I am a freelance writer living and working in Troy, NY. On Monday our president will be visiting my town and discussing issues facing our country. I have bee writing a series on health care reform to give voice to the American experience. It is a four part series published in Our Time Press, a small multi-cultural newspaper in Brooklyn, NY. To see further stories and their grassroots journalism, please see www.ourtimepress.com. The first three parts of the series are below because part four is running next week. I invite you to share and discuss because NEVER has an issue been more important to our future. Thanks, Kimberlee
Part 1: The Road to Health Care Reform: Understanding Obama’s Public Option.Many years have passed since the Clinton Administration failed to promote a universal health care approach to a system direly in need of revamping. After decades of proposal and defeat, it is clear the American health care system is broken. Instead the health care system as many Americans know and understand it has been allowed to continue promoting an ineffective, out-dated business model where profit supersedes the needs of patients. What has been forgotten: the average American family. Out of all western nations, we pay the highest out of pocket costs for health care. What should be an inalienable right has become a privilege and a luxury many worry will be in jeopardy. Now the Obama administration falls under scrutiny for living up to a campaign promise of tackling the health care issue. While many consider Obama a socialist for facing social issues head on and many do not agree with his methods, others respect his focus upon the concerns of everyday Americans. There is so much bad press about the Health Care Reform Bill of 2009 but still many admire his tenacity. Still there is much confusion; misconception about what the reform entails and how such an undertaking, while ambitious can be made possible. Many remain doubtful and question how a ‘public’ option will not mean an invasion of privacy. One silver lining: As the controversy continues, at least people are talking regardless of political affiliation, statehood or economic status. Fact one: this issue of health care reform is complex, emotional and fiscal. While the existing system remains broken, should it not be fixed but instead replaced? Why not start over with a different blue print? Below I will explore the complexity of this issue where so much is at stake for every American and the human right to quality care. There are two separate issues at hand here that many consider only one. There is the issue of insurance and the issue of quality health care. They seem to become one and the same. While each American should have the right to affordable health care and insurance that covers every need, at what cost? How is it possible Obama’s proposal can meet all the needs of every American when we are so diverse in ideology? The way the current system is set up burdens every American but primarily the lower working class. It impacts many living paycheck to pay check and families struggling with economic blight. Most people will agree unless you have a secure job with excellent benefits, this issue of reform impacts your family. Still the main issue is how the existing system is set up. The broken health care path puts the power in the hands of insurance companies. Why is it as Americans, we are the only western nation where this happens, where the insurance company has power over health care decisions? What do insurance companies know about health care? Many conservatives also know the system cannot continue as-is but disagree that a public option is the answer. They believe it will end the public’s ability of making a ‘consumer’ choice of which plan to buy. They want people to have a choice at a reasonable cost where health care is not in the hands of the insurance company but the patient and his or her doctor. Why does this sound like a piped dream? Because this idealistic view also sounds a like PPO and how many average working class families can afford that type of coverage? Another obstacle facing reform from a national perspective is the notion of state policy making. Each individual state has the option of creating and providing a state funded health care program in conjunction with participating insurance companies. This carries forward the archaic system except it puts the power in the hands of the state government to decide which citizen is qualified and meets the state guidelines. Many state programs at this time fail to insure every citizen especially those that make too much money to qualify for Medicaid but also do not make enough money to afford the state funded program. It is quite a Catch-22. On top of the state issue, many Americans fear the concept of socialized medicine. They have visions of an extra long line at Motor Vehicles. While socialized medicine works in countries like Denmark and France, those countries populations fail to be an adequate model. Other countries like the United Kingdom are finding the National Health System or NHS has not grown with modern times or the needs of the population and many citizens there also purchase supplemental insurance to see the best of doctors. When discussing health care reform, there are many perplexing elements at work and many to consider for the whole of the nation. As much as every American should be treated equally, many Americans see them selves within the class system. Should status be a factor? The conservatives do not think the upper class should bear the financial burden of such reform. In other words, someone should pay for the reform but if they have anything to say, it will not be the upper class? Since the middle class has all but disappeared, who does this leave, the already burdened working class and the poor? How does Obama’s proposed reform cover these issues for the sake of every American? Below is a summary of highlights putting into layman’s terms, the over thousand pages long of proposed legislation. The Reform Bill wants to take what works right in the present system and merge these characteristics into the new system. Most Americans are concerned with the first two elements of the reform: Coverage and Affordability. The other issues explained (Shared Responsibility, Controlling Costs, Prevention and WellnessWorkforce Investments) seem to focus upon how the reform will be carried out with regard to infrastructure and creating protected consumerism of health care and insurance. Here it is thought by creating a stronger network of providers for prevention and service at the community level, this will allow the new system to eliminate fraudulent and redundant activity, implement a paperless system and promote knowledge sharing. This in turn promotes job creation but also sets into place options for company owners, (mostly small business owners will benefit more) but it also implements a standard for accountability and responsibility toward health care quality by taking it out of the hands of the insurance company and spreading the responsibility between individual, employer, and government agencies. It is believed here, this has fallen under the most criticism because many think this also opens up the arena to inappropriate information sharing or issues of privacy. While September 11, 2001 has changed the notion of privacy for everyone in this country, it should be noted that existing HIPPA laws would stay intact to protect health privacy of every citizen. Finally to summarise Coverage and Affordability, to address what is on the mind of every citizen; what is the ‘public’ option and how does it impact my life? In spirit of providing health coverage for every American, the public option allows every American the ‘option’ of enrolling in the government heath care benefit program. In other words, the same medical benefit each American government employee receives as part of his or her benefit package will also be an option for every American. As many are misinformed and believe the public option to be an improved version of Medicaid, it is not. After speaking with a number of federally employed people, both military and other sectors, it seems this is very good insurance coverage, on par with a private PPO. However, it is my understanding that this is just one option of many being presented as a part of the Health Insurance Exchange. What this aims to do with work in conjunction with private insurance companies, the government, individuals and employers. This exchange is meant to oversee consumer protection and fair prices allowing every family coverage. Finally this bill allows every American the guarantee of coverage despite pre-existing conditions that may have disqualified or limited many in the past. Obama’s plan is wonderful in theory but can it be put into practice as the new health care system? Will it die because of too much bureaucratic red tape? Will the American people continue to be raped by insurance companies? The private insurance companies are not going down without a fight. They will protect the money making machine at all costs. Quite frankly, it is a matter of replacing the whole industry and this will take stronger legislation and solid, voiced leadership starting at community participatory level. Part of the issue with the Obama message and plan for reform is that people are so used to ineffective communication from previous administrations that they do not know how to handle such a debate. Every American must voice his or her story. Without this mob scene, any change will remain ineffective.
