"Wal-Dent, I Told You So!"

Hello, my friends, it's been a few weeks. This issue is going only to dentists and those who work with us and know our profession. READER ALERT: If you're sensitive and get easily triggered by info you don't wanna hear or would rather ignore, stop reading and proceed to the nearest safe space.
 Okay, we got that disclaimer out of the way. So, what's Wal-Dent? It's the latest step in the dwindling spiral of the profession we love but are gradually losing. Walmart has opened a full service dental center inside a GA store, the article is here, read it and barf!
https://groupdentistrynow.com/walmart-introduces-first-ever-health-center-which-includes-a-comprehensive-dental-clinic/
If you're wondering why I have a problem with this, I'll tell you. My practice may lose some pts., most of whom return once they've lived the McDentist experience. It's been very few over the years, thank God. Most of the anecdotes I get are from new pts. who went to a corporate volume mill and didn't stay past the initial visit. What they usually tell me is "some kid right outta school told me I had 8 cavities" or "they told me I had a gum infection that needs to be treated by 4 quads of SRP and tons of Arestin". Then they talked to friends, relatives or coworkers, who referred them to me.
Another version is they have fillings that are defective and they all need to be changed or those teeth need crowns. They tell me they didn't feel comfortable or trust the news they were getting. Just because I've mostly been able to survive the onslaught, that doesn't mean many younger grads with far less time practicing, pt. loyalty established or professional reputation will escape undamaged.
 Dental offices in a dept. store are nothing new, we had K-Mart Dental for many years in Miami and it eventually fizzled. There's a big difference between the dentists who spent 2-3 years there and moved on to a better practice model, than the situation facing today's new dentists. We weren't saddled with $300,000-400,000 loan debt. We also didn't have a pt. population bombarded by 24/7 ads for dentist-in-box, DIY ortho, etc. Society wasn't as crass, materialistic, instant gratification oriented or distracted as it is today, nor was there mass marketing like today's.
 How do the McDentist peddlers get around FL law that mandates only a dentist can own a dental practice? Easy, they have better and more numbers of lawyers than we do! My guess is they buy the license of some accomplice dentist and reward them for the sale in $ amounts they couldn't otherwise procure. It's also the price we pay for having too damn many lawyers in legislature. There's a Spanish adage that translates to "they who make the rules know the tricks". The tricksters are destroying our profession, they're also empowered by new dentists who literally can't find a job, let alone make plans to open their own practice or join a vibrant, thriving one. I've been ripped for saying that no dental student spent 8 years in post secondary education and incurred half a $million debt to be the employee of a dental mill or dept. store. Sorry, but I still believe that for the most part. That said, if that really is what you want for yourself, great, best of luck to you. I also think they're too scared to venture out and it's a hostile, highly competitive ocean they're swimming in.
 So, what can we do about this? Legislatively, we need to get lawmakers to pass laws that make it less easy to prostitute our profession, both by Big Biz and accomplice dentists who sell out and don't care about the damage they pass on to the rest of us. Case in point, there are no McLawyer joints, are there? We don't see DIY legal kits (aside from a will & testament kit) for sale to the public, do we? That's because lawyers band together and spend big $ to protect their interests far more than we do. Yes, it's self serving, the same thing the hypocrite legislators we visit on Dentist Day tell us is a no no! We can cut out some of the PC nonsense dental schools are teaching and teach the future dentists better and more advanced clinical skills. Too many schools graduate dentists with precious few procedures done on their pts. That needs to start by dental programs hiring US grads that are fully licensed, not foreign trained dentists who can't even pass the NB 1&2, let alone the state boards, so they're stuck in these schools and work cheap. The ADA has way too little influence and seats at the CODA table and dental students are paying dearly. Schools can teach networking and encourage students to already begin looking at the near future and maybe team up with classmates to establish a viable practice. They can hire the same consultants their grads will have to pay through the nose for help a few years later. Dental suppliers can offer incentives to those who form such new practices. I treat bankers who tell me that old saw about banks not wanting to make those loans to the new dentists for fear of already present debt and poor loan risk is no longer true. They tell me the banks will lend the $, it's the new dentists who don't want to take it. Many of them are content to be employees, work a lighter work week and take more trips or other fun things. That's great but it takes money to do all those things. I also wonder how many young dentists have an unrealistic concept of the be-do-have dynamic? If you've only BEEN a dentist for a short time, that means you haven't had much time to DO dentistry and HAVE the things that income buys you. When I left USC I drove an old Corolla Liftback with high miles and wore flannel shirts from Jefferson Ward, at least they were still made in USA back then. When I see young dentists leasing a Bimmer, I have to wonder where they're getting their financial advice?
 Getting back to the topic at hand, this Wal-Dent model is the perfect place to hire a bunch of DHATs and force the dentists to work for even lower wages. They can also have in-house labs and cut out many mom & pop labs. This also reminds me just how damaging it is for the FDA when we have these issues that threaten us but are sidetracked with the kind of pettiness and vindictiveness that took place at the June HOD. We need to be fighting these aggressors, not each other! Make no mistake about it, Big Biz has one goal- to make all of us their employees. They're aided and abetted by the likes of Pew, Kellogg's and former dental school deans who despise their grassroots colleagues and shill for the forces of destruction. If you doubt me, just take a look at what Big Biz has done to pharmacists and optometrists. There, but for the grace of God (and our willingness to fight) go we. In closing, I remember the few times I've visited a Target store and saw a McDonald's in there. That's fine for shoppers who want a burger & fries before or after shopping, but dentistry should not be reduced to fast food convenience to the tune of a billion drilled and filled.

