Tag Archives: economic justice

The President is Correct about the Health Care Reform Law

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President Barack Obama delivers his state of the union address on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Photograph: Pool/Reuters

In the State of the Union Address tonight, President Barack Obama welcomed serious efforts fix aspects of the new health care law, but rejected efforts to overturn it and start over. He is right. The law is Constitutional and the apocalyptic scenarios regarding its impact on our health care system are absurd.

Most importantly, it is a good law protecting us from abuses by insurance companies and the health care industry. Here are a few of the most interesting provisions, as summarized in an article from Reuters that came out in March when the legislation was passed. I’ve selected some of the provisions that will have the most impact and inserted my comments in parentheses.

Already in effect are the following provisions. See the article for a fuller summary.

  • Insurance companies will be barred from dropping people from coverage when they get sick. Lifetime coverage limits will be eliminated and annual limits are to be restricted. (Note: If you, a friend or family member has every had a chronic condition, or an illness or injury that is difficulty that is expensive to treat, you will really be grateful for this provision.)
  • Insurers will be barred from excluding children for coverage because of pre-existing conditions. (If you’ve ever changed jobs in a state that doesn’t prohibit this, this is good news, too.)
  • Young adults will be able to stay on their parents’ health plans until the age of 26. Many health plans currently drop dependents from coverage when they turn 19 or finish college. (The job market it tough out there! A lot of young people and their worried parents will appreciate this.)…
  • A tax credit becomes available for some small businesses to help provide coverage for workers.

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    Policy ≠ Politics

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    President Obama announces the compromise.

    A couple days ago the White House and Congressional Republicans reached a compromise on issues that included extending the Bush tax cuts and unemployment benefits.  It took a while.  In the press conference announcing the agreement, President Obama commented that the agreement is not what he wanted, but said that Republicans were holding tax cuts for the Middle Class and an unemployment benefits extension “hostage.”  Many in the Democratic base oppose the compromise, seeing it as capitulation rather than compromise, and are resistant to approval.

    Mainstream media has been providing blow by blow coverage of this process.  The tell us which side which wants what but not in a lot of detail and not why.  For the most part they spend their time speculating about the impact that whatever compromise might be reached will have on the 2012 elections.  Then they let party representatives and their surrogates in the punditry argue about what agreements might be better and for the nation and how.

    It’s all very entertaining.  There is drama, conflict, suspense.  Who is winning the skirmish as the pundits argue?  Who will win the battle when the legislation ultimately makes it out of Congress?  Most importantly, who’s likely to win the war in 2012!

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    Don’t Take My Tax Cut! And Get a Job!

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    Petition: Tell Congress: Protect Workers, NOT Millionaires!

    Senator Scott Brown made a fiery speech a couple of days ago as he blocked the Senate from considering an extension of unemployment benefits. He said that first we need to find a way to pay for those benefits without raising the deficit. At last report the unemployment rate in this country stands at 9.7% and Brown wants to put their ability to buy groceries, pay their bills, mortgage or rent payments in doubt while Congress turns its attention to the deficit.

    I believe that Washington has finally turned its attention to the deficit in earnest, and that Brown’s theatrics are not necessary.  The report that bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform has just been released provides outstanding recommendations for debt reduction. Holding the unemployed hostage during the holiday season is little more than political theater. Brown needed an issue to distinguish himself on, and he chose this. Nice, Senator! Pick on the unemployed. They’re so busy job hunting they won’t be paying much attention!

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    The Senator, the Unemployed and the Millionaires

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    Read: "Congress lets unemployment benefits expire: 'What now' and six other questions

    Senator Scott Brown blocked the extension of unemployment benefits for millions of Americans.

    About 8,400 Americans will see their unemployment benefits cut off by the end of this week, according to the Labor Department. By the end of the third week of December, aid to 1.36 million Americans will be interrupted, the agency said.

    Brown says that we can’t afford the extension and that we need to start focusing on “what is important,” the federal deficit.

