Karl Marx and UCSF School of Medicne

Mr. Karl Marx, new Dean at UCSF School of Medicine

Scott Sturman, M.D.

This week the following unsolicited message was sent from UCSF Medical School’s Office of Diversity and Outreach to the addressees seen below.  The name of the author has been redacted. The highly charged, controversial nature of the document generated by a faculty member of a public institution supported by the taxpayers clearly demonstrates the politicization of academic medicine.  The plea for social justice with all the trappings of wealth redistribution, equality of outcome, and proscription to levy any value judgment along with the author's call for disruptive demonstrations makes even the most indifferent observer raise an eyebrow.  However, it is the salutation "In Solidarity," the old Marxist-Leninist call to arms, that reaffirms the notion that the Left is deeply imbedded in more that just political science and sociology departments.

Rather than lecture the medical community on the benefits of group think, civil disobedience, and socialized medicine, the author should spend more time in the operating room or on the ward teaching medicine, unless, of course, this was never his forte.  And in that case, there must be plenty of openings on the faculty at a medical school in Havana or Caracas.

December 10, 2014

UCSF Student Learners, Faculty, Staff, and Community Members,

The recent events in Ferguson and New York City have brought national attention to long-felt issues surrounding systemic inequalities that disproportionally impact underrepresented minorities, particularly Black men. We extend our condolences to the families of Michael Brown, Eric Gardner, and those touched by these incidents. Our nation has witnessed a response, which has brought together communities of color and allies, many who have engaged in peaceful protests and non-violent demonstrations. Inherent in the tenants of our values, UCSF and the Office of Diversity and Outreach (ODO) know that “Black Lives Matter”.  As a public institution, we work tirelessly to address health disparities and promote social justice in our work as learners, educators, clinicians, and researchers.

On behalf of the UCSF leadership, I want to acknowledge how proud we are of our UCSF Community for living these values, and we want to commend our student leaders who have organized and engaged in peaceful demonstrations that acknowledge the relation of racism and violence to health, as awareness is the first step towards change.  The Chancellor’s Executive Leadership Committee, The Office of Diversity and Outreach, the Multicultural Resource Center, and countless campus partners are working together to implement effective strategies to address unconscious bias, increase cultural competencies, and engage in socially just practices. The wisdom of Dr. King reminds us that as human beings, our freedom is inextricably bound together. All lives matter, and our UCSF community stands united in this journey.

In Solidarity,
XXXX

Transgender Shelters and Lorentz Transformations

 San Joaquin River Gorge - photo by JoAnn Sturman

by Scott Sturman

Are there any limits to public welfare in California?  Until hearing a report on NPR about the lack of privacy for transgenders living in California homeless shelters, I thought free food and shelter were more than adequate. Evidently not, for social justice advocates demanded a solution.  And keep in mind the NPR report applied only to transgenders using public shelters and not the entire cohort in the state.  Cost is no object when it comes to safeguarding dignity and sparing embarrassment. 

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM IV) estimates about 1:30,000 males and 1:100,000 females are transgender.  The numbers have been challenged by advocacy organizations which inflate prevalence for political and financial advantage.  Some aver the ratio for males is 1:500, a variance of 60 fold.  The 2010 California census noted 28 million people over the age of eighteen with a slight predominance of females living in the state.  If the DSM IV figures are used, one expects to find about 600 transgenders residing in the entire state.  California numbers certainly exceed the national average, so let’s be generous and estimate the transgender population at ten times the national average or 6000. 

For once it would be refreshing for social scientists to approach problems logically and dispense with heavy doses of guilt and caring.  Small wonder the bleeding hearts have orchestrated the expenditure of $16 trillion since the inception of the War on Poverty without having much effect on the poverty rate.  There are lessons to be learned about limits and allocation of resources from mathematicians and physicists, and particularly one of the most famous of all–Albert Einstein.

Einstein demonstrated as the limit of a non linear system is approached, the amount of energy required to accelerate a particle to near the speed of light increases infinitely due to a corresponding increase in the particle’s mass.  The effect of velocity on an object’s mass is trivial under normal circumstances, but when the limits of the system are approached, the effect becomes profound.  This is described by the Lorentz transformation, Gamma = 1/√1-v2/c2, where v is the velocity of the object and c is the speed of light.  The mass of a body in motion (m1) equals the mass at rest (m0) x (Gamma).  As the velocity approaches the speed of light, a small increase comes at prohibitive levels of energy input.

