Politics As Usual

There are those in office that want to fix things, and then there are those who just want things their way. Senator Harry Reid wants things his way. Reid is holding the Senate for an all-night debate on Iraq. The problem is he doesn't actually want to debate what's going on in Iraq, he wants the Senate to vote to withdraw the troops.

This is not debate. Debate is here's a problem, let's get people's opinions and see what the best decision is. Reid doesn't want to debate, he wants to placate his liberal constituents. But if he really looked at the issue he'd realize that we don't get a do-over. Pulling the troops out of Iraq does not turn back the clock so everything will be like it was before we went in. You can't base a decision on what could have been, you need to base it on what is. Of course, Reid doesn't want wait for the September report on what is, he wants his way now.

This isn't just going on at the federal level. New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is willing to jeopardize $500 million in federal money because he doesn't like Mayor Bloomberg's plan for congestion pricing. Bloomberg, who has been fighting to meet a federal deadline for the money, has stated that this would be a pilot program, which means let's see what happens and we can stop the program if it doesn't meet expectations. What does Silver want to do? Nothing. He agrees there are environmental and traffic problems, but he wants to create a committee of his cronies to study the problem. The Speaker held the Democratic contingent of the Assembly in New York City, keeping them from attending the debate and voting in Albany.

Enough of politics as usual. Can we get rid of these do-nothing politicians who would rather argue than actually come up with solutions?

To Vaccinate Or Not To Vaccinate

Since 1998 the subject of does the MMR (Measles, mumps, rubella)vaccination cause autism. In 1998, Dr. Andrew Wakefield claimed to have discovered a link between the two. Parents desperate for an answer latched onto the study. Since then, no study has ever been able to replicate those findings and today he hearings began to determine if he and his colleagues behaved unethically and dishonestly in conducting their research.

The fact that the results have never been replicated indicates the dubious nature of his findings. In fact, 12 of his 14 colleagues that worked with him have since repudiated the study. It turns out that Dr. Wakefield filed for a patent on a competing vaccine.

Unfortunately, the damage has been done. Parents have been nervous about vaccinations since the study came out. Parents cling to the believe that their child's autism was caused by the vaccine. Their belief is fueled by two factors. First, the disease is often diagnosed at the same age that the vaccine is used. Second, the alternative theory is that the disease is genetic, and parents mistaken believe that this option means the disease is their fault.

No one can be blamed if they are a carrier of a genetic condition. Parents need to give up this guilt and look at the scientific evidence. Until we stop wasting money trying to prove what has already been disproved time and again, we'll never be able to focus on a cure.