Outside the Beltway

As usual, politicians and pundits are helping to create a climate of fear and concern about Ebola that is not justified by the facts.

America’s “Patient Zero” doesn’t appear to have spread Ebola very far, but continued vigilance is called for. And, we need to focus on the part of the world where there really is an Ebola Crisis.

The president is frustrated.

A travel ban sounds like a simple solution to a complex problem. Like most simple solutions, though, it becomes far less appealing when you think about the details.

President Obama has appointed an “Ebola Czar,” but it’s unclear why we need one when there are already people who are supposed to be in charge of the Ebola response.

More Ebola news that could have a negative impact on public opinion.

We’ve become aware of failures in how we’ve handled the Ebola situation. The response is to figure out what went wrong and do our best to fix it, not to panic.

Another health care worker in Dallas is being treated for exposure to the Ebola Virus.

Sobering news from the World Health Organization.

A second case, and the first person to apparently contract Ebola on U.S. soil. But, that’s no reason to panic.

Closing down international air travel won’t stop Ebola from becoming a bigger public health threat.

An inevitable outcome for the head of a once proud agency.

For the first time, someone has been diagnosed with Ebola in the United States.

The security lapses at the Secret Service just continue to mount.

Too regularly engage in “bedtime procrastination,” creating a vicious cycle.

Pseudoscience and hysteria have damaged public health.

The last known case of smallpox happened in 1977. Is it time to destroy the virus?

The anti-vaccination movement has earned a dubious achievement, the return of a disease that was effectively eradicated 15 years ago.

Airlines are squeezing ever-larger passengers into ever-smaller spaces. Naturally, the passengers are taking it out on the other passengers.

The FDA is declaring war on trans fats. That’s a bad idea on many levels.

The events in Boston on Monday were tragic, but there was one shining success.

Southerners lie about their weight–but not as much as those lyin’ Yankees.

There are factions of the American right that really need to understand this.

Firearms are set to pass the automobile as the instrument for American deaths.

Not exactly journalism.

Americans are ridiculously fat and getting fatter by the nanosecond.

The estimated number of U.S. autistic kids has skyrocketed by 78% since 2000, according to a report from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On reflection, Al Franken was right.

Senator Al Franken called Focus on the Family’s Tom Minnery a liar in yesterday’s hearing on DOMA. Franken was the one being dishonest.

The first Appeals Court decision on the Affordable Care Act was a victory for the government.

Thousands of pedestrians are killed in America each year. Are we doing enough about it?

For a small group of people—perhaps just 1% to 3% of the population—sleep is a waste of time.

Experts say 80% of all alcohol sales go to people with drinking problems. The mathematics of that are staggering.

It’s a myth that the problem with Social Security is that people are living much longer after retirement than they used to. The reality is that a whole lot more people are living long enough to draw benefits.