This is analogous to the world of social science where enormous sums of money and effort are expended to provide exhaustive services to all segments of society. The cost-benefit relationship governing social welfare may not be described by the Lorentz factor, but the system is non linear and subject to fail when the goal becomes making a perfect world for each and everyone.  The transgender homeless shelter controversy qualifies as a tempest in a teapot and another example of trying to do too much for too few when only scarce resources are available.

Social Justice and the Nevada Housing Market

Rattlesnake near Chilnualna Falls, Yosemite N.P. - photo by JoAnn Sturman

Scott Sturman
fliesinyoureyes.com

Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being.
Social justice is based on the concepts of human rights and equality and involves a greater degree of economic egalitarianism through progressive taxation, income redistribution, or even property redistribution. These policies aim to achieve what developmental economists refer to as more equality of opportunity than may currently exist in some societies, and to manufacture equality of outcome in cases where incidental inequalities appear in a procedurally just system.
Wikipedia

Historically low interest rates coupled with one of the recession’s most severely impacted housing markets should make Nevada a paradise for bargain hunters trying to escape California’s high taxes.  With the Silver State’s excessive home inventory, and many owners unable to make payments, how can there be too few houses for sale?

In March of this year Steven Miller wrote an article in the Nevada Journal about the effects of Nevada law AB 284, which makes it prohibitively difficult for banks to foreclose on delinquent owners.  From 2009-2011 Nevada averaged 5411 foreclosures per month, but since implementation of AB 284 the rate has dropped to 211 per month.  Banks simply have ceased foreclosing, since the law makes it a felony punishable by at least a year in prison and a maximum $10,000 fine for the slightest deviation from procedures.  Attorneys, defaulted owners, and the social justice entourage hail AB 284, but for the majority of Nevadans it is a bad law which has unnecessarily deepened and lengthened the recession.

The reasoning behind the law is convoluted and consistent with the philosophy of social justice.  Nevada Assembly leader Marcus Conklin, the main sponsor of the bill, stated categorically, “This bill is not about recovery.  It is about justice, plain and simple.”  Mr. Conklin got his way; housing prices continue to fall, and banks are unable to evict owners who are years behind in their house payments.

Contrast the situation with that in Phoenix, another hard hit area during the housing crisis.  As opposed to Nevada, housing prices are on the rebound and inventory is ample, since banks are able to sell distressed property to new owners who can make their mortgage payments.

We can thank Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, and the Marcus Conklin’s of the world for making and prolonging a housing crisis for which they are in large part responsible.  Their quixotic attempts at social engineering are lauded in the press for righting the great wrongs of the world, but their efforts are misguided and of great cost to society.  Six trillion dollars have been spent since the War on Poverty was declared in 1965 with only a 3% improvement to mark the effort.  Social justice is a euphemism for wealth redistribution and equality of result, not opportunity.  Laws and programs based on this utopian concept do not allow the market place to correct itself and pave the road to widespread economic stagnation and a lower standard of living for all.

Obama Votes "Present" on Gay Marriage

Temple at Karnak - photo by JoAnn Sturman

Scott Sturman
fliesinyoureyes.com

Barrack Obama, Nobel Laureate and paragon of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, voted “present” this weekend on gay marriage.  He has used the tactic before as a U.S. Senator and Illinois legislator to avoid taking controversial stands which may cost political support in the future.  Even the bumbling Joe Biden had the courage to state his support, while quickly admitting it was the President and not him who makes the decisions.

Gay marriage is an emotional and polarizing issue, and Obama has enjoyed overwhelming support from the gay community.  Their champion threw them under the bus this weekend when it was announced his views on the subject were “evolving.”  The question is whether the homosexual electorate and the liberal press will give him a free pass. The strategy must be something like this:  “We know Barrack is with us.  He just needs to stay non committal to enhance his chances of winning this November, then as a lame duck he’ll come out in full support.” 

One might disagree with Ralph Nader but the man has integrity and nerve.  He stands up for what he believes irrespective of the consequences.  This attitude commands respect but not necessarily votes.  In Obama’s case it is inexcusable that as a person steeped in the philosophy of social justice and progressive politics, he  cannot stand for his beliefs.

When Proposition 8, which forbade same sex marriage, was brought before the California voters, Pelosi, Feinstein, and Boxer excoriated anyone who supported the measure.  To do so was immoral, procrustean, and down right wrong to paraphrase Senator Feinstein.  Hopefully, the ladies will talk to their President and let him know their feelings.