Just wait until somebody tells you about the Irish Rugby Union Team
OK, this crops up every four years because of the Olympics and especially applies to sports where the UK participated before Ireland decided to secede. It goes like this
All-Ireland sports teams represent Ireland, but people in Northern Ireland who identify as Irish can play if they like.
GB teams represent Great Britain, but people in Northern Ireland who identify as British can play if they like.
Regarding the Irish Lights, Brendan Behan told a story about when he was working as a painter for this old, upstanding (in more ways than one) organization, on a job at a lighthouse in Northern Ireland, (think maybe it was Donaghadee) circa 1950.
As a joke, Behan added "Authorized by authority of Eamonn DeValera" onto a sign.
A women came up, took one look, and immediate extreme umbrage - then rushed off to find a member of the RUC.
But by the time she arrived, copper in tow, Behan had painted it out.
Part of the joke, at least for him, was that he hated DeValera even more than the Orangewoman, having spent several years as Ev's special guest in Mountjoy Prison and the Curagh internment camp.
This stuff is absolutely lethal. Fentanyl plus Tranq. We must absolutely pray that this shit does not take a grip on UK cities the way it has in America. Or we are fucked
Frankly, I am not optimistic. But maybe we will dodge the bullet
The authorities need to take real and urgent action against this drug, unlike the situation in the United States.
Anyone who has it in their possession should go straight to prison for many years. It is THAT dangerous
Trouble is, we don't have the stomach (or the money?) to fight it this fiercely, and there are also problems with basic detection. The drug is so novel we do not have easy tests to apply, AIUI
We've tried that. Seems you have to deal with the multitudinous reasons why people take such compounds or accept it'll get to them anyway.
This stuff is absolutely lethal. Fentanyl plus Tranq. We must absolutely pray that this shit does not take a grip on UK cities the way it has in America. Or we are fucked
Frankly, I am not optimistic. But maybe we will dodge the bullet
The authorities need to take real and urgent action against this drug, unlike the situation in the United States.
Anyone who has it in their possession should go straight to prison for many years. It is THAT dangerous
Trouble is, we don't have the stomach (or the money?) to fight it this fiercely, and there are also problems with basic detection. The drug is so novel we do not have easy tests to apply, AIUI
We've tried that. Seems you have to deal with the multitudinous reasons why people take such compounds or accept it'll get to them anyway.
That's like worrying about the sanitary upkeep of your 14th century ports even as the Black Death romps into town
I mean, you're not exactly wrong, but Tranq is such a potent threat it needs to be dealt with here and now, and instantly, or we are fucked
Indeed, we are so fucked, western governments are now subtly asking the Taliban to allow Afghan farmers to export heroin again, as heroin (however bad) is way less dangerous than Fentanyl and Tranq, which users will turn to, absent good smack
"It was the Mexican cartels who made the decision to do the unthinkable in the drug selling world, to start mixing fentanyl into heroin supplies, something they knew was going to kill off a sizable chunk of their US market. Now in some parts of the US and Canada, heroin has been totally replaced by fentanyl. Up until then the drug dealing 101 had been “don’t kill your customer.” But it seems the cartel accountants had figured out they could still make a good profit from selling cheap and highly potent fentanyl even if they were killing off 70,000 of America’s 1 million heroin users every year"
This stuff is absolutely lethal. Fentanyl plus Tranq. We must absolutely pray that this shit does not take a grip on UK cities the way it has in America. Or we are fucked
Frankly, I am not optimistic. But maybe we will dodge the bullet
The authorities need to take real and urgent action against this drug, unlike the situation in the United States.
Anyone who has it in their possession should go straight to prison for many years. It is THAT dangerous
Trouble is, we don't have the stomach (or the money?) to fight it this fiercely, and there are also problems with basic detection. The drug is so novel we do not have easy tests to apply, AIUI
We've tried that. Seems you have to deal with the multitudinous reasons why people take such compounds or accept it'll get to them anyway.
