Viewpoints: Capitol Hill antics on budget; A mom's concern about Plan B decision

May 9 2013

The Washington Post: Child's Play With The Budget As Democrats And Republicans Battle
Republicans, after berating Democrats for enacting Obamacare and other bills behind closed doors with extra-parliamentary procedures, are insisting that any talks with Democrats be behind closed doors with extra-parliamentary procedures. Democrats, meanwhile, have suddenly become allergic to closed-door meetings and are insisting on a public "conference committee" and the "regular order." Republicans, after branding President Obama a tyrant, are now demanding that he show more leadership. Obama's aides, who overrode the legislative process whenever it was convenient, are now piously insisting on its integrity (Dana Milbank, 5/7).

The Washington Post: The Administration's Plan B Blunder
As a mom, I can't help but cringe. As a thinking adult, I can't help but reconsider. I'm referring to the continuing controversy over making emergency contraceptives available, without a prescription, to -; and here is the standard, incendiary formulation -; girls as young as 11 (Ruth Marcus, 5/7).

Politico: Primary Physician Shortage Calls For Intervention
Instituting major reforms in primary care and enabling people to see a doctor when they need one will save lives, ease suffering and save billions of dollars in wasteful health care costs. What should we do? First, we need to substantially increase the number of primary-care practitioners. ... Second, we must implement a major change in the culture of our medical schools. Some medical schools do an excellent job educating primary-care physicians, but too many do too little and some -; believe it or not -; do nothing at all. In 2011, about 17,000 doctors graduated from American medical schools. Only 7 percent of those graduates chose a primary-care career (Sen. Bernie Sanders, 5/8).