Social Security lies
Editorial: Social Security/Blacks get more, not less, from it
Of all the lies -- let's call them by their right name -- that the Bush administration is spreading about Social Security, none is as vile as the canard Bush repeated last Tuesday, when he said, "African-American males die sooner than other males do, which means the [Social Security] system is inherently unfair to a certain group of people. And that needs to be fixed." That is an entirely phony assertion; it has been debunked by the Social Security Administration, by the Government Accountability Office and by other experts. Bush and those around him know that. For them to repeat what they know to be a blatant lie is despicable fear-mongering.
......
Bush didn't make up this phony line on his own; it comes from the Heritage Foundation......
• Heritage failed to factor in the progressivity of Social Security benefits; on a taxes-paid to benefits-received ratio, those with lower incomes get more back. Blacks tend to earn less than whites, and thus their Social Security benefits are larger in comparison to taxes they pay.
• Social Security is more than retirement benefits. It also includes survivor and disability benefits. Blacks benefit disproportionately from those programs. While blacks are 11 percent of the workforce, for example, they are 18 percent of those receiving disability benefits. Almost half the blacks receiving Social Security -- 47 percent -- are getting disability benefits or survivor benefits.
The Social Security actuaries found that Heritage had exaggerated substantially the amount blacks pay in Social Security taxes and low-balled the benefits they receive. "In fact," the actuaries said, "results from more careful research reflecting actual work histories for workers by race indicate that the non-white population actually enjoys the same or better expected rates of return from Social Security than for the white population."
......Social Security is a complex program, so it's easy to tell outright lies or make misleading statements about it with little fear of contradiction from the general public. All Americans should be on notice that the Bush administration, in its drive to start dismantling Social Security, isn't telling the truth on several fronts.
Gay couples give up
Three gay couples dropped their lawsuits Tuesday challenging the federal Defense of Marriage Act, saying they don't want to risk having the U.S. Supreme Court set a legal precedent by rejecting their cases.
The suits were brought by gay couples married in Massachusetts and Canada who wanted Florida to recognize their marriages. Florida law only recognizes marriages between a man and a woman, and the Defense of Marriage Act allows states to disregard gay marriages performed elsewhere.
Ellis Rubin, the couples' attorney, said a key factor in their decision was the Supreme Court's recent refusal to hear a challenge to the Florida law that bans gays from adopting children.
"That ruling strongly suggests that our case would not be favorably received," Rubin said.
Two of the lawsuits were dismissed by a federal judge in Tampa last week. The third case, filed in Miami, had not been heard.
If the dismissals had been appealed, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta would have heard the case, and its ruling either way would almost certainly be appealed to the Supreme Court.
Rubin said he felt chances were "very slim of us prevailing" in an 11th Circuit appeal, "and that would establish precedent for other judicial circuits."
Baptists have the highest divorce rate of any
Christian denomination, and are more likely to get a divorce than
atheists and agnostics, according to a national survey.
......Alabama, with a population of 4.3 million, has more than one million
Southern Baptists and a majority of evangelical Protestants. The state
ranks fourth nationally in divorce rates, behind Nevada, Tennessee and
Arkansas, according to U.S. government statistics.Barna Research Group interviewed 3,854 adults from the 48 continental
states, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percent. The survey
found that while just 11 percent of the adult population is currently
divorced, 25 percent of all adults have experienced at least one divorce,
the survey showed.Twenty seven percent of those describing themselves as born-again
Christians are currently or have previously been divorced, compared to 24
percent among other adults."While it may be alarming to discover that born-again Christians are more
likely than others to experience a divorce, that pattern has been in
place for quite some time," said George Barna, president of Barna
Research Group.
Let Terri die
Terri Schiavo may finally get to die.
The US Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by the state which sought to overturn a decision that declared “Terry’s Law” unconstitutional. With the passage of the law, Jeb! long ago accomplished his goal of pandering to the religious right, those folks who believe that some life is precious (as long as the life in question is either in the womb or in a vegetative state... other life, such as the life of an Iraqi or the life of a death row prisoner just isn’t as important), so the Governor really doesn’t care what happens to Terry now.
High Court Declines Schiavo Case
George Felos, the attorney for Michael Schiavo, said that his client was ``very pleased'' with the court's decision and that ``it effectively ends Gov. Bush's interference in this case.''
