8/6/08

THE EXPENSE OF FREE SPEECH
By
Richard Davis
GUILFORD-. Last week a case played out in Federal Court in Brattleboro that revolved around the free speech rights of the pharmaceutical industry. The big boys are crying foul and saying that a new Vermont law, Act 80, will drive up drug prices and stifle innovation. It’s hard to have a lot of sympathy for an industry that is perhaps the most profitable on the planet (neck and neck with the oil companies), an industry that profits from the sickest and most vulnerable people in our society.

THE PRAYER HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM
By
Richard Davis
GUILFORD- In late June, many of the people responsible for implementing the state’s Catamount Health insurance program went head-to-head with the Commission on Health Care Reform. After six months of experience it was time to take a look at the numbers and try to come to some conclusions. Some people might say it’s fairer or more reasonable to wait a year, but there is no such thing as “fair” in politics. Reasonable is also not a political term.

THE DECAY OF CAPITALISM
By
Richard Davis

GUILFORD- It’s not an economic downturn and it’s not a recession. So what is really going on with the economy? Why are we not hearing the truth about why economies from small households to large countries are in trouble?
Part of the reason has to do with the fact that the media are fixated on reporting details about the obvious or the most dramatic. They rarely spend the time to dig below the surface, content, for example, with reporting about the race for the money instead of explaining what qualifies a person to become president.

FISCAL IDIOCY
By
Richard Davis

GUILFORD- In the world of politics the only way to save money is by spending less. In the world that the rest of us live in, experience has taught us that belt-tightening is a temporary, short-term fix.
If spending less could actually solve problems do you think our economy would be in such bad shape? If spending less could make a difference, then why are Vermont’s roads and bridges in such poor condition? If spending less could make a difference, then why are Vermonters struggling to pay bills for health care, education and fuel?

THE ULTIMATE FANTASY
By
Richard Davis

GUILFORD- Dreams are an important safety valve. Without them, many of us might snap or simply give up all hope for a better life or a better world. In today’s world dreaming has become as important as breathing.
Some people dream of riches or fantasize about sex or many of life’s other pleasures. Those are healthy dreams. I waste some of my dream time on matters related to social policy and health care and I do occasionally indulge in more mundane fantasies.

JUST COMPENSATION
By
Richard Davis

GUILFORD- Should a hospital CEO take home a weekly paycheck that equals the yearly salary of someone who cleans the floors in that institution? How does a hospital board justify a 20% salary increase for someone who already earns over $700,000? These are just a few of the questions that come to mind when one looks at a list of Vermont hospital CEO salaries.

HEALTH MATTERS: Can We Talk? By Richard DavisGUILFORD- Political solutions to social problems generally require finding the answer to two basic questions: “How much will it cost?” and, “Is there enough money already available without raising taxes?” Sometimes we cut to the chase and try to answer those questions too early in the problem solving process.

THE REPUBLICAN SOLUTION
By
Richard Davis

GUILFORD- Until more Americans exercise their voting power, the main stream media will decide who we can elect for president. Once they anoint the viable candidates the rest of the field receives scant attention.

One of those non-viable candidates, Dennis Kucinich, was dismissed months ago not only because he can’t fill his campaign war chest to the obscene levels of his rivals but also because he is too short (media pundits actually consider this a fatal flaw) and because his ideas are too extreme.

WISHFUL THINKING
By
Richard Davis

GUILFORD- The need to break away from the perceived oppression and intolerance of King George III fueled the engine that carried men of vision into a new world . The American Revolution helped to create a new form of government that held the promise of existing of, for and by the people. At least that was the hope.

The fathers of the revolution and of the Constitution were smart enough to realize that just because they started something and came up with documents embodying high minded ideals, that creating a country based on those ideals would take time and effort. Calling something a democracy doesn't make it so.

A PAINFUL LESSON
By Richard Davis

GUILFORD- Rep. Warren Kitzmiller-D-Montpelier recently became the object of criticism by some members of the state Chamber of Commerce and the media for injecting a human element into the debate about the difficulty of doing business in Vermont. He had the nerve to say that Vermont is not unfriendly to business. He suggested that perhaps the only problem that business owners have with doing business in Vermont is that they just can't make as much profit as they would like.

Talk about hitting a nerve. Kitzmiller deserves some sort of medal for speaking truth to power, but he probably should not hold his breath.