Boot the Tort Lawyers

            I love good ideas. Well, I recently learned of an idea that could potentially save us $2.6 trillion over 10 years. For that kind of money, I think everybody should know about it..

            The states of Georgia and Florida are studying something called the Patients' Compensation System. It's a system to compensate people who have suffered medical injuries without going through the courts. In fact, it would put malpractice tort lawyers out of business.
            Let me back up a little. My very first job after college was as an insurance adjuster. I handled two kinds of cases, negligence and workers' compensation (called workmens' comp in that pre-PC era). Negligence cases were often complicated and many ended up in court. But workers' compensation cases for the most part were a snap. Once an injury was determined to be work-related, the insurance company covered the injured party's medical bills, paid for time lost, and made an award if the injury caused a full or partial disability. Since 1948, all states have had workers' compensation legislation in place, and the vast majority of cases are handled smoothly and fairly and without lawyers and courts .
            The Patients' Compensation System would apply the same kind of administrative methods to malpractice cases. People unhappy with their medical care would be compensated, if a panel of health-care experts found their claim to be justified. They would no longer have to get a lawyer to sue for damages and then wait years for the case to be adjudicated.
            To me, this looks like a win-win situation for everybody, except, of course, for tort lawyers who see malpractice litigation as a stairway to monetary heaven. Without the fear of being sued, physicians would no longer have to practice defensive medicine, which is estimated to cost over $480 billion a year; unnecessary tests and referrals to specialists would all but disappear. With the elimination of outlandish jury awards, medical malpractice insurance rates would drop dramatically, and doctors would no longer have to pass these costs on to patients.
            With the likelihood of Obamacare bumping up health care costs by a cool trillion dollars over the next ten years, it certainly behooves legislators in every state to follow the lead of Georgia and Florida and look into this great idea.

The Need for Vocational Education

            Kudos to the Daily Advance, the Perquimans Weekly, and the Chowan Herald for publishing "Progress 2013." Special Kudos to Peter Williams for bringing us up to date on the promising future of Perquimans County's Commerce Center.

            Even more important, to my mind, was Williams's article on vocational education. The sad fact is that if  kids want to learn to be a carpenter, a plumber, a machinist, a draftsman, or a beautician, they won't acquire the needed skills in the Perquimans County school system.    We need to recognize that not all students are suited for or want a college education. Upon graduation from high school, these young people face the extremely difficult prospect of entering the job market without marketable skills. The art, music, and foreign language classes they were forced to take for credits needed to graduate simply don't enhance their resumes.
            Government, as well-intentioned as it may be, creates this problem by insisting on stricter academic standards that leave little room for vocational training. Unfortunately, mandating courses with no practical application is like forcing a student to eat food that has no nutritional value.
            As Williams reported in his article, Governor Pat McCrory and some members of the state legislature are beginning to see the light. It's time for a two-tiered system for high school graduations that certifies that a student is ready for college or a vocational career.
            I'm not in a position to tell local educators how to accomplish this. But I know it can be done. When my wife and I were raising our children in Sussex County, New Jersey, she drove a school bus that had two routes: one to the regional high school and one to the regional Vo-Tech school.
            Whether a two-tiered system in our high school, a regional vocational school, or some other solution is the right one for Perquimans County, we should be glad that our government is finally realizing that we have a problem that needs solving.

O'Reilly, Obama, and Francis

 

            On March 13th I posted an article that said that foreign aid to Morocco over the years has paid dividends for the United States. On the same day, and purely a coincidence, Bill O'Reilly on his TV show criticized the government for giving $27 million in foreign aid to teach Moroccans how to make pottery. I usually agree with O'Reilly when he cites wasteful spending by our government. It's too bad that this time he didn't get his facts right.

            First, the $27 million was not a one-shot disbursement: the money covers a four-year program to fund a number of projects designed to help Morocco's economy. True, the program did include teaching the making of pottery, and I understand that it was a wasted effort because the teacher didn't speak the language and didn't use locally available materials, not to mention that Moroccans have been making pottery for centuries. This part of the program was quickly ended after using only a small portion of the funding. I wish Bill O'Reilly had gotten  the full story before bloviating (one of his favorite words) about it.
            Another spending story that caught my attention was a report that President Obama's recent Florida golf outing cost taxpayers $950,000. And that doesn't include the cost of sending Michelle and her entourage to Aspen for a bit of skiing on that same weekend. But then the president saved all that money by cutting out White House tours. Has the man no shame?
            A continent away an Argentine was elevated to the papacy, and one of the first things he did was to go to his hotel to pick up his bags and pay the bill. Himself. This is the same man who, as bishop of Buenos Aires, chose to live in a tiny apartment, cook his own food, and take the bus to work.
            The parallels between President Obama and Pope Francis are interesting: both have made speeches and sermons about how they identify with the poor and the downtrodden; both have taken action in their public lives to do something it. But in one important way the difference between the two is startling: in their personal lives only one practices what he preaches.

           

Foreign Aid to Egypt?

            I am conflicted about Foreign Aid. I am not alone, I'm sure, in reacting furiously to the announcement that the United States is giving $250 million to Egypt's President Morsi, in addition to a billion in military aid. There is no defensible reason for us to give military aid to a country that is now dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, an avowed enemy of Israel. And there is no possible justification for giving money to this anti-American regime without any strings attached. Does anybody outside the Beltway think that money buys friendship and goodwill?

            There is a right way to do foreign aid that I can relate to. My dad spent 19 years working for the State Department's AID program. In 1961, when I was a college student, I spent my summer vacation in Morocco where Dad was stationed. To further my education he sent me on a trip with a Belgian technician who worked for the AID mission. We traveled by Jeep over the Atlas Mountains to the remote town of Risani, which is located at a point where a river flowing down to the Sahara peters out. It doesn't get any more remote than this.
            Why Risani? Well, U.S. aid had financed the building of a tannery there under the direction and advice of my Belgian friend. It became the main support for the population of Risani and part of a broad program to revitalize Moroccan industry. Did the program make sense or was it a waste of money?
            Fifty years ago Morocco was a backward nation, abandoned by the French, its hills denuded of trees, beggars everywhere, industry practically non-existent. Today, Morocco is a democracy and America's staunchest ally in North Africa. Today, Casablanca is North Africa's busiest port and Morocco is on a sound economic footing. More importantly, Morocco, unlike Egypt, is exerting a positive, pro-American  influence on its neighbors. In sum, our generous aid to Morocco over the years is paying dividends.
            If my dad were alive today, he would tell us that that there is a right way and a wrong way to do foreign aid. With its dwindling resources and enormous debt, the United States cannot afford to continue mindless aid to countries that profess an unrelenting enmity toward us and our allies. But done with common sense, foresight, and clearly stated objectives, foreign aid can pay off in the long run.
            Morocco and Egypt are both North African Arab countries. One is a friend and ally, the other controlled by people who hate us. Which one should get our aid?