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WELCOME TO CEDAR CREEK VOICE.

Email address: http://cedarcreekvoice.wordpress.com

Cedar Creek Voice is a weekly news magazine and opinion blog dedicated to the citizens of Cedar Creek Township, as well as greater Wexford County, Michigan.

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WEXFORD  COUNTY,  MICHIGAN:

Wexford County, Michigan

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Updates are usually done every week.  

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CADILLAC NEWS

June 29, 2009 

Greatest Fourth reaches far and wide

 

By Jeff Broddle

Cadillac News

Locals know that each year when June turns into July, the town of Lake City shines with its Fourth of July celebration, the Greatest Fourth in the North.

What they may not know is how much influence the Greatest Fourth has outside of its Missaukee County home.

Some Cadillac business owners are expecting this year to be better than the last. Others say it’s hard to gauge how much traffic they get because every Fourth of July weekend is always fully booked.

We asked business owners throughout the area to judge how much of an impact the festivities in Lake City have on their operations.

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  (flickr.com)     Happy  Fourth of  July, 2009 !

                        
    Now We Can Celebrate Independence Day !
 
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  HAPPY  JULY  BIRTHDAYS !

 

 

 
July 22nd…..HAPPY ANNIVERSARY JOE & SHERRIE FUSCONE!
 
                   and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY JOHN & PATTI FUSCONE!
  
 July 10th …..HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GERRY FUSCONE!
 
July 23rd…..HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOEY FUSCONE, III!
 
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GET  WELL  SOON !
  
Get well Soon, John Fuscone, after your recent shoulder surgery. Our thoughts and prayers are with you for a full recovery.
  
                  <<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
  
Get Well Soon, JOE FUSCONE from all your family and friends in the area, as well as out of state.  Joe was involved in a head-on collision on Thursday, April 30th.  Joe isn’t too bad, considering that the SUV was a total loss!   He was able to walk away from it.  However, he did walk away with a fractured left wrist, some significant back pain, and now a left rotator cuff tear.  Joe underwent surgery to repair his left shoulder on 7/2/09, and is doing well.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
                               <<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>
  
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      HAPPY 4th of JULY! . CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE DAY . HAPPY 4th of JULY!
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     For FREE  PRESCRIPTIONS,  HEALTHCARE (including diabetes & hypertension clinics;  diagnostics including mammogram & pap smear with follow up care if results abnormal);  PREGNANCY HELP; and  DENTAL CARE in Cadillac area: 

See the Page titled:  “Can’t Afford Your Prescriptions or Health Care?”

         (Names of agencies, locations, and/or telephone numbers are included.)
________________________________________________________________________

 Call, Visit, or Write your local MICHIGAN WORKS! at:

Michigan Works! Service Center,  401 Lake St., Ste. 700,  Cadillac, 49601,

Telephone: (231) 775-3408.

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 FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR

FIRST JOB, 

A NEW JOB,

OR ANY JOB: 

 Be sure to check the job listings and career information in the (NOW 20) LINKS under

the heading: JOB SEARCH!  To go directly to  these websites to check “help wanted”, ”employment” or “careers” - just click on the name of the Link itself  (all start 

with  “JOB SEARCH:…”).   The link will take you directly there.

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VETERANS:  Try checking the Link: JOB SEARCH:  DESTINY GROUP – “Employers Seeking Those Who Served in the Military.  Search over 100,000 jobs.”

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UNEMPLOYMENT   BENEFITS

Click on website:  http://www.unemploymentoffice.net/State_resources/Michigan.htm

MICHIGAN:

How Do I File for Unemployment Insurance?

Claims by Mail:

Jobless workers may take cuts in line by using our convenient Claims By Mail service.  Mail-in applications are available in Bureau branch offices, most Michigan Works! service centers and in the FORMS section of our Web site…

Internet Claims:

To use the on-line servcice, applicants must be filing a new or additional claim.  An additional claim is one filed to reactivate benefits when a person already has a claim in existence, interrupts the payment of benefits on the claim by returning to work and then becomes unemployed again.

Applicants filing new claims must meet these criteria:

  • Are not employed full time.

  • Have been employed during the past 18 months.

  • Live in Michigan.

  • Were employed by only one Michigan employer during the past 18 months.

  • Filed a claim for unamployment benefits during the past 10 years.

  • Did not work in family employment.

  • Were not in Military Service during the past 18 months.

  • Were not employed by the federal government during the past 18 months.

  • Did not work in another state during the past 18 months.

  • Did not file a claim against another state during the past 12 months.

  • Did not work under more than one social security number diring the past 18 monhts.

  • Are not trying to claim past weeks of benefits.

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE AGENCY:

To File a Benefit Claim, Call (toll free): ………………….1-866-500-0017.

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Governor Granholm Announces Toll-Free Number to Help Families Facing Mortgage Foreclosure.  

“Save the Dream” campaign toll-free number is ………………….1-866-946-7432.

   ALSO:  See Link titled, ”HELP FOR THOSE FACING FORECLOSURE”  with information from HUD.

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VETERANS:  Please see the 10/11/08 Post, “U.S.Troops & Veterans’ News” regarding President Bush signing the Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act,  especially the part about V.A. home loans:

“…One change in the benefits law that would be vital to many veterans at a time of turmoil in the home mortgage is an overhaul of the veterans’ home loan program that makes it easier for people with non-VA loans to refinance their mortgages through VA. This is done by raising the amount VA will guarantee and reducing the amount of equity a homeowner must have in order to refinance…”

[Editor's note:  For information regarding many Veteran's needs, see the Post "VETERANS'  HQ"]

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 ::::: H E L P ::: W I T H ::: H U N G E R ::::  

* Check Page titled: 

              “FOOD PANTRIES

 in Missaukee, Osceola, and Wexford Counties”

– Or call the Chamber of Commerce of town nearest you and ask where you may donate (or obtain) needed food items.

-FOOD STAMP HOTLINE…..1-800-481-4989.

-Call DEPT. OF HUMAN SERVICES, WEXFORD & MISSAUKEE COUNTIES re:  food, housing, and other basic needs  ……..(231) 779-4500.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

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     If you wish to make a comment regarding any of the published POSTS,  just click on  ”Comment(s)”.   A box will appear in which you may type your comment or request a reply from the editor.  

 Publication is at the discretion of the Editor…..but all sincere opinions are published. 

 
                     The VOICE in Cedar Creek Voice is YOURS!
 
  • If you have an opinion about a topic, VOICE  IT!
  • If you AGREE or DISAGREE with another person who has voiced an opinion about a topic,  GIVE VOICE TO YOUR OPINION!
RULES:
  1. You must express yourself without the use of name-calling or foul language.  (Readers will take you more seriously if you just list your reasons.)
  2. The subject can be about ANYTHING – whether it’s on the blog or not.
  3. You must include your name, where you’re from (town, state, country if not in USA)  and email address for me to take your letter seriously.  However,  I never publish email addresses  and YOUR NAME CAN BE WITHHELD upon request.

SO…..if you wish to submit a letter, an opinion, a correction,  a free ad for your business, or any other information for publication,  send it along and I will respond as soon as possible.  

                Please use the following email address:

                      cedarcreekvoice@yahoo.com
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                        This Post may change content during the week,
                                as new things are added or deleted.
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YAHOO! HOT JOBS
    YAHOO! EDUCATION
                May 18, 2009

No Outsourcing Here:

How to Train for

the Best American Jobs

by Patricia Cecil-Reed
 
No Outsourcing Here
White and blue-collar jobs alike have felt the sting of outsourcing in recent years, as companies send jobs overseas to countries where the labor can be performed more cheaply. There are plenty of excellent professions that are not going anywhere, and in fact are expected to grow considerably over the next seven years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Below are some of the best, in terms of salary and job growth, along with information about how to train for these careers.

Education Administrator, Elementary or Secondary School

While online education is an increasingly popular option for college-level students, younger students still need live teachers, and live teachers require supervision by education administrators.
Career Training: A master’s degree in education administration or educational leadership, plus related experience in a field such as teaching or school administration, is the most common route to becoming an education administrator.
Average Annual Salary: $82,120.
Job Outlook: 12 percent growth is expected between now and 2016. Some of the most secure jobs will be for public school administrators, since public schools are funded by public tax dollars.

Physical Therapist

Health care jobs are a great bet for job safety in terms of outsourcing worries. Not only is health care the largest industry in the US, employing over 14 million people in 2006, but it deals with a population that needs hands-on, personal care.
Within health care, physical therapists are essential. An increasing elderly population, new technology in the field, and longer life expectancies of disabled patients are all contributing factors to this important and quickly growing profession.
Career Training: A master’s degree in physical therapy and state licensure is a requirement for most physical therapists. The master’s degree program for physical therapists usually takes two years.
Average Annual Salary: $71,520.
Job Outlook: Much faster than average job growth is expected, at 27 percent between now and 2016, says the BLS.

Sales Manager

A lot of jobs can be performed overseas, but when it comes to selling merchandise, American companies still need teams of salespeople selling their products in-person, as well as managers to oversee operations. Sales manager positions are highly coveted, but are expected to stay put and even expand over the next several years.
Career Training: A bachelor’s or master’s degree in business administration with an emphasis on marketing is the surest route to success. Many sales managers work their way up the ladder, starting as sales clerks or assistant managers.
Average Annual Salary: $106,790.
Job Outlook: 12 percent growth is expected between now and 2016, according to the BLS.

Computer and Information Systems Manager

While it’s true that some computer-related jobs may be threatened by outsourcing, more complex jobs like this one can’t be as routinely trained and shipped overseas. Computer and information systems managers will remain necessary because technology in the workplace is only expected to rise in coming years, and managers will always be needed to oversee it.
Career Training: A bachelor’s degree is often required, and some employers even prefer a master’s. An MBA with technology is especially desirable. Training in information technology or computer information systems management will help put you on the right track.
Average Annual Salary: $113,880.
Job Outlook: This profession is expected to grow by 16 percent between now and 2016, or “faster than average”.

Automotive Service Technician or Mechanic

This job requires more technical knowledge than it used to in the days of simpler cars and automotive technology. For this reason, the term “mechanic” is quickly being replaced by the term “automotive technician.”
Career Training: Auto technicians must keep abreast of the latest automotive technology, making a formal training program extremely advantageous to those looking to enter the field. An associate’s degree or certificate in automotive technology can be a great way to get started.
Average Annual Salary: $36,480.
Job Outlook: As more Americans look to repair the cars they already own instead of buying new ones, auto technicians and mechanics are expected to increase by 14 percent, higher than the average 10 percent for most professions.
If you’re worried about the future of your career, consider transitioning to a field where the jobs are more likely to stay put. The right training and education can help you transition to a field where jobs are growing instead of shrinking.
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Huddler's Green Home

Cheap and nontoxic ways to get rid of bugs

By Huddler’s Green Home Community

Posted Tue Jun 9, 2009 9:28am PDT

 

Summer is the time for picnics, going to the beach, and barbecues. Unfortunately, it’s also the time for indoor pests. Commercial pest control is full of nasty chemicals, even though there are natural ways to fight off many pests.  Here are some ideas for ridding your home of creepy crawlies, without needing a hazmat suit (and of course, saving you some money).

Remember: The number one rule to keeping many bugs out is keeping the house clean. So don’t let your dirty dishes pile up, make sure to sweep and vacuum, etc.  Prevent any need for nontoxic pest control by using nontoxic household cleaners or even make your own homemade cleaners.

Ants

  • Vinegar can be used to destroy ant trails. Without clear trails, the ants will get confused and may stay outside for a while. You can use it diluted with water or straight. And, of course, vinegar is also a great household homemade cleaner, so not only do you get rid of the ants, you get some cleaning done too.
  • Cinnamon and black pepper are both increasingly being used in garden and indoor insect control. You can try dusting the outdoor nests with either of these spices. Cinnamon is more beneficial as a natural barrier to stop them from coming in — it’s most effective when you find the source of where the ants are coming in.
  • Add borax to sugar. Many people believe that you should use a 50-50 concentration, however, ultimately the goal is to have the ants bring borax back to their nests.  Starting with a lower concentration such as 5% or 10% borax to sugar and gradually increasing it to 40%-50% will allow the ants to have more time to bring more back.  The mixture should be placed where you see the ants or on the ant trails.
  • Baby powder or talcum powder is not appreciated by these bugs.  The theory is if you dust the ants and the trail, they’ll stop coming.
  • Liquid soap diluted with water is an easy way to wipe out your pests while not harming your people.  When used outside as a spray, you’ll want to dilute the soap (such as Dr. Bronner’s Organic Castile Soap) — roughly 1 or 2 tablespoons per quart of water — to kill the pests but not your plants.
  • Bay leaves, cloves, and cayenne pepper have long been used for ant control.  Try putting one of these at their entry point, and in drawers, shelves, etc., where the ants are going, to prevent them from coming in.
  • Peppermint can be sprayed around your home’s perimeter and at ant entry points.  This will deter them from coming inside.

Fruit flies

  • Clean up any ripe fruit droppings and take out the trash (or if you are a green superstar, your compost!) nightly for a few days — fruit flies lay their eggs in overripe fruit.
  • Apple cider vinegar is a great natural way to get rid of fruit flies.  Pour some into a glass, and place a paper funnel over the container.  Fruit flies love the smell and will fly into the glass, but will not find their way back out the funnel (for 4 of 5 fruit flies…).
  • Leave a glass of cheap wine (apparently, fruit flies particularly like chardonnay) out.  Mix a bit of detergent in it. The flies will sip on it and die shortly thereafter.
  • Make your own fly paper by boiling water, sugar, and corn syrup together. Spread the mixture on brown paper grocery bags and wait for the flies to stick.
  • Suck up flies through the back of an old hair dryer.  The flies will go in the hot back end of the dryer and fry.
  • Basil deters fruit flies. Mix some basil oil with water and spray your kitchen.

Wasps

  • Make a trap from an old soda bottle to catch wasps.  Using a 2-liter soda bottle, cut off the top 1/3 of the way down. Flip the top so that the bottle neck is facing down into the rest of the bottle. Tape or staple the bottle neck to the outside of the bottom piece so that it fits tight. Fill the bottle part way with soda or fruit juice. You could even line the top of the bottle with jam to help attract the wasps.  Wasps will enter the bottle but will not be able to get out. Clean and refill the trap daily or as needed.
  • Remove the nest. If you find a hanging nest, wait until the wasps are less active (namely, at night). Carefully approach the nest. Put a cloth or plastic trash bag entirely over the next and quickly tie it off at the top. Remove the nest from wherever it is hanging, then submerge the bag under water and weigh it down with a rock.
More resources: EarthEasy, Get Rid of Things.

Slugs

Slugs can be a huge pest in any garden. They’re fond of eating plants, shrubs, and mosses, much to any gardener’s chagrin.
  • Fill small bowls with stale beer and place the bowls strategically in areas of the garden where the slugs are most active. Slugs apparently like stale beer, so they climb in to drink and they meet their maker (they drown in the liquid).
  • Other eco-friendly slug-fighting tactics include liquids that work similarly such as grape juice or a tea made from yeast, honey, and water.
 
 
 
More resources: Mother Earth’s Garden
Huddler’s tight-knit community of eco-minded consumers share their knowledge about sustainable products and services ranging from electric cars to organic toothpaste. This post was originally published at http://greenhome.huddler.com/wiki/pest-control.
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0627-28181-856-0703
TRAVERSE CITY RECORD-EAGLE
June 27, 2009 08:50 pm    
      

No local cherries for festival

 
Chilly weather stalls growth
  


Don’t expect to munch on local cherries at this year’s National Cherry Festival. The Grand Traverse region’s crop will still be clinging to the trees. Douglas Tesner/Record-Eagle

 
BY BILL O’BRIEN and AND LAURA WRIGHT
Record-Eagle staff writers

TRAVERSE CITY — Don’t expect to munch on local cherries at this year’s National Cherry Festival. The Grand Traverse region’s crop will still be clinging to the trees.
Festival organizers, area retail shops and farm markets are resigned to importing cherries from other parts of Michigan for the summer festival that begins Saturday and runs through July 11.
Lingering chilly weather stalled cherry growth and left the crop a week or two behind schedule. That will push the sweet cherry harvest into early July and tart cherry harvest to mid-month, keeping the bulk of the area crop in the orchards for this year’s festival.
“It’s going to be a week and a half, maybe two weeks before we’re picking anything locally,” said Dennis Hoxsie, who grows sweet and tart cherries at his Acme Township farm and also runs a farm market along M-72.
Hoxsie said he’ll have to truck in sweet cherries from southwest Michigan to stock the market until he can pick fruit.
“Everybody that comes to the festival wants to see local cherries,” Hoxsie said. “Unfortunately, there’s not a whole heck of a lot we can do about it.”
Area business owners said customers prefer local cherries, but foreign cherries won’t make visitors think this year’s Cherry Festival is the pits.
“Cherry Festival is what it is,” said Judy Izard, owner of Peppercorn in downtown Traverse City. “There’s too much to do not to come just because we don’t have local cherries.”
Several downtown merchants focus on providing local cherries, or at least cherries grown in Michigan.
“Our focus is local,” said Jamie Roster, owner of The Cherry Stop downtown. “My customers are specifically looking for Michigan cherries. They don’t want Oregon or Washington cherries.”
It’s not overly unusual for the Cherry Festival to be void of local fruit. But warm, dry springs in recent years accelerated fruit development, and created ample opportunities for tourists to enjoy the signature sweet cherries.
Hoxsie compares a Cherry Festival without local fruit to what ski resorts face when they don’t have snow between Christmas and New Year’s Day. It cuts into profits and represents a key business week that’s lost without a chance of full recovery.
“We’ll have cherries to sell; they’re still Michigan cherries,” Hoxsie said. “But the profit thing is different when you can’t sell your own.”
Local cherries or not, the show must go on, and festival organizers pledge there won’t be a cherry shortage.
“When we can’t look to our own growers as the first opportunity, we definitely work on the national level,” said festival spokeswoman Susan Wilcox Olson. “Visitors will find an abundance of cherries.”
Local cherries will be hustled into the festival as soon as they come off the trees, she said.
A solid cherry crop is anticipated this summer, tardy as it may be. The state’s tart cherry production is expected to reach 220 million pounds this year, up more than 30 percent from last year’s harvest. The crop potential in northwest Michigan is described as “excellent” by the U.S. Department of Agricultural.
The overall condition of Michigan’s sweet cherry crop also is rated as “very good to excellent” by the USDA. The projected harvest in Michigan is 28,000 tons, up 5.6 percent from last year.
“Things are great,” said Nikki Rothwell, director of the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Station. “But they’re just not ready yet.”
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Up North Live
TV 7&4 News
   June 28, 2009
 
Jun 29, 2009, 12:23 AM EDT

Vigil held for Michael Jackson

at Motown studio

  

 
Gas stations sign deals
 
after gouging
 
 
 
 
 

Friday, June 26, 2009 at 12:08 p.m.

