THE WASHINGTON REVIEW & COMMENTARY: Weekly News From The White House

The Pink and Green is in the news. In an unflattering way.

It is being reported that current and former members of the AKA’s are suing sorority president Barbara McKinzie for the misappropriation of funds directly related to the business of Alpha Kappa Alpha. McKinzie is also accused of spending $400,000 of AKA  membership funds for her personal expenditures, commissioning a $900,ooo wax statute of herself, and somehow re-drafting her contract so that when her presidency is over, she will receive a $4,000 month payment.

The lawsuit also states the following:

AKA directors violated the group’s rules when they approved a four-year “pension stipend” for a total of nearly $192,000. They also purchased a $1 million life insurance policy for McKinzie.

•         •         McKinzie used the group’s American Express card to buy designer clothing, lingerie and jewelry, then redeemed points racked up on the card to get a 46-inch HDTV, gym equipment and other items for personal use.

•         •         The president started a campaign to raise $100 million for an endowment fund to be run by her management firm — BMC Associates.

And that’s not all. AKA leadership is accused of overcharging members for the 2008 centennial conference that celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of AKA. The tickets originally were priced at $250 per member. But soon the price jumped to $500. The sorority took in $13 million, the event cost almost $9 million, and the rest was left up to sorority president McKinzie to dispense as she saw fit.

However, Barbara McKinzie denied the allegations that are being hurled at her. McKinzie claims that “the malicious allegations leveled against AKA by former leaders are based on mischaracterizations and fabrications not befitting our ideals of sisterhood, ethics and service.”

Ok. But what is up with the $900,ooo wax statute of herself? Did Barbara McKinzie have board approval for that little expenditure? Whatever the case, the reputation of the AKA sorority, also known as Alpha Kappa Alpha, is being trashed royally.

Founded on the campus of Howard University in 1908 by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle, Alpha Kappa Alpha, is the oldest African American sorority in the U.S. Nine college educated African American women, who were students at Howard University, came together to support  one another as they became the first generation after slavery to seek an education for the betterment of themselves and the African American community.

It is so sad to see that an institution founded 101 years ago with such hope and promise for African American women is being allegedly torn from within on the bases of uncontrollable greed. If the other eight members of AKA were alive to witness this, what would they think?

AKA Founding Members 1908:

Anna Easter Brown, Beulah Burke, Lillie Burke, Marjorie Hill, Margaret Flagg Holmes, Ethel Hedgeman Lyles, Lavinia Norman, Lucy Slowe, Marie Woolfolk Taylor.

The meeting between Professor Skip Gates and Sgt. James Crowley, along with President Obama and Vice President Biden over a few beers is underway. The White House is hoping that after the usual photop for the press, the four of these men can get down to the nitty gritty and squash this nightmare.

We hope so, too! The Gates / Crowley / President Obama drama is starting to get boring because there are those in the media who want to keep circling around the same issues. The questions that need to be asked are:

1). When did it become okay to arrest Professor Gates for doing nothing more than exercising his First Admendment right?

2). If the Cambridge police department stand behind the actions of Sgt. Crowley and believe that he acted properly and within the law, why were the charges against Professor Gates dropped?

3). Is it safe to assume that police officers are human too and can have lapses of judgment that allow for pride to color their assessment of a situation?

4). What is so wrong with admitting that police officers make mistakes?

5). Why is Sgt. Crowley so bent on not saying  ”Sorry” and moving on with his life so we all can move on with ours?

AND here is a hot question:

6). Why is it so difficult to get an APOLOGY from Caucasian Americans?

So, the nation will learn shortly whether or not the “beer summit” was a complete success or total failure. OOOPS! Sorry, Mr. President! I forgot what you said about calling this meeting a “beer summit:”

“I noticed this has been called the ‘Beer Summit.’ It’s a clever term, but this is not a summit, guys. This is an opportunity for people to listen to each other. And that’s really all it is. This is not a university seminar.”

President Obama Names Medal of Freedom Recipients

16 Agents of Change to Receive Top Civilian Honor

 

WASHINGTON – President Obama today named 16 recipients of the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom.   America’s highest civilian honor, the Medal of Freedom is awarded to individuals who make an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

 

This year’s awardees were chosen for their work as agents of change.  Among their many accomplishments in fields ranging from sports and art to science and medicine to politics and public policy, these men and women have changed the world for the better.  They have blazed trails and broken down barriers.  They have discovered new theories, launched new initiatives, and opened minds to new possibilities.

 

President Obama said, “These outstanding men and women represent an incredible diversity of backgrounds.  Their tremendous accomplishments span fields from science to sports, from fine arts to foreign affairs.  Yet they share one overarching trait: Each has been an agent of change.  Each saw an imperfect world and set about improving it, often overcoming great obstacles along the way.   

 

“Their relentless devotion to breaking down barriers and lifting up their fellow citizens sets a standard to which we all should strive.  It is my great honor to award them the Medal of Freedom.”

 

President Obama will present the awards at a ceremony on Wednesday, August 12.

 

The following individuals will receive the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom:

 

Nancy Goodman Brinker

Nancy Goodman Brinker is the founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world’s leading breast cancer grass roots organization.  Brinker established the organization in memory of her sister, who passed away from breast cancer in 1980.  Through innovative events like Race for the Cure, the organization has given and invested over $1.3 billion for research, health services and education services since its founding in 1982 and developed a worldwide grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists who are working together to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find cures.  Brinker has received several awards for her work, and has also served in government as U.S. Ambassador to Hungary (2001 – 2003), Chief of Protocol of the U.S. (2007 – 2009), and Chair of the President’s Cancer Panel (1990).  In May, Nancy Goodman Brinker was named the first-ever World Health Organization’s Goodwill Ambassador for Cancer Control.

 

Pedro José Greer, Jr.

Dr. Pedro Jose Greer is a physician and the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs at the Florida International University School of Medicine, where he also serves as Chair of the Department of Humanities, Health and Society.  Dr. Greer is the founder of Camillus Health Concern, an agency that provides medical care to over 10,000 homeless patients a year in the city of Miami. He is also the founder and medical director of the St. John Bosco Clinic which provides basic primary medical care to disadvantaged children and adults in the Little Havana community. He has been recognized by Presidents Clinton, Bush, Sr., and Carter for his work with Miami’s poor . He is also the recipient of three Papal Medals as well as the prestigious MacArthur “genius grant”. He currently has a joint private practice with his father, Pedro Greer, Sr.

 

Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking is an internationally-recognized theoretical physicist, having overcome a severe physical disability due to motor neuron disease.  He is the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, a post previously held by Isaac Newton in 1669.  In addition to his pioneering academic research in mathematics and physics, Hawking has penned three popular science books, including the bestselling A Brief History of Time.  Hawking, a British citizen, believes that non-academics should be able to access his work just as physicists are, and has also published a children’s science book with his daughter.  His persistence and dedication has unlocked new pathways of discovery and inspired everyday citizens.

 

Jack Kemp

Jack Kemp, who passed away in May 2009, served as a  U.S. Congressman (1971 – 1989), Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (1989 – 1993), and Republican Nominee for Vice President (1996).  Prior to entering public service, Kemp was a professional football player (1957 – 1969) and led the Buffalo Bills to American Football League championships in 1964 and 1965.  In Congress and as a Cabinet Secretary, Kemp was a self-described “bleeding heart conservative” who worked to encourage development in underserved urban communities.  In the years leading up to his death, Kemp continued seeking new solutions, raising public attention about the challenge of poverty, and working across party lines to improve the lives of Americans and others around the world.

 

Sen. Edward Kennedy

Senator Edward M. Kennedy has served in the United States Senate for forty-six years, and has been one of the greatest lawmakers – and leaders – of our time.  From reforming our public schools to strengthening civil rights laws and supporting working Americans, Senator Kennedy has dedicated his career to fighting for equal opportunity, fairness and justice for all Americans.   He has worked tirelessly to ensure that every American has access to quality and affordable health care, and has succeeded in doing so for countless children, seniors, and Americans with disabilities.  He  has called health care reform the “cause of his life,” and has championed nearly every health care bill enacted by Congress over the course of the last five decades.   Known as the “Lion of the Senate,” Senator Kennedy is widely respected on both sides of the aisle for his commitment to progress and his ability to legislate.

 

Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King was an acclaimed professional tennis player in the 1960s and 1970s, and has helped champion gender equality issues not only in sports, but in all areas of public life.  King beat Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match, then the most viewed tennis match in history.  King became one of the first openly lesbian major sports figures in America when she came out in 1981.  Following her professional tennis career, King became the first woman commissioner in professional sports when she co-founded and led the World Team Tennis (WTT) League.  The U.S. Tennis Association named the National Tennis Center, where the US Open is played, the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in 2006. 

 

Rev. Joseph Lowery

Reverend Lowery has been a leader in the U.S. civil rights movement since the early 1950s.  Rev. Lowery helped organize the Montgomery bus boycott after Rosa Parks was denied a seat, and later co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a leading civil rights organization, with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Rev. Lowery led the march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965.  Rev. Lowery is a minister in the United Methodist Church, and has continued to highlight important civil rights issues in the U.S. and worldwide, including apartheid in South Africa, since the 1960s. 

 

Joe Medicine Crow – High Bird

Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow, the last living Plains Indian war chief, is the author of seminal works in Native American history and culture.  He is the last person alive to have received direct oral testimony from a participant in the Battle of the Little Bighorn:  his grandfather was a scout for General George Armstrong Custer.  A veteran of World War II, Medicine Crow accomplished during the war all of the four tasks required to become a “war chief,” including stealing fifty Nazi SS horses from a German camp.  Medicine Crow was the first member of his tribe to attend college, receiving his master’s degree in anthropology in 1939, and continues to lecture at universities and notable institutions like the United Nations.  His contributions to the preservation of the culture and history of the First Americans are matched only by his importance as a role model to young Native Americans across the country.

 

Harvey Milk

Harvey Milk became the first openly gay elected official from a major city in the United States when he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. Milk encouraged lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) citizens to live their lives openly and believed coming out was the only way they could change society and achieve social equality. Milk, alongside San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, was shot and killed in 1978 by Dan White, a former city supervisor.  Milk is revered nationally and globally as a pioneer of the LGBT civil rights movement for his exceptional leadership and dedication to equal rights.

 

Sandra Day O’Connor

Justice O’Connor was the first woman ever to sit on the United States Supreme Court.  Nominated by President Reagan in 1981, she served until her retirement in 2006.  Prior to joining the Supreme Court, O’Connor served as a state trial and appellate judge in Arizona.  She was also as a member of the Arizona state senate, where she became the first woman in the United States ever to lead a state senate as Senate Majority Leader.  At a time when women rarely entered the legal profession, O’Connor graduated Stanford Law School third in her class, where she served on the Stanford Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif.   Since retiring from the Supreme Court in 2006, O’Connor has served as Chancellor of the College of William and Mary, on the Board of Trustees of the National Constitution Center, and participated in the Iraq Study Group in 2006, as well as giving numerous lectures on public service. She has received numerous awards for her outstanding achievements and public service. 

