Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

The Day Of . . .

I forgot, today is December 7th, The day in 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in a surprise and unexpected attack. As many other men did, my dad served in the military onboard a destroyer escort. I can only imagine what he and others went through even though I am ex-military myself. Prof. Heather’s message […]

Questions to A Congressman

Five Questions with Congressman Dan Goldman – by Joyce Vance Civil Discourse Dan Goldman represents New York House District 10, which includes Brooklyn and Manhattan. He starts his second term as a member of Congress in January. Readers of Civil Discourse will remember the Congressman from before he was elected because we watched him serve […]

Global Health and Climate Change

“9 local story ideas from the 2024 Lancet Countdown report on climate change and health” – by Naseem S. Miller The Journal’s Resource Health threats from climate change are reaching record-breaking levels, affecting people in every country, according to the eighth annual Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change report, which provides an up-to-date assessment of […]

The Contracting Gold Mine That Hurts Veterans

I have been working through the VA over the last six months due to having issues with my blood. Several time the platelets dropped as low as 1000 for days at a time. The solution is what medication will work. Steroids, IVIGs do not work. It is not till I get to cancer drug Rituxan, […]

Medicare Advantage Overcharging

The following to just part of a longer report by the Physicians for a National Health Program on Medicare Advantage healthcare programs offered by commercial entities. It lays the foundation as to why Medicare Advantage is more expensive than Traditional Medicare. I will do doing the other parts to this report over the next few […]

“some of them did vote to burn it all down. But if it all burns down, we burn too.”

Timothy Snyder invites us to read; “Decapitation Strike (December)“ (Note to readers: I wrote this two weeks ago, on 15 November. This update accounts for things I have learned since, and for Trump’s further appointments, who confirm the thesis.) Each of Trump’s proposed appointments is a surprise. It is comforting to think that he is […]

It will be up to the incoming Trump administration to decide

Medicare Advantage Plans are notorious for denying healthcare treatments to plan subscribers. CMS is intervening by making a much-needed change to how Medicare Advantage plans decides on treatments needed by plan subscribers. Just a couple of pointers showing how MA has been serving it customers . . . the public. In the existing MA bidding […]

Is Social Security Sustainable?

Social Security is sustainable. I do not know how many times Dale, Arne, and Bruce have had to explain this. And no, the US has not been on the Gold Standard for domestic transactions since 1933. In 1971, the US left the Gold Standard for International transactions under President Nixon. The U.S. switched to a […]