Libertarian Argues Against Obamacare, Says You Should Diagnose Your Own Illnesses – Video

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Libertarian Argues Against Obamacare, Says You Should Diagnose Your Own Illnesses
In this Libertarian caller clip, a Libertarian calls into the show to make the argument for a perfect Libertarian healthcare system. He rails against Obamacare, discusses how he likes Singapore #39;s universal healthcare model (but notes he would make changes as it #39;s still not a perfect Libertarian system), and makes the case where you should be personally responsible and diagnose yourself when you are sick... This clip from the Majority Report, live MF at 12 noon EST and via daily podcast at Majority.FM

By: SamSeder

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Libertarian Argues Against Obamacare, Says You Should Diagnose Your Own Illnesses - Video

Libertarians celebrate growth

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The North Carolina Libertarian Party held a watch party at the Crabtree Holiday Inn on election night. Gubernatorial candidate Barbara Howe attended the event and gave a speech on the growth of the party through the election season.

The party must gain 2 percent of the popular vote in the gubernatorial or presidential election to stay a legally-qualified party on the ballot without petitioning in North Carolina. It had continuous ballot status from 1996-2004. The party was decertified by the state in 2005 and regained its continuous ballot status in 2008. Libertarians received 2.8 percent of the vote in the 2008 gubernatorial election. At the time of her speech Tuesday night, Howe had received 2.12 percent of the vote.

Howe said the popularity of former presidential candidate Ron Paul helped the party gain traction in the local and national elections.

Weve seen a lot of enthusiasm from former Ron Paul supporters, Howe said. Theyre still Ron Paul supporters, but since hes not in the race theyve tracked to the Libertarian Party as the more fiscally responsible and socially tolerant party. They dont find that in the Republicans or the Democrats, and they see that in the Libertarian Party.

The Libertarian Party has grown from 13,000 registered voters in North Carolina in 2008 to 19,000 registered in the 2012 election. It is also active in 50 counties in North Carolina. Jason Melehani, co-director for North Carolina for presidential candidate Gary Johnson and a medical student at UNC-Chapel Hill, said the Libertarian Party is active in the most urban counties out of the 100 in North Carolina.

Howe said these numbers show some promise for the growth of the party.

It shows an incredible growth and interest in the ideas of the Libertarian Party. Were just going to keep moving forward, Howe said.

Howe also said she is excited about the amount of young people that have been drawn to the partys beliefs.

According to Melehani, the average age range of a registered Libertarian is 36-38 years old, and there are many college-aged Libertarians that exhibit a high level of involvement and enthusiasm in the party.

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Libertarians celebrate growth

Geography and Natural Resources of the Islands

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Sino-Japanese relations are set to get rockier moving into 2013, following Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) landslide victory Dec.16 and Shinzo Abe's appointment as the country's new prime minister.

Abe's return to power he was premier once from 2006 to 2007 has been greeted with trepidation among Beijing leaders, as the prime minister is well-known for his forthright and confident approach towards Beijing. During Abe's campaigning, he had called for a more concerted response to China's claim of the Senkaku Islands, also known as Diaoyu Islands to the Chinese.

"The Senkaku group is Japanese territory and in the eyes of the international community, belongs to Japan and is effectively controlled by us. On this point, there is no room for negotiation," Abe was quoted as telling reporters in a Dec. 17 press conference.

Beijing responded on the same day through a published statement on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' website, stating that it sees the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands as China's inherent territory.

"We hope that the Japanese side could take concrete actions and make due efforts for the proper settlement of relevant issues and improvement of bilateral relations," China's foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying added in a Dec. 17 statement in reference to Abe's comments on the Senkaku Islands.

Similar to the territorial disputes surrounding the Spratly Islands, Japan and China's rival claims of the Senkaku Islands/Diaoyu Islands has much to do with the fact that the waters surrounding the islands hold large amounts of hydrocarbon resources. For both the Japanese and Chinese, oil and natural gas are the coveted prizes for the energy-hungry countries.