That's like worrying about the sanitary upkeep of your 14th century ports even as the Black Death romps into town
I mean, you're not exactly wrong, but Tranq is such a potent threat it needs to be dealt with here and now, and instantly, or we are fucked
Indeed, we are so fucked, western governments are now subtly asking the Taliban to allow Afghan farmers to export heroin again, as heroin (however bad) is way less dangerous than Fentanyl and Tranq, which users will turn to, absent good smack
"It was the Mexican cartels who made the decision to do the unthinkable in the drug selling world, to start mixing fentanyl into heroin supplies, something they knew was going to kill off a sizable chunk of their US market. Now in some parts of the US and Canada, heroin has been totally replaced by fentanyl. Up until then the drug dealing 101 had been “don’t kill your customer.” But it seems the cartel accountants had figured out they could still make a good profit from selling cheap and highly potent fentanyl even if they were killing off 70,000 of America’s 1 million heroin users every year"
I suspect the "all drugs should be legalised" crowd will diminish with these designer drugs. What was seen as progressive once will be seen as irresponsible soon.
This stuff is absolutely lethal. Fentanyl plus Tranq. We must absolutely pray that this shit does not take a grip on UK cities the way it has in America. Or we are fucked
Frankly, I am not optimistic. But maybe we will dodge the bullet
The authorities need to take real and urgent action against this drug, unlike the situation in the United States.
Anyone who has it in their possession should go straight to prison for many years. It is THAT dangerous
Trouble is, we don't have the stomach (or the money?) to fight it this fiercely, and there are also problems with basic detection. The drug is so novel we do not have easy tests to apply, AIUI
We've tried that. Seems you have to deal with the multitudinous reasons why people take such compounds or accept it'll get to them anyway.
That's like worrying about the sanitary upkeep of your 14th century ports even as the Black Death romps into town
I mean, you're not exactly wrong, but Tranq is such a potent threat it needs to be dealt with here and now, and instantly, or we are fucked
Indeed, we are so fucked, western governments are now subtly asking the Taliban to allow Afghan farmers to export heroin again, as heroin (however bad) is way less dangerous than Fentanyl and Tranq, which users will turn to, absent good smack
"It was the Mexican cartels who made the decision to do the unthinkable in the drug selling world, to start mixing fentanyl into heroin supplies, something they knew was going to kill off a sizable chunk of their US market. Now in some parts of the US and Canada, heroin has been totally replaced by fentanyl. Up until then the drug dealing 101 had been “don’t kill your customer.” But it seems the cartel accountants had figured out they could still make a good profit from selling cheap and highly potent fentanyl even if they were killing off 70,000 of America’s 1 million heroin users every year"
Can you stop an easily imported drug being imported? Past performance says we can't.
As its late, I can be horribly flippant and say:
> Stop wasting all this money on drug enforcement. > Spend big on people who want to try and beat their addictions. > Spend big on ameliorating shit life syndrome. > Let the chips fall where they may.
Maybe America should be asking why they have one million users in a land of so much wealth.
Serious medical question, looking for experiences.
I had a 5 day course of chemo last week - a drug injected daily called Cladribine.
I had little reaction except for a mild rash about which my GP was quite relaxed.
I'm now getting a fair amount of feeling sick (been sick once or twice), and I am concerned about getting my diet wrong which might exasperate. I haven't yet quite felt the need to get an anti-emetic from the GP.
It's playing havoc with my insulin : food ratios (had to double doses pretty much), but that's par for the diabetic course and manageable.
I'm now on an antibiotic called Co-Trimoxazole which has a list of possible side-effects like the Doomsday Book.
The instructions are essentially to self-isolate.
Any experiences or practical advice (not medical advice obvs) would be welcome, as this is a time when I need to get quite a lot done.
Get somebody in to look after you, if you haven't already got one. The side-effects of chemo can be hideous and dependent on the intensity there may be times when you will not be able to properly function.
Other than that...
Things like soft cheerful food (ice-cream! jelly!) will help your mouth and your spirits if your gums/tongue are affected.
Take measures you feel appropriate to deal with the shits if you get them. Adult diapers and waterproof sheets are available.
Don't be afraid to cry or feel rubbish.
If you can practicably set aside work, do so.
As for your statement that "this is a time when you need to get a lot done", please remember you can get fuck-all done if you're dead, so please do the minimum consonant with staying alive.
