About Health Insurance: Did You Know?

Did you know that those of our fellow citizens with pre-existing medical conditions can get health coverage if their employer provides it, but can't purchase it on their own? As the parent of three grown children, two of whom have a lifelong pre-existing condition, I have recently discovered that they cannot obtain coverage AT ANY PRICE, unless they are employed by a company that offers it. Wonderful. So why is this? Because the employer gets a nice tax deduction, in exchange for offering an insurance plan that is available to all comers. The rules are laid down by the federal government. If not for this government intervention, no one with any past or present health issues would have any insurance at all. The point is, extensive government intervention is the only thing that makes our teetering health care system work at all. An unregulated free market just won't cure what ails it.

And did you know that your private insurance policy that you love so much probably has a lifetime cap? Go ahead, look it up. How quickly will you exceed that amount if you are in a major car accident, or get cancer, or have a heart attack?

Our system needs major surgery, and soon. I would prefer universal single payer, but if not that, a robust public option that doesn't leave out those who need medical care the most is the next best thing. Join me in supporting President Obama and progressive Democrats in their efforts to reform health care against the powerful corporate interests that control our medical future.

Won't you come up and look at my etchings?

OK, they're not really etchings, they are pencil portraits, and you can see them on my new website! I have been drawing portraits for over twenty years, and have finally put them on a website for all to see. Do stop by and let me know what you think!

Keeping Your Enemies Closer

Sen. John Ensign, R-Nevada, told CNN Sunday it was "irresponsible" for President Obama to been seen "laughing and joking" with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at the Summit of the Americas on Friday. Newt Gingrich, on the Today show this morning, criticizing Obama's smiling and shaking hands with Chavez, stated when asked about the United States' relations with dictators in the past: "...we didn't rush over, smile and greet Russian dictators.." Oh, really? Let's see about that.

A Day in the Life of Joe Middle-Class Republican

by John Gray
(slightly updated by me--originally posted on michaelmoore.com in 2004.)

Joe gets up at 6:00am to prepare his morning coffee. He fills his pot full of good clean drinking water because some liberal fought for minimum water quality standards. He takes his daily medication with his first swallow of coffee. His medications are safe to take because some liberal fought to insure their safety and that they work as advertised.

All but $10.00 of his medications are paid for by his employer's medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance, so now Joe gets it too. He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs this day. Joe’s bacon is safe to eat because some liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.

Joe takes his morning shower reaching for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with every ingredient and the amount of its contents because some liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contains. Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some tree-hugging liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air. He walks to the subway station for his government subsidized ride to work; it saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees. You see, some liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.

Joe begins his work day; he has a good job with excellent pay, medicals benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe’s employer pays these standards because Joe’s employer doesn’t want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed he’ll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some liberal didn’t think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.

It's noon time; Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe’s deposit is federally insured by the FDIC because some liberal wanted to protect Joe’s money from the kind of unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the depression.

Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some stupid liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his lifetime.

Joe is home from work; he plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive to dad's; his car is among the safest in the world because some liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home. He was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers Home Administration because bankers didn’t want to make rural loans. The house didn’t have electricity until some big government liberal stuck his nose where it didn’t belong and demanded rural electrification. (Those rural Republicans would still be sitting in the dark.)

He is happy to see his dad who is now retired. His dad lives on Social Security and his union pension because some liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn’t have to. After his visit with dad he gets back in his car for the ride home.

He turns on a radio talk show; the host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. (He doesn’t tell Joe that his beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day.) Joe agrees, “We don’t need those big government liberals ruining our lives; after all, I’m a self-made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have."

The Shoemaker and the Pre-Existing Condition

Most of us older folks know the tale of the shoemaker, who was so busy making shoes for others that his own children went shoeless. I was reminded of him when I read this today:

"Kaiser Permanente Chairman and CEO George Halverson says frankly: 'I could not get insurance. I've had heart surgery, and so I am completely uninsurable in the private market. So it's important that I keep my job.' "

No further comment necessary. We need wholesale health care reform, and we need it NOW. Let your representatives know that you won't take no for an answer.