From Tokyo's point of view, Beijing ceded the islands to Japan during the Qing Dynasty in Article II of the May 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki. Though the islands were controlled by Washington as an occupying power between 1945 and 1972, Tokyo has exercised administration over the islands since 1972.

With Tokyo's standpoint in mind, the country sees ownership of the Senkaku Islands, its surrounding islands and the resources under the waters as never in dispute, since the area is already under its sovereignty. China contests Japan's claim, stating that the latter's view is legally void.

Dr. Euan Graham, a senior fellow in the S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies, gave his take on the volatile situation surrounding the Senkaku Islands/ Diaoyu Islands dispute in an emailed response to Rigzone.

"The prospects of taking this to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or other international bodies with the agreement of both parties are slim. The fact that the political leadership in both China and Japan is facing either transition has tended to reinforce the inflexibility, the entrenchment of nationalism and short-term positions," Graham said in his analysis of the brewing dispute.

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Geography and Natural Resources of the Islands

Sir David Attenborough on the Galápagos Islands

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At the preview screening for our series, I was asked whether there should be a cap on the number of tourists and, indeed, whether they should be admitted to the Galpagos at all. My view is that if it werent for the receipts from ecotourism, and the incentive those give for conservation, the islands would already be almost devoid of wildlife.

There should, of course, be controls, though what should be the optimum number of visitors is a difficult calculation to make. Since tourists are a source of income, and a very good one, there will always be pressure to increase their numbers. But there comes a point when the wildlife and the environment begin to suffer, and the tourists destroy the very thing that attracted them in the first place. At the moment, I would have thought, the authorities have got the balance about right.

There will always be criticism, there will always be problems. But what a disaster it would be if the islands were closed off. Scientists mustnt be too arrogant: the world doesnt entirely belong to them. The scientists must be given the chance to do their research, but the public at the same time must be allowed to see the Galpagos and to understand the processes of evolution. Wise administration of ecotourism can allow both those things to flourish.

How to visit the Galpagos Islands: Read our practical 'Trip of a Lifetime' guide

I had already been involved in several 3D projects for Sky [including Flying Monsters, the first 3D programme to win a Bafta] when my producer, Anthony Geffen, mentioned the possibility of putting the technology to the test in the Galpagos. I jumped at the chance: I knew the islands would be a natural for 3D. And so they have proved.

Why 3D? I was asked several times in the run-up to the screening of our series. What does it add to wildlife filming, and particularly to filming in the Galpagos? Well, it enables us to provide a more informative picture; to enhance the quiddity, the essence, of the animal were filming, whether thats a Sally lightfoot crab, skipping across a pool of water, or a waved albatross, engaged in a dance of courtship that at one point looks like duelling.

Ive been working in television since the days of smeary 405-line pictures in black and white. All the developments we have made since have had to do with improving the quantity and quality of the information using that word in a computer sense that we can put in front of the viewer. 3D is the culmination of those developments.

The heightened reality, which is very dramatic, doesnt suit everything; its of no benefit, for instance, in describing a distant mountain range. But when you see an animal close up in 3D, you suddenly become aware of aspects of it that you just cant see in 2D. When you watch a spider weave a web, for example, you can see the distances involved, you can see relationships between different points; you gain a much better understanding of the intricacy and complexity of the whole operation.

We have made three programmes, dealing in turn with the explosive origin of the islands (powerfully conveyed in computer-generated imagery), the driving forces behind evolutionary innovations, and the latest developments in science and research. We were shooting for about six months; during that time we were reminded constantly of the species-transforming power of the Galpagos, and also of how much is there that we have yet to discover, let alone try to explain.

In our second episode, which will be screened this evening, we report on a puzzle concerning the behaviour of the whale shark the biggest fish on the planet off the northernmost islands of Wolf and Darwin. Female whale sharks are spotted there throughout the year, but in considerably greater numbers between June and November, corresponding with the garua, or dry season, when the Humboldt and Cromwell currents are most intense. The whale sharks are not feeding, and they do not appear to be pupping, as no juveniles have been recorded. So what brings them there? A project in which they are being fitted with satellite tags has begun to try to answer that question.

