Alternatives to the Environmental & Economic Damage by the Border Wall Joffre (J.D.) Meyer @bohemiotx

“This Twitter moment offers alternatives (technology & more) to the environmental & economic destruction–including ecotourism–by the proposed border wall. Executive Order 12898 (1994) is Environmental Justice in Minority & Low Income Populations.”

1. Environmental & Ecotourism Impact of the Proposed Border Wall by @bohemiotx https://soapboxie.com/social-issues/Environmental-Ecotourism-Impact-of-the-Proposed-Border-Wall … #environment #SouthTX #ecotourism #EconomicJustice

2. Environmental & Ecotourism Impact of the Proposed Border Wall, Part Two: Smart Walls with Technology, by J.D. Meyer https://bohemiotx.wordpress.com/2019/03/20/environmental-ecotourism-impact-of-the-proposed-border-wall-part-two-smart-walls-with-technology-by-j-d-meyer/ … via @bohemiotx #Technology #BorderWall #Environment #Texas

3. Republican Congressman: Trump’s Border Crisis Is a ‘Myth’ https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/will-hurd-border-wall-myth-781204/ … via @RollingStone #NorthernTriangle #LiDAR #NoBorderWall #SmartWall #ambassadors

4. Marines commandant protests US border deployments, wall https://news.yahoo.com/marines-commandant-protests-us-border-deployments-wall-232037037.html?soc_src=hl-viewer&soc_trk=tw … via @YahooNews #military #NoBorderWall

5. The Texas-Mexico Border Wall Comes with a Dangerous, Costly Side Effect: Flooding https://www.texasobserver.org/the-texas-mexico-border-wall-comes-with-a-dangerous-costly-side-effect-flooding … #BorderWall #floods #environment

6. Forget Trump’s Border Wall. Let’s Build F.D.R.’s International Park. https://nyti.ms/2JcYIl1 #BigBend #environment #Texas

7. New alternative to Trump’s wall would create jobs, renewable energy, and increase border security [solar, wind, natural gas and desalination facilities along the entirety of the border]. #GreenEnergy #Border #economics https://bigthink.com/politics-current-affairs/build-the-energy-wall?fbclid=IwAR3ed6Ai1UhYyC7Kz0Xt8mOeJrnBNsWMIhxwKo-3uR5t0LoacuoH2eYj1GQ …

8. Future Energy, Water, Industry and Education Park (FEWIEP) https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2019/Q1/USMexico-Border-Proposal_WHITEPAPER-2019.pdf … #FEWIEP #environment #RenewableEnergy

Replying to @amyklobuchar @keithellison
9. Could Executive Order 12898–Environmental Justice in Minority & Low Income Populations (1994) help in the fight against the #BorderWall? #ecotourism #SouthTX

10. Christina McNearney @tmcnearney1 • Mar 16
We stand strong as one progressive movement against our president’s anti-immigrant, anti-environment agenda. #NoBorderWall https://addup.sierraclub.org/campaigns/stand-with-immigrants–border-communities-for-environmental–social-justice-no-beds-no-boots-no?promoid=7010Z0000027Wv5QAE&utm_medium=recruit&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=addup&tc=false …

Environmental & Ecotourism Impact of the Proposed Border Wall, Part Two: Smart Walls with Technology, by J.D. Meyer

A smart border wall uses technology—not just cement and steel. https://www.engineering.com/BIM/ArticleID/16775/Border-Walls-Get-Teched-Out.aspx Surveillance devices include “underground motion sensors, remote-operated cameras, long-range radar towers, aerostats (balloons and blimps) and drones.” Moreover, it’s cheaper. A 2017 estimate stated wall infrastructure should include the deployment of radar, light detection and ranging (LIDAR) technology and other sensors. This article begins with descriptions of “famous border walls across the centuries”: (1) The Wall of Mardo (Sumerian city of Ur), (2)The Great Wall of China, (3) Hadrian’s Wall (Roman Britain versus the Scots),(4) The Berlin Wall, and (5) Israel’s West Bank Barrier.

