The decades-long struggle between Israel and Palestine is one of the most discussed and least understood conflicts in the world today. The irony (ironic in a sad, not a funny way) is that while Israelis are the most hated people group in the Middle East, Palestinians are the second most hated people group. The conflict … Continue reading
Yearly Archives: 2012
A Paean to the Twinkie
Gone is the HoHo. Gone is the Ding Dong. Gone is the Snowball, the Suzy Q, the Ring Ding, the Donettes, the Wonder Bread, the Hostess Cupcake with its signature swirl. And gone is the Twinkie. That greatest of all childhood treats. An alluring, golden treasure tube filled with sickly sweet, vanilla fluff that bursts … Continue reading
Rethinking Protests
The erupting conflict between Israel and Gaza this week is nothing new- a very similar escalation in operations occurred just a few years ago, between the same two parties. In late December 2008, Israel invaded the Gaza strip in attempt to eliminate Hamas militants in an operation referred to by many, including Gazans themselves, as … Continue reading
Medicaid Managed Care for Costly Dual Eligibles
Medicaid and Medicare are government insurance programs developed to care for specific populations and the particular needs associated with that population. There are fundamental differences between the ways in which these programs are funded, the services they cover, and the people they serve. Medicare’s beneficiaries are elderly (65 or older) or disabled. It covers acute … Continue reading
The Beginning of a New War or the End of “Cold War”?
It looks like both the Israelis and Palestinians have sharply veered of the road map to peace this week. Both Hamas and Israel have successfully escalated the violence to the point that an all at war in Gaza appears imminent. But before we start “climbing the mountain of conflict” an analysis of the geopolitical facts … Continue reading
Health Insurance Exchanges: It’s Time for Decision
Republican governors are facing a difficult decision. They must choose by tomorrow whether or not their states will be in charge of the impending health insurance exchanges. If they choose to take charge of the insurance exchanges, they have until 14 December to provide the details to the federal government. If they choose to turn … Continue reading
Another Entitlement Reform
Experts agree that healthcare entitlement reform is key to curbing costs and boosting quality, yet we seem to ignore one of our biggest, less obvious, entitlements in the discussion. After Medicare and Medicaid, the employer sponsored health insurance tax exemption is the government’s biggest expenditure on healthcare, costing us around $260 billion a year. It … Continue reading
Salumi Sorrow: How Regulation Killed a Small Business
Il Mondo Vecchio is Italian for “The Old World.”For Mark DeNittis, the owner and purveyor of Il Mondo Vecchio Salumeria in Denver, Colorado, “The Old World” means making cured meats and sausages the right way – the way his Italian uncles made sausage and their uncles before them. DeNittis’ salumi is an anachronism – a … Continue reading
Don’t Fear the Needle
Smallpox has killed hundreds of millions of people throughout centuries. It is accountable for more deaths than all the world wars combined. In 1921, there were over 100,000 reported cases of smallpox in the United States. Thanks to vaccines, the disease has been eradicated. A child growing up in America today has no chance of … Continue reading
Obamacare is Here to Stay: Now What?
If anyone ever doubted that elections have consequences, one only has to be reminded of what John Boehner said last week. “Obamacare is the law of the land,” the House Speaker told ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer, indicating that the Republican caucus will not attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). With the law’s … Continue reading
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