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Sir David Attenborough on the Galápagos Islands

Baby boomer nuns help revolutionize health care

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Sisters of Mercy headed toward Peru in 1961. A year later, the Catholic Church changed the rules regarding nuns.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- The baby boomer generation's efforts at creating social justice dramatically transformed history -- from the Vietnam War to gay rights.

Even institutions that kept tradition at their very core -- institutions such as the Roman Catholic Church -- were radically changed by this generation.

Within the church, perhaps the biggest agents of this change were its nuns. A wave of new thought during the 1960s opened cloister doors.

While modernization of the church did leave fewer nuns in the pipeline to carry out work in the health care and education fields, the ones who stayed -- this baby boomer generation of religious sisters -- undertook a kind of grass-roots, social justice-oriented health care.

Even today, their work continues to fill in the gaps left by our general health care system.

Vatican II revolutionizes religious life

It was Pope John XXIII who initiated the Roman Catholic Church's modernization movement in 1962. The pope was decidedly not a baby boomer -- he was born in 1881. But he inspired the boomers, who were left to carry out his reforms.

He convened the Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II, whose leaders created 16 documents that redefined the role of the church in the world. They allowed Catholics to work and pray with members of other faiths, replaced the Latin Mass with church services held in local languages, and dramatically changed how religious sisters lived and worked.

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Baby boomer nuns help revolutionize health care

Medicaid, health care issues likely to be contentious at 2013 Legislature

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Editors note: This is the third of a four-day series previewing the major issues before the 2013 Montana Legislature, which convenes next Monday in Helena. The full series is posted online at Missoulian.com.

HELENA Once again, health care will be a contentious issue at the Montana Legislature and the biggest battle is likely over whether Montana approves new, federally funded health coverage for 60,000 people in the state.

Most Democrats and health care providers are solidly behind the proposal to expand Medicaid for low-income Montanans in 2014, funded by the federal health care reform bill passed three years ago.

Were talking about a billion dollars a year of new economic activity in the state, largely affecting the health care industry, says incoming House Minority Leader Chuck Hunter, D-Helena. I think that is a very telling story that is hard to ignore.

Supporters of the expansion say it will improve peoples health, help the states economy and cut costs, because those with insurance are more likely to visit a doctor or clinic than show up at a hospital emergency room for high-cost care.

But theyll be up against a Republican majority clearly skeptical, if not downright hostile, toward the idea of expanding government health coverage and the reach of Obamacare.

I have to wonder about the wisdom of increasing reliance on a federal government that cant seem to get its financial house in order, incoming Senate President Jeff Essmann, R-Billings, said.

The federal government is funding nearly all the costs of Medicaid expansion from 2014-17 and most of the costs for ensuing years. However, the state Legislature must approve the expansion and any state cost of administering it.

Its estimated the expansion would bring $210 million a year in federal funds to the state over the next 10 years.

A wild card in the Medicaid and health care debate is Gov.-elect Steve Bullock, a Democrat, who has steadfastly refused to say whether he supports expanding the program.

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Medicaid, health care issues likely to be contentious at 2013 Legislature

Nuns help revolutionize health care

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Sisters of Mercy headed toward Peru in 1961. A year later, the Catholic Church changed the rules regarding nuns.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- The baby boomer generation's efforts at creating social justice dramatically transformed history -- from the Vietnam War to gay rights.

Even institutions that kept tradition at their very core -- institutions such as the Roman Catholic Church -- were radically changed by this generation.

Within the church, perhaps the biggest agents of this change were its nuns. A wave of new thought during the 1960s opened cloister doors.

While modernization of the church did leave fewer nuns in the pipeline to carry out work in the health care and education fields, the ones who stayed -- this baby boomer generation of religious sisters -- undertook a kind of grass-roots, social justice-oriented health care.

