• Dentistry,  Socialized Dentistry

    NHS Dentistry Watch: Dentists Reject £295 million Scottish Executive Deal

    ABC Money.uk.oc has Dentists reject £295 million Scottish Executive deal.

    Scottish dentists have resoundingly rejected the £295 million package proposed by the Executive to lure them back onto the NHS. Talks between the government and dentists have ended in stalemate with both sides sticking to their respective stands.

    The Executive had proposed the Dental Action Plan, which required dentists to pledge that they would treat a fixed number of patients on the NHS. The British Dental Association (BDA) was unhappy with this clause and decided to withdraw from the talks. The dental crisis on the NHS has only deepened after this latest twist. Already thousands of patients have been forced to re-register with private dentists after their NHS dentists shut their practices down.

    It is not the end of the world for British dental patients who can see dentists privately.

    But, Flap bets the folks there are asking for a tax refund or rebate for the millions of pounds they paid the government for their socialized healthcare system which cannot deliver dental services.

    “The Executive is putting Scotland’s dental health in jeopardy by removing the ability for dentists to see only children or those exempt from NHS charges. The levels of funding and investment available for NHS dentistry in Scotland are not sufficient to provide for a universal, comprehensive service for all,” said Andrew Lamb, the BDA director for Scotland.

    The deputy health minister Lewis McDonald had launched the DAP in March this year and promised to recruit an extra 200 dentists by 2008. He was disappointed that any agreement had not been reached, “It is disappointing we haven’t been able to reach agreement with them, but our priority now is to deliver our action plan for NHS dentists,” he said. Shona Robison MSP, the SNP’s health spokeswoman echoed his views, but said that the Executive should ensure that there was adequate time to treat the patients.

    Margaret Davidson, from the Scotland Patients’ Association, said, “The BDA is putting people’s lives at risk. Dental check-ups are vital for spotting serious health conditions, such as mouth cancer, and everyone should have the right to see a dentist.”

    Right to see a dentist? Perhaps.

    But, Flap thinks she means right to see a dentist at NO cost.

    Hardly.

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  • Old Political Hack,  Political Hack,  Politics

    Louis Freeh Watch: Who is Telling the Truth?

    Ok!

    So, who are you going to believe?

    Matt Drudge has CLINTON AIDES BATTLE FREEH OVER ’60 MINUTES,’ BOOK.

    Under strong pressure from former President Bill Clinton’s advisers, CBS’s ”60 Minutes” has agreed to read a statement denying an explosive charge being made on Sunday nght’s program by former FBI director Louis Freeh, the WASHINGTON POST reports.

    In the statement, Samuel “Sandy” Berger, Clinton’s national security adviser, challenges Freeh’s assertion that Clinton failed to press Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to cooperate with an investigation of the 1996 bombing of Khobar Towers in that country, and used the occasion to ask for a contribution to his presidential library. The Saudis made such a donation last year _ six years after the 1998 meeting.

    Berger, who was at the meeting, said: “The president strongly raised the need for Saudi officials to cooperate with us on the investigation into the attack on Khobar Towers at the time when the FBI was attempting to gain access to the suspects. The president did not raise in any fashion the issue of his library.”

    Clinton spokesman Jay Carson said he told CBS’s Mike Wallace that he had supportive accounts from five other former officials at the meeting, including those briefed about a private conversation between Clinton and Abdullah.

    “The fair journalistic question is why they didn’t call and get comments for their story from people who were in the room, such as Sandy Berger, and why they took until Friday afternoon to get that done,” said Lanny Davis, a former White House lawyer, who tried to persuade ”60 Minutes” producer Jeff Fager to allow him or another Clinton spokesman to appear on Sunday night’s segment.

    Carson, who called the Freeh book “a total work of fiction.”

    Is this a media bias problem with 60 Minutes again?

    Is this a Clinton control the media problem?

    Or is Freeh lying to sell his book?

    Who is hiding the ball here?

