Things are slow here at B R Blog so here are a couple of items worthy of a quick read:
Currently on CNN there is a column by David Frum titled “Unhealthy habits are what’s killing us” that is worth the time to read and consider.
Citing a recent study for the National Bureau of Economic Research, Frum makes good observations about the root causes of the unfavorable comparisons between the health of US of A’s citizens and those in other nation-states that spend far less on health care.
To underscore the validity of Frum’s point a pole now running on CNN.com shows 48 percent of the respondents admit they have POOR health habits.
There are a range of pointed responses to Frum’s column but if one adds two basic points that can be gleaned from the critical views of Frum’s observations he (plus his commentors) have a good handle on what ails us.
The two additions are:
1) Fairly allocate costs. (For example, add the cost of increased health care for those who smoke tobacco to the cost of buying tobacco.)
2) Narrow the Wealth Gap so that the second and third generation rich (living off of first generation’s initiative) do not have a free ride.
The Second item is from today’s WaPo.
Robert J. Samuelson’s column “Democracy’s Demolition Derby” (he calls it a “personal reflection”) provides a many good insights on democracy and journalism.
It is just too bad Samuelson still has not learned about human settlement patterns. He gets a lot of things right, but so far the importance of location and the spacial distribution of human activity is a blind spot in his understanding of how the world works.
EMR has not had much to say here at Bacon’s Rebellion Blog for a few weeks. We have been more than busy getting TRILO-G Beta 2 ready to ship to Amazon in early January. In spite of motherboard meltdowns, software conflicts, etc. it looks like it will make it thanks to the help of Jim Bacon and many others.
EMR will also have an item on future prognostication up before 2010. We hope.
Season’s Best and Happy New Year.
EMR