The Truth about Medicare and "Medi-Scare"

By now the fact checkers have had their way with Paul Ryan's speech and his ... uh ... clever use of the "facts" when it comes to budgets, the economy, and Medicare.   But it's the Medicare comments that have really bothered me.  At one time I was impressed with Paul Ryan's big ideas and willingness to challenge the country on Medicare spending.  While I was leery of the implementation of his voucher program, I was glad he was willing to have the tough conversation.  America's biggest fiscal threat is an aging population, the rapidly increasing retirements of Baby Boomers, and the un-bridled growth in health care costs and spending.

And then he gave an incredibly disingenuous speech.

Paul Ryan walked away from his credibility when he went to Florida and criticized President Obama for making "cuts" in Medicare, even though Ryan's much-touted budget plan makes the entire same cuts - which aren't cuts in benefits but restraints on runaway payments to doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and hospitals.  It was quite near hypocrisy - and then he went one step more.  Ryan literally accused the Democrats and President Obama of raiding Medicare while claiming "a Ryan-Romney administration will protect and strengthen Medicare."  Of course, that's simply not true, as Ryan's plan is to replace Medicare with a voucher program.  Replacing the program literally is an end to the program.

The critics have been quite vocal about this - but none has effectively articulated this as Paul Krugman has in his most recent column.  Krugman can be a bit much at times, and I don't always agree with his plans or his ideology and partisanship.  But his analysis of Medicare and Paul Ryan is spot on.  Medicare is pretty non-negotiable in this country because health care costs are unrestrained, and the private industry is not going to insure expensive people like senior citizens.  That's why we created Medicare in the first place.  And too many Republicans are forgetting that.  And too many Americans have crazy thoughts like "Keep your government hands off my Medicare."

Of course, Ryan was not wrong to question Medicare spending.  The plan needs reform, and that should begin with means testing and caps on benefits.  And retirees - and all Americans - need to do everything they can to enter retirement as healthy as possible.  And it really bothers me how poorly Americans take care of themselves and then expect incredibly cheap - to the point of almost free - health care in old age.  But a voucher program for seniors is not going to lower costs - and it's going to leave too many without adequate care.  And that is not good for a country.

You Cannot Tip a Cow

For years, I have been listening to people perpetuate the urban legend of "cow tipping."  Where the idea originated is anybody's guess, but it probably began as a way for city and suburban kids to mock and ridicule country kids.  The basic idea would have been that there is nothing to do "out in the sticks," so rural teens spend their weekend nights, driving around drinking, and then they head out to the fields to "tip cows" for fun.

The stated premise - or reason that this can allegedly be done - is cows are incredibly stupid and top heavy and they sleep standing up.  So, in theory, a few people can "sneak up" on the cow and tip it over.  However, there are numerous flaws to this "theory," and I've spent countless conversations try to convince people otherwise.  Having grown up near rural areas, and knowing numerous people who own cattle, I can unequivocally assert that "You cannot tip a cow."

Of course, people amazingly argue this to ridiculous ends.  It's most often my students - who have heard that I say it can't be done.  Inevitably, they ask about it, and then at least one kid will claim to either have done it, or to know someone who has.  Often they swear it can be done because their father has done it, and has told them about it.  And, sadly, I have to tell the kids, "No offense to your father - I'm sure he's a great guy.  But he's lying to you."  Occasionally the stories start to shift a bit - and kids will say "it was a baby cow."  But again.  They've been lied to.

You cannot tip a cow.  Here's why:

• Cows weigh 1,000+ pounds.  Get that?  1,000 - 1,500 pounds.  They're half a ton.  No one - and I mean no one - is just tipping that over.

• Cows don't sleep standing up, and they are incredibly light sleepers.  No one is just sneaking up on a sleeping cow and tipping it over.  They might "doze" or "nap" while standing, but they don't sleep that way.

• Cows are incredibly skittish and afraid.  And, if you are not the cow's owner or caregiver, you are not getting anywhere near that cow.  And if you could and started pushing on it, it would move.  Quickly.  Or it might just kick the shit out of you.  Ask someone who's been kicked while milking one.

• They weigh 1,000 pounds.  Did I mention that yet?

