Short Takes: Paul Ryan – NY26 Not My Fault!!

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So Paul Ryan is claiming that the loss in NY26, a solid Republican safe zone, has nothing to do with his disaster of a budget proposal. In his reality disconnected opinion, the Republicans lost because the Democrats demagogued the issue.

So to him Democrats campaigning on the truth and the facts that Ryan’s budget would end Medicare as we know it, raise seniors health costs by 40% or more, drive up everyone’s health costs as a result and actually add greatly to the deficit is unacceptable to him? How about more like inconvenient.

– “Left of Center”

Related articles

• The RyanCare Backlash (reason.com)

Short Takes: New York 26th District

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For only the second time since 1953 a Democrat has emerged victorious in a Congressional election in New York’s 26th District. Democrat Kathy Hochul defeated Republican Jane Corwin. If anyone tries to tell you that the driving force behind the Republicans losing what should have been a guaranteed seat, was anything other than Medicare they are lying to you.

The median age of residents in NY26 ranges from 48-53 depending on varying reports. Hochul and the Democrats won this special election because they forced the conversation to be about Corwin’s vote to support Ryan & House Republican’s plan to kill Medicare as we know it & residents of NY26 would have none of it, and rightly so.

– “Left of Center”

Related articles

• Democrat Hochul Wins NY-26, Spelling Doom for Republican Plans to Kill Medicare (slog.thestranger.com)

Catching Up, Part IX – The Lies Against Planned Parenthood

Just when one thought the Republican controlled House of Representatives could go no further, this happens.  Someone tries to pull off a fake “sting” undercover video inside Planned Parenthood like they did at ACORN.  No truth, substance or merit to the allegations being levied.  No verification yet if the “video evidence” was creatively edited together as was so shamefully done in the ACORN case.  Yet what do Republicans do?  Denounce the fact that it’s become okay to throw together a clearly biased and almost certainly false or exaggerated hit piece against an organization that does so much good?  No, Republicans instead moved right to calls for immediately ceasing all Federal funding to Planned Parenthood.

Why?  Of course, the false clarion call of abortion.  A battle they already legislated and lost decades ago, but one they’ve continued to fight regardless.  Despite the reality that the “video evidence” is a mockery of investigative journalism at best and despite the fact that there is no actual evidence of any crime having been committed.  Going on nothing more than thin and uncorroborated circumstantial evidence they want to immediately remove the primary source of funding for one of the organizations most crucial to the health care assistance of poor and under-privileged women and children in the country.

Planned Parenthood is funded via Title X of the Family Planning Services and Population Research Act of 1970 which is itself an amendment to the Public Health Service Act of 1944.  Yes, it’s true that the organization assists women in getting abortions.  However, that is only a small part of their operation.  Attacking them for one out of the many necessary and useful services they provide is just another notch on the Republicans belt in their war against women and anyone who isn’t white and rich.

In over 800 clinics across the country, Planned Parenthood provides low cost health care services to poor women, children and families.  These services include providing breast, cervical and testicular cancer screenings, pregnancy screenings and counseling, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, sex education, menopause treatments, vasectomies and other reproductive system surgeries and yes abortions.  All to Americans who would potentially not be able to afford these services, some of which could potentially save their lives.

So, the fact that Republicans want to effectively bring an end to the organization’s ability to operate in this country over a minor portion of the services they provide is positively repugnant.  Where would these Americans go for these essential health services if the Republicans succeed? Private insurance?  No, because many of them don’t have that option because they can’t afford it.

