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Good Government

The Inmates Are Running The Asylum

The President released his birth certificate to the public today. When the nation is trying to deal with radically different solutions to a problem that may have dire effects in our lifetimes, the stage is being occupied by clowns, carnival barkers, paranoids and lunatics — and hate-mongers whose debating skills begin and end with vilification. […]

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Good Government

Private transactions: you, me and the rest of the world

The Supreme Court is hearing arguments today on the case of Sorrell v IMS Health, arguing the merits of a law in some New England states to prohibit dissemination (selling) of prescription records to pharmaceutical marketeers. These records, purged of patient identifying information under HIPAA, contain the specific identity of prescribing physicians and dispensing pharmacists. […]

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Good Government

FAA & ATC: How to mismanage a problem

FAA orders 2nd Controller on Night Shift This story in the Washington Post (April 16, 2011) details how the FAA is responding to air traffic controllers falling asleep during the night shift. The response seems completely wrong-headed — add a second controller — and seems to ignore lots of other problems here. Remember that the […]

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Good Government

America’s Promise, Lost in the Noise

I still haven’t heard the speech, but I read it carefully ([link to text]). There was much to dislike. And of course, the coverage of the speech pointed at the "4-part plan". But for me, the key element was the President’s description of the different visions of a future United States, based on either the […]

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Good Government

Just by Speaking, the President has lost

I haven’t heard "the speech" yet — you know, the one that the President is giving today on how to deal with the deficit. The talking heads are all a-twitter (can we still say that? or do I have to put "TM" on it?) — I say they are all a-twitter about what he is […]