 

Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier is a groundbreaking actor, becoming the top black movie star in the 1950s and 1960s.  Poitier is the first African American to be nominated and win a Best Actor Academy Award, receive an award at a top international film festival (Venice Film Festival), and be the top grossing movie star in the United States.  Poitier insisted that the film crew on The Lost Man be at least 50 percent African American, and starred in the first mainstream movies portraying “acceptable” interracial marriages and interracial kissing.  Poitier began his acting career without any training or experience by auditioning at the American Negro Theatre. 

 

Chita Rivera

Chita Rivera is an accomplished and versatile actress, singer, and dancer, who has won Two Tony Awards and received seven more nominations while breaking barriers and inspiring a generation of women to follow in her footsteps.  In 2002, she became the first Hispanic recipient of the coveted Kennedy Center Honor.  Propelled to stardom by her electric performance as Anita in the original Broadway premiere of West Side Story, Rivera went on to star in additional landmark musicals such as Chicago, Bye Bye Birdie, and Jerry’s Girls.  She recently starred in The Dancer’s Life, an autobiographical musical  about her celebrated life in the theatre.

 

Mary Robinson

Mary Robinson was the first female President of Ireland (1990 – 1997) and a former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997 – 2002), a post that required her to end her presidency four months early.  Robinson served as a prominent member of the Irish Senate prior to her election as President.  She continues to bring attention to international issues as Honorary President of Oxfam International, and Chairs the Board of Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI Alliance).  Since 2002 she has been President of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative, based in New York, which is an organization she founded to make human rights the compass which charts a course for globalization that is fair, just and benefits all.

 

Janet Davison Rowley

Janet Davison Rowley, M.D., is the Blum Riese Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine, Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology and Human Genetics at The University of Chicago. She is an American human geneticist and the first scientist to identify a chromosomal translocation as the cause of leukemia and other cancers. Rowley is internationally renowned for her studies of chromosome abnormalities in human leukemia and lymphoma, which have led to dramatically improved survival rates for previously incurable cancers and the development of targeted therapies. In 1999 President Clinton awarded her the National Medal of Science–the nation’s highest scientific honor.

 

Desmond Tutu

Desmond Tutu is an Anglican Archbishop emeritus who was a leading anti-apartheid activist in South Africa.  Widely regarded as “South Africa’s moral conscience,” he served as the General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches (SACC) from 1978 – 1985, where he led a formidable crusade in support of justice and racial reconciliation in South Africa.  He received a Nobel Peace Prize for his work through SACC in 1984.  Tutu was elected Archbishop of Cape Town in 1986, and the Chair of the South Africa Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1995. He retired as Archbishop in 1996 and is currently Chair of the Elders.

 

Muhammad Yunus

Dr. Muhammad Yunus is a global leader in anti-poverty efforts, and has pioneered the use of “micro-loans” to provide credit to poor individuals without collateral.  Dr. Yunus, an economist by training, founded the Grameen Bank in 1983 in his native Bangladesh to provide small, low-interest loans to the poor to help better their livelihood and communities.  Despite its low interest rates and lending to poor individuals, Grameen Bank is sustainable and 98% percent of its loans are repaid – higher than other banking systems. It has spread its successful model throughout the world.  Dr. Yunus received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his work. 

 

Reverend Lowery has been a leader in the U.S. civil rights movement since the early 1950s.  Rev. Lowery helped organize the Montgomery bus boycott after Rosa Parks was denied a seat, and later co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a leading civil rights organization, with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Rev. Lowery led the march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965.  Rev. Lowery is a minister in the United Methodist Church, and has continued to highlight important civil rights issues in the U.S. and worldwide, including apartheid in South Africa, since the 1960s. 

 

Sidney Poitier is a groundbreaking actor, becoming the top black movie star in the 1950s and 1960s.  Poitier is the first African American to be nominated and win a Best Actor Academy Award, receive an award at a top international film festival (Venice Film Festival), and be the top grossing movie star in the United States.  Poitier insisted that the film crew on The Lost Man be at least 50 percent African American, and starred in the first mainstream movies portraying “acceptable” interracial marriages and interracial kissing.  Poitier began his acting career without any training or experience by auditioning at the American Negro Theatre. 

 

Desmond Tutu is an Anglican Archbishop emeritus who was a leading anti-apartheid activist in South Africa.  Widely regarded as “South Africa’s moral conscience,” he served as the General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches (SACC) from 1978 – 1985, where he led a formidable crusade in support of justice and racial reconciliation in South Africa.  He received a Nobel Peace Prize for his work through SACC in 1984.  Tutu was elected Archbishop of Cape Town in 1986, and the Chair of the South Africa Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1995. He retired as Archbishop in 1996 and is currently Chair of the Elders.

 

NBC News has reported that the custody battle for Michael Jackson’s children is over. Katherine Jackson will receive permanent and sole custodial rights with biological mother, Debbie Rowe receiving visitation rights and the continuation of spousal support according to the original divorce degree.  Prince Michael I and Paris Katherine are currently living with their grandmother, Katherine Jackson, in Encino, CA.

The paternity and custody issue regarding the third child of Michael Jackson, Prince Michael II, appears to be a none issue. So far, the biological mother or surrogate’s identity is unknown. More details about the custody agreement will be released later Thursday.

Now that the boys will be getting together for beers later on Thursday evening, what can we expect to learn from all of this?

When Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. was arrested in his home a couple of weeks ago for venting his frustration with the “system” and those who represent it, little did any of the major players know that this story would take on a complete life of its own without their imput.

Even President Obama’s response to a question poised by a reporter on the subject set off public outrage and protests by police unions and commentators across the country. But will the planned “boys night in” at the White House help or cause more confusion?

President Obama’s attempt to squash the matter between Skip Gates and the entire U.S. police force is admirable. The whole beer thing is smart and strategic. But, can this mediation really work? Only if two things happen:

1). Sgt. James Crowley openly admit that he was wrong in arresting Skip Gates and that he only did so because he was “provoked.” In several interviews, Crowley readily admitted that the only reason he arrested Gates was because Gates “provoked” him by venting his frustration and annoyance.

2). Sgt. James Crowley aplogizes to Skip Gates.

See, an apology from the get-go on the the part of Sgt. Crowley would have perhaps gone a long way to sooth the tense situation. But the arrogance and flat out stubborness of Sgt. Crowley made matters worse. Yes, police officers have a tough job to handle. But it is a job that they have chosen willingly. Police officers have the responsiblity to “protect and to serve” the citizens in their jurisdiction and beyond.

In what way did it “serve” Skip Gates to be arrested? How was Gates being “protected” by being arrested in his own home for exercising his first amendment right? Sgt. Crowley and the officers with him, thoroughly assessed Gates home (from what they could see) and Gates himself. They knew that Skip Gates didn’t pose a physical threat of any kind, so why did Sgt. Crowley feel the need to arrest him? The only threat that Skip Gates posed was that of lodging a complaint with the Cambridge police department, that would put a blemish on the otherwise stellar record of Sgt. Crowley.

I would also like to know why, and I hope President Obama ask this question too, why would Sgt. Crowley arrest a fifty-eight year old man for running his mouth in his own home? A fifty-eight year old man? A fifty-eight year old man with a sterling reputation, that can have everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Bill Cosby to the President of the United States vouch for his character? Why would a police officer arrest a fifty-eight year old man who hadn’t commited a criminal offense?

See, those are the hard questions that can only be answered tomorrow at the White House. Maybe a few beers will loose the tongue so that the truth can come out.

And…in other news, the 911 caller held a press conference of her own today. After expressing anguish and dismay at how she had been portrayed by the media and others, the 911 caller’s attorney stated that her client felt left out of the beer festivities, being that she was the catalyst of the whole Gates/Crowley/President Obama drama and wasn’t invited to throw back a few at the White House.

Huh? If I were the 911 caller, the White House beer summit would be the LAST place I’d want to be! Doesn’t she have a neighborhood to watch? LOL! Just kidding!

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT TOWN HALL

 

Broughton High School

Raleigh, North Carolina

 

 

12:05 P.M. EDT

 

 

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, North Carolina!  (Applause.)  Thank you so much.  All right, please, everybody have a seat.  I am so excited to be back in Raleigh, to be back in North Carolina.  (Applause.)  This is a community and a state that has been so good to me.  (Applause.)  And I know that part of the reason is because I travel with one of your home boys, Reggie Love.  (Applause.)  But I hope it’s more than that.

 

A couple of people I want to acknowledge very quickly.  First of all, I just want to thank Sara Coleman for the wonderful introduction.  Give her a great round of applause.  (Applause.)  She brought me a Cupcake Factory teeshirt — (laughter) — but no cupcakes.  (Laughter.)  I mean, I know I’ve been talking about health care a lot, but I think cupcakes are good for your health. (Laughter.)  So, next time.

 

I also want to acknowledge the Broughton High School Jazz Ensemble.  (Applause.)  I want to thank Gardner Taylor for the invocation — (applause) — Tom Gill for the Pledge of Allegiance — (applause) — Chelsea Cole for the National Anthem — (applause) — Del Burns, our Wake County Public Schools Superintendent.  (Applause.)

 

I want to thank Stephen Mares, the Broughton High School principal.  (Applause.)  I want to thank your own Governor, Bev Perdue, who is here.  (Applause.)  Unfortunately, Senator Kay Hagan, Senator Richard Burr, and Congressman Brad Miller can’t be here because they’re all working hard in Washington.  Give them a big round of applause.  (Applause.)

 

We also have the Raleigh Mayor, Charles Meeker, is here.  Where’s Charles?  There he is, right here.  (Applause.)  We’ve got the Speaker of the House right here.  Give them a big round of applause.  (Applause.)  I hear that the former governor, Jim Hunt, is in the hall — right?  (Applause.)

 

There are a lot of elected officials, I’m starting to get into trouble.  (Laughter.)  So I’m going to stop there and just say thank you to all of them for their outstanding service.

 

It is not only great to be back in Raleigh, it is also nice to get out of Washington.  (Laughter.)  With all the noise and the fussing and the fighting that goes on, it’s pretty easy for the voices of everyday people to get lost, and for folks to forget why they’re there.

 

So when I took office in January, I asked to receive 10 letters — to see 10 letters from people across the country every day.  They’re just selected by the mail room.  We get about 40,000 letters a day; they send me about 10 a day, and I read through them.  And some of them are heartbreaking, people talking about the tough times they’re going through; some of them are inspiring.  Most of the letters these days are about one thing, and that’s the economy.  So this is a town hall meeting, but before I take your questions, I want to spend a few minutes just talking about where we are and where we need to go on the economy.

 

I don’t know whether you’ve seen the latest cover of Newsweek magazine on the rack at the grocery store, but the cover says, “The Recession is Over.”  Now, I imagine that you might have found the news a little startling.  (Laughter.)  I know I did.  Here is what’s true.  We have stopped the freefall.  The market is up and the financial system is no longer on the verge of collapse.  (Applause.)  That’s true.  We’re losing jobs at half the rate we were when I took office six months ago.  (Applause.)  We just saw home prices rise for the first time in three years, so there’s no doubt that things have gotten better. (Applause.)

