Individual mandate fantasies

Nationally syndicated columnist Froma Harrop credits Massachusetts’ individual mandate with having caused health insurance premiums to decline 40% since 2006 (http://www.creators.com/liberal/froma-harrop/so-you-thought-health-care-was-fixed.html).

I don’t know in which alternate universe she is living, but Governor Deval Patrick fervently wishes to join her there. Unfortunately, he can’t and is dealing with seriously escalating premiums.

The Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and Policy (DHCFP) reports that “average monthly health insurance premiums increased 12% from 2006 to 2008.” And 2009 and 2010 offered no relief with significant premium increases continuing, bedeviling the governor and his administration.

DHFCP laments that “…personal health spending per capita is higher in Massachusetts relative to the nation and continues to rise.”

Contrary to Ms. Harrop’s fantasy, the Massachusetts individual mandate did not result in a reduction in premiums. Wishing it so is not enough; Governor Patrick is wishing mightily to no effect.

Remembering a legend

We recently watched the “The Last Waltz” for the umpteenth time. It has been termed “the most beautiful rock film ever made.” Directed by Martin Scorsese, the movie features “The Band” (Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, and Robbie Robertson) with guest appearances by Paul Butterfield, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Ronnie Hawkins, Dr. John, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Muddy Waters, Ronnie Wood, and Neil Young. Holy cow – if you have an affinity for the roots of rock and blues and jazz, how could you resist?

You may be aware that “The Band” was , for a time, Bob Dylan’s backup band, were active from 1964 to 1999, and are considered extremely influential in rock, country, roots rock, Americana, and blues rock.

We were particularly taken by Rick Danko, a Canadian singer and bass and keyboard player who worked with Dylan both in “The Hawks” and “The Band”. He died far too young in 1999.

We met Rick in 1994 thanks to our friend Tony Medeiros, the leader of a popular New England blues and jazz band “The Chili Brothers”. Rick was in town to perform at a speakeasy (well, it felt like one) out in the deep woods of southern Rhode Island not far from URI. It was a favorite haunt of students and was full of them chatting and flirting and smoking and drinking and playing pool. Tony and the Chili Brothers were Rick’s backup band and he performed a wide variety of music, many of them classics. During the performance, the crowd of students continued chatting and flirting and smoking and drinking and playing pool – they didn’t pay him a bit of attention.

What a loss for them. They were in the presence of a true musical legend and completely squandered the opportunity. Such is the naïvité of youth.

We sat with Rick and Tony at the bar and chatted before and after the performance. Rick was gracious and humble; an easy and entertaining conversationalist. Those kids’ loss was our gain; since they were ignoring us we had Rick to ourselves. A fabulous evening thus passed, brushing with musical fame and genius in the wilds of South County, Rhode Island. Rick Danko will be always be fondly remembered and deeply missed in our home.

How to buy firewood

Those Amish folks in northwestern Pennsylvania really had me spoiled. When you purchased a cord of firewood from them, it was a true cord (4’ x 4’ x 8’), clean and seasoned, all hardwood with plenty of heating power.

Unlike a nearby Massachusetts town, were a roadside pile of split firewood looked very attractive, but there must have been another pile in the back that they used for chumps like me. When delivered, it was dirty and wormy and split small with lots of odd 8” chunks, far short of a full cord. Yuck.

Maybe the difference is that the Amish around Spartansburg, PA, believe in the ethical dictum of value offered for value received. Whatever the case, we must be more careful here. And for once the Commonwealth is on your side.

Massachusetts General Law Chapter 94, Section 298, controls the sale of firewood and prescribes the standard units of measure to be used for advertising and sale. (If your state doesn't have a law like this, perhaps it should).

