McCain on Healthcare

So, we get more of the same and then some with McCain (perhaps that should be his real campaign slogan). McCain's position:
1. Tax Incentives for coverage ($5000)
2. No new regulations on insurers
3. Individual approach vs employer-based
4. Tax breaks to businesses would go to individuals
5. Create a GAP plan as a last resort operated by non-profits
6. Incentives to doctors & hospitals to use cutting-edge technology to reduce medical costs
7. Health savings accounts

This plan is similar to one proposed by Bush in his 07 State of the Union address. That plan flopped in Congress. What it fails to address:
1. Preexisting conditions wouldn't be covered, affecting millions of Americans.
2. Older Americans & the poor would be forced into the "Gap" program, which doesn't even exist & would take years to implement.
3. Insurers would love it because they can charge what they want--as usual.
4. Doctors & hospitals already charge patients for the new technology they purchase (it's built into the cost of care); so we'll see an increase in costs.
5. Only those earning enough can afford to put money into a health savings account. We're talking upper middle class and the rich.

I have a suggestion: why don't Americans share the health care program used by members of Congress? Why does Congress get a gold-plated, single-payer system while the folks who elected them have to make decisions like "what presciption can I go off of so I can pay for groceries?" or "my healthcare costs just went up again this year, including out of pocket--I guess I'll have to delay that mammogram again this year."

Environmental Politics

Bobby Kennedy Jr published a compelling manifesto to the next President (click the link to go to Vanity Fair's May '08 article). The gist is the US Govt needs to go to war--on carbon, not the Middle-east. Specifically:
1. End oil & coal subsidies
2. Retool our power transmission infrastructure
3. Create a carbon cap and trade system
4. Open the electric grid to markets
5. Establish a streamlined & sensible energy efficiency program

Wouldn't it be nice if, in any future Presidential debates, candidates are asked meaningful questions and not garbage? Go here for some editorials on the debate (or lack thereof), http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-g-brant/the-abc-news-debate-as-ba_b_97261.html & http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2008/04/abc_news_debate_focuses_on_news/. Americans have to go to the web to find the important information--and not everything on the web is valid.

McCain Would Educate Women

"On Wednesday, Senate Republicans filibustered the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a law that would have overturned an appalling Supreme Court decision that practically abolished remedies for gender-based compensation discrimination in the workplace. In opposing this legislation, Senator John McCain said that if women want better-paying jobs, they just need more "education and training." Then, he didn't even show up for the vote. (see http://action.credomobile.com/)."

You know, I didn't pay attention to the criticism about McCain's age--not all old folks have dymentia. However, after hearing this, his statements on the economy, and on Iraq, I'm beginning to wonder if he hasn't reverted to his childhood.

Oil in South Dakota

When an oil-producing country has trouble--unrest, refinery problems, etc.--the price of gas at the pump immediately jumps. Here's news that just hit this week. Why hasn't the price of oil dropped? Unlike the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge, this one seems to be in an area less environmentally sensitive and NOT in Texas. Of course, this is only 1/2 what the US uses in a year. So, more sustainable options are necessary before we can be independent of Middle-east oil--or our own.

--------------------------------------------------------------
April 25th, 2008
The U.S. Geological Survey just published its official results of a groundbreaking study.

Its report confirmed a massive oil reserve in an area the locals have nicknamed the "Bakken," which stretches across North Dakota, Montana and southeastern Saskatchewan.

The new USGS study estimates a whopping 3.65 billion barrels of oil in the Bakken... but here's what they didn't mention:

The reported 3.65 billion barrels of oil mean estimate is for 'undiscovered' oil only, and doesn't include known oil, such as reserves.

In fact, the study reports a 25-fold increase in the amount of oil that can be recovered... compared to the agency's estimate back in 1995.

Discovered over 50 years ago, the Bakken deposit--once impossible to extract--is now being hailed as the single largest oil find in US history.

That's because, today, thanks to breakthrough drilling techniques like horizontal drilling, the Bakken's oil shales can be extracted relatively cheaply.

When that happens, this light, sweet oil will cost Americans just $16 per barrel!

YoYo McCain

As recently as a year ago, I respected & agreed with John McCain on one issue--torture. He now has lost even that plus by agreeing that waterboarding is not torture--ignoring the Geneva Convention & Nuremburg trials. In the past, McCain seemed to not always follow the party line. However, this just in from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24305534:

"Now that he is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, however, McCain is marching straight down the party line. The economic package he has laid out embraces many of the tax policies he once decried: extending Bush's tax cuts he voted against, offering investment tax breaks he once believed would have little economic benefit and granting the long-held wishes of tax lobbyists he has often mocked."

In the past, be bucked Bush & many other Republicans by voting against tax breaks for the wealthy. However, "in Pittsburgh last week, in the face of a projected budget deficit of $400 billion and a sixth year of war, McCain proposed extending Bush's tax cuts, including the dividends and capital gains tax cuts, lowering the corporate income tax, allowing businesses to write off the cost of new equipment and technology, banning Internet and new cellphone taxes, and permanently extending the business tax credit for research and development. By McCain's accounting, his tax proposals would cost the Treasury $200 billion a year."

