Tom Beck, 2012, Shaw Media

To the editor:

It was 10 years ago in January when President George W. Bush, with a lot of fanfare, and surrounded by bipartisan leaders, signed the education reform bill that was heralded to bring education to the highest level for all American children. It had the catchy title of No Child Left Behind, with the promise that it would provide quality education for poor and minority children, many of whom were lacking achievement levels at schools across the country.

Tom Beck, 2012, Shaw Media

On March 4, 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered his first inaugural address. It was just after the Great Depression. I have excerpted (in italics) some of his words, following each with my comments. The similarity between then and now is astounding.

To the editor:

To the editor:

Tom Beck, 2012, Shaw Media

I’m getting help from readers on what they believe the column should explore. This week, Mark Hawn, who has held local elected positions, sent me material regarding his concern that drug companies have controlled the debate on the efficacy of flu vaccines.

Dear Editor,

Tom Beck, 2012, Shaw Media

During the holidays, my son, knowing that I’ve written columns about pharmaceutical and medical companies, gave me news articles relating to the hospital at the University at Wisconsin-Madison. It reported disclosures of an orthopedic surgeon who received $225,000 in consulting fees over a three-year period from Medronic, a manufacturer of medical devices used in spinal operations.

Tom Beck, 2012, Shaw Media

When I wrote last week’s column on the subprime mortgage meltdown, I had read earlier that we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Enron scandal. Under the sad “how soon we forget mantra,” we should never forget how such an emerging from nothing to giant corporation in such a short time also faded even more quickly to bankruptcy, bilking unsuspecting shareholders of $11 billion dollars in manipulative phony schemes.