismatic thirty-second president not only neglected to pursue those goals, he made dramatic changes to federal programming that directly contradicted his campaign promises. Price fixing, court packing, regressive taxes, and patronism were all hidden inside the alphabet soup of his popular New Deal, putting a financial strain on the already suffering lower classes and discouraging the upper classes from taking business risks that potentially could have jostled national cash flow from dormancy. Many government programs that are widely used today have their seeds in the New Deal. Farm subsidies, minimum wage, and welfare, among others, all stifle economic growth -- encouraging decreased productivity and exacerbating unemployment. Roosevelt's imperious approach to the presidency changed American politics forever, and as he manipulated public opinion, American citizens became unwitting accomplices to the stilted economic growth of the 1930s. More than sixty years after FDR died in office, we still struggle with the damaging repercussions of his legacy. http://www.amazon.com/New-Deal-Raw-Economic-Damaged/dp/1416592229/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231428572&sr=8-1 (more...)

Tags:   Resolved Question bailouts stimulus programs situation

Or should we just exile welfare bums? Kick em out. Get rid of them. Get rid of the unemployment bums too. Think about it for a minute. If all the welfare bums got jobs, they'd have less of a demand for the average Joe. You don't get paid enough? too bad! You quit because you don't get paid enough? Well they have another hungry dog waiting in line down the street. Seems to me Spud, that you don't think at all. Mexicans are hired cause they are willing to work long hours at cheaper pay rate. They're hungry. It's exactly what I am talking about here. No welfare, no help in Mexico, so they are willing to work for crap to provide. All that "they do jobs Americans won't do" is liberal bull crap that you, a so called Republican fell for. It's the Libs trying to put a soft side to a hard issue by making it seem legit. (more...)

Tags:   Question Opinion American welfare system paying jobs

Hi! I'm 17 I've left school to follow my dream of working with dogs! (I am doing an evening course on animal welfare though) I'm planning on setting up a boarding kennels and I need your opinion on my ideas. I plan to have wire dog runs with dog kennels outside for the dogs during the day and wire crates inside a shed for them to sleep in at night. They will get 2 walks per day and about an hour to run around in the garden. I'm going to clean out the crates, kennels and runs and disinfect them once a day, and sterilize all the food and water bowls every day. Does this sound ok to you?? Also can you suggest any names for my kennels?? (more...)

Tags:   Resolved Question Dog Kennels Please answer

?We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.? This rather famous phrase came from the preamble of the United States Constitution, identifying what roles and/or objectives are able to create a perfect society. Although these times have proven that the United States is far from the utopia that it has ever dreamed of; this goal can still be accomplished one step at a time. In my opinion, the most challenging step that has been collapsing our society would be the economy. This issue has been affecting our nation for years, and it seems that no matter what idea that has come across to heal this crisis, more and more suffer poverty. We must ask ourselves: whom does the economy affect most, where does this problem begin, and what idea starts out producing petty cash to individuals and then ends up with funding an entire community? We must think of an idea in which can be funded without hurting the economy even more. The fate of our nation lies within the youth of America. Education is a key phase in a child?s life in which can help train a student to become wise, intelligent, strong, and seeking. There are many high school students who suffer from financial difficulties in turn having them put aside their schoolwork and studies in order to work and raise money for their families. Unfortunately, many students end up dropping out of high school. This affect could cause the person to become needy for money, and would develop a trait within that person to cause crimes such as theft, burglaries, and might even cause murder towards an innocent human. It is very critical to correct this problem, so that a child is able to obtain an education, and that his and/or her family will also be saved from their turmoil against poverty. I propose that the United States create a certain financial aid that begins at high school throughout undergraduate school, in which a student?s family will be funded with an amount of money suitable enough to help that family with their finances. This aid can only be given to families whose child attends high school or a 2-year/4-year college. This means that if that student drops out of high school or college, this aid will no longer be given to that student?s family. One way in which to fund this financial aid without taking money out of any more Americans would be by creating another lottery. Just as how the lottery helps fund our school system, creating this new lottery can help run this financial aid. Another way of how to keep this aid afoot is by America trading some of its energy resources to different countries and/or territories in exchange for profit. This aid does not only help families with financial debt, but it also can help lower the rate of high school and college dropouts. These ideas may not be the very best, yet they stand in the right direction without hurting anyone even more with their finances. I cannot just sit down while my own kind or even ones who are suffering even more than I am are going through such havoc and difficulties. This is an essay from the heart speaking of what must be done to correct a wrong, and produce a right. It is with this financial aid that we can finally bring our country towards a perfect society, towards a utopian empire. We finally can say that: ?We the People of the United States are forming a perfect Union?. It is with these words that God leaves you that will help trigger stamina within to lead our nation towards its perfect society; ?Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you?. You figure out the rest! (more...)

