Hillary Clinton In Ironic Situation Over Health Care For Campaign Staff

I think this one is going to be remembered for a long time.    The Politico reports.

Among the debts reported this month by Hillary Rodham Clinton’s struggling presidential campaign, the $292,000 in unpaid health insurance premiums for her campaign staff stands out. Clinton, who is being pressured to end her campaign against Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination, has made her plan for universal health care a centerpiece of her agenda 

I know every campaign has blunders and errors that seem silly in hindsight.  But this one just feels so silly and stupid for even having happened.  Given the thrust of her rationale for wanting to be President, this was a set of bills I would have insisted get paid.

But that is just me.

The campaign provides health insurance to all its employees, their spouses, partners and children — and that wasn’t interrupted by any lag in payments to insurance providers, said Jay Carson, a Clinton campaign spokesman.

###

But the unpaid bills to Aetna were at least two months old, according to FEC filings.

They show the campaign ended last year owing Aetna more than $213,000 for “employee benefits.”During the first two months of the year, the campaign did not pay down any of that debt. In fact, it accrued another $16,000 in unpaid bills last month, and it finished the month owing Aetna $229,000.Though the campaign reported owing $63,000 to Carefirst at the end of February for employee benefits, it appears Clinton paid that company on a more frequent basis. The New York senator’s presidential campaign began the month owing $299,000 to Carefirst, but paid that amount in its entirety, and the $63,000 it owed at the end of the month appears to be from services rendered last month.

If we recall after the Texas and Ohio primaries we were told by the Clinton campaign that the weeks leading up to Pennsylvania was to showcase why she was more ready and able to be the Democratic nominee. Instead the weeks since the last primaries have proved to be more of the same bad news for the Clinton forces.

Let us move on and unite behind Barack Obama.

Technorati Tags: HillaryClinton, Politco, HealthCare, PoliticalCampaigns, Election08, Democrats

State Representative Frank Lasee Fails To Hear The Needs Of Deaf Children In Wisconsin

When a legislator has become so controlled and owned by the special interests that he can look at a deaf child and not seek a solution, then it is time to make a change. 

I hold to an old fashioned notion that governing should be about insuring that the lives of the public improve, and they be as productive as possible.  That the roadblocks which impedes the path of the public be lowered, if not totally eliminated.  And above all that the common good always be the primary reason to make a law.

It therefore goes without saying I would be opposed to a Wisconsin State Representative that would use a position of power to stop legislation that would require insurance companies from paying for hearing aids or surgery for a deaf child.  And it is fair to say I would be very upset if that same representative while working against Wisconsin families, was also taking campaign cash from the insurance lobby, and doing their shameless bidding under the statehouse dome.

But sadly that is the case with State Representative Frank Lasee.  As Chairperson of the Assembly Insurance Committee, Lasee is not shy about making sure his campaign contributors in the insurance industry are well taken care of.  In fact, the insurance companies are the third leading contributors to the ‘Lasee Largess’, better known as his campaign coffers.  When the industry gives to Lasee, they expect something.  

This month Lasee was adamant that a bill to deny insurance companies the right to use a persons credit score when setting premiums would never leave his committee. Now his lack of desire to see a bill enacted in Wisconsin that would require insurance companies to pay for hearing aids or surgery for deaf children is yet another sign that special interests have a hold on the member from the 2nd Assembly District.

The problem is more dire however than just the obvious fact that money and special interests has prevented the political process from working properly.  The end result of the collision between special interests and sound public policy in this case are the deaf children.   God forbid that Frank Lasee would want to do anything to help out the parents with such a situation.  I mean why would Representative Lasee want to help out a parent like Beth Lidtke when he has pals like Northwestern Mutual, and Sentry Insurance?

Beth Lidtke said her son Abraham was born with one deaf ear. At 2, he lost the hearing in his other ear, making it necessary for the family to spend $4,000 on hearing aids.

“It was a long and frustrating road figuring out whether insurance would pay for it,” Lidtke said. “You pay so much for insurance. It’s supposed to be about paying for the unknown things that come up in life. We finally needed it and they would not pay.”

Lidtke said that soon the hearing aid was no longer working well enough and Abraham needed a cochlear implant for that ear.

“The cochlear implant changed his life,” Lidtke said. “But dealing with the insurance company again just drained me.”

