Update from the
Heartland
No.622
11.11.13 – 17.11.13
Blog version: http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
To all,
Governor Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii
signed into law the state’s Marriage Equality Act of
2013 [HA SB1] and became the 15th state to permit non-heterosexual
marriage. The action in Hawaii
pushed the Illinois position [621]
back to the 16th spot once Governor Patrick Joseph “Pat” Quinn III
signs the state’s Religious Freedom and Marriage
Fairness Act [IL SB0010], which he indicated he would do although he has
not done it yet, as of this writing.
The march continues.
Omg . . . as the kids say! I have tried to defend President Obama
and his lieutenants, as I remain convinced PPACA has a noble purpose. However, they are making it nearly
impossible to continue to do so.
Why hasn’t the administration told it like it is, those cancelled
medical insurance policies are substandard; they do not meet even the minimum
requirements; those policies are tantamount to having no policy. In the car insurance business, all
states have signed up to a minimum threshold. Medical insurance is NO DIFFERENT! This issue is NOT about freedom of choice, or state’s
rights, or anything else other than getting those damnable hidden overhead
charges for uninsured or underinsured citizens out into the open and out of the
subterranean conduits of overhead charges (and I could add, getting the
uninsured & underinsured out of Emergency Rooms, a common cold is NOT an
emergency). Once again, I
reiterate my opinion [432 & sub]. Unless we are prepared to enforce a
legal prohibition on medical treatment of those who choose not to participate
in the national medical insurance program, we must fix the implementation
problems with PPACA.
After
President Obama’s retreat announcement on Thursday, 14.August.2013, the House
of Representatives passed H.R.3350 – the Keep Your Health Plan Act of 2013 – by
a significant margin: House: 261-157-0-12(5). If the bill makes it through the Senate and to the
President’s desk, I would urge him to veto the bill. I do not believe amending the law to allow sub-minimum
medical insurance coverage is the proper path to take, in the light of the
federal medical insurance exchange implementation and the current policy
cancellations. The President has
sufficient authority by Executive Order to adjust the implementation of PPACA
as needed to ensure the maximum number of people remains covered to some degree
(even if inadequately, at first).
As we know in the warrior profession, any action is better than
inaction. The policy cancellation
would have never been an issue if the exchange had worked at the outset.
I
see no other proposals from any political party, any side or any faction that
would eliminate the enormous, hidden, cost burden of our uninsured/underinsured
citizens. PPACA is certainly not
perfect, but it is a bona fide attempt to get the costs of medically treating
the less fortunate among us. Let
us NOT throw the baby out with the bath water.
After
writing the above paragraph in my hour of frustration and disappointment, a
frequent contributor to this humble forum sent along the following article:
“Here's the Problem With Obama's Health Care Fix: Insurance
Companies – Obama's plan to avert cancellations puts the power in the hands of
the insurers.”
by Patrick Caldwell
Mother Jones
Published: Thu Nov. 14, 2013; 10:35 AM PST
I find it truly sad that Mother
Jones can articulate the issue far better than anyone in the
administration, from the President on down. Yet, even Mother Jones
did not hit the real root cause in this debate – the hidden costs of
uninsured/underinsured citizens. At
least Mother Jones and Caldwell gave
us a more rational perspective. My
base fear now is the PPACA has been far too politicized, and President Obama
has given the opponents their cause célèbre on a silver
platter. Democrats are losing
their nerve, while Republicans have been invigorated by the smell of blood in
the water. The feeding frenzy and
calcification of congressional intransigence has only just begun. I return to the “Throw the Rascals Out”
hypothesis [620].
Coincidently, a separate law
implementation adjustment occurred this week as well. The law at issue in this particular instance is the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 [PL 110-140; 121 Stat. 1493; 19.December.2007] [353], and specifically Title II, Subtitle
A, §202 – Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) [121 Stat. 1521]. The implementation table [121
Stat. 1522] set a target of 18.15B
gallons of ethanol to be blended into our gasoline (petrol) supply during
2014. The EPA formally asked refiners to lower that target to 15.2B
gallons next year, as they acknowledged the targets are very difficult, if not
impossible, to meet. The adjustment
in the PPACA requirements is no different – a reasonable recognition of
reality.
P.S.: Ethanol may be good for energy independence, but it is
terrible for gasoline stability.
I’ve had to refurbish two small engine carburetors due to varnish
contamination.
This article brings to the fore a very
serious concern of mine:
“PT Standards in Question for Women in Combat”
by Matthew Cox
Military.com
Published: Nov 14, 2013
On 25.August.1998, I published my opinion: “Limits on Gender
Integration,” at:
My opinion remains largely unchanged.
The
evaluation of standards for each Military Occupation Specialty (MOS) should be
continuously performed to maintain relevance; this includes the Physical
Training (PT) Standards required for each MOS. I understand the political motivation to alter standards to
expand the pool of those qualified for a particular MOS; however, the lowering
of standards deemed necessary for performance within a given MOS will likely
have an adverse effect on unit capability that can be a true life-or-death
factor for ground combat personnel.