"House Of Deception"

Three weeks ago I served in the House of Delegates (HOD) during the annual Fla. Dental Convention (FDC), something I did from 1994-2017. I briefly came out of retirement at the request of several members in my S. Fla. district.  What I witnessed and what happened to my delegation was appalling and unacceptable, something I never dreamed could happen at this usually noble event. I've always been proud of my HOD service and the caliber of my fellow delegates was a major reason I stayed on for so many years. Sadly, most of those great mentors are gone and I no longer recognize this now dysfunctional body.

 We had our SF candidate for FDA Secretary, the first step to eventually become the FDA President. This has been the FDA's tradition for decades, to recognize the will of each district and respect their choice, the only exception being 2017, when a challenger emerged from the Atlantic Coast delegation and announced his intention to run from the floor well in advance,  before HOD convened, no surprises. What happened during this HOD was a stealth nomination, unannounced by anyone and done in cahoots with the leaders from the other districts. The fix was in, they knew they were going to do this for at least one year out and their plot was carried out in the first HOD session. For those who doubt me, ask yourselves how a retired trustee who hasn’t been to HOD for years just happened to be there, standing by the right microphone for the stealth nomination and how a carefully prepared speech was written in advance and ready for the insurgent to deliver, had this truly been a spontaneous occurrence?

 The slate of candidates that included our chosen nominee had been voted on by the Board of Trustees (BOT), which included the insurgent challenger, herself a trustee. This challenger had even sworn the oath to continue as a trustee only 2 months prior. The last second nomination was done by one of our own former delegates and trustee, once held in the highest esteem by all. This person also ran unsuccessfully  for FDA Sec. in 2008 but had the class not to do what she enabled a stealth insurgent to do this past HOD session. That deference and respect for the will of her fellow district members went down the tubes this June. There's a reason this was done in perfidy, which I'll cover.  Our chosen candidate was 2018 Dentist of the Year, Lucy Hobbs Award winner and ADA Vice-President 3 years ago. Her challenger has achieved none of these distinctions despite more years in organized dentistry, and was not reelected to the ADA's Council on Annual Meetings, despite not being term limited out. So, given that qualifications were clearly not the reason, why did the plotters have such animosity for our chosen candidate? The answer is pettiness, envy and resentment that she refused to kowtow to their egotistical whims and even ran successfully for ADA V.P., despite their admonitions no to run because she'd lose badly and take our then ADA presidential candidate down with her. Well, she won decisively and that presidential candidate lost on his own, as did the previous two anointed by this leadership from the other districts.  That, my friends, is the one thing these ringleaders will never forgive or forget.

 I visited the other caucuses to make the case for what was really going on behind the scenes and found few sympathetic faces. It was clear to me these delegates had been poisoned for quite some time and believed their deceptive leaders.  To further cloud the issue and justify this ploy, the insurgent and only supporter (from our district) told the other delegations our district had prevented her from running in advance, not informed her of upcoming nominating committee meetings, etc. This is all patently false and we have the emails and notifications to prove it. The insurgent did not even attend our 2018 Annual Business Meeting, where she could have run from the floor, because knew she had no support in our district and would have lost decisively. Besides, even if it were true that she’d been treated unfairly, why would the wronged party stay silent after the fact and wait to cook up this sham at the very last moment, knowing it would be difficult to for us to refute it? That last question answers itself.

