What can you say about someone who doesn't understand that when you do something wrong, you should apologize for it?
Any rational person should understand that when you bump into someone, even if by accident, you should apologize. It is obvious if you have any inkling of what it means to be polite, civil, or hope to live in harmony with other similar people.
If you cannot comprehend this basic principle of politeness and civility, you would be completely incapable of handling much more delicate issues which occur in international diplomacy.
Thus we see that Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum have declared themselves incapable of representing the United States in front of the rest of the world.
28 February 2012
23 February 2012
The language of hope
I've heard a lot of people talk about how we need more hope to overcome the challenges we face today. But then I heard this and it made something click:
What sorts of stories are being told today? Compare the cyberpunk of today with the classic sci-fi of the previous generation. Star Trek was full of hope for the future. Terminator and The Matrix paint a very bleak future. The stories this generation is being told and the stories it is telling are full of desperation, and soon, revolution.
If we can change the direction we are going, it will have to start with re-telling our own stories in manner which re-writes a hopeful future, because the stories we are telling today are writing the future we will see tomorrow.
"These revolutions, the unrest, the protests, I think, will go on, because it is about a generation that doesn’t know what the story is anymore. What is the story about how my life is going to get better?" (Paul Mason)The language of hope is spoken through stories!
What sorts of stories are being told today? Compare the cyberpunk of today with the classic sci-fi of the previous generation. Star Trek was full of hope for the future. Terminator and The Matrix paint a very bleak future. The stories this generation is being told and the stories it is telling are full of desperation, and soon, revolution.
If we can change the direction we are going, it will have to start with re-telling our own stories in manner which re-writes a hopeful future, because the stories we are telling today are writing the future we will see tomorrow.
03 February 2012
Co-pays are "Evil"
A simple analysis of supply and demand shows how the health insurance copay system warps the economy and allows prices to spiral out of control.
When the patient (or buyer, represented by the demand curve) pays a flat rate, the quantity he demands can increase without limit because he pays the same amount no matter what he demands.
Likewise, the pharmaceutical companies (or sellers, represented by the supply curve) can charge any price without concerning the buyer with that detail, they can charge practically any amount, and will happily do so.
The only reason the buyers and sellers can trade at all in this system is because the insurance company steps in to pay the difference. This means the insurance companies are the only ones with any incentive to control costs, but as long as they can keep raising premiums, their incentive is not that large.
They also get a lot of the criticism because the rising insurance premiums are the only effect the buyers see. But that effect is so far removed by the broken system from their own consumption choices, that they fail to see the connection.
A good real world example of this happened when a friend of mine was about to lose insurance for her son, so she actually asked how much his prescription acne medication costs. The answer was $900, which was even a shock to the pharmacist! Such an over-inflated price for a trivial medication can only happen when none of the actors on the buying side (patient, doctor, pharmacist, etc.) are paying any attention to the actual cost at all.
The solution is easy. Instead of a flat co-pay, patients should pay a percentage of the cost of health care. Even if it were a small percentage like 10% or even less, the consumer would be directly exposed to the actual costs of medications. It is not likely that anyone would be willing to pay $90 for an acne medication, and most people would be discussing alternate medications with their doctors in order to save a few bucks.
When the patient (or buyer, represented by the demand curve) pays a flat rate, the quantity he demands can increase without limit because he pays the same amount no matter what he demands.
Likewise, the pharmaceutical companies (or sellers, represented by the supply curve) can charge any price without concerning the buyer with that detail, they can charge practically any amount, and will happily do so.
The only reason the buyers and sellers can trade at all in this system is because the insurance company steps in to pay the difference. This means the insurance companies are the only ones with any incentive to control costs, but as long as they can keep raising premiums, their incentive is not that large.
They also get a lot of the criticism because the rising insurance premiums are the only effect the buyers see. But that effect is so far removed by the broken system from their own consumption choices, that they fail to see the connection.
A good real world example of this happened when a friend of mine was about to lose insurance for her son, so she actually asked how much his prescription acne medication costs. The answer was $900, which was even a shock to the pharmacist! Such an over-inflated price for a trivial medication can only happen when none of the actors on the buying side (patient, doctor, pharmacist, etc.) are paying any attention to the actual cost at all.
The solution is easy. Instead of a flat co-pay, patients should pay a percentage of the cost of health care. Even if it were a small percentage like 10% or even less, the consumer would be directly exposed to the actual costs of medications. It is not likely that anyone would be willing to pay $90 for an acne medication, and most people would be discussing alternate medications with their doctors in order to save a few bucks.
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