I will continue to urge the military to retain reasonable standards for
proper performance and the politicos to back off from their political
correctness urges.
News from the economic front:
-- Japan's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expanded at an
annualized pace of 1.9% in 3Q2013, half the rate of the first half of this
year, as falling demand from emerging markets and weaker consumption dampened
the country’s recovery.
-- The Eurozone GDP expanded at a paltry annualized rate of
0.4% in 3Q2013, up 0.1% from 2Q2013.
The meager growth raises fresh concerns that Europe faces a mix of
stagnation, weak prices and high unemployment that threatens to prolong the
economic recovery. As a subset,
the GDP’s of France and Italy contracted, and Germany slowed sharply.
Comments
and contributions from Update no.621:
Comment to the Blog:
“I am glad that you are researching your ancestry. I find
that very rewarding.
“I wish you the best possible outcome of your medical
issues.
“The ‘contradiction and dichotomy’ (excellent phrase) in
Congress taints every legislative action that arrives there, not only the
Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). Let us remember that the Declaration
of Independence is a source of great quotations but is not a law. The
Constitution is law but the spirit of that great document cannot be actually
enforced. Given the current Supreme Court, I can be excused for wondering
whether the letter of the Constitution is currently upheld.
“I find hope for the swing of the political pendulum in the
recent elections. Governor Christie seems to not need the support of the Tea
Party, and Candidate Cuccinelli could not get enough support from them to
achieve election. I had not been aware that the Colorado marijuana tax proposal
sought an “excessive” amount. Please elucidate. I also find the continuing
legal sanction of non-heterosexual marriage heartening.
“I’m not willing to discuss our national deterioration in terms
of TV shows, but I will nonetheless pay attention to German ideas on our
national paranoia, especially since I share the idea that our fears are being
deliberately used against us. Let us remember that Germans have long and
painful national experience with that in World Wars I & II.
“You give a capable answer to Mr. Love’s letter to the
editor in which he opposes any and all compromise, so I want to pick out a
phrase and argue with that. In an inappropriate apples-to-oranges comparison of
households to national governments, he asks rhetorically, “Is this done with
cradle-to-grave bureaucracy . . .?” Well, yes, Mr. Love, it is. If we look at
governments whose people are more prosperous, healthier, and happier with their
lives in measureable ways than in the United States, those countries are
Northern European nations such as Norway, Finland, and Iceland.
“The economy continues to baffle all observers.
“Your support of the spy apparatus is based on your personal
acquaintance with spies, not on history or other solid information. I find your
statement that, “If we say spies have no moral values then none of us have any
moral values” incredible and insupportable. That is a non sequitur. The nature
of spying is very different than, say, carpentry, insurance, or piloting. Any
of those others can be held accountable for their actions in one-way or
another. Spies do whatever spies do. If they are not accountable they have no
reason to carry out any ethical system. In that environment, I would need
conclusive support to say that any kind of morality prevails.
“The likes of Karl Rove and Grover Norquist are more
important than lobbyists by virtue of their placement inside the political
system. Lobbyists openly support the causes of their clients; the insiders can
and do control the entire system. The insiders individually wield and abuse a
great deal more power than any individual lobbyist.
“Good luck on that revolution, bloodless or not. Almost all
activists underestimate the importance of inertia.”
My response to the
Blog:
Likewise,
I find family history fascinating.
I made it back to 1640 on my father’s line. Now, I need to work on my maternal heritage.
Thank
you for your well wishes . . . what will be will be.
You
are of course quite correct the Declaration is NOT law. Its’ principles are not
enforceable. However, I truly
believe the Declaration expresses the founding principles and essence of this
Grand Republic more succinctly, more eloquently and more completely than any
other document in our historic archive.
Conversely, the Constitution is law . . . at least as interpreted by the
Supremes. I suppose we all have
our opinions regarding the enforcement of the Constitution, e.g., our on-going
debate with the 2nd
Amendment, or my perpetual debate with our youngest son on the 4th Amendment. I must add my absolute rejection of the
Supremes interpretation of the 1st Amendment in Citizens United, and the
obscene use of the Commerce Clause allowing the USG to intrude deeply into our
private lives and affairs. Yet,
despite all that, Congress is our designated legislative body.
Likewise,
I find hope in the 2013 election results.
The Colorado proposal was to tax marijuana sales at 25% in the name of
education – a very common ploy these days. IMHO, the real purpose was to stifle legal sales of
marijuana. The sale of
psychotropic should be taxed like other consumables. I appreciate that some among us object to such things as
morally reprehensible. Fortunately,
there were sufficient residents of Colorado who saw the tax referendum for what
it was. My message to the
proponents: if you don’t like marijuana, don’t buy it and don’t use it; teach
your children to do the same; and, stay out of other folks private lives.
Re:
non-heterosexual marriage. It
looks like Hawaii’s governor beat out Illinois’ governor in signing their
respective state laws; Hawaii = 15th state, and Illinois will be the 16th state
to reform their marriage laws; 15 done, only 35 to go.
