Latest State Covid Case/Deaths/Vaccine Rates
Posted on | January 13, 2021 | Comments Off on Latest State Covid Case/Deaths/Vaccine Rates
Data Source: Washington Post 11/13/21
Tags: covid > death rates > public health > state by state > vaccination rates
The Pathway Back.
Posted on | January 12, 2021 | Comments Off on The Pathway Back.
Marc Porter Magee, CEO, 50-CAN
Mike Magee
“We’re better than this” is the common refrain heard from many political leaders following the deadly assault on our democracy on January 6th. We here empty appeals for blind appeasement from the likes of Kevin McCarthy in the interest of “bringing our country together.” But for those who study history, pursuing this course takes our nation in exactly the wrong direction.
Rather, the model we must follow is the model of Germany in 1945, or South Africa in 1995. In both cases, strict legal and public accountability were married with fundamental expansion of universal social services to rebuild confidence and trust in their government’s ability to assure safety and security, and an equal playing field for all of their citizens.
Trump’s crimes have already helped carry our nation in the right direction in two ways:
1) They have revealed in word and image leaders and followers who actively engaged in insurrection. They must now be publicaly identified, charged, and feel the full weight of our law.
2) In counter-balance, these crimes have placed a spotlight on positive leaders and hopeful voices, ready to actively contribute to real healing and progress.
One such voice is my son, Marc Porter Magee, the CEO of the national educational advocacy non-profit 50-CAN. As their website says:
“To us, reimagining American K–12 education is more than a just cause, it’s the most important work we can do as a democracy. Equipped with nonpartisan research and proven tools, 50CAN citizen-advocates drive the creation of stronger, more equitable schools in every state and community in our network.”
Since the pandemic struck our schools, and entangled students and teachers alike, they have produced a weekly round-up of news and activities focused on solutions within the educational advocacy space, accompanied by Marc’s editorial. Here is his message this week:
“When we have written about our ‘new reality’ in this roundup the past 44 weeks, we have used that phrase to refer to a pandemic that has created an emergency situation for America’s school children.
“The insurrection that threatened the peaceful transfer of power in our nation’s capital last week is another kind of ‘new reality’–one that strikes at the heart of American democracy.
“The proximate causes are the actions of President Trump, who on the morning of January 6 directed the angry mob of supporters he had invited to Washington DC to march on to the Capitol, where a joint session of Congress was set to certify his loss. ‘You’ll never take back our country with weakness,’ he implored. ‘You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.’ A few hours later five people were dead, including 42-year-old police officer Brian Sicknick, who was bludgeoned to death by insurrectionists with a fire extinguisher. The hearings were cut short as our elected representatives fled for their lives and the Capitol building lay in shambles, the result of the first mass breach of its walls by enemies of our government since the War of 1812.
“As we wrote in the wake of the tragedy in Charlottesville in July 2017, ‘When you choose to march with Nazis you are rejecting our country’s founding belief that all people are created equal and dishonoring the basic convictions of the American political system. Because our common humanity binds us together, we also know that there aren’t two sides to this debate; only right and wrong.’
“By inciting violence to disrupt the transfer of power, Trump proved beyond any reasonable doubt he is unfit for his office. The correct response now is that he be impeached, removed and barred from ever holding elected office again.
“Whether the President is removed by Congress next week or simply leaves the nation’s capital when his term expires, we know that the threat to American democracy runs deeper than the flaws of one man. The collapse of trust in our country, the drumbeat of disinformation, the racism that twists institutions into instruments of oppression, ever-deepening political polarization and the increasing normalization of violence as a means of change have collectively brought us to the brink of disaster.
“There are no easy answers on our path out of the problems we face, yet we continue to believe that local advocacy–grounded in hope, committed to building bridges across divides, focused on delivering real change for communities in need–can make a difference. This, and the belief that Americans can and will overcome the forces of evil that attacked our democracy last week, are what inspire us to work at 50CAN.
“From civics to history to the critical thinking needed to separate fact from fiction, events like these are a reminder of how crucial it is for our children to receive an education that fully prepares them to uphold the great American experiment.
“That work continues in neighborhoods and statehouses across our network this week and the weeks to come in this new year.”
