vol_scouter

If the CO or troop refuses to pat for this youth, I would recommend that those who feel this to be an injustice quietly purchase the kit. After that, the kit should be bought by the new Eagle and monies refused unless they will be given to every boy achieving his Eagle award. Youth have a sense of fairness and this violates that sense. Treat everyone alike as much as you can. Neil and others have said eloquently that Eagle scouts will likely pay back with interest in the future. After earning my Eagle, I left scouting (now I wish that I had not) and returned when my son became a c

Reading the article and the BSA response to queries makes it clear that this is aimed at the values of scouting. I predict that these attacks will increase in the near future with the sharp left turn of the country.

At a camporee in the Big South Fork National Recreation Area in the mid 1990's, we had members of the National Forest service discuss land management, They were quite clear that clear cutting is a GOOD way to manage a forest. The area to be clear cut must be carefully chosen. Proper clear cutting accomplishes what nature does with a fire. So for parts of large scout camps to be clear cut may represent good rather bad management. The parts of the environmental movement want no human management of the land (which is a form of management) but that does not mean that human management is bad.

scoutldr, I absolutely agree that there is a bias toward doing something rather than not. A patient who presents with a viral upper respiratory will be unhappy to be told that it will run its' course. Most cannot understand that giving them antibiotics will not help them and can lead to more resistant organisms. So physicians will tend to satisfy their patients. That is not good but the level of science education in this country is abysmal at best but that is a whole thread of its own. OGE, I have not argued for physicians to run health care but often practicing phys

Beavah, I am not certain that you assertion though the major pharmaceutical companies have developed no new drugs is correct. My understanding is different. However, you are entirely correct that major companies buy up smaller ones for a good product. I do not agree on the patent issue. If you and I patent a new gadget to sell we will patent it, do some safety testing, some marketing research, manufacture it, and then sell the gadget. So we will have a few years between development and selling the product. That gives us many years to re-coup our initial investment. The pharmace

OldGreyEagle, In a sense, that is what I am saying. It happens every day now. If you are too old and sick, you cannot have dialysis started because no one will pay (except for the very few wealthy enough to afford years of dialysis). Those patients die. IV drug abusers often get a condition called bacterial endocarditis on one (usually) or more heart valves. The infection can lead to the need for the replacement of the valve. They will have their valve. However, if the valve gets infected months to years later, the patient will typically not be offered a second valve. Those pa

Beavah, I am sorry that you found no new ideas in my lengthy posts. The problem with the drug innovation has to do with the short time a drug can be sold prior to patents expiring. The democrats have tried to destroy small businesses in favor of large businesses which is much of the same issues for the drug companies that find that they must get bigger in the false market. As I noted, the options for care should be limited by society and physicians. We need to decrease interference from the government making more rules that either produce the opposite effect or have an unp

Merlyn, Actually, I agree that there should be a constitutional amendment to include air force and space forces (looking to the future). I have little concern that it will pass. I would have no concern before we elected a socialist president. The idea for the country is a strict interpretation of the constitution and for amendments to be made to fix the issues as they occur involving the people in the ratification process. The courts have usurped the proper roles in government.

Hal, The financial outcome was due to the loss of employment resulting in the inability to obtain insurance coverage. That is not fairly all relating to health care since the employment component is not the problem with the health care arena. Most states require automobile insurance for everyone who owns a car. Most states then have hard lines companies for those at greatest risk. By requiring everyone who owns a car to have insurance, the risk is spread over many people. A similar program would likely be a good idea. The insurance should all be individual, no group plan

The comparison between the multiple sclerosis patients in the UK and the US is not as much about the health care system as the work environment. MS is a variable disease where some have relatively minor intermittent neurological symptoms to a debilitating illness no matter how the patients are treated. So to compare the outcomes and attribute them to the medical care is a TOTALLY false argument. It has no meaning. NPR is a fan of socialism and slant their coverage to reflect those values. I have been under socialized medicine and later have worked in both systems. The country was horrifi

Most insurance companies no longer insure health, they only manage company's plan with no actual risk themselves. They can be easily bought off by allowing them to manage the government run programs. They get a sure income stream at no risk. The Clinton's missed this in the 90's. I doubt that Obama will make the same mistake. The pharmaceutical companies are a different story. Since the left and the news media has demonized them so much, they may not have enough political clout to prevent a change. Hospitals and professionals are not rich enough nor well organized enough to prev

I cared for a patient from Canada traveling in my area who had a small stroke. He had a prior stroke due to carotid artery disease that resulted in a carotid endarterectomy (CEA) on one side. My work-up revealed that the opposite side was now critically stenotic (narrowed) causing his stroke and he needed a CEA on that side. He would be at high risk of another stroke. The vascular surgeon would perform the surgery in a few weeks after the stroke had some time to heal (otherwise he may have bled into the prior stroke area when placed on anticoagulants for the surgery). The Canadian insuran

Gern wrote: "Imagine telling grandma, sorry, that chemo is pretty expensive and you know, you aren't going to be feeling that great after it anyways. Besides, you've had a good life and reached your expected life span." What do you think happens in socialized countries right now? Here in the US hemodialysis cannot be started under certain conditions one of which is age (though there is no age that it is stopped just because you are that age). Socialism brings rationing to everybody but the wealthy. People wait for procedures and surgeries in Canada for years that are done next wee

Hal, I am a physician who has practiced for 22 years and is leaving well before retirement because of the worsening mess that makes it more and more difficult to care for patients. I have lived in Denmark and worked at a VA for a short time thus seeing socialized medicine up close - it is not a good system. I got the article from a professional email and went to the Massacusetts Medical Society website. It is as good a study as one is likely to get on such a topic. I have no relationship to the pharmaceutical industry except I prescribe. Gern, We already have in es

Interesting. The top four shows are 2 conservative and 2 liberal. Obviously, there is no need for a fairness doctrine.

NC, You are correct about the transplant list. I am glad that you son received his heart transplant and is doing well. Transplants are paid for eventually by the public either through higher insurance premiums or by government paid plans. So the public in essence has decided that UNOS should provide the framework. It is a good program but in my view there are still some issues. The recipients must change their habits for a period of tie to qualify - 6 months I believe. However, the long term recidivism rate is high for many addictions. Also, should I be given similar opportunit

Almost forgot, get rid of the report cards and ratings of hospitals and physicians. Many of the hospitals who advertise 'Top 100' such and so paid to be on the list. Many of the lists have to do with profitability and not quality measures that are poor measures at best. Some examples: Occasionally after a myocardial infarction (heart attack), the muscles that keep the mitral valve from being pushed back into the left atrium by the left ventricle can be involved. If those muscles, the chordiae tendinae, are involved, they can rupture leading to sudden flail mitral valve. Withou

baschram645 has a good idea that will never happen. Ted Kennedy had the best medical community in the world in Boston but went to neurosurgeon at Duke considered to be the best in the world to resect high grade astrocytomae. Do you really believe that kind of option would be available to the rest of us. Do you think that senator Kerry would stoop to going to a clinic with 'us'. The Kerry who told the press that he understood the average person while he was skiing on his private ski slope, complete with lift, on his private mountain. Beavah, The health care system is badly bro

Gern, Whatever was said, both men were trying to say the correct 35 words. In my book, anyone trying to impugn the validity of his presidency on the flubs deserves your title of wingnut.

Thank you for the explanation. Too bad our news media died this past year. With that understanding and your sense that the guy has the requisite tools, I will have to change my mind. Nobody wants the economy to sink into a depression. I just don't want a further socialist republic. I am still waiting for the left to scream about the bombing of a sovreign nation that is an ally to boot. Oh, I forgot. He is a liberal so he was justified whereas a conservative would be skewered. Unlike some of my friends, I will not have a bumper sticker saying "He's not my president" despite

All due respects to Beavah, for whom I have the greatest respect, I tend to agree with Eisely. Geithner should be the Secretary of the Treasury. I my view, what he did was purposeful and therefore dishonest. If we know that he is dishonest from the beginning, how can we be expected to trust him? Surely out of ~300,000,000 citizens there is some else who would do as well or better than what I would characterize as dishonest.

If the pleasure you are experiencing is from others misfortune, then in the case of the president it is all of our misfortunes. BTW I remember bumper stickers saying "He's not my president". The left did not like what Bush's stated policies (and before it was over neither did the right as he destroyed our personal liberties and went more rapidly down the path to socialism). The left was not supportive and often rather vitriolic in voicing their lack of support. That was as it should be and criticism of Obama's stated positions is appropriate as well. As Obama's presidency proceeds, we wil

To the liberals on the list (I will not call them names as others have done to conservatives): Obama attacked a sovereign nuclear power today in a move that could be likened to the bombing of Cambodia by President Nixon. I am sure that the liberals will be decrying the move which could broaden the war. They will be shouting 'warmonger'. The media will be covering the action 24/7. The media is relatively silent including Fox. Don't worry, Obama will have little covered dissent.

Beavah, You are correct, the birth certificate is issued by the state. It is available in the hospitals where it is filled out by the attending physician. It is not official until stamped by the state. I never said that it was issued by the hospital. It is available and filled out there. So we are in agreement I believe.

Merlyn, As usual, when faced with the problems in your argument, you resort to insults. You ignored the rest of the facts and commented only upon a supposition. So to be more direct, Madison was for the states having a state sponsored, endorsed, or supported religion if they so desired. His writings are clear. The First Amendment was written to prevent the federal government from establishing a federally mandated religion while allowing the states to do so if they wished. There are two clauses, the first is dealing with non-establishment and the second says that no laws shall be