The Republican Plan To Fix The Affordable Care Act

Cathy McMorris Rodgers proudly announced the release of their proposed legislation on Facebook.

"You can read the full text at GOP.gov/ReadTheBill," she said.

If you've ever looked at legislation that amends other legislation, figuring out what it all means can be a daunting task. Many comments on McMorris Rodgers's post expressed that frustration and people were asking what this meant. Needless to say, she did not provide specifics.

I took a look at one part that references Medicaid.

I used the Cornell University Law School Legal Information Institute site as my reference for the law and checked out what 42 USC 1396a, Subsection (a)(47)(B) had to say. 

There are links within the subsection to follow and read but after a half hour or so I finally figured out that the Medicaid expansion that was implemented by the Affordable Care Act was being terminated as of Jan 1, 2020.

So basically, this section could have been titled, This Is Where We Screw The Poor.

Looking Out For Her Constituents

Cathy McMorris Rodgers posted this on her Facebook timeline yesterday. Surprisingly, the majority of the comments are calling her out on her hypocrisy.

 

So what's the deal here? Medicare Advantage Plans are still Medicare but they're offered by private companies. These companies must follow the Medicare reimbursement rules, but they can charge different out-of-pocket expenses and they can set different rules for obtaining services like specifying which doctor or facility you can go to. (Remember how our congresswoman was so concerned with the government telling you where to go for health care? Not so much when it's a private company doing the same thing.) Medicare beneficiaries are not required to use Medicare Advantage, but they can if they choose to. And they can choose which plan they want. The term of each plan is one year. There's a ton of information about Medicare Advantage that eligible persons need to research before they make a choice.

One part of the Affordable Care Act contained a reduction in subsidies to Medicare Advantage. Remember the $700 billion Medicare talking point? The reduction is in payments to private companies. Medicare Advantage subsidies are a huge part of their profit line. From a Kaiser News article:

At UnitedHealth Group, one insurance giant, Medicare Advantage plans account for a fourth of all profits, said Ana Gupte, an industry analyst for Leerink Partners. Another, Humana, owes two-thirds of its profit to Medicare Advantage, she said.

So you can see why the insurance companies are against lowering the subsidies. 

Coming Soon: The Ramifications Of Allowing A Sincerely Held Religious Belief To Trump Science

If you've been paying any attention to the news lately, you're aware that the Supreme Court just held that Hobby Lobby and other closely held corporations did not have to abide by the Affordable Care Act's contraceptive mandate. Of course, our congresswoman agreed wholeheartedly with this decision.

Today's ruling marks a victory for religious freedom and for the American people. We live in a nation founded on the fundamental right that all people can live and work according to their beliefs - without fear of punishment from the federal government. This morning the Supreme Court defended liberty by ruling that American family business owners should not be forced to choose between their faith or unlawful, unnecessary government mandates. While we celebrate this triumph for religious freedom today, our work is not finished. We must keep fighting to ensure that the Constitutional rights of other individuals and organizations are also protected. ~ Cathy McMorris Rodgers

What she doesn't address is the effect of the corporation's "religious freedom" being imposed upon its employees, who happen to be real persons--and women--by the way.

Here are a couple of excerpts from the court's decision I'd like to point out. 

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA) prohibits the “Government [from] substantially burden[ing] a person’s exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability” unless the Government “demonstrates that application of the burden to the person—(1) is in furtherance of a compelling govern­mental interest; and (2) is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.” ~ Supreme Court of the United States, 13-354. 

Nothing in RFRA suggests a congressional intent to depart from the Dictionary Act definition of “person,” which “include[s] cor­porations, . . . as well as individuals.”

1 US Code § 1 states: 

In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, unless the context indicates otherwise— 

... the words “person” and “whoever” include corporations, companies, associations, firms, partnerships, societies, and joint stock companies, as well as individuals; 

Since the context of the language in the RFRA uses "person" in this sense and does not indicate "person" applies only to human beings, Justice Alito is allowing that the corporation is a person in this case. 

He also says:

The owners of the businesses have religious objections to abortion, and according to their religious beliefs the four contraceptive methods at issue are abortifacients. If the owners comply with the HHS mandate, they believe they will be facilitating abortions, and if they do not comply, they will pay a very heavy price—as much as $1.3 million per day, or about $475 million per year, in the case of one of the companies. If these consequences do not amount to a substantial burden, it is hard to see what would.
...
[The contraceptive mandate] requires the Hahns and Greens to engage in conduct that seriously violates their sincere religious belief that life begins at conception.