Part 2: The Road to Health Care Reform: The Human Right To Quality Care This issue of health care reform in recent weeks has become so politically charged and divided. I believe this divide represents a great disparity between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’. Many people worry the reform in the wrong hands cannot possibly work but also will lead to many falling through the cracks. For one, issues of elder care as our population ages needs to be addressed. Still there is a matter of cost. Conservatives believe the reform will tax us too much (at least 50%) but also give the government power over who lives and who dies. There will be the forgotten. Still have the conservatives put a face on health care reform? Do they know how reform may bring about a change so grand, no one can possibly understand its impact? It has never been tested at this level and we will never know unless we try. Meanwhile young working families struggle to put food on the table and purchase ‘Back to School’ supplies. Many worry about their jobs and the rising cost of gasoline. Also many are living the nightmare of a broken system that does not value the right to quality health care and makes access to such care frustrating and tedious. So this week before I put a face to health care reform, I ask the following question: When did health care stop being a human right? Why are there no options in the existing system for the poor and working classes? What is wrong with the option of having a choice instead of being forced into sub-par insurance coverage like the High-Deductible plans many working class Americans are offered? Affordable coverage means taking the risk you will never be chronically ill but what about those who fall into a large demographic of people with pre-existing conditions? Many conservatives state that Health saving accounts or HSAs can work. I don’t think they understand. Most Americans do not have savings, nor do they have the income to save and some even struggle to eat. Many working families are surviving just above the poverty level. Conservatives believe that charities can aid in the health care dilemma by filling in the gaps of private insurance. Do they not know that many charities are already over burdened? Many do not think the system is broken and nor do they think health care is a right for all Americans because it is not addressed in the Constitution. Still do not the building blocks for American government and law come from the tenants of Judeo-Christian belief systems? Does this not mean we must as a society take care of each other, especially those less fortunate and do good deeds? Still I believe life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, the essence of our forefathers’ message, suggest the right to good health. Access to health care should be an inalienable right, a fundamental value for this nation to embrace. Instead many people disagree that health care coverage is indeed a right but instead a choice. For many, they believe it comes down to an option like any other insurance. You choose to insure your car, your life, why not your health? Point taken: Many believe health care should stay out of the hands of government. Health care and the choices it represents should be in the hands of families or in other words, the consumers. Rev. Sophia DeWitt, Director of Health, Housing and Senior Services Ministries, Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries (FIRM, Inc.) expresses her concern over the attitude toward health care as being a privilege. “From a faith perspective I would say it is immoral because it denies human dignity to so many, rations care based on income and costs lives-- and yet our political system is totally incapable of solving the problem.” Our existing systems do not want health care in the hands of people but rather big, moneymaking corporations. Still the liberal view also has drawbacks to the reform because it seems too socialist. Regardless, the chances of the reform passing are small because the legislation lacks the language to define who will benefit from such reform. Truly this issue is not about fancy words or which side of the political coin is right; it is about families torn apart everyday by real life altering health care decisions and a system that does not focus upon those who really need quality care. These people are out there, each with a different story of how the current health care system has failed them. They may be your neighbors or even a family member. Picture this: You have been sitting in a hospital emergency room for three and a half hours with a sick child running a fever, a child with a history of infection to his central line. The situation: You have no private health insurance coverage because you are a single mother taking care of two disabled children and therefore are unable to work. You are at the mercy of government health care programs like Medicaid. Imagine also: You have been evicted from your apartment because your landlord does not like the fact there is constant stream of health care professionals coming in and out of your home to take care of your son, who is deathly ill. To further the nightmare: You are now on a waiting list to travel to Boston for further testing of your son’s gastrointestinal tract. Mind you, the doctors have taken a tissue biopsy sample twelve weeks ago. They said the sample was sent to Germany; you have not received any results. Still you wait to go to Boston and your son in the mean time has repeated infection after infection affecting his ability to maintain a healthy weight. When he should be playing and enjoying the sunshine, he must sit in his ‘chair’ to receive the nourishment and medical treatment he needs to stay alive. And still you wait for Boston. Next you were told there may be a problem getting to Boston because you have a car, an old hand me down clunker. Owning a car disqualifies you from free medical transportation via government guidelines for income. Unless he is in the hospital, you must find your own transportation. Your brother has agreed to drive to Boston but now you’ve found out that the Ronald McDonald House, where you have stayed in Albany, the Boston chapter only caters to parents of cancer patients. Where will you stay in Boston where the less expensive motel is $150 a night? This is Sarah and Sheldon Wagner’s story. Sarah Wagner of North Creek, NY has a chronically ill son named Sheldon, who without every day medical care would die. Sheldon will be four years on October 8th and he has been hospitalized eighteen times this year for numerous infections including staph. He has been sick since birth. The doctors do not know exactly what is wrong with Sheldon, just that he has trouble eating normally. He has a central line, which feeds him and provides regular medications to his circulatory system. This central line has been problematic because it is prone to infection but Sarah has been told without this device, he would die. Sarah asks Sheldon, “Are you my wonder boy, my Gadget boy?” because without the innovation of medicine Sheldon would not be here. His gadget needs constant medical attention from daily caregivers. While the year is not over, it is not unusual for Sarah to drive nearly two hours from her home in the Adirondacks to Albany, NY so that Sheldon can receive the best of pediatric care at Albany Medical Center. In June, while most children were enjoying summer with an ice cream cone or riding bikes in the park, Sheldon was in isolation from visitors and the outside world so that he did not catch any more contagions. Many times Sarah has traveled in the middle of the night to hospital with her mother or brother for reliable transportation but mostly moral support. This situation has become her life. For the sake of Sheldon’s health care, she has sacrificed her own well-being. This situation has presented a strain emotionally and financially upon her family. While Sarah receives public assistance, she is unable work as Sheldon’s primary parent. With the support of her family and continued treatment, Sheldon is able to be home until they leave for Boston on September 13th. Sheldon has an endearing spirit, a radiant soul that touches all who visit. His laughter is infectious and he’s got the talent for numbers. He could be a future NASA rocket scientist. Sheldon never questions the treatment, sometimes he is frustrated but he always has a smile for you. Never is it, “Why did this happen to us” or “Why is my little boy so sick?” but really Sarah is more concerned with “What can I do to help my son get better?” Like any parent in the same circumstances, she must trust the knowledge of Sheldon’s doctors but mostly she must play by the rules of Medicaid. It seems this creates a whole new meaning to red tape and redundancy. She has had to make some drastic decisions, alone, for Sheldon’s sake but many have been at the mercy of the Medicaid system and what that system has been willing to provide for Sheldon. She must ask questions and make sure all of Sheldon’s needs are met. If this means calling the doctor’s service at four in the morning, she does it. Still this whole situation comes back to the waiting list for the Boston visit. If Sheldon was the son of a doctor, lawyer, senator or even a celebrity, do you think he would have to wait? While Sarah may not fully understand the health care reform, she understands that there must a better way to ensure that every person in America receives quality care and is treated equally. When asked if a pubic option might help someone like herself or Sheldon, she agrees that just talking about health care is the catalyst for change. “The first step is admitting there is even a problem,” she says.
