Mountain of Petroleum Coke From Oil Sands Rises in Detroit – NYTimes.com

There may be no more important singular idea than the notion that corporations are persons.  Indeed, they are.

The Koch brothers continue to be the target of media attention and this time they are not strategizing or paying for it.  They are getting a freebee.  It appears that an environmental secretion from their pursuit of wealth function has piled up higher and deeper in the  eye of the media and in the middle of the “pristine” great lakes region.  Oil… of course.  Texas gold, or US black mud… or whatever earth exploiters and investors call it these days.  Environmentalists and world builders are colliding once again as they accuse one another about tree hugging the world on the one hand and exploiting it for  greed on the other.  In the meantime the real lesson at hand here goes unnoticed.

The key and central problem we see on the horizon today is not piles of environmental waste but the proverbial “free rider problem” which is as old as cave metaphors and necessary untruths.   It is big corporate money (to be sure corporate profits in the hands of ideologues) applied to our political discourse.  The NYTs points it out… but what are we to do?

“Assumption Park gives residents of this city lovely views of the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit skyline. Lately they’ve been treated to another sight: a three-story pile of petroleum coke covering an entire city block on the other side of the …”

via Mountain of Petroleum Coke From Oil Sands Rises in Detroit – NYTimes.com.

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Manager Uses Urban Dictionary to Defend UFC Fighter’s Gay Twitter Slur — What would Oscar Wilde and George Orwell say?

Educational attainment, the schools we attend, the neighborhoods we grow up in, and the family that shapes us, all represent the context which gives our language meaning, its connotations.  But the dictionary and the official meanings in it is an important shared frame of reference; or is it?  In search of meaning, intentions and aggression, we often find ourselves in front of the proverbial mirror of shame.  There always seems to be plenty of blame to go around when people are mean to one another.  But to complain about UFC culture seems to go beyond reason to a place where words or meaning may no longer hold much substance.

Life in today’s diverse America is becoming quite interesting and the language to explain it increasingly seems to fall short.  Public behavior, especially public behavior tied to corporate profits and corporate values, has ramifications beyond colloquialisms and local vernacular.   Because the spoken word is usually magnified and made more powerful when it is repeated by those who have the means, people who speak to the wrong person (s) or in the wrong place, or at the wrong time, get crucified.  Someone is always ready to listen and to register a complain for all the good people to weigh in and render a collective judgement.  What passes for conversation, if inelegant or far from eloquent, in the confines of comrades and buddies in local corners or man caves, can be quite the consternation in a public setting–even when it is said in a spectacle of violence, and mostly indecency, displayed for the public palate.  Apparently it is ok to beat another human being nearly to death but it is not okay to call them names?  What ever happened to sticks and stones will break my bones, etc., etc. etc.  We have reached the day when the tongue is mightier than the sword and the public sense of decency is measured by what Oscar Wilde himself may have seen as ironic and inane.

Tell us here at The Policy ThinkShop what you THINK???

“UFC fighter Nate Diaz (above) was suspended by the mixed martial arts body on Thursday night for earlier in the week using a gay slur against another fighter. That’s typically where a manager or someone else would step in and get the athlete to apologize and …”

via Manager Uses Urban Dictionary to Defend UFC Fighter’s Gay Twitter Slur.

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Most Say Immigration Policy Needs Big Changes | Pew Research Center for the People and the Press

Is the our political system reflective of how most of us think?  Does it represent us?  Most Americans want immigration fixed but most politicians are uncomfortable with the issue and most pundits cloud the issue with ideological twists that further prevent us from seeing immigration as a pretty clear cut issue we all want addressed and fixed once and for all.  Again,  the Pew Foundation gives us facts and sheds light when we need it most…

“Americans overwhelmingly say the nation’s immigration policy is in need of sweeping changes. Overall, 75% say immigration policy needs at least major changes, with 35% saying it needs to be “completely rebuilt”—among the highest of seven policy areas tested.

Yet the broad public agreement that immigration policy should be revamped is not matched by consensus on how to deal with illegal and legal immigration.”

via Most Say Immigration Policy Needs Big Changes | Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

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2010 > FDA Approves New Formulation for OxyContin

Oxycontin is still a drug abuse problem in our society… The FDA approved a new version of the drug back in 2010 and the company is supposed to do a followup study to tell us how safe the new FDA approved version is…. Have you seen the study?  Five years have gone by and God knows how many addictions and lives?

