Anyone for Dodge Ball in the Capital Rotunda??

Hi everyone -

I just had to write this all down before I forget it all or lose the whimsical side of it !

So after thinking about the whole stalemate in the House and Senate with pretty much any and all issues, I had this silly kind of idea.

Do you guys all remember Dodge Ball from school??? Gosh, I miss dodge ball. It was a blast - albeit a bit dangerous at times. You could really lose an eye or worse if you were a guy.

I had this vision. If the boys on the hill are going to act like children, maybe they'd like to be treated more like children. Let's line them up - Republicans on one side, Democrats on the other side. Now sorry, Republicans, you're going to be a little short on people to start - but there are consequences to losing Congressional seats. And besides, you don't quite play fair anyway, so you'll make up for it in spirit and scrapiness.

So let's take a certain Bill or two - like the Health Care Reform Bills. Since, supposedly, they all agree on 80% of these Bills - why not pass just the 80% for now. If they agree on it, put it in writing, pass it through, no questions asked - because they all agree, right? What's so hard about that?

Then the compromising and negotiating can begin. We'll make it like dodge ball where we pick teams and take turns throwing the ball.

First each side would divide out the other points they want in the Bill, two at a time. Start with the easiest ones to negotiate and work their way up to the tough ones. Now, they'd have to go back to some point where the Democrats already started to really compromise. The Democrats really want to include all Americans for coverage, the Pre-Existing Clause, etc. on their side. The Republicans really want better language to exclude Illegal Aliens and Abortions from being covered; they want to sell across State Lines, etc.. So now each side just picks one talking point, everyone gets to discuss it and take it to a vote - compromise. Get enough votes on both sides to pass both their requests - now pass that as an amendment. Sounds pretty darn easy doesn't it???

Then of course, they could work up to the top big two - Tort Reform for the Public Option. Now that would be a real battle. But if either side really wanted their choice to go through, they'd be more apt to try harder to get it.


And overall then, what would be the worse that would happen. If they couldn't agree on anything else, then the 80% would have already been passed.

I feel that this would really take all the horse trading and back room deals off the table. Maybe they could remember that they are working for all Americans, not just their districts and own personal gains.

And I'd sure like to see this posturing on C Span. Maybe we'd see some real testosterone at play - men do like competition and what better way then to indulge their sports-mindedness.

And one more thought - if you act like a 5 year old, you should be expected to be treated like a 5 year old. If you can't play nice together, you shouldn't be allowed to play together. If you have a child and he/she misbehaves, don't you take privileges and/or money/personal property away from that child? I liken this concept to the insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and banks - if you screw up and rob vulnerable people out of billions of dollars - you should lose your privilege to continue to do the same until you learn to play nicer. I personally think you deserve a much sterner punishment than just a chastising from the President.

To make this end on even a funnier note, while I was explaining my latest concept to my fiance, Kevin, he just kept telling me he couldn't think any more about my actual concept as it related to legislation - because as a man, he couldn't get the image of all the members of the House and Senate lined up smacking each other in the heads with the Dodge Ball - and he wanted to see it in the Capital Rotunda.

So to each of you - what do you think? Could they pass reform this way? Or do you now just have a bunch of men and women in your mind, in suits and dresses, lined up, winging the balls at each other. I must say, that would be just hilarious and I have a few I'd like to just nail and nail good.

Oh the Big Liars - Which Ones This Week? Big Health Insurance Companies !

Hi Everyone -

I ran across this interesting article yesterday. And once again, I must say Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire. I guess in the back of my mind, I thought the insurance companies couldn't possibly be for health care reform. After all, they stand to lose billions of dollars off of this legislation.

I'm glad some reporters are doing their work. Aetna, Cigna, Humana, Kaiser, United Health and Wellpoint were all called out about their roll in paying for anti-reform ads - to the tune of $10 - $20 million dollars. Apparently money was solicited by AHIP and funneled through the Chamber of Commerce. It was too risky, I guess, to just run the ads themselves like they did back under the Clinton administration.

I was initially really disappointed in Kaiser, since I work for them, and they had been so positive in all of our employee emails about reform. The article states that their monies went for positive health care reform ads. If you read down through the response threads, you'll actually see a thread from John Nelson from Kaiser Foundation. I'm wondering what positive ads were run by AHIP and if Kaiser should ask for a refund of their money.

Wow, and we wonder why the insurance companies are charging us such absorbent fees for our premiums and ailments. Who says special interest groups don't throw big bucks at potential legislation and campaigns. I would think they could take these millions of dollars and use them for something positive - like lowering premiums or covering our bills. Novel idea, huh?

So anyway, here's a link to read the article in full. Click here.

Have a great night everyone.

House Bill 3962 Cliff Notes

Hi everyone -

I'm trying to find an easier way to share my cliff notes from the Health Care Reform Bill with everyone. Now I'm not finished yet - but here's a start. I'll post updated ones as I get further.
But at the very least, you can see all the good stuff (my personal thought) - as well as bad stuff (depending on your view).

