Another mass shooting…
This time 3 dead 16 injured…
Another mental health patient brandishing a legally owned firearm…
How did this happen?
Surely the question is rhetorical…
Why would it not?
What have we done since the last mass shooting to keep it from happening?
Or the one before that…
Or the one before that…
What have we done to curb gun violence in this country?
What have we done to address the mental health issues that plague our society?
What have we done to make certain this horror never happens again?
Nothing!
The carnage is tragic…heartbreaking!
The event itself has become commonplace.
Brace yourselves!
It will happen again!
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Transparency Is The Key!
Money is speech!
That is the message the Supreme Court delivered with yesterday’s ruling on campaign contributions.
In a 5-4 decision the Court maintained the $2,600 limit an individual can give to a federal candidate in each primary and general election as well as the $32,200 limit a donor can give to a national committee. But the Court struck down the $123,200 cap on contributions that an individual can give to all federal candidates, parties and political action committees over a two year period.
Translation…the limited amount of money that an individual can donate to a particular candidate remains in place. However the donor is now free to donate to as many candidates as he/she chooses.
Chief Justice Roberts, writing for the majority, said that maintaining “limits on each contribution helps to prevent corruption, but limits on the number of donations must give way to basic First Amendment rights”
Writing for the minority, Justice Breyer expressed the concerns of those who see the ruling as paving the way for millionaires and billionaires to buy elections. “If Citizens United opened a door” Breyer wrote, “today’s decision, we fear, opened a floodgate.”
Liberals and left leaning pundits reacted to the ruling with typical “Hair on Fire” fervor; predicting once again the end of our democracy.
Calm down!
This is really no big deal.
First…money is like water. It will always find a way to its intended target. There is not a restriction or limitation on the books that will keep a donor’s money from getting to whomever it was intended.
Second…The emotional protestations from the left that the mega corporate donors on the right are going to use their deep pockets to buy elections, are disingenuous at best. Democrats have mega donors too! In fact Democrats have out raised Republicans by a large margin in the previous four election cycles.
Personally, we don’t care how much an individual or corporation donates. What we want is transparency. Let’s make all donations a matter of public record. Scan the checks and post them online. Let’s see just exactly where a candidate is getting his/her money. Let’s see who will have their ear if they get elected. Then we can decide if we want to give them our vote.
We are never going to stop the flow of money in politics. So let’s see where the money comes from.
Transparency is the key!
That is the message the Supreme Court delivered with yesterday’s ruling on campaign contributions.
In a 5-4 decision the Court maintained the $2,600 limit an individual can give to a federal candidate in each primary and general election as well as the $32,200 limit a donor can give to a national committee. But the Court struck down the $123,200 cap on contributions that an individual can give to all federal candidates, parties and political action committees over a two year period.
Translation…the limited amount of money that an individual can donate to a particular candidate remains in place. However the donor is now free to donate to as many candidates as he/she chooses.
Chief Justice Roberts, writing for the majority, said that maintaining “limits on each contribution helps to prevent corruption, but limits on the number of donations must give way to basic First Amendment rights”
Writing for the minority, Justice Breyer expressed the concerns of those who see the ruling as paving the way for millionaires and billionaires to buy elections. “If Citizens United opened a door” Breyer wrote, “today’s decision, we fear, opened a floodgate.”
Liberals and left leaning pundits reacted to the ruling with typical “Hair on Fire” fervor; predicting once again the end of our democracy.
Calm down!
This is really no big deal.
First…money is like water. It will always find a way to its intended target. There is not a restriction or limitation on the books that will keep a donor’s money from getting to whomever it was intended.
Second…The emotional protestations from the left that the mega corporate donors on the right are going to use their deep pockets to buy elections, are disingenuous at best. Democrats have mega donors too! In fact Democrats have out raised Republicans by a large margin in the previous four election cycles.
Personally, we don’t care how much an individual or corporation donates. What we want is transparency. Let’s make all donations a matter of public record. Scan the checks and post them online. Let’s see just exactly where a candidate is getting his/her money. Let’s see who will have their ear if they get elected. Then we can decide if we want to give them our vote.
We are never going to stop the flow of money in politics. So let’s see where the money comes from.