So, even if you could get near them, they wouldn't just let you tip them.  And even if you got them to hold still and brought an NFL defensive line up to push on them, they are not so top heavy that they are going to fall over.  And regardless, no one is talking about those conditions.  People are continuing the myth that drunk teens can sneak up on a cow and tip it over.  But they can't.

I usually end conversations by encouraging them to find proof, and I urge them to check it out on YouTube.  If it could be done, there would certainly be evidence.  But there's not.

So, feel free to prove me wrong.  But you'd look like a fool trying to do so.  Because you cannot tip a cow.

Great Food Truck Race 2012 - Aussie Babes Out

In the second installment of the Food Network's 2012 Great Food Truck Race, the Barbie Babes from Australia didn't make the cut in beautiful Flagstaff, Arizona.  Unfortunately for them, they were not exactly the lowest earners that week - a distinction that went to Pop-a-Waffles.  The Waffle boys, however, won immunity this week with the food challenge to cook a local delicacy - cactus.  I was a bit surprised by their win, as they simply made a cactus salsa - and the judge criticized some other trucks for not doing anything special.  I guess their salsa was just better.  Thus, they survive another week, and Momma's Grizzly barely stays in despite making the huge rookie mistake of closing up early.  The winners of the week were the Korean guys from Seoul Sausage for the second week in the row.

The days in Flagstaff were fairly entertaining, as Tyler Florence let the trucks get right to work.  I did think it was an interesting dilemma the Atlanta crew got into by heading to the kite festival and being denied for a lack of permit.  The man on the screen told them it "was a city event, and thus they could only allow certified vendors."  But if that is the case, how were the trucks able to set up on the streets of Flagstaff?  Obviously, I'm missing something.  And the issue of licensing food trucks is becoming more significant as the industry grows.  Clearly, Flagstaff is OK with trucks just pulling in from out of town and setting up shop.  And, if not, the Food Network should be on top of that.

Overall, it was a fun week.  Though, at this point, I don't have much connection to any of the contestants.  And I'm not feeling it like I did in seasons past.  Hopefully the show will kick it up a notch.  Not that I just want drama.  But I enjoyed the whole food truck experience more in the past.  Perhaps that was because they were skilled food truck operators.  We'll see.

Of course, now it's off to Amarillo, Texas.  It will be interesting to see whether Seoul Sausage can stay on top in a place like Texas.

Competency-Based Learning in Adams 12

Despite the endless diatribes from Arne Duncan about the need for "a longer school day, a longer school week, and a longer school year" for all, the idea of more tailored education meeting the individual needs of students is growing.  I've long opposed and argued against the idea of mandated "seat time," as declaring 1080 contact hours necessary for mastery or even competence is ridiculous.  Certainly, standards should exist for time in school - and Malcolm Gladwell reminds about the 10,000 necessary for mastery.  But the notion of "seat time" is changing, and districts are becoming innovative in terms of moving kids to mastery on a more flexible schedule.

For roughly three years now, Adams 12 District in Colorado has been operating on a competency-based education model.  Students move up in grade levels based on mastery of skills and content, not number of years or days or "contact hours" in school.  The plan appears to be working, as the students are showing improved performance in this notoriously low district.  A teacher's view has always been that if it works, it's good policy.  And it appears moving students at their level of mastery instead of a set yearly schedule is effective.  Certainly, there are downsides to this system, and it could be a logistical nightmare.  Yet, the benefits of moving kids based on competency are pretty clear.

Some downsides would be the challenging system of measurement and the logistics of scheduling.  And, of course, just because a student can come into my class and write one effective essay does not mean he won't benefit from the practice of writing ten more.  Mastery is built up over extensive hours of practice.  And the time spent in class discussion is every bit as valuable to our education as being able to display a measurable skill on demand.  Certainly, a minimum amount of class time is mandatory.  However, as students move up the levels, the specifics of seat time become less significant.  And, allowing students to move on to a higher level math whenever they're ready makes a lot of sense.  At the age of nine, my son was already "upstairs" at his school taking the middle school math classes simply because he was ready.  Of course, he was also emotionally mature enough to handle it.