Remember that you will get thru this and no matter how hard it seems there will come a time when you are looking at this thru the rear-view mirror, so your mission is to stay alive between now and then
[EDIT: Hartley's Sugar-free jelly is available from Tescos, Sainsburys and Waitrose]
This stuff is absolutely lethal. Fentanyl plus Tranq. We must absolutely pray that this shit does not take a grip on UK cities the way it has in America. Or we are fucked
Frankly, I am not optimistic. But maybe we will dodge the bullet
The authorities need to take real and urgent action against this drug, unlike the situation in the United States.
Anyone who has it in their possession should go straight to prison for many years. It is THAT dangerous
Trouble is, we don't have the stomach (or the money?) to fight it this fiercely, and there are also problems with basic detection. The drug is so novel we do not have easy tests to apply, AIUI
We've tried that. Seems you have to deal with the multitudinous reasons why people take such compounds or accept it'll get to them anyway.
That's like worrying about the sanitary upkeep of your 14th century ports even as the Black Death romps into town
I mean, you're not exactly wrong, but Tranq is such a potent threat it needs to be dealt with here and now, and instantly, or we are fucked
Indeed, we are so fucked, western governments are now subtly asking the Taliban to allow Afghan farmers to export heroin again, as heroin (however bad) is way less dangerous than Fentanyl and Tranq, which users will turn to, absent good smack
"It was the Mexican cartels who made the decision to do the unthinkable in the drug selling world, to start mixing fentanyl into heroin supplies, something they knew was going to kill off a sizable chunk of their US market. Now in some parts of the US and Canada, heroin has been totally replaced by fentanyl. Up until then the drug dealing 101 had been “don’t kill your customer.” But it seems the cartel accountants had figured out they could still make a good profit from selling cheap and highly potent fentanyl even if they were killing off 70,000 of America’s 1 million heroin users every year"
Can you stop an easily imported drug being imported? Past performance says we can't.
As its late, I can be horribly flippant and say:
> Stop wasting all this money on drug enforcement. > Spend big on people who want to try and beat their addictions. > Spend big on ameliorating shit life syndrome. > Let the chips fall where they may.
Maybe America should be asking why they have one million users in a land of so much wealth.
"We take a very serious view of drug trafficking - the penalty is death. In this case it was an enormous amount of drugs being trafficked. Its nearly 400 grammes of pure heroin, which is equivalent to 26,000 doses of heroin if you do it shot by shot. Which means untold misery and suffering to hundreds if not thousands of addicts and their families. The man was charged, convicted, appealed, dismissed. He put up a clemency petition. The clemency petition was considered all factors were taken into account including petitions and letters from Australian leaders. Finally the government decided the law had to take its course. And the law will have to take its course."
This stuff is absolutely lethal. Fentanyl plus Tranq. We must absolutely pray that this shit does not take a grip on UK cities the way it has in America. Or we are fucked
Frankly, I am not optimistic. But maybe we will dodge the bullet
The authorities need to take real and urgent action against this drug, unlike the situation in the United States.
Anyone who has it in their possession should go straight to prison for many years. It is THAT dangerous
Trouble is, we don't have the stomach (or the money?) to fight it this fiercely, and there are also problems with basic detection. The drug is so novel we do not have easy tests to apply, AIUI
We've tried that. Seems you have to deal with the multitudinous reasons why people take such compounds or accept it'll get to them anyway.
That's like worrying about the sanitary upkeep of your 14th century ports even as the Black Death romps into town
I mean, you're not exactly wrong, but Tranq is such a potent threat it needs to be dealt with here and now, and instantly, or we are fucked
Indeed, we are so fucked, western governments are now subtly asking the Taliban to allow Afghan farmers to export heroin again, as heroin (however bad) is way less dangerous than Fentanyl and Tranq, which users will turn to, absent good smack
"It was the Mexican cartels who made the decision to do the unthinkable in the drug selling world, to start mixing fentanyl into heroin supplies, something they knew was going to kill off a sizable chunk of their US market. Now in some parts of the US and Canada, heroin has been totally replaced by fentanyl. Up until then the drug dealing 101 had been “don’t kill your customer.” But it seems the cartel accountants had figured out they could still make a good profit from selling cheap and highly potent fentanyl even if they were killing off 70,000 of America’s 1 million heroin users every year"
Can you stop an easily imported drug being imported? Past performance says we can't.
