August

Not august, but August, the month. It is here. My car will be also, so thanks to all you taxpayers for your clunker money. I feel stimulus all over me.

A time to slow down and take advantage of the incredible global warming. Just let things slide by and go with the flow, like good serfs, and snuggle by the July fire.

I just wanted to offer two observations about the full-court press about "reforming our medical system." Each time I hear that, my blood pressure goes up and I can't afford that.

1. What's with this medical "system" concept? There is a marketplace, sure. There is no constructed organization, no central planning or government department. What is the medical system? When you start to actually define what you are talking about, the feel good platitudes start to erode.

One could use the term "system," the popular one adopted by social sciences, as shown below, but that is not how it is being invoked. At least, not in the context it is. You can't reform a market or an abstracted defined set of interactions that have no central order or control or output. The human body could called be a system, but how do you reform it? Below, is a little on the use of the term system. I like the integrated whole as opposed to a set of subsets that one makes up.

From Wiki:

System (from Latin systēma, in turn from Greek σύστημα systēma) is a set of interacting or interdependent entities, real or abstract, forming an integrated whole.

The concept of an 'integrated whole' can also be stated in terms of a system embodying a set of relationships which are differentiated from relationships of the set to other elements, and from relationships between an element of the set and elements not a part of the relational regime.

The scientific research field which is engaged in the study of the general properties of systems include systems theory, systems science, systemics and systems engineering. They investigate the abstract properties of the matter and organization, searching concepts and principles which are independent of the specific domain, substance, type, or temporal scales of existence.

Most systems share the same common characteristics. These common characteristics include the following

• Systems are abstractions of reality, or part of reality (real-world systems)
• Systems have structure which is defined by its parts and their composition.
• Systems have behavior, which involves inputs, processing and outputs of material, information or energy.
• Systems have interconnectivity, the various parts of a system have functional as well as structural relationships between each other.

The term system may also refer to a set of rules that governs behavior or structure. (By idiots)

A system can be said to be all this, but it is not an organization or company. It is an abstract aggregation of factors that could be said to form into a blob that has a consistent purpose, sort of, but that is far from it being a machine, hard or soft. Is there a candy store system?

2. What's with "reform"?

This is just a logical thing, so no one really cares about it.

So, what is reform? Is it something new that you like? Something new (or old) that you think is better?

There is no medical organization, so no beneficial tinkering can be made, if we were able to define a beneficial alteration. Is reform more efficiency of the parts, like a stronger biceps?

If we use the looser term for system, how does one reform it? What is bad and what is good? What parts alter the the entire system so there will be unexpected consequences.

Does reform mean cheaper? More under central control?

Is something reformed if the subsets move on or lose incentive?

So, if you say, come on, we all know what reform is, then I say, come on, no we don't and neither do you. Only you are voting for what you don't know. I know, change for changers sake

3. Has anyone found "quo warranto," by what right, the government is going to create a medical organization? Can you identify how the federal government has been empowered to become a socialist central planner and put private companies out of business? Do we care about private contracts? Or do we just skip that step?

So, off I go to fix a fence and plan a smooth escape. I will see if there is any other free money you are giving me.

As it says on the bottom of my letterhead:

Marcus Aurelius: The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.