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Tag Archives: current-events

Congress Hates You!!


If you pose that question to any member of Congress and it will be denied, Presuming that  actions speak louder than words, consider  These points:

  1. The affordable care act (Obamacare) provided healthcare for a lot of people who did not have it and better options for people who did.
  2. The Congress (Dupublicans) stated at the onset of his Presidency that this President would get noting passed
  3. The  Congressional leaders (Snitch and John) stated that this will be a one term President
  4. They supported the idea that Mr. Obama was not an American and was a Muslim.                                                                                                                     If you consider just those things and align them with what actually occurred in the past 8 years you will see that Congress hates you!  The economy is growing and has grown (albeit slowly but growing), jobs are growing. Keeping In mind that the 2007-2008 crash was significant and unfortunately a surprise to many but the crash was building for years. Most of the sitting Congress was in place before and during that time. Many of them are still in place. The price of gasoline has dropped due to new internal oil sources. The result of the new natural gas and oil flows have greatly reduced the use of coal which affects the coal-producing areas and jobs but the use of coal was waning before that. None of the Congressional representatives have bothered to explain that to their constituents, instead they blamed President Obama for the coal demand dropping. These folks never tried to tie the health of the coal miners to the coverage available through  the ACA (Obamacare) . Our Government has to run by having Congress do their job and this Congress has failed in that for the past 15 years at the least. If Congress thought anything of their constituents they would have done and would be doing their jobs instead of posturing like the peacocks they are. The topper: an entertainer used many opportunities to state that President Obama was not an Americans and should show his birth certificate now the Entertainer is President elect and the Tweeter in Chief of the United States. Add to this how many anti Obama members of Congress did not want Trump now have to deal with him and his gang of children who have to respond everything said about them. All we can do right now is to “Just Keep livin’ (Matthew Mcconaughey quote).

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Prepare-Soit-Pret-Prepararse


The Trump effect has begun. It is unfortunate that our long serving Congress has been so poor in its representation of  the voters. With this new President it will certainly get no better in spite of the soaring rhetoric to the contrary. The congress has attempted 60 plus times to repeal Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act) over the past several years. This is time wasted when they (Congress) could have addressed the issues at its original presentation as it is normally done. Now they intend to spend more money and time on repealing it and replacing it with an unknown. They call  this Conservatism. It is past time for the voters to stop acquiring labels on their political views as these are labels  propagated by the media and politicians to further their Own Ends. If you assume the label by the party of your choice you are operating under a false premise as the politicians of this country have one goal and that  goal does not include you! Politispeak is what is used to get your vote and many time these words sound good but mean nothing, by this method their words are the same as when you train your dog with a treat or “good boy”. Now we have a self-absorbed “commander In Tweet” who as I see it really did not expect  to win the office and is not so interested in it but does like the adoration as this has been his stock in trade for most of his life. The Dupublican Congress has decided for you what you want no matter what You want! This is not say the Scamocrats are any better however over the years we have fared better under them than the Dupublicans. It is time we as voters shuck labels and become  impartial to all parties in order to vote correctly for better government. The road to better government is in the hands of informed voters. As a side note: not one Congressional member is suffering from lack of salary or healthcare since the ACA (Obamacare if you will) does not cover them, isn’t the American voter worthy of the same level care?

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House GOP Enacts Rule Allowing Lawmakers To Fire, Slash Salaries Of Individual Federal Employees


It is odd that the Congress is not making moves to slash their own salaries. Just another reason to watch the Congress closely. MA
House GOP enacts rule allowing lawmakers to fire, slash salaries of individual federal employees
5:52 a.m. ET

Peter Weber
At the same closed-door meeting on Monday where House Republicans voted to gut the Office of Congressional Ethics — a move scrapped after a public outcry — the House GOP also adopted a motion by Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) that allows Congress to single out individual federal employees and eliminate their jobs or reduce their pay down to as little as $1, or cut specific federal programs, through amendments to the budget. The procedural mechanism, adopted Tuesday, is called the Holman Rule, named after the Indiana congressman who created it in 1876, The Washington Post explains:
Early in its history, the rule was used to eliminate patronage jobs, particularly customs agents, in the late 19th century before the federal workforce shifted to a nonpolitical civil service. The rule was dropped in 1983, when then-House Speaker Thomas “Tip” O’Neill Jr. (D-Mass.) objected to spending cuts proposed by Republicans and conservative Democrats. Griffith, known as the unofficial parliamentarian in the hard-line conservative Freedom Caucus, sought to revive it out of frustration with an $80 million federal program that pays for the care of wild horses on federal land in the West. He considers the program wasteful. [The Washington Post]
Democrats and even some of Griffith’s GOP colleagues opposed the change, arguing that it could be abused to target bureaucrats for political reasons — Donald Trump’s presidential transition team has requested the names of federal workers who focus on climate change, for example — and will gum up the budget process with politically controversial, small-bore amendments. In a concession to skeptical Republicans, the rule expires in a year unless re-authorized. You can read more about the Holman Rule at The Washington Post. Peter Weber