As its late, I can be horribly flippant and say:
> Stop wasting all this money on drug enforcement. > Spend big on people who want to try and beat their addictions. > Spend big on ameliorating shit life syndrome. > Let the chips fall where they may.
Maybe America should be asking why they have one million users in a land of so much wealth.
"We take a very serious view of drug trafficking - the penalty is death. In this case it was an enormous amount of drugs being trafficked. Its nearly 400 grammes of pure heroin, which is equivalent to 26,000 doses of heroin if you do it shot by shot. Which means untold misery and suffering to hundreds if not thousands of addicts and their families. The man was charged, convicted, appealed, dismissed. He put up a clemency petition. The clemency petition was considered all factors were taken into account including petitions and letters from Australian leaders. Finally the government decided the law had to take its course. And the law will have to take its course."
How many contributors to PB will be arrested as a result?
I am one of the people on PB who don't take illegal drugs but I am aware that many on here do. The level of observation necessary to detect fentanyl will also detect heroin and cocaine. The Singaporean approach has its virtues, not least of which it addresses the problem. But it will have side-effects and if implemented will require building a political consensus to cope with those side-effects.
HYUFD said: "The very poor in the US ie the unemployed and those without health insurance are worse off than our poor as they have little welfare state, public housing or NHS to fall back on"
Let me try again: The US government has, for decades, provided poor people with health care, through Medicaid: "In the United States, Medicaid is a government program that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by state governments, which also have wide latitude in determining eligibility and benefits, but the federal government sets baseline standards for state Medicaid programs and provides a significant portion of their funding." source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicaid
Since it is administered by the states, DC, and Puerto Rico, there are actually 52 separate Medicaid programs.
The totals should impress any open-minded person: "Medicaid is the largest source of funding for medical and health-related services for people with low income in the United States, providing free health insurance to 85 million low-income and disabled people as of 2022;[3] in 2019, the program paid for half of all U.S. births.[4] As of 2017, the total annual cost of Medicaid was just over $600 billion, of which the federal government contributed $375 billion and states an additional $230 billion.[4] States are not required to participate in the program, although all have since 1982. In general, Medicaid recipients must be U.S. citizens or qualified non-citizens, and may include low-income adults, their children, and people with certain disabilities.[5] As of 2022 45% of those receiving Medicaid or CHIP were children.[3]"
Older people, some of whom are poor, are covered by the federal Medicare program. Which spends about $900 billion to provide health care for about 65 million people. Some people, of course, are eligible for both programs.)
(Full disclosure: I have been on Medicare since I turned 66, 14 years ago.)
This stuff is absolutely lethal. Fentanyl plus Tranq. We must absolutely pray that this shit does not take a grip on UK cities the way it has in America. Or we are fucked
Frankly, I am not optimistic. But maybe we will dodge the bullet
The authorities need to take real and urgent action against this drug, unlike the situation in the United States.
Anyone who has it in their possession should go straight to prison for many years. It is THAT dangerous
Trouble is, we don't have the stomach (or the money?) to fight it this fiercely, and there are also problems with basic detection. The drug is so novel we do not have easy tests to apply, AIUI
We've tried that. Seems you have to deal with the multitudinous reasons why people take such compounds or accept it'll get to them anyway.
That's like worrying about the sanitary upkeep of your 14th century ports even as the Black Death romps into town
I mean, you're not exactly wrong, but Tranq is such a potent threat it needs to be dealt with here and now, and instantly, or we are fucked
Indeed, we are so fucked, western governments are now subtly asking the Taliban to allow Afghan farmers to export heroin again, as heroin (however bad) is way less dangerous than Fentanyl and Tranq, which users will turn to, absent good smack
"It was the Mexican cartels who made the decision to do the unthinkable in the drug selling world, to start mixing fentanyl into heroin supplies, something they knew was going to kill off a sizable chunk of their US market. Now in some parts of the US and Canada, heroin has been totally replaced by fentanyl. Up until then the drug dealing 101 had been “don’t kill your customer.” But it seems the cartel accountants had figured out they could still make a good profit from selling cheap and highly potent fentanyl even if they were killing off 70,000 of America’s 1 million heroin users every year"
Can you stop an easily imported drug being imported? Past performance says we can't.
As its late, I can be horribly flippant and say:
> Stop wasting all this money on drug enforcement. > Spend big on people who want to try and beat their addictions. > Spend big on ameliorating shit life syndrome. > Let the chips fall where they may.