LANSING (AP) — Eleven Michigan gas stations have entered into compliance
agreements with the state amid allegations of price gouging during a 2008 hurricane.
Gas prices at the stations ranged from $4.99 to $5.39 a gallon when Hurricane Ike
made landfall near major domestic oil facilities in Texas last September.
 
Some stations will pay fines while one has voluntarily provided refunds to motorists.
Attorney General Mike Cox said Friday the gas prices were “questionable.”
Six of the stations are in Lansing, while another is in Holt south of Lansing. Two
are in Adrian. One is in St. Johns and another is in Clare.
 
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June 27, 2009

GM to take on future

product liability claims

FILE - In this Dec. 12, 2008 file photo, the General Motors logo is seen outside AP – FILE – In this Dec. 12, 2008 file

photo, the General Motors logo is seen outside the GM headquarters …

By BREE FOWLER, AP Auto Writer
 
NEW YORK – General Motors Corp. has agreed to take on responsibility f
or future product liability claims, removing what could have been a sizable
roadblock on the automaker’s path to a quick sale of its assets and
emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy as a new company.
As part of its government-backed restructuring plan, GM wants to sell the
bulk of its assets to a new company and leave behind unprofitable assets
and other liabilities such as product-related lawsuits. A hearing on the
proposed sale is scheduled for Tuesday.
But in a concession to consumer groups and state officials who had
threatened to block the sale because of product liability concerns, the new
company will now assume responsibility for future claims involving vehicles
made by the old company, according to documents filed in federal
bankruptcy court in New York on Friday.
Under the automaker’s previous plan, “New GM” would not have assumed
any liability for future claims related to GM vehicles made before the sale
and creation of the new company. That meant that consumers who wanted
to file a lawsuit related to a defective GM vehicle would have had to seek
compensation from “Old GM,” a collection of mostly unprofitable assets left
over after the sale, where there likely would be nothing left to pay their
claims.
But under the new plan, “New GM” will not assume liability for already
pending claims against the automaker and those people will still be forced
to seek compensation from “Old GM.”
“The fact that ‘New GM’ will protect consumers injured by defective ‘
Old GM’
cars is a positive development for public safety,” The Ad Hoc Committee
of Consumer Victims of Chrysler and GM said in a statement released
Saturday.
But the group said more needs to be done, noting that GM’s concession
doesn’t help people that have already been hurt by its vehicles. It also said
consumers hurt by fellow automaker Chrysler LLC still have little recourse.
As part of its plan to sell most of itself to a group led by Italy’s Fiat Group
SpA and emerge from Chapter 11, Auburn Hills, Mich.-based Chrysler
also
asked the judge overseeing its case for permission to leave behind its
past and future product liability claims.
Consumer groups, as well as several individuals with pending claims
against Chrysler, objected and some even took their arguments to the  
 shortly thereafter.
GM, which filed for Chapter 11 on June 1, has said it wants to spend no
more than 60 to 90 days under bankruptcy protection and that a key part
of meeting that goal will be a quick sale of the company’s assets.
Under the deal brokered with President Barack Obama’s administration,
the U.S. government will get a 60 percent ownership stake in the new GM.
The Canadian government will get 12.5 percent, with the United Auto
Workers union taking a 17.5 percent share and unsecured bondholders
receiving 10 percent. Existing GM shareholders are expected to be wiped
out.
Even with the resolution of the product liability issues, GM still faces
numerous objections to the sale, including ones filed by a group of its
unsecured bondholders, a handful of states and cities and individual
retirees
and shareholders.
While noting the “painful” sacrifices being made by many parties in GM’s
bankruptcy process, including individuals injured by GM products, an
administration official said Sunday there is nothing “exceptional” about the
automaker’s bankruptcy terms.
“The outcome for all involved would have been far worse had the
government
not intervened in the restructuring and General Motors had liquidated,”
the official said in an e-mailed statement, declining to be identified.
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LUDINGTON DAILY NEWS
June 25, 2009

Stimulus funds to aid

law enforcement

Jennifer Linn – Staff Writer

 

Law enforcement agencies in Mason and surrounding counties will be
 receiving more than $63,000 collectively in stimulus funds to purchase
equipment they wouldn’t otherwise have been able to afford this year.
 
Local agencies receiving American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds

are the Ludington Police Department, Mason County Sheriff’s Office,

Oceana County Sheriff’s Office and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Manistee is not receiving money from any public safety grants.

Mason County Undersheriff Tom Trenner said there are guidelines as to

what the money can be used for and said some of the department’s

$17,957

in ARRA funds will go towards communication equipment for the office.

Of that money, $16,800 of it will go towards an upgrade to the computer

security system so deputies can still access the Law Enforcement

Information Network.

“Right now we don’t have the right security wall in place to access LEIN

according to state guidelines,” Trenner said.

Trenner said although the current firewall does not meet the stringent

standards the state requires, there is no risk of a security breach with the

current security system.

If the firewall is not upgraded the sheriff’s office could lose the use of LEIN

from the state.

“Communication is a big thing, it’s part of the requirement of the grant —

communications and operability.”

With the money left over from upgrading the firewall, Trenner said the office

may be able to get a couple extra mobile radios for vehicles, extra digital

cameras, or upgrade in-car cameras from the old VHS system.

Ludington

The Ludington Police department wants to purchase two new cameras

and four or five patrol rifles with money it will receive from the ARRA.

The City of Ludington will receive $16,782 in public safety grants.

Police Chief Mark Barnett said $7,400 was for a camera to be placed in

the downtown area, and $6,600 is for a camera to be placed in Stearns

Park.

He said the Stearns Park camera will be able to view up Stearns Outer

Drive to the north, the first part of the breakwater out, the Loomis Street

Boat Ramp, the skate plaza and the beach.

Oceana County

The Oceana County Sheriff’s Office plans to use the additional money to

install wireless hotspots for deputies to use to upload reports from the road

and to purchase an e-citation program.

Oceana Undersheriff Tim Priese said seven wireless hotspots will be

placed across the county so deputies can upload reports more efficiently.

He said the mobile Nextel modems deputies currently use can’t transfer

 the

large electronic crash report files. The hotspots will cost $3,036.

The rest of the money will be spent on e-citation software and printers and

mounts for patrol vehicles.

E-citation software will allow deputies to do electronic citations, which

would

help the efficiency of officers and reduce the paper being used.

“It takes away from the officer having to hand write out tickets in

quadruplicate,” Priese said.

Thermal printers will also be installed in patrol vehicles. Deputies will be

able to print everything out on the paper, and give a copy to the motorist

and a second copy to the court.

Priese said there isn’t enough money to connect the system to court yet.

“Ultimately we want to have court connected,” Priese said. He said once

that is done the court will not have to import the information from the paper

ticket into a computer system. Once the court is hooked up to the system

deputies will just have to print one hard copy, for the motorist.

The system will also serve as a repository to look up old citations quickly.

Lake County

The Lake County Sheriffs Office will spend the money it receives from the

ARRA on new radios for its deputies.

Undersheriff Mike Dermyer said the office will be using the $13,929 it

receives for 17 new radios to make the office compliant for the 2012

narrowband radio requirement for a 900 MHz bandwith frequency.

All deputies will receive the new portables and the older radios will be

passed down to the reserves. Dermyer said this will put everyone on

federal frequencies.

—–

jlinn@ludingtondailynews.com

843-1122 x309
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CADILLAC  NEWS

 

DETROIT (AP) — A candlelight vigil celebrating Michael Jackson’s life 

and legacy has been held at the original home of Motown Records in Detroit. Sharon Banks, a spokeswoman for the event, says at least 2,500 people took part in the Sunday evening vigil at the Motown Historical Museum. The historic Detroit building, dubbed Hitsville USA, was the launching pad for Jackson’s career. Banks says organizers ran out of candles to give to Jackson fans of all ages and ethnic groups. She says flowers and other gifts left at Hitsville will be stored at a Detroit cemetery. Fans have gathered daily outside Hitsville since Thursday, when Jackson died in Los Angeles at age 50, to pay their respects to the pop superstar. Hitsville includes Studio A, where Jackson and his brothers recorded as The Jackson 5 after being discovered by Motown Records founder Berry Gordy.   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

LOCAL  LETTERS

 

“People Cry for Justice and God Demands It”
 
 Monday June 29 ,2009
 
To:  Cedar Creek Township Board Members:
 
     During the August 5,2008 Primary Elections, election laws were broken at Liberty Township Hall and at Cedar Creek Township Hall voting areas.
 
     I recently was able to read the censored Wexford Prosecutor’s records and found that Wexford County Commissioner Tom Akers was not registered to vote at either township, as he is a Manton resident and registered as one, yet he was allowed to stay at the two other voting precints and intimidate voters, thus breaking the law.
 
     Wexford County Prosecutor Smather’s records shown signed statements of both Township Election Boards attesting to the fact that many Election Board members showed favoritism by allowing Tom Akers presence to intimidate voters during the election.  This is a Election Law Violation!
 
     Of the 3 hand written complaints one Cedar Creek Voters basically called it “VOTER INTIMIDATION” 
 
 
I feel that the Cedar Creek Board should do the following:
 
     1. Do not have any Normal Township Business at the Hall during any Election other then Election!
  
    2. The Cedar Creek Township election board should be given a list of improprieties to watch out for and prevent during any future elections, per suggestion by Wexford County Prosecutor Smathers’ letter of 9/29/08.
 
    3. Ask the State Attorney General to perform an independent investigation,including Smathers’ investigating Akers of being a County Commissioner and setting Smathers Budget / personal payroll!
 
    4. Ask the Secretary of State to sponsor and run a Special Election after said investigation finds those who violated any voter laws/conflict of interest are removed from present position.
 
    5. Insist that any person who committed, allowed or conspired to cover up any crime should be removed from public office, not allowed to again run for public office nor ever be appointed to any public office in the State of Michigan.
 
    6.Perform an internal investigation to help save the  FACE of a proper free election system like our forefathers guaranteed us in The United States Constitution.
 
Robert Lohman
1645 N. U.S. 131
Manton, MI 49663-9184
 
cc:  Federal Attorney General Office,  Michigan Attorney General OfficeMichigan Secretary of State,  Michigan Governor,Wexford County Prosecutor , Cedar Creek Supervisor
 
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DPW Meeting of June 29, 2009
 
 
June 30, 2009
 
People who attended the Dept. of Public Works (DPW) meeting on Monday evening, June 29, 2009, reported that the situation with out-of-county trash has just become much worse. 
 
Prior to a vote regarding allowing sixteen (16) additional counties to bring in their trash to Wexford County Landfill, residents of Cedar Creek Township have consistently and unanimously worked  and voted against out-of-county trash, especially since the county board members, the Wexford County DPW,  the Michigan DEQ, and the Landfill personnel were unable to protect the groundwater reservoir beneath Cedar Creek Township from becoming contaminated with an array of poisens. 
 
John Fuscone, CCT resident, made a special plea to Cedar Creek Township Trustee, Jeanne Schnitker, also a member of this board, to actually represent her constituents, stand up for their wishes, and vote against this measure.
 
The pleas fell on deaf ears.  CCT Trustee Jeanne Schnitker effectively spat in the faces of her constituents and neighbors in Cedar Creek Township and voted in favor of allowing 15 more counties to dump their trash in their township.  The measure passed.
 
I didn’t think I’d ever wish a contaminated water well on anyone, but Jeanne Schnitker really deserves to reap what she has sown.  It’s hard to believe a Christian would show such contempt for her neighbors.
 
Sherrie Fuscone, Cedar Creek Township
 

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Opinion

The Christian Science Monitor 

     June 28, 2009

How Confucianism could curb global warming

 
By James Miller James Miller – Fri Jun 26, 5:00 am ET
Kingston, Ontario – Now here’s a curveball to secular Western policy experts: China’s intellectuals are openly debating the role of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in promoting the Communist Party’s vision of a harmonious society and ecologically sustainable economic development.
Nowhere is the question of what to do about the environment more vital than in China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases – especially because scientists agree that climate change disproportionately affects the poor and the disenfranchised and that climate change will affect future generations far more than the present.
Yet the general impression of China’s role in issues relating to environment is one of foot-dragging because it hasn’t bought into a Western model to address it.
But Pan Yue, China’s vice minister for environmental protection, is calling for China to capitalize on traditional Chinese religions in promoting ecological sustainability.
He says, “One of the core principles of traditional Chinese culture is that of harmony between humans and nature. Different philosophies all emphasize the political wisdom of a balanced environment. Whether it is the Confucian idea of humans and nature becoming one, the Taoist view of the Tao reflecting nature, or the Buddhist belief that all living things are equal, Chinese philosophy has helped our culture to survive for thousands of years. It can be a powerful weapon in preventing an environmental crisis and building a harmonious society.”
And this just might work.
As The New York Times recently reported, China is in the midst of a transformation to cleaner forms of energy.
Although much of China’s energy needs are still met by inefficient, coal-fired power stations with poor track records in terms of emissions, China has begun to invest heavily in cleaner coal technology in an effort to improve efficiency and reduce emissions.
Because of this, the International Energy Agency reduced its estimate of the increase in Chinese emissions of global warming gases from 3.2 percent to 3 percent even as the same agency raised its estimate of China’s economic growth. China is managing to increase its economic output at a greater rate than its emissions.
This is good news for everyone.
But buried innocuously in the middle of this report was the startlingly frank statement of Cao Peixi, president of the China Huaneng group, China’s largest state-owned electric company.
When asked about his company’s decision to invest in more expensive but cleaner technology he replied: “We shouldn’t look at this project from a purely financial perspective. It represents the future.”
The $64,000 question facing economists and politicians across the world is how to make decisions that take into account the big picture beyond the “purely financial perspective.”
This is a hard question for Western economic and political theorists to answer, because their theories are based on the Enlightenment view of the self as an autonomous, rational individual.
But how are we to make decisions that take into account the interests of those who have not yet been born?
Being respectful to the interests of past and future generations is key to the Confucian view of the self and groups. To the question, “Who am I?” the Confucian answers, “I am the child of my parents and the parent of my children.”
Confucianism begins from the proposition that human beings are defined by kinship networks that span the centuries. From this perspective the interests of the individual are bound up with the interests of the kinship group as it extends forward and backward across the generations.
This will be a key factor in the way China handles present and future environmental issues.

Consider the views of Jiang Qing, a leading Confucian intellectual. According to a recent report by Daniel Bell, a political theorist at China’s Tsinghua Univeristy, Mr. Jiang proposes a political system that can take into account the interests of those who are typically ignored in modern democracies, such as foreigners, future generations, and ancestors.

“Is democracy really the best way to protect future victims of global warming?” he asks.

As China assumes a greater leadership role on the world stage, we can expect the emergence of a variety of models of sustainable development rooted in a plurality of cultural traditions, including Confucianism.

The time when Westernization was the only credible model of development is over.

James Miller is a professor of Chinese studies in the Department of Religious Studies at Queen’s University, Kingston. He is currently researching the relationship between religion, nature, and modernization in China.
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CADILLAC  NEWS

June 30, 2009

 

 

Landfill market could expand

 

to 21 counties

 

MATT WHETSTONE | CADILLAC NEWS
Wexford County Department of Public Works Director John Divozzo (center) discusses the solid waste management plan Monday.

 

 

By Matt Whetstone

 

CADILLAC – Maybe, just maybe, the Wexford County Solid Waste Management Planning Committee recommended a major increase in the landfill’s market area.

 

The committee voted 7-3 to recommend the expansion to the Wexford County Board of Commissioners. However, Department of Public Works Director John Divozzo said he’ll need a legal opinion to determine if it passes because eight votes might be required.

 

The public also criticized the vote after committee member Matt Gunnerson made a motion to approve, which was seconded. Immediately after, Divozzo added several things to Gunnerson’s motion, which he agreed upon.

 

Cedar Creek Township residents John Fuscone and Loretta Timlick both called the vote improper. After some further discussion, the committee let its vote stand.

 

Timlick also criticized the fact that 16 counties were added to the recommendation after the expiration of the public comment period.

 

Divozzo explained that the addition came because American Waste, a potential buyer of the landfill, made its own public comments requesting more counties be added.

 

Other concerns were raised by the city of Cadillac Interim City Manager Precia Garland, who said there is no mechanism to control rates should the landfill be sold. City residents, Garland said, could be held hostage by flow control because there would be no mechanism to export waste to other counties.

 

The plan requires all waste generated in Wexford County to be disposed of at the landfill, regardless of rates.

 

Committee member Mark Howie, who chaired Monday’s meeting, provided the sharpest criticism of the plan, stating that people in Wexford County are forced to pay an exorbitant amount while out-of-county users get a lower rate.

 

“I have sincere concerns if we’re really representing the constituents of the county,” Howie said.

 

Yet, other members felt having the potential to increase the market area could eventually lead to price decreases for Wexford County residents.

 

That potential would be better than, say, a household fee or millage passed on to all county residents should the landfill close, said committee member Scott Conradson.

If the plan is approved by the county board of commissioners, it would then need to be approved by 14 of the 21 municipalities in the county for it to take effect.