The contraceptives at issue are two morning after pills and two IUDs. They are medically and scientifically contraceptives. They are not abortifacients. (By the way, Hobby Lobby had no problem covering them before the Affordable Care Act became law.) However, in this case the business owners' incorrect religious belief holds more sway over Justice Alito et al than fact. Note: Also, contraceptives are often prescribed for medical purposes other than preventing pregnancy. 

The court tries to head off the shit storm of lawsuits this decision will result in by trying to narrow the application of their decision. 

This decision concerns only the contraceptive mandate and should not be understood to hold that all insurance-coverage mandates, e.g.,for vaccinations or blood transfusions, must necessarily fall if they conflict with an employer’s religious beliefs. Nor does it provide a shield for employers who might cloak illegal discrimination as a religious practice. 

Why won't this do any good? First of all, the court determined that a corporation is a person under the RFRA. Secondly, a sincerely held religious belief is allowed to trump medical fact. Third, although only four contraceptives were at issue, their ruling applies to the entire contraceptive mandate.

In finding for Hobby Lobby Justices Alito, Roberts, Scalia, Kennedy, and Thomas do not state why a religious belief about some contraceptives is more defensible than a religious belief about vaccinations or blood transfusions. But they may likely find themselves in that position since this decision throws the barn door wide open.

1 US Code § 1 contains another definition that I think applies here. 

...the words “insane” and “insane person” shall include every idiot, insane person, and person non compos mentis;

I'm sure you're smart enough to figure out what I mean with that.

No Taxpayer Funding For Hypocrisy Act

Well, that's what it should be called. The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act is under consideration again this year.

First of all, the Hyde Amendment has been used in various forms both legislatively and via executive order to prevent federal funds from being used to provide abortion services. This proposed legislation does nothing to change that. But it will have a huge effect on private insurance. This bill denies insurance-related tax credits only for small businesses that choose health plans that cover abortion. The data is a bit dated, but something like 87% of private health plans cover abortion. Since the tax break would go away for small businesses they would be less likely to offer those plans, which could cause insurance providers to quit offering coverage for abortion and force women to suck it up or buy additional insurance elsewhere if they can. Consequently, it makes getting an abortion more difficult, which is the intent.

This tax credit loss is easily a tax increase by Republican party standards. For some reason this tax increase is not applied to big businesses. Setting aside for a moment that corporations are people and probably don't need access to abortion services and that corporations are huge contributors to election campaigns, I'm sure there's a good reason for not including them.

Compare the list of cosponsors with the list of representatives who pledged to never raise taxes and you'll find quite the overlap.

Cathy McMorris Rodgers is not a cosponsor of the bill, but she does oppose tax increases no matter what form they may take. Yet for some strange reason I don't expect to hear her loudly voicing her opposition to this bill. If that seems unreasonable of me, I apologize.

Republican Health Care Reform Bill

At long last. Three and a-half years after the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, after focusing all this time on only repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, just in time for the upcoming manufactured debt limit crisis and following the summertime anti-Obamacare emphasis patrol, the Republican Study Committee has proposed a bill called The American Health Care Reform Act.

The first step of the bill--repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in its entirety.

"...the provisions of law amended or repealed by such Act are restored or revived as if such Act had not been enacted."

Just yank the rug right out from under everybody. Second, increase access to portable, affordable health insurance through tax breaks.

Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this title an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or other provision of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

Individuals could claim a deduction of $7,500 against their income and payroll taxes, regardless of the cost of the insurance and families could deduct $20,000. Of course, that doesn't do you much good unless your income well over that.

Next up, it improves access to insurance for vulnerable Americans by removing a couple of eligibility requirements, providing $5 million to states to establish a qualified risk pool, and verifying that only citizens and nationals of the United States are eligible.

Fourth, it says it encourages a more competitive health care market. It's confusing. The insurance policy issuer designates one state as the primary state for a particular policy and the health care laws of that state govern the policy. They can change the primary state designation when the policy is renewed. Other states where that policy is offered are considered secondary states, but the laws of the primary state governing that policy trump the laws of the secondary states. Essentially, any single state, district, or territory could pass laws governing health insurance that are favorable to insurance companies. Those companies could designate that state, district, or territory as a primary state. All other states where that policy is offered become secondary states whose laws become toothless with respect to those policies because they are now governed by the laws of the primary state. Imagine your state's Insurance Commissioner telling you, "Sorry, I can't help you. For your policy you'll have to contact the Insurance Commissioner in Alabama."

Fifth, it reforms medical liability law. You get three years to file a lawsuit. The amount of damages for actual economic losses is unlimited.

