Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

Our Recent Essays Behind the Front Page

Much Sorry with Delays
Birth, Death and All That Stuff in Between
How to Honor Labor Day, Every Day
My Yom Kippur Miracle (Repost from 2010)
Good intro to fly casting
Peach update, with pie
NYC update
Easy for you to say: To the elites on mass immigration
For NYC on 9/11, Sailors' Snug Harbor
Pickled Peaches
Water Shoes
Labor Costs in U.S.
Your "identity"
Good news about The Great Courses
Uses of Hot Pepper Jelly/Sauce, Chutneys, and Jams
A Saturday Drive to Litchfield County, CT
How to Pick a Kayak
Civilized: Fruit forks and knives
Loads of kayaking on Cape Cod
Psychology Experiments' Questionable Results

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Wednesday, October 10. 2007

Weds. Morning

I'm goin' to Jackson. Good deals on ammo. h/t, Right Wing Prof

American kids refuse to grow up. Jon Swift. Many will refuse to if they have the choice not to.

Are taxes fair? No. The prosperous pay more than their fair share. Willisms

Dems turn protectionist. I don't see why this is "left." Clinton was a free-trader. I think it's populist - and irrational.

Are Americans fed up with "over there"?

A security leak has damaged US intel on Al Qaida. I hope someone is in deep trouble.

Islamo-fascism Awareness Week at GW creates a stir.

Scapegoat time. Mugabe blames the West. Nice try, moron.

Is the death penality constitutional? Wizbang says yes.

Who trusts the media? Dems and Repubs polled. Also at TigerHawk

Bashing Woodrow Wilson. Linknzona.

Reality is not optional. Medical care, at Cafe Hayek

The need for "narrative." Assitant Village Idiot

Chavez is going to create the New Man. Good luck, pal. Stalin tried that already.

Posted by Bird Dog in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects at 05:25 | Comments (12) | Trackbacks (0)

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'Protectionism' is 'left' only insofar as organized labor is behind it. No classic political-economy theory involved --just job protection for union bosses, expressed through their political party, the Dems (who are turning a blind eye to numbers such as how many millions of constituents are benefiting how many thousands of dollars from 'free trade').
#1 buddy larsen on 2007-10-10 08:52 (Reply)
From the FT protectionism article..."Over the same period, premiums for health insurance have risen by almost 90 per cent and the proportion of Americans without healthcare has leapt to 47m."

Surprising to me that the FT does not acknowledge that having no health insurance is not the same as having no healthcare.
#2 Patina on 2007-10-10 09:50 (Reply)
Patina --it's an even worse PR con than you might think --the "47 million" could hardly be a more misleading number.

The accursed MF spam filter is rejecting the link, but just search [ steyn nurse hillary ].

The OCRegister article summarizes entertainingly (it's Steyn) info available but not so's you'd know it from consuming our media.
#2.1 buddy larsen on 2007-10-10 11:06 (Reply)
Just now there was a news bit on the high number of Canadian high-risk pregnancies that are being sent to USA. In these cases, Canadian health pays US hospitals for the care, but lacks the facilities to provide it.

What tickled me was the name of the Canadian health official who was interviewed for the story: Liz Whynot.

If that ain't perfect --"hey, whynot we socialize health care?"
#2.2 buddy larsen on 2007-10-10 11:47 (Reply)
Re: who trusts the media?"

terrific graphic here from
a Wiki article on "yellow journalism".

came across it this AM,
and thought other farmers
might get a grin from it.

i'd like to frame it for my wall.

________________________________________

"Nasty little printer's devils spew forth
from the Hoe press in this Puck cartoon of Nov. 21, 1888."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Puck112188c.jpg
________________________________________
#3 gumshoe on 2007-10-10 10:08 (Reply)
We'll use it!
#3.1 BD on 2007-10-10 11:08 (Reply)
While standing in line at a Canadian pharmacy, I chatted with a gal about 68 years of age. I asked her about the cost of her medicine and she replied: "Ohh, it's liquid morphine, I have to insert it into my husband's iv about every four hours." I pursued the conversation and was told that he was in advanced stage of cancer not discovered until six weeks earlier. He was at home, she had a home nurse visit once or twice a week--they had been on the waiting list for a bed in a Canadian hospital for six weeks! This was in a fairly well off part of town, and she was dressed upper middle class. I was stunned that she had to take care of a man in such a condition at home because there were no beds!
#4 apple pie on 2007-10-10 12:25 (Reply)
ap, hospitals do not always take care of people with terminal disease. It seems that nowadays hospitals are more for treating people who have a shot at a recovery. My Mom died from terminal cancer at home in Syracuse, NY. I gave her the morphine she needed and a hospice nurse came in a few times a week to check on us. And my Dad was released from hospital while still quite sick and sent off to "rehab". We appealed that one to Medicaid, but we lost. Am curious, were you in a Canadian pharmacy to buy the cheaper perscription drugs? (Please feel free to tell me to MYOB.)

Buddy, I think it can be a good idea for Canadians to go to USA hospitals as many Canadians live or work a long way from a trauma center or emergency room. The USA has a much bigger system and it is better for Canada to access that system than to try (and fail) to provide the high tech medical care that we all expect to be so widely available now. The benefits of Canadians using the USA system can accrue to people on both sides of the border.

I have lived both sides of this issue and have seen some very good and some very bad results from each. Had a friend who was electrocuted on a power line job that was right on the border. He died waiting for the medivac flight to Vancouver. I think he should have been immediately flown by helicopter to the Spokane trauma center as it was fairly close. Also, just saw a young NY couple rush to get married within hours of the girl being diagnosed with serious gynecological problems. It seemed crazy to me but she needed health insurance ASAP. I wondered though if anyone informed the boyfriend that her problems meant she may never have children without very costly invitro treatments that are not insured.
#5 Patina on 2007-10-10 14:11 (Reply)
Yes, of course! Buying medicine for my mom. At that time, we were paying only about 40% of the cost in US. I don't know if they are still doing it, but about 20 years ago the farmers on the US highline were buying travel insurance for travel in Canada. If memory serves me well the policies were good for 6 months, and if a farmer was hurt or got sick in US, could always jump across the boarder and claim travel insurance benefits. Cheaper than US policies. As for ourselves we are un-insured. Worked all our lives, can't afford the $1,000/month for medical. We plan to work until 72-so can't use any federal assistance yet. Nice eh?
#6 apple pie on 2007-10-10 15:19 (Reply)
AP, me neither --I've always just paid out-of-pocket, ever since i quit my last corporate job way back around age 30. That's at least a quarter-million bucks--plus interest--contributed to my family rather than Acme Insurance Co.

Yes, i know it's probably irresponsible, but none of us ever get sick, and the odd purchases from the health industry have amounted to a tiny fraction--maybe a percent or two--of the not-sunk cost of those years of premiums.

And the dough has put three kids thru college (one to go), is one way of looking at it--so, what's irresponsible?
#7 buddy larsen on 2007-10-11 01:12 (Reply)
Take a look at using a "BL Family Land Trust", protects property from take over by doctors, who have become monstrous in their bill collection tactics.
#8 ap on 2007-10-11 07:13 (Reply)
thought of that --another reason to keep a good relationship at the same small town bank, even if you could bank a few beeps better elsewhere. But yes, now having been 39 for many years, I really should go buy a (*gag*) catastrophic policy.
#8.1 buddy larsen on 2007-10-11 11:28 (Reply)

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