Friday, October 26, 2007

CHIP VETO SUSTAINED IN HOUSE

CHIP VETO SUSTAINED IN HOUSE
 
Bush's veto of the proposed $35 million increase to the State Children's Health Insurance Program, an increase that would be used to subsidize health care for more low-income families and keep 6.6 million children insured, was sustained by the House last Thursday. The vote was 273-156, 13 short of the required two-thirds majority needed. The Senate had passed the bill with a veto-proof majority in the first place.

Forty-four Republicans broke ranks to stand up for health care rights for children (one fewer than had voted for the bill on Sept. 25) while two Democrats decided to be complete dipshits and vote against the bill. Their names are Jim Marshall of Georgia and Gene Taylor of Mississippi.

My question is, Why are these elitist free-market worshippers so determined to derail such a common sense bill like this one?

Well, for one thing, the Right-wing Echo Chamber showed out in full effect to support their king's decision in the weeks following the initial veto, parroting the same baloney Bush made up. The Tennessean ran an opinion piece by Phil Valentine that blasted the program and then denied that health care was a right (with the customary Hillary bashing, of course). If this isn't cultist laissez-faire thinking, I don't know what is. Is he saying that people that can't afford health care don't have the right to live? Does the market now decide who lives and dies? Maybe Phil's real goal is to have people die. Maybe that's why government, taxpayer-extracted military spending is A-OK by him, because people die from it. Who knows.

So let's all rejoice that our government has once again failed to protect us from predatory business interests because in America we don't give a damn about anyone but No. 1, thank you very much.

Source: Time Magazine
Posted by Tennessee State University The Meter at 17:28:50 | Permanent Link | Comments (2) |

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Irresponsible CHIP Veto Gaining Attention

Bush's veto of the proposed $35 million increase to the State Children's Health Insurance Program, an increase that would be used to subsidize health care for more low-income families and keep 6.6 million children insured, is catching a lot of flack. Families USA, a health care consumer's group, has recently launched a campaign to sway the hearts of any fence-sitting Republicans. Their ad, featuring kids to be affected by the bill, is being aired on major television stations.

It's excruciating that the President's Iraq War Funding request would spend more in two weeks than this bill would spend on insuring children for an entire year. 

Funny how we can waste a fortune on sending Americans to their death but not a comparably measly amount on taking care of their health. It just goes to show how warped this warmongering buffoon really is. Yeah, veto state funding for potentially groundbreaking stem cell research and health coverage for working-class people's children and anything else remotely resembling social responsibility, but full-speed ahead on the hopeless deathtrap in the Middle East. 

I don't give a damn whether a few families jump ship from private insurance to state coverage. Hell, they probably needed a break anyway. The fact is that if Congress doesn't override this deathwish from King George, half a million kids will lose health insurance. 

(Source: Families USA)
Posted by Tennessee State University The Meter at 17:52:21 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Bush Vetoes State Health Insurance for Low-Income Kids

Bush vetoed a proposed $35 million increase to the State Children's Health Insurance Program, an increase that would've added 4 million kids and 700,000 adults to the 6.6 million already on the roles. The bipartisan bill passed the Senate with the needed 2/3 majority but fell short about two dozen votes in the House. 

The extra $35 million would be used to subsidize health care for low-income families, not impoverished ones, who should already be covered by Medicaid.

Bush raised the concern before a group of rich business leaders in Lancaster, PA, that the new funds would allow families making $83,000 a year switch from private to public health insurance. 

"That doesn't sound poor to me," Bush said.

No, it doesn't, George. But too bad families making $83,000 a year won't be able to take advantage of the program. The highest income cap of all the states is $72,275 a year in New Jersey, where the median annual income for a family of four is $94,441, according to the 2006 U.S. Census Bureau. And that's in a state where families are allowed to make 350% of the federal poverty level and still apply. Matching federal funds are actually reduced when states extend coverage above the 300% threshold. Here in Tennessee, the cap is $51,625 annually, or 250% of the federal poverty level. 

The extra $35 mil would come from a hike in the federal tobacco tax, raising it by 61 cents. While arguably a regressive tax, anyone who knows Bush realizes that this isn't why he vetoed the bill.

He did it because he's a blind capitalist ideologue. As a blind capitalist ideologue, he either pretends that our for-profit system isn't ridden with greedy, ruthless insurance company scams and robberies, or he knows about them but keeps quiet because money has tied them all up together so nicely. Hands in pockets here and there, etc. 

Hopefully Bush's empty reasons for opposing the bill won't find much of an audience, but you know how that goes. We're talking about the guy who convinced the entire country to go to war on complete lies. He let his buddies at Haliburton get into Iraq and reap the benefits. Now that we're challenging the ill-gotten gains of his other buddies in the private health care racket, he's having to make up more bullshit. 

Source: http://www.factcheck.org/bushs_false_claims_about_childrens_health_insurance.html 

Call your Congressman today to make sure he/she voted for health insurance for the rest of us.
Posted by Tennessee State University The Meter at 17:50:04 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Sunday, October 07, 2007

Fast Blog

These are the accounts of DeShanee Miner and her fasting experience.

