BrentAllen

Looks like FactCheck needs....well, a FactCheck of itself. "Wilson apologized again Thursday morning, though he also says a massive loophole could wind up in the health care bill: no requirement to prove citizenship for health care coverage. Among three House committees to pass bills for health reform, only one expressly bans federal funding for proving health coverage to illegal immigrants. "The Congressional Research Service has indicated that indeed the bills that are before Congress would include illegal aliens," Wilson said. "And I think this is wrong." Indeed, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service study found that the House health care bill does not restrict illegal immigrants from receiving health care coverage. In the Senate, Democrats in the so called "Gang of Six," a group of bipartisan senators on the Senate Finance Committee which is the last panel yet to release its bill, began moving quickly to close the loophole that Wilson helped bring greater attention to."

"That means yeh need those lower-risk young people buyin' in." Exactly. When they buy in, we don't have "to watch 'em die of the flu because they can't afford hospitalization," right? They are doing the right thing. They have insurance. So, how do you get them to buy in, and make the system work? Just like we encourage home ownership and other behaviour that makes our society stronger - encourage them to buy in with tax incentives. Dems are going to get the lower-risk young people to buy in - with higher taxes and penalties. Under their plan, if you don't buy insurance, you are going to pay a hefty tax. I prefer a carrot to a stick. Which do you prefer?

You must be really upset with the LDS units. Political views? No.

Gern, What makes you think that I don't? I have a very broad range of boys and families in our Troop. Some are very conservative, some are very liberal. We all get along great. No, I had other reasons in mind. We run a pretty demanding program. I'm also pretty selective with my ASMs. Would you let your son be in a Troop where you couldn't be an ASM?

Lisa, if you are speaking to me, I never said his behaviour was acceptable. I must admit I was thinking the same thing when he said it. I just don't think he should resign for it. Many members of congress have done far worse, and still hold office. The problem is who makes up the group to begin with. Many are corrupt. We have too many politicians, and not enough statesmen. Until we get more statesmen, I don't hold out much hope for improvement in their behaviour - in the capital or out. Hence, my previous post about treating them like rock stars and celebrities. I had the distinction of having Cynthia McKinney being my representative for a number of years. I know all about being embarrassed by your representative.

I can answer that for you. No, you wouldn't.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/10/republicans-obama-heres-health-plans/ "H.R. 3400 is the Small Business Health Fairness Act. It calls for small businesses to offer employees health insurance through group health plans." "The thing that's killing me is that those very members on the Republican side have over the course of the last five months offered some 800 amendments and individual pieces of legislation to the -- to the president and to (House Speaker) Nancy (Pelosi) and Harry Reid, to say, 'Hey, this is our contribution.' Every last piece has been rejected," said Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele."

Get real, Beavah. So, by your definition, are all of us homeowners living in public housing, since we deduct our mortgages? And are we all government employees, due to payroll taxes? Come back to reality, and give me a break. Yes, I took advantage of a tax incentive to take care of myself. I get to keep more of MY TAX MONEY and use it in a manner where I get to make the decisions about my health care. No government intervention needed. No Big Brother government making decisions that affect my health. Republicans have suggested more of this - give more tax incentives so more of those people who choose not to purchase health insurance will. You need to talk to more young workers in their 20's. Many of them choose not to participate in their company health insurance plans because they would rather keep the money. They are healthy and don't see a need for it. To suggest that HSA's are "public options" is ridiculous. They are just like IRA's. Do you consider those "public options?" Both plans promote individual responsibility, not government reliance. I don't understand your statement about a high deductible plan being ok until someone gets sick. My max out of pocket is $2,900 per year. I've got that covered with my HSA. What am I missing? To answer Gern's question, I would say the solution would be to offer more tax incentives so more people buy insurance. I have no problems with reforming the insurance industry so plans become portable (no dropping or refusal for pre-existing). To do this without bankrupting insurance companies will require some type of action to help them on the revenue side. Tax incentives that would produce more customers would be one way to do so. What I don't understand is why employees in a company can group together to get affordable rates, but others can't. Why can't all the small business owners in a city or county group together and get a group plan? On the other side of the coin, many out there take "affordable" to mean free. Many can afford insurance, but won't pay.

Sure. Check out all the illegal voting DOCUMENTED here: http://www.heritage.org/Research/Legalissues/lm28.cfm#_ftn8 I particulary like the part about opening Pandora's Box on this issue: In 1997, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's office in Dallas were investigating voting by non-citizens. They sent a computerized tape of the names of individuals who had voted to the INS requesting a check against INS records, but the INS refused to cooperate with the criminal investigation.[28] An INS official was quoted as saying that the INS bureaucracy did not "want to open a Pandora's Box. If word got out that this is a substantial problem, it could tie up all sorts of manpower. There might be a few thousand [illegal voters] in Dallas, for example, but there could be tens of thousands in places like New York, Chicago or Miami."[29] Why would illegals register to vote, as opposed to keeping a low profile? "As the grand jury reported, many aliens "register to vote so that they can obtain documents identifying them as U.S. citizens" and have "used their voters' cards to obtain a myriad of benefits, from social security to jobs with the Defense Department."[21] The U.S. Attorney at the time estimated that there were at least 80,000 illegal aliens registered to vote in Chicago, and dozens were indicted and convicted for registering and voting.[22]"

NEA communications director is gone, after the conference call asking artists to push Obama's agenda became public. And did anyone notice what Obama discussed with the students at Wakefield High BEFORE the public speech? If you guessed health care, you'd be right. Obama Pitched Universal Health Care to Students in Meeting Prior to His Speech on Education http://cnsnews.com/news/article/53712 "Prior to his nationally broadcast speech to students on Tuesday, President Barack Obama made a pitch for health care reform in a discussion with 40 freshmen at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va." Would we have heard more of this in the main speech, if we hadn't raised objections?

