Archive for Greg Witte
Baseball, Government Spending and a Trip to the ER
Posted by: | CommentsWell hello again this week to my crew of readers. It’s been a very interesting week from Washington to NFL to MLB. I suppose baseball is a good place to start. I’m wondering why the Reds sat on the sidelines while every other supposed contender made moves. Even if they didn’t acquire anyone, I can’t figure out why they didn’t dump a couple of veterans who will be free agents at the end of the season (Hernandez and Cordero) while they can get some compensation. This is the second year in a row the Reds haven’t participated in the trade dead line. I feel the Reds do need another starting pitcher and there is no help at Louisville in this regard. The Reds will also never be successful with the majority of the lineup hitting .240-.275. This simply will not get the job done.
On to more important matters. Washington has once again passed an agreement that does nothing. If your family budget was short $1500 a month, would you trumpet a savings of $90? And, of course, the “cuts” are not real. They are Washington “cuts” which are just a lesser increase. Congress will never be honest with America if it might cost them votes at election time. They simply do not care about anything else. They are operating on a 1930’s model style of government in 2011. They simply refuse to completely overhaul or eliminate anything that is obsolete or superfluous. They don’t realize that their job according to the Constitution is to protect and provide for the country, not individual people. The only problem is the country doesn’t vote.
Lastly, I got an eye opener at the emergency room a couple nights ago when I went there with my mother. Emergency rooms are chaotic zoos with only procedures to follow, but not common sense. The staff is trying hard but is the victim of the system. There were patients everywhere from wall to wall. The staff says it is that way every night. As a result, the new paradigm seems to be to shuffle the patients back and forth from test to waiting room until tests are completed, a room becomes available, and the doctor has reviewed the tests. If you are in pain or elderly, sitting in a waiting room chair or unpadded wheelchair for 2 –3 hours is a major burden. We were there from 9:45pm – 4:00am until they decided to admit my mother for observation. Then comes the shortage of rooms in the hospital. She ended up in ICU due to the lack of a regular room. It seems to me we need more hospitals. With the way Medicare and insurance companies are lowering payments, however, it is not financially feasible to build. We deserve better.
Until next week, Doc.
Final Four—Go Cats!
Posted by: | CommentsTo my legion of loyal readers. Hurrah for the Wildcats! Despite all of the obstacles the NCAA Committee threw at them, the Cats prevailed. UK is never going to get a break. They must accept that. They aren’t in a media darling area, a lot of people think they are cheaters, and John Calipari has been labeled the most hated basketball coach in America because he doesn’t pay false lip service to academics. Sounds a lot like the Yankees in baseball. One writer has called the final four “good vs. evil.” So there you have it.
Speaking of baseball, the season opens today. My beloved Reds are poised to defend their division crown, but it won’t be easy. They are already starting with two pitchers on the DL and a couple other minor injuries. While their starting eight are strong and the bullpen solid, they do not have the depth in players to overcome long term injuries. Still, I would much rather have injuries now than late in the season. I will hope not too many players had career years last year, but I’m not holding my breath. Votto, Gomes, and Hannigan may have had career years plus Rolen and Hernandez may be at the end of the road. Yet young players like Bruce and Stubbs should continue to get better. Keep your fingers crossed.
Last but not least, raspberries for Gov. Beshear for his arrogance, wastefulness, and fiscal irresponsibility. He has not accomplished anything as governor and then he called a special session in which the Senate tried to be fiscally responsible and prevent further debts. After spending the money for the session, he totally ignored them and did whatever he welled pleased and ran us further into debt. Governors are not supposed to make law. That is for the legislative branch of government. This November, he must go.
Until next week, Doc.
Any honest officials out there?
Posted by: | CommentsTo my body of loyal readers. Time to update the big tourney. My brackets were shot down early. The Big Least ruined my brackets. When will the committee and I learn that Pitt always flames out? So do teams that overachieve during the regular season. Teams with talent show it in the post season but not always in the regular season. I still like my pick of Kansas to win it all. The old school talent again rose to the top as the ACC leads with three teams remaining. Journalists are still trying to defend eleven teams from the Big Least but a lot is predicated on thinking those teams are better to begin with, therefore your RPI goes up every time they play each other—a fallacy of reasoning.
Do we have any honest officials anymore? First, we find out that Judy Green is giving all dentists a bad name by not paying her property taxes, IRS taxes, and cheating the government out of $350,000 in student loans. Then it was revealed she paid members of her family with city funds. Now this week it is reported that 90% of the discretionary funds controlled by Metro Council members have no expense reports accounting for the money. Is this any way to run a city? It was also reported that three members of the MSD board have done city business with their own companies for work not put up for bids. One member has done over $500,000 in business with his own company. Where is the ethics? Our new mayor has his work cut out for him.
P.S. I will never understand people who know nothing about what is going on in government, the economy, or foreign affairs; but care deeply what happens on “The Bachelor” or “Dancing with the Stars.”
Until next week, take care. Doc
A Few Current Events on My Mind
Posted by: | CommentsGreetings to my loyal coterie. Just in the paper today was a discussion concerning a compromise on the pseudoephedrine-meth issue. Instead of making pseudo strictly a Rx item, people would still be able to buy the liquid and gel forms without an Rx. This seems a very acceptable compromise to allow people who need the meds to get them while curtailing its use in solid form to make methadone.
On the subject of the controversy of allowing optometrists to perform ophthalmology services, I say no. If people want to perform MD services, let them become MDs. Doctors go through an extraordinary numbers of years and training to do these procedures. If we keep giving away medical rights to non-medical personnel, we soon will not have any physicians left to be available when we need them. Medical quality should not be placed in the hands of semi-medical personnel just in order to save costs. Our health is too important.
One quick comment about the public union controversy. They should not have collective bargaining rights because there is no adversary to bargain against. They aren’t bargaining against corporations who have to contain costs and make profits. They are soliciting money from elected and other non-elected public employees who are basically on the same side to begin with. It is the taxpayer who gets stuck as they lavish campaign money through union dues to “buy” whatever perks they desire. This is why they have higher salaries than their private counterparts and a whopping 45% more in benefits. It is just a vicious cycle that must be halted.
Until next week, Doc.
