Tag archives: healthcare
The Art of Compromise Dear Mr. Hazard, I know you expect an answer from President-elect Joe Biden. But here is mine to your letter. One Party Rule. Read Constitution, Article II, sec. 1. The concept of electors did not make any sense then, and it does not make any sense now. The country is mature […]
A Spaceship Named ‘Resilience’ I look forward to Rinaldo S. Brutoco’s Perspectives missive every week in the MJ. Mr. Brutoco not only does a good job of succinctly identifying difficult problems or issues of concern we all face, he offers well thought out and constructive paths forward. A Spaceship named ‘Resilience’ immediately resonated with me […]
Benjamin Franklin observed that “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Right now, we are up to our eyeballs in coronavirus deaths (over 140,000 as of today) and equally consumed by taxes. The coronavirus death numbers conclusively prove the necessity for the U.S. to have a better public […]
New York Governor Cuomo said in March, “If it’s public health versus the economy, the only choice is public health. You cannot put a value on human life.” But public policy absolutely requires placing a value on human life. There are about 35,000 automobile deaths each year in the U.S. If we reduced the speed […]
As I write this article, people are asking for a return to “normal.” Is that what we really want? Is it “normal” that tens of millions of Americans have no access to healthcare? That millions of Americans are homeless? That 11 million children in the U.S. literally do not know where their next meal is […]
Most people think of Medicare as the health insurance nirvana: get to age 65 and there’s a free healthcare plan waiting to take you through retirement. With political debate centering around expanding the program, it’s important to understand what it will provide and what it won’t. First, who qualifies? With more than 50 million people […]
The Quarantine Economy Julie McMurry lives in Santa Barbara and is a specialist in public health with a degree from the University of London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She is currently an assistant professor, senior researcher, at Oregon State University in the College of Public Health. She wrote the manifesto which became flattenthecurve.com […]
On date March 18, 2020, Dr. Jason J. Prystowsky, the ER Doctor at Cottage Hospital, gave a webinar talk to over a thousand participants including first responders, hospital workers, and support staff to update everyone on the coronavirus from the ER perspective. Emergency Rooms all over the country are getting slammed by every variation of […]
Radhule Weininger, Ph.D., and Diana Raab, Ph.D., are teaming up once again to offer a three-hour training in Mindfulness Meditation and Journaling this weekend. Raab, a longtime Montecito-based memoirist, poet, essayist, blogger and speaker whose latest book is titled Writing for Bliss: A Seven-Step Plan for Telling Your Story and Transforming Your Life, and Weininger, […]
The annual Navigating the End Expo is a free event featuring panel discussions and workshops with local experts in all aspects of end-of-life issues, including medical, legal, financial, funeral arrangements, advanced healthcare directives, LGBTQ and veterans’ issues as well as related speakers, art and exhibits. The 10 am to 4 pm event – which carries […]
Thomas Tighe, president and CEO of Direct Relief for 19 years, was lauded at a sold-out Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics Healthcare Heroes lunch at the Montecito Club. During his time with the non profit, it has provided cash grants of more than $40 million and furnished more than $4 billion in essential medicines, equipment and […]
Collectively, every California household is on the hook to pay for the public pension promises and retiree healthcare commitments made by elected leaders to not only the 2.6 million public employees who currently are employed in California, but also the 2.4 million retired public workers, who are now living longer and enjoying lifetime employment benefits […]
Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics launched its Healthy People, Healthy Communities campaign with a sunset soirée at the charming rustic home of Santa Barbara Foundation president Ron Gallo. There are eight clinic locations in the network and it is hoped $20,000,000 can be raised over the next five years, including $6,750,000 for a new Westside Clinic […]
For the majority of the 8,965 residents of Montecito, the cost of healthcare is affordable. Until it is not. Healthcare becomes less affordable, even for affluent residents, when they face the cost of chronic conditions like cancer, when they are forced to finance end-of-life care, when very expensive drugs are prescribed, or when unexpected medical […]
With the Democratic sweep in the November 2018 statewide elections, the Republican Party in California continues its descent into oblivion. The GOP won no statewide office. Democrats now have a death grip on California’s two U.S. Senate seats, all but eight of the 53 California U.S. House seats and a supermajority in Sacramento in the […]
“It’s all Trump’s fault”! Leftists instantly reach for the “Hate-Trump Card” as a knee-jerk reaction to virtually every “crisis.” Do you remember Democrats and the seedier media blaming Robert (“F**k Trump”) De Niro for the shooting and attempted assassination of president Ronald Reagan? I don’t. A certified mental case shot at the president because, as […]
The best way to predict the future is to watch those who are working hard to create it. It is fascinating to reflect on how fast the world is changing. The Auto Industry Last week, the Los Angeles Times reported that Alphabet Inc’s Waymo has become the first company to receive a permit from the […]
Two years ago, the voters in Montecito and Summerland elected us, Tobe Plough and Floyd Wicks, to serve four-year terms as directors of the Montecito Water District (MWD). Based upon our recent service on the MWD Board, we fully endorse the election of the following five members of the Water Security Team: For Montecito Water […]
I would like to thank Dr. Edo McGowan for clarifying his position on recycled water with the residents of Montecito (“Water Warnings,” MJ #24/37). As quoted last year, he supports recycled water “as long as it’s done properly” (“It’s Where the Future Lies…” by Melinda Burns, Edhat and Independent, June 8, 2017). His words of […]
In his recent letter (“Recycled Water Warning,” MJ #24/28), Dr. Edo McGowan raises important issues associated with water quality. But these issues should not be a “stop sign” for water recycling. Instead, the issues need to be addressed as part of planning for water recycling and other new sources of water for our community. As […]