 I understand that anyone reading this would be set off and ask me why do I burden the rest of the FDA with our inter district infighting? Well, that infighting was dealt with in our own district and only made productive by enablers in the other districts who made sure their members didn't hear the truth and were too quick to carry out a hit job on a leader who's done nothing but take time away from family and practice and work tirelessly to serve all of us. This recent hit job was the final coup de grace that followed voting out this rising star and former ADA V.P. from the ADA Delegation for the second time this past January. It's clear this has been a personal vendetta from the get go. Think how ridiculous and vindictive this makes FL look to the rest of the nation! I'm in no way implying every single delegate outside of SF district was complicit in this cabal but clearly far too many were gotten to. This sends a very dour message, especially to our younger members who are considering going up the ladder. That message is if we, the junta, don't like you, we don't care about your qualifications, we can take you out and we don't really care what your members want. This happened two years ago in Atlantic Coast delegation and has left a divided district where several delegates resigned in frustration. I have no doubt that's what the plotters want, to get rid of opposition, but I'm here to serve notice to them. Our delegation isn't gonna cut and run and we refuse to be intimidated. This ugly trend is no longer a single isolated incident, don't be too surprised if it happens to other districts. This also mirrors what we’ve seen in DC for two and a half years, one side of the political aisle refusing to accept the results of an election, and is equally damaging to our FDA. In closing, it gives me no joy to report all of this to you and I'm only doing it so you can see what your elected representatives have been up to and the damage they've caused. It has to stop or we will lose our association to attrition when no young dentists want to serve.

Carlos A. Sanchez, DDS

"To DSO or Not To DSO: Pre-HOD Special Issue"

Let me begin by reminding all of you who read this, that my blog is strictly my own opinion and not necessarily one that is shared by other members.
Hello my friends, the FDC is coming next week and I will be there! I'm reminded of Al Pacino in Godfather 3 (ffwd to 0:59) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UneS2Uwc6xw
 So, let's talk about the DSO issue, which will be on our agenda as an "ask". DSO's are becoming more and more prevalent in our dental marketplace and will continue to be there, given the realities of how we deliver care, the burdensome debt new dentists graduate with and the fickleness of  the public. This is especially true of big metropolitan areas, where most of our dental maldistribution of practitioners occurs. We often hear how the traditional solo practitioner is a dinosaur on its way out and what I jokingly called McDentist (more on that later) among my fellow dentosauruses is the wave of the future, especially for GPs.
 Now let's look at why this issue is on our plate. Apparently when our leaders address DSO member dentists who are in the FDA, they're told organized dentistry makes them feel like 2nd class dentists, that we look down at them, don't welcome them, etc. Therefore, we need a dialogue with DSO practitioners to see where we have common ground, how we may be able to help them, make them feel included, etc. There's even commentary that if they hear a term like McDentist they're offended, if we ask them what their long term plans are and they plan on being DSO providers for life, they get offended. If we state the ADA/FDA policy of fee for service or autonomy for the dentist, be it solo or group settings, they take that to mean we see DSOs as inferior and, by default, we see them as inferior. I'll take these points on one at a time, using only GPs as my reference, since they're 80% of our profession and the most impacted by DSOs. I can assure you the young dentists I work with in SF district may or may not be DSO practitioners. I don't know and I really don't care. I treat them all the same, we have mutual respect and the most diverse, dynamic delegation in the state!
 DSO providers are in 1 of 2 camps, they either plan to eventually transition into private practice of some sort or they're happy to stay in a DSO for their entire career. If the first group wants us to help them, I believe we can but so must the dental schools. If we in organized dentistry and their schools don't teach them how to network, meet like minded classmates and develop a strategy for working together once they graduate, it will be much more difficult for them to make that transition. Granted, there are millennial dentists who are not in DSOs and have managed to start or buy a private practice, but they're a minority. As for the second group, I don't see where we can help them, aside from negotiating a more favorable contract with the DSO. Keep in mind, the DSO has the lawyers, the size, money and leverage over new grads who they know desperately need work. That numerical reality is made all the worse with the opening of more and more schools.
