Recommended reading

The July 2 issue of the New York Review of Books is well worth your time, for 3 articles in particular---David Cole's roundup of the progress made and to be made on gay marriage and Mike Tomasky's progress report on Obama at mid year, esp. re: climate change and health care reform legislation now on front burner are both worth your time. The Relman piece on health care is one of a number of excellent pieces I've been reading on the health care system lately. He traces the recent history, mostly post 1980, of changes in the laws and the medical community's responses, that underlie the cost run-up we've seen during the last 30 years. I agree with his view that none of the proposals now on the table address the cost control issues in a satisfactory way and that perhaps only the migration to a single payer system (a truly national health care plan) will address the cost control challenges. All these pieces are now avail on the NYRB website.

Calls to mind the general view of the Obamites at mid year, namely the willingness to settle for half measures when a number of our challenges (financial and banking, health care, auto industry) require fundamental re-thinking and re-structuring.

By the way, when was the last time we had a serious federal budget deficit discussion in this country that so exempted the defense department as we are seeing today.....

Anyway, last but not least for your reading list, if you haven't seen last Sunday's NYT magazine piece on Rafael Nadal, go online and check it out. College roommate John Yandell is quoted extensively on his analysis of the physics of Rafa's serves and groundstrokes. John's becoming the NYT's go-to guy for analysis and insight on the performance of the elite players in the game today, including some of his videos posted on the NYT website. Way to go, JY !