What health insurance reform should give us: a cheap, high-deductible catastrophic policy.

Which is exactly what none of the current bills would let us have, according to John Stossel:

Consumers could not buy a cheap, high-deductible catastrophic policy [under any of the existing bills currently floating around the House and Senate]

Read the whole thing.

Last week I asked a customer service rep at Maryland's dominant health insurer* if they sell such a policy. She said no, making it sound as if selling catastrophic insurance without the "basic" plan would be an impossibly difficult feat.

At the end, Stossel adds:

Profit is the key to competition. Anyone who claims to favor competition but looks down at profit has no idea what he is talking about.

Well said.

*CareFirst Blue Cross/Blue Shield

How to be bi-partisan

Peggy Noonan describes how Ted Kennedy and Ronald Reagan bridged the aisle.

Move Well, Avoid Injury

Interesting website. MoveWellAvoidInjury.com

Maryland has forced more mandates on health care insurers than any other state

Robert Moffit of the Heritage Foundation, citing a 2001 Blue Cross/Blue Shield study:

Maryland leads the nation with at least 52 mandates on private health insurance . . . Only California, which has 43 mandates, comes close to Maryland.

There seem to be three types of mandates relating to (1) conditions/treatments/services (28 mandates), (2) providers (18 mandates) and (3) patient classes (6 mandates). Here are the mandates relating to conditions, treatments & services:

Alcoholism Treatment
Bone Density Screening
Breast Reconstruction
Cleft Palate
Clinical Trials
Colorectal Screening
Contraceptives
Dental Anesthesia
Diabetic Supplies/Edu
Drug Abuse Treatment
Emergency Services
Formula for PKU
Hair Prostheses (Wigs)
Home Health Care
Hospice Care
Invitro Fertilization
Mammography Screening
Maternity
Mental Health (General)
Mental Health (Parity)
Minimum Mastectomy Stay
Minimum Maternity Stay
Off-Label Drug Use
Orthotics/Prosthetics
Prostate Cancer Screening
Rehabilitation Services
Second Med/Surg Opinion
Well-Child Care

A doctor told me last week that these mandates have driven up health insurance premiums in Maryland. And contributed to declining number of insurers competing in the Maryland market.

Thoughts on health insurance reform from a small-business owner in Maryland

I heard Mike Vallerie talk on the Kendel & Bob Ehrlich Show this morning. He came across as thoughtful, fair and practical. His four key ideas:

1. Tort reform modelled on worker's comp.
2. Roll back the definition of health insurance so that it really is insurance: "A means of indemnity against occurrence of an uncertain event."
3. Individuals should be responsibe for taking care of themselves (i.e. paying for expected, forseeable expenses), and
4. Level the playing field so that small businesses get a fair shake compared to big business.

His website is MikesPlan.net.

Finally! Some thoughts on health care reform that are clear, simple, honest, and to-the-point

Charles Hugh Smith gets to the root of the problem:

The corporate-America or union/government employee who goes to the doctor pays a few dollars for a visit and drugs; the “real cost” is of no concern.

More:

The link between the “consumer” of healthcare and the provider has been broken for decades. There is no “free market” in healthcare–there isn’t any market at all. We live in a Kafka-esque nightmare system in which “some are more equal than others” and hundreds of thousands of dollars are lavished on worthless tests, procedures and medications ...

And more:

So-called “defensive medicine” in which worthless tests are administered to stave off random (sometimes valid, sometimes nuisance) malpractice lawsuits.

I'll have more to say later about my recent experiences with defensive medicine.

And what does Smith recommend?:

There is a solution so simple and so radical that it is “impossible” . . . : shut down insurance and all government entitlements, and make everyone paid cash for healthcare.

How can we break the cycle of frivolous lawsuits, defensive medicine, and spiraling costs for both procedures and malpractice insurance?:

The solution to malpractice is information, not lawsuits.

What about poor people?:

Well right now they have to stand in line at emergency rooms–the most wasteful, inefficient system possible. Even “poor people” can afford a few dollars–there’s endless excuses provided yet how many “poor people” have cell phones, eat costly fast food, do costly illegal drugs, etc. etc.

Sounds about right to me.

Mr. Smith, I hope you go to Washington. We could use more people like you down there.

via Ron Smith's website

Well said, Mr. Palmer

Parker Palmer--from a December 2008 interview on spirituality and the economic downturn--strikes a chord:

We're at a time where self-interest and idealism converge.

