Greetings 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.