 

We may be seeing the beginning of the end of the recession.  But that’s little comfort if you’re one of the folks who have lost their job and haven’t found another.  Unemployment in North Carolina is over 10 percent today.  A lot of small businesses like Sara’s are still struggling with falling revenue and rising costs.  Health care premiums, for example, are rising twice as fast as wages, and much more for small businesses — something that I’ll talk about a little bit later.  So we know the tough times aren’t over.  But we also know that without the steps we have already taken, our troubled economy — and the pain it’s inflicting on North Carolina families — would be much worse.

 

So let’s look at the facts.  When my administration came into office, we were facing the worst economy of our lifetimes.  We were losing an average of 700,000 jobs per month.  It was nearly impossible to take out a home loan or an auto loans or a  student loan and loans for small business to buy inventory and make payroll.  And economists across the ideological spectrum — conservatives and liberals — were fearing the second coming of a Great Depression.

 

At the time, there were some who thought doing nothing was somehow an option.  I disagreed.  We knew that some action was required.  We knew that ending our immediate economic crisis would require ending the housing crisis where it began, or at least slowing down the pace of foreclosures.  That’s why we took unprecedented action to stem the spread of foreclosures by helping responsible homeowners stay in their homes and pay their mortgages.  We didn’t stop every foreclosure; wouldn’t help every single homeowner who had gotten overextended.  But folks who could make their payments with a little bit of help, we were able to keep them in their homes.

 

Ending this immediate crisis also required taking steps to avert the collapse of our financial system, which, as Federal Chairman Bernanke said the other day, was a real possibility.  Now, let me just say this about banks.  I know it didn’t seem fair to many Americans to use tax dollars to stabilize banks that took reckless risks and helped to cause this problem in the first place.  It didn’t seem fair to me, either.  And even though the bank bailout began under the previous administration, and I wasn’t always happy with the lack of accountability when it was first begun, I do believe that it was actually necessary to step in, because by unlocking frozen credit markets and opening up loans for families and businesses, we helped stop a recession from becoming a depression.  And by the way, taxpayers are already being paid back by the banks — with interest.

 

We also took steps to help a struggling auto industry emerge from a crisis largely of its own making.  Again, some folks thought, why are we doing that?  There was a strong argument to let General Motors and Chrysler go under, and I know many of you probably share that view.  And if we had been in ordinary times  – not teetering on the brink of depression — we might have exercised other options, because if you make a series of bad decisions that undermine your company’s viability, the folks back here, they probably wouldn’t get bailed out, your company wouldn’t be in business.  And many folks didn’t see why these companies should be treated any differently.  But in the midst of a recession, their collapse would have wreaked even worse havoc across our economy. 

 

So I said if GM and Chrysler were willing to do what was necessary to make themselves competitive, and if taxpayers were repaid every dime they put on the line, it was a process worth supporting.  We saved hundreds of thousands of jobs as a result. And we expect to get our money back. 

 

     Now, even as we worked to address the crisis in our banking sector, in our housing market, in our auto industry — and by the way, there was a flu that came by during that process — (laughter) — we also began attacking our economic crisis on a broader front.  Less than one month after taking office we enacted the most sweeping economic recovery package in history.  And by the way, we did so — (applause) — we did so without any earmarks or wasteful pork barrel projects, pet projects, that we’ve become accustomed to.  Not one was in there.  (Applause.)

 

     Now, there’s a lot of misinformation about the Recovery Act or the stimulus, whatever you want to call it.  So let me just lay out the facts, because I think some folks are confused.  As I was driving in, everybody was — there were some folks cheering and then were some folks with signs.  (Laughter.)  So I hope they’re paying attention, because I want to make sure everybody understands exactly what the Recovery Act was all about.

 

To date, roughly a quarter of the Recovery Act’s funding has been committed; over 30,000 projects have been approved; thousands have been posted online, as part of an effort to uphold the highest standards of transparency and accountability when it comes to our economic Recovery Act.

 

Now, the Recovery Act is divided into three parts.  And I know a lot of people think, oh, this is just blown-up government and wasting money.  Let me describe exactly where this money went, just so if your friends or neighbors talk to you, you can give them the right information. 

 

One-third of the entire Recovery Act is for tax relief for you, for families and small businesses — one-third of it.  (Applause.)  Ninety-five percent of you got a tax cut.  You may not notice it — (laughter) — because it’s appearing in your paycheck on a weekly — every time you get a paycheck, as opposed to you getting a lump sum.  Because it turned out that by spreading it out, it had more of a potential to stimulate the economy.  That’s what the economists advised us to do.  But a third of it is going to tax breaks, to individuals and small businesses.  That’s money in your pocket to buy cupcakes and other necessities of life.  (Laughter.)

 

So for Americans struggling to pay rising bills with shrinking wages, we have kept a campaign promise to put a middle class tax cut in the pockets of 95 percent of working families — that began showing up in your paycheck about three months ago.  (Applause.)  We also cut taxes for small businesses on the investments that they make.

 

So just remember this, one-third of it — if you think about the recovery, it was a little under $800 billion — a third of it went to tax cuts.  And all those folks who are complaining about growing government and all that stuff — we are actually cutting your taxes; giving your money back so you can spend it.  That’s a third.

 

Another third of the money in the Recovery Act is for emergency relief that is helping folks who’ve borne the brunt of this recession.  For Americans who were laid off, we expanded unemployment benefits — a measure that’s already made a difference for 12 million Americans.  (Applause.)  So we extended unemployment insurance; that’s made a difference in 12 million Americans, including 300,000 folks here in North Carolina who would have been cut off from unemployment insurance if we hadn’t extended it.  (Applause.) 

 

We’re making health insurance 65 percent cheaper for families who were relying on COBRA while looking for work.  (Applause.)  So let me just see a show of hands.  How many people know what COBRA is?  All right.  So you know that if you lose your job, you’re allowed to keep your health insurance by paying premiums through COBRA.  Here’s the problem:  If you’ve lost your job and your premium is $1,000 right at a time when you’ve got no job, it’s hard to come up with that money, right?  So what we did in the recovery package was to say, we’re going to give — 65 percent of those costs we will pick up so that you can keep your health insurance while you’re looking for a job.  (Applause.)

 

And for states who were facing historic budget shortfalls — I was just talking to the Governor and the Speaker.  We provided assistance that has saved the jobs of tens of thousands of teachers and police officers and firefighters.  (Applause.) 

 

     So that’s the second third.  I just want to remind everybody:  first third, tax cuts; second third was providing emergency relief to families who had lost their jobs, for their insurance, and to support them with unemployment insurance, and states that otherwise would have billions of dollars in shortfalls. 

 

Now, that’s two-thirds of the money of the Recovery Act.  And if we hadn’t put that in place, imagine the situation that people would be going through right now.  It would be a lot worse, and the states would be going through a lot tougher times, having to make cuts that they don’t want to make. 

 

     All right, so this brings us to the last third — and this is where the critics will say, okay, well maybe we agree with the tax cuts, maybe we agree with the assistance to the states and individuals, but what about that last third, all those investments?  Well, you know what, we decided that the last third should be for short-term and long-term investments that are putting people back to work, and build a stronger economy for the future.  (Applause.)  

 

     And I want you to know this money is not being wasted.  We’re seeing the results of these investments here in Raleigh and across North Carolina.  The Beltline is being resurfaced between Wake Forest Road and Wade Avenue.  (Applause.)  The Raleigh Durham Airport is renovating its runways.  (Applause.)  The City of Raleigh’s transit system is building a new operations and maintenance facility.  (Applause.)  Over 500 people are going to work as part of a summer youth work initiative.  (Applause.)  Water treatment plants are being renovated throughout the Triangle.

 

     These are the kinds of projects being launched across the country — to rebuild crumbling roads and highways and bridges and waterways — with the largest new investment in our national infrastructure since Eisenhower built the Interstate Highway System in the 1950s.  And that puts people to work right away, but it also creates a long-term, sustainable economic future.

 

Now, I know that there are some critics in Washington — maybe out there — (laughter) — they say, well, you’ve been too slow getting these projects started.  They’re saying we should have broken ground on all our highway projects on the first day. Well, that’s impossible, especially because I wanted to be sure we did our homework and invested our tax dollars only in those projects that actually created jobs and jumpstarted our economy. (Applause.) 

 

So we knew that it was going to take a few months before these projects got online.  That takes time — if you’re going to do it right.  And we’ve already eliminated wasteful projects that didn’t meet this test — because every taxpayer should have the assurance that we’re investing their hard-earned tax dollars responsibly.

 

So just remember, if somebody asks you about the stimulus or the recovery:  one-third of it is in your pocket in tax cuts; one-third of it is unemployment insurance relief, help on COBRA, and making sure that states don’t have to make cuts that would make things worse; one-third of it, investments in roads and bridges, putting people back to work.  So it will take time to achieve a complete recovery.  We’re not going to rest until anyone who’s looking for work can find a job.  (Applause.)  But there should be little debate that the steps we took, taken together, have helped stop our economic freefall.

 

That’s the story of the first six months.  It’s cost some money to do this, although I’ve got to say, when I hear critics talk about out-of-control spending, I start scratching my head.  I can’t help but remember those same critics contributed to a $1.3 trillion deficit that I inherited when I took office.  (Applause.)  I mean, seriously.  I’m now President so I’m responsible for solving it, but I do think we shouldn’t have a selective memory — (laughter) — in terms of spending habits.  You hand me a $1.3 trillion bill and then you’re complaining six months later because we haven’t paid it all back.  (Applause.) 

 

A debt, by the way, that was partially a result of two tax cuts that went primarily to the wealthiest few Americans and a Medicare drug program that wasn’t paid for.  (Applause.)  These are the same folks who are now complaining about, well, health care, we can’t afford health care.  You passed the prescription drug plan — didn’t pay for it — (applause) — handed the bill to me.

 

Now, because of that debt, a lot of people are saying we can’t go any further in tackling our problems; we definitely can’t do health care — too much debt, too big deficits.  Look, I understand the concern about debt.  I have to — I’m looking at these spreadsheets every day.  We dug ourselves a deep hole.  And because of the recovery package that we put together, that has added to it.  So we now have problems.  We’re going to have to tighten our belt.  But we can’t do it in the middle of the stimulus.  We can’t do it in the middle — just as the economy is coming out of recession.  No economist would recommend that. 

 

And I do understand people who feel like they’ve had to cut back, so why shouldn’t the government have to cut back; why start a new government program now?  So let me just explain why the health of the American people and the American economy demands health insurance reform.  I want to just explain briefly reform, what it will mean for you.  And then we’ll start taking questions.

 

     First of all, nobody is talking about some government takeover of health care.  I’m tired of hearing that.  (Applause.) I have been as clear as I can be.  Under the reform I’ve proposed, if you like your doctor, you keep your doctor.  If you like your health care plan, you keep your health care plan.  These folks need to stop scaring everybody.  (Applause.)  Nobody is talking about you forcing — to have to change your plans. 