The interviewer is Krista Tippett. Her show, Speaking of Faith, airs in Baltimore on Sunday mornings at 7:00 AM on WYPR.

An evenhanded account of recent health-care Town Hall craziness

Tobin Harshaw provides it in the New York Times, in a column entitled "Weekend Opinionater: A Sick Debate".

Sen. Cardin Town Hall on health care: Monday 8/10/09 @ Towson U.

The details are on his website:

Health Care Town Halls

In August, I will hold town hall meetings in Hagerstown and in Towson. For planning purposes, because o the large number of people who are interested in attending, please RSVP. Space is limited at both venues so we cannot guarantee admittance. In accordance with fire regulations, when the venues are full, there will be no standing room available.

Monday, August 10th - 7 p.m.
Towson University Center for the Arts
Harold J. Kaplan Concert Hall
Corner of Cross Campus and Osler Drives
Towson, MD 21204

Parking is available across the street from the Center for the Arts on Auburn Drive off Osler Drive on Lot 13.

RSVP - sean_mckew@cardin.senate.gov.

Wilmer Eye, Part 2: my original complaint

[For background, see Part 1.]

Here's the email I sent to Dr. Peter McDonnell under the subject heading "Wilmer Eye Institute: an unhappy customer":

Dear Dr. McDonnell -- here's my story (see link below) . . . I thought you'd like to get some feedback about people's reactions to the services provided by the Wilmer Eye Institute.

By the way, [patient] is fine now and back to normal, and we are relieved and very happy about that. I just wanted to vent, and am not asking anything from you other than to be aware of the weaknesses of your organization and do your best to fix the shortcomings.

Sincerely,

Dave Greene

http://baltonorth.blogspot.com/2009/06/do-doctors-at-wilmer-eye-institute.html

Wilmer Eye Institute flunks customer service test (Part 1)

[or . . . "How not to respond to an unhappy customer" . . .]

In response to a complaint that I emailed to Wilmer's director--the email had a link to this post--I received this letter from an executive at Wilmer, Dr. J:

Mr. Greene:

My chairman, Dr. Peter McDonnell, has brought to my attention your discontent with the care that [patient] received from Dr. [B] at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Green Spring Station on [date]. I have read your blog, discussed the visit with Dr. [B], and reviewed the medical record.

It looks to me that Dr. [B] did everything from an ophthalmological standpoint to rule out any serious eye disease.

Evidently, [patient] was eventually diagnosed with Lyme disease, but I am not sure that the diagnosis of Lyme disease would have occurred to any ophthalmologist on the basis of [patient's] symptoms. I personally performed an internet search to see if I could find instances of Lyme disease presenting solely with pain in one eye upon movement, but could not find such an association.

From your blog, it seems that Dr. [B]'s style was not to your liking. Doctors are human and have personalities like everyone else, and not all doctor's styles suit every patient. I sometimes wonder how many patients leave my office upset with something that I may have said, and never let me know. All physicians recognize this and will facilitate a smooth transition to another physician when they are made aware of the concerns. We would be happy to do that in [patient]'s case if you wish and will let us know.

At Wilmer and Johns Hopkins, we are committed to improving the care that we provide, and so value the feedback that people like you give to us. Your comments will become part of our departmental Performance Improvement Program. I pledge that we will try harder to make the diagnoses, think "outside" the box when appropriate, and suggest consultation with other physicians when needed.

Sincerely yours,
Dr. [J]

cc: Peter McDonnell, Chairman, Wilmer Eye Institute ,
[Ms. X], Wilmer Patient Representative

This letter is unsatisfying and wrong-headed in so many ways, I think I'll write about it in some detail. More to come.

"Cash for Clunkers" program hurts poorest car owners

Michael Barone, who recently moved from US News to the Washington Examiner, explains how:

clipped from www.washingtonexaminer.com The dealers are required to destroy the clunkers, which will reduce the supply and increase the price of spare parts for those low-income folks who can't afford to trade their clunkers in even with a $4,500 subsidy. So much for helping the poor.

How much does a colonoscopy cost? Here's one answer

If we want to contain healthcare costs, one of the first obvious steps is to make sure that patients receive real prices before they have a procedure.

So, from time to time as I run across real-world healthcare prices, I'll pass them on here.

