Speak Out 3/6/13

Medicare for all

Medicare insurance gives you so much bang for the buck. It's bigger, can negotiate better deals for patients and has a proven track recorded of popularity. Instead of raising the age of eligibility for Medicare, we should be lowering it, so as to one day reach the ideal of Medicare for all.

Adjunct professors

A few points regarding the story on adjunct professors: 1. Southeast is purposely not replacing retiring tenure track faculty in order to cut costs -- not because permanent replacements are not available. 2. Having nonpermanent employees weakens the faculty and allows the administration to do whatever it wants -- weakening the quality of the education students receive. Who is willing to risk their job when they can be fired at a whim? 3. Do we really expect faculty who can make more serving pizza to be committed to quality education, at least in the long term? Is that how we see college educators -- worth less than pizza delivery drivers? 4. The quality of education [classroom teaching, student involvement in research, mentorship] is declining rapidly. All the administration cares about is getting students in seats [dollars] -- thus the drive for larger enrollment, more and more online classes. You do get what you pay for.

Medicaid solution

Now there's a solution to Missouri's Medicaid crisis one would expect from a Republican legislator. Simply declare we have no problem with Medicaid by kicking off the rolls all of those who were heretofore eligible for Medicaid benefits.

Doctor pay

Quit complaining. America's general practitioners are the highest paid in the world.

Obama, Oscars

Regarding Michelle Obama's Oscar appearance, there are three words that describe this Hollywood payback for all the money given to Obama: tacky, cheap and distasteful.