So the Republicans would leave these  only remaining options are (as very appropriately said by former Florida Rep Alan Grayson) – Don’t get sick or if you do, die quickly.  That’s not the America I want.  It’s not the America that any American should want.  It’s not the America that we should be aspiring to.   It’s most certainly not the America the Founding Fathers envisioned.  Stand with the logical, the rational, the just and support an America that does it’s best to help those less fortunate — Sign the petition —

– “Left of Center”

Related Articles:

• http://crooksandliars.com/2008/09/25/thanks-sarah-planned-parenthood-gets-upsurge-in-donations
• http://crooksandliars.com/taxonomy/term/299,1586
• http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/mike-pence-rails-against-planned-parenthoo
• http://crooksandliars.com/breaking-news/house-votes-de-fund-planned-parentho

Weekend Special Edition: Florida Judge Stays Own HCR Decision

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Florida District Court Judge Roger Vinson has issued a preliminary stay on his own original ruling. Previously he had ruled in February that the Individual Mandate portion of the Democratic party’s Affordable Care Act was Unconstitutional because it exceeded the power of the Congress under the Commerce Clause.

Because this temporary injunction carries with it a requirement that the Department of Justice file it’s appeal to the 11th Circuit or with the Supreme Court within 7 days, this move looks less like a reconsideration of his opinion and more like a tactic meant to accelerate the final decision on the matter.

Some state governors and attorneys general had taken Judge Vinson’s decision as final and interpreted it to mean that the entire HCR law had been stricken and would not proceed. That is not the case.  Unfortunately some people don’t (or don’t want to) understand that that is not how the judicial system works in the United States.

To clarify, no decision by any lower court is final until the entire appeals process has completed. This includes a potential decision by the Supreme Court.  Therefore regardless of any lower court ruling, states must comply with the details in the bill and begin implementing the programs that make up the law.

This decision sets the record at 2-1-1 for the Affordable Care Act in front of the judicial branch of our government.  Two judges have ruled that the Individual Mandate is legal.  One judge, Vinson, decided that because of the Individual Mandate’s illegality, the entire bill must be voied.

A third judge ruled that while the mandate was illegal, the remainder of the bill was “severable”.  This, in legal terms, means that the portion of the bill deemed in violation of the Constitution can be removed without invalidating the remainder of the law.

This battle is not over. We must all look at the Affordable Care Act not as victory, but as a starting point. It’s not perfect. It’s a starting point.  A ground-breaking of sorts, and something that must be built on and improved.

Starting over is going backwards and would be damaging to the economy and the middle class.  America doesn’t move backwards.  We move forward. We take what may be imperfect and work to make it better.  I think a lot of Americans seem to have forgotten that in the last few decades…

– “Left of Center”

Catching Up, Part VI – Defundapalooza, Part II

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Continuing a short breakdown of how the Republican House is ignoring the risks of de-funding several government agencies including the EPA, the Department of Energy, & the Department of Health & Human Services.

The Department of Energy is responsible for overseeing the operation and safety of America’s nuclear weapons stockpile, nuclear power reactors, & nuclear waste disposal, among other things.  The amount of American lives potentially in jeopardy as a result of this makes any risk of losing the NHC look like nothing.  Reducing or removing the funding to carry out safety and maintenance of nuclear material is disgusting and shameful.

Removing funding for the Department of Health & Human Services is just another swing and a miss by Republicans to try and undo President Obama & the Democrats legislative victory at passing an admittedly flawed yet no less historic health care reform law.  By cutting the budget of the HHS to nearly nothing, it would be financially impossible to implement any aspect of the Affordable Care Act of 2008.  There would be no proactive prevention of insurance companies ending your coverage when you get sick and actually need it.  No way to pay for proactively ensuring that you don’t get denied for a pre-existing condition when you switch jobs.  None of the beneficial aspects of this law would be enforced.  Your only recourse would be to waste considerable time and expense after the fact to try and fight a protracted legal battle with your insurance company.  One you are almost certain to lose not because the law isn’t on your side, but because you will run out of money or hope (or if you are sick, you might even die) before reaching a resolution.

Thankfully, many of these items are not going to make it into the final budget because the chances of the Democratically controlled Senate passing this or President Obama signing it into law are next to non-existent.  However, there still remains the issue of Republicans putting forth these dangerous ideas.  Not only are they wasting tax payer dollars that they repeatedly say we can’t afford on these go-nowhere bills, but have no doubt in your mind if they regained control of both houses of Congress or the Presidency, they would move forward with these job killing, life threatening ideas.