The competency-based model of student advancement is certainly worth investigating and developing.  It has seemed to work most effectively at the lowest and highest levels.  Kids who struggle work at their pace and focus on accomplishment - not just getting by.  Kids at the top levels can take AP and CE classes to begin working on higher level education and even college degrees when they are ready.  Wherever it works, it should be implemented.

Business & Government

Interesting thoughts from Barton Gellman in his cover piece, "The Mind of Mitt," in Time Magazine.  Much has been made of Mitt Romney's business credentials, but I have always been skeptical that such a background qualifies someone for political office, especially the Presidency.  For, there is very little evidence that good businessmen make good presidents.  And, as several analysts have pointed out about Mitt's pledge to "create jobs" because he knows how to do that, his background in finance and private equity was never about creating jobs.  Private equity in no way has a goal of job creation - and it usually works in reverse.  Thus, I continue to be skeptical of the business background argument in relation to elected office.  In reality, these are two entirely different fields.  Business is not governing, and government is not a business.

Effective Diction and Editing

Teaching students the importance of effective diction and language choices is an integral part of the English classroom.  The French call it le mot juste - the right word.  And, an effective and fun classroom activity - which can work at all age levels - is the Three-Word Poem.  For a deeper explanation, check out my latest entry on my English blog.

Health Insurance is Not Like Any Other Insurance

At the age of forty-two, I have carried auto insurance for two and a half decades - and I have never made a claim.  That situation is the same for most Americans, and it pretty much holds true for their homeowners insurance and their life insurance and their personal items insurance ... and everything that is not health insurance.

That's the difference.

As a holder of a group insurance policy with my employer and a purchaserer of an individual private health care policy for my family, I am well-versed with the insurance industry.  And the health insurance industry has literally no connection or similarity to any other insurance business. And, that is why I simply cannot support the Republican Party on any discussion of health care reform. They like to believe that the government is the problem in health insurance, and if we simply treated it like auto insurance with people buying individual policies across state lines, the free market would fix the problems.

Not gonna happen, people.  Not at all.

In the most recent edition of Time Magazine, Edward Hudgins of the Ayn Rand Atlas society is quoted in an article about Paul Ryan as saying, "He's been explicit that he wants to save Medicare .... we'd like to see the private sector handle this the way it handles auto insurance."  Clearly, Ed Hudgins - and probably Paul Ryan - is so disconnected from reality that he should be making no policy decisions about health care.  Medicare cannot be handled by the private sector because seniors are simply not profitable.  They are quite expensive - which is why Medicare was necessary in the first place.

Now, whether we should expect seniors - and all Americans - to be a little more health conscious to avoid the ever-increasing Medicare costs is a good question.  But expecting the private sector to handle Medicare the way it handles auto insurance is incredibly naive - and actually quite dangerously stupid.

Robert Irvine & Restaurant Impossible Teach Quality of Life

From a teacher's view, Robert Irvine and his show Restaurant Impossible on the Food Network is one of the best television shows available for educating people about how to live.  Having watched the show fairly regularly for the past year or so, I am so impressed with how effectively Irvine teaches people not only how to run a restaurant but how to manage their lives and see the world as ripe with opportunities to simply be better.  The key for the show is its emphasis on quality, and the basic premise is to encourage not only the restaurateurs but also the audience to not settle for mediocrity.  This country is really filled with just so much .... crap.  People are willing to eat practically anything out of convenience or habit, and they have no expectations of quality or service or sanitation or really anything.  And it's truly shocking to see and hear what people are willing to accept.  Yet, Irvine and the nearly magical crew at Restaurant Impossible are able to show them the light ... with $10,000 ... and roughly forty-eight hours.

This evening Robert Irvine and Restaurant Impossible celebrated their fiftieth show by taking a look back over all their episodes and experiences.  It was quite the retrospective, especially with Irvine returning to some of the more interesting - and notorious - restaurants.  As a testament to the value of what Irvine does, he revealed that nearly nine out of ten restaurants they refurbish actually remain in business and profitable.  That's a remarkable success rate - and it speaks to Irvine's ability to teach people a better way - and most importantly leave them with the skills and knowledge to do it on their own.  Of course, many are critical of Irvine's style, especially his tendency to steamroll people and spare no feelings.  Certainly, it is a version of tough love, and he is committed to making his budget, deadline, and goal.  Thus, sometimes people need to be dealt with .... sternly.  Yet, ultimately they appreciate it in the end, as evidenced by the "Revealings" - those moments when owners and workers see the remodeled restaurants.  There's rarely a dry eye.