Economic damages are defined as "...objectively verifiable monetary losses incurred as a result of the provision of, use of, or payment for (or failure to provide, use, or pay for) health care services or medical products, such as past and future medical expenses, loss of past and future earnings, cost of obtaining domestic services, loss of employment, and loss of business or employment opportunities."

Noneconomic losses are limited to $250,000.

Noneconomic damages are defined as "...damages for physical and emotional pain, suffering, inconvenience, physical impairment, mental anguish, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of society and companionship, loss of consortium (other than loss of domestic service), hedonic damages, injury to reputation, and all other nonpecuniary losses of any kind or nature."

A jury won't be informed of the $250,000 noneconomic loss limit. If a jury awards more for noneconomic losses then the award will be reduced to $250,000.

Punitive damages are allowed only "...if it is proven by clear and convincing evidence that such person acted with malicious intent to injure the claimant, or that such person deliberately failed to avoid unnecessary injury that such person knew the claimant was substantially certain to suffer."

If there are no compensatory damages then there shall be no punitive damages. But here's the kicker.

The amount of punitive damages, if awarded, in a health care lawsuit may be as much as $250,000 or as much as two times the amount of economic damages awarded, which ever is greater. The jury shall not be informed of this limitation.

Plus, there are no punitive damages for medical products and devices that comply with FDA standards.

Last of all, the bill says it respects human life by not requiring any health plan to provide coverage of or access to abortion services. Separate policies that do offer coverage may be offered, but back in the tax break section it states that the costs are tax deductible only if the pregnancy resulted from an act of rape or incest, the woman's life is endangered by the pregnancy, or it's for treatment of infection, injury, disease, etc., caused by or exacerbated by an abortion.

I'm just not feeling the love here.

Sharing The Bike Love

To Spokane she's always been the state's chief cycling advocate. Barb Chamberlain moved to Seattle last summer to become the Executive Director of Bicycle Alliance of Washington. Yesterday, the founder of Bike to Work Spokane, now Spokane Bikes, returned home to throw a Bike Love Party. Cyclists munched on fresh vegetables, drank very good beer provided by River City Red, tossed cash into a donation bowl for Spokane Bikes, sipped free cups of Roast House Coffee provided by Deborah DiBernardo manning a pour-over brewer, and chatted about all things cycling.

 Signing up for membership, door prizes, and more.

In between drawing names for prizes, Barb talked about Spokane's influence on statewide cycling.

When it comes to cycling, Barb is animated, passionate, and neck deep in facts. Concerning the $25 dollar tax on bicycles proposed as part of a transportation revenue raising bill, she says that even if it does go through, we still lose because not enough money goes to bikes and pedestrians. Plus, the amount of money raised over 10 years might come to one million dollars, a drop in an ocean of several billion. A former Idaho state legislator herself, Barb says it's easy for legislators to be against something. She works to make them for something, in this case investing in bike and pedestrian infrastructure. It's an underdog role that she energetically assumes, chipping away at vehicle-centric bias by emphasizing the many contributions bicycles make towards people's health, the economy, the environment, and the infrastructure.

When Barb was interviewed for her current position at BAW, she was asked if she had Share the Road license plates on her car. (BAW sponsors those plates.) Her plates advertised WSU, her employer at the time. She has since switched. A point she makes about the plates is that they are the only special plates sending a message concerning driving behavior--share the road--while all other plates reflect an affinity with an organization, interest, or hobby. Share the Road has always been more than an affinity for Barb. For her it's a passion.

Becoming Beastly

This morning I ran eight miles on the Children of the Sun Trail. Can you believe I didn't see another soul the entire time? The trail varied between being snow covered and ice encrusted. The ice was mostly where the foot prints, paw prints, and bike tracks crushed the snow. And there's one spot where the snowplows clearing the adjacent NSC roadway flung the mess onto the trail, making it a bit rougher. Combined with the 22-degree temp it was quite the change from the warmth and sunshine I was enjoying while running along the beach in Florida just four days ago. But I'm not complaining. I like the cold, too. During today's run I felt like Rocky IV. Only the snow wasn't thigh deep. And I wasn't carrying a tree trunk. And no cold-blooded blonde giant wanted to destroy me. And I'm not nearly as ripped. Well, I'm not ripped at all. But it was cold.

I plan to do more long distance running this next year. And I plan on training harder on the bike. So what's up with that?

During the last cyclocross season I stumbled across an article giving a single tip to improve your racing performance. Drop ten pounds. Simple as that. Just about everybody can afford to lose ten pounds and you'll be a little stronger and faster if you do. I didn't feel like trying that in the middle of the season but it gave me something to think about for next year.

