UNHEALTHY AMERICA

The Great Myth about America’s Health Care System
by Charlie Leck

Richard Shelby, U.S. Senator from Alabama, only furthered the great fairy tale when he spoke out against President Obama’s health care initiative and called it “…the first step in destroying the best health care system the world has ever known.”

Of this, in his column in the New York Times, Nicholas Kristof said: “That self-aggrandizing delusion may be the single greatest myth in the health care debate.

Kristof is, mind you, not exactly a liberal or progressive, but I respect his well reasoned views anyway. In this column he is right on and I wish every conservative in the nation would read it.

Personally, I’ve harangued on this subject enough times that I shouldn’t do it again and drive you all crazy. Only remember this: America is way down on the World Health Organization’s list of quality medical and health care services to its citizens.

My friends, up here in the northern part of the United States, like to go on and on about how we don’t want to be like the Canadians. A few of our very good Canadian friends smirk at those comments and then regard Americans as fools who don’t know what they’re talking about. Regard Kristof on this subject.

“The United States ranks 31st in life expectancy (tied with Kuwait and Chile), according to the latest World Health Organization figures. We rank 37th in infant mortality (partly because of many premature births) and 34th in maternal mortality. A child in the United States is two-and-a-half times as likely to die by age 5 as in Singapore or Sweden, and an American woman is 11 times as likely to die in childbirth as a woman in Ireland.

“Canadians live longer than Americans do after kidney transplants and after dialysis, and that may be typical of cross-border differences. One review examined 10 studies of how the American and Canadian systems dealt with various medical issues. The United States did better in two, Canada did better in five and in three they were similar or it was difficult to determine.”

Or take a look at this study, explained by Kristof, which counts us dead-last, if you’ll excuse the morbid expression, among 19 nations.

“Yet another study, cited in a recent report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute, looked at how well 19 developed countries succeeded in avoiding “preventable deaths,” such as those where a disease could be cured or forestalled. What Senator Shelby called “the best health care system” ranked in last place.”

I am not going to go on and on. My important objective here is to send you to Kristof’s column.

So, Bloomberg barely wins in New York City

New York City election held some surprises and our candidates win big in Independence!
by Charlie Leck

The elections around the country are a mixed bag. Moderate Republicans did well while extremely conservative candidates did not. There are little-bitty signs that moderation and reason may be returning to American politics and true conservatism to the Republican Party.

It was a surprisingly close race in New York City, where Mayor Bloomberg had been expected to win easily. Instead, he just squeaked by. He won only 51 percent of the vote even though he out spent a very underfinanced challenge by William C. Thompson, Jr.

There was a tumultuous landslide here in our little town, where 41 percent of the register voters turned out and gave the two candidates we supported remarkable victories. They did not take note of it in New York City (and posted no story about it in the New York Times); yet it's very big news out here in Lake Wobegon country.

Brad Spencer 696*
Lynn Betts 632*
Lance Gyllenblad 359
Chris Stephan 303
*wins 4 year term as City Councilperson

My wife tells me there was a happy celebration at one of our local watering holes (oh, yes… our only local watering hole), but I happily slept through it all.

Rage, Rage Against the Dying of the Light

Just when my soul needed quieting on a trembling November night, Dylan Thomas came calling.
by Charlie Leck

A friend sent me an email the other day and began it with the first three lines of an extraordinary poem by Dylan Thomas. It caused me to go to the bookshelves and pull down the volume of poems by this poet who is among my favorite two or three.

I poured a good glass of wine, settled into my favorite comfortable chair (we call it Archie Bunker's chair) and read several of my favored poems by Thomas, including Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night.

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on that sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Thank you, Bill Casey, for reminding me; and I shall indeed “rage, rage against the dying of the light!” And though I shall remember, at the end, that dark is right, I shall still rage wildly against the dying of the light.

Notes from the Road

A little overnight trip through rural Minnesota gives one time to think.
by Charlie Leck

Here are some notes from the road as I travel in a section of Minnesota that leaves very little to do. I’m a little too far south of Redwood Falls to take a side trip to the casino up there. I brought along my golf clubs in case we got a dose of Native American Summer, but we haven’t. A little motel doesn’t have cable or dish so I won’t even be able to watch Monday Night Football – the Falcons and the Saints (could be a good game). I do have a couple of good books, but I’m having a hard time reading because thoughts of tomorrow’s election at home keep invading my mind. So, I spread open this laptop computer and begin to tap out notes (perhaps I’ll find some wired establishment where I’ll be able to go on-line and post these for you). Far less editing and proofing will occur out here in the wilderness, so forgive the little typos and errors that I might make.

