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This Is What Democracy Looks Like
Today's Note From a Madman
April 16, 2008
In the Hands of the States
While on the road to a simple solution for health care in the US, I thought of
an interesting way to pass the buck.
Now, passing the buck is not only a Bush past-time, but the only way in which
President Bush knows how to get anything done. If it works, he's in charge; and
if it doesn't, he just got bad advice, and then he passes that buck onto whoever
he chooses as his scapegoat-du-jour.
However, passing the buck when it comes to health care coverage might be a good
idea, and it could begin with Medicare.
Today, each and every one of us who works pays into the Medicare system, and it
is a system in need of an overhaul in the worst way. Medicare works today by
having all of us pay 1.45 percent of our income combined with our employer's
contribution of an additional 1.45 percent for a total of 2.9 percent. And
unlike Social Security, which has a cap, there is no maximum on that
contribution.
Medicare insurance is collected by the federal government and then split with
the individual states to use within their guidelines. I believe that the
Medicare Insurance should be increased on the employee side only to 2.9 percent
which, added to the employer's 1.45 percent gives us a total of 4.35 percent.
And those who "earn" their incomes from the less-taxed (and no-taxed if
President Bush and John McCain get their ways) income earned from Capital Gains
would not be exempt.
But instead of allowing that money to go through the hands of the federal
government to use in their usual, unwise ways, I believe that this money - all
4.35 percent of it - should go directly to the states, and here is my logic:
The closer you get to the people, the better the outcome for the people.
It's no secret that any money which comes into the federal bureaucracy comes out
leaner than it should. And it's also no secret that when there is a surplus of
any kind, the likes of a George W, Bush will reach into those various
lock-boxes, leave (as he put it) "worthless paper" behind, and steal the money
which we all need to be there.
By giving that money to the states, and earmarking it to be used only in
relation to health care, that money will be better spent.
So far many of the individual states have taken the reigns of health care and
made sure segments of their populations are sure to be covered. For example:
Massachusetts' aim was t make sure each and every one of their citizens had the
ability to be covered, and that legislation passed even in spite of the initial
veto by its Republican Governor Mitt Romney.
And we all know the individual states and their closer-to-the-people
representatives can ill-afford to use the same rhetoric which is used in
Washington on a daily basis. They are more vulnerable to being tossed out by a
displeased public and have to continually take the pulse of those people who put
them into office.
Take the mortgage crisis as an example of what the states can do versus what the
federal government won't do. According to today's Washington Post, many
individual states feel that they can no longer wait for President Bush to use up
his rhetoric on how many things he's going to do to clean up his mortgage
banking mess. Those states are putting the money together, along with other
resources, and with unique, quick acting ideas, they are helping their
constituents as opposed to the federal government.
People can't afford to hear more "gonna-be's" and "we're working on it's" when
it comes to health care any longer.
Putting all of the Medicare money into the hands of the State government and
taking it out of the porous hands of Washington is not only a good idea, but one
that could, and should, happen quickly.
-Noah Greenberg
In response to, "It's as if a new Perfect Storm has struck our shores, and it
was born of privilege and ineptitude. And as it gets worse, we all have to wait
and hope that its damage will be reversed by a new administration. But like
Hurricane Katrina before, the feeling is that it has to get worse before it gets
better," Robert Scardapane writes:
There is no doubt in my mind that Bush / McCain reckless spending on Iraq has
resulted in plunging dollar value and recession. Glenn Greenwald at Brave New
Films comments:
"The cost of the Iraq War is a grave issue. At Brave New Films, we are committed
to spreading awareness about the devastating financial toll the war is taking on
each and every one of us, let alone our economy.
"$3 trillion. That is what Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz
estimates the war will cost our country. Make no mistake, this $3 trillion bill
is crippling our economy and causing our Iraq recession. To put this colossal
amount of cash into perspective, we've designed a game to help people really
understand what $3 trillion dollars can buy. Get ready to go on a 3 Trillion
Dollar Shopping Spree!
(http://3trillion.org/?play=1?utm_source=rgemail)
In response to, "Obama is clearly the more progressive choice. This is also the
conclusion of The Nation magazine; the publication I respect the most as they
are critical of both parties," Victoria Brownworth responds:
The Nation, for which I have written in the past, has been wrong before and it
will be wrong again. They are wrong on Obama.
It's pretty hard to see Obama as a man of the people given the way he votes and
talks. He says he was against the war but has voted FOR war funding all along.
He doesn't show up to vote for most of the difficult votes--a pattern he
established in Illinois. He says he doesn't take money from the oil companies,
but he does. In addition he voted FOR the Bush-Cheney bill, which Clinton
opposed. He refuses to mandate full health care. He basically said Clinton's
working class voters are ignorant rednecks--something this working-class woman
took pretty personally.
Obama's alleged progressivism is mostly alleged. There's nothing to substantiate
it. You can proof text anyone's record and have conflicts with some of their
votes. I don't support all of Clinton's votes by any stretch. But the majority
of her votes are defensible.
Obama's contradictions are manifold. And focusing on his war statements--and not
his actual votes--is a mistake. Samantha Power was fired not for calling Clinton
a monster, but for laying out Obama's real strategy on Iraq, which is the
opposite of what he said on the campaign trail. he has a history of saying one
thing and doing another.
And Kelly Taylor writes:
Yo!! While I feel there are a number of positives about Obama, let's not forget
that Obama has voted to FUND the Iraq war EVERY time it has come up for vote in
the Senate. (Of course, he was not yet a senator when the initial Senate vote
was taken before the war began.) And then there was his NAFTA gaffe that cast
doubts as to the sincerity of his commitment to renegotiate the North American
Free Trade Agreement. I mean let's keep some perspective and put it all out on
the table!
Send your comments to: NationalView@aol.com
-Noah Greenberg