Meet A Living Civil Rights Legend

1. MLK Jr.’s Defense Attorney to appear in San Francisco tonight!

2. What Did Maggie Mahar Just Say?

3. Why Can’t You Be More Like Larry?

4. Regulation, Schmegulation

1. MLK Jr.’s Defense Attorney in San Francisco Tonight

Theron had emailed me about Saturday's opening, but I hadn’t realized that living civil rights legend Clarence Jones will be at the opening. (The opening is for a photo exhibit of images of the civil rights movement. It starts at 7 p.m. at 458 Geary, cross-street Taylor.)

Here’s a link to one of the photos in the show – it’s MLK Jr. and Dr. Benjamin Spock marching against the Vietnam War. It’s amazing how vivid and how alive this crisp black and white photo feels.

2. What Did Maggie Say?

“I don’t see how someone as radical as you ever got to be one of Warren Buffett’s favorite financial journalists,” I said last night to Maggie Mahar, after another screening of the film based on her book, “Money-Driven Medicine.”

Mahar didn’t miss a beat. “Because I write about what’s wrong with capitalism. And what’s wrong with capitalism is how Warren Buffett makes his money.”

I did a double-take, and she quickly explained: “He does that by buying companies that are well-managed.”

Got it. She had only meant to reference Buffett's understanding that market inefficiences can sometimes undervalue potentially strong companies. But for a second there it was a real zinger.

All the same, don’t let Mahar’s Ivy League background and her work for Barron’s fool you – this woman will, without warning, channel Upton Sinclair in her championing of the poorest members of society – with details so stark that “The Jungle” will read like “Pat the Bunny.” We’ll have more detail on her appearance in Sunday’s newsletter. (I want to give the two other F1200’ers who went to see Mahar on Friday night, including a nurse and an M.P.H., more time to gather their thoughts on the event.)

For now I’ll just say that, like Andrew Bacevich with his iconoclastic take on the relationship between personal consumption and US foreign policy, Maggie Mahar challenges us to see the larger picture. “A lack of access to health care is actually very low in terms of causes of premature deaths in the overall U.S. population. It accounts for only 10%.” The greater percentage of premature deaths, Mahar says, is due to behavioral coping mechanisms (the largest of which is self-medication) employed by those forced into poverty. Another 15% is credited to environment, which is also linked to poverty.

We’d raced over at the last minute when we heard Mahar was speaking because we needed to hear this extraordinary journalist’s take on the progress of HCR legislation, and that too will be included in Sunday’s newsletter.

3. Why Can’t Everyone Be Like Larry?

F1200’er Larry has allowed me to share his outstanding letter to Democratic leadership. You can read it here. I honestly believe that we cannot just keep giving money to groups that advocate for our causes and expect results. If democracy can be saved, it will be up to people like Larry and like so many people in the F1200 who take a passionate interest in the process and become involved. And from reading email from younger F1200’ers who have recently graduated from college or just finished their Ph.D.s, I honestly believe that the current employment landscape may prove fertile soil for reform - with the younger generation coming up with new solutions and approaches.

4. Regulation, Schmegulation:

The question of the week for our docs, nurses, and health care policy wonks was whether the regulation proposed by Senator Dianne Feinstein last October would have prevented the 39% Anthem rate hike. But predictably, the proposed language was so vague that no one could agree! One of our nurses contacted Jackie Speier’s office with the question, and is standing by for a callback. She was dismayed that none of the aides in Speier's office knew - because Speier has an outstanding and smart staff.

In the meantime, Maggie Mahar and Eliot Spitzer have each recently answered the question in their San Francisco appearances by reinforcing the message that no amount of regulation will prevent abuses without aggressive enforcement. I hate to tell you this, but since the industry will never ask for such enforcement, you’re going to have to go and find your pitchfork.