Even today, their work continues to fill in the gaps left by our general health care system.

Vatican II revolutionizes religious life

It was Pope John XXIII who initiated the Roman Catholic Church's modernization movement in 1962. The pope was decidedly not a baby boomer -- he was born in 1881. But he inspired the boomers, who were left to carry out his reforms.

He convened the Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II, whose leaders created 16 documents that redefined the role of the church in the world. They allowed Catholics to work and pray with members of other faiths, replaced the Latin Mass with church services held in local languages, and dramatically changed how religious sisters lived and worked.

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Nuns help revolutionize health care

Health care, veterans are part of Stearns' legacy

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Published: Tuesday, January 1, 2013 at 5:42 p.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, January 1, 2013 at 5:42 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns ends his 24-year career in Washington on Thursday, giving way to Ted Yoho, the political upstart who shocked the long-term incumbent with an 875-vote primary win then sailed past a Democratic foe to become North Central Florida's new congressman.

Stearns, an Ocala Republican and one of 13 House members from both parties to be upended by a primary challenger in 2012, recently reflected back on his career on Capitol Hill, calling attention to his major accomplishments and regretting that some initiatives he rigorously championed fell short.

He believed foremost that he was accessible, hosting roughly 650 town hall meetings over his tenure.

"I think I was very transparent," he said. "I was always trying to get the feeling of the people."

Stearns ranked high on his list of achievements his work in the decommissioning of the federal government's Cross Florida Barge Canal project, his advocacy on behalf of military veterans, and some health care legislation that captured some of his own medical history.

According to THOMAS, the Library of Congress' website that monitors and archives congressional legislation, Stearns has authored 359 bills, amendments and resolutions during his time in Congress.

The first, introduced in May 1989, advocated a time extension for senior citizens to qualify for housing under the Fair Housing Act. The most recent, proposed this past July, blocked the Obama administration from charging military veterans an enrollment fee for the Tricare health care program.

Along the way, nine of the bills sponsored by Stearns passed the House and four were eventually signed into law, according to GovTrack, another legislative-monitoring website. (Numerous amendments he tacked on to other bills also were adopted.)

Stearns indicated in an interview that many of the causes he fought for mirrored his own personal circumstances.

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Health care, veterans are part of Stearns' legacy

Density and the city: How will Toronto health care cope with population growth?

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If you think wait times at Toronto hospitals are already too long, just wait until 2036.

Twenty-five years from now, Toronto is expected to have one million new residents. Its projected the GTA will reach 9.2 million by 2036, a 44 per cent increase from 2011.

Density is rapidly increasing to well above the old city average of 4,077 people per square kilometre, a trend expected to continue to intensify in coming decades.

The citys health-care services, particularly hospitals, are already plagued by long wait times and stretched resources. The average current wait time in a Toronto emergency room is about eight hours.

So what needs to happen to keep quality health care from taking a dive?

Its a question that must be addressed if the province is to prepare for the coming growth in Canadas biggest city.

Dr. Tarek Sardana, president of Orleans Urgent Care in suburban Ottawa, said health-care delivery in high-density urban cores like Toronto could benefit from facilities similar to the one he leads. He describes it as a walk-in clinic on steroids.

Since opening in 1994, at a time when hospitals were facing budget cuts and ER-trained staff were losing their jobs, the Orleans clinics, staffed with emergency-experienced staff, have seen 60,000 patient visits on average annually.

We fill a niche between the hospital, big-city stuff, and the family doctor, Sardana said, adding that most of the costs of a visit there are covered under OHIP. Urgent care, if done properly and not affiliated with a public facility because costs go up in the right spots, where there are crowded emergency departments and difficulty accessing care, they could fill the gap.

The cost of seeing a single patient, who is typically treated and out the door within a few hours, is minimal next to the single-patient cost at a hospital.

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Density and the city: How will Toronto health care cope with population growth?