3 Reasons to Reject Judge Gorsuch
1. As part of a three-judge panel on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Gorsuch ruled that a Denver, Colorado school's treatment of an autistic student was O.K., because it was "merely... more than de minimis," or minimal. The federal law promises a "free appropriate public education to all children with disabilities." Writing for an unanimous Supreme Court (now 8), Chief Justice John Roberts ruled that a school must provide for a disabled student in a way that "is more demanding than that 'merely more than de minimis' test applied by the Tenth Circuit."
2. While associate attorney general from June 2005 to August 2006, Neil Gorsuch devised methods to allow, and then cover-up, waterboarding, and other "enhanced interrogation practices."
3. When Judge Gorsuch was asked about what he would have done if President Trump had asked him his position on Roe v. Wade, Gorsuch said he would have "walked out of the room." Given that Trump had promised to name a judge who would overturn Roe v. Wade, Gorsuch was effectively saying that Trump had broken yet another campaign promise by not assuring himself that Gorsuch was anti-choice. Trump had said that an anti-choice judge was a "litmus test" for him.
Kellyanne's Hidden Joke and Her Investigation Conclusion
Kellyanne Conway, speaking at the National Review Institute's Idea Summit, lamented that "No one can take a joke either, that is definitely true." Kellyanne was referring to her statement that cameras are now in microwaves.
It is apparently not necessary to wait for the results of the investigation of Russian meddling in a U.S. election and collusion between Trump, his advisers and the Russian government, as Kellyanne has concluded that there is "No connection, no fruits."
"Sabotage" Investigated
In a letter to senators Patty Murray and Elizabeth Warren, the Health and Human Services inspector general's office said it had begun a "fact-finding review" of the Trump administration's decision to pull advertising from Healthcare.gov. The office will also look at action to stop paid advertising and temporarily suspend other outreach efforts for the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Moreover, the office will review the effect on ACA enrollment. President Trump has said that the ACA will "implode" due to its own deep flaws.
Enforce Law Against "All Removal Aliens"
John Kelly, head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has issued a memo to clarify how his agencies will seek to adhere to President Trump's executive orders, which call on immigration agents to enforce the law against "all removable aliens." Trump himself call for the DHS to go after nearly every undocumented immigrant by pursuing those who (1) have been convicted of crimes; (2) have not been convicted but merely charged with a crime; (3) have committed any act that could be construed as a "chargeable offense;" (4) have used a fake Social Security number to work or pay taxes; (5) have availed themselves unlawfully of public benefits like food stamps or public assistance; (6) have a deportation order against them; or (7) pose a public-safety risk in the eyes of any immigration officer. These categories are so broad that they eliminate any manner of "prioritizing" enforcement. (Source: Julianne Hing, "ICE Ramps Up," The Nation, March 20, 2017.)
ADDENDUMS:
*At the G-20 meeting, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin rejected repeated entreaties to include in the meeting's joint statement, language emphasizing the importance of free trade.
*Trump's tweets of March 19: {1} "James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence that Potus colluded with Russia. This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it!" (2) "The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College lost!"
*Geert Willders, the Dutch Trump, was defeated in the Netherlands' leadership race.
*Trump is likely to order Scott Pruitt to withdraw and rewrite a set of Obama-era regulations known as the Clean Power Plan.
Monday, March 27, 2017
Friday, March 24, 2017
A Compendium of Bad News for President Trump and James Comey
GenForward Survey - Respondents who agree that Donald Trump is a legitimate president: 25% of Latinos; 28% of African-Americans; and 53% of young whites --- Respondents who disapprove of Trump's performance in office: 71% of African-Americans; 72% of Latinos; 69% of Asian Americas;and 55% of young white adults.
Quinnipiac Poll (taken between March 16-21) - 17% approve of the American Health Care Act. One GOP House member has even said that Obamacare is better than Trumpcare, based on the its most recent provisions.
FBI Director James Comey's Popularity - A Harvard-Harris poll of registered voters found that only 17% have a favorable view of him, compared to 35% who have a favorable view; 41% of Democrats share an unfavorable view, versus 12% viewing him positively. Republicans are 26% positive and 27% negative. Independents are 17% positive and 36% negative.