As for hurt feelings, I can only speak from my own experience. I sit with these young dentists in many MDDS affiliate meetings and other courses. We have spirited and informative conversations. I met a young dental couple in MDDS who both work in DSOs and want to have their own practice. They've come to my office and seen it and my small building. Needless to say, any dentist who asks me to do that would also be given the welcome to visit. I've never used the "McDentist" term in a dental meeting, especially at the mic. I reserve those occasions to trash the DHAT lobby which, thank God, we beat back yet again this session! So, to sum up this factor, if you wanna change your practice model, we can help you but so must dental schools or courses we can offer. Let's be honest, we dentists are a bit OCD about wanting only clinical content in our CE courses. How many young dentists would take these courses if they were about networking, the business end of their profession and offered no CEU? We often find ourselves scheduling events after hours or weekends that are so sparsely attended we've had to stop holding them. Help and problem solving are a 2-way street, what is offered must be accepted. Otherwise, it's all an exercise in futility.
 I think there are mitigating factors millennial dentists inflict upon themselves. One of the most obvious is location. If they wanna practice in the big metropolis and its "cool" places, where the clubs and great bistros are, where they can get a latte, go to the art walk, etc. they need to understand so does every other dentist and they'll be new fish in a big, highly competitive pond. When I graduated U.S.C. in 1984, I went to interviews in L.A. and saw several of my classmates who were miserable working in volume practices as associates. So I purposely interviewed for and landed a job in Indio, a small town 2 hours away near Palm Desert, actually a lovely place. It was swim or drown for me, the owner had this satellite MediCal/insurance/private practice and I ran it for him 4.5 days a week. We never saw each other, I saw 30 pts. a day and had 2 assistants, a receptionist, hygienist and Army trained in house denture lab tech. It was great experience and served me well for later in life. Case in point, when I left they had to hire 2 new grads like I'd been to replace me and handle the workload. Young dentists do have a choice where they decide to practice and should consider those factors, something else that can be taught to them. Decisions, like all choices, have consequences.
 There's a great solution to at least help some new dentists eliminate loan debt by agreeing to work in low income, low access designated govt. run clinics. It's passed before and been vetoed, or just not finalized. It's not fair to blame the FDA for that, the do nothing FL legislation failed us once again, as always! Last year I addressed the GAC and suggested holding all political $ to those who'd betrayed us and was told that was short sighted and not a good option. Well, this year we got shafted again, we never learn! I wonder what our FDAPAC & FDA's legislative action staff will offer up as the excuse this year, when they ask us to keep the faith and continue following Einstein's Definition of Dental Advocacy?
 Lastly, some tough love and what I consider a possible impasse. If I've used the term McDentist, it's because some DSOs seem to operate that way. When you send out mass mailers, loaded with coupons, free this, that & the other, a list of procedures and fees like a menu, it reeks of hucksterism. How about a possible double standard? How many DSO dentists who get offended when their employer is criticized are also totally okay with Smile Direct Club and mall kiosk tooth whitening? I'll bet you a media noche at La Casita it's few or none. I wonder how much of this hurt feelings issue comes from the participation trophy, instant gratification, no judgement generation who comprises part of our dental population? I'm all for getting together with DSO members and discussing any and all factors they feel are pertinent to them. What I'm not willing to do is to see the ADA/FDA lose its way and reject what made us great and the highest standards of how dentistry is delivered. I'm sure I'm not the only dentist who's had a pt. come in for a 2nd opinion after going to a big dental chain and being told they suddenly had 8 cavities, need 2 root canals and crowns. This is nothing new folks. When I practiced in CA I recall the Stein Clinics, Dr. Beauchamp's, etc and the way they cranked out production in mass volume. "60 Minutes" did a segment on them back in the late 80s. Yes, I fully realize we've come a long way and I'm not saying all or even most DSOs are doing that today with no standards or scruples.What I am saying is that if the FDA has to embrace and endorse corporate dentistry to assuage its younger members, they're gonna lose much of their membership and maybe they'll eventually morph into a mostly specialist and DSO member association. I'll be long since retired if and when that occurs but I hope it never does. See you in Orlando next week!

