HEAD OF PSYCHIATRY GOES PUBLIC WITH ‘RESISTANCE’ LETTER
Dr. Anthony Blanford of the Alaska Psychiatric Institute says he not about to resign just because the incoming governor has asked for resignations from all at-will employees. He is an at-will employee of the State.
Blanford, who is a registered Democrat, decided to take his grievance public; he wrote a letter to the editor of the Anchorage Daily News.
Perhaps he should have slept on that letter. Blanford makes $313,000 in salary plus benefits for a total of $430,000 a year.
After all that has occurred at API in recent years under his watch, Blanford is not in the position to make the case to the public that he is indispensable. API has been in the news for its dangerous conditions, a longstanding problem made worse by Alaska’s increasingly violent mental health patients.
In fact, Blanford may have just proven a point of Gov.-elect Mike Dunleavy’s Chief of Staff Tuckerman Babcock, who sent a letter out to all at-will employees, letting them know they need to submit their resignation and also let the new administration know if they want to continue serving in the Dunleavy Administration.
The Dunleavy Administration wants to know: Do you want to serve in a Dunleavy Administration?
Blanford just communicated that not only is he not on board, but he believes he is entitled to his job. He also said that his refusal to resign is a matter of principle and that he wants some sort of budget guarantee. Instead of seeing a new governor as an opportunity to make productive changes, Blanford has chosen to make demands of a person who has been elected but has not yet taken office.
Blanford’s letter follows:
It is not a secret that the mental health system is in crisis in Alaska, as it is much elsewhere in the U.S. Though the Alaska Psychiatric Institute is often the focus of criticism, it’s only the most visible agency statewide undergoing a severe crisis in mental health services.
As Director of Psychiatry at API, I have worked hard with many others to sustain a system that at this point appears unsustainable unless adequate support and funding is forthcoming from the Dunleavy administration.
I am also an exempt employee of the state of Alaska, but I will not be offering my resignation. Whereas it might seem like a simple matter to offer my resignation with the likelihood of being retained, this symbolic gesture of deference doesn’t settle well with me.
I can’t say I’m in favor of further cuts and hiring freezes, because that’s not what’s needed at API at this time, and that’s the only plan I’ve heard so far. If API is not allowed to move forward with plans already in place, the crisis will continue or get worse. Politics have already cut deeply into our ability to care for the mentally ill.
The state of Alaska hired me for my expertise, not my political allegiance. My moral allegiance is to the mentally ill and the staff who care for them. There has been progress, but not nearly enough and not fast enough, with the state often getting in its own way. I would like to continue as Director of Psychiatry at API because I believe there are feasible and fiscally responsible ways improve API and our state mental health system, but I would also like to know first if the incoming administration is invested in making this happen.
Bye
It appears that the good doctor has demonstrated several cognitive disorders or “thinking errors” in his letter. The obvious one is “fortune telling” or “assuming” that a Dunleavy administration will not make mental health treatment a priority. He should resign and then reapply so that he can offer his expertise and recommendations during the interview process.
Entitled much?
So tired of #resist and #antifa and #moveon and #anythingdealingwithsocialism.
Clean out all these entitled corrupt exempt positions!
The ones you mention, plus the pound me too movement, are caused by climate change. Its an indisputable fact that they did not exist when the planet was cooler. It’s a scientifically proven fact the planet is warmer and now we have all of this deviant behavior. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
So this fellow doesn’t believe in democracy. He believes he wasn’t appointed but ordained. Someone needs to call him and say, “Dr. Blanford, you’re right. You’re way above this. As a matter of fact you’re really above any elected official determining your salary. Tell me what salary level you believe your work product merits and we’ll see that your pay is established at that level.” Ordinarily this call could wait until April 1, but I think the need brings an urgency. So long as this guy cannot hurt himself, and he is locked in at night I see no problem in letting him believe he is in charge. Careful monitoring may reveal whether his medications need to be modified.
