MIDDLE AMERICA CALLING

So the Republicans want to pay for lower interest rates for student loans by taking money away from preventive health care (For women) and they want to give the military by taking money from women's  programs.

"The White House is threatening to veto a plan put forth by House Republicans to reduce student loan interest rates by pulling money from the Prevention and Public Health Fund, a funding stream set aside by the Affordable Care Act to support preventative health initiatives across the country." HP

"WASHINGTON -- The latest Republican plan to reconcile the budget and preserve defense spending extracts even deeper cuts from programs to help the poor and Americans still reeling from the recession." HP

Umm, they are so caring and so into the needs of American people-NOT!

Of course, then we have this:

Child Labor Farm Rules Scrapped By White House Under Political Pressure »

Dave Jamieson  |  April 27, 2012 at 10:16 AM  HP

MIDDLE AMERICA CALLING-ANYONE HOME? ANYWHERE? HELLO?

7 WAYS TO CHANGE PUBLIC POLICY DEBATE FOR 2012

 

In my previous blog I talked about how Wall Street is controlling public policy debate. So the question is, “What are the right questions to ask concerning the current state of American and world affairs?” Further, can we achieve greater independence on this Independence Day if we, the people control the discussions? Let’s change some of the fundamental questions and see how we get totally different answers.

1. How do we find more oil? This is the wrong question. When asked in this way we get, “drill baby drill.” Or, ease up regulations, open the Tundra, claim the Arctic so that when it melts we have first rights, etc. But if we ask, “How do we eliminate fossil fuels and base our lives and economies on ‘truly’ renewable and clean energy?” the discussion is totally changed.
2. How do we reduce the budget deficit? The simple answer, when asked this way, is to stop spending and pay back the debt. Unfortunately, unless you evaluate the effectiveness of programs, the result becomes a farce as the focus is on dollars and not effectiveness. But, if we ask, “What programs are worth keeping and what is the best way to improve the efficiencies, effectiveness and usefulness of those programs?” we now begin a discussion of substance and not dollars and sense.
3. How do we privatize health care and get government out of the insurance business? Easy, make people buy health care or go without. Instead, let’s ask, “What are the most effective, efficient and reasonable ways that we can provide for the health care of all citizens?” and the answer is different.
4. How do we eliminate illegal immigration? Not quite as easy but increase border patrol, deport all illegals and maybe even build a wall or two. Or, “How can we best integrate and reduce the negative impacts of illegal immigrants as well as control the rate of immigration?” Again, the nature of that debate is different from the first.
5. How do we reduce the size of government and get those bastards off our backs? The answer, for some, is to slash and burn government payrolls and make government business friendly. Perhaps we should ask, “What do we really want from our governments in this complex world and how do we get there?” You see, as we enter this new age we must revisit fundamental issues and really see where we want to go.
6. Aren’t our schools out of control and our kids getting dumber? Answer, fire the teachers and create charter schools. Okay, this is a major beef with me. Our public education system created the most powerful nation on earth. Yes, it had/has problems. But for some reason we decided to swamp the whole thing rather than fix the leaks. So the real question might be, “Why is our educational system in such turmoil and what can we do to correct it?” Changing times requires changing models, but clearly, all of the so called ‘innovations’ are not working. Time for a national discussion.
7. Aren’t scientists wrong about this whole climate change thing? Therefore, do nothing and it will all sort out. Wrong answer. The real question is, “How do we best help reduce the effects of environmental abuse, help end the 6^th great extinction, and prepare people for what is surely happening?”

I could keep going on but hopefully you get the point. The way the question is framed determines the debate and the answers. Too often of late we have allowed the very, very few and the well-to-do to ask the questions. Is it no wonder the world about us collapses while we are not even talking about the right issues? If, we, the people, start asking the politicians the right questions, maybe we can force them to get back on track and actually represent us for a change. Happy asking!

GENOCIDE BY OMISSION

Okay, maybe genocide is too strong of a word to use but you have to wonder. In Maine, LaPage has managed, in a day or two, to change the Health Care law. In essence, 28,000 mostly elderly and handicapped will no longer be eligible for Medicaid. Nationally, the Tea Party and other more conservative Republicans are on a vendetta against the elderly and the poor, promising to not approve deficit increases unless Medicare and medicaid are altered and funding reduced.