– “Left of Center”

Catching Up, Part V – Defundapalooza Part I

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The Environmental Protection Agency.  Planned Parenthood (more on this later).  The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.  NASA.  The Department of Energy.  The Department of the Interior.  The Department of Health & Human Services.  All of these agencies and more are potentially up for their budgets to be slashed by the new Republican House to the detriment of the entire country.

Reducing the EPA’s budget would damage their ability to prevent corporations from polluting our environment for profit.  Just a year after the worst man-made environmental disaster in modern history in the Gulf of Mexico, which is partially the result of oil & gas regulations being too weak, the Republicans want to make it easier not more difficult for corporations to do as they please, the health of our planet be damned.

One of the main jobs of the NOAA is running the National Hurricane Center.  The role of this group is to do research and gather data on current tropical weather systems.  With no funding for the NOAA, the NHC may not be able to operate.  Imagine, if you are in a hurricane zone in the United States, going through that 6 month period where there are no planes flying into the storms to find out how strong they are.  Imagine your local weather reporters having no tracking data on a storm potentially headed in your direction.  By removing or drastically reducing funding for the NOAA, American lives could be put at great risk. Is this a worse case scenario? Certainly.  The NOAA is more than just the NHC but my point is to illustrate how relevant and necessary they are.

– “Left of Center”

Catching Up, Part IV – Jobs, Jobs, Jobs? LIES!

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Dateline January 19th, 2011

Remember that statement? Remember how often it was being repeated? It wasn’t that long ago. It was only in October of last year. Republicans could seemingly only talk about jobs, jobs, jobs. That is, of course, until they actually took office.  After that they instead resorted to a surprising new low point in their regressive class warfare.

The first order of business was for the new Republican House of Representatives to ignore all of their new rules and vote on a repeal of the health care reform law known as the Affordable Care Act. Despite the fact that they were aware this had no chance of passing the Senate or avoiding the veto pen on the President’s desk.

Regardless of the fact that many economists as well as the Congressional Budget Office said doing so would actually add to the deficit not reduce it.  Blind or ignorant ( willfully so? ) to the reality that passing legislation that would go no further is wasting money (their salaries which come from tax dollars) that they were constantly saying we don’t have.

No rather than do what they promised to attempt to address unemployment as they promised, the Republicans want to undo everything that President Obama and the Democrats have accomplished in the last 4 years (2007-2010) regardless of how much it costs taxpayers or how many jobs it eliminates.

In the words of a former (and soon to be) TV news personality — “Mr. Boehner, where are the jobs?”

– “Left of Center”

Related Articles

• Sorry Boehner, you don’t get to overrule CBO (americablog.com)
• The GOP’s 5 Most Absurd Lies About Health-Care Reform, Debunked (alternet.org)
• Ignorance of the Law Is No Excuse (But It Can Be Pretty Damn Good Politics) (slog.thestranger.com)

Federal Judge Rules Healthcare Bill Constitutional

 

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Shortly after the passage of the “Affordable Health Care For America” act, several Attorneys General began efforts to have the law vacated or stayed on Constitutional grounds. Primarily, the point of contention was the Federal mandate that all Americans be required to purchase medical insurance of some kind.

These challenges are being turned away by Federal courts. One such incident occurred this weekend when Judge George Caram Steeh of Michigan ruled that Congress does indeed have the authority to create the “individual mandate”.

The judge ruled that Congress has this power under the Interstate Commerce Clause, because (from the ruling) “.. by choosing to forgo insurance, plaintiffs are making an economic decision to try to pay for health-care services later, out of pocket, rather than now through the purchase of insurance, collectively shifting billions of dollars . . . onto other market participants.”

As predicted by those that properly understand the Constitution the, “individual mandate” while unpleasant, is in fact legal because it imposes an additional penalty on an individual’s income tax if they do not purchase insurance. Congress, having the power to both “lay and collect taxes” and regulate Interstate commerce, are fully within their legal Constitutional authority to include such a requirement.

