The Great Water Heist

In the quest to “do something”, mandates on riparian buffers coming from the county level are little more than feel-good ordinances that put unreasonable restrictions on landowners. Riparian ordinances often end up creating ever larger buffers, so large that a homeowner’s property becomes untouchable, and at the same time not addressing the primary sources of water pollution: agriculture, industry, and waste treatment.

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Where Does The U.S. Rank In Heath Care?

Higher than you might think, and higher than the oft-quoted WHO study portrays. The following links are essential reading to understand why Canadian and French healthcare systems are touted as heroic yet the wealthiest from all around the world seek out America for their treatment. In brief: Those who cite the WHO rankings typically present [...]

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The Health Care Solution We Need to be Talking About

Medical malpractice law suits have had a devastating impact on the practice of medicine in Pennsylvania. Thanks to jury verdicts, expensive settlements to avoid trials, and increasing premiums for malpractice insurance, high risk specialists are in short supply across the state. Medical students educated in Pennsylvania schools leave to practice in other states with more reasonable liability systems. Obstetric units at hospitals have closed all across our region, and trauma care has suffered.

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Healthcare Reform: It’s the Fine Print That Will Kill You

Under Obama’s proposed health care plan, the government, not the individual or the insurance industry, will take over the role of defining our health care benefits. House Bill 3200, Section 123 defines a Health Care Advisory Committee of 27 persons, 18 directly appointed and 9 indirectly appointed by Obama. This committee will define the structure of our benefit plans, and believe it or not, only one of these 27 individuals needs to be a physician or health care professional!

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Of Mice, Men, and Universal Health Insurance

The proposition that all Americans should have health insurance is as likable as Lennie Small; it is innocent and kind to wish the very best coverage for all Americans all the time. But it is ultimately naïve to think that a single-payer, government-controlled health insurance plan is better than even our current health care system. A taxpayer-funded mandate that we all pay for everyone else’s health care means that we all have a stake in everyone else’s health – making everything from your eating habits to your exercise plans part of the government’s domain.

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All Insurance Should Be An Individual Decision

Conditioning people to a specific mindset is a major accomplishment of any movement in this country. Those who advocate that health care is something that should be provided by someone else, not purchased by the consumer, seem to have had success in pushing their views.

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