If there are feasible and fiscally responsible changes that the head shrink in charge could make, why hasn’t he made them? Rather than focusing on doing more for less, the tone of this letter reeks of bombastic entitlement syndrome.
This illness has symptoms of constant need for more money, lack of productivity, avoiding accountability, and delusions of grandeur. The only cure is a radical beurocratectomy. If this letter is indicative of the mentality of State supervisors, then Big D is going to have a challenging term dealing with a bunch of overpaid,unproductive whiners. I hope he has a plethora of pink slips in his back pocket.
Are you ****ing kidding me? $430K per year? He should be fired AND forced tp pay back the State of Alaska 50% of his wages since hire. He’s a thief. Brilliant medical docs in private practice don’t make that much. Plus their liability insurance would easily be $100K per year. Fire his ass! Then, put him on Ritilin, Prozac, Melaril, and every kind of anti-schizophrenia drug known. These
creepy Democrats have to driven out ASAP.
He gets the big bucks because he treats the looney tune gasline management . Their grasp of fiscal reality is so bizarre it makes this guy look sane.
BIG lol, Andy.
Suzanne has raised a very important topic for discussion…….state government wages. The governor is far from the top paid in Alaska. The President of the University of Alaska makes at least $400K per year, and a mansion to live in. He too is a public employee. I hope Gov. Dunleavy inventories the top wages of these overpaid bureaucrats and rolls back their wages. I know many well-qualified Alaskans who are not government workers who would gladly work for far less. These government fatcats comprise an inordinate share of the Operating Budget. House and Senate Finance Committee Chairs need to address this festering problem.
YES, 100% AGREE! Time to AUDIT State Wage Scale
Actually, Ritilin and Prozac are anti-psychotic drugs. But they can still help curb the spending impulses of out-of-control Democrats.
BBBBBBAAAHH bye….
Thank you for your service Sir, I wish you well.
The problem with being the point of the spear is you are the first part of the spear to dull. Hopefully Dr. Blanford saved enough of his well paid government salary for a rainy day, because that rainy day is on the horizon. But hus name made the paper and the mentally ill among us will probably set up a go fund me page and make this rich Dr. even richer.
He has a job that pays in excess of $400K and is about to piss it away with these comments? Really? Who is it that needs mental health treatment? .
430k for a place that needs more money? He needs more money?
What is your source for this salary?
Personal services expenditure detail in the OMB FY 19 budget. You can look it up under the DHSS category. You can look up all salaries.
https://www.omb.alaska.gov/ombfiles/19_budget/HSS/Proposed/comp311.pdf
Thank you again, Suzanne. Your truth serum, “Must Read Alaska,” is the antidote for Fake News. God I hope Gov. Dunleavy and top brass in the House and Senate subscribe.
Noble as hell and dumb as dung. The words of Charles DeGaulle to the effect that cemeteries are full of irreplaceable people seem to be ringing in my ears. BTW, do I need a shrink to help me with the real or apparent ringing?
I voted for Dunleavy. Blanford is right. I’m sorry, but our new Governor is getting some bad advice from Mr. Babcock. Blanford and others like him have no influence on policy. About 1200 of the 1400 impacted employees have no influence on policy. API is desperate for resources. They can’t recruit people to work in impossible conditions. We can root and cheer to “drain the Alaska swamp”, but the truth is most of the rank and file professionals are working hard to make this state work. Yes, most of them are Democrats. I’m a Republican. I have no interest in working in government. Most of these professionals working in our state government will not easily ne replaced. I know that’s not the popular sentiment among conservative Alaskans, but we are going to find that is the reality. It was the wrong move to require a ‘loyalty pledge’ from the rank and file professionals working in our state government.
“… $313,000 in salary plus benefits for a total of $430,000 a year.”
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Leaves one rather cold to arguments that API is desperate for resources, conditions are impossible, most of the rank and file professionals are working hard to make this state work, etc. etc…
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Things are impossible for government employees but government is one of the State’s only two growth industries.
