FYI: Health care plan comparison tool

This is worth bookmarking for future reference:

2008 Presidential Candidate Health Care Proposals: Side-By-Side Summary

The Kaiser Family Foundation has a comprehensive tool for comparing the health plans of all the presidential candidates. It allows users to select as many as four candidates at a time for a side-by-side comparison that can then be formatted into a printer-friendly pdf. It summarizes their positions in four overall categories - access to health care coverage, cost containment, improving the quality of care and financing.

Ezra Klein used the tool to compare McCain's plan with what McCain's campaign site says and this is his synopsis:

It's another of these plans to sprinkle magical tax credits all across the land that will incentivize folks to buy less health insurance, but do absolutely nothing for the cost of care. Families get a $5,000 tax credit to help them buy insurance, and they can keep what they don't use, and so the hope is, they'll buy plans with higher deductibles, be unable to afford the deductibles, and will thus buy less care. [...]

There's a bit more pabulum about encouraging price transparency and sound medical research (all good things, none of which are expanded into actual policy ideas on the site), and it does hint at removing the employer deduction for health insurance (which would be good in many ways, but is politically impossible), but at base, this is a big heap of nothing. It doesn't make health care cheaper so families can better afford it. It makes cheap insurance cheaper so families will buy more of that, and thus use less health care.

Sigh...why do candidates keep pushing these non-plans? Polls show that voters aren't interested in expanding the market driven, private insurance-based system that perpetuates our present health care nightmare. National health insurance is the cure they want.

A truly perverse and incoherent form of class warfare

Right-wingers are still busy sliming 12-year-old Graeme Frost and his family because they received benefits from - and spoke out in favor of - the SCHIP program. E.J. Dionne does a particularly good job of illuminating the right's hypocrisy, which he calls a "a truly perverse and incoherent form of class warfare."

From TruthDig:

[The Frost's reward for speaking out] was to be trashed on right-wing blogs and talk radio as if they were multimillionaires ripping off the system.

And of what were the Frosts guilty? Well, they own their own home, which they bought for $55,000 in 1990 and is now worth about $260,000; they invested in a commercial property, valued at $160,000; Halsey Frost, a self-employed woodworker, once owned a small business that was dissolved in 1999; and Graeme attends a private school on scholarship. I rely here on facts reported this week in The Baltimore Sun and The New York Times, both of which set straight the more outlandish claims made by the Frosts’ attackers.

So rather than just condemn the right-wingers as meanies, let’s take their claims seriously. Doing so makes clear that they are engaged in a truly perverse and incoherent form of class warfare.

The left is accused of all manner of sins related to covetousness and envy whenever it raises questions about who benefits from President Bush’s tax cuts and mentions the yachts such folks might buy or the mansions they might own. But here is a family with modest possessions doing everything conservatives tell people they should do, and the right trashes them for getting help to buy health insurance for their children. [...]

Most conservatives favor government-supported vouchers that would help Graeme attend his private school, but here they turn around and criticize him for ... attending a private school. Federal money for private schools but not for health insurance? What’s the logic here?

Conservatives endlessly praise risk-taking by entrepreneurs and would give big tax cuts to those who are most successful. But if a small-business person is struggling, he shouldn’t even think about applying for SCHIP.

Conservatives who want to repeal the estate tax on large fortunes have cited stories—most of them never check out—about farmers having to sell their farms to pay inheritance taxes. But the implication of these attacks on the Frosts is that they are expected to sell their investment property to pay for health care. Why?

Oh, yes, and conservatives tell us how much they love homeownership, and then assail the Frosts for having the nerve to own a home. I suppose they should have to sell that, too.

The real issue here is whether uninsured families with earnings similar to the Frosts’ need government help to buy health coverage. With the average family policy in employer-provided plans now costing more than $12,000 annually—the price is usually higher for families trying to buy it on their own—the answer is plainly yes. All the conservative attacks on a boy from Baltimore who dared to speak out will not make this issue go away.

Dionne is right. The issue won't go away because the problem affects so many Americans, not just children. That's what has the conservatives and their insurance friends so rattled that they're willing to smear a little boy. They're putting dollars and cents ahead of people, and they call themselves the "values" party.

(If you're interested, check out my post at BFM: Would Jesus have vetoed the SCHIP bill?

A little self-promotion

Three things happened to me this week that I wanted to share with everyone. First, I was invited to become a front-pager at Blogging for Michigan and I accepted. BFM is a relative newcomer to the blogging scene here in Michigan (I believe they started up in July), but they hit the deck running and haven't stopped since. Check them out. They have many talented, progressive bloggers that provide news and commentary on issues that affect us here in Michigan from the local level all the way up to Washington.

I wasn't sure I'd fit in since I tend to write about everything from soup to nuts (hence the title of this blog), but they assured me my posts didn't have to be Michigan specific and that anything I wanted to contribute would be welcome, it was all good. So, I decided I'd give it a try and see what happens.

