rx for childhood maladies

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This morning, all the usual rituals were put on hold while I accompanied my son for a walk-in visit to the doctor. My son's throat was hurting in a big way, so off we went. The doctor diagnosed strep throat and wrote a prescription for the antibiotic amoxicillin, which we then filled and returned home.

The whole adventure put me in mind of a couple of nationwide upgrades I have imagined on behalf of America's children:

1. At birth, every child would be sent home from the hospital with a five-gallon or 5,000-tablet supply of amoxicillin. Since the antibiotic is so frequently handed out to children with maladies, this would save the number of trips to the doctor.

2. Likewise at birth, every child would have a $1,000 savings bond deposited in a local bank. With luck, the bond would accrue interest over time and provide at least some payments to a shrink ... you know, the shrink every kid needs when s/he starts discovering the profound wounds inflicted by his or her 'dysfunctional' parents.
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