DadTalk

Health Care Expenses Exceed Housing, Food, Times Reports

“ ‘The kid isn’t that sick; her temperature is only 102.’ ”
– Dr. Richard Lander, a pediatrician in Livingston, N.J. explaining how parents are responding to rising health insurance costs.

Rising gas prices are an inconvenience. There are ways around higher food prices, however unpalatable. But how do families cope with rising health care costs when it is too costly for Americans and their children?

It’s hard for me to fathom, but consumers are now spending more money on health care than food or housing, reports The New York Times:

Since the recession of 2001, the employee’s average cost of an annual health care premium for family coverage has nearly doubled – to $3,300, up from $1,800 – while incomes have come nowhere close to keeping up. Factor in other out-of-pocket medical costs, and the portion of the average American household’s income that goes toward health care has risen about 12 percent, according to the consulting and accounting firm Deloitte, and is now approaching one-fifth of the average household’s spending.

Main Street Struggles While Wall Street Seems Oblivious

Hey everybody, did you know America’s economic problems are all over? That’s right, kiddies, after a week of stories revealing a continually worsening housing market, continued job loss, soaring prices and plunging consumer confidence, Wall Street is indicating the worst is over.

Just watch CNBC for a few minutes as pundits take turns pummeling any analyst who says, “But what about those folks struggling on Main Street?”

You see moms and dads, the economy isn’t really about you and me. It’s about oil and commodities and credit. Think I’m kidding? Check out this New York Times story:

Many on Wall Street, the epicenter of the credit mess, seem to think that the worst is over. For the first time in months, analysts and executives sound upbeat again. Many of them see a broad, sustained recovery in both the economy and the financial markets coming in the second half of this year, a prediction some market strategists call hopeful at best.

Why the constant drumbeat of happy news when most of us are trying to find affordable housing or considering whether to give up bread or cheese? Because in America, telling people that they are happy is a proven formula for success. Most of the time, anyway.

And certainly, the bigwigs in government and business don’t want you thinking too much about the monumental problems we face everyday. Problems such as these:

More Moms Try Nursing

More American mothers tried breast feeding, though they’re not sticking with it, reports The New York Times on a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study. The 77 percent rate of moms who attempt nursing is a high point.

By six months, though, most women have given up on nursing despite health organizations urging moms to continue for up to 2 years. (For the record, Seth and Lael were nursed for about 2 years.) Studies have shown that breast feeding can pass numerous health benefits on to children.

Perhaps the most interesting tidbit comes at the end of the article:

Dr. (Barbara) Philipp said that while doctors and nurses were doing a better job of emphasizing the benefits of breast-feeding to patients, most continue to offer new mothers free diaper bags containing infant formula when mothers go home with their newborns.

“That’s a problem because at least five studies have shown that when a doctor or nurse hands the family that bag, even if they take the formula out, that mother will have less success with breast-feeding,” Dr. Philipp said.

Tom Chapin Video Slams No Child Left Behind

My wife is currently exploring the idea of becoming an urban public school teacher, which I firmly support. But I can’t help wonder why anyone ever goes to the hassle:

• Low pay that starts around $32,000 and never grows much beyond $50,000 except in elite school districts.
• Tough certification rules.
• The cost and time of obtaining a masters.
• Inadequate buildings and learning supplies.

Perhaps the worst thing a teacher must face is No Child Left Behind, which I’ve been calling No Child Gets an Education. It seems to me that teaching elementary school students to a “test” would be the final straw for those men and women who already put up with so many career negatives.

But forget anything I write. Watch this Tom Chapin video, which I discovered via Thingamababy, a great blog on parenting. And here’s Chapin’s website against NCLB.

Additional
A review of a Tom Chapin album.

Are You an Economic Optimist or Realist?

Why are some humans optimists and others pessimists? I was discussing this question with an acquaintance on my bus to work last week.