The costs have been substantial. Now 7, Abraham wears a $7,000 piece of equipment. The surgery for the implant was around $100,000.

After hearing stirring testimony such as this mother above how can any responsible elected official not schedule the bill for a vote at once?  He had the power to do so.  But Frank Lasee will never let this bill out of committee as his lobbying pals will not let him.

It is quite clear that the citizens in the 2nd Assembly District have a chance to help the entire state when they vote in November.  That is not only an honor for these voters, but also a real responsibility. By casting a ballot for Democrat Ted Zigmunt to replace Frank Lasee, the best friend to the insurance lobby, the voters can help place a truly concerned and ethical man into office. 

When a legislator has become so controlled and owned by the special interests that he can look at a deaf child and not seek a solution, then it is time to make a change.  And soon.

Ted Zigmunt will have the moral compass to make the right decisions for the people in Northeast Wisconsin, and deaf children throughout the state.

 

Technorati Tags: TedZigmunt, FrankLasee, Wisconsin, Madison, WisconsinStateAssembly

A Shameful Example Of ‘Health Care’ In Wisconsin

James and I visited with my dad on Sunday in central Wisconsin.  It was amazing to see the snow piles that towered around the back door, and along the drive.  As always these visits catch me up on the comings and goings of family, and folks in the community that I care about.  As we sat in the living room looking out on the winter wonderland he told a story of a neighbor that made me realize again why we fight so hard every election season.  And why America has some serious flaws.

The neighbor my dad spoke of is a wonderful lady who grabbed my arm at a funeral to make sure that if anything was needed by our family in our time of sadness that she was only a phone call away.  And she expected to he called!  She has been a cookie maker and solid friend of the family for many years.  So when she suffered a stroke about two months ago there was indeed concern over her well-being. After all, she has always been a source of comfort for others, and now it was time for the tables to be turned.

The doctors located an aneurysm in her brain and told her to seek help in Madison.  Without health insurance she was not able to find the needed medical care, and returned home.  To even write these words makes me ashamed at what our nation allows.

This past week ambulances and medical personnel were dispatched to her home after her oldest child discovered her lying in the kitchen.  She was not moving.  She was not breathing.  She was taken to the hospital, but returned home very late that same night.

We spend nearly 9 billion dollars a month on an insane and unjustifiable war in Iraq because the oil interests have a controlling hold on the dimwit in the Oval Office.  We spend this money on a war that can never be won, and yet have no health care plan in this nation for a woman in her 50’s with a very serious medical condition.  When one of my conservative siblings lamented this to my dad, James and I were quick to remind everyone that Republican votes cast for many years have come home to roost.  When they were voting George Bush in 2000 what did they think they were voting for?  Health care? 

It is rich to hear the concern now from conservatives  about the ‘health care’ system in America, as they see the consequences of their Republican votes biting them in the butt.  Some never learn until it is too late.

Still there is a wonderful lady with a husband and kids who is ill and in need of medical care.   Too many of her fellow citizens forgot, when it came time to vote over the years, about the plight she and millions of others suffer as the result of no health care coverage.  If a conservative voters insulated little world did not contain uninsured people they did not care about others when casting a ballot.  So as I mentioned to my dad this weekend frustrations from conservatives now about the sad state of health care is a bit late.

I am so ashamed at what our nation allows.

Technorati Tags: HealthCare, Wisconsin, Republicans, GeorgeBush

Message Of Hope As We Exit 2007

Some are more than eager to exit 2007, and get the New Year started.  The excitement about new beginnings and a fresh start is one of mankind’s remarkable features as it proves that we are highly resilient.  Even after a year where unfinished plans, failed endeavors, or sadness might have held sway, we have in our nature the ability to look ahead and dream again.   In the darkest moments of a bad year when only gloom seems to prevail we are told to hold to the notion that better days are ahead.  Others who care offer that timeless advice, and we nod in agreement to be kind, but at the time those words are heard we often do not believe in the power to bounce back.

Getting from the darkness to the light again is a trip that requires patience and self-acceptance of where one is, and where one wants to end up.  It also requires the time to make the trip.

Millions of Americans will always reflect on 2007 with a sense of sadness and loss, be it a failed marriage, loss of a job, illness, or the death of a loved one.  For many people bittersweet memories will be the strongest leftover from the past year.  But if you are one that endured hard times this year, and coped with them, then there are lessons that were gained.  With them comes the hope for a New Year.

