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OPINIONS E-XTRA
THE NEW MEXICAN Tuesday, June 10, 2014
e-Voices Our Web readers speak out: Our View: WIPP accident requires look at LANL culture, May 31
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Unfortunately, this kind of reaction to undeniable events proves the editorial correct about a culture in denial. I’ve been studying human-caused crises, including in government agencies for two decades, and the patterns are very strong. In almost every case, the events could have been prevented. Well-intentioned people within the organizations — often experts charged to do so, attempted to prevent the event in advance, but the bureaucracy collectively in each case was more defensive than responsible, leading in many cases to the largest losses in recent history. … Los Alamos National Laboratory is not an expert in organizational management and crisis prevention in bureaucracies. Rather sadly, it has become a legendary case study in governance challenges. The organization would do well to place ego appropriately and work with experts just as others reach out to LANL for expertise on nuclear radiation and physics — unquestionably some of the best in the world.” M.M.
As a citizen, I have three public safety questions “ that concern me about radioactive material (process
and non-process) in New Mexico, regardless of where it is stored and produced, transported to and from Los Alamos National Laboratory and other national labs to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, etc. Is it secured [to prevent] unauthorized persons from getting possession of it? How secure is this dangerous material on our public highways … specifically, in safe containers? And lastly, do the municipal, county, state and federal law enforcement officials have an emergency plan to protect the public in an event from a potential threat of a ‘dirty bomb’ scenario if the radioactive material gets into the wrong hands?” F.C. AG King will challenge Gov. Martinez in general election, June 3
This will surely rouse and inspire the Democratic “ base. Maybe the TV commercial bombardment from
Gov. Susana Martinez will lighten up, since she won’t need to spend even half her millions to beat King.” P.S.
It might surprise you to find out that I find “ Gov. Susana Martinez’s tenure as governor uninspir-
ing, too. As far as the Koch brothers go, over the course of two election cycles, they’ve given just under $20,000 in total to Martinez’s campaign or pro-Martinez PACs. That’s just a third of what the unions and their shadowy masters paid to get Javier Gonzales elected as little ol’ Santa Fe’s mayor, so who’s really buying influence? Remember, vote for Gary King, ’cause he has the same last name as his dad; it’s the New Mexican way.” P.K.
I’ll go to the November polls to cast votes for a “ couple of ‘small’ seats. I see little or no reason to
support the hacks who own the Democratic Party. They may not be as unconcerned about New Mexico citizens as the oil barons who own Gov. Martinez, but that’s faint praise for slugs inheriting the right to run — like King. It’s like preferring Wonder Bread over high fructose-corn syrup bourbon mixers.” E.K. City worker held in suspected DWI crash that closed I-25 exit, June 3
Anyone who lives in Las Campanas, works at the “ Department of Game and Fish, plays golf at Marty
Sanchez, walks a dog at the shelter dog pens or works at the shelter, plays soccer or softball or walks/jogs out in the area, knows firsthand the alarming driving habits of city and county government employees and private commercial waste truck drivers. Yes, this particular accident wasn’t on N.M. 599, Caja Del Rio or Wildlife Way, but [this driver] is the tip of the iceberg. I’ve brought it to the attention of Councilor Ron Trujillo but have failed to follow up with him. Anyone who goes out that way better have his or her wits about them. They speed, don’t signal, roll stop signs, don’t use hands-free devices while talking on the phone, and most dangerously, they text while driving. City councilors, mayor, county commissioners, I feel it would be in the public’s interest that these employees be randomly tested for drugs and alcohol.” M.O. Mayor’s transition team: Finance director lacks expertise, June 4
OK, Mayor Javier Gonzales: If the report from your “ transition team can be validated for its credibility, then let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work on the problems! Who is going to step up to the plate? Where is the city manager on these issues?” J.V.
Most read stories on www.santafenewmexican.com 1. 3 teens charged in rape of Pojoaque student 2. Review: LG Lifeband Touch needs a purpose 3. Internet giants erect barriers to spy agencies 4. Rodella loses, then FBI raids his home 5. County clerks say Duran, staff got ‘nasty’ as election night tensions ran high 6. AG King will challenge Gov. Martinez in general election 7. Bergdahl says he was tortured by Taliban captors
About Looking In Letters to the editor and My Views are among the best-read features of The New Mexican. Looking In presents an opportunity for people who read The Santa Fe New Mexican but who live outside its reporting area to comment about things happening in our city and state. Please send such My Views and Letters to letters@sfnew mexican.com.
