Bush for tax cuts, except when he's not

Bush promised in his State of the Union address last week that his budget plan would result in a surplus for 2012. However, the budget plan he delivered to Congress this week calls for no further funding of Iraq and Afghanistan operations after the summer of 2009 (which clearly is not the Administration’s position, or else they are doing major double talk; funding of Iraq and Afghanistan is likely to continue beyond that even under a President Clinton or Obama). Bush's budget also assumes a return of the Alternative Minimum Tax after 2008, which would result in higher taxes for many middle-income and upper-middle-income families. Bush is on record opposing a return of the Alternative Minimum Tax without a “fix” to prevent it from hitting middle class families. However, he is willing to briefly support things he otherwise opposes, but only for the purpose of adding up budget numbers to say that America will get to a “surplus.” Talk about intellectual dishonesty. Of course, being intellectual is not something this President is known for, although this Administration’s record for dishonesty is well known.

Representative Steve Yarbrough introduces bill to boost his employer's bottom line

State Representative Steve Yarbrough (R-Chandler) is once again running a bill in this year's session of the Arizona legislature that would expand a tax credit to private student tuition organizations (STO's), a type of organization for which he works. Incidentally, while Yarbrough is proposing expanded public funding of private schools, his party's Appropriations Chairmen in the legislature are also proposing to halt public school construction and renovations until mid-2009.

Toni Morrison seeking America's second black President

Author and poet Toni Morrison, who in 1998 dubbed Bill Clinton America's first black President, has chosen to endorse Barack Obama over Clinton's wife. See the story here.

Free money for regular folks!

Okay, there really is no such thing as a free lunch. But it appears Congress (Republicans and Democrats) has agreed on a stimulus package for the economy. There will not be aid for ailing state governments, nor any increases in Food Stamps or unemployment benefits, as Democrats had originally talked about. In exchange for Pelosi giving this up, Republicans agreed to allow the tax rebates to go to people whose income is too low to pay taxes, but they are required to have some earned income (i.e. you still have to work). The rebates will be $300 per adult or child, capped at $1,200 per family. The refunds will only go to individuals with incomes below $75,000 or couples with incomes below $150,000. No word yet on what the cost is, but it will likely be added to the deficit (not paid for). Of course, this all still has to be voted on and signed by the President, but word is there is agreement between Republicans and Democrats in Congress.

I personally am not in a financial crisis, and would rather the government not send me a check. Ultimately, our government is just borrowing more money from foreign governments to bail us out of a situation we wouldn't be experiencing in the first place if there had been more oversight of unscrupulous lenders (and maybe better financial education of our people). But given that so many people are up that creek right now, it's nice that they at least get a small paddle. I may be looking for some worthwhile organizations to recommend that help people who actually need it, in case you are in my situation and don't need another loan from China.

Bill Richardson, we hardly knew ye...

An AP story on the withdrawal of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson from the race for the White House highlighted his impressive credentials. Between he, Dodd, and Biden, the Democratic race for President has lost nearly a century of public service experience among its candidates.

From the AP article:

Richardson had one of the most wide-ranging resumes of any candidate ever to run for the presidency, bringing experience from his time in Congress, President Clinton's Cabinet, in the New Mexico Statehouse as well as his unique role as a freelance diplomat. As a Hispanic, he added to the unprecedented diversity in the Democratic field that also included a black man and a woman.

Richardson was born 60 years ago in Pasadena, Calif., after his American father sent his Mexican mother there to give birth and erase any doubts that his son would be a U.S. citizen. His father was an international banker from Boston, and Richardson spent his childhood in Mexico City before being sent to boarding school in Massachusetts, where he was a standout baseball player.

After graduating from Tufts University in 1971 with a master's degree in international affairs, Richardson worked first as a congressional aide and then for the State Department. He was a staffer for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when he decided to leave Washington in 1978 to launch a political career.

Richardson settled in New Mexico partly because of the state's large Hispanic population, and he won election to the House. Richardson is a master negotiator, and put his diplomatic skills to work to rescue Americans held hostage abroad. He earned a reputation for a mix of patience, toughness and cultural sensitivity that served him well on mercy missions from North Korea to Cuba to Sudan.

President Clinton recruited Richardson to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, then secretary of Energy two years later.

I'm baaaack....with comments about health care!

So I took some time off for the holidays. Like more than a month. But with the legislature back in session, be certain that I will have lots of fun news to share!

