http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news%2Fstate&id=8729292

Texas Medical Association survey given to The Associated Press over the weekend found that the number of Texas doctors willing to accept government-funded health insurance plans for the poor and the elderly has dropped dramatically amid complaints about low pay and red tape.

Only 31 percent of Texas doctors said they were accepting new patients who rely on Medicaid. In 2010, the last time the survey was done, 42 percent of doctors were accepting new Medicaid patients. In 2000, that number was 67 percent.

~~~


IOW, what always happens in a socialist economy. It's cheap, if you can actually find it.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303734204577465413553320588.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

The flaw in this article is the assumption that worthless layabouts in the education industrial complex would magically turn into productive private sector workers.

This is not to say that all teachers are layabouts, but you can bet the excess ones are.

The rest will follow suit when they realize doing a good job doesn't matter and singles them out for retribution.

http://www.vulture.com/2012/03/john-carter-doomed-by-first-trailer.html

So, the lesson here, as they should have known, is never to let the director do the marketing.  No, people in 2012 don't instinctively know who John Carter is, and they've seen special effects before.

Here, then, is one example of an ad that would have doubled attendance and made it successful:

~~~

"Before Avatar"

SNAPSHOT OF HELIUM PALACE WITH BABES IN ARMOR

"Before Star Wars"

BIG, LUSH PANORAMA OF HELIUM

"There was John Carter"

CARTER LEAPS INTO MELEE AND STARTS SLAYING GREEN MARTIANS

"From the creator of Tarzan"

SHOT OF AIRBORNE GUNSHIPS RAKING EACH OTHER WITH FIRE

"And the director of Wall-E"

CARTER SHOUTS, "STAY BEHING ME, THIS COULD BE DANGEROUS" AND WADES IN TO KICK ASS.

DEJAH THORIS CATCHES SWORD, CHARGES IN FRONT OF HIM AND STARTS GUTTING BAD GUYS. "LET ME KNOW WHEN IT GETS DANGEROUS."

"A century old epic, in a universe not quite our own."

MORE LIGHTSHIPS SHOOTING, ARENA SCENE, CLOSEUP OF SEVERAL HELIUM CHICKS IN ARMOR SLAYING ENEMY, AND SEVERAL BUFF, HELIUM MEN IN ARMOR DOING SAME.

"John Carter of Mars."

~~~

There y'go, Andrew Stanton.  I polluted your pure vision of JC, but sold the fucking movie.  You're welcome.

Asshole.

This is my wife's aunt. She's an interesting artist, a good person, and very supportive. Her art is vivid and colorful, and she'll paint you something original for helping out.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/106940?c=activity

Donate $100 and I'll make you a supporting character in a book.

Donate $250 and you can choose the deaths for the supporting characters,. ;) (subject to rules of the book's milieu)

For $50, I'll send you two signed hardcovers. When Diplomacy Fails... and whatever else I have that you like.