My theory: optimists often don’t see or simply ignore the downside to trying out a new restaurant, athletic fete or business.  A pessimist – though I substitute the word realist – viscerally sees the downside to new and old ideas.

Without optimists, we’d still be riding horse and buggies (or walking), the moon might never have been explored and supercolliders never built. Without realists, planes would fall from the sky and even worse politicians would be elected to office.

No place is the tug of war between optimists and realists more evident than the economy and the housing market. Here’s the historical smack down:

Trout Fishing and Indian Spices

Can two men sound like an entire band? Sure, when they’ve been playing together for almost 30 years.

Can two men keep 100 children – and 100 parents – occupied and even dancing during kiddy witching hours of 3-5 p.m?

Sure, if they’re Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet, who form the Arkansas duo Trout Fishing in America. If you never heard of these guys, or listened to them, now is a good time as any. Click on this link, and then click on “Launch Trout Radio” for a sample.

Trout Fishing is one of those bands I never would have heard of if it wasn’t for a publicist – I’m not even sure which one – sending me a CD. I’m pretty awful that way: someone sends me a CD and I get around to listening to it weeks or months later.

Food Recalls Malt-o-Meal Recalls Puffed Wheat, Rice

While sick with the flu, I let slide a recall of cereal contaminated with salmonella. How Puffed Rice and Puffed Wheat cereals could become contaminated with salmonella is something of a mystery to me, but reports of illnesses continue to spread two weeks into the recall.

At least 21 cases of salmonella agona in 13 states have been reported, according to All American Patriots. So far, the mainstream media, beyond TV News, has not made much effort to cover this recall.

The cereal, which is being recalled by Malt-O-Meal, is sold under a variety of brand names and packaging styles. See the link above for details on recall specifics: there are hundreds of UPC codes listed.

Ramblings on Sustainability, Economy and Pricey Shoes

While hunched over sick with the flu on the train ride home last week, I overheard this nugget from a fashionably-dressed, middle-aged woman talking to another:

“I don’t care what they’re made of, a pair of $16,000 shoes cannot be called ‘sustainable.’”

Both ladies were dressed in a style I would call, Green Green – that is, costly, yet fashionable “natural” clothing.

I’ve long wrestled with the idea of maintaining a “sustainable” lifestyle. During my 11 years in Arizona, I tried biking to my job. Considering that my work day started at 2 p.m. and ended at midnight – I had a four-day workweek back then – it didn’t work well.

Biking in when it was 110 degrees left me sticky with salt and I didn’t like how my shirt would stick for the rest of the day. Biking home at midnight left me unable to fall asleep for hours. Sustainability is a great concept, but it is a lot tougher to execute than is sometimes practical.

Worse, there are often those pesky unintended consequences. None is more obvious than skyrocketing food prices, caused in part by the need to use corn and other plant material to make biofuels, reports Paul Krugman of The New York Times.

Here’s a sample:

Recalls Magnets Pose Danger in 870,000 Dart Boards

I’ve been quiet on this front for a while, but it’s hard to ignore when 870,000 dart boards are recalled because the small magnets can fall out and be eaten by children. Although there have been no reports of injuries with this toy, magnets can rip through intestines after being swallowed.

Similar dart boards were recalled in February and in March, MEGA Brands recalled 2.4 magnet toys, according to Consumer Reports.

The Chinese-made toys in this week’s recall were sold from September 2002 through March 2008 at Family Dollar stores nationwide, reports the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Choose Your Headline Writing Skills Improve Slightly;(or) Most Kids Still Can’t Write

A national measure of writing skills reveals that only about one-third of America’s eighth-grade students are proficient writers, reports The New York Times. The percentage drops to one-quarter among high school seniors.

I suppose it’s a matter of opinion as to whether you believe there has been significant improvement, as determined in The Nation’s Report Card: Writing 2007. But as someone working in the financial industry at the moment, I would hate to invest money on a contract that offers a 30 percent odds of success.

(After the jump are charts showing how your state fared.)