Did Obama Wiretap? - 66% say no and 34% say yes. 60% of all respondents want a special prosecutor to investigate election hacking and 40% want a committee composed of both elected and non-elected citizens. 83% of Democrats believe the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. 59% of Republicans believe Trump wiretapping charges.
Trump Tweet on Comey - "FBI Director refuses to deny he briefed President Obama on calls made by Michael Flynn to Russia." Comey's refusal in a Senate hearing to discuss whether he briefed Obama on calls made by Michael Flynn is another example of absurd U.S. government secrecy practices. Who or what would it harm for Comey to answer the question? What we should be investigating is the apparent collusion between the White House and Congress to subvert these hearings and investigations with lies.
Evidence of Collusion with Russia - CNN has reported that the FBI has evidence of contacts between unnamed "associates of Donald Trump" and "suspected Russian operatives" during last year's presidential election and possibly coordinated with Russian operatives to attack the Clinton campaign and the Democratic Party.
The Secret Plan to Aid Putin
On March 21, the Associated Press reported that Paul Manafort had secretly devised a plan as early as 2005 to "greatly aid" the Putin regime by influencing the U.S. government and media. A 2008 Nation article by Mark Ames and Ari Berman detailed efforts by Manaport and his partner Rick Davis to promote pro-Russian positions and policies with Arizona Senator John McCain. Sean Spicer, part of the "alternative facts," wildly spinning Kellyanne Conway circle, has said that Manaport "played a very limited role for a very limited time." Being campaign manager is apparently a "limited role."
Some Findings on Rejiggered AHCA
The Brookings Institute has concluded that the $85 billion in extra tax credits added to the AHCA will make up only about one-fourth of the reduction in subsidies due to repeal of the ACA.
The Congressional Budget Office has reassessed the recent changes in the AHCA and has stuck with its prior conclusion that 24 million will lose insurance coverage by 2026. It also concluded that the changes reduce the 10-year revenue gain from its initial estimate of $337 billion to $150 billion. House Speaker Paul Ryan championed the revenue gain in the CBO's initial scoring as good news.
Quinnipiac Poll (taken between March 16-21) - 17% approve of the American Health Care Act. One GOP House member has even said that Obamacare is better than Trumpcare, based on the its most recent provisions.
FBI Director James Comey's Popularity - A Harvard-Harris poll of registered voters found that only 17% have a favorable view of him, compared to 35% who have a favorable view; 41% of Democrats share an unfavorable view, versus 12% viewing him positively. Republicans are 26% positive and 27% negative. Independents are 17% positive and 36% negative.
Did Obama Wiretap? - 66% say no and 34% say yes. 60% of all respondents want a special prosecutor to investigate election hacking and 40% want a committee composed of both elected and non-elected citizens. 83% of Democrats believe the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. 59% of Republicans believe Trump wiretapping charges.
Trump Tweet on Comey - "FBI Director refuses to deny he briefed President Obama on calls made by Michael Flynn to Russia." Comey's refusal in a Senate hearing to discuss whether he briefed Obama on calls made by Michael Flynn is another example of absurd U.S. government secrecy practices. Who or what would it harm for Comey to answer the question? What we should be investigating is the apparent collusion between the White House and Congress to subvert these hearings and investigations with lies.
Evidence of Collusion with Russia - CNN has reported that the FBI has evidence of contacts between unnamed "associates of Donald Trump" and "suspected Russian operatives" during last year's presidential election and possibly coordinated with Russian operatives to attack the Clinton campaign and the Democratic Party.
The Secret Plan to Aid Putin
On March 21, the Associated Press reported that Paul Manafort had secretly devised a plan as early as 2005 to "greatly aid" the Putin regime by influencing the U.S. government and media. A 2008 Nation article by Mark Ames and Ari Berman detailed efforts by Manaport and his partner Rick Davis to promote pro-Russian positions and policies with Arizona Senator John McCain. Sean Spicer, part of the "alternative facts," wildly spinning Kellyanne Conway circle, has said that Manaport "played a very limited role for a very limited time." Being campaign manager is apparently a "limited role."