Part 3: Health Care Reform: Who is an American? By Kimberlee Currans-LetoIt’s that time of year again. Dreaded by children of all ages across the country. The slow gradual progression from long summer days to even shorter hours of daylight is upon us. The time of year when school bus yellow makes a come back, family members dash out the door, carpools are arranged and Friday nights are spent cheering for high school football heroes blessed with amazing coordination. Kids and families are back in the swing of things, getting used to all that homework again and making last minute peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Pretty soon every stoop on the block will have a pumpkin and climbing rose bushes will be replaced with hardy mums. Say goodbye to summer. But as we reflect upon another season passing, there is also excitement, a feeling of opportunity as a pall of doubt slowly dissipates and the economy recovers from a year ago. This country remains poised on the cusp of change. The new administration has set a tone that it is not afraid to tackle the tough issues like health care reform. Last November citizens made history electing the first African American president, Barack Obama and not in my lifetime have I ever seen so many people interacting in the process of politics. Obama made his campaign and now his administration about people and the needs of American people. It is this grassroots strategy that continues to resonate a new level of participation. No longer is the president just the most powerful man in the world, leader of the free world but he is also just a man. This defines Obama’s appeal to so many that still believes “yes we can”. While some worry he will falter under bipartisan pressure, others back Obama’s position on health care reform and look to a future where every American is treated equal, fairly and this continues the movement started on the campaign trail. Much of the future starts with access to affordable health insurance and quality health care for all Americans. While the issue of health care reform has created an impassioned debate with the potential to overwhelm dinner conversation and possibly divide families, there remains a weak link in the reform that many conservatives believe will lead to a failed bill. What we know: Many cannot see eye to eye on the status of the current system. Broken or unbroken, ineffective moneymaking machine or providing quality care, it is anyone’s guess. One thing for sure, until it is your child, your parent, your own life in the balance, or your lack of money, this issue remains impersonal. Many people still do not know exactly what the public option is but also on the other hand many believe; could it get any worse? The issue with reform’s ideology: It is very difficult to envision a one thousand page document, a multitude of theories, definitions and complicated legal ease being put into practice on such a grand scale. This is reform could take years to implement as we transition from the old to the new system. This reform has the potential to protect our infrastructure. I am not talking about roads, bridges, canals, airports railroads, or even the Internet but I am talking about people. The infrastructure is made of people; the working class that make so many lives comfortable. I am talking about the bus drivers, the trash collectors, waitresses, short order cooks, cleaners, and mechanics, even the cashiers at Wal-Mart. These are the people that make our country possible. So then why are they short changed quality health care? Two things have gone wrong with the reform so far. First it has been rushed and therefore hastily written to a point few can understand it without a law degree. How is that fair to the infrastructure? For something so monumental, what is the rush? Campaign promise or not, such a broken system took years, if not decades to build, a solution cannot happen overnight. The sad truth for over 47 million Americans who remain uninsured and possibly ill, this is the one time as a society we desperately need instant gratification or a magic wand in solving this problem.Second, many have been quick to judge and look to negative attributes of why reform will not work. The main concern is how the reform is worded. The language is evasive and generalized. As with most legal ease and even statues, tied and true laws of this land, this language is open for interpretation by those who practice it, lawmakers. Such open definitions can lead any law to chaos. While the language of the reform bill starts by saying “To provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes” (H.R. 3200, 111th Congress, 1st session) one cannot help but wonder what the bill means by “all Americans”? Shouldn’t “all Americans” be replaced with all legal citizens or better yet, all tax paying citizens? If you pay taxes, you qualify for the public option because this seems most fair, right?Still this issue has been a major point of contention many conservatives consider to be the weak link that opens the door to socialism, even Marxism. Conservatives enjoy their politics in black and white; the gray areas of uncertainty bother them. This bill bothers them because they believe it opens the door for non-resident aliens to be entitled to our health care system, a system they describe as the best in the world. The reform language uses the word beneficiary but does not state the criteria for establishing who a beneficiary will be. All Americans could include legal resident aliens, right? On page 170, it does state non-resident aliens will not be allowed to partake of the benefit. What do we do about the non-resident aliens already taking advantage of the best health care system in the world? What about people with green cards? Never in the bill does it state the type of identification process a beneficiary will have to complete in order to get approved for the public option. Besides many forms of identification can be forged, bought and sold for the right amount money. Conservatives worry this reform will encourage further identity theft to include not just bank or credit cards but also health insurance coverage. While the above are legitimate concerns every American should consider as we wait holding our breath on such a crucial issue, I cannot help but think about weighing out the options. Yes there are many negatives to the reform but on the flipside, there are also positive impacts for so many individuals and families that I cannot deny the potential seen in Obama’s vision. Part of what bothers me most is that the current system is killing people, making children and families suffer unnecessarily. So many have shared devastating stories of having to make life changing decisions based on either lack of coverage and affordability this directly contributes to weakening the infrastructure. We need to take care of the core before thinking of anything else. No longer should families have to be faced with losing their child because of being on a waiting list or being refused insurance due to a preexisting condition. There must be a way to unveil the true American experience to those unable or unwilling to see exactly what is taking place around them. It is my belief that health care reform is just the first piece in the puzzle of creating a new America one voice, one story at a time.