The bottom line, in my opinion, is that these people are trying to throw away, discard the elderly and lower income Americans. Many of these same people took America out from WW II to create a nation with the highest standard of living on the planet. They worked their asses off for America. Clearly, when these people bought insurance and paid their SS and health care, insurance companies and the government knew that one day these folks would retire and be in need of health care. They all took the money, but now they don't want to pay. We have placed Profit over caring, concern for the dollar over the integrity of human life.

This in not my America. We do not 'omit' whole segments of society so that insurance companies, oil companies and the rich can make more profit while the rest of the country languishes as they choose between food or medicine. We are engaged in the wrong debate. We should be talking about how we can ensure that all Americans live a life with dignity, free of concern over food, shelter and health. Why should only the politicians and the rich live the carefree life at the expense of those who have worked the factories, hauled the trash, built the roads, taught our kids and fought our wars. If this nation claims to be christian, you have fooled me. You want to steal the widows purses and then talk about free enterprise. Give me a break. Decisions we have made are already coming back to bite us in the but. If we decide to lose our humanity, I wonder what consequence that will bring!

PATIENTS BILL OF RIGHTS

PASSING THIS ALONG AS AN FYI FOR THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED!  The download is at the bottom.


It's been less than four months since President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act -- and, because of reform, about 1 million uninsured Americans are expected to receive coverage by next year. And that's just the start.

A new bill of rights for patients is starting to take effect, and the worst abuses of the insurance industry are coming to an end. As the President recently announced, the Patient's Bill of Rights will ban rescission of coverage, stop discrimination against children with pre-existing conditions, and place restrictions on annual limits.

This is an incredibly important first step for reform, and we need your help. We've put together an information sheet that breaks down exactly what the Patient's Bill of Rights does. To start spreading the word in your own community, print it out and pass it along to your friends, post in your local coffee shop and grocery store, or bring it along with you when going door-to-door.

There are those who still aren't sure about health reform, but as the law takes effect, we have a new opportunity to convince the skeptics. OFA supporters are the very best communicators and organizers in communities all across the county -- you can bring the debate out of D.C. and into your town, and this information sheet is a great tool we believe will help.

The Affordable Care Act works to put consumers back in charge of their health coverage and care. And because of the Patient's Bill of Rights, Americans can know that their insurance will be there when they need it most.

The more information sheets we put in visible places, the stronger the message we'll send about our support for health reform and President Obama. Share it with your friends. Mail it to your family members. If you're a medical professional, post it in your office or waiting room. Be creative -- anything you do will be a huge help in making sure Americans understand what the new law does for them.

Will you help us make the case for change? Download your information sheet and share the Patient's Bill of Rights with five friends today:

http://my.barackobama.com/patientsbillofrights

“Starting in September, some of the worst abuses will be banned forever. No more discriminating against children with pre-existing conditions. No more retroactively dropping somebody’s policy when they get sick if they made an unintentional mistake on an application. No more lifetime limits or restrictive annual limits on coverage. Those days are over.” – PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

President Obama announced a Patient’s Bill of Rights made possible under health reform—a basic set of consumer protections that end some of the health insurance companies’ worst abuses.
The Patient’s Bill of Rights:
•    1. Prevents insurance companies from canceling your policy if you get sick. Right now, insurance companies can retroactively cancel your policy when you become sick if you or your employer made an unintentional mistake on your paperwork.
•    2. Stops insurance companies from denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions. Beginning in September, discrimination against children with pre-existing conditions will be banned—a protection that will be extended to all Americans in 2014.
•    3. Prohibits setting lifetime limits on insurance policies issued or renewed after Sept. 23, 2010. No longer will insurance companies be able to take away coverage at the very moment when patients need it most. More than 100 million Americans have health coverage that imposes lifetime limits on care.
•    4. Phases out annual dollar limits on coverage over the next three years. Even more aggressive than lifetime limits are annual dollar limits on what an insurance company will pay for your health care. For the people with medical costs that hit these limits, the consequences can be devastating.
•    5. Allows you to designate any available participating primary care doctor as your provider. You’ll be able to keep the primary care doctor or pediatrician you choose, and see an OB-GYN without referral.
•    6. Removes insurance company barriers to receiving emergency care and prevents them from charging you more because you’re out of network. You’ll be able to get emergency care at a hospital outside of your plan’s network without facing higher co-pays or deductibles or having to fight to get approval first.
The Patient’s Bill of Rights starts to take effect this fall—but the benefits for individuals and families under health care reform don’t stop there. Over the course of the next several years, the historic health reform law will make care more affordable, hold insurers accountable, and finally give all Americans the coverage they deserve.

