Keep Your Fingers Crossed For Health Care
Posted by Michelle Moquin on March 28th, 2012
Good morning!
I don’t know about all of you, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Obamacare will hold out. I am HOPEing that Solicitor General Donald Verrilli will have a successful third day.
Take It From Me: Defending Obamacare is Super-Hard
That’s Reid, in the background on the left, wearing a pink shirt, on the night health care reform passed.
It so happens that I’m packing up my apartment and moving out of Washington today after eight years of residence, most of which were spent in politics and government. One of the items I just bubble-wrapped is a framed copy of The L.A. Times front page from March 22, 2010, in which I can be seen, blurrily, clapping in the background as Barack Obama watches the House pass the Affordable Care Act. In between stowing keepsakes like this, I’ve been taking procrastination breaks to monitor news from today’s oral arguments. The consensus seems to be that we should crap on Solicitor General Don Verrilli for struggling to defend the individual mandate.
Don is someone I worked with and respected, so I will leave dissection of his efforts to those who are farther removed and better schooled in Supreme Court procedure. But I will say this: having spent a year of my life getting paid to defend the ACA as the White House spokesman on health care, I feel for the guy. Health care reform is very much worth defending, but going about that defense is where things get, well, difficult.
It would have been easy for Verrilli—or any of us—to explain single-payer health care. “Look,” we could have said, “the government is paying for everyone to have coverage.” End of story. But single-payer is not what our brilliant, world-leading political system gave us. What it gave us is essentially a halfsy—an extraordinarily confusing patchwork in which some novel legislative mechanisms are used to induce individuals, businesses, insurance companies, and states into doing things that add up to concrete good.
Why did it go down that way? In part because lawmakers are essentially shortsighted, self-serving, and scared of their own shadow. But there’s a bigger problem: health care as a system is incredibly complicated, and also incredibly scary and off-putting for voters to think about—which is the reason most people never want to talk about it or learn about it in the first place.
Don’t believe me? Then answer me this: what’s your plan’s deductible for a hospital visit? You don’t know, of course, even though that’s critical information. Let’s try an easier one: what do you pay per month for health coverage? Most people don’t know that, either. All of which makes it extraordinarily hard to communicate about the ACA persuasively or effectively.
Witness the tortured, horrible quotes issued by yours truly while at the White House. Like this one, regarding an apparent loophole in the bill:
“The president has made it clear that health insurance reform legislation should prevent insurance companies from placing annual limits on health expenditures that can force families into financial ruin,” said White House spokesman Reid Cherlin. “We will continue to work with Congress on this policy.”
Or this one, after—oof!—a regulation related to the bill revived the Death Panels horribleness:
“This benefit was signed into law under President Bush. The only thing new here is a regulation allowing the discussions—authorized in 2003 by the prescription drug benefit—to happen in the context of the new annual wellness visit created by the Affordable Care Act,” White House spokesman Reid Cherlin said.
Or this one, on the new Republican House majority’s intent to repeal the ACA:
White House spokesman Reid Cherlin said, “We’re confident about defending the law.”
Or we thought we were. Whatever its downsides, the Affordable Care Act delivers some pretty serious benefits: tens of millions more Americans covered, no more getting dropped because of pre-existing conditions, closing the Medicare donut hole, slowing the explosive growth of health care costs, and on and on. It’s just that it’s so goddamn hard to explain the thing—whether you’re the guy answering questions from reporters or the guy answering questions from the nine justices who will decide the bill’s fate.
Follow Reid Cherlin on Twitter for more updates from the campaign trail.
******
Jim: You, me, and most everyone else who reads this blog.
Wendi: Thank you. In answer to your question, “Absolutely”.
Peter: I haven’t been up on this lately. Any thing happen since your last report? Hafa Adai.
Zen Lill: Thank you. It was a fun day that day, and the weather was stellar and hot. I am HOPEing it inspires some sunshine for this goddess because I am damn sick of this rain. Is it raining where you are too?
Peace out.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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March 28th, 2012 at 8:27 am
The Supreme Court decision will be decided on political grounds 5 to 4. STARK took the case before the act went into place to kill it before people got a chance to like it.
This is bench legislation.
Jackie
March 28th, 2012 at 8:32 am
Texting Service Helps Teens Kick the Habit
It’s a crazy thing about teenagers who smoke. Unlike adults, who may feel guilty and weak when they light up, many teens are too young-and-dumb to feel that way—in fact, smoking makes them feel cool and grown up.
So even when a teen smoker gets a notion to quit, it can be very hard to do. What’s even more horrifying is a new report from the US Surgeon General’s office that shows that one in five American teens smokes.
What’s worse, the report also shows that their quitting rate has declined in the past few decades—80% continue to smoke as adults.
The promising news is that there’s a new, free service that can help teens quit cold turkey: SmokefreeTXT, an interactive text-messaging program developed by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Institutes of Health and the US Department of Health and Human Services.
I spoke with Erik Augustson, PhD, MPH, a behavioral scientist with NCI’s Tobacco Control Research Branch, who studies smoking cessation and helped develop this unique service for teens.
MEANINGFUL MESSAGES
Why try to reach teens through texting? About 75% of American teens have cell phones, and most of them have text-messaging plans, Dr. Augustson said. “It’s the most common way they communicate.”
SmokefreeTXT is available on all cell phones and through all carriers. There’s no charge—the only potential cost is whatever the teen’s carrier charges per text message, and most teens have unlimited texting plans.
When your child or grandchild signs up, he’ll receive…
Timed texts. First, the teen sets a goal for his/her “quit date.” As the date gets closer, the teen receives a growing number of texts reminding him of the date and encouraging him to go forward with the plan.
One day, the text might say, “Three more days! Drinking lots of water on quit day will fight off cravings and keep you hydrated.” The next message might be, “Your pet can get sick and die from secondhand smoke, so think again before you light up.”