I'm a big Dave Ramsey fan (if you don't know him, look him up). I like his take on health care: "The government is not the answer. Not to your debt problems, what kind of car you drive, or how well you prosper. And it certainly is not the answer to the healthcare issue. When the government gets involved with how healthcare is handled, it's an invitation to disaster. Three key points to remember here are: Healthcare is not a basic liberty. Because you breathe, you have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. You dont have the right to healthcare unless you work for it and contribute to something. We have to get back to personal responsibility. You eat too much, you get fat. You cant have someone else take the blame for you. By the same token, you cant expect someone else to take care of you. Be accountable for your own well-being instead of handing it off to Washington and saying, You take care of this. Health Savings Accounts (HSA) are a great thing. This type of plan, where you put money into a tax-deductible savings account and pay a high deductible, puts healthcare control back in the consumers hands and can help keep prices in check. Dont you want to have a say in your own healthcare policy instead of the government doing the saying for you?" My employer offers a high deductible, HSA plan. Out of around 300 employees, I'm the only one who has signed up for this option. Well care visits covered, $2,300 deductible, $2,900 max out of pocket. Lower monthly premiums. The plan covers a lot of the problems mentioned in the debate: Cost is lower, more affordable. Well care visits are covered. Financial catastrophy is avoided if major illness. We fund the HSA, which rolls over every year, and we can invest the balance. We can put nearly $6,000 (tax free) into the HSA every year. We can use it for vision, dental, prescriptions, etc. We don't spend anywhere near the $6,000 amount, so our plan is to have a nice health plan nest egg when we retire. As Dave Ramsey says, act your wage.

Sure, and illegals aren't allowed to vote either, right? Instead of one meaningless statement, how about including plans to prevent abuse of the system from illegals? Why do the Dems block this, everytime it is brought up? If Obama doesn't want to be called a liar, he should use accurate numbers. But then, the problem wouldn't sound nearly as big or as pressing.

Is Obama lying about including illegals? You decide. Obama is constantly saying he wants the plan to cover all 43 (or so) million people in the country who don't have insurance. A break down of that 43 million shows it INCLUDES the nearly 10 million illegals here. So, why does Obama keep inlcuding them in the number he wants to insure, if he doesn't mean it? The Dems have blocked every amendment proposal that would require patients to provide identification showing they are citizens. If this isn't included, and everybody is covered, what would stop illegals from getting tax-payer funded health care? So, is he lying?

Beavah, Look at the problem from the insurance company's side. They see people go for years without insurance, and then want to sign up only when they are deathly sick. That ain't how insurance works, eh? Those people need to be in the insurance pool during their healthy years, as well. If insurance companies are forced to take everyone, no matter what their health, everyone will drop their insurance and only buy it when they get sick. How long do you think an insurance company would be able to stay in business, operating under those conditions? No premiums collected until they have to turn around and start paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in claims. It would be like waiting until you are on your death bed to buy life insurance, and expecting to get a $1 million policy for $30/month. Can Obama force everyone to buy insurance? I don't see that power listed in the Constitution. Will it stand up to a challenge, which will surely come? I don't know. Obama wants a government plan for those who can't afford insurance. This plan will cost substantially less than any other plan out there, yet Obama thinks no one else will want to participate in it. And this plan must fund itself, and will be able to do so, because it is administered by the government? This sounds like the camel getting his nose in the tent. Finally, we are going to save $200 - $250 billion in Medicare when they clean up the waste and abuse. What? Silly question, but why not go ahead and do that NOW? Do you really need a new bill to do that?

Yeah, he should have just boo'd Obama like the Dems boo'd Bush. That's acceptable, right, Beavah? Remove the guy from office? For that?? It's not like he killed someone (Chappaquiddick) or had an affair with an intern (Bill & Monica) or leaked top secret information (Leahy) or ... I could write all day. I'd say this guy's transgression falls pretty low on the list of serious offenses.

Did someone take it off, while I wasn't looking? :-) That would be pretty cool, a Battle Flag knot. Maybe to signify a Son of the Confederacy? No takers on the swastika, yet.

Maybe I'll start wearing a swastika on my uniform. Maybe even have a knot made up with a swastika on it. Anybody interested?

I freely admit that setting high standards and running a quality program can be tough. When I tell the parents that is what I'm going to do, I do it.