To live life fully means that we must experience the entire array of events that come with the human experience.  Bright moments at one end of the spectrum, and tear filled days at the other end.  If we love the sunshine, we also must embrace the darkness.  When life forces us to deal with painful events the worst thing to do is shy away from facing the emotions inside.  We are only fooling ourselves by pretending to cage them.   Eventually the situation will demand attention, and if we do not deal with our feelings honestly at the time they are in front of us, we are doomed to deal with them in another form later.

In the mad rush that many have constructed as their daily life, it is difficult to find the time to deal with sadness.  In the late 1800’s one could still put out black on their doors to provide the time and space required for healing after the loss of a loved one.  The public respected the black fabric.  No one expected that in two weeks all would be fine again.  Today we have pushed ourselves to the point where in the hope of making it easier to get people to a funeral without disrupting work hours the deceased person’s visitation and funeral are all held in a few hours on one night.   I first heard of this in September, and find that it is spreading.  It makes me ill, as emotional needs should not be second place to the bottom line for a business.

It is not selfish or out of bounds to demand the time one needs to replenish the soul and body after a rough episode.  Finding the perfect means of serenity is essential.  It might be found in the sunsets each night, or the morning blooms that erupt in the dew outside the window.  It might be found in long walks, or even longer runs.  Whatever the means to soothe and heal it should be applied regularly.  And to do it correctly will demand a ‘time-out’ from what is considered the ‘normal’ routine. Whether it be for an hour each day, or a day each week, the most important way to heal is to allow the space and time to do it correctly.

If 2007 was rough it is in our nature to hope for a brighter 2008.  If we applied the lessons of coping correctly on the ragged edges of life just lived, then we are prepared to hold our head up and march into the New Year.

I wish you all the best.  Happy New Year. 

Technorati Tags: MentalHealth, 2008, CopingSkills

“Founding Brothers” vs. Wisconsin State Budget Conferees

It struck me recently how ironic it was for me to be reading again Joseph Ellis’s “Founding Brothers” at night, while reading of the never-ending state budget negotiations by day.  No one will ever confuse the two groups.  Ellis writes with great passion about the deep thinkers and spirited gentlemen who brought insight, philosophical convictions, along with a sense of history to the table as they crafted our Constitution, and helped design the start of a nation.  Meanwhile in Wisconsin there seems to be only stalemate, political posturing, and short sightedness as the budget conferees do more bickering than budget making. 

While there was plenty of mean spiritedness and vindictiveness among some founders of the nation, which Ellis writes about, they performed when the times demanded it, and completed their mission.  It seems from my perspective that the only thing one can say about the broken state budget process is that the mission is not being completed.  Political posturing is the only result thus far.

As various players in the state budget process make press headlines about the process not being over for many more weeks, or the dreadful consequences if this or that policy is not included in the final document, the founders of the nation were playing to the future generations.  John Adams saved all his correspondence even prior to the war for independence to showcase the events that were leading to great things for a new country.  Can anyone argue that one single provision in the new state budget will have any truly profound effect on the people of Wisconsin?  After all the acrimony is over, will there be anything to be proud of?

Had the conferees played to history, and the impact for the greater good, they would have accepted and shaped a health care plan for the citizens of Wisconsin.  There is no shortage of evidence to support the need for such a plan that was started in the Democratic controlled State Senate.  Just as the Constitutional Convention sidestepped for political purposes the issue of slavery in order to accommodate Southern delegates, the Republicans demanded that health care be eliminated from the budget in order to move the process along.  History is not kind to such bad decisions.

The state budget process is broken for many reasons.  But I suggest that the lack of personal trust among members of the legislature is among the top reasons for the inability to complete the budget that was due on July 1, 2007.  There were no fewer dislikes or fissures among the “Founding Brothers”, but there always seems to be that eye cast to the pages of history.  They sensed that they were doing something big and wonderful.  With the budget conferees there seems to be only political calculations designed to trip up the other party at the expense of government doing grand things for society.

As Ellis writes, the paintings from that era all look as if they knew we would be watching their actions and reading their words.  So they acted with care and made huge brilliant decisions.  In contrast a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson said in a news story that “ordinary constituents have allowed lawmakers to dawdle”, and therefore not forced the budget process to move ahead.  It is not that the public does not know or understand that the budget process is late and broken, it is that they are so tired of this type of government inaction that they just tune out.  The budget conferees have no sense of history, and the public has lost faith.

As I said, no one will confuse the nation builders, and Wisconsin lawmakers.

Technorati Tags: JosephEllis, FoundingBrothers, Madison, Wisconsin, StateBudget, JudyRobson, JohnAdams

Smoking In Public, Peeing In Pools

It is all the same.

Though the Wisconsin Tavern League will disagree with a smoking ban in the state.  But they always are on the other side of these issues.

Late Sunday we drove to Monona to have late night food.  A greasy burger and fries were on my mind.  But when we entered the Denny’s restaurant I was greeted with the stench of smokers with their cancer sticks.  Just outside of Madison, this eating-place actually still thought they could place both smokers and nonsmokers under the same roof and no one would notice.  Some still have a quaint sense of humor about how smoke travels in an enclosed place.

I write this in light of the enlightened approach that Illinois took this week in regards to the health of their citizens.  The elected officials made it clear.

Places long associated with smoker-friendly policies — casinos, bars and private clubs such as VFWs and American Legions — all will be smoke-free.Even outside spaces aren’t a free-for-all. The law requires that smokers remain 15 feet away from the doors and windows of a public place.Some Illinois hospitals have banned smoking anywhere on hospital property, and a handful of suburban towns also limit smoking on park district property.

Statewide smoking bans are in place all over the nation, and Wisconsin should get with the program of looking out for the health of the people.  Living in Madison I already know and appreciate the benefits of our sensible no smoking policy that promotes our health over the interests and profits of the tobacco industry. 

The parochial views by the Wisconsin Tavern League, which often runs counter to common sense, should be rejected by the legislature.  The League sees doom and gloom every time a restriction is proposed on a bar, and so one needs to keep their track record in mind when thinking about the merits of a statewide ban.  There now is a bill in State Senate committee that would address our needs.  A bill of that type will become law sooner or later here.  We all know that.  But think how nice it would be to enjoy it now.

Let us contact a thinking member of the Wisconsin Legislature and tell them to get moving on the measure.

Technorati Tags: Smokingbans, Illinoissmokingban, Madison, ChicagoTribune, WisconsinTavernLeague
 

State Republicans So VERY Wrong On Domestic Partner Benefits

Domestic partner benefits are a no-brainer for those of us who live in the real world.  Most of us have openly gay friends, family members, and co-workers.  We live in diverse communities and know the richness that comes from being fair and honest with our fellow citizens.  We understand that inequality and unfairness is not the way our society should operate.  So I am utterly perplexed over what should be a truly non-issue about the University of Wisconsin having domestic partner benefits for their employees.  It has been debated far too long!  We are the only Big Ten School that does not offer such rights, and it is nauseating.  To be even more honest it is just plain embarrassing.  It is also counter productive for the long term-goals of securing the best minds and talents for our amazing college system.  Why would anyone want to deny the rights of gay and lesbian families to have the same benefit package as heterosexual employees and their families? 

The Wisconsin State Senate, with the majority Democrats leading the way, passed their version of the state budget on Tuesday.  It should come as no surprise that not one single Republican could see any reason to vote for the package that contained a much needed health plan for state residents.  Also included in the Democratic budget was the domestic benefit package for the UW system.  To say I am proud that the issue was included would not be totally correct.  Of course it should be included!  But the fact is we should not even need to debate IF gay employees and their families should receive the same treatment as other state employees at the UW.  THIS IS 2008!!! 

I am so tired of Republicans in the State Legislature using gay UW employees and their families as wedge issues for the basest political purposes.  What the GOP did with gay rights in 2006 in our state was despicable and shameful.  The lack of fairness that State Republicans exhibit now over the issue of domestic benefits is mind-boggling for those of us who live in the real world.  The backward and sexually frustrated world of the GOP is a mystery to me. They should not be setting policy that undermines our desire for fairness and equality in our college system. 

The GOP always get excited about the idea of letting the private sector set the rules so to better create jobs and grow the economy.  If that logic is true then one must ask what is wrong with over half of the Fortune 500 companies allowing for domestic partner benefits?  Any large company that wants to be competitive and exist in the real world understands the diversity of the workforce.  The rules for seeking the best at the UW should be no different.  And the Republicans should understand that fact.