There is a lot of confusion in terminology regarding firewood. A full cord is 128 cubic feet, measured as a closely stacked pile four feet high by four feet wide by eight feet long (4'x4'x8'). A face or stove or furnace cord is 4’ x 8’, but less than 4’ wide. Because of the potential confusion, MGL 94.298 requires that firewood be advertised and sold only in cubic feet, not in any variety of cord. In fact, the law specifically requires that “the terms ‘cord’, ‘face cord’, ‘pile’, ‘truckload’ or terms of similar import shall not be used in the advertising and sale of cordwood or firewood.”

Further, Massachusetts requires that firewood be “sold only in terms of cubic feet or cubic meters which will be construed as indicating the closely stacked cubic foot or cubic meter content to be delivered to the purchaser.” When you see an advertisement for a cord or half-cord of wood, it is unlawful in Massachusetts. Even when specified in terms of cubic feet, a description of “bulk loaded” violates the “closely stacked” requirement.

So what’s the poor consumer to do? Here are a few suggestions.

• To optimize the heating value of your wood, request seasoned hardwood (typically oak).
• Require a written receipt giving the following information:
  

a. Name and address of seller and purchaser
b. Date of Delivery
c. Quantity in terms of cubic feet
d. Price of quantity delivered

• Write down the license number of the delivery vehicle.
• Stack the wood closely – cross-stacking is not acceptable for determining the quantity delivered. If it measures less than the contracted amount, contact the seller before burning any of it.
• If the seller does not make good on the shortage, contact the Massachusetts Division of Standards:

Division of Standards
One Ashburton Place, Room 1115
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 727-3480

There is nothing more comforting than a crackling fire in your fireplace or woodstove, especially when a blizzard has knocked out your furnace. But please make sure that you got what you paid for.

It's all in the phrase

“Happy as a clam.”

We’ve all heard it, but what the heck does it mean? Clams have, after all, very little to be happy about. In warmer times and at low tide, the sandbar extending east from Conimicut Point is crowded with boats and waders all digging for clams. The seagulls are clamoring over the mud flats and plucking out clams to be dropped and burst open on docks and parking lots and unfortunate automobiles.

The entire phrase is “happy as a clam at high tide.” Now, that makes sense, as they are then protected from their ravenous pursuers by an extra four feet of water. We are often fooled by incomplete phrases such as this.

How about “Republicans are obstructionists,” one we have heard a lot lately. This Democratic meme depicts the Republicans as mean-spirited, stubborn, obdurate – standing in the way of the people’s business. A meme is created by constant repetition and reinforcement. We hear this complaint echoed by our elected Democratic representatives, Democratic committee members, political reporters, and all variety of liberal cheerleaders.

But they all misrepresent the truth – the entire phrase is “Republicans are obstructionists of the liberal agenda.” And can you blame them? The Democratic philosophy of large and ever growing government is diametrically opposed to Republican principles. And as witnessed by the recent outcome of the Congressional midterm elections, a majority of Americans agree.

The media will continue to portray Republicans as obstructionists, but will not report that they attempted to present many alternatives to health care and economic stimulus and immigration reform. Republican ideas and legislation and amendments were not permitted onto the floors of Congress and were not considered as alternatives – the unfortunate outcome of single-party rule. And with zero Republican content in any of the legislation so advanced, who can blame them for voting nay?

Next time you hear or read that phrase, “Republicans are obstructionists,” just remember to complete it – “…of the liberal agenda.”

Equal pay for equal work

Massachustetts Senator Scott Brown has been criticized for his role in blocking the “Paycheck Fairness Act.” What is interesting and perhaps more instructive are the votes of Maine Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins.

Here are some facts:
• Snowe and Collins are both moderate Republicans who often disappoint their party by voting with the Democrats,
• Snowe and Collins are both female and support the moral imperative of equal pay for equal work, and;
• Snowe and Collins both voted to block the “Paycheck Fairness Act.”

How can this be?

Olympia Snowe had problems with the scope of the bill, terming it “unprecedented,” and observed that it would provide unlimited monetary damages making it nearly impossible to get insurance to cover claims. Collins had similar reservations, stating that now is not the time to add significant legal costs to small businesses struggling in the current recession.