While other legal challenges have been vacated on technicalities, this is the first ruling that clearly states that the “individual mandate” provision is legal. This decision is likely to be precedent setting and, as a result, have an effect on other lawsuits being brought on the same grounds.

Once these baseless legal challenges are all defeated perhaps we can all come to an agreement in this country that the “Affordable Health Care For America” act is not an over-reach, but only the first small step toward getting medical care & insurance seen as a right rather than a privilege. We need to embrace the reality that we have much more work to do to draw even with all the other 1st world nations that already guarantee health & wellness coverage as a social responsibility rather than an emotional and financial burden that must be placed on the individual.

– “Left of Center”

Source: Washington Post

Carl "The Nose" Paladino – Politician or Thug?

I agree, the headline is hyperbolic. However, I believe it’s fitting given the exchange between Tea Party NY Gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino and the NY Post’s Fred Dicker. If you haven’t seen this rather hostile exchange, here’s the video.

The first thing that comes to my mind after seeing this is that this plays like a scene from low budget Saturday night movie of the week version of Goodfellas or The Sporanos. Carl Paladino is playing up an angle of a tough guy and a politician of the people. To this rational person, he’s doing a very poor job. He comes off like a clown and brings into question his level of personal self-control.

Two more important questions that must be asked after seeing this video are – “America, is this the kind of person we want holding office?” & “Do we want people in power that make accusations without presenting evidence?” My answer to both are a resounding no. If you are a rational, clear thinking person, then your answer to those questions should be no as well.

Carl Paladino is not a politician for the people. He’s a wealthy lawyer & land developer. As the CEO of Ellicot Development Company and a Senior Partner in the firm Paladino, Cavan and Quinlivin. His political views favor increasing power to corporations and eroding regulations and laws that prevent businesses from causing harm to the public in pursuit of profits.

Like many Tea Party candidates he also favors repealing the health care reform laws passed by the Democrats in 2009 including giving insurance companies back the power to deny coverage for pre-existing conditions and to cancel coverage when you get sick and actually need it most.

Carl Paladino is not the right politician for New York or America.

– “Left of Center”

Ms. O’Donnell, Let’s Learn A Bit About You, Part I

As mentioned in the post, “Gems from the Annual “Values Voter Summit,” Part I, one of the topics and interesting individuals that we got to examine was a Ms. Christine O’Donnell.  As you, the reader might be aware of, Ms. O’Donnell has been on the news quite often in regards to her recent upset win.  However, despite Ms. O’Donnell’s momentum, we need to examine who it is we are dealing with and what are some of her political (Social, Economic, et. al.) stances.

One of the things that she has mentioned is that “America is now a socialist economy.”  The only question that needs to be posed is “since when?”  Now, we’re not going to use the media definition (I’ve already debunked some of that in “Liberal/Left-Wing Media False Claims – Part I” and will have another entry on that subject at a later date) of socialism, no.  As far as we’re aware of, the word “socialism” today has the same connotation as the word “communism” in the 1950s, and anyone who’s paid attention to actual history has witnessed how that has turned out for this country (hint: heavy use of fear tactics to scare your populace is very unethical).

Let’s examine her stance on Universal Healthcare (this will be a future item of discussion on the War On Logic, the reference here is merely informational in relation to Ms. O’Donnell and nothing more), she has no health insurance and pays out of pocket (through questionable means as her fiscal responsibility as a person has been in the light lately), however she has openly stated that she “would rather pay out of her own pocket than have to wait two hours for some shoddy doctor to give me a misdiagnosis … And pay more than half her wages (questionable due to her fiscal history) to cover this.”

However, O’Donnell, like many people in this country doesn’t have an actual solution to resolve the problem with health care issues in this country or the HCR bill (calling it ObamaCare is childish and you deserve to be verbally assaulted for speaking like a 3^rd grader).  A solution is being requested, only those who already “got theirs” come up with the same responses (none).

Please stay tuned for part two on looking at Ms. O’Donnell and her stances and ideals.

– “Classic Liberal”