That brings me to my second bit of news. Earlier in the week, I posted this at BFM: Our children are not safe around Republicans. It's about the smear campaign directed at Graeme Frost and his family by right-wing conservatives. You can click over and read it if you're interested. Frost is the 12-year-boy who suffered a brain injury in a car accident and continues to receive help through the SCHIP program. Anyway, that post was mentioned by Bill Scher at Tom Paine/Common Sense today!

Scher specifically said, Michigan bloggers are out in full force, and besides my post at BFM, he also mentioned posts at Michigan Liberal and Michigan Class Notes. Kudos to those blogs! Michigan definitely has a strong group of progressive bloggers and this proves it.

Finally, I have to thank Abi for something he dug up on the internet in response to my post: Must See TV: George Gipp. The Gipper's body was exhumed from a Michigan cemetery earlier this week for DNA testing without much explanation, but Abi found two entries on an ancestry bulletin board that "might" explain why. A woman claims her grandmother may be the Gipp's daughter and an author currently writing a book about the football player answered her and said DNA testing could be arranged. Anyway, since Abi posted his comment, my count meter has been zooming and 75% of the people are reading that post and his comment.

That just goes to show you that dead celebrities generate more interest than politics!

Have a good weekend.

Five years ago today...

Think Progress reminds us that five years ago today the Senate voted to authorize the use of military force in Iraq by a vote of 77-23. Here are the 23 Senators who courageously voted no, including Michigan's own, Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Sen. Levin.


Bush declared at the time that "America speaks with one voice."

Five years later, America is once again speaking with one voice: "Bring our troops home."

(Cross posted at Blogging for Michigan.)

Do the right thing for our kids

After reading about the right-wing's smear campaign against Graeme Frost, the 12-year-old boy who recently shared his story about being involved in a severe car accident and receiving medical care because of SCHIP, I've concluded that our children are not safe around most Republicans.

Thank heavens we still have bona fide "compassionate" people like Gov. Granholm speaking out for them. She urges everyone to do the right thing and protect our kids by overturning Bush's veto. You can do that by visiting JenniferGranholm.com/SCHIP to show your support for the compromise that garnered strong support from Democrats and Republicans across the country.

Here's some background from the governor's website:

Thanks to MIChild, we provide health care to 55,000 children in Michigan every month - but there are still 158,000 children without health care who desperately need it. [...]

The bill would provide Michigan with an additional $64 million in funding for children's health care in 2008. That's a 44% increase for Michigan's children compared to the President's proposal.

The funding would enable the state to provide affordable health coverage to an additional 80,900 low-income uninsured children in Michigan. [...]

We have a real opportunity to overturn Bush's veto. This legislation was supported by 67 senators and 43 of the nation's governors from both political parties. In the senate, it was passed with a "veto proof" majority - and we are only about 25 votes short of a veto proof majority in the House. In Michigan, Republican Representatives Upton, Ehlers, and Miller voted in favor of the bill. Representatives Walberg, Knollenberg, Rogers, McCotter, Camp, and Hoekstra were the Michigan members to vote against it.

Our children shouldn't suffer because their parents can't buy insurance through normal means. Please, click over to JenniferGranholm.com/SCHIP and ask your legislators to override the president's veto.

Must See TV: George Gipp

Another "Must See TV" show was recently filmed in Michigan, although I have to admit I find it a little macabre.

The body of U.P. sports hero George Gipp was exhumed from its gravesite at Lakeview Cemetery in Osceola last Thursday. The reason, according to the Houghton County Medical Examiner's office, was medical/genetic testing.

According to the Mining Gazette, the DNA testing is in conjunction with an upcoming book on the Gipp's life written by historian Michael Bynum, and an ESPN crew was present because the network is airing a program on the Gipp as part of a series on the top 25 college athletes of all time.

Bynum's book was postponed to include the results of the DNA testing, which he said will be detailed at a later date. I'm curious to know what it is Bynum's looking for, especially after reading that his book will seek to correct past works on Gipp that he claims were marred by sloppy research and exaggerated details. Maybe the Gipp didn't die from pneumonia and strep throat like historians claim. They also said the Gipp liked women and gambling. Can DNA testing verify that?!

I hope there was a good reason to dig him up. Gipp's great-nephew (who authorized the exhumation) apparently thought there was, but several other family members were less than pleased. Ron Gipp, a distant cousin, said, "I stayed right until the end when he was buried in the ground again. And this time, he'll rest in peace, and this will be over with."

The airdate of the ESPN program is unknown, and so is the guarantee the Gipp will rest in peace for eternity.

Update: Check out the comments and read the links Abi provided there. It appears the Gipp may have fathered an illegitimate daughter based on correspondence between Bynum and a woman that Abi found posted on a genealogy bulletin board.

Do tax dollars disappear into a black hole?