—–

 

mwhetstone@cadillacnews.com | 775-NEWS (6397)

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CADILLAC  NEWS

 June 30, 2009

 

Powering the future

 

This artist’s rendering shows the Wolverine Clean Energy Venture Project in Rogers City.

  

By Matt Whetstone,

Cadillac News

 

A local energy cooperative wants to make a big investment in Michigan’s future. Yet, a proposed 600-MegaWatt plant in northern Michigan is still going through the permitting process.

Wolverine Power Cooperative, based in Cadillac, is hoping to construct the coal-fired power plant near Rogers City. The plant would be capable of utilizing up to 20 percent of its total fuel needs with sustainable biomass.

Additionally, Wolverine is looking to construct a wind farm near its plant to add an additional renewable energy component.

As it stands now, the project is being reviewed by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

 

 

 

CADILLAC – By the end of the year, a local energy company and Michigan residents will know if a new power plant is coming to northern Michigan.

Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative is in the midst of a review process by the state for its proposed 600-MegaWatt power plant in Rogers City.

Wolverine recently completed a 500-page analysis showing its needs, the needs for a new baseload power plant in Michigan and the possible use of renewable energy sources.

Craig Borr, executive vice president of Wolverine – which is headquartered in Cadillac – said three fuel sources are being considering: coal, petroleum coke and biomass. Wolverine’s analysis discusses the use of up to 20 percent biomass, up to 70 percent petroleum coke and up to 100 percent coal.

The state of Michigan has among the oldest power generation fleets in the nation. In 2007, the state’s fleet generated nearly 16 million MegaWatt hours from coal plants that average 53 years old. A number of the plants will have to be retired in the next two decades, according to Wolverine’s analysis.

 

Just to maintain the current level of supply and imports, the state will need at least two baseload generating plants.

“I would say it’s ancient infrastructure,” Borr said.

Not only does the state have a need for new energy sources, Wolverine has one, too. Every planning scenario the company reviewed demonstrated a need to construct its own baseload plant. Continuing to purchase energy through a wholesale power contract is unlikely because term rates are not exceeding three to five years and any contract is unlikely to have a fixed price.

“Our need is very substantive,” Borr said.

Needs for Michigan residents follow the same path.

Many of the baseload plants now operating won’t be allowed to continue operations before too long because of environmental rules, Borr said.

There’s no comparison between the coal-burning plants online now versus a new fluidized bed facility being proposed by Wolverine.

“Compared to some other facilities, it speaks for itself in terms of technological advance, permitting levels and how stringent we have intentionally gone in the air-permitting process,” Borr said. “I would argue that no permit has been submitted that approaches the types of levels we have gone in terms of emissions. We’ve pushed the level in all sorts of areas to produce the absolute cleanest profile in energy today.”

Beyond an environmental improvement, Borr said it can help reduce state’s reliance on importing energy from other states. Also, Wolverine plans to invest $1 billion in Michigan, a move that will put thousands of people to work.

“We see it as a great way to put all sorts of people back to work to produce jobs and lots of tax revenue,” Borr said.

In addition to the baseload plant, Wolverine is collecting wind data in Rogers City to determine the feasibility of a wind farm.

 

STATE REVIEW

The Michigan Public Service Commission and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality are in the midst of a public comment period of Wolverine’s proposal.

Melissa Byrnes, DEQ engineer in the Air Quality Division, said the state expects to reach a permit decision by the end of 2009.

The DEQ’s public comment period lasts through Aug. 17 while the MPSC holds its public comment period through July 9.

Byrnes said the MPSC is handling the bulk of the review. The commission will then make a recommendation to the DEQ.

Paul Proudfoot, director of the MPSC’s Electric Reliability Division, said the review will focus on public comments and Wolverine’s analysis.

“The first thing we would do is examine Wolverine’s long-range forecast,” Proudfoot said. “Once we do that, we’re going to look at the cost numbers of the proposed plant and the cost numbers for the competing options they supplied us.”

The final report is due to the DEQ by Sept. 7. The alternative energy options are a part of the overall review and could be beneficial in cutting down the amount of coal imported into Michigan, Proudfoot said.

Based on his review of things, Rep. Joel Sheltrown, D-West Branch, said he believes a permit will be issued this fall.

“There’s a lot of hurdles that could develop,” Sheltrown said. “For example, there could be a lawsuit filed by the people who don’t agree with the project.”

Sheltrown said he is “thoroughly convinced” that the plant is needed. Not only will it help put people back to work, but it will utilize cleaner technology to replace inefficient coal plants constructed decades and decades ago.

The project will also lead to the development of a world-class harbor on Lake Huron, which will have major economic benefits to the entire state.

“The reality is people in northern Michigan need a reliable source of electricity, No. 1, and No. 2, we’re struggling paying our bills now – there has to be an economical source of electrical power, too,” Sheltrown said.

 

MOVING FORWARD

If a permit is issued, Borr said Wolverine will immediately move forward with its final financial evaluation, which will determine if the project can move forward.

Wolverine also is preparing for environmental opposition groups to enter a legal fight against the project.

“That’s been an expectation since day one,” Borr said. “Environmental opposition groups have taken the position “no, no, no” all over the country.”

Borr said he understands the project requires a lot of patience. To date, he said the cooperation between the state and Wolverine has been very productive.

—–

 

mwhetstone@cadillacnews.com | 775-NEWS (6397)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

About the project

The Wolverine Clean Energy Venture is Wolverine’s development of baseload and renewable electric generation proposed in Presque Isle County, near Rogers City. Wolverine is presently awaiting a decision on its application for a Permit to Install for its Rogers City baseload project from the MDEQ, which is anticipated to be received in the fourth quarter of 2009.

The Rogers City project has two primary components. The first component is a 600 MegaWatt solid fuel, coal-fired power plant that generates electricity continuously, referred to as a baseload plant. The baseload power plant will use Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) technology and will have the capability to utilize sustainable biomass from Michigan to meet up to 20 percent of its total fuel needs.

Located on a nearly 1,000-acre site south of Rogers City, the proposed plant would be constructed in what is widely considered to be the largest limestone quarry in the world. The quarry, which is owned by Carmeuse Lime & Stone of Pittsburgh and still actively mined today, provides high-calcium limestone for industrial applications, including fluegas desulfurization for power plants throughout North America. This unique site features a world-class deep water port for fuel transportation; access to large earth-moving and fuel-handling equipment; adequate space and geology receptive to future carbon capture and sequestration technologies; access to large volumes of cooling water; and the land necessary for possible future development of other complimentary industrial processes.

The second component of the Rogers City project is a potential wind turbine farm to be located near Adams Point, south of the City of Rogers City and immediately east of the baseload project site. Wolverine erected a meteorological tower at the site in the fall of 2007 and is presently working with DEWI North America to further study wind speed and directional data from the site. Wolverine’s commitment to renewable energy for Michigan is evident by its recent partnership with John Deere Wind Energy. Wolverine is buying all power generated by the farm’s 32 turbines under a 20-year agreement with John Deere Wind Energy.

Source: Wolverine Energy Cooperative

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Go to fullsize  image ate these cherries for dessert bluehazyjunem

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 Go to fullsize image …of the cherries they Terriko

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National Cherry Festival

(231) 947-4230
250 E Front St, #301
Traverse City, MI
 
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National Cherry Festival

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 
National Cherry Festival
Begins July 4, 2009
Ends July 11, 2009
Location Traverse City, Michigan
First occurrence 1926
Last occurrence 2008
 
The National Cherry Festival is a festival in Traverse City, Michigan in Northern Michigan. Founded in 1926, the mission of the National Cherry Festival is to celebrate & promote cherries. It also serves to promote tourism and community involvement, and to enhance the economic, entertainment, and cultural interests of the Grand Traverse region.
Every year more than 500,000 attendees enjoy the National Cherry Festival, which is now in its 82nd year. Families can enjoy many kinds of activities from cherry pit spitting and pie eating contests, to the Grand Royale Parade in which the newly crowned Cherry Queen greets the crowds.
Originally held in mid- to late July to coincide with the cherry harvest, the Festival was moved to early July to take advantage of the July 4th weekend. Cherries are harvested with a “shaker”, that quickly vibrates the trunk of the cherry tree and the ripe cherries fall off into a large, expandable tarp.[1] During the harvest approximately 200,000,000 pounds of tart (Montmorency) cherries are harvested.
  
Other cherries, including sweet cherries and Balaton cherries are also harvested. The moderate climate, caused by the proximity of Lake Michigan and the sandy soil are why cherries grow so well in the region.
Traverse City is the “Cherry Capital of the World” and is in the Guinness Book of World Records, for baking the world’s largest cherry pie (the pie was 17 ft 6 in (5.3 m), weighing in at 28,350 pounds), unveiled at the festival on July 25, 1987. This replaced the pie baked nine years earlier in Charlevoix, Michigan. This record was held until July 14, 1990, when a pie weighing 37,740 lb 10 oz (17,118.9 kg), 20 feet (6.1 m) in diameter was baked and eaten by approximately 1500 people in Oliver, British Columbia (the Wine Capital of
Canada).
 
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TRAVERSE CITY RECORD-EAGLE
    May 16, 2009 10:15 pm      
   
National Cherry Fest Queen
finalists chosen
 
Winner will be crowned in ceremony July 10
 
From staff reports
  

 

 

TRAVERSE CITY — The National Cherry Festival has selected its four finalists, one of whom will become the 2009 National Cherry Queen in ceremonies scheduled for July 10.
 

Franki Price
 
– Franki Price, 19, of Elk Rapids, is the daughter of Ken and Marcia Price. She is a 2008 graduate of Elk Rapids High School, currently studying journalism at Michigan State University. In high school, she was a member of the National Honor Society, played soccer and basketball and was a member of the dance squad, and served as Miss Elk Rapids in 2007. She was chosen as Scholar Athlete of the Year by her classmates her senior year. She is sponsored by Ken Price and family.
 


Angela Sayler /

 
– Angela Sayler, 24, of Williamsburg, is the daughter of Richard and Donna Sayler. She is a 2003 graduate of Elk Rapids High School and a 2008 graduate of Grand Valley State University, with a degree in hospitality and tourism management. She plans to obtain a master’s degree in entrepreneurial business. She has worked at her family’s orchards and was an intern with the Grand Haven Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau. She is sponsored by Smeltzer Orchard Co.
 

Stephanie Paulosky /
 
– Stephanie Paulosky, 22, of Williamsburg, is the daughter of Karen Paulosky and the late Don Paulosky. She graduated from Elk Rapids High School in 2004 and Aquinas College in 2008 with a degree in communication and business administration. She was Miss Elk Rapids in 2004 and a National Cherry Queen finalist in 2006. She played soccer in college and high school and has competed in a triathlon. She is sponsored by Dr. Vincent P. Mack D.D.S.
 

Samantha Dunn /
 
– Samantha Dunn, 20, of Gaylord, is the daughter of Scott and Theresa Dunn. She is a 2007 graduate of Gaylord St. Mary’s Cathedral School and is currently studying communications at Michigan State University. She was the Gaylord Alpenfest Queen in 2007-2008, student council president of her high school class and an all-state athlete in softball and basketball. She is sponsored by mBank and Force Fitness PowerHouse Gym.
 
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The National Cherry Festival

Traverse City, Michigan

The National Cherry Festival tradition began in 1910 with the “blessing of the blossoms” a religious prayer ceremony for a good cherry crop. 
Appealing to the gods for a bountiful crop is an ancient tradition that began shortly after the advent of farming. Similar ceremonies have been conducted in many cultures since ancient times. At the turn of the 20th century, when cherry farming began in earnest in the Traverse City area, the local cherry growers got together and asked their priest to bless their crop. 
 
Over the years more orchards were planted and the ceremony grew as cherries became more important to the region’s economy. In 1925, the cherry growers partnered with Traverse City merchants to create the “Blessing of the Blossoms Festival” to promote the region and the cherry business. 

High School honor student Gertrude Brown beat out 72 other contestants to become the first Cherry Blossom Queen after her name was drawn out of a hat. The festival included a parade through downtown Traverse City that was recorded by newsreel cameras. The Festival Parade featured marching bands, war veterans and 52 floats made from decorated trucks, cars and wagons.

Beginning in 1926, the Cherry Festival Queen was selected by popular vote. The photos of all 34 nominees were printed in the local paper along with a ballot form. That year, Charlotte Kearns won a decisive victory over the other 26 candidates with 702 votes out of the more than 5,000 that were cast.

Her parade was delayed for 45 minutes because the newsreel cameras hadn’t shown up yet. One of the more unusual floats was a scene from a WW I battlefield with a wounded soldier holding up several German helmets under a sign that said, “Who Said We Couldn’t Fight?”

In 1926, the tradition of baking a huge cherry pie and presenting it to the US President began. Hawkins Bakery in Traverse City baked a pie that weighed 42 pounds, was three feet in diameter and contained more than 5,000 cherries. 

 

The giant pie had to be loaded into a car via its tilting windshield and then into a specially built wooden box in the back seat. It took three days to drive the pie from Traverse City to President Coolidge’s summer White House at White Pine Camp in Upstate New York’s Adirondack mountains, but the pie arrived none the worse for wear and President Coolidge was delighted.

Historic Festival Highlights

  • A late frost ruined the cherry crop in 1927, causing the celebration to be canceled. 
  • In 1928, the Blessing of the Blossoms was renamed the Michigan Cherry Festival and Michigan Governor Fred Green was on hand to crown the queen. 
  • In 1930, the festival was expanded to three days, with more parades, an air show, a boat race, entertainment, sports, and many other events. President Herbert Hoover attended the opening day ceremonies, but after being presented with his cherry pie he was overheard remarking to an aide, “Give it to the poor.” Hoover had reason to be in a dour mood because the stock market had crashed just seven months earlier and the nation was plunging into the Great Depression.
  • In 1931, the state legislature passed a resolution making the festival a national celebration and renamed it The National Cherry Festival. Seven US Navy ships docked in Traverse City and 3 companies of sailors marched in the parade that year. 
  • The 1933 parade featured a beer truck that dispensed beer all along the parade route to celebrate the end of Prohibition. 
  • The first “Dog Show and Parade” was held in 1939, and prizes were given to the dogs who were the biggest, smallest, fattest, thinnest; had the biggest ears, smallest ears, longest tail and shortest tail.
  • In 1941, boxer Joe Louis, “The Brown Bomber” attended the festival and refereed several Golden Gloves boxing matches.
  • During the World War II era 1942-48, the Cherry Festival was suspended, but it has been held every year since. 
  • The Anheuser-Busch Clydesdale horses made their first appearance in the Cherry Royale Parade in 1953.
  • In 1963, the first Sand Castle Tournament was held on the beach at Clinch Park. 
  • The 1967 festival featured a display by the US Navy of a simulated atomic attack totally destroying a miniature village. After the blast, SeaBees administered first aid to the miniature victims. A rather dubious presentation, to say the least. 
  • The Mummer’s Parade had always been a strange affair with people dressing up in wild costumes and acting out, but in 1967, the parade reached a new low in questionable taste. The “King of the Mummers” was riding on the Cherry Festival Queen’s float in a crown and full-length mink coat, sitting on a toilet while smoking a cigar and occasionally pulling up his coat to expose his rear end. That stunt put an end to Mummer’s Parades in Traverse City. 
  • In 1970 the celebration began with a two-minute “Festival of Noise” with everyone in town making as much noise as possible in every imaginable way possible, including car horns, banging on washtubs, bells and musical instruments of every description. 
  • 1973 featured the first “Milk Carton Regatta.” Boats were required to use milk cartons as their primary means of flotation. The Great Lakes Maritime Academy took the prize for the most milk cartons by using 1,800 on their craft. The “Bean Pot” built by Chuck’s Sport Shop won the race. Darryl Nelson won the prize for the most original entry—a contraption shaped like a water wheel. 
  • The 1975 Cherry Royale Parade was the biggest ever at 180 entries and attended by over 300,000 people. It was led by President Gerald Ford, a Michigan native and former U.S. Senator. 
  • In 1978 the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds performed for the first time. Five T-38 fighters dazzled the crowd gathered at the beaches with acrobatic feats and heart-stopping maneuvers.
The National Cherry Festival has continued to expand over the years and The Cherry Royale Parade has become one of the largest parades in the Midwest. In 2004, the 78th annual National Cherry Festival ran from July 2-9. The 8-day festival brought nearly one million visitors and about 26 million dollars to the Grand Traverse area.

Among the many attractions were three parades, a classic car and truck show, an International World Cup Beach Volleyball Competition, live music, a cherry pie eating contest, turtle races, a fishing contest, bingo, a pet show and of course, the selection of a Cherry Festival Queen. There were about 150 events and activities, and over 85 percent of those were free, including the giant fireworks display over West Grand Traverse Bay that closed the festival.

Hotel rooms in Traverse City are usually all booked up well in advance of the Cherry Festival, so if you’d like to stay overnight, you need to make your reservations well in advance. Visit the National Cherry Festival’s web site at http://www.cherryfestival.org/ for more information.