I
cannot support the notion of national paranoia, with or without the Homeland TV show, or the
comparison to German history.
Re:
Love letter. Thank you for adding
your opinion.
The
economy continues to baffle . . . indeed!
Re:
spies. I shall respectfully
disagree. Your claim that my
opinions is based in a few acquaintances and “not on history or other solid
information” is not accurate and sells me quite short intellectually. Further, it is the mission that motivates
and drives spies; I truly believe they are working mightily to keep this Grand
Republic safe. They are held
accountable; you just don’t see it.
Re:
lobbyists. Perhaps you are
correct.
Re:
revolution. Again, I am not
advocating revolution. I am only
saying the rationale for revolution is growing just as it was in 1765. Let us be mindful of history.
Another contribution:
“I’m pleased to hear you have started your treatment, good
luck my friend.
“Yes the period of remembrance is ended. It has been hectic
but I believe worth it. The national coverage has been excellent this year and
the public participation has been enthusiastically respectful. We won’t know
how well the Poppy Appeal has done for a week or two. We are spending £1.3
million each week supporting veterans and families so every penny is valuable
and well used. Thank you Cap for mentioning our period of remembrance.
“Interesting to tread about your family name I had wondered.
“Keep working on the ancestral work.”
My reply:
Always
a pleasure to support a brother in arms.
The
family history has been interesting; yet, there is so much to learn. I need to complete a comparable amount
on my maternal heritage as well.
So
glad y’all had a successful Remembrance Day and Poppy Appeal.
My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
4 comments:
Cap, I thought this article appropriate for your ACA comments, and with your background in IT, I'm sure you will find in meaningful. If you haven't seen anything on the UK solution to government IT, it's worth checking out, too.
Regards,
Craig
The Administration has been inexcusably clumsy in its execution of PPACA. I understand that the government purchasing system does poorly with IT projects, but the figures I have are 55 contractors with no lead or coordinating company or agency. The blame for that negligence goes all the way from the top to the least temporary worker (a.k.a. contractor). The notion of simply allowing substandard insurance to continue does not work either. Eventually it will so dilute the purpose of PPACA that the benefits will be lost.
I found it unpleasant enough that the entire enterprise was/is a gift to the insurance companies, but even they apparently were not interested enough to make it work. Another idea has been advanced in progressive circles. That would expand a program that already works, Medicare, to cover those not otherwise insured.
Cutting the goal for ethanol production does me no harm as an environmental advocate. I had not been aware of the varnish issue, but the production of ethanol from corn consumes about as much energy as it produces and increases the demand and price for a vital food source.
I have enough nerve that the EU's "mix of stagnation, weak prices and high unemployment" likely stems from the much-touted austerity measures pressed on Southern Europe and Ireland by their wealthier neighbors.
So how do you support your contention that spies "are working mightily to keep this Grand Republic safe"? I will need clear evidence before I can support any such idea.
I am not certain how this will "come through." I have largely changed to a Linux setup (Pinguy witha Gnome desktop) and have yet to bring up my usual word processing software. This is simply a plain text utility.
Craig,
Kludgeocracy . . . great term, love it . . . very descriptive and apropos in our current situation, it seems to me. I suspect it has become an artifact of our political system, along with the intransigence of our political parties.
Cheers,
Cap
Calvin,
Re: PPACA. Indeed! It is tragic to endure the incompetence. They chose the contractor(s), probably by the lowest bid (you get what you pay for), and then did not adequately supervise them. There should have been milestone testing over the last 3+ years, which should have given them plenty of forewarning. Watching the administration’s performance for the last seven weeks has given me the impression even the proponents were convinced it was not going to work – like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Re: substandard insurance. Agreed. The President could have put a simple qualifier on his statement for those who like their insurance can keep it as long as it meets the minimum standard. Our medical insurance coverage exceeds the minimum standard. There has been no detectible impact to us.
I am of Medicare age, but I have not yet used it. The combination of my military retired insurance should give us adequate coverage once I formally retire from industry.
Re: ethanol. I have not researched it on-line, as I have had practical experience. A hard lesson to learn. I imagine the same thing will happen to automobiles & motorcycles, if I don’t keep turning over the fuel. Also, once the fuel goes bad, you must dispose of it properly, which is a complication I had not previously had to deal with. Life goes on, one step forward, two steps back. The key for ethanol is “renewable.” It can be grown. Once the fossil fuels run out, there is no more. Although as they say, necessity is the mother of invention; as the Germans did during WW2, synthetic fuels will evolve to replace fossil fuels.
Re: spies. I would request you watch the movie, “Zero Dark Thirty,” while a fictionalization of actual events, it does portray the kind of work the intelligence services perform on a daily basis. Also, I must add, who do you think develops and provides the targeting data for the strike drone program? Just because we are no permitted to see inside the IC, does not mean they are bad people. They are hidden for their protection and the protection of the information they develop.
Your Linux test worked fine as simple text. I see no difference from what you were using previously.
Cheers,
Cap
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