Snowe and Collins also both agreed that existing remedies in the Equal Pay Act, the Civil Rights Act, and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 provide strong protections.

As for me, I think a lot of political posturing is accomplished by the titles dreamed up for various bills. What if the headlines had read “Brown helps block the Job Suppression and Trial Lawyer Charity Act of 2010?”

A trial separation

An open letter to the president of WGBH:






Mr. Jonathan C. Abbott
President and Chief Executive Officer
WGBH
One Guest Street
Boston, MA 02135

Dear Mr. Abbott:

I am a long time supporter of WGBH having made frequent contributions since 1986. However, recent events have caused me to question my loyalty.

1. On October 20, Juan Williams was fired from NPR. Although I don’t blame you directly for this, I was distressed by his summary dismissal. I believe that political correctness is a scourge that inhibits open, honest debate and impedes social maturation and progress. WGBH radio certainly didn’t come to Mr. Williams defense and commentators on your airwaves rationalized and defended his firing. For shame.

2. On October 29, just prior to the election, “Diane Rehm Show” guest-host Steve Roberts and his panelists decried the Supreme Court’s “Citizen’s United” ruling and hysterically condemned massive corporate donations to the conservative cause. No mention was made that outside spending was roughly equal in support of both Democratic and Republican campaigns and that the single largest source of cash came from the AFSMCE union ($90 million to the Democrats). What about a modicum of truth and balance?

3. On Monday November 8th, Ron Hockenberry, hosting “The Takeaway,” branded George W. Bush as stupid. In an aside while mentioning Mr. Bush’s new book “Decision Point”, Mr. Hockenberry snarkily remarks “George Bush can think?” Funny stuff to a member of the intelligentsia, but insulting and disrespectful to a former President and the many millions of citizens who supported him.

Any one of these events probably would not have ignited my passions. But their combination and proximity have pushed me to my limit. Here’s what I think we should do -- we need a time-out, a trial separation for a year. Go to your corner and think about it and then send me another solicitation in January, 2012. We’ll reassess our relationship then.

Sincerely;

A perspective on time

My Dad is the smartest man I know. He taught me early, when trying to comprehend something, to test the extremes. What he meant was to pose the problem at each end of its extreme limits. For instance, in trying to understand the impact of taxes on the economy, first imagine zero taxation, and then 100% taxation. If you can hypothesize the effects at each end, then anything in between is bounded and easier to figure out.

So recently I have been considering the coming of my seventh decade. It is November and I suddenly realized that I have a finite number of Novembers. When I was young, the supply of Novembers seemed endless – but no longer. How shall I deal with this realization?

Say that there were an infinite number of Novembers. If that were the case, then they would have no value. This November, and the next, and the 50th, and the 100th would all be of equal value because there is an endless supply. I would be tempted to squander them – making no recognition, taking no notice, they would pass unremarked.

At the other extreme, what if this were my very last November – how would I treat it? Certainly, it would bring my priorities and values into sharp relief. What makes me happy? What makes me feel fulfilled? What can I do in these last 30 days to maximize my contentment and minimize my melancholy?

The thought experiment leads to a very personal list. Yours will be different, but here is mine, in no particular order:
• Reach out to all of my loved ones and express that love.
• Enjoy my dog welded to my thigh as he sleeps beside me.
• Pass on some wisdom to kids and nieces and nephews and anyone who will listen.
• Enjoy traveling and good food and drink with dear friends (my wife is one such).
• Create a fine meal or a fun drum rhythm or a poignant short story and leave it for someone dear.
• Plant a fruit tree to provide sustenance and pleasure to assorted strangers.

But in the event, I have 10, or more likely 20, but probably not 30 more Novembers. So I will do a bit of the above but also squander some. Squandering can be pleasant too.

Taxpayer Largess

During his State of the Union address, President Obama excoriated the Supreme Court for finding that associations of investors had equal free speech rights to associations of workers. He and the Democrats have been carrying that battle flag all year, accusing the Chamber of Commerce of channeling foreign funds and warning that Republicans were raising huge amounts of secret cash.