I raced on the west side of the state a couple of times and seem to be more competitive there. There are a couple of contributing factors. Our Cat 4 races are 45 minutes long. Theirs are 30 minutes. It's easier to go all out for a shorter amount of time. Not that my all out amounts to that much, but you get my drift. Our age group breaks are at 40, 50, and 60 years of age. Theirs are at 35, 45, and 55 years. My racing age this year was 56 so I wasn't going up against 50-year-old whippersnappers in the west side races. They have many more participants on the west side, which is to be expected given the population base, so I was always battling someone. In our races I was usually battling one guy. And it was usually the same guy. But he's a great guy. And he's a beast.

A potential beast this way comes.

I mean that in a good way. Steve Meyer was my nemesis for almost the entire cross season. It would be easy to assume that since he finished one ahead of me in a number of races, that he and I were evenly matched. We were but only because Steve already had one race under his belt. Plus he rode a single speed. And to even things out a little more, he would crash once or twice. But Steve, although he's a beast, races with a smile on his face, always has an encouraging word, and is a great sportsman.

So here's my plan for next year. I'm dropping at least ten pounds but probably lose more. I'm already down seven so I'm on a roll, but I'm not in a rush. My bike commuting will be done like I'm going all out for a race. I'll throw in a couple of criteriums for fun. And I have a list of training regimens and exercises to follow to make myself more fit.

And next year I will be more beastly. But like Steve, very pleasant about it.

Nevermind The Fear Mongering - Talk About Some Real Dangers

I was reading the Seattle Times online during my bus ride home after work when I noticed a link entitled "11 Dangerous Teenage Trends All Parents Should Know About". Being a parent, I thought I'd check it out since the Internet has so much information and this is something I apparently should know about. The site irritatingly listed one trend per page and I was near the end of the bus trip so I didn't get through all of them until I got home. After reviewing them I asked a teen, my own daughter, what she knew about these dangerous trends.

I put her response after each.

Planking: The activity involves lying face-down on any surface. Once in position, the participant's friends take a picture and share it on the web through various social media outlets. It might sound harmless and even funny, but some teens have expanded their creativity and planked on unusual and sometimes dangerous surfaces such as rooftops, vehicles, or escalators. Many have been injured and at least one death has been reported.

Oh, that's people lying on the kitchen counter like this (demonstrates) and then saying, "Take a picture." I never thought of it as dangerous but I have seen some sketchy places like the top of a totem pole.

Vodka Eyeballing: Teenagers are quick to find new ways to consume alcohol without leaving the obvious smell of booze on their breath. This new trend involves pouring vodka directly into the eye, passing through the mucous membrane and entering the bloodstream through the veins around the eyeball. The result is a quick buzz. If done often, this activity can burn or scar the cornea, and in some extreme cases cause blindness. 

What? That would burn so bad. Who would do that?

The Choking game: This game creates a momentary high parallel to that caused by the use of certain drugs. The child uses various restraints to cut off the flow of blood to the brain, depriving it of oxygen. After the restraint is released, the blood immediately rushes back into the brain and evokes that natural high feeling. Many who have played this game have passed out and lost consciousness. 

What? People do that? Now that's just stupid.

Vodka Gummy Bears: News broke recently about YouTube videos that showed how to infuse candy with alcohol. Kids now have access to a step-by-step tutorial on how to soak gummy bears in vodka and consume them in plain view just about anywhere. The result is an instant buzz not easily detected on their breath. The candy is often consumed in big amounts, rapidly leading to high levels of intoxication. Kids are unaware of the amounts of alcohol in each piece of candy so they begin popping gummy bears until the buzz kicks in. Reports have shown that several kids have ended up in the E.R. being treated for alcohol poisoning. 

Yeah, I've heard of that. The bears just dissolve.

Smoking Smarties: Also fueled by internet tutorials, smoking smarties involve crushing the candy until it is in powder form. Once fully dissolved, an opening is made on the side of the package to allow puffing the sugar powder and exhaling it like cigarette smoke. Inhaling the sugar powder from the smarties candies can cause infections, chronic coughing, and even choking. 

Yeah, we did that at camp once. It didn't do anything.

Tampon Drunkenness: A tampon is soaked in alcohol and then inserted in a girl's vagina or a boy's rectum. The alcohol is soaked up by the vaginal walls, creating the feeling of being intoxicated without sipping alcohol directly. Besides the obvious risks to those private body parts, the tampon can soak up about a shot of alcohol, increasing the risk of alcohol poisoning. 

What? You gotta be kidding me?