A family member recently had a colonoscopy in December 2008. Beforehand, we googled around a little to get a handle on the cost, but didn't find much. At one point just before the procedure, the patient asked one of the nurses at Greenspring Station Endoscopy how much the total cost would be. She gave a mechanic's shrug, "I don't know."

Everything went smoothly. Our patient liked the staff, was pleased with the experience, and thought Greenspring was a well-run place.

But, as with all doctors and healtcare providers, it would be a great improvement if they would publish prices (or ranges of prices) for prospective patients. In particular they should publish both the "sticker" price and the actual price.

For the nurse's benefit, and for anyone else out there who wants to know, the actual total price was $2,068. This amount, of course, becomes known only after the patient receives the bill indicating the "reduction of billed charges" negotiated by the insurance company**.

----------------------- LIST -- ACTUAL
ITEM ----------------- PRICE --- PRICE
--------------------------------------
Initial consultation.. $ 195 -- $ 130
Prep supplies............ 20 ----- 20
Anesthesia nurse........ 760 ---- 294
Endoscopy facility.... 1,500 ---- 726
Colonoscopy doctor.... 2,025 ---- 465
Lab/tissue diagnosis.... 600 ---- 433
======================================
............. TOTALS $ 5,100 $ 2,068*

*In this particular case, the procedure included cutting out a small number of benign polyps.

**In this case, CareFirst Blue Cross/Blue Shield

HRWA's green building gets first "NC Gold" certification in Baltimore City from LEED

It's the Herring Run Watershed Center on Belair Road in northeast Baltimore. LEED's NC rating covers Newly Constructed buildings and extensively renovated old ones. Gold is the second highest certification level based on a 110 point system.

Here's a list of the green features in the building. It was designed by Ziger/Snead and built by Baltimore Green Construction.

Nice job, guys.

Will members rise up against AARP over its health care stand?

Mark Tapscott predicts in the Washington Examiner:

There will be hell to pay for AARP with its members when this ugly reality becomes crystal clear, as it most certainly will.

UPDATE: From the looks this video, Mark might be on to something.

Service-learning opportunity for students in Baltimore County Public Schools

Yesterday I wrote about Arin Gencer's article in the Sun on service-learning.

The article has a sidebar which includes this bit:

Examples of projects tied to service-learning

• Writing a letter to a delegate or senator regarding a particular issue or piece of legislation, or advocating a community need

Which gave me an idea:

Students in Baltimore County could lobby the Maryland General Assembly to repeal the 75-hour service-learning graduation requirement. And get service-learning credits for it!

Sounds like fun to me, and for a worthy cause. Win-win!

p.s. I'm serious about this. If any high school students in the BaltoNorth area* would like to get organized and do something along these lines, send me an email. I'd be happy to help out with ideas, publicity, or introductions to some legislators in Annapolis.

*The BaltoNorth areas corresponds roughly to the districts for Dulaney High School, Loch Raven High School and Towson High School. And perhaps Pikesville High School too.

Sun article on "service learning" program in Maryland schools

Arin Gencer interviewed me for it.

Kathleen Kennedy Towsend and some school administrators defend the program in the article. I found their comments unconvincing and bland.

I'm glad Arin wrote the piece, but I was hoping that the article would dig deeper into the issues, and I was hoping that she would challenge KKT a bit more aggressively.

My original post on the topic of service learning is titled Oxymoron Squared! Mandatory volunteerism now optional in Baltimore County Public Schools. And here's my followup to it.

For more of my posts on schools, go here.

UPDATE: The Sun's dead tree headline was relatively lively and interesting: "Service-learning in classroom stirs debate". But for some reason they toned it down online to the boring: "Reflecting on service learning".

Curveballs: have the dangers to young arms been exaggerated?

Mark Hyman reports in the NY Times on two new studies:

[They] evaluated more closely than before the effects of curves on young arms [. . . and . . . ] compared the forces across the elbows of pitchers as they fired fastballs and curves. [. . .] Each study concluded that curves are less stressful than fastballs and, based on the data collected, contributed little, if at all, to throwing injuries in youth players.

I don't buy it, partly because of this bit from later in the article:

[Dr. James] Andrews cited several limitations of the study. The fact that it was conducted entirely in a lab also needed to be considered, he said. Under game conditions when youth pitchers are fatigued, Andrews suggested, curves could be dangerous.

“I just operated on one kid this morning,” he said. “At age 12, he tore his ulnar collateral ligament in two. His travel ball coach called 30-something curveballs in a row. He became fatigued. Then he threw one that snapped his elbow.”