Couple's travel problems are solved
Trucking company will help Vermont duo and their dogs get to Florida
Pocono Record Writer
July 21, 2009
BRODHEADSVILLE — Solving transportation problems is how he makes a living.
So when Jim Barrett heard about the plight of the Knight family — the couple walking from Vermont to Florida and resting in the Poconos over the weekend — he figured it was a problem tailor-made for him.
Barrett is providing personal transportation for the Knights to get them to Florida to keep the couple from having to walk another 1,100-plus miles to the Tallahassee area, where the couple needs to relocate to find work.
"It's what we do every day, handle transportation problems," Barrett, owner of Dunmore-based trucking company Road Scholar Transport, said Monday as helped pack up the growing belongings of Frank and Terrie Knight at the Silver Valley Campsite outside of Brodheadsville. "We always say there's no transportation problem we can't solve. We're testing that now."
The Knights stopped in the Poconos on Wednesday in the midst of what they figured would be a three-month quest to walk from Burlington, Vt., to Florida, so that Frank Knight, 45, could find work when the harvest season for citrus fruit rolled around.
A migrant worker, he lost out on a job in his home state and was told there would be work for him in Florida. With no car, very little money and no bus that would take him because of the couple's two dogs they refused to leave behind, they started walking on July 1 and made it to Brodheadsville.
But just two weeks into their journey, they ran into problems. Terrie, already three months pregnant, had developed large blisters on her feet that made it very hard to walk. The dogs the two had in tow — Maya and Sweetie — needed an extended break.
They also lost their walking companions, a couple that were making the trip with them, around Honesdale.
Frank started to worry that the promise he made to his wife may not come true.
"I promised her I was going to get her to Florida, and I was doing everything I could to keep that," he said. "My grandfather always told me, if you can't keep your promises, you can't keep anything."
So they stopped for what they thought would be two nights at the campsite, just to rest.
But when the story got out about the Knights and their planned trip, the Poconos responded, according to Silver Valley Campsite co-owner Linda Sosko.
Charitable well-wishers came out of the woodwork, driving up to the family and dropping off extra dog food, money, camping equipment or groceries to make the trip a little easier.
"They were besieged," Sosko said of the seemingly constant phone calls that came into the camp.
"Even people that didn't have money came in to donate supplies as small as Band-Aids. Anything they could give to make the trip easier."
Then came the best news — Barrett's local trucking company was working on a way to get the couple to Florida.
It wasn't easy. The original thought was to load them up on a truck heading that way, but the couple and their dogs wouldn't fit in a truck, and it's illegal to let them ride in a trailer.
Buses and planes were out because of the dogs, so when it looked like every avenue was about to be exhausted, Barrett arranged for his son Matt and another Road Scholar driver to just drive them to the Sunshine State in his own vehicle.
"I'd be a liar to myself if I said I couldn't solve this transportation problem," said Barrett, of Clarks Summit.
The Knights gladly accepted the lift, and will now make it to Florida about two months earlier than they thought they would.
The couple said their intention was never to get gifts from anyone. That's why they're going to Florida, so that they wouldn't have to sign up for welfare and "live off the taxpayer," Frank said.
But they said they were extremely lucky they stopped over in the Poconos.
"It's been a roller coaster, just crazy," Frank, 43, said. "It's like we had a hundred friends we didn't even know."
http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090721/NEWS/907210320
A Big Thank You goes out to Jim Barrett the owner of Road Scholar Transport of Dunmore, PA and everyone who helped this couple out!
So, as a CPA, if I understand the news, Senator Kennedy plans to required each employee to have health insurance.
Then, President Obama, you are considering taxing the benefits.
Sorry to say, I am speechless (which of course why I am writing).
This sounds like a Republican proposal to tax the middle class; have you been hanging out Dick Cheney?
Once upon a time some thousand years back a country X faced serious economic crisis resulting financial and banking institution failures, massive unemployment, trade crisis that slashed kingdom revenue. King and his chief minister were worried about moving economy. All solutions they brought were failed rather deepened further. Entire kingdom was sleepless. Worried King ordered the ministries “Perceiving economic down turn I decide to invite all the economists and ministers for their suggestions to overcome the deepening crisis and find solutions. Suitable idea will be rewarded”.
