Good thoughts. Thank you for this thoughtful post. ____Maher's misconceptions may come in part from the common mistranslation of "dukha" as "suffering" or "pain." This leads to the incorrect conclusion that the Buddha meant life consists of nothing but outright pain. But that isn't what the Buddha taught. It also consists of initially pleasurable experiences that result in boredom or even suffering over time, such as food, iPhones, and James Cameron movies.

As far as why there's no scientific "proof of reincarnation" (the Buddhist concept is properly called "rebirth"), there is. Maher may want to take a look at the peer-reviewed scientific work that's been done on the subject by respected physicians, which has been ignored by the scientific community. Most notable is the work of Ian Stephenson, MD and most recently Jim Tucker MD, both from the University of Virgnia.

I'm not sure how significant the concept of rebirth really is for a lot of western Buddhists anyway. I think one can be a skillful Buddhist while being skeptical of the doctrine of rebirth.