To learn more about what’s in the health care reform bill, please visit:
WHITEHOUSE.GOV

SPECIAL INTERESTS AND THE "STATE OF CONFUSION"

Perhaps the best way to defeat an opponent or to throw them off track is to create a state of confusion. It is a tactic that has been used since the beginning of civilization by religious leaders, political tyrants, politicians, corporations, political parties and just about any organized group seeking to further its own ends. In the time of Jesus, religious orthodoxy confused the people and the Romans by claiming that Jesus said that he was God. In World War I the Germans thought to confuse the allies by attacking France via Belgium. In World War II great efforts were made to convince the Nazis that the invasion would not occur at Normandy. Today, it is clear that corporations and special interests seek to confuse the public on a host of issues that they simply do not want to be addresses.

What is the best way to derail health care reform? Easy, claim that the proponents of such reform will take away benefits from the burgeoning ranks of senior citizens. Add to that a pinch of government death committees, claims of higher costs and lack of choice and the average person will shy back from any meaningful reform. Of course, such claims do not have to be true; they just need to make the headlines which are more than ready to accommodate sensationalists’ claims.

How about global warming and climate change? It is clear that special interests, the oil industry in particular, do not want to change their business and profit as usual method of operation. With ever mounting evidence that the planet is facing some kind of major change, the best strategy is to confuse the public, and even politicians, by condemning the data. Find one flaw, like the Himalayan glacial rate of melt, and then argue that all of the climate change data is wrong and suspect. Throw in a southern snow storm and one can easily argue, “See, the planet is getting cooler, not warmer.” It is like poor Johnny who gets one answer wrong on his test so the teacher assumes that all of the answers must be suspect also. Despite clear and irrefutable data and on–the-ground observations, corporations have managed to create an air of skepticism around any climate change or warning trend. They have managed to throw into the background any headline about all of the glaciers that are rapidly melting, loss of major water supplies, severity of storms and droughts, rising sea temperatures (December was the highest sea temperature on record), ocean acidification, crop failures, rising sea levels (even in Rhode Island and Florida), and growing climate chaos. By pointing to a couple of years of cool weather, they have managed to take any attention away from a temperature line that is still going up and up. Oh, did I mention the Northwest Passage and ice free arctic waters?

What about the economy? Moneyed interests have managed to steal billions of dollars from the public, make record high profits, pay ludicrous bonuses, foreclose on millions of homes, increase profits by not re-hiring and then getting away with putting holds on regulatory reform or any legislation that is geared to protecting the consumer. How do they manage this? Simply put, by confusing the issues. They claim that Obama is not creating jobs (How many people can he hire at the White House anyway?), his policies are anti-business and job growth (Of course they have no problem taking the billions for their own purposes), regulation would destroy the free market (What free market?), and that if you want the best, you’ve got to pay. Of course, it is the “best and the brightest” that created the economic mess in the first place.

The best part of “confusion” as a strategy is that what you say does not have to be true. You do not need supporting facts and figures. You do not have to justify your claims to the public or the politicians. You do not even really have to lie. All that is required is that you create skepticism and uncertainty. These conditions grind the decision making process to a halt. Few politicians will support a worthy and valid cause if, by some chance, they may be blamed if the cause becomes faulty. If you can create the question, “What if you are wrong,” then you have succeeded in toppling or paralyzing your opponent. It is easy to convince others to “take it slow,” and to be cautious, particularly if votes are involved.