 
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AP
June 29, 2009 
 
Madoff AP

Bernard Madoff gets maximum

150 years in prison

FILE - In this March 10, 2009 file photo, Bernard Madoff exits Manhattan federal AP – FILE – In this March 10, 2009 file photo, Bernard Madoff exits Manhattan federal court in New York. U.S. …

 

By TOM HAYS and LARRY NEUMEISTER, Associated Press Writers
 
NEW YORK – Convicted swindler Bernard Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison Monday for fraud so extensive that the judge said he needed to send a symbolic message to those who might imitate his fraud and to victims who need relief.
Applause broke out in the crowded Manhattan courtroom after U.S. District Judge Denny Chin issued the maximum sentence to the 71-year-old defendant, who said he sought no forgiveness and knew he must live “with this pain, this torment, for the rest of my life.”
Chin rejected a request by Madoff’s lawyer for leniency and said he disagreed that victims of the fraud were seeking mob vengeance.
“Here the message must be sent that Mr. Madoff’s crimes were extraordinarily evil and that this kind of manipulation of the system is not just a bloodless crime that takes place on paper, but one instead that takes a staggering toll,” Chin said.
The judge said the estimate that Madoff has cost his victims more than $13 billion was conservative because it did not include money from feeder funds.
“Objectively speaking, the fraud here was staggering,” he said.
Before Chin announced the sentence, Madoff, wearing a dark suit, white shirt and a tie, sat and listened as emotional witnesses described how he spoiled their security.
“Life has been a living hell. It feels like the nightmare we can’t wake from,” said Carla Hirshhorn.
“He stole from the rich. He stole from the poor. He stole from the in between. He had no values,” said Tom Fitzmaurice. “He cheated his victims out of their money so he and his wife Ruth could live a life of luxury beyond belief.”
Dominic Ambrosino called it an “indescribably heinous crime” and urged a long prison sentence so “will know he is imprisoned in much the same way he imprisoned us and others.”
He added: “In a sense, I would like somebody in the court today to tell me how long is my sentence.”
“The sheer scale of the fraud calls for severe punishment,” the prosecutors wrote.
The jailed Madoff already has taken a severe financial hit: Last week, a judge issued a preliminary $171 billion forfeiture order stripping Madoff of all his personal property, including real estate, investments, and $80 million in assets his wife Ruth had claimed were hers. The order left her with $2.5 million.
The terms require the Madoffs to sell a $7 million Manhattan apartment where Ruth Madoff still lives. An $11 million estate in Palm Beach, Fla., a $4 million home in Montauk and a $2.2 million boat will be put on the market as well.
Before Madoff became a symbol of Wall Street greed, he had earned a reputation as a trusted money manager with a Midas touch. Even as the market fluctuated, clients of his secretive investment advisory business — from Florida retirees to celebrities such as Steven Spielberg, actor Kevin Bacon and Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax — for decades enjoyed steady double-digit returns.
But late last year, Madoff made a dramatic confession: Authorities say he pulled his sons aside and told them it was “all just one big lie.”
Madoff pleaded guilty in March to securities fraud and other charges, saying he was “deeply sorry and ashamed.” He insisted that he acted alone, describing a separate wholesale stock-trading firm run by his sons and brother as honest and legitimate.
Aside from an accountant accused of cooking Madoff’s books, no one else has been criminally charged. But the family, including his wife, and brokerage firms who recruited investors have come under intense scrutiny by the FBI, regulators and a court-appointed trustee overseeing the liquidation of Madoff’s assets.

The trustee and prosecutors have sought to go after assets to compensate thousands of burned victims who have filed claims against Madoff. How much is available to pay them remains unknown, though it’s expected to be only a fraction of the astronomical losses associated with the fraud.

The $171 billion forfeiture figure used by prosecutors merely mirrors the amount they estimate that, over decades, “flowed into the principal account to perpetrate the Ponzi scheme.” The statements sent to investors showing their accounts were worth as much as $65 billion were fiction.

The investigation has found that in reality, Madoff never made any investments, instead using the money from new investors to pay returns to existing clients — and to finance a lavish lifestyle for his family.

In bankruptcy filings, Trustee Irving Picard say family members “used customers accounts as though they were their own,” putting Madoff’s maid, boat captain and house-sitter in Florida on the company payroll and paying nearly $1 million in fees at high-end golf clubs on Long Island and in Florida.

Picard has sought to reclaim ill-gotten gains by freezing Madoff’s business bank accounts and selling legitimate portions of his firm. (Its season tickets for the Mets went for $38,100.) He’s also sued big money managers and investors for billions of dollars, claiming they were Madoff cronies who also cashed in on the fraud.

The defendants include leading philanthropists Stanley Chais and Jeffry Picower — from whom Picard is seeking at least $5.1 billion alleged to have come out of victims’ pockets — and hedge fund manager J. Ezra Merkin. All have denied any wrongdoing.
 
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June 29, 2009

Stimulus money boosts

health clinics serving poor

In this photo taken Friday, June 5, 2009, Dr. Victor Bradford, left, and dental AP – In this photo taken Friday, June 5, 2009, Dr. Victor Bradford, left, and dental assistant Luie Diaz fill …
 
By KRISTEN WYATT, Associated Press Writer
  
 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Homeless teenagers at a central Colorado shelter are feeling the effect of the government’s economic stimulus package. It’s the feeling of a dentist’s drill.
The 20 runaway youths living at the Urban Peak shelter had no regular dental care until this spring, when a $1.3 million stimulus grant to a community health center paid for a mobile dental and medical clinic to visit once a month. The residents now get medical and dental screenings, and cavities filled, right from their shelter’s parking lot.
“I knew my teeth needed to be fixed but I had no money,” says Michelle Daulton, 18, who has been living at the shelter for about four months and hadn’t seen a dentist since she was 13.
Now she’s had three chipped teeth repaired. “It was absolute and pure relief, I mean that,” she said.
From the Colorado homeless shelter to rural Pennsylvania clinics that can accept new patients, health centers that serve the poor are among the first places the federal stimulus package is being spent.
The stimulus law sets aside $2.5 billion for free and low-cost health clinics, and a big chunk of it — about $500 million — is already being spent. The White House has promised another burst of money this summer.
“This has really been a boost for us,” said Bob DeFelice, CEO of First Choice Community Health Care. “It’s allowed a level of stability in some very difficult times.” DeFelice’s group runs nine community health clinics around Albuquerque, N.M., and used a $703,000 grant to hire two physicians and four support staffers.
Health clinic executives say the money will allow them to keep their doors open as the rolls of uninsured patients grow. An estimated 64 million people use rural health clinics, a number that is expected to rise as people lose their jobs and health insurance.
“We’re seeing more and more people,” said Edward Michael, president of the Rural Health Corp. in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. The six-clinic group in northeastern Pennsylvania had no room for new patients until it received a $311,000 grant in April. Now, Michael says, his clinics can expand from seeing 18,000 patients last year to 19,000 this year.
“You know, we weren’t there back in the Depression, so we never experienced being back in the ’30s standing in line for food, standing in line for a doctor,” Michael said. “This money is really going to prevent a lot of long-term hardship.”
The health clinic grants are one-time boosts, not long term health care fixes. The stimulus won’t make up for a lack of doctors in poor and rural areas, a shortage the Association of American Medical Colleges says is growing and could reach 159,000 doctors by 2025.
“I look at the stimulus bill as one step to health care reform,” said Maggie Elehwany, vice president for government affairs and policy at the Washington-based National Rural Health Association. “It isn’t everything.”
While Congress considers a health care overhaul, clinic workers hope just to keep up with basic needs such as vaccinations and exams.
“I can’t imagine not having the stimulus money right now because we wouldn’t be able to do any of this,” said Nicole Noll, who drives the mobile health clinic to the teen homeless shelter and rural elementary schools.
The van was provided by Ronald McDonald House Charities. But stimulus money pays for Noll, the doctors and the dentists.
Far more than a brighter smile can be at stake in dentistry. In Maryland, a 12-year-old boy whose Medicaid coverage had lapsed, Deamonte Driver, died in 2007 after bacteria from the abscess of an aching tooth spread to his brain. An $80 tooth extraction might have saved his life.
“I’m so glad they did this,” Michelle Daulton said. “My parents were cheap. They never took me to the dentist. And when you don’t have any money, your teeth, you just leave ‘em alone. Not anymore.”
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June 29, 2009

Supreme Court bidding

goodbye to Souter 

FILE - This July 9, 2008, file photo shows Supreme Court Justice David Souter AP – FILE – This July 9, 2008, file photo shows Supreme Court Justice David Souter speaks during a dedication …

 

WASHINGTON – It’s Justice David Souter’s last day on the Supreme Court and he’ll be ruling on a case familiar to the woman nominated to replace him.
It’s a reverse discrimination case filed by white firefighters in New Haven, Conn. They argued they were discriminated against when the city tossed out the results of a promotion exam because too few minorities scored high enough on it.
Sonia Sotomayor, who has been nominated to take Souter’s seat, was one of three appeals court judges who ruled that New Haven officials acted properly.
That’s one of the cases the high court is dealing with Monday before justices begin their summer break.
Souter said he’d retire when the court rises for the summer recess. He was named to the court in 1990.
 
……………………………………….RELATED  STORY………………………………………………. 
 
June 29, 2009
 

Court rules for white firefighters

 over promotions

Court rules for white firefighters on promotions AP  – Court rules for white firefighters on

 

Lt. Gary Tinney poses outside his firehouse in New Haven, Conn, Friday, June 12, AP – Lt. Gary Tinney poses outside his firehouse in New Haven, Conn, Friday, June 12, 2009. Monday, June …

 

By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer
 
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court ruled Monday that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge.
New Haven was wrong to scrap a promotion exam because no African-Americans and only two Hispanic firefighters were likely to be made lieutenants or captains based on the results, the court said Monday in a 5-4 decision. The city said that it had acted to avoid a lawsuit from minorities.
The ruling could alter employment practices nationwide and make it harder to prove discrimination when there is no evidence it was intentional.
“Fear of litigation alone cannot justify an employer’s reliance on race to the detriment of individuals who passed the examinations and qualified for promotions,” Justice Anthony Kennedy said in his opinion for the court. He was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.
In dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said the white firefighters “understandably attract this court’s sympathy. But they had no vested right to promotion. Nor have other persons received promotions in preference to them.”
Justices Stephen Breyer, David Souter and John Paul Stevens signed onto Ginsburg’s dissent, which she read aloud in court Monday.
Kennedy’s opinion made only passing reference to the work of Sotomayor and the other two judges on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals who upheld a lower court ruling in favor of New Haven.
But the appellate judges have been criticized for producing a cursory opinion that failed to deal with “indisputably complex and far from well-settled” questions, in the words of another appeals court judge, Sotomayor mentor Jose Cabranes.
“This perfunctory disposition rests uneasily with the weighty issues presented by this appeal,” Cabranes said, in a dissent from the full 2nd Circuit’s decision not to hear the case.
Monday’s decision has its origins in New Haven’s need to fill vacancies for lieutenants and captains in its fire department. It hired an outside firm to design a test, which was given to 77 candidates for lieutenant and 41 candidates for captain.
Fifty six firefighters passed the exams, including 41 whites, 22 blacks and 18 Hispanics. But of those, only 17 whites and two Hispanics could expect promotion.
The city eventually decided not to use the exam to determine promotions. It said it acted because it might have been vulnerable to claims that the exam had a “disparate impact” on minorities in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The white firefighters said the decision violated the same law’s prohibition on intentional discrimination.
Kennedy said an employer needs a “strong basis in evidence” to believe it will be held liable in a disparate impact lawsuit. New Haven had no such evidence, he said.
The city declined to validate the test after it was given, a step that could have identified flaws or determined that there were no serious problems with it. In addition, city officials could not say what was wrong with the test, other than the racially skewed results.
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June 29, 2009

Hordes of hungry grasshoppers

 invade Utah

Hoards of grasshoppers are seen jumping in the grass beside a barn in Tooele, AP – Hoards of grasshoppers are seen jumping in the grass beside a barn in Tooele, Utah Wednesday, June 24, …
 
By MIKE STARK, Associated Press Writer
 
TOOELE, Utah – An ambitious director might look at Mitch Halligan’s property and see an instant B-movie classic: “Invasion of the Grasshoppers.”
The place is overrun with the greasy little bugs. With each step you take on his property, the squirmy inch-long grasshoppers jump for cover in every direction. Those that don’t crunch under foot perch themselves atop tall grass stalks, crawl up pant legs or munch through gardens.
Across the road isn’t much better. Grasshoppers blanketed the neighbors’ entryway a few days ago and forced them to come in through the back door.
“I’d call this the closest that I’ve seen to a plague in a long time,” Halligan said.
Grasshoppers are regular summer visitors and a perennial crop-eating pest for farmers, but this year’s invasion in Tooele County west of Salt Lake City is worse than anyone can remember. Tooele County commissioners have been swamped with calls about grasshoppers, particularly by people living next to undeveloped land where grasshoppers hatch — sometimes up to 2,000 per square foot.
“There’s like 100 times more grasshoppers than what we’re used to,” said Bruce Clegg, a county commissioner whose family has lived in the area for generations.
Many of the culprits this year are clear-winged grasshoppers, which began hatching several weeks ago and have moved like an unyielding wave across the parts of the landscape ever since.
Northeast of Tooele, the grasshoppers showed up suddenly and attacked Leana Jackson’s backyard garden, infiltrated her lawn and even found their way into her house and car.
“They’re just a nuisance,” Jackson said.
Alone, the brown and tan grasshoppers are small and more likely to tickle than terrify. But in large numbers — and they almost always come in large numbers — they are a hungry force to be reckoned with as they search for grasses and other plants to eat.
“Just their sheer abundance can make them a pretty destructive insect,” said Clint Burfitt, an entomologist with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.
His office estimates that grasshoppers have hit about 250,000 acres in Utah this year. That’s slightly more than the estimate at the end of 2008.
Grasshoppers come and go in seven- to 10-year cycles, said Larry Lewis, a spokesman for the Utah agriculture department. The overall numbers in Utah may not be that high — more than 1.4 million acres were infested in 2001 — but grasshoppers are drawing more attention this year as they move from farms to expanding suburban neighborhoods.
That’s where many of the calls for help are coming from, said Linden Greenhalgh, the Utah State University extension agent in Tooele County whose running tally of calls about grasshoppers this summer nears 300. People with houses that abut wild open areas where grasshoppers hatch are “sitting ducks” for the little invaders, he said.
“They’ll come in and devour their landscapes,” he said.
Part of the reason for this year’s infestation is the upswing of their normal cycle. But dry weather for several years, and a wet June this year that provides plentiful food for this year’s hatch, also play a role.
Plentiful populations have residents flicking them off their clothing, spraying several times a week and killing scores as they drive down the road.
“I think you could say it’s the worst-ever in Tooele County. I don’t think it’d be a stretch to say that,” Greenhalgh said. Tooele County sits in a valley about 30 miles west of Salt Lake City.

He and others have been scrambling to respond. Already, they’ve sprayed about 18,000 acres with a poison that targets grasshoppers’ ability to grow in their own exoskeleton.

Arriving with the grasshoppers have been flocks of hungry seagulls keen on bite-sized grasshopper snacks. That’s a strange if welcome sight — seagulls are Utah’s state bird, beloved for reportedly feasting on infesting crickets that were threatening Mormon settlers’ food supplies in 1848. Even people’s chickens, which normally gobble up as many grasshoppers as they can catch each spring and summer, can’t keep up.

But even birds and poisons probably won’t be enough.

The grasshoppers, most of which aren’t yet to the adult stage, will only grow bigger, and possibly more abundant, as the summer wears on, Halligan said.
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June 29, 2009

Study finds widening generation

 gap in US

 

By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON – From cell phones and texting to religion and manners, younger and older Americans see the world differently, creating the largest generation gap since the tumultuous years of the 1960s and the culture clashes over Vietnam, civil rights and women’s liberation.
A new study released Monday by the Pew Research Center found Americans of different ages increasingly at odds over a range of social and technological issues. It also highlights a widening age divide after last November’s election, when 18- to 29-year-olds voted for Democrat Barack Obama by a 2-to-1 ratio.
Almost eight in 10 people believe there is a major difference in the point of view of younger people and older people today, according to the independent public opinion research group. That is the highest spread since 1969, when about 74 percent reported major differences in an era of generational conflicts over the Vietnam War and civil and women’s rights. In contrast, just 60 percent in 1979 saw a generation gap.
Asked to identify where older and younger people differ most, 47 percent said social values and morality. People age 18 to 29 were more likely to report disagreements over lifestyle, views on family, relationships and dating, while older people cited differences in a sense of entitlement. Those in the middle-age groups also often pointed to a difference in manners.
Religion is a far bigger part of the lives of older adults. About two-thirds of people 65 and older said religion is very important to them, compared with just over half of those 30 to 49 and 44 percent of people 18 to 29.
In addition, among adults 65 and older, one-third said religion has grown more important to them over the course of their lives, while 4 percent said it has become less important and 60 percent said it has stayed the same.
“Around the notion of morality and work ethic, the differences in point of view are pretty much felt across the board,” said Paul Taylor, director of the Pew Social and Demographic Trends Project. He cited a greater tolerance among younger people on cultural issues such as gay marriage and interracial relationships.
Still, he noted that the generation gap in 2009 seems to be more tepid in nature than it was in the 1960s, when younger people built a defiant counterculture in opposing the Vietnam War and demanding equal rights for women and minorities.
“Today, it’s more of a general outlook, a different point of view, a general set of moral values,” Taylor said.
Among the study’s other findings:
_Getting old isn’t as bad as people believe in terms of health, but isn’t as good when it comes to lifestyle. While more than half of those under 65 think they will experience memory loss when they are older, only one-quarter of people 65 and older say they do so. Older people reported fewer instances than expected of problems such as serious illness, not being able to drive, being less sexually active or depressed.
On the other hand, older adults end up having less leisure time than expected. While 87 percent of those under 65 think they will have more time for hobbies and other interests in older age, only 65 percent of older people report having it. Life at 65 and older also fell below expectations when it came to time with family, travel, having more financial security and less stress.
_Hispanics are more likely to report problems in old age. About 35 percent of Hispanics 65 and older say they have a serious illness, compared with 20 percent of whites and 22 percent of blacks in the same age group. More older Hispanics reported being depressed, lonely or a burden to others than did whites and blacks. They also were less likely to do volunteer work or be involved in their communities.
_Younger people are more likely to embrace technology. About 75 percent of adults 18 to 30 went online daily, compared with 40 percent of those 65 to 74 and about 16 percent for people 75 and older. The age gap widened over cell phones and text messaging. About 6 percent of those 65 and older used a cell phone for most or all of their calls; 11 percent sent or received text messages. That’s compared with 64 percent of adults under 30 for cell phone use and 87 percent for texting.
_Americans differ on when old age begins. On average, they say 68. People under age 30 believe it begins at 60, while those 65 and older push the threshold to 74. Of all those surveyed, most said they wanted to live to 89.
Pew interviewed 2,969 adults by cell phone or landline from Feb. 23 to March 23. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points. In cases where older persons were too ill or incapacitated, their adult children were interviewed. Pew also used surveys conducted by Gallup, CBS and The New York Times to identify trends since 1969.
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June 29, 2009