Whatever crazed puritanical notion state Republicans hope to preserve by gay bashing over domestic benefits is absurd, and a waste of taxpayer money.  And I strongly suspect that their gay sons and lesbian daughters agree with me.

Technorati Tags: DomesticPartnerBenefits, Wisconsin, UW,

$30 Billion AIDS Funding Request Vital

There is a great deal of interest in combating HIV.  Not only is it a medical matter that demands our humanitarian resolve, but it is also an economic matter for many nations that are seeing huge segments of their populations die.  Whole societies in some parts of Africa are changing dramatically in front of our eyes.  While everyone should applaud President Bush for requesting $30 billion to fight this disease, Congress also needs to be mindful that some conservative organization that want to use the funds might have ideas that run counter to the medical needs of the people.

While today there are many conservative religious organizations that are applauding the President for this latest request, we need to be mindful that just last December some faith groups were urging Congress to cut funding for these same programs.  The faith based groups want to use some of these funds to promote religion, while the pragmatic health oriented groups understand the need to promote condom use, and the necessity of drug users having clean needles. 

The Global Fund is the brainchild of Bill and Melinda Gates, and this massive effort is one of the pillars of fighting AIDS around the world.  The only larger program to combat AIDS is President Bush’s 5-year, $15 billion plan from early in his first term.  Together these programs work in 136 countries.  But the united efforts have produced angst with conservatives who wish to use the funds for their own special interests that often run counter to sound medical judgments.

Conservatives were angry that only 6% of funds from The Global Fund were given to faith based organizations.  So some of these groups called late last year for the federal government to end support for these programs.  They basically said that if they could not have public funds to promote the idea of the whole world become an abstinence zone they would take their holy water and go home, urging the Congress to follow them.  That would be incredibly shortsighted. 

The reason being that according to UN reports Christian health associations deliver at least 40 percent of health care in several African countries, including Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Liberia, and Kenya.  No one doubts the good that these groups can contribute when they work in tandem with the medial experts. But if any group seeks to use these funds they must first and foremost have sound medical goals as the driving incentive for their involvement.

The President stepped up to the plate and offered a bold and generous plan.  He decided to show the world that war was not the only thing Americans export during his term, and so made the $30 billion plan public this week.  What Congress now needs to do is craft a very tight bill that will not allow the use of these funds in a way that runs counter to the science and facts of fighting HIV.  The notion that a puritanical approach from faith based groups is an answer to fighting AIDS is remarkably stupid.  Intelligent members of Congress need to deliver a bill that will allow for the best use of these funds as medical evidence directs.

Technorati Tags: AIDS, HIV, PresidentBush, Congress, BillGates, GlobalFund

Senator Proxmire Would Give Golden Fleece Award To Abstinence Programs

Wisconsin Senator Bill Proxmire made a name for himself in part due to his Golden Fleece Award.  When the federal government wasted taxpayer funds on a bogus project he would red flag it for national attention.  If Proxmire were alive and giving out the dubious honor yet today he would ‘award’ the sexual abstinence program pushed by the Bush Administration on behalf of religious conservatives.  The latest news on trying to keep kids chaste shows that both the program does not work, and that taxpayers are being fleeced. 

Mathematica Policy Research released their findings last week showing that the $176 million dollars that federal government authorizes annually does not work.  Students who had attended sexual abstinence programs were just as likely to engage in sexual activity a few years later, have their first sexual experience, and have as many sexual partners as those who did not attend the classes.  Obviously the abstinence programs have a fatal glitch.

The fact that sex education is being used as a political tool to assuage a certain important demographic group within the Republican Party needs to be made clear as Congress considers reauthorizing the funding this year.  The fact that a totally honest and balanced approach about sex education needs to be offered to our youth is absolutely undeniable.  Something is broken when the city of Milwaukee has the second highest pregnancy rate of the nations 50 largest cities.  Pretending that kids do not have sex, or will not have sex is naive.  Censoring vital information about contraceptives, as the abstinence programs do is counter productive, and could be deadly.

