The following is an excerpt from OpinionJournal.com’s “Best of the Web” written by the editor, James Taranto.
News of the Tautological
“Toxic Hawaiian Volcano Poses Health Risks to Residents, Crops”–headline, FoxNews.com, Oct. 14
Everything Seemingly Is Spinning Out of Control
“Farmer Fined for Ignoring Cow’s ‘Psychological Needs’ “–headline, TheRegister.co.uk, Oct. 14
Great Moments in Socialized Medicine
Nine-year-old Bethany Dibbs of Poole, England, “was struck by a car as she crossed the road on her scooter and ended up in a coma with a fractured skull,” reports London’s Daily Mail:
An ambulance crew arrived and called for help, only to be told by their operator that under strict meal break regulations the closest additional crew still had a few minutes left on their lunch break.
The paramedics were informed it would take 20 minutes for another crew to arrive.
In the end one of them called their colleagues directly and they abandoned their lunch and raced to help. . . .
A spokesman for the South Western Ambulance Service Trust said it took its health and safety duties seriously.
He added: “In line with national guidelines which must be adhered to by all ambulance trusts, it is important all staff have dedicated 30-minute rest breaks which cannot be interrupted.”
There is, however, a silver lining for young Bethany: “In Britain, the government itself runs the hospitals and employs the doctors,” observes former Enron adviser Paul Krugman. “We’ve all heard scare stories about how that works in practice; these stories are false.”
For more “Best of the Web” click here and look for the “Best of the Web Today” link in the middle column below “Today’s Columnists.
