The first thing that caught my eye was Senator McCain’s assertion that a “$300,000 . . study whether . . yoga can be . . effective . .to reduce the severity of hot flashes in breast cancer survivors” is “waste.” Then, I find that the total for the 100 stimulus projects that he and Senator Coburn describe as having “questionable goals,” that are “being mismanaged or were poorly planned” and are even “costing jobs and hurting small businesses,” is 1/2 of one percent of the Federal Stimulus package.
Being a woman in her 50s with 20 + years of moderate to severe hot flashes has made me somewhat of an expert in what is, and is not effective in reducing them. Your opinion of my expertise aside, I can assure you with some conviction that it significantly exceeds that of both Senators McCain and Coburn. When I read that the Senators thought it wasteful to study yoga as an effective methodology to reduce the severity of hot flashes in breast cancer survivors, I thought perhaps the honorable gentlemen would have found the study less wasteful had studied reducing symptoms of discomfort for prostate cancer survivors.
No matter, Senators. You have my attention.
And I have a calculator.
- FLASH – Whether you agree or not with their conclusions of wastefulness, the totality of the programs in their 55 page report is one-half of one percent of the total Federal Stimulus package.
- FLASH – If I were running a business with gross revenues of $200,000, and wasted 1/2 of 1 percent of that money, that would be $1000, or $83 per month. I do not actually have gross revenues of $200,000, but I do waste $3 per day, and consider myself a very non-wasteful person.
- FLASH – From another perspective, if Senators McCain and Coburn were to write a 55 page analysis for every $7 billion in the stimulus package, their report would be 9,428 pages long. 62-year-old Coburn may live to see the publishing of that report, but I don’t believe it could be completed in the remaining lifetime of soon-to-be 74 year-old McCain.
- FLASH – This is a mid-term election year. Voters may be polarized, angry, out of work and disappointed, but, by enlarge, can tell the difference between something of real importance and of a politically motivated attack. There are plenty of relevant political issues that differentiate the parties. This is not one of them.
- FLASH – Do not tell women that a study to minimize the discomfort after breast cancer surgery is wasteful. We are more than 50% of the population and it may infuriate us. Those of us over 40, actually having these symptoms (who choose NOT TO take hormone replacement therapy because it has a statistically significant increase in instances of breast cancer) will not only not vote for you, but may actually become quite vocal and tell others what you have done. You can’t afford to lose more than half of your voters. If you do, you will lose, and be forced to stay home with your middle-age wife who may also find this subject very irritating.
- FLASH – Some of us have calculators. And we know how to use them.
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Roadrunner - absolutely nothing drastic about it. When you first get the botox (forehead and eyes) you will see a change that will level off in a few days or one week. It looks completely natural. You CANNOT frown no matter how hard you try! Be very 
50 & Fabulous
You have to do what's right for you. We all do. I just think its sad that we've bought into a culture that says old and wrinkled is ugly. It's not. My favorite people in the world were old and wrinkled by the time I met t
Kitty, you are brilliant! Loved this witty and incisive blog post. North America would be a much better place if more people like you held office.
Thanks, Lisa. But, to quote Joan Baez, if I found myself in the White House, first, I’d scream. Then I’d run.
I get it. I actually think that wanting to be in office should be the automatic disqualifier for most candidates!
There goes my blood pressure. Straight up! Thanks for this post. As a breast cancer survivor these mini-minded politicians need a set of boobs that someday give them grief, along with surgery (disfigurement), radiation and chemo. Then let’s just see what happens if because of the anti-cancer drug that he (now with boobs treated for cancer) has a hot flash that is a complete meltdown that includes red face, beads of sweat and the need to rip of his clothes, then exhaustion after the hot flash, which will return within the next 20-minutes to a half-hour—(you get the picture) let’s just see what he says about a federally funded study for something to help stop the internal frying machine. Eeeesh. These guys!
Insightful, meaningful and well said, Charmaine. Thanks for your comment, and all the best to you.
Luddites. All of them!
Blessing back
I was just talking about this with my husband a few days ago … because I was cold, and before HRT that rarely happened in 3 or 4 years. And he TOTALLY agreed. It needs a better name than Hot Flash (or flush, if you’re British). Hot flash sounds like a bit of fever, something you`d barely even notice. Maybe even something exciting.
Hot Flash doesn`t sound completely dibilitating, totally disorienting, dispiriting, exhausting, I could go on, but you know what I mean. It wasn`t until they went away quite suddenly that my hubby noticed how sick I had been for 3 or 4 years (yes sick, Mr. Senators, not hot, not flashing, SICK)
Not American and therefore will not comment on the money or excellent math put forth . But maybe if we called it something drastic - Burning Palsy or something like that, guys would take it more seriously.
I agree. Burning Palsy it is!
Kitty have you read any of Kyle Bass’s thoughts on an end point for keynesian economics? http://www.absolutereturn-alpha.com/Article/2484924/Kyle-Bass-says-Europe-has-bet-the-bank-on-a-Keynesian-free-lunch.html?ArticleId=2484924
I have, idosew, and think there are valid points made, although a review of economic history trumps theoretical economics, e.g., theoretical bankruptcy occurs when debt service exceeds government revenues. As a practical matter, bankruptcy likely occurs prior to that situation.
Further, a study of the cause of the duration of the Great Depression shows that lack of government stimulus, not deficit spending, elongated an already bad situation. It is for lack of economic growth as a primary causation, rather than deficit spending that Greece finds itself in its current economic malaise.
Finally, I concur that the risk of inflation, rather than the currently often discussed deflation, is of primary long term importance in the US. Thanks for providing this thought-provoking article, and I hope others read it and comment.
I am currently reading “ This Time Is different “. It is very interesting as a sound study of economic history. It does not pretend to give advice instead just record what has happen in the past. It addresses sovereign default. If you have not yet read this I suggest you pick up a copy.