So according to a Reuters report out of Beijing, the chief of the Guangdong Tigers is quoted as saying Yi Jianlian would “definitely not” play for the Bucks this season, citing the fact that Yi probably wouldn’t get enough playing time to further his development. This is all sorts of rotten news for the Bucks, because unlike Yi’s agents - who didn’t really have much leverage over what the Bucks did, my understanding is that his team back in China does have the ability to withhold Yi from the Bucks. Now I could be mistaken about that, but logic would seem to dictate that if his team in China’s saying they won’t let him play for the Bucks, then I don’t expect we’ll see Yi here in Milwaukee any time soon. Now I know there’s been rumblings that NBA Commissioner David Stern has been working behind the scenes to resolve this situation, but ultimately (and unfortunately) I believe Yi’s rights will end up being traded to a team more acceptable to him and his handlers. I think it’s a real shame, because I think Yi would have liked Milwaukee and would have fit in well with the kind of team the Bucks are building.

But all’s not lost for the Bucks, because it looks like they’re on the verge of signing free agent forward Desmond Mason, a former Buck who was absolutely a fan favorite during his two and a half years here. Mason’s a lunchpail kind of player, and I’m sure he’ll grow to be a favorite of head coach Larry Krystkowiak.

I came across an interesting article in today’s MSJ about the “Healthy Wisconsin” universal healthcare proposal that’s been included in the state budget by Senate Democrats. What’s interesting about the article is that it talks about how the proposal came into being, more specifically the fact that it’s modeled in large part on the ideas of Alain Enthoven, a retired retired professor at Stanford University who specializes in health care economics. Enthoven’s ideas focus on how to use market forces to lower costs and expand coverage. In other words, health care providers would compete to offer the most cost-effective, high-quality health care, and those providers that offered the highest quality and most cost-effective care would be rewarded with more patients. According to the article:

They (market forces) would require restructuring the health care system in a way that eliminates existing incentives that reward hospitals and doctors for providing more care as opposed to efficient care.

What a novel concept…rewarding health care providers for providing efficient care, as opposed to simply providing more care. The proposed plan would force health plans to compete on cost and quality, which in theory should cause doctors and hospitals to become more efficient, providing better care at lower costs.

What’s interesting to note is that Enthoven isn’t a fan of a single-payer universal health care system, stating, “The government often gets it wrong in setting prices.” As I understand it, the “Healthy Wisconsin” proposal wouldn’t be a single-payer system, but rather a system much like the current state employees health care plan. The current state employees health care plan allows employees the option of choosing their own health care provider from a list of approved providers who have met certain benchmarks for quality and efficiency of service. It’s a nice plan, and I appreciate being given the option of choosing the health care provider I feel is best suited to my needs and those of my family.

I know Republicans in the Assembly and Senate are frothing at the mouth in their opposition to the “Healthy Wisconsin” proposal, and while I can appreciate their concerns about higher taxes, this is a plan that makes sense, isn’t “socialized medicine” as some Republicans are so fond of labeling almost all universal health care proposals, and will ultimately benefit each and every resident of the state.

In what might be a surprise to some, former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore has ended his presidential campaign. In his statement, Gilmore expressed his frustration with the current political process.

“I have come to believe that it takes more than a positive vision for our nation’s future to successfully compete for the Presidency,” he said. “I believe that it takes years of preparation to put in place both the political and financial infrastructure to contest what now amounts to a one-day national primary in February.”

Gilmore’s a good solid conservative, but ultimately he suffered from the “Who?” factor - in that if you asked someone what they thought of him, their response would be, “who?” He hadn’t raised much money, and he had also suffered a setback when he had to take some time off the campaign trail to have surgery to repair a torn retina.

I expect we’ll see more folks starting to drop out in the coming weeks, especially as Fred Thompson’s campaign gets into full swing. Former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson has already said he’s planning on dropping out if he doesn’t win the Iowa Straw Poll in August, and I expect we’ll see Duncan Hunter and/or Mike Huckabee drop out in the not too distant future. Both have had difficulty raising money, and their poll numbers haven’t really moved much, with both stuck at or near the bottom of most Republican polling. Interestingly enough, I see the Republican field thinning before the Democratic field, simply because the Democrats at the bottom of the field strike me as just crazy enough to stick in the race until the bitter (and I mean bitter) end.

After all, Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich seem just crazy enough to stick in the race even after the little bit of money they have is all gone, because they seem pretty fanatical. Ultimately, I see Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Biden as the first two Democrats to call it quits, and after that it’s anyone’s guess.