 

     But if you’re one of the 46 [million] Americans who don’t have coverage today, or you’ve got that coverage where you got a $10,000 deductible, so it’s basically house insurance, it’s not health insurance — (laughter) — you pay the premiums so you won’t lose your house if you get hit by a bus, heaven forbid — then you’ll finally be able to get quality, affordable coverage.

 

     But what a lot of chatter out there hasn’t focused on is the fact that if you’ve got health insurance, then the reform we’re proposing will also help you because it will provide you more stability and more security.  Because the truth is we have a system today that works well for the insurance industry, but it doesn’t always work well for you.  (Applause.)  So what we need, and what we will have when we pass these reforms, are health insurance consumer protections to make sure that those who have insurance are treated fairly and insurance companies are held accountable.

 

     Let me be specific.  We will stop insurance companies from denying you coverage because of your medical history.  (Applause.)  I’ve told this story before — I will never forget watching my own mother, as she fought cancer in her final days, worrying about whether her insurer would claim her illness was a preexisting condition so they could wiggle out of paying for her coverage.  How many of you have worried about the same thing?  (Applause.)  A lot of people have gone through this.  Many of you have been denied insurance or heard of someone who was denied insurance because they got — had a preexisting condition.  That will no longer be allowed with reform.  (Applause.)  We won’t allow that.  (Applause.)  We won’t allow that.

 

With reform, insurance companies will have to abide by a yearly cap on how much you can be charged for your out-of-pocket expenses.  No one in America should go broke because of an illness.  (Applause.)

 

We will require insurance companies to cover routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies  — (applause) — eye and foot exams for diabetics, so we can avoid chronic illnesses that cost not only lives, but money.  (Applause.)

 

No longer will insurance companies be allowed to drop or water down coverage for someone who’s become seriously ill. That’s not right, it’s not fair.  (Applause.)  We will stop insurance companies from placing arbitrary caps on the coverage you can receive in a given year or in a lifetime.  (Applause.)

 

So my point is, whether or not you have health insurance right now, the reforms we seek will bring stability and security that you don’t have today — reforms that will become more urgent and more urgent with each passing year.

 

So, in the end, the debate about reform boils down to a choice between two approaches.  The first is projected to double your health care costs over the next decade, make millions more Americans uninsured, bankrupt state and federal governments, and allow insurance companies to run roughshod over consumers.  That’s one option.  That’s called the status quo.  That’s what we have right now. 

 

I want everybody to understand this.  If we do nothing, I can almost guarantee you your premiums will double over the next 10 years because that’s what they did over the last 10 years.  It will go up three times faster than your wages, so a bigger and bigger chunk of your paycheck will be going into health insurance.  It will eat into the possibility of you getting a raise on your job because your employer is going to be looking and saying, I can’t afford to give you a raise because my health care costs just went up 10, 20, 30 percent.  And Medicare, which seniors rely on, is going to become more and more vulnerable.  On current projections, Medicare will be in the red in less than 10 years.

 

So that’s the status quo.  When everybody goes around saying, why is Obama taking on health care — that’s the answer. That’s one option.  I don’t like that option.  You shouldn’t either.  (Applause.)  That plan doesn’t sound too good.  That’s the health care system we have right now. 

 

So we can either continue with that approach, or we can choose another approach, one that will gradually bring costs down; will improve quality and affordability for every American when it comes to their health care; and will help get our exploding deficits under control.  That’s the health care system we can bring about with reform.

 

So back in Washington, there’s been a lot of talk about the politics of health care and who’s up and who’s down, and what it will mean for my party if this — will my presidency be damaged severely if we don’t pass health care.  I keep on saying to people, I’ve got health care.  (Laughter.)  This is not for me.  (Applause.)

 

Here in North Carolina you know this isn’t about politics.  This is about people’s lives.  This is about people’s businesses. This is about the future.  (Applause.)  I want our children and our grandchildren to look back and say this is when we decided to take the politics out of it and start doing something for the future of this country.  (Applause.)

 

I’m going to need your help, Raleigh, let’s go do it.  (Applause.)

 

Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you very much.  All right.  I was getting fired up there at the end.  (Laughter.)  Okay.  So this is the town hall portion.

 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible.)

 

THE PRESIDENT:  Sorry, I can’t hear you, sir.  Sir, I’ll be happy to take your question, but — all right, I’ll be happy to take your question, but maybe let’s do it in an orderly fashion. Thank you, sir, we appreciate you.

 

Where was I?  Here’s what we’re going to do.  We’re going to go girl-boy-girl-boy — (laughter) — we’re going to go around the room.  I’m going to try to take as many questions as I can.  If you can keep your answers short — or your questions short, I’ll try to keep my answers short.  And just raise your hand — I won’t be able to get to everybody.  There are people with microphones in the audience, so if you can wait until somebody with a microphone finds you, that way we’ll be able to hear your questions.  People with the microphones, can you wave, just so I can see you?  All right, there they are.

 

All right, so I said girl-boy-girl-boy — we’ll start with this young lady right here.  She’s coming with the microphone — the one in the white blouse.  And please introduce yourself if you don’t mind.  Why don’t you stand up so everybody can see you.

 

Q    Okay.  I’m so honored to be here and thank you for taking my question first.  Well, I’m really nervous.  I guess I want to ask –

 

THE PRESIDENT:  What’s your name?

 

Q    My name is Kim.

 

THE PRESIDENT:  Hey, Kim.

 

Q    And I’m here from the Chapel Hill area.

 

THE PRESIDENT:  Great.

 

Q    As the wife of a family physician, we see people not only coming into that specialty less and less often, but also leaving that specialty because it’s so, so hard as a young family to make that work — long hours, not great reimbursement, not great pay, with huge amounts of debt when you come out of medical school.  So what are you thinking of to entice more people to come into that speciality?  Because you can insure every person in America and if there’s not a physician there to see that person you still don’t have health care.  So what are you going to do to entice people to come — (applause.)

 

THE PRESIDENT:  This is a great question.  Just so everybody understands what we’re talking about here, it used to be that the most common type of doctor was the family physician.  You’d go in and they knew you and they knew your family.  And every once in a while you’d go to a specialist, but basically you were dealing with a family doctor.  Increasingly, the economics of being a primary care physician or a family doctor is a bad deal for a lot of medical students, because they come out with hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. 

 

But it turns out that a primary care physician, as Kim just pointed out, their reimbursement rates are lower; the system doesn’t reimburse for things like preventive care.  If they stop one of their patients from smoking, they don’t get reimbursed for that.  But they do get reimbursed if they’re a surgeon and they have to open up somebody’s chest.  Now, actually that first part of it is probably more valuable to the person’s health and to the society as a whole, but if it’s not rewarded, then fewer and fewer people go into that branch of medicine. 

 

     If we pass health reform — when we pass health reform — then what we’re going to — (applause) — and more people now have access to the system, it is going to be vital that we increase the number of primary care physicians. 

 

The best way for us to do it is twofold:  One is to change how we reimburse; changes in the delivery system.  So what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to say, in all these systems, insurance companies, they should reimburse for preventive care.  If a health system is making sure that a diabetic is taking their meds or monitoring their diet, they should get reimbursed for that, not just getting reimbursed for the $30,000 foot amputation after somebody gets into real medical trouble.  So one thing to do is to change reimbursement so that the incomes of primary care physicians are more comparable with specialists.

 

     The second thing is to provide scholarships and financial incentives for young medical students who are willing to go into the primary care field.  If you combine those two things — (applause) — if we combine those two things, then we can change I think the incentives for a lot of doctors so that we get more and more primary care physicians.

 

     All right?  Okay.  It’s a man’s turn.  This gentleman right here.  We’ve got to find a mic for you.

 

     Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  My brother is — he has a family of four and two children.  His daughter is a disabled child — MS — and he receives Medicaid.  He managed — he works a job — he managed to save $3,000, and at this point Medicaid stopped all benefits helping him.  And I want to know, does your health care plan include reforms for the Medicaid system and these kind of injustices?  (Applause.)

 

     THE PRESIDENT:  We have reforms for Medicare and Medicaid in terms of the delivery system.  Now, what you’re referring to is benefit levels and how they’re calculated, and that has not been the central focus of the reform initiatives we’ve been putting forward.  We’re going to have to examine some of those benefit mechanisms.  I have to tell you, though, it’s always a little bit tricky because, on the one hand, you’re right that your brother should be able to save up some money for emergencies or for a college fund or what have you, and not suddenly lose all their — the Medicaid benefits.  On the other hand, we’ve got to make sure that Medicaid isn’t used by people who could afford to pay for health care themselves.  So trying to find that balance is always difficult. 

 

     Without looking at your brother’s particular situation, I could not tell you exactly what needs to be done to modify it.  But I do think that under Medicaid and Medicare, we can make the system more efficient, and we can encourage better practices that will reduce the cost overall, so that would reduce cost for taxpayers and reduce cost for your brother.  And that is a goal, I think, that is a win-win for everybody.  It’s not going to solve all these problems but it’s important. 

 

     Okay, I’m going to turn back to one of these small businesses.  It’s a lady’s turn, though, sorry.  (Laughter.)  So we got one right here.

 

     Q    Mr. President, is this on?

 

     THE PRESIDENT:  Yes.

 

     Q    My name is Patty Briguglio.  I own a company called MMI Public Relations.  I have 20 employees and I provide health care benefits for them.  And so I wouldn’t blow it, I’ve written down my question.  What current long-term social program created and run by the government should we look to as a model of success and one that we as taxpayers should be confident that a new government-run health care system would be better than the current system in place?  In other words, what are you going to do differently?

 

     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, let me say this.  Just in the health care arena, I point to two areas:  Medicare and the VA are both government-run health care programs that have very high satisfaction rates.  Generally, if you look at surveys, they have actually very high satisfaction rates.

 

     Now, the VA, because it’s a self-contained system, meaning that people see patients year after year because they’re not — it’s not dependent on what job they have — they can actually do some things in terms of prevention and wellness and some of the things that I just talked about that have helped to lower their costs and improve quality of care in a pretty impressive way.

 

     Medicare is a different situation because seniors really like Medicare generally, they appreciate the security that it provides.  And by the way, we’re in the 44th anniversary of the passage of Medicare.  Prior to that, senior citizens were extraordinarily vulnerable.  And so it is a successful program.

 

     The problem with Medicare is the same problem that we have with the health care system generally, which is health care inflation has driven costs up.  That’s not unique to Medicare.  In fact, this is something that’s important to know — that health care inflation under Medicare has actually gone down at a — has actually increased at a lower rate than in the private sector, all right?

 

     So let me repeat what I just said, because everybody always says, well, government can’t run anything.  Medicare costs have gone up more slowly than health care costs in the private sector. So the private insurance that you’re getting, you have actually seen your premiums go up faster than Medicare has cost taxpayers, even though seniors have high satisfaction rates with Medicare. 

 

Now, having said all that, it’s all relative.  Medicare still needs to be a lot better and more efficient.  And there are examples of how we can make the entire health care system more efficient.  We know where these examples are — the Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland Clinic, Geisinger, Kaiser Permanente — there are health systems around the country that actually have costs that are as much as 20 or 30 percent lower than the national average and have higher quality.