Life in Africa USA was formed in 2008 for the purpose of raising funds in the United States to support the efforts of the Life in Africa Foundation based in Uganda. One of Life in Africa's programs in Uganda helps provide school fees for orphans, who otherwise would not be able to attend school, as education is not provided free of charge as it is here in the U.S.

For more information, go to LifeInAfrica.com.

A First for Women

Obama has signed his first bill: the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act. Hey, it's 2009, I think it's about time, don't you? If you Google it you can read all about it, but here I will just quote a few exerpts from Obama's statement about the bill:

"It is fitting that with the very first bill I sign - the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act - we are upholding one of this nation's first principles: that we are all created equal and each deserve a chance to pursue our own version of happiness.

"It is also fitting that we are joined today by the woman after whom this bill is named - someone Michelle and I have had the privilege of getting to know for ourselves. Lilly Ledbetter didn't set out to be a trailblazer or a household name. She was just a good hard worker who did her job - and did it well - for nearly two decades before discovering that for years, she was paid less than her male colleagues for the very same work. Over the course of her career, she lost more than $200,000 in salary, and even more in pension and Social Security benefits - losses she still feels today.

"But equal pay is by no means just a women's issue - it's a family issue. It's about parents who find themselves with less money for tuition or child care; couples who wind up with less to retire on; households where, when one breadwinner is paid less than she deserves, that's the difference between affording the mortgage - or not; between keeping the heat on, or paying the doctor's bills - or not. And in this economy, when so many folks are already working harder for less and struggling to get by, the last thing they can afford is losing part of each month's paycheck to simple discrimination.

"So in signing this bill today, I intend to send a clear message: That making our economy work means making sure it works for everyone...."

Again, more change we can all believe in. Your thoughts?

OK, here's the deal

"Leading economists indicate that an economic investment bill would create more economic growth than the bill itself costs. For every $1 billion invested in transportation infrastructure, the U.S. creates 35,000 jobs and up to $6 billion in gross domestic product. Every $1 spent on food stamp benefits generates $1.73 in economic activity. Every $1 spent on unemployment benefits generates $1.64 in new economic demand. Every $1 in general aid to state government generates $1.36 in economic activity."

That's according to: Dr. J. Steven Landefeld, Director of the Bureau of Economic Analysis at the U. S. Department of Commerce; Dr. Nouriel Roubini, Professor of Economics and International Business at New York University; Dr. Simon Johnson, Professor of Entrepreneurship at MIT; and Dr. Richard Vedder, Distinguished Professor of Economics at Ohio University and Visiting Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. http://www.house.gov/list/press/ny22_hinchey/morenews/102908HincheyJECHearing.html

Obama is trying to get an economic stimulus package passed, and all the Republicans are running around saying the same thing they have been saying for eight years: tax cuts tax cuts tax cuts! Ummmm, I think we tried that and it DIDN'T WORK!

You have to spend money to make money. Obama won the election, in a crystal clear referendum on Republican economic policies. Give him a chance to do what we elected him to do.

Oh, the Joy

He's closing Guantanamo, rejecting torture and restricting lobbying, making his administration transparent, and limiting his staff's salaries. And that's just the first two days! What's not to like? I am really having trouble expressing the joy I am feeling that things are turning around. Finally the rule of law will be restored. Finally I can feel pride instead of embarrassment when the President speaks. It feels like a tall cool drink after eight years wandering in the wilderness.

Please share your thoughts! And here's to looking forward to the future of our beloved country once again!

My Letter to Bush

Karl Rove went on Twitter last week and asked for farewell letters to Bush. I could not resist. I decided to make it short.

"Dear Mr. Bush,

When you were "elected" eight years ago, I wept. But over the next few weeks I hoped and prayed that you would surround yourself with wise advisers who would guide you away from the far-right agenda that I was so fearful of. Unfortunately, your actions revealed that you value loyalty over competence, partisanship over wisdom, and ideology over intellect. The consequences were far more tragic than even my greatest fears. You have decimated this great nation that I love. I hope that God will forgive you. I am not sure that I can.

