Dave, Mary and the Health Care Reform Law

Check out this excellent podcast from Planet Money that talks about the health care bill. It does provide some real examples of how the bill will affect real folks. Podcast: Ok, He Signed It. Now What?

Keep on Slinging Those Babies

I read today a slightly confusing story about how 1 million baby slings are being recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Obviously if there is a sling that is poorly designed resulting in a higher risk of injury or death to the baby, the product should be recalled and not used. The recall involves 1 million Infantino "SlingRider" and "Wendy Bellissimo" slings because 3 deaths have been linked to the slings. The article then goes on the explain:

"Earlier this month, CPSC issued a broad warning about sling-style baby carriers, saying they pose a potential suffocation risk to infants, especially babies under 4 months. Babies who had a low birth weight, were born prematurely or had breathing problems such as colds were also at risk. At the time, the commission did not single out a specific type of sling or manufacturer. It said it had identified or was investigating at least 14 deaths in the last 20 years associated with baby slings."

I am not so sure about these recommendations. Are slings the problem or are people using them wrong? I don't know how many people use 'em but if one brand that I have never heard of sold 1 million, there are probably millions more in use each year made by others. While any unnecessary death of a baby is terrible but to tell millions of people not to use these wonderful products seems excessive. The product that has been recalled seems like a bit of a bad design from the picture in that it seems to allow the baby to be more tucked in like a pillowcase than the sling I've used or others I've seen but I am not sure that is the problem.

I have been a big sling wearer for years with my first two children (I am not using it much with baby #3 because of my back problems). They are great, I am a big fan of the products in that they:

• encourage bonding with the baby
• allow you to do stuff because you have you hands free
• distributes the weight of the baby better than just carrying the baby
• help to calm fussy, colicky babies.

The benefits extend beyond when you are wearing the baby, they kids are generally happier. I am not trying to say that babies who don't hang out in slings are unhappy terrible babies who will turn out to be ax murderers, but I know first hand of the good that they can do to a baby and a family.

I don't think my child could ever die while I am wearing a sling but I guess I could see how it could possibly happen in some very very rare cases. Every single time I had a kid in a sling I was watching them very very closely to make sure they were not distressed, were breathing normally, etc. Also, for young babies (under 2 mo.) , I did not use them the sling much at first because it was clear that it was a little much when their heads are still very wobbly and they are so small lost in all that fabric, the babies did not seem happy in a sling during the first 2 months. I was probably more in-tune to the baby and their needs in the sling than if they were in a crib, car seat, bassinet, etc. How many babies die each year from SIDS or other problems, being dropped, suffocating with blanket, stroller problem, etc. ? Babies are sensitive, delicate creatures and they need to be treated as such (what an odd species we are BTW, so many other animals can walk within days of being born but that is another issue).

It is horrible to think about this stuff but I would go as far as to say that it is possible some babies have their lives saved by slings. If a parent is trying to do 10 things at once, sleep deprived and they are trying to hold a fussy baby without a sling for hours, it is possible that bad things could happen unintentionally. I'd bet that car accidents can occur in some cases if a parent is so stressed and tired.

If the CPSC wants to limit accidents in slings they should do research and provide educational information to nurses, parents, etc. about the right and wrong ways to use slings. I am sure some babies are injured in strollers, car seats, cribs and they don't discourage people from using them. I hope that this news doesn't discoruage people from using these useful tools that parents have been using for 100s of years around the world.

Walker vs Barrett - Jobs and Taxes

Yeah to Emily Mills for her recent Emily's Post on the upcoming Governor's race. I have seen very little reporting on this important upcoming election and her post provides some (gasp) facts and analysis about what they are promising.

Emily discusses how many job each candidate will "create" if they get the top job. I would go further than Emily and point out that it is ridiculous for any elected official to claim that they can create jobs through their actions unless they are talking about government jobs or contractors jobs. Where did these #s come from? What happens to the WI economy is beyond the control of the Governor. The only part of the economy that they have a real impact on is what happens to schools and local governments through the budget.

The post has some good facts about tax cuts that Walker is proposing and the price tag. I would love to hear what budget cuts he is proposing to pay for the tax cuts to the wealthy he is proposing.