"MOM, Crapple Pie & Banana Tinpot Puppets"

Wow, over 2 months have passed since my last post , let's get to it! MOM refers to our Mission of Mercy event, in which Ara & I participated in Orlando. It was a great success and we delivered over $2 million in pro bono services. My congrats to all the Central District organizers and all who volunteered at every level. Terrific people doing God's work, I can't wait for MOM to come to Miami!
We also defeated the DHAT forces for yet another legislative session, great! That said, this is a fight we'll be in for years to come, these usurpers are never going away.

 Yeah, I know the term is "Mom and apple pie", by crapple pie, I'm referring to what the anti-Trump conspirators are now eating with big spoons and both hands, LOL. This mob, which failed miserably in their attempted coup d'etat, consists of most Dems, the so called mainstream media, the Deep State and many neocon & RINO ass clowns who would have preferred to have The Hag and all the misery she promised, in the WH than the resounding success we're now seeing across the nation, just because they don't like an outsider who's not in their little clique, incredible! The Mueller Report is kaput and so is the obstruction farce they're trying to save this turkey with. What I'm really gonna enjoy is when AG Barr starts the process of investigating these traitors and prosecuting those who committed crimes. He just laid down the law this week and made it quite clear that Jug Ears Jeffy Sessions is gone, their coup is over and he's coming full bore, sans Vaseline, for the lot of them. Order more orange jumpsuits!
 It's hilarious to see the 20+ Dem hopefuls who all think they can be POTUS. They make the much maligned GOP 16 of 2016 look like the Founding Fathers and they look like the interstellar cantina scene from Star Wars.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDpDhofRoXA
I'm really looking forward to seeing them out Marxist each other in the primaries and then the chosen commie run against the best economy and jobs numbers since 1969. The fact lightweight Mayor Pete even has a shot tells you this out of touch, failed party really has no viable candidate. It reminds me of trying to find a decent program or movie on Hulu. Grab the popcorn, my friends!
 I'll end with the tinpot aspect, which is the tragedy we're seeing in Venezuela right now. Maduro is every bit the classic banana republic puppet-not too bright, run by outside forces and destructive as hell. Both he and Mr. Potato Head (Chavez) relied on Cuban and Russian military to guard them and prop them up. Venezuela is occupied by both communist nations and has been run into the ground in every way possible. We're seeing what a disarmed populace looks like and how defenseless they truly are.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xrwFdW77uc
Every time I hear Pompeo talk about all options being on the table, I cringe because I don't see them doing what must be done to resolve this and bring about the desperately needed regime change the Venezuelan people are clamoring for- a targeted decapitation strike to remove this POS thug dictator! Maduro's dug in and so are his top military honchos. They know if they're ousted, they'll either be shot on sight (what they richly deserve) or find themselves in front of war crime tribunals for their many atrocities. Putin is ass deep into this and he's got nothing to lose. If we don't either form a coalition to go in there or do it ourselves, Venezuela will sink into a decades long communist dictatorship and all the misery we see in Cuba. Putin will have a strategic base of operations and mayhem in our hemisphere and Trump will look like his bitch on the world's stage. I know Americans don't want our blood and treasure spilled on yet another screwed up place. But I also think they fail to realize we made that mistake in Cuba (thanks a lot, JFK!) and have been paying dearly for it in the form of communism spreading, mass exodus and the economic hit the U.S. takes when they end up here, as well as drug trafficking regimes that have popped up all over Latin America. See Cuba, Nicaragua, Chile, Venezuela, Bolivia and to some extent, Brazil.
 I recall many Venezuelans who told Cubans on talk radio or in person we'd "lacked the pantalones" to remove Fidel and that that would never happen to them. Sadly, they're now seeing that it's very difficult to remove a communist dictator by mere talk and economic pressure. Cuba's been a festering, crumbling toilet for decades and nothing improves. I hope we see some decisive action and the U.S. really does employ all options. For those who fear a protracted fight, the Cuban military folded like wet tissue in Grenada and so will these banana goons when confronted by a real military. It would be poetic justice to see Maduro end up like Saddam Hussein or Muammar Gaddafi!

"Infanticide, Dem Meltdown, Imploding Coup & A One-Year Revisit"