These messages of encouragement will continue for up to six weeks after the designated quit date because, Dr. Augustson said, relapses occur most frequently in the first two weeks after a person quits, and six weeks is often a turning point toward cessation.
Key word texts. Whenever the teen stops smoking, if he is having trouble sticking to his goal, he can send simple one-word texts to the service, choosing from one of three “key words”—“cravings” if he’s really dying to light up…“mood” if he’s feeling down…or “slipup” if he relapsed and wants to get back on track.
In response, the service will immediately send back a text message with a tip on how to conquer one of those challenges. To overcome a craving, the tips might include shooting hoops or cranking up an iPod. To get past a mood problem, the tips might include deep breathing or calling a friend.
And to conquer a slipup, the tips might include messages like “You didn’t fail—just get back on track and try again.”
Assessment texts. Users of SmokefreeTXT also receive texts every few days asking how they are doing—the program will pick one of the three topics (craving, mood or slipup) at random, ask how the user is handling that particular issue, and offer a range of responses to choose from.
SPEAKING THEIR LANGUAGE
Instead of using adult language, the service tries to connect with teens, specifically, by using what Dr. Augustson calls “teen speak.” For example, users can describe their mood as “cool,” “eh,” or “sucky.”
There are no stats yet on how effective this particular texting program is, since it’s new, but I look forward to seeing whether it works. While the government has sent out health tips via text in the past, it’s never before offered an interactive component that allows users to text back.
Because the program allows teens to engage with it, it’s more than just a reminder service—it’s like having a robotic counselor who is there for you 24/7.
If you’d like your child or grandchild to sign up for the automated service, encourage him or her to visit the Web site http://www.Teen.SmokeFree.gov or text the word “quit” to IQUIT (47848).
Source: Erik Augustson, PhD, MPH, a behavioral scientist with the National Cancer Institute’s Tobacco Control Research Branch, Rockville, Maryland.
March 28th, 2012 at 8:37 am
Michelle, I think your answer to Wendi did more for the gay cause than anything I’ve heard in the last five years. I know I’m glad I am gay. I only wish I lived in your country. Jag skulle ge allt för att suga på de söta läppar.
Ana
March 28th, 2012 at 8:48 am
Hafa Adai
Two words Guam, learn Russian.
Russian visitors to Guam increased 1127% in February 2012 compared to the same month last year according to GVB arrival statistics.
Becky
March 28th, 2012 at 8:54 am
Only in America, a country ruled by racist white men with the support of dumb as dirt white women would universal health care be considered unwarranted government intrusion and therefore ‘unconstitutional’.
In all other enlightened democratic western countries it’s simply being civilized. This in a country that spends as much on its military as all other countries combined and still has health care costs through the roof in comparison.
Somehow it’s considered patriotic for Uncle Sam to drive a tank but not so for him to drive an ambulance.
March 28th, 2012 at 8:57 am
STARK took the case to embarrass Obama before the election with a rebuttal of his health care program and to prevent him from claiming it as a campaign promise completed.
This is strictly political supreme court action like the one that gave bush the presidency.
Clark
March 28th, 2012 at 8:58 am
Hate to tell you people that don’t think they need insurance,this will pass, why because the majority on that court are for big business and right now health insurance for 30 million is big business.
March 28th, 2012 at 9:00 am
All Obama and the dems want is to get every American insured. As it is now millions of Americans are without insurance. Most because they can’t afford the high cost. Some because they don’t think they’ll ever get sick.
Our country has the best HC if you are rich or are lucky enough to have the best HC insurance in the world like Tax Payer paid HC like Cheney has.
Its a very unfair system. But one that RWers love to its core.
Republicans have no heart or soul or they wouldn’t stand for the way it is. An estimated 45,000 die in America for lack of healthcare and RW Christians are A OK with that. Haha…Christians???? HELL NO they aren’t
March 28th, 2012 at 9:01 am
The ignorance of the Fox viewers is laughable.
The Federal government mandates everyone buy Social Security Insurance
They mandate everyone to buy Medicare insurance
In 1986 Reagan signed the law Mandating all hospitals provide emergency care regardless of the citizenship, legal status or ability to pay of the patient. The cost of this care is already included in your insurance premium.
All the Healthcare Act does is say the people using the hospitals for free buy health insurance.
Or is the right now against personal responsibility?
March 28th, 2012 at 9:03 am
I guess that the 50 million Americans who can’t afford healthcare will need to go on Medicaid if Obamacare is outlawed. Does this mean that taxpayers will need to have their taxes increased to pay for more Medicaid?
If Medicaid is dropped, than the only alternative would be to gas these forlorn people like we do for sick puppy dogs at dog shelters. Some sick people having nothing else to lose might go postal.
Some would rob banks, and then quickly surrender in order to get into the Federal prison health care system.
March 28th, 2012 at 9:13 am
Hafa adai Michelle:
They are keeping the dive and whatever they discover (maybe Howie knows more) a big secret. This Link can show some pictures of the apparatus
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/slideshow/james-camerons-deep-sea-dive-16002910
—————
I have some friends on the inside taking some pictures. And you have some loyal followers who have let me know that they have some secret connections on the secret base at U. Stay tuned.
Peter
March 28th, 2012 at 9:16 am
Cheaper American Energy
Alternatives Already Here
by Newt Gingrich
Dear Fellow Conservative,
As President Obama is spending billions of taxpayer dollars to prop up his preferred sources of energy—solar, wind, and algae—American truckers are offering a lesson in transitioning to new sources of fuel in the real world.
Without even being ordered to do so by President Obama, trucking companies are starting to convert parts of their long-haul fleets to natural gas, an American energy source of which we have more than a hundred years’ domestic supply. And Clean Energy Fuels, in cooperation with Chesapeake Energy, is investing tens of millions to build more than 150 liquefied natural gas (LNG) stations to service them.
