A plan to slash more than $500 billion from future Medicare spending — one of the biggest sources of funding for President Obama’s proposed overhaul of the nation’s health-care system — would sharply reduce benefits for some senior citizens and could jeopardize access to care for millions of others, according to a government evaluation released Saturday.
The report, requested by House Republicans, found that Medicare cuts contained in the health package approved by the House on Nov. 7 are likely to prove so costly to hospitals and nursing homes that they could stop taking Medicare altogether.
Congress could intervene to avoid such an outcome, but “so doing would likely result in significantly smaller actual savings” than is currently projected, according to the analysis by the chief actuary for the agency that administers Medicare and Medicaid. That would wipe out a big chunk of the financing for the health-care reform package, which is projected to cost $1.05 trillion over the next decade.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Taxpayers & China bailed out autos; feds want tickets to Detroit Auto Show in repayment
About a year after Washington began its rescue of two Detroit automakers, so many federal officials want to attend the Detroit auto show that organizers have, for the first time, created a new credential specifically for those in government.
Requests for passes to the show are pouring in from members of Congress, the Department of Transportation and other agencies, Doug Fox, chairman of the 2010 North American International Auto Show, said today.
Taxpayers have provided more than $80 billion in aid to the auto industry.
When the show opens to the press, analysts and politicians Jan. 11, about twice as many federal officials are expected to be in attendance, wearing the new gray and silver passes. The Detroit auto show opens to the public Jan. 16.
Requests for passes to the show are pouring in from members of Congress, the Department of Transportation and other agencies, Doug Fox, chairman of the 2010 North American International Auto Show, said today.
Taxpayers have provided more than $80 billion in aid to the auto industry.
When the show opens to the press, analysts and politicians Jan. 11, about twice as many federal officials are expected to be in attendance, wearing the new gray and silver passes. The Detroit auto show opens to the public Jan. 16.
The Obama audition proceeds; downgrade U.S., then move on to the next gig - master of the world
The US has maintained a policy of isolating the military junta of Burma for decades, refusing to use the junta’s name for the country (Myanmar) as a symbolic rejection of their authority. Earlier this year, however, the Obama administration announced that they had undertaken a review of that policy, and was widely expected to broaden diplomatic contacts with the regime. Sen. James Webb met with the junta leaders in a widely-criticized trip earlier this year that possibly intended to lend a little legitimacy to that effort. Now the Washington Times reports that Barack Obama himself will meet with junta leaders in Singapore just four months after the US stopped a shipment of North Korean weapons from reaching the dictators:
10.2 % jobless rate is an historical omen
The announcement a week ago of 10.2% unemployment is a significant political event for President Barack Obama. It could well usher in a particularly serious crisis for his political standing, influence and ability to advance his agenda.
(snip)
Mr. Obama's approval among likely voters has dropped to the low-50s in most polls, and the most recent Rasmussen Reports poll of likely voters shows him slightly below the 50% mark. This is a relatively low rating for new presidents. Mr. Obama's approval rating began to slide in a serious way in early July, triggered by a bad unemployment report.
A look at more detailed data shows why Mr. Obama's ratings are likely to drop even further.
A CNN poll released Nov. 6 found that 47% of Americans believe the top issue facing the country is the economy, while only 17% say its health care. However, the bulk of the president's efforts over the past six months have been not on the economy but on health care, an issue in which he continues to draw negative ratings.
In a Rasmussen Reports poll taken after the House of Representatives passed health-care reform by the narrowest of margins last Saturday night, 54% of likely voters say they are opposed to the plan with only 45% in favor. Furthermore, in the all-important category of unaffiliated voters, 58% oppose the bill. That's one of the reasons why so many moderate Democratic House members opposed it.
(snip)
Mr. Obama's approval among likely voters has dropped to the low-50s in most polls, and the most recent Rasmussen Reports poll of likely voters shows him slightly below the 50% mark. This is a relatively low rating for new presidents. Mr. Obama's approval rating began to slide in a serious way in early July, triggered by a bad unemployment report.
A look at more detailed data shows why Mr. Obama's ratings are likely to drop even further.
A CNN poll released Nov. 6 found that 47% of Americans believe the top issue facing the country is the economy, while only 17% say its health care. However, the bulk of the president's efforts over the past six months have been not on the economy but on health care, an issue in which he continues to draw negative ratings.
In a Rasmussen Reports poll taken after the House of Representatives passed health-care reform by the narrowest of margins last Saturday night, 54% of likely voters say they are opposed to the plan with only 45% in favor. Furthermore, in the all-important category of unaffiliated voters, 58% oppose the bill. That's one of the reasons why so many moderate Democratic House members opposed it.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Forty years ago, Spiro Agnew indicted the news media; many Americans now believe he was right
Forty years have passed since Spiro Agnew, then the vice-president, delivered his remarkable indictment of the news media in Des Moines.
That was the day "nattering nabobs of negativism" entered the American vocabulary, along with several other remarkable phrases.
