SerPolUS_IDES

Rowland on the Quirinale exhibit in Rome (Feb-June 2010), and on the lonely, violent, ill-starred and powefully innovative painter who so connects with people of the 21st century.

Fodor and Piattelli-Palmarini's book What Darwin Got Wrong - says reviewer Richard C. Lewontin - considers an immense amount of biology missing from our modern formulation of evolution by natural selection. Why, when vertebrates evolved wings, did they have to give up their front legs to do it? Why don't birds that live in trees make a living by eating the leaves instead of spending so much of their energy looking for seeds or worms?

Mark Lillo charts how both right and left libertarianism & radical individualism have led to "communities of like-mindedness"; and now to an angry movement that wants to be free from government agencies that protect their health, wealth, and well-being; free from problems and policies too difficult to understand; free from parties and coalitions; free from experts who think they know better than they do; free from politicians who don't talk or look like they do.

Dr. Desiree Pardi, a leading practitioner in palliative care, counseled patients about accepting death, until cancer spread in her body, and she chose to fight it.

Peter B. Bach, M.D., M.A.P.P.: The Debate over Regional Variation in Health Care Spending: "The regional variations in health care spending that are documented by the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care have been cited by many as a justification, and possible basis, for changes in provider payment rates. ..."

H.J. Aaron (health economist) and R.D. Reischauer (former director of HBO): "Health care reform advocates will and should celebrate their history-making legislative success.... But supporters must not relax. They should prepare to meet the serious challenges that remain.... Far from having ended, the war to make health care reform an enduring success has just begun. Winning that war will require administrative determination and imagination and as much political resolve as was needed to pass the legislation."

John K. Iglehart: 'President Barack Obama, sealing a hard-fought and historic victory, has signed into law the Democrats' comprehensive health care reform bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a sweeping measure that would expand coverage to 32 million uninsured Americans. Appearing March 23 in the White House, Obama said, "Today . . . health insurance reform becomes law in the United States of America. . . . We have just enshrined the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health care." '

The passage of health care reform is the end of the century-long welfare project and the beginning of the task of saving the country from fiscal ruin. [FS: I completely disagree with Brooks's conclusions.]

It's long past time to acknowledge that a party that promotes ignorance and provides a safe house for bigotry cannot serve the best interests of our country.

In the debate leading up to the victory for health care reform, President Obama urged lawmakers to do what is right, while opponents relied on fear and cynicism.

Harvard econ prof David Cutler says the Obama plan will cut costs-$600 billion over the next decade-and that those in Washington should not walk away from it.

Dr. Peter J. Pronovost, medical director of the Quality and Safety Research Group at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, travels the country advising hospitals on innovative safety measures.

In Haiti, more than half of food distributions go through religious groups like World Vision that have indispensable networks on the ground. [Liberal snobs who sneer at] faith-based organizationstypically give away far less money than evangelicals. They're also less likely to spend vacations volunteering at, say, a school or a clinic in Rwanda.

The Coffee Party was formed on the opening premise that the federal government "is not the enemy of the people."

Republicans are getting away with their populist masquerade, and Democrats are not convincing the country that they offer anything better.

News, commentary and archival information about the Tea Party movement from NYTimes.

More than populism, the movement is about a transformation from political indifference to bracing for tyranny.

Includes Fred letter re accepting imperfect HCR bill, even without public option.