• Del.icio.us Links

    links for 2011-01-24

    • Oregon, a decidedly liberal state, provides an unequivocal example. In 1993, the Clinton administration gave permission to the Oregon Health Plan, the state’s Medicaid program, to introduce rationing. The system involves a treatment schedule that lists 649 potentially covered procedures. The state pegs the number of procedures the state will cover to the available funds. Patients requiring procedures above the cutoff line are out of luck.

      As of October 2010, only the first 502 treatments were covered. But even that low number doesn’t tell the full story of rationing in Oregon. The Oregon Health Plan also rations covered procedures under certain circumstances. Chemotherapy, for instance, is not provided if it is deemed to have a 5 percent or less chance of extending the patient’s life for five years, meaning that a patient whose life might be extended a year or two with chemo may not receive it.

      ++++++++

      Read it all

      But, Oregon above WILL pay for physician assisted suicide

    • A controversial bill handing President Obama power over privately owned computer systems during a "national cyberemergency," and prohibiting any review by the court system, will return this year.

      Internet companies should not be alarmed by the legislation, first introduced last summer by Sens. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), a Senate aide said last week. Lieberman, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, is chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

      "We're not trying to mandate any requirements for the entire Internet, the entire Internet backbone," said Brandon Milhorn, Republican staff director and counsel for the committee.

      +++++++

      Read it all

      Judicial review should be required period.

      Curtailment of the internet could be seen as a First Amendment attack on information dissemination – the electronic press.

    • Welfare benefits for the children of illegal immigrants cost America's largest county more than $600 million last year, according to a local official keeping tabs on the cost.

      Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich released new statistics this week showing social spending for those families in his county rose to $53 million in November, putting the county government on track to spend more than $600 million on related costs for the year — up from $570 million in 2009.

      ++++++

      Read it all.

      Then, there are the costs of public education – look at all of the newly constructed schools in the LAUSD.

      Is there any wonder why California is going broke?

  • Mike Huckabee,  President 2012

    President 2012: Mike Huckabee Won’t Join Spring GOP Debates – But, Who Cares?

    Mike Huckabee says he will not be attending GOP presidential debates this spring

    I guess the Reagan Library can count Mike Huckabee out on May 2nd.

    I don’t think Huck will be missed
    as some of the up and coming candidates, including Mitt Romney, Mike Pence, Mitch Daniels and/or Sarah Palin will probably take advantage of the television time. Whoever needs the exposure will be at the Reagan Library.

    Mike Huckabee isn’t about to let the fast-growing schedule of presidential debates dictate his plans.

    The former Arkansas governor and possible candidate who’s been leading the GOP pack in early polls has already said he won’t decide on a run until the summer. That timeline, he said, means he won’t partake in the debates already scheduled for this spring.

    “I don’t want to get suckered into taking on the schedule because it’s what the media wants us to do,” Huckabee said Friday during a talk at The King’s College in New York. The remarks were reported Sunday by The Christian Post.

    POLITICO and NBC News are co-hosting a May 2 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in California. Fox News and the South Carolina GOP are planning a debate on May 5.

    Easy for Mike Huckabee to say, since it is fairly obvious that he will not be running for the Presidency in 2012 anyway. The other Presidential players will be there before the summer doldrums/vacations arrive.

  • President 2012,  Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

    President 2012: First GOP Presidential Debate Announced at Reagan Library on May 2, 2011

    This will more than likely be a debate that all of the candidates for the Republican nomination will appear first and at one time – at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California.

    The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation announced today that May 2, 2011 is the date for the Republican presidential candidates’ debate being held at the Reagan Library. The Reagan Foundation also announced a host of details about the first Republican debate of the 2012 campaign season, including a roster of some of the nation’s top journalists from NBC News, POLITICO and Telemundo to take part in the questioning.

    “We have established a wonderful tradition – of which I know Ronnie would be so proud – of using the Library as a first-in-the-nation forum for candidates to introduce themselves and their visions for America to a national audience,” former First Lady Nancy Reagan said.

    The Reagan Library, in Simi Valley, California, was also the venue for the first Republican debate of the 2008 campaign cycle. Mrs. Reagan and the Presidential Foundation announced last fall the plan to host the candidates as the 2012 campaign season begins.

    In addition to the date of this year’s gathering — selected by the Presidential Foundation after consultation with national Republicans — there are several important features of the Library Debate announced by Mrs. Reagan today:

    *Brian Williams, anchor of the top-rated NBC Nightly News, will be co-moderator, along with POLITICO Editor-in-Chief John F. Harris, a presidential scholar and one of the nation’s top political journalists.  A Telemundo reporter will also join in the questioning.

    *NBC News and POLITICO will be joined by Telemundo and CNBC in airing the debate.  This will mark the first time a news organization aimed at Hispanic Americans and the nation’s leading business news network will join in the inaugural debate of a presidential campaign season.

    *The debate will air on MSNBC, POLITICO.com, CNBC and Telemundo.

    The Reagan Presidential Foundation plans to play host to both the first GOP presidential debate of the 2012 election cycle on May 2, 2011 and a second GOP debate on the eve of the Super Tuesday primaries.

    So, all of the potential Republican candidates better be ready to rock and roll soon.

  • Mike Huckabee,  Mitch Daniels,  Mitt Romney,  President 2012,  Ron Paul,  Sarah Palin,  Tim Pawlenty

    President 2012 Poll Watch: Mitt Romney 24% Sarah Palin 19% Mike Huckabee 17%

    Another national survey for the GOP Presidential nomination is out – this time from Rasmussen.

    • Mitt Romney – 24%
    • Sarah Palin – 19%
    • Mike Huckabee – 17%
    • Newt Gingrich – 11%
    • Tim Pawlenty – 6%
    • Ron Paul – 4%
    • Mitch Daniels – 3%
    • Some other candidate – 6%
    • Undecided – 10%

    The survey of 1,000 Likely GOP Primary Voters was conducted on January 18, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. Likely GOP Primary Voters include both Republicans and unaffiliated voters likely to vote in a GOP Primary. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

    It is early and national polls are, well, national. But, Mitt Romney does not have a commanding lead and conservative candidates Palin, Huckabee and Gingrich polling totals combined overwhelm him.

    There is little doubt that Republican voters are looking for an alternative to Mitt Romney.

  • George Allen,  James Webb

    VA-Sen Poll Watch: Jim Webb 49% Vs. George Allen 45%

    Former Virginia Senator George Allen and Senator Jim Webb

    This Senate contest in Virginia will be a battle royal.

    We polled the Jim Webb/George Allen rematch that’s now become a reality late last year and found Webb ahead 49-45.

    Senator Jim Webb has really not made a move to run for re-election, but it is assumed that he will. George Allen will announce his candidacy later in the day.

    In a state where the Republican nominee for President must win, if he or she is to beat President Obama, this race may revolve around turnout. This contest will involve a lot of personal campaigning and plenty of television ads in one of the most expensive Senate races in the country.

  • Barack Obama,  Day By Day

    Day By Day January 24, 2011 – It’s a Trap!

    Day by Day by Chris Muir

    Chris, the State of the Union speech by President Obama is nothing short of a political pep rally. The President’s supporters will say what a marvelous speech and the Republicans will say it is lacking.

    All symbolism over substance and it matters not.

    And, who really cares where the Republicans and Democrats sit?

    I mean, let’s get back to running the United States, please. Is that civil enough?

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