As Germany and South Africa learned, the pathway back to equality and humanity is a long one…but Trump, with criminal intent, has marked a beginning. Now we must, as a nation, see it to a successful end.
Tags: 50-CAN > Germany 1945 > healing > insurrection > marc porter mafgee > south africa 1995 > trump
25th Amendment Was Openly Discussed Over Three Years Ago.
Posted on | January 7, 2021 | 3 Comments
Mike Magee
Three years ago, I taught a fully subscribed course at the Presidents College at the University of Hartford on the 25th Amendment. My exploration that year was triggered by a series of articles initiated by New York Times conservative columnist, Ross Douthat.
On May 16, 2017 he wrote “The 25th Amendment Solution for Removing Trump.” I will not summarize the entire course here but would like to accomplish three things:
- Reinforce the fact that the American public was adequately warned (3 1/2 years ago) of the risk that reached full fruition yesterday – but choose not to act.
- Douthat’s piece triggered a journalistic debate which I summarize below with four slides drawn from my lectures.
- Were Pence and the cabinet to activate the 25th Amendment, as it is written, Trump would have the right to appeal “his inability”, forcing the Congress to decide whether there was cause to remove the President. With 13 days in his term remaining, procedural timing may preclude the use of this instrument.
Here are the slides:
In 2017, Scott Bomboy, chief of the National Constitution Center, wrote:
“Section 4 is the most controversial part of the 25th Amendment: It allows the Vice President and either the Cabinet, or a body approved ‘by law’ formed by Congress, to jointly agree that ‘the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.’ This clause was designed to deal with a situation where an incapacitated President couldn’t tell Congress that the Vice President needed to act as President.”
“It also allows the President to protest such a decision, and for two-thirds of Congress to decide in the end if the President is unable to serve due to a condition perceived by the Vice President, and either the Cabinet or a body approved by Congress. So the Cabinet, on its own, can’t block a President from using his or her powers if the President objects in writing. Congress would settle that dispute and the Vice President is the key actor in the process.”
“On our Interactive Constitution website, scholars Brian C. Kalt and David Pozen explain the problematic process if the Vice President and the Cabinet agree the President can’t serve.”
- “If this group declares a President ‘unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office,’ the Vice President immediately becomes Acting President.
- If and when the President pronounces himself able, the deciding group has four days to disagree.
- If it does not, the President retakes his powers.
- But if it does, the Vice President keeps control while Congress quickly meets and makes a decision…
- The Vice President continues acting as President only if two-thirds majorities of both chambers agree that the President is unable to serve.”
There Is No Safe Haven for Patients in the Privatized U.S. Health Care System.
Posted on | January 6, 2021 | 1 Comment
Mike Magee
TIME correspondent Karl Vick, in an article titled “What Happens When Amazon Takes on Health Care”, in February, 2018, wrote: “The U.S. health care system is the antithesis of Silicon Valley.” But is it really?
Vick was referring then to the formation of a new, as yet unnamed non-profit joint venture between Jeff Bezos (Amazon). Warren Buffett (Berkshire Hathaway), and Jamie Dimon (JP Morgan Chase) The triad was joining ranks, they said, to finally bring efficiency and quality to American health care. It would be another nine months before they could settle on a name for the venture – Haven (as in safe haven for their 1.3 million combined employees).
The very public collapse of Haven this week left it unclear whether they were public-spirited crusaders or simply predatory investors in one of the most profitable segments of our national economy.
Analysts have wasted no time piling on. As one said, “Haven had a rocky three years, running up against vague marching orders, a lack of direction, and obstacles inherent to the healthcare landscape.” Another analyst added, this “is a reminder that the U.S. healthcare sector is incredibly resistant to makeovers…”
Insiders pointed to an absence of organizational cohesiveness. All three partners were also pursuing independent ventures in the health care space, and were continually running into proprietary roadblocks.
Amazon, in particular, had its own agenda. Their wearable health tracker, Amazon Halo, augmented by Alexa features, was now joined by virtual and in-person Amazon Care clinics for its own employees. Those employees have access to premium priced prescription drugs after the company purchased PillPack for $753 million in June, 2018.
Other analysts noted a lack of momentum. The first market forays – like their new no-deductible insurance policy – was slow to come and not overwhelmingly embraced by the 30,000 JP Morgan employees. There were also rumors that Amazon in particular was about to pull its financial support.