API is desperate for resources but “health care” is the other growth industry.
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State’s in such bad shape financially and functionally, or so we’re told, but has all these rank and file professionals working hard to make this state work.
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Point is, Deplorables should be satisfied with anecdotes and tantrums, stop
demanding outside audits of financial and management practices at API, and above all, stop raving about Draining The Swamp.
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After all, a Swamp is a perfectly sustainable ecosystem, and these days it is all about sustainable, no?
Won’t resign?
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Okay, how about “You’re fired!. These nice people are here to escort you out right now!
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Seems simple enough…
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Living (one assumes) proof that lunatics are indeed running the asylum, no?
No government employee in Alaska should make more than
$150K/yr. Let’s see if they can make it in the private sector. They cannot because the private sector requires proof of production. And you are correct. They are almost all Democrats.
The cemeteries are full of indispensable people. Blanford’s op ed was just plain stupid. And no one can fix stupid. Not even a shrink!
December 3rd can’t come fast enough. Looking forward to seeing the list of the new leaders…especially the one at API.
My first reaction to Dr. Blanford’s letter to the Anchorage Daily News was: “How arrogant! This man has a problem with authority.” I see that many comments express a similar reaction. Only one comment defended Dr. Blanford, and that defense was quickly rebutted. I would consider one whose understanding of authority is so shallow as Dr. Blanford’s to be incapable of effectively wielding authority. No wonder morale is so low among API employees! On the morning of December 4, if not sooner, Governor Dunleavy or his subordinate should tell Dr. Blanford, “I don’t know how API Psychiatry is going to operate without you, but starting this afternoon, we’re going to find out.”
Question? How do I apply for an over paid government job, where I don’t have to be productive but I do get to wine, dine and fly around on the tax payers dime, get reimbursed for any receipts that I turn in without anyone questioning them. Then wine about being fired, and hope that the liberal media makes a big deal about it so that I can keep my job.
Can someone please tell me where to pick up the application!
Funny, Bart. Byron Mallott is wondering the same thing. Actually, old Byron ought to just check in at API as a patient. A bed, three squares, group therapy in the morning, bingo, movies, all the psychotropic drugs known to man, and your own room complete with a posi-belt. And best of all, your fellow patients are all Democrats.
Yep! You’re correct Dr. Blanford, the mental health system is in crisis! The system churned this guy right back out on the street:
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https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Family-of-Charlie-Clayton-talks-about-fears-their-son-would-kill-someone-501034641.html
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So, while a family mourns the loss of their murdered loved one, a community mourns, and Charlie Clayton’s family has lived in fear and also mourns, Dr. Blanford pouts around and writes his letter of resistence to the ADN and continues – for now – to collect a seriously fat paycheck. This system, coupled with the legal system’s revolving door has made a dangerous mess of this city and state. It is shameful.
Needless to say but it was indeed an unwise letter not to have slept on…and then deleted the next morning.
The good doctor should have learned by now that one picks one’s battles wisely. Especially if one is a public employee and making nearly a half million dollars a year in a state that is weathering enormous economic and socio-political headwinds.
Politically the outspoken doctor has sowed his oats and with the new administration in place those oats may very well reap him a poor harvest. Leaders manage people. Managers manage things. At API, under Dr. Blanford, he has successfully demonstrated he is neither given the pathetic state the hospital is in.
He has clearly stated he won’t resign and take a chance at having to actually look for new work and lose that nice retirement. As an at-will employee he can be terminated – an in-depth review of his “achievements” at API would likely support that decision.
The last frontier is no place for whiners, especially those who are overpaid.
Alaska poet Pat O’Cotter perhaps said it best in the last lines of his poem “The Birth of the Land” –
“Yet, sometimes we dream as we camp at night
“In the bend of the river’s flow
“Of the land that was, of the land we knew
“In the days of the long ago
“The wild free land that bred the men
“Who fought with might and main
“And took this land from the Devil’s hand,
“And we’d like to see it again.”
