"After You've Gone" by Jeffrey Lent

I've given up noting the books that I have read UNLESS there is something real special about the book. Such is the case.

Jeffery Lent displays such creative writing that I would recommend it to anyone interested in the art. He weaves a rather complex, yet simple, narrative through time and space effortlessly but artfully. His language is spectacular: simple but different, skillfully crafting images and scenes that capture the emotion at hand.

It is such a pleasure to read that I would recommend it to anyone.

Plight of Women

When I was a relatively young man, it was clear to me that I appreciated discussions with women more than men. Somehow or other, I found them more open, more nuanced, able to see complexity than I found in men. Men seemed to be more rigid in their thoughts. (I am aware that I then to be one with many "fixed" notions).

During later years, I became more conscious how unfairly women were treated. Not only were they paid less for the same work, but they tended to have more problems getting into higher office in this country, compared to other developed nations. And then, the horrors women face throughout the less developed nations.

There were two articles in today's NYT that capture the biases and horrors associated with just being a female in nations throughout Asia and Africa. Even though we appear to be light years more advanced, it does not mean that we do not more to do.

Health Care Reform

A prior blog entry admitted that health care "reform" was dead; at this point, I have no reason to reconsider the conclusion. We may well see a piece of legislation passed, but it will not reform the system of health care.

I have been a proponent of universal funding of health care because this appeared to the only way to address health care access as a common good and a means for controlling costs. Proponents of other systems, e.g., Health Savings Accounts, never appeared to be a realistic option.

David Godhill may not have converted me to a more consumer-driven system, but his article surely made me think. He admits that his ideas of reform would take a generation to fully implement, but the logic of his analysis is difficult to dispute. As long as our system distances the consumer from the costs of the system, we are in a situation where the normal role of a consumer-driven society works ineffectively. We have no system to say "no" to how our health care is being delivered.

Addendum: On 30 Sept, Stephen Pearlstein supported a similar view. Insurance should be geared more towards a system that insured against catastrophe rather than a prepayment system for health care.

Addendum: on 3 October, John Mackey was interviewed regarding his op-ed article on his approach to healthcare. I would be able to buy into much of his approach even though it would represent quite a change from my general approach which is a more common good (socialistic) model. If the votes were there for such a model, I would love to see if it could work. Clearly, I like the idea that people will need to provide more dollars to support their own health (higher deductibles) which will lower the costs of premiums. What always gets in the way is the method of addressing the needs of those without sufficient money to have access to quality health care.