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Connectioning Three Seemingly Disparate Pieces of Data


  1. Dr. Amy Reed, an anesthesiologist from Boston, has advanced cancer, possibly spread by a device called a morcellator.
  2. According to highly –esteemed analyst Stephanie Pomboy of Macro Mavens, as quoted in Barron’s July 12th 2014 edition, there are three million four hundred thousand (3,400,000) fewer fulltime workers now than before the Great Recession.
  3. The FDA is proposing regulation of cigar manufacturers and a stunning tax on cigars.

How are these three things connected?

Before we get into that, let us thank Dr. Amy Reed, who is battling Stage Four cancer, for raising the issue of the risks that may be associated with using the morbidly named “morcellator” in association with hysterectomies.  More on that here.  Dr. Reed is doing all women a big favor.  And thanks should also go to USA Today, and more particularly to America’s sole remaining conservative newspaper The Wall St. Journal for raising awareness sufficiently that the FDA had to look into it.  This is the basis of the connections, i.e., until the doctor and her husband, also a doctor, made a cause out of it the FDA wasn’t aware of it.

Now, why hasn’t the FDA looked into this before now?  Apparently because they have diverted their resources into issuing rules and regulations over the cigar industry.  Their proposed tax on cigars would likely wipe out most of the independent mom and pop cigar stores throughout the U.S.  Even though we know that cigar smokers rarely smoke with the frequency of cigarette smokers, generally don’t inhale and as a result are less likely to get cancer than cigarette smokers, the FDA is hell-bent to put the local cigar shops out of business.  I guess they haven’t noticed- or don’t care-that there are 3.4 million fewer fulltime workers than before the recession and closing mom and pop cigar stores will add to the number.

If you enjoy an occasional cigar, you might want to stock up now.

Say a prayer for Dr. Reed.

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