<<http://www.calpundit.com/archives/003024.html>>
BLACK IS WHITE, UP IS DOWN....Via Chris Mooney, I see that the Bush administration assault on science is alive and well. Here's the story: Congress mandates that HHS produce an annual report on healthcare disparities related to race and poverty. The most recent version was released a month ago, but it turns out that the final version released by the political troops was dramatically different from the initial draft written by HHS scientists. Upon learning of this, Bush heckler-in chief Henry Waxman commissioned a report comparing the scientists' draft with the final draft. Here's my favorite part: <<http://www.house.gov/reform/min/politicsandscience/pdfs/pdf_politics_and _science_disparities_rep.pdf>> The scientists' draft concluded that �disparities come at a personal and societal price,� including lost productivity, needless disability, and early death. The final version drops this conclusion and replaces it with the finding that �some �priority populations' do as well or better than the general population in some aspects of health care.� As an example, the executive summary highlights that �American Indians/Alaska Natives have a lower death rate from all cancers.� You gotta love it. Amid all the bad data they were able to find a few examples where minority groups did better than others, so they highlighted that instead. This is sort of like commissioning a report on income disparities and highlighting the fact that blacks do very well in the area of professional basketball. Do these guys have no shame at all? ---- "I can't imagine that I'm going to be attacked for telling the truth. Why would I be attacked for telling the truth?" Paul O'Neill, 60 Minutes _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
