And China isn’t an expert on handling pandemic crises. During the SARS panic, they covered up outbreaks and censored doctors and reporters that tried to report the truth. With the current swine flu outbreak, they’ve been arbitrarily quarantining people to the point where the general population is terrified that foreigners and returning overseas Chinese will spread disease throughout the country. AIDS is the leading killer among infectious diseases there, in part because of faulty blood transfusion screenings that have help spread it around.

China is making fantastic strides every day, but they shouldn’t be idolized just because their one-party government is able to cram “progress” through at a faster clip.

HOWEVER, I was told that I “definitely” needed to receive a 3-day inpatient surgical procedure. I flew back to the U.S. to get a second opinion, and was told the procedure (which would be outpatient in the U.S.) actually had several possible side effects (including making the condition worse) and might not even improve my condition in the first place. The doctor here suggested several more conservative measures instead that I’ve decided to go with. I’m very glad I had the choice choose which health care system I went with.

Yes, China is wondrously cheap, (and I have had good experiences with their health care for minor issues, like tonsillitis), but I wouldn’t hold up their system as model.

What’s ironic is that it’s legal for me to get health care or medication in China — or anywhere else in the world — but it’s not legal for me to buy health insurance outside my home state. It’s also easier for me to deduct mortgage interest, a new home purchase, or a “cash for clunkers” car trade in from my taxes than it is my health care expenses. If the government truly cared about the uninsured, why can’t they just cut them health care checks directly? There would be no bureaucratic infrastructure to build, and the needy would still have the right to decide who and where they were treated.

The level of government closet to the people, cities, towns and counties, have the least money and power while the level of government furtherest from the people, Washington, has the most money and power. It is hard to make good decisions when the decision-makers are so far away from the actual problem. I am not sure that a bureaucrat in Washington would know how to best apply stimulus money to, say, Rochester as opposed to empowering the local Rochester community and elected officials to spend the money as it best sees fit.

Obviously, you need co-ordination but that is what senior levels of government are supposed to do; co-ordinate efforts rather than dictate decisions from far away.

Have a good weekend.

Give the president a line item veto.

And the only way to make this happen — term limits. And not a 10 or 20 year limit either. One or 2 term limit. 5 year max. If you can’t get something done in 5 years it’s time to give someone else a chance.