Maybe America should be asking why they have one million users in a land of so much wealth.
I think we know why they have all those heroin users? IIUC the story goes:
- Loads of people have chronic pain from all kinds of medical conditions. This makes their lives really bad and doctors really want to help them. You can treat the pain with opioids, but they're addictive - Pharma companies came up with new types of opioids that they hoped weren't very addictive - Doctors started prescribing them a lot, heightened by the fact that US medicine is pretty financially driven so pharma companies have an incentive to market their pills hard and doctors have an incentive to give their patients what they want - Medical profession and regulators noticed that ruh roh, it turns out these new opioids are actually also really addictive - Doctors stop prescribing them - Oh shit, we now have a nation of people with chronic pain, and also addicted to opioids, and they can only get them on the black market
Some of you can do this in your heads, I imagine. For HYUFD, compare the per capita NHS spending for British citizens, to the per capita spending for US Medicaid recipients.
(Note, please: I do not defend the US hodge podge of systems of government-provided health care. Few would. But their principal problems are not caused by a lack of funding.)
Some of you can do this in your heads, I imagine. For HYUFD, compare the per capita NHS spending for British citizens, to the per capita spending for US Medicaid recipients.
(Note, please: I do not defend the US hodge podge of systems of government-provided health care. Few would. But their principal problems are not caused by a lack of funding.)
Americans often spend a lot of money on health care for not much return. Someone I know who lives in Boston, MA says they have to pay about $100 just to see a doctor, before they've actually done anything. And then, quite often, they perform a lot of tests that aren't really necessary in order to charge a lot more money. So just how much money is being spent isn't always an indication of anything useful taking place.
Instead of looking at money spent, I'd look at outcomes. And, as we know, one of the major outcomes is that life expectancy in the USA is lower than most European countries, including some of the poor ones.
Andy_JS - I'll try again with you, too: Here's what I just said, and you quoted: "(Note, please: I do not defend the US hodge podge of systems of government-provided health care. Few would. But their principal problems are not caused by a lack of funding.)"
Was I not clear enough in that?
And I will suggest you at least look at this Hispanic Paradox article, if you want to understand more on my thinking about outcomes in the US, and elsewhere: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispanic_paradox
There's another set of Indictments (the fifth) being worked on in Arizona, for his and his teams's attempts to steal the 2020 Election there.
Given that parts of his former team have already started to peel away, and some are cooperating with the various prosecutions, or are testifying in their own hearings to what they claim Trump did *, I think he may end up taking the Ernest Saunders route - ie medical incapacity followed by an interestingly quick recovery.
There's also just been a motion (what an appropriate word) in Georgia State to start the trials of all 19 Defendents there in October, which would be .. quick.
I forecast a sudden deterioration in Trump's health soon after he reaches his legal dead end. Given his behaviour, it may be that he *is* mentally unstable.
* Mark Meadows, Trump's former Whitehouse Chief of Staff, spent hours testifying as he attempts to get his own case in Georgia transferred to a Federal Court (where convictions are pardonable by a President, for one thing - unlike State convictions). He has already testified to a lot of juicy material.
Some of you can do this in your heads, I imagine. For HYUFD, compare the per capita NHS spending for British citizens, to the per capita spending for US Medicaid recipients.
(Note, please: I do not defend the US hodge podge of systems of government-provided health care. Few would. But their principal problems are not caused by a lack of funding.)
The principal problems are caused by the insurance companies and PBMs (largely owned by the major health insurers), who make an ungodly amount of money from both individuals and government via Medicare.
Giuliani loses the libel case brought against him by an election worker, as he failed to comply with disclosure orders.
Rudy Giuliani's financial position, among other things, gets worse as a federal judge rules against him in the action brought by Georgia poll workers Ruby Freeman & her daughter Shaye Moss, ordering him to pay their attorneys' fees in addition to the judgment against him. https://twitter.com/JoyceWhiteVance/status/1696897795301482513
This stuff is absolutely lethal. Fentanyl plus Tranq. We must absolutely pray that this shit does not take a grip on UK cities the way it has in America. Or we are fucked
Frankly, I am not optimistic. But maybe we will dodge the bullet
The authorities need to take real and urgent action against this drug, unlike the situation in the United States.
