Author Archive: Bill Black
I'm a baby boomer, lefty Democrat, Boston Irish Catholic, born in 1953. I work as a public affairs consultant in Washington.
Ted’s Funeral
When my mother, who died four months ago, was sick last year and being treated at the Brigham and Womens Hospital only blocks away, I went to Mass every day at Mission Church before going up to the hospital to stay with her. On her darkest day, I and my siblings went to Mission Church to light a candle. We prayed that she be given more time – that we be given more time. Not that she be cured. We were simply not ready to say goodbye. That day she turned around and we had another year. And it was a very special year. My sister calls it “the miracle of Mission Church.” I so wish she was around to see this.
Ted Kennedy
My fondest memory was attending one of his St. Patrick’s Day fundraisers here in Washington. His guest of honor was John Hume, the Irish politician who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the Irish peace process. He sang “The Town I Love So Well” and there was not a dry eye in the room, including Ted’s. He really wore his Irishness on his sleeve, which was one of the many reasons I loved him.
I never knew the days of NINA (No Irish Need Apply) that my parents and grandparents experienced. John Kennedy was sworn in as senator from Massachusetts 5 months before I was born and, outside of the flunky seat warmer who held the office before Ted was old enough to claim it, Massachusetts has been represented by a Kennedy in the Senate my entire life and I’m 56 years old. I’ve never been anything but proud, even boastful, of my Boston Irish heritage. And I think I have the Kennedys to thank for that, even with all their flaws. Their commitment to causes beyond themselves is a proud family legacy, epitomized by Ted.
I feel like a massive hole has opened up at the center of American politics that may not be filled in my lifetime, which makes me very sad. I hope I’m wrong.
Don’t Have to be Crazy to be Wrong
Mr. Collier waited until the end of the 3 hour meeting to pose a comment to the Congressman urging him to oppose the legislation because it would lead to “rationing” and would, essentially, destroy our way of life. The story depicts Mr. Collier as a sincere and honest man with genuine concerns about the reform proposals before Congress. Presumably, this was an effort to balance against the loonies and to show there are real people with real concerns. It, thereby, increases the credibility of the opponents.
However, the story goes on to say that it was Mr. Collier’s personal experience with the healthcare system that moved him to attend the town meeting. His wife contracted breast cancer and was treated apparently successfully. But here’s her story:
When Ms. Collier’s breast cancer was diagnosed three years ago, Mr. Collier’s employer-provided insurance paid for her office visits, a biopsy and three surgeries. But the insurer covered only a small fraction of her radiation treatments, which it considered experimental, leaving the Colliers with a $63,000 bill. To their great relief, the charge was later written off by Emory Healthcare, whose doctors had recommended the regimen.
So, the insurance company rationed her care. It denied coverage for life saving treatment. Yet this is the system that Mr. Collier is seeking to preserve. Why? How could he be so misguided?
Here’s how:
The Colliers are committed conservatives who have voted Republican in presidential elections since 1980. They receive much of their information from Fox News, Rush Limbaugh’s radio program and Matt Drudge’s Web site.
That’s the battle Obama faces. Ignorance, pure and simple, fomented by interests who’s real agenda is to “break” this president.
Makes me sad.
Arms Race
Wouldn’t you know it would be a Yankee fan?
Harvard beats Yale
I watched a great movie with my 19 year old son yesterday. It was a documentary on the Harvard Yale game of 1968. Fascinating sports movie. I’m embarrassed to say I was unaware of this game. But Harvard was supposed to lose badly and ended up tying, which was considered a major upset. In addition, they scored 16 points in the final 2 minutes to get the tie. Very exciting game. But the movie goes beyond the game to discuss the war in Vietnam and other issues of the sixties.
The Yale team included many of the characters who live on today in Doonesbury as Gary Trudeau was in that class. Tommy Lee Jones played on the Harvard team and has a lot to say in the movie. He’s still bitter about a missed point after early on the game which would have given Harvard the win.
Good movie. Rent the DVD. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
— Post From My iPhone
I LOVE BARNEY FRANK!
I hope this gives some backbone to other Democrats.
I had a dream last night
In any event, I dreamed that there was a presidential election and George Bush beat Barack Obama. Thinking of the Obama administration, I wailed “It was too short!” In the dream, I wept bitterly and even woke myself up.
What a relief to realize it was only a dream.
Crank it Up!
Yesterday, on Meet the Press, David Gregory asked Tom Daschle for a reaction to the accusation that the Democratic plans have “death panels” that would “pull the plug on Grandma.” He called the charges “hyperbole.” Hyperbole??!! How about “boldfaced lie!“? That’s the problem. On the one side, we have these wild charges that are treated as legitimate topics for debate. And, on the other side, we have reasoned discussion and the media treats them as equivalent.
Yesterday’s Post had a great column by Rick Perlstein entitled “Crazy is a Pre-existing Condition” that explores this issue with far more eloquence than I could.
And, today, we have good guidance from the Democrats from a TPM Reader.
It is more evidence that ignorance drives out intelligence in today’s media.Technorati
Tags: Daschle, healthcare
On the deck in Falmouth
Here’s the view from the deck where I’m staying on Cape Cod.
Weather is overcast and muggie. Just narrowly avoided disaster when I almost put my eye out with a screwdriver trying to get the bike off the van. Lotta blood, but I can still see.
— Post From My iPhone
Stop Long Voice Mail Greetings
David Pogue at the New York Times is starting a campaign to get the companies to stop. I strongly endorse this campaign and encourage you to do so, as well.
Here’s Pogue:
These messages are outrageous for two reasons. First, they waste
your time. Good heavens: it’s 2009. WE KNOW WHAT TO DO AT THE BEEP.Do
we really need to be told to hang up when we’re finished!? Would
anyone, ever, want to “send a numeric page?” Who still carries a pager,
for heaven’s sake? Or what about “leave a callback number?” We can SEE
the callback number right on our phones!Second, we’re PAYING for
these messages. These little 15-second waits add up–bigtime. If
Verizon’s 70 million customers leave or check messages twice a weekday,
Verizon rakes in about $620 million a year. That’s your money. And your
time: three hours of your time a year, just sitting there listening to
the same message over and over again every year.In 2007, I spoke
at an international cellular conference in Italy. The big buzzword was
ARPU–Average Revenue Per User. The seminars all had titles like,
“Maximizing ARPU In a Digital Age.” And yes, several attendees (cell
executives) admitted to me, point-blank, that the voicemail
instructions exist primarily to make you use up airtime, thereby
maximizing ARPU.
This must be stopped! Join the cause!