I am looking to Emily for more reporting on this important race to help educate all of us on how Walker is not just a hard working, well meaning young guy with a cute smile who wants to lower taxes.

Antisemitism and Lack of Privacy On-Line in a Social Network Age

I just signed up to be a "fan" of the Jewish Federation of Madison page on Facebook. I did not think twice about it. I am an active part of our small Jewish community and want to support it.

I looked at the page and saw some other friends on there too and then it occurred to me, this is a public group any anyone can see who is in it and pretty much see a big list of people in Madison who are Jewish. Of course you don't have to be a fan if you are Jewish.

I am about to go visit my 89 year old grandmother for a seder at her nursing home. She grew up in a time when antisemitism was so blatant in America. She has told me stories about how Jews could not get into colleges, neighborhoods, country clubs, etc. People would not hire you because you were Jewish. I hope I am right to say, wow, times have changed. There are many Jewish facebook groups now. Would you think twice about joining a group that basically says, I am Jewish?

Take This Paper Pushing Job and Shove It! I Am Going to Start a Punk Polka Band!

I am very sick (ha ha) of hearing about the health care reforms on the news. I am supportive of the Democratic bills and think it is well needed and a smart way to expand coverage and fix some of our current problems, but the endless talking about the votes on this amendment and this bill and the ridiculous procedural sausage making is really hurting the public perception of this. None of this is the point of my post.

One observation that occurred to me regarding the health care plan is what would happen to people and their career, life and economic choices once the law is fully in effect. Right now there are many people who make decisions to stay at a job, stay married, who should stay home with kids, not change professions, etc. because of the need to keep their health insurance for them and their family. They say that there are more artists in Canada because with the gov. health care there is not as much pressure to have a 9-5 job with benefits.

If some of the changes proposed went through, life as we know it could be very different. You could consider a job without health insurance (start your own business, massage therapist, artist, etc.) if there was reasonably priced insurance available through the exchange. Mom may not have to go back to work because Dad's job doesn't have health insurance that includes the family. The 59 year old person who could retire early but is not because they can't afford to lose their insurance may now decide to retire if they cannot be denied an individual plan because of a history of breast cancer. You could work a part time rather than full time if the loss of the insurance is not as critical.

There are also some folks who have a lot of money in the bank that they earned or that their family gave them but who have to hold down a 9-5 normal job for the insurance. There may be more folks with cash who would choose to quit those jobs temporally or permanently (Obviously is you are super rich you could not work and afford health care now but it is so expensive you'd need serious money to do that for very long).

Much of this thinking depends on whether or not there would be reasonably priced individual policies available in a post Obamacare world. Some of this would depend on income levels, the plan includes large subsidies for many to afford insurance who can not now do so. There are a lot of unknowns but if this works as intended, it will not only lead to healthier people but happier families.

You're young until you're not

I have not heard this great song before but I really like it. Regina Spektor "On the Radio" cute video too. I can't get it out of my head and her voice is so nice.

How Much Of Your On-Line Life Can Strangers See???

By posting this it may seem like I am a bit of a stalker but I find the topic of internet privacy fascinating and disturbing.

So, I was bored and searched for my old house where I grew up on-line. In one second I found the names of the current owners. I then typed the name of the wife into Facebook and found five people with that name and then in two seconds I figured out which one was the person who owns my old home. Like many on FB, she had some information private but I was able to see her Wall and part of her Info page was open for anyone to see. From her Wall I could see all her status updates, some of which are quite personal, but also she posted Snapfish photo albums. I have friends who use Snapfish and have a password so I could see the albums. I assume she only wanted friends and family to see the albums. And then in the Snapfish photos I could see her cute kids growing up in my childhood home. Kind of cool but I would bet she does not want random guy looking at these family photos.

The other day I looked up someone who I had to work with, a senior manager at a major insurance company, who I have no personal connection with and I could also see her wall and her photos. I know there have been many stories out there about privacy settings but the only real way to see if you did it right is to ask someone who is not your FB friend, preferably not even a friend of a friend and then ask them to look you up, see what comes up.

Everyone should think about what strangers, employers, etc. can see about us. Our online lives are not as private as you may think.