Please let me know your thoughts.

Let's see if it works. Click here. When you get to the google doc page, just hit download and open with Microsoft Word. The document should just open.

Take care. Stay in and stay warm and dry! It's pouring here STILL.

1 Year Later - What has He Accomplished - Or Not

Hi -

Wow, long time, no write. I guess the holidays kind of kicked my proverbial free time for writing.

Here I go easing back into with a noncontroversial subject.

So let's talk a little bit about the past year. This blog is in preparation for all the nay-saying that will be going on next week about President Obama's one-year anniversary in office.

I guess it's pretty debatable. Are we in a better place than we were last year at this time? I guess it depends on who you are, where you live, what circumstances are occurring in your life. It's been a hard year for a lot of people. And a lot of people have no idea how hard it's really been for a lot of people in our Country. I have to say, if more people had a clue - and a bit of a soul, they'd be a lot more humble and thankful.

Have we gotten the change we thought was going to happen - in the magnitude we expected? I'm pretty sure the answer to that is a resounding No ! . I still believe in "Yes, We Can", but the question is how fast can we? and who is going to be and stay in the way? I do believe we are on our way - at least I hope. And without hope - and a lot of faith, there is nothing.

We've seen a lot of greed, hatred and prejudice over the last year. I guess maybe Washington DC has always been a politically corrupt ugly place - but I don't think a lot of us knew the extent of it - and probably still don't. With the Internet and the media of today, it's a lot more evident. It's not pretty - and I think, personally a lot of people should be losing sleep at night and be ashamed of themselves.

This is supposed to be a democracy - I think we're all supposed to be humanitarians - maybe not. I'm going to research that a little bit later and come back to that issue - what kind of a society are we really living in? I don't believe our Country qualifies as a true democracy, looking out for each other.

So let's do a little recap of President Obama's accomplishments. What did he campaign on - what if anything did he promise? Has he flipped on his priorities? Or is he just taking it slow and easy - getting what he can when he can? Pacing himself and concentrating on his priorities?

I've done a lot of googling, visited a multitude of web sites - some partisan, some bi-partisan and some claiming to be non-partisan. Here's what I found.

During his campaign, the following items were President Obama's top priorities:

#1 - Withdrawal from Iraq
#2 - Health Care Reform/Universal Coverage for All Americans
#3 - Climate Change

Increased Energy Independence
Decreased Lobbyist/Special Interest Group Influence
Re-Focus Anti-Terrorism Strategies on Afghanistan, Pakistan and Other Problem Spots
Eliminate Weapons of Mass Destruction World-wide
Immigration Reform, including Electronic Tracking Systems to Identify Illegal Aliens
Education Reform

Supports Affirmative Action
Supports Roe v Wade and Women's' Reproductive Rights
Supports Civil Unions
Supports Gun Control, While also Supporting Right to Bear Arms, Tightening Loopholes
Supports Stem Cell Research

Now those items were the talking points on his campaign trail, mostly during interviews.


The next items are actually things that he's either signed into legislation or accomplished so far. Again, these items were found on multiple web sites. I have no reason to question any of these items.

Hate Crime Bill making it a federal offense to harm someone because of their sexual orientation
S-CHIP Bill extending health insurance to low-income children
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act forbidding wage disparities due to gender
$787 Billion America Recovery and Reinvestment Act - otherwise known as the Stimulus Plan.
This includes the Cash for Clunkers Program, Making Home Affordable Plan,
Bank Bailout, Auto Industry Bailout, Tax Cuts for Low and Middle Income Americans
Set new Federal Fuel Efficiency Standards - Part of Cap and Trade
Increased Tax Rebates for Purchase of Hybrid Cars
Extending the First Time Homeowners Tax Credits
Credit Card Act Blocking some of the Unfair Consumer Protections Laws, Limiting Fees
Increased Student Loans, Enabled Students to Refinance if Needed
Increased Disaster Management and Prevention Funding, Infrastructure Changes
Froze Salaries for Top White House Staff and Aides
Set Lobbying Constraints on Gifting and Employment Practices
Ended Tax Benefits for Companies who Outsourced Employment of US Jobs
Ended the Practice of Forbidding Medicare Drug Price Negotiations - Saving Seniors Money
Allowed Visitation to Cuba by US Family Members
Closed Off-Shore Tax Loopholes
Remodeled Global Role for Better Foreign Policy
Set a Deadline to Pull out of Iraq
Set a Deadline to Close GITMO
Increased Troops in Afghanistan
Banned Torture and Inhumane Treatment of Prisoners
Ordered "Secret" Prisons Closed throughout World
AMD Stabilization and Support Bill Passage to Change Military Practices
Phased Out F22s
Purchased Better Body Armor
Money for Better Housing
Money for Better Wages
Hiring of Spouses into Federal Jobs
Ended Media Blackout for Fallen Soldiers
Expenses of Families Paid to go to Dover AFB to Meet Fallen Soldiers Bodies
Ended Stop-Loss Date that was Keeping Soldiers Abroad Past their Enlistment Date
Increased Patrols off Coast of Somalia
More Money for Veteran Services and Medical Care at Walter Reed Hospital
National Service Legislation to Increase Money for the Ameri-Corps and Youth Groups

And a little bit of gossip - supposedly he paid for the redecoration of the White House out of his own pocket. I wondered who paid for that.