The Obama-Biden administration has the power to make sure that everyone has good, clean food. Change This stewardship agreement!
http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocumentDetail&o=090000648084de39
"Technology/stewardship agreements required for the purchase of genetically modified seed explicitly prohibit research. These agreements inhibit public scientists from pursuing their mandated role on behalf of the public good unless the research is approved by industry. As a result of restricted access, no truly independent research can be legally conducted on many critical questions regarding the technology, its performance, its management implications, IRM, and its interactions with insect biology. Consequently, data flowing to an EPA Scientific Advisory Panel from the public sector is unduly limited."
also see
"Rising Rhetoric on Genetically Modified Crops"in PR Watch, Volume 10, No. 1, 1st Quarter 2003.
"Their level of desperation appears to be increasing," says Michael Hansen, a scientist with Consumers Union in the US, who monitors the activities of the biotech industry as it lobbies for acceptance of genetically modified (GM) foods. Hansen has watched with increasing alarm as the pro-GM lobby escalates its vitriolic attacks on critics.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Rising_Rhetoric_on_Genetically_Modified_Crops
This post cold easily be title “just how screwed we are.” But know that I have a suggestion that would get us out of this mess. IT will have to come in a latter post, but if I can figure it out, the people on the hill are much smarter then me will. Right?
One of my favorite and most quoted cliché’s is, "common sense is often common, but rarely makes sense." This is true when listening to people make wild thoughtless suggestions on how to fix the economy. The phrases that send off my B.S. detectors are things like, "It's economics 101" or "it's about supply and demand" or "you are over complicating". First there are very few "or's" in economics and accounting. Capital generally follows the laws of conservation. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Two prevailing suggestions I have seen posted in the last week or so to "help the ailing housing market" and help out home owners are about the same. One is to lower everybody who needs it to 4% mortgage rate. The second one it to extend the mortgage out to 40 years? Neither of these things make economical sense, and/ or follows the free capital everybody is treated equally spirit of the country.
In an open letter to Congress calling for more attention to affordable housing in the economic recovery bill, 547 housing advocates from across the country have made their case that the housing needs of the poor need to be included.
The 16 Texas signers are:
What We Mean By Housing: An Open Letter to Congress and the Administration on the Economic Recovery BillAll agree that housing is the root of the current economic crisis, but housing is much more than the private home ownership market. The economic recovery bill now under debate will do a great deal to promote growth in that market, but not nearly enough to help low income families and individuals struggling to pay the rent.The undersigned 547 national, state, and local organizations want to call attention to what we mean by housing. We mean enough homes renting at affordable prices so that our nation’s lowest income families and individuals are assured of safe and decent places to live.We urge the House and Senate to approach conference negotiations on the economic recovery package with an eye toward balancing the long-standing and unmet need for decent, affordable homes for households with the lowest incomes who have no other options with the desire to include costly fixes for a home owner market still in flux that will benefit higher income households who have many other options.Today, hundreds of thousands of people are on waiting lists for rental assistance, which are only getter longer as unemployment and foreclosures grow. Tonight, more than 745,000 people are homeless, over 20% of whom are veterans.As the recession progresses, the number of people losing their jobs and subsequently falling below the poverty line is projected to increase by 10 million people over the next two to three years.One tragic result of increasing poverty is increased homelessness. One in 10 people living below the federal poverty level will become homeless at some point over the course of a year. We project at least 800,000 new homeless people, including children, seniors, and veterans this year unless action is taken now. School districts across the country are already seeing sharp increases in the number of homeless children and youth.No federal low income housing programs are entitlements. But, the House and Senate economic recovery bills do include housing subsidies for homebuyers of any income level that are not constrained by an appropriated amount. We urge Congress to equally address the nation’s poorest families. As the mortgage crisis continues unabated, rental homes that low income households can afford are more necessary than ever.In any recent year, the funds provided in the economic recovery bill would represent significant resources to HUD housing programs. But today, the unemployed, low wage workers, low income seniors, and people with disabilities are experiencing severe housing affordability challenges. When we compare the attention paid to homeownership in the bill to the resources provided to programs serving the nation’s most vulnerablepeople, we are dismayed and disappointed that those households for whom stable homes are most threatened in today’s economy have been largely overlooked.In one fell swoop, the amendment the Senate adopted to allow a $15,000 homeownership tax credit eclipsed more than twice over the total amount the bill allocates for low and moderate-income housing. Quite simply, the housing elements of the bill are now heavily skewed towards middle and upper income people and the lowest income people are left out.The projected cost of the home ownership tax credit is $35 billion. The undersigned organizations encourage Congress to keep the funding for low income housing programs in the bill AND increase funding for these program to at least $35 billion.Together, we can create jobs, provide affordable homes and prevent a massive spike in homelessness.
What We Mean By Housing: An Open Letter to Congress and the Administration on the Economic Recovery Bill
All agree that housing is the root of the current economic crisis, but housing is much more than the private home ownership market. The economic recovery bill now under debate will do a great deal to promote growth in that market, but not nearly enough to help low income families and individuals struggling to pay the rent.
The undersigned 547 national, state, and local organizations want to call attention to what we mean by housing. We mean enough homes renting at affordable prices so that our nation’s lowest income families and individuals are assured of safe and decent places to live.
We urge the House and Senate to approach conference negotiations on the economic recovery package with an eye toward balancing the long-standing and unmet need for decent, affordable homes for households with the lowest incomes who have no other options with the desire to include costly fixes for a home owner market still in flux that will benefit higher income households who have many other options.
Today, hundreds of thousands of people are on waiting lists for rental assistance, which are only getter longer as unemployment and foreclosures grow. Tonight, more than 745,000 people are homeless, over 20% of whom are veterans.
As the recession progresses, the number of people losing their jobs and subsequently falling below the poverty line is projected to increase by 10 million people over the next two to three years.
One tragic result of increasing poverty is increased homelessness. One in 10 people living below the federal poverty level will become homeless at some point over the course of a year. We project at least 800,000 new homeless people, including children, seniors, and veterans this year unless action is taken now. School districts across the country are already seeing sharp increases in the number of homeless children and youth.