Distilling Hand Sanitizer: This inexpensive and very accessible product is easy for kids to get their hands on. Salt is used to separate the high quantities of alcohol found in hand sanitizer, which is then consumed. The amount of alcohol used by distilling hand sanitizers is equivalent to that of a shot of hard liquor. Several cases have been reported, and a few teenagers have required medical treatment for alcohol poising as a result. Parents are urged to buy the foam type of sanitizer or ones that do not list ethanol as their prime ingredient. 

No. You don't drink hand sanitizer.

Car Surfing: Here's how it works: teenagers climb on top of a car, hold onto the roof, and pretend to surf while the driver hits the pedal and drives. The faster the car, the greater the fame for the rooftop surfer. Some kids have gone to the extreme, and tried surfing on top of trains and subways. 

That's crazy.

Purple Drink: This drink has become famous because of various rap artists who drink it in videos. Even NFL players have gotten in on the act. The drink includes a mixture of Sprite, Jolly Ranchers, and codeine cough syrup. It is highly toxic and can cause hallucinations, unresponsiveness, and lethargy. This concoction has been glamorized in the music industry so much so that a style of music has even been created to showcase the effects of the drink. 

I've heard of that. I don't know what the Jolly Ranchers are for.

ChatRoulette.com: This website allows the user to anonymously chat online with anyone without the use of security blocks or filters. The website is easy to use and does not protect users from adult content or disturbing images. Once you're logged on, the site pairs you up with a stranger. The user can choose to skip and go to the next pairing, or chat with that individual. 

I got on that once with my girl friend and we saw lots of penises. It got pretty disgusting.

Bath Salts: Commonly referred to as "Purple Wave" and "Bliss," this drug contains high levels of mephedrone, methylone, and MDPV, three drugs that cause hallucinations when smoked, snorted, or injected. Until recently, these salts were often found in smoke shops and were sold legally in the U.S. This drug can cause paranoia, suicidal behavior, and chest pain.

That's why I wanted to watch that show (note: it was either Addicted or Intervention) about that girl who was addicted to bath salts.

I was curious as to why this posting from June 2012 would appear on the Seattle Times page. It was in an area labeled More from the Web so I'm assuming it was a sponsored link and I made the site a couple of pennies by clicking on it. 

I also wondered if these dangerous teen trends had been written about elsewhere and hit the jackpot. Looking around I found the identical article here but posted under someone else's name. If eleven trends is too many, you could refer to the seven most dangerous trends instead. If you like even numbers, then read the 10 most dangerous trends. And if that's not enough for you, aim high for the 24 most dangerous trends.

You'll notice these are presented as trends but without any supporting data to back that up. Just because some kids do something stupid, it doesn't mean there's a trend.

When I was a kid, way back in the 60's, we had our own dangerous trends. Like see how close we could get to each other's feet without hitting them with a dart. I'll never forget pulling that dart from the back of my hand that one time. We'd play fighter pilot on bicycles. You maneuvered like crazy and get on someone's tail and keep hitting their rear wheel with your front wheel until they crashed. We dipped Skoal, ran out and thumped cars as they drove by and pretend we got hit, shoot bottle rockets at police cars, and all kinds of idiotic stuff. Stupid, yes. But not dangerous trends.

No, if you want to warn parents about dangerous teen trends, write about subjects like  student debt, teen obesity, teen bullying, or teen pregnancy. Subjects like those have far greater consequences affecting many more young people than those few idiots who try sticking a vodka-soaked tampon up their butts.

Towelie's Sage Advice

I had a very relaxing run during lunch today. Puffs of vapor marked every breath as I blithely ambled for four miles. Other than the pure joy of running, the high point was when I was treated to a bald eagle passing overhead while I crossed the Sandifur Bridge. The combination of tall trees, a bird of prey's large wingspan beckoning to me, and a subdued river murmuring beneath me was a spiritual experience that provided a welcome respite banishing city life off into the distance.

So why do I have a TED talk about How to Use a Paper Towel at the beginning of this otherwise empyrean-related post?

I forgot Towelie's advice.

For the third time in 14 years I had to do the dance of the paper towels. If you're not familiar with the dance, let me explain.

 - Do some sort of physical exertion that necessitates a shower at work.
 - Go to take a shower at work.
 - Realize you forgot to bring a towel to work.
 - Dry yourself using the paper towels at work.

Fortunately, I watched this TED talk a couple months ago and I remembered Joe Smith's advice for optimizing your paper towel use. Shake 12 times and fold the towel in half. That technique with one paper towel works great if you're only drying your hands, but in my case I'm dealing with a lot more surface area. Allow me to share some tips for drying your whole body.