 

     And so the question is, why is that?  What is it that they’re doing differently than other systems?  And there are some patterns that start coming into place.  For example, number one is that they have a patient-focused practice where instead of worrying about how they’re billing — so how many tests they’re ordering or how many procedures they’re ordering — all they’re focused on is the patient.  And part of what helps is their doctors are all on salaries so they don’t even know what the economics of any decisions that they’re making are.

 

     Then it turns out you also have a group practice so that when you come in, the family physician, your primary care physician, has already coordinated with all the specialists.  So instead of having to go to four different doctors and four different tests, you go take one trip and you see all of them all at once, and they all help diagnose you and coordinate your care throughout the process.

 

     They’ve got health information technologies so that when you take a test, it actually gets forwarded to the next doctor and the next doctor and to the nurse and the pharmacist, so that there aren’t any errors.  (Applause.)  So there are a whole range of practical things that they’re doing that are improving quality and lowering costs at the same time.

 

Now, there’s no reason that we can’t duplicate that in both private and public settings across the board.  But in order to do that we’re going to have to change how we reimburse for exams.  So we’ve got to say to doctors and hospitals, we’re not going to reimburse you for the number of tests you provided — we’re going to reimburse you instead for the quality of the outcome.

 

Here’s another example.  Right now we just reimburse hospitals no matter how many times they readmit you.  Now, if you took your car to the shop and they fixed it, or you thought they fixed it, and then two, three weeks later you go back in and they’re having to do the same thing, you wouldn’t feel good about paying twice for the exact same thing that you thought had been fixed.  But under Medicare there is no penalty to hospitals for having very high readmission rates compared to their peers.

So those are the kinds of things that can be changed.

 

Now, your broader question may just be:  I don’t have confidence in government.  But as I pointed out — I just want to go back to my original point, Medicare costs have gone up more slowly than private sector health care costs.  That is documented.

 

Q    Sorry, you do say that we know Medicare has this problem, that they’re paying for readmittance.  Why don’t we reform that now?  That’s a government program.  Why are we allowing that?

 

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s exactly what I want to reform.  (Applause.)  No, no, maybe I’m just — I don’t understand your question.  That’s exactly the changes that we want to make.  Those are exactly the changes that we want to make.  That’s what we’re proposing. 

 

And what happens when we propose that is, then people start trying to scare you by saying — I mean, I’ve got seniors right now who are writing to me — let me address the seniors in the audience — I’ve been getting letters, people saying, I hear that you’re going to take my Medicare away.  I’ve received letters that say, I don’t want a government-run program, I don’t want socialized medicine, and by the way don’t touch my Medicare.  (Laughter.)  No, I do. 

 

     Because what’s happened is, in this debate, on the one hand, people are worried about change — they’re nervous that even though they may not be satisfied with what they have, what we create might be worse; and every proposal that you make, it’s very easy to use scare tactics to make people think that you’re going to lose your Medicare, we’re going to ration your care, et cetera — this is going to cost way too much. 

 

     And so part of my job is just to try to get the facts in front of people.  I want to make these reforms that you just talked about as part of the overall change in health care.  And by the way — here’s an important point — you’ve been hearing these figures that say, it’s going to cost a trillion dollars for this new health care program.  So then of course people think, well, we can’t afford that; a trillion dollars, that’s a lot of money.  First of all, just to keep it in perspective, that’s a lot less than we spend on the war on Iraq, but that’s — (applause) — but it’s still a lot of money.  Two-thirds of the cost to cover everybody in America — two-thirds of it could actually be paid for by money that’s already in the health care system that taxpayers are paying that’s being wasted. 

 

     So let me give you an example:  $177 billion over 10 years is spent on subsidies to insurance companies under something called Medicare Advantage.  There’s no showing that seniors are healthier using Medicare Advantage than using regular Medicare, but taxpayers, you fork over an additional $177 billion to them over 10 years.  You take that out, that right there helps pay for millions of people who could get coverage.

 

So we’ve already identified $500 billion to $600 billion worth of savings that are already being spent by taxpayers that would help pay for the reforms that we’re talking about.  (Applause.)  But you wouldn’t know that from watching the news.  And by the way, that — so a trillion dollars is over 10 years, so that’s $100 billion a year — $600 billion of it already paid for by money that you’re already using — that’s already being used, but just not used wisely in the health care system.  That’s what we’re talking about.  And for that we can have 40 million people who don’t have health insurance getting health insurance.

 

And small businesses, you’re already paying health insurance — so you’re already paying; you would get a tax credit — we’re putting $43 billion on the table to help reduce your costs directly, for your care.  (Applause.)  So 95 percent of small businesses would benefit from subsidies if they’re already providing health insurance for their employees. 

 

And if they’re not providing health insurance for their employees — the problem is small businesses typically have a much tougher time getting health insurance and they pay higher premiums because you’ve got a smaller pool.  You’re only 20 people — it’s not like some big Fortune 500 company with a thousand people, they can drive a harder bargain.  You’ll be able now to join and access health care through a health care exchange that we set up so that you’re able to be part of a pool that can leverage lower prices.  (Applause.)

 

This is not something that is impossible to do, but we’ve got to overcome the understandable skepticism that somehow Washington can never get anything right.  I mean, that’s the biggest challenge we have right now, is just people sort of generally have skepticism about Washington.  And I — look, I understand that.  That’s why I ran for President, because I was skeptical about what was happening in Washington.  (Applause.)

 

     All right, it’s a man’s turn.  This gentleman right up in front here.  He’s got a — he looks quite popular.  Everybody was pointing at him.

 

     Q    Thank you very much, Mr. President.  My name is Bill Purcell.  I’m one of those primary care doctors you were talking about, a pediatrician.  I also have a little job in the North Carolina Senate.  (Laughter.)  But I can see in my practice a patient and make a correct diagnosis and prescribe the right medicine, but if a patient can’t afford the medicine, they don’t get treatment.  What can we do about the high cost of prescription drugs in America?  (Applause.)

 

     THE PRESIDENT:  Since I gave a very long answer on the last one, I’ll try to keep this one short.  We pay 77 percent more for prescription drugs in America than any other country does — 77 percent more than any other country.  Now, if you talk to the pharmaceutical industry, they’ll say, well, a lot of the research and development is done in this country, and that’s how we’re developing the great new drugs.  That accounts for maybe 20 to 30 percent of the difference in the cost.  The rest of it has to do with marketing.  It has to do with the fact that basically the pharmaceutical industry can get away with it. 

 

And what happened when the prescription drug bill was passed several years ago under Medicare, they specifically prohibited you — they prohibited Medicare from negotiating with the drug companies for the cheapest available price on drugs; specifically said you cannot negotiate.  So what we’ve said is, in this reform process, we are going to turn that around.  (Applause.) 

 

And to the pharmaceutical industry’s credit, they have sat down and started negotiating and they’ve already said — they’ve already put $80 billion in deep discounts and rebates on the table that would help to close the so-called doughnut hole that a lot of seniors are suffering under Medicare.  They’ve already committed to that.  That would cut the costs of the doughnut hole in about half.  So that’s a significant savings.  I think we can obtain more savings. 

 

     One other thing that’s being debated right now on Capitol Hill, though, that people need to keep an eye on — one of the way to lower prescription drug costs is to move to generics.  And the problem right now is, is that the drug companies want, after they’ve come up with a drug, they want to keep that patent for 12 years.  And there’s a debate about can we lower that to seven years before it goes generic so that people can enjoy lower prices on those drugs. 

 

     Those are some of the debates that will be taking place alongside the health care reform debate.  But overall, there’s no reason why we should not be able to at least pay in the ballpark of what other countries are paying for the exact same drug, and that will be a major focus in this health care reform legislation.  (Applause.)

 

     All right.  It’s a woman’s turn — young lady right there who’s on the rail.

 

     Q    Good afternoon, Mr. President.

 

     THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon.

 

     Q    First I wanted to thank you for your Supreme Court nomination — I mean, appointment.  (Applause.)

 

     THE PRESIDENT:  She’s going to do well.

 

     Q    And all the hard work that you’ve been doing on the economy and with the health care reform.  (Applause.)  I had the opportunity with my family last year to meet you in Bristol, Virginia.  My father gave you the cane to help you out doing the health care reform.  But my current question is, I consider myself an average American.  I worked for a corporate 500 company for 25 years and been unemployed for the past two years.  And I prepared to teach mathematics in the middle school system in my hometown in Virginia, which I haven’t gotten the opportunity to do that yet, but I volunteered in the school system and on your campaign.  So my question is, I believe that most average Americans are for the health reform, but they are afraid of change.  So what — what would you say to the average American, what do you believe the impact or the cost impact is for the average person that needs health care?

 

     THE PRESIDENT:  All right.  If you already have health care, if you’ve already got health insurance, then I can’t guarantee that immediately you’ll have — your premiums will go — be cut in half, but what I can guarantee is, is that your costs will be lower than if we don’t have reform.  I believe that strongly.

 

     So if we can just get to the point where your premiums are going up as fast or your wages or your profits or your income, that would be a pretty good deal.  Most people would take that.  And I think that we can start bending the curve on our costs. 

 

I can definitely guarantee, if you’ve already got health insurance, that you won’t be barred from getting health insurance because of a preexisting condition; you won’t lose your health insurance if you change jobs or you lose your job; you’ll have more security in the health insurance that you have than you do now.  That will be written into the legislation.  That will be part of the overall reform process.

    

     I can also say with some certainty that if we pass this health care reform proposal, that not only will millions of Americans who don’t have health insurance be getting insurance, but it will be much easier for small business owners to provide health insurance for their employees and to get health insurance for themselves — because a lot of small businesses, it’s not just a matter of getting insurance for your employees, it’s also just finding insurance yourself.  If you’re self-employed, good luck trying to find insurance right now.  And by being able to buy it through a health insurance exchange, you will then be part of a broader group that has leverage over the insurance companies and will be able to get a better deal for you.

 

So bottom line is your costs certainly will not go up and they very well could go down, depending on the kind of insurance that you have right now.  And if you’ve got health insurance we’re not going to ask you to change it.

 

Now, it is true — just full disclosure here — remember I said two-thirds of this can be paid for through savings in the system already.  If we’re going to cover everybody, then we’ve still got to pay for that one-third.  And that’s not an inconsequential amount.  That’s somewhere around $30 billion a year over the next 10 years.  And there are a bunch of different ways of paying for it. 

 

I’ve suggested that we could pay for it just by reducing the itemized deductions for people who make over $250,000 a year, like myself.  And that right there would — that would pay for it.  There are other suggestions that are out there and we are still debating those in Washington.  The one thing that I’ve said is we’re not going have middle-class folks bear that burden — they can’t afford it right now.  (Applause.)

 

So for the average American, you stand to gain significantly if you don’t have health insurance.  If you do have health insurance, you will have more security.  And if you’re a small business, you will be in a better position to provide health insurance for yourself and your employees over the long term.

 

All right, I’ve got time for one more question.  And this gentleman right here has been waiting a long time.

 

Q    How are you doing, Mr. President?

 

THE PRESIDENT:  Good.

 

Q    Thank you for everything you’re doing — from my heart.  (Applause.)