Anyone who has it in their possession should go straight to prison for many years. It is THAT dangerous
Trouble is, we don't have the stomach (or the money?) to fight it this fiercely, and there are also problems with basic detection. The drug is so novel we do not have easy tests to apply, AIUI
We've tried that. Seems you have to deal with the multitudinous reasons why people take such compounds or accept it'll get to them anyway.
That's like worrying about the sanitary upkeep of your 14th century ports even as the Black Death romps into town
I mean, you're not exactly wrong, but Tranq is such a potent threat it needs to be dealt with here and now, and instantly, or we are fucked
Indeed, we are so fucked, western governments are now subtly asking the Taliban to allow Afghan farmers to export heroin again, as heroin (however bad) is way less dangerous than Fentanyl and Tranq, which users will turn to, absent good smack
"It was the Mexican cartels who made the decision to do the unthinkable in the drug selling world, to start mixing fentanyl into heroin supplies, something they knew was going to kill off a sizable chunk of their US market. Now in some parts of the US and Canada, heroin has been totally replaced by fentanyl. Up until then the drug dealing 101 had been “don’t kill your customer.” But it seems the cartel accountants had figured out they could still make a good profit from selling cheap and highly potent fentanyl even if they were killing off 70,000 of America’s 1 million heroin users every year"
I suspect the "all drugs should be legalised" crowd will diminish with these designer drugs. What was seen as progressive once will be seen as irresponsible soon.
As if drug use of any kind is a responsible action... at the end of the day the state can not prevent drug use, even if it imposes the death penalty. Therefore it should focus on amelioration, providing treatment to those that want it and bereavement counselling to the families of those that don't.
Comments
OK, this crops up every four years because of the Olympics and especially applies to sports where the UK participated before Ireland decided to secede. It goes like this
https://twitter.com/Edwin53647824/status/1694227849228476877?s=20
However, I say "extraordinary", but I saw exactly this, in Lexington Kentucky, a few weeks ago. Including the classic "hunched zombie" stance
WTAF
The UK government should be treating this like it treats lethally dangerous viruses, only a lot better. KEEP IT OUT
As a joke, Behan added "Authorized by authority of Eamonn DeValera" onto a sign.
A women came up, took one look, and immediate extreme umbrage - then rushed off to find a member of the RUC.
But by the time she arrived, copper in tow, Behan had painted it out.
Part of the joke, at least for him, was that he hated DeValera even more than the Orangewoman, having spent several years as Ev's special guest in Mountjoy Prison and the Curagh internment camp.
2023: Tranq.
I mean, you're not exactly wrong, but Tranq is such a potent threat it needs to be dealt with here and now, and instantly, or we are fucked
Indeed, we are so fucked, western governments are now subtly asking the Taliban to allow Afghan farmers to export heroin again, as heroin (however bad) is way less dangerous than Fentanyl and Tranq, which users will turn to, absent good smack
https://www.vice.com/en/article/7kxw3b/the-talibans-opium-ban-has-become-an-existential-problem-for-the-west?utm_source=vicenewstwitter
Sample paragraph:
"It was the Mexican cartels who made the decision to do the unthinkable in the drug selling world, to start mixing fentanyl into heroin supplies, something they knew was going to kill off a sizable chunk of their US market. Now in some parts of the US and Canada, heroin has been totally replaced by fentanyl. Up until then the drug dealing 101 had been “don’t kill your customer.” But it seems the cartel accountants had figured out they could still make a good profit from selling cheap and highly potent fentanyl even if they were killing off 70,000 of America’s 1 million heroin users every year"
As its late, I can be horribly flippant and say:
> Stop wasting all this money on drug enforcement.
> Spend big on people who want to try and beat their addictions.
> Spend big on ameliorating shit life syndrome.
> Let the chips fall where they may.
Maybe America should be asking why they have one million users in a land of so much wealth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtVUYtMBPFw
"We take a very serious view of drug trafficking - the penalty is death. In this case it was an enormous amount of drugs being trafficked. Its nearly 400 grammes of pure heroin, which is equivalent to 26,000 doses of heroin if you do it shot by shot. Which means untold misery and suffering to hundreds if not thousands of addicts and their families. The man was charged, convicted, appealed, dismissed. He put up a clemency petition. The clemency petition was considered all factors were taken into account including petitions and letters from Australian leaders. Finally the government decided the law had to take its course. And the law will have to take its course."