Baseball in November?
There is probably a lot of baseball to play yet between the Yankees and the Phillies. It makes me think the world’s gone mad. What? One of my favorite movie scenes is that of Tom Hanks in A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN when one of his players, a young, sweet girl, begins to cry. Hanks, the manager of this professional team of women, is left incredulous. So, he screams out:

“Crying? Crying? There’s no crying in baseball.”

The contemporary baseball season makes me want to cry out: “November? November? There’s no baseball in November.”

As much as I love baseball, I can’t bring myself to watch baseball in November. It doesn’t taste good in November. It doesn’t feel right. It’s like hunting deer or going ice fishing in July. It’s like trying to fly a kite underneath high power electrical transmission lines. It’s like taking your girl friend down by the shores of Lake Itasca to enjoy a romantic picnic in December. Baseball in November is just all wrong.

But, while I'm on the subject of the women's professional baseball league (A League of Their Own) that was formed during the second world war when so many of the major league's male players were off fighting, let me crank open my memory a bit.

Lois "Tommy " Barker was a woman in my town who was highly respected by all athletes. There's no question but that she was a "tom girl" and she took some teasing for it; but could Tommy play the game of baseball and our whole town respected her for it. In 1950, she went off to play for the Grand Rapids Chicks. If you want you can read this interview of her shortly after the league folded. My goodness, it's fun to have someone like her popping back into my mind after all these years. How I remember watching her play on the ball fields back in Chester.

Opponents’ reaction to my election blogs!
An anonymous soul responded to one of my blogs last week with scorching anger. The comments seems to have the voice of woman, so I’m going to refer to the commenter as a woman.

“You are lying, and embellishing. I have been to far more council meetings than you so I know of what I speak. You are a foolish old man with a personal aggenda [sic].”

Now, she was responding to my comments that our opponent councilmen don’t treat people who speak up and disagree with them at council meetings. Here’s what I wrote!

“From our point of view this election is all about behavior and communications. We believe that a resident ought to be able to appear before a town commission or the City Council and be heard out in a polite and receptive manner. These guys who want to sit on the council are angry, brash and basically impolite. They’d rather ridicule those with whom they disagree. They laugh at and scorn people who take sides that oppose them on an issue before the Council. We don’t think town councilpersons ought to be gruff and rude. These guys are known for their boorish snicker.”

To that she wrote back that I was “a foolish old man!”

I rest my case. It is a perfect example of how these folks treat people who disagree with them. I’m tired of being polite to them, they don’t deserve it.

Voter turnout for a city election
I was despairing over the 50 percent turnout we get for the city election in our little town and this morning, unable to sleep, quietly opened by laptop and brought up the New York Times. There is a city election in New York today, too. They expect a turnout of “fewer than a third of registered voters.”

One of our goals in Independence was to increase the voter turnout. The rabid, angry, frustrated voters on either end of the political spectrum turnout in extremely high percentages – even in little towns. The question is whether they should be allowed to control the election and, therefore, the city. To get sensible and moderate people elected to office, the sensible and moderate people must turnout to vote. Today’s vote will hang on whether we increased turnout this year by even a few percentage points.

The story in the NY Times is about whether voting should be mandatory for citizens, as it is in some nations. Frankly, I think it should. I know, however, that no such mandate would ever become legislation in America because the right would argue that it is the government invading private lives one more time and forcing people to do things. So, I will roll on with the system we have.

Saving and Protect this town!
I am in great anguish over my community. I hold this dream that our town will someday lay out a wonderful master plan for itself that will lay out how the community shall unfold and develop over the next twenty years. Some claim it is already done in the Comprehensive Plan that has been submitted to the Metropolitan Council (a regional governing body here in the Twin Cities). No, that’s not the kind of plan I’m thinking about. I would like to see something more specific dealing with protecting the beauty of the land, our wetlands, our creeks and our lakes.

Take the example of the major highway that passes, for six miles, pretty much through the center of our community. Towns just to our west and east have developed pretty significantly and the highway, as it passes through, those towns is so ugly. Gas stations, car dealerships, small shopping malls and fast food establishments line the road, with the signs and lights and parking lots that come with them. Except for a short, little stretch on the eastside, our town has prostituted its highway yet. We need now to lay out a plan for how we’re going to keep that road attractive and pleasant to drive along. Anyone who builds any kind of facility or residence along the highway ought to be required to do protective landscaping with attractive plantings and berming to hide whatever is placed along the road. Small and unobtrusive signs could direct drivers into the those businesses or homes, who’s parking areas would be hidden from sight by the landscaping. Lots of communities in Virginia and Maryland have adopted such a policy along their main roads and highways and it’s worked really well.