This is an interesting idea that might be worth taking a look at here in Michigan. From Democracy for Utah:

Utah cities to emphasize the services you get for your tax dollars

The Utah League of Cities and Towns has started a new marketing campaign called "Making Life Better" (brought to you by the same folks who did Utah's "Life, Elevated" tourism slogan) to highlight the services that cities provide (Deseret News):

The league has commissioned eight years of surveys that show Utahns incorrectly believe their hometowns collect a large portion of their taxes but provide few services. [...]

As league policy analyst Neil Abercrombie introduced the statistics from the latest survey done by Dan Jones & Associates, he said, "I'm not going to say people are clueless. Let's just say they're less than knowledgeable about who provides city services."

For example, the survey asked residents whether they had used a municipal service in the past 24 hours.

Sixty percent said yes, but only 15 percent of those said they used a city-maintained street that day, and just 11 percent said they used city-provided electricity and sewer services.

Republicans have done their best to convince people that their tax money just goes into a big black hole. Who would've thought that, in Republican Utah, city governments would want to promote the fact that they provide a lot of services for your tax dollar. [emphasis mine]

According to the Deseret News, the campaign is expected to improve the perception of cities and towns by making it clearer exactly what services are provided with those tax dollars. I think that's a great idea, particularly after reading only 11 percent of Utahns said they used city provided electricity and sewer services! What are they using, candles and outhouses?

For the record, I have a feeling Michigan's residents don't fully comprehend what services they get for their tax dollars either - from the state level on down.

A state-sized temper tantrum

To all of you temper tantrum-throwing adults unhappy with the recent tax increase, grow up and act your age. Never in my life have I been so embarrassed by some of the things I’ve been hearing on the news and reading in the paper. We’re like a huge dysfunctional family. The rest of the country must be laughing their heads off at us.

Why? Because we have Leon Drolet (and his pink pig), executive director of the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance, organizing a recall effort against Granholm and our legislators over a tax increase that will cost a family of four earning $50,000 a year about $210 dollars. The war in Iraq is costing taxpayers billions and billions of dollars (and was based on a lie), but I don’t hear Drolet calling for Bush’s impeachment.

I also don’t hear taxpayers in Macomb County calling for Drolet’s recall – yet. Drolet serves on the Macomb County Commission and earns $34,069 a year. If he’s spending so much time and energy on the recall, is he doing a good job for the taxpayers of Macomb County? Maybe they should look into that.

We also have the Small Business Association of Michigan following in Drolet’s footsteps, which isn’t really surprising. SBAM and Drolet teamed up and held a teabagger protest against a tax increase earlier this year. The association is now trying to get a proposal onto the ballot that would either repeal or change the tax on certain services such as skiing, consulting and interior design. Sales tax always applied to 26 different services, but the recent budget changes expanded that to 53.

This service tax is a burden and will kill business according to some small business owners, which was the same excuse we heard about raising the minimum wage, yet that didn’t happen. My local television station interviewed a manager at a ski resort who actually said the tax would put them out of business. Global warming may put her ski lodge out of business, but I seriously doubt anyone who spends hundreds of dollars on down-filled jackets, boots and ski equipment will let a 6% tax on a ski lift scare them away.

That same newscast also interviewed the owner of a local gym who said the tax would hurt personal trainers. She said trainers usually charge around $400 dollars and people wouldn’t want a trainer’s assistance if they had to pay an extra $24 tax. Again, I doubt that. If a person can afford $400 for a personal trainer, they’re not going to let $24 stand in their way.

The bottom line is that this is the first income tax increase since 1999 and 36 other states will still have higher taxes than Michigan. And when the new sales tax goes into effect in January, Michigan will rank 27th nationally in the number of taxed services. It’s also worth noting that in 2000 Michigan had 61,493 state employees, but now, under Granholm, the state has 52,259 employees.

If people are going to throw fits and temper tantrums, there are bigger problems they should be focusing their sights on like the war, out-sourcing and the uninsured. Get a grip on reality, people.

Under construction!

I finally switched to the new and improved (not so sure about that) version of Blogger and I've run into some glitches. It could be operator error - very possible - or the template. Anyway, be patient while I fine tune everything in my spare moments!

Union made and proud of it!

This was forwarded to me by someone I know who works for GM. The original sender said he was just walking thru the State Fair of "The Gret Stet of Texas" minding his own business...whistling "This is Our Country"...when LO AND BEHOLD...here comes a Toyota Motorsports Trailer...sez "We're here to race"...

And WHAT truck would YOU use to pull a Toyota Trailer?

That's right - a CHEVY SILVERADO... The RIGHT TRUCK!!


Jalopnik has more pictures and adds this:

Obviously the reason why Toyota wasn't going to be able to haul this heavy of a trailer was because they don't have a heavy duty pickup to hitch that big Toyota racing trailer up to. But even the most hard-core Toyota truck fan's got to admit it's probably a little embarrassing to have the competition hauling you around by your johnson trailer hitch.

Texans have an expression that Toyota might have heard: All hat and no cattle.

It seems appropriate somehow.