After reading Democrat columnist Dermot Cole’s editorial in the Fairbanks paper, in which Cole supports Dr. Blanford’s resistance to scrutiny and resignation, there is only one remaining question on the mind of Dermot Cole: What is the procedure for intake at API, and how quickly can Dr. Blanford get him on chemical psychotropic therapy for derangement syndrome?
“They call it RIDING THE GRAVY TRAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNN ya.”
You all are cutting off your nose to spite your face. You have little understanding of the difficulty and expense of recruiting professionals to this state. His pay is quite appropriate for the skill, location, and experience… And despite your excitement he could have a number of high paying jobs next week. Medical specialists are extremely expensive to recruit here and replacing one will cost in excess of 100k, and they won’t come unless the pay is good, particularly when the job has been poisoned by this debaucle. What will happen now is that even more people will be released onto the streets to assault and harrass the public and the state will pay TWICE as much to hire locums to cover the lost providers. If you thought 330k salary was expensive…. Wait till you see what a travel doc costs. This was a financially irresponsible decision on the governor’s part.
That said, consider this, please?
Dr. Blanford chose to author an editorial in which, among other things, he touted his position, how invaluable he sees himself to API, and his view of politics in Alaska at this time.
He perhaps may have been more wisely recommended to have used the editorial space in speaking to the specific challenges of the hospital he is charged to administrate. And offering his determination and willingness to work side by side with the new administration to see improvement.
But his musings revolved around his ego in the wake of political change at the top and how this threatens “his” comfortable perch and pension.
Alaska has always been an extremely difficult place to recruit and sustain highly qualified people in ALL roles, private sector or public. But believe it or not many come because they have always wanted the opportunity to live and work in our state. Compensation, likewise, has always been a key factor in recruiting just as it is anywhere and everywhere else.
If Blanford were to relocate tomorrow API would survive and a successor, perhaps someone far more suited to the challenges at hand, will be found and gladly re-decorate his office space.
API needs a leader. Leaders lead organizations and people. Blanford is a manager. Managers manage “things”. Leaders lead their organizations and people out of Crisis. Manages manage Crisis.
Leaders are worth their compensation. Managers count the days until they can retire and collect their pensions.
And so it goes in the Land of the Midnight Sun.
Finding a successor to Dr. Blanford will not be easy. When I took the API Chief of Psychiatry job 2011–2013, the position had been vacant for two years, there were 65 psychiatrists in the entire state, and API was known for having a difficult work environment.
Locum (temporary) doctors cost much, much more than salaried doctors, and they have no devotion to the hospital’s mission.
API ran into physician-retaining difficulties a decade ago when many decent doctors left in the face of job creep and burnout. Their complaints met an audience similar to the above gravy-train/you-rich-doctors thread, and so API was left with 88 percent of its staff being $500k/year locum doctors on constant rotation and worsening conditions.
I don’t know Dr. Blanford, but he is right. Doctors’ loyalty lies with patients, rather than politics.
The “rich doctors” argument is specious and has no bearing on the overall behavioral and mental health chaos in Alaska.
A Chaos brought about by the collision of numerous socio-economic factors as well as years and years of political irresponsibility on all sides of the aisle.
Blanford’s editorial was perhaps the match that lit the fuse which ignited a long waiting powder keg.
It is long past time to begin cleaning up the API mess to include encouraging/requiring the private sector hospitals in Anchorage and Greater Alaska to add beds and staff for BH/CD patients.
The dirty little secret in the medical industry, particularly the hospital industry, is that “mental health doesn’t pay”. Reimbursement rates are far more lucrative when a hospital adds a new cancer treatment unit, or ICU, or Ortho clinic.
One very good reason the state ends up hosting state mental hospitals and programs as tax dollars are available to fund these.
Private industry seeks to maximize Profit while minimizing Investment. Investing in state of the art mental health facilities and programs simply doesn’t have the short turn-around time profitability wise that a new surgery wing offers.
Will Alaska be able to surmount its behavioral health tsunami? Impossible to say.