I was there as a reporter, but Agnew wasn't talking about me. Even then, I was a conservative swimming in a sea filled with liberals who were, at times, hostile.
Nevertheless, Agnew was a little scary. His tone and manner were menacing, his words seemed threatening. There were no grace notes. All of us were in the cross-hairs.
A few years later, I persuaded the editor of the Minneapolis Tribune to let me do a series of reports on the growth of government, which was becoming an issue in California. This would be a jarring venture for the Tribune, a reliably liberal newspaper.
But even I was surprised when I asked friends on the staff to lend me their knowledge and talents on certain stories. Without exception, they said no. They knew what the thrust of the series would be and wanted no part in it.
As soon as the stories started running, readers began calling to tell me they had read the paper for decades and had never before seen any questioning of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal in it.
Now, 40 years after the Agnew attack, the American public is seething against Big Government and the news operations that continue to applaud its incursions on individual liberty.
Agnew, after all these years, turns out to have been right.
Here is Michael Socolow in the Bangor Daily News:
It remains the most influential indictment of American journalism ever made. Forty years ago today, this famous figure began railing against the corporate media. “A broader spectrum of national opinion should be represented among the commentators of the network news,” he argued, explaining that “men who can articulate other points of view should be brought forward, and the American people should be made aware of the trend toward the monopolization of the great public information vehicles and the concentration of more and more power over public opinion in fewer and fewer hands.”
That was the day "nattering nabobs of negativism" entered the American vocabulary, along with several other remarkable phrases.
I was there as a reporter, but Agnew wasn't talking about me. Even then, I was a conservative swimming in a sea filled with liberals who were, at times, hostile.
Nevertheless, Agnew was a little scary. His tone and manner were menacing, his words seemed threatening. There were no grace notes. All of us were in the cross-hairs.
A few years later, I persuaded the editor of the Minneapolis Tribune to let me do a series of reports on the growth of government, which was becoming an issue in California. This would be a jarring venture for the Tribune, a reliably liberal newspaper.
But even I was surprised when I asked friends on the staff to lend me their knowledge and talents on certain stories. Without exception, they said no. They knew what the thrust of the series would be and wanted no part in it.
As soon as the stories started running, readers began calling to tell me they had read the paper for decades and had never before seen any questioning of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal in it.
Now, 40 years after the Agnew attack, the American public is seething against Big Government and the news operations that continue to applaud its incursions on individual liberty.
Agnew, after all these years, turns out to have been right.
Here is Michael Socolow in the Bangor Daily News:
It remains the most influential indictment of American journalism ever made. Forty years ago today, this famous figure began railing against the corporate media. “A broader spectrum of national opinion should be represented among the commentators of the network news,” he argued, explaining that “men who can articulate other points of view should be brought forward, and the American people should be made aware of the trend toward the monopolization of the great public information vehicles and the concentration of more and more power over public opinion in fewer and fewer hands.”
The Democrat winner in NY-23 could still lose
Democrat Bill Owens, who was sworn into Congress last week and immediately voted for a controversial health care legislation, has a lead that has narrowed to 3,026 votes with about 5,800 absentee ballots received so far that have yet to be counted, according to a routine recanvassing of the votes.
The Conservative candidate in a New York congressional race that drew national attention said Friday that he regrets conceding the election, after a review of the votes revealed the race is too close to call.
Democrat Bill Owens, who was sworn into Congress last week and immediately voted for controversial health care legislation, still hasn't been certified the winner by local elections officials. His lead over Conservative Doug Hoffman has narrowed to 3,026 votes with about 5,800 absentee ballots received so far that have yet to be counted, according to a routine recanvassing of the votes.
The Conservative candidate in a New York congressional race that drew national attention said Friday that he regrets conceding the election, after a review of the votes revealed the race is too close to call.
Democrat Bill Owens, who was sworn into Congress last week and immediately voted for controversial health care legislation, still hasn't been certified the winner by local elections officials. His lead over Conservative Doug Hoffman has narrowed to 3,026 votes with about 5,800 absentee ballots received so far that have yet to be counted, according to a routine recanvassing of the votes.
Abominanble Obamanomics: 85 % of clean energy stimulus stimulated foreign firms
Of the $1 billion in clean-energy stimulus money spent since the beginning of September, $850 million has gone to foreign wind companies. It doesn't take a bunch of experts at a hastily planned "jobs summit" to discover this isn't the way to bolster employment in America.
Indeed, the 11 U.S. wind farms that received stimulus money from the Treasury have imported 695 of the 982 wind turbines to be installed, creating 4,500 jobs overseas. That's far more overseas work than the stimulus money has created in the United States.
On Oct. 29, a joint venture of American and Chinese companies unveiled plans for a new $1.5 billion wind farm in West Texas consisting of 240 Chinese-made turbines. The project is seeking 30 percent of its funding in government stimulus dollars. At best, hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars will create a grand total of 30 permanent jobs. That's $15 million for each job if the project gets the expected level of federal funding.
