SEEING THE HANDWRITING – The latest U.S. House Democrats to jump ship are California’s George Miller and Henry Waxman, Representatives in the U. S. House, both having served 20 terms.
NOBAMA – While most Democrat candidates for reelection are avoiding the president’s presence in their states, not Rep. Gary Peters (D-Mich), who is running for the seat of retiring Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich). As the president signed the farm bill in Michigan today, Peters was at his side despite polls showing he’s trailing Michigan’s Republican Secretary of State Terry Land.
Wendy Davis in an awkward pose. (Twitchy photo)
Ann Richards was at ease with guns. (Annie Leibovitz photo)
IN TEXAS – Democrat gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis drew fire from some party members as she came out for a law allowing licensed Texans to openly carry handguns. Some 600,000 individuals currently have concealed carry licenses in the state that permits open carry for rifles not carried in a threatening way. “As a Texas senator, Davis could have filed and supported an open carry bill … didn’t happen,” said Alice Tripp of the Texas State Rifle Association. “Campaign talk is campaign talk not supported by a history of action on behalf of Texas gun owners,” she added. Davis appeared in a photo awkwardly holding a gift rifle once owned by former Gov. Ann Richards.
HAVE YOU HEARD discussions about preventive tests that may no longer be needed or perhaps not as frequent? A couple of years ago, men were told they shouldn’t routinely get the PSA test for prostate cancer, because there was little evidence that it saved men’s lives. In 2009 it was recommended that women delay routine mammograms until age 50, however, the American Cancer Society advised women with an average risk to have annual mammograms beginning at age 40.
Michael Ramirez Cartoon IIBD)
The group behind this advice is the so-called independent U. S. Preventive Services Task Force, a federally funded volunteer panel of experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine. Members come from a wide-range of medical fields. One wonders if the Task Force recommendations are merely an effort to reduce health care costs. Next year, the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) aka the Death Panel, a group of 15 unelected individuals appointed by the president under ObamaCare, will be tasked with bringing down medical costs.