I didn't think Obama had a plan...yet. From what I've seen, he tossed it to congress. Maybe we will see tonight, at least those who watch it might hear a plan. The polls say Obama has done a pretty bad job of selling and describing what he wants. WASHINGTON Public disapproval of President Barack Obama's handling of health care has jumped to 52 percent, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll released hours before he makes his case for overhaul in a prime-time address to Congress. The grade people give Obama on health care has worsened since July, when just 43 percent disapproved of his work on the issue. The poll underscores how the president has struggled to win public support to reshape the nation's $2.5 trillion health care system and to put the brakes on a deep recession. Forty-nine percent say they oppose the health overhaul plans being considered by Congress, compared to just 34 percent who favor them. People are about evenly split over what lawmakers should do now on health care: About four in 10 say they should keep trying to pass a bill this year while about the same number say they should start over again. Significantly, though, only about two in 10 say the health care system should be left as is. There is a clear public desire for a bipartisan approach on the issue. Eight in 10 say it's important that any plan that passes Congress should have the support of both parties, while two-thirds want Obama and Democrats to try winning support from Republicans, who with few exceptions have opposed the Democratic drive.

Could we get some music here, to go with all this dancing? Let me make sure I understand this. You have an adult registered as a Small-Boat Sailing MB Counselor, who is going to get upset if you ask him to set a good example and follow the lessons he is teaching? Req. 2 Before doing the following requirements, successfully complete the BSA swimmer test. Req. 4a. Discuss the nine points of the BSA Safety Afloat plan. How can he teach that to the boys, and then turn around and not follow what he teaches? As SM, I absolutely tell him that since this is a Scouting activity, we follow the safety rules. He needs to set a great example for the Scouts. If he can't handle that, I don't need him as a counselor. If the counselor is worth his salt, and he is aware of the program he is teaching, it shouldn't be a problem. He can take his son sailing any other weekend of the year, when he isn't conducting a weekend class for the Scouts.

fgoodwin, In our county, parents are supposed to be waiting with their elementary school kids at the bus, and they are supposed to be there in the afternoon when the bus drops them off (per county BOE rules). If no parents are at the stop, the bus driver is instructed not to let the kids off at that stop. I don't know how frequently that happens, or if the bus drivers follow that directive. I walk my 5th grade daughter down to the end of the drive-way for her bus, which picks her up right at 6:34 AM. It is still pretty dark at that time (which is ridiculously early, IMHO - school starts at 7:30).

Chai, There's no rule about leaving camp after 5:00 PM, at least not that I'm aware of. My guess is this was Saturday night, with training continuing on Sunday? If so, they probably didn't want people going home because they usually come back late on Sunday morning. The only rule on fatigue I know of is about driving on long trips. If there is such a rule as you mention, I'd like to see it.

SR540Beaver, I'm not sure how the material not being mandated matters in whether it was right or wrong. If, hypothetically, the lessons plans were clearly partisan and political, but not mandated, would that make them ok? I think not. There is already another issue on the radar, where the NEA is supposedly in talks with the White House to steer funding for the Arts in ways that look awfully like propoganda. http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/pcourrielche/2009/08/25/the-national-endowment-for-the-art-of-persuasion-patrick-courrielche/ As reported from a conference call involving NEA, White House and others, "We were encouraged to bring the same sense of enthusiasm to these focus areas (health care, energy, environment) as we had brought to Obamas presidential campaign, and we were encouraged to create art and art initiatives that brought awareness to these issues. Throughout the conversation, we were reminded of our ability as artists and art professionals to shape the lives of those around us. The now famous Obama Hope poster, created by artist Shepard Fairey and promoted by many of those on the phone call, and will.i.ams Yes We Can song and music video were presented as shining examples of our groups clear role in the election. Obama has a strong arts agenda, we were told, and has been very supportive of both using and supporting the arts in creative ways to talk about the issues facing the country. We were selected for a reason, they told us. We had played a key role in the election and now Obama was putting out the call of service to help create change. We knew how to make a stink, and were encouraged to do so." Sounds like a propoganda machine to me. So yes, when I see things like this, my radar goes up when Obama want to speak to school kids as a captive audience.

Huh? You just said the parent was an observer on a scout activity. And that parents aren't allowed to participate in the activities of your Troop. You then said a non-swimmer Scout can go canoeing as long as it is with their parent. To quote you, "They are then required, per BSA rules." But now you say BSA rules DON'T apply? Which BSA rules were you talking about, the required ones? Is this is your way of getting around BSA safety rules and regs?

Lisa, A state party chair? You're kidding, right? Big whoop. I couldn't even tell you who our state GOP party chair is. Those positions are pretty insignificant, at least here in Georgia. I noticed Laura Bush and Newt both endorsed Obama's speech after it was published. I did the same thing yesterday - what's the big deal? The problem was we didn't know what was in it until then, and as I posted earlier in this thread, the Education Sect. admitted they were wrong with what they were doing. The ironic thing is, back in 1991, the Dems had their hissy fit AFTER the speech. They knew it was just about education, but it didn't matter to them - they were out for a pound of flesh. When conservatives saw it was about education, we said no problem. Can you not see the difference?