As a fan of the Bucks, I’ve been keeping a close eye on their efforts to re-sign point guard Mo Williams, and I’m encouraged by a recent report in the MJS that indicates the Bucks are closer than ever to keeping Mo as a member of the Bucks for the foreseeable future. As I see it, re-signing Mo Williams is the key to this offseason for the Bucks, simply because he means so much to this team. Mo really helped carry the Bucks when Redd was injured last year, and losing him to the Heat would be a real blow, considering there’s not really anyone left in free agency who’d be a suitable replacement.

If we re-sign Mo Williams, our backcourt of Michael Redd and Mo Williams will be just about as good as any in basketball, and with a healthy Charlie Villanueva in the frontcourt to go along with Andrew Bogut and Yi, we’ve got the makings of a quality squad. Now obviously the Bucks need to convince Yi that Milwaukee really is the place he wants to be, but I’m confident once he visits the city he’ll realize it’s the place he wants to be.

Edit: According to the MSJ, the Bucks have re-signed Mo Williams to a 6 year, 51 million dollar deal. Roughly 9 million per season for a quality point guard in his prime isn’t a bad deal, at least by my estimation.

This is my life, for everyone to see.

Mark Green - Congressman turned Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate - was nominated by George Dubbya earlier this year to serve as our nation’s ambassador to Tanzania. Green, who spent some time in Africa doing volunteer work, seems like a pretty good choice for the position, at least by my standards, but apparently John Kerry has a problem with the nomination. Earlier today Kerry put a “hold” on the nomination, citing the fact that Green is a political appointee - not a career foreign service officer. Senator Kerry hasn’t officially commented on the hold, which effectively dooms the nomination barring some unforeseen miracle.

What’s interesting about the hold is that the previous ambassador to Tanzania was also a political appointee, so it’s not as if Green will be taking a spot that had previously been filled by a career foreign service officer. Obviously Green’s appointment was a reward by George Dubbya for all Green’s hard work as a member of the Republican Party, and to be honest, I don’t see any reason why his nomination should have been opposed (and I say that as a staunch Democrat). Though I may not agree with many (almost none, actually) of Mark Green’s political positions, his nomination is one that I can’t understand opposing - or killing, in the case of Senator Kerry’s hold.

I just can’t help but wonder if there’s another reason - one that’s not been made public - for Senator Kerry’s hold on Mark Green’s nomination.

Could it be a reality?

Obviously Republicans in both the Assembly and the Senate are fighting tooth and nail to make sure universal healthcare coverage never makes it past the planning stages, but just yesterday Joe Leean, a former Republican state senator and secretary of the state Department of Health and Family Services under former Governor Tommy Thompson, endorsed the universal health care plan of state Senate Democrats. What’s notable about Leean’s endorsement of the plan presented by Senate Democrats is that he’s the first Republican of any note to publicly voice support for the measure. In fact, even Democratic Governor Jim Doyle has expressed some misgivings about the plan proposed by Senate Democrats, so the fact that a Republican who once served as Secretary of Health and Family Services has endorsed the plan is a big step in the right direction.

Also testifying in front of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services was Professor Alain Enthoven of Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, a national expert on healthcare. Professor Enthoven said of the Senate Democrats’ Healthy Wisconsin plan:

“This plan is exactly what this state needs to get its health care system on the track of quality and economy…. Wisconsin has the building blocks in place for a successful system. Wisconsin has a great opportunity to lead this nation in the direction of more affordable, better quality care and service.”

Obviously there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done, and Senate Democrats need to clearly articulate how they plan on paying for their plan - which is estimated to cost in the neighborhood of 15 billion dollars a year - but this is definitely a positive development. Unfortunately, as positive a development as this is, it has to be tempered by the fact that Republicans still control the State Assembly, and barring a miracle there’s no way the plan proposed by Senate Democrats makes it past the Assembly.

I happened to be surfing the interwebs and came across an interesting article on autism. While the article doesn’t really contain any groundbreaking news or insights, it did contain a couple of statistics and quotes that I thought folks might be interested in.

Speaking at the Fordham Graduate School of Education’s fifth annual Early Childhood Conference on April 27, Cecelia McCarton, M.D., said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now estimate the prevalence of autism among American children at 1 in 150.

Think about that for a second…1 in 150 children in America have some form of autism. If autism continues to be diagnosed at these rates, millions upon millions of Americans will be directly affected by autism, not to mention the millions of family members who will be impacted by a diagnosis of autism in a loved one. No one really knows for sure what causes autism - though there’s plenty of speculation. Genetics, environment, diet, immunizations - all have been speculated to be possible causes ot autism, but there hasn’t been much research into identifying which one (or combination) of those factors contribute to autism.

More from the article:

Autism is a particularly difficult disorder to treat, McCarton said, because of its pervasive nature. Unlike disorders that affect only motor skills or speech and language, she said, autism “cuts across every single developmental area.”

