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Thursday, January 22, 2009
Chef fascination, health care consumers, Bush
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thinking Right’s weekend free-for-all. Pick a topic:
Atlanta seems to have a fascination with restaurant chefs and what they do when they’re not fixing food. I’m thinking it started with Guenter Seeger. Why do we never hear about what mechanics are doing when they’re not fixing cars — or which head mechanics they worked under before they fixed mine.
Need evidence that adults are capable of making responsible choices? Health care spending grew last year at 6.1 percent, the slowest rate since 1998. The reason? Consumers turned to generic drugs instead of brand names. Generics are now about 67 percent of dispensed drugs, up from 63 percent the year before. The lesson? Give consumers information and options and they’ll act in their responsible self-interest.
George W. Bush could not have been more gracious to his critics or to the new president in his final days in office. A crowd that declined to applaud when President Obama said “I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition” had no class. The crowd that heckled him as he departed had even less.
Imagine, too, the outrage if minister Rick Warren, or any other prominent speaker at a presidential inauguration, had stereotyped and denigrated an entire race, as Atlanta minister Joseph Lowery did when praying for a day “when white[s] will embrace what is right.” Lowery got laughter.
The death of a 4-year-old struck by a car while crossing South Cobb Drive with her mother and three siblings is a tragedy, no question. Interesting response, though, from a group called Pedestrians Educating Drivers on Safety. It wants concrete medians built on multi-lane roads with bus stops. Couldn’t we save more lives by educating pedestrians to cross at intersections? Or require buses to locate stops there?
There really are two Americas. One is scary. It’s the one represented by this sentence from a story about a Gwinnett County murder: “A teenager who was shot dead at a gas station parking lot in August 2007 [where he was at work painting lines] was targeted by rival gang members because he showed them disrespect during a prior confrontation …” The word “respect” is defiled in this context in the same way that “father” is defiled when describing a walk-away inseminator who caused life.
Michigan law gives inseminating males the option: Marry the female or pay hospital birth expenses. Georgia should follow suit. And then follow the male to the ends of the earth to collect child support.
From Thursday’s AJC business section: “Eaton … cutting 5,200 jobs.” “Disney offers 600 voluntary buyouts.” “Intel plans to cut 5,000 to 6,000 jobs.” “Van Heusen closing 175 stores.” Now find an equivalent story in the public sector. Ah, there it is on the other page: “Higher state tax could wipe out Two Buck Chuck,” a popular California wine that sells for $1.99 there, but is the target of a proposed 29.6-cent tax, up from 4 cents. Governments just demand more money — and let the private sector add that to its economic misery. California projects a $42 billion gap between revenue and spending over the next 18 months. High-taxed people and businesses are fleeing.
Underground operators start the sales job for casino gambling. The pitch? Georgia’s losing money to nearby states. Some of our armed robbers may be crossing over from Columbus to Phenix City, Ala., too, but that doesn’t mean we urge businesses on our side of the river to turn off their security cameras. Once again: The state has no business exploiting the weakness and addictions of its people.
Clayton County is giving free help to “senior citizens” on how to connect an analog television to a digital converter box. I knew that old people were automatically presumed to be poor for discount purposes. But I didn’t know they were presumed to be too befuddled to handle any change in technology. Surely a young dunce deserves help, too, assuming there are any such.
Didn’t I read that the Arizona Cardinals were a lucky playoff draw for the Atlanta Falcons? And is that the same Cardinals in the Super Bowl? I could be confused. Professional football is not really my game. I’m more into political horse races.
When we’re rushing to protect those forced to pay exorbitant interest because they were considered bad-credit risks, shouldn’t we say a word, too, for The New York Times? Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim agrees to lend the company $250 million. But at 14.1 percent interest. Government or payday and subprime lenders could have offered better rates. Troubled banks get loans at 8 percent.
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Obama, the CIA and Gitmo
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The difference between the Bush Administration’s approach to the events of 9/11 and his critics’ is that Bush saw the attack on the homeland as an act of war. Most of those who opposed him on the war that followed saw it as a criminal justice matter, something akin to gangland killings on a larger scale.
We’re reminded on the first full day of the Barack Obama administration how little has changed in the views of the two groups. U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, reiterated his long-held view that terrorist combatants being held at Guantanamo can be brought here. The U.S. can handle them “just as it has handled the worst criminals and other terrorists before,” he said.
Americans will go bonkers when the Obama Administration chooses to bring the worst of the terrorists to these shores and treats them as it would pick-pockets, shop-lifters, armed-robbers and kook bombers or repeat murderers, like Eric Rudolph or Brian Nichols. And if we thought the Brian Nichols trial was a circus of never-ending motions, diversions and expense before it was handed off to Cobb Superior Court Judge James Bodiford, we ain’t seen nothing yet.
In one day, and in the week that preceded inauguration when Obama’s nominee for Attorney General, Eric Holder , foolishly declared waterboarding to be torture, the U.S. has announced to the world, friends and foe alike, that our official policy is to play by recess-rules. No running. No rough-house. No insensitivity. No name-calling. No hurtful behaviors.
Guantanamo will be closed, although only Portugal has agreed to accept any of its cargo. Too, CIA procedures that allowed terrorists to be held in secret and some of the agency’s interrogation techniques that could be considered mean-spirited or at least insensitive to the dignity of the ladies and gentlemen attempting to kill us, are to be banned. White House Counsel Gregory B. Craig acknowledged that the new restrictions on the CIA might be unwise and hinted that the Administration would be open to review later.
The first days of a new administration are far too few to draw conclusions about what’s ahead. But the first few days of this one feels a lot more like the Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton administrations than John F. Kennedy’s or those of other presidents since him.
Quick, let’s get Hillary on the job. This Administration needs a toughie on board.
