Correct, Larry!
I'm Greek, so you can take my word that democracy means mob rule.
Demos = mob, crowd.
Posted on 07/05/2002 6:25:02 AM PDT by SheLion
A group of dedicated health specialists met again this week to fine-tune its plan to encourage every school in Maine to get rid of sodas, chips and other non-nutritional items.
They have put together an information packet warning against soda and chips as major causes of a current epidemic of obesity and tooth decay throughout the country but especially in Maine. The packet includes research articles and fact sheets designed to persuade students, parents, teachers and school administrators that the campaign is one tangible, practical means of improving health and heading off future disease. The committee has met with vending machine companies and obtained assurances of cooperation.
The next step will be to develop a strategy presentation for individual school districts. Pilot projects in several Maine communities are scheduled to start March 1, 2003, After evaluation of the results, the statewide campaign is slated for the school year starting in September 2004.
One question that arose in this week’s meeting was how best to get the students to realize that it is up to them to control their own diet and escape from the vending-machine monopolies in many schools that promote consumption of the big-name drinks that are heavy on sugar and caffeine.
A nutritionist suggested permitting a choice between healthful and unhealthful items. Others believe that, if given a choice, many students will take the junk.
Another question is how the vending companies may respond to the campaign. Milk and plain water must be carefully defined or some vendor may come up with a pricey new variation. How about Coke-flavored milk?
The committee is preparing for the day when it will seek wider publicity. It is drafting model news stories and news releases. One suggestion, unanimously approved, was that they drop the technical term “dental caries” in their fact sheets and refer simply to plain old “tooth decay.” That was a step in the right direction.
Ain't it the truth. The nannies won't be happy until they have us all sitting in a corner, rocking! I'm TIRED of it!
I'm going to live my life in the way I see fit. And if they don't like it, they can SHOOT me!
The American Heart Association Admits It Deliberately Lied To The American Public Don't Trust Your Doctor !!! `
If you think I would ever take your nasty attitude over the postings of my friends, then you have another think coming!
This is a political discussion group. People with differing, often vastly differing, points of view - all honestly held and strongly believed in - try to sort through the facts and ideas in the hope of arriving at something better. It's not an easy process.
If you can't handle it in a better way than you've so far demonstrated then your commitment to democracy and free speech is a lot weaker than you believe.
Free Republic does not, to my knowledge, support democracy, sir.
Don't miss this one.
larry, when you mention that Cuba can deliver medical services at 1% of what our cost, what costs are you talking about?
I don't know what costs I'm talking about. I mentioned the problems our hospital (and most rural hospitals) is having to some doctors who I thought were well informed. They spoke to me of Cuba - and gave me this tid-bit. I have no idea what it means but it's important to me to investigate any approach which might allow rural hospitals to deliver decent health-care and run in the black. The alternative - continuing on the present path - seems to lead to vastly diminished health-care in rural areas, no hospitals, and the increasing death of rural communities.
Perhaps that's inevitable in a changing economy. But since I live here, and have taken the post of director, I'm not neutral.
In my view you're quibbling. Just as there are many forms of capitalism - depending on the rules - there are many forms of democracy.
The Founders did not want a monarchy, or an aristocracy, or a totalitarian society. They wanted a government answerable to its people and they searched history - carefully - for models. They settled on a Republic because they thought that form would avoid mob rule and the passions of the powerless but would still give the populace adequate representation.
Free speech was considered to be an essential part of that representation, and from the beginning caused all sorts of trouble because peoples' inclination is to suppress rather than listen to opposing points of view.
It takes discipline and committment to do otherwise.
During the '60s I lived on the beach in Southern California and attended UCLA. I can tell you for sure that obesity was rare, rare, rare in that environment. But Kennedy's exhortation - which I'd forgotten - makes me wonder. Was gross obesity common elsewhere? A poster from New England says he saw it everywhere in the '50s. I don't know.
I traveled to Europe quite often in those days. Americans were noticeably bigger than Europeans but I never heard remarks about American obesity - as I do now.