For modest earners, relief

 repaying student loans 

By CANDICE CHOI, AP Personal Finance Writer – Sun Jun 28, 9:28 pm ET
NEW YORK – Repaying a student loan could soon be a little less painful.
Starting this week, anyone with a federal student loan can apply for a program, run by the Department of Education, that caps monthly payments based on income, and forgives remaining balances after 25 years. Those choosing to work in public service could have their loans forgiven after just 10 years.
Eligibility for income-based repayment (IBR) is determined by a person’s income and loan size. A calculator at http://www.ibrinfo.org can help borrowers determine their eligibility for the plan, which becomes available Wednesday.
“It’s a way to borrow for college without going to the poor house,” said Lauren Asher, president of the Institute for College Access & Success, a California-based nonprofit that runs the Project on Student Debt.
The program stems from the Education Department’s College Cost Reduction and Access Act, signed in 2007, which authorized the creation of a new income-based repayment plan for both Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) and Direct Loan borrowers on all Stafford and graduate PLUS loans.
Monthly payments would amount to less than 10 percent of income for most of the estimated 1 million people expected to enroll, experts say. Payments would never exceed 15 percent of any income above about $16,000 a year (or 150 percent of the poverty level).
Those who earn less than $16,000 would not have to make any monthly payments.
The new payment option is intended to provide relief for those who earn modest salaries and struggle under the weight of student loans for years on end. By stretching repayment over a longer period, monthly payments are kept at a reasonable portion of income, though most people would not see any savings on the total cost of the loan.
IBR “can lower costs and provides light at the end of the tunnel” for such borrowers, said Asher of the Institute for College Access & Success. That gives borrowers greater financial flexibility to save for retirement, buy a home or even pay for their own children’s education, she said.
The program isn’t for everyone, however.
In some cases, accruing interest could push the cost of the loan higher. And since loans are likely to be paid off within 25 years, the loan forgiveness aspect of the program won’t apply to most people. To save on interest costs, those who could afford to would be better served paying off loans faster, said Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org, which tracks the college financial aid industry.
If a salary jump eventually disqualifies a borrower for the capped monthly payments, they would still be responsible for the cost of the loan and the interest that accrued up to that point. Monthly payments still couldn’t exceed what they would be under a standard 10-year repayment plan. Of course, borrowers could opt to pay off debts faster if they chose.
There are already some options for those who can’t afford big monthly payments, such as long-term payment plans spanning up to 30 years. But eligibility requirements are stricter, and monthly payments can still be high.
The government also offers a program similar to IBR called the income-contingent repayment plan. That plan is not as lenient as the new one, however, with payments capped at 20 percent of income beyond 100 percent of the poverty level. And it’s also only available for direct federal loans.
The new program will be available for direct federal loans, as well as federal loans administered through private lenders. Most of those enrolled in the income-contingent plan are expected to switch over to the new program.
Parent PLUS loans, the federal loans parents can take out to pay for their children’s education, are not eligible for either payment plan.
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June 30, 2009

First $1 million find for

U.S. Antiques Roadshow

By Claudia Parsons
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A woman who inherited some Chinese carved jade from her father has scored the first $1 million (601,557 pounds) appraisal from experts on the U.S. television program “Antiques Roadshow,” the producers said on Monday.
In a record for the show, four pieces of Chinese carved jade and celadon from the Chien Lung Dynasty (1736-1795), including a large bowl crafted for the Emperor, were given a conservative auction estimate of up to $1.07 million.
“For 13 years, we’ve been hoping to feature a million-dollar appraisal on ‘Antiques Roadshow;’ it’s been our ‘Great White Whale,’” executive producer Marsha Bemko said.
“We’re thrilled that, despite this year’s slow economy, ‘Roadshow’ finally captured this elusive trophy,” she said in a statement released by Boston-based production company WGBH, which licensed the format from the British show of the same name produced by the BBC.
On both shows, members of the public bring in items to be appraised by professionals in the hope of discovering that junk from the attic is actually a valuable treasure.
A spokeswoman said the appraisal was a record for the U.S. show, which is not affiliated with the BBC original. According to British media, the BBC’s version had its first million pound appraisal ($1.655 million) last November — a scale model of Anthony Gormley’s artwork, “The Angel of the North.”
The statement said the owner of the jade inherited the collection from her father, who bought the objects in the 1930s and 1940s, while stationed in China as a military liaison.
She brought them to an “Antiques Roadshow” event in Raleigh, North Carolina on Saturday.
Asian arts appraiser James Callahan said the fine quality of the pieces indicated they were not made for tourists.
“He was rewarded by finding a mark on the bottom of the jade bowl that translates as ‘by Imperial order,’” the statement said.
The previous highest appraisal on the show was a 1937 painting by American Abstract Expressionist artist Clyfford Still, found in Palm Springs, California, in 2008. The painting had been given a retail estimate of $500,000.
The appraisal of the jade items will be shown in the next series of “Antiques Roadshow” starting January 4 on PBS, the producers said.
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July 1, 2009

Sears Tower unveils 103rd floor

glass balconies

 

Anna Kane, 5, of Alton, Ill. lays down on AP – Anna Kane, 5, of Alton, Ill. lays down on ‘The Ledge,’ the new glass balconies suspended 1,353 feet (412 …

 

Anna Kane, 5, of Alton, Ill. looks down from 'The Ledge,' the ... 

Anna Kane, 5, of Alton, Ill. looks down from ‘The Ledge,’ the new glass balconies suspended 1,353 feet (412 meters) in the air and jut out 4 feet (1.22 meters) from the Sears Tower’s 103rd floor Skydeck Wednesday, July 1, 2009 in Chicago. The Ledge will open to public on Thursday.

 

Children stand on &quot;The Ledge&quot; and look down through ... 

Children stand on “The Ledge” and look down through a glass floor 1,353 feet (412 meters) above Wacker Drive in Chicago July 1, 2009. The Ledge is part of Skydeck Chicago located on the 103rd floor of the Sears Tower. It opens to the public on July

By KAREN HAWKINS, Associated Press Writer – Wed Jul 1, 5:05 pm ET
CHICAGO – Visitors to the Sears Tower’s new glass balconies all seem to agree: The first step is the hardest.
The balconies are suspended 1,353 feet in the air and jut out four feet from the building’s 103rd floor Skydeck. Their transparent walls, floor and ceiling leave visitors with the impression they’re floating over the city.
“It’s like walking on ice,” said Margaret Kemp, of Bishop, Calif., who said her heart was still pounding even after stepping away from the balcony. “That first step you take — ‘am I going down?’”
Kemp was among the visitors who got a sneak preview of the balconies Wednesday. “The Ledge,” as the balconies have been nicknamed, open to the public Thursday. Visitors are treated to unobstructed views of Chicago from the building’s west side and a heart-stopping vista of the street and Chicago River below — for those brave enough to look straight down.
John Huston, one of the property owners of the Sears Tower, even admitted to getting “a little queasy” the first time he ventured out. But 30 or 40 trips later, he’s got the hang of it.
“The Sears Tower has always been about superlatives — tallest, largest, most iconic,” he said. “Today is also about superlatives. Today, we present you with ‘the Ledge,’ the world’s most awesome view, the world’s most precipitous view, the view with the most wow in the world.”
The balconies can hold five tons, and the glass is an inch-and-a-half thick, officials said. Sears Tower officials have said the inspiration for the balconies came from the hundreds of forehead prints visitors left behind on Skydeck windows every week. Now, staff will have a new glass surface to clean: floors.
“It’s very scary, but at the same time it’s very cool,” said Chanti Lawrence of Atlanta, adding that she’s made her first step toward overcoming her fear of heights.
Adam Kane, 10, of Alton, Ill., rushed to the ledge with his friends and siblings, and they each eagerly pressed their faces to the glass bottom.
“Look at all those tiny things that are usually huge,” Adam said.
The balconies are just one of the big changes coming to the Sears Tower. The building’s name will change to Willis Tower later this summer. Last week, officials announced a 5-year, $350 million green renovation complete with wind turbines, roof gardens and solar panels.
With the ledge, visitors like Kemp said the nation’s tallest building has succeeded in creating something they’ve never seen before.
“I had to live 70 years for a thrill like this,” she said.
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July 1, 2009

California on the brink

 

Taxpayers Start To Feel Pinch Of Budget Stalemate CBS 5 San Francisco  – Taxpayers Start To Feel Pinch Of Budget Stalemate

 

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger responds to a reporters question concerning the AP – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger responds to a reporters question concerning the state’s pending cash crisis, …

 

Wed Jul 1, 10:28 am ET
Armageddon. Apocalypse. Disaster: These are the words being used to describe California’s staggering $24 billion budget deficit. Last night, lawmakers failed to pass a budget by the midnight deadline and the state may now have to issue billions in IOUs to cover the bills.
Almost every state is suffering from the effects of the recession, but not every state accounts for 12 percent of the national gross domestic product. According to AP, if California goes down, so goes the nation: California’s annual $1.7 trillion economy is the world’s eighth-largest economy and provides a significant chunk of tax revenue for the government; California alone funds many social programs for the entire nation.
Like the Big Three automakers, California may be “too big to fail.” If the state implodes, the ripple effect could slow the entire nation’s recovery from the recession. Burt P. Flickinger, a retail consultant, tells AP:

“California is the key catalyst for U.S. retail sales, and if California falls further you will see the U.S. economy suffer significantly.”

How did California dig itself such a huge hole? The recession certainly didn’t help, but Time’s Kevin O’Leary writes that California’s financial troubles can be traced back to the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978. An antitax measure, Prop 13 makes it extremely difficult to raise taxes or pass a budget unless a 2/3 majority in both state houses agree — a virtually impossible task. California Rep. Zoe Lofgren tells Politico:

“If we [in Congress] had to do what the California legislature does, we would never send a bill to the president of the United States,” she said.

If the political wrangling over the budget isn’t resolved soon, Californians will be feeling the pain on every level, big and small. Just a few of the proposed spending cuts:
— State employees will be forced to take another day of unpaid leave a month, in addition to the two days leave they were forced to take starting in December. (NYT)
— Funding for the Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement will be slashed by $20 million. The “little-known unit” has played a key role in several of the state’s high-profile cases: The bureau’s agents helped arrest Scott Petersen for the murder of his wife and unborn child, and their investigation led to charges in Anna Nicole Smith’s overdose death. (AP)
— 80 percent of state parks would be closed, 25 in the Bay Area alone, including several beaches along the peninsula. Park visitors spend an estimated $2.6 billion a year in and near state parks, but closing the parks would save only .26 percent of the $24 billion deficit. (SF Chronicle)
— Education funding would be reduced by $5.3 billion. School districts have already laid off 30,000 employees. Class sizes are expected to surge from 20 to 30 students and many after school programs, arts and music classes will be cut. A national education survey conducted this year ranked California 47th in per-student spending. (AP)
— Gov. Schwarzenegger is proposing to eliminate the state’s $1.3 billion welfare program. Frank Mecca, the head of the County Welfare Directors Association of California, tells Time, “California could become the only state in the First World without subsistence benefits for poor children.”
So far, the government is using a “wait and see” approach to California, or as a recent Politico headline stated more bluntly — “Washington to California: Drop dead.” Earlier this month, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that the administration would “monitor” the situation, but that California’s “budgetary problem unfortunately is one that they’re going to have to solve.”
—–
(Think you can do a better job at balancing the state budget than the governor or state lawmakers? The Los Angeles Times is letting the common folk try their hand with a “You balance the budget” interactive.)
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MSNBC NEWS
June 29, 2009

10 things gas stations

won’t tell you

They share your pain when gas prices soar but not your nostalgia for service bays. And although they accept debit cards, using one might cost more than you think.
By SmartMoney 1. “Good luck finding the best deal.”
When it comes to gas prices, most stations are branded — meaning the name of a major oil company hangs out front — and must buy gas from their proprietary company. They can’t shop around.
With a lock on sales, the oil companies charge each station a different price depending on various factors, such as the station’s competition and its location. That means a station might have to pay a lot more than one down the street, and that cost gets passed along to you.
Faced with such instability, Gainesville, Fla., resident Steven King plans ahead: “If I know I’m going out of town, I try not to buy gas, so I can fill up after I leave.” King says he can save 10 cents a gallon by purchasing gas on the road. You’d be similarly wise to shop around because with prices constantly in motion, the cheapest gas may not be at the same station every time.

2. “I hate it when gas prices go up.”
Stations earn, on average, 10 to 15 cents on a gallon of gas. Ironically, they earn the least when prices are highest. When fuel climbs, gas stations usually must shrink their profit margins to remain competitive, meaning they earn less per gallon.
But another big cost during tough times is something they can’t do anything about: credit card fees, which add up to about 2.5% of all purchases. When gas is at, say, $2 a gallon, stations pay credit card companies 5 cents a gallon; when gas hits $3, that fee becomes 7.5 cents, at least half of the stations’ average profits.
“Those credit card fees are miserable for the gas station business,” says Mohsen Arabshahi, who owns five Southern California stations.
How do station owners make up for lost revenue? “Prices go up like a rocket and come down like a feather,” says Richard Gilbert, a professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley. For several weeks after wholesale prices drop, stations can earn as much as 20 cents a gallon before retail prices are lowered to reflect the change.
3. “My gas isn’t better for your car; it’s just more expensive.”
Oil companies spend lots of money explaining why their gas is better than the competition’s. Chevron’s gas, for example, is fortified with Techron, and Amoco Ultimate is supposed to save the planet along with your engine. But today, more than ever, one gallon of gas is as good as the next.
True, additives help to clean your engine, but what the companies don’t tell you is that all gas has them. Since 1994, the government has required that detergents be added to all gasoline to help prevent fuel injectors from clogging.
State and local regulators keep a close watch to make sure those standards are met; a 2005 study indicated that Florida inspectors checked 45,000 samples to ensure the state’s gas supply was up to snuff, and 99% of the time it was.
“There’s little difference between brand-name gas and any other,” AAA spokesman Geoff Sundstrom says.
What’s more, your local Chevron station may sell gas refined by Shell or Exxon Mobil. Suppliers share pipelines, so they all use the same fuel. And the difference between the most expensive brand-name gas and the lowliest gallon of no-brand fuel? Often just a quart of detergent added to an 8,000-gallon tanker truck.

Video on MSN Money

The world's cheapest car © The Wall Street Journal
The world’s cheapest car
The Tata Nano was designed to bring motoring to India’s masses. A more elaborate, and expensive, model will be produced for the US market.

4. “If you’re smart, you’ll put that debit card away.”
Your debit card might be a convenient way to pay for gas, but it’s a no-win proposition. When you swipe a debit card at the pump, the bank doesn’t know how much money you’ll be spending until you’ve finished pumping. So to make sure you have the funds to cover the purchase, some stations ask banks to automatically set aside some of your money: That amount can be $20 or more. That means even if you just topped off your tank for $10, you could be out $30, $50 or even $100 until the station sends over its bulk transactions, which can take up to three days. If your funds are running low, you might end up bouncing a check in the meantime, even though you had the money in your account.
Unfortunately, paying inside with your debit card isn’t much of a solution either. Many banks charge their customers 50 cents to $1 for the privilege of using their debit card in any PIN-based transaction. The American Bankers Association estimates only 13% of consumers pay these fees, but critics say the practice is on the rise and that consumers are often unaware of these charges.

More from MSN Autos

Find the cheapest gas prices © Corbis
Find the cheapest gas prices
We track gasoline prices at more than 90,000 gasoline and convenience stores across the United States, using actual credit card transactions.

5. “Don’t even consider applying for our gas card.”
When it comes to gasoline credit cards, a little research goes a long way. The good deals are great, but the bad deals are really bad. Similar to store cards issued through retailers, gas cards are riddled with drawbacks, says Curtis Arnold, the founder of CardRatings.com. Annual percentage rates are high, starting above 20%; many don’t offer rebates on gas purchases; and they often lack standard protections such as fraud monitoring and zero liability for unauthorized transactions.
What about a Visa or MasterCard affiliated with a gasoline brand such as Exxon or BP? They often offer lower interest rates and significant rebates but limit your ability to shop around. In December 2005, a few months after gas hit $3 a gallon, Justin Andringa of Minneapolis considered a branded credit card that came with a 15% rebate on gas purchases of that brand. But the rebate was temporary; he decided to stick with the card he had, which then offered a 5% rebate on gas purchases no matter where he bought it.
“I’m a college student,” Andringa says. “I need to save money.”
The deals on cards are constantly changing. CardRatings.com is a good place to find updated information.

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Universal health care

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

The Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital is a specialist children’s hospital within NHS Scotland. The National Health Service provides publicly-funded universal health care within the United Kingdom.

 
 
Universal health care is health care coverage for all eligible residents of a political region and often covers medical, dental and mental health care. These programs vary in their structure and funding mechanisms. Typically, most costs are met via a single-payer health care system or national health insurance, or else by compulsory regulated pluralist insurance (public, private or mutual) meeting certain regulated standards. Universal health care is implemented in all but one of the wealthy, industrialized countries, with the exception being the United States.[1][2] It is also provided in many developing countries and is the trend worldwide.

Implementation

See also: Health care systems
Universal health care is a broad concept that has been implemented in several ways. The common denominator for all such programs is some form of government action aimed at extending access to health care as widely as possible and setting minimum standards. Most implement universal health care through legislation, regulation and taxation. Legislation and regulation direct what care must be provided, to whom, and on what basis. Usually some costs are borne by the patient at the time of consumption but the bulk of costs come from a combination of compulsory insurance and tax revenues. Some programs are paid for entirely out of tax revenues.[3] In some cases, government involvement also includes directly managing the health care system, but many countries use mixed public-private systems to deliver universal health care.

Americas

Argentina[citation needed], Brazil (see below), Canada (see below), Chile[citation needed], Costa Rica[citation needed], Cuba, Mexico (see below), Panama[citation needed], Peru (see below), Uruguay[citation needed]], and Venezuela[citation needed] all have public universal health care provided.