Hey Joe, No Comment- Just A Report


This short blurb gives more focus than required had Joe said nothing. Mr. Scarborough being a “Faux news ” luminary appears to be embarrassed by a non story. Is there something to hide? MA 

Joe Scarborough is furious with journalists covering President-elect Donald Trump for how they characterized the appearance of both the “Morning Joe” host and his MSNBC co-host, Mika Brzezinski, at Trump’s New Year’s Eve party at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Saturday night.
On Sunday and Monday, Scarborough sent a flurry of tweets blasting several reporters, taking particular exception to the suggestion that he had “partied” with Trump. Scarborough insisted he was simply there trying to land an inauguration interview.
The brouhaha emerged after Maggie Haberman, a reporter for the New York Times, noted that Scarborough and Brzezinski were among the high-profile guests at Trump’s “Gatsby-like” soiree. Though Scarborough disputed the accuracy of the report, the Times story had simply and accurately noted his attendance at the event.

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Criminals In Suits


The beginning of the war on Americans is about to start. The Ruling administration will show us what the previously seeming anti everything Congress can do for us or to us. The rhetorical time is past and now the actual work should begin. We should remember that the buzzwords do not always translate into action due to existing systems and laws. Newton’s Third law: “For every action there’s an equal and opposite reaction” pretty well sums up how the government will run for the next several years. There are many non collective ideas in the air in Washington which may or may not land during this administration. The onus is on the Congress to do the work they have avoided for years. The old phrase: “put up or shut up” comes to mind as we now watch the events of government unfold. We as voters have an early opportunity in 2 years to change the tone and possibly the direction of the Congress no matter what party is in power. It is well for us to remember that we (voters) have the power to change our government no matter what the candidates for office tell us. If we just keep tabs on what our elected officials are doing, we have the ability to keep government honest(?). A point to remember is that Criminals wear suits too.

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Where We Go Wrong


The past election and current political news(?) coupled with the International issues have created a perfect storm of misinformation and potential mistakes yet to be made. Our new Government lead by the Conservative GOP will be scrutinized closely by all. Our part as voters is to simply pay attention to who we have elected , especially from the State to federal levels as these are the people who have and can do us (the voters) the most harm. No matter what you think your politics are, the elected officials we have in place are on a different path and have been for many years. Each person we elect is a cheerleader at first, once elected or reelected become part of the political system in order to get along. No matter what is said on the campaign trail, the reality of the political network colors what these folks do. In a correct Democracy this is not a bad idea but under the current system our Congress for the most part are no more than long term servers who do not serve anyone aside from themselves. If we look back at the many times the Congressional leaders have uttered words that should make us “woke”, we still ( some of us) believe or trust them. I am of the opinion that no matter how long a person has served in Congress, they are still not necessarily the best choice election after election. Each election cycle should have us looking at the incumbents with fresh eyes and with some idea of what they have done and said prior to that election cycle. Governing is a hard job and the higher you go , the harder it gets. Unfortunately our Congress has more of a “wait until you present something then I will critique it publicly”, rather than evaluate and alter it as needed to make it better for all of us. Through all of this, The congress still collects a 6 figure salary for less than a full year of work, enjoy a very nice medical and retirement package. It is the duty of each one of us to pay attention through what ever media source you choose to keep an eye on our elected officials and listen to them with filters that hopefully reveal the truth. I encourage all to forget party lines and labels, get the truth and vote for real. What we need are more doers and not headline seekers in Congress.

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Tipping Point?