America’s truckers and energy producers are doing all of this without half-trillion-dollar loan guarantees from the federal government. They’re doing it without the skyrocketing taxpayer giveaways the president has offered his favorite “greenback energy” pet projects.
They’re doing it for one simple reason: it makes sense for their bottom lines.
In my newsletter several weeks ago, I wrote of the incredible increase in America’s estimated supply of natural gas in the last few years, and the resulting collapse in its price. In 2008, the average price was $7.97 per thousand cubic feet. The spot price last Friday was roughly $2.07. That’s about a 75 percent drop in price in just four years, attributable in large part to improvements in technology which have made more gas recoverable than ever before.
With natural gas less expensive relative to oil than it has ever been, many public transportation and urban truck fleets have already converted to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). And with diesel prices nearing record highs, the rationale for long-haul trucking companies to convert part of their fleets to LNG is more compelling every day.
Fuel is one of the highest costs for any transportation business today, and the rising cost of oil is taking a toll on trucking companies that are heavily dependent on diesel. Since natural gas is now a dramatically cheaper alternative, companies that convert part of their fleets are discovering they have a growing price advantage over competitors that refuse to make the leap. Jeff Dillon, the founder of Dillon Transport, which owns hundreds of trucks and is investing in LNG, told Bloomberg last month that “nobody can beat us on rates right now if we have the [natural] gas component in place.”
Many trucking companies will have a hard time resisting competitive pressures to offer LNG-based long haul services when the difference in cost is so immense . Already, UPS is using LNG-fueled trucks on one of its long-haul routes. Heckmann Water Resources is deploying a fleet of 200 LNG trucks for its water tank trucks. And Walmart is testing LNG vehicles for hauling in California.
March 28th, 2012 at 9:17 am
I’ll cut to the chase: If we don’t hit our goal before Saturday’s midnight FEC deadline, we may give the Republicans the tiny advantage they need to snatch the Senate away from you.
The good news is, we have real momentum. President Obama, Tim Kaine in Virginia and Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin have all built slim margins in the latest polls.
But we know too well that polling in March won’t matter a bit in November if Republicans spend a tidal wave of Koch Brothers’ cash clouding the truth with the lies and smears that have been the GOP trademark for as long as you and I can remember.
Trust me — it works. And this time it could cost us the Senate. Believe me. I know firsthand. And I’m not willing to turn back the clock to the days when the Senate was a rubber stamp for Republican extremism.
March 28th, 2012 at 9:22 am
Still hard to understand why Assad has turned so vicious against his own people. Just because they are the opposition is still no reason for all the killing and destruction that continues to go on.
March 28th, 2012 at 9:23 am
How much of the Syrian population supports Assad? Interesting question. Maybe that’s why he is accepting the peace plan — http://ofthisandthat.org/LP03232012.html
March 28th, 2012 at 9:25 am
If the Court rules against the Affordable Health Care Act insurance companies across the land will celebrate the return of “pre-existing conditions”, the “doughnut hole”, and all the clever ways they built up over the years to deny claims or procrastinate long enough for the claimant to either be dead or simply give up.
At the present rate of increase the insurance companies can, at some point, out price a significant number of people and end up with only those who are less likely to have claims.
When folks get older they can be dropped and go on Medicare if that program has not been destroyed in the manner the TPGOP wants to do it in. The Tea Party and their new pals in the former GOP have no interest in the nation’s health.
People like the Koch brothers and those billionaires and millionaires who support the TP have no need for insurance, they have cash.
March 28th, 2012 at 9:26 am
The constitution states. Promote the general welfare of the people. Now it is Promote the general welfare of the corporations…… You 30 million with out health care you will not be alone, soon you will be joined by another 30 million…………………………………
March 28th, 2012 at 9:28 am
Fuck Obama and his social health care plan. It sounds like the court is leaning toward doing the right thing and striking down this horror. That said it is to early to celebrate .
Either way it is a win win for the repubs. If it stands the country will be more likely to repeat 2010 and give the repubs all branches of gov t to enable repeal.
Voters thought that they had stopped this when they elected scott brown but the dems changed the rules and resorted to filthy tactics, including at one time seriously considering the “deem” it passed insanity.
Voters started the job in 2010 and if obamacaare stands they will more than likely finish it in 2012..
March 28th, 2012 at 9:35 am
The oral arguments are confusing when you realize the Justices, wholly owned subsidiaries of huge corporate interests, are looking for a loophole because, although they are not stupid, they are the 1%.
They have no idea that people decide between eating and paying a Health Care premium.
STARK is always looking for a way to do the bidding of their bosses and that is why for so many of us the questions are so inane. The Broccoli argument was the pet discussion on FOX.
No matter what the outcome MONEY will decides this just as it did the Citizens case. It will become clear that getting rid of the mandate and thus the core of the Bill could cause higher losses for insurance than keeping it and moving forward.
PREMIUM SUPPORT is what this bill contains – Taxes will go directly to cover those 30 million people who cannot scrape up $600 a month for insurance.
It will pay for pre-existing conditions. It will pay for the growing 50 – 65 demographic who can’t afford to pay when their company folds or they get laid off.
If the Bill gets tossed, premiums will plummet as the same situations happen without Taxpayer Support. 30 Million Premiums of $500 a month equals 180 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR!
If STARK kills it there is a good chance the next step will be Single Payer under Medicare for all and THAT would mean a huge loss of premiums as well.
Profits, not the Constitution, drive the opinions of STARK. Scalia, Thomas, Alito, Roberts, and Kennedy remember those names one day history will name them as the worst influence on the American constitution that any group of SCOTUS.
Wilma
March 28th, 2012 at 9:37 am
Two years ago, when I was 58, I went on line to check out the rates at a U.S. Insurance company that offered medical insurance to American expats, which I am one of.