Yet Felos was hesitant to predict whether the continued legal motions would mean Schiavo is kept alive for weeks, months or longer.
``Up to now we've had this pattern where the Schindlers file a frivolous motion, the trial judge denies it, but he permits them a stay or a postponement while they appeal it,'' Felos said. ``The parents' appeal is denied, and then they file a new motion. We're kind of at the beginning of the merry-go- round again.''
Among the pending motions is one asking the 2nd District Court of Appeal to reconsider and grant a new trial based on statements last year by Pope John Paul II declaring euthanasia a sin. The Schindlers contend their daughter, who was raised Catholic, would never violate a papal decree.
Crist is still not gay
State: Crist sheds lightweight image
...as he went from table to table with his girlfriend alongside...
Not gay, and still trying to prove it by hanging with some manly assholes, namely Clay Roberts, Katherine Harris' director of elections, a man right in the middle of the 2000 theft.
(Thanks to MT for the tip!)
Troxler on the lessons of Wal-Mart
Columns: Heed lesson of Wal-Mart: know plans for the land
The moral of this story is that it is not too late for YOU as a member of your own community to have a say. The use of the land all around you has been designated in your local government's comprehensive plans and zoning maps; if you don't like it, there still might be time to change it. But most people don't pay attention until that "public hearing" sign goes up on the site - and by then it can be too late.
Through your City Hall or county courthouse, through your neighborhood or civic association, through the Internet, through any way that you can, exercise your role as a citizen to inform yourself about your own community's plans. We all have busy lives, and sometimes the subject seems boring and technical. But in the end, all that bureaucratic stuff turns out to matter after all, as it did in Tarpon Springs.
I’m back…
Just got back from a DC inauguration trip late last night. A cancelled flight followed by a delayed one led to an arrival in Tampa just a few hours later than planned, so things weren’t too bad travel wise despite the snowfall.
My traveling companion and I arrived in Washington early Thursday, and hit the ground marching. With thousands of others, we walked down toward the Capitol from Adams Morgan. The march ended near the parade route, and security was restrictive, which created a bottleneck at the entrances. Fascists Supporters of the president, ticket holders easily identifiable by their expensive furs and “W” paraphernalia, were lined up waiting to get in. This presented an opportunity for heckling that I simply couldn’t resist.
I spent a few minutes inquiring as to why the younger ones weren’t over in Iraq, supporting the troops by taking their places, and informing the older ones that they had blood on their hands. This actually went over pretty well. I pissed off a lot of assholes.
We then meandered over to a public entrance on Pennsylvania where the atmosphere was heating up. As some “anarchists” mounted a traffic control box and tried to ignite an American flag (ironically, the anarchists weren’t quite organized enough to really get it burning), a steady stream of GOP types (remember: furs, American flags, and W W W W W.... fucking everywhere) streamed by toward another ticket holder’s entrance.
Myself and those in the growing crowd near me amused ourselves by making life as miserable as possible for them. A gauntlet of sorts was very informally formed, and, according to the WaPo, some were offput enough to forego the parade and watched on TV instead. Good.
At one point, I was almost on autopilot as I routinely peppered the attendees with rude but entirely justified adjectives like fascist and chickenhawk and war monger. Suddenly, a large GOP goon with a young child in tow turned abruptly and challenged me. He was offended by my remarks, and I guess he wanted to teach his 6 year old son a lesson in how to deal with a God and America hating progressive protestor.
After allowing him to spew some venomous bile at me, and giving him ample time to turn back and head towards the gates, I realized that he was waiting for a response. He was right up in my face at this point, and threatening to hit me, so I taunted him some more.
I clasped my hands behind my back and encouraged him to attack me physically. I told him that since he was about 50 pounds heavier and 4 or 5 inches taller that it would be much like his President invading a much weaker counter simply to prove some meaningless point. I also reminded him that his son was with him and that the kid would probably love to see his asshole daddy arrested and taken to jail right in front of him.
At his point, some progressives in the crowd started yelling at ME to leave this hulking bully alone for the sake of HIS kid. Now, this guy brought his child into this unfriendly crowd, and instead of simply ushering the kid through to the gates, he decided to stop and confront me simply because I was using my American right to freely express myself.