Transparency is the key!
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Reckless & Reprehensible
Over the past several months opponents of the Affordable Care Act have released a lot of misinformation and half truths designed to bring the law to its knees. Accusations of death panels, rationed care, record rate increases and the end of our democracy are but a few of the most common. But the attack that we found the most disturbing is their concerted effort to bring about the demise of the ACA by exposing the youth of this country to a medical and financial disaster.
Healthy young adults share a common bond of invincibility. Their entire future lies at their feet. The only question in their minds is how successful they will be in the decades to come. Illness and disease are intangibles to be addressed somewhere down the road. They would rather spend their limited resources on rent, a nice car or a night out on the town than protect themselves from events that only happen to old people.
Republicans are well aware of this mindset. They are also well aware that enrollment of healthy 18-34 year old adults is crucial to the success of the ACA. So Republicans embarked on an organized campaign designed to discourage the youth of America from enrolling in the ACA.
For the past several months the talking heads on FOXNEWS have encouraged young adults NOT to enroll in the ACA. The Koch Brothers spent tens of millions on radio and television ads carrying the same message. Republicans in congress repeated talking points ad nauseam. The message was clear… “Obamacare is certain to be repealed. Why waste your money on something you don’t need.”
Health care and health insurance are expensive. They are expensive in part because people use them. Unless your last breath is brought about by a sudden heart attack or accidental event the odds are that you WILL need access to health care at some point in your life. And when you do it won’t be cheap. One unplanned visit to the ER can bring a bright financial future to an end. Republicans are well aware of these facts. Yet they continue to perpetrate the myth that young adults need not concern themselves about enrolling in the ACA.
The ACA has been vetted by the Supreme Court. It has been vetted by a majority of Americans who elected Obama to a second term. Americans, by a wide margin, have made it clear that they don’t want the ACA repealed. They want it fixed. Yet Republicans continue to beat the drum for repeal. Even today, as the president celebrates the enrollment of 7.1 million Americans into the ACA, Republican Budget Chairman Paul Ryan will present is budget plan on the floor of the House. His budget will call for the repeal of the law.
We are all entitled to our opinions. Debate is good. It lies at the foundation of our democracy. Republicans have every right to continue to push for the repeal of the ACA.
But taking advantage of the immaturity of our youth…encouraging them to act in a manner that exposes them to the real possibility of financial ruin…all in order to score a political victory…is both reckless and reprehensible.
Healthy young adults share a common bond of invincibility. Their entire future lies at their feet. The only question in their minds is how successful they will be in the decades to come. Illness and disease are intangibles to be addressed somewhere down the road. They would rather spend their limited resources on rent, a nice car or a night out on the town than protect themselves from events that only happen to old people.
Republicans are well aware of this mindset. They are also well aware that enrollment of healthy 18-34 year old adults is crucial to the success of the ACA. So Republicans embarked on an organized campaign designed to discourage the youth of America from enrolling in the ACA.
For the past several months the talking heads on FOXNEWS have encouraged young adults NOT to enroll in the ACA. The Koch Brothers spent tens of millions on radio and television ads carrying the same message. Republicans in congress repeated talking points ad nauseam. The message was clear… “Obamacare is certain to be repealed. Why waste your money on something you don’t need.”
Health care and health insurance are expensive. They are expensive in part because people use them. Unless your last breath is brought about by a sudden heart attack or accidental event the odds are that you WILL need access to health care at some point in your life. And when you do it won’t be cheap. One unplanned visit to the ER can bring a bright financial future to an end. Republicans are well aware of these facts. Yet they continue to perpetrate the myth that young adults need not concern themselves about enrolling in the ACA.
The ACA has been vetted by the Supreme Court. It has been vetted by a majority of Americans who elected Obama to a second term. Americans, by a wide margin, have made it clear that they don’t want the ACA repealed. They want it fixed. Yet Republicans continue to beat the drum for repeal. Even today, as the president celebrates the enrollment of 7.1 million Americans into the ACA, Republican Budget Chairman Paul Ryan will present is budget plan on the floor of the House. His budget will call for the repeal of the law.
We are all entitled to our opinions. Debate is good. It lies at the foundation of our democracy. Republicans have every right to continue to push for the repeal of the ACA.