Some Findings on Rejiggered AHCA
The Brookings Institute has concluded that the $85 billion in extra tax credits added to the AHCA will make up only about one-fourth of the reduction in subsidies due to repeal of the ACA.
The Congressional Budget Office has reassessed the recent changes in the AHCA and has stuck with its prior conclusion that 24 million will lose insurance coverage by 2026. It also concluded that the changes reduce the 10-year revenue gain from its initial estimate of $337 billion to $150 billion. House Speaker Paul Ryan championed the revenue gain in the CBO's initial scoring as good news.
Friday, March 17, 2017
It Is Imperitive to Defeat GOP Healthcare Replacement
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives is both hypocritical and irresponsible in the manner in which it has rushed the American Health Care Act through the legislative process. It is hypocritical in the sense that the Obama administration and Democratic lawmakers were accused of "jamming" the Affordable Care Act through the legislative process. It is irresponsible in the failure to allow public input into the process. There were months of hearings and plenty of opportunity for public input before the ACA was enacted into law.
First, let's take a look at the positive accomplishments of the ACA:
#Reduced the uninsured by 20 million.
#Increased access to primary care, specialty care, surgery, medicines and treatment for chronic conditions.
#Young people can stay on their parents' insurance policies until age 26.
#Patients are less likely to skip needed care because of costs.
#Removed the cap on coverage.
#Provides pediatric dental and vision care, mental-health care, and preventive care.
What critics say about the ACA and the responses:
#The ACA is collapsing --- Response - The Congressional Budget Office says the market will be stable for the next ten years.
#ACA recipients don't have access to care --- Response - Children and adults enrolled in Medicaid are as likely to have a usual source of medical care as are those with private care according to a November 2016 brief by the Medicaid and CHIP and Access Commission.
#Medicaid recipients don't have access to doctors ---- Response - Based on the same source as immediately above, Medicaid recipients are about as likely to have seen a doctor in the past year as have those with private insurance.
#The ACA has led to greatly increased premium costs --- Response - The Kaiser Family Foundation has found that cumulative premium increases were 63% for 2001-2006, 31% for 2006-2011, and 20% for 2011-2016.
#CBO projections are unreliable --- Response - The Commonwealth Fund rates the CBO "excellent" in forecasting outcomes for the ACA.
What outcomes does the CBO project for the AHCA?
#14 million will lose health insurance coverage through 2018 and 24 million will lose coverage through 2026.
#Insurance premiums will rise initially by 25 to 30% but will decrease by about 10% beginning in 2026. The average drop in insurance premiums will be due largely to older recipients dropping coverage because they can't afford to pay their premiums.
#Those aged about 55 or older will see a major increase in their insurance premiums because the ratio between their premiums and those for young people will increase from 3 to 1 to 5 to 1.
#The percentage of those aged 19 to 29 without insurance will double.
#15% of people in poor areas would lose access to health care.
#Medicaid outlays will be reduced by $880 billion through 2026.
#The mandate for coverage of mental-health and substance abuse would be eliminated.
#People would pay a 30% surcharge in their premiums if they experience a gap in coverage of two months of longer. This penalty would discourage people who have dropped out of the health insurance market from reentry unless they are sick.
#The cap on pay for insurance company executives would be raised from $500,000 to $1 million.
Finally, for those who lose their preexisting conditions exemption temporarily due to change of job or who suffer a financial setback, both and Ryan and Tom Price advocate state-run "high-risk pools." But in the thirty-five states that offered high-risk pools to the uninsurable before the ACA, inadequate funding delivered terrible coverage, with extremely high premiums and deductibles, and annual limits as low as $75,000.
First, let's take a look at the positive accomplishments of the ACA:
#Reduced the uninsured by 20 million.
#Increased access to primary care, specialty care, surgery, medicines and treatment for chronic conditions.
#Young people can stay on their parents' insurance policies until age 26.
#Patients are less likely to skip needed care because of costs.
#Removed the cap on coverage.
#Provides pediatric dental and vision care, mental-health care, and preventive care.