Starting with a sincere house-cleaning at API and setting new expectations, standards, incentives, and shared community partnerships may be the only way to find out.
You could never pay me enough to work in a mental health facility. Ever. Physicians, like everyone else, should be compensated for their work. No one has the right to determine how much that should be. Even less so when you are speaking of health care. People are not cars, they are people. Medical education is not paid for by this country as it is in other industrialized nations. We pay for our own. It is not unusual for a physician, after completing his education, to have a debt of $200,000 or $300,000. Add to that the typical bills, college education, retirement(we don’t have pension plans), mortgages, malpractice insurance(which can be exorbitant), etc. and of course the requisite lawsuits—it adds up. But for some reason, there is a vitriol against physicians who are considered to make too much because the public has decided they don’t deserve it.
Psychiatric patients are some of the most difficult patients to manage. And try to do so in a chronically understaffed hospital and under unsafe conditions. The moment something untoward happens to a patient, and it will because of these administrative issues, the doctor will be sued, regardless of where the fault really lies. Even if he did his best. The doctor is an employee, he does not run the show. The administrators do. And this particular facility is apparently being run poorly. One doctor can change nothing. Open your mouth to make change, you are likely to be terminated. Happens all the time.
Part of the pay scheme is to make a job that no one wants enticing. Mental illness has a negative connotation in this society. No one wants to talk about it. And the only ones who give a damn about treating the patients are the psychiatrists and psychologists. As an EM physician, it is not uncommon to keep psychiatric patients in an emergency department for a week because there is nowhere to place them. Not enough facilities. What I do for them is woefully inadequate…all the while having to manage acutely ill patients(ie: heart attacks, strokes, pediatric emergencies, etc.). And the facilities that house them leave a lot to be desired. So those making cavalier comments about the physician in this article deserving to be fired, so be it. Good luck finding someone who wants that thankless job.
This doctor was right. He chose not to sign a contract that would bind him politically when his allegiance is to his patients and his oath. He does not want to be indebted to the governor. Unbelievable that there are those of you who criticize him for this. Can’t be about the money because he has now lost his job. And only one person in this thread sees the wrong in the governor asking a physician to compromise his oath. You, the public, are your own worst enemy. This doc decided to put his oath first and gets crucified. By the public. Unreal.
And for record, physicians take a Hippocratic Oath, not an oath of poverty. That would be Mother Teresa.
Actually, private sector PSY hospitals, depending on location and which corporation owns/operates them of course, tend to compensate their doctors extremely well. More so if the doctor is contracted to the hospital for her/his services which works out better for the owner/operator as it does not have to provide benefits.
And many doctors in the PSY field are good with this as it allows them to continue with their private practices as well as invest their earnings in projects like malls, real estate, and so on.
And there are also those firms that specialize in helping the doctor to generate additional income (e.g. wealth) beginning with her/his graduation from medical school. Where to invest, how to invest, how to build the practice, all those things a professional physician needs to know to, among other things, begin paying back those $300-$400K loans.
It is inaccurate to offer “this country” doesn’t finance medical educations. It certainly does and in a number of different ways. The most obvious is the GI Bill which under specific conditions and expectations will pay the full ride for a qualified Vetearn’s medical education. Been that way for many years now.
One can also become a PHY, PSY, Registered Nurse, and so on by enlisting in the Armed Forces and meeting the requirements, criteria, and expectations for such training. There is also a commitment to serve a specific number of years once successfully graduated.
As well as grants, endowments, and so on for civilian medical students which are not required to be repaid.
That said, the so-called “oath” Dr. Blanford fell on his 400K “sword” over was in reality a paper tiger. Whether you work for the public or private sector, unless wholly self-employed, the expectation is you will support Management via the rules, policies, and procedures in the employee handbook…regardless of how smart or dull Management may be at times.