Hello, my friends, long time no post. First of all, Happy Valentine's Day to all of you and your significant others!
Last week I did send a piece to all who serve on the FDA House of Delegates over a pressing issue, but not my usual blog to my usual list. So, here goes.
 I use infanticide because forcibly ending the life of a viable newborn, ready to emerge from the womb is MURDER!! Dr. Kermit Gosnell is sitting in prison right now for doing the same atrocious butchery in his Philly office. The blatant hypocrisy of whining about separating children of illegal aliens from their parents by those who gleefully cheer tearing them out in what is nothing less than euthanasia of babies, is disgusting. See for yourselves, you'd think the NY Jets had won the Super Bowl.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOCgD3BeueQ
All religious commentary aside, the Dems are clearly siding with worshiping death. Radical Islam is the only group I can think of that also worships death, but even jihadists don't commit infanticide, at least not on their own. Let me spell it out, pregnancy is NOT a "disease", abortion is NOT a form of "contraception" (which means avoiding conception) and killing a viable baby is NOT "reproductive health". These BS terms are spin and Orwellian new speak, classic communist deception and the only way to attempt to assuage the guilt of a woman who was too damn careless, too damn stupid and too damn irresponsible to practice safe sex (or take a morning after pill) and puts it off until her negligence leaves no option but killing a precious life she could have given up for adoption.
 The Dem meltdown is occurring for various reasons. First, the newly elected radical gals, which all dressed in white and looked like a mound of discarded Kleenex when they moved around, are so giddy and emboldened they're coming out with the most extreme Marxist, asinine proposals that would make Castro or Maduro envious. Zany Zandy (my nickname for AOC) is leading the charge and they're following her off the cliff! Her New Green Deal features unworkable insanity like eliminating all air travel in 10 years, eliminating all fossil fuels and the things they run on, confiscatory taxation that would go to 70-90% levels of grabbing peoples' money, tearing down and rebuilding all the buildings in the US to make them more environmentally efficient, guaranteed "good jobs & salaries" for all, but also a provision for "those who are unwilling to work"! This exophthalmic nut job grew up a little rich girl in a cushy suburb (as did all the founders of communism, BTW) but went over to the Karl Marx School of Imbeciles and is now spouting her gross ignorance of all that is economy & jobs. This and the radical Muslimas who are openly spewing anti-Semitic vitriol are problems for Leatherface Pelosi. She has to rein in this insanity or it may cost them giving back the House in 2020, as well as propelling Trump to a big win, while also not pissing off the far left loons without which she wouldn't be Speaker. The Muslim extremists I mentioned above are what we get from a Muslim infestation in MI & MN, and why we need to control the numbers of them coming to America. These folks DO NOT wanna assimilate or become Americans, they wanna out breed, outvote us, then impose Sharia Law. Listen to Rep. Rashida Tlaib and ask yourselves what would have happened to any GOP lawmaker who'd ever said this about Obama?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt7pcCn-cDo
 Yes, the coup is imploding, that's all the Mueller witch hunt ever was. A cabal of Deep State traitors conspired to remove a duly elected POTUS, the moment he was inaugurated. I won't get into listing all the names, but Trump's new AG needs to get a special prosecutor to investigate and punish them all. There's an adage that if you aim for the king, don't miss. They should pay a price and this farce was really a cover up for the actual crimes many of these unaccountable, unelected conspirators committed.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/10/with-yesterdays-indictment-more-than-4-out-of-5-individuals-indicted-by-mueller-witch-hunt-are-made-up-russians-wholl-never-see-a-us-courtroom/
The bottom line is Mueller found nothing after 2 years of expensive time wasted and lives destroyed, because there never was anything. Don't expect Shylock to issue a report or admit it, any more than we can expect the media to report it honestly. I guess that might explain why CNN is 7th among cable news outlets.
 Today marks the first anniversary of the MSD H.S. massacre in Parkland. I dedicated an entire blog to it last year and won't repeat myself. Apart from the grieving parents and friends, who'll never get back their children and spouses, the progress by Broward authorities has been snail's pace. I heard 2 of the parents who lost daughters to this monster the other day on NPR (certainly no hard right outlet) and they were not impressed and even critical of the School Sup. and how little has actually been done to keep the kids safe and the schools harder to invade. Things like a single entry source and hard corners in the school buildings and classrooms have yet to be implemented. Gov. De Santis suspended the inept, corrupt, lying coward, Sheriff Scott Israel, but the school board should remove the equally pathetic Superintendent Robert Runcie! As long as this failed loser is in charge, not much will improve. Here's an interesting, fair & balanced look at the AR-15 issue.
https://www.nbcmiami.com/investigations/One-Year-Later-Whats-Changed-What-Hasnt-and-What-Could-Change-Back-505746901.html#comments
To those who say ban them, make them illegal, I say, yeah, like we did with crack, blow, meth and heroin! How's that working for us?
 As for the wall, it's not gonna happen with Congressional help, that's for sure. The ugly truth is neither party wants to seal our border. The Dems want the permanent underclass of dependent voters for life and another excuse to tax the hell out of hard working Americans for more handouts. The GOP doesn't want a wall because they're owned by rich donors who want the cheap, unskilled labor that can't better themselves and go anywhere else for work. Neither party is affected by this demo, which comprises 1/3 of our prison inmate population but can't live in or touch the gated communities and armed security these sellout politicians have. If Kate Steinle has been the daughter of a US Congressman or Senator, things would be very different. Trump will have to start with the small piece he got funded and look for other means. Meanwhile, let the Dems be the party of MS-13 and Trump show constant video and photos of the wall being built through 2020!
https://crimeresearch.org/2018/01/impact-illegal-aliens-crime-rates/
 I wanna close on a dental topic. Last year's House sponsor of the DHAT bill is not taking it on this session but another newly elected clueless Cubano from Miami is and last year's Senate sponsor is back. I'm not gonna sugar coat it, folks, we need to get to DDOH next month in big numbers and kick their asses! I'll be there, that's for sure.

"FDA House, Take Back Your Association!-100% Delegate Issue"

