Author Archives: ddxdx

About ddxdx

A Family physician, former county coroner and former Idaho State Senator

False Positives

Posted on June 17, 2020 by ddxdx

The lab in the basement of the Idaho Freedom Foundation was abuzz. The tests were looking good. “When can we roll this out?” the Lab Director Ben wanted to know. “It’s ready for beta testing.” Lab Tech Jerry beamed. “Explain … Continue reading →

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Defund Health Care

Posted on June 10, 2020 by ddxdx

The chant “Defund Police” is bouncing off the walls of the buildings next to many demonstrations. They are protesting an unjust, cruel death of a nonviolent black man under the crushing knee of a white cop, while three other uniformed … Continue reading →

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When Compassion Fails

Posted on June 3, 2020 by ddxdx

 It was near the end of my three-year residency. I had gotten up after midnight to admit an elderly woman complaining of headache. The ER had given her large doses of narcotics to help her pain, and they depressed her … Continue reading →

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Rotunda Showdown

Posted on May 23, 2020 by ddxdx

It was a sunny May morning in Idaho. The primary election was over and Governor Little was in pretty good spirits. He was looking to back his ¾ ton Ford pickup into a metered space by the Capitol when a … Continue reading →

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Health Care Slowdown

Posted on May 21, 2020 by ddxdx

Isn’t it ironic that one of the largest economic sectors contributing to the Covid-19 recession is health care? Almost half of the massive first quarter US GDP drop comes from losses in health care spending. Just when the “best health … Continue reading →

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Counting Deaths

Posted on May 17, 2020 by ddxdx

I have written before about the value of knowing the cause of death to a community. Obituaries used to be reported in the newspaper, not paid personal notes as they are now. The cause of death was usually included in … Continue reading →

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Response to Protest

Posted on May 6, 2020 by ddxdx

There were pictures of armed protesters in the Michigan state capitol last week. They came to publicly disagree with governor-ordered restrictions on activity in response to the ongoing viral pandemic. No shots were fired, but the internet flamed with outrage. … Continue reading →

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Last Wish

Posted on April 30, 2020 by ddxdx

About a month ago when the shutdown was starting and the Corona virus was just starting to kill people in serious numbers in this country we had an uncomfortable conversation in our kitchen.  It didn’t go well. I share it … Continue reading →

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No Column This Week

Posted on April 22, 2020 by ddxdx

I’ve been plugging away at writing this column for over three years now so I thought I’d take a break. There will be no column this week. Initially I’d thought, since we are nearing the primary election, I could say … Continue reading →

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Pandemic Placebo

Posted on April 15, 2020 by ddxdx

The buzz drummed up around hydroxychloroquine by our President as a treatment for Covid19 doesn’t surprise me. Honestly, a lot of politics is snake oil and he’s proven to be really good at selling it to some of us. But … Continue reading →

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