Discovery, Democracy and Devotion

Even your son, who you have claimed, "is ever...

2011-11-17T18:36:53.852-08:00

Even your son, who you have claimed, "is everyday more conservative," agrees with your argument. Needless to say, it disappoints me that Bloomberg acted against such courageous people. Now, in my distant corner of Upstate New York, Uncle Andy has followed suit. Apparently, the hippies got too close to his office. Atleast they have not silenced "the Boss" as your family affectionately calls you. Give 'em hell Dad.

Your passionate blog was couched in dispassionate ...

2011-11-15T15:30:41.533-08:00

Your passionate blog was couched in dispassionate language. Why not show a bit of fire?

Polly Rothstein

Good blogpost, Neil. I agree. You also read and ba...

2011-07-30T10:07:40.214-07:00

Good blogpost, Neil. I agree. You also read and basically with Paul Krugman in the Times. I'm terrified of the ignorance and political strength of the know-nothings, aka the Teaparty new members of Congress. They are oblivious to history and the wisdom of the more experienced members of Congress who warn of fiscal disaster if the debt ceiling is not raised immediately. I admit to being terrified right now, this weekend.

See comments on the flawed economic theories behin...

2011-04-22T14:19:43.097-07:00

See comments on the flawed economic theories behind this politically motivated and maladroit move by S&P at:

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/21/behind-the-s-p-warning-on-the-deficit/

and:

http://seekingalpha.com/article/264084-ratings-agencies-become-even-more-useless

among many other places. Yikes!

Amen (having just read this after attending Good F...

2011-04-22T13:02:29.033-07:00

Amen (having just read this after attending Good Friday afternoon services and listening to the Gospel rendition of the hypocrisy of that day once again). I am going to share this one with a whole host of friends. Thanks, Neil. A Blessed Easter! Vinny

Great post Neil!

2010-12-21T21:18:20.696-08:00

Great post Neil!

Like Rachel Maddow, I believe that support of abor...

2010-10-23T12:48:31.442-07:00

Like Rachel Maddow, I believe that support of abortion rights can be a winning position for candidates. I speak from thirty years of experience running an abortion rights organization. We identified women voters of both parties who said that they would cross party lines to vote for candidates who have (or will) protected the full range of reproductive health. In fact, armed with a list of such women, we elected enough candidates to turned a mostly anti-abortion county to 100 percent pro-choice on all levels of government. All of the pro-choice candidates mailed brochures on the issue to voters, and we issued a yellow voting guide listing our endorsements. In fact, probably the first pro-choice brochure in the country was sent out here in 1984, securing a victory in a race for the state senate.

Good blog, Neil. My fear is that moderates and som...

2010-09-17T16:02:12.477-07:00

Good blog, Neil. My fear is that moderates and some Democrats listen to the ultra-right tea party blather and actually help elect O'Donnell, Angle, Paul, and perish the though Paladino in NY. Paladino can't be prepared for the difficult job of NY governor. And the thought of these crazies in the Senate is horrifying.

Amen. Thank the divine that we do not put our cons...

2010-08-19T12:52:32.432-07:00

Amen. Thank the divine that we do not put our constitutional rights up to a vote of an enflamed populace. But, I suspect that we're going to have to reflect upon the reason that more than 60% of the US adult population doesn't see your argument. I am very troubled by the characterization of Islam which people who know better should be clear about. I guess that once we got rid of the Reds and their pink 5th columnist lackeys, we needed to substitute some larger group to threaten ourselves with fear.

I'm also intrigued by a notion which Allan Drury (of Advise and Consent fame) examined for years as he grew increasingly conservative and angry in his Washington novels. In those books, a major theme was the lack of intellectual integrity of the Left who were always portrayed as shrill, conceptually dishonest, willing to peddle the half-truth and overlook contradictions and obvious truth. In recent years I have wondered whether some of the Right decided basically to emulate that sort of dishonesty under the excuse that, well, if its okay for the Left, it's okay for the Right. That Drury's portrayals were mostly exaggerated and filled with invective has been ignored. But, in terms of a longer-range understanding of why conservatives have turned their back on "reality" to embrace simple error and deliberate misstatements, maybe it came from reading decades of denunciations of the Left by their forerunners. I can't imagine what William Buckley would make of this if he were alive.