We also ought to look into a more extensive trail and park system. I’m not talking about anything massive and I’m not talking about requiring any land own to give up a penny’s worth of land or to even sell land if he doesn’t want to. We have a really nice city park on the east end of the community. We need to seek something in the southwest or western edge of the community.

Affordable housing is a real requirement in our community also. We need to designate some areas for high density housing so apartments and town houses developments could be built. People who work here, or in the surrounding area, ought to be able to afford to live here. Such housing does not have to be unattractive. Good landscaping, solidly planned, can work wonders.

There are great community planners in our region, who could help us with such a community master plan. Sure they’re expensive, but they could be paid for without residents needing to cough up a buck. There are dozens of foundations who would offer funds up to a community that really gets serious about planning its growth and development. Too many communities didn’t (like the one just to our west) and now they’ve become terrible eye sores and unpleasant places to visit.

I’m not opposed to development.
Neither are the candidates I support in this election. I just want careful, well planned and attractive development. If a solid plan were in place to protect the community as it develops, I’d throw my support to allowing the community to grow. I’d want such development to improve the tax situation in our town and not make it worse. We need to figure out how to recruit business and industry into our community, but we can’t let them just sprawl out wherever they want to, hanging up ugly signs and lights and building massive parking areas in clear view.

Gophers Football
The University of Minnesota football team managed to sneak by Michigan State University (the Spartans) on Saturday. I’m pleased they won. Hurrah for them! Duane Bennett looked terrific at running back. The defense made some big and wonderful plays. The weakness, however, that was revealed on Saturday was the 17 penalties that were called against the Golden Gophers. Over the last several decades I have always been told that penalties in football reveal a great deal about coaching and preparation. We’ve got a head football coach at Minnesota who is learning on the job. The good part of that statement is that he is learning. He’s learning how to check his temper, watch his tongue and also how to coach. I think he’s maturing. He’s not the same arrogant, cocky and foolish fellow he was in his first days on the job here. I frankly think he’s going to make a good coach if given time. Just check the hype, coach, and calm yourself down when you talk to us.

Halloween on Copeland Road
We had no Halloween visitors again. A pile of candy sat on the chest inside the front door. I was prepared to give it away as treats rather than face the possibilities of juvenile tricks; however, no one came again this year. We’re kind of lost down here in Sheepy Hollow and it’s a long way for a kid to venture here.

Packers/Vikings
I got to watch the Packers and Vikings go at it yesterday. Brett Favre amazes me; yet I feel it is almost adulterous to win with him at the helm. Doesn’t it say we couldn’t do it without him – that it took a “contribution” of sorts from the great enemy rival to succeed as we are this season? Hmm!

My take on President Obama
At a gathering of folks the other night, in a beautiful home in our town, a nice lady told me that she read my blog pretty regularly and liked it; but, she said emphatically, "you should take it easy on our nice President."

Let me review. The proudest vote I ever cast in my life was for Barack Obama to be the President of the United States. No single vote ever gave me greater pleasure.

It has hurt to now criticize him for the weakness he is exhibiting in office. I call it a lack of leadership and a lack of courage. He has not, I think, the courage to fail – to try his best and succeed or fail as the case may be.

I agree with something Tom Friedman said this week in the opening of one of this NY Times columns, More Poetry Please:

“More and more lately, I find people asking me: What do you think President Obama really believes about this or that issue? I find that odd. How is it that a president who has taken on so many big issues, with very specific policies — and has even been awarded a Nobel Prize for all the hopes he has kindled — still has so many people asking what he really believes?”

The great communicator in the campaign is failing as a communicator in the White House. It’s a correctable problem for so talented a man and I hope we see that rectification soon. Where are we going, Mr. President? You've got to start showing us your game plan.

Notes from the road and from a disheveled mind
Well, this, you see, is what happens when one is on the road in a place where there isn’t much to do. But, it’s a great place and time to think, read and write.

Our Two Senators on the Public Option

Al Franken was one of about 30 Senators who urged Harry Reid to offer a health care reform bill to the U.S. Senate that included a public option. Our Senior Senator, Amy Klobuchar, is not so sure the public option makes sense.
by Charlie Leck

Conventional wisdom, according to Amy Klobuchar and a bunch of lobbyists who are pounding constantly on her door, says that a public option in health care reform would damage Minnesota.

Others think that’s a lot of hokum.