Using your hands like squeegees, push the water drops down your arms, down the front of your body, and down your legs. Then shake twelve times. This is just as much a quasi-family as it is a quasi-cerebral blog so don't get carried away with the visuals, okay? You shake your hands and feet. Remember, this is in the interest of science and doing right by the environment. Don't try shaking both your feet at the same time.

Since we're dealing with more than just wet hands, instead of folding the paper towel in half, use two towels layered together so you have a larger surface area at your disposal and you can still take advantage of the interstitial suspension. See? Science.

Where does dancing come in? That's the part where you reach around to dry your back and turn in circles like a puppy chasing its tail as you keep trying to reach that just-out-reach spot you need to get so your shirt doesn't look like it's sweat stuck when you put it back on. Now use your other hand and turn the other way. Consider this a warm down stretch to complement your exercise program.

You might enjoy some musical accompaniment to complete the scene. Maybe Imagine Dragon's "On Top Of The World" or Atmosphere's "Best Day" depending on your mood and perspective. (NSFW potty mouth warning)

Cool, I didn't use the politics tag.

Coal For Christmas

To read the guest opinion in today's Spokesman Review, you'd think that coal trains are relatively harmless and are the next best thing to Christmas. 

Image shamelessly copied
from Fish & Bicycles

This brings us to the subject of coal trains, which have long been traveling through Spokane. World demand for energy sources is resulting in planned transport of coal on BNSF trains from the Wyoming and Montana coal fields through Spokane to proposed port facilities on the Oregon and Washington coasts. The Washington facilities would bring much-needed jobs to our state and would promote international trade, the latter of which has had a positive impact on our nation’s trade balance.

Greater Spokane Incorporated supports federally regulated interstate commerce and international trade, and is a member of the Alliance for Northwest Jobs and Exports. The Alliance supports the construction of the Gateway Pacific Terminal, which will be undergoing an environmental impact study that – when finalized – will have incorporated all public and agency comments and proposed mitigation. The Gateway Pacific Terminal would create an estimated 3,500 to 4,400 new jobs during construction, and 300-400 permanent family wage jobs that will generate an estimated $74 million to $92 million in state and local revenues.   

Along with the contribution that burning the coal will make towards accelerating climate change, the concern in Spokane is about people being exposed to the increased amount of diesel exhaust and coal dust from sixty 1 to 1-1/2 mile-long trains each day. Last June, the city council passed a resolution expressing their concern and asking that one of the environmental impact hearings be held here. As it happens, a hearing is being held this Tuesday from 4-7 pm, at the Spokane County Fairgrounds Plaza.

Got something to say? Show up and say it.

Know A Good Cardio-Electrician?

Life sure can surprise you every once in a while. This morning I woke up and noticed I had an irregular heartbeat. I wasn't having any chest pains or pain of any kind, but just an occasional palpitation or flutter. So I fixed myself a cup of tea and had some toast while I perused the news on the interwebs and read the paper. When I felt my pulse, there wouldn't be one when my heart did that weird flutter.

The irregularity continued so I told Kathy about it after she got up. She, being the good nurse she is, checked my pulse and blood pressure and said it looked like I was throwing PVCs. That would be premature ventricular contractions. So off to the ER we went to get me checked out. As active and healthy as I am, I didn't think I was having a serious problem but Kathy told me that any time the heart is not working right you need to have it checked. I guess there's some sense in that.

The good thing about having a nurse for a spouse is that she hooked me up to the heart monitor before my assigned nurse could. The downside is that every once in a while she would make a frowny face while watching the monitor and I would have to ask, "What?"

Other than throwing a lot of PVCs, the heart monitor would also alarm when my pulse dropped down to 38. My normal resting heart rate is in the 40's and the low 50's. I did not know that until today. Kathy had to set the monitor alarm to a lower threshold, 35, so it would go off so often. However, the frequent PVCs made up for it and the alarm still sounded every minute or so. Nobody came running because my nurse knew Kathy and knew Kathy as watching me and knew Kathy would call if something was wrong.

All the test results said there was no infection or blockage or failure causing my symptoms. The doc said my fixtures and plumbing are fine and it's apparently an electrical problem so he cut me lose with a referral to a cardiologist. In the meantime, I can continue with my normal riding and running activities. He said that it's possible that my resting heart rate is too low and my heart is reacting to the slowness by creating extra, and useless, beats. Perhaps I should take up some slothful activities to balance out the physical exercise.

Reel-Limited Sight

In today's Spokesman Review we have Reverend Steve Massey's view on the perils of requiring insurance companies to provide free birth control for women. It's an excellent example of someone who views the world and everything in it through a bakelite biblical View-Master. 