It is difficult to write about this past national election. The over the top rhetoric ( as defined: the art of  using words effectively  or showy, elaborate language that is empty or insincere) has allowed Mr. Trump to prevail with the oft stated idea that “he tells it like it is”. It is unfortunate that this statement or sense of what he says is all it takes to get support from voters. The real messages are lost even when they are plainly out of line, impractical or outright lies. The basis of Mr. Trumps surge to the top is simply the failure of the two existing parties (Scamocrats and Dupublicans) to do their jobs. This almost all having to do with the Congress. We have lost sight of the real problems in Government. The once noble members of Congress have stated their fight for their constituents while denying or not pursuing better health care, correct taxing scales, protection from predatory companies of all sorts. Looking at health care: the members of government have a healthcare plan that would be considered a “Cadillac plan”, they will have a nice comfortable pension and have in office perks (franking privileges (postage free mailing).  It is difficult for me to believe how few of us understand how Congress is paid and the benefits of the office. We spend too much time on the “big” election and not enough on the smaller ones or we vote party lines. The folks we have put in office time after time have come to expect your vote, not earn it. If we do not start examining the work of the Congress and how it affects us all, we will soon see the same failures as we have seen in the past. How many remember that the Congress that was in place when President Obama was elected stated” that this President will get nothing passed “. Those “nothings” are laws that affect us all in some way. All of this was along party lines with fancy subtitles such as “Conservative or Liberal”. We as voters need to forget the labels and vote what ever party you want but not be fooled by the same sound bites and buzzwords that mean nothing and gain us even less. If as a voter you identify only with one party without looking at individuals in that party then you are certainly giving up your voting rights and power.

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Illinois 2018


It quite apparent that Illinois has deep woes. The Governor and the Leader Madigan are waging a head to head fight using the citizens as fodder. The reality is that these two have failed to understand that no one suffers more than the people. Take the State of Illinois as a precursor to a “businessman” leading the country. Too many people are drawn in by the “running the state (or country) as a business”. This does not work as the “business man” has the mindset of “I’m the boss”. That does not work in government where you have a body of legislators that enact or veto laws. The obvious rift between the Governor and Mr. Madigan will never be healed until it is, meanwhile the State has no budget and I blame the Governor since previous Opposing party Governors were able to get things done (not like a business). My opinion is: we need to get a Governor in place who “gets it” and a speaker who can make a better effort to show him how to “get it”. The past elections have shown how much the Governor can spend to get his way, I would posit the idea of using those millions as tax-deductible donations to the State. We (the citizens of Illinois) need to wake up and pay close attention to who we elect beginning NOW!  All election mistakes can be corrected with the next elections. We are the people in charge.

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The Empty Talking Heads


 

The two prominent political pundits, explainers and almost human talking heads have uttered (and probably will continue to) statements that are geared more to incite voters more than inform. Without them we would never know how people in the spotlight can influence opinion through faux news and information. Apparently Mr. O’Reilly is in the camp of the alt-right.  MA

Newt Gingrich and Bill O’Reilly are both well known pundits(?) who take to the airwaves at any opportunity to use their celebrity to tout crap! Recently Gingrich offered explanations that Mr. Trump has decided to stop using the “drain the swamp” statement since the Donald was “over it”. Mr. Gingrich is called a Trump ally but it may be more like a self appointed explainer.

This from Mr. O’Reilly:
Fox News host Bill O’Reilly said efforts to abolish the Electoral College system are “all about race.”

O’Reilly said on “The O’Reilly Factor” Tuesday night there is a “hidden reason” for liberals seeking to change the system.

“If the Electoral College were abolished, presidential candidates could simply campaign in the nation’s largest cities, New York, L.A., Chicago, Houston,” he said. “And rack up enough votes to pretty much win any election.”

O’Reilly claimed Democrats wanted to campaign only in cities where “the minority vote usually goes heavily to the Democrats,” effectively “neutralizing the largely white rural areas in the Midwest and the South.”

“Very few commentators will tell you that the heart of liberalism in America is based on race,” O’Reilly said. “It permeates almost every issue – that white men have set up a system of oppression and that system must be destroyed.”

O’Reilly said that Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, and to some extent nominee Hillary Clinton, peddled the idea that “so-called white privilege bad, diversity good.”

“The left sees white privilege in America as an oppressive force that must be done away with,” he said.

Summing up his argument, O’Reilly said, “The left wants power taken away from the white establishment, and they want a profound change in the way America is run.”