The fact is that Minnesota is a state heavily invested in health care. We’ve got a huge health care industry here and most of its leaders oppose the public option. United Health Care is one of the biggest health care providers in America. The Mayo Clinic is the most famous and one of the largest clinics in the world and provides medical services to over a half million people each year. The University of Minnesota’s Medical School and Research Center is a national leader in medical research and innovation. Allina Medical is huge in the health care delivery system. Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota is one of the biggest of all the blues in America. Medtronics is the manufacturer of the Pacemaker and many other significant medical devises. Children’s HeartLink is an international non-profit organization based in Minnesota. And that’s only a beginning to the list of heavy weights in the health care industry here.

Consider the employment impact of Minnesota’s health care industry. Approximately 13 percent of all jobs in Minnesota are in that business. It’s been estimated that 60 other jobs are affected for every 100 direct health care jobs in existence. The industry claims to contribute nearly 30 billion dollars to the state’s gross product.

The massive industry is concerned about the competition the public option would bring with it. That concern motivates them to do a lot of lobbying in the Congressional hallways of Washington and to contribute significantly to Congressional campaigns.

· Representative John Kline received nearly $100,000 from the industry since 1990. Kline strong opposes the public option.

· Representative Collin Peterson reports $45,000 in contributions from health care concerns in Minnesota. Peterson, so far, opposes the public option.

· Representative Michelle Bachman has taken in $46,000 from the health care industry here and she is the loudest and craziest of all public option foes.

· Newly elected Representative Erik Paulson has already gathered in $40,000 from the industry and stands four-square in opposition to the public option.

· Representatives Keith Ellison, Betty McColllum and Tim Walz all received considerably less in contributions (an average of $19,000) and all favor the public option to one degree or another.

The point here is that the health care industry in Minnesota is willing to spend big bucks to present its case. They spent nearly $88,000 on Al Franken’s recent campaign. They’ve given Senator Klobuchar nearly $75,000.

It is difficult for any nationally or state elected official in Minnesota to argue that health care is a basic human right and should be provided without cost – as in a universal health care program. It’s a common concept in every other industrialized nation in the world. It is odd that our nation, pretending to be the most democratic and free country in the entire world, hasn’t come to see health care as a basic right of its entire people.

Could it be that the money flows too freely in the industry both here in Minnesota and all across the nation? Just think about how much health care could have been provided for all that lobbying money. In fact, profits are immense in Minnesota’s health care industry. Two years in a row, a while back, United Health Care, paid a bonus to its CEO in excess of 90 million dollars – two years in a row.

It will be interesting to watch our two Senators in action – when the time comes to actually vote – and then consider if any of this big money may have influenced their votes. In three more years, Klobuchar is going to have to answer to the people and not to the health care lobby.

A large majority of Minnesotans want a public option in a new health care delivery system. Amy Klobuchar owes that majority her support. She has waffled a great deal on this issue and it is disappointing that she appears to be testing the wind, to see which way it is blowing at the moment. When we elected her, it appeared she’d be a tougher broad than that. Now, she looks pretty weak-kneed. I hope Franken can get to her.

Walking Away

Sunrise pushes away the darkness but not my gloom!
by Charlie Leck

Well, I stepped away from the election here in my town. I’ve given up the computer files, the master list of supporters and the title of campaign manager – the tools and titles of pain and horror. I really had no choice! I was too emotionally involved and it just ate at my insides.

I haven’t slept well for the last month. Too much sitting. Too much keyboarding. Too little exercise. Too much worry. My legs are killing me. I went to see a doctor Friday. He prescribed something to relax my muscles. Local politics is crazy – the craziest of all!

I did all I can do and the last little, tidying up tasks I’ve turned over to someone else so I can rest and think about the future. I won’t ever get involved again. I’ve too many years on me and the task is too much for me now.

So I can do no more now than wait for the results of our little town’s election. As it looks right now, we couldn’t do quite enough and, unless there are big surprises, we’ll finish just behind the two winning vote getters, a dozen or so votes short. It doesn’t hurt any more than losing by a single vote, however.

Could I be wrong? Yes, but probably not. I learned how to count votes out here nearly 20 years ago. It isn’t so difficult in a town where only 1350 voters show up to vote in a city election. That’s 53 percent. A town can’t take much pride in that! Our goal this year was to raise that turnout number. If there is a significant hike in the turnout, then there is some hope.

Half of 1350 is 675…
The leading opponent vote getter seems always to get 676 votes…
Ergo, no way to win without increasing voter turnout…

Perhaps the incumbent across town, who we supported, will win her seat back. That will make the count a bit easier to swallow.