The cost could be as low as $500,000 per mile as opposed to $27 million per mile. https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/355354-technology-will-be-a-critical-component-of-a-good-border-wall The Israeli West Bank Wall uses such technology. Furthermore, this isn’t normally harmful to the environment; walls can cause floods; moreover, it takes forest-clearing to build them. Currently the 12,000 remote sensors can track people from up to seven miles away. Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs) at places like the Hidalgo crossing can read the license plate, car, and driver. “While the new congressional budget didn’t include all the money for Trump’s desired super wall, it has allocated about $400 million for border technology, including $50 million for towers and $20 million for ground sensors.” “By far the most promising technology that the bill promises to consider is LIDAR, a system that uses lasers instead of radio waves to build up a 3-D image.”

On another note, the Texas Observer reports when the wrong technology in the wrong place can be harmful to animals. “An earthen river levee that runs through the 100-acre property would become a 30-foot concrete-and-steel border wall, bisecting the reserve and leaving more than two-thirds of the land stranded on the wrong side of the barrier. The wall will be littered with cameras and draped with at least 22-foot tall LED lights, a potential catastrophe for sensitive insects. Tourism to the center could crater, forcing the center to close and wasting 17 years of effort cultivating the refuge.” https://www.texasobserver.org/butterfly-trump-restraining-order-lawsuit-border-wall-texas/

https://soapboxie.com/social-issues/Environmental-Ecotourism-Impact-of-the-Proposed-Border-Wall Environmental & Ecotourism Impact of the Proposed Border Wall (Part One).

NO BORDER WALL, (2nd Edition) by J.D. Meyer

More Flooding & Less Ecotourism—a Major Income Source for Rio Grande Valley. Ruin for Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. Bipartisan Support!

1. https://www.npr.org/2017/04/25/525383494/trump-s-proposed-u-s-mexico-border-wall-may-violate-1970-treaty Mexico Worries That a New Border Wall Will Worsen Flooding “Mexican engineers believe construction of the border barrier may violate a 47-year-old treaty governing the shared waters of the Rio Grande. If Mexico protests, the fate of the wall could end up in an international court.”… “A concrete wall that blocks trans-border water movement is a total obstruction.”…. “To protest the border wall, Mexican officials on the Boundary and Water Commission would first lodge a formal complaint with their counterpart across the river in El Paso. If they don’t resolve the dispute, the matter goes to the State Department and its Mexican equivalent, and finally, to arbitration before a world court.”

2. https://www.mystatesman.com/news/state–regional/new-map-details-trump-texas-border-wall-plan-renewing-flood-concerns/PZxH0kZJAb1X8c5JtGL2nO/ New map details Trump’s Texas border wall plan, renewing flood concerns “…the U.S. Border Patrol has plans to build 32 miles of barrier in Starr County, where flooding concerns helped kill off similar plans half a decade ago….In addition to addressing concerns over flooding, the Homeland Security Department will face potentially lengthy battles with private landowners. While some areas sit on federal land, including the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, the proposed wall route cuts through the land of dozens of private owners.”

3. https://www.texasobserver.org/trump-border-wall-texas-wildlife-refuge-breaking/ Trump Administration Preparing Texas Wildlife Refuge for First Border Wall Segment. If the levee wall is constructed, it will essentially destroy the refuge, a federal official told the Observer. “…first piece of President Trump’s border wall through the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge in South Texas. The federally owned 2,088-acre refuge, often called the “crown jewel of the national wildlife refuge system.”

4. https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Rio-Grande-Valley-s-eco-tourists-wary-of-12384823.php Rio Grande Valley’s ecotourists wary of Trump’s border wall plans “More than 165,000 nature tourists visit the region each year, infusing $463 million into the local economy and sustaining 6,600 jobs, according to a 2011 Texas A&M University study.”