There is just no scientific evidence that the federal abstinence programs work, and no justification for the amount of taxpayer dollars that is being wasted each year.  A politically feel good approach to teaching our youth about sex is wrong for the nation.  No one is doubting the need to stem the problem of teenage pregnancy rates, or help young people better understand their sexual options.  Teaching safe sexual practices, the ability to reason with feelings,  communicating more effectively. all would be better reasoned components  of a comprehensive approach to sex education than what the Bush Administration has offered.   As a nation we should not be nervous or reticent about the topic.  Pretending that the nation’s youth are not having sex, or thinking about it 24/7  may make for good speeches at a political fundraiser but makes no sense in the real world where the kids live.

Technorati Tags: Sexualabstinence, Proxmire, Bush, Sexeducation

Say It With Me…Gay Civil Unions Do Not Equal Marriage

In past posts here on the need for equality for gay men and women in relation to the marriage issue, I have likened civil unions to children sitting at a separate table during the holidays.  No matter how you slice it there is a difference between the two and no one really can argue the point successfully.  The same is true with gay civil unions versus the right of marriage for straight men and women.  There is only one way to get all the rights, benefits, and social recognition in a relationship and that is through the bonds of marriage. 

When New Jersey became the third state to allow for same sex couples to be joined through civil unions many were happy.  Both gay and straight saw the New Jersey decision as a win.  While I was pleased that society was moving forward with gay rights and trying to tackle the marriage issue, I was not pleased with the half-a-loaf outcome that the Garden State decided to follow.  The New Jersey Supreme Court had found their Constitution “guarantees that every statutory right and benefit conferred to heterosexual couples through civil marriage must be made available to committed same-sex couples,” and told the legislative body to correct the problem. 

Even though the logical and morally correct option was full and complete marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples a decision was made to create civil unions.  The fact that it is not working should not surprise any of us who undersood the issue then, and care about it now.  As The New York Times reported this week there are many issues that ONLY gay marriage can solve.

Nevertheless, residents who work for companies headquartered in other states, and those whose insurers are based outside New Jersey, have found it difficult if not impossible to sign their partners up for health insurance. Unions and employers whose self-insured plans are federally regulated have also denied coverage in some cases. Staff members in doctors’ offices and emergency rooms have questioned partners’ role in decision-making. Confusion abounds over the interplay of state and federal laws governing taxes, inheritance and property.

Some 229 couples obtained civil unions in New Jersey in the first month they were available. Gay-rights advocates say they have collected two dozen discrimination complaints, laying the groundwork for a legal challenge to the civil union law that would essentially re-petition the Supreme Court for same-sex marriage.

And well they should!  There is no…..absolutely NO…..reason…other than pure unadulterated bigotry for marriage to be denied to gay couples.  Both Connecticut and California are also experiencing similar problems with civil unions/domestic partnership arrangements and therefore are examining their legal options.

Cases such as one mentioned in The New York Times story this week makes the case (again) for the need for marriage.

Timothy Zimmer, a computer programmer who works in Newark for a Massachusetts company he declined to name, said his insurance company, United Healthcare, had told him that his partner would not be covered even if they got a civil union.

“First, the NJ civil union is not deemed to be a marriage under NJ law,” the insurer wrote in an e-mail message to him. “Therefore there is no ‘spouse’ as defined in the MA plan. The MA law recognizes marriages between members of the same sex only for marriages performed in MA between MA residents. Since the NJ members are not ‘married’ under either NJ or MA law, there is no ‘spouse’ eligible for coverage as a dependent.”

Mr. Zimmer, 52, said in an interview last week, “Apparently the civil union law gave us all the rights of marriage, except the ones we really need.”

As I wrote on February 19th, ’separate but equal’ is a wrong policy.

Some may call this ‘almost marriage’ but history is my guide, and proves ’separate but equal’ is a wrong policy.

The fact that marriage and all the rights that follow cannot be replicated by any other social contract, including civil unions, is the main reason I have problems with the outcome from the Garden State. When we say the word marriage we all know what it means both in tangible and intangible ways. There is no way to shortcut the path to justice.

Technorati Tags: CivilUnions, GayMarriage, Gay, NewJersey, Law, NewYorkTimes

John McCain Needs Sex Education!

This is not a Jon Stewart joke.  Sadly, this is one of the leading GOP presidential candidates talking to the press on his bus.  After reading this should I laugh, cry, throw my hands up and do a Nancy Grace move…I just can’t fathom this. This is Sen. John McCain!  From the NYT’s story.

