patrick.net

Can we say, fast food industry LOBBY???

Let's say... a food lobby. :)

What if that creates an incentive for Big Boomer to “pull the plug” on Greatest Generation pops earlier than they would have otherwise?

Then the Greatest Generation would be out of luck.

What if that creates an incentive for Big Boomer to “pull the plug” on Greatest Generation pops earlier than they would have otherwise?

And so...? Unless you also change the rules on who makes the plug-pulling decision, I don't think that you'd be causing any greater moral issues. That is, the guy in the bed would be able to write a living will, or otherwise make the call. How he raised the children would also matter, in a beautiful display of poetic justice.

Is that a controlling 20% though? Otherwise, it doesn’t matter, does it?

Yes. You can control 20%.

I have a sample set of friends who have done quite well with that 20%, so I am of course biased. On a side note, Peter P, what is your opinion on privatizing national defense?

On a side note, Peter P, what is your opinion on privatizing national defense?

This is the most difficult thing to privatize. I doubt it is possible.

I have a sample set of friends who have done quite well with that 20%, so I am of course biased.

Perhaps because that 80% fate is favorable to them? I am not judging. Also, it is all relative.

HARM, I just think that people should take responsibility on their own health. I agree that some Americans are clearly obese.

We are in total agreement on this. However, that site you posted (as skibum pointed out) is a propaganda organ funded by the food lobby. I woudn't trust any data or conclusions drawn therin. There are plenty of valid/reasonable disagreements out there as to why Americans got so fat or how to reverse the process, but I don't think denying there's even a problem is the way to go.

Personally, I'm pro-Atkins low-carb diet, which, of course, the vegans hate. I lost 90+ pounds, dropped my blood pressure, vastly improved my cholesterol levels and am far less prone to getting sick than I used to be, thanks to a low-carb diet. I understand it may not be for everyone, but I do think that ingesting massive quantities of corn syrup, fructose & other refined sugars is NOT a natural state for human beings. We adapted over millions of years to a diet that did NOT include 40oz Pepsi big-gulps, deep-fried Snicker bars and Snackwells.

@SFGuy,

If anyone has the link i’d love to see it.

Below is the abstract from a prominent paper from NEJM (New England Journal of Med) from 1993 (ref, J. Lubitz and G. Riley, Trends in medicare payments in the last year of life. New England Journal of Medicine 328 (1993), pp. 1092–1096.)

The point of the article was more that the % spent in the last 60days hadn't changed much over the years they studied, but that % is 40% for the last 30 days and 52% for the last 60 days.

Background: Increased attention is being paid to the amount and types of medical services rendered in the period before death. There is a popular impression that a greater share of resources is being devoted to dying patients than in the past. We examined trends in the proportion of Medicare expenditures for persons 65 years old or older in their last year of life to determine whether there were any changes from 1976 to 1988.

Conclusions: The same forces that have acted to increase overall Medicare expenditures have affected care for both decedents and survivors. There is no evidence that persons in the last year of life account for a larger share of Medicare expenditures than in earlier years.

We are in total agreement on this. However, that site you posted (as skibum pointed out) is a propaganda organ funded by the food lobby.

HARM, everyone should think and no one should trust *any* lobby.

However, I like this particular lobby because it fight against other propaganda organs that I dislike. :)

BTW, I follow a mid-carb, low-sugar, high mercury diet. :)

@SQT,

Mostly though, everything in moderation is key.

Tell that to your average fat McDebtor driving their McSUV back and forth between their McAlbatross and McDonalds so they can have a snack while watching the game on their McPlasmaScreen.

A) when I drive my motorcycle, I barely control 1% of all the moving parts. It is however a controlling 1%. It determines everything the bike does.

If you ride carefully, you can still be runover by a truck. If you ride rectlessly, you can still survive a crash.

@SQT,

Thanks. One thing to keep in mind about Atkins (or any low-carb diet) is that while you may initially feel lethargic, once you body has fully adapted (takes a few weeks), you will feel plenty energetic. Basically, your body has to go through sugar-withdrawal. I'm more active and feel better than I ever did at 270lbs.

I still miss chocolate and once in a while have to indulge a little, though.

SFGuy,

Oh no offense taken! I remember watching my grandfather (and later my father) sitting on a stump and stare at the dirt floor of the barn. Occaisionally taking a "swig". Sometimes for hours. I've heard Russian men will sit on the frozen river in Moscow with their vodka staring at the hole they've cut in the ice, making a day of it. It's kind of like this "pre-death state" and they seem to enjoy it, and I'm o.k with that too.