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Mandating that insurers provide free birth control allows people to be morally irresponsible without facing consequences. And it takes money from the pockets of those who choose to live more responsibly.  

His View-Master only shows it's all about being morally responsible.

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The no-cost-birth-control provision of Obama’s Affordable Care Act encourages a mindset of unrestraint. And it contributes to the sense of sexual entitlement that is a primary cause of abortion, sexually transmitted diseases, and the erosion of the family.  

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I’d much rather see our government encourage the only sure-fire method of reducing unwanted pregnancies and abortions: abstinence. Reserving sex for marriage is part of God’s plan. Abstinence prevents unwanted pregnancies 100 percent of the time. 

In Reverend Massey's mind, the issue is not about parents responsibly choosing when to have a child. It's not about responsibly preventing teen pregnancies. It's not about women being responsibly in control of their bodies. And it's not about responsibly treating medical conditions.

Reverend Massey looks at the images in his reel world and believes he is seeing the real world. He is correct that abstinence is a sure fire way to prevent pregnancy, but he's blind to the fact that teen pregnancies are highest where only abstinence is taught. He cannot see that a husband and wife may choose to wait to have a child. He cannot fathom that a woman may need "the pill" for a medical condition.

Cupping his hands tighter around his eyes to block everything except his one true 3-D vision in Kodachrome, he presses the lever and advances to the next picture.

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Christians have a role to play in all of this. We can be those who live within the boundaries God has given us for sex. We can be those who support the hard work of helping women with unwanted pregnancies choose life for their babies, not abortion. Each unborn child is a precious gift from God, not a problem to be solved through abortion.

Reverend Massey's limited vision results in new boundaries for everyone else. In stating Christians have a role to play he implies that only Christians possess and follow the moral compass he desires everyone to follow. He also tries to create an equivalency between contraception and abortion as if they are one and the same. Again, it's the morality he derives from adamantly staring at the same seven tiny stereoscopic images.

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No-cost birth control may at first glance seem like the solution to public health problems. But a more thoughtful look reveals the obvious: The end does not always justify the means.

I do not doubt that the Reverend Massey cannot see the irony of a man with 16mm transparency binocular sight telling everyone to take a more thoughtful look by shielding our eyes from that which surrounds us.

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But the pictures are so pretty.

Coal: It's More Than Just Trainloads Passing Through Spokane

It's a real fight for the people where the "mining" takes place.

Truth from the Headwaters

What A Sorry State We're In

I received a robocall from Mike Huckabee last night. He asked me to Press 1 to add my name to a petition supporting the repeal of Obamacare, which he described as a destructive law. I declined.

For all of the children with pre-existing conditions who can no longer be denied coverage because of those pre-existing conditions, I apologize for keeping this harmful law in place.

For all of you with expensive medical conditions whose coverage can no longer be terminated because it has reached its cap, I apologize.

For those of you whose coverage can no longer be cancelled for making a mistake when disclosing information and whose insurance application must now be proven to be a fraudulent, I apologize.

For those of you who have the right to appeal the decision to an independent reviewer if your claim is denied, I apologize.

For those of you who now have access to free preventative health services, I apologize.

For those of you whose children can stay on your policy until they are 25 instead of being terminated at age 19, I apologize.

For those of you who can now choose the pediatrician or primary care doctor you want from your health plan’s provider network, I apologize.

And for those of you who won’t be required to get prior approval before seeking emergency room services from a facility that is outside of your plan’s network or pay higher copayments for doing so, I apologize.

If only I could realize just how destructive health care reform has been for this country.

Why We Get Fat

Dr Dan Lieberman's interesting take using evolutionary biology to explain why humans are so good at putting on weight. Dr Lieberman has also been a leading researcher on the human running form (both are PDFs).

Think Of The Children

I've been seeing a lot lately about the dangers of sitting most of the day (along with a helpful infographic). I personally like the idea of a stand up desk and like to give it a try, but I got to wondering.

We got our start as children sitting for much of the day in school.

The Bright Side Of Mercury

Today's Spokesman has an article about a study that concludes mercury does not contribute to heart disease. Since the Review didn't include any links to the study--hint, hint--I had to look for it myself. I found a free abstract on the New England Journal of Medicine site. They studied the participants of two studies and concluded:

We found no evidence of any clinically relevant adverse effects of mercury exposure on coronary heart disease, stroke, or total cardiovascular disease in U.S. adults at the exposure levels seen in this study.

Great news, right? But when you look up mercury on the EPA site...