Q: “What about grants for sex education in the United States? Should they include instructions about using contraceptives? Or should it be Bush’s policy, which is just abstinence?”

Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “Ahhh. I think I support the president’s policy.”

Q: “So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?”Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “You’ve stumped me.”Q: “I mean, I think you’d probably agree it probably does help stop it?”Mr. McCain: (Laughs) “Are we on the Straight Talk express? I’m not informed enough on it. Let me find out. You know, I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position was. Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception – I’m sure I’m opposed to government spending on it, I’m sure I support the president’s policies on it.”Q: “But you would agree that condoms do stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Would you say: ‘No, we’re not going to distribute them,’ knowing that?”Mr. McCain: (Twelve-second pause) “Get me Coburn’s thing, ask Weaver to get me Coburn’s paper that he just gave me in the last couple of days. I’ve never gotten into these issues before.”

Old man McCain is as stupid on HIV matters as the leader of an African nation who also made news this week over the disease. Gambian President Yahya Jammeh announced he had discovered a cure for the disease that has wreaked havoc across Africa. (HIV)He made that announcement in front of a group of foreign diplomats, telling them the treatment was revealed to him by his ancestors in a dream.

WHAT!!!!!  Technorati Tags: JohnMcCain, Election08, HIV, Contraceptives

Wisconsin Health Care Part Of Our Social Contract

Providing health care/insurance coverage is just one avenue to show that we recognize the worth of our fellow citizens in Wisconsin.

Time and again two things seem to be happening with regularity across the country.  One is that individual Governors are stepping up and addressing the lack of health care coverage for their state residents by placing plans in front of their State Legislatures.  Second, conservatives decry the plans and work to stymie progressive policies aimed at making our social contract with each other more solid. 

A few weeks ago California Governor Schwarzenegger put forth his plan for universal coverage for his state where 20% of the people are now without coverage.  Translated another way that is over 6 million people with the knowledge that if an emergency were to befall them they would be in dire economic circumstances.  That is a tragic way to live life in America in the 21st century.  With the growing undercurrents for change in health care and insurance coverage, elected officials are taking notice.  Since the US spends on average twice the cost that other nations do for health services, but still has one-sixth of the population uninsured, it is easy to see why government must be involved in the solution.  If the market alone could solve the problem it already would have happened.  My friends on the conservative side of the fence never care to address that fact.

On Tuesday night Wisconsin Governor Doyle put forth ideas that would place the state in an enviable position by making sure 98% of our fellow citizens had health care coverage.  Now that is something we could brag about every day of the week!  Though decades late it is still the best idea that has been advanced yet to address the needs of Badger State residents.  Doyle presented ideas about widening the options for families to purchase health coverage for their children through Badger Care Plus.  He spoke about the desirability of allowing more residents to enroll in the State’s Medicaid program, and again reiterated his call for pooling of business resources to purchase catastrophic heath care plans for workers.

Without missing a beat, and with the timing of vaudeville comedians, the Republicans said that the taxpayers just could not afford to pay for such plans.  Without pausing they launched into why the plans and ideas were not feasible at this time.  I did not hear the conservatives talk about the need for all of our fellow citizens to have coverage, nor was there mention of the fact if a person had insurance coverage preventive medicine could reduce the high cost of full-blown medical needs. The only reaction conservatives could muster is that it might take some of their money to insure health coverage for our state residents. I think the average taxpayer understands that everyone deserves insurance coverage and therefore knows we need a comprehensive health care/insurance overhaul.  Doyle has started to address the needs, and instead of verbal roadblocks as the first reaction, I would hope for a more reasoned and thoughtful approach for this pressing need.

Addressing this issue obviously has a moral component to it, and so it is strange to see conservative Republicans who have championed ‘moral causes’ before in the Legislature take two steps back from supporting Doyle’s ideas.  A bit hypocritical I suggest if one purports to live life based on higher ideals.   There is a moral obligation that binds us together as citizens even if we choose to deny it for political purposes.  We do have a social contract, one to another, as human beings, and this type of policy idea greatly moves us in the direction of honoring those bonds.

Providing health care/insurance coverage is just one avenue to show that we recognize the worth of our fellow citizens.

Finally I say to those conservatives who reject Doyle’s plan that here is one state resident that is not afraid to pay more in state taxes if it means fairness and health coverage for others in Wisconsin.  I strongly suspect I am not alone!

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