Throughout all of this, anyone could see that the kid was mortified, and I did feel kinda sorry for him, especially since he’ll probably grow up to be just like his dad, if he doesn’t die in a folly of a war first, but I did not pick this big asshole out of the crowd. He stopped himself and his kid to start a shouting match and threaten me physically. I saw no reason to back down for the kid’s sake.
And others running the gauntlet were a little pissed too.
"They need a new law for these protesters: 'You cross the line, you do the time,' " said Kenneth E. Boring, 80, still apparently irritated by the experience as he waited to leave Reagan National Airport.
He and his wife Dottie, 59, of Dalton, Ga., are members of Republican Eagles, the elite GOP fundraising group, but they watched the president's speech from the Willard InterContinental Hotel. The security line was too long, they said, and made longer, in their opinion, by the protesters.
"It's time to put a stop to all this nonsense, protesting and causing confusion," Boring said.
......Justin Moidel, 17, who lives in the Pittsburgh area, attended the swearing-in with friends, but after venturing outside the security gates for food, the group ditched plans to return for the parade because of the angry protesters and daunting lines at the weapons check.
"I liked being part of history, and the passage of power," said Moidel, who said he considers himself a conservative Democrat. "But the long lines and being protested against. . . . There was one lady who yelled at me, 'Are you prepared to die?' I guess she thinks Bush is an aggressive leader who will get us into war."
Uh, Justin, you’re 17. You’ll be lucky if you don’t get drafted into the war which our aggressive leader has already gotten us into, you fucking moron. And Ken: no matter how much you were inconvenienced by me and others like me, you’re going home to a warm safe bed. American soldiers and Iraqi civilians wont be experiencing a feeling of safety for quite some time, and it’s all because your president lied his way into a needless war.
Anyway, the heckling was great fun, because pissing off republicans is something I’ll never tire of.
We left the heckling area just as a phalanx of riot-geared strorm troopers was preparing to close in on the protestors. GOP convention experiences taught us to move quickly and get the hell out if we didn’t want to spend the rest of the weekend in jail. Fortunately, few were arrested, but pepper spray was liberally used, and I think we left at just about the right time.
Friday, we joined a few dozen other activists and helped deliver a
70 foot long spine to the DNC. We think it’s time the DNC got a backbone and started acting like an opposition party instead of simply rolling over and acquiescing to every GOP atrocity. Personally, I woulda rather delivered a big pair of balls, but the spine, provided by some activists from Seattle, was quite impressive and made for a great visual.
Norman tries to look tough
Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman has come up with a brilliantly shortsighted plan to deny healthcare to felons who have paid their debt to society.
Leaving aside the fact that healthcare is increasingly turning into a privilege that only the wealthy and those who are lucky enough to work for a company that provides decent benefits can enjoy, Norman’s idea will end up saving nothing, since the folks who are denied care through Hillsborough’s indigent health plan will not stop getting sick. The costs are not going to go away, and the taxpayers will end up paying.
As officials look to trim costs for the county's indigent health care program, a Hillsborough County commissioner wants to kick people off the plan if they are convicted of three or more felonies.
``They're continuing to break the law, and they're on our plan,'' Commission Chairman Jim Norman said. ``You're knocking granny in the head. She's paying your health care.''
If his idea is adopted, everyone on the plan would start with a clean slate, meaning prior convictions would not count toward the three strikes. But once someone racked up three felonies, the county would consider the person ineligible.
Norman also would consider counting first-degree misdemeanors as strikes.
Norman has not made a formal proposal but is working with auditor Kathleen Mathews to determine how much the change could save and how it could be implemented. Early estimates show about 9 percent of people on the plan have a combination of three or more felonies and first-degree misdemeanors.
The plan served more than 27,000 people in 2003.
Some county commissioners and county health care advisory board members don't think it's a good idea.
``Whether you're a convicted felon or a priest, you should get health care,'' said John Weiss, a health care advisory board member and occupational therapist. ``I would not discriminate against someone with a criminal record.''
The Hillsborough County HealthCare program, widely referred to as the indigent health care plan, began in 1992. It is paid for through a half-cent sales tax, and provides health care for low-income residents who do not have private insurance, Medicaid or Medicare.
......Critics fear Norman's idea could be more costly in the long run.
``Even if someone commits three crimes, someone is going to have to pay for [their health care],'' Commissioner Thomas Scott said. ``If they go to Tampa General, taxpayers are still going to pick it up. It might be a wash.''
