Presidential Promises
What’s catching my eye today:
Freshman Senator Chaffetz R-UT asked Prez O several direct questions about earmarks, open meetings and budget-cutting - all campaign promises - to which Prez O gave weak rebuttals; rebuttals in the rhetorical ambiguous style for which he is becoming known. For more, go here: http://video.foxnews.com/v/3995236/promises-promises-
Part of Health Care Reform does not yet carry a tort reform statement. In CA recently a person with a back injury caused by an off-road motorcycle incident sued his emergency room doctor and was awarded a $16m settlement for lost wages, personal insult, punitive damages,etc. I don’t know about you who are reading this, but I’m certainly sympathetic to the patient. The patient who caused the accident. The patient who placed himself in a position to be disabled for life by off-road motorcycle operation. His lawyer is quoted as saying the rider was “They were doing nothing out of the ordinary or unusual or riding in a manner or area they hadn’t ridden in dozens or hundreds of times before,” as if that excuses the rider from placing himself in a position to be injured. I’m sympathetic to the rider for his current condition, but to shift blame (lawyers are hired just to do this very thing) onto the hospital (which settled earlier) and/or the doctor is just not right. No wonder doctors are choosing to opt out of their practices.
Then, it’s fashionable to blame the insurance companies for raising their premiums in the face of rising claims and additional treatments. People sue, then insurance companies raise their rates and maybe doctors add a treatment or two in order to pay for the increased premiums. Let’s get out of that cycle, eh?
Riverside and San Berdardino counties in CA have recently opened a website advising where the current congestions and incidents are on major roadways. But the kicker is they also include where the traffic cameras are. Such a deal! And, you can have the details downloaded into your phone so you can get the info both before you leave your location as well as along the way. Way to go, county administrators!
On this day in history: 1876 - Baseball’s National League founded; 1880 - First electric streetlight was installed in Wabash, Indiana; 1887 - Groundhog Day celebrated for first time at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsuatawney, PA;
On a positive note: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has announced that it will donate $10 billion over the next decade to research new vaccines and bring them to the world’s poorest countries. Calling upon governments and business to also contribute, they said the money will produce higher immunization rates and aims to make sure that 90 percent of children are immunized against dangerous diseases. For more, go here: http://www.dailyfinance.com/article/gates-makes-10-billion-vaccines-pledge/880256/
Blessings.