Your Weekly Politico — Pondering ed Catorce (14)
Meet to Digress
Saludos amigos! Welcome back. I’ll bet you missed me. Go ahead, lie; I can handle it. Anyway, always excited to see you.
There is always something happening on the political scene in the US, so I never run short of material to share with you. It's a crazy world we live in, and Uncle Sam helps out with producing some of that.
Reminder, John Pearce does a weekly series on UK politics with a piece called Dalliance with Democracy. They are always entertaining and interesting reads with a touch of John’s subtle wit included.
I appreciate you stopping by once again. I hope you enjoy the show.
“As Americans, we don’t see the role of government as guaranteeing outcomes, but allowing free men and women to flourish based on their own vision, their hard work and their personal responsibility.” ~ Rick Perry
I led with this, though, because I see a movement afoot on the part of the government today to take away that individuality and promise through taxation that the playing field will be leveled so that all will be equal. Socialism does that, but that is not how America was founded.
No Testing, No Inspections: Contaminated Eyedrops Blinded and Killed Americans — Bloomberg Businessweek
The eyedrops from EzriCare LLC and Delsam Pharma LLC were recalled after the pseudomonas contributed to four deaths, 18 cases of vision loss and scores of infections. The particulars are horrific. In four people the bacteria spread so quickly that doctors had to remove their eyeballs to stop it. Others had their corneas turn into cloudy abscesses of scar tissue. Some endured migraines, discharges from their eyes and light sensitivity that kept them in the dark for days and even months.
What made the outbreak possible is a gaping hole in the FDA’s supervision of over-the-counter medicines. They’ve long been among the agency’s lowest priorities-the assumption being that even if they don’t work, they probably won’t kill anyone. These drugs are essentially produced and sold on the honor system. A company doesn’t have to prove to the agency that its medicine is safe or effective or that it’s being made in proper conditions. There’s no testing involved; no inspection required. A company must attest only that it’s using approved ingredients and complying with good manufacturing practices. Basically, paperwork.
The honor system? This is not the Boy Scouts. FDA, you are responsible for testing, evaluating, and signing off on the safety of drugs for the citizens. You blew this one. Is there anything else you are hiding?
Folks, this is just another example of our bloated bureaucracy. The left hand almost always never knows what the right hand is doing. Too many agencies and departments running their own fiefdoms.
The Overlooked Environmental Impact of Vaping — TIME
Lined up end-to-end, the disposable e-cigarettes sold and (presumably) trashed 1 annually in the U.S. could stretch across the country and back again, according to a new report that highlights a growing problem: vape waste.
Disposable vapes typically have plastic bodies that are designed to be used until they’re empty and then tossed, as opposed to devices that can be refilled with nicotine e-liquids or pods. The CDC Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, estimates that each month in the U.S., consumers purchase 11.9 million disposable e-cigarettes. Based on that figure, the new report-from the U.S. PIG Education Fund, a nonpartisan consumer-interest group-estimates that the disposable vapes sold annually would stretch longer than 7,000 miles if lined up, more than twice the width of the continental U.S.
Obviously, in the haste to develop a product “healthier” than traditional forms of smoking, this one factor was not looked at. I wonder if money had anything to do with it.
What Happened When Oregon Decriminalized Hard Drugs — The Atlantic
Three years ago, while the nation’s attention was on the 2020 presidential election, voters in Oregon took a dramatic step back from America’s long-running War on Drugs. By a 17-point margin, Oregonians approved Ballot Measure 110, which eliminated criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of any drug, including cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. When the policy went into effect early the next year, it lifted the fear of prosecution for the state’s drug users and launched Oregon on an experiment to determine whether a long-sought goal of the drug-policy reform movement-decriminalization-could help solve America’s drug problems.
Early results of this reform effort, the first of its kind in any state, are now coming into view, and so far, they are not encouraging. State leaders have acknowledged faults with the policy’s implementation and enforcement measures. And Oregon’s drug problems have not improved. Last year, the state experienced one of the sharpest rises in overdose deaths in the nation and had one of the highest percentages of adults with substance use disorder.
We were there then. As soon as I heard it passed, I thought, “Oh shit!” Could there be a more hare-brained idea? “Hey, drug users, not only will we give you a pass for using, but here are the keys to the candy store.” Progressive politics got to love them. Not.
Furious father goes viral for calling out doctor who questioned 9-year-old son about gender — Fox News
The dad, who goes by “@jotojavin” on Tiktok, calls himself a “common sense enthusiast.”
The video went viral on TikTok and was also viewed by over 6 million as of Sunday on Twitter after it was reported by Sarah Fields, an investigative reporter.
The dad had just got off the phone with his wife when he recorded the video, and angrily recounted how his 9-year-old son was exposed to gender ideology during a routine checkup at the doctor’s office.
Ok, I’m not speaking for you, friends. This is my opinion. This is bullshit and inappropriate for the doctor to have done that. Like teachers doing the same thing. This a nine-year-old. Until he is an adult, it’s the responsibility of the parents to care for the child and deal with that issue if it comes up.
