Several weeks ago, the DPG began filming spots with "real Georgians" who were talking about the issues that impact them in their day to day life. I did a spot for them, and though I missed it, it apparently went out in email. So, why don't Georgia children deserve the same health coverage Sen. Chambliss has?
Saxby Chambliss on Healthcare
Saxby Chambliss has a history of selling out to the big insurance companies and leaving everyday Georgians behind. This week we hear from Amy Morton, a family therapist who's seen first-hand the difficulties families have in finding affordable health and mental health services. Unfortunately, Chambliss has done little to help those families in need.
No help with expensive prescription drugs
Chambliss voted against preventing a severe reduction in the Federal medical assistance percentage and extending rebates for prescription drugs to enrollees in Medicaid managed organizations [Vote 291, 11/3/05]
Voted against making generic drugs more affordable for seniors [Vote 299, 11/3/05]
Voted against allowing seniors access to cheaper imported prescriptions drugs [Vote 150, 5/3/07]
No help for Georgia's Kids
Chambliss voted against a bill that reauthorizes and expands the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) through 2012. [Vote 403, 11/1/07] Many members of the Republican party crossed over to join Democrats in voting for health care for children, but not Senator Chambliss.
Chambliss voted twice in the same year against reauthorizing and expanding children's health care by voting against HR 976 [Vote 353 on 9/27/9, Vote 307 on 8/2/07]
No help for rural Georgian families
Chambliss voted against helping rural health care providers and hospitals receiving fair reimbursement for their services under Medicare [Vote 89, 3/25/03]
No help for victims of natural disasters
Chambliss even voted against Disaster Relief Medicaid (DRM) health care for Hurricane Katrina victims. [Vote 285 on 11/3/05]
No help for AIDS victims
Chambliss voted against increased funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance program by $74 million. [Vote 178, 10/27/05]
Always a great handout for HMO's and big insurance companies
Fact: Chambliss has taken over $250,000 from the insurance industry in campaign contributions. (Source: Center for Responsive Politics)
Fact: Chambliss' own Chief of Staff is a former insurance company lobbyist (Source: Center for Responsive Politics)
Friday, October 10, 2008
A Message to Saxby - From Me
Saturday, December 08, 2007
I Cannot Believe John Barrow Said This
John Barrow has been nipping on a little too much of the Blue Dog Kool-Aid. The latest issue of La Voz Latina is carrying a story about him with this headline: U.S. Congressman Wants to Ban Immigrant Children From Public Schools. In the article, John Newton reports that recently, when Barrow was speaking in Savannah, the congressman made it clear that he is opposed to any form of federal aid for undocumented workers-including emergency medical care and public school education for their children. In response to a question about whether he would support legislation to that end, Barrow reportedly said:
"Yes, sir," he replied. We already have legislation that denies Medicare and Medicaid benefits to people who have no right to be here. I believe it already is the policy of this federal government to require that a condition for getting
federal aid and education is that you have to be legally entitled to be here in the first place. That's the policy that I support."
And
"It is fair to point out that people who are here illegally have left an economy
where they had no medical benefits to begin with."
Even Mike Huckabee knows better than this. Even Huckabee successfully argued that you don't punish children for the sins of their parents.
Forget what's "right" here. From a purely practical perspective, doesn't Barrow understand that failure to provide basic medical care for children-regardless of how they came to be here-creates a public health problem for all of us? When children are not immunized or have communicable diseases that go untreated, we are all at greater risk.
And, does he not understand that failure to educate children-regardless of how they came to be here-creates a public safety problem for all of us? It is not as if we can pretend that these children are not here, so if they're not in school, what does Barrow think they'll be doing with their time? If they grow up unhealthy and illiterate, what impact does he think that will have on the quality of life in our communities?
Given that children who do not complete high school are incarcerated at a higher rate than others, unless Barrow also proposes that we withhold from the children of undocumented workers the privilege of appearing in juvenile court and becoming residents of the nearest jail, all he's doing is asking taxpayers to spend the most money possible in the least effective manner. That makes zero sense. Children should never become the front line in the battle to stop illegal immigration. Sphere: Related Content
Thursday, October 11, 2007
God's In Trouble
That’s right. You heard it here first. God, in fact, is in trouble. Due to a recent and seemingly benign development, God is experiencing serious competition for his worship attention.
You see signs of God’s new competition every day, on vehicles and in yards. In fact, many adults are spending as much if not more of their time, not worshipping God, but worshipping, that’s right, THEIR CHILDREN!!
It seems you cannot pass a car, van, or whatever, without some display of the parent’s acclimation of their child’s accomplishments. You see the child’s name, a symbol of the activity, usually sports, that they are involved in, and if their activity is a team sport, their number.
I just don’t get the big deal about proclaiming to the world how great your child is. It may be an outgrowth of the “Baby on Board” sign phenomenon. I guess the parent’s thinking is “my kid not a baby anymore, I’ve got to keep the world posted on what he or she has been up to”. I mean, just because your kid makes it on a team, or takes dance class, does not mean that they are something special. When I was a kid doing those sorts of things was just standard procedure, not the basis for a front page headline.
Imagine the pressure being put on parents of children who are not athletic or interested in ballet. What will those parents put on their vehicles? “My child attends school”; “At least Junior’s not in jail”; “My kid’s O.K., I guess”. You can see the dilemma.
No doubt children are special to their parents, and on occasion, to a few others. However, their mere existence, or occasional participation in group activities, does not merit the moving accomplishment billboard that is your vehicle.
If children get this kind of attention for doing relatively ordinary things, what are parents going to do when Junior does something really special like, say, graduate from high school? I know, they will commission an MTV special.
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