I would give you an A in my psych class for recogn...

2010-02-04T05:10:11.309-08:00

I would give you an A in my psych class for recognizing flawed research design. And, if you look at the more "orthodox" Catholic websites, e.g., EWTN, they are already touting this study.

Have you ever thought to do a comparison trip to s...

2009-11-27T11:18:53.661-08:00

Have you ever thought to do a comparison trip to some center of civilization in, say, Texas? I'd love to read the comparison. Happy Thanksgiving!

Vinny

Last week while visiting my brother the doctor, I ...

2009-08-19T17:37:35.941-07:00

Last week while visiting my brother the doctor, I watched as he placed a call to an insurance company to get "pre-procedure" approval for both tests and surgery for a patient with a life-threatening malignancy. The phone call took about 25 minutes. The reason it took so long was that the insurance company representative who had to process the request for the tests and the surgery did not have access to the individual codes which are attached to each of the tests and intervention procedures. One might think that the office of the private insurer which has to approve these medical needs would have all those codes listed already on their computer screens. You'd think that. But, you'd be wrong. They expected that my brother would have his own manual with the codes at his fingertips and supply them with the information they required...not just the names of the tests and type of surgery, but the numerical designation found in some large compendium of codes. So, he had to fire up his own computer (he was doing this from home), link up to his office, and then dig around in the electronic records support materials to find the numbers that the insurer wanted. So, the call went on and on as he searched for each item and then gave the telephone representative the code.

After the phone call, I asked him if he felt frustrated. He said "not really". What I had witnessed was something that he dealt with day in and day out. Insurance companies routinely make it a painful and arduous experience even for clinical providers to get coverage for their patients. Of course, the doctors who spend time on the phone doing this are not compensated for their time getting pre-authorizations (can you imagine a lawyer doing such un-billed work?). What the private insurance company achieves by making a $300/hour MD spend time on the phone with a $21/hour B.S. graduate call screener is ultimately to discourage providers from calling unless they absolutely believe a procedure is required.

Further, none of the insurance companies talk with any other insurance company to come up with standard forms, standard protocols, or standard ways of exchanging information with providers. My brother's office in a small New England city maintains a paid staff simply to interact with more than 450 different insurance carriers, none of whom have standardized any of their procedures. Every one requires a different form and different information before they are willing to pay for care.

This is madness.

The Republican shriekers keep complaining about government interference in their lives and the threat of health care being denied by the fiat of federal bureaucrats. Well, what in the lord's name do they think is going on these days when the real bureaucrats are the flaks working for the insurance companies who routinely deny coverage, find exclusionary ways around coverage, or make providers jump through hoops just to get their patients the treatments they need?

Oy, it is enough to send you to see a doctor. I wonder if treating such a complaint is covered by my insurance?

Let us hope she is history.

2009-07-10T08:38:31.957-07:00

Let us hope she is history.

This is really wonderful

2009-06-08T22:40:57.269-07:00

This is really wonderful

When I watched the clip, I got a shiver up my spin...

2009-04-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

When I watched the clip, I got a shiver up my spine when she began singing. I'm not sure that ever happened to me before.

Thank you, Neil. Next time I have to preach on Chr...

2008-12-27T10:43:00.000-08:00

Thank you, Neil. Next time I have to preach on Christmas, I will liberally borrow from this reflection. It is beautiful in a still way.

Merry Christmas!

Vinny

I wish this were sent in to the NYT as an OpEd pie...

2008-12-19T11:43:00.000-08:00

I wish this were sent in to the NYT as an OpEd piece. Makes more sense than almost anything I've read about the scandal.

I'll vote for you! And, toss in a small campaign c...

2008-12-06T17:19:00.000-08:00

I'll vote for you! And, toss in a small campaign contribution or two.

