President Barack Obama granted himself more broad powers late last week when he declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency, announcing the decision over the weekend to a chorus of ridicule and fiery criticism.

A major healthcare study by Thomson-Reuters has concluded that the United States wastes between $600 billion and $850 billion on healthcare annually, a third of all healthcare costs. Perhaps more importantly, the study essentially concluded that President Obama is looking in the wrong directions for eliminating major sources of waste in his reform efforts.

A rule that would have forced half of a million healthcare workers in the state of New York to be vaccinated for seasonal and swine influenzas was suspended on October 22 following a series of protests, lawsuits, a restraining order, and an alleged shortage of supplies.