There are great doctors in Cuba, there have ALWAYS been great doctors in Cuba, this isn't something Castro invented.
They don't have proper equipment to treat the general public, the good equipment and drugs are set aside for government officials (pinchos), or foreign tourists.
The medical attention that's most available to the populace is a doctor sadly shaking his head, knowing that given the right equipment and medications, the patient may survive, but well aware that the equipment needed, and those medications are tagged for others.
It's like the whole thing about everyone in Cuba being able to read...they're just not allowed to read what they want to read.
1) One of the options we're considering is having the law changed to allow greater use of "para-doctors"; nurse-practicioners, physicians aides, etc. We're doing this because small communities can neither attract nor afford doctors. I'm told that Cuba has such a system already in place. I'd like to know the details.
2) Because of increasing specialization, small communities can no longer afford to deliver basic hospital services - such as delivering a baby (because we cannot afford to hire anestheseologists). Cuba apparently has some sort of system whereby pregnant women spend their last month in a special home, complete with specialists. Supposedly, this reduces the costs to manageable while still providing a modern level of service. How does this work?
3) Tele-medicine is apparently quite common in Cuba - enabling specialists to be used in a cost-effective way. Any details? I was told that Stanford U. would know about this but I haven't had the time to contact them.
4) My doctor friends have told me the Cubans are - as a rule - very healthy (obesity is not a problem there) and that their expected lifespan equals ours. Is that true? Thanks in advance. Research on this subject is difficult for a non-specialist with limited time and resources.
I agree. I really don't want my tax dollars going to supplement junk food also.
Kids can take junk food in their lunches. After school kids can go buy their junk food. They can eat it at home.
Correct, Larry!
I'm Greek, so you can take my word that democracy means mob rule.
Demos = mob, crowd.
I agree with you 100%.
The government has no right selling anything unhealthy to anyone, let alone school kids.
Government has already sold the adults of America enough unhealthy ideas.
The Roman Republic was no model for peace and tranquility either - especially in its last days. The Venetian Republic may have been better. Maybe not.
The fact is human beings - and human society - are contentious and turbulent by nature.
From Funk and Wagnalls College Dictionary
Democracy (demos=people + krateo=rule) A theory of government which, in its purest form, holds that the state should be controlled by all the people...
Repbulic (res=affair + publica=public, of the people) A state in which the sovereignty resides in the people or a certain portion of the people; a representative democracy...
Please see my post #173. I think you will immediately realize that my interest in Cuban medicine is strictly pragmatic - not ideological.
If you feel that you can answer any of the questions I raised please feel free to do so. In my situation any help is greatly appreciated.
The US government has also licensed 150 million dollars in "Humanitarian" aid to Cuba and as a result of that, thier system has not completely collapsed. If you are a foreigner in Cuba and pay dollars, you will get access to thie health care system. If you are a Cuban Peasant, good luck to you.
The Cuban Democracy act of 1972 authorizes us to send them these things.
My point is that thier health system is NOT good. As a matter of fact, it is sickening and I have heard it referred to by Cuban exiles as "Medical Apartheid."
As for birthing, there are a lot of midwives in Cuba. I am sure we have outlawed them in most states here.
I wholeheartedly agree with your first point about the "Para-Doctors", and I can tell that you seem to be a kind and decent man. It is my opinion (And several Nurses associations in the Northeast.) that there are to many regs on the books which limits a Doctors time dealing with the trivial when a RN could have done the procedure just as easily. Did that make sense? LOL!
I would never want to go through Cubas Health Care system unless I was a party boss or a rich foreigner. If I was a rich guy, it would be kind of silly to go down there, wouldn't it? Even Blue Cross/Blue Shield is LIGHT years ahead of all but the most advanced techniques in Cubas medical community.
As I have said, I knew Cuban expatriots when I was in the military and when your friends said that obesity was not a problem, they would have howled with laughter and replied...
"One can not be obese, when one does not have enough to eat!"
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