If you can’t do that – then its time to “move on” either one way or another. ALL senior management/leadership positions within a state are POLITICAL positions, first and foremost. Whether Democrat or Republican, or Independent or “Undecided”, those who remain in such positions past their first initial term best be politically astute and learn how to work with, roll with, and succeed within the system or administration in power.
Sign the paper…go back to work…everything in Life is a compromise…just pick your battles wisely.
Finally, Mother Teresa.
Mother Teresa changed the world. She walked her talk and in doing so she met with those who had the means politically, financially, and morally to better conditions for the forgotten, the despised, the hopeless, and the hated. I daresay she personally provided loving care and treatment to more human beings herself than a host of “bill ’em by the hour” doctors.
Her allegiance was to God, an oath far more demanding than the hippocratic oath, of which the Greek physician Hippocrates is not the actual author of. Interestingly enough it begins with the new physician swearing by Apollo the Healer and a number of other Greek gods and goddesses assigned healing status.
Finally, there is no punishment for breaking the Hippocratic Oath in whatever modern form it may be sworn to. Medical malpractice suits aside, if a physician for example provides abortion services to his or her patients there’s no legal recourse assigned specifically to the Oath for a doctor to be concerned with.
In short, the “oath” Dr. Blanford and a very few others made so much about has zero to do with patient care and treatment. Mother Theresa worked the political stage in country after country to improve patient care and treatment – she did so without compromising her ethics, beliefs, or moral obligations to Humanity at large.
Dr. Blanford might have learned a thing or two from that quiet little nun about navigating the seas of politics in favor of your patients, even as you’re being paid 400K a year including benefits to do so.
I do not dispute that Dr. Blanford is compensated very well. However, it is not unusual for a medical facility or institution to offer very high pay to fill a position that is undesirable or difficult to fill due to location. And as many stated, API is paying a hell of a lot more for locum tenens physicians who are neither invested in the community nor have a commitment to better conditions in that facility. In any case, that wasn’t my point. The theme of the thread is that many seem to feel that he is arrogant and should shut his mouth since he is being paid very well. My perspective, based on what he says in his letter, is that he did not want to be forced to pledge an allegiance to an administration which might compromise his oath to his patients. I agree with him, I would not do it either. I’m not speaking of the Hippocratic Oath, I’m speaking of the personal oath most physicians have to be patient advocates. Hard to be a patient advocate when there is a conflict of interest with an administration that allows politics to dominate their decisions and not what is best for the patients. Show me an administration that puts patients first and I’ll show you a unicorn.
I disagree that a physician has to “roll with” and work within a system that is inherently political. That passivity is how we lost our leadership roles in medicine and why physicians are no longer respected as leaders. The fact that it is “the norm” or standard does not make it acceptable. Frankly, I think it is a copout and simply provides an excuse for a physician to do nothing to make change when something should be done. I also don’t believe that the physician should be the only one who compromises, it should be a two-way street. But it rarely is when an administration can fire at will. What incentive do they have to compromise with any physician? I do agree that if a physician can no longer tolerate working within a system that is in conflict with his morals/ethics, he should leave. But some docs want to make change because their conscience indicates they should. More power to them, that is the battle they chose. Everyone does not wish to run away with their tails between their legs. Some stay and fight. I don’t purport to know Dr. Blanford’s motivation; I don’t know the man and it would be presumptuous. Only he truly knows why he picked this battle.
Medical education is subsidized, not fully funded as in other countries. Centers for Medicare have not paid for residencies since 1997 while medical schools have proliferated. So now there is a bottleneck of graduated medical students with no where to go and a mountain of debt. And none of the financial options you mention apply to them since they are not able to complete their education. So much for their investment opportunities. I’m a veteran and well acquainted with the GI bill, which, by the way, does not pay for medical school, it pays for college. However, one can have their medical education paid for through the Health Professions Scholarship Program(HPSP); that is the path I chose. I could either pay the government back in loans or service. I chose service.
