Just saw this interesting story about a Polish man who just woke up
from a 19 year coma. His comments about the effect a new free
market economic system have had are relevant. Proper economic
policies are crucial to raising living standards.

David

WARSAW (Reuters) - A 65-year-old railwayman who fell into a coma
following an accident in communist Poland regained consciousness 19
years later to find democracy and a market economy, Polish media
reported on Saturday.

Wheelchair-bound Jan Grzebski, whom doctors had given only two or
three years to live following his 1988 accident, credited his caring
wife Gertruda with his revival.

"It was Gertruda that saved me, and I'll never forget it," Grzebski
told news channel TVN24.

"For 19 years Mrs Grzebska did the job of an experienced intensive
care team, changing her comatose husband's position every hour to
prevent bed-sore infections," Super Express reported Dr Boguslaw
Poniatowski as saying.

"When I went into a coma there was only tea and vinegar in the
shops, meat was rationed and huge petrol queues were everywhere,"
Grzebski told TVN24, describing his recollections of the communist
system's economic collapse.

"Now I see people on the streets with cell phones and there are so
many goods in the shops it makes my head spin."

Grzebski awoke to find his four children had all married and
produced 11 grandchildren during his years in hospital.

He said he vaguely recalled the family gatherings he was taken to
while in a coma and his wife and children trying to communicate with
him.

--- In dyslexiaclub@yahoogroups.com, don_nairn <no_reply@...> wrote:
>
> So with this system the academically gifted child will receive
> $11,000 and the academically challenged child will receive exactly
> the same.
>
> The child born into wealth will get $11,000 and the child born
into
> poverty will receive exactly the same.
>
> Clearly this system suggests that the child somehow chooses to be
> born a certain way.
>
> This is a very new medical concept for me I would be delighted if
> you could share the science behind how children get to choose
their
> circumstances.
>
> Silly me thought that babies were made by adults having sex
clearly
> it is more complicated than this.
>
> While Milton Friedman may have been a great economist as a student
> of economics it is well acknowledged that economics is very poor
at
> addressing social equity issues.
>
>
> Regards
>
> Don
>
>
> --- In dyslexiaclub@yahoogroups.com, David Smith <plexusmaster@>
> wrote:
> >
> > I would suggest Oprah since she has an interest in education.
And
> let me also suggest the following.
> >
> > The United States has one of the most innovative and excellent
> medical systems and university systems in the world. But, the
> public school system is lacking and unresponsive to the complaints
> of the parents. Why the difference? There is no competitive
> pressure from the consumer of the system.
> >
> > I am a doctor, so I usually make this analogy. Assume about
on
> average 40% of children struggle to read. Now, here's the
analogy.
> Lets say you came to see me as a doctor, and I told you only 6 out
> of 10 of my patients lived after treatment. Then, I said, that
you
> could leave and see another doctor if you wanted, but I would keep
> your money if you went elsewhere, and you'd have to pay an
> additional amount out of pocket for the other doctor who had 9 out
> of 10 patients surviving.
> >
> > This is why we should argue for vouchers. In my area,
> approximately 11,000 dollars is being spent per pupil and 35-40%
of
> the children do not score above a basic level in reading and
math.
> What if the state gathered a portion of all property taxes and
place
> them in a fund, and distributed a voucher worth 11 thousand
dollars
> to each child. You could spend it on ANY public school, or
> parochial school, or private school, or materials for home
> schooling. THE PARENT is the only one in the system who truly
> advocates ONLY for the child, so the parent should decide where
the
> child is sent.
> >
> > Don't you think schools would be more responsive to the needs
of
> the children if the parents not only could take the children out
of
> the school and send them to a better place, BUT THE SCHOOL WOULD
> ALSO LOSE THE MONEY. Once the principal and teachers felt that
> competitive pressure, they're would be a REASON to perform better
> because their lives would begin to be effected, not just the lives
> of the children and families trying to get a better education.
> >
> > So, if the petition is a mass emailing advocating a voucher
> system for public education, sign me up!
> >
> > David Smith, MD
> >
> > PS By the way, Milton Friedman, the nobel prize award winning
> economist was a great advocate of school vouchers because he knew
> that it would encourage innovation through competition just like
in
> the rest of our economy.
> >
> > Brenda Beebe <beebe30@> wrote:
> > I am in the process of trying to see how much interest
> would be in people from these groups participating
> > in a mass email to the media.
> >
> > I currently have posted this question on two other email groups
> and received a fairly positive large response.
> >
> > There is a common theme all of us share, it is not what labels
are
> children have it is the struggles we go through
> > with the schools and insurance companies. The system is not
> working and the children are suffering. It is not really that the
> > laws aren't there for these kids it is the schools don't follow
> them and no one holds them accountable.
> >
> > To raise eyebrows and get exposure through the media, we need
> massive emails. These emails should all be
> > titled the same in the subject line and then we can give a brief
> personal story about the struggles we all have gone through.
> >
> > Please let me know if you are interested and I will keep you
> posted of the subject line title and to whom we will
> > email.
> >
> > Although it looks like Oprah and/or Anderson Cooper.
> >
> > Brenda
> >
> > __________________________________________________________
> > Need Mail bonding?
> > Go to the Yahoo! Mail Q&A for great tips from Yahoo! Answers
users.
> > http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&sid=396546091
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
>