There was an online questionnaire for the company’s computer to estimate the premium, a figure it helpfully updated at the bottom of each page.
The first age had only two questios about medically-related stuff: did I smoke, and, if so, how much per day? As I am a smoker, I answered, and did so truthfully.
My estimated premium at that point was $13,200 per year, IF I paid annually. And I hadn’t even GOT to wherever the form asked about cancer. Imagine how much my premium would have skyrocketed once I put I. I had a skin cancer removed in 1999.
The killer is what I wanted: a policy with
1. A $250,000 DEDUCTIBLE,
2. A maximum payment of the same amount per claim and,
3. A maximum lifetime payout 4 payouts/$1,000,000, whicherever came first.
I also sought only local coverage in the country where I live, without any medical evacuation services. No air evacuation back to the U.S. From thousands of miles away, the other side of the planet.
With a $250,000 deductible how likely am I to EVER qualify for a dime? BTW, I pay 40% in taxes, total.
March 28th, 2012 at 9:38 am
If the Supreme Court justices would read the Constitution they would see that it says government is to “promote the general welfare”. Government can’t do this by denying health care coverage to citizens who need it.
If the government can mandate that citizens must have a driver’s license to drive so the roads are safe, and require citizens to pay taxes for garbage pick-up so garbage is not thrown in the street, it can mandate health care for its citizens so they will be healthier and live longer.
March 28th, 2012 at 9:39 am
Hopefully, the unconstitutional mandate and entire bill will be repealed. It is socialized medicine and robs the American people of their freedom of choice.
March 28th, 2012 at 9:41 am
RS#21, Apparantly STARK isn’t buying that. They appear to be buying other things with the bribes big business is giving them.
March 28th, 2012 at 9:43 am
Socialized Medicine is so far from this insane system I am surprised anyone would keep using this label.
When the Government hires the Doctors, the Nurses, the staffs and pays them and where there is no insurance company involved – THAT is socialized.
What we have is the last purely profit driven (ie Free Market, Private, Capitalist run) Health System in the world of developed nations. The Bill is designed and written BY the Comapnies that sell Insurance and Drugs.
It increases their profits more predictably by forcing those 30 million people to either pay for insurance policies themselves (unlikely at $400-$1200 a month) OR have tax money pay the premiums.
Before this bill the taxpayer paid anyway, but not for PREMIUMS to Insurance but directly to Hospitals and Doctors. If we had “Socialized Medicine” we would be in the minority since most Single Payer Systems make use of the same insurance companies we have here – United Health Care, BC&BS, Aetna, SunLife, MetLife, etc.
But they are only allowed to make around 8% a year profit. They can’t pay insane bonuses, hide their cash offshore and – guess what!? The insurance companies are quite happy and profitable.
Sorry that Obama is Black. Sorry that there are no good GOP candidates. But Obama is way far right of center, further right than Reagan ever was. Definitely NOT a Socialist.
March 28th, 2012 at 9:46 am
The best billboard I’ve seen in a long time was in the south, it stated:
That “love thy neighbor thing…. I REALLY mean it. Signed God” These right-wing pretend christians ought to sort that one out.
March 28th, 2012 at 9:51 am
Wouldn’t everyone love to hear one positive idea to come from the Right? What would they put in place of this affordable healthcare act?
What are their proposals? There are NONE.
Anyone who doesn’t realize that before Obama, healthcare costs jumped 900 percent in just a few years, is either stupid, too racist to care about anything but stopping the black man, or living in a fools world.
These righties are just plain out of touch with reality.
March 28th, 2012 at 10:15 am
Howie,
Can you ask CARR to let me win the $476,000,000. I will share with you and Al?
It’s almost unimaginable. No one picked the six correct numbers in the latest multi-state Mega Millions lottery game, sending the jackpot to a record $476 million for the Friday drawing.
Tuesday night’s jackpot was $363 million, fed by weeks of drawings without a top winner. The previous record jackpot in the Mega Millions game was $390 million in 2007, split by two winners in New Jersey and Georgia.
In Tuesday night’s game, 47 players came very close, matching 5 of the 6 winning numbers. Each of those tickets is worth at least $250,000.
Mega Millions is played in more than 40 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The winning numbers Tuesday night were: Nine, 19, 34, 44 and 51. The Mega Ball was 24.
Bill
March 28th, 2012 at 10:38 am
Even One Drink a Day Raises Cancer Risk: Should You Give Up Alcohol?
You would think from reading the headlines that a glass of red wine is almost as good for your health as a plateful of vegetables. Moderate drinking is good for your heart, but some studies show that it may increase the risk for cancer.
New research: The Million Women Study, which followed 1.3 million women for an average of seven years, found that about 13% of cancers—affecting the breast, mouth, throat, rectum, liver and esophagus—could be linked to alcohol.
Women who consumed the most alcohol were the ones most likely to get cancer, but even one drink a day increased risk.
THE EVIDENCE
Researchers have known for a long time that heavy drinking is linked to cancer. Examples: At least 70% of patients with mouth cancer are heavy drinkers.
People who have five or more drinks a day are more likely to get colorectal cancers and cancers in the upper digestive tract.
Moderation lowers the risks but doesn’t eliminate them. Cancers of the mouth and esophagus have been linked to as little as two drinks a day. An analysis in American Journal of Epidemiology concluded that men who have three or more drinks daily have a 41% increased risk for cancer-caused mortality.
Women who have two or more drinks daily increase their risk by 20%.
HOW ALCOHOL HURTS
It’s not yet known precisely how alcohol increases cancer risks. A toxic chemical called acetylaldehyde, produced when alcohol is metabolized (broken down) in the body, may damage genetic material and prevent cells from repairing the damage.
In addition, alcohol metabolism produces free radicals that cause cell damage and inflammation, which can promote cancer.
