Steve Kagen makes SCHIP about the kids: Rep. Steve Kagen said, “Which side are you on? Are you the side of children who need you the most? Or are you on the side of special interests. We democrats are on the side of the children.”
In addition to the nauseating comments themselves, the Hill reports today that the major health care “special interests” are in FAVOR of the bill and working closely with the Democratic leadership to get it passed! America’s Health Insurance Plans, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. the American Medical Association, and the American Hospital Association.
According to a TMJ4 investigation, there are more than 200 security cameras recording the everyday events at Marquette. Moreover, MU’s Public Safety Department is bigger than UWM’s, even though there are a lot more students at UWM.
US Magistrate Judge Bill Callahan has issued a summary judgment decision that Wisconsin’s minimum markup law is unconstitutional. The Judge rejected the dormant commerce clause argument but found that the state failed to “actively supervise” as required by a series of federal antitrust cases. Judge Callahan acknowledged that while other courts had said the Act was acceptable on various state and federal constitutional challenges, the question of antitrust was one of first impression. It is not clear from the decision what implications this decision will have outside the immediate case, including any implications for the IJ case in Dane County.
Last 5 posts by Daniel- Tom Barrett's Savings Plan - June 8th, 2010
- C.J. Abrahamson on J. Stevens - April 11th, 2010
- Why always Bill Bablitch? - March 24th, 2010
- Suhr on Nixon on Health Care - February 23rd, 2010
- Did the USCCB Foresee Dead People? - February 8th, 2010
“Larry Rickert, a security expert at Marquette, showed us how it works.”
Perhaps they meant Larry Rickard, Director and Chief of Marquette Public Safety.
sean s.
A Quick Hit from the Washington Post:
“The Real Iraq We Knew”
By 12 former Army captains
Tuesday, October 16, 2007; 12:00 AM
Which begins, “Today marks five years since the authorization of military force in Iraq, setting Operation Iraqi Freedom in motion. Five years on, the Iraq war is as undermanned and under-resourced as it was from the start. And, five years on, Iraq is in shambles.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....v=hcmodule
Don’t forget Assembly Republicans shot down another tax and spend budget from Doyle today. Go thank them over at Boots and Sabers.
Big Brother is watching you smuggle a six pack of Bud Lite into McCormick.
The new Reuters Zogby poll rated the Democrat Congress at 11%!! Its going to be interesting how that affects 2008…
It’s interesting to see Daniel’s apparent criticism of “Health Care special interests” because they represent the very people to whom we entrust our health care; and the ones that a “free market” approach favors. Hmm. A recent development:
Survey finds strong majority support for the reauthorization and expansion of SCHIP even when presented with the pros and cons.
http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/pomr101707pkg.cfm
From the summary:
The survey finds strong majority support for the reauthorization and expansion of SCHIP (the State Children’s Health Insurance Program). Given the basic parameters of the expansion–its cost, the number of new children who would be covered, and how it would be paid for–seven in ten Americans say they back the plan. This asking was followed by a version of the question that provided proponents’ and opponents’ strongest arguments. Even when presented with these pros and cons, support stays at 65 percent.
Though the partisan divide on SCHIP is certainly large, there is a good deal more bipartisanship here than on issues such as Iraq. Democrats overwhelmingly favor the reauthorization: 82 percent before hearing the pro and con arguments, and 80 percent even after hearing them. Tilting the issue toward the bill’s proponents, Independents also weigh in with majority support: 69 percent would back it (dropping only 3 points after hearing the arguments). Instead of being the usual mirrorimage of Democrats, Republicans are very divided on the SCHIP issue: a narrow majority (54 percent) say they support the expansion when asked a straight up or down question, while 41 percent are opposed. This narrow divide deepens a bit — to 47 percent support, 45 percent oppose — after hearing the arguments on both sides.
It’s worth noting that the SCHIP debate takes place in a general climate where two in three Americans (67 percent) think that the government is doing “too little” in providing health insurance to children who don’t have it. This includes a majority among men and women, among every age group, and among every income group.
Note that only half of Americans say they have heard at least some of the news about the ongoing SCHIP debates, with half the country not paying attention. Those who have heard little or nothing about the program are as likely to back its expansion as those who say they have heard at least some news about the issue.
Sean: While I disagree with certain “special interest” groups on this particular bill, make no mistake that my criticism is directed at Congressman Kagen. His “all about the kids” comment, while silly in its own right, is made moreso by the report in The Hill regarding special interest activism on this issue.
SPET3R;
A close reading of the poll results shows most Americans are disappointed with the Democratic Congress because it has been TOO COOPERATIVE with the White House. I agree, they have been. They need to resist Bush’s agenda at every opportunity.
From the report:
“‘They tell us they want action on health care, education, the war and immigration, but they don’t believe they are going to get it.’
The dismal assessment of the Republican president and the Democratic-controlled Congress follows another month of inconclusive political battles over a future path in Iraq and the recent Bush veto of an expansion of the program providing insurance for poor children.”
“… barely one-quarter of Americans, or 26 percent, believe the country is headed in the right direction.
The poll found declining confidence in U.S. economic and foreign policy. About 18 percent gave positive marks to foreign policy, down from 24 percent, and 26 percent rated economic policy positively, down from 30 percent.”
sean s.
Do you honestly think the American public cares about the details like you do Sean S. ? The Democrats have done little to work with the white house so your argument has no merit. Americans want action on looming problems the government has big problems with… the IRS, transportation system, health care, and foreign policy. Using the IRS as an example, nationalizing anything would be a disaster. Right now the Democrats are worse than the Republicans– because they haven’t done a thing!! Instead they are writing resolution bills that condemn our allies (Turkey)? MMMmm… The democrat agenda is to screw Bush over because they hate him instead of doing good for the country— which to me is treasonist.