Robert Irvine is really the Dr. Phil of the restaurant business, and his show Restaurant Impossible really reflects and develops a teacher's view of the culinary world.

The Great Food Truck Race is Back - Food Network

Now that  the Food Network has found its next Food Network Star in Justin Warner, it's time for the third annual Great Food Truck Race, which premiered last night with Tyler Florence returning as host.  The Food Truck Race has been a nice complement to the Food Network Star show as it features teams of food truck operators competing against each other in various cities - with certain challenges - as they "race," or travel, across America in a quest for $50,000.  The standard reality show elimination process is pretty simple - as the food truck who earns the least amount of money each week goes home.

This season, however, there's a twist.

Previous seasons of the Great Food Truck Race have allowed current food truck operators from around the country to compete - and get some great exposure - while touring the country.  This season, a group of food truck owner wannabes are competing for "a new food truck."  The contestants are people who aspire to own their own food truck - and who hopefully have the culinary chops and the market savvy to win the competition.  Additionally, the winners will receive the same $50K as before.  Now, that's a sweet deal.  I am quite impressed with the Food Network for finding eight contestants with food truck aspirations and a business model.  However, I am actually amazed that the Food Network has sprung for outfitting eight trucks with each specific food "point of view." I'm sure they had sponsorship cover it, but that wasn't cheap.  And some trucks will only be used for a couple days.  Potential foodsters include Barbie Babes bringing tastes of Australian BBQ, Coast of Atlanta serving up southern seafood, Pizza Mike's, and Seoul Sausage with some Korean BBQ.

The most heartwarming - and heartbreaking - story came from the competitors Under the Crust.  Hannah, along with her mom and a friend, are [were] hoping to make their way a "mini-pie" food service on wheels, featuring sweet to savory small tart-size pies.  This idea was apparently the dream of Hannah and her fiancé who passed away from cancer eight months after diagnosis.  I was pulling for them from the moment I teared up.  Alas, the pie dreams were not to be fulfilled as Under the Crust struggled too much on the first day putting together their menu.  And, I was doubly sad because I love pie.  The pie idea sounded fantastic - though I'm not so sure Hannah and her culinary school friend could really bring it.  They did film some good feedback from customers - but it wasn't enough.  Hopefully, Hannah gets another shot someday.

Early favorites seem to be Seoul Sausage - three Korean friends trying to avoid "a real job" and Pizza Mike's - an older gentleman who ran pizza place for years until it burned down.  He's not ready for retirement though, and the food truck opportunity could be just the ticket back.  Momma's Grizzly looks like a weak idea - and it brings up bad memories of Wasilla, Alaska.  And while the waffle guys have a good idea, I don't think they have the culinary skills.  Last year's winner was Korean BBQ, and it looks like "Seoul food" might be just the ticket again.

Can "Spoiled" Millennials Make the Workplace Better

We've all heard the stories about the whiny young workers of Generation Y - or the Echo-Boom or the Millenials - who complain about the demands of the workplace and how it interferes with their quality of life.  Generation X and the Baby Boomers and the retired Silent Generation look with contempt on these spoiled youngsters who simply need to "suck it up" and put in their time and earn their privileges.  That seems pretty reasonable - it is "work" after all.  And you can't start in the corner office.  However, freelance writer Emily Matchar poses another interpretation of these "spoiled, coddled" children and their complaints about the workplace.  Perhaps these kids are on to something.  And maybe their complaints can help improve everybody's lives.

The reality for this generation is that they are never going to "get over it."  That's not the way they were raised.  They've come to expect better - and they are certainly a generation who has been taught that fairness is of primary importance.  And, of course, after seeing their parents work themselves crazy - and still ending up divorced and unhappy in middle age, the Millennials might be right to complain.  The reality is - according to Matchar - Generation Y "is right to complain about the workplace ... because the modern workplace frankly stinks, and the changes wrought by Gen Y will be good for everybody."  Certainly, the struggles of the middle class are well documented, as American productivity increases while wages remain stagnant or even regress.  Americans work longer hours, take fewer and shorter vacations, and have decreasing benefits every year.  And this is not good for society.  And, it doesn't appear that organized labor is going to do anything to improve the conditions of its workers.  Union membership is at an all-time low even as the auto industry recovers and companies like Caterpillar and GE are sitting on record profits and paying executives lavish salaries and benefits while boosting stock prices and dividends.

