Friday, November 14, 2008
I Heart the Nether Regions (Thanks, Mike)
So, I am in my Urology rotation right now for two weeks. For those of you who don't know, I have actually seriously considered becoming a urologist. I don't know if it is really because the surgeries are cool and they have a pretty good lifestyle or it is because it is a practice full of men. Not that I like checking out men...I mean that there are very few women doctors in the field. I like a challenge. Anyway, about a year-and-a-half ago, I went to talk to a urologist who I had been told might be a good mentor. Well, I left his office furious because he had tried to tell me I may not be smart enough, and that my reasons for wanting to go into urology weren't good enough. I have been in on surgeries with him and talked to residents about him, and I found out that this is his way to see if a person is confident enough to handle the field of urology (interesting thought process...I guess). Even though his ways drive me crazy, I am learning to respond to him like I did with my little brother Jarom when he used to try to make me mad. I either just smile and nod, not giving him the pleasure of a reaction, or I try to think of something a little witty to fire right back at him. So far, I think it is going OKAY. I am still the nervous twit of a med student around him. Quite honestly, he intimidates me. Anyway, the point of this post was that I am not the only person he treats this way. I found out that a urology resident was interviewing with him for the position and he asked her about her interests. She said she loved horseback riding, and that if she got the position, she would bring her horse out to Salt Lake with her. Well, this guy, enjoying the fact that he can try to make a very nervous person even more uncomfortable asked, "What if your horse died?" How do you respond to this? Does anyone know? Now that I am understanding his antics, I am trying to not get rattled, but the score is still pretty far to his side (Maybe Doctor:15, Maggie:3). I'm feeling a comeback!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The Treatment of Bush Has Been A Disgrace (from WSJ)
Earlier this year, 12,000 people in San Francisco signed a petition in support of a proposition on a local ballot to rename an Oceanside sewage plant after George W. Bush. The proposition is only one example of the classless disrespect many Americans have shown the president.
According to recent Gallup polls, the president's average approval rating is below 30% -- down from his 90% approval in the wake of 9/11. Mr. Bush has endured relentless attacks from the left while facing abandonment from the right.
This is the price Mr. Bush is paying for trying to work with both Democrats and Republicans. During his 2004 victory speech, the president reached out to voters who supported his opponent, John Kerry, and said, "Today, I want to speak to every person who voted for my opponent. To make this nation stronger and better, I will need your support, and I will work to earn it. I will do all I can do to deserve your trust."
Those bipartisan efforts have been met with crushing resistance from both political parties.
The president's original Supreme Court choice of Harriet Miers alarmed Republicans, while his final nomination of Samuel Alito angered Democrats. His solutions to reform the immigration system alienated traditional conservatives, while his refusal to retreat in Iraq has enraged liberals who have unrealistic expectations about the challenges we face there.
It seems that no matter what Mr. Bush does, he is blamed for everything. He remains despised by the left while continuously disappointing the right.
Yet it should seem obvious that many of our country's current problems either existed long before Mr. Bush ever came to office, or are beyond his control. Perhaps if Americans stopped being so divisive, and congressional leaders came together to work with the president on some of these problems, he would actually have had a fighting chance of solving them.
Like the president said in his 2004 victory speech, "We have one country, one Constitution and one future that binds us. And when we come together and work together, there is no limit to the greatness of America."
To be sure, Mr. Bush is not completely alone. His low approval ratings put him in the good company of former Democratic President Harry S. Truman, whose own approval rating sank to 22% shortly before he left office. Despite Mr. Truman's low numbers, a 2005 Wall Street Journal poll found that he was ranked the seventh most popular president in history.
Just as Americans have gained perspective on how challenging Truman's presidency was in the wake of World War II, our country will recognize the hardship President Bush faced these past eight years -- and how extraordinary it was that he accomplished what he did in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have. The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our nation during a very difficult time.
Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty -- a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House.
Mr. Shapiro is an investigative reporter and lawyer who previously interned with John F. Kerry's legal team during the presidential election in 2004.
According to recent Gallup polls, the president's average approval rating is below 30% -- down from his 90% approval in the wake of 9/11. Mr. Bush has endured relentless attacks from the left while facing abandonment from the right.
This is the price Mr. Bush is paying for trying to work with both Democrats and Republicans. During his 2004 victory speech, the president reached out to voters who supported his opponent, John Kerry, and said, "Today, I want to speak to every person who voted for my opponent. To make this nation stronger and better, I will need your support, and I will work to earn it. I will do all I can do to deserve your trust."
Those bipartisan efforts have been met with crushing resistance from both political parties.
The president's original Supreme Court choice of Harriet Miers alarmed Republicans, while his final nomination of Samuel Alito angered Democrats. His solutions to reform the immigration system alienated traditional conservatives, while his refusal to retreat in Iraq has enraged liberals who have unrealistic expectations about the challenges we face there.
It seems that no matter what Mr. Bush does, he is blamed for everything. He remains despised by the left while continuously disappointing the right.
Yet it should seem obvious that many of our country's current problems either existed long before Mr. Bush ever came to office, or are beyond his control. Perhaps if Americans stopped being so divisive, and congressional leaders came together to work with the president on some of these problems, he would actually have had a fighting chance of solving them.
Like the president said in his 2004 victory speech, "We have one country, one Constitution and one future that binds us. And when we come together and work together, there is no limit to the greatness of America."
To be sure, Mr. Bush is not completely alone. His low approval ratings put him in the good company of former Democratic President Harry S. Truman, whose own approval rating sank to 22% shortly before he left office. Despite Mr. Truman's low numbers, a 2005 Wall Street Journal poll found that he was ranked the seventh most popular president in history.
Just as Americans have gained perspective on how challenging Truman's presidency was in the wake of World War II, our country will recognize the hardship President Bush faced these past eight years -- and how extraordinary it was that he accomplished what he did in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have. The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our nation during a very difficult time.
Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty -- a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House.
Mr. Shapiro is an investigative reporter and lawyer who previously interned with John F. Kerry's legal team during the presidential election in 2004.
Dear President Obama,
I believe in the American dream. No, not the newly defined one that everyone deserves a house that they can't afford; the one that rewards hard work with success. You see, I came from a family who was blue collar, middle class. My parents believed that if we worked hard and took the right steps, we could be successful. So, my 4 other siblings and I all toughed it out through lots of college, we lived like paupers for a long time, and we picked professions where we knew we could be successful. I don't work hard just to turn around and be forced to give everyone else "their fair share." I work hard so I can benefit from the fruits of my labor. I know this doesn't sound very nice in your little politician world where you think you are better at spending my money than I am, but I am not sure why else I would want to work this hard. So, please understand why I am going to move to a different country and take my skills with me if you decide that you want re-distribute my (future) wealth for me. I don't need your help, thank you very much.
Sincerely,
A hard-working citizen
Sincerely,
A hard-working citizen
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