Click here to view this media The budget proposal put forth by Paul Ryan is a vicious and cruel all-out attack on everyone under the age of 55, but the cuts to Medicare and Medicaid that the Ryan plan propose would be felt in a particularly acute way by women, who make up more than half of the beneficiaries of both programs, and women retire closer to the poverty line than men do. Women who are alone, who either never married or who are divorced or widowed and never remarried are particularly vulnerable. The attack on Medicare is one that rallies everyone. Not everyone over 55 is a psychopath who couldn’t care less so long as they get theirs. I honestly think that Paul Ryan was counting on people over 55, the largest republican voting bloc out there, not giving a damn so long as they got to keep theirs. I think he is so steeped in Randianism that he was actually taken aback by the pushback he got from people who actually care about their kids and their younger siblings and everyone else who paid in all their adult lives and stand to get rogered roundly if Ryan’s scheme sees the light of day. The CBO, the non-partisan number-crunching office of Congress, estimates that the Ryan scheme would double the out-of-pocket healthcare expenses of seniors. The estimated annual cost of $12,000 for medical coverage would leave grandma eating catfood in the homeless shelter. On average, female seniors have an annual income of only $14,000. Of that annual income, about $12,000 comes from Social Security . (Could you live on $2000 per year?) Here is the bottom line: Ryan’s plan would amount to transferring the entire monthly Social Security benefit for female seniors to private health insurance companies. I can’t possibly sum it up any more succinctly than Senator Barbara Boxer did when she said “This is a sick proposal,” during a press conference with other Senate Democrats last week. As bad as that is, the assault on Medicaid is even worse. Women comprise about 70% of all Medicaid beneficiaries, and while Medicaid has been demonized and branded as welfare, as “free” healthcare for “those people.” The right-wing social conservatives have been very successful in projecting the face of Medicaid as an inner city “welfare mother” with several children, presumably with different fathers. That is the implication, anyway, when GOP politicians dismiss Medicaid as a progenitor of promiscuity . But in reality, most Medicaid recipients are elderly people in nursing homes, and idea of making Medicaid a block grant that states could use to deliver healthcare as they saw fit would only make matters worse. States have already mucked up their end of the joint federal-state program, and block grants would make matters far worse . The CBO estimates that Republicans’ proposed plan to block-grant Medicaid would reduce federal program expenditures by 35 percent by 2022 and by 49 percent in 2030 relative to current law. In return, states would have greater flexibility to restructure Medicaid benefits. How governors would actually use this flexibility is another matter. Medicaid is flexible right now. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that about 60 percent of state Medicaid spending consists of expenditures to cover people or to reimburse services that are not required under federal law. Given Medicaid’s low per-person cost and its relatively restrained projected cost growth, there’s little room to comfortably cut. Safety-net services are already shoestring operations. Under-funded and stressed, they have many shortcomings. There is no way to meet the above spending reduction targets without shifting costs and risks onto the states, covering markedly fewer people and services, or further underpaying Medicaid providers. No one can firmly say how states would respond to the reduced federal support. I fear that’s precisely the point. Block grants provide both states and the federal government with useful political cover to cut important benefits. If a particular state eliminates Medicaid home care services or by dropping the working poor from coverage, Congressional Republicans can say: “Don’t blame us. That’s what this state chose to do.” Meanwhile governors can say, with equal justification: “Don’t blame us. We’re doing the best we can, given limited federal resources.” I wonder who the care of those elderly and disabled people would fall to if Medicaid went away? I can tell you who it would fall to — it would fall to women, mostly in their forties and fifties, women would have to leave the workplace to care for their elderly parents or disabled siblings or children, high-need individuals whose nursing home care would no longer be paid for. This in turn would reduce the amount of benefit those women would be eligible for upon retirement, thereby assuring the transfer of every single penny of the retirement benefits women worked all their adult lives for, to private companies. And so it goes. Yes, there is a war on women, and it isn’t just being waged against those in their childbearing years. They really are out to get us all. And no, I’m not paranoid. It’s only paranoia when the threat is imaginary, and this one is not; it is quite real. This post originally appeared at Show Me Progress and is part of a series I am writing as a blogging fellow for the Strengthen Social Security Campaign , a coalition of more than 270 national and state organizations dedicated to preserving and strengthening Social Security.