LOOKING IN: DR. JEFFREY A. SINGER
Cost of health care isn’t going down
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ow much does the average New Mexican pay for health care? Too damn much. Roughly 19 percent of your income goes toward your health care, on average. Now research from Harvard shows that health care spending will grow faster than the economy for at least the next 20 years. “Obamacare” was supposed to prevent this — but it can’t. Rather than reform health care, Obamacare merely expanded health insurance — a costly system that leaves patients behind and is largely responsible for spiraling costs. Americans know this intuitively. Any mention of health insurance elicits moans and groans. This is the right response, according to Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman. He argued that there are good and bad ways for consumers to spend money. Unfortunately for us, health insurance uses the worst option. Think back to your eighth-grade math class. You probably learned that the shortest path between two points is a straight line. You can apply this same logic to spending, where the cheapest option involves only two parties. In health care, the two parties that matter are you and your health care provider (your doctor, the pharmacy, etc.). You spend the least money when you pay them directly. Now consider how health insurance works. Your money exchanges hands multiple times before it reaches the provider. It
first goes to a third party (either the insurance company or the government, such as in Medicare and Medicaid). From there, those entities negotiate compensation schedules with providers and facilities. Both of these steps add bureaucratic and administrative costs to health care’s price tag. And although insurers attempt to lock in reasonable prices on your behalf, they often come up short. Why? Because they’re not spending their money — they’re spending yours. They thus have less of a financial incentive to get the best deal. Businesses and bureaucrats are no different than you and me; if you give them someone else’s money, they’re more likely to spend it foolishly. At this point, you might want to abandon health insurance altogether, perhaps in favor of the “single-payer” system — essentially Medicaid for everyone — favored by European countries. Liberal policymakers wanted exactly that in 2008 and 2009; public opposition caused them to choose Obamacare instead. We’re lucky they failed. Single-payer systems suffer from the exact same problems — and they add in a few more. In single payer, government is the sole provider of health insurance. It thus spends everyone’s money, whereas health insurance companies only spent their customers’ money. Yet the same perverse spending principles apply. The government recognizes this, so it tries to stop consumers from spiking prices further. It restricts our access to health care
through regulation. This leads to poorer quality (think of Medicaid), long waits (think of Europe or Canada) and rationing. Here in America, this is exactly what’s happening to the single-payer Veterans Affairs system, where veterans are now dying. This begs the question: If not Obamacare, what else? Reformers should start by giving consumers the freedom to make their own health care choices. We need to return health insurance to the role of taking care of unpredictable, catastrophic health care expenses, and leave the great majority of everyday health care decisions in the hands of consumers. We know this works. In the fields of cosmetic surgery, Lasik eye surgery, alternative medicine and dentistry, the absence — or minimal presence — of government regulation or health insurance has driven prices down and quality and service up. Doctors can also refuse to take health insurance. More doctors and hospitals are choosing this path. One of my patients did this and saved $17,000 on a single procedure. Lawmakers should encourage this kind of patient-focused innovation. Instead they gave us Obamacare, which wraps health care in red tape and forces everyone to purchase health insurance. Real reform shouldn’t leave us with a higher bill. Dr. Jeffrey A. Singer practices general surgery in Phoenix and is an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute.
LOOKING IN: PAUL NOURIGAT
After graduation: Parents still worry
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illions of parents lose sleep over their concerns for their kids. It’s always been so, yet America’s recent economic cycles have compounded concerns and confounded parents who want to nudge their kids in a good direction. Long-term, double-digit unemployment is a financial plague and extending the antithesis of financial independence: adult kids living at home with their parents. Whether “kids” are Millennial, Gen X, Gen Y or other such post baby boomer classification, they are at a perplexing crossroad of long dependency and tremendous opportunity. America is staring at massive transitions as millions of aging elders relinquish many of their responsibilities of the past, either purposely or due to the forces of nature. There is significant opportunity for younger generations to step up to accept the torch of responsibility in corporations, communities and families. Generally, they’re not prepared, as America bypassed financial education and life-skills training over the past four decades during its unparalleled economic expansion. Now, with two significant economic contractions over the past 10 years, young Americans are playing catch-up to enable them to survive and position themselves for a decent long-term lifestyle, at a time of radical social and economic change. Can they do it? The simple answer is “absolutely” — and let’s give credit where credit is due. While there are many storms on the horizon, our younger generations have developed adaptive skills, technology skills and collaborative skills, which have become essential in rapidly changing work, social and economic environments. Many of our country’s greatest inventions and success stories were born from difficulty as young minds struggled through tough times. How do many break through to success when others languish on the slow road to nowhere? Self-sufficiency trumps spoon-feeding. A hallmark of our times is to dote on our