5. https://www.mystatesman.com/news/national-govt–politics/why-private-property-owners-may-the-biggest-obstacle-trump-wall/WL4uZXLWYCGKwByV7goFqM/ Why private property owners may be the biggest obstacle to Trump’s wall. “Trump’s wall will have to cross miles of roadless mountains, traverse expansive deserts and parallel a serpentine river. But the biggest hurdle to building a coast-to-coast border barrier may not be the terrain but its inhabitants, especially those in Texas, where property rights are second to none. ………. “The power of eminent domain is established in the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which provides that citizens cannot “be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”

6. https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/08/opinions/border-wall-cartels-trump-opinion-driver/index.html Trump’s Mexico wall would be a gift to the drug cartels “According to a 2015 report by the US Drug Enforcement Administration, 95% of drugs coming into the US were entering via container ships and other vessels…..In addition to drones and submarines, drug dealers and human traffickers rely on the trucking industry to move drugs and people via the 52 legal crossing points along the US border.”

7. https://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/23/us/drug-super-tunnel-tijuana-san-diego/index.html Feds raid drug ‘super tunnel’ with railway on U.S.-Mexico border “The tunnel is the tenth large-scale drug smuggling tunnel discovered in the San Diego area since 2006. In all, authorities have found more than 75 cross-border smuggling tunnels, mostly in California and Arizona, prosecutors said.”

8. https://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2017/apr/26/ron-kind/yes-experiencing-net-outflow-illegal-undocumented-/ “Yes, we are experiencing a net outflow of illegal, undocumented workers from America back to Mexico,” U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, said Feb. 16, 2017 on Wisconsin Public Radio. “To build a wall now would be locking them in this country.” “…peak of 6.9 million in 2007. But the number began dropping in 2008.”

9. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/07/25/world/science-health-world/crime-biodiversity-2700-scientists-warn-trumps-u-s-mexico-wall-may-doom-1000-threatened-species/#.W6T1TrhZieo ‘Crime against biodiversity’: 2700 scientists warn Trump’s U.S.-Mexico wall may doom 1,000 threatened species. “More than 2,700 global scientists signed on to the letter by lead author Robert Peters of Defenders of Wildlife, a conservation group….When populations of animals are fragmented, they have a harder time finding mates, food, water and safe habitat, and face higher risks of extinction.” Some of the endangered species: Peninsular Bighorn sheep, Mexican gray wolf, Sonoran pronghorn antelope, jaguars, & ocelots.

10. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/1/27/14412672/will-hurd-border-wall Why the Texan Republican who represents the border doesn’t want a wall The congressional district of Will Hurd (R-TX) “contains the largest swathe of the US-Mexico border of anyone in Congress.” It “stretches from the suburbs of San Antonio to the outskirts of El Paso.” Some of the border area includes Big Bend National Park and Lake Amistad. Hurd asserted on CNN that a border wall would be unnecessary, too expensive, and a waste of taxpayer dollars. Furthermore, building the wall would include seizing private citizens’ land through eminent domain–a practice considered unconstitutional by many conservatives. “The un-walled area in particular has almost no border crossings since it’s in the middle of nowhere,” according to The Economist.

11. https://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/320820-cornyn-border-wall-makes-absolutely-no-sense-in-some-areas Cornyn: Border wall ‘makes absolutely no sense’ in some areas Texas Senator, John Cornyn asserted, “There’s parts of our border which it makes absolutely no sense…”But what is helpful [is] to have fencing, for example, is places like San Diego, it’s a large urban area.” “Cornyn added that he thought border security needed to include a mixture of personnel, technology and infrastructure.” Cornyn conducted this interview after taking five GOP lawmakers on a trip to the border.

12. http://braceroarchive.org/about Bracero History Archive This program is at UT-El Paso, and it examines the history of the braceros (1942-1964). The braceros were temporary workers from Mexico–often agriculture. The braceros enabled the USA to fight in World War II and the Korean War.

Save the Coasts of the USA & the Coast Guard! By J.D. Meyer

Rising oceans threaten to submerge 128 military bases: report
1. <a href="https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2016/07/29/rising-oceans-threaten-to-submerge-128-military-bases-report/

Hurricane Isabel flooded classrooms and laboratories at the Naval Academy in 2013. A new report warns that Annapolis and 17 other military bases could contend with hundreds of floods a year by 2100. Photo Credit: Matt Houston/AP Sixteen of the installations studied would experience more than 100 floods every year and low-lying areas underwater for 10 to 25 percent of the year, the study found. Three installations would lose 10 percent of their land in the “intermediate” scenario and 25 percent in the “highest.”