Brazil

Main article: Health care in Brazil
The universal health care system was adopted in Brazil in 1988 after the end of the military regime’s rule.[citation needed]

Canada

Main article: Health care in Canada
In 1984, the Canada Health Act was passed, which prohibited extra billing by doctors on patients while at the same time billing the public insurance system. In 1999, the prime minister and most premiers reaffirmed in the Social Union Framework Agreement that they are committed to health care that has “comprehensiveness, universality, portability, public administration and accessibility.”[4]
The system is for the most part publicly funded, yet most of the services are provided by private enterprises or private corporations, although most hospitals are public. Most doctors do not receive an annual salary, but receive a fee per visit or service.[5] About 29% of Canadians’ health care is paid for by the private sector or individuals.[6] This mostly goes towards services not covered or only partially covered by Medicare such as prescription drugs, dentistry and vision care.[7] Many Canadians have private health insurance, often through their employers, that cover these expenses.[8]
The Canada Health Act of 1984 “does not directly bar private delivery or private insurance for publicly insured services,” but provides financial disincentives for doing so. “Although there are laws prohibiting or curtailing private health care in some provinces, they can be changed,” according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine.[9][10] The legality of the ban was considered in a decision of the Supreme Court of Canada which ruled in Chaoulli v. Quebec that “the prohibition on obtaining private health insurance, while it might be constitutional in circumstances where health care services are reasonable as to both quality and timeliness, is not constitutional where the public system fails to deliver reasonable services.” The appellant contended that waiting times in Quebec violated a right to life and security in the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. The Court agreed, but acknowledged the importance and validity of the Canada Health Act, and at least four of the seven judges explicitly recognized the right of governments to enact laws and policies which favour the public over the private system and preserve the integrity of the public system. But not if the public system fails to deliver reasonable service as to quality or timeliness, as the court found in this case.[11]

Colombia

Main article: Health in Colombia
In 1993 a reform transformed the health care system in Colombia, trying to provide a better, sustain, health care system and to reach every Colombia citizen.

Mexico

On December 1, 2006 the Mexican government created the Health Insurance for a New Generation also known as “life insurance for babies”.[12][13][14]
On May 28, 2009 Mexico announced Universal Care Coverage for Pregnant Women[15]

Peru

On April 9, 2009 the Government of Peru published the Law on Health Insurance to enable all Peruvians to access quality health services, and contribute to regulate the financing and supervision of these services. The law enables all population to access diverse health services to prevent illnesses, and promote and rehabilitate people, under a Health Basic Plan (PEAS). [16][17]

United States

The United States is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not have a universal health care system.[1][2] The government directly covers 27.8% of the population[18] through health care programs for the elderly, disabled, military service families and veterans, children, and some of the poor, through Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, and TRICARE.[19][20] Federal law ensures public access to emergency services regardless of ability to pay.[21] However, this unfunded mandate has contributed to a health care safety net that some analyses say is increasingly strained.[22] Certain types of medical spending and particularly health insurance benefit from significant tax subsidies; in particular, employer-sponsored health insurance is a non-taxable benefit. In all, government spending accounted for 45.1% of total health spending in the U.S. in 2005.[23] Current estimates put U.S. health care spending at more than 15% of GDP, a greater portion than in any other United Nations member state except for the Marshall Islands.[24]
Whether a government-mandated system of universal health care should be implemented in the US remains a hotly debated political topic, with Americans divided in their views of the US health system and what should be done to improve it. Those in favor of government-guaranteed universal health care argue that the large number of uninsured Americans creates direct and hidden costs shared by all, and that extending coverage to all would lower costs and improve quality.[25] Opponents of government mandates or programs for universal health care argue that people should be free to opt out of health insurance.[26] Both sides of the political spectrum have also looked to more philosophical arguments, debating whether people have a fundamental right to have health care provided to them by their government.
In lieu of a national program, supporters of universal health care have sought implementation of such programs at the state and municipal level. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts implemented a near-universal health care system by mandating that residents purchase health insurance by July 1, 2007.[27] The City of San Francisco is also undertaking a universal health care system for uninsured residents.[28][29] Hawaii has, since 1974, required employers to provide employees working more than 20 hours per week with a comprehensive health insurance plan.[30] California, Maine and Vermont are also considering or seeking to implement universal or near-universal systems.[31]
Since 2005, Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut has developed relationships with several key groups that would be instrumental in creating broad change in the health system, including medical societies, hospitals, businesses, labor and clergy.[32] In January 2009 the foundation unveiled SustiNet, a proposal for a statewide health care plan for Connecticut that would provide residents with their choice of health coverage and care regardless of their employment status, age, or pre-existing conditions.[33] An estimated 1,000 people attended a rally at Union Station (Hartford) for the release of the plan.[34] SustiNet would emphasize preventive care and the management of chronic illnesses. It would create a large health insurance pool by combining state employees, retirees, and people covered by state assistance programs. The pool would also be open to members of the public without insurance, those with inadequate insurance, and employers, starting with small businesses, nonprofits and municipalities. Eventually, Sustinet would be open to larger employers wishing to buy into the plan for their employees In February, the 18,500-member Connecticut Association of REALTORS announced its support for the SustiNet health care plan. REALTORS are independent contractors and are representative of the plight of many independent contractors and small business employees in Connecticut in that they do not have access to group health insurance. [35] Also in that month, the independent statewide organization “Small Businesses for Health Care Reform” endorsed the SustiNet health care reform proposal and encouraged other business owners to review and support it.[36] In March 2009, the foundation’s SustiNet plan was formally endorsed by the Interfaith Fellowship for Universal Health Care, a group devoted to health reform, as well as by dozens of other religious leaders representing a wide range of faiths in Connecticut. Fellowship members include Rabbi Stephen Fuchs of Congregation Beth Israel in West Hartford, a co-chairman of the Interfaith Fellowship, and Bilal Ansari, a Muslim chaplain at Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center in Hartford, where much of his counseling involves helping families cope with not just the stress of a relative’s illness, but the worries about how they will pay for it.[37]
SustiNet passed its first legislative hurdle Thursday, March 26, receiving an endorsement from the state legislature’s Public Health Committee. The committee voted 22-8 to move the bill forward.[38] On April 22, SustiNet received a favorable report from a second committee, the Human Services Committee, which voted 13-6 for the bill.[39] On April 29, SustiNet received a favorable report from a third committee, the Labor and Public Employees Committee, which voted 8-3 for the bill.[40] On April 29, SustiNet received a favorable report from a third committee, the Labor and Public Employees Committee, which voted 8-3 for the bill.[41] On May 7, 2009, Sustinet received a favorable report from a fourth committee, the Insurance and Real Estate Committee, which voted 13-4 for the bill.[42]
On May 20, 2009, the Connecticut House of Representatives voted 107-35 for SustiNet. [43]
On May 30, 2009, the Connecticut Senate voted 23-12 for SustiNet. The bill now goes to Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell for signature or veto. [44]

Asia

China, People’s Republic of

Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the goal of health care programs has been to provide care to every member of the population and to make maximum use of limited health-care personnel, equipment, and financial resources.[citation needed]
China is undertaking a reform on its universal health care system.[citation needed] The New Rural Co-operative Medical Care System (NRCMCS), is a new 2005 initiative to overhaul the healthcare system, particularly intended to make it more affordable for the rural poor. Under the NRCMCS, the annual cost of medical cover is 50 yuan (US$7) per person. Of that, 20 yuan is paid in by the central government, 20 yuan by the provincial government and a contribution of 10 yuan is made by the patient. As of September 2007, around 80% of the whole rural population of China had signed up (about 685 million people). The system is tiered, depending on the location. If patients go to a small hospital or clinic in their local town, the scheme will cover from 70-80% of their bill. If they go to a county one, the percentage of the cost being covered falls to about 60%. And if they need specialist help in a large modern city hospital, they have to bear most of the cost themselves, the scheme would cover about 30% of the bill.[49]
On 21 January 2009, the Chinese government announced that a total of 850 billion yuan will be provided between 2009 and 2011 in order to improve the existing health care system.[50]
 Hong Kong SAR
Main article: Healthcare in Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of the healthiest places in the world.[51] Because of its early health education, professional health services, and well-developed health care and medication system, Hongkongers enjoy a life expectancy of 84 for females and 78 for men,[52] which are the second highest in the world, and 2.94 infant mortality rate, the fourth lowest in the world.[53][54]
There are two medical schools in Hong Kong, and several schools offering courses in traditional Chinese medicine. The Hospital Authority is a statutory body that operates and manages all public hospitals. Hong Kong has high standards of medical practice. It has contributed to the development of liver transplantation, being the first in the world to carry out adult to adult live donor liver transplant in 1993.[55]

India

Main article: Healthcare in India
India has a universal health care system run by the local (state or territorial), governments. The government hospitals, some of which are among the best hospitals in India,[56] provide treatment at taxpayer expense. Most drugs are offered free of charge in these hospitals.
Most government hospitals do not require payment from people below the poverty line, proof of citizenship or residency. Government hospitals in some parts of the country and some private non-profit (including teaching) hospitals charge a nominal fee to prevent abuse of the system. Most hospitals are operated on an annual budget allocated by the government, and do not rely on individual billing. These hospitals also provide better amenities (such as private air-conditioned rooms) if the patient can afford to pay. However, they charge less than comparable private hospitals.[citation needed]
Primary health care is provided by city and district hospitals and rural primary health centres. These hospitals provide treatment free of cost. Primary care is focused on immunization, prevention of malnutrition, pregnancy, child birth, postnatal care, and treatment of common illnesses. The primary health centres are staffed by general practitioners (primary care physicians), nurses and midwives trained in labour and delivery. Patients who receive specialized care or have complicated illnesses are referred to secondary (often located in district and taluk headquarters) and tertiary care hospitals (located in district and state headquarters or those that are teaching hospitals).
Now organizations like Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotional Trust and other private organizations have started creating hospitals and clinics in India, which also provide free or subsidized health care and subsidized insurance plans.

Israel

Main article: Health care in Israel
In Israel, the National Health Insurance Law (or National Health Insurance Act) is the legal framework which enables and facilitates basic, compulsory universal health care. The Law was put into effect by the Knesset on January 1, 1995, and was based on recommendations put forward by a National Committee of Inquiry which examined restructuring the health care system in Israel in the late 1980s. Prior to the law’s passage approximately 85% of the population was already covered by voluntarily belonging to one of four nation-wide, not-for-profit health maintenance organizations (HMOs/sick funds). However, there were three problems associated with this arrangement. First, membership in the largest HMO, Clalit, required one to belong to the Histadrut labor organization, even if a person did not wish to (or could) have such an affiliation while other HMOs restricted entry to new members based on age, pre-existing conditions or other factors. Second, different HMOs provided different levels of benefit coverage or services to their members and lastly was the issue mentioned above whereby a certain percentage of the population, albeit a small one, did not have health insurance coverage at all.
 
Before the law went into effect, all the HMOs collected premiums directly from members. However, upon passage of the law, a new progressive national health insurance tax was levied through Israel’s social security agency which then re-distributes the proceeds to the HMOs based on their membership and its demographic makeup. This ensured that all citizens would now have health coverage. While membership in one of the HMOs now became compulsory for all, free choice was introduced into movement of members between HMOs (a change is allowed once per year), effectively making the various HMOs compete equally for members among the populace. Annually, a committee appointed by the ministry of health publishes a “basket” or uniform package of medical services and prescription formulary which all HMOs must provide as a minimum service to all their members. Achieving this level of equality ensured that all citizens are guaranteed to receive basic healthcare regardless of their HMO affiliation which was one of the principal aims of the law. An appeals process was put in place to handle rejection of treatments and procedures by the HMOs and evaluating cases falling outside the “basket” of services or prescription formulary.
While the law is generally considered a success and Israeli citizens enjoy a high standard of medical care comparatively, with more competition having been introduced into the field of health care in the country, and order having been brought into what was once a somewhat disorganized system, the law nevertheless does have its critics. First and foremost among the criticisms raised is that the “basket” may not provide enough coverage. To partly address this issue, the HMOs and insurance companies (often in conjunction with employers) began offering additional “supplementary” insurance to cover certain additional services not included in the basket. However, since this insurance is optional, critics argue that it goes against the spirit of the new law which stressed equality among all citizens with respect to healthcare. Another criticism is that in order to provide universal coverage to all, the tax income base amount (the maximum amount of yearly earnings that are subject to the tax) was set rather high, causing many high-income taxpayers to see the amount they pay for their health premiums (now health tax) skyrocket. Finally, some complain about the constantly rising costs of copayments for certain services.

Singapore

Singapore has a universal health care system where government ensures affordability, largely through compulsory savings and price controls, while the private sector provides most care. Overall spending on health care amounts to only 3% of annual GDP. Of that, 66% comes from private sources.[57] Singapore currently has the lowest infant mortality rate in the world (equaled only by Iceland) and among the highest life expectancies from birth, according to the World Health Organization.[58] Singapore has “one of the most successful healthcare systems in the world, in terms of both efficiency in financing and the results achieved in community health outcomes,” according to an analysis by global consulting firm Watson Wyatt.[59] Singapore’s system uses a combination of compulsory savings from payroll deductions (funded by both employers and workers) a nationalized catastrophic health insurance plan, and government subsidies, as well as “actively regulating the supply and prices of healthcare services in the country” to keep costs in check; the specific features have been described as potentially a “very difficult system to replicate in many other countries.” Many Singaporeans also have supplemental private health insurance (often provided by employers) for services not covered by the government’s programs.[59]

Taiwan (Republic of China)

Main article: Health care in Taiwan
The current health care system in Taiwan, known as National Health Insurance (NHI), was instituted in 1995. NHI is a single-payer compulsory social insurance plan which centralizes the disbursement of health care dollars. The system promises equal access to health care for all citizens, and the population coverage had reached 99% by the end of 2004.[60] NHI is mainly financed through premiums, which are based on the payroll tax, and is supplemented with out-of-pocket payments and direct government funding. In the initial stage, fee-for-service predominated for both public and private providers.
NHI delivers universal coverage offered by a government-run insurer. The working population pays premiums split with their employers, others pay a flat rate with government help and the poor or veterans are fully subsidized. Taiwan’s citizens no longer have to worry about going bankrupt due to medical bills.[61]
Under this model, citizens have free range to choose hospitals and physicians without using a gatekeeper and do not have to worry about waiting lists. NHI offers a comprehensive benefit package that covers preventive medical services, prescription drugs, dental services, Chinese medicine, home nurse visits and many more. Working people do not have to worry about losing their jobs or changing jobs because they will not lose their insurance. Since NHI, the previously uninsured have increased their usage of medical services. Most preventive services are free such as annual checkups and maternal and child care. Regular office visits have co-payments as low as US $5 per visit. Co-payments are fixed and unvaried by the person’s income.[62]

 Thailand

Main article: Health care in Thailand
Thailand introduced universal coverage reforms in 2001, becoming one of only a handful of lower-middle income countries to do so. Means-tested health care for low income households was replaced by a new and more comprehensive insurance scheme, originally known as the 30 baht project, in line with the small co-payment charged for treatment. People joining the scheme receive a gold card which allows them to access services in their health district, and, if necessary, be referred for specialist treatment elsewhere. The bulk of finance comes from public revenues, with funding allocated to Contracting Units for Primary Care annually on a population basis. According to the WHO, 65% of Thailand’s health care expenditure in 2004 came from the government, 35% was from private sources.[57] Although the reforms have received a good deal of critical comment, they have proved popular with poorer Thais, especially in rural areas, and survived the change of government after the 2006 military coup. The then Public Health Minister, Mongkol Na Songkhla, abolished the 30 baht co-payment and made the UC scheme free. It is not yet clear whether the scheme will be modified further under the coalition government that came to power in January 2008.[63][64][65]

Europe

Virtually all of Europe has publicly sponsored and regulated health care. The public plans in some countries provide basic or “sick” coverage only; their citizens can purchase supplemental insurance for additional coverage. Countries with universal health care include Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal,[66] Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine[67] and the United Kingdom.[68]

Finland

Main article: Healthcare in Finland
In Finland, public medical services at clinics and hospitals are run by the municipalities (local government) and are funded 76% by taxation, 20% by patients through access charges, and 4% by others. Private provision is mainly in the primary care sector. There are a few private hospitals [69]. The main hospitals are either municipally owned (funded from local taxes) or run by the medical teaching universities (funded jointly by the municipalities and the national government). According to a survey published by the European Commission in 2000, Finland’s is in the top 4 of EU countries in terms of satisfaction with their hospital care system: 88% of Finnish respondents were satisfied compared with the EU average of 41.3%.[70] Finnish health care expenditures are below the European average.[citation needed] The private medical sector accounts for about 14 percent of total health care spending. Only 8% of doctors choose to work in private practice, and some of these also choose to do some work in the public sector.[citation needed]
Taxation funding is partly local and partly nationally based. The national social insurance institution KELA reimburses part of patients prescription costs and makes a contribution towards private medical costs (including dentistry) if they choose to be treated in the private sector rather than the public sector. Patient access charges are subject to annual caps. For example GP visits cost €11 per visit with annual €33 cap; hospital outpatient treatment €22 per visit; a hospital stay, including food, medical care and medicines €26 per 24 hours, or €12 if in a psychiatric hospital. After a patient has spent €590 per year on public medical services (including prescription drugs), all treatment and medications thereafter in that year are free.

