You Are Wrong, Senator Carper

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Carper: Well, at the end of the day, I want us to pass a bill. I want us to pass a good bill … At the end of the day, there are more important things in the bill than whether or not we have a public plan or a public option. I think the idea of what we did in the Medicare Part D plan, where we have a fallback plan on the shelf, ready to pull out if we need it, in order to make sure market forces are working, that seems to me to be a perfectly good option.

Healthcare reform without an immediate public option for every person in the nation on day one is unacceptable. No plan which excludes a public option is the real reform we need to change our current system from disease care to health care. If you really believe different, Senator, then you are listening far too much to the industry lobbyists and not enough to your constituents.

Peace.

Mortgage Loan Modification Unprofitable and Not Being Done

The Obama administration gave the mortgage industry $75 billion to rewrite delinquent loans and prevent additional foreclosures. According to the plan mortgage holders in financial trouble might find any one of a variety of remedies including interest reduction, principle reduction, or other term modifications aimed at reducing the monthly payment. The goal was giving people a real chance to stay in their homes and prevent the rash of foreclosures we are seeing these days.

The process is failing. The basic reason for failure is found in the lack of profit for the lenders. Mortgage modification is not a money making proposition. Therefore such modifications will not happen no matter how much money the government pumps into the system.

A study (PDF) released by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston tells the sad tale.

The problem is that renegotiation exposes lenders to two types of risks that can dramatically increase its cost. The first is what we will call “self-cure” risk. As we mentioned above, more than 30 percent of seriously delinquent borrowers “cure” without receiving a modification; if taken at face value, this means that, in expectation, 30 percent of the money spent on a given modification is wasted. The second cost comes from borrowers who redefault; our results show that a large fraction of borrowers who receive modifications end up back in serious delinquency within six months. For them, the lender has simply postponed foreclosure; in a world with rapidly falling house prices, the lender will now recover even less in foreclosure. In addition, a borrower who faces a high likelihood of eventually losing the home will do little or nothing to maintain the house or may even contribute to its deterioration, again reducing the expected recovery by the lender.

The writers conclude the infusion of money is going to the wrong place. Instead of giving money to the financial institutions holding the mortgages

Large financial incentives to investors or even to borrowers to continue payment could mitigate this problem.

In other words, give money to the very people in need of aid. I second that motion. Putting money directly into the hands of people likely to spend those dollars is the best way to stimulate the economy. Putting money in the hands of people in danger of losing their home to foreclosure may be the very best way available to both stimulate the economy and keep people in their homes. The more money we see poured into the financial industry the less benefit we seem to see other than in maintaining their CEO salaries.

Peace.

The Pope Calls for Ethics in Financial Dealings

Pope Benedict XVI in the third encyclical (a letter addressed by the pope to all the bishops of the church) makes a call for ethics in the financial dealings of the world.

He urged wealthier countries to increase development aid to poor countries to help eliminate world hunger, saying peace and security depended on it. He specified that aid should go to agricultural development to improve infrastructure, irrigation systems, transport and sharing of agricultural technology.

At the same time, he demanded that industrialized nations reduce their energy consumption, both to better care for the environment and to let the poorer have access to energy resources.

The Pope and I often find reasons to disagree but this time we are on the same page. Suggestions that the world move toward a global support system is the solution to our future. We cannot continue the current race to global domination by militarization and expect humankind to survive far into the future.

Maybe with the backing of the Pope and other world church leaders people will begin to listen to reason at last. The voices crying in the wilderness have made too little impact to date.

Peace.

More Female Veterans Homeless

The tragedy of our current VA system and the economy continues to multiply these days with reports of increasing numbers of homeless veterans now including increasing numbers of women.

As more women serve in combat zones, the share of female veterans who end up homeless, while still relatively small at an estimated 6,500, has nearly doubled over the last decade, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Many of the affected women are single parents. Others carry a diagnosis of PTSD. No matter the cause of their difficulty they represent an abject failure of the system.

During the reign of the Bush administration VA funding was reduced time and time again while demands on the system increased with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The course continues to deteriorate today as the economy is in doldrums and the VA resources continue to be limited. We as a nation are failing our veterans. This must not continue. Any nation that fails its veterans is a failing nation.

Congress must take steps to insure adequate funding for the VA. We cannot continue to build our military around the world, depending on our young men and women to serve the nation, and then fail them on their return to home soil and civilian life. This is far beyond unacceptable.

Peace.

That Gullible Public in Delaware--Update 1

This morning's New Journal has a letter saying Congressman Castle is no right wing radical. How soon people have forgotten his long track record of voting with the Bush administration against the best interests of the voting public.

Congressman Castle has a steady record of Republican party voting which cannot be ignored. From the looks of his recent actions and words one cannot help but wonder if he is positioning himself for a Senate run. His record works to his disadvantage but too many today are willing to forgive and forget as soon as he makes one or two more reasonable votes. That is too bad for all of us.

New statistics looking at the first half of this year show Congressman Castle voting with his party (Republican) 75 percent of the time and supporting the President 62 percent of the time. Party unity 3/4 of the votes is hardly being moderate.

Peace.

The Money is Against Healthcare Reform

In case anyone wonders why we are facing trouble getting real healthcare reform in this nation, check out the amounts of money being spent by industry lobbyists. Think about $1.4million per day.

For example, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) doubled its spending to nearly $7 million in the first quarter of 2009, followed by Pfizer, with more than $6 million.

Imagine how much good could be done if those dollars were being spent to feed, clothe, house, and insure needy Americans instead of going toward enriching industry executives.

h/t JekyllnHyde

The aim of the lobbying blitz is simple: to minimize the damage to insurers, hospitals and other major sectors while maximizing the potential of up to 46 million uninsured Americans as new customers. Although many firms have vowed to help cut costs, major players such as PhRMA, America's Health Insurance Plans and others remain opposed to the public-insurance option, a key proposal that President Obama has endorsed.

We must stay on guard and continue to pressure our Congress critters. We deserve better treatment than we are being given at the hands of the healthcare industry today.

Peace.

Happy Birthday, USA

arkitekt2, Flickr, Creative Commons

At 233 years old today the nation faces many and diverse challenges. Let us all hope we find resolutions to allow another 233 years of good health for the nation.

Today, celebrate. Enjoy the fireworks and the barbecue. Tomorrow is back to work at righting the ship of state.

Peace.

On A Failing Course Once More In Afghanistan

The end result of President Obama's new push in Afghanistan remains to be seen. A similar push under Bush/Rumsfeld in Iraq failed but no one seemed to learn anything from that lesson.

First casualties for American troops as a result of the new push are already being reported.

The operation is a test of Obama's strategy to train the US military's focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan instead of Iraq, on the premise that the Taliban challenge is the main security threat facing the US.

Let us hope the project is successful. Until there is proof of success I remain steadfastly opposed to continued military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. For centuries humankind has failed to impose societal change by military action. Why will today be any different? When will we ever learn?

Peace.

Public Opinion About Health Care

Given a system that should be likened more to disease care than to health care the public continues to support in large measures some sort of reform that allows everyone to have health care. From the Pew Research Center comes this table:
With 75% of people favoring a system that covers one and all why cannot our legislators find ways to make this happen? When will we find politicians willing and able both to listen and to respond to the cares and the needs of the voters?

Peace.

Wounds Linger For Iraq Veterans

Al-Jazeera has a fine piece today about the lingering effects of combat on the troops. In the words of one American

You can't get over combat experience. You don't get over it, you don't move on, you learn to live with it.

Too many soldiers today are dying as the direct result of their inability to resolve the issues in their own minds. Many with PTSD commit suicide to escape the situation in their minds.

My homecoming in March, 1970, was met with much of the same terror today's veterans face. Loud sounds set off memories of times in country. In those days the Fourth of July was a time of hiding out and trying not to hear the fireworks, not a time to be enjoyed in the out of doors.

I feel for the veterans of today. They suffer and will continue to suffer for years to come without real help. Time and proper attention to mental health can heal the inner wounds, but the process is long and difficult. I wish today's veterans nothing but the very best of luck in their transition to civilian life and in their mind healing. May they all find peace in their lives one day.

Peace.

The Progressive Caucus Outlines a Public Option for Healthcare

In a posting I missed somehow earlier in the month the Progressive Caucus of the U.S. House offered the following requirements (PDF) to win their support of healthcare reform.

Enact concurrently with other significant expansions of coverage and must not be conditioned on private industry actions.

Consist of one entity, operated by the federal government, which sets policies and bears the risk for paying medical claims to keep administrative costs low and provide a higher standard of care.

Be available to all individuals and employers across the nation without limitation.

Allow patients to have access to their choice of doctors and other providers that meet defined participation standards, similar to the traditional Medicare model, promote the medical home model, and eliminate lifetime caps on benefits.

Have the ability to structure the provider rates to promote quality care, primary care, prevention, chronic care management, and good public health.

Utilize the existing infrastructure of successful public programs like Medicare in order to maintain transparency and consumer protections for administering processes including payment systems, claims and appeals.

Establish or negotiate rates with pharmaceutical companies, durable medical equipment providers, and other providers to achieve the lowest prices for consumers.

Receive a level of subsidy and support that is no less than that received by private plans.

Ensure premiums must be priced at the lowest levels possible, not tied to the rates of private insurance plans.

Looks like we may have a winner on our hands if enough of our elected officials fall in line. At least the power of the Progressive Caucus in combination with others may prevent passage of an undesirable healthcare bill masquerading as true reform. We shall see...

Peace.

The Facts About Healthcare Uninsured

There are many numbers being bandied about these days in times of economic and healthcare crises. The true numbers for today are not available, but some facts can be found to help put the figures into context.

* The Census Bureau estimates that 45.7 million lacked health insurance at any given time in 2007. But fewer lacked coverage for the full year, and more did without for one or more months during the year. All three numbers are likely to be higher for 2008 due to massive job losses.

* Twenty-six percent of the uninsured are eligible for some form of public coverage but do not make use of it, according to The National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation. This is sometimes, but not always, a matter of choice.

* Twenty-one percent of the uninsured are immigrants, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. But that figure includes both those who are here legally and those who are not. The number of illegal immigrants who are included in the official statistics is unknown.

* Twenty percent of the uninsured have family incomes of greater than $75,000 per year, according to the Census Bureau. But this does not necessarily mean they have access to insurance. Even higher-income jobs don't always offer employer-sponsored insurance, and not everyone who wants private insurance is able to get it.

* Forty percent of the uninsured are young, according to KFF. But speculation that they pass up insurance because of their good health is unjustified. KFF reports that many young people lack insurance because it's not available to them, and people who turn down available insurance tend to be in worse health, not better, according to the Institute of Medicine.

The facts and figures hide the personal stories of tragedy being told on a daily basis. We as a nation must face this situation and move to a system that guarantees the best possible healthcare for every person in the nation. We have no excuse for not having accomplished this chore in the past.

Peace.

Business as Usual in the Oil Business

On June 30 representatives of various international oil companies will meet with representatives of Iraq's oil ministry for a two-day bidding process in which rights to Iraqi oil will be awarded. The question of just how to award the drilling and processing rights is once again on the table. International oil wants all rights to accrue to themselves while many in Iraq want only to award technical development licensing rights in order to keep the proceeds from any sale of oil for the Iraqi people.

With proven oil reserves of around 112 billion barrels and up to another 150 billion barrels of probable reserves, Iraq is the greatest untapped prize for international oil companies.

Once again this is all about money and the exploitation of a region for its natural resources. International oil companies have no right to the property of the Iraqi people. This process must not be allowed to continue with the same old abuses of the past. Let us all hope for once reason and right prevail and the Iraqi people are given their rightful property to do with as they and not international cartels see fit.

Peace.

RIP Thurman Adams

Having been away from the net for a week my return is marked by the news of the death of Senator Thurman Adams a few days ago. The political landscape of Delaware is changed forever.

To the friends and family of Senator Adams, my heartfelt sympathy.



Peace.

Poll Results About Health Care

From the Pew Research Center comes this poll today.
Pew Research Center Image

Looks like age and need for government sponsored healthcare may lead to less concern about that proposal. For me the solution to the broken mess is a lot more government action to fix what the private sector has ruined.

Peace.

Five Immigration Myths

The facts about immigration are sometimes difficult to ferret out while the myths continue to be put forth in our media. The Progressive Book Club blog site has a fine book review citing five major myths and the links to document the facts as opposed to the myth.

Evidence shows immigrants use less public health care than citizens.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has concluded (PDF) that undocumented immigrants “account for a major portion” of the billions of dollars paid into the Social Security system under names or social security numbers that don’t match SSA records.

Undocumented immigrants file nearly 6 million of the approximately 130 million individual tax returns each year.

In a 2007 report, the White House Council of Economic advisers concluded that about 90% of native-born workers experience wage gains from immigration (PDF), which total between $30 billion and $80 billion per year.

While undocumented immigration has reached high levels, crime rates in the U.S. have declined (PDF), most notably in cities with large numbers of undocumented immigrants such as Los Angeles, San Diego, El Paso, New York, Chicago and Miami.

Given the facts we as a nation would be a lot better off finding ways to make immigrants a functioning part of our society instead of building ineffective walls to bar movement across the border.

Peace.

A Robust Public Option Proposal

The Congressional Progressive Caucus in the House of Representatives offers a robust suggestion for a public option in health care.

• Enact concurrently with other significant expansions of coverage and must not be conditioned on private industry actions.
• Consist of one entity, operated by the federal government, which sets policies and bears the risk for paying medical claims to keep administrative costs low and provide a higher standard of care.
• Be available to all individuals and employers across the nation without limitation
• Allow patients to have access to their choice of doctors and other providers that meet defined participation standards, similar to the traditional Medicare model, promote the medical home model, and eliminate lifetime caps on benefits.
• Have the ability to structure the provider rates to promote quality care, primary care, prevention, chronic care management, and good public health.
• Utilize the existing infrastructure of successful public programs like Medicare in order to maintain transparency and consumer protections for administering processes including payment systems, claims and appeals.
• Establish or negotiate rates with pharmaceutical companies, durable medical equipment providers, and other providers to achieve the lowest prices for consumers.
• Receive a level of subsidy and support that is no less than that received by private plans.
• Ensure premiums must be priced at the lowest levels possible, not tied to the rates of private insurance plans.

Now that is an idea in healthcare reform I can support for a change. We, the American people, deserve nothing less from our government.

Peace.

"Health care is more than a privilege"

In an opinin piece in today's News Journal (no link available just this minute), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) gets the situation right on saying, "Health care is more than a privilege." Good for him. At last a real voice speaking for and to the people of the nation instead of leaning to the camp of the insurance and pharmaceutical industries. At a time when we have nearly 50 million uninsured in the nation with more than 100,000 of them in Delaware (including 8% of Delaware's children) there must be real change.

Today the insurance industry takes approximately 1/5 of all dollars spent on health insurance for profit and administrative costs. Medicare manages the same service for costs that range under 5%. Senator Sanders among others is pressing for a public option to include Medicare-like coverage for all who wish to join. I support him in his move. We, the people, can no longer afford to support the insurance and pharmaceutical industries if we wish to improve the state of our national health.

Today the United States spends more money for health care per citizen than any other nation in the world. For that expense we rank 37th in overall health according to the World Health Organization. This is intolerable on so many levels words escape me.

Businesses as well as individuals suffer today from the lack of a national health care plan. Small as well as large businesses cannot compete on a level playing field when other developed nations offer health care for which our industries must pay and then recoup those costs in the sale of their products.

We were promised change in the runup to the election. Now is the time to hold the administration and all our elected officials accountable. Insist today on full reform of the health care system including a public option. We as a nation deserve no less.

Peace.

Take Care When Crossing the Border

In a little noticed announcement (.PDF) in July, 2008, the U.S. Government gave border patrol officers (U.S. Border and Customs Protection (CBP)) the right to search or seize laptops from people crossing the border. The document gives the officers the right to search and seizure without cause of any sort.

CBP is responsible for ensuring compliance with customs, immigration, and other Federal laws at the border. To that end, officers may examine documents, books, pamphlets, and other printed material, as well as computers, disks, hard drives, and other electronic or digital storage devices.

In the course of a border search, and absent individualized suspicion, officers can review and analyze the information transported by any individual attempting to enter, reenter, depart, pass through, or reside in the United States, subject to the requirements and limitations provided herein.

But in spite of the high flying words about limitations there is very little within the document to prevent any border patrol officer from perusing all the private data on any digital storage device. They may even request translation or decryption assistance at their discretion.

Once again we see the Department of Homeland Security prying into our lives without a care to the Constitution or its protections we are granted. To the traveler, beware. Big Brother is watching your every step.

Peace.

RIP Stephen Tyrone Johnson

Stephen Tyrone Johnson, may you find eternal peace. To the family and friends left behind, my sincere sympathy.



The senseless death of Mr. Johnson at the Holocaust Museum yesterday brings one more measure of great sadness to our entire nation. How can we continue to claim we fight "terrorism" around the globe when we fail to find ways to stop the violence on our own home ground?

Peace.