“The reformulated OxyContin is intended to prevent the opioid medication from being cut, broken, chewed, crushed or dissolved to release more medication. The new formulation may be an improvement that may result in less risk of overdose due to tampering, and will likely result in less abuse by snorting or injection; but it still can be abused or misused by simply ingesting larger doses than are recommended.

“Although this new formulation of OxyContin may provide only an incremental advantage over the current version of the drug, it is still a step in the right direction,” said Bob Rappaport, M.D., director of the Division of Anesthesia and Analgesia Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

“As with all opioids, safety is an important consideration,” he said. “Prescribers and patients need to know that its tamper-resistant properties are limited and need to carefully weigh the benefits and risks of using this medication to treat pain.”

According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health, approximately half a million people used OxyContin non-medically for the first time in 2008.

The manufacturer of OxyContin, Purdue Pharma L.P., will be required to conduct a postmarket study to collect data on the extent to which the new formulation reduces abuse and misuse of this opioid. The FDA is also requiring a REMS (Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy) that will include the issuance of a Medication Guide to patients and a requirement for prescriber education regarding the appropriate use of opioid analgesics in the treatment of pain.”

See:

http://healththinkshop.com/2013/04/06/there-is-a-reason-why-we-have-a-war-on-drugs-and-why-we-cannot-win-it/

 

Aslo see more via 2010 > FDA Approves New Formulation for OxyContin.

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There is a reason why we have a war on drugs and why we cannot win it… « HealthThinkShop

So the issue is twofold:

First, there is the problem of a powerful drug being re-marketed as Oxycontin and promoted in ways that lead to abuse.

Secondly, there is the demand for this drug that is created that in turn creates a tremendous market that seduces the greedy and the stupid (the marketers and the profiteers because thinking you can sale this stuff and not get caught is not brilliant) and the users who are often victims who innocently become dependent and spend the rest of their lives needing more of the drug to prevent from “getting sick” when they violently experience withdrawal from this highly addictive and dangerous drug–people get so sedated under this drug that they stop breathing and die…).

This is not most importantly a debate about weed or about politics, or even about criminality… It is a calculated business move by investors to promote a substance that is now running wild in our society and killing innocent people…

via There is a reason why we have a war on drugs and why we cannot win it… « HealthThinkShop.

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Drone surveillance: We are not alone… The Policy ThinkShop … Rise of Drones in U.S. Spurs Efforts to Limit Uses – NYTimes.com

Could the post September 11th climate of state power and police surveillance and this decades’ recessionary pressures on local budgets and community policing costs be the perfect storm for the spread of drones in our neighborhoods?

“They can record video images and produce heat maps. They can be used to track fleeing criminals, stranded hikers — or just as easily, political protesters. And for strapped police departments, they are more affordable than …”

via Rise of Drones in U.S. Spurs Efforts to Limit Uses – NYTimes.com.

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Mapping the Effects of the ACA’s Health Insurance Coverage Expansions – Kaiser Health Reform

The Affordable Care Act includes several provisions that allow many individuals across the U.S. to be eligible for Medicaid or for federal tax credits to subsidize the cost of insurance. The analysis below and zip code tool estimate the share of the population in geographic areas across the U.S. who had family income up to four times the poverty level in 2010 and were either uninsured or buying coverage on their own.

via Mapping the Effects of the ACA’s Health Insurance Coverage Expansions – Kaiser Health Reform.

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State of the Union 2013 and Public Opinion | Pew Research Center The President to the Republicans: Boogie oogie oogie!

The Pew Foundation’s research arm did a nice job on a survey on “the State of the State of the Union Address.”  It appears that President Obama is riding a tremendous popularity and approval wave into a second term that is already characterized by a buoyed economy with clear skies ahead.  The President’s victory on the fiscal cliff seems to have sealed the deal, as the President enters his second term with the Republicans in shambles and, perhaps more importantly, with Americans believing in this two term President the opposition tried to paint as a boogyman.  The President seems to be smiling on, like the baby boomer that he is, saying: “Boogie oogie oogie!”