    The unemployment rate in this country still hovers around 9.6%. That seems pretty important to me. Unemployment benefits help people without work to pay their bills, put food on their tables, get medical care, and enjoy the holidays!  Moreover, virtually all of the benefits paid out to the unemployed go back into the economy. They are not hoarded, put in savings accounts or invested abroad.
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    Frank v. Beilat, No Contest

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    The top mailing was meant to give me three reasons for firing Barney Frank, but in fact the mailings themselves were 3 reasons NOT to vote for Sean Beilat!

    When I picked up my mail today I found a magazine, a fund raising appeal, and four political mailings relating to the elections next week, three of which were targeted against Congressman Barney Frank.  According to the first mailing, Americans for Limited Government believe he “no longer represents ‘us'” and that Nancy Pelosi “has him in the palm of her hand.”  Sean Beilat for Congress sent two mailings.  The first claims that Frank “and his “rich friends… live by a different set of rules,” and  the other that provides three reasons why voters should “fire Barney Frank on November 2,” claiming he caused the financial meltdown, bailed out friends in the financial sector, and accepted vacations from the people who got federal bail out money.

    These claims are, at best, exaggerations, some of them outright falsehoods.  They are examples of some pretty intense negative campaigning and an obvious attempt to mislead the public.  Quotations are taken out of context, presented in the mailing to look like press clippings, and topped with the logos from the newspapers’ mastheads so they look like actual published news articles, when in fact they are taken from opinion pieces or editorials.  They are not objective analyses.

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    Academic Freedom Media Review, July 17-23

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    Academic Freedom Media Review
    July 17 – 23, 2010
    Compiled by Scholars at Risk

    Note: The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available here or at this link. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.

    UC-Irvine Urged Not to Suspend Muslim Student Union /
    The Chronicle of Higher Education, 7/23

    BP and Academic Freedom
    Cary Nelson, Inside Higher Education, 7/22

    Ultimatum to Illinois Over Catholic Studies Instructor
    Inside Higher Educatin, 7/21

    A Tougher Conflict Policy at Harvard Medical School
    Duff Wilson, The New York Times, 7/21

    What if College Tenure Dies?
    The New York Times, 7/21
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    Hoarders, from The Daily Show

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    Enjoy this Daily Show clip that really needs to further explanation.

    The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
    Hoarders
    www.thedailyshow.com
    Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

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    SAR ACADEMIC FREEDOM MEDIA REVIEW

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    Academic Freedom Media Review
    April 3 – 9, 2010
    Compiled by Scholars at Risk

    Tariq Ramadan Gets the American Debate He Says He Craved
    Peter Schmidt, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 4/9

    UCSD prof turns meeting into protest rally
    Eleanor Yang Su, The Union Tribune, 4/9
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    What You Need to Know NOW about Health Care Reform

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    Why does this number matter? Click to find out.

    An appeal from Consumers Union Action Fund that found its way to my email today makes a good point.

    Right now, they’re counting the phone calls in your Representative’s office. Who is calling against health reform, who is for it.

    They’re keeping a minute-by-minute tally – undecided members are getting swayed; those who already voted ‘yes’ are reconsidering.

    These days it is easy to feel jaded about politics and about the influence of the people on the process.  We are far too often given reason to.   The fact is, however, that the voice of the people does still matter.  Politicians do respond to political pressure.  They always have and always will.  After all, no matter how much money political action committees, corporations or special interests channel into politics, politicians have to be re-elected.

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    Academic Freedom Media Review, February 12-19

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    Compiled by Scholars at Risk

    Alabama Shooting Puts Spotlight on Tenure Process
    The Associated Press, The New York Times, 2/18

    Publish and be dumped?
    Laurie Taylor, The Times Higher Education, 2/18

    Is Heckling a Right?
    Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed, 2/17

    Education is the key for the future of Belarus
    Bertel Haarder, Cristina Husmark Pehrsson, Rigmor Aasrud, Jan Vapaavuori, Katrin Jakobsdottir and Halldor Asgrimsson, EuObserver, 2/17

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