I wonder, though...Since the people of Georgia saw fit to reelect the execrable Saxby Chambliss, would you actually want to be working alongside such ilk?

On the other hand, you would singlehandledly raise the moral tone and intelligence of the world's greatest deliberative body a noticeable degree.

Run, Neil, run!

(Of course, if poor young Jon Favreau gets into any deeper Facebook photo trouble, perhaps BHO will be tapping you for your eloquent pen.)

"Holiday synchronicity" - you've coined a new phr...

2008-11-27T20:20:00.000-08:00

"Holiday synchronicity" - you've coined a new phrase. It must now be tracked. I envision Holiday Synchronicity statisticians. Perhaps even the Neil McCarthy Professor of Holiday Synchronicity Statistics at Dartmouth, or MIT, or both, and then Neil McCarthy Professorships in Holiday Synchronicity Psychosis, Holiday Synchronicity Euphoria, Holiday Synchronicity Dissociative Disorder; the list is unending.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Vinny:

A pardon cannot stop an investigatio...

2008-11-17T08:16:00.000-08:00

Vinny:

A pardon cannot stop an investigation by Congress, nor can it shield recipients from the consequences of later perjury or contempt. To that extent, therefore, your hunch that a pardon does not cripple the Congress going forward is correct. My fear, however, is that Congress will not have the appetite for such an inquiry (which is partly the reason why some are proposing a non or bi-partisan commission), wanting instead to focus on the economy and, generally speaking, to move on. Bush, moreover, is counting on this, his assumption being that he will take his lumps in the form of a further hit to his approval ratings up front (whioh, given how low they are, is really beside the point)and that over time the desire to go after him will simply dissipate. The impeachment I propose overcomes Congress's reluctance to spend time engaging on these issues (I really think this can be done in hours; if necessary, on the morning of January 20)and sanctins Bush immediately and fully.

People should also know that this is my response to the prospect of a self pardon, and that I view it as much as a political response as I do a legal one. On the legal side, there are those who argue that sef-pardons are not constitutional. See Note, "Pardon Me?: The Constitutional Case Against Presidential Sepf-Pardons," 106 Yale Law Journal 779(December 1996).

Neil

Two points.

(1) If he does so, he will stai...

2008-11-15T19:06:00.000-08:00

Two points.

(1) If he does so, he will stain himself, his entire coterie, and the Republican party in a fashion that no amount of time will ever remove. Yes, yes, it is hard to see how his awful administration would ever be reviewed by history with any sense of forgiveness. Bush's action in this direction would remove that possibility completely.

(2) Though I am not a lawyer, it would seem to me that a blanket pardon only removes the threat of prosecution for the crimes committed before the pardon. With the new Congress in session, would there be any reason why such a pardon would prevent the Congress from conducting a probing investigation? Since there is no possibility that the administration's war criminals could be prosecuted for their criminal actions per se, they would not be able to plead self-incrimination as a reason to withhold testimony. Thus, failure to respond to Congressional inquiry would, I'd think, result in possible legal jeopardy for contempt if they failed to testify and/or perjury if they decided to lie. And, with a Justice Dept. doing its proper work, there would be a prosecution on a Congressional finding like contempt or perjury.

What do you think?

Vinny

I agree that they have a bad attitude, but there's...

2008-11-12T11:03:00.000-08:00

I agree that they have a bad attitude, but there's a larger problem, and even that goes beyond being latecomers to the hybrid party. It is the lack of imagination, the lack of creativity, and the lack of ideas that pervades the big three. You don't see Apple lining up for a handout. They have $25 billion in cash. How does a company that fails to innovate stay in business? They stay in business with dangerous protections like tariffs on foreign cars, authoritarian slogans like "Buy American," and tax credits correlated to the weight of the vehicle. All of this interferes with the market and puts off the inevitable day of reckoning.