In spite of the pervasive myth that Republicans are the party of big money, who do you think is now the single largest source of campaign funds? Why, dear reader, it is you.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is now “the biggest outside spender of the 2010 elections.” The AFSCME does not disagree. Larry Scanlon, their head of political operations, brags “We’re the big dog.”

The AFSCME, a public employee union with 1.6 million members, has entered the fray in a big way by donating $87.5 million in an effort to maintain the Democratic hold on Congress. Those funds came from member dues, member dues are collected from wages and you, dear reader, pay those wages by shelling out sales and property and income taxes.

So put down the book of fairy tales and forget the myths. The Republican cash machine is running a distant second to our own taxpayer-funded largess to the Democrats.

Another crack at youth

Nearly four years ago, as my mother lay on her deathbed, she gave me a great gift. “Irwin,” she said, “you are far too young to let yourself go like that.” A mother’s advice is never to be ignored, and on honest introspection, I had to agree with her.


At the time, being 56 years of age, I was packing 187 pounds on a 5’ 7 ½” frame. My face was puffy, my breathing labored, and resting pulse rate hovered around 85. A far cry from the farm boy and young Marine that she remembered. “Mom, you are right. I promise to change.” And I kept my word to her.

Today, quickly approaching my 60th year, I am a slim 142 pounds and have been so for over three years. I can run 5 kilometers in 23:30 – not award winning, but not shabby for an imminent senior citizen. I can bound up a flight of stairs with barely a blip in my heart rate which now rests at 56. My doctor is delighted with my blood pressure – 118 over 68. What is the source of this marvelous outcome?

Very simple – a lifestyle change involving diet and exercise. My diet is not radical. It is satisfying, varied, and allows generous portion sizes. My exercise regime is simple and sustainable. These behaviors are not forced nor consciously practiced – they are simply who I am now. Can you duplicate this result? I believe that you can.

First, the exercise program, for it was the simpler change. I started running daily – rain, shine, snow, travel, no excuse was acceptable. I always found a way to run. At first I had trouble with a mile, but slowly increased my pace and distance until I settled on 3 miles daily. I continue to this day and have no plans to change. It is now a joy and I wouldn’t give it up for anything. I fervently believe that you need to work your body to the point of heaving breath and perspiration – it is a machine that must be worked to maintain its peak condition. If you don’t like to run, then bike or swim or jazzercise, but you must huff and puff and sweat for 20-30 minutes every day. If you are out of shape, then certainly consult your doctor to devise a graduated exercise program.

Diet is a bit problematic, because you need to adopt some general rules and strategies that provide you with excellent nutrition but not excessive calories and still satisfy your hunger. I have elected a semi-vegetarian diet. Don’t get me wrong – I love meat and still eat it. But meat is no longer featured in my daily diet – it is an occasional treat. I now eat beef once a week and chicken or fish several times. But many meals are simply fruit, vegetables, pasta, legumes, rice, etc., with no compulsion to include red meat. Cheeses, olive oil, mushrooms, eggplant, etc., give me the satisfaction that I previously sought in meat.

My only oil is extra virgin olive. My breakfast is typically yogurt and a banana, but often cereal with skim milk and sometimes eggs and hash browns with toast. I love to make marinara sauce from scratch using fresh or canned tomatoes based on a recipe fondly gifted by a Sicilian relative and served, garnished with a fresh basil leaf and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, over al dente pasta. Freshly made garlic toast from a coarse ciabatta loaf and a nice bottle of red wine complete the meal. Those Sicilian peasants surely knew how to eat!

If during the day you have an insatiable urge to snack, that’s OK. Just don’t give in to potato chips. Instead, have an apple or ripe pear or a handful of unsalted walnuts or almonds or peanuts. Snacks are good, but sugar and salt and fat should not be the theme.