For fetuses, infants, and children, the primary health effect of methylmercury is impaired neurological development. Methylmercury exposure in the womb, which can result from a mother's consumption of fish and shellfish that contain methylmercury, can adversely affect a baby's growing brain and nervous system. Impacts on cognitive thinking, memory, attention, language, and fine motor and visual spatial skills have been seen in children exposed to methylmercury in the womb.

...and CDC site...

The nervous system is very sensitive to all forms of mercury. Methylmercury and metallic mercury vapors are more harmful than other forms, because more mercury in these forms reaches the brain. Exposure to high levels of metallic, inorganic, or organic mercury can permanently damage the brain, kidneys, and developing fetus. Effects on brain functioning may result in irritability, shyness, tremors, changes in vision or hearing, and memory problems.

Short-term exposure to high levels of metallic mercury vapors may cause effects including lung damage, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, increases in blood pressure or heart rate, skin rashes, and eye irritation.

...there's no mention of of heart disease. Isn't it wonderful to now know that it has now been ruled out? It almost makes the mercury coming from coal-fired power plants seem like not a bad thing any more.

The next study we'll hear about will conclude that people who suffer a stab wound to the hand are less likely to die than those who suffer a stab wound to an internal organ.

The Unfairness Of It All

Viewed objectively, life can be just as ugly as it is beautiful. And as much as we cherish it, life is not fair. Sometimes people are punished because of that inherent disparity. Case in point, the concerted attack on abortion rights by the Republican members of the House of Representatives. For years now abortion has been a hot button issue guaranteed to arouse emotions all the while excluding the emotions of the women whose doctors have informed them that, for reasons they can't always explain, an abortion is a medically necessary procedure. It's not fair, but those women must decide.

Sympathy and empathy are pushed aside in the singular theme labeled as pro-life. They fortify their position by inferring that if you are not pro-life then you are for killing babies. It's preposterous to think anyone is for killing babies, but it is effective to portray them as such. This he-who-is-not-with-us-is-against-us position has been useful throughout the ages. George W. Bush used it to promote the Global War on Terrorism. Stalin used it to enforce his stranglehold on the Soviet Union. Matthew tells us that even Christ used it. To say that someone who doesn't agree with you is against you draws a line in the sand that says you must choose one side or the other which, in turn, inhibits discussion and civil discourse. There's no better way to put someone on the defensive than to accuse them of wanting to kill babies.

Beginning in 1976, Congress attached a piece of legislation known as the Hyde Amendment as a rider to the funding bills for the Department of Health and Human Services. It primarily affects Medicaid and it bars the use of federal funds to pay for abortions. House Resolution 3, entitled the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, further constrains the abilities of women to receive a necessary medical procedure whose name we are conditioned to speak with both shame and disdain. The act would deny the use of federal funds for health benefits coverage that includes coverage of abortion. It would not allow the expenses of an abortion to be counted as a tax-deductible medical expense. And if funds from a tax-preferred trust/account established for the purpose of paying medical expenses are used to pay for an abortion, the amount paid would be included in the gross income of the beneficiary. Business and non-profit organizations offering health insurance plans that include abortion coverage would lose the tax benefits they would normally receive by offering their employees health care. If enacted it's possible that a business employing single men would pay more taxes simply because their health insurance covers abortion. On the plus side, however, there are no restrictions on coverage for erectile disfunction.

Last week the Republican-dominated House also voted to approve the Pence Amendment which removes federal funding for Planned Parenthood. Speaking in support of the amendment, Texas Representative John Culberson couldn't have stated it any more plainly when he said, "Planned Parenthood could solve this public policy problem they've got by simply refusing to perform abortions." One could try to give Mr Culberson the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps he is unaware that federal funds aren't used to pay for abortions or that abortion is legal. But even if he were, his intent and purpose is obvious.

During debate, New Jersey Representative Chris Smith, author of House Resolution 3, read graphic details of an abortion from a book written by a woman who went through the experience. Many years ago I sat through such a description from a man who saw it firsthand. It was heart wrenching to hear and the bile of moral condemnation rose quickly in my throat. And yet as Representative Jackie Speier of California, responding to Mr Smith's calloused portrayal of women callously seeking abortions, spoke of her own experience I'd like to think some of her House members learned something I became aware of some years ago--just how little I know and how inappropriate my condemnation can be. Speier experienced the heartbreaking loss of a child, not a cavalier termination of an inconvenient pregnancy.

Not all pregnancies are perfect. Some go horribly awry. It's not fair but that's the way life is. Is it right to add to the unfairness and punish women who may suffer a similar tragedy as Jackie Speier?

What I Want To Be When I Grow Up

A 96-year old cyclist. Well, at least one of the things I want to be.

Marijuana As Medicine

From reason.tv.



Some things take forever to change.