No federal low income housing programs are entitlements. But, the House and Senate economic recovery bills do include housing subsidies for homebuyers of any income level that are not constrained by an appropriated amount. We urge Congress to equally address the nation’s poorest families. As the mortgage crisis continues unabated, rental homes that low income households can afford are more necessary than ever.
In any recent year, the funds provided in the economic recovery bill would represent significant resources to HUD housing programs. But today, the unemployed, low wage workers, low income seniors, and people with disabilities are experiencing severe housing affordability challenges. When we compare the attention paid to homeownership in the bill to the resources provided to programs serving the nation’s most vulnerable
people, we are dismayed and disappointed that those households for whom stable homes are most threatened in today’s economy have been largely overlooked.
In one fell swoop, the amendment the Senate adopted to allow a $15,000 homeownership tax credit eclipsed more than twice over the total amount the bill allocates for low and moderate-income housing. Quite simply, the housing elements of the bill are now heavily skewed towards middle and upper income people and the lowest income people are left out.
The projected cost of the home ownership tax credit is $35 billion. The undersigned organizations encourage Congress to keep the funding for low income housing programs in the bill AND increase funding for these program to at least $35 billion.
Together, we can create jobs, provide affordable homes and prevent a massive spike in homelessness.
...Contact: Alex.Karoub@gmail.com
While campaigning before the election, I found in speaking with many fellow Americans that each had handfuls of reasons to vote for Barack Obama. Some had two or three major reasons to vote for him, while a few just did not like the condition of the economy or the Iraq war. By far the majority of Democrats had many reasons to vote for Obama; the number of people who were well versed on the many issues that Obama stood for surprised me. Nice to see how well educated the public became about the election and the candidates. It was a great election!Most Conservatives that I discussed the election choices with had a couple of common interests - 1) most had a fear of change and 2) self-preservation of greed, as their primary concerns. Although they did not initially express it in those terms, that is what further relaxed conversations revealed. In letting those to the right speak their minds, without worry of objection, they soon direct the conversation to money and their strong desires to control others/society by its use.
Many traditional Repulicans were embarrassed by Palin, some voted for Obama as a result. Shockingly, a few actually rallied for Palin; when asked why, their answers were often as empty as Palin's head. I think of those as 'Blind Followers' or 'Followers of Followers', people without substance. Some actually thought of it as a beauty contest, rather than taking the seriousness of her being a potential President in an emergency, shallow. You will enjoy my other blog that is light hearted titled: 'What is Palin?' Or, read my more serious blog: 'Libertarianism, a driving force at the top of the Republican Party'.
OLD APHORISMS THAT CHANGED IN THE LAST 8 YEARS
A few cliches seem to have taken a turn for the worse over the recent past, and have become more pretentious. Keep in mind, the majority of people use the first cliche in sincere and good meaning. The second never was very good, although some conservatives actually live by it. Below are just two which a few people have given new twists to in meaning:
'I give back to the community' - Well, if they didn't grab it so greedily in the first place, there wouldn't be such a need for them to give small token drops of it back. They think giving back makes them ‘absolved of their sins’. 'America, love it or leave it' - In looking at what the wealthiest and most conservative have done, we see some are actually leaving America. First we see a couple of decades back that many major portions of corporations have moved overseas, to now seeing billionaires grab their stashes and actually move completely to other countries. While others (pretending to be Democrats) have taken on second citizenship’s / bank accounts and remote fat legged residences for themselves. They hide from their realities and surround themselves with other fakes of the like, catered to in pretentious princess like surroundings, socially stuffing themselves with cerebral bon-bons and cream puffs.
I initially noticed those mentalities in my younger years as I describe further in my post titled “The Auto Industry, a few of my experiences”.
You see I know from personal experience that things often don’t end the way they do in the movies. I did everything right, went to college, worked for over thirty years, had good credit, paid my bills on time etc. Unfortunately I got sick in America. After a freak accident, I almost died, had to have brain surgery, and now have several incurable autoimmune diseases. That was hard enough to deal with, but when I filed a claim to get a government insurance policy (Social Security Disability Insurance) that I paid for every week out of my wages, just like many of you do, my life was permanently destroyed with the stroke of a pen, by a government worker to whom I was just an SS number, and who did not do their job properly. I lost all my life savings, and pension money while fighting for my benefits, and will never be able to recover from the emotional, physical and financial devastation that had on my life.
Unlike Frank Capra’s character George Bailey, there are no bailouts for me, or others like me. While family and friends have good intentions, they are not much better off either, so they really can’t help like they might want to, and I don’t qualify for Social Service programs. I don’t know how I am going to survive without some miracle like winning the lottery. I am now doomed to spend what’s left of my days here on earth, living in poverty, in addition to all my medical concerns. I will never be able to own a home, or get another car. My current vehicle which is on death’s door, is the only method of transportation I have for survival. Then there is always the struggle of deciding whether I should buy food, or get medicine, that much needed medical test, or see the doctor instead. When things break down now, I cannot fix them and have to do without. This totally unbearable, continuing source of stress and frustration, is killing me. I tell you this not for pity but to warn you that anyone of you reading this could end up just like me, and have your life changed forever by an unfortunate illness, accident, vicious act, service to our country or natural disaster. Remember that disease and tragedy do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex or race, and if you think this could not happen to you – you could be dead wrong, just like over 16,000 Americans in the last two years who did not survive the wait to get their Social Security Disability benefits.