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  • Dentistry,  General

    Dentistry Today: Looking for CHEAP Dentistry?

    Check out this website promoting CHEAP dental treatment in Europe, OuchMytooth.com.

    Who is OuchMyTooth?

    About OuchMyTooth and how a large bill started it all

    It started in Denmark

    OuchMyTooth is a private owned company located in the northern part of Denmark. My name is Asger Frydkjær, and I am working to establish contact between patients and dental clinics in Europe.

    I am not a dentist, but I have more than four years of experience in helping Danish patients finding a dentist abroad.

    Large bill fostered a new idea

    The inspiration to the Danish version of OuchMyTooth.com arose in 2001. I went to a local dentist, who estimated the cost of the needed treatment to more than 10,000DKK (~ 1345 EURO). Being a tradesman, I tried to talk the dentist into lowering the price, as I knew the treatment would be less expensive in Sweden.

    “People should know this!”

    The danish dentist rejected, and I went to a dentist in Sweden, who only charged me 4800DKK (~ 643 EURO) for the same treatment. This dentist was the first of many dentists on the Danish site AvMinTand.dk. Well back in Denmark with a nice smile, I thought to myself:”People should know about this!”, and the idea to this site was born.

    Previously on Flap: How To: Get Your Teeth Fixed in Mexico

    Ahhhhhh the free market at work – even in Europe!

    However, Flap advises American patients to PLEASE do your homework. Dental training and standards differ from country to country and practice to practice.

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  • Arnold Schwarzenegger,  Bear Flag League,  California,  Politics,  Proposition 74,  Proposition 75,  Proposition 76,  Proposition 77,  Special Election 2005

    California Special Election Watch: McCain to Campaign for Schwarzenegger on Monday

    Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz, is shown in New York on Sept. 2, 2004. McCain and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will campaign together Monday, Oct. 10, 2005, for the measures Schwarzenegger is promoting on the Nov. 8 ballot, according to Schwarzenegger campaign spokesman Todd Harris.

    The ASSociated Press has Schwarzenegger enlists McCain to promote his reform agenda.

    To help promote his “year of reform” ballot initiatives, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has turned to one of the best known political reformers on the national stage – Arizona Sen. John McCain.

    The Republicans will campaign together Monday for the measures Schwarzenegger is promoting on the Nov. 8 ballot, Schwarzenegger campaign spokesman Todd Harris said. McCain has endorsed the four initiatives favored by the governor, which would curb the power of the Democrat-controlled Legislature and their allied public employee unions.

    “John McCain is known for two things – one is being a reformer, and the other is being a straight talker,” Harris said. “We think Sen. McCain’s endorsement of the governor’s reform agenda will send a signal loud and clear to all Californians that these reforms are the real deal.”

    Previously on Flap: Robert Novak Watch: McCain Willing to Campaign for Proposition 75 Paycheck Protection Initiative.

    A Win-Win for both politicians.

    Schwarzenegger’s reform agenda gains some credibility and McCain gains access to the California GOP for his 2008 Presidential campaign.

    Stay tuned.

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    Cross-posted to the Bear Flag League Special Election Page

  • California,  Election 2006,  Old Political Hack,  Politics

    Old Political HACK Watch: Ron Dellums to Run for Oakland Mayor

    The Oakland Tribune has Ex-rep. thrills backers by entering Oakland mayoral race

    Vowing to eradicate poverty and turn Oakland into a model city, former U.S. Rep. Ronald Dellums stepped out of retirement Friday and into the 2006 race for mayor of Oakland.

    “If Ron Dellums running for mayor gives you hope, then let’s get on with it,” he said, fighting back tears and unleashing a wave of deafening cheers from the several hundred people packed into the theater at Laney College to hear his decision.

    Apparently in Oakland – Old Politicians do NOT fade away but live to run for another office.

    Dellums would replace former California Governor Jerry Brown, a candidate for General Attorney General in 2006 whose term expires in January 2007.

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