ustxtxb_obs_1962_06_15_50_00005-00000_000.pdf

NEW LYRICS? Some Unrhetorical Questions for Connally AUSTIN Since 49 of 100 voters in the Democratic primary preferred Don Yarborough ; since John Connally, the Democratic nominee, professes now to be determined to unify with Yarborough, although he does not say what he said to him, it is a fair question, what reassurances of substance has Connally to offer the Democrats who voted for Yarborough? We know that he is pledged to support Kennedy and Johnson for reelection in 1964. That is an improvement over 1952 and 1956 for Texas Democrats. It is, indeed, a considerable thing. The people who voted for Don Yarborough are mostly people who will also want Ralph Yarborough renominated in 1964. Would Connally use the powers of the governorship against Senator Yarborough? What does he have to say to Texas Democrats on this score? Could Senator Yarborough count on John Connally’s friendliness in the Governor’s Mansion? F CONNALLY is to campaign effectively for Kennedy and Johnson in 1964, how would he handle his announced opposition to federal aid to education and medical care for the aged under social security? Are there any details or hedges in his mind about those positions that would reassure nationally oriented Texas Democrats? Could statements of support for Kennedy programs be expected from the Mansion? Or would his support of Kennedy be subject to characterization by the Republicans as, “I’m for Johnson, even though Kennedy is a radical”? Would he invite Kennedy to Texas in 1962 and 1963 and turn on the works for him? Connally has campaigned on a program of cutting state spending. Texas people who are concerned about the grotesque inadequacy of state welfare programs have a right to know just exactly what programs Connally would cut. What, what for, and how much. It is acutely important, in light of his position against medical care for the aged under social security, that he state whether he would cut old age pensions, leave them alone, or favor a substantial increase in them. Consumers who are paying the atrocious state sales tax and retailers who are collecting it have a right to ask of the Democratic nominee, whether he intends to raise the rate to three or four cents on the dollar. Or will he pledge to resist any increase in the rate? Does he intend to extend it to groceries and medicines? Or would he hold the line against its extension? As governor, would Connally have to be expected to make statements against a full-length national park on Padre Island? He has favored the speculator’s position on this subject. Would he be willing to seek a little unity for this November by leaving the subject alone? WHAT SORT of treatment could higher education expect from him? Platitudes will not do. Would he uphold academic tenure, even for professors whose views he does not like? Would he appoint to boards of regents men and women with at least a reasonable amount of liberalism and an understanding of the problems of colleges and universities and their professors and students? Could he be expected to try to raise tuitions again, or would he hold the line on that subject? How does Lobbyist for All the People Connally stand on tightening the lobby control bill to exclude non-paid lobbyists and include all the expenditures of professional, paid lobbyists? In questions of Democratic Party procedure, will Connolly turn over on a new leaf and proclaim that he will respect the decisions of delegates at every convention level? Or should we expect more boss-run politics in the Democratic Party? THESE are not rhetorical questions for the Democratic nominee. As he and his kindBlakley and suchare now nervously aware, some Texas voters have become rambunctious on this question of principles in politics. If the man the party nominates does not represent the party’s national principles, they wonder what’s, going on and they consider the alternatives. We listen now for the new lyrics to John Connally’s songs to Harmony, Unity, and Statesmanship. R.D. For an insight into the medicare issue by an English doctor, we excerpt this article by Simon. Freeman from the Manchester Guardian. “To those who bemoan the fact that the prestige of the medical practitioner has deteriorated in Britain since the National Health Service, a visit to the United States might prove equivalent to a hefty dose of shock therapy. What are the facts? “It is not true, as widely believed here, that in the U.S. if you have no money you can get no medical attention. In New York about 40 percent to 45 percent of the entire population can be labelled “indigent” and, as such, are entitled to free medical care at any of the 36 public health centers scattered over the city. At each center are doctors, nurses, ancillary services, and consultants covering every major specialty. The standard of service is very high. In addition, there are many first-rate municipal hospitals throughout the city where free medical care is provided for the ‘indigent.’ “At the other extreme in the social pattern, between five percent and ten percent of the population have an income large enough to make it an easy matter to pay any fees demanded for doctors, drugs, and hospitalization. So, in one way or another, approximately half of the population have some sort of medical cover. OR THE other half, the problem of medical care can prove to be a nightmare. This class \\ includes skilled workers, white-collar employees, teachers, small shopkeepers, etc. How can they deal with illness in their household? As a general rule doctors’ fees are very high indeed \(even when we take into account the the cost of drugs can be almost prohibitive. The middle-class citizen takes out all manner of insurance against illness. This is a costly business, and cover is far from complete. The largest health insurance concern in America is the Blue Cross. This provides limited cover only, and then for a resiricted period, for the cost of a hospital bed and the services of a specialist while an in-patient but does not .cover the cost of drugs at any stage of the illness nor of medical care or investigations carried on other than as an in-patient. “Other insurances can he taken out, at high cost, which will give limited cover only for doctors’ bills, investi THAT MIDDLE FIFTY gations, etc., but none that I know of which will cover