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Exchange Tackles Rising Health Costs

October 10, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

“Rising health costs are the single biggest problem we face,” the Menomonie non-profit administrator told me. She saw double digit inflation in health insurance costs for years. “We are having a serious talk with our employees about options. None are good.”

“With the drop in milk prices,” the Tomah dairy farmer told me. “Health premiums now take up a quarter of our milk check.” Insurance premiums for the farmer and his brother add up to over $900 a month. “What can you do to help?” he asked.

This week I unveiled a bill to create affordable health insurance exchanges for small businesses and individuals. An exchange is a competitive marketplace where health insurance companies compete for business.

For small businesses, farmers and others who buy insurance on their own, a well run exchange does two things. First, exchanges give small groups big buying power. No longer are you on your own buying insurance for just yourself or your business.

Second, the exchange provides information not now available to small businesses and people who buy insurance on their own. Consumers can clearly compare plans.

The One Percenters: Game, set, and class warfare

October 9, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Naomi Klein, author of "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism," really tagged the wealthiest one percent of America the other day in a speech at the Occupy Wall Street rally.

Her speech was shortened because there were no amplified microphones, but here's what Klein said in the full, written version. You can't get much more succinct about what's happening in the US right now regarding "class warfare," and her words surely will remind many of the Scott Walker school of public policy. Here she is:

If there is one thing I know, it is that the one percent loves a crisis. When people are panicked and desperate and no one seems to know what to do, that is the ideal time to push through their wish list of pro-corporate policies: privatizing education and social security, slashing public services, getting rid of the last constraints on corporate power. Amidst the economic crisis, this is happening the world over.

And there is only one thing that can block this tactic, and fortunately, it’s a very big thing: the 99 percent. And that 99 percent is taking to the streets from Madison to Madrid to say “No. We will not pay for your crisis.”

 

Scott Walker's certainly wrong about the dangers of business uncertainty

October 7, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Risky, but goodI'm back a third time to talk about the currently fashionable Republican notion (at least, fashionable among Republicans) that reducing business uncertainty is the only real way to fix America's economic woes. Sorry if I seem tiresome and pedantic on this issue, but I really do think it's important and instructive in many ways. This time, I present yet another reason why Scott Walker is certainly wrong about uncertainty

This idea of uncertainty holding back job creatjion is, as I've noted, one that has been adopted wholesale by Walker, as when he commented on the state Department of Revenue's decision to slam small "roll your own" cigaret shops:

"What we hear from employers all the time … is they want the certainty of knowing what the law is, what the rules are, that they're applied universally and across the board."

Van Hollen's boot-licking response to NRA: 'I'm making it as easy as I can'

October 7, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Wisconsin's attorney general, J.B. Van Hollen, sure knows how to talk tough.  The National Rifle Association criticized his department this week, saying it was drafting rules for concealed carry training that were too strict, required four hours of training and included firing a weapon. (Imagine that!)

Van Hollen's weak-kneed response:

"I'm surprised the NRA isn't grateful," Van Hollen said. "We're making it as easy as possible."

The rules don't require any hands-on practice as [the NRA's Chris] Cox believes, the attorney general said. 

So, not to worry.  You won't actually have to handle or fire a weapon in order to get a permit to carry one.  (You might be a little surprised at how much noise it makes if you ever pull the trigger.)  Presumably, the four hours of training will include information on which way to point it and which end the bullet comes out.

Duffy's DumbAxe

October 6, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Sean Duffy ran his campaign using commercials claiming he had a lumberjack heritage and he was going to take an axe to Washington DC. What he didn't tell us was that Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid were on his axe-list. He voted for the Paul Ryan budget and now we are going to vote him out of the Wisconsin 7th Congressional District.

Sean has had so many blunders since he's taken office and that's even if you are not counting his votes. He claims he can't make it on his $174,000 salary. 

Please watch the video we've made to see how we think he should make his next lumberjack commercials. Link to it as much as you can. We are aiming to get 5000 hits on this video so we can show up right next to Duffy's advertisements that he pays thousands of dollars for. Let's work on getting this Real Fake Repuglican out of office. -saw-