Hello colleagues and fellow FDA delegates. Most of you know me, some might not. For those of you who don't, I'm Carlos Sanchez and I served in the HOD for 24 years, even chaired our SF delegation for 5-6 years. I'm writing this because I see a problem we've had for years, getting worse and coming to a head with no signs of improvement. Many of you may be well aware of this but some newer delegates may not and I want to inform you. I urge all of you to read this and come to your own conclusions, the FDA's future depends on you.
 We've always had some senior delegates and chairs who believe they know best and the delegation should heed their every command, including doing what you're told in the form of block voting and God forbid you back a well qualified candidate they dislike. They have little use or tolerance for dissension and make that fact well known. Those of you in the afflicted districts know who they are and what I'm referring to. Naturally, new delegates may feel overwhelmed by the process and look to their more experienced colleagues for guidance. They may even feel that these folks have been there and done that, so their opinions and advice have more weight than a newer member's logic and instincts. If these senior leaders had a stellar record to go with their talk, it could be argued that their word is gospel and should not be ignored. So, is that the case?
 In past years, the FDA has run 3 candidates for ADA President , all from the WC district, who not only lost but lost big. They didn't lose because they weren't qualified, hard working candidates, they simply did not connect with enough voters to defeat their opponents. All 3 were anointed by the leaders I'm referring to, especially those of the West Coast and Northwest districts. It's no secret that the ADA's FL delegation is not held in the highest estimation nationwide, at least certainly not come presidential election time. Talk is cheap but actions speak loudest and the ADA House has soundly rejected our presidential candidates thrice. Some of that is unavoidable because much of the nation's blue states would love to flood sunny FL via reciprocity or licensure by credentials, which we oppose. But history shows that this mindset can and has been overcome. During recent years FL has run 2 vice-presidential candidates from the SF & AC districts, both of whom were successfully elected. Okay, I know there are big differences in the ADA Pres. election versus the V.P. electoral process. That said, the fact remains these 2 were not embraced by the aforementioned wizards of smart and even ran in spite of their admonitions to cease and desist, still winning handily at the ADA's HOD elections. This was especially true of our previous victorious ADA Veep. So,why was this winning candidate opposed by her higher ups? The reasons given were lame-she wasn't ready, it wasn't her time, she'd lose badly and take down our subsequent presidential candidate with her, etc., etc. All of that turned out to be dead wrong. I believe the opposition from those districts was simply because of envy and resentment over the fact a less senior member accomplished something they could not and refused to let them rain on her parade. It's sad to say that 2-3 of our own SF district's delegates went along with this petty opposition. It gets worse.
 These same leaders from the WC & NW districts still go out of their way to do whatever they can to hurt this now former ADA veep, including systematically block voting her out of our ADA delegation. I doubt I'm the only person who thinks it's ridiculous that a person who ran and managed to win a national campaign, with limited or no support from some of her FL colleagues, is deemed unqualified to represent her state at the HOD of the same organization in which she once held its second highest office. Stop for a moment and think about what a slap in the face this is, especially to someone who's sacrificed time away from practice and family to do what most of us won't. This is not healthy and certainly not good for future Floridians who are qualified candidates and feel that their merits should be the most important factor in their campaign, not kissing the rings of disgruntled senior members who want to stamp their authority on the FDA.
 We have an upcoming member who's had great success at both the FDA and ADA levels looking at a possible run for ADA Pres. He's got an good chance but needs the support of our entire state, including the funds it takes to run for ADA Pres. Can any of you imagine an NFL coach benching a talented impact player for personal resentment and putting in one more likely to fumble or drop a pass in a big game? The New England Patriots may not all love each other dearly and their coach is often seen as not a very nice guy, but his record of success is legendary. That personality based bias is what's been happening in the FDA and the only hope for ending it is if the grassroots delegates speak out, refuse to be bullied and vote their conscience. Stand up to any capricious vindictiveness and tell your leadership you wanna win elections and not run the FDA like the hapless Miami Dolphins. Let them know we are all volunteers, don't get paid for time away and appreciate at least that small level of recognition and confidence in our judgement and decision making process. If it takes writing letters to the FDA, do it! FL is deeply divided and cannot stand, let alone succeed, until we deal with this problem and neutralize any who don't have the greatest overall good of our FDA at heart. We have real enemies we should be confronting and defeating, like Pew, Kellogg & their DHAT invasion plans, not fighting each other! I realize this letter might anger some of my colleagues. I really don't mind and prefer to speak out, as I've encouraged all of you to do. If any of you wish to discuss this matter further, please feel free to contact me by phone or email. Thank you.

Carlos

"Howdy Doody + GOP Cowards +The K-Bomb= Blue Ripple, Red Revenge"

I'll deal with the title topics in a few paragraphs. Yes, last night was gut wrenching, nail biting and all those other cliches. We got a split decision in both results as well as polling relevance. I'm gonna start with FL, it was a roller coaster ride!
WTH were Floridians thinking, voting for a corrupt, Bernie Sanders loving, Marxist mayor of a high crime failed city?! I was calling Gillum Obama Lite but he's actually far more radical than Obama, or at least dumb enough to reveal it. It's not that the other option was a hold your nose case like Lex Luthor, the GOP's Senate candidate. DeSantis is a young, highly educated veteran with a terrific record, but that means nothing to the zealots of identity politics. They were willing to overlook Gillum's scandals & baggage for the same PC cop out that put Obama in the WH twice. Had he won, we'd be looking at a constant battle over confiscatory taxation and choking regulation between the Gov. and GOP controlled state legislature. The fact it was so close is testament to my admonition that Miami (more on our races later) is the next L.A. and FL is the next Mexifornia if we don't control our borders. The Scott-Nelson race was as close as Scott's elections always have been. This is also a reflection of how divided we are. Any of you who remember my past blogs know I'm no fan of Scott, to put it mildly. He's certainly been no friend of dentistry and I think last night was a win-win for us. He got rid of the doddering, do nothing, liberal rubber stamp voter, Yahoo Nelson. It was high time we put the old coot out to pasture! In typical classlessness, Yahoo refuses to concede, so we'll be put through a recount, which won't save him. I say win-win because Scott, in addition to booting Yahoo, can't do any damage to dentistry in DC and will only help FL.
 The problem FL has, as well as AZ, CO, GA NV, and NC, is due in great part because liberalism is a mental disorder and it can and sadly does cross state lines. I know some of you may find that harsh and a few might even be triggered, so I'll explain. Voters in blue states flee the places they can no longer afford to live in and it's due to the multi tiered taxation and over regulation implemented by the ultra libs they elected into office. Then they come to the above listed red states but bring their liberalism with them and proceed to vote for the same crap! That's how CA, NY, NJ, IL, & MA refugees have ruined states I listed above. It would be nice if red states could pass laws that those who come from blue states can't vote for 5 years, LOL, which could never happen. The only other group who exhibits the same mental disorder of leaving a place they can't live in any longer, only to embrace and try to impose the same insanity in their new home is guess who? That's right, Muslims!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6QC_qEyl0Q&t=61s
 Now about the title and its meaning. Howdy Doody is what I call Paul Ryan. He was a wimp when he let the obnoxious, boor, Bite Me, walk all over him in their veep debate and nothing changed when he replaced Boo Hoo Boehner as Speaker. Ryan is a bean counter nerd, not a true leader who'll fight or inspire others to do the same. He presided over a spineless GOP House who never funded the wall and never repealed Obamacare in the 2 years they had total power. I won't miss Howdy Doody one bit.

