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Some brief, disjointed comments: 1.This discussion started, I believe, after Greg Leeman's observations after watching Ivan suffer one night. Greg was lamenting the lack of urgency in Washington for finding a cure, focusing on the observation that US government spending went towards stuff which should have a lower priority. I came back with an observation about the recently passed Federal road construction bill where they appropriated a couple of zillion dollars more than any of the requesting agencies had asked for. All we should care about, as PWP, is how the road group accomplished this. (Let some healthy group worry about the inappropriate pork). They didn't just ask the members of Congress to vote for the bill. THEY SOMEHOW CONVINCED THE MEMBERS to GET IT PASSED. IMHO, it is no longer the Chris Smith's who are the enemy. The enemy is the ( name a yeah voter)'s who haven't visited with another member and traded a vote for a Yes on something else on the Udall appropriations bill. I wrote my Rep and Sens. last week to express the fact that just their votes obviously was not enough. I don't know all that much about lobbying, so if I'm all wet on this just ignore me or tell me. Whatever the case, Margaret Tuchman's signature tag line says it all. 2 . Be careful in lumping private sector costs of PD with the public sector costs. Private enterprise runs hospitals much more efficiently than the VA does. Also, there is zero cost to society because someone or her insurance company spent $10,000 for pills last year, that cost is only to her . Whether it is pills, or insurance premiums or furniture the same type of economic activity was created. The truly bad costs are Medicare, Medicaid, VA benefits, Social Security and other welfare programs which raise taxes and cause money to be drawn into the less efficient public sector, AND the costs of all the formerly productive people no longer working. 3. Abraham Lieberman's Testimony re Udall. Great Stuff! This is the kind of thing with which we need to keep pounding Congress. Was his testimony as good in person? I liked his comments re what's the use of curing cancer & heart disease only to be subjected to PD, and his reference to the Manhattan Project (although comparison to the moon landing of 1969 might be a more current but similar example - very difficult to do but it was accomplished with commitment. It also cost one hell of a lot more than $100 million, and with arguably far fewer benefits to society even 29 years later.) Lieberman's thank you to Clinton I am sure was appropriate, but the problems in Congress suggest it is time to spend more time courting Speaker Ginrich (sp?)and less on Bubba, whose influence is undoubtedly on the wane. The Speaker also has lost some clout, but primarily with the public. He is still firmly in control of Congress and is likely to be though 2002. 4. I took so long to type this. My hands are getting very leaden. Good news to some but bringing some first time depression to me. -----Original Message----- From: Gregory E. Leeman <[log in to unmask]> To: Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN <[log in to unmask]> Date: Saturday, April 18, 1998 5:51 PM Subject: Re: Micromanagement...... priorities It >is time we really make some noise with our raspy, low volume and monotone >voices. Everybody open your windows and scream, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not >going to take it anymore. This movie was on TV last night. Did not seem as good this time. See Primary Colors. Great movie and not anti-Bubba at all. > >Regards, >Greg Leeman 37/7