 

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.

 

Q    This is more a political question than a technical question.  I wondered — I hear a lot, especially the opposition, complaining that they don’t have time to read these thousands of pages in your health care plan.  And I was wondering, on the one hand, we’ve been in this — all this has existed for a long time; what difference does a couple of months, so we allow them to read it?  And we just, you know, we just don’t hear that anymore.

 

THE PRESIDENT:  Good.  Well, let me just say this about sort of the politics of health care reform. 

 

     First of all, this bill, even in the best-case scenario, will not be signed — we won’t even vote on it probably until the end of September or the middle of October.  We’re just trying to get it — all these different bills out of committee.  So that means that any one of these senators, if they want to take this bill home with them during the August recess, they would have more than enough time to read it.  (Applause.)

 

     So, second point:  We’ve been debating this for 40 years now.  So some of the folks — some of the folks sincerely want to get it right, and we want to give them enough time to get it right.  We don’t want to just do it quickly, we want to do it right.  But some folks specifically said on the other side, the more we can delay, the better chance we have of killing the bill — because what happens in Washington is the longer it takes, the more the special interests can start getting in there and trying to knock it down.  But –

 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible.)

 

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we did give them a deadline and sort of we missed that deadline, but that’s okay. 

 

     We are — here is my promise — and by the way, I’ve been keeping my promises since I got into office.  (Applause.)  We will not sign — I will not sign a health care bill that is not deficit-neutral, that is not paid for; I will not sign a bill that does not have all the reforms that we need to lower health care inflation over the long term.  We will not sign a bill that isn’t right for the American people.  (Applause.)

 

     AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible.)  

 

THE PRESIDENT:  I’m for the public option.  (Applause.) 

 

So I just want everybody to know, Congress will have time to read the bill.  They will have time to debate the bill.  They will have all of August to review the various legislative proposals.  When we come back in September, I will be available to answer any question that members of Congress have.  If they want to come over to the White House and go over line by line what’s going on, I will be happy to do that.  (Applause.)

 

     We are not trying to hide the ball here.  We’re trying to get this done.  But the American people can’t wait any longer.  (Applause.)  They want action this year.  I want action this year.  And with your help, we’re going to make it happen, North Carolina. 

 

     Thank you very much, everybody.  God bless you.  (Applause.)

Remarks of President Barack Obama – As Prepared for Delivery

Town Hall in Bristol, Virginia

July 29, 2009

 

Thank you, Jay, for that generous introduction. 

 

I also want to give a special shout-out to my friend and your congressman, Rick Boucher, even if he couldn’t join us today.  He was an early supporter of my campaign, he’s an important voice in our fight for health insurance reform, and he’s a leader in guaranteeing that clean coal has a future as an energy source that fuels thousands of jobs here and across the country.

 

It is great to be back in Bristol and back in Virginia, a state that’s been so good to me.  This is the first town I visited during the general election campaign.  This is where change began.  And that’s why I’ve come back – to talk with you about what we’re doing to deliver on that change.  I won’t talk too long, because I’m looking forward to taking your questions – and because Michelle’s probably going to e-mail me to pick up a gallon of milk on the way home.

 

Now, I don’t know whether you’ve seen the cover of the latest Newsweek magazine on the rack here at Kroger; but the cover says, “The Recession is Over.”

 

I bet you found that news a little startling.  I know I did.  Now, it’s true that we’ve stopped the freefall.  The market is up, and the financial system is no longer on the verge of collapse.  We’re losing jobs at nearly half the rate we were when I took office six months ago.

So, we may be seeing the beginning of the end of the recession.  But that’s little comfort if you’re one of the folks who have lost their job, and haven’t found another.  Virginia is weathering this recession better than most states, thanks to the leadership of my friend Tim Kaine, but unemployment here is now over 7 percent, and too many Virginia families are being crushed by health care premiums that have doubled over the past nine years – something I’ll address in a minute.

 

So, we know the tough times aren’t over. But we also know that without the steps we have already taken, our troubled economy – and the pain it’s inflicting on Virginia’s families – would be much worse.

 

Let’s look at the facts.

 

When my administration came into office, we were facing the worst economy of our lifetimes.  We were losing an average of 700,000 jobs per month.  It was nearly impossible to take out home loans, auto loans, student loans, and loans for small businesses to buy inventory and make payroll. And economists across the ideological spectrum feared a second-coming of the Great Depression.

 

At the time, there were some who thought doing nothing was somehow an option. But we knew that what was required was action.  So we took steps to end our housing crisis and avert the collapse of our financial system.  And less than one month after taking office, we enacted the most sweeping recovery package in history – and we did so without any of the earmarks that waste tax dollars on pet projects.

 

Now, there’s a lot of misinformation out there about the Recovery Act, so here are the facts.  To date, roughly a quarter of the recovery plan’s funding has been committed, over 30,000 projects have been approved, and thousands have been posted online, as part of an effort to uphold the highest standards of transparency and accountability when it comes to our economic recovery.

 

The Recovery Act is divided into three parts.  One-third of the money is for tax relief that is going to families and small businesses. For Americans struggling to pay rising bills with shrinking wages, we have kept a promise I made to you last year and put a middle class tax cut in the pocket of 95 percent of working families – a tax cut that began showing up in the paychecks of 2.9 million Virginia households about three months ago.  We also cut taxes for small businesses on the investments they make.

 

Another third of the money in the Recovery Act is for emergency relief that is helping folks who have borne the brunt of this recession.

 

For Americans who were laid off, we expanded unemployment benefits – a measure that has already made a difference for 12 million Americans, including roughly 150,000 folks in Virginia.  We are making health insurance 65 percent cheaper for families relying on COBRA while looking for work.  And we provided assistance to states facing historic budget shortfalls, saving jobs and protecting essential services.  In Virginia, that means 13,000 staff are still working in your children’s schools; more than 300 deputy sheriffs are still keeping your communities safe, and state colleges and universities like Virginia Tech haven’t had to raise tuition as much as they otherwise would.

 

The last third of the Recovery Act is for short-term and long-term investments that are putting people back to work and building a stronger economy for the future.  We are already seeing the results of these investments, including upgrades to community health centers across Southwestern Virginia and right here in Bristol, allowing them to serve more patients in need of health care.  And all across Virginia and this country, we’re rebuilding our crumbling roads, highways, and bridges as part of the largest new investment in America’s infrastructure since Eisenhower built the Interstate Highway System in the 1950s.

 

So, it will take time to achieve a complete recovery, and we will not rest until anyone who’s looking for work can find a job.  But there is little debate that the steps we have taken in the first six months have helped stop our economic freefall.

 

It has cost some money to do all this, although when I hear critics talk about out-of-control spending, I can’t help but remember that those same critics contributed to the $1.3 trillion deficit we inherited when I took office – a debt that’s partially a result of two tax cuts that went primarily to the wealthiest few Americans and a Medicare drug program, none of which was paid for. 

 

Now, because of that debt, a lot of people are saying we can’t go any further in tackling our problems, and we especially can’t do health care.  I understand people feel like they have had to cut back, so why do a new government program now?  So, I want to explain why the health of America’s people and America’s economy demand health insurance reform.

 

But before I do, I just want to report some good news.  A key committee of Congress, the Energy and Commerce Committee, reached an agreement on a version of the health insurance plan today. This comes after weeks of tough negotiations, and I commend them for taking this step forward. Because they did, we are a little closer to enacting health insurance reform in America.

 

And here’s what reform will mean for you.  First of all, no one is talking about some government takeover of health care.  Under the reform I’ve proposed, if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.  If you like your health care plan, you can keep it – and that applies to all of you here at Kroger, too.  If you’re one of the 46 million Americans who don’t have coverage today, you will finally be able to get quality, affordable coverage. 

 

But what a lot of the chatter out there hasn’t focused on is the fact that if you’re an American who already has health insurance, the reform we’re proposing will provide you with more stability and security.  Because the truth is, we have a system today that works well for the insurance industry, but it doesn’t always work well for you.  What we need, and what we will have when we pass these reforms, are health insurance consumer protections to make sure that those who have insurance are treated fairly and insurance companies are held accountable.

 

Let me be specific.  We will stop insurance companies from denying you coverage because of your medical history.  I will never forget watching my own mother, as she fought cancer in her final days, worrying about whether her insurer would claim her illness was a preexisting condition so it could get out of providing coverage. And I bet many of you have probably heard of someone who was denied insurance because they have a pre-existing condition.  That will no longer be allowed.

 

With reform, insurance companies will have to abide by a yearly cap on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses.  No one in America should go broke because of illness.

 

We will require insurance companies to cover routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms, colonoscopies, or eye and foot exams for diabetics, so we can avoid chronic illnesses that cost not only lives, but money.

 

No longer will insurance companies be allowed to drop or water down coverage for someone who has become seriously ill. That’s not right and it’s not fair.

 

And we will stop insurance companies from placing arbitrary caps on the coverage you can receive in a given year or in a lifetime. Whether or not you have health insurance right now, the reforms we seek will bring stability and security that you don’t have today – reforms that become more urgent and more urgent with each passing year.

 

Back in Washington, there’s been a lot of talk recently about the politics of health care; about who’s up and who’s down; and what it will mean for my party or this presidency if health insurance reform is passed or defeated. But here in Virginia, you know this isn’t about politics. This is about people’s lives. This is about people’s businesses. This is about our future.

 

That’s why I’m confident we’re going to get this done – because of you.  That’s why I believe we’re going to come together and seize this moment – with your help.  That’s why I know that this is the year we’re going to finally pass health insurance reform for all Americans; and build a stronger, more prosperous, more hopeful future for the United States of America.

 

 

##

Former Alaskan governor and GOP vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, held a second press conference to clear up the confusing and down right baffling exit speech she made on Friday. Taking pot-shots at the media and Hollywood, Palin delivered an eight minute speech which basically contained more proof of why her critics are laughing their heads off nd David Letterman’s ratings are up.

At Monday’s press conference, Sarah Palin attempted to enlighten the public as to what she meant by all of those wild life metaphors and sports lingo:

“It’s come to my attention that some of my critics, mainly out-of-touch members of the media elite who don’t follow basketball, were confused when I mentioned being a point guard and the full-court press that was being applied here,” said Palin. “Let me state my reasons (for resigning as governor of Alaska) in plain English. Without my sports analogies; I’m resigning because I feel I can be a more effective leader operating from the sidelines. I’m no bench warmer.” Huh?

Palin continues in response to the reports that her first conference was eight minutes in length:

“Sometimes I prefer making speeches without breathing at all. I’m an avid runner and depriving my brain of oxygen sorta feels like having a runner’s high. Plus, I know the First Dude will catch me should I get dizzy. He’s a deacon at our Pentecostal church and has lots of practice catching fainters who have had demons exorcised.”

Okay. Now all of you Sarah Palin supporters admit it. You’re shaking your head in disbelief. Why? Could you really be that shocked? Palin dropped a whole bunch of clues during the last two full weeks of election season that something is not quite stirring properly upstairs.