youth, yet they’ll fail to develop skills given the handouts they expect. Interestingly, the same concept applies to the corporate environment, as many of our best ideas and improvements come from hungry youthful eyes, left to wander a bit and “bump into” opportunities. Micromanaged or coddled employees fail to rise to their true potential when they are held back or artificially promoted. The human mind and its psyche are immensely powerful, when allowed to process complex variables in a natural way, particularly when working through struggles and failures. Financial competency is a successful ingredient that is sorely lacking in America. This threatens personal financial independence and stresses our nation’s solvency. I encourage young Americans to take classes, read books and implement the fundamentals of money, catching up on this life essential. They can avoid the missteps of prior generations if they embrace the guiding principles of financial success:
u Protect employment income with dedication and a passion to serve others. u Spend less than is earned. u Own far more than is owed. u Assume tomorrow will cost more than today, and save accordingly. u Build and monitor a plan to keep things on track. Elders often mischaracterize the next generation, as their lifestyles, vocabularies and attitudes create a perception gap. Gaps are natural with each generational transition, as younger people strive for distinction, while dealing with variables that did not exist when they were born. People in their 20s and 30s will amaze us, if we let them. Embracing differences, while continuing to encourage fundamentals, is the key to family and corporate harmony and the ultimate facilitation of inter-generational success. Paul Nourigat is the author of nine financial success books for kids, teens and young adults; his newest is No Time To Wander: The Financial Compass for Young Americans.
‘Gabachos’ desperate to be dark-skinned? of Sex and Race). Take it, Nericcio! Dear Mexican: If dark-skinned people are so “undesirable,” unwelcome and put “This is the age-old sexual conundrum down by you gringos, how come you bake that is actually easy to explain — we all in the sun like zopilotes to get covet something “strange” from time to time; or, to use other dark? Summer is fantasy time for words, the ‘exotic’ is erotic, the all of you, when you can actuother beckons with an erotic ally get some color in that white electricity that can be blinding skin of yours. Maybe the whole and impossible to overcome. Let’s deal about racists is that they pause here a second and throw hate being white. … I know for racism and sexuality into the proa fact that white women at one verbial conceptual blender: Racpoint or another fantasize about ism is an extension of sex when a dark man, and that many more Gustavo you think about it — the racist’s actually convert that fantasy into Arellano hate of the visually different other reality with guys like me. Who ¡Ask a Mexican! stems from an anxiety (at the wants to go to bed with a pale level of DNA) for ‘the same.’ The guy? I don’t think being brown or tribal backstory of homo sapiens’ black is bad after all. Comments? evolution (whether or not you buy into Tall, Handsome and Dark the frisky intersexual intrigues that just Dear Wab: You won’t hear any arguhad to be going down with Neanderthals) ments from me about this, but since I’m is a tale of a species that “feels safe” when not versed in the gabacho ways, I threw the making the beast with two backs within the question to the Mexican’s Mexican, Wiltribe, but that benefits in terms of evoluliam Nericcio of San Diego State and the tion when philandering outside the tribe. scabrous Tex(t)-Mex: Seductive HallucinaEvolutionary anthropologists call this exogtions of the “Mexican” In America. In addiamy — basically the species (or the tribe) tion to dissecting the semiotics of Mexican thrives when you stop sleeping with your familia, second-cousin lovers be damned! imagery, Profe Nericcio also has insight into the American obsession with image “So enjoy all the love you’re getting and (check out his upcoming Eyegiene: Permusharing with pale chicas lusting after your swarthy goodness. While you might feel tations of Subjectivity in the Televisual Age
muy guapo with all the attention, know also that these melatonin-challenged mujeres are merely following basic laws of attraction that owe more to Darwin than your own inner-Papi-chulo!” Dear Mexican: I read your column some time ago about why Mexicans go swimming in their undershirts. But I think you missed something. All us Mexican guys are terribly un-tanned. Lift up my sleeve, and it looks like someone dipped my arm in the deep fryer, at least after the shirt ends. How do I fix this? Prieto but Not That Prieto Dear Dark but Not That Dark Wab: You want to be darker? Um, OK, but the Mexican always loves to shock gabacho audiences by rolling up his sleeves to show a natural skin color even lighter than their lace-curtain Irish auntie. ¡Ask a Mexican! videos are back! After a years-long hiatus, I’ve relaunched the video version of this columna. Follow my weekly rants on Twitter by clicking the hashtag #askamexican and ask away. Enjoy! Ask the Mexican at themexican@askamexican.net, be his fan on Facebook, follow him on Twitter @gustavoarellano or follow him on Instagram @gustavo_arellano!