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Assorted links
1. Jeff Ely will laugh at this.
2. Markets in everything: waiting in line for swine flu shots.
3. John Cassidy blog on "rational irrationality."
4. What does your doctor really think of you?
Posted by Tyler Cowen on November 4, 2009 at 01:55 PM in Web/Tech | Permalink
Comments
"the sex of a doctor is far less important than the manner": excellent; none of that "gender" crap.
Posted by: dearieme at Nov 4, 2009 3:46:50 PM
"Doctors rarely tell patients to pleasure themselves..."
They don't tell me to eat or breathe either. Some things a guy just knows.
Posted by: JH at Nov 4, 2009 4:58:23 PM
When we hear that "monetary policy is too important to be left under the control of Congress," why don't we hear Congress respond, "This is a violation of democracy"? Because Congress thinks that monetary policy is too important to be left to citizens who own gold coins. Congress does not want to have its central bank–funded programs vetoed by gold coin owners who can walk into a bank with digital money and demand payment in gold coins. Congress tolerates central banking because Congress suspects that citizens would not tolerate Congress if they could veto central bank purchases of government debt.
Members of Congress are confident that they can buy votes by spending newly created money. They are not confident that this could continue if the public could redeem digital money for gold. Congress buys votes with fiat money. It would find it far more expensive to buy votes with gold coins.
What is true of Congress is true of every legislature on earth. This is why we never see a significant reform of central banking. Such a reform is not in the self-interest of the elites that have built the modern political order on fiat money.
Posted by: Gabe at Nov 4, 2009 5:49:04 PM
the whole doctor article just reinforced my overall impression that GP's are mostly engaged in theater and money extraction from the unsuspecting public. It doesn't matter if it's about "pleasure", or "buzzing", or "fetching" etc - if you are not really providing a meaningful service to a big chunk of customers (the young and middle aged, who could probably just be given a computer checklist to screen themselves for the highly unlikely case of early onset chronic disease) then maybe you should stop wasting people's time and money.
Posted by: nothing new here at Nov 4, 2009 10:04:54 PM
These are really interesting links. I liked it but I really enjoyed Jeff Ely will laugh at this. It's really good to explore it.
Posted by: Managed hosting at Nov 5, 2009 2:05:35 AM
3. So, Krugman says “History is about to be made—and everyone has to decide which side they’re on.” This is just the liberal version of "you are either with us or against us. And hurry up, because we don't have all day for you to decide."
The fact that these people are lying to us...
http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/042109.html
...and rushing us to judgment is reason enough for me to say "come back when you have your story straight." Which side are you on?
This is non-sense: "It is indefensible for a country as rich as the United States to fail to provide adequate health care for many of its citizens."
We are not "rich" in they way they believe because what the people want to provide for those who can't afford it, we can't afford, it is not theirs to give, not theirs to receive and we are a debtor nation. Insurance isn't healthcare. To expand coverage is to take care from others unless the healthcare industry EXPANDS. And it will be expanded and changed to accommodate the newly subsidized marginal buyers. We do not have a static pie to be cut up and distributed let alone crapped in.
Posted by: Andrew at Nov 5, 2009 3:26:31 AM
Dr. Hammond is a very funny man. Does he keep a
straight face during his consultations? Do his patients?
In the 1980s and 90s, when I lived in England, the GP
(their PCP) "summoned" me by coming to the door of
his office and calling out my name.
I can well believe that some British doctors do not
know their own blood pressure numbers. One responded
to my request for a routine BP check that it should
only be taken every five years, as though it were an
exotic procedure. But he did comply. Another was
most reluctant to do a digital prostate exam, routine
with American doctors. He would not; I did not insist,
and am still alive.
But they knew their jobs.
Posted by: Candadai Tirumalai at Nov 5, 2009 10:21:03 AM
"I regard an expansion of the government safety net as ethically essential, economically justified, and long overdue. It is indefensible for a country as rich as the United States to fail to provide adequate health care for many of its citizens. In extending our health-care system, all we are doing is catching up with Otto Von Bismarck’s Germany, which recognized a hundred and twenty-five years ago that universal health and disability coverage, along with old age pensions and a system of public education, were essential elements of a modern society. Moreover, given the reluctance of “Blue Dog” Democrats, such as Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson, to support anything that smacks of big government, and President Obama’s determination to coöperate with moderate Republicans, the proposed reform may be the most that can be accomplished today. But we will be dealing with its consequences for decades to come, and I think it’s important to be clear about what the reform amounts to."
I'm not sure he'd agree with my Milton Friedman inspired universal health care plan, but, otherwise, I agree with everything that he just said.
Posted by: Don the libertarian Democrat at Nov 5, 2009 10:30:23 AM
