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Doctor Feelgood

Doctor Feelgood

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Leave it to Mötley Crüe to be the prophets of the age. In 1989 they recorded their high-test Doctor Feelgood disc that contained the lead single by the same name. Besides being a musical treat, the song foretells (or retells) a very old story. Living amongst us, in the pit of our deepest worries, is the man that can make it all go away. We aren’t necessarily certain as to how he actually does it, but we really want to believe that he can do it. Even if it’s a hoax, that is just fine. We need a visit, every once-in-awhile, from the good Doctor Feelgood. It is the messianic story. And he is the agent in Joseph Campbell’s Hero with a Thousand Faces. The chorus of the tune goes like this:

Let him soothe your soul, just take his hand
Some people call him an evil man
Let him introduce himself real good
He's the only one they call ‘Feelgood’

So, what does Dr. Feelgood’s tell us? Please, pull up a chair.

  1. All of our overwrought fears are completely unwarranted, senseless and harmful.
  2. We can all lock arms and work in a symphonic fashion to solve for any issues we might face.
  3. The data is “on his side” and that he (Dr. Feelgood) has a Gnostic understanding of its meaning.
  4. Everyone’s interests are
Doctor Feelgood

How To Fix Our Schools

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I'm not one to spend time commenting on something as innocuous as a movie, but I just finished watching something that was both compelling and surprising. Davis Guggenheim's documentary "Waiting For Superman" had my attention for the entire 111 minutes, and I learned some important things about the successes of some alternative charter schools, the bureaucratic nightmares that have impeded some schools from succeeding, and most importantly the devastating stranglehold that the teacher's unions exert in ensuring that teachers are as demotivated as possible.  The story of the attempts by the District of Columbia school district to partner with the teacher's union to create a pathway to success is scandalous, and clearly ensures that failing teachers never have to be held accountable. I get why unions came to exist, and I get the fact that some unions may actually still create value in some situations. However, I think we are far past seeing any value in government and education unions.  Watching the president of the American Federation of Teachers extoll [...]
Doctor Feelgood

Measure the Cost

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March 19th marked an unusual anniversary for me.

Eighteen years ago on that very day, I drank my last drop of alcohol.

Yes, it’s true.  I am a tee-totaller.  But before you declare me intolerant of those who drink, please hear my full story and how I came to the conviction of no longer drinking.

I never was a big drinker.  I really didn’t like to put any substances in my body which would have inhibited my intellect or athletic abilities.  I never tried any illegal drugs, and I especially abstained from alcohol when I was playing football.  (I played high school and college ball.)

However, in the off-season, even when it was not legal for me to do so, I would drink a beer or two.  Gin and tonics were my drink of choice in college.  As an adult, I acquired a taste for cheap champagne.  When I got married, I learned about the refreshing taste of Long Island Iced Tea, a mixed drink with five different shots of alcohol.  I “celebrated” my successful defense of my doctoral thesis by drinking two of these concoctions, but I don’t remember much of the “celebration.”

Still, I was not given to drunkenness very often when I was still drinking alcohol.  There were periodic lapses in judgment, in that regard, but I generally maintained my self-discipline.

I maintained such [...]

Doctor Feelgood

Reducing The Cost Of Health Care – For Real

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That title is not out of a fiction novel. It could happen right here in our time. A few weeks ago, both the Obama Administration and the US House made major moves to begin limiting the outlandish awards being handed out by some juries in medical malpractice cases. This area has long been a trial lawyers’ playground and each of us is paying the price. We may be making the right kind of progress now. The President included $250 million in his budget so that the Department of Justice could work with states to rewrite their medical malpractice laws and see real, effective change on this issue. The proposal provides some specific areas of relief by using judges with expertise in this area to decide cases instead of allowing juries to dole out unreasonable awards. Additional proposals might include creating reliable standards for doctors to operate under that would allow them to prove they were not negligent [...]
Doctor Feelgood

The Lost Art of Governing

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The world of modern American politics has often been described as “Hollywood for the ugly.” While this may or may not be true, politicians are indeed asking us to do what film directors do when we attend the movies—suspend disbelief. Removing reality and practicality certainly facilitates a good story and makes for fantastic special effects, but when these principles are used in running a government the results are, predictably, disastrous. Though you wouldn’t think you would have to inform our elected officials of such things, the sad truth is that every non-creative discipline is subject to cumbersome, but necessary confines. In other words—reality. This is true not only in the fields of engineering, architecture, aviation, music, and chemistry, but also in governing. The skill in any of these endeavors lies in achieving a desired result within the confines of a given discipline, and skill is precisely what is lacking in the vast majority of our Legislators. If you are an engineer or an architect you are constrained in your designs by pesky things such as physics, load bearing, and torque. In aviation you are constrained [...]

Wisconsin: Not Just Cheeseheads After All

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Who would have thought that the state with the first Socialist governor and subsequent Socialist Party candidate for President, Robert LaFollette, would be the first state to actively attempt to bring the public employee unions under control?  What’s next? ...
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