 

9:45 am

Wake up!

Awwww man! I’m so thirsty! I usually start the day off

with a really big cup of water. It’s crazy, I’ll be

thinking about that water like all day!!

 

11:30 am

Lunch time…

Why does it seem like everyone is eating right now.

Funny thing is I am thinking more about getting some

juice than eating an actual meal.

 

1:15 pm

Quit spinning!

So right now my tummy is growling and I am a lil

dizzy. Honestly the only reason I haven’t passed out

is because I know I’m getting a great meal at the end

of the day! But seriously, I feel icky. That’s when I

realize I didn’t eat much the day before and I don’t

even think I ate dinner!

 

3:15 pm

Wish I were in 1st grade

Right now I’m at work and it’s snack time for the

first graders I work with. They had muffins and orange

juice and the OJ looked like soooooo good. I’m

surprised I kept up with the kids on the playground

because I was so freaking tired! I didn’t think I

would get this tired from not eating. I got plenty of

sleep but my body is running on air!

 

6:20 pm

Hurry the sun is down!

Well it’s sunset and I am on my way to 040 in Kean

hall. I picked up something to drink on the way

because that’s what I really wanted all day! I was

happy I didn’t cheat. It made everything so much more

satisfying!

 

All and all I was tired the whole day. I had a

headache, my mouth was dry and all I could do was

think about drinking some water or juice or something.

The only think I was banking on was that I got to eat

at the end of the day. And honestly I could have eaten

at anytime. Many people don’t have the option of

eating anytime and I am blessed that I don’t have to

wonder around everyday wondering when my next meal

will be, how big it will be and will it be healthy for

me.

 

 

DeShanee Miner

Senior Staff Writer

Tennessee State University “The Meter”

tsumeter.com

“Miner T.H.R.E.A.T.”
Posted by Tennessee State University The Meter at 20:18:29 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Welcome to What We Really Think

If you reading this paragraph right now you are probably a loyal tsumeter.com reader (thank you for reading by the way) saw this strange new link under web exclusive tab. This is What We Really Think, one of the new features of tsumeter.com.  The story of What We Really Think started earlier this year when after Editorial Board meeting Spring 2007. This basically a weekly meeting where all the editors of each section of our paper discuss stories ideas, happens and rumors going around Tennessee State University. Also we discuss how awesome the paper or (how bad) the current issue turned out. 

 

One of our senior staff writers, Gregory Brand aka Papa Beaver, was discussing one of his latest blogs. We nickname Greg Papa Beaver because essentially he probably the greatest story teller I have ever heard. The guy has experience so much to be so young. If you ever meet him and you have a minute he will put a smile on your face, make you laugh, and make you think all in one sitting. After one of “Papa Beaver Story Time” moments several writers, including myself, wanted to see if we could do blogs for our writers. However, like some ideas, they don’t exactly fall into place immediately.

 

Now since our trip in memory lane is over lets get back to present day. We remember that idea and now we are implementing it. For the longest I couldn’t think of a name of this thing your reading now.  I was going to name this blog “Tigerblog”, but that is just lame…really…really…lame. I love my school to death; however, I don’t need to put tiger in front of everything (Tigercast…. yeah that was a lame name for our podcast…sorry). So I decided on What We Really Think.

 

It’s an “upgrade” or evolution of the infamous   “What We Think”.  For those readers who are not familiar with the “What We Think” in essence it is when the staff discusses a major story that is within our paper and together decided on our stance of the story. In real life of course there are people in the room that totally don’t agree with what is written for What We Think but hey that is what we call “compromise”. Here you the reader can peer into the brains of our staff and see what we are really thinking about what we report. Its written in our own words, not formal newspaper tense because really who talks in that way in real life in college. 

 

 However, we just aren’t going to talk bout our view of the news.   We want to take it a step further and peer into our lives.  Hey we aren’t robots; we are humans who just happen to have a passion of journalism. We want you to know the people that bring you the news twice a week, to spend 10 minutes in our shoes as you read the blogs of the our editors, copy editor, writers, and even our advisor. Each writer will of course identify themselves by name but we also will accompany them with our alias to add personality to this blog..

 

My alias you ask? Yojimbo. For those who aren’t familiar with Japanese culture and history, yojimbo is a bodyguard or defender. Usually they were ronin(masterless samuari) or samuari who hired to defend whoever paid.  It’s also is the name of one of my most famous films of all time (matter a fact go to online and buy it… great movie).  In the film Yojimbo, a ronin with no name saves a town of peaceful villagers from crime lords using wit, brains, and his sword. That is what I am for my friends and family, a modern day yojimbo for hire. You don’t need money for my service of friendship , I just need you to love and care the same why as I do for you no matter what happens.

 

Welcome What We Really Think. I hope you enjoy this new feature of tsumeter.com

 

Micheal Hart

Online Manager

Tennessee State University “The Meter”

tsumeter.com

“Yojimbo”

Posted by Tennessee State University The Meter at 20:05:12 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |