Thursday, October 30, 2014

Brian Frosh: Maryland's next Attorney General


Brian Frosh: Maryland’s next Attorney General

 

Maryland’s Attorney General Office is in dire need of an overhaul. Most recently this Office has been managed to enhance the career of its current occupant with less emphasis on those who matter most, the State’s six million residents. Political agendas not sound judgment has been on display over the last 8 years. Maryland is ready for a change. Brian Frosh, a consummate Maryland politician and lawyer, will bring a fresh perspective to an Office that has seen better days. Frosh has a stellar record of accomplishments as a current member of the Maryland Senate and previously in the House of Delegates. In his 5th term in the State Senate Brian Frosh is highly regarded for his commitment to an array of causes which enhance the lives of those he serves. On important environmental issues, such protecting the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, he has been an outspoken critic of anyone or group who would endanger these areas. For his efforts on the environment Frosh has received numerous awards including “Conservationist of the Year” from the Sierra Club and “Public Official of the Year” by the Audubon Society.

 

Senator Frosh has taken a lead role to create legislation that protects children and victims of domestic violence. He has been behind legislation to revise child support laws which were sadly lagging behind the times. On education his efforts helped to make tuition in colleges more affordable with an accentuation on increased quality. As chairman of the Judicial Proceedings Committee he steered bills through a political maze to protect personal data held by the Motor Vehicles Administration. Frosh was instrumental in enhancing identity theft laws and creating new mechanisms to track those who defraud Maryland health systems.  His years in the House of Delegates and the Maryland Senate display a record of exemplary service to the state. Support for his candidacy is strong within this State and outside its borders. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg supports Frosh for taking a major role in helping enact into law the Firearm Safety Act. Many other Maryland luminaries have given a thumb’s up to Frosh’s candidacy.

 

Maryland’s Attorney General Office provides legal counsel to a variety of administrative entities throughout the state. Legal opinions crucial to this State’s functions also emanate from this office. Politicized by the current occupant the Attorney General should always present a balanced approach to whatever task is before his office. Having been touched by the civil sting of this office whose methodology was nothing less than confrontational, contentious and misdirected a fresh face is needed to rekindle trust this office once held. Brian Frosh is that person. He is able to maneuver through the embattled political terrain in Maryland with the knowledge to apply the laws equitably without destroying the faith in the people he serves. Strong consideration should be given to this candidate for Attorney General. As an independent I see Brian Frosh’s resume as many steps above the recent holders of this office.  Maryland needs change and it is coming to the Attorney General’s Office in the embodiment of Brian Frosh.

 

Mark Davis MD, President of Davis Writing Services. www.daviswritingservices.com  platomd@gmail.com

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Infection 101: Quarantine Ebola Hot Spots


Infection 101: Quarantine Ebola hot spots

 

President Obama and the CDC have decided to allow incoming flights from Ebola hot zone regardless of their potential toxic nature. Less than one month ago the media had few words concerning quarantine bans of affected areas. This reporter has written three other articles why our borders should be closed to those emigrating from high risk areas. Today the media is abuzz with critiques of the Administration and CDC for not taking the right course of action. Instead their rationale enhances not minimizes the human tragedy enveloping this nation. United States is spending millions to track down those who may have been exposed to the latest patients that contracted Ebola. Listening to the director of the CDC, Tom Frieden, it was obvious his mindset paralleled that of the Executive Branch. Doctor Frieden will keep his job a short while longer until more cases of Ebola arise and they will. At this juncture Obama, as usual, will throw the CDC director under the proverbial bus to be replaced with another politically correct physician who takes orders. Frieden continues to provide the public with misinformation concerning Ebola’s ability to spread rapidly. Protocols, Frieden claims, are in place to contain this viral menace. Yet people continue to acquire Ebola unabated by these strict regulations. A new Ebola czar has been appointed to carry out the President’s misdirected policies. Ron Klain, uninitiated in any precepts or teachings in health care has accepted this post. As a non-physician he brings very little to the table except more political correctness. Had Ronald Reagan been at the helm incoming flights would have stopped the same day he became aware of the epidemic. If there is an ounce of good news hysteria around the country has moved up several notches which may cause the President to rethink his position. Banning flights from Ebola hot zones is not only logical it is a moral imperative. Thousands in this country are under observation for Ebola symptoms because of their proximity to a few disease individuals. Think of the chaos that would embody the population of the United States in the event dozens became infected by this toxic menace. Mr. President now is the time to do the right thing, stop incoming flights before more people are consumed by this virus.

 

Mark Davis MD, media consultant, physician and author. President of Davis Writing Services. www.daviswritingservices.com  platomd@gmail.com

Dr. Davis latest book Obamacare: Dead on Arrival, A Prescription for Disaster.

Monday, October 13, 2014

Black Plague Two


Black Plague Two

 

One of the deadliest viruses in the history of mankind has found its way to our shores. Ebola, named for the river where it was first identified, moves through its victims with no mercy, leaving a shell of a human being behind. Identified in 1976 Ebola has left an increasing legacy of misery and death wherever this new plague has touched. Most recently the latest epidemic has engulfed numerous countries in Western Africa traveling across borders uninhibited by armies of health workers attempting to stop its movements. Through the munificence of the United States and other countries money, personnel and supplies have been sent to the hardest hit areas. These Ebola hot zones continue to expand even with the best efforts by those on the ground. Recently Thomas Duncan, a citizen of Liberia, entered the U.S. under false pretenses, with the Ebola virus firmly implanted in him. Reports state that Duncan misrepresented his proximity to the infection prior to coming to the states. He presented himself to an emergency room in Dallas Texas a few days after arriving there with flu like symptoms. For reasons that are not clear he was sent home but returned within a short time. At this juncture a presumptive diagnosis of Ebola was made. Duncan’s death came less than two weeks later. Rapidly fatal Ebola patients have few treatment options. The question remains: How many were exposed to the virus as Duncan made his way to the United States? Late word is a hospital worker where Duncan tragically succumbed has tested positive for Ebola. This story is still developing.

 

President Obama and his subordinates at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have stubbornly refused to place travel restrictions on flights from Ebola hot zones. CDC has gone on record asserting a travel ban would do more harm than good, without fully elaborating why. Instead their plan is to take temperature readings of those emigrating from infected areas and to have them fill out questionnaires. Sounds crazy on the surface and it is. An infected patient may not spike a fever for days to weeks after contracting this viral menace. Worse many may hide the fact they were exposed to Ebola. African nations are in the process of quarantining infected areas. Logic dictates we should do the same. This nation’s best course of action is to keep the plague where it originated. Sending our best and brightest into endemic areas, to fight this unseen enemy, is irrational having the potential for horrific ramifications. Political correctness not commonsense is guiding United States Ebola policy. Obama’s containment policies are a series of false actions designed to assuage a fearful public not to stop the virus in its tracks. Ebola has been acquired by those in full protective gear suggesting a different path of inoculation than is commonly believed. In the event an airborne component of transmission exists or the virus is found to penetrate biological garb the fight to contain Ebola moves to a new level. The Black Death killed a third of the population of Europe in the 14th century. How many must die in the United States before policies isolating affected areas are implemented?

 

Mark Davis MD, author of Obamacare Dead on Arrival, A Prescription for Disaster and Demons of Democracy.  President of Davis Writing Services. www.daviswritingservices.com  platomd@gmail.com