There also appears to be a hormonal link. Alcohol may increase levels of estrogen and other hormones. This could be the reason that women who drink have a higher risk for breast cancer than nondrinkers.
Some people may have genetic variations that make them more or less likely to develop alcohol-related cancers. A study of heavy drinkers found that those who did not develop cancer had a genetic variation that enabled them to metabolize alcohol faster than those without the variation.
IS ABSTINENCE BEST?
You may ask, “Why drink if it causes cancer?” To answer that question, it is helpful to understand the following…
The risks overall are small. Only 3.5 percent of cancer deaths world-wide (230,000 a year) are attributable to alcohol.
But 90% of those deaths in men could be avoided if they drank no more than two alcoholic drinks a day and 50% of the deaths in women could be avoided if they drank no more than one drink a day.
Good for the heart. Alcohol increases levels of HDL “good” cholesterol. It reduces the formation of blood clots and helps dissolve clots that have already formed.
Moderate drinking results in a sharp decrease in heart attack risk (40% to 60%).
Study limitations. Most studies that have linked alcohol to cancer are epidemiological studies. Large groups of people fill out questionnaires about their alcohol consumption and other lifestyle factors. Then researchers track their health over time.
Answers to this type of questionnaire can be inaccurate. People either don’t remember correctly or tell researchers what they think they should say.
SAFER DRINKING
The type of drink doesn’t matter much. Beer, whiskey, vodka and the like have similar effects on cancer risks.
However, the resveratrol in red wine, which has been linked to cardiovascular health, also may prevent cancer by repairing cell damage. But you may have to drink more than moderately to get enough resveratrol, and that is not advisable.
All of the benefits of alcohol, including the cardiovascular benefits, evaporate when people drink too much. Even if you drink moderately (no more than two drinks daily for men or one daily drink for women), alcohol might help or hurt, depending on other factors.
Consider…
Your personal and family health history. A vigorous 20-year-old with healthy habits and no family history of heart problems probably won’t benefit from drinking.
On the other hand, consider a 55-year-old who doesn’t exercise or eat a nutritious diet and who also has a family history of heart disease. This person might benefit from a daily glass of wine. The slightly increased risk would be offset by the cardiovascular benefits.
Or a woman with a family history of breast cancer might decide that it’s too risky to drink. A woman without this history might feel comfortable having one drink a day.
Always talk with your doctor about the potential benefits and risks of alcohol for you.
Drinking patterns. People who drink a lot at once, and do this consistently over the years, probably have more organ damage and greater cancer risk than those who drink smaller amounts over time.
Let’s say one man drinks nothing during the week but has seven drinks on the weekend…and another man has one drink a day every day. Their weekly average is the same, but the health effects likely will be different.
Eat before you drink. If you have food in your stomach, alcohol is absorbed more slowly and the liver breaks down alcohol at the rate of about one drink per hour.
Drinking on an empty stomach causes alcohol to move more quickly into the liver, potentially causing cell damage.
Source: Samir Zakhari, PhD, director of the division of metabolism and health effects at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in Bethesda, Maryland.
He is a leading expert on alcohol metabolism and the effects of alcohol and alcohol by-products on cancer, cirrhosis and other diseases.
March 28th, 2012 at 10:40 am
Howie, where are you? Do you have no sympathy for those of us who have to make a living?
I am crunching a deadline here.
Kent
March 28th, 2012 at 10:43 am
Michelle, is there some hierarchy governing who gets on all the time? I have been trying for 2 days. I keep getting my search engine can’t find your site.
Steve
March 28th, 2012 at 2:28 pm
First things first: a happy Wednesday to you all. Hump day is here and the weekend is within reach. Second, I know I came to your inboxes REALLY late yesterday and that’s because we are switching mass mail providers. The fine folks at Zeta Interactive are now sending our e-mails (Daily Events, Family Events, Newt Gingrich Letter, and Ann Coulter Letter among others) from their location in New York. So this week, expect me a little later than usual as their team gets acclimated.
But, back on to the news: The war on Wisconsin continues. As we have chronicled for months now, Scott Walker and other fiscally conservative leaders are under siege in the Badger State by Big Labor goons, the liberal media, the White House and even the judiciary. Michelle Malkin’s column today takes a shot at these individuals who are standing in the way of progress in a state that has been battered for years by leftist policies.
Newt Gingrich’s newsletter today deals with the ongoing debate between Democrats and Republicans over the direction of this country’s energy policy. As we have seen, candidate Gingrich has been touting $2.50 gas and his piece today deals with the countless ways American truckers are taking advantage of new sources of fuel such as natural gas.
Speaking of energy, John Hayward has the story of the Obama administration’s continued de-emphasis of coal-fired plants in America. Obama is shutting the construction down on proposed plants unless they follow a few certain guidelines. Pretty remarkable… John’s story is below.
On the campaign trail, as Gizzi noted this past weekend in Pennsylvania, the Keystone State primary will be a dogfight. Latest polls from Franklin & Marshall show Santorum up 30-28 with a margin of error of 4.2%. Also, CNN is reporting this morning that if Gingrich and Paul drop out, Romney’s lead nationally would double. I know they are polls, but it’s certainly worth reconsidering the chances of winning if you are a Paul or Gingrich adviser.
Also, make sure you are following John Hayward’s coverage on the Supreme Court battle over the health care legislation. He’s going to have a wrap up in this week’s print edition which will hit the street on Monday, but in the meantime, stay tuned to John’s blog for all the latest from SCOTUS.
That’s all for today, see you all tomorrow.
-Adam
March 28th, 2012 at 2:47 pm
Luc, if you are looking for what I think you are, we are your best solution. We need your lock and frequency with Tyna.
tc93
March 28th, 2012 at 2:50 pm
Michelle I am coming to San Francisco in April. I should be there by the 23. Now that you are no longer married, I would like to invite you to lunch. We can meet and talk about styles.