The two words that can make health care a nightmare — Intelligencer
Prior authorization buries doctors in paperwork and delays care, sometimes with disastrous results.
As an ear, nose, and throat physician with over 20 years of experience, Hurley entered into his battle with cancer knowing full well that his treatment would involve constant back-and-forths with his insurance company, Blue Cross Blue Shield. In particular, he anticipated disputes over “prior autho-rization,” a controversial bureaucratic process that insurance companies use to determine which treatments they believe are medically necessary before agreeing to cover them. Hurley was all too familiar with the administrative burden that prior authorization places on doctors’ offices, often requiring them to fill out labyrinthine paperwork on behalf of patients for even the most routine procedures and medications. More important, Hurley had seen how the time-consuming process could delay a patient’s care — a minor inconvenience to some but a potential matter of life and death for people like him.
This practice can be extremely frustrating for the patient as well. Your care is not the priority of the insurance company. Their profitability each year is. And even after going through the hassles, there are no guarantees your treatment will be approved. Basic human healthcare is held up by somebody in an ivory tower with a budget — your well-being, your life, in their hands. And do you think your government will help? No. They have been bought and sold by the army of lobbyists and special interests.
Biden’s nibbles on young girl just his latest weird interaction with other people’s kids — Fox News
President Biden’s latest weird interaction with a little girl has once again drawn attention to his frequent awkward behavior with the children of other people.
The president appeared to nibble at the shoulder of a startled young Finnish girl during his departure from Helsinki on Thursday, according to video taken as he greeted embassy staff members and their families before boarding Air Force One.
Come on, Mr. President, is this behavior really necessary, let alone appropriate, for the office you hold? Why don’t your aides steer you away from personal interactions with the crowd? This is embarrassing.
CA insurance company drops customer after ‘drone’ took aerial images of yard ABC 7
OAKLEY, Calif. — Just as California’s wildfire season gets underway, homeowners insurance is becoming more and more scarce. Some companies aren’t writing any new policies, while others are dropping longtime customers. Among them is a Bay Area man who was told he lost his insurance — based on photos taken by a drone over his property.
It came as a shock. At first, he was told he’d lost his insurance because “drone photos” taken over his property showed hazards in his yard. But the company would not show him the pictures. Later, he was told there was no drone, just aerial photos. He felt it intruded on his privacy, with no way to reinstate his policy.
Are you kidding me? Do you now have to worry about your homeowner's insurance company snooping on you with a drone? What next, interior inspections?
Why can’t we stop homelessness? 4 reasons why there’s no end in sight NPR
When Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass campaigned last year on reining in homelessness, she laid out bold proposals with a budget of hundreds of millions of dollars. In April, she told NPR she hoped for a “very significant reduction” this year, especially of people living on the street. But on Monday, Bass said it’s become clear that there’s simply no end in sight.
“We really need to normalize the fact, unfortunately, that we’re living in a crisis,” she said at a press conference announcing a renewal of her emergency declaration on homelessness.
The shift in tone comes after both LA and New York City recently declared a record level of homelessness, and other cities have also seen their numbers continue to climb despite considerable attention and spending to give people shelter. It’s part of a steady rise around the country since 2016, after years of successfully driving down the number of people without housing.
So what’s going on? Advocacy groups and researchers say a big driving force is the decline of affordable housing, a problem decades in the making but one that has grown significantly worse in the past few years. Here are a few ways it’s playing out.
- More people than ever are being housed — but an even higher number are falling into homelessness
- Rents are out of reach for many, and millions of affordable places have disappeared
- Zoning laws and local opposition make it hard to build housing for low-income renters
- Pandemic aid programs that helped keep many people housed are winding down
I live in Spain now. I’ve only seen one homeless person in my area, with a population of over 300,000. He chooses to be, and the government keeps an eye on his welfare. Government, you created the problem through inflation, handouts, red tape, and allowing capitalism to run roughshod over renters. Healthcare and housing are basic needs. Wake up, USA.
Pelosi claims she has ‘respect for whistleblowers’ despite dismissing testimony as ‘ridiculous clown show’ — FOX News
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Sunday that she’s “not confident” in congressional testimony by IRS whistleblower Joseph Ziegler about Hunter Biden, calling the Republican-led hearing a “ridiculous clown show.
She has ‘respect’ for these civil servants but disses the testimony. Folks, this is called doublespeak. Politicians, especially ones with a lengthy career, can do this in their sleep. Combine that with lying and, as politicians also do, with aplomb. Maybe, while were at it, did the treatment that Trump got while in office by Nancy and her band of merry men ever resemble a clown show? Of course, it did. That’s one thing DC knows how to do, be clowns.
Please allow me to leave you with this thought. Do not accept anything you are told by the media as the gospel. In most cases, it is not the truth. Get in the habit of questioning everything you hear.
Gather multiple opinions until you truly understand the issue. This practice will serve you well.
Vecinos that will do it for this week. Muchas gracias for you being here and taking the time to read this. You are the reason I do what I do. Enjoy the rest of your week.
Thanks for reading.
Disclaimer: The thoughts and comments expressed above are the author’s own and should not be construed as fact or otherwise. Credit is given to others as noted.
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