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

To: Alighieri who wrote (644090)	1/30/2012 7:37:15 PM
From: Tenchusatsu	2 Recommendations Respond to of 1579714

Al, > Oh man...we have a lot of work to do... And while you're at it, tell us the story of how Obama inherited Bush's deficit and proceeded to cut it in half in his first term, just like he promised. You should be a writer of fan fiction ... LOL Tenchusatsu

To: Alighieri who wrote (644090)	1/31/2012 11:41:36 AM
From: tejek	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1579714

Blasted by GOP, health reform is adding jobs Economists see gains for big employer in Florida and the nation By Ruth Mantell, MarketWatch WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — While Republican presidential hopefuls in Florida decry President Barack Obama’s health-care reform as job-killing, for one big chunk of the economy — the health-care sector itself — the controversial law will likely boost employment. The health-care industry is already one of the nation’s largest employers. In Florida alone, which holds its key primary Tuesday, there are about 960,000 jobs in health care and social assistance, around 13% of all nonfarm payroll positions in the state “Reform may accelerate the trend toward health care’s being the dominant employment sector in the economy,” according to a recent New England Journal of Medicine article. Much of the growth in health care due to reform could be in support positions, rather than doctors and nurses, economists said. “As for jobs for health professionals, I doubt that this will or can increase the number of doctors or nurses. While there will be greater demand for their services, there will also be offsetting effects as medically unnecessarily procedures are paid less,” said Amitabh Chandra, an economist and public-policy professor at Harvard University. As the insured population grows under the federal Affordable Care Act, health-care workers are going to be in high demand. These gains are on top of the growth already spurred by an aging population. In Florida the impact of an aging population may be even more dramatic: about 17% of the state’s population is at least 65 years old, compared with 13% for the U.S., according to the Census Bureau. Going into Florida’s primary, older voters are an important constituency for Republicans. In 2008, people at least 65 made up 22% of voters, and 53% of these voted for Republican candidate John McCain, according to CNN exit polls. Meanwhile, among 50- to 64-year-olds, 54% voted for Obama. read more..................... marketwatch.com

To: Alighieri who wrote (644090)	1/31/2012 11:43:49 AM
From: tejek	1 Recommendation Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1579714

The efficacy of the Affordable Care Act By Steve Benen - Tue Jan 31, 2012 11:28 AM EST Harold Pollack and Greg Anrig make the case this week that President Obama brushed past the Affordable Care Act in his State of the Union address, which is a shame because the health-reform law has become a "quiet triumph." [S]urprising even to many advocates of health care reform, evidence is emerging that the ACA is already improving life for millions of average Americans. It is promoting long-overdue fundamental changes in our dysfunctional medical system. Moreover, because those reforms are starting to directly address heightened economic insecurities of average families -- the personal financial conditions that will largely determine this year's election outcomes -- President Obama would be wise to more forcefully and more specifically explain how his health care bill is already helping millions of vulnerable families and the country as a whole. Sure, financially-pressured families will celebrate the derring-do of Seal Team Six. They should directly appreciate the immediate impact of improved insurance coverage and reduced medical costs. There's ample evidence to bolster the Pollack/Anrig thesis. Much of the Affordable Care Act won't take effect until 2014 -- assuming it survives until then -- but several provisions that have already been implemented are having a positive impact. The health care law (1) is combating fraud and abuse, which in turns saves Americans quite a bit of money; (2) has brought coverage to 2.5 million young adults; (3) is delivering major savings to seniors on prescription drugs; (4) is giving a boost to small businesses through ACA tax credits; (5) has slowed the growth of Medicare spending; (6) has provided new treatment options for cancer patients; and (7) has offered new coverage protections for those with pre-existing conditions. These are tangible, real-world benefits, making a meaningful difference in people's lives. As Pollack and Anrig concluded, "Health reform has already improved the humanity and effectiveness of our health care system. President Obama is entitled, and obliged, to embrace his own signature domestic policy accomplishment."

To: Alighieri who wrote (644090)	1/31/2012 11:52:17 AM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1579714

Another one.............. Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.), a fifteen-term congressman, announced Tuesday that he would retire at the end of this term.

To: Alighieri who wrote (644090)	1/31/2012 2:37:18 PM
From: tejek	Read Replies (5) \| Respond to of 1579714

Lying comes as naturally to these people as squealing comes to pigs. When defensiveness leads to dishonesty By Steve Benen - Tue Jan 31, 2012 2:28 PM EST No candidate ever wants to give the impression that he or she bought a campaign victory, even if it's true. Just on principle, it looks unseemly. With that in mind, it's understandable that Mitt Romney would feel a little defensive -- he's put his flush coffers to good use in each of the nominating contests thus far, taking full advantage of his massive financial edge. Defensiveness, though, is no excuse for dishonesty. As Florida voters cast their ballots on Tuesday, Mitt Romney spoke of the lessons he learned from the race he lost to Newt Gingrich in South Carolina just 10 days ago. "In South Carolina we were vastly outspent with negative ads attacking me and we stood back and spoke about President Obama and suffered the consequence of that," Romney told reporters outside his campaign headquarters [in Tampa]. Romney wasn't "vastly outspent" in South Carolina; he was the one vastly outspending. An independent analysis found that Romney and his allied groups spent $4.6 million in the Palmetto State, while Gingrich and his allies spent $2.2 million. Even Romney should be willing to admit $4.6 million is greater than $2.2 million. A similar picture is emerging in Florida. Precise figures are not yet available, but the evidence so far suggests Romney has outspent Gingrich in the Sunshine State by a 5-to-1 margin. What's more, as Rachel explained in a segment last night, Floridians have seen about 200 ads this week in support of Gingrich, and over 12,000 ads in support of Romney. It seems fair to say that when the results are announced tonight, Romney didn't earn the primary win so much as he purchased it. The former governor and his team don't care for this realization, either. On Tuesday, Romney's campaign pushed back, telling reporters the tale of Romney's big spending gap is overblown. A Romney campaign source told me Tuesday morning that Democrats are making too big a deal out of the spending disparity. After all, the Romney campaign said, Gingrich didn't have to deal with the unions. That's not a bad effort, but it's still not accurate. By all estimates, Romney and his allies have spent over $15 million in Florida, as compared to Gingrich's total, which is between $2 million and $4 million. Yes, AFSCME has been on the air, but the union has spent less than $1 million. Add that investment to Gingrich's expenditures, and Romney is still dominating. It's one thing to spin a massive financial edge, but Romney and his campaign should at least try to make their spin less deceptive.