Eating in restaurants is a huge challenge – some offer no healthy options at all. In general, avoid fat and salt and rich sauces. Grilled shrimp is a far better choice than shrimp scampi drowned in a white butter sauce. Salads are usually a good choice but not if drowned in a rich dressing. Get the dressing served on the side or better yet, use unadorned olive oil. Order grilled or baked fish without sauce, steamed veggies, and forget about the French fries. A baked potato is fine – but dress it with olive oil and pepper – leave the butter and salt for your fat, out of shape dining companions. Do you really need meatballs with your pasta? How about a vegetable lasagna instead. Yes you can have a small dessert – but watch the portion size or share it with your friends.

Probably the closest formal diet to mine is the low glycemic index (GI) diet. Low GI diets don’t exclude any foods, but simply ask you to balance out high GI (bad) choices with some low GI (good) foods. For instance, if you want to eat mashed potatoes (bad), that’s OK if you also eat some steamed or sautéed vegetables (good). This makes it a very easy diet to follow and proves very satisfying while still being healthy and allows you to lose weight and maintain that weight loss. It becomes a natural part of your lifestyle and you will in time find yourself planning healthy menus or selecting restaurant choices with little conscious effort and much aplomb.

There are excellent sources of information on the web regarding the low GI diet (e.g., http://www.the-gi-diet.org/lowgifoods/) and many good books. My favorite is “The Low GI Handbook: The New Glucose Revolution Guide to the Long-Term Health Benefits of Low GI Eating”, Brand-Miller and Wolever, Da Capo Lifelong Books, 4th edition, 2010.

If you are interested in regaining your youth and energy, dropping and maintaining weight, gaining energy, and looking 15 years younger, you have nothing to lose. My own journey has been successful and rewarding. Thanks, Mom.

Myths and misunderstandings

Myths and misunderstandings abound in this election season. Nearly every day, a casual reading of the newspaper reveals a flawed conclusion worthy of scrutiny.

Rep. James McGovern, D-MA, perpetuates the myth that the Republicans are the party of big money. In comments published on 10/12/2010, McGovern states that “Republicans have the money but we have the people.”

The Federal Election Commission tells a different story. For the 2010 campaign so far, the Republicans have raised nearly the same as the Democrats ($604 million vs. $592 million). That amounts to $1.02 to the Republicans for every dollar to the Democrats – hardly a landslide. But in the 2008 election cycle, the Democrats raised $1.9 billion to the Republicans paltry $1.3 billion ($1.47 to the Dems for every dollar to the GOP). I don’t recall Mr. McGovern (or Obama or NPR or the NY Times) decrying that enormous inequity. In any case, over the past three election cycles, the Democrats have raised far more cash than the Republicans.

In a recent blog (“Supply and Demand, not taxes, drive job growth"), Amy O’Brien, a very nice person I’m sure, exhibits a common misunderstanding of how capitalism works. In opining on the effects of international companies expanding operations overseas, Ms. O’Brien asks and answer: “Where does (sic) the cost savings go? To the executive team. It certainly doesn’t ‘trickle down’ like they’d have us believe.” The facts tell a different story.

When Carly Fiorina, then at the helm of Hewlett Packard, expanded HP’s overseas operations, she did so out of her fiduciary duty to her bosses – the stockholders. As a result, HP was successful and profits increased. Fiorina and the executive team were rewarded for their success. The stockholders were also rewarded by an increase in their dividends and equity.

Just who are these fat-cat stockholders? One good example is California school teachers, police, and fire fighters who, as beneficiaries of CALPERS (the California Public Employees' Retirement System), very much care that CALPERS holds over 7.5 million shares of HP and fervently hope that HP continues to be profitable.

The internet is a powerful tool. I strongly urge you to do your own research and don’t take what you hear for granted. But be careful – there are many slanted opinions on the web – right wing and left wing blogs are plentiful. Stick to objective sources such as the Federal Election Commission and CALPERS.