Did I fail? I guess so. Couldn’t motivate people the way I could a few years ago. Too many bosses and decision makers and not enough workers. Can’t really run these things by committee, but it’s difficult to avoid that in a small town. In the end, in these last few days, I knew some kind of spark was needed. Sparks often come with anger. We’ll see!

If we do lose I’ll just admit that the people spoke. They may have been foolish and not understood what they were saying, but they spoke.

I will regret our failure mostly for the Mayor. It will be difficult for him to deal with three or four councilmen who want to bring major change to our wonderful town.

With the job given up, I thought I’d sleep better last night, but I didn’t. It was another night of tossing and turning, rising and pacing the floor. I’m trying to read Russo’s new novel. As I do, my mind travels away to other places and the words won’t stick. I’ll set it aside because that’s no way to treat my favorite contemporary novelist.

A streak of light appears now in the Eastern sky and daylight with soon push away the night. Only this and another day before the voting begins.

Octoberless

All is quiet now.
by Charlie Leck

It is a rainy, bleak and chilly day. God didn’t give us an October in Minnesota this year. Perhaps we were being punished for something or other. We jumped right from September into Minnesota miserable and I missed out on my favorite month. There are not a lot of Octobers left for me, so it is painful to have let pass this one.

I generally live for October to roll around. In a normal October the days are pleasantly warm here, but not too warm. It is a time to roll out sweaters and chord slacks. The evenings are chilly, but not cold. The air is exceptionally different and a pleasure to breathe in. It’s perfect weather for walking, golf and yard-work.

This year there wasn’t a single round of golf in October. The leaves, wet and mushy, still cover the yard. It was way too rainy for much walking (the most rain of any Minnesota October on record). Hopefully, November will bring some dry days that will allow raking and tidying up around the house.

It is the last day of October as I write this – Halloween Day. I think back to this day in 1991, when we were moving into our newly constructed house. My wife was in New York, at a horse show, and missing all the fun. My sister had flown up from Dallas to help me set up the furniture and unpack the things for the kitchen. The moving company showed up with a large semi. I had told them to arrive in two smaller trucks because the driveway was not suitable for turning a semi around. The unloading started about mid-morning, just about the same time the snow began to fall. By noon, the snow was falling in amazing abundance. It was difficult for the movers to get stuff into the house without gathering a lot of moisture and we had to call off the unloading. There was already a foot of snow on the ground and the truck driver faced the daunting task of backing his rig down a winding, quarter-mile long driveway that went up and down charming little hillocks. Fellow-workers walked along side the trailer, indicating the edge of the road where there were a few serious drop-offs. They just made it to the gravel road that leads down to our house from the highway. Fortunately, the city had made its first pass down the road with a snow plow. The big truck managed to climb the hill that leads out of Sheepy Hollow.

With little work to do, my sister stood at the kitchen window and looked out into the heart and soul of a Minnesota barn-burner of a snow storm. It wouldn’t let up. Little kids would not be out trick or treating on this night. Our little seven-year-old was disappointed, but even she understood reality as the afternoon wore on and the snow wouldn’t cease. My sister excitedly worked the phone while it functioned. She called friends in Dallas and tried to describe the wonder of what she was watching. Eventually, the power lines and telephone lines fell under the weight of the snow. We trudged down to the farm to spend the night in the tiny apartment we kept in one of the farm buildings. It wasn’t awfully cold, so I didn’t worry about the water lines in the new house freezing. I wondered, though, how long it would be before that truck could return with our furniture. My dearest one would not miss out on the unloading adventure after all. It was sometime in the night when it finally stopped snowing. The official announcement from the airport was that thirty-one inches had fallen. At our farm we were sure it was a few more inches than that.

It had been a remarkable October up until that final day of the month. The carpenters and painters had been able to get full days of work in on the house. We were even able to begin some semblance of a yard and the driveway was fully groomed. I must have golfed a dozen times that October.

Remarkably, in a week the snow was gone and mild weather returned. Some final touch-up work on the house recommenced and the moving company returned with two small trucks and the remainder of our furniture.

That was nearly twenty years ago. The little one is grown up now and living on her own in the big city. My sister has gone to the stars. Mom and I now spend our Octobers here, in the same house, alone and anxious for Thanksgiving when children will return with children of their own.

Tonight, as always, no kids will venture down our long and winding driveway to trick or treat us. Nevertheless, we bought plenty of candy, as we always do, just in case – just in case this one time they decide to pay us a visit.