The Navy installations on track for daily flooding are:
• Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Maine.
• The Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
• Naval Support Facility Anacostia in Washington, DC.
• Washington Navy Yard in Washington, DC.
• Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.
• Naval Air Station Oceana/Dam Neck Annex, Virginia.
• Naval Station Mayport, Florida.
• Naval Air Station Key West, Florida.
• Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia.
The other branches’ bases at similar risks to daily flooding:
• Coast Guard Station Sandy Hook, New Jersey.
• Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, DC.
• Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.
• Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
• Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina.
• Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina.

Quick Links

To fund border wall, Trump administration weighs cuts to Coast Guard, airport security
2. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/to-fund-border-wall-trump-administration-weighs-cuts-to-coast-guard-airport-security/2017/03/07/ba4a8e5c-036f-11e7-ad5b-d22680e18d10_story.html

U.S. Coast Guard Seized Record Amount of Drugs in 2016
3. <a href="http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/us-coast-guard-seized-record-amount-drugs-2016-19591

Cartels are using these ‘narco-submarines’ to move tens of thousands of pounds of drugs at a time
4. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cartel-narco-submarines-2016-9
“According to a US Foreign Military Studies Office (FMSO) report on narco submarines citing Drug Enforcement Administration statistics, 80% of drugs smuggled into the US in 2012 came from maritime routes. And 30% of the drugs that arrived in the US by sea were conducted via narco submarines.”

5. National Climate Assessment
<a href="http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/report#intro-section

6. Every Map Of Louisiana Is A Lie — What It Really Looks Like Should Scare You
http://www.businessinsider.com/louisianas-coast-is-sinking-2014-9

Go to http://www.bestplaces.net for Violent & Property Crime Rates—
based on FBI data: “Violent crime is composed of four offenses: murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault….
Property crime includes the offenses of burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. The object of the theft-type offenses is the taking of money or property, but there is no force or threat of force against the victims.”

USA avg. V—31.1, P—38.1.
TX avg. V—32.9, P—45.5
Tyler V—43.6, P—59.1
RIO GRANDE CITIES
El Paso V-35.4, P-37.5
Laredo V-37.4, P-57.5
Hidalgo V-14.9, P-19.6
Edinburg V-29.4, P-69.9
Brownsville V-23.5, P-59.5
McAllen V-13.6, P-59.2

7. Turmoil in Mexico’s criminal underworld is intensifying the violence in a valuable border territory
http://www.businessinsider.com/cartel-gang-violence-in-reynosa-nuevo-laredo-matamoros-mexico-border-2017-6 The State of Tamaulipas is the most dangerous in Mexico.

#SOL17: When Volunteering Includes Facebook , Cable TV, & Going to a Local Transit Meeting Downtown, by JD Meyer

This morning, I read about the horrible forest fires in British Columbia from a long-time cyberspace friend. Importantly, she noted her surprise that the fires followed a period of floods and how it was almost as surprising as tragic. Therefore, I looked for American universities with Forest Fire research institutes. Sure enough, Colorado State and the University of California have such organization, so I messaged her about them.
Typically, my TV is glued to CNN, MSNBC, or C-SPAN while I research the Internet via Twitter & Facebook primarily. A doctor told us about the sad story of a young comedian who died of alcohol withdrawals. My attention was grabbed when the doctor said that the comedian’s dopamine levels dropped dangerously low by “drying out.” That reminded me of how getting off cocaine and speed are strikingly similar. Tyrosine is an amino acid that replaces the neurotransmitter, dopamine, when one of those has been decreased by one of the big three drugs! So I called my darling G.P. M.D. with the news, and I told her secretary all about the amino acid to neurotransmitter connection.
Later, I went to a meeting about local city transit issues and how to increase ridership. I suggested to the VP of Tyler Transit that we emphasize taking the bus for shopping excursions. After all, if you have a low-paying job, you’ll settle for getting to work too early and leaving rather late because you don’t have a choice. Furthermore, a college student can always go to the library, cafeteria, or a prof’s office while (s)he waits on the bus.
But how do we get the middle-class/car owner to take the bus? Shopping trips? Maybe on a Saturday? How about “Beer and Bus” instead of “Drink and Drive”? I’ve organized bus trips with lunch for all of our five bus lines for the East Texas Human Needs Network (ETHNN) Transportation Committee. We went to both malls and two grocery stores—as well as Neighborhood Services next to a top store.
Anyway,today was a successful day for a disabled, retired teacher. Plus, I successfully walked home from downtown—roughly 1.5 miles with a stop at Family Dollar. Furthermore, I noticed that a street sign at the corner of S. Beckham & E. Front had been repaired after a storm, for I’d called City information about it a couple of days ago.