Indeed, the 11 U.S. wind farms that received stimulus money from the Treasury have imported 695 of the 982 wind turbines to be installed, creating 4,500 jobs overseas. That's far more overseas work than the stimulus money has created in the United States.
On Oct. 29, a joint venture of American and Chinese companies unveiled plans for a new $1.5 billion wind farm in West Texas consisting of 240 Chinese-made turbines. The project is seeking 30 percent of its funding in government stimulus dollars. At best, hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars will create a grand total of 30 permanent jobs. That's $15 million for each job if the project gets the expected level of federal funding.
Film makers make a startling discovery: many of our well educated think Lincoln was a Democrat
While interviewing people on the streets of L.A. and N.Y. for our documentary about the legacy of the Civil War, we came to the staggering realization of how many allegedly well-educated people assumed that Abraham Lincoln was a Democrat fighting slave-owning Republicans in the South.
Confronted with the uncomfortable truth that Lincoln was a Republican, many people became enraged at their own ignorance and projected their angst on our unsuspecting and bewildered crew. To fully grasp the pain of big-government liberals' realization of Lincoln's true party affiliation, imagine Sean Hannity discovering one day that Reagan was a Communist.
Confronted with the uncomfortable truth that Lincoln was a Republican, many people became enraged at their own ignorance and projected their angst on our unsuspecting and bewildered crew. To fully grasp the pain of big-government liberals' realization of Lincoln's true party affiliation, imagine Sean Hannity discovering one day that Reagan was a Communist.
Bribe-taker William Jefferson gets 13 years
Former U.S. Congressman William J. Jefferson, 62, of New Orleans, La., was sentenced today to 13 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for using his office to corruptly solicit bribes, the Justice Department announced. Jefferson was also ordered to forfeit more than $470,000.
"The court's sentence today reaffirms the principle that all people - no matter what their title or position - are equal before the law," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman. "In a stunning betrayal of the public's trust, former Congressman Jefferson repeatedly used his public office for private gain. The lengthy prison sentence imposed on Mr. Jefferson today is a stark reminder to all public officials that the consequences of accepting bribes can and will be severe."
"The court's sentence today reaffirms the principle that all people - no matter what their title or position - are equal before the law," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman. "In a stunning betrayal of the public's trust, former Congressman Jefferson repeatedly used his public office for private gain. The lengthy prison sentence imposed on Mr. Jefferson today is a stark reminder to all public officials that the consequences of accepting bribes can and will be severe."
Friday, November 13, 2009
Politics requires stagecraft, and stagecraft requires a terrorist trial in New York in 2010
Actually, this is a clever maneuver that is unrelated to legal issues. This is a counter-attack against the notion that Barack Obama is soft on terror and a closet sympathizer with Islamists.
If that accusation were to gain traction, it would damage Democrat prospects in the 2010 election.
The court maneuver also may explain the passage of time, with nothing much happening on the 9/11 terrorist front. The Obama administration can now see to it that a hanging judge is appointed (good luck in finding one of those in New York) to preside over the trial of Kahlid Sheikh Mohammed. Once the guilty verdict has been delivered, the administration will demand quick execution.
As all of this plays out, the 2010 election campaign will come and go. The voters will make their judgments. Mission accomplished.
Obama will be seen as a player. If he had simply allowed all of the terrorist trials to advance to military tribunals, Obama would not have been seen as a player. Instead, he would have been seen as a bystander, uninvolved in the judgment and punishment process.
As a player, Obama can at least weaken the soft-on-terrorism vibe. It will not gain traction as a snarling Obama team calls for blood.
In politics, as in theater, timing is everything. The stagecraft here is impressive.
The thing to look for is the end of the trial. August or September would be ideal. Execution of Mohammed on the eve of the election would be too much to expect, but not out of the question.
63 % favor ouster of most Congress members; poll shows anti-incumbent sentiment building
One year out from midterm elections, anti-incumbent sentiment is approaching its highest level in two decades, according to a poll released Wednesday by Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.
The survey found that 53 percent of Americans said most members of Congress should not be reelected, compared with just 34 percent who said most members should be reelected.
Fifty-two percent would like to see their own representatives reelected in 2010, while 29 percent want them out of office, according the Pew poll.
The last time voter sentiment was this negative was during the 2006 and 1994 election cycles — years in which the party in power suffered huge losses in midterm elections. In June 2006, 57 percent did not want to see most representatives reelected, while 29 percent wanted to see them stay in office. In October 1994, 56 percent of voters said they would not like to see most members of Congress reelected, while 28 percent would.
The survey found that 53 percent of Americans said most members of Congress should not be reelected, compared with just 34 percent who said most members should be reelected.
Fifty-two percent would like to see their own representatives reelected in 2010, while 29 percent want them out of office, according the Pew poll.
The last time voter sentiment was this negative was during the 2006 and 1994 election cycles — years in which the party in power suffered huge losses in midterm elections. In June 2006, 57 percent did not want to see most representatives reelected, while 29 percent wanted to see them stay in office. In October 1994, 56 percent of voters said they would not like to see most members of Congress reelected, while 28 percent would.
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