Germany

Main article: Health care in Germany
Germany has the world’s oldest universal health care system, with origins dating back to Otto von Bismarck’s Health Insurance Act of 1883.[citation needed] As mandatory health insurance, it originally applied only to low-income workers and certain government employees, but has gradually expanded to cover virtually the entire population.[71] Currently 85% of the population is covered by a basic ‘Statutory Health Insurance’ plan, which provides the standard level of coverage. The remainder opt for private health insurance, which frequently offers additional benefits. According to the World Health Organization, Germany’s health care system was 77% government-funded and 23% privately funded as of 2004.[57]
 
The government partially reimburses the costs for low-wage earners, whose premia are capped at a predetermined value. Higher wage workers pay a premium based on their salary. They may also opt for private insurance, which is generally more expensive, but whose price may vary based on the individual’s health status.[72]
Reimbursement is on a fee-for-service basis, but the number of physicians allowed to accept Statutory Health Insurance in a given locale is regulated by the government and professional societies.
Capitated care, such as that provided by health maintenance organizations, has been prohibited since the 1930s, but has been recently reconsidered as a cost containment mechanism.[73] Copayments were introduced in the 1980s in an attempt to prevent overutilization. The average length of hospital stay in Germany has decreased in recent years from 14 days to 9 days, still considerably longer than average stays in the U.S. (5 to 6 days).[74][75] Part of the difference is that the chief consideration for hospital reimbursement is the number of hospital days as opposed to procedures or diagnosis. Drug costs have increased substantially, rising nearly 60% from 1991 through 2005. Despite attempts to contain costs, overall health care expenditures rose to 10.7% of GDP in 2005, comparable to other western European nations, but substantially less than that spent in the U.S. (nearly 16% of GDP).[76]

The Netherlands

The Netherlands has a dual-level system. All primary and curative care (i.e. the family doctor service and hospitals and clinics) is financed from private compulsory insurance. Long term care for the elderly, the dying, the long term mentally ill etc. is covered by social insurance funded from taxation. According to the WHO, the health care system in the Netherlands was 62% government funded and 38% privately funded as of 2004.[57]
Insurance companies must offer a core universal insurance package for the universal primary, curative care which includes the cost of all prescription medicines. They must do this at a fixed price for all. The same premium is paid whether young or old, healthy or sick. It is illegal in The Netherlands for insurers to refuse an application for health insurance, to impose special conditions (e.g. exclusions, deductibles, co-pays etc or refuse to fund treatments which a doctor has determined to be medically necessary). The system is 50% financed from payroll taxes paid by employers to a fund controlled by the Health regulator. The government contributes an additional 5% to the regulator’s fund. The remaining 45% is collected as premiums paid by the insured directly to the insurance company. Some employers negotiate bulk deals with health insurers and some even pay the employees’ premiums as an employment benefit). All insurance companies receive additional funding from the regulator’s fund. The regulator has sight of the claims made by policyholders and therefore can redistribute the funds its holds on the basis of relative claims made by policy holders. Thus insurers with high payouts will receive more from the regulator than those with low payouts. Thus insurance companies have no incentive to deter high cost individuals from taking insurance and are compensated if they have to pay out more than might be expected. Insurance companies compete with each other on price for the 45% direct premium part of the funding and try to negotiate deals with hospitals to keep costs low and quality high. The competition regulator is charged with checking for abuse of dominant market positions and the creation of cartels that act against the consumer interests. An insurance regulator ensures that all basic policies have identical coverage rules so that no person is medically disadvantaged by his or her choice of insurer.
Hospitals in the Netherlands are also regulated and inspected but are mostly privately run and for profit, as are many of the insurance companies. Patients can choose where they want to be treated and have access to information on the internet about the performance and wait times at each hospital. Patients dissatisfied with their insurer and choice of hospital can cancel at any time but must make a new agreement with another insurer.
Insurance companies can offer additional services at extra cost over and above the universal system laid down by the regulator, e.g. for dental care. The standard monthly premium for health care paid by individual adults is about €100 per month. Persons on low incomes can get assistance from the government if they cannot afford these payments. Children under 18 are insured by the system at no additional cost to them or their families because the insurance company receives the cost of this from the regulator’s fund.

United Kingdom

Each of the Countries of the United Kingdom has a National Health Service that provides public healthcare to all UK permanent residents that is free at the point of need and paid for from general taxation. However, since Health is a devolved matter, considerable differences are developing between the systems in each of the countries.[77]
England
Main article: Healthcare in England
The National Health Service (NHS), created by the National Health Service Act 1946 has provided the majority of healthcare in England since its launch on 5 July 1948. It provides, among other things, primary care, in-patient care, long-term healthcare, ophthalmology and dentistry. All treatment is free with the exception of charges for prescriptions, dentistry and ophthalmology (which themselves are free to children, the elderly, the unemployed and those on low incomes). The charge for prescriptions is a flat rate of £7.10, except for a few exceptions. Those under 16 or over 60 do not pay for prescriptions. Private health care has continued parallel to the NHS, paid for largely by private insurance, but it is used by less than 8% of the population, and generally as a top-up to NHS services.[citation needed]
The outsourcing of medical services and support to the private sector is a recent innovation. Hospitals may have both medical services (such as “surgicentres”),[78] and non-medical services (such as catering) provided under long-term contracts by the private sector. Capital projects such as new hospitals have been privatized through the Private Finance Initiative, enabling the public sector borrowing requirement to be circumvented, at least in the short term.
Northern Ireland
Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland is the designation of the national public health service in Northern Ireland.
Scotland
NHS Scotland, created by the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1947, was also launched on 5 July 1948 though it has always been a separate organisation. Since devolution, NHS Scotland follows the policies and priorities of the Scottish Government, including the phasing out of all prescription charges by 2011.
Wales
Main article: Healthcare in Wales
NHS Wales was originally formed as part of the same NHS structure created by the National Health Service Act 1946 but powers over the NHS in Wales came under the Secretary of State for Wales in 1969[79], in turn being transferred under devolution to what is now the Welsh Assembly Government.

Australia

 

Medicare logo

Main article: Medicare (Australia)
Medicare was introduced in Australia by the Whitlam Labor Government on 1 July 1975 through the Health Insurance Act 1973. The Australian Senate rejected the changes multiple times and they were passed only after a joint sitting after the 1974 double dissolution election. Yet Medicare has been supported by subsequent governments and became a key feature of Australia’s public policy landscape. The exact structure of Medicare, in terms of the size of the rebate to doctors and hospitals and the way it has administered, has varied over the years. The original Medicare program proposed a 1.35% levy (with low income exemptions) but these bills were rejected by the Senate, and so Medicare was originally funded from general taxation. In October 1976, the Fraser Government introduced a 2.5% levy. The program is now nominally funded by an income tax surcharge known as the Medicare levy, which is currently set at 1.5% with exemptions for low income earners.[80] There is an additional levy of 1.0%, known as the Medicare Levy Surcharge, for those on high annual incomes ($50,000) who do not have adequate levels of private hospital coverage. This was part of an effort by the previous Coalition Federal Government to encourage takeup of private health insurance. According to the WHO, government funding covered 67.5% of Australia’s health care expenditures in 2004; private sources covered the remaining 32.5% of expenditures.[57]

New Zealand

As with Australia, New Zealand’s healthcare system is funded through general taxation. According to the WHO, government sources covered 77.4% of New Zealand’s health care costs in 2004; private expenditures covered the remaining 22.6%.[57]

Economics

Main article: Health care economics

Funding models

Universal health care in most countries has been achieved by a mixed model of funding. General taxation revenue is the primary source of funding, but in many countries it is supplemented by specific levies (which may be charged to the individual and/or an employer) or with the option of private payments (either direct or via optional insurance) for services beyond that covered by the public system.
Almost all European systems are financed through a mix of public and private contributions.[81] The majority of universal health care systems are funded primarily by tax revenue (e.g. Portugal[81]). Some nations, such as Germany, France[68] and Japan[82] employ a multi-payer system in which health care is funded by private and public contributions.
A distinction is also made between municipal and national healthcare funding. For example, one model is that the bulk of the healthcare is funded by the municipality, speciality healthcare is provided and possibly funded by a larger entity, such as a municipal co-operation board or the state, and the medications are paid by a state agency.
Universal health care systems are modestly redistributive. Progressivity of health care financing has limited implications for overall income inequality.[83]

Single-payer

The term single-payer health care is used in the United States to describe a funding mechanism meeting the costs of medical care from a single fund. Although the fund holder is usually the government, some forms of single-payer employ a public-private system.

Public

Some countries (notably the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain) have eliminated insurance entirely and choose to fund health care directly from taxation. Other countries with insurance-based systems effectively meet the cost of insuring those unable to insure themselves via social security arrangements funded from taxation, either by directly paying their medical bills or by paying for insurance premiums for those affected.

Compulsory insurance

This is usually enforced via legislation requiring residents to purchase insurance, though sometimes, in effect, the government provides the insurance. Sometimes there may be a choice of several funds providing a basic service (e.g. as in Germany) or sometimes just a single fund (as in Canada).
In some European countries where there is private insurance and universal health care, such as Germany, Belgium, and Holland, the problem of adverse selection (see Private insurance below) is overcome using a risk compensation pool to equalize, as far as possible, the risks between funds. Thus a fund with a predominantly healthy, younger population has to pay into a compensation pool and a fund with an older and predominantly less healthy population would receive funds from the pool. In this way, sickness funds compete on price and there is no advantage to eliminate people with higher risks because they are compensated for by means of risk-adjusted capitation payments. Funds are not allowed to pick and choose their policyholders or deny coverage, but then mainly compete on price and service. In some countries the basic coverage level is set by the government and cannot be modified.[84]
Ireland at one time had a “community rating” system through VHI, effectively a single-payer or common risk pool. The government later opened VHI to competition but without a compensation pool. This resulted in foreign insurance companies entering the Irish market and offering cheap health insurance to relatively healthy segments of the market which then made super profits at VHI’s expense. The government later re-introduced community rating through a pooling arrangement and at least one main major insurance company, BUPA, then withdrew from the Irish market.

 Private insurance

In some countries with universal coverage, private insurance often excludes many health conditions which are expensive and which the state health care system can provide. For example in the UK, one of the largest private health care providers is BUPA which has the following list of general exclusions[85].
Dental/oral treatment (such as fillings, gum disease, jaw shrinkage, etc)†; pregnancy and childbirth†; temporary relief of symptoms†; convalescence, rehabilitation and general nursing care†; drugs and dressings for out-patient or take-home use†; screening and preventive treatment; birth control, conception, sexual problems and sex changes†; allergies or allergic disorders; chronic conditions†; eyesight†; physical aids and devices†; *deafness; cosmetic, reconstructive or weight loss treatment† ; ageing, menopause and puberty ; dialysis† ; complications from excluded or restricted conditions/ treatment ; HRT and bone densitometry†; learning difficulties, behavioural and developmental problems ; overseas treatment and repatriation ; AIDS/HIV† ; pre-existing or special conditions ; experimental drugs and treatment† ; sleep problems and disorders ; speech disorders†
all of which (except overseas repatriation) are available for free or very low cost from the NHS. († indicates that treatment may be provided in certain circumstances)
Where voluntary insurance (often private) is predominant, such as in the U.S., medical (health) insurance is subject to the well-known economic problem of adverse selection which may also be referred to as a market failure.[citation needed] Adverse selection in insurance markets occurs because those providing insurance have limited information with which to estimate the health risks on which they may need to pay future claims.[citation needed] In simple terms, those with poor health are more likely to apply for insurance and more likely to need treatments requiring high insurance company payouts.[citation needed] Those with good health may find the cost of insurance too high for the perceived benefit, and some will remove themselves from the risk pool.[citation needed] This adverse selection concentrates the risk pool, thereby further raising costs.[citation needed] In practical terms, the potential for adverse selection means that private insurers have an economic incentive to use medical underwriting to ‘weed out’ high cost applicants in order to avoid adverse selection.[citation needed] Among the potential solutions posited by economists are single payer systems as well as other methods of ensuring that health insurance is universal, such as by requiring all citizens to purchase insurance and limiting the ability of insurance companies to deny insurance to individuals or vary price between individuals.[86][87]
Keep in Mind that there are no private dialysis centers in New Zealand

Politics

Health care systems throughout the world face sustainability challenges that may require far-reaching changes in national policy.[88] Over the last decade, health spending has been accelerating as a percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.[88] Many industrialized countries have aging populations, with resulting increases in health care utilization, while others face rapid population growth. One recent study, by global consulting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers, projected that global health care spending would triple in real dollars by 2020, consuming 21% of GDP in the U.S. and 16% of GDP in other OECD countries.[88]

United States

Whether a government mandated system of universal health care should be implemented in the U.S. remains a hotly debated political topic. Those in favor of universal health care, such as the non-partisan Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science, which has called for the U.S. to implement universal health care by 2010, argue that the current rate of uninsurance creates direct and hidden costs shared by all, and that extending coverage to all would lower costs and improve quality.[89] Americans have a lower average life expectancy than those in other industrialized nations with universal health care, such as Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Sweden.[90] Infant mortality rates also remain higher in the U.S., despite declines in recent decades, and are higher than the average of the European Union.[91][92]
Critics of this argument note that there is very little correlation between life expectancy and infant mortality with the quality of health care, due to such factors as alternate causality and variations in the way countries collect their statistical data.[93] In fact, the U.S. led the world in life expectancy twenty years ago with virtually the same health system. Rather, many analysts attribute the lower life expectancy to a great surge in obesity rates.[94][95][96] Opponents of universal health care programs argue that people should be free to opt out of health insurance[97] and that government programs would require higher taxes, increase utilization, and reduce health care quality. They also claim that the absence of a market mechanism may slow innovation in treatment and research, and lead to rationing of care through waiting lists.[98]
Both sides of the political spectrum have also looked to more philosophical arguments, debating whether people have a fundamental right to have health care provided to them by their government.[99][100]
Survey research shows that Americans see expanding coverage as a top national priority, and a majority express support for universal health care.[101] There is, however, much more limited support for tax increases to support health care reform.[101][102] Most Americans report satisfaction with their own personal health care. Some argue that support for a single-payer system is less than the level of dissatisfaction with the current system and desire for increased coverage might suggest.[102]

Debate in the United States

The following is a listing of universal health care pros and cons as argued by supporters and opponents.
Common arguments forwarded by supporters of universal health care systems include:
  • Health care is a basic human right[99][103][104] or entitlement.[105]
  • Ensuring the health of all citizens benefits a nation economically.[106]
  • About 59% of the U.S. health care system is already publicly financed with federal and state taxes, property taxes, and tax subsidies – a universal health care system would merely replace private/employer spending with taxes. Total spending would go down for individuals and employers.[107]
  • A single payer system could save $286 billion a year in overhead and paperwork.[108] Administrative costs in the U.S. health care system are substantially higher than those in other countries and than in the public sector in the US: one estimate put the total administrative costs at 24 percent of U.S. health care spending.[109]
  • Several studies have shown a majority of taxpayers and citizens across the political divide would prefer a universal health care system over the current U.S. system[110][111][112]
  • Universal health care would provide for uninsured adults who may forgo treatment needed for chronic health conditions.[113]
  • Wastefulness and inefficiency in the delivery of health care would be reduced.[114]
  • America spends a far higher percentage of GDP on health care than any other country but has worse ratings on such criteria as quality of care, efficiency of care, access to care, safe care, equity, and wait times, according to the Commonwealth Fund.[115]
  • A universal system would align incentives for investment in long term health-care productivity, preventive care, and better management of chronic conditions.[116]
  • Universal health care could act as a subsidy to business, at no cost thereto. (Indeed, the Big Three of U.S. car manufacturers cite health-care provision as a reason for their ongoing financial travails. The cost of health insurance to U.S. car manufacturers adds between USD 900 and USD 1,400 to each car made in the U.S.A.)[117]
  • The profit motive adversely affects the cost and quality of health care. If managed care programs and their concomitant provider networks are abolished, then doctors would no longer be guaranteed patients solely on the basis of their membership in a provider group and regardless of the quality of care they provide. Theoretically, quality of care would increase as true competition for patients is restored.[118]
  • A 2008 opinion poll of 2,000 US doctors found support for a universal health care plan at 59%-32%, which is up from the 49%-40% opinion of physicians in 2002. These numbers include 83% of psychiatrists, 69% of emergency medicine specialists, 65% of pediatricians, 64% of internists, 60% of family physicians and 55% of general surgeons. The reasons given are an inability of doctors to decide patient care and patients who are unable to afford care.[119]
  • According to an estimate by Dr. Marcia Angell roughly 50% of health care dollars are spent on health care, the rest go to various middlepersons and intermediaries. A streamlined, non-profit, universal system would increase the efficiency with which money is spent on health care.[120]
  • In countries in Western Europe with public universal health care, private health care is also available, and one may choose to use it if desired. Most of the advantages of private health care continue to be present, see also two-tier health care.[121]
  • Universal health care and public doctors would protect the right to privacy between insurance companies and patients.[122]
  • Public health care system can be used as independent third party in disputes between employer and employee.[123]
  • Conservatives can favor universal health care, because in countries with universal health care, the government spends less tax money per person on health care than the U.S. For example, in France, the government spends $569 less per person on health care than in the United States. This would allow the U.S. to adopt universal health care, while simultaneously cutting government spending and cutting taxes.[124]
 

June 27, 2009
 
Analysis: Obama shows
flexibility on health care
 
President Barack Obama speaks about the passage of the Clean Energy Act by the AP – President Barack Obama speaks about the passage of the Clean Energy Act by the house of Representatives …

 

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AP
    June 28, 2009

White House open to new tax

on health benefits

Obama speaks about health care to the American Medical Association in Chicago, Illinois Reuters – US President Barack Obama speaks about the health care system at the annual meeting of the American Medical …

 

By PHILIP ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer
 
WASHINGTON – The Obama White House left open the possibility Sunday that the president would break a campaign promise and raise taxes on people earning less than $250,000 to support his health care overhaul agenda.
White House adviser David Axelrod said the administration wouldn’t rule out taxing some employees’ benefits to fund a health care agenda that has yet to take final form. The move would be a compromise with fellow Democrats, who are pushing the proposal as a way to pay for the massive undertaking without ballooning the federal deficit.
“There are a number of formulations and we’ll wait and see. The important thing at this point is to keep the process moving, to keep people at the table, to the keep the discussions going,” Axelrod said. “We’ve gotten a long way down the road and we want to finish that journey.”
But if President Barack Obama compromises on that point, it would reverse a campaign tax promise.
“I pledge that under my plan, no one making less than $250,000 a year will see any type of tax increase,” Obama told a crowd in Dover, N.H., last year. “Not income tax, not capital gains taxes, not any kind of tax.”
At the time, his Republican rival, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., was proposing a tax on health benefits similar to the plan Obama is now considering. Just a year ago, Obama spent millions on campaign commercials attacking the idea.
One ad accused McCain of favoring “taxing health benefits for the first time ever … taxing health care instead of fixing it. We can’t afford John McCain.”
A second Obama ad called McCain’s approach “the largest middle-class tax increase in history.” Driving the point home, it contended the “McCain tax could cost your family thousands. Can you afford it?”
Under the current proposals, a tax on health benefits would affect only those with pricey health plans. The idea would be to tax as income the portion of health benefits worth more than a specified limit. Officials are considering several options, including one that would set the limit at $17,240 for family coverage and $6,800 for individuals.
Plans worth more than that would be taxed; those worth less would see no increase.
Obama has faced similar criticism before. When he increased taxes on tobacco to pay for a children’s health bill, his critics said he was raising taxes on those making less than $250,000 a year.
Obama left open the possibility of a tax during interviews last week, insisting he wasn’t taking any option off the table despite his personal opposition. But two of his high-profile advisers — budget chief Peter Orszag and economic adviser Jason Furman — both have indicated they support some taxes on health benefits to pay for the overhaul.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said that Obama should step in an oppose the tax if he’s truly against it. Otherwise, he faces a loss to his own Democratic Party and his own campaign credibility.
“I think it’s going to take presidential leadership to get people of his party to see that we shouldn’t be subsidizing high-end health insurance policies that drive up inflation in health insurance,” said Grassley, the top Republican on the powerful finance committee.
Grassley — and, to be sure, other Republicans — remember Obama’s scathing criticism of their GOP presidential nominee.
“Since the president denigrated John McCain’s effort to move in this direction during the campaign, it’s going to take, in order to win over Republicans, presidential leadership in that direction,” Grassley said.
To help sell his plan, Obama scheduled a town hall-style meeting this week in Annandale, Va., a Washington suburb. He plans to take questions Wednesday from the audience and from online sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
Axelrod insisted that the White House has made progress on a health care plan and is working with Congress. Even so, the emerging legislation is hardly the bipartisan collaboration Obama’s top advisers had sought.

