The Triumph of Style over Substance

The media on both right and left fall into a fit whenever the President meets a new world leader. Did he shake hands? Did he bow? How low was the bow? Did it involve a cheek buss?

 

Granted, it is a measure more important than the First Lady's wardrobe choices, but still in the realm of style and symbolism.

 

When are we going to focus on what is actually said to these leaders? And if we knew, would it then be a matter of substantive policy bulwarks, or merely the latest daily verbal stylings, full of sound and fury, but in the end signifying nothing?

 

 

 

And Your Point Is...

Today's report about the emergency room abuses in Ausin, TX was of course shocking. That 9 individuals could rack up 2700 ER visits in six years pushes the limits of credulity. Do these people have no life?

 

But then we begin to ask questions.  Where are you going to take this story?

 

Well, of course we need nationalized health care to limit these abuses. Don't you see how broken the healthcare system is? The national evening news suggested controls to stop abuses so "legitimate" ER cases would get their due attention.

 

There is one reason these abuses happened, and it doesn't have to do with the 3 homeless people or the 7 mental people among the 9 "offenders"

 

In a word, the reason is EMTALA, the law that says persons presenting to ERs across the nation MUST be treated without regard to ability to pay. It is a federal regulation, an unfunded mandate from the national healthcare system.

 

Of course the healthcare system is broken. My only question is, who made it broke?

 

 

 

Where Do You Plug This Thing In?

It's been reported that battery powered vehicles use more energy per mile traveled than gas only vehicles. It costs energy to generate energy, there is a large loss in long distance transmission, more in step-down to usable voltages, more yet in battery charging, and finally some inevitable inefficiency in the electric car itself.

Nevertheless, some put electric car energy efficiency at 25%, and conventional vehicle running at 25mpg at 15%. And gasoline has transmission overhead of its own, too, in the form of tank trucks. [check Cecil Adams' article at http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2759/are-electric-cars-really-more-energy-efficient]

Of course, if you live in the Pacific Northwest and use Hydro-power, bully for you. If you are next door to Nevada Solar One and can jack into that source, terrific.

The problem no one is talking about is generation capacity. We are using all the power we make now to power our ipods, air conditioners, traffic lights, beer coolers and super computers, etc. In California the Public Utilities Commission has forced the utility companies to dismantle excess power generation facilities. Surplus assets. Deregulation. Does anyone remember rolling blackouts? Flex your power now?

So everyone puts a Tesla or a Volt in the garage and then what? There is not enough generation capacity in the international power grid to ramp up even a partial replacement of the gasoline used in our cars. Would somebody please build a new power plant in California?

Anyone...?

Anyone at all...?