Commissioner Kathy Castor said she was willing to consider Norman's idea. Still, she has reservations.
``I'd like to know the indirect costs,'' Castor said. ``If they're not being seen in our clinic system, are they coming to our emergency rooms and being treated there at a greater cost to taxpayers?''
Norman contends that giving people health care throughout the year costs more than a visit to an emergency room.
Sadly, No!
Jim, the truth is but a quick Google search away: it is always cheaper to send folks to the doctor regularly than to rely on emergency rooms as the primary source of care.
Castor also is concerned about the potential administrative cost associated with determining who is a repeat felon.
Figuring out who is a felon can be tricky, as the state found out during the 2004 election cycle. The state eventually determined its list of felons was flawed and tossed it.
``We have to err on never getting anybody off the plan,'' Norman said. ``We have to validate, validate, validate.''
Triple validation... I’m sure that wont cost much to administrate...
Wal-Mart is coming
Wal-Mart swallows another town... (Because 3 miles is just too far to travel...)
baynews9.com - News : The verdict is in
After a lengthy debate, the Tarpon Springs City Commission voted 3-2 in favor of building a Wal-Mart Supercenter on U.S. Highway 19.
Residents and city commissioners debated the issue from 6:30 Tuesday night until about 6:45 this morning.
The controversial topic had hundreds of people voicing their opinions at city hall on both sides of the issue.
Pre-k parsimony
The Policy Group for Florida's Families and Children estimates it would cost $3,862 per student to create a "high quality" program.
"What (Bush) is talking about is a voucher slot that just pays for a child's seat," Gellens said.
Danny Morris, president of the Florida Association for Child Care Management, said he told lawmakers that $2,700 per student was the minimum to operate the program.
But $2,500, he said, is close enough.
Jeb! budget will kill the poor
In Florida, the governor traditionally suggests a spending plan, the legislature has its own ideas, and a final product usually emerges late in the legislative session.
Jeb! unveiled his budget proposal yesterday, and, despite the fact that Florida has tons of money in the bank, he plans on paying for a mediocre religious studies Pre-k program by driving working Floridians with medical problems into poverty.
The Medically Needy program receives most of its funding from the federal government, but Jeb! just hates spending money on poor people, so it’s out, even though he indicated last week that programs like this would be preserved in his soon to be revealed plan to kill Medicaid.
Some news outlets are putting a pretty face on an increase in education dollars, but Jeb! has no choice in this, as funding is required to finance the voter mandated class size amendment as well as Pre-k. (Jeb! hates this, because poor people can benefit from smaller class sizes too.)
Further, Jeb! will expect college kids to ante up more cash for school, which, hopefully, will dissuade some poor people who may have benefitted from smaller classes and who really could have used a high quality Pre-k program, as mandated by voters, from pursuing higher education goals.
Of course, tax cuts for non-poor people are a big part of Jeb!’s proposal, as businesses and wealthy investors both win substantial tax savings.
What? Jeb! is also suggesting a nine day sales tax holiday? Gee, that should help the poor. Oh, wait...
Gov. Jeb Bush, who rode into the Capitol six years ago with a promise to make government smaller and a zeal for cutting taxes, reasserted his conservative side today, proposing a budget that calls for substantial tax cuts while eliminating programs intended to help working Floridians with massive medical bills stay out of poverty.
Bush unveiled a $61.6 billion budget for the coming year that calls for nearly $300 million in tax cuts -- including eliminating a tax now charged on beer and wine sold at bars and restaurants, offering a nine-day sales tax holiday for clothes, books and school supplies, and cutting by half the state tax charged to wealthy investors who own stocks and bonds.
Democrats assailed Bush's priorities, saying he is favoring the rich through tax cuts while squeezing middle-class Floridians with higher tuition, and hurting the poor by cutting health care.
Bush's plan to revamp Medicaid includes wiping out Medically Needy, a program that serves uninsured people with catastrophic illnesses. A similar proposal by the Legislature two years ago was dropped after touching off a firestorm of criticism. Other, deeper cuts in Medicaid angered lobbyists for hospitals.
"We were all asked to step in with an open mind to discuss reform. If that's reform, we're not there," said Tony Carvalho, a lobbyist for teaching hospitals, including Tampa General. "We are very disappointed in the level of cuts in the Medicaid budget."