Monthly Archives: September 2017

Review

The Good Doctor: Season One, Episode One

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I have a confession to make: I began watching ABC's The Good Doctor with extremely low expectations. Atypical, another recent series featuring an autistic protagonist, was a tire fire of bad stereotypes and worse representation. Awkward autistic white guy is nothing new or groundbreaking. The Good Doctor desperately wants to believe that it is groundbreaking. Apparently, none of the unnamed "autism consultants" involved in the show told David Shore or the writers that there are actually plenty of autistic doctors and med students. So far, The Good Doctor is basically House, if House was an adorable talking kitten instead of a pill-popping curmudgeon. I actually really enjoyed House in all of its formulaic glory, but I'm not sure adding a dash of inspiration porn and subtracting a pinch of nihilism will lead to an enjoyable show. That said, The Good Doctor had a … Continue Reading ››
Call for Action

Zombie Trumpcare Rises from the Bowels of Hell Again

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Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are hellbent on scoring a healthcare win through their incessant efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. These bills have done under different names, but they are collectively known as Trumpcare. Though this year’s bills have all failed, Republicans keep introducing new repeal bills. Like undead monsters that just won’t stay in of the grave, Trumpcare keeps coming back to haunt us. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) are responsible for the latest attempt to resurrect Trumpcare. They’ve introduced a new healthcare bill as part of their attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, known as the ‘Graham/Cassidy bill’. Other Republican senators, like Dean Heller of Nevada, have also expressed support for this bill. This incarnation of Trumpcare is even worse than the ‘skinny repeal’ rejected by Congress in July. The skinny repeal was bad enough, but Graham/Cassidy is probably the worst proposed version … Continue Reading ››
Opinion

Martin Shkreli Doesn’t Matter, Daraprim Still $750 per Pill

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Yesterday, a federal judge revoked the $5 million bail of Martin Shkreli, the infamous pharma bro. This means he is definitely going to jail while he awaits sentencing for securities fraud. The Internet, unsurprisingly, is engulfed in a paroxysm of schadenfreude. Shkreli is an easy man to hate. Whether he's offering thousands of dollars to anyone who pulls Hillary Clinton's hair out or "disrespecting the Wu-Tang Clan," Martin Shkreli is easily the most hated man in America. And you know what? I couldn't possibly care less. Daraprim still costs $750 per pill. Nothing has changed for me or anyone else who needs Daraprim. Nothing that happens to Martin Shkreli will change that. Daraprim, often inaccurately referred to as an "AIDS drug" in media coverage, treats acute toxoplasmosis infection. Toxoplasmosis can cause brain, eye, and lung  damage in fetuses and people with weakened immune … Continue Reading ››
News

Murphy Bill Author Embroiled in Sex Scandal

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Last Wednesday, Representative Tim Murphy (R-PA) had an  affair with Shannon Edwards, a married woman half his age. Murphy was forced to reveal the affair when the Pittsburgh Post Gazette succeeded in a court motion to unseal divorce documents. They also discovered that it is possible that Rep. Murphy abused the resources of his office over the course of his affair. This is significant to the disability community because Rep. Murphy may have been abusing the resources of his office during the time he was pushing for the Murphy bill to pass. Rep. Murphy has long been one of Congress's most vocal champions of forced psychiatric medication.  In 2016, Rep. Murphy championed the "Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act," better known as the Murphy bill, which would, in its original form, have increased funding for forced medication and institutionalization of people with psychiatric disabilities. His bill would … Continue Reading ››
Policy

Anti-ADA Legislation Advances in House

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The House judiciary committee has voted to move forward with a bill that could roll back some Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protections. 15 members of the committee voted to advance the bill, nine voted against it. Now that it has gone through markup, the bill will go to the floor of the House of Representatives, where it will go to a vote. The time and date of the vote have not yet been scheduled. The ADA Education and Reform Act (HR 620) was put forward by Representative Ted Poe (R-Tex.). It has been cosponsored by 40 House Republicans and 11 Democrats. This legislation would amend the ADA to add a 120 day waiting period between when a business is notified of an ADA violation and when the person reporting can take the case to court. During that 120 days, businesses would be expected to fix or “make substantial progress” towards … Continue Reading ››