Why, Oh, Why did Senator John McCain do this to us? Well, in his defense, how could he have truly known the extent of Sarah Palin’s shallowness and capacity for the nonsensical? America couldn’t have completely fathom it because the McCain campaign machine was writing all of Palin’s speeches and coaching her on what to say and how to conduct herself. Now, it appears that America is going to have suffer a little while longer. Sarah Palin has furnished so much comedic material that comedians will be writing jokes for like…FOREVER!

Oh, and Sarah Palin is more than determined that we get true depth of her first TWO press conferences by scheduling a THIRD, to be held on Thursday, according to her publicist Peg Mapleton. The third conference will “clear up any confusion surrounding thee second press press conference since there are still a few lingering questions about what she (Sarah Palin) said in her first conference.”

Here’s a question: When will this nightmare, better known as Sarah Palin’s publicity strategy to keep herself in the public eye until 2011-12,  end and die in obscurity as originally scheduled for November 5, 2008? When, When, WHEN?

New York Times best-selling author E. Lynn Harris died Friday, July 24, 2009 at Cedar-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. He was 54. Harris’ health had deteriorated in recent days according to his personal assistant. E. Lynn Harris was on a west coast book tour for his recent novel, “Basketball Jones.”

E. Lynn Harris has the distinction of writing powerful novels with strong characters and plot lines. He is also famous for chronicling the closeted lives of gay African American men; being the first to bring the discussion to the table about men on the “dl” or downlow. Harris covered this subject at length in his novels “Invisible Life,” ” Just As I Am” and “Abide With Me.” Before JL King sat on Oprah’s couch and introduced middle America to the “new” phenom of downlow men, E. Lynn Harris had already topped the bestselling charts with his novels that featured and inside glance into the world that has fascinated some.

Not wanting to be pigeon-holed as a “gay” novelist, E. Lynn Harris crafted novels that covered various subjects. “I Say A Little Prayer,” and “Any Way The Wind Blows” are just two of Harris’ novels that featured strong African American women with stories to tell that were quite powerful. Then, E. Lynn Harris sat down and wrote the most honestly moving memoir to hit shelves titled “What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted.” Harris relived his painful childhood memories about being abused by a parent, lonliness, heartache and suicide attempts. E. Lynn Harris threw open the door of his heart and let every emotion he had fall out onto the pages of his memoir.

E. Lynn Harris has the distinction of being one of the greatest and biggest selling African American author ever. What an achievement for an author who got his start selling his self-published novel out of the trunk of his car after being rejected numerous times by major publishing houses!

E. Lynn Harris…you will be missed. It was an honor getting to know you through your fascinating way of story-telling!

The fallout from President Barack Obama’s comments about the arrest of Harvard professor and noted African American scholar Dr. Henry Louis Gates just continues to pile out. GOP politicians and even some Democrates are speaking rather strongly against the wisdom of the President acknowledging the wrongful arrest of Dr. Gates.

It is laughable that a discussion of this sort is taking place! Dr. Henry Louis Gates is the victim of an over zealous police officer trying to wield his authority over a powerless middle aged, defenseless man. And now we’ll throw in the other most important half of this equation: an African American man. President Obama was asked a question regarding how he felt about his friend being harassed by the police and gave an honest answer. Maybe it is the in your face honesty that President Obama is really guilty of. America hasn’t experienced staright talk since the nineties. And that is even questionable.

No one expected the President to comment about the Dr. Gates’ incident and nobody thought that a sitting President would call a law enforcement official “stupid” in a public forum, but who else thought the exact same thing after learning the facts of the case? How many African Americans in this country repeated the same sentiment to loved ones or friends? But since President Obama is the President, the argument is that he should have side-stepped or tap-danced around his true feelings on the subject.

Americans are so used to having reality twisted, distorted and spoon fed to them, that upon hearing truth spoken, by a political entity no less, we reject it! We’d prefer a Paula Abdul commentary as opposed to a Simon Cowell critique. Thursday on “Nightline,” President Obama said that he stands behind his comments:

“I have to say I am surprised by the controversy surrounding my statement, because I think it was a pretty straightforward commentary that you probably don’t need to handcuff a guy, a middle-aged man who uses a cane, who’s in his own home.  I think that I have extraordinary respect for the difficulties of the job that police officers do and my suspicion is that words were exchanged between the police officer and Mr. Gates and that everybody should have just settled down and cooler heads should have prevailed. That’s my suspicion. It doesn’t make sense to arrest a guy in his own home if he’s not causing a serious disturbance.”

Our thoughts exactly, Mr. President. Bravo! Oh, and by the way, how many African American men were stopped today by the police for DWB? What’s that? Driving While Black. If you don’t know, you’d better ask somebody! Racial profiling is alive and well in America.

And for those of you who are wondering what the big deal is, perhaps try being Black for a day!

Remarks of President Barack Obama—As Prepared for Delivery

News Conference

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Washington, DC

 

 

Good evening.  Before I take your questions, I want to talk for a few minutes about the progress we’re making on health insurance reform and where it fits into our broader economic strategy.

 

Six months ago, I took office amid the worst recession in half a century.  We were losing an average of 700,000 jobs per month and our financial system was on the verge of collapse. 

 

As a result of the action we took in those first weeks, we have been able to pull our economy back from the brink.  We took steps to stabilize our financial institutions and our housing market.  And we passed a Recovery Act that has already saved jobs and created new ones; delivered billions in tax relief to families and small businesses; and extended unemployment insurance and health insurance to those who have been laid off.

 

Of course, we still have a long way to go.  And the Recovery Act will continue to save and create more jobs over the next two years – just like it was designed to do.  I realize this is little comfort to those Americans who are currently out of work, and I’ll be honest with you – new hiring is always one of the last things to bounce back after a recession. 

 

And the fact is, even before this crisis hit, we had an economy that was creating a good deal of wealth for folks at the very top, but not a lot of good-paying jobs for the rest of America.  It’s an economy that simply wasn’t ready to compete in the 21^st century – one where we’ve been slow to invest in the clean energy technologies that have created new jobs and industries in other countries; where we’ve watched our graduation rates lag behind too much of the world; and where we spend much more on health care than any other nation but aren’t any healthier for it. 

 

That is why I’ve said that even as we rescue this economy from a full-blown crisis, we must rebuild it stronger than before.  And health insurance reform is central to that effort.

 

This is not just about the 47 million Americans who have no health insurance.  Reform is about every American who has ever feared that they may lose their coverage if they become too sick, or lose their job, or change their job.  It’s about every small business that has been forced to lay off employees or cut back on their coverage because it became too expensive.  And it’s about the fact that the biggest driving force behind our federal deficit is the skyrocketing cost of Medicare and Medicaid.

 

So let me be clear:  if we do not control these costs, we will not be able to control our deficit.  If we do not reform health care, your premiums and out-of-pocket costs will continue to skyrocket.  If we do not act, 14,000 Americans will continue to lose their health insurance every single day.  These are the consequences of inaction.  These are the stakes of the debate we’re having right now.

 

I realize that with all the charges and criticisms being thrown around in Washington, many Americans may be wondering, “What’s in this for me?  How does my family stand to benefit from health insurance reform?” 

 

Tonight I want to answer those questions.  Because even though Congress is still working through a few key issues, we already have agreement on the following areas:

 

If you already have health insurance, the reform we’re proposing will provide you with more security and more stability.  It will keep government out of health care decisions, giving you the option to keep your insurance if you’re happy with it.  It will prevent insurance companies from dropping your coverage if you get too sick.  It will give you the security of knowing that if you lose your job, move, or change your job, you will still be able to have coverage.  It will limit the amount your insurance company can force you to pay for your medical costs out of your own pocket.  And it will cover preventive care like check-ups and mammograms that save lives and money.

 

If you don’t have health insurance, or are a small business looking to cover your employees, you’ll be able to choose a quality, affordable health plan through a health insurance exchange – a marketplace that promotes choice and competition   Finally, no insurance company will be allowed to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing medical condition.

 

I have also pledged that health insurance reform will not add to our deficit over the next decade – and I mean it.  In the past eight years, we saw the enactment of two tax cuts, primarily for the wealthiest Americans, and a Medicare prescription program, none of which were paid for.  This is partly why I inherited a $1.3 trillion deficit.

 

That will not happen with health insurance reform.  It will be paid for.  Already, we have estimated that two-thirds of the cost of reform can be paid for by reallocating money that is simply being wasted in federal health care programs.  This includes over one hundred billion dollars in unwarranted subsidies that go to insurance companies as part of Medicare – subsidies that do nothing to improve care for our seniors.  And I’m pleased that Congress has already embraced these proposals.  While they are currently working through proposals to finance the remaining costs, I continue to insist that health reform not be paid for on the backs of middle-class families. 

 

In addition to making sure that this plan doesn’t add to the deficit in the short-term, the bill I sign must also slow the growth of health care costs in the long run.  Our proposals would change incentives so that doctors and nurses are free to give patients the best care, not just the most expensive care.  That’s why the nation’s largest organizations representing doctors and nurses have embraced our plan.

 

We also want to create an independent group of doctors and medical experts who are empowered to eliminate waste and inefficiency in Medicare on an annual basis – a proposal that could save even more money and ensure the long-term financial health of Medicare.  Overall, our proposals will improve the quality of care for our seniors and save them thousands of dollars on prescription drugs, which is why the AARP has endorsed our reform efforts. 

 

Not all of the cost savings measures I just mentioned were contained in Congress’s draft legislation, but we are now seeing broad agreement thanks to the work that was done over the last few days.  So even though we still have a few issues to work out, what’s remarkable at this point is not how far we have left to go – it’s how far we have already come. 

 

I understand how easy it is for this town to become consumed in the game of politics – to turn every issue into running tally of who’s up and who’s down.  I’ve heard that one Republican strategist told his party that even though they may want to compromise, it’s better politics to “go for the kill.”  Another Republican Senator said that defeating health reform is about “breaking” me. 

 

So let me be clear:  This isn’t about me.  I have great health insurance, and so does every Member of Congress.  This debate is about the letters I read when I sit in the Oval Office every day, and the stories I hear at town hall meetings.  This is about the woman in Colorado who paid $700 a month to her insurance company only to find out that they wouldn’t pay a dime for her cancer treatment – who had to use up her retirement funds to save her own life.  This is about the middle-class college graduate from Maryland whose health insurance expired when he changed jobs, and woke up from emergency surgery with $10,000 in debt.  This is about every family, every business, and every taxpayer who continues to shoulder the burden of a problem that Washington has failed to solve for decades. 

 

This debate is not a game for these Americans, and they cannot afford to wait for reform any longer.  They are counting on us to get this done.  They are looking to us for leadership.  And we must not let them down.  We will pass reform that lowers cost, promotes choice, and provides coverage that every American can count on.  And we will do it this year.  And with that, I’ll take your questions.  

 

###

Sad isn’ it? In the above photo, former NFL star Steve McNair and his wife, Meshell, in obviously better times. Or so she, the wife, may have thought. It is truly unfortunate that Meshell McNair had to discover that her husband was stepping out on her the way she did according to sources close to the McNair family. To find out that your loving husband is dead at the hands of some psycho woman that he had been seeing on the side, can send any wife to the brink.

