nobody asked us

A total of 62.9 percent of physicians who participated in the survey by the New England Journal of Medicine said they favored a public option, or government insurance plan, against 27.3 percent backing a private system alone. Another 9.6 percent favored a completely government-owned health care coverage system.

Well, isn’t that nice? Most doctors support a public option or a single payer system. But there is something very wrong with this survey. It’s not who they asked, it’s who they forgot to ask -- registered nurses and nursing aides.

In American health care, 2.4 million nurses and 1.8 million nursing aides, largely women, are the ones who do the work, every day, all day. Doesn’t it matter what they think about health care reform?

This survey, by the “prestigious” New England Journal of Medicine betrays a top-down attitude -- that physicians are better than the rest of us. -- and that is wrong.

Health care reform won’t amount to much until nurses and nursing aides are included in the decision-making.

A lot of the anger about health care reform comes from too many people who don't have a seat at the table -- the feeling that it's being decided by "important people."

LaConner Views. The print version of Frog Hospital is called LaConner Views It is intensely local and focused on LaConner. I have sold a few subscriptions already and expect to sell some advertising very soon. People like to read it because it's interesting and funny, plus the photos are very good. The print process and laying out a good-looking page is immensely satisfying for me, and seeing people hold it in their hands and read it is a wonder. People still like to read.

Look for LaConner Views at various places around town.

A New Name for Frog Hospital. Rick Hayward in Toronto suggests "Owens Chronicles." I like that, because it's plain vanilla. Reed Posey in Austin, Texas, thinks it should be called "Code Grey." That name has a mysterious and vaguely threatening aura. Charlie Krafft likes "Frog Hospital," and doesn't want it changed.

But I said to Charlie that I'm tired of explaining the joke, because so many people ask me where I came up with the name. He said to just make up a new story.

FACEBOOK. "LaConner Views" will get you to my Facebook page. I make frequent posts, often with interesting photos of local people.