I am thinking of launching a new line and am interested in obtaining someone to handle my line in Java full time. It is an excellent opportunity for a single person.
Noriko
March 28th, 2012 at 3:12 pm
We voted for Obama because, the republicans ruined this economy, the worlds economy, and their candidate (McCain) did not understand economics.
Greece, Portugal. and several other countries, besides us, are still trying to recover. Only a moron would think, it would take less than three years to correct such a massive problem.
Get real,people, the repubs were going in the wrong direction in 2008, and want to do the same thing now.
If it had not been for the shit for brains white women that vote repubs in 2010 we would not be in this situation today. Today the inane women like my pathetic sister are screaming mad because the repubs are taking away the gains they made under the dems.
She is still proud of voting a “balance” into the “political body.” I tell the twit that it’s that “balance” that has taken away her right to equal medical rights.
Bul like the rest of her shit for brains crowd she refuses to accept it was the group who she help elect that put her where she is.
Ernie
March 28th, 2012 at 3:16 pm
The GOTP are overwhelming ignorant and many it appears are content to
remain IGNORANT, and overwhelmingly the most ARROGANT.
I am cancer free in thanks to medical care I got at Planned Parenthood. In 1989 it was found when I went for my yearly chk up. When cells were in the very early stage I. Planned Parenthood saw to it I got very good medical care. This is not an uncommon thing. I found them to be dedicated health care proffessionals .
NO cancer cells were found in my cervix following the procedure, and not any time thereafter. That is the foundation of what they do. They take care of womens health.
The election is in approx 7 months. It cannot get here fast enough for me.
March 28th, 2012 at 4:07 pm
“We may feel bitterly how little our poems can do in the face of seemingly out-of-control technological power and seemingly limitless corporate greed, yet it has always been true that poetry can break isolation, show us to ourselves when we are outlawed or made invisible, remind us of beauty where no beauty seems possible, remind us of kinship where all is represented as separation.”
RIP Adrienne Rich, poet, essayist, anti-war, civil rights and feminist activist.
/SB
March 28th, 2012 at 4:54 pm
Social Butterfly, thank you for the notice. Adrienne Rich was the kind of activist more women should be like.
Most lesbians recognize and know this from her writing, “The suppressed lesbian I had been carrying in me since adolescence began to stretch her limbs.”
Personally I like this one best:
When “time is male,” [Rich observed] the mind of woman would begin “mouldering like wedding-cake . . . crumbling to pieces under the knife-edge.”
March 29th, 2012 at 12:08 am
I met her in 1978 when she was still fresh with her discovery of being a woman who wanted to love and be loved by women.
Thanks for remembering Social Butterfly.
Carl
March 29th, 2012 at 1:08 am
Frankly I am sick and tired of white women writing in about issues claiming to support women’s rights.
The fact is during the 2010 great take over by white republican men they got 54% of white men’s vote and 62% of white women’s vote.
My mother, there sisters, three aunts, and just about every female relative I have voted republican in 2010. Most will vote republican in 2012.
I believe that we need to vote against any of the present candidates my party has. I will not for that nigger, so I will just stay at home.
I can’t stand white bitches who cry about losing their rights to birth control while supporting candidates who are against birth control.
The one thing I am for is birth control. I am single and I don’t want some bitch I knock up to be unable to get the potential pocket drain flushed down the toilet.
I am just sick of the SBs, Zls, fuck the nigger bitches, Michelle and the other white whiners complaining about the male politicians they help elect who run on the policy that they enact into law.
They did not and are not lying to you dumb bitches. They tell you up front they will END your birth control benefits. If that is not what you want, then DON’T support or vote for them.
Otherwise, shut the fuck up and take the dick bitches.
John.
March 29th, 2012 at 1:44 am
John, this white woman doesn’t belong to that group of majority of white women you know. I don’t support any politician who doesn’t support my point of view.
I realize most white women are idiots, and even some of our supposed women liberals, like SB are inconsistent or, as I assume, suffer a mental lapse when they support behavior of men like Doug.
I have been educating young women to take control of their lives for seven years and I have experienced many who suffer similar lapses. It is often a result of the subtle subliminal messages women are constantly exposed to.
It tends to make the idiotic, and/or narcissistic behavior of men palpable to otherwise astute feminists.
But your obvious venom towards “white women” exposes a deep resentment of women in general. You have mental issues that should be treated. I suggest that you seek psychological help as soon as possible.
Nancy
March 29th, 2012 at 1:53 am
I was going to post a comment about Limbaugh, but first Kudos to you Nancy. I like SB also, but she was way off on that one.
As for Limbaugh, Why don’t we allow the recorded speeches of Hitler, Stalin, Mao and others to be rebroadcast over the public airwaves?
They promoted hate, racism and genocide. So did the unlamented Governor George Wallace. Free speech isn’t free. It comes with a responsibility.
It demands ethics and honesty. Limbaugh is a cruel and hateful man who abuses the public airwaves with the same kind of foulness used by Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Wallace.
Limbaugh hates America, he hates all it stands for. Those who support him support tearing our country up with hate, bigotry, lies and cruel sexism.
==================
I am so glad to hear more sponsors are dropping him.
Thanks Michelle for supporting women. It is nice to see that we can continue to count on you to be consistent in your support of women.
Zorina
March 29th, 2012 at 2:00 am
White America your support of Zimmerman’s murder of that black child is one of the main reasons why Israel is so important for jews.
We can never be put in a position of having to depend on the fairness and justice of whites for the welfare of jews, especially when threatened by the racism of whites.
Howie, where are you?
Habiba
March 29th, 2012 at 2:02 am
The Jet Blue pilot who is being tried for interrupting a flight and is up for 20 years in jail because of his breakdown, shows just how inane the white boy justice system is.
The guy is a veteran pilot of 20 years, he was obviously suffering some mental breakdown. But the white boy reaction – jail the bastard.