And yet, it is useful to ask why none of the Triad seem to have regrets.
Jamie Dimon said, “Haven worked best as an incubator of ideas, a place to pilot, test and learn—and a way to share best practices across our companies. Our learnings have been invaluable.”
Warren Buffett said previously, that this was a “a first step in what is bound to be a long journey.“
And a Bezos spokesperson noted, “The venture’s backers found Haven was a good venue to test new ideas and best practices that could be better implemented individually.”
With the election of Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in Georgia, and the shift of Senate control to the Democrats, will health services continue to be an investment darling?
McKinsey & Company this week offered a qualified yes in a report titled, “The future of healthcare: Value creation through next-generation business models.”
With a straight face, they begin: “The healthcare industry in the United States has experienced steady growth over the past decade while simultaneously promoting quality, efficiency, and access to care.”
But in their next breath comes a yellow caution: “The next three years are expected to be less positive for the economics of the healthcare industry, as profit pools are more likely to be flat.”
Where does McKinsey & Company see profit? They flag information technology, telehealth, and virtual services and delivery as opportunity areas saying, “In the provider vertical, the rapid acceleration in the use of telehealth and other virtual care options spurred by COVID-19 could continue. Growth is expected across a range of sub-segments in the services and technology vertical, as specialized players are able to provide services at scale (for example, software and platforms and data and analytics).”
That should make the Triad smile, but cause patients to shudder.
Tags: amazon > Berkshire Hathaway > Buffett > Dimon > Haven > health reform > JP Morgan Chase > McKinsey
How Is Your State Doing With The Covid Vaccine?
Posted on | January 6, 2021 | Comments Off on How Is Your State Doing With The Covid Vaccine?
CDC Interactive State Covid Vaccine Map.
Posted on | January 2, 2021 | Comments Off on CDC Interactive State Covid Vaccine Map.
First Post of 2021 – The Pledge and Allegiance.
Posted on | January 1, 2021 | Comments Off on First Post of 2021 – The Pledge and Allegiance.
Data Source – Washington Post
Mike Magee
Our new year has arrived. And Covid has more than confirmed the central tenet of “Code Blue” – there is no national health system in America, and little evidence of one “indivisible” nation. Rather we rely on a profit-driven Medical Industrial Complex that is committed to integrating its various guilds and their government relations strategies to maintain and extend financial control.
That is the reality in 2021. The historic conceit – defeat disease, and health will be left in its wake. According to this myth, there is no need for national planning or an integrated public health infrastructure. The silver bullets of discovery and innovation will rescue us “just in time.” That is our silver lining.
“Code Blue” laid out how we got here, and how we might confront and correct it. But in the meantime, Covid appeared, and here we are. Where is that exactly?
Well, we have multiple highly effective vaccinations, but limited capacity to effectively vaccinate our citizens en masse to avoid further disaster. Azar’s promise of 100 million doses by year end, first shrunk to 40 million, then 20 million, but ended the year as only 3 million injections (and that’s a first installment on a double-dose regimen).
Trump washed his hands of the whole mess some time ago. No sense crying over spilt milk, or giving him a moment more of our time. Azar’s team will soon be gone, too. But they’ve already placed the onus on the states – transferring responsibility without funding.
Theoretically, Biden’s team will help a bit, but the reality is rather stark:
- There is no integrated national plan to address this deadly pandemic that has no geographic boundaries in these disunited United States.
- You cannot build public health infrastructure overnight. It takes people, and talent, and money, and data, and systems, and a lot of hard work.
Most of us will survive this calamity of course. We will track the numbers above – comparing one state’s performance to another – tapping into our competitive spirit once again to find the energy to overcome the chaos we’ve inflicted on our own citizens.
But the reality is, as a nation, we need to grow up fast. We need to address our historic inequities, redistribute our wealth among our citizens, explore the meaning of forward planning, sharing and solidarity, and reject cruel and predatory profiteering.
To conquer Covid and heal our nation, even the most cynical of us increasingly realize that we must now create a national and universal health plan. It is the equalizer, the mobilizer, and the stabilizer that is missing and essential. Without it, there will never be “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
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