Since most of our elected officials will probably never experience this scenario personally, because they usually have a nice financial cushion to fall back on, I don’t see any hope for change in regards to this problem, no matter who is in office. Let’s be brutally honest here. The first thing to get cut in local, state and federal budgets is always the money to fund programs that help the people who need it most. This problem has festered for decades and nobody is going to convince me that they don’t want us to give up or die. They continually talk about helping the upper class and the middle class. What about the millions of Americans that do not fit either of those categories? Thanks to their neglect of our situations, they continue to prove that they have no class. The only thing that ever trickles down to us is too nasty a word to mention, and the only light at the end of the tunnel is a freight train! Buildings are not built from the top down, and a chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link. You can judge a country by how it treats it’s most vulnerable citizens, and we have been left to die in the streets, and on hospital waiting room floors. Based on what I have seen, heard, and personally experienced, America should hang its head in shame! Unfortunately for myself, and others like me it’s not such a wonderful life. There is no possibility of the American dream, only the reality of the American nightmare. My only hope is that it never happens to you.
Dear Barack,
If you ever read these things, and I highly doubt that you will ever see this, we really need to talk!
The rest of my horror story can be found on my website “A Bump On The Head” at:
http://www.frontiernet.net/~lindaf1/bump.html
LJ Fullerton - Social Security Disability Coalition
The Pickens Plan: For those who would like to become an active participant in a solution for our nations energy needs I urge you to join with T.Boone Pickens in his quest for a cleaner planet through alternative energy.
Also see Green Wave Energy: Green Wave was founded by Mark Holmes and was formulated for viable alternative energy solutions. Green Wave Energy is promoting state-of-the-art energy-saving products and services throughout the country.
Green Wave Energy understands alternative energy technology will become “main stream” when
Call 949.645.1701 for information on how Green Wave Energy can help you save the planet.
Alternative EnergySource: David Apperson
url: http://veterans.barackobama.com/page/community/tag/alternative-energy
We are on a hstoric path to becoming the "community" of Bellflower. I recall the first time that I saw the sign that stands facing Alondra from the South End of Bellflower near the old railroad tracks. It reads "Make Bellflower Your Home." What a wonderful and inviting sign... Yet, I know that it will take more than a mere sign to make this a true "home" where all who are within it can grow together as a connected community. Yet, I know that it can be done. We are a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, group of people of various educational, economic, religious, etc backgrounds and beliefs. We have a richness of spirit here that has emerged overtime...and the time has come for us to become a caring community. A first step in doing that is perhaps to come to know each other better, to know our hopes and dreams for our families, our neighborhoods, our children, our parents, our poor, our homeless, our professionals, our immigrants, our middle class, our wealthy, our small business owners and workers, .... The list could go on and on but I think that you get the picture. I want to hear about each of you. I want this blog to be a place where you can provide us with a positive glimpse into your life your concerns, and most of all your talents that may benefit us all as we move towards truly becoming a community. Please talk to us.... We will be hosting a series of meetings in homes to dig deeper into how we can all make a difference...and we need to hear from you.... Let's start the new year together.
Dr. Willingham-Toure'
..... Contact: http://Alex.Karoub@gmail.com
WHO IS THAT GUY BARACK OBAMA? HE IS US.We have made historic headway by together pointing our nation in the right directions. After decades, we have America focused on the issues of fundamental importance. Now, each of us acting in concert can together move our country to lead the world to the fruitfulness of moral goodness. I have no doubts about my abilities and the abilities of fellow Americans to work smart and hard to achieve these goals.Barack Obama has the visions, leadership, and integrity for us to correct and redirect our country to once again lead the world for the fruitions of good. Let's closely listen, learn, and move forward based on that which we know deep inside is good and which we can validate with our hearts. I hope that those who had but a few reasons to support Obama, look further into the other issues more deeply. I found the more I explored, studied, and listened to Obama the more I found us in agreement. The couple of issues that I did not have depth of knowledge of, quickly became obvious in need. This was unusual for me since I have always refused to be any kind of a follower, and still am not. I find Obama to be a deep thinker who is articulate and inspirational; and, of most fundamental importance, Obama makes excellent moral sense.Hopefully, our country has learned lessons from the past of mistakenly following leadership blindly, as was done with Nixon and Bush. There are leaders who are simply in it for themselves and will cater to individuals or groups in order to grab for their own benefit. Corrupt and bad leaders hide at all levels. This is especially true in city government as well as county and state government. The corrupt deals of politicians need to be exposed, and those responsible need to be weeded out in the coming local elections. Others need to be investigated by law enforcement and be prosecuted for illegal dealings; for deals they often make for their hidden personal agendas. Let’s look at the bad experiences of the past as bitter medicines, let’s eliminate the need for such bad medicine in the future. Let us use what we know is good to go forward.I believe we have chosen wisely, not by greed and not by misguided retaliatory anger. I believe this time our country has chosen with open eyes, with each of us listening and examining our choice of leadership closely, driven and validated by our hearts.I hope we can continue to make our efforts even more inclusive (in many more ways than I touch on here). Far right republicans will be stubborn to change, but we will need to include them to change if we are to succeed. Sure a few more will leave our country, but that is not the American way. No, we really don't need their false fronts of power, money, insider knowledge, or other trappings that they have taught many to 'respect?'. Let's recruit as many as we can, that's the American way, evolving and changing together as one nation. Try to be understanding as we move forward; by better understanding each as individuals and people with various desires and needs we will find ways to reach out with friendship and have them join our causes of good.Be on the lookout, and root out bad leadership in government and business. Do not be intimidated by those who use the false fronts of power and give a false sense of security in order to lead. Be extra leery of those who say or imply ‘Trust me’; those who give a sense that they somehow omnipotently know better. No longer will Americans be dazzled by phony displays of brilliance or baffled by baloney. There are government aristocrats and business leaders who still believe in the old adage of: “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, then baffle em with bullshit”. We can embrace complexity by demanding true, fundamental, and understandable explanations. We can root out falsehoods by not accepting double speak. We as Americans know how to grow ourselves by first believing in ourselves. Don’t be a follower. Don’t be a follower of followers.However, when we find leaders who are good; a leader that thinks, speaks, and acts from their heart; one that is honest, has integrity, and leads by sincere examples; then we need to in a big way, join them, support them, and promote their causes of good. From much research, investigation, and scrutiny, I believe Barack Obama is such a person. I hope we search for and find many more who are similar, who we can add to service at all levels of government. We need to add/replace leaders in business with ones that have honesty, integrity, and show quality in leadership. We need more people in leadership roles who are moral, like Barack Obama.Remember, we are not fighting a battle, we are the artisans and sculptors of the future for ourselves and generations to come. Rarely do societies have opportunities to make such dramatic moves forward as we now have in this opportunity of today. Take pride and practice in being inclusive as we stride forward. In moving forward, create opportunity not only for yourself, but also for all. Hope is a wonderful thing to behold; but without opportunity, hope can become but a dream never achievable. We can, will, and must, create opportunity.In the coming year I hope that we do not lose our spiritedness, but instead continue to build and make headway. I hope we all continue our campaign for change in government and business. We will succeed in moving forward once again, it will take much effort and good oversight on the part of each of us. We will make great strides in the months and years ahead in order to achieve the fruitions of good. Let's keep our enthusiasm progressing through these coming toughest of times. Let us use the light of goodness and love to motivate us with historic momentum.I have chosen Barack Obama because he best represents my deepest beliefs in America. Please take time to read the issues that Barack Obama has published on this website. Also, give your attention to see how he leads us to move our nation forward in the time ahead. Most importantly, be part of America's great future, participate in the greatness that together we will make. Participate!We will each and all flourish, if we think, speak, and act, by using the love in our hearts.
