Two Recent Letters-to-the-editor on Corvallis Climate Action Plan

Corvallis Gazette-Times | Corvallis Climate Action Plan (PDF)
Mailbag: Climate plan is troubling (David E. Williams, Ph.D., Corvallis, April 21) - Reading the extensive and ambitious recommendations to the City Council by the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition (Mailbag, April 12) and specifics of plan objectives, I was reminded of the five year plans of the Soviet Union during the last century by Joseph Stalin. Both plans have the common theme of relinquishing individual freedoms for the common good. The major difference is the Soviet Union plans set milestones for achievement in a realistic time frame. Read more...

Letters: Climate Action Plan is vague, unworkable (Charles Nelson, Corvallis, May 1) - I attended the first meeting on sustainability with about 300 others several years ago. The only qualification for being a voting participant was to provide your name. It did not matter where you lived, whether you had any experience in the area, or had any experience or expertise in planning. Everybody had an equal vote. ✧ The results were predictable: unrealistic and conflicting goals. Read more… Read More......

College Republicans respond to Obama's Facebook videos to the young

College Republicans National Committee Read More......

House Republicans Unveil $700B Healthcare Plan

Repeated from Benton Co. Republicans July 31 Newsletter - House Republicans Unveil $700B Healthcare Plan
“We are introducing this bill because we support health care reform, but in a way that empowers patients.” This bill gives GOP lawmakers a positive plan to point to when they go home for the congressional August break.

The GOP plan was drafted by Rep. Tom Price, R-GA, a physician. It avoids expanding the federal role in overseeing the health insurance industry. Unlike Dem proposals, it would not set up new federally regulated purchasing pools for individuals and small businesses. Instead, it would allow individuals to use the Internet to purchase lower-cost coverage available anywhere in the country.

The plan would offer tax deductions and tax credits to help make the purchase of health insurance more affordable for individuals. States, associations and small businesses would be allowed to pool together to offer less expensive insurance coverage. It would provide grants to states to help set up high-risk pools for people with medical problems who are denied coverage by commercial insurers. And it would allow employers to automatically sign workers up for the company’s coverage—similar to what’s done with 401 (k) retirement plans.

The GOP will would take on medical malpractice, limiting jury awards for pain and suffering and creating new health courts in which a specially trained judge would hear and decide cases involving medical negligence.

Republicans say their plan is fully paid for, but it hasn’t been assessed yet by the Congressional Budget Office, the official scorekeeper for the costs of legislation.

It’s unclear how far the plan would go in reducing the number of uninsured. Most independent analysts—and the insurance industry—say some sort of requirement to purchase insurance is needed to ensure coverage. Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO) said “we believe we can come up with a plan where every person in the uninsured has access to insurance.” Read More......

Could the Public Option lead to a single payer system?

Obama, in his own words, admitting his Health Care Plan will eliminate private insurance
Obama and the Democrats health care goal is a public option that will ultimately eiminate private employer provided insurance. (Obama S.E.I.U. forum on health care 3/24/07, Barney Frank, Jan Schakowsky all admitting a public option will put the private insurance industry out of business) NAKED EMPEROR NEWS (Hat tip to Morgen at Verum Serum for the 2003 clip) Read More......

Chart: House Democrats' Health Care Plan

On Tuesday, July 14, 2009, House Democrats introduced the latest version of health care reform legislation. To help consumers better understand the 1018 page bill, below is a chart depicting the new mandates, premiums, taxes, and the new process patients and the health care providers will follow to receive coverage.

(Click image for larger view) Read More......