Policy, not politics. "Those traveling the high road of humility are rarely bothered by the traffic." - Alan Simpson
Nashville, TN
Joined August 2009
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The @realpamphleteer lecture series with Peter Theil is being criticized from some corners because he didn't name the anti-Christ. I think this get close to a flaw in Theil's presentation but misses.
Theil's wealth and prominence means he can hold well attended lectures but it also means some of his friends of wealth and prominence are going to call him up and yell at him if he starts calling out former presidents as the anti-Christ.
But I don't think it matters because the lectures did a good job of exploring some eternal truths like yes, Dorothy, there is evil in the world and sometimes if goes unchecked because there is no katechon to stop it.
Critics have also taken issue with Theil's belief that the anti-Christ would be a politician. Where have you been people? American politics is a secular religion of the worst sort. It has priests and followers and long ago adopted the binary that splits believers from non-believers. When you talk to your friends notice how often the say "I believe" when talking about a policy like "I believe in public education."
In the end, it was just a lecture. I am an information omnivore and will read the back of a cereal box if it looks mildly interesting so I love this stuff. For the incurious it was probably a drag and now they know to skip the next one.
I love Brenda Wynn which is why I wonder how all 5'5" of her is going to tangle with the "federal troops" being sent to the polls.
More seriously, these guardians could also be viewed through the same lens of Citizens Committees that would guard the polls in the 1950/60s. They were there as muscle, not as escorts of democracy and they had VERY strong opinions about who should vote.
Even more seriously, Tennessee and Nashville run some of the smoothest elections in the USA, why is this necessary. See above?
It was so nice to see @PhilNvestigates last night at the final @realpamphleteer lecture with @peterthiel. The turnout of "Christian Nationalists" was disappointing although I am not sure I would know one if I saw them. There was a notable preponderance of young men, however. Perhaps it was just the presence of a Tech bro or perhaps it is something else. It is a worthy question to consider.
In defense of @PhilNvestigates he has said this is a personal project and not @NC5 coverage. The channel's problem, of course, is that his long standing affiliation with the station makes it hard to separate the two.
Phil is an ostensible reporter at a public broadcast network, but so much of his work is a bizarro mashup between Antifa doxxing tactics and paparazzi.
What public interest is served in this bizarre thread, which is basically just pictures of private people who simply wanted to hear an interesting lecture.
Reminds me of how he had @NC5 helicopters fly over my family’s private land multiple times when reporting about my business @UsaRidge.
At some point, you have to wonder why @NC5 keeps him employed. He makes them look like an ineffectual, activist joke of a network.
I mean this with all sincerity - if no one will pay for this information it is probably just a hobby. Or maybe an obsession. We all have them.
Also, it might be worth considering that no one finds "Christian Nationalism" (which seems to sometimes bucket people that go to church with people that want to wage a holy war) very interesting. I mean it seems like it is a line of inquiry that seeks adjacency with the KKK investigations of yesteryear except it is not.
Come to think of it maybe that is the real problem. There is just no original intellectual energy here which makes it very uninteresting and thus no one is willing to pay for it?
Just a thought...
For the last two days, I’ve been inside the Christian nationalist “Holy Wars” conference - with access I never imagined possible. I am still processing everything I’ve experienced. More soon at ConfrontTheHate.com. Subscribe now!
In other news the Crybaby Caucus finds politics too personal:
nashvillescene.com/news/city…
The Scene sounds a little jealous today. Or crazy. It was just a lecture, people.
nashvillescene.com/news/pith…
Emily Evans retweeted
Price Transparency has year-end legs! Would extend requirements to ASCs, Labs and Imaging. Bring it!
Emily Evans retweeted
We suspect our dear friend Art Laffer is undercounting a bit. Health care should be less than 10% of GDP which suggests more like a $2T not $1T but who are we to argue?
Price transparency is good for hospitals and the public. Insurers? Maybe not so much, but we think they will adapt.
msn.com/en-us/news/other/art…
Emily Evans retweeted
Today is the final day to submit comments to @CMSGov in support of their Request for Information on the Hospital Price Transparency policy. Link to our letter in the comments but the TL;DR is "let's keep it simple, people!"
Emily Evans retweeted
$UNH and other were talking politics during earnings. They seem to believe they will get reforms to the IDR process so it won't tilt so favorably toward providers. They seem to be trying to convince themselves that these outcomes are driving up costs and not the silly IDR process, the delays in payment and the compensation for the IDREs. Worse, we are talking about claims in the hundreds of dollars not thousands.
How about a discounted cash price and let the patient and the doctor work it out?
No one with a functioning brain is surprised but as it turns out, America's Doctor knew lockdowns had no effect on transmission and children were not at risk for Covid-19
That much was clear if you had an excel spreadsheet and the internet (or just some observational powers and common sense) but apparently Metro government had none of that.
Or it didn't care. Not sure which is worse.
paul.senate.gov/readingroom/
I am a pretty advanced consumer of political content but someone had to explain this ad's reference to @MarshaBlackburn recent (very stupid) campaign spot. With that cleared up I have a few questions.
Why do this especially since it is nearly incomprehensible except to political consultants and insiders?
Who shot the spot and let the camera linger on @freddieoconnell's smirk (?)
Why run an ad in July 2026 for a race in Aug 2027? Practice? Repel challengers? Consultants needed paycheck?
Why pick yet another fight with the state? Does he like losing?
As a campaign ad it is terrible. As a piece of political content it is indecipherable.
“Fear divides. Nashville unites.”
Mayor @freddieoconnell responds to @MarshaBlackburn’s racist Chinese restaurant ad in a new ad for his re-election campaign👇🏽
(Filmed in Ellison Place Soda Shop @EPSodaShop — the same restaurant that let Marsha film her racist ad there)
Your local issues are NOT local. Know it. Understand it and behave (and vote) accordingly. pamphleteer.co/newsletter/mo…
Emily Evans retweeted
Woe to the hospital CFO who sees compliance with hospital price transparency rules as yet another check the box activity.
It is not.
Price Transparency is your path to greater trust with your communities, reduced reliance on a mythical chargemaster, and freedom from a bunch of non-MDs in suits that want to tell you how to practice medicine.
Embrace it or you will absolutely be left behind.
Legislative update in replies.
Emily Evans retweeted
Do you have a crazy story about a bill for health care services? We would love to hear about it! (DM or replies!)
Emily Evans retweeted
@WSJ covers the challenge of high deductible plans in the context of personal finance. Good! Health insurance premiums, coverage and out of pocket risk are personal finance issues long before they are health care problems.
A critical component of managing out-of-pocket risk is knowing how much health care services cost BEFORE you get care. That is why providing a reliable cash price is critical to hospitals' trust relationship with their community. Hate on hospitals all you want, they have doctors when you need them. Link to article in replies.
Emily Evans retweeted
The Health subcommittee of House Energy and Commerce held a hearing on Wed. and it appears that the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act has the necessary bi-partisan support to make it over the finish line this year.
Kudos to @PtRightsAdvoc for their ongoing support of this legislation.