I am one of the people on PB who don't take illegal drugs but I am aware that many on here do. The level of observation necessary to detect fentanyl will also detect heroin and cocaine. The Singaporean approach has its virtues, not least of which it addresses the problem. But it will have side-effects and if implemented will require building a political consensus to cope with those side-effects.
Let me try again: The US government has, for decades, provided poor people with health care, through Medicaid: "In the United States, Medicaid is a government program that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by state governments, which also have wide latitude in determining eligibility and benefits, but the federal government sets baseline standards for state Medicaid programs and provides a significant portion of their funding."
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicaid
Since it is administered by the states, DC, and Puerto Rico, there are actually 52 separate Medicaid programs.
The totals should impress any open-minded person: "Medicaid is the largest source of funding for medical and health-related services for people with low income in the United States, providing free health insurance to 85 million low-income and disabled people as of 2022;[3] in 2019, the program paid for half of all U.S. births.[4] As of 2017, the total annual cost of Medicaid was just over $600 billion, of which the federal government contributed $375 billion and states an additional $230 billion.[4] States are not required to participate in the program, although all have since 1982. In general, Medicaid recipients must be U.S. citizens or qualified non-citizens, and may include low-income adults, their children, and people with certain disabilities.[5] As of 2022 45% of those receiving Medicaid or CHIP were children.[3]"
Older people, some of whom are poor, are covered by the federal Medicare program. Which spends about $900 billion to provide health care for about 65 million people. Some people, of course, are eligible for both programs.)
(Full disclosure: I have been on Medicare since I turned 66, 14 years ago.)
- Loads of people have chronic pain from all kinds of medical conditions. This makes their lives really bad and doctors really want to help them. You can treat the pain with opioids, but they're addictive
- Pharma companies came up with new types of opioids that they hoped weren't very addictive
- Doctors started prescribing them a lot, heightened by the fact that US medicine is pretty financially driven so pharma companies have an incentive to market their pills hard and doctors have an incentive to give their patients what they want
- Medical profession and regulators noticed that ruh roh, it turns out these new opioids are actually also really addictive
- Doctors stop prescribing them
- Oh shit, we now have a nation of people with chronic pain, and also addicted to opioids, and they can only get them on the black market
(Note, please: I do not defend the US hodge podge of systems of government-provided health care. Few would. But their principal problems are not caused by a lack of funding.)
Instead of looking at money spent, I'd look at outcomes. And, as we know, one of the major outcomes is that life expectancy in the USA is lower than most European countries, including some of the poor ones.
Was I not clear enough in that?
And I will suggest you at least look at this Hispanic Paradox article, if you want to understand more on my thinking about outcomes in the US, and elsewhere: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispanic_paradox
There's another set of Indictments (the fifth) being worked on in Arizona, for his and his teams's attempts to steal the 2020 Election there.
Given that parts of his former team have already started to peel away, and some are cooperating with the various prosecutions, or are testifying in their own hearings to what they claim Trump did *, I think he may end up taking the Ernest Saunders route - ie medical incapacity followed by an interestingly quick recovery.
There's also just been a motion (what an appropriate word) in Georgia State to start the trials of all 19 Defendents there in October, which would be .. quick.
I forecast a sudden deterioration in Trump's health soon after he reaches his legal dead end. Given his behaviour, it may be that he *is* mentally unstable.
* Mark Meadows, Trump's former Whitehouse Chief of Staff, spent hours testifying as he attempts to get his own case in Georgia transferred to a Federal Court (where convictions are pardonable by a President, for one thing - unlike State convictions). He has already testified to a lot of juicy material.
Trump's ravings about anyone who disobliges him in any way gave become pretty boring.
The closest thing to interesting he said this week was his promise to lock up prominent Democrats should he become president again.
Rudy Giuliani's financial position, among other things, gets worse as a federal judge rules against him in the action brought by Georgia poll workers Ruby Freeman & her daughter Shaye Moss, ordering him to pay their attorneys' fees in addition to the judgment against him.
https://twitter.com/JoyceWhiteVance/status/1696897795301482513