My wife follows a low-carb diet. I just cannot give up pasta.

There is no such thing as randomness.

Unless you are precognizant, randomness exists. Presupposing that it is not "objectively random" does not alter the fact that events still affect *you* randomly, because you cannot discern their "predestination".

There is no hope against fate.

Fate is merely post ante reasoning. Otherwise perception of fate would involve precognition, which would allow fate to be avoided, which would invalidate the fatefulness of fate.

Happily the conclusion says that more funds are spent trying to save the young than the old. Of course this study was done when Boomers were young…

It just concludes that there are more young (boomers) than old (pre-boomers) at this point in time.

@SF Guy,

Yes, you're right. the 40% is each person's estimated portion spent at end of life. Of the total Medicaire budget, that was reported in the paper as about 30% (don't know if you have the ability to access the paper directly).

This paper was before HMO's and even for-profit hospitals proliferated, so you can imagine that the % might be less. I don't know the latest numbers, though.

Unless you are precognizant, randomness exists. Presupposing that it is not “objectively random” does not alter the fact that events still affect *you* randomly, because you cannot discern their “predestination”.

Are you trying to define randomness according to predictability? If our abilities improve then previously random things will cease to be random?

Fate is merely post ante reasoning. Otherwise perception of fate would involve precognition, which would allow fate to be avoided, which would invalidate the fatefulness of fate.

Only if you believe that we are completely in control of our choice. Otherwise, precognition does not necessiate actions. I believe human beings have strong tendencies and they act only if they like what they believe.

softestlanding,

Stop whining and post your own thread, if you find this one boring. Carpe diem.

in my example I was referring to the control i have over the bike.

Alleged control.

Do you think you *can* do things that you *won't* ?

Sometimes

20% of the time? ;)

SFWoman,

I fear I may have misquoted you here. I recall a little while back you pointed out a link that showed "X" percentage of health care dollars were spent in the last 30-60-90 days of life? Do you recall that particular article?

@DinOR,
See my responses to SFGuy.

@SQT,

As long as you can stay healthy with current diet & exercise, I agree. For those who aren't so hard-core about exercise though, low-carb may be the way to go.

Easy solution.

Health coverage should cease if it is determined that the patient is terminal and that life expectency is less than 12 months.

I could be wrong but I believe some life-insurance starts paying in this situation. So people can elect to have that covered.

I find low-carb dieting to just be another word for suffering. I prefer to exercise a ton over low-carb dieting.

I do not have a low-carb diet and I do not do much exercise. However, I am merely overweight, definitely not obese.

How can you force yourself to do exercise though? I want to know.

more bullshit from big boomer inc.

tinyurl.com/yfgmaw

try vanity…then as you grow older switch to fear (unless you’re DinOR)

It does not work for me...

I have conditioned myself not to care so that I could continue being a JBR. :)

How can you force yourself to do exercise though? I want to know.

There comes a time in every fatty McFatasses life that they see themselves in the mirror and are hit with the thought "man, I am a total fat ass". At this point one can force oneself into exercising.

SFGuy:

The homebuilder report suggests that homebuilders have confidence in a pickup in sales over the next 6 months.
http://calculatedrisk.blogspot.com/2006/10/nahb-october-builder-confidence.html

SF is keeping up the YoY averages in the BA, against the Contra Costa county drop.

There comes a time in every fatty McFatasses life that they see themselves in the mirror and are hit with the thought “man, I am a total fat ass”. At this point one can force oneself into exercising.

I would just buy a curved mirror.

Did you know?

You can "lose" up to 20 pounds by weighing yourself on plush carpet. :)

I would guess that if most Americans only ate while at the table there would be a lot less obesity.

And if they ate off dinner plates instead of serving platters...

Just never eating on the sofa in front of the TV.

SFWoman,

Don't forget the two lovebirds in a cage! Thanks for the link.

How about a regressive food sales tax?

Sometimes I go to expensive restaurants just so that I cannot order too much.

I find low-carb dieting to just be another word for suffering. I prefer to exercise a ton over low-carb dieting.

I am the opposite. I could not exercise that much on a regular basis. Even in college at my fittest, I could at best manage 3X/week at the gym. Now? I'm lucky if I exercise once a month.

As far as low-carb = suffering goes, I disagree*. I get to eat all the steak, burgers, cheese, eggs & butter I can handle. I've found that I miss sugar less and less with each passing year.

excepting chocolate

"unsold homes in (LV/PHX) has topped 80%" (certain subdivisions)

Uh, I think that qualifies as a ghost town by almost any measure?

excepting chocolate

I do like the darkest chocolate. It does not have much sugar.