But taking advantage of the immaturity of our youth…encouraging them to act in a manner that exposes them to the real possibility of financial ruin…all in order to score a political victory…is both reckless and reprehensible.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
A Lot To Crow About
7,000,000 and counting!
Facing a midnight deadline for open enrollment under the ACA the Obama administration proudly announced that they have reached their goal of 7,000,000 enrollees. That is quite a feat given the horrible rollout of the ACA website and the constant criticism from the naysayers on the right.
Even as millions of Americans let out a sigh of relief that knowing that they no longer had to fear going broke just because they got sick, critics on the right refused to give the president a win. “It’s really not much to crow about” said Marsha Blackburn (Rep.-TN).
Ok! How about this…
The Los Angeles Times reports that according to a new survey conducted by the non-profit Rand Corporation:
-"The Affordable Care Act represents the largest expansion of health care coverage since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965."
-“At least 6 million people have signed up for coverage in the new marketplaces…one third of which were previously uninsured.”
-“4.5 previously uninsured individuals have signed up for coverage under state run Medicaid programs.” (These numbers would be significantly higher if not for the refusal 14 Republican governors to accept Medicaid expansion in their states. Tis better to allow your constituents to risk bankruptcy than to hand the president a political victory.”)
-“3 million young adults have taken advantage of the law’s provision that allows dependent children to stay on their parents’ policy until they reach the age of 26.”
-“9 million Americans have purchased coverage directly from health insurance companies instead of using the new marketplaces.”
-“Less than one million people who had health plans in 2013 are now uninsured because their plans were cancelled for not complying with the new standards set by the law.”
-“The share of adults ages 18-24 without health insurance has declined from 20.9% last fall to 16.6% as of March 22.”
According to the National Statistics Group, health care spending grew by 3.7% in 2012; the lowest rate of growth in the past decade. It marked the first time that health care spending grew at a slower rate that the economy.
The stated goals of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are: “to insure that all Americans have access to affordable quality health care…create transformation within the health care system to contain costs…provide coverage for more than 94% of Americans…bending the health care cost curve…and reducing the deficit over the next ten years and beyond.”
Based on the numbers…it would appear that the administration has a great deal to crow about.
We have noted that there is still a long way to go to smooth out all the rough edges in this law. But no matter what the future may hold this much is certain.
President Barak Obama is the first president willing to stake his presidency and his legacy on tackling the health care crisis in this country.
For that he should be applauded…not vilified.
Facing a midnight deadline for open enrollment under the ACA the Obama administration proudly announced that they have reached their goal of 7,000,000 enrollees. That is quite a feat given the horrible rollout of the ACA website and the constant criticism from the naysayers on the right.
Even as millions of Americans let out a sigh of relief that knowing that they no longer had to fear going broke just because they got sick, critics on the right refused to give the president a win. “It’s really not much to crow about” said Marsha Blackburn (Rep.-TN).
Ok! How about this…
The Los Angeles Times reports that according to a new survey conducted by the non-profit Rand Corporation:
-"The Affordable Care Act represents the largest expansion of health care coverage since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965."
-“At least 6 million people have signed up for coverage in the new marketplaces…one third of which were previously uninsured.”
-“4.5 previously uninsured individuals have signed up for coverage under state run Medicaid programs.” (These numbers would be significantly higher if not for the refusal 14 Republican governors to accept Medicaid expansion in their states. Tis better to allow your constituents to risk bankruptcy than to hand the president a political victory.”)
-“3 million young adults have taken advantage of the law’s provision that allows dependent children to stay on their parents’ policy until they reach the age of 26.”
-“9 million Americans have purchased coverage directly from health insurance companies instead of using the new marketplaces.”
-“Less than one million people who had health plans in 2013 are now uninsured because their plans were cancelled for not complying with the new standards set by the law.”
-“The share of adults ages 18-24 without health insurance has declined from 20.9% last fall to 16.6% as of March 22.”
According to the National Statistics Group, health care spending grew by 3.7% in 2012; the lowest rate of growth in the past decade. It marked the first time that health care spending grew at a slower rate that the economy.
The stated goals of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are: “to insure that all Americans have access to affordable quality health care…create transformation within the health care system to contain costs…provide coverage for more than 94% of Americans…bending the health care cost curve…and reducing the deficit over the next ten years and beyond.”
Based on the numbers…it would appear that the administration has a great deal to crow about.
We have noted that there is still a long way to go to smooth out all the rough edges in this law. But no matter what the future may hold this much is certain.
President Barak Obama is the first president willing to stake his presidency and his legacy on tackling the health care crisis in this country.
For that he should be applauded…not vilified.
Monday, March 31, 2014
D-Day For The ACA
T-1 and counting!
The countdown to enroll in health insurance under the Affordable Care Act is winding down. Open enrollment ends midnight tonight. Those who fail to enroll will face a tax/fine when they pay their federal taxes next year.
As expected the ACA is experiencing a surge of activity in the final hours. This past weekend the call center handled a record 2.5 million calls. The website recorded over 9 million hits in the month of March leaving little doubt that the interest is there. We may have number of deficiencies as a nation…but we have made procrastination into an art form.
Naturally critics of the president’s signature piece of legislation weighed in. “They’re cooking the books.” Senator John Barrosso (R-WY.) protested; failing to produce any evidence to back his claim. Others warned of double digit rate increases and sketchy policy terms. False claims and fear mongering…that’s what you do when you don’t have a viable plan of your own.
Tonight’s deadline is just another in a series of hurdles that the ACA will face. Rates will go up temporarily as insurance companies adjust to the new terms and conditions. More people will lose their current plan. Some people will have to find a different doctor. And there will still be tens of millions of Americans without coverage. There will be more bumps in the road. That much is certain.
What is also certain is that while the plan is flawed it’s not going anywhere. Those who call for its repeal are baying at the moon. There will certainly be modifications. But the ACA is here to stay.
The countdown to enroll in health insurance under the Affordable Care Act is winding down. Open enrollment ends midnight tonight. Those who fail to enroll will face a tax/fine when they pay their federal taxes next year.
As expected the ACA is experiencing a surge of activity in the final hours. This past weekend the call center handled a record 2.5 million calls. The website recorded over 9 million hits in the month of March leaving little doubt that the interest is there. We may have number of deficiencies as a nation…but we have made procrastination into an art form.
Naturally critics of the president’s signature piece of legislation weighed in. “They’re cooking the books.” Senator John Barrosso (R-WY.) protested; failing to produce any evidence to back his claim. Others warned of double digit rate increases and sketchy policy terms. False claims and fear mongering…that’s what you do when you don’t have a viable plan of your own.
Tonight’s deadline is just another in a series of hurdles that the ACA will face. Rates will go up temporarily as insurance companies adjust to the new terms and conditions. More people will lose their current plan. Some people will have to find a different doctor. And there will still be tens of millions of Americans without coverage. There will be more bumps in the road. That much is certain.
What is also certain is that while the plan is flawed it’s not going anywhere. Those who call for its repeal are baying at the moon. There will certainly be modifications. But the ACA is here to stay.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Putting The Genie Back Into The Bottle
President Obama has finally weighed in on the National Security Agency’s bulk collection and storage of Americans’ phone calls.
Under the president’s proposal, the NSA must obtain a judge’s approval before extracting information from a phone company’s database. The records in question would be held by private phone companies. The NSA would no longer be permitted to randomly cast a communications net over millions of phone records without probable cause.
Critics say that his proposal would hamper the NSA’s ability to thwart terrorist plots against US interests. They say that these bulk collections have provided valuable information that has enabled the intelligence agencies to keep Americans safe.
There is no “right” or “wrong” here.
Americans do not want to live in a police state where the government has unfettered access to their personal business. They want to move about freely without their every move falling under the gaze of prying eyes. Americans take their right of privacy very seriously.
That is until a bomb goes off in their office building or at the Boston Marathon.
Then they become outraged that the government failed to keep them safe.
On the other hand to believe that a government with access to a treasure trove of personal information can always be trusted to follow the letter of the law as respects an individual’s rights of privacy is pure folly.
