Back Talk

Alan says: I am in favor of limiting the governor to two consecutive terms. But blacklisting someone after eight years altogether, regardless of how good or bad they did their job, can needlessly force an effective public official out of public service. Many state governors throughout history have served well over eight years without their constituents regretting it. I would point out that such a system is wholly unworkable in twenty-first century America: we live in the era of the permanent campaign and the 24-hour news cycle. A governor facing re-election every other year would essentially do nothing but fundraise (which is close to what most do anyway even with four-year terms). (November 19th, 2009 at 11:09pm)

Abraham Verghese

Abraham Verghese

Columns | Miscellany

The argument in favor of vitamins goes like this: “Don’t ask us why or how they work. We know. Have faith.” Well, I don’t. (May 2007)

In the high-tech, test-obsessed world of modern medicine, percussion is fast becoming a lost art, and that’s bad for both patients and doctors. (February 2007)

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