Humanities & Society

Cancer death rates in the United States are highest among African Americans, but a new report shows that in Missouri the disparity in cancer incidence and death between African Americans and whites is declining. As a result, cancer incidence (the rate of newly diagnosed cases) between the races is equal, although the death rate will probably remain higher for African Americans for some time.

An array of panels, discussions, artistic expressions, lectures and other special events are taking place on the Danforth Campus throughout the presidential campaign season. To access the entire Election Programming calendar, visit any of the following Web sites: assemblyseries.wustl.edu, gephardtinstitute.wustl.edu, gpc.wustl.edu, and debate.wustl.edu.

Charles W. Burson, former counsel to the Vice President and assistant to the President and Chief of Staff at The White House, and Ambassador Thomas Schweich, special representative for Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, are the lead commentators for the Washington University School of Law’s Vice Presidential Debate Watch Party at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 2 in the Student Commons of Anheuser-Busch Hall.

FazzariFazzari, Ph.D., professor of economics and associate director of the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy in Arts & Sciences, will discuss the conditions that have contributed to the economic turmoil, and share his research regarding what’s in store for the future in his Assembly Series presentation, “The U.S. Economy in the Consumer Age.” His conclusion will cover a discussion of how, if at all, the major policy steps proposed by the presidential candidates address the deepening recession. The event, free and open to the public, will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday, September 24, in the Women’s Building, Formal Lounge.

Steven Fazzari, Ph.D., professor of economics and associate director of the Murray Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy in Arts & Sciences, will discuss the current economic crisis for the Assembly Series Wednesday, Sept. 24.

McBride”We are headed into a time when a confluence of changes are going to lead to a perfect storm, making us finally realize that our health care system needs a major overhaul,” says Timothy D. McBride, Ph.D., leading health economist and professor of social work. McBride is available to discuss candidates’ health care plans and universal health care.

McBride”The problems with Social Security can be solved easily compared to those of Medicare,” says Timothy McBride, leading health economist and associate dean for public health. “Social Security can be fixed right now, although most people don’t want to solve it with tax hikes. We cannot solve Medicare as easily. Medicare is in a serious crisis relative to Social Security,” he says. McBride is available to discuss Social Security and Medicare.

BernsteinAccess to affordable health care has been a recurring topic in current political discussions. Merton C. Bernstein, leading health insurance expert and law professor emeritus says that Medicare is the most practical platform for both extending coverage to everyone and taming medical cost inflation. He is available to discuss the candidates’ health care proposals.

“The problems with Social Security can be solved easily compared to those of Medicare,” says Timothy McBride, leading health economist and associate dean for public health at Washington University in St. Louis. “Social Security can be fixed right now, although most people don’t want to solve it with tax hikes. If passed today, a one-percentage point tax increase on both employers and employees could solve the Social Security problem for 75 years. If we don’t want to raise taxes, another option is to cut benefits by a similar amount and we’re done.” McBride says that the tax increase needed to fix Medicare would be six or seven percentage points in the long run. “We cannot solve Medicare as easily. Medicare is in a serious crisis relative to Social Security,” he says. McBride believes that as soon as the next President is elected “we will hear that we need to solve Medicare and Medicaid.”

Veteran New Yorker journalist Elizabeth Kolbert will explore the debate over global warming based on her groundbreaking book “Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change” for the Assembly Series on Wed., Sept. 17, at 4 p.m. in Graham Chapel.