The only silver lining is that your ruinous policies have directly resulted in the election of Barack Obama. I am not at all certain that he will be able to clean up even a small portion of the enormous mess you have left behind. But I will hope, and pray."

The deadline is 6 pm (ET) today if you would like to contribute your two cents: gwbfarewell@gmail.com

UPDATE: I just got a confirmation email from good old Karl, saying he will deliver my letter to W. I wonder if that will actually happen?

Just a Quickie

I just have to say it.

That "farewell speech" by W was the biggest load of hooey I have ever heard. (Trying to keep it clean for the kids.) Not that I was at all surprised. But really, how is holding human beings without charges for years and torturing them "leading the cause of human rights and freedom"? How, exactly, does completely ignoring multiple warnings and allowing the most horrific terrorist attack ever on US soil mean you have "kept us safe"?

Of course, that is only scratching the surface. I'm not going to devote any more of my precious time to detailing the many other hypocrisies and lies that came out of George's mouth last night. I am just thanking God that none of us will have to listen to him any more.

Now This is a Step in the Right Direction

Today the House Committee on the Judiciary Majority issued a staff report entitled "REINING IN THE IMPERIAL PRESIDENCY: Lessons and Recommendations Relating to the Presidency of George W. Bush". I know there are those who feel we should be looking forward and not back, but doing nothing all but ensures that the excesses and the incompetence of the Bush administration will be repeated. And that is unacceptable.

This report is 486 pages long and contains 1,689 footnotes! No, I am not going to read the whole thing, but in just a quick glance I spotted this:

The Bush Administration’s approach to power is, at its core, little more than a restatement of Mr. Nixon’s famous rationalization of presidential misdeeds: “When the president does it, that means it’s not illegal.” Under this view, laws that forbid torturing or degrading prisoners cannot constrain the president because, if the president ordered such acts as Commander in Chief, “that means it’s not illegal.” Under this view, it is not the courts that decide the reach of the law – it is the president – and neither the judiciary nor Congress can constrain him. And where statutory law or the Constitution itself appear to impose obstacles to presidential whim, creative counselors can be relied upon to reach whatever result the president desires.

That pretty much sums it up, don't you think?

Onward to January 20th!

(Link to the report: http://www.scribd.com/doc/10323716/Reining-in-the-Imperial-Presidency)

Not exactly rolling out the welcome mat...

Happy New Year everyone! Yeah, it's been awhile since I have posted, first it was the holidays, then I was under the weather, but today I am much better! My goal for 2009 is to post more often. Everyone expects a momentous year, what with Obama's inauguration, a new administration taking charge, and the continuing financial crisis.

So much has happened in the past couple of weeks! Bush got shoes thrown at him in Iraq, Blagojevich went ahead and appointed Obama's replacement while plans to impeach him are underway, things got tragically bad in the Middle East, and Cheney called himself "warm and lovable" (no, I am not making that up!).

But one of the smaller stories that caught my attention was the Blair House dustup. Blair House is the official presidential guest house, and according to tradition, the incoming President and his family are put up there during the days leading up to inauguration. In December, Obama requested an early move-in date because his daughters were to start school on January 5. But the request was denied, because Blair House was booked! What? Who or what event could possibly trump the President-elect? Really now, I can't think of anyone who, if asked very politely, wouldn't cheerfully rebook themselves and their entourage into a nearby hotel to accomodate the Obama family. But noooo, the prospective first family is currently residing at the Hay-Adams hotel, and then will have to move into Blair House, then again into the White House! Yeah, just a nice little last-minute snub courtesy of the Bush administration. Besides the obvious lack of common courtesy, the extra security required at the hotel is costing us taxpayers a not-insignificant amount of money. Blair House already has appropriate security.

So just WHO is the extremely important dignitary that bumped the Obama family out? None other than the former prime minister of Australia, John Howard, hated in his own country for his support of Bush's horrific adventure in Iraq. Bush is awarding him the Medal of Freedom. Right. MUCH more important that the soon-to-be leader of the free world. Um hmm.

It's just a perfect metaphor for how Bush has treated each and every American (other than the rich and powerful) since the day he took office eight years ago. With disdain and disrespect.

I can't WAIT for January 20.