In the mean time, here are a couple items related to health care in the United States. First, as I like to stay connected to rural Arizona, an article from the Sierra Vista Herald reports on the severity of the health care crisis in this corner of rural America. Most rural areas have few large companies, over 90% of whom offer health insurance to employees, versus just 39% of Arizona small businesses who offer health insurance to their employees. Moreover, more of the clients in Sierra Vista are on Medicare (it is a retirement haven) or AHCCCS (our state's Medicaid program), which reimburse hospitals at lower rates. Those low reimbursement rates combined with lots of uninsured patients coming in and paying nothing has left the local hospital in financial straights, threatening the quality and availability of care to local residents - even those lucky enough to have good insurance. Moreover, the article points out there are far fewer doctors practicing in Cochise County than the national average (what a great selling point for a retirement community!). Unfortunately, the Pearce-Burns budget proposal in the legislature would cut $3 million for a medical residency program for 95 medical residents in Arizona.

Meanwhile, the Center for American Progress reported in their daily Progress Report e-mail today that the U.S. health care system ranks worst in the world in preventable deaths:

HEALTH CARE -- U.S. HEALTH SYSTEM RANKS WORST IN PREVENATABLE DEATHS: In Saturday's ABC/Facebook presidential debate, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said, "The reality is that, with all of its infirmities and difficulties, we have the best health care system in the world." It's a claim conservatives like to tout. Last month, President Bush insisted, "We have fabulous health care in America, just so you know." He added, "[B]efore people start griping about the health care system here...compare it with other systems around the world." Today, researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine released a report that ranked the United States "worst among 19 countries in the number of deaths that could have been prevented through better access to timely and effective health care. ... Had the United States performed as well as the top three countries -- France, Japan and Australia -- it would have seen about 101,000 fewer deaths per year." All three countries have publicly-financed health systems. One of the study's researchers, Ellen Nolte, "said the large number of Americans who lack any type of health insurance...probably was a key factor" in the low ranking.

Consumer Reports cautions about buying your own health insurance; McCain, Guiliani should listen

Consumer Reports magazine, published by the Consumers Union, chronicled in their January 2008 issue (they really are ahead of themselves) the difficulty the self employed and those working for small businesses have in finding health insurance. This is particularly timely since several of the Republican presidential candidates are talking about moving away from employer-sponsored health insurance and pushing people into buying individual health insurance on their own. Individual health insurance is so popular that a whopping 7% of Americans already get their insurance that way. It's great if you are young, in great health, and will never need to use it. But many others might as well have a giant red stamp on their forehead saying "UNINSURABLE." The article details the stories of those who thought they were in good health, but upon applying for health insurance on their own, without an employer-sponsored pool to spread out the risk, were unable to obtain sufficient coverage due to conditions as common as high blood pressure or asthma. Since Consumer Reports doesn't put much of their magazine's content on the web (it's kind of hard to make money putting stuff for free on the web if you don't sell advertising like other news sites do, but that is what gives Consumer Reports such credibility), I cannot link to the article. But it starts out with a great analogy:

Imagine that shopping for a new car worked like this: If you really didn't need the auto and lived two blocks from work, any dealer would sell you a car for a song. If the commute was 50 miles, much too far to walk, no one would sell you a car at any price. You wouldn't get to see a full contract until you plunked down your cash. Your monthly car payment would go up 20 to 30 percent every year, and, by the way, the steering wheel might be extra. The auto industry doesn't work like that, of course, but the market for people who buy their own health insurance does.

The article reveals Consumer Reports' findings:

• 71% of those on individual plans had overall complaints with their coverage, compared to 53% for those on an employer plan.
• 55% of those on an individual plan said their insurance covered most costs, while 81% of those covered by their employer did.
• 52% covered by an individual plan said their premium was too high, compared with 29% on employer plans.
• 45% on individual plans said they postponed needed medical care due to costs, compared to 31% covered by employers.

In Arizona, 24,000 folks are in a state-sponsored, high risk pool called Healthcare Group. These are people who pay significant monthly premiums for their health insurance, are employed, and are not eligible for health insurance through their employer. What they do get through Healthcare Group that they do not get in the private individual market is coverage for their pre-existing conditions. As is always the case with a pool of high risk (sick) people, it costs a lot to insure their health. Healthcare Group has been operating in the red, and the legislature is still determining the future of the plan, and whether the 24,000 Arizonans served by it will continue to have coverage. While the plan is administered through our Medicaid agency, AHCCCS, Healthcare Group was told by the legislature to be financially independent and for several years did not receive taxpayer money. Enrollment in Healthcare Group has now been closed and premiums have been increased, which tends to create a further "death spiral," since no new (and younger) people may join the plan, while those on it will usually get older and sicker. There is not silver bullet, but when someone says everyone should just be responsible for going and buying their own health insurance, it simply is not that easy.