Generation Y is determined to "get theirs" and not make the same mistakes - or suffer silently - like previous generations, and that might just improve society overall.  CEO's like Howard Schultz of Starbucks and John Mackey of Whole Foods seem committed to creating a new paradigm for workers in which the responsibility is to the consumer and the employees - not Wall Street.  That sounds like a nice place to be.  As a teacher - from a teacher's view - I've always been impressed with the tolerance and good will of the younger generation.  As such, I've hoped that these future CEO's and executives would be more committed to making the world better at the same time they are making their own lives better.  That flatter view of the world and the workplace is what led MTV to determine that Generation Y - the Millenials - could be called No-Collar Workers.  Now, certainly we will continue to see divisions based on the value of the work and the level of education required to do it.  But Gen Y is right to ask "Why we have to meet in an office cross-country when we can call in remotely via Skype?"  

That said, Generation Y can be a bit much - with stories of their parents calling their bosses and asking for raises.  Really.  But the ideas that the workplace can be more convenient and comfortable and efficient and productive and well compensated are not entirely wrong.  And I'd encourage any and all to always advocate for something better.  It can't hurt to ask.

FOLLOW UP: For more on this topic, you might check out the news on firms and corporations who are starting to bend and give in to the demands of Generation Y.  The reality is employers are either finding some agreement with the younger workers or they are realizing it's fruitless to argue with them.  That's an interesting paradigm shift, and, again, it just might be good for America.

On-line Classes, Coursera, and "Real Learning"

The news about online learning continues to grow, as do the opportunities and the criticism.  With information spreading about the opportunity to "take classes" online at elite universities such as MIT, Harvard, and Stanford, people are beginning to wonder what the actual value of attending these schools really is.  In essence, if a student freely can access - and satisfactorily complete - all the coursework in engineering at MIT, then is he as qualified for work as a student who attended the university full time ... and potentially paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in tuition?

The rise of of "Massive Open Online Courses," also known as MOOCs is changing the way we think about accessing education - or at least about accessing information.  It began certainly with colleges like Westwood and Phoenix, but gained a serious bump and considerable credibility a couple years ago when professors at Stanford began offering open access to their course through portals such as Coursera - an online learning platform which coordinates access and materials.  Coursera quickly became a game changer - and others moved to replicate the model.  Other options include platforms such as EdX, which calls itself "the future of online learning, and Education Portal about which I've posted before.  And, these are just the college classes - for the Khan Academy is opening up new opportunities in K-12 learning.

Is this the future of education?

Not so fast, says UCLA philosophy professor Pamela Hieronymi  in a commentary for the Chronicle.  Professor Hieronymi is worried about our fascination with the internet and the danger of "confusing technology with college teaching."  Anyone who has spent a reasonable amount of time in the classroom at the higher level - or anywhere really - understands that much of education comes from the conversations and the human interactions.  It's not just about looking up and reading information on the computer.  That "Google" approach to learning might help us find information.  But sifting through and synthesizing that information and moving to knowledge and wisdom is what education is really about.  And that takes feedback and questioning, most efficiently coming from human interaction.  The learning process unfolds in a much more fluid form, and class discussion simply cannot completely be replaced by "discussion boards."

Certainly, the efficiency factor is important.  And I love the access to information that MOOCs provided.  But Professor Hieronymi has reasons for us to pause before declaring a "new model" for education.

It's the Students, Stupid ... or the "Stupid" Students

After twenty-five years in public education, teaching in Utah's schools, Teresa Talbot has concluded that the problems with public education aren't about "what is taught, where it is taught, how it is taught, or by whom it is taught."  Instead, the problems are students who refuse to do work.  Laziness in students and a failure by parents and students to care enough about their education to demand success are the root cause of failure in public schools.

Well, that ought to generate  some serious flack.