What critics say about the ACA and the responses:
#The ACA is collapsing --- Response - The Congressional Budget Office says the market will be stable for the next ten years.
#ACA recipients don't have access to care --- Response - Children and adults enrolled in Medicaid are as likely to have a usual source of medical care as are those with private care according to a November 2016 brief by the Medicaid and CHIP and Access Commission.
#Medicaid recipients don't have access to doctors ---- Response - Based on the same source as immediately above, Medicaid recipients are about as likely to have seen a doctor in the past year as have those with private insurance.
#The ACA has led to greatly increased premium costs --- Response - The Kaiser Family Foundation has found that cumulative premium increases were 63% for 2001-2006, 31% for 2006-2011, and 20% for 2011-2016.
#CBO projections are unreliable --- Response - The Commonwealth Fund rates the CBO "excellent" in forecasting outcomes for the ACA.
What outcomes does the CBO project for the AHCA?
#14 million will lose health insurance coverage through 2018 and 24 million will lose coverage through 2026.
#Insurance premiums will rise initially by 25 to 30% but will decrease by about 10% beginning in 2026. The average drop in insurance premiums will be due largely to older recipients dropping coverage because they can't afford to pay their premiums.
#Those aged about 55 or older will see a major increase in their insurance premiums because the ratio between their premiums and those for young people will increase from 3 to 1 to 5 to 1.
#The percentage of those aged 19 to 29 without insurance will double.
#15% of people in poor areas would lose access to health care.
#Medicaid outlays will be reduced by $880 billion through 2026.
#The mandate for coverage of mental-health and substance abuse would be eliminated.
#People would pay a 30% surcharge in their premiums if they experience a gap in coverage of two months of longer. This penalty would discourage people who have dropped out of the health insurance market from reentry unless they are sick.
#The cap on pay for insurance company executives would be raised from $500,000 to $1 million.
Finally, for those who lose their preexisting conditions exemption temporarily due to change of job or who suffer a financial setback, both and Ryan and Tom Price advocate state-run "high-risk pools." But in the thirty-five states that offered high-risk pools to the uninsurable before the ACA, inadequate funding delivered terrible coverage, with extremely high premiums and deductibles, and annual limits as low as $75,000.
Monday, March 13, 2017
The [Not So] Grand Old Party Came; Hypocrisy Is It's Game
Is there any remaining doubt that the modern Republican Party is perhaps the most hypocritical political party ever created in the United States? The Know Nothing Party had the virtue of not over-promoting itself. What is the case for the charge of hypocrisy?
1.) The Republican Party raised holy Hell with President Obama's executive orders but has been silent about President Trump's orders. Trump has made countless promises that the work of fixing the nation's problems will be done almost exclusively at the White House; also, he is the only one who can fix the problems.
2.) The Republican Party accused the Obama administration of ramming through the Affordable Care Act, whereas months were spent in hearings at which Republican lawmakers were allowed to propose amendments, which they did in spades. C-SPAN televised many hours of coverage of hearings in House and Senate committees. In comparison, two House committees each held one marathon session at which they approved the Republican creation: The American Health Care Act (AHCA).
Prior to the hearings, there was the incredible chain of events, in which the Republicans had locked up the AHCA and those who had learned the apparent room number, went there, and were met by armed guards, who denied them entry.
Major legislative actions that will have a long-term impact on the budget are customarily "scored" by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to determine the ten-year impact of the action. The House leadership sent the AHCA to two committees without waiting for the scoring.
3.) Republican-controlled statehouses and governors' offices have been trying to kill abortion rights through the administration of a myriad of legislative restrictions and specifications, even specifying the internal architecture of abortion clinics. Hypocritically, they claim to be solely concerned for the safety of pregnant women.
4.) Voter suppression bills continue to be introduced in Republican-controlled state legislatures. Even though these bills are promoted as needed to reduce rampant voter impersonation, they are clearly designed to deny the vote to those who are most likely to vote for Democratic candidates. Rather than spending money on yet another study of voter suppression, all the Trump administration needs to do is go over to the Brennan Center for Justice and get copies of studies showing that voter suppression is as rare as the probability that herds of unicorns will suddenly appear around the nation.