Tags:   Question essay sense idea

a lot of stuff has been going on with me and well i was sexualy assalted and i think im pregnant but not by that but by my b/f at least i think so, idk its messed up and well my b/f is miserable all the time and im just miserable around him but i love him and he loves me and its not his fault. he is not the kind of guy who idk how to explain it. he is miserable and not anyfun at all dose not want to do anything go anywear, has no opinion of his own, but i just cant bring myself to walk away. He is the only person i have my family is not suportive, my dad left me and has his own little life with his new wife he has only known for like a year. I live on my grandparents couch and other then that i have no place to go and the fact that im pregnant dose not help. I dont want to go on welfare if i do people will just look at me like im worthless, slutt, i mean i see it on here all the time people ask a question about welfare or assistance and then people get pissed that they dont want to pay for them and to take care of themselves and not rely on the goverment and take payer to support them. I feel like crap i just want my b/f to understand how i feel but he dosent and i have tried to talk to him, i have to twist his arm to get him to talk to me and even then he dosent say much, he runs away whenever there is somthing important we have to talk about like the baby and our relationship. any advice ? and please please please dont be mean please ='( i feel like i want to cry already ='( (more...)

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a lot of stuff has been going on with me and well i was sexualy assalted and i think im pregnant but not by that but by my b/f at least i think so, idk its messed up and well my b/f is miserable all the time and im just miserable around him but i love him and he loves me and its not his fault. he is not the kind of guy who idk how to explain it. he is miserable and not anyfun at all dose not want to do anything go anywear, has no opinion of his own, but i just cant bring myself to walk away. He is the only person i have my family is not suportive, my dad left me and has his own little life with his new wife he has only known for like a year. I live on my grandparents couch and other then that i have no place to go and the fact that im pregnant dose not help. I dont want to go on welfare if i do people will just look at me like im worthless, slutt, i mean i see it on here all the time people ask a question about welfare or assistance and then people get pissed that they dont want to pay for them and to take care of themselves and not rely on the goverment and take payer to support them. I feel like crap i just want my b/f to understand how i feel but he dosent and i have tried to talk to him, i have to twist his arm to get him to talk to me and even then he dosent say much, he runs away whenever there is somthing important we have to talk about like the baby and our relationship. any advice ? and please please please dont be mean please ='( i feel like i want to cry already ='( (more...)

Tags:   Question sick idk wut

I am curious to how many rude answers I get on this one! I was a teenage mom...I had my first baby at 15. I finished school, went to college, got a good paying job and a house, and my son (now 7) is well taken care of, loved, and has everything he needs, and most of what he wants. I am now married with a 9 month old too, and I am fortunate enough to stay at home full time. I do not use any public assistance or welfare. So, back to my question...why do people have to be so hateful towards teenage mothers? If you think about it....sooooo many teenagers have sex, but only the ones who get pregnant (which, can happen to ANYONE who has sex) are bashed left and right. In my opinion, we need to educate teen mothers, so that they can get their life together, take care of their children, and get on some means of birth control...not make them feel like crap, and like they are never going to amount to anything. Don't get me wrong, I am by no means condoning teen pregnancy...I think we should all be old enough to be out of school, and financially stable. But it does happen, and I think that we need to stop being so critical. What are your feelings? Agreed...we should educate them BEFORE the fact...but even if you do that, it doesn't always do the trick. Some of use learn by our mistakes...regardless of whether or not we were educated beforehand. Spelling Nazi...I did. I lived with my mother (who did help sometimes)....but I worked a part time job, went to school in the afternoon, paid a babysitter to care for my baby, and I bought "baby stuff" on sale and at consignment shops. I can't choose a best answer....there are so many good ones. Thank you to everyone!! (more...)

Tags:   Voting Question people hateful towards teenage mothers