IntenseDebate - Edward Murray

14 years ago @ Macleans.ca - MS liberation: the tri... · 1 reply · +1 points

I am not aware of "twisting" being a characteristic malformation. Without specifically looking this up, my recollection of the set of malformations that cause reflux that Dr. Zamboni and others who are providing treatment are finding include: missing segments of veins such as the azygous, "webs" in the vein that impede flow, defective valves, constrictions caused by muscles, arteries and in some cases bone structures pressing against the veins.

These are all believed to be malformations which occur in early development, I recall the figure, at around 3 months gestation.

This is all at such an early stage that it is unlikely that we know all the possible problems that can cause reflux. It would certainly seem possible that "twisting" is a possible cause of impairment to blood flow in the veins and one which could cause reflux. I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere and have no idea whether it is something that can be fixed. We know there are problems that can't be fixed by simple angioplasty or stenting.

14 years ago @ Macleans.ca - MS liberation: the tri... · 3 replies · +2 points

Yes. He named the condition CEREBRO-SPINAL precisely because he saw that there were also venous malformation that involved the azygous vein and spinal circulation. Subsequent to his publications, he has also seen problems in other veins that are involved in spinal circulation.

16 years ago @ Change.gov - Change.gov: The Obama-... · 0 replies · +1 points

Looks like an independent site. Here is a HUD link:

http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/reo/goodn/main.cfm

16 years ago @ Change.gov - Change.gov: The Obama-... · 0 replies · +1 points

Great idea ! ! !

Combine this with greater credits the greater the fuel efficiency and you move the system in the right direction by providing the incentives through people, not corporations.

We really need to be thinking up approaches like this where the first principle is to avoid giving money to corporations and the rich, but instead putting it through ordinary taxpayers.

We can easily solve both the housing and auto crisis this way with a little creativity and in the case of housing as I've suggested elsewhere in this discussion, there are already some existing programs that just need to be ramped up.

16 years ago @ Change.gov - Change.gov: The Obama-... · 0 replies · +1 points

The generic version of this is:

The HUD Good Neighbor Initiative
http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/reo/goodn/main.cfm

16 years ago @ Change.gov - Change.gov: The Obama-... · 1 reply · 0 points

By the end of the year, foreclosure listing service RealtyTrac Inc. expects more than a million bank-owned properties to be on the market, representing about one-third of all properties for sale in the U.S.

Here are two existing programs that could be expanded to get some of these properties off the market:

The Officer Next Door (OND) program offers 50 percent discount from the list price
http://www.fhainfo.com/officernextdoor.htm

The Teacher Next Door program offers 50 percent discount from the list price.
http://www.fhainfo.com/teachernextdoor.htm

There is another program under a different name that is similar to the above, but I haven't found it yet.

16 years ago @ Change.gov - Change.gov: The Obama-... · 9 replies · +1 points

Zamfir wrote: If you make the middle class "eat the loss" you break the consumer economy.

True, but isn't this a situation where someone has to pay--there is no free lunch.

I don't think it makes sense to bailout corporations that made very bad bets, but nor do I think we should be bailing out people who signed up for bad mortgages that they couldn't afford. Clearly, if they were fraudulently deceived, then that's a different matter, but if they were speculating on continuing increases in housing prices, then why should people who acted responsibly bail them out?

We can still help the middle class, or I would suggest, public servants. There is an existing program that takes houses that have gone into foreclosure and makes them available to various state and local government first responders at prices considerably below market prices.

Given the inventory of foreclosed houses, why not greatly expand that as a way of rewarding people for teaching, working in a non-profit health care position and so on.

This would redistribute the rewards in a way that doesn't benefit those who were scamming the system.

16 years ago @ Change.gov - Change.gov: The Obama-... · 1 reply · +1 points

Chad,

I agree that there would be a problem in the short run in meeting demand, but perhaps the existence of that demand would be enough for the private banking sector to keep the Big 3 afloat which keeps all the economic incentives running in the right direction.

I like your suggestion that the feds order these products, not necessarily Tesla's per se, but alt energy/fuel efficient cars.

This could also be a way to help state and local government by providing them with funds to improve their fleets.

I also like the idea of providing tax credits to vital public servants such as police, fire, teachers and so on and think that expanding an existing program like this for housing could go a long way to resolving the housing/real estate problem.

16 years ago @ Change.gov - Change.gov: The Obama-... · 15 replies · +10 points

Why are we saving folks at the top and letting folks at the bottom go under?

Exactly. This should be the starting point for all these discussions: is there a way to funnel money to the bottom to effect the goals we want and avoid rewarding bad behavior?

I think, however, one of the issues is that we really can't solve the root financial problem, the irresponsible bets made by banks and Wall Street. We should not be bailing out anyone who made these bets, but we also can't allow the entire banking system to collapse. Tough choices.

Similarly, there is probably considerable moral hazard in fixing some of the bad mortgages that were taking out speculatively, so both sides need to eat the loss, without bringing the entire financial system to its knees.

16 years ago @ Change.gov - Change.gov: The Obama-... · 0 replies · +1 points

Jonathan Rogers wrote: "In order for this to really happen we need a better system of accountability. "

Amen. Were I king, I would turn the Justice Department into a big trial lawyer shop whose only job for the next few years would be bringing all the crooks that got us into this mess to justice and making them disgorge their ill-gotten gains!

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