Mark wrote an excellent article but the headline (written by a someone else presumably) was simplistic and misleading:

Studies Show That the Curveball Isn't Too Stressful for Young Arms

Don't wait for top-down ObamaCare ... let's start fixing our healthcare system now, from the bottom up

Since much of the center-right libertarian punditocracy seems to think that (1) Obama's honeymoon is over and (2) ObamaCare is sinking*, I decided now would be a good time to start my own tiny local campaign to point out the micro problems with our healthcare system as I (and my extended family) come across them in the real, outside-the-Beltway world.

For the next week or so--maybe longer--I'll be posting about recent experiences some of my family members have had with Lyme disease and colonoscopy screening.

Now there are two sexy topics!

*see Charles Krauthammer, Peggy Noonan, and John Stossel. [Hat tip to Instapundit for many of the links.]

UPDATE: Another centrist weighs in . . . Mickey Kaus.

Funny & frightening

After hearing Ron Smith mention it many times, I finally got hold of Nassim Nicholas Taleb's book The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable (the CD/audio version).

Although the book is pessimistic in many ways, it's written with humor and elegance. Taleb is blunt, but thoughtful and thorough too. He's original in his thinking and also in his writing style. He demonstrates a broad, deep and interconnected understanding of many subjects--from statistics and finance to literature and philosophy. He tells entertaining stories about dry topics. And he bridges the gap between academics and practitioners, apparently without breaking a sweat.

Wow!

And David Chandler did a terrific job reading it.

Highly recommended. Amazon reviews here.

Thank you Ron.

Senators Ben Cardin & Barbara Mikulski vote for the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act (S.909)

Worse yet, they sponsored it.

Although I belong to one of the protected groups often victimized in "hate crimes", I see no benefits to hate crime laws. But there are costs:

[S. 909 will] award grants to assist [state & local] agencies with the extraordinary expenses associated with the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes.

It's difficult--and probably expensive--to figure out what people were thinking when they committed a crime. So I'm guessing that prosecution of nearly every hate crime case costs significantly more to prosecute than an equivalent "non-hate" case.

Here's video of Eric Holder dancing around legitimate questions about the bill. He seems unable to cite specific cases or statistics in support of the bill. Probably because there aren't any.

My prediction: any law based on S. 909 will cost plenty but do nothing to reduce the frequency of hate crimes.


UPDATE: A definition:

[S. 909] adopts the definition of "hate crime" as set forth in the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (i.e., a crime in which the defendant intentionally selects a victim . . . because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, or sexual orientation of any person).

Tour de France

I enjoy watching the Tour. Phil Liggett, Paul Sherwen and Bob Roll are terrific announcers.

But I miss the pronunciations from a few years back. For some reason Phil stopped saying "LEAK-y gas" has become LEE-quee gas (for Liquigas). And Bob seems to have dropped his trademark "Tour DAY France". Now it's just the standard "Tour de FRONCE" for him.

Barbara Boxer injected race into "green jobs" testimony . . .

. . . and Harry Alford didn't like it:



For a more substantive, temperate analysis of green jobs, go to the folks at PERC.

Alford is CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce. He was interviewed later by Andrew Breitbart.

Gibby's Seafood

Taken a day or two ago on York Road in Timonium:

On-the-job "social networking" for research scientists

This kind of thing could have a big impact on scientific productivity and even help make science cool again.

It also includes a new concept: object-oriented research. Wow!

We are introducing new approaches to make research more reproducible, reusable and reliable,’ Professor De Roure said. ‘Research Objects are self-contained pieces of reproducible research which we will share in the future like papers are shared today.’

Unless you're familiar with the concept of "objects" through software or architecture, the concept can be tough to grasp. But it is very powerful.

You can play around with MyExperiment here.

Via Glenn

National K-12 curriculum?

From Liz Bowie, writing in the Inside Ed blog at the Baltimore Sun:

... for years, every state developed its own curriculum, standards and tests. That process will likely change soon. For a good story on the subject, go to Education Week.
...
This year, Maryland and 45 other states decided to jointly develop a common group of standards for what should be taught in kindergarten through high school.
...
[a list of who] will be writing and reviewing the new national or "common core" standards for math and language arts [...] here.

Two good groups

F.I.R.E. and the Sunlight Foundation

York Road & Joppa in Towson

Looking east through Towson Circle from the farmers market today. [Click photo to see larger panorama.]

