Bruce Eberle's Blog: Recent Comments

Comment on The Haiti Crisis

2010-01-28T19:17:36Z

Thanks for the information -- Kait and I have been wanting to send a gift but didn't know which organization we should channel our money through. I respect your judgement and experience and will use this source Thanks Chuck

Comment on A Bribe is a Bribe is a Bribe

2010-01-20T03:18:25Z

you said it! an I cannot help but wonder what will happen to the doctor's and patient's privacy as well.
I am no political science genius, but I stumbled across your blog on a whim, and like it, so thanks for seeing and saying what so many will refuse to. Have a good one~

Comment on American Exceptionalism

2009-12-18T06:43:20Z

This is one of the best descriptive essays on American Exceptionalism I have read. It has much depth, and it strikes to the heart of the subject. The fact is that the real struggle for control of America is between the Christians and the anti-christians. The former believe in Amerian Exceptionalism and the later group does not.

Comment on Betrayed

2009-09-01T11:33:36Z

This CER program is a dangerous project. The government has never been effective in following up with its intended or initial application.

Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) is the direct comparison of existing health care interventions to determine which work best for which patients and which pose the greatest benefits and harms. The core question of comparative effectiveness research is which treatment works best, for whom, and under what circumstances.

In 2009, $1.1 Billion of President Obama's stimulus package was earmarked for CER. [1]. There is disagreement regarding whether CER will be used to limit patient health care options[2], or help lower health care costs. [3]

An important component of CER is the concept of Pragmatic Trials[4]. These clinical research trials measure effectiveness—the benefit the treatment produces in routine clinical practice. This is different than many regularly clinical trials, which measure efficacy, whether the treatment works or not.

Several groups have emerged to provide leadership in the area of Comparative Effectiveness Research. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is a federal agency focused on health care quality, while the Center for Medical Technology Policy is a non-profit organization that brings disparate health care stake holders together to build consensus on practical models for comparative effectiveness research.

In 2009, The Institute of Medicine released Initial National Priorities for Comparative Effectiveness Research(CER)[5]. This report is designed to assist patients and healthcare providers across diverse settings in making more informed decisions. In this report, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Comparative Effectiveness Research Prioritization establishes a working definition of CER, develops a priority list of research topics, and identifies the necessary requirements to support a robust and sustainable CER enterprise.

In April 2009, the New England Healthcare Institute released a white paper identifying ways to design and implement the new federal comparative effectiveness research program without stifling valuable innovation in health care.[6]

Comment on Dissent is the Highest Form of Patriotism. Not!

2009-08-11T11:56:02Z

I will split hairs unabashedly here. Or rather, provide context for the definition as it relates to these United States of America.

I agree, dissent is not patriotic if your dissent is part of an orchestrated psychological operations campaign to undermine the defense of these United States of America, the security of the Constitution and the sovereign “People”…especially in the midst of an “nation-ending” war (which we ARE involved in whether we chose to face facts or not).

But there is something we can call patriotic dissent. That is when the sovereign powers of People, and the Constitution, are threatened or rather usurped by those who we have hired as caretakers to see to the operations of the republic beyond the state level in accordance with the enumerated powers DELEGATED (Yes…Delegated…check the Tenth Amendment) to them by the People as listed within the Constitution. It is at this point, that we have a right to (and according to Thomas Jefferson duty bound) to dissent to such an abomination.

Our country, our nation, our government is not some politician who promises you the moon and the heavens paid for with the fruit of your hard labors. They are not some bureaucratic policy wonk in the bowels of a monolithic federal building publishing a BOLO report labeling you a “right-wing” extremist for attending something as innocuous as a tea party or deciding not to vote for the first black President. They are not even the brave men and women who lay it on the line daily in some far flung location hunting down those who wish us gone. They all seem to THINK they ARE the government, but they are sadly mistaken. They only work FOR the Government.

Our country, our nation, our government is “the People.” The organizational framework for our Government is codified in the Founding Documents: most notably, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. These documents clear and simple in black and white are not subject to “open interpretation” by the employees who work for the People. We, the People, are the final authority.
Therefore, protesting, dissenting, seeking a redress of violations of the contract by our employees IS indeed patriotic in its highest form by every fair definition of the word.

Sadly, we have lost touch with the definitions of “patriotism” and “dissent,” because we have lost touch with our own identity.

Respectfully submitted.

John Wilson

Comment on Jack Kemp

2009-05-15T20:13:19Z

Dear Bruce:

The recent passing of Jack Kemp made your essay all-the-more poignant and penetrating.

I don't know what your distribution is. I just hope it goes to thousands and thousands. This was particularly on target.

A hundred thousand good wishes, Bruce.

Faithfully,

Jerold Panas

Comment on Odd. Very Odd.

2009-04-28T18:15:47Z

The sad thing is, there has been little outcry on the national level, condemning these actions by the Dems. When the Catholic church is considered subversive because they oppose abortion, something is terribly wrong. Tax payers and voters that attended Tea Party and Fair Tax rallies are considered terrorists. When Hitler, took over the government of Germany, I am sure most thought it wouldn't affect them. When he nationalized the industries of the country, it wouldn't affect them. When restrictions and rationing began, well it might affect me. Then when they started knocking on doors on their street, the German people realized, it does affect me,BUT IT WAS TOO LATE

Comment on Socialism in the Classroom

2009-04-24T16:04:13Z

Great example from the classroom. I think you can apply it to the economy as a whole as well. Unless you actually let people fail (including bankruptcy) they will never know what it means to pay their way. Bailouts are as much a disincentive as are "average grades" in a classroom. But it works even worse when a federal bureaucracy is substituted for the Professor. The bureaucracy has a series of internal interests and a lack of transparency in the rewards/payments process which means that you not only have the "average grades" effect, but you also have a massive WFA (waste, fraud and abuse) machine that means that all "grades" will be pushed even further below the "actual average." This is only one of the differences between the "socialist classroom" and the real classroom of a bailout economy. Seems to me that the next step after a bailout economy will be a Crony Capitalist economy. Take a quick peak at Russia's current corrupt system to see what happens when State ownership (or even control) increases in a society.

Comment on Bait & Switch

2009-03-14T21:34:16Z

I enjoyed you article and share your thoughts that are president is swimming in a pickle barrel. I wish him well for our country but he needs to step up to a leadership role and get out of his rose colored camelot glasses

Comment on Pork/Stimulus vs. Economic Growth

2009-02-25T16:12:22Z

Bravo! Bravo!