It doesn't matter if GM now comes out with a slew of hybrids. I bet you those hybrids will be poorly designed. I bet they will lack any innovation. And while GM is patting itself on the back for a slew of new hybrids, Toyota will be perfecting the plug-in hybrid, the hydrogen-powered car, and fuel-cell cars. More than anything else, this nation needs new ideas. It casts its votes on the basis of the candidates' policy positions. Policy positions are simply a reaction to the current options. They don't propose new options. They don;t take our breath away, the way the iPhone does.

More than a good attitude, automakers need good ideas. But for some reason, they seem to fundamentally abhor creativity. They will die one day if they don't change, and it's probably better to let it happen now. Obama may well get them to agree to more hybrids in exchange for a bail-out. It's a great shame that new ideas will not be a part of that discussion.

See, that's the thing, Bob. Those of us whose eye...

2008-11-08T07:50:00.000-08:00

See, that's the thing, Bob. Those of us whose eyes were open Tuesday night saw that this was a new day, that people across the globe reveled in the election of Barack Obama and that that spirit of enthusiasm cannot be denied, no matter how much you may want to cover your ears to drown out the cheers.

Yes, there are girls AND boys from Asia, India, Eastern Europe and others enslaved in the sex trade, and this has not changed over the 8 years President Bush led us. And, yes, some young black men will practice indiscriminate sex with young black women as will some young white men with young white women, such as Sarah Palin’s teenage daughter and her child’s father, a young man of questionable character, to say the least.

I don’t think what Neil is saying here is that on election day – months before Barack Obama even takes over the Presidency – that the world’s problems will be solved, but that - for the first time in 8 years - people the world over have a shared sense of hope, of pride, of admiration and faith in our Commander in Chief. And that is a wonderful thing.

Give the man the same chance you gave Bush. You just might be pleased with the result....

Simply elected a person of mixed race does nothing...

2008-11-06T13:53:00.000-08:00

Simply elected a person of mixed race does nothing for the ills that still inflict our nation. Nothing has been redeemed. Young asian girls are still enslaved into the sex trade right here in Southern Nevada. Young black men still practice indiscriminate sex with young black women because it is considered some form of masucline trophy. Bigotry is still preached from Obama's favorite preacher and Farrakhan still thinks Bush somehow controlled a hurricane though racism. No, what happened was left with the choice of Obama over yet another Republican, the American electorate chose against McCain, not for Obama. The question remains, will they appreciate that choice 4 years from now? Lets leave off the liberal white guilt and look at reality. It may not feel as good, but it is reality.

Amen. Amen. I will have my students at Le Moyne re...

2008-11-06T08:11:00.000-08:00

Amen. Amen. I will have my students at Le Moyne read this tonight for our continuing discussion tomorrow in the Senior Honors class about the election. Beautifully written. Thanks, Neil.

Vinny

Discovery, Democracy and Devotion

Even your son, who you have claimed, "is ever...

Your passionate blog was couched in dispassionate ...

Good blogpost, Neil. I agree. You also read and ba...

See comments on the flawed economic theories behin...

Amen (having just read this after attending Good F...

Great post Neil!

Like Rachel Maddow, I believe that support of abor...

Good blog, Neil. My fear is that moderates and som...

Amen. Thank the divine that we do not put our cons...

I would give you an A in my psych class for recogn...

Have you ever thought to do a comparison trip to s...

Last week while visiting my brother the doctor, I ...

Let us hope she is history.

This is really wonderful

When I watched the clip, I got a shiver up my spin...

Thank you, Neil. Next time I have to preach on Chr...

I wish this were sent in to the NYT as an OpEd pie...

I'll vote for you! And, toss in a small campaign c...

"Holiday synchronicity" - you've coined a new phr...

Vinny:A pardon cannot stop an investigatio...

Two points.(1) If he does so, he will stai...

I agree that they have a bad attitude, but there's...

See, that's the thing, Bob. Those of us whose eye...

Simply elected a person of mixed race does nothing...

Amen. Amen. I will have my students at Le Moyne re...

Vinny:

A pardon cannot stop an investigatio...

Two points.

(1) If he does so, he will stai...