shawn whatley md

Legolas trained his ear on Caradhras, “There is a fell voice on the air.”

The entrails of lynx and the hump of hyena divine the portents. Palm readers foretell young widows, poverty and bankruptcy.

Doctors plumbed new depths this weekend. Starving sailors cast lots on whom to eat first. After six years of cuts, OMA council seems to have voted to attack colleagues. Rob Peter to pay Paul. Is the profession imploding?

When the day looks darkest, and the opposition insuperable, it is the worst possible time to cast lots on whom to throw overboard.

You might as well surrender. You have lost the ground to govern. No amount of rhetoric can justify support for even greater cuts to specific sections at the depths of the deepest cuts of all times. Continue reading “Government Wins if Doctors Win – Doctors’ Darkest Hour”

My wife and I watched a renovation show. A makeover program responded to a woman’s request to renovate the garage and surprise her husband for his birthday.

Before renovation, the garage looked like a grownup’s version of a teenage bedroom.

Garage sale treasures hung from the ceiling and covered every corner. Work stations looked used: grinders had grit; saws had sawdust. The man worked there.

A makeover crew turned the workshop into Sesame Street. Giant red and white checkers on a polished floor bounced stadium lighting off aluminum cabinets.

The dirt was gone. So were the tools, lumber, and workstations. Designers packed the old garage into pretty bins on shelves high up on the ceiling. Two cars fit with extra room for bicycles and picnic baskets.

My wife cheered. I cried. So did the husband. He couldn’t face the camera. The show’s hostess said he must be too happy to speak. Hi-Fives everyone! 

“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.’

New political leaders are all alike. They consult. They observe. Then they diagnose. Hopefully, they fix problems that everyone hates.

But sooner than hoped, too many politicians start on their legacy. Continue reading “Dear Government: Please Do Less”

Doctors will always have splinter groups.

This is good. The OMA performs better with friendly competition.

Splinter groups spark debate, keep the OMA sharp, and make medical politics much more interesting than it would be otherwise.

The latest uprising is different in some ways but similar in more. Some high billers are scared. Fear manifests as frustration, even anger. They are tough and used to abuse: politicians label them; colleagues envy them. But this feels different.

The latest relativity discussions are worrisome. A few people push hard for major redistribution. This creates panic. Continue reading “Should We Splinter the OMA?”