My Views
OUR NATIONAL DEBT
Currently our national debt is 34 trillion and counting. It seems that few people seem to even care. I do and so do others.
Our government debt increases by about 1 trillion dollars every three months. On June 15, 2023, our debt was 32 trillion dollars and on 33 trillion dollars on September 15, 2023. Our debt increased by 15 trillion dollars since 2016, an 80 percent increase.
Our $34 trillion dollar debt is more that the economies of Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, and China together. If we wanted to pay off our debt, every U.S. citizen would have to write a check for $101,000 or every taxpayer would have to fork over $264,000!
President Biden and our Democrat friends will blame our debt on the Trump tax cuts but the facts show that in 2022 our country had a revenue windfall. Revenue did decline last year but it was from decade-high levels.
The Tax Foundation analysis showed that in 2022 federal tax revenues were up 21 percent. Tax collections came in at a multi-decade high of 19.6 percent the same year. At the same time, the CBO analysts warned that the revenue would drop, and it did by 9.3 percent.
The real culprit is our spending. Last year the Biden administration spent 6.46 trillion dollars. This was the third largest budget deficit in U.S. history.
Only four times had the budget deficit been more than a trillion dollars before the pandemic. These were all during the Obama administration caused by the financial crisis.
Supposedly our economy is strong and our revenue should increase and our deficits decrease. The opposite is happening.
If the national debt climbs to $40,000 dollars and interest rates stay at 5 percent, the interest payments on the debt will be $2 trillion dollars a year!
Who know how it will end? It’s likely not going to be pretty. It isn’t fair to our children and grandchildren.
I don’t see any concern expressed by our current U.S. Senators. In fact, they keep voting to pass more appropriation bills and brag about all the money they bring back to Nevada. I’m guessing our share isn’t much compared to what the other states receive.
This reckless spending has to stop.
ABORTION
Since I am a board- certified obstetrician and gynecologist and have provided care to women in Las Vegas for 38 years, I have had personal experience with this sensitive issue.
My personal beliefs never have interfered in my patients receiving the type of care that they desired, including obtaining an abortion.
My personal beliefs are that abortion may be appropriate in order to protect the life of the mother, when the pregnancy occurred as a result of rape or incest, or if the fetus has no chance of life after birth.
I have taken care of women who decided to carry their pregnancies even though their lives were in jeopardy. I have referred patients to a qualified gynecologist to terminate a pregnancy when it was felt that it wasn’t safe for the patient to continue her pregnancy.
I have witnessed a few women who have died in labor despite the best medical care. Pregnancies can be complicated and there are risks to being pregnant and giving birth.
I have participated in inducing a pregnancy early when the fetus had no chance of survival after birth. The one I remember is an instance when the fetus had an absence of a major portion of the brain, a condition called anencephaly. The patient and her family decided to deliver earlier instead of waiting until term.
I have also delivered babies where there were major birth defects and the mother wanted to continue the pregnancy. Every pregnancy and person is different in how they deal with this issue.
I have never performed an elective termination. When a patient desires this procedure, I refer her to a gynecologist with experience in the procedure. I support laws that protect doctors and other health care providers and facilities who refuse to participate in abortions because of religious or moral objections. Also, a doctor’s standing in any professional organization should not be negatively affected if he or she does not perform abortions.
Nevada State law is clear that a patient may have an abortion up to 24 weeks of gestation. This became of the law of our state by the voice of the citizens of Nevada some years ago, and I cannot foresee that changing. I respect the law. If I were elected to the Senate, I would support such a bill.
When it comes to late term abortion, I can’t see any reason for the procedure. It’s easier for the women to have the baby than go through the abortion so the excuse that it’s medically necessary isn’t true. I’m unaware of any one in Nevada that has ever had one and I don’t know of a doctor who would perform one. I feel sorry for those who would be involved in something so heinous.
My experience with women who do have an elective termination is that there can be remorse and regret afterword. It’s sad that someone has to live with that memory for ever.
I have had patients who state they are against abortion but when they themselves or someone in their family has an unwanted pregnancy, they have a change of heart and either they or a family member has the abortion. It’s easy for many to be against it until they decide maybe it’s okay for them.
As a society, we need to support women so they don’t have to wonder whether they should have an abortion because they can’t afford it. We should encourage young people not to be sexually active and help those that are to have effective contraception.