March 29th, 2012 at 2:04 am
Zorina, you Libs, are never going to bring down Rush. Ready to throw in the towel yet?
March 29th, 2012 at 2:07 am
I will not miss Rush if he goes and I hope he will go soon for he is the most divisive character ever to drive the Country into the chaos of heiightened racial animus and gender inequality.
He and those like him who seem to feel that they have a mandate to preach hate in the name of white unity and/or solidarity need to be harnessed or reigned in.
They are inciting those whites who are weak minded and prone to autosuggestions to act out and speak out in reprehensible ways. Nothing great comes from hate.
Don’t stop until he is GONE.
March 29th, 2012 at 2:20 am
Michelle, I cannot thank you enough for your support of arab women all over the world. You are my role model. Here in Bahrain, we are the victims of whichever religious regime takes control.
I hope one day to wake to the presence of Madaline killing every male here in the most painful way possible. I do not want them to die quickly.
I want them to suffer in the way they have made women to for all my life.
Jilan
March 29th, 2012 at 2:30 am
Your american supreme court is obviously playing politics. They are trying to embarrass your sitting president.
The result will come out in June just in time to make Obama look good. It appears that your country is ruled by five of justices on your supreme court.
Qing
March 29th, 2012 at 3:00 am
I live in Finland, we get your morning Joe show. I cringe when I hear Joe and others on that show say We like Mitt Romney, but he makes some gaffs that need to be corrected.
What they are actually saying is our candidate makes the mistake of telling people what he really is like.
Who are americans? How safe is the world with your country being the leader of the Free World?
Frankly, I don’t feel so safe. I know that the majority of your electorate will put any white male imbecile in office.
The white women in your country have no conception of common sense. If not for the leadership of a tiny minority of white women following the lead of your OTW females, women in your country would still be the legal
chattel of white men.
Michelle, I never miss your column. I look forward to excerpts from your feminists like Zen Lill, Alycedale, and Social Butterfly.
Alycedale, your commentary is consistently without parallel. The women’s club here chaired by one of the most prestigious female in this area of the world constantly quotes you.
Hence you are a must read for any woman here who expects to move up in our political circles. We are open to any request to get you come here to speak.
How can we reach you? If you prefer we can send our credentials privately to Michelle and work something out in private. We have several American embassies that you can choose from to contact us.
Money will not be an obstacle.
Saaru
March 29th, 2012 at 3:14 am
Surveillance videos show no injuries to a man who supposedly had his head beat against the pavement. Zimmerman is hiding because he has no injuries to match his story. I wonder if the white media will mention this?
March 29th, 2012 at 3:18 am
What rule or law was Trayvon Martin breaking? I think getting shot is something that is “done to an individual,” unless my understanding of getting shot is flawed.
March 29th, 2012 at 3:18 am
The lawyers for Trayvon’s parents are so … well, I won’t say it. It wouldn’t be polite.
March 29th, 2012 at 3:22 am
Love that Obama – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/21/deaf-student-obama-sign-language_n_1369118.html
March 29th, 2012 at 3:25 am
NOW WE KNOW WHY RELIGIOUS PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER
It’s long been known that people with religious faith tend to be more satisfied with their lives — the question has been why. Now University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) and Harvard University researchers believe they have come up with the answer, and the “secret ingredient” is… friendship.
“Our study offers compelling evidence that it is the social aspects of religion rather than theology or spirituality that lead to life satisfaction,” wrote study author Chaeyoon Lim, PhD, an assistant professor of sociology at UW. I gave Dr. Lim a call to find out more.
HAPPINESS IS PRAYING TOGETHER
To examine religion’s impact on our sense of well-being, Dr. Lim and his colleagues analyzed data from the 2006 and 2007 Faith Matters Study. To collect this data, a commercial research company randomly phoned thousands of Americans twice in a one-year period and asked about their religious practices and life satisfaction and happiness. The survey included a representative sample of Americans, with most being of Christian faith, and smaller numbers of Jews and Muslims.
In a close examination of the results, Dr. Lim and his team found that…
One-third of people (33%) who attended religious services once a week and had three to five friends in the congregation were extremely satisfied with their lives (meaning that they ranked their satisfaction as “10″ on a scale of one to 10).
In contrast, only 19% of those who attended weekly services but had no friends in the congregation reported extreme satisfaction.
Nearly one-quarter of those who attended services sporadically (several times a year) but still had three to five friends in the congregation were extremely satisfied with their lives.
Just 19% of people who never attended religious services — and thus had no congregational friends — were extremely satisfied with their lives.
After factoring in church attendance and congregational friendship, the authors also discovered that private religious practices — such as feeling God’s presence in daily life and praying — did not have a measurable impact on life satisfaction.
Dr. Lim told me that he found this last finding a bit surprising, since earlier research had suggested otherwise, but he said that this study demonstrates that the social dimension of religion — specifically, the closeness of the community where you attend services — is what’s important. “For life satisfaction,” he says, “praying together seems better than either praying alone or, say, bowling together.”
Results were published in the December 2010 issue of American Sociological Review.
WHY FRIENDS MATTER
This provides yet more evidence of how and why our social connections help our health, but what is it about deriving social support from shared spiritual pursuits that is so special? Dr. Lim gets this question all the time and doesn’t know the answer yet… although he noted that we do know that people with more friends in general tend to be happier. He doesn’t rule out the possibility that one could get the same benefits from a group of close friends who meet on a regular basis, engage in meaningful activities and have a shared sense of social identity.
Then again, it could be that there is something unique about friendship based on religious faith — what Dr. Lim calls “morally infused” social support — that cannot be found in the secular community. He and his colleagues are currently gathering more data to address this question.
Source(s):
Chaeyoon Lim, PhD, assistant professor of sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin.
