Stephen King’s New Epic - Under the Dome

By Chip Schrader
Book Review Editor
Whenever Stephen King comes out with a new book, it seems Maine stops in its tracks to take notice. Never forgetting his roots in the state, his books are filled with local references, figures of speech, and scenery evocative of small town life. Upon the release of Under the Dome, before having a tour in all the major cities, King came to Bridgeton, Maine to sign books and celebrate with the community that inspired his creation of Chester’s Mill.
Chester’s Mill is a small working class town complete with old grudges, trapped citizens who never find their way out, and filthy politics. The police, town council and even clergy are bound by their own corruption and blackmail. When the town pariah, Barbie (Dale Barbara), finally decided he was finished with this place, a strange thing happened, he looked up to watch a plane fly over head, and at that moment, it spontaneously crashed with no apparent cause.
All along the town line people perished by crashing into this invisible wall, and when it came down it maimed countless people who were merely gardening on their property that ran along town lines. Even with the nation’s eye on the town, the people on the outside still had no idea what happens on the inside.
The dome became a lid for this pressure cooker. Almost immediately old factions aligned, and King referenced a scenario from Lord of the Flies where society flips to where the most animalistic personalities take control. After the dome, the police chief taps his son with sociopathic tendencies and his group of misfits to patrol the town. Needless to say, the word terrorize and brutalize is more the word.
Barbie never made it out, and has no choice but to try and help solve this dome mystery. The local journalist, the former chief’s widow, and a handful of middle school kids work together to try and find out just what this dome is before the propane for generators, and the sanity of the town runs completely empty.
Considering the overview this review provides doesn’t do justice to all of the subplots and intrigue in this book, many people are using the word “Epic” when describing King’s latest work. While it is hipper and more relevant than most epics, this word best describes this miraculous work of fiction. Only the greatest mind in American letters could conceive of a story as deep, intriguing and terrifying as this.
Many horror and science fiction writers settle on a page turner that reveals thrill after bloody thrill, and these authors often build distracting back stories to draw out the suspense. King’s writing requires neither of these tactics, even at the 1100 page count. Every citizen’s back story feeds deeply into the plot, and through most of the book, figuring out what the dome is doesn’t even matter as much as the story going on within it. The reader wants to know the situations Barbie and all of the players have gotten into, and what will come of their actions. Sometimes, the characters even surprise the reader when they do something uncharacteristic giving them all a very human color.
King’s portrayal of small town America and the middle and lower class has elevated him to what John Lennon would call “a working class hero.” Under the Dome is a devastating, poignant, funny and masterful political satire that will wedge the legendary author firmly between H.G. Wells and Mark Twain.
Photo caption: Book cover of Stephen King’s new novel "Under the Dome" (Courtesy photo)

Shaheen Cost Savings Measures Included in Health Care Reform Bill

WASHINGTON—
U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen on Dec. 21 announced that the final version of the Senate’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will include four key cost savings provisions that she authored, including measures that will help Americans access more affordable prescription drugs, prevent costly hospital readmissions, improve the coordination of care, and protect access to comparative effectiveness research so that patients and doctors can make more informed choices. Early on Dec. 21, the Senate voted to proceed to consideration of the manager’s amendment to the Senate health reform bill, which includes a number of deficit reducing measures.
“The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will make health insurance more affordable for families and businesses, reduce the deficit, and stop insurance company abuses, like denying coverage because of preexisting conditions,” said Shaheen. “More than 30 million uninsured Americans will be able to get the care they need when we enact this legislation. It is necessary we pass and enact this legislation as soon as possible so that health care costs cannot continue to bankrupt middle class families, businesses, and our nation.”
Shaheen authored measures in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will reduce costs while improving care for millions of Americans. The Shaheen measures included in the bill are:
Access to Affordable Medicines Act – increases access to lower-cost generic drugs by closing a loophole used by brand name drug companies to delay generic drugs from entering the market.
The Medicare Transitional Care Act - the Senate health care reform bill includes key provisions of legislation introduced by Shaheen and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) to reduce preventable hospital readmission of Medicare beneficiaries. In 2004, Medicare spent an estimated $17.4 billion on unnecessary re-hospitalizations. The Senate bill provides for a pilot program where a qualified transitional care clinician would ensure that appropriate follow-up care is provided during the vulnerable time after discharge from a hospital.
Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) - a concept championed by Dr. Elliot Fisher of Dartmouth, ACOs are groups of providers held responsible for the quality and cost of health care for their patients. The Shaheen provision would expand ACOs and allow them to work with private plans to align Medicare, Medicaid, and private sector strategies for improving care. This provision creates incentives for doctors to provide higher-quality care at lower costs, maximizes the effectiveness of quality improvement and reform initiatives, and helps ensure that all Americans receive high quality care, no matter how they are insured.
Comparative Effectiveness Research – compares different treatments and identifies those that are most effective. This research is an essential element of improving patient outcomes while containing costs, and it has been pioneered by renowned institutions like Dartmouth.
According to Shaheen, overall, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will stabilize the health care system. It makes health insurance more affordable, reduces the deficit, reins in health costs, stops insurance company abuses, provides choice and competition, provides tax credits to small businesses, expands access to preventive health care, extends Medicare solvency, and expands access to affordable prescription drugs. The bill will reduce the deficit by $132 billion in the first decade while expanding coverage to over 94 percent of Americans.
Also according to Shaheen, this historic legislation will stop health insurance abuses, demand greater accountability from insurance companies, and create more choice and competition for consumers. Millions of Americans will see immediate benefits from the legislation through a variety of cost reduction and care improvement measures.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has been supported by numerous business and consumer groups, including Families USA, American Cancer Society, American Medical Association, Business Roundtable and AARP.