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Showing posts from January, 2011

Some Thoughts On the Tucson Shooting

     As a result of the January 8 shooting in Tucson of Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford by Jared Lee Loughner, much heat and a ray of light has been generated. Name-calling began almost immediately, with the political left blaming the incident on the rhetoric of the right, and the right, correctly in my opinion, pleading innocence.      According to the left, the onus fell upon Sarah Palin and her “gunsight” icon, which targeted several Democratic Congressional Districts, including Rep. Gifford's. Much is made of the supposed “fact” that such rhetoric is becoming worse, with the result that the popular culture is becoming more violent.      A few examples from the past indicate that there is nothing new about repugnant speech against political opponents:      During the John Quincy Adams vs. Andrew Jackson presidential campaign, Jackson claimed that Adams used public money to buy “gambling devices.” As a matter of fact they were a chess set and a billiards table, which he purcha

Waiting For The Other (Economic) Shoe To Drop

NEWS FLASH – In its first disappointing action for 2011, the Obama Administration has reversed its decision to include references to annual end-of-life counseling in the ground rules for Medicare's new annual checkup. (See End-of-life Planning Is Back – December 28, 2010). According to an administration official, “This should not affect beneficiaries’ ability to have these voluntary conversations with their doctors.” The administration said the reversal was based on procedural reasons. Not political? Ri...ght. In similar news Lindsay Lohan has permanently quit drinking.       At the beginning of a new year it is customary for writers to prepare one or more of three lists: (1) Resolutions for the New Year, (2) Noteworthy Events of the Previous Year, (3) Predictions for the Upcoming Year.      In spite of my good intentions, my New Year's Resolutions usually wind up as a list of things to do (or more likely not do) for the first couple of weeks, or less, of the new year. There