In regards to Mother Teresa, I reiterate, she, as a nun, took a vow of poverty. Physicians should not make any apologies for the reimbursement they receive performing a much needed service. IMO, there is a sentiment in this country that seems to resent the fact that some physicians are highly compensated. I say it is well deserved and I don’t understand the acrimony surrounding this issue. In this thread, commenters are more bothered by that than the fact that the politician is asking a physician to “pledge” loyalty to his administration. Patients don’t even enter into the conversation. That is BS. I do not believe it is unreasonable for Dr. Blanford to be concerned about more budget cuts in an institution that is floundering at best. Ultimately, the only ones paying the price from those playing politics will be the patients. As usual. And it is a damn shame.
Again, I have no issue with well compensated professionals regardless of the craft or profession.
Doctors are certainly not the only big income earners in our society. Not by a long shot. And in Alaska high wages are a historic fact. The pipeline in its heyday the most recent proof of that regardless of what your job was.
Hence the old Alaska saying “Please, Lord, give us another Rush. We promise not to blow it this time.”
That said, I have great respect for those who work at behavioral health / substance dependency facilities, either in-patient staff or out-patient. From the house keepers to the cafeteria staff to the MHTs, security personnel, nursing staff, admissions and UR, to the therapists themselves.
It is extra ordinary work, often heart-wrenching as well as heart-breaking, but when someone begins to respond to good care and treatment the rewards can be profound.
Alaska and Alaskans need to invest in a renewed BH/CD infrastructure, both state and private sector. How do we better serve the Alaska native communities? The very high Veteran population? Family members? First Responders? The average Alaskan (if there is such a thing)?
Who takes care of the providers? Compassion fatigue…burnout…sustainability of career in a physical environment that by itself contributes to BH/CD issues.
Community infused efforts to influence the above at both the political and private sector levels is the only way to generate dialogue and Change. Easily said, very hard to make happen and then stay the course until metric based results can be examined and built upon.
And yes, we must treat “mental health” with the same respect and expertise and funding that we treat physical health. The two are inseparable.
Finally, no one is so important to a program that she/he cannot be replaced. Doc Blanford’s editorial implied otherwise whether he meant to or not. Hence the blow-back to his musings.
The captain of the Titanic was by all accounts a good (and well paid) guy, too. Unlike Blanford, however, Captain Smith chose to go down with his ship.
Actually the GI Bill can and does pay for medical school, as well as dental school.
Specifically under the Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation program.
Very high standards to qualify as you might imagine.
One of my sons, Marine ( there are no “former Marines”), along with several other Veterans, is finishing dental school now under C-31.
Full ticket ride.
Semper Fi!
I stand corrected. The GI bill does pay for med/dental school. Thank you. C-31 I believe only applies to vets who have service connected injuries.
In any case, I think any student considering medical or dental school should consider having their tuition paid through military service. Fantastic programs and you graduate pretty much debt free.
Please thank your son for his service.
Well said.
The good doctor you believe that his finger is holding out the flood a la Louie XIV. And it may be so. The fact that he advertised his indispensability set up needless conflict.
My prior response was attributing “the graveyards are full of indispensable men” to De Gaulle. On further investigation, I find the gravamen of this expression to be more homegrown, or at least closer to our little Alaska world.
Here I quote from (https://quoteinvestigator.com/2011/11/21/graveyards-full/) To wit: “Elbert Hubbard was a prominent writer and publisher who also founded the Roycroft artisan community in New York. He collected adages and also formulated many of his own. In 1907 his publication “The Philistine: A Periodical of Protest” printed the following phrase as a free-standing saying without attribution: 2
The graveyards are full of people the world could not do without.”
“The Philistine…” might be a fun read.
Maybe “pride goeth before a fall” works as well.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
I see some references to what might be seen as an oath to Dunleavy. Have you a copy of or source for some sort of oath to Dunleavy or any newly-elected governor?
Assuming that Dunleavy won the recent plebiscite fair and square, couldn’t one and all infer that he or any newly-elected candidate best represents the people of Alaska regardless of the preference of each voter, like him or not?
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