GOP cowards refers to the fact 40+ GOP House members were so intimidated by the fake news of the vaunted blue wave that was gonna sweep them off the political landscape, as far back as January, that they decided to retire. Believe me, no career politician ever leaves to spend more time with their family. When you remove the most potent weapon a politician has, incumbency, it makes holding                                                              that seat much more difficult.
                     The House losses were far                             more about Republicans who                         cut and run, than they were a                         referendum on Trump. If that's                       not true, then why did nearly                         all of the senators Trump                               campaigned for win?


The K-Bomb, of course, is Justice Brett Kavanaugh. At least 4 Dem senators who opposed him lost and possibly another one will also lose. Why do I use the term blue ripple? Well, by  comparison, Obama lost 63 House seats & 6 Senate seat in his first midterm in 2010. Trump's 27 House losses are <1/2 of that and he gained 5 Senate seats. Look at the obscene amounts of $ pumped in from all over to bolster Beto O'Rourke, Stacey Abrams, Kristen Sinema, Andrew Gillum & Bob Menendez. The only one who survived was scumbag Menendez, and that's in the cesspool of NJ. With the Senate gains, Trump will no longer be held hostage by RINO turncoats, Murkowski and Collins, though Collins really stepped up with Kavanaugh. There is a chance Sinema pulls some maneuvers to magically "find" votes and eke out a win, McSally had better lawyer up to avoid her win being stolen.
 Just like before, Obama was also a big loser. Every candidate he stumped for got whooped, LOL! Contrast that to Trump's coat tails and it's easy to see that Trump's been living rent free in Barry's head for 2 years. If we didn't have enough good news, impotent Jeff Sessions, just resigned his post as AG, about damn time!!
 Locally, out DHAT nemesis won reelection and  doubt he's gonna stop his well funded (by Pew) crusade. We're going to have to prepare ourselves for a long, bitter fight and defeat this in committee, just like we did last session. This is a long fight and has been fought for years in other states, we need to have resolve. 2 Miami districts were part of the flip that changed control of the House. It disgusts me that a corrupt Clinton minion like Donna Shalala will go to the Congress. Her record as UM president was atrocious but that didn't matter to block voting liberals who've turned a once solid red district liberal. It didn't help for the GOP to run a pretty lady whose biggest claim to fame was TV reportage, as her opponent. Carlos Curbelo also lost, he's an empty suit RINO who I won't miss. If we were gonna lose the House anyway, we might as well have the benefit of this loss taking him out.
 In closing, this loss can be a gift and set up a win in 2020. My reason for believing it is fourfold. 1) It's much easier to whine and accuse than it is to legislate. The Dems, who've had nothing but hate & anger to sell, will now have to actually propose solutions. 2) The voters who elected those new Dems to office do no want them to devote their time and efforts to endless investigations and subpoenas, they want them do address the issues they see as problems. If the Dems put old battle axes like Pelosi, Nadler, Waters and Pencil Neck Schiff in charge of committees and they go for impeachment and confrontation, they'll pay dearly in 2020. The Dems are famous for over reaching, as they did with Kavanaugh, and paying the price later. 3) House Dems have the Senate, now with a bigger GOP majority, that can stall or stop anything they put forward that's seen as abusive. 4) There will be an old versus young power struggle between the House Dems. The young newbies have no appetite or patience for the long, drawn out ways of their elders. Let's not forget that these elders were the ones who lost the House 8 years ago and only regained it now due to the new batch of young members. Many of these younguns campaigned on opposing Pelosi as Speaker. If they support her, their voters will be pissed and they could wind up 1-termers. If they oppose her and Pelosi prevails, they'll be punished. It's gonna take some time for things to sort out but I believe things were far less catastrophic for the GOP than they could have been or the left wanted them to be.