“President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address to the nation on Tues., Feb. 12. A survey released ahead of his speech found that 43% of the public views the president’s address as about as important as past years’ addresses, and a third (32%) say Obama’s speech will be more important than those in past years.

Here’s a roundup of Pew Research findings across 10 of the biggest public policy issues:

The Economy

The economy and jobs remain the public’s top two priorities for the White House and Congress.

57% of Americans (and 74% of Republicans) say that President Obama won the battle over the “fiscal cliff.”

Americans took a dim view of the fiscal cliff deal, saying it would hurt: the economy (46%), people like themselves (52%), efforts to curb the deficit (44%).

Read more about Pew Research findings on the economy

Debt and Deficit

72% of Americans now say reducing the deficit is a top priority, up from 53% in Jan. 2009, including 84% of Republicans, 67% of Democrats and 71% of independents.

Majorities of Americans oppose most deficit reduction measures, including reducing funding for education (77% disapprove), reducing transportation funding (67%) and reducing funding to help low-income people (58%).

There are wide partisan gaps on many debt reduction proposals, including reducing military defense spending (+35 points Democrats) and reducing funding to help low-income people (+29 points Republicans).

74% say a combination of program cuts and tax increases is the best way to reduce the deficit.

Read more about Pew Research findings on the debt and deficit

The Middle Class

The median income for a middle-income, three-person household fell to $69,487 in 2010 from $72,956 in 2000 (in 2011 dollars.) Median net worth among the middle-income tier fell 28% to $93,150 in 2010 from $129,582 in 2000.

85% of those in the middle class say it is more difficult today than a decade ago to maintain their standard of living.

The middle class blamed their difficulties on: Congress (62%), banks and financial institutions (54%) and large corporations (47%).

Middle-class adults say they are: Democrats (34%), Republicans (25%) and independents (35%); conservative (39%), moderate (35%) and liberal (22%).

Read more about Pew Research findings on the middle class

Gun Control

51% of Americans say it is more important to control gun ownership, while 45% say it is more important to protect gun rights.

47% say mass shootings reflect broader societal problems, 44% call them isolated acts of troubled individuals.

There is broad public support for background checks for private and gun show sales (85%) and laws preventing the mentally ill from purchasing guns (80%).

There are large partisan divides on creating a federal database to track gun sales (35-point gap, Democrats favor), implementing a ban on assault-style weapons (25-point gap, Democrats favor) or having more teachers and school officials with guns in schools (33-point gap, Republicans favor).

Read more about Pew Research findings on gun control

U.S. Foreign Policy

83% of Americans say that “we should pay less attention to problems overseas and concentrate on problems here at home,” up 10 points since 2002.

40% say the U.S. relies on military strength too much to achieve its foreign policy goals, 44% say about the right amount and 10% say too little.

63% say the U.S. should be less involved in Middle East leadership changes.

Americans largely approve of the use of drones to target extremists, unlike most other nations surveyed.

71% say defending the nation from terrorism is a top priority.

60% support withdrawing troops from Afghanistan “as soon as possible.”

Read more about Pew Research findings on foreign policy

via State of the Union 2013 and Public Opinion | Pew Research Center.

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The Policy ThinkShop on Facebook: How do you think Healthcare Reform is working in New Jersey? What about the poorest and most vulnerable in these time of change?

New Jersey is reorganizing its healthcare system, including urban hospital that are vital to New Jersey’s poorest and most vulnerable. What do you think?

MORE via Facebook.

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Pew Hispanic Center – Chronicling Latinos Diverse Experiences in a Changing America

Healthcare reform and Immigrant reform are both on the policy table.  We all need to be at that table supporting a reasonable and fair solution to the important issues of the day:

Who gets to come to America and what quality of life they will have when they get here.

At the Policy ThinkShop we will be blogging resources and information to keep you on top of these important public policy topics.  Stay tuned…

“Nearly two-thirds of the 5.4 million legal immigrants from Mexico who are eligible to become citizens of the United States have not yet taken that step. Their naturalization rate—36%—is only half that of legal immigrants from all other countries combined, according to a Pew Hispanic Center analysis of federal government data. A nationwide survey of Hispanic immigrants by the Center finds that nearly all (93%) who have not yet naturalized say they would if they could. But barriers such as a lack of English proficiency and the financial cost of naturalization are identified as reasons why many legal immigrants have not yet done so.”