If you ask me, not too shabby. Have I gotten everything that I would want or everything that he said he was going to do, no, not yet - but I think it's a good start.


Now let's go back and go over what he hasn't gotten done - according to his campaign platform.

We're not out of Iraq - although there is a deadline.
Health Care Reform hasn't passed - although it's gotten further than it has in the last 60 years.
Climate Change, Cap and Trade, Education Reform and Immigration Reform haven't
even taken off yet.
GITMO isn't closed yet - I think he's taking his time on this one, making sure he handles it
the best way he can.
He hasn't Repealed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" - which seems like it should just be so easy.

Pres. Obama sure has a lot on his plate - a lot of unfinished business to tend to. All the above items still need a lot of attention, plus our economic forecast is still in bad shape. Plus:

All of the Stimulus Package isn't Rolled Out Yet
Unemployment Rates are Still High although trending Down

I'd like to try to attach a copy of my notes about Obama's Vision for Health Care Reform. I made notes and continue to make notes as I read more of the Bills. My goal is to read the entire House and Senate Bills and then the combined Bill. I'm taking notes on the parts of the Bills so when the final one is out, I can put out what stayed in and what got left out. I'll share those notes with everyone along the way.

Let's see if it works. Click here. Let me know if you can't see it and I can email it to you. It's kind of interesting what people actually think his vision for Health Care Reform is. And no the public option isn't in there - although I know he did voice this as something he wanted and needed at times, but he didn't include this in his vision that was published on his web site or online.


So now, I'll move onto some of the verbiage of some of the political tabloids and pundits. Sorry, for me, I'm going to concentrate on the positive - not the negative - and I'm going to look toward the future, not the past.

According to the Congressional Quarterly, Pres. Obama has done better than any of the Presidents in getting Congressional Votes on the issues he took a position on. Now, they've only been keeping track for 50 years or so - but Pres. LB Johnson held the record before at 93%. According to this study, Pres. Obama has a 96.7% record so far. If you google it, you can see the graph. They attribute this high percentage to two concepts - his past background in the Senate, knowing how DC works and being a little bit smart in picking his battles and taking his time.

Next I pulled up a few articles on the state of the economy. CNBC and the BBC commented on the Profit of the twelve Federal Banks. Imagine this, they actually made a huge profit this year, greater than any time since the Federal Reserves inception in 1914. Their profit was $52.1 Billion dollars and they paid the US Treasury $46.1 Billion in 2009. Technically this also means that we, as citizens, made a profit off of the Bank Bailouts. Now if only, we could get the banks and the credit card companies to finally lend some money to us again, we'd all be good.

According to Slate, the Stimulus plan and the Bail Outs seem to have diverted a depression.

The most interesting study I found though was published in the Washington monthly, showing the unemployment rates from Jan 2008 until Nov 2009. If you get a chance, you should google it. It clearly shows how OK it was in Jan 2008 and how horrible unemployment was in Dec 2008 and Jan of 2009. It also shows that as of Nov 2009, the rate is actually better than it was in Jan 2008. Now again, I've heard these rates are very open to interpretation and there is a lot of information that isn't available for statistics - but of what is trackable, they tracked it here. Now granted, I am in no way saying it's still not horrible. There are so many people out there out of work, so many that desperately want to work and can't find jobs, so many that have given up. I'm just saying, it looks like it's going the other way - it may take some time, but again, I'm being hopeful for everyone out there that is struggling and being thankful for the job that I have, so thankful.


So in summary what I'd like to say is, there are a lot of nay-sayers out there, a lot of pessimists, a lot of people who want instant gratification and an answer to all of our problems. One thing I do remember from Pres. Obama's many speeches is that he said, over and over again and very clearly, our Country is in a great economic mess, he was going to work hard on fixing it, but it was going to take time (I recall he said he didn't even know if it would be better in 4 years, that some of the progress would take longer than that.) and we were all going to have to sacrifice in one way or another. I don't know about all of you out there reading this article, but it's been a year. I think we're moving in the right direction. And although it's been harder for me, financially this year, I am very thankful that I still have my health, my health care, my job, my house, my loved ones, friends and family included.

What I'd like to wish for the New Year is a lot more of the good stuff, and a lot less of the bad stuff. Again, I sure would like to see a lot more of Country Unity taking place. I'm all for everyone having their own opinions and passions, but I wish we could work on merging those ideas peacefully or just agree to disagree and let democracy rule. Take care.