SOL17: World Asthma Day, Publicizing Dr. Tedros of Ethiopia for Director of WHO, etc.

I’m a retired teacher, disabled due to asthma and COPD. I developed asthma in 1987 and COPD in 2005. I got on SSDI in 2010. By 2012, I was on Medicare and Medicaid and had moved to the Hospital District, aka. Midtown, in Tyler, Texas–my third neighborhood in the largest city in East Texas.

Nowadays, I spend much of my time on Twitter and Facebook. I was happy to see that World Asthma Day fell on Slice of Life Tuesday today. One of the best articles that I read today was about the reasons for the rise in inhaler prices–a chilling indictment of “Big Pharma.” http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2011/07/cost-increase-asthma-inhalers-expensiveWhy You’re Paying More to Breathe

The happiest pack of articles that I’ve encountered lately is about Dr. Tedros of Ethiopia–the leading candidate for Director of the World Health Organization (WHO). http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dr-tedros-is-the-leader-the-who-needs_us_59075cd2e4b03b105b44ba96?ncid=engmodushpmg00000004 Dr. Tedros is the Leader that WHO Needs

A sad article that I read was about Trump ending Michelle Obama’s program, “Let Girls Learn.” http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/5/1/1657898/-Trump-administration-ends-Michelle-Obama-program-to-educate-girls-and-lift-them-out-of-povertyTrump administration ends Michelle Obama program to educate girls and lift them out of poverty Then I had a great idea. What if Dr. Tudros is able to revive Mrs. Obama’s program if he’s elected Director of WHO!

A different type of sad article shows that pollution causes lung disease. India is the most polluted country in the world with 13 of the 20 worst cities. Anti-asthma medicine has increased a staggering 43% in the past four years. Furthermore, it’s harder to measure the effects of air pollution in rural areas. Climate change is a big issue in political debate, despite its near unanimous recognition by science. However, how can pollution be denied at all? http://www.hindustantimes.com/health/world-asthma-day-india-chokes-sales-of-medicines-rise-43-in-4-years/story-mt5V9Kdqv4yGF062ZOmC6I.html World Asthma Day: India chokes, sales of medicines rise 43% in 4 years

To conclude, I started with the reasons for the rising cost of asthma inhalers, a graphic view of the actions of “Big Pharma.” Then I lamented the end of Michelle Obama’s project, “Let Girls Learn. ” Educated girls are more likely to be healthy and maybe wealthy. Then I campaigned for Dr. Turkos of Ethiopia for Director of the World Health Organization (WHO). Ethiopia has experienced dramatic health improvement through his guidance. I speculated that he may be able to save Mr. Obama’s project. Finally, I ended with the increase in asthma in India due to its air pollution. Nobody tries to deny that pollution can cause health problems. To conclude, improving health not only involves medical advances, but sound political decisions and cleaning up the planet!

Memories of My Three Walking Pneumonia Attacks, by J.D. Meyer

Watching Hillary Clinton cough during a speech and later stumble as she was leaving a 9-11 memorial service brought back memories of my three walking pneumonia attacks. I describe walking pneumonia as the “silent killer,” because you don’t know that you have it until it has gotten pretty bad and you end up in the E.R. of the hospital. Pneumonia is way different from noisy lung ailments such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and COPD.