March 29th, 2012 at 3:29 am
You foreigners need to mind your own businesses. We don’t want or need your advice here.
Fuck off!.
March 29th, 2012 at 3:39 am
Romney’s campaign has come up with a real winner to get back the latino vote. They have been vetting and tutoring Susana Martinez, governor of New Mexico.
They expect to gain a most of the latino vote and a great deal of the female vote with her as the VP on his ticket.
She is a very intelligent woman. Nothing like Palin. The fact that her parental grandparents immigrated to America illegally has been an issue but her cache for the votes Romney can’t get is huge.
She has had a sterling career as district attorney. It gives the otherwise losing chances of Romney new life.
Anonz
March 29th, 2012 at 3:42 am
George, WN, we are the first Americans and we think the foreigners are right on when it comes to recognizing what is wrong with America
Nahuatl
March 29th, 2012 at 6:11 am
Uh-oh Anonz’s comment is the scariest of all if the ‘lacking common sense white women’ become enthralled with a woman candidate it’s a game changer, I sure hope not.
The women that most of you are referring to here in the US are those that stand by their man, their right wing ‘I run the household’ man, their rethug man and often that’s their sole reason for voting how they do. I’ve known some ‘affluent’ women who spend no time thinking for themselves really, they raise the kids, take em’ to church so they’re god-fearing citizens and they also inadvertently continue to decide how other women should regard birth control/abortion. They are undermining other women due to their own belief system(s), often it’s a few belief systems at work.
I wish they’d wake up but religion is a tough narcotic/hypnosis to wake up from, you know, it’s wrapped in all that ‘god is love’ and ‘faith is everything’ message, how do you get through to that?
You can present all the factual info you want, those ‘of faith’ will refute it and stand by their candidate by statement of ‘sanctity of life’ and their part in the preservation of it. If Alycedale can get through to women everywhere as effectively as MIscha has done, then I think you could both work a speaking circuit, and it’d be preferable that you educate white women here in the US first, though for the reasons stated above it could be tough to get through…
Luv, Zen Lill
For you males who can’t grasp that (and thank you, Nancy, fr addressing one with a psyche issue) it isn’t about the sex, we are all going to have that with you or someone else or with a woman, that is not for you to debate, it is about the health care we receive because by nature we are the ones who bear the babies (or not), thus making us the deciders of how we plan for families (or not) and if you don’t like that, well – start bearing babies and you’ll change your mind in a New York minute.
March 29th, 2012 at 6:15 am
I don’t know why that posted as a PS but it did…anyway, that was for the women haters here, and you all show your true colors regularly, I’m sure you hide it well to get sex, but most likely you’re very busy looking at your own hand with adoration. – ZL
March 29th, 2012 at 7:34 am
Good morning to you all. First off, I’d like to make an introduction. Hope Hodge is our new national security and defense reporter and her first story for you all is looking in to the Robert Bales case and talked to some experts about the fact that the media circus surrounding the case can be very difficult for the lawyers prosecuting or defending the case.
Also, make sure you are reading John Hayward’s reaction to the ObamaCare hearings at the Supreme Court. But with all the Supreme Court talk the past few weeks in regard to the monolithic health care law that our Congress didn’t read, it’s so important as Americans to understand exactly how critical our system of laws govern and shape our republic. So, that’s why I want to mention briefly this online course being provided by the great folks at Hillsdale College.
It’s a ten-week online crash course on the Constitution called “Constitution 101: The Meaning and History of the Constitution,” and it’s taught by Hillsdale faculty, including the college’s president, Dr. Larry Arnn. A brief sample of what to expect from the curriculum:
-”The Problem of Majority Tyranny”
- “Separation of Powers”
- “Religion, Morality, and Property”
- And, from Dr. Larry Arnn, “The Recovery of the Constitution.”
The best part, aside from the obvious, is that all the material – lectures and everything – is archived on Hillsdale’s website, and available to you at your convenience. Sign up here, and make sure to take the quiz to test your knowledge of the Constitution. You will be surprised by what you don’t know about our Founding document.
There is no cost to register for this course. Make sure to take an opportunity and check out this wonderful and very instructive course.
Plus, John Hayward has a story on Rep. Allen West, who is a conservative freshman stalwart, who is saying that the New Black Panther Party bounty on George Zimmerman is a hate crime.
That’s all from me today, so here’s to a great Thursday, and I’ll see you all tomorrow.
-Adam
March 29th, 2012 at 7:39 am
Zen Lill that was powerful! You becoming a eloquent stateswoman for the state of affairs of american women. Your analysis of the various topics on this blog is also becoming a must read.
I used to basically ignore your post as just a woman looking to suck up to men for attention. But you have matured into a woman I would get behind if she ran for office. I like your analytical ability when you use it to disect the topic without the male apologist influence.
Vivian
March 29th, 2012 at 7:48 am
Michelle,
If I owe you an apology for my comments to everyone previously about lightening up on Doug, please allow me to apologize now. I don’t know what went on (frankly its none of my business) but obviously *everyone* here knows more about the situation than I do. I only made my comment in an attempt to stop the mob rule. If my comment offended you in some way, I am sincerely sorry. I hope you would know that it would never be my intention to upset you, or pick sides.
I come from a place where I like to think that as a society, as women, we can bridge divides. It’s up to us to lead by example. I use to think this blog had the ability to do so. But, more and more I feel your readers keep it ego driven. To make a point, many commentators feel the need to put others down to try to get their point across. I find it childish and ineffective. It’s mud slinging of the worst kind. It really only shows the commentator doesn’t believe their point has any validity whatsoever. If they did, they would be attacking the discussion, not the discussor. Overall, I find it a bit tiresome.
Michelle, I sincerely appreciate what you write about. The social issues you bring to the forefront need to be kept in the public eye and we need to be talking them to effectuate any kind of change. Keep up the good work. I wish you all the best.
/SB
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