And remember this: as of mid-2005, the Chinese have accumulated over a trillion dollars of US Treasuries. As of Feb. '08, China Investment Corp was close to a deal w/JC Flowers, to put $4 billion into a new fund to invest in ailing US financial institutions. (See Financial Times, Feb. 8)

"The move follows blockbuster transactions in which sovereign wealth funds from Asia and the Middle East have invested directly in beleaguered banks such as UBS, Merrill Lynch, Citigroup and Morgan Stanley.

"The tie-up under discussion would differ from those deals because CIC would be investing indirectly, reflecting the growing worry among sovereign wealth funds of a political backlash as they put more money into well-known foreign companies.

"The CIC would be also less vulnerable to domestic criticism if its investments went sour."

So, who do we believe? The McCain of the past or the present? What will the future McCain look like? Will he find a new residence in Beijing?

Don't buy the Healthcare Lie

Frontline at pbs.org, has done an excellent job of reporting how other countries offer national health care & how it compares to the US. If you missed the movie Sicko, this is less amusing, but as relevant--if not more so. Don't miss it, especially since many in the media don't want to cover the issues. The government can educate our children but can't see that they stay healthy? For shame.

Are we Stupid, or does the Press just think we are?

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

First off, I admit to only seeing/hearing part of last night's Democratic debate. What I heard makes me glad I didn't bother. The first 52 minutes, from what I hear, covered nothing more earth-shattering than lapel pins & friends who say stupid things. Not one word on real issues: gas prices, global warming, health care, Iraq, labor & jobs, the economy. No wonder the American people are frustrated and (dare I say it?) bitter. The issues of the day continue to be overshadowed by inane topics, many of which the average voter hasn't a clue. It's time Hillary & Barack say, "Forget this question on Bosnia lies; who's health care is it going to pay?"

Send a message to ABC by signing a petition: http://pol.moveon.org/enoughdistractions/?id=12457-7967348-yyHWCr&t=5.

10 Things to Know about McCain

10 things you should know about John McCain (but probably don't):

1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he's continued to oppose key civil rights laws.¹

2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."²

3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.³

4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."⁴

5. The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.⁵

6. He's one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.⁶

7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he's too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He's erratic. He's hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."⁷

8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.⁸

9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."⁹

10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.¹⁰

Sources:
1. "The Complicated History of John McCain and MLK Day," ABC News, April 3, 2008
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/04/the-complicated.html

"McCain Facts," ColorOfChange.org, April 4, 2008
http://colorofchange.org/mccain_facts/

2. "McCain More Hawkish Than Bush on Russia, China, Iraq," Bloomberg News, March 12, 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aF28rSCtk0ZM&refer=us

"Buchanan: John McCain 'Will Make Cheney Look Like Gandhi,'" ThinkProgress, February 6, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/06/buchanan-gandhi-mccain/

3. "McCain Sides With Bush On Torture Again, Supports Veto Of Anti-Waterboarding Bill," ThinkProgress, February 20, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/20/mccain-torture-veto/

4. "McCain says Roe v. Wade should be overturned," MSNBC, February 18, 2007
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17222147/

5. "2007 Children's Defense Fund Action Council^® Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard," February 2008
http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?pagename=act_learn_scorecard2007

"McCain: Bush right to veto kids health insurance expansion," CNN, October 3, 2007
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/03/mccain.interview/

6. "Beer Executive Could Be Next First Lady," Associated Press, April 3, 2008
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-S1sWHm0tchtdMP5LcLywg5ZtMgD8VQ86M80

"McCain Says Bank Bailout Should End `Systemic Risk,'" Bloomberg News, March 25, 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHMiDVYaXZFM&refer=home

7. "Will McCain's Temper Be a Liability?," Associated Press, February 16, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=4301022

"Famed McCain temper is tamed," Boston Globe, January 27, 2008
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/27/famed_mccain_temper_is_tamed/

8. "Black Claims McCain's Campaign Is Above Lobbyist Influence: 'I Don't Know What The Criticism Is,'" ThinkProgress, April 2, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/02/mccain-black-lobbyist/

"McCain's Lobbyist Friends Rally 'Round Their Man," ABC News, January 29, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4210251

9. "McCain's Spiritual Guide: Destroy Islam," Mother Jones Magazine, March 12, 2008
http://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2008/03/john-mccain-rod-parsley-spiritual-guide.html

"Will McCain Specifically 'Repudiate' Hagee's Anti-Gay Comments?," ThinkProgress, March 12, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/12/mccain-hagee-anti-gay/

"McCain 'Very Honored' By Support Of Pastor Preaching 'End-Time Confrontation With Iran,'" ThinkProgress, February 28, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/28/hagee-mccain-endorsement/

10. "John McCain Gets a Zero Rating for His Environmental Record," Sierra Club, February 28, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/environment/77913/

Reprinted w/out permission from http://pol.moveon.org/.