The first attack was in 1995 when I was an Adjunct Instructor of Developmental Writing at Mountain View Community College in northwest Oak Cliff. Some of my students noticed I’d been looking bad before I ended up getting my folks to take me to the E.R. of Baylor Hospital, which was near my centrally-located apartment in Old East Dallas.  I’d developed asthma eight years earlier, but only needed a rescue inhaler at the time. My other part-time job was as a construction assistant/groundskeeper for Medical Center of Mesquite. Plus, I played half-court basketball every weekend with my mentor prof friend, the late Lew Sayers, and his friends.  Immediately, I quit cigarettes for five years.

The second attack occurred in late 2005 when I was a full-time Instructor of Developmental English at Texas College, an HBCU in north Tyler. Strangely, I’d delivered a sermon entitled, “Best Practices and Biggest Challenges of Unitarian-Universalists,” and spoke way too fast that time. A few days later, I went to the doctor and discovered I not only had walking pneumonia but emphysema! By that time, I’d been using an albuterol nebulizer for eight years and Advair sporadically for a year or two.

The third attack was in 2011, and the worst of all of them as I was kept in the hospital for a few days after the all-too-frequent ER visit. By this time, I was on disability and waiting for Medicare to start. Fortunately, there was a computer for the patients to use. That’s where I met a middle school science teacher, who was there to visit an older relative. I ended up interviewing him about the Urban Gardens movement, and he knew plenty of websites. Later, I’d research the work of Detroit mayor and former NBA star, Dave Bing, for more information. There were some sites on urban vegetable farms from progressive Austin too. I ended up publishing an article on the topic, despite having an IV in my left arm while taking my first batch of notes! Now it’s on my website at https://www.academia.edu/1084754/Urban_Gardens

In conclusion, give Hillary Clinton a break. Walking pneumonia is sneaky, and it may not seem bad at first –even if you knew about it like her, unlike me. The important thing is making it to the doctor or hospital somewhat soon–instead of late. This article was delayed because of my hospitalization for COPD & hypertension, but no pneumonia!

On Promoting “4 Surgeries to Avoid,” According to AARP–Two Years Ago & Again Today

           I posted this op-ed two years ago at my website http://independent.academia.edu/JDMeyer and sent the op-ed hither and thither.  I’m trying again not only because my overall Twitter presence has improved, but since I’m a member of several health care social media (HCSM) member lists on Twitter, together with the mutual following of professionals in the health and medical field on Twitter.  This AARP article link still pops up in the margins of current articles, so it must be highly regarded.  Any contention for reducing the cost of an aspect of health care in the USA must be explored (Meyer, 2015).

http://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-05-2011/4-surgeries-to-avoid.1.html

“I’m promoting this AARP article about over-performed surgeries as something of a sequel to the Fareed Zakaria special on advice for President Obama’s second term. All of these surgeries are questionable in the long-term; some of these are “moneymakers for hospitals and doctors.” Thus, keeping control over Medicaid/Medicare expenses could start here. Here are the four debatable surgeries: (1) stents for stable angina, (2) complex spinal fusion for stenosis, (3) hysterectomy for uterine fibroids, and (4) knee arthroscopy for osteoarthritis.
Besides tweeting the article to my followers at @bohemiotx, I tweeted it to Fareed Zakaria & AARP with the hashtag #obamamemo. Afterwards, I posted it at the White House and Social Security websites. Then I posted “4 Surgeries to Avoid” at my Academia.edu, Facebook, Stumbleupon, and Linked-In sites. Then I emailed it to the county Democratic party and some members before tweeting the link to Reimagining Japan. My most recent cyberspace move is petitioning the President at his website; however, it failed to get hardly any endorsements.

Dr. Zakaria also stated, “U.S. spends $4 for every American over 65, compared with $1 for every American under 18 #obamamemo.” Dealing with an aging population that needs Medicare/Medicaid will be one of the biggest political issues that the U.S. (and Japan) will face in the near future. This could be the first step: eliminating unnecessary surgeries  (Meyer, 2013).”

2 years ago