March Madness

Today I wish a happy Palm Sunday and I hope you and your loved ones have had a great weekend. My subject title of March Madness is a reflection of some of the greatest sports weeks of the year. Great pro basketball and terrific college basketball are played in short few weeks in March known as The Dance. Even though my beloved Cyclones will not be dancing, it will be fun to watch the round of 65, the mystery of the elite 8, the drama of the sweet 16, and finally, it will be fun to see the joys of victory as the victors jubilantly cut down the nets and hang up their championship banner. The Cyclones last made the final four in 1934. 2009, Hilton Coliseum... It's time.

1. I am currently reading a book called BOOM by Tom Brokaw. It talks about his experiences growing in the sixties. As most of you know, I am absolutely obsessed with everything that happened in the 1960s and I wish I could have lived through it. Reading this book and seeing the movie, Across the Universe, really made me think about how fascinating it would have been to be 22 and the year be 1968 instead of 2008. Here is what would be happening: The Vietnam would be at its apex, the cold war against USSR and Cuba was alive, scary, and very real. I would still be mourning the losses of Bobby Kennedy, Dr. King, JFK, and others. There would be incredible music with groups like The Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Beatles, Hendrix, Joplin, Mamas and the Papas, The Who, Simon and Garfunkel, et cetera all in their hey day. The Grammy for best song was Mrs. Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel and the Oscar for best movie would go to The Graduate. Our minds would be active with the struggles of the civil rights, great debates would be happening at liberal arts colleges and dinner tables in suburban America about women's rights. Enormous changes in fashion, attitude, and lifestyles would be reshaping the world's futures. There would be a draft that would require many of us to serve our country in Vietnam. As sad as this makes me, I realize that I have been blessed enough financially that I could have obtained a college deferment. (Meaning as long as I stayed in school, I would not have to go to war.) I am not saying there is not fascinating stuff going on right now but it is completely different. To be 22 in 1968 would have been so fascinating!

2. Despite me being almost entirely liberal, I am not anti-capitalism. However, what is going on with health care and medicine is beyond ridiculous. I have blogged before about how we should have universal health care and here is another reason. Right now the American Medical Association has put a very tight cap on the amount of doctors, nurses, and pharmacists that are allowed to graduate from our universities. Why? Because the AMA is greedy and the smaller amount of doctors out there means there is a classic example of supply and demand economics. Fewer doctors = higher pay for the existing doctors. One criticism of universal health care is that it would take too long to see a doctor due to huge waits. I discovered a small spot on my leg that looks like someone took a cigar and put it on my leg. I called my doctor's office and said I would like this checked out, and I was told the wait was TWO MONTHS!!! But if it was an emergency I should go to Urgent Care. This made me really mad. This is why I pay over a thousand dollars a year for health care? The American Medical Association is greed at its worst! There is a huge shortage of qualified doctors, nurses, and pharmacists out there right now.

3. What did you all do to celebrate the five year reunion of the Iraq war starting?

4. If anybody thoughts that China would improve their position on Tibet with the 2008 Olympics we were all disappointed to learn that the Chinese government murdered seven dozen demonstrators this past weekend for the audacity of suggesting the Tibetan people should have some basic human rights. China needs a lot of help.