Calls to abolish the Electoral College have been mounting since Clinton lost the election to President-elect Donald Trump, despite winning nearly 3 million more votes than him. She ended up with a total of 227 Electoral College votes to his 304 – five electors who were supposed to vote for Clinton defected and voted for someone else on Monday, while two refused to cast their ballots for Trump.

To Fix Obamacare, The GOP Needs To Tackle This Major Flaw In The Health Care System


 

Here again the failure of the GOP to fully understand and assist in the creation of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), The GOP effectively denied coverage for many due to their political goals being put ahead of the public good.MA
Rita Numerof, PhD, president of Numerof & Associates
22 Hours Ago
CNBC.com

As Republicans in Washington get set to reshape national health-care policy, it is critical that the surrounding debate distinguishes between two related but distinct issues: access to coverage and access to care.
In other areas of policy, we understand this distinction. We know that the issues of homelessness and affordable housing are linked, but not the same. Solutions for one are not automatically fixes for the other. We see the same thing with other basic health issues like food security and nutrition.
Only in health care do we consider the decades-long challenge of delivering high-quality and cost-efficient care “solved” once everyone nominally has access to some sort of insurance.

But real health-care reform is not just about coverage. Getting people into exchange plans they can barely afford, with heavy (and increasing) deductibles and taxpayer-funded subsidies, is a “homeless shelter” fix. It’s better than being on the streets — for sure — but a homeless shelter isn’t a home any more than a high-deductible “bronze” plan is a real health-care solution for a family that can barely afford to pay the rest of its bills.
If we want to fix this system, it’s time to get serious about replacing fee-for-service provider reimbursement with approaches that link costs to outcomes, like bundled payments and population health.

Health care in a post-Obamacare world: Centene CEO
Thursday, 15 Dec 2016 | 7:15 AM ET | 04:50
“If we are serious about reform, we need to move beyond the current obsession with coverage to a real debate about accountability, transparency, cost and quality.”
The Obama administration has pushed forward on several value-based care initiatives, but one of the most striking success stories we’ve had occurred under the previous Republican administration.
In 2008, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) announced it would no longer pay for so-called never events — preventable incidents like hospital falls or objects left in patients after surgery that should never happen in modern health-care delivery organizations.
This first meaningful connection between payment and outcomes led directly to a 17 percent decline in hospital-acquired conditions from 2012 to 2013. Notably, it took financial incentives/consequences before this happened.
Unfortunately, there are worrisome signs that the incoming Trump administration is less committed to the idea of value-based care. It will be important to differentiate between the baby (payment reform) and the bathwater (onerous regulations and reporting requirements) if we’re ever going to get to true value in health care.
A second key goal for reform is more in keeping with Trump’s campaign messages. Unwinding the existing incentives for consolidation would help preserve the competitiveness of many local markets, and thereby protect working-class families. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) established a bureaucratic labyrinth of new organizational structures, regulations and incentives.
Rather than focusing on the capabilities and culture needed to move toward better outcomes at lower cost, providers and payers have been compelled to invest in new staff and technologies to comply with all these new regulations.
On the provider side, this effort spawned a flood of consolidation, with health-care delivery systems buying or affiliating with other systems, and physicians seeking refuge in employment from proliferating bureaucracy. A grave danger we face as a nation is that all these systems become too big to fail — and, more importantly, too big to care.
Finally, it is past time to require transparency of cost and outcomes, so consumers can make informed choices about their care. Having awareness that not every hospital is performing equally well allows consumers to make judicious decisions, an important first step toward a true market-based health-care system.
Health care is an issue that affects all Americans. It costs too much, it is piecemeal, there is little accountability for outcomes, and it is not consumer-centered.
In virtually every other industry, consumer demand drives service providers and product manufacturers to improve quality and compete on price. In contrast, the approach in health care has always been to try to reduce costs by manipulating organizational structures — as with HMOs or Accountable Care Organizations — while leaving in place the original sin of fee-for-service provider reimbursement.
This will always incentivize volume-driven care decisions, not a focus on outcomes.
If we are serious about reform, we need to move beyond the current obsession with coverage to a real debate about accountability, transparency, cost and quality.
Commentary by Rita Numerof, PhD, president of Numerof & Associates, a firm that helps businesses across the health-care sector define and implement strategies for winning in dynamic markets.

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