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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: combjelly who wrote (516204)	9/28/2009 12:01:21 AM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1577883

What a pleasant change.......FEMA showing competence after a storm. And I just read that the Obama Feds did the nearly impossible.......got the Swine flu vaccine produced in quantity in time for the flu season. Vaccines are scheduled for delivery during the middle of Oct. FEMA EARNS PLAUDITS IN GEORGIA.... Many parts of Georgia have been devastated this week by what's been described as a "once in 500 years flood." It's affected 20 counties, killed at least nine people, and caused about $250 million in damages. Vice President Biden appeared alongside members of Congress and federal officials in an Atlanta suburb yesterday, where the American Red Cross had set up a shelter. By all accounts, officials are responding effectively, and federal aid made available by the administration will be used for recovery programs, including temporary housing and low-cost loans. After a half-hour helicopter tour of the area, Biden vowed that there would be no "bureaucratic stalling and shuffling" as officials addressed the emergency. I was also struck by the willingness of two very conservative Republican senators -- Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss -- to credit "the White House's quick response" and commend the administration's efforts. Chambliss praised the Obama Administration for a response that was both "magnificent" and "quick." Isakson said he had spent last night on the phone with local officials, all of whom reported FEMA workers on the ground. This is good to hear. I remember reports from 2006 about whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which had experienced some very high-profile failures, would ever recover. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) described FEMA three years ago as a "shambles and beyond repair." The agency that was widely recognized as a model of efficiency in the 1990s had become an example of what was wrong with the federal government. There was widespread talk of simply scrapping the entire agency and starting anew. It appears now, however, that FEMA is back on track, operating as it should. It's encouraging.

To: combjelly who wrote (516204)	9/28/2009 12:07:03 AM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1577883

KIMBERLY YOUNG.... What a very sad story. Kimberly Young of Oxford, Ohio, died Wednesday morning a few days short of her 23rd birthday. Hospital officials have said she appeared to have the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu. But here's why Young's death is news beyond her southwest Ohio community: people who knew her are saying she resisted treatment that could have saved her life -- because she didn't have health insurance. And adding to the political resonance: Young's member of Congress is Rep. John Boehner, who as the House Republican leader has led the effort against reform. Young, a previously healthy 2008 graduate of Miami University of Ohio who lived in Oxford, was diagnosed with swine flu and pneumonia. A few days later, her roommate's mother told a local news channel, she went to an urgent care center. But as her condition continued to worsen, she was reluctant to go to Oxford's McCullough-Hyde Hospital to get proper treatment. A friend of Young's said, "That's the most tragic part about it. If she had insurance, she would have gone to the doctor." Her roommate's mother said Young worked several jobs, none of which offered insurance. She eventually went to a public hospital's emergency room after showing signs of kidney failure and dehydration. In critical condition, she was soon after transferred to another facility, where she died. Now, it's worth emphasizing that Young's illness may have been fatal whether she had insurance or not. Young's friends' observations have not yet been substantiated, and we don't know with certainty that Young did not seek medical treatment because of her lack of insurance. But at this point, that's what it looks like. And as awful as Young's death is, her circumstances are hardly unique. Victor Zapanta added, "According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 30 percent of 19-24 year olds are uninsured, more than any other group. Despite the conservative argument that young people are voluntarily refusing health coverage in favor of extra spending money, the reality is that high costs on the individual market put coverage out of reach. As Suzy Khimm notes at Campus Progress, young people 'are far more likely to be working part-time or lower-paying jobs for employers who don't offer coverage.'" Zachary Roth concluded, "[I]f Young's lack of insurance did contribute to her not seeking treatment sooner, it would be hard to find a starker or more compelling example of the need to fix our broken health insurance system. And the fact that she was a constituent of the man who's leading House Republicans' in their effort to block reform only underlines the point." In every modern democracy on the planet, those who get sick don't have to put off treatment because they lack coverage. It's time the United States join them.

To: combjelly who wrote (516204)	9/28/2009 5:42:03 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1577883

You've told us that Perry isn't the sharpest tool in the shed......but an IQ less than 70? Is that possible? PERRY DOESN'T FEEL YOUR PAIN.... It's understandable that Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) would want to argue that his economic policies have been effective -- he's seeking re-election next year, and he's facing a very difficult primary challenge. But he hasn't thought his strategy through. This week, Perry told the Houston Chamber of Commerce that Texas, under his leadership, is "recession-proof." He noted an unidentified report claiming that Texas would be the first to come out of the recession. Perry said he responded to the report by asking, "We're in one?" So, in the midst of a brutal recession, Perry not only isn't concerned, he thinks Texas' economy is just fine. Texas Monthly's Paul Burka noted the potential political consequences of such a remark: "This gaffe is going to stick.... You cannot be callous and cavalier when people are losing their jobs and their homes. I don't care how ideological the Republican base is. Unemployment in Texas just reached the 8% mark. Everybody knows someone who is suffering in these times. Everybody has lost part of their life savings. It could cost him the race." Politics aside, if Perry sincerely doesn't even recognize the economic downturn, he must be living in an impenetrable bubble. Texas has been very hard hit by the recession, and the state's most vulnerable families have struggled to keep their heads above water. Texas is the worst state in the country for residents without health care coverage, and is among the worst for poverty rates. What's more, Lee Fang reminds us, "Texas would have a much higher unemployment rate if it were not for President Obama's stimulus program, which has provided billions in investments and over 70,000 jobs so far. Nonetheless, Perry not only considered rejecting the stimulus, but has called it a 'burden.'" If there's any justice, this will be a tough one for Perry to live down.