WAR
When I was a teenager, the Vietnam war was in process. Our government told us that it was important to fight that war to prevent the spread of communism. It wasn’t until a respected newsman, Walter Cronkite, went over to Vietnam and told our country that we shouldn’t be there that our leaders withdrew. We lost many men and lost the war. Communism didn’t spread. The war was so disliked, that our country terminated the draft system.
During the administration of George H.W. Bush, Saddam Hussein, then the president of the Republic of Iraq, invaded Kuwait. Under President Bush’s leadership, he organized a coalition of many countries and we easily liberated Kuwait. He wisely decided not to dispose of Saddam Hussein.
After the September 11 attacks, the then president, George W. Bush, sought revenge and we invaded Afghanistan. We eventually did kill Osama bin Laden in 2011 but it cost trillions of dollars and thousands of lives. Under President Biden, we left the country and it’s no better now than we entered it and the Taliban still control the country.
In 2003, President George W. Bush told us that we needed to invade Iraq because Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and their leader, Saddam Hussein, might use them. In 2003, without the UN support, the United States invaded Iraq. Hussein was killed, and the government overthrown. Did we find weapons of mass destruction? No, not one.
Iraq and Iran hated each other back then. Their fighting neutralized each other. After we invaded Iraq, the balance of power shifted in favor of Iran. Now we have more issues with Iran and their funding and supporting of terrorist groups in the Middle East.
Next is the war in Ukraine. It was a preventable war. President Biden could have prevented the war in Ukraine. He didn’t. It didn’t help when he said, when asked about an invasion, it depends on how far they (the Russians) go into Ukraine. Now the war has lasted over two years. We are told that we have to continue the war, or the Russians will invade the surrounding NATO countries, which will mean that we will be in another world war.
If the war continues, there won’t be any men left in the Ukraine and many of the cities will be left in rubble. I never hear the word of some type of settlement. It’s my opinion, that portions of Ukraine will be lost. Just ask a Ukrainian woman or child if she would rather stop the war and give up some land to Russia or have her husband or father be killed. I would call that a no brainer!
If, and only if, after expending all of our efforts to come to an agreement to end the war, I will support sending more money to Ukraine.
President Eisenhower warned us about the military industrial complex. The powers to be want the wars to continue. I don’t.
Last but not least, Israel. I’ve been there two times. It’s an amazing country. I support Israel. I hope that some type of peace can be reached. The hatred towards Israel is unfathomable. I also cry when I see the suffering that’s occurring in Gaza. These conflicts have been ongoing for millenniums. We should everything possible to encourage and support peace in that region.
HEALTHCARE
In 1985, I graduated from medical school. My wife and my one-month old daughter moved from Philadelphia to Las Vegas to start my residency in obstetrics and gynecology. We are still here, and a lot has changed!
The advancements in medicine have helped us live healthier lives. Many surgeries required large incisions and now we use laparoscopes and robotic surgery. Hospital stays were days and now patients don’t even stay a day.
Medications have been developed that have changed our lives.
Those are all good things.
Now, the not so good things.
Almost everything is much more expensive. A pack of birth control pills that cost $20.00 or less in 1985 can cost up to $200.00 now. I could use many similar examples
In 1985, almost every doctor owned his or her own medical practice. Now, most doctors are employees. Insurance companies, increased regulations, electronic medical record mandates, and multiple other factors has made it much more difficult to practice medication. Now, doctors spend more time typing into a computer trying to get authorizations for medications and treatments rather than talking with and examining their patient.
Every day, patients wait days to see their doctor. The doctor’s office tells that patient to go to the ER or urgent care center and the ER and urgent care center tells the patient to see their doctor. It’s like the dog chasing their tail.
There aren’t enough doctors in Nevada. I will work to change that.
Medicare is an essential benefit. I worry that patients on Medicare Advantage plans may not receive all the care that’s available. Let me explain. In Medicare Advantage plans, the government pays a set amount each month for that person to the insurance company. If the patient utilizes too much care, the insurance company won’t make as much profit. True, there is an incentive to help the patient be healthier, but the insurance companies will also be motivated to limit care by limiting access to doctors, restricting medications available, etc.
The insurance companies want the Medicare business. That’s why seniors get bombarded by phone calls, letters, and commercials to get them enrolled in their plan. Some actually give back money each month to the patient.
Our medical system is complex. It’s hard for patients to understand all the complexities. Everyone utilizing medical care and those providing the care needs more transparency on the process.
Of all candidates vying for your vote, I’m the most qualified and most likely person to make positive changes in our medical care system.