even in part the cost of drugs. “In this ‘middle of the road’ 50 percent of the population, those whose plight if in need of medical care is the most serious are the retired and the aged . . . “Savings and social security normally give an income which cannot be made to cope with anything more than basic sustenance. Elderly people are prone to chronic illnessfor instance, nutritional anemia, diabetes, bronchitis, circulatory disease. These do not require in-patient care as a rule, but do urgently require medical surveillance and drugs while still living in their own homes. The unfortunate aged who are without a family to pay large medical and drug bills are in a sorry plight. “The American Medical Association makes no secret of the fact that it will go any length to maintain the present state of affairs in medical practice. I have not heard a single person say a word in praise of it. In a determined effort to raise the status of the general practitioner, the comparatively new American Academy of General Practice \(which is a similar organization to our own College a formidable battle and achieving a fair amount of success. If it can resist the temptation to enter the arena of medical politics, and confine itself to its avowed principles of raising the status of the practitioner by more postgraduate study and more undergraduate teaching of the finer points and ethics of good general practice, it might well put American doctors back to the status of respect and affection which our great profession should have. “Another apparent weakness in the structure of American practice is the marked reluctance of practitioners to visit patients at their homes. At first I thought that this might be due to a reluctance on the part of the patient to pay the high scale of charges, but this does not appear to be the case, since patients in all ranges of financial status put this to me as a definite grievance. In New York it is a most difficult matter to obtain a house-call during the day, while at night it appears to be virtually impossible. This state of affairs is not confined to New York; the same difficulties exist in other cities. The reluctance to pay visits is certainly widespread. The general procedure appears to be that the doctors give advice by telephone phones a prescription to a pharmacy, and asks the patient to call at his office when he feels fit enough to travel. I could get no satisfactory answer to my question about what happens to a patient who is seized with coronary occlusion while at home. “A T THE SAME time. I gained the impression that in smaller townships practitioners visit patients on request as we do here. The suggestion was put to me that most of our visits here were for trivial and quite unnecessary reasons. This was, of course, an implied criticism of the behavior of our patients under ‘socialized medicine.’ By and large, the suggestion is false, as I pointed out. The failure to visit is yet another reason why their standards must be considered inferior to our own. “From my visit and observations, two facts emerged which I found greatly heartening and encouraging. First, I pay tribute to the work and sense of vocation of all doctors connected with the public health services. They are fighting valiantly to improve preventive and social medicine and to afford treatment of the highest standard to those whose income will not allow the normal cost of doctors or drugs. Secondly, I cannot speak too highly of the Health Insurance Plan of the Montefiore Hospital of the Bronx, New York, and its architect, Dr. George Silver. “This voluntary, contributory insurance scheme is the most comprehensive one of its kind over there, and offers each subscriber a choice of family doctor, who can be visited by appointment at the clinic, where all types of investigations are carried out free of charge; in addition, visits to the home of the patient will be made by his own doctor if required. It is unfortunate that the cost of drugs is not included in the service. At the same time, the scheme is the nearest approach to our own service, and possibly is a pointer to the direction which will be followed in that country in the future.” Observer Notebook with by trustees and administrators. One outlander expressed amazement the other day that such things still happen in an enlightened modern society. The truth of the matter, as we told him, is that Texas could house, feed, and clothe as many as a couple of hundred simultaneous Scopes trials from Texarkana tb El Paso in this year 1962 and still manage a few dozen more in 1963 as well. Dallas could keep ten going by itself. Clarence Darrow would be considered a dangerous Red, Charles Darwin a messenger from Sodom, and any kneejerk insurance salesman with a piping voice and a good case against intelligence would be the hero of the hour and would likely be promoted soon after to a place of prominence in the Texas legislature or on some board of regents. THE DALLAS NEWS must have blushed privately green with envy when Newsweek Magazine came out with an article entitled “Houston. Boomingest Town in the U.S.”, but if it did, our Oldest Business Institution in Texas composed itself in time to produce a lead editorial for its Monday editions which exhibited an only faintly condescending pride in the accomplishments of Dallas’ fledgling cousin. “Dallas joins the rest of Texas in pleasure,” the editorial said, “at this tribute to the port city, but calls attention to the fact that Texas has two ‘boomingest towns.’ The other, of course, is Dallas.” Various downtown building projects were duly listed. “The Dallas boom is more than downtown buildings, however,” he statement continued. “It is reflected in many indices of growth and prosperity. Even the fact that The Dallas News has Texas’ largest newspaper circulation is part of this pic ture of leadership.” And closing on the expected lyrical note: “Dallas’ civic and business leadership will find thought-provoking reading in Newsweek’s tribute to our sister city at the other end of the Trinity.” \(The spire Dallas to do more, to recognize more fully its present achievements and to plan with greater vision for the futurefor that `challenge of greatness’ which must be met not by Dallas alone, Houston alone, or by any other city, but by all of Texas, working together.” Perspective on Our Medicine