Russ vs Tommy 2010

It looks to me like Tommy Thompson will run for US Senate against Russ Feingold. I am not a Tommy fan. This article in Politico makes it seem like he is taking some steps to start a campaign. Terrible photo by the way, he was not a good looking guy when he was younger but yikes.

The article doesn't make the run seem very likley but then I saw this cover of the Madison Magazine. Why all of a sudden would there be a such a positive fluff piece about the Thompson women? Not only are they more attractive than their husband, it makes you feel good about the family and the good things they do. Excellent PR about a guy who has not held office in WI since 2001.

Big Scary Double Sided Knife Recalled Because People Cut Themselves With It

Sounds like an Onion headline but Gerber Legendary Blades is recalling a "machete has a saw edge on one side and a knife edge on the other side" because people cut themselves using it.

I forgot about this "fun" Chicago tradition

Notes left by people who shovelled out parking spots and had them taken away by someone else. These notes are too awsome.

Can you dig it? from PassiveAgressive notes.com (from HowWeDrive.com)

Bad ABC News Story on 'Facebook Firings'

The full title of the story is "Professor Suspended After Joke About Killing Students on Facebook -More Workers Getting Fired Over Social Media Rants". The issue of violence in the workplace is serious and should not be in the same league as the on-line workplace faux pas described in the second half of the story.

That said, even the part about the professor, Gloria Gadsden, was missing three things.

Did the FB status udpates alone what got her suspended? How did she respond when confronted about the notes. The article says:

"Nevertheless, university officials were unhappy about the allusions to violence in the posts, she says, and in a meeting with her even mentioned the recent shooting spree by a disgruntled biologist at the University Alabama-Huntsville. " This is not very clear, did she say anything about the Alabama shooting or did they school officials? If she explained that she was just venting and frustrated would they have done anything?

Also, how did the student see the FB status updates, did the prof not set her privacy settings correctly? Do employers or law enforcement have some rights to access these "private" updates if there is some just cause?

Lastly, they did not really offer any other perspectives on the key issue of the piece, do comments like these indicate a likelihood to lead to real violence of do many people say things like this to vent frustration and mean nothing by them. Did the University overreact or not? If I am a friend or boss and someone makes a comment like "Does anyone know where I can find a very discrete hitman? Yes, it's been that kind of day…" should I be concerned that this may be a warning sign that the person may go postal? The workplace is stressful and people get upset and mad. People need to vent but when does it go do far? Obvious lesson here is that you should never on line or in real life say anything that sounds vaguely threatening or violent if you are upset or frustrated, but we should be looking closer at this issue after the Alabama shooting. Not just on campuses but throughout our workplaces and communties.

Babies in Brooklyn Bars

Nice hipster parent article in CNN about controversy in Brooklyn about whether or not people should bring babies to bars. I can see both sides of the issue but generally think bar owners should be able to make the rules and that it is not bad parenting to bring a kid to a bar. Depends on the type of place. I like Wisconsin law which allows for kids in bars with parents but WI is unique. As a result, the distinction between bars, coffee shops and restaurants is not very black and white as you see in other states. There are places I've brought my kids that have food and big bars. No big deal.

The telling thing about the article is that it focuses on babies in bars. The reality is that, even in Park Slope, most professional parents move out of the city when their kids get to be school age. Some cities have a few hold outs but my Chicago experience is that every family I knew who lived in "the city" moved out to the 'burbs by the time their kids were in kindergarten. It is not that there are not some older kids in the hip parts of our cities it is just that there are very few compared to all the other single people, couples without kids, etc.

Who gives a crap if Sasha Raven sees me doing Jaaeger shots and dropping some F-bombs? I I would love to see our large cities full of urban professional families with kids of all ages but I doubt this will happen much. This whole thing gets more challenging 10 years from now if more and more families stay in "the city" and have older kids. People's feelings may change when they start seeing smart ass 10 year olds in the hip bars with their folks. But then maybe those with parents in Brooklyn won't bring their kids into the bars when the are old enough to know what is going on. This is why most states don't allow kids in bars at all. I don't by the argument that having kids at bars will turn them into drunk adults. If parents drink responsibly, kids will learn to drink responsibly.