Meshell McNair has refused to comment publicly about her husband’s murder. But she isn’t sitting somewhere feeling sorry for herself apparently according to insiders. After the courts named her executor of her husband’s estate, Meshell McNair, according to numerous reports, has decided to show who exactly is having the last say in matters.

It has been reported that Meshell McNair has cut Steve McNair’s two sons from previous relationships out of the will. A judge has ordered Meshell to take a complete inventory of Steve McNair’s assests, which is reportedly quite considerable. But if reports are correct, Meshell doesn’t plan to hand over any loot until she knows for sure that those children are biologically Steve McNair’s.

So, it seems like the “Maury Povich Show” just might be the next plot twist in the continuing saga of the late Steve McNair. See what happens when men decide to cheat instead of keeping it in their pants?

(AFP) – 1 day ago

 

PARIS — Rates of HIV infection among gays in some African countries are 10 times that of the general male population, and stigma, poor access to treatment or testing are to blame, doctors said in The Lancet.

A wall of silence, repression and discrimination are amplifying dangers for men who have sex with men in sub-Saharan Africa, they said in a paper published online on Monday.

Researchers from the University of Oxford looked at published studies for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence from 2003 to 2009.

Prevalence among gays in some parts of West Africa is 10 times that for the general male population, they found.

The difference varies a lot across Africa, but in most of the countries studied, the rates among homosexuals were substantially higher than among heterosexuals.

Political, religious and social hostility towards homosexuality is entrenched in many countries, and this breeds isolation, harassment and prejudice, enabling risky sex practices to multiply, the paper said.

“Unprotected anal sex is commonplace, knowledge and access to inappropriate risk prevention measure are inadequate and… in some contexts, many MSM [men who have sex with men] engage in transactional sex,” it said.

The paper said secrecy was so entrenched that data about gay sex behaviour in Africa was often sketchy or absent.

“There’s surprisingly little known,” said lead investigator Adrian Smith.

“(…) [W]hat little evidence we do have suggests that MSM are a vulnerable group that exists across sub-Saharan Africa.”

The review stressed that the risks were not limited to gays, as many MSM also have sex with women.

“In the early 1980s, silence equals death became a rallying cry” for gays in the United States, it said.

“Nearly three decades later in sub-Saharan African the silence remains, driven by cultural, religious, and political unwillingness to accept MSM as equal members of society.”

Around 33 million people have HIV, according to figures issued in 2008 by the UN agency UNAIDS. Two-thirds of them live south of the Sahara.

 

                                          *****Thank You AFP*****

Chris Brown issued an apology via his My Space page Monday. To many, this action may be a little tardy as regards to timing, but others believe that this “humble” action may be a part of the publicity machine to revive his career. Media Take Out is reporting that the apology isn’t the only trick in the bag of Brown’s publicists. Talks are in progress for an “Oprah Show” appearance. Now if Chris Brown bears his heart out to Oprah, the TRUE ‘queen of all media,’ then the road to redemption and the revival of a stalled career should be a fairly easy one:

Hi Im Chris Brown, Since February my attorney has advised me not to speak out, even though every since the incident I wanted to publicly express my deepest regret and accept full responsibility. Although, I will do some interviews and answer some questions in the future, I thought it would be best if you hear from me that I am sorry. I have tried to live my life in a way that would make those around me proud and until recently I think I was doing a pretty good job.

I wish I had the chance to live those few moments again, but unfortunately I can’t. I’m not gonna sit here and make any excuses! I take great pride in being able to exercise self-control and what I did was inexcusable. I’m very sad and very ashamed about what I’ve done. My mother and my spiritual teachers have taught me way better than that.

I have told Rihanna countless times and I’m telling you today that I’m truly truly sorry and that I wasn’t able to handle the situation better. I’ve done alot time soul searching, and over the last several month’s I’ve talked to my minister and my mother..and I’ve spent alot of time trying to understand what happened and why. I’ve let a lot of people down and I realized that. No one is more disappointed in me than I am.

As many of you know, I grew up in a home where there was domestic violence, and I saw first-hand what uncontrolled rage can do. I’ve sought and I am continuing to seek help to insure that what occurred in February, can never happen again. And as I sit here today, I can tell you that I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that it never happens again. I promise that.

What I did is unacceptable, 100%. I can only ask and pray that you forgive me, please.

I hope that others learn from my mistake. I intend to live my life so I am truly worthy of the term role model. Thank you.”

President Obama Announces Intent to Nominate Jill Sommers for Another Term as a Commissioner of the CFTC

 

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Commissioner Jill E. Sommers to serve another term as a Commissioner of the CFTC.

 

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual today:

 

Jill E. Sommers, Nominee for Commissioner, Commodity Futures Trading Commission

Jill E. Sommers was sworn in as a Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission on August 8, 2007 to a term that expires April 13, 2009. On February 4, 2008 the Commission appointed Commissioner Sommers to serve as Chairman and Designated Federal Official of the Global Markets Advisory Committee, which meets periodically to discuss issues of concern to exchanges, firms, market users and the Commission regarding the regulatory challenges of a global marketplace. She also serves as the Commission designee to the Financial Literacy and Education Commission, which is chaired by the Secretary of Treasury and was established to improve the financial literacy and education of U.S. citizens.  Commissioner Sommers has worked in the commodity futures and options industry in a variety of capacities throughout her career. In 2005 she was the Policy Director and Head of Government Affairs for the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, where she worked on a number of over-the-counter derivatives issues. Prior to that, Commissioner Sommers worked in the Government Affairs Office of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, where she was instrumental in overseeing regulatory and legislative affairs for the exchange. During her tenure with the exchange, she had the opportunity to work closely with congressional staff drafting the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000.  Commissioner Sommers started her career in Washington in 1991 as an intern for Senator Robert J. Dole (R-KS), working in various capacities until 1995. She later worked as a legislative aide for two consulting firms specializing in agricultural issues, Clark & Muldoon, P.C. and Taggart and Associates.   A native of Fort Scott, Kansas, Commissioner Sommers holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Kansas.

 

STATEMENT FROM THE PRESIDENT ON THE PASSING OF WALTER CRONKITE

For decades, Walter Cronkite was the most trusted voice in America. His rich baritone reached millions of living rooms every night, and in an industry of icons, Walter set the standard by which all others have been judged.

He was there through wars and riots, marches and milestones, calmly telling us what we needed to know. And through it all, he never lost the integrity he gained growing up in the heartland.

But Walter was always more than just an anchor. He was someone we could trust to guide us through the most important issues of the day; a voice of certainty in an uncertain world. He was family.  He invited us to believe in him, and he never let us down. This country has lost an icon and a dear friend, and he will be truly missed.

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama

Weekly Address

Saturday, July 18^th, 2009

 

Right now in Washington, our Senate and House of Representatives are both debating proposals for health insurance reform.  Today, I want to speak with you about the stakes of this debate, for our people and for the future of our nation.

 

This is an issue that affects the health and financial well-being of every single American and the stability of our entire economy.

 

It’s about every family unable to keep up with soaring out of pocket costs and premiums rising three times faster than wages.  Every worker afraid of losing health insurance if they lose their job, or change jobs.  Everyone who’s worried that they may not be able to get insurance or change insurance if someone in their family has a pre-existing condition. 

 

It’s about a woman in Colorado who told us that when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, her insurance company – the one she’d paid over $700 a month to – refused to pay for her treatment.  She had to use up her retirement funds to save her own life.

 

It’s about a man from Maryland who sent us his story – a middle class college graduate whose health insurance expired when he changed jobs.  During that time, he needed emergency surgery, and woke up $10,000 in debt – debt that has left him unable to save, buy a home, or make a career change. 

 

It’s about every business forced to shut their doors, or shed jobs, or ship them overseas.  It’s about state governments overwhelmed by Medicaid, federal budgets consumed by Medicare, and deficits piling higher year after year.

 

This is the status quo.  This is the system we have today.  This is what the debate in Congress is all about: Whether we’ll keep talking and tinkering and letting this problem fester as more families and businesses go under, and more Americans lose their coverage.  Or whether we’ll seize this opportunity – one we might not have again for generations – and finally pass health insurance reform this year, in 2009.

 

Now we know there are those who will oppose reform no matter what.  We know the same special interests and their agents in Congress will make the same old arguments, and use the same scare tactics that have stopped reform before because they profit from this relentless escalation in health care costs.  And I know that once you’ve seen enough ads and heard enough people yelling on TV, you might begin to wonder whether there’s a grain of truth to what they’re saying.  So let me take a moment to answer a few of their arguments. 

 

First, the same folks who controlled the White House and Congress for the past eight years as we ran up record deficits will argue – believe it or not – that health reform will lead to record deficits.  That’s simply not true.  Our proposals cut hundreds of billions of dollars in unnecessary spending and unwarranted giveaways to insurance companies in Medicare and Medicaid.  They change incentives so providers will give patients the best care, not just the most expensive care, which will mean big savings over time.  And we have urged Congress to include a proposal for a standing commission of doctors and medical experts to oversee cost-saving measures.

 

I want to be very clear: I will not sign on to any health plan that adds to our deficits over the next decade.  And by helping improve quality and efficiency, the reforms we make will help bring our deficits under control in the long-term. 

 

Those who oppose reform will also tell you that under our plan, you won’t get to choose your doctor – that some bureaucrat will choose for you.  That’s also not true.  Michelle and I don’t want anyone telling us who our family’s doctor should be – and no one should decide that for you either.  Under our proposals, if you like your doctor, you keep your doctor.  If you like your current insurance, you keep that insurance.  Period, end of story.

 

Finally, opponents of health reform warn that this is all some big plot for socialized medicine or government-run health care with long lines and rationed care.  That’s not true either.  I don’t believe that government can or should run health care.  But I also don’t think insurance companies should have free reign to do as they please. 

 

That’s why any plan I sign must include an insurance exchange: a one-stop shopping marketplace where you can compare the benefits, cost and track records of a variety of plans – including a public option to increase competition and keep insurance companies honest – and choose what’s best for your family.  And that’s why we’ll put an end to the worst practices of the insurance industry: no more yearly caps or lifetime caps; no more denying people care because of pre-existing conditions; and no more dropping people from a plan when they get too sick.  No longer will you be without health insurance, even if you lose your job or change jobs. 

 

The good news is that people who know the system best are rallying to the cause of change.  Just this past week, the American Nurses Association, representing millions of nurses across America, and the American Medical Association, representing doctors across our nation, announced their support because they’ve seen first-hand the need for health insurance reform. 

 

They know we cannot continue to cling to health industry practices that are bankrupting families, and undermining American businesses, large and small.  They know we cannot let special interests and partisan politics stand in the way of reform – not this time around.

 

The opponents of health insurance reform would have us do nothing.  But think about what doing nothing, in the face of ever increasing costs, will do to you and your family.

 

So today, I am urging the House and the Senate, Democrats and Republicans, to seize this opportunity, and vote for reform that gives the American people the best care at the lowest cost; that reins in insurance companies, strengthens businesses and finally gives families the choices they need and the security they deserve. 

 

Thanks.