Continue reading …NY Times Found Win in NY Special Election ‘Galvanizing for Democrats,’ Dismissed GOP After 2009 Wins
May 31, 2011 No CommentAfter Democrats won a special congressional election in New York State, New York Times congressional reporter Carl Hulse seemed comfortable leading the early cheers for Democrats looking to win back the House of Representatives, in Tuesday’s “Political Memo,” ” Surprise Victory in New York Invigorates Democrats Looking to 2012 .” It’s not something the Times does after Republican wins in special or off-year elections – those victories are typically downgraded as unimportant and atypical, like the Times treated the 2009 G.O.P. wins in governors’s races in Virginia and New Jersey, which turned out to be accurate harbingers of electoral success in 2010. Sal Pace, the Democratic leader of the State House in Colorado, was already preparing to run for Congress in a district captured by Republicans last year, but his party’s special election victory last week in a conservative district in upstate New York made the decision all the easier. Kathleen C. Hochul's recent victory in New York has members of both parties and independent analysts predicting a more competitive race next year for control of the House. More Hulse cheerleading: Buoyed by the New York surprise and bolstered by the prospect of a larger and friendlier electorate in a year when President Obama will be running, House Democrats say they can argue credibly that they are poised to cut into the Republican majority, though they were careful not to predict a takeover, which would require a gain of 24 seats. …. But the victory in New York was galvanizing for Democrats, and for now at least has given them confidence that they can use Medicare to press their broader case that Republicans are going too far in their drive to cut spending and reduce the reach of government while continuing to provide tax breaks for the wealthy. Democrats intend to seize on that issue, which could help them recapture older voters, who rallied to Republicans in the last election. …. The Democratic argument against the Republican position on Medicare could also be undercut if the White House and Congressional Democrats and Republicans reach agreement on a deal to raise the national debt ceiling that includes substantial steps to rein in the growth of Medicare. Democrats say the Medicare plan is just one element of an emerging campaign message that will help them topple Republicans as they try to tie the Medicare overhaul to other elements of the conservative agenda being pursued by the House majority. Hulse ended by listing specific hopeful spots for Democrats. Depending on how redistricting goes, Democrats also see opportunities for gains in Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York and Texas as well as other states.
Continue reading …Newly married LeAnn Rimes Cibrian has gone from catching flak for her cheating ways to getting plenty of grief for her shrinking frame. The latest body beef erupted over the holiday weekend after Rimes tweeted photos of herself, on honeymoon in Cabo San Lucas, wearing a barely there bikini … which…
Continue reading …The housing industry keeps finding new lows: Today’s Case-Shiller price index shows that prices fell in the first quarter to the lowest levels since the crash began, reports the Wall Street Journal . The drop of 4.2%, on top of last quarter’s 3.6% drop, is evidence of a “double…
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Activists call for investigation into abuse after Egyptian general admits tests were conducted and defends practice Egyptian activists will hold an online protest on Wednesday to press the military leadership to investigate soldiers who abused pro-democracy demonstrators, including women who were detained and forced to take “virginity tests”. The interim authority, formed after Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February, has come in for increasing criticism from the youth movement for the slow pace of its reforms, and intolerance of dissent. The abuse of the women, which was confirmed by a senior army official, has caused particular anger, and prompted a storm of protest on the internet. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces had previously denied claims by Amnesty International that 18 women detained in March were subjected to virginity checks and threatened with prostitution charges. But an Egyptian general told an American television network on Monday that tests were in fact conducted, and defended the practice. “The girls who were detained were not like your daughter or mine,” the general, who requested anonymity, told CNN . “These were girls who had camped out in tents with male protesters in Tahrir Square, and we found … molotov cocktails and [drugs].” He said the tests were conducted so that the women would not be able to claim that they had been sexually abused while in custody. “We didn’t want them to say we had sexually assaulted or raped them, so we wanted to prove that they weren’t virgins in the first place,” the general said. “None of them were [virgins].” Amnesty condemned the general’s comments and called for a full investigation. “This general’s implication that only virgins can be victims of rape is a long-discredited sexist attitude and legal absurdity,” a statement said. “When determining a case of rape, it is irrelevant whether or not the victim is a virgin. The army must immediately instruct security forces and soldiers that such ‘tests’ are banned.” The women were detained on 9 March, nearly a month after the revolution that forced Mubarak from power, when soldiers cleared Tahrir Square after men in civilian clothes attacked protesters. One of the female victims, Salwa Hosseini, 20, told Amnesty that