The “State of Confusion” is a wonderful place for special interests. By raising the specter of possible error, such interests can achieve their goals and spend very little doing so. They can fund a study, put a scientist on the payroll, give a grant to a medical institution, or bankroll an economist to create doubt and inaction. One would think that with all of the information that is available, people could see through the smokescreen. Although, special interests can even flood the internet with confusing information. Perhaps if time was of no concern, this would not be as big an issue. But time lost means jobs lost, lives lost and a climate that might have a hard time supporting human habitation. Tick, tock. So how confused are you?

200 DAYS

Following the election, President Obama was hailed as a savior by some, and a devil by others. Those on the political left hailed his election as a victory for peace, tolerance and the end of worn out dogma. Those on the right shuddered in their three piece suits and cried that this was certainly the End Times.

Critics of his first 200 days say that he has failed to achieve anything except driving the nation deeper into debt. He has not achieved consensus on health care, climate change legislation or our true role in Afghanistan and has put having a beer before the crucial issues facing our nation.

There are apologists on the left who blame the right for any failures and delays and who claim that any financial concerns are merely a holdover from the eight years of the Bush administration. If we have learned anything from our political history, it should be that truth is rarely found in the right or the left. For that matter, it is not even found in the middle, as that seat on the political spectrum is the result of compromise, where bits of truth come together to form a consensus which is merely a place of acceptance, not one of truth. Each side gets a little, but the solution is not necessarily the right thing to do, it is the expedient thing to do.
Have President Obama's first 200 days been a success, despite political failures? My answer is yes. Not because all kinds of new and progressive legislation has been passed; not because we are now at peace in the Middle East; and not because our budget has been balanced. It is a success because we are now talking about the crucial issues that affect our nation and the world. We are talking about climate change, health care reform, education reform, and about others ways to solve political tensions, other than by use our military might. We are thinking about new ways to do things, new approaches to pressing issues, and new solutions outside the old political boxes. To me, this is encouraging.

As a Republican, I voted for Mr. Obama. The old ways were crumbling and doing business as usual was no longer acceptable. There was little chance for dialogue, and information that was crucial for decision-making was fabricated or suppressed. Shoot first and ask questions later were no longer an option. Our nation and our planet is at the edge. The decisions we make now will determine if we rise or fall. The real issue is not have we passed programs in 200 days, it is that we are trying to solve the issues and not hide them in some CIA vault. The remaining problem is that we cannot talk about solutions forever. Decisions must be made now. We know that the ways of the past were a failure. Politicians from both sides of the aisle must now come together and decide. If Obama fails, we all fail!

A TIME TO RANT

Time to rant a little!
Why is it that Congress can give banks $800 billion in only a few days but then take months to help people get health care? Our insurance is through my job. However, I will have to work 8 years beyond my retirement age to keep my wife insured-she is 8 years younger. I will have to wait until she can get medicare. Sorry, that is wrong. We can give OUR money to banks, who then give out bonuses but we can't provide an alternate insurance program that ensures all are covered? I am not an avid supporter of big government, but health care is not an option.

We have totally blown our chance to alter climate shift. It is always about money. Yup, some inroads are being made but it is too slow and too little. Who cares about why, the fact is that it is happening now. get off the blame kick and get to work at solutions-now. WE DO NOT have 30 years! The tipping point has or is near being reached. My God people, put the money into clean energy now and create millions of jobs. It is bs that it cannot be done. There are now climate refugees. What will happen in a couple of years? Are we planning for the disaster? Well, if Katrina is any indication, you best be relying on yourself. When it hits, it will hit hard and fast.

Israel need to back off this whole settlement thing. Perhaps the divisions are so deep there will never be peace-but we will not know unless Israel ends the West bank issue and stops new settlements. if that does not help, then the terrorists will be exposed for what they are and we can think again.

North Korea-shut them down.
Iran-power to the people!

if you think that the economy is getting better, think again. We have just seen the tip of the iceberg. It has a fundamental flaw that money will just not fix. We can no longer rely on wasteful consumer spending and it will never-good thing-go back the way it was.

These are just a few rants on topics that have been eating at the mind. Be prepared, the rough ride has not even started yet.