links for 2009-08-13

Three Ventura County sheriff’s deputies wrestled a man to the ground and led him away in handcuffs outside a Democratic healthcare forum Wednesday evening at the Thousand Oaks Main Library.

A man identifying himself as Grant Markus, 50, of Ventura allegedly shoved one of three doctors speaking at an impromptu gathering outside the healthcare forum.

His shirt, apparently ripped open by the struggle, hung from his shoulders as he was led away, his hands locked behind his back.

“All I wanted to do was speak!” Markus protested. “I did not raise a hand to anyone!”

The soapbox forum outside the Democratic healthcare meeting rose out of frustration from those who did not get into the meeting because members of area Democratic clubs got first priority.

“How is it beneficial if only Dems (Democrats) are in there?” asked Karen Keyser, 52, of Thousand Oaks.

An angry man assaulted a trio of doctors who were criticizing Obama's healthcare plan outside a town hall meeting today in Thousand Oaks, CA. The doctors, who were shut out of the indoor meeting at the Thousand Oaks Public Library along with approximately one hundred anti-universal healthcare protesters, held an impromptu town hall of their own when they were attacked.

Key senators are excluding a provision on end-of-life care from health overhaul legislation after language in a House bill caused a furor.

Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, said in a statement Thursday that the provision had been dropped from consideration because it could be misinterpreted or implemented incorrectly.

A health care bill passed by three House committees allows Medicare to reimburse doctors for voluntary counseling sessions about end-of-life decisions. But critics have claimed the provision could lead to death panels and euthanasia for seniors.

The Senate Finance Committee is still working to complete a bill.

Yesterday President Obama responded to my statement that Democratic health care proposals would lead to rationed care; that the sick, the elderly, and the disabled would suffer the most under such rationing; and that under such a system these “unproductive” members of society could face the prospect of government bureaucrats determining whether they deserve health care.

The number of U.S. households on the verge of losing their homes rose 7 percent from June to July, as the escalating foreclosure crisis continued to outpace government efforts to limit the damage.

Foreclosure filings were up 32 percent from the same month last year, RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday. More than 360,000 households, or one in every 355 homes, received a foreclosure-related notice, such as a notice of default or trustee's sale. That's the highest monthly level since the foreclosure-listing firm began publishing the data more than four years ago.

Banks repossessed more than 87,000 homes in July, up from about 79,000 homes a month earlier.

The number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits rose unexpectedly last week, while continuing claims fell sharply.

The Labor Department says new claims increased to a seasonally adjusted 558,000, from 554,000 the previous week. Analysts expected new claims to drop to 545,000, according to Thomson Reuters.

The number of people remaining on the benefit rolls fell to 6.2 million from 6.34 million the previous week. Analysts had expected a slight decline.

The four-week average of initial claims, which smooths out fluctuations, rose by 8,500 to 565,000, after falling for six straight weeks.