"Sustain-a-Biz" legislative scorecard for MD District 42

Most legislative scorecards are crude, narrow and unhelpful.

So as a service to voters in District 42 I've created a quick-and-dirty scorecard for those who want to balance environmental protection and economic prosperity. It's a simple average of the ratings given out by the Maryland League of Conservation Voters and Maryland Business for Responsive Government. The resulting hybrid is still crude but it is broader and, I think, more useful.

Dels. Sue Aumann & Bill Frank get the top marks this year while Sen. Jim Brochin and Del. Steve Lafferty bring up the rear:

"SUSTAIN-A-BIZ" SCORECARD 2009 -- MD DISTRICT 42

Del. Sue Aumann ... ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] 72%
Del. Bill Frank ........ ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] 67%
Sen. Jim Brochin ... ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] 64%
Del. Steve Lafferty. ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] 60%

In most cases I give a black mark to politicians who get 100% ratings from single issue groups like Md LCV and MBRG. Both Brochin and Lafferty got 100% scores from LCV this year.

UPDATE: A critique of the Maryland LCV scorecard that I wrote five years ago.

"Everybody hates the teachers' unions now"

Mickey Kaus writes about a new new report on education reform. He suggests that the report

implicitly serves as an argument against trying to reform the schools in cooperation with the unions, and in favor of trying to reform the schools by defeating the unions

The title of the report: National Teachers Unions and the Struggle Over School Reform.

via Joanne Jacobs

"Making gentlemen out of savages"

In his superb book Managing the Non-Profit Organization*, Peter Drucker talks about the Do's and Don'ts of writing mission statements.

One of our most common mistakes is to make the mission statement into a kind of hero sandwich of good intentions. It has to be simple and clear. As you add new tasks, you de-emphasize and get rid of old ones. You can only do so many things. Look at what we are trying to do in our colleges. The mission statement is confused - we are trying to do fifty different things. It won't work, and that's why the fundamentalist colleges attract so many young people. Their mission is very narrow. You and I may quarrel with it and say it's too narrow, but it's clear.

One example Drucker seemed to like:

Arnold of Rugby, the greatest English educator of the nineteenth century, who
created the English public school, defined its mission as making gentlemen out of savages.

Compare this to the BCPS mission statement, which is too long for my taste and comes too close to the problematic "hero sandwich":

... provide a quality education that develops the content[,] knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will enable all students to reach their maximum potential as responsible, life-long learners and productive citizens.

For good measure, here's the "vision" statement that BCPS came up with:

Baltimore County Public Schools’ graduates will have the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to reach their potential as responsible, productive citizens in a global economy and multicultural society.

*If you can find it, listen to the audio version. His rumbly Viennese accent is soothing and inspiring, and his personality shines through.

Webtools for online polls and project management

A polling tool and an online project management tool for websites via WebWorkerDaily

Time Magazine officially dead

My parents used to subscribe to Time. I recently scanned a few issues. It has gotten badder than bad.

Exhibit I is Joel Stein's recent exercise in self-reference titled Give Hockey (And Me) One More Shot. It includes this delusional statement:

TIME is one of the last places that tries to satisfy the intellectually curious.

Mmmm-kay.

Exhibit II is a piece by Josh Tyrangiel, who writes about his attempt to bankrupt the New York Yankees by overeating at a luxury box buffet. Tyrangiel is Stein's boss (a factoid that I picked up from Stein's navel-gazing effort).

The setup from How to Beat the Yankees with Your Stomach:

I was gifted a $325 ticket to the new Yankee Stadium to see Satan's pinstriped nine play my beloved Baltimore Orioles. It turns out that $325 buys not just an excellent seat but access to the all-you-can-eat buffet in the superswanky Legends Suite.

The plan:

[It] was simple: eat enough so that at the end of the season, the accountants would say ... We lost so much on concessions that night that we can no longer afford to steal a small-market team's best starting pitcher."

I fasted all day [in preparation]...

Tyrangiel serves up standard MSM snark delivered from on high and down low -- with a grating tone that mixes the sensibilities of middle school and the Ivy League. And he bites the hands that feed him:

Sure enough, upon entering the Legends Suite with my ludicrously expensive [free] ticket ... After a survey of the rest of the buffet ... I began to wonder where my seat was.