she and the other women were forced to remove their clothes before being strip-searched by a female guard. Male soldiers looked into the room, and took pictures, she said. The women were also beaten and given electric shocks, Amnesty reported. The growing dissatisfaction with the interim government is increasingly clear. While the military council has pledged to organise elections this year and hand over to a civilian government, tens of thousands of people appeared in Tahrir Square last week to demand faster reforms. Youth activists have said that additional, online protests are necessary because Egypt’s mainstream media treads too softly around the military, a taboo carried over from Mubarak’s reign. The new rulers have shown themselves to be thin-skinned, with a military prosecutor summoning a prominent blogger and a television journalist after they criticised the army during a talkshow. Three other journalists were also called in for questioning on Tuesday. They were all released without charge. In a statement , the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information condemned the military council for “dispersing fear” among the media and the judiciary. The group said that three judges were also under investigation for appearing on talkshows where they criticised the use of military courts for civilian cases and called for judicial reform. Egypt Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Africa Xan Rice guardian.co.uk
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Controversial fuel crops linked to rising food prices and hunger, as well as increased greenhouse gas emissions British firms have acquired more land in Africa for controversial biofuel plantations than companies from any other country, a Guardian investigation has revealed. Half of the 3.2m hectares (ha) of biofuel land identified – in countries from Mozambique to Senegal – is linked to 11 British companies, more than any other country. Liquid fuels made from plants – such as bioethanol – are hailed by some as environmentally-friendly replacements for fossil fuels. Because they compete for land with crop plants, biofuels have also been linked to record food prices and rising hunger . There are also fears they can increase greenhouse gas emissions. A market has been created by British and EU laws requiring the blending of rising amounts of biofuels into petrol and diesel, but the rules were condemned as unethical and “backfiring badly” in April by a Nuffield Council on Bioethics commission . In the UK, only 31% of biofuels used meet voluntary environmental standards intended to protect water supplies, soil quality and carbon stocks in the source country. There are no central records of land acquisitions in Africa, but research by the Guardian revealed the scale of the biofuels rush in sub-Saharan Africa – 100 projects and 50 companies in more than 20 countries. Crest Global Green Energy has the largest recorded landholding, 900,000ha in Mali, Guinea and Senegal. Tom Stuart, the chief executive, said: “It is true in some cases [that biofuels displace food], but in our projects we ‘inter-crop’, planting as much food as biofuel on the marginal land we have brought into agricultural use. There is a large social element to our projects, with all the local people needing to be in agreement, and that’s normally written into contracts at government level.” Another UK company, Sun Biofuels , leased 8,000ha in Tanzania where it grows Jatropha curcas , a non-edible plant whose oil-rich seeds can be processed into biodiesel. “We’ll start harvesting and producing in two years,” said Peter Auge, office manager in Tanzania. “The main attraction for us is exporting to Europe.” Claims that J curcas use prevents biofuels competing with food because it grows easily on marginal and arid land unsuitable for other agriculture have been challenged even within the industry. “Growing jatropha in a profitable way on dry lands is a myth. It needs water, fertilisers and pesticides to provide high yields,” Auge said. Jamidu Katima, at the University of Dar es Salaam, is critical of biofuels guidelines adopted by Tanzania’s government in 2010. “There are no plans to build refineries, nor obligations for foreign investors to reserve part of their output for the domestic market,” he said. Another risk is that biofuel use could increase carbon emissions by increasing destruction of forests when displaced local farmers clear land. The Institute of European Environmental Policy recently said carbon released from deforestation linked to biofuels could exceed carbon savings by 35% in 2011 rising to 60% in 2018. Currently, this indirect impact is not considered in European sustainability guidelines. James Smith, professor of African and Development Studies at Edinburgh University, said: “Private investment is running far ahead of our knowledge of the impacts of biofuels, such as land dispossession. This action is eroding the UK’s position of enlightenment on development issues.” Unpublished research by the charity ActionAid , seen by the Guardian, confirms the picture of scores of projects amassing millions of hectares on the east and west coasts of Africa. “I suspect the estimates are actually quite conservative,” said Smith. Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat junior transport minister, said: “I consider the sustainability of biofuels to be paramount. No biofuel will count towards our targets unless it meets certain sustainability requirements. But we are pushing [Europe] to go further, to reduce the risk of knock-on effects, including deforestation in new areas.” He added: “Only a tiny proportion – less that 0.1% – of UK biofuel has come from Africa.” As oil prices rise, said Jeremy Woods, a lecturer in bioenergy at Imperial College London, biofuels could boom . “Once oil is over $70 a barrel, conventional and new generation biofuels become cost competitive. When oil and biofuels are competitive, we are into a different world.” Expansion of the biofuels industry has been fuelled by capital raised on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange. In the Guardian survey Italy is the next biggest player with seven companies, followed by Germany (six), France (six) and the US (four). Brazil and China have been acquiring land in Africa for biofuels and food but the investigation identified only a handful of established biofuels projects. The database of biofuels projects in Africa was compiled with the help of the University of California Berkeley’s Africa Reporting Project. Some projects provide local benefits through investment, employment and local use of the produce, but many do not, says Lorenzo Cotula at the International Institute for Environment and Development, who recently analysed 12 contracts from African land deals . “Some of the contracts we analysed only contain vague and unenforceable promises.” Some have 100-year leases, at very low or free rent and priority access to water, he added. “Extensive commercial plantations dislocate rural communities from their land”, said Cotula. “Instead, self-managed biofuels production can offer cheaper energy and complementary sources of income”. The chief executive of Sun Biofuels, Richard Morgans said: “Our company produces sustainable and ethical biofuels – categorically yes. We would welcome higher sustainability standards, but you do have to balance this with economic development. If you are a local [in Tanzania or Mozambique] and need a job, you probably aren’t worried about whether the orangutans sleep at night. It’s also insulting to say African governments can’t run their own affairs.” A community-based approach is embraced by a few investors. “Our farmers in Mozambique are given seedlings to grow jatropha on their own land with the option to sell the seeds back to us,” says Chris Hunter, of UK-based Viridesco . “We help smaller plantations that cater to the developing world markets, as opposed to big monocultures that service the developed world’s energy needs”. UK companies were the first into Africa in 2005, but this has not been without problems. D1 Oils froze its export plans and started supplying locally in Malawi and Zambia, following the failure in 2009 of its joint-venture with BP, which doubted jatropha’s market potential. Last year GEM Biofuels , operating in Madagascar, suspended its LSE quotation for four months. The revelation of the central role of UK companies in biofuels coincides with a report from Oxfam forecasting that the price of staple foods will more than double in the next 20 years . The report identifies biofuels as a factor and demands that western governments end biofuel policies that divert food to fuel for cars. “We are sleepwalking towards an age of avoidable crisis,” said Oxfam’s chief executive, Barbara Stocking. “One in seven people on the planet go hungry every day despite the fact that the world is capable of feeding everyone. The food system must be overhauled.” Leader comment, page 30 Biofuels Energy Renewable energy Carbon emissions Africa Energy industry Mozambique Senegal Mali Guinea Damian Carrington guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Quote: Journalists Must ‘Keep it Together’ Even When Reporting on Tragic Scenes
May 31, 2011 No Comment
“It’s like when a parent cries. We expect our parents to keep it together and we expect our journalists to keep it together.” –MITCHELL STEPHENS, NYU Professor and author of “A History of News,” referring to the viral clip of Weather Channel reporter Mike Bettes’ emotional breakdown when reporting from Joplin, Mo. after the town’s
Continue reading …Rep. Michele Bachmann gave the strongest hint yet that she intends on running for president in 2012, in an appearance last night in New Hampshire, reports the Washington Post . “Obama has to go and has to be replaced, but not just by anyone,” Bachmann told dozens of GOP activists. “Because…
Continue reading …Anthony Weiner is lawyering up over his weekend Twitter brouhaha. The Democratic congressman says a hacker busted into his Twitter feed and posted a lewd pic of a man’s crotch, trying to make it look like Weiner was sending it to a young woman. The congressman has dismissed it as…
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Click here to view this media Potential Republican presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos Tuesday that the GOP race was big enough for both her Fox News employee Sarah Palin. “Let me ask you about Sarah Palin,” Stephanopoulos said. “She’s being much more coy than you are about this campaign. And I know you might resist the comparison — some might think it’s sexist — but is there enough room in this race for both of you, both tea party favorites?” “Oh, sure,” Bachmann replied. “I think there’s enough room for a lot of contenders.” “What’s the one thing that sets you apart from Sarah Palin?” the ABC News host asked. “Again, I compare myself to Barack Obama. Not to any of the other Republican candidates. First of all, I want to say I like Sarah Palin a lot. We’re friends and I don’t consider her a competitor. I consider her a friend. But my comparison ultimately is to Barack Obama,” Bachmann explained. Palin predicted Monday that the Republican field was “going to change up a lot.” “I believe that there are many more out there who have much more to add,” she added. “Competition breeds success. I hope there is going to be vigorous debate and a lot of good aggressive competition even in the primary so our voters have a good choice.”
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