Right. Spend billions on the potential for a devastating disease -- okay. Influenza can be pretty bad (although epidemiologists have been blatting about 1918-redux since I was a teenager). But I've seen my fair share of medical hysteria, and it seems usually to end with people taking cipro needlessly and duct taping themselves into their houses.

(Actually, I have a great article by Margaret Talbot in my files, called "Hysteria Hysteria," about the rash of psychogenic illnesses that cropped up in the winter of 001-02. And about how angry people got if they got wind the illness was being called psychogenic -- i.e. "it's all in your head.")

I remember seeing the pics is all.

This is what you get for going places that aren't here, you know.

Okay. I have to get back to work.

Which is in the other room.

Wow. Astonishing lack of motivation.

(although epidemiologists have been blatting about 1918-redux since I was a teenager)

Yeah, and people have been blatting about a big hurricane hitting New Orleans for at least ten years and nobody listened. In this particular case, the boy crying wolf is right.

Personally I've come around to thinking that universal health care is necessary in one form or another. That would be a help in fixing our health care delivery system. I think it's good that the government is preparing for the bird flu. Hopefully there is some long term thinking involved here too since the pandemic probably won't happen this time around, but almost certainly will occur at some year down the line.

I think universal health care is going to be a big issue in 2008. Health care is such a pain in the ass for businesses and individuals alike that someone is bound to jump on it.

Izzo (H.O.V.A.) is not conducive to working. It is, however, conducive to team building. We're having a dance party in my office. "GET YOUR DAMN HANDS UP!"

and I got it backwards.

...or possibly not! I tell you, this x - (-1)^n thing is annoying. I'm all, so if it's even it's... positive! negative! positive! Brad! Janet! The frogurt is also cursed!

by the way Yay for Emily!

Thanks! It's only a preliminary licensure, and it turns out I'm not going to need it anyway (I figured I'd need it if I were going to get a job during my student teaching, but I'm not, and once I'm done I'll get an initial licensure), so actually it's only a waste of $100, but who cares! I get a license! I'm a teacher in potentia!

Health care is such a pain in the ass for businesses and individuals alike that someone is bound to jump on it.

I think that the only way this country is going to get universal health care passed is when Corporate America realizes how damn much they're going to save overall when the government is paying for health care instead of them. Only if all the other business groups (and their associate lobbyists and duly-paid-for politicians) gang up on the medical and insurance groups (and their associate lobbyists and duly-paid-for politicians) will the thing go through.

Yeah, and people have been blatting about a big hurricane hitting New Orleans for at least ten years and nobody listened.

Well, but hurricanes hit every year -- it was just a matter of aim before it found New Orleans. Fatal airborne epidemics of any kind (to say nothing of influenza) are pretty rare, more rare I bet than a coastal city in the Gulf of Mexico being hit with a large-ish hurricane.

Also, it's possible to gird a city against earthquake, flood, and other disasters pretty much permanently, or anyway for the long term. A lot of people will get flu shots this year, thanks to this new strain, but I bet they'll forget next year. Stockpiling drugs is a good idea, as is creating epidemic disaster plans, but neither of these actions needs a huge press push to be implemented.

Personally I've come around to thinking that universal health care is necessary in one form or another.

You know, I agree, and the weird part is, I think corporations are starting to agree (they matter a lot more than we do). Recently the Times had an article about WalMart, of all places, complaining about the price of managed care, and wondering what to do about it. It sounded from the article as if universal health care was an option they were wishing for, if only they could get past the "socialized medicine" label.

Massachusetts is working on plans for universal health care through corporations in the senate this fall, but it seems awfully messy and half-assed. (Requiring all companies to offer healthcare, or reimbursing companies that do, or -- the plan changes every week.) Still, it's a direction.