It goes on:

Turns out you can't really see the game from the buffet area, and it dawned on me that I had been in a room like this before — at Foxwoods Resort Casino. During a brief foray into high-stakes gambling, a friend and I got comped and dove into a mountain of shrimp and lobster tails before stepping out into the casino jacked up on seafood and self-loathing. Well, the Legends Suite is just like that. So many bankers and so much excess that I felt kind of gross for enjoying myself so much.

Hunter Thompson sans personality, insight, talent and style.

More self-reference and cynical snark-as-humor, plus gluttony:

When I arrived at my seat — after grabbing a movie-theater-size bag of peanut M&Ms ($5) to tide me over for the walk — I could admit to being impressed. Third row behind the Yankee dugout. So close I could see the spot where Alex Rodriguez injects his steroids. The great thing? That statement's not even slanderous.

The article dribbles off into nothingness:

I forget who was winning.

Ugh.

R.I.P. Time Magazine.

The art of apology

Tom Peters interviews John Kador on how to make and effective apology. According to Kador, executives who apologize are more success than those who don't. And they make more money.

The five elements of an apology:

1. Recognition
2. Responsibility
3. Remorse
4. Restitution
5. Repetition

I made one a few weeks ago. In retrospect, I only covered the first three. Next time I'll try for all five.

[Webtool note: Peters links to the book using a site called LinkBaton.]

First things first

Now that I'm looking into the BCPS curriculum, I thought I'd take a look at the definition of curriculum:

The set of courses, coursework, and their content, offered at a school or university.

The schools my kids go to (or have gone to) in Baltimore County don't seem to publish even a basic list of course titles on their websites. Nor does the central BCPS website have a list.

"All experience hath shewn" ... insights on parents & schools in the Declaration of Independence

I read the Declaration of Independence yesterday on the 4th of July.

The public school system came to mind when I read this part from from the second paragraph:

all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

Most parents don't bother trying to change or improve the public school system. They just try to game it as best they can while their kids are enrolled.

If a president wants to create jobs, the essential first step is to create a predictable regulatory environment

According to Jerry Bowyer, business people think Obama is failing at this. Or at least they are behaving that way:

America isn't hiring precisely because of government policy. Small business owners, who are usually the first into and the first out of the job pool, are standing by the fence and watching. They are paralyzed by regulatory uncertainty. If they hire someone who ends up doing poorly, will they be able to fire that person? Will they have to pay their health care bills after they've been terminated? If so, for how long? ...

Jobs aren't languishing despite the government's best efforts. They're languishing because of them.

via Glenn

Black & Decker hiding green benefits of cordless mower under a bushel basket?

It costs only about a nickel to charge B&D's cordless electric mower (model CMM1200 ) from a fully depleted state. Here's the math: 0.38 KWH (see reading above on a Kill-A-Watt energy meter) x $0.14 cents/KWH = 5.3 cents.

I wonder why B&D doesn't compare the CMM1200 to a two-stroke gas mower and brag about the difference in cost of fuel and carbon emissions.

And here's another green thing you can do with it.

"Top Secret" curriculum at BCPS?

Can someone explain to me why public school administrators talk incessantly about "the curriculum", but seem determined to ensure that parents don't get to see it?

The mission of the Baltimore County Public Schools' Department of Curriculum & Instruction includes this bit:

development of curricula, based on research and best practices, provides teachers, students, and parents with a quality instructional program

But the BCPS website hides nearly all details of the curriculum behind a password-protected intranet.

All we parents get to see on the website is fluff, peripheral material, and educational mumbo jumbo about "seeds", "clarifications", "sample assessments", "thinking skills", "Articulated Instruction Modules", "Core Learning Goals toolkits", "parent summaries" that don't exist yet, and so on. And this comes in an Alice-in-Wonderland format that is impossible to skim in an efficient way.

UPDATE: Joanne Jacobs links, and asks her readers, "Do other school districts make it hard for parents to access the curriculum?" Thanks Joanne. The comments she gets are enlightening. Another thing I'd like to know: which largeish school systems out there (1) have an excellent curriculum, and (2) make the curriculum easily accessible on the web?

Health care reform: Obama shies from the cold stove because Clinton was burned by a hot one

David Brooks explains:

The great paradox of the age is that Barack Obama, the most riveting of recent presidents, is leading us into an era of Congressional dominance. And Congressional governance is a haven for special interest pleading and venal logrolling.

When the executive branch is dominant you often get coherent proposals that may not pass. When Congress is dominant, as now, you get politically viable mishmashes that don’t necessarily make sense.