5.) House Speaker Paul Ryan contends that the guiding premise of the AHCA is to give people the freedom to provide for their own health insurance coverage. This is just another obfuscation, because people have always had the freedom to provide for their health insurance coverage. Two of the big problems have been that they didn't have the financial means to provide for adequate health insurance, or a preexisting condition had barred them from coverage.
6.) President Donald Trump is engaged in his own display of hypocrisy, as he told "Sixty Minutes" in 2015 that everybody should have health insurance coverage. Since becoming president, Trump has again promised universal coverage and lower premium costs.
Although the CBO has not yet released its scoring, other organizations have weighed in with projections on what the AHCA will do. The Brookings Institute projects that at least 15 million people will lose coverage at the end of the 10-year scoring period. It also says that the change in subsidies are unlikely to mitigate the coverage loss. There will be a $700 billion loss from the elimination of ACA taxes. Brookings also says: "Increasing total spending on tax credits while avoiding an increase in the deficit is likely impossible, even taking into account the bill's Medicaid cuts."
S & P Global says the AHCA would shake up the markets in a massive way, given how fragile and complex health care in the U.S. currently is.
The Commonwealth Fund says 30 million Americans could see 30% premium increases under the new plan -- a bigger penalty for a lapse in coverage than the ACA's penalty for going without.
The Joint Committee on Taxation forecasts a revenue loss of $595 billion, as killed would be the 3.8% investment income tax, the 2.3% medical device tax, a 0.9% high income tax, and delaying the Cadillac tax on luxury health plans.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that the Medicaid cuts would largely or entirely pay for high-income tax cuts; however, the cost-shifting would "jeopardize coverage and access to care for tens of millions of low-income people." $370 billion would be shifted from federal to state budgets.
Another important consideration in replacing the ACA with the AHCA is that the reduction in the "doughnut hole" for purchase of prescription drugs would be reversed.
There is another important loss of coverage if the Affordable Care Act is replaced. In a speech in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, candidate Trump promised to "help all get the assistance they need to unchain themselves." In his address to Congress he pledged to "expand treatment for those who have become so badly addicted." The GOP's legislation on repealing the ACA would yank coverage from 1.3 million people with behavioral health needs, according to an analysis from health care economists Richard Frank of Harvard University and Sherry Glied of New York University. The GOP bill eliminates the mental health and substance abuse coverage mandate. About two million people with substance use disorders, who would otherwise be uninsured, gained coverage through the expansion and the individual changes -- a third of them opioid users. The matching federal dollars prompted states to expand behavioral health services -- including medication-assisted treatments, such as Suboxone. About 29% of people enrolled in Medicaid alone need mental health or substance abuse treatment.
Starting in 2020, the Medicaid expansion would freeze and people who try to sign up would be locked out. More costs would be shipped to the states.
ADDENDUMS:
*Percentages of Medicaid recipients: 41% are white; 22% are black; and 25% are Hispanic, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
*A three-judge federal panel in San Antonio ruled 2-1 that Republicans in Texas gerrymandered some congressional districts to weaken the growing electoral power of minorities. Republicans hold two of the three districts ruled to be invalid. The judges didn't propose an immediate fix.
*It is estimated that the 400 highest-earning households in the U.S. will get an average tax break of $7 million per year with the repeal of ACA taxes on high-income people.
1.) The Republican Party raised holy Hell with President Obama's executive orders but has been silent about President Trump's orders. Trump has made countless promises that the work of fixing the nation's problems will be done almost exclusively at the White House; also, he is the only one who can fix the problems.
2.) The Republican Party accused the Obama administration of ramming through the Affordable Care Act, whereas months were spent in hearings at which Republican lawmakers were allowed to propose amendments, which they did in spades. C-SPAN televised many hours of coverage of hearings in House and Senate committees. In comparison, two House committees each held one marathon session at which they approved the Republican creation: The American Health Care Act (AHCA).
Prior to the hearings, there was the incredible chain of events, in which the Republicans had locked up the AHCA and those who had learned the apparent room number, went there, and were met by armed guards, who denied them entry.
