Obligation to participate in healthcare for the sake of science

Ebola diagnosed patients face the prospect of a 50% survival rate after a certain period of severe illness that will subject the community with probability of infecting others. The option of suicide assures a certain death that occur before the illness becomes nearly unbearable and at a time when the virus is least likely to infect others. Suicide of course eliminates the opportunity to survive the disease, and like the cancer examples, we have examples of grateful survivors.

Big data authoritarianism: obligation to endure hopeless suffering

The abhorrent conclusion of denying a person a dignified choice for dying is a necessary consequence of earlier decisions to automate decision-making (decision-makers can not make decisions contrary to the evidence) and to preserve social harmony (participates are obligated to cooperate, because there is no accountable human decision-maker). To allow big-data to save health-care, we have to let big data make the decisions instead of doctors or patients making subjective decisions of what they think would be best in their present circumstances.

2008 the missed opportunity for fiscal responsibility

Early in 2008, I was very encouraged that we were about to do something about about the growing national debt.  There seemed to be a growing consensus that the debt (at that time) was too high and growing too quickly.   A consensus was growing that we need to come together to make hard choices…