Health
Progressives Should Defend Romney Against Religious Barbs
Original Author:
(James Rowen)
Liberals and other genuinely tolerant citizens, regardless of political party, need to push back publicly against discriminatory campaigning for cheap political points directed against Republican candidate Mitt Romney over his Mormon faith.
Regrettably, conservative GOP/Tea Party candidates Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain are
side-stepping the issue, so are giving their assent to the bigots because Cain and Bachmnn think there are votes from narrow-minded constituencies to be gathered through strategic silence.
Shame on them. This is every American's fight.
Religious intolerance was wrong when John F. Kennedy's Catholicism was made into a campaign issue by bigots during his 1960 Presidential run, and it's just as wrong today.
The flip side is that the overall emphasis of religion in US politics is out of place, too: Media should back off demanding answers and explanations about candidates' faith. And candidates should stop pitching themselves as believers worthy of votes because that translates as exclusionary, or judgmental, against other religions and their adherents.
Hey Consumer Watchdog, It's Only Ok If You Are a Republican? Get it?
Original Author:
Brian Leubitz
Consumer Watchdog in Middle of Fight for Insurance Rate Regulation
by Brian Leubitz
Consumer Watchdog (CW) has more than its share of enemies. While most normal Californians have very little idea who they are, the denizens of the Capitol are not really normal, are they? They have a pretty good idea of who they are.
They have enemies from the 2007 health care fight, where California ended up with no health care reform package, partly because the left didn't want to be complicit with Gov. Schwarzenegger's plan. You see, fellow progressives, we are supposed to stand by while the "adults" do all the negotiating and then cheer when we get some scraps. By adults I mean, the corporate right, the Tea Party, and the center-right Democrats. So, you know, "serious" people.
It turns out that when CW helped out with blowing up that 2007 process, there were some hard feelings. And these things linger in Sacramento. Of course, for Consumer Watchdog, it is hardly the first time they've pissed anybody off.
Fast forward to this year, when AB 52, health insurance rate regulation is up in the Senate. It ultimately fails, and Sen. Ed Hernandez, the chair of the Healthcare committee that ultimately passes it to the full Senate, catches some flack. Hernandez didn't ultimately support the bill in the full Senate, or at least he has said as much.
NAVA Hosts Unprecedented Teleconference and Polling Event
Original Author:
Democracy for New Mexico
From the Native American Voters Alliance (NAVA):
NAVA is hosting "Native America Speaks," an unprecedented statewide teleconference and polling event using participants' cell phones and displaying real-time results. The teleconference takes place at the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) in Albuquerque, the Center for Lifelong Education at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe and the UNM Branch in Gallup. An information-gathering booth will also be set up at the Shiprock Fair.
We are inviting Native American people 18 years old and up, including young people, elders, artists, professionals, voters and nonvoters alike to this event. The digital conference will take place at 10:00 AM on Saturday, October 8, 2011. Registration and check-in begins at 9:00 AM. The NAVA is also looking for volunteers, as well as participants. To register online, go to http://t.co/0hl34cP.
Original Author:
Sen. Kathleen Vinehout
When I heard the Governor had convened a “Special Session on Jobs” I was anxious to take look at the proposals.
Business owners tell me they need access to capital, lower health insurance costs and a skilled workforce. Just last week the Eau Claire Leader Telegram headline read Employers: Jobs are there, Skills are not.
Being from the country, I like to kick the tires and lift up the hood before I buy anything. Was anything that small business owners needed on the list?
This weekend, I got down to the tire kicking level. Amazingly, I found something besides ‘jobs’ on the agenda.
There are a few bills that help make it easier for businesses to get loans. One bill would make credit for farmers easier to obtain by expanding state loan guarantees; another bill increases the cap on loan guarantees for small businesses. There are several bills that create tax credits for investments.
Nothing on the list deals with rising health costs. Very little addresses the lack of skilled workers.
And who would have guessed a bill to protect drug companies and medical device companies from lawsuits if their product had FDA approval would bring jobs to Wisconsin?
Original Author:
(James Rowen)
Another
document dump - - the
second in the last few weeks - - shows cozy relationship among the players, including American regulators now reviewing whether a major new pipeline from Canada to Texas should be approved.
With
most of the oil ticketed for export via Houston, and not for domestic usage.
Not a good development for the White House and the public interest.
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