Health and Human Resources
Don’t Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth
February 4, 2009
Recently, Tom Daschle removed himself as candidate for the post of Health and Human Resources Director. President Obama apologized for his “mistake,” apparently for incomplete vetting of his appointee. Mr. Obama- please “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” Providence is speaking to you!
Mr. Daschle, despite a long and proud career as a Senator, along with so many other legislators of both houses, has allowed his own colleagues to rape and pillage the Medicare system. All, and I repeat, all of those silent partners of people like Pete Stark and John Dinggle, who allowed these sort of men to ban competitive bidding from the offices of Medicare, costing taxpayers at least an extra trillion or two in wasted money, are unqualified for management of Health Care.
Hillary, despite her best efforts, was too ignorant about adult health care issues to propose a reasonable program during her husband’s tenure as President. Her experience in Arkansas with childrens’ health care and her attorney’s natural instinctive ignorance of medical issues did not prepare her for national health care. Her failure to seek help from healthcare professionals as opposed to lawyers and insurance executives proved to be her downfall. (Not that she was offered much help from physician organizations, anyway.)
Vetting aside (it needs to be done), the most qualified candidate for Health and Human Resources Director, hands down, is Howard Dean, M.D. Dean, a five-time, fiscally conservative and overall moderate governor of Vermont, a man with proven organizational skills, imagination and ingenuity, is uniquely qualified for this position. He is a physician who undoubtedly understands the waste and nonsense involved in the Medicare system. He understands the graft and the misguided “non health care” Washington “experts” who have so badly mismanaged what “National” healthcare we already have.
What Dr. Dean lacks, is all those cronies and lobbyist connections that a Senator or Congressman might have access to. Dean might actually pay attention to what the country, its “patients” and its taxpayers need and not to what those lobbyists want. Dr. Dean has seen the system from inside and out. Mr. President,” please don’t look a gift horse in the mouth!”
Allen Finkelstein, D.O.