Major legislative actions that will have a long-term impact on the budget are customarily "scored" by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to determine the ten-year impact of the action. The House leadership sent the AHCA to two committees without waiting for the scoring.
3.) Republican-controlled statehouses and governors' offices have been trying to kill abortion rights through the administration of a myriad of legislative restrictions and specifications, even specifying the internal architecture of abortion clinics. Hypocritically, they claim to be solely concerned for the safety of pregnant women.
4.) Voter suppression bills continue to be introduced in Republican-controlled state legislatures. Even though these bills are promoted as needed to reduce rampant voter impersonation, they are clearly designed to deny the vote to those who are most likely to vote for Democratic candidates. Rather than spending money on yet another study of voter suppression, all the Trump administration needs to do is go over to the Brennan Center for Justice and get copies of studies showing that voter suppression is as rare as the probability that herds of unicorns will suddenly appear around the nation.
5.) House Speaker Paul Ryan contends that the guiding premise of the AHCA is to give people the freedom to provide for their own health insurance coverage. This is just another obfuscation, because people have always had the freedom to provide for their health insurance coverage. Two of the big problems have been that they didn't have the financial means to provide for adequate health insurance, or a preexisting condition had barred them from coverage.
6.) President Donald Trump is engaged in his own display of hypocrisy, as he told "Sixty Minutes" in 2015 that everybody should have health insurance coverage. Since becoming president, Trump has again promised universal coverage and lower premium costs.
Although the CBO has not yet released its scoring, other organizations have weighed in with projections on what the AHCA will do. The Brookings Institute projects that at least 15 million people will lose coverage at the end of the 10-year scoring period. It also says that the change in subsidies are unlikely to mitigate the coverage loss. There will be a $700 billion loss from the elimination of ACA taxes. Brookings also says: "Increasing total spending on tax credits while avoiding an increase in the deficit is likely impossible, even taking into account the bill's Medicaid cuts."
S & P Global says the AHCA would shake up the markets in a massive way, given how fragile and complex health care in the U.S. currently is.
The Commonwealth Fund says 30 million Americans could see 30% premium increases under the new plan -- a bigger penalty for a lapse in coverage than the ACA's penalty for going without.
The Joint Committee on Taxation forecasts a revenue loss of $595 billion, as killed would be the 3.8% investment income tax, the 2.3% medical device tax, a 0.9% high income tax, and delaying the Cadillac tax on luxury health plans.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that the Medicaid cuts would largely or entirely pay for high-income tax cuts; however, the cost-shifting would "jeopardize coverage and access to care for tens of millions of low-income people." $370 billion would be shifted from federal to state budgets.
Another important consideration in replacing the ACA with the AHCA is that the reduction in the "doughnut hole" for purchase of prescription drugs would be reversed.
There is another important loss of coverage if the Affordable Care Act is replaced. In a speech in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, candidate Trump promised to "help all get the assistance they need to unchain themselves." In his address to Congress he pledged to "expand treatment for those who have become so badly addicted." The GOP's legislation on repealing the ACA would yank coverage from 1.3 million people with behavioral health needs, according to an analysis from health care economists Richard Frank of Harvard University and Sherry Glied of New York University. The GOP bill eliminates the mental health and substance abuse coverage mandate. About two million people with substance use disorders, who would otherwise be uninsured, gained coverage through the expansion and the individual changes -- a third of them opioid users. The matching federal dollars prompted states to expand behavioral health services -- including medication-assisted treatments, such as Suboxone. About 29% of people enrolled in Medicaid alone need mental health or substance abuse treatment.
Starting in 2020, the Medicaid expansion would freeze and people who try to sign up would be locked out. More costs would be shipped to the states.
ADDENDUMS:
*Percentages of Medicaid recipients: 41% are white; 22% are black; and 25% are Hispanic, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
*A three-judge federal panel in San Antonio ruled 2-1 that Republicans in Texas gerrymandered some congressional districts to weaken the growing electoral power of minorities. Republicans hold two of the three districts ruled to be invalid. The judges didn't propose an immediate fix.
*It is estimated that the 400 highest-earning households in the U.S. will get an average tax break of $7 million per year with the repeal of ACA taxes on high-income people.
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