As the parent of an autistic child, I can say that this is what’s most maddening about autism - it’s not just confined to one specific developmental area, so progress is slow in most cases. Now we’re blessed that Nick’s autism is relatively mild, so his progress is steady and tangible, but there’s always the possibility that his progress could slow or even regress. While I’m encouraged by the progress that’s been made in increasing autism awareness among Americans, I recognize we still have a long way to go. Nick was diagnosed as autistic at two and a half years old, and we’re still waiting to start receiving the Medicaid he needs to pay for the intensive therapy he needs. Despite the long wait, I still consider our family to be lucky. We’re lucky to live in a state that’s more progressive than most when it comes to assisting children with autism, and we’re lucky to live in a state where our elected officials recognize this growing problem.

Edit: After writing this entry, I decided I’d write a letter to my State Senator about Senate Bill 178, which would mandate that all insurance companies that provide health insurance to state employees have to provide coverage for autism and related spectrum disorders. I’ve never been much of a letter writer, but I think this could be the start of something…

So according to reports from the AP, the National Intelligence Estimate, which is expected to be released this summer, indicates that Al-Qaida has regained its strength and may be operating at levels at or close to those in the days before September 11, 2001.

The threat assessment says that al-Qaida stepped up efforts to “improve its core operational capability” in late 2004 but did not succeed until December of 2006 after the Pakistani government signed a peace agreement with tribal leaders that effectively removed government military presence from the northwest frontier with Afghanistan.

The agreement allows Taliban and al-Qaida operatives to move across the border with impunity and establish and run training centers, the report says, according to the official.

Now in my opinion, this is an absolute disaster, considering we’re supposed to be fighting a “Global War on Terror,” because what this report is indicating is that we’re losing the war. Now by itself this information is disturbing enough, but when combined with the recent thwarted terror plots in Britain, I can’t help but be more than a little worried about the safety and security of folks here in America. Now I’m not trying to be an alarmist, but I have to believe there’s a very real threat of another terrorist attack on American soil, and I know I’m not alone. Michael Chertoff, the head of Homeland Security, has said he’s got a “gut feeling” that our nation could be at risk for another terrorist attack in the near future, a fact that should worry anyone. Ultimately, these developments just underscore the fact that we’re only negligably safer now than we were pre-911. Many of the recommendations of the 911 Commission have not been implemented, and we’ve still got gaping holes in our border and airport security.

Going back to the news that Al-Qaida may be as strong as ever, in my opinion this can’t be viewed as anything less than an absolute failure on the part of the Bush Administration. They’ve talked and talked and talked about winning the War on Terror, yet almost 6 years after the 911 attacks, we still haven’t caught the mastermind of those attacks and we’re hopelessly mired in a conflict in Iraq that seems to serve as a wonderful recruiting tool for extremist groups like Al-Qaida to gain new followers. I’m no expert, but if we really want to win the War on Terror, we should start by removing our troops from Iraq.

Now I know some right wing nutcases would call that treasonous, but from my perspective the situation in Iraq simply can’t be fixed by sending in more American soldiers. The presence of our soldiers in Iraq seems to be the root cause of much of the conflict in that nation, so I say it’s time to bring our troops home so we can refocus our efforts on destroying extremist groups like Al-Qaida. It’s time we bring our troops home so they can be redployed (as needed) to Afghanistan, and so we can send some of our special forces into the largely lawless border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan. I say we give our special forces operators a chance to get to work identifying and destroying the terrorist elements that are operating largely unchecked in that region, because it’s no great secret that’s probably where we’ll be able to find Osama Bin Laden and the rest of the senior leadership of Al-Qaida.

So I came across an article in the MJS detailing the measures taken by Brown Deer school officials to curb some problems they’ve had at one of the basketball courts at an elementary school. Apparently there’s been at least one robbery, some drug dealing and gunshots, and some vehicles have been broken into, so in response school officials have locked down the basketball courts with The Club. Yeah, that’s right…The Club. The same device that’s kept so many car safe from theft is now keeping basketball courts in Brown Deer safe from rowdy kids looking to shoot a few hoops. [/sarcasm]

Now in the article itself there’s talk about how this is racially motivated, seeing as how most of the young folks who play basketball at the court in question are African-American,and while it might seem (at least on the surface) like there’s some legitimacy to those claims, I’d rather believe that this is all about public safety. Sure, it’s important to give young people a place to go and play basketball and keep busy, but when a basketball court becomes a hub of criminal activity it’s time to take action, regardless of the skin color of those involved. In fact, the article talks about how basketball courts in other parts of Milwaukee and the suburbs have taken similar steps or have gone so far as to shut down.

Personally, I don’t see this being as much about race as it is about criminal activity. I think it’s just a shame that some young people can’t act in a more responsible manner, because ultimately folks who just want to be able to live their lives and have some fun are the ones who suffer