Related:

Report: A Nation of Immigrants

Data: Statistical Portrait of the Foreign Born, 2011

Report: Unauthorized Immigrants: 11.1 Million in 2011

Report: Net Migration from Mexico Falls to Zero

via Pew Hispanic Center – Chronicling Latinos Diverse Experiences in a Changing America.

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Health Policy Brief: Federally Facilitated Exchanges – Health Affairs Blog

The Health Affairs Blog gives us a wonderful overview of the next phase of the Affordable Care Act implementation.  The states are currently “50% in,” which means that half of the country will be dealing with the alternative federally created health insurance exchanges.  Whether you are a potential patient, a physician, healthcare administrator or policy pundit, the following article is a must read… and, incidentally, the Policy ThinkShop blog could be an important resource for you this year…

Join the Policy ThinkShop Blog at: http://policyabcs.wordpress.com

“The latest Health Policy Brief from Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation explores the issues facing the federal government and the states in the establishment and operation of federally facilitated health insurance exchanges. These are the exchanges that will be created under the Affordable Care Act in states that do not elect to set up their own state-based exchanges, or to create and operate an exchange in partnership with the federal government.

At present, 25 states have opted for a federally facilitated exchange. The result is that the federal government will now have a major role in those states in expanding insurance coverage in the individual and small-group insurance markets.

Topics covered in this brief include:

.

Challenges in setting up the federally facilitated exchanges. Because of variations in state insurance laws, it may be difficult for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to tailor an exchange to meet each state’s unique insurance market needs.

The potential of adverse selection: In a federally facilitated exchange, the federal government will only have a direct role in regulating the health insurance plans that are sold through that exchange–and not over other health plans in the state that aren’t sold through the exchange. There is a risk that healthy people in a particular state may opt for cheaper plans outside the exchange, while sicker people opt for the exchange coverage–a phenomenon known as “adverse selection.” There are risk-adjustment mechanisms in the health care law that could mitigate the gains and losses to different health plans, but these may take a while to work.”

MORE via Health Policy Brief: Federally Facilitated Exchanges – Health Affairs Blog.

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Pew Hispanic Center – Chronicling Latinos Diverse Experiences in a Changing America

Some of the descendants of today’s native Americans are also the descendants of today’s Mexican Americans.  For thousands of years there has been a natural migration from well below the Rio Grande to cold northern parts of what is today’s “Upper Midwest.”  The region today that is loosely made up of the Dakotas, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois. Ironically, even the then pilgrims were considered “illegal aliens” by the then natives.  The same natives who “hosted them” and welcomed the pilgrims in what we now call “Thanks Giving.”  Certainly the then natives must have thought of the pilgrims as “illegal aliens” but gave them quarter and kindness nevertheless.

But “my oh my” how times have changed and how the Thanksgiving tables have been turned.  The immigration debate promises to change how we all define America and maybe even begin to tie together a North American Continent that continues to play a role for new comers.  We may yet get the facts straight and muster up some of that native hospitality that made that long cold winter of immigration survivable for the original pilgrims.  

We may yet repair the growing divisions in our country and continue to be a beacon of giving, welcoming and building for future generations.  Like the Statue of Liberty, a symbol with open arms, allowing our culture to continue to welcome and thank all of us who were here before the next comers, like the native Americans who taught us that Thanks Giving lesson.

Get the facts at Pew.  The Pew Hispanic Center continues to provide resources and leadership in this important area:

“The nation’s total immigrant population reached a record 40.4 million in 2011, according to an analysis of Census Bureau data by the Pew Hispanic Center. Over the last decade, the number of immigrants in the U.S. has grown by more than 9 million. The number of unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. grew in the early part of the decade before peaking at 12 million in 2007. It is now at 11.1 million as of 2011, the last year for which an estimate is available.”

Related:

New Data: Statistical Portrait of the Foreign Born, 2011

Report: Unauthorized Immigrants: 11.1 Million in 2011

Report: Net Migration from Mexico Falls to Zero

via Pew Hispanic Center – Chronicling Latinos Diverse Experiences in a Changing America.

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