Your reply is welcome. Contact: Alex.Karoub@gmail.com
It is a one step process.
It has to be symbolic of everything Senator Obama has talked about from the beginning to the end of this fascinating campaign.
Starting immediately, we need to have the maps across America that shows blue states, changed to Red, White & blue.
Senator Obama has said, we are NOT red America, we are NOT Blue America, we are the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!
So, change the blue to red, white & blue!
Who would want to vote any other way?
I had a dream: We are writing the year 2016, America has left behind the economy crisis of 2008 and developed to a green, social and prosperous society. The unemployment rate is down at 2.3 %, the number of poor people dropped from 37 to 9 million, the national deficit is only a fourth of that in 2008. Every American has affordable health care now, and Obama`s tax cuts have put more money into the pockets of the middle-class American, which led to higher consumption, re-fueled the economy, and created millions of new jobs. Above all 5 million new created green collar jobs and a better, more effective environmental policy with solar, wind and other renewable energies dropped America`s energy bill, air pollution and CO 2 balance by 25%, making the country cleaner and almost independent of foreign oil. America´s is about to become the world leader in green technology, especially due to the broad-scale introduction of US built hybrid cars. In foreign politics America has restored faith and regained respect in the world community of nations as a wise and peaceful mediator in all conflicts. This and other measures also led to an improvement of the national security. The dark Bush years are history and America has made the real CHANGE to a better future - YES WE COULD - And due to the great achievements of Barack Obama`s successful 8 years in national and international politics a committee was founded, proposing the extension of his presidency for 4 more years, as applied during the Roosevelt administration.
Was all of this just a dream ? - No, you can make it happen by voting for OBAMA next Tuesday - It is now up to you, America !
SHOP AMERICA SUPPORTS OBAMA
The dawning of a new day is here, both for America as a whole and for those who call ourselves "compassionate conservatives," a code name for politically active Christians.
It's a time when our nation has the opportunity to break from the tradition of the past--from racial and class division, from partisan politics, from us against them--and to ride into a bright, new future of unified effort for the good of all Americans, truly non-partisan policy making and cooperation in Washington.
The undeclared but clearly evident leader of this new effort is Barack Obama, an American of mixed racial background (half white, and half black), and of mixed socio-economic background, a recent graduate from the struggling middle class to the echelons of upper class America. He is the leader we need right now not just because of superior intellect, highly effective communication skills, and his high level of educational attainment, but also because of the character and the temperament with which he has been divinely blessed. Character he has demonstrated in this election in quite distinct contrast to his Republican contender, John McCain.
It is for this reason that I, a social activist at heart for the poor and for the good of all men, and a Christian conservative as it relates to the two most pivotal moral issues of our time--abortion and homosexuality--have decided to vote for Senator Barack Obama to become the next president of the United States.
Though the Republican party may attempt to portray it--God is not the God of one political party. He is not more concerned about small government than he is about helping those in need. He did not only send His Son to die for upper class and upper middle class whites. He does not want us to lock-up first time, young non-violent offenders for most of their young adult lives and throw away the keys. He does not want us to ignore the social causes of crime. He does want his people involved with both parties so that both parties ultimately represent His interests, which are the best interests of us all.
This is our opportunity. In this election, we have the ability to show the rest of America that "conservative Christians" can make a balanced, intellectual, and still spiritual choice for President. We can choose to vote for Barack Obama, not because we agree with him on every issue, but because we agree with him on many. And we can make our voices heard during his administration to affect the way he governs on issues with which we do disagree.
Make the change. Take the leap. Make a new choice, and encourage other like minded people to make this choice as well--praying all the way for Christ to grant Sen. Obama the wisdom to make the right decisions at the right time, not swayed by what's popular, but based on the right foundation--God's Word--at "such a time as this" in our nation's and the world's history.
--Pat Perry
plu'to·crat' (plōō'tə-krāt') n., One who exercises power by virtue of wealth. A member of the plutocracy.plu·toc·ra·cy (plōō-tŏk'rə-sē) n., 1. Government by the wealthy. 2. A wealthy class that controls a government. 3. A government or state in which the wealthy rule.A new study has been released that dispels the myth that Republicans are friends of Joe the Plumber or any other Joes or Janes. Since the year 2000, the gap is not only growing between the rich and the poor, but the gap is also growing between the rich and the middle-class. When adjusted for inflation, the median household income of the average Joe out there is lower today than it was in the year 2000. In the year 2000, 57% of companies with fewer than 10 employees offered health benefits. Today, only 45% of those same-sized companies do so.
See the details of the study below