Keeping the country safe while respecting all of the protections afforded us under the constitution is a very difficult proposition. In the aftermath of 9/11 the country wanted the government to err on the side of security. The Patriot Act was born and a genie bearing wire taps computer hacks was unleashed. Now that the horror of that day has faded we want our privacy back.
The president is trying to put the genie back in the bottle.
That will work...until the next terrorist successfully completes his mission.
Under the president’s proposal, the NSA must obtain a judge’s approval before extracting information from a phone company’s database. The records in question would be held by private phone companies. The NSA would no longer be permitted to randomly cast a communications net over millions of phone records without probable cause.
Critics say that his proposal would hamper the NSA’s ability to thwart terrorist plots against US interests. They say that these bulk collections have provided valuable information that has enabled the intelligence agencies to keep Americans safe.
There is no “right” or “wrong” here.
Americans do not want to live in a police state where the government has unfettered access to their personal business. They want to move about freely without their every move falling under the gaze of prying eyes. Americans take their right of privacy very seriously.
That is until a bomb goes off in their office building or at the Boston Marathon.
Then they become outraged that the government failed to keep them safe.
On the other hand to believe that a government with access to a treasure trove of personal information can always be trusted to follow the letter of the law as respects an individual’s rights of privacy is pure folly.
Keeping the country safe while respecting all of the protections afforded us under the constitution is a very difficult proposition. In the aftermath of 9/11 the country wanted the government to err on the side of security. The Patriot Act was born and a genie bearing wire taps computer hacks was unleashed. Now that the horror of that day has faded we want our privacy back.
The president is trying to put the genie back in the bottle.
That will work...until the next terrorist successfully completes his mission.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Missing The Point
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today on whether employers have the right to refuse to provide coverage for certain types of contraceptives in their health plans if providing the coverage violates the employer’s religious beliefs.
Under the current health care law, employers are required to provide health plans that include at no extra charge all forms of birth control for women that have been approved by federal regulations. While a number of family owned companies have sued over providing ALL forms of birth control, the plaintiffs in the Supreme Court case are willing to provide coverage for most forms of contraception. Their objection pertains to those drugs or devices that work after the egg has been fertilized.
The Court’s ruling will have wide ranging implications far beyond a women’s right to access affordable health care. A ruling in favor of the plaintiff opens the door for a wide range of faith based challenges to individual freedoms. Does an employer have the right to refuse employment to a gay individual on the basis of the employer’s religious beliefs? Can a Jewish business owner refuse to hire or serve a Muslim? Can a male Muslim business owner refuse to hire or serve a woman deemed inferior under the tenants of the Koran? The list goes on!
Sadly this entire debate will fail to address one of the basic flaws in our health care system… the fact that it is primarily an employment based system.
Health care decisions should be made by the individual not the individual’s employer. Health care is personal. Decisions about health care and coverage should be based on one’s personal health situation and influenced only by factors that the individual deems important.
There will be a lot of discussion over the impact of Court’s ruling in the weeks and months to come.
Unfortunately the discussion will have missed the most salient point of the health care debate.
Under the current health care law, employers are required to provide health plans that include at no extra charge all forms of birth control for women that have been approved by federal regulations. While a number of family owned companies have sued over providing ALL forms of birth control, the plaintiffs in the Supreme Court case are willing to provide coverage for most forms of contraception. Their objection pertains to those drugs or devices that work after the egg has been fertilized.
The Court’s ruling will have wide ranging implications far beyond a women’s right to access affordable health care. A ruling in favor of the plaintiff opens the door for a wide range of faith based challenges to individual freedoms. Does an employer have the right to refuse employment to a gay individual on the basis of the employer’s religious beliefs? Can a Jewish business owner refuse to hire or serve a Muslim? Can a male Muslim business owner refuse to hire or serve a woman deemed inferior under the tenants of the Koran? The list goes on!
Sadly this entire debate will fail to address one of the basic flaws in our health care system… the fact that it is primarily an employment based system.
Health care decisions should be made by the individual not the individual’s employer. Health care is personal. Decisions about health care and coverage should be based on one’s personal health situation and influenced only by factors that the individual deems important.
There will be a lot of discussion over the impact of Court’s ruling in the weeks and months to come.
Unfortunately the discussion will have missed the most salient point of the health care debate.
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