“One of the problems we’ve had in this town is that people draw lines in the sand and they stop talking to each other,” Axelrod said. “And you don’t get anything done. That’s not the way the president approaches us.”

Axelrod appeared on ABC’s “This Week” and NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Grassley appeared on “This Week.”
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June 28, 2009

Deal on U.S. health care

overhaul still uncertain

 

GOP Responds to Obama's Health Care Plan ABC News  – GOP Responds to Obama’s Health Care Plan

 

By Donna Smith – Sun Jun 28, 11:49 am ET
 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama’s drive to overhaul the U.S. health care system may be back on track thanks to Senate efforts to cut the price tag to $1 trillion, but a bipartisan deal on the sweeping proposal still is far from certain.
Obama wants changes that rein in the escalating costs of health care in the United States and bring insurance to most of the 46 million Americans who currently lack it.
He also wants a bill that the Democrats who control Congress and the Republican minority can support to give a bipartisan stamp of approval to his top legislative priority.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus was upbeat last week after announcing that panel members had found ways to bring the price tag to about $1 trillion over 10 years, down from an earlier estimate of a staggering $1.6 trillion.
The new estimates helped move lawmakers closer to an agreement, Baucus said. But he was unable to close the deal with Republicans before senators left for a weeklong July 4 Independence Day holiday recess.
Instead, the core group of negotiators — three Democrats and four Republicans — issued a tepid statement on Thursday merely affirming their commitment to continue negotiations.
“As we have been for the last several weeks, we are committed to continuing our work toward a bipartisan bill that will lower costs and ensure quality, affordable care for every American,” said the group, which includes Baucus and Senator Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the panel.
Soaring health care costs undermine the competitiveness of U.S. businesses, strain state and federal budgets and drive many Americans into bankruptcy.
The United States has the world’s most expensive health care system. Americans get coverage either through private insurance provided by employers or bought by individuals, or through government-run programs for the elderly, poor and others.
But millions remain uninsured and the United States lags many other industrialized nations in important health measures such as life expectancy and infant mortality.
‘VERY DELICATE PROCESS’
The Finance Committee is one of five in the Senate and House of Representatives working on health care legislation, and may represent the best chance of obtaining a bipartisan bill.
“It is a very delicate process that Senator Baucus is trying to engineer,” said Ron Pollack, executive director of the influential Families USA advocacy group.
A deal that includes Grassley would go a long way toward bringing other Republicans on board, he said.
But any compromises could end up alienating Democrats.
A group of liberal House Democrats put out a statement last week saying they would oppose any health care overhaul that did not include a “strong” new government-run insurance program to compete with private insurers. Proponents argue it is the only way to ensure affordable coverage.
Grassley and other Republicans oppose this “public option,” saying it would drive private insurers out of business and lead to a government-run health system. Grassley also has raised questions about a proposed compromise to create nonprofit insurance cooperatives to compete with private insurers.
Senior White House adviser David Axelrod said on Sunday that Obama believed strongly in the merits of a public option, but would not make it a deal-breaker.

“We’ve not gotten as far as we’ve gotten by drawing bright lines in the sand. He’s going to fight hard for that,” Axelrod told NBC Television’s Meet the Press program. “The president believes strongly in a public choice.”

Meanwhile several Senate Republicans, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have been speaking out daily in opposition to Obama’s health care ideas. They are expected to continue the effort in July when Democratic leaders hope a bill will be ready for Senate consideration.

“We have some problems with access and with cost which can be addressed without wrecking the best health care system in the world,” McConnell said on “FOX News Sunday.”

NOT CHEAP ENOUGH

Although not as costly as earlier estimates, Republicans say the $1 trillion cost is still too high at a time of huge federal budget deficits that could hit $1.8 trillion this year. They argue that the 10-year cost after the program is fully phased in is closer to $2.3 trillion.

The package likely will include some tax increases, also strongly opposed by Republicans.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which represents 3 million businesses, has started a grass-roots campaign opposing major elements of Obama’s plan with thousands of business owners writing lawmakers to say they are against it.

At best, the health care measure may get a few Republican votes. Senator Richard Durbin, the Democrat in charge of vote counting in the Senate, said he needs at least three.

In theory, Democrats are just one vote shy of the 60 needed in the 100-member chamber to overcome procedural hurdles on controversial bills.

But Democrats are hampered by the fact that two of their oldest members, Senators Edward Kennedy and Robert Byrd, are gravely ill and have missed most of the votes this year. Also, the Minnesota Senate election, in which Democrat Al Franken has been declared the winner, remains unresolved in the courts.

(Editing by Will Dunham and Vicki Allen)
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June 29, 2009

AP Interview: Snowe seeks

 bipartisan health bill

U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, talks about health care reform during an AP – U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, talks about health care reform during an interview at the Associated …

 

By JERRY HARKAVY, Associated Press Writer
 
PORTLAND, Maine – Sen. Olympia Snowe, a key figure in shaping federal health care legislation, said Monday that a government-run plan that would take effect if the private insurance market fails to deliver affordable coverage could bridge the partisan divide that threatens to derail President Barack Obama’s efforts to reform the system.
Snowe, R-Maine, said she’s working with Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to establish that kind of a framework in the bill expected to emerge next month from the Senate Finance Committee.
In an Associated Press interview in Portland, Snowe said it would be unfair to include a government-run health insurance option that would take effect immediately.
“If you establish a public option at the forefront that goes head-to-head and competes with the private health insurance market … the public option will have significant price advantages,” she said.
Responding to Snowe’s comments, Schumer spokesman Brian Fallon said the Democrat will continue to seek a consensus with Republicans but believes there must be a public option that “is available to all Americans from the first day.”
Snowe is seen as a key swing vote on health care. She was the committee’s only Republican who declined to go on record as opposing the public option.
Snowe said having a government option as a backup would be an approach “that bridges both sides” and gives private insurers a fair chance to meet the requirements of the new law.
“I don’t think we can entirely depend on the private insurance market to deliver. They haven’t delivered thus far, and that’s why we’re in the predicament we’re in today,” she said.
Snowe said it’s important to preserve what’s good about the health care system and take care not to undermine employer-based insurance as Congress moves to extend comprehensive coverage to the nation’s 47 million uninsured and the 30 million underinsured.
Characterizing health care reform as the most challenging and complex issue she has ever confronted, Snowe said she believes the Senate Finance Committee can produce a bipartisan bill in which everyone has confidence, but “everybody has to give a little.”
“It is important to get it to be a bipartisan initiative, given the dimensions of health care reform and the implications to all Americans,” she said. “Every American will be affected one way or the other under this.”
Snowe acknowledged that the majority Democrats can push through a health care bill on their own, but said a measure of such magnitude should have the broadest possible support.
Democrats have set Oct. 15 as the deadline for moving a bill forward under a process that would avoid a possible filibuster. That’s why there’s a sense of urgency to reach a compromise, Snowe said.
Snowe said cost concerns are a major issue, and Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., has been trying to get the estimated 10-year price tag for health care reform below $1 trillion.
She said she hasn’t yet decided whether to support elimination of the tax-exemption on employer-paid health insurance benefits but maintained that any such provision should take into account the variations in health care costs among the states.
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June 30, 2009

Religious groups’ radio ads

back health overhaul

WASHINGTON – Liberal-leaning religious groups are launching radio ads in five states this week in which local pastors urge senators to back efforts to overhaul the nation’s health care system.
In the ads, the religious leaders discuss the moral reasons for making health care more affordable. They are being sponsored by national and local groups including Faith in Public Life, Faithful America, Sojourners and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good.
The spots are running on Christian and mainstream radio stations in Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Nebraska and North Carolina — all of them home states of pivotal Democratic senators.
Congress is in recess this week. Top Democrats hope to enact health care legislation this year.
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July 3, 2009

Under Senate health care plan, either way you pay

Newt Gingrich on Health Care Reform ABC News  – Newt Gingrich on Health Care Reform

 

President Barack Obama gestures as he answers questions during a discussion on AP – President Barack Obama gestures as he answers questions during a discussion on health care, Wednesday, …

 

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR, Associated Press Writer  – Fri Jul 3, 7:25 am ET
WASHINGTON – First you paid to insure your car. Soon you may have to add health insurance premiums to that stack of monthly bills as well.
In a revamped health care system envisioned by senators, people would be required to carry health insurance just like motorists must get auto coverage now. The government would provide subsidies for the poor and many middle-class families, but those who still refuse to sign up would face fines of more than $1,000.
The details were unveiled Thursday in a health care overhaul bill supported by key Senate Democrats looking to fulfill President Barack Obama’s top domestic priority.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated the fines would raise around $36 billion over 10 years. Senate aides said the penalties would be modeled on the approach taken by Massachusetts, which now imposes a fine of about $1,000 a year on individuals who refuse to get coverage. Under the federal legislation, families would pay higher penalties than individuals.
Called “shared responsibility payments,” the fines would offset at least half the cost of basic medical coverage, according to the legislation. The goal is to nudge people to sign up for coverage when they are healthy, not wait until they get sick.
In 2008, employer-provided coverage averaged $12,680 a year for a family plan, and $4,704 for individual coverage, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s annual survey. Senate aides, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said the cost of the federal plan would be lower but declined to provide specifics.
The legislation would exempt certain hardship cases from fines, which would be collected through the income tax system.
The new proposals were released as Congress neared the end of a weeklong July 4 break, with lawmakers expected to quickly take up health care legislation when they return to Washington. With deepening divisions along partisan and ideological lines, the complex legislation faces an uncertain future.
Obama wants a bill this year that would provide coverage to the nearly 50 million Americans who lack it and reduce medical costs.
In a statement, Obama welcomed the legislation, saying it “reflects many of the principles I’ve laid out, such as reforms that will prohibit insurance companies from refusing coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and the concept of insurance exchanges where individuals can find affordable coverage if they lose their jobs, move or get sick.”
The Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions bill also calls for a government-run insurance option to compete with private plans as well as a $750-per-worker annual fee on larger companies that do not offer coverage to employees.
Sens. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., and Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., said in a letter to colleagues that their revised plan would cost dramatically less than an earlier, incomplete proposal, and help show the way toward coverage for 97 percent of all Americans.
The Congressional Budget Office, in an analysis released Thursday evening, put the net cost of the proposal at $597 billion over 10 years, down from $1 trillion two weeks ago. Coverage expansions worth $645 billion would be partly offset by savings of $48 billion, the estimate said.
However, the total cost of legislation will rise considerably once provisions are added to subsidize health insurance for the poor through Medicaid. Those additions, needed to ensure coverage for nearly all U.S. residents, are being handled by a separate panel, the Senate Finance Committee. Bipartisan talks on the Finance panel aim to hold the overall price tag to $1 trillion.
The Health Committee could complete its portion of the bill as soon as next week, and the government health insurance option virtually assures a party-line vote.
In the Senate, the Finance Committee version of the bill is unlikely to include a government-run insurance option. Bipartisan negotiations are centered on a proposal for a nonprofit insurance cooperative as a competitor to private companies.
Three committees are collaborating in the House on legislation expected to come to a vote by the end of July. That measure is certain to include a government-run insurance option.
At their heart, all the bills would require insurance companies to sell coverage to any applicant, without charging higher premiums for pre-existing medical conditions. The poor and some middle-class families would qualify for government subsidies to help with the cost of coverage. The government’s costs would be covered by a combination of higher taxes and cuts in projected Medicare and Medicaid spending.
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By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON – The reversals, hints of concessions and politically dicey proposals on health care are piling up for President Barack Obama, whose appeal for bipartisan legislation carries risk with no guarantee of reward.
By one definition, that’s called presidential leadership, flexibility first, meant to embolden others to do the same.
By another, it’s political inconsistency that risks offending people on Medicare, liberals who favor government-run health care and union families with coverage negotiated by contract with employers.
“Many of us are prepared to accept changes that maybe wouldn’t be our first choice,” says Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill. He meant it as a challenge to Republicans, few of whom have seem interested in seeking common ground on health care with the White House and Democrats who control Congress.
But so far, Obama has been anything but uninterested.
“He is flexible when it comes to methods,” his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, said recently. “But when it comes to outcomes, he is not,” referring to the president’s goal of curtailing health care costs while spreading coverage to millions who lack it.
Beginning last winter, Obama has called for $600 billion in savings over the next 10 years from Medicare and Medicaid. More than a decade ago, when then House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., and the GOP wanted to save about $270 billion from Medicare over seven years, Democrats accused them of seeking to cut essential programs.
Obama did some attacking of his own in last year’s presidential campaign, criticizing Republican nominee John McCain over the Arizona senator’s proposal to tax health insurance benefits. Obama now has opened the door to just that idea.
“I don’t want to prejudge what they’re doing,” the president said recently about Senate supporters of a plan to tax workers with expensive insurance through their jobs.
Gerald W. McEntee, president of the 1.6 million-member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said members of the union “are not going to tolerate that.” Obama is “a person of his word,” he added pointedly, referring to the campaign promises.
Any tax on health care benefits would violate two campaign pledges.
Obama campaigned against that specific proposal and pledged often not to raise taxes on people earning less than $250,000. Pressed last April on the subject, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said there were no caveats, health benefits or otherwise.
The president also is a convert to the cause of requiring people to purchase insurance, with waivers in cases of financial hardship. He opposed these mandates last year when his main Democratic presidential rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton, backed them.
Now, he says, “my thinking on the issue of mandates has evolved. And I think that that is typical of most people who study this problem deeper.”
That’s not all.
Obama has left the door open to legislation that does not give individuals the ability to purchase insurance from a government-run plan. Many congressional Democrats want the federal involvement, saying it will help people by creating competition for private insurers. Polls show this public option enjoys widespread backing, and Obama sometimes cites those surveys.
“Why would it drive private insurance out of business? If private insurers say that the marketplace provides the best quality health care, if they tell us that they’re offering a good deal, then why is it that the government, which they say can’t run anything, suddenly is going to drive them out of business? That’s not logical,” he said at a news conference this past week.
But nowhere did he say he would veto any bill that lacked a government insurance option.

In fact, the president has drawn few lines in the sand.

Any legislation must not add to the deficit, he says.

And he told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that “if any reform that we get is not driving down costs in a serious way … if people say, `We’re just going add more people onto a hugely inefficient system,’ then I will say no. Because we can’t afford it.”

In Congress, there’s not much support for adding to the deficit, and none for making an inefficient health care system more inefficient.

Instead, the prospects for success in health care hinge on a few big issues, as well as dozens if not hundreds of smaller ones. Obama has shown flexibility on most, if not all of them.

___

EDITOR’S NOTE — David Espo is AP’s chief congressional correspondent.
  
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July 1, 2009

New Dem health plan has public option, lower cost

President Barack Obama speaks about health care during a town hall meeting at AP – President Barack Obama speaks about health care during a town hall meeting at the Northern Virginia Community …

 

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent
 
WASHINGTON – Democrats on a key Senate Committee outlined a revised and far less costly health care plan Wednesday night that includes a government-run insurance option and an annual fee on employers who do not offer coverage to their workers.
The plan carries a 10-year price tag of slightly over $600 billion, and would lead toward an estimated 97 percent of all Americans having coverage, according to the Congressional Budget Office, Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and Chris Dodd said in a letter to other members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. The AP obtained a copy.
By contrast, an earlier, incomplete proposal carried a price tag of roughly $1 trillion and would have left millions uninsured, CBO analysts said in mid-June.
The letter indicated the cost and coverage improvements resulted from two changes. The first calls for a government-run health insurance option to compete with private coverage plans, an option that has drawn intense opposition from Republicans.
“We must not settle for legislation that merely gestures at reform,” the two Democrats wrote. “We must deliver on the promise of true change.”
Additionally, the revised proposal calls for a $750 annual fee on employers for each full-time worker not offered coverage through their job. The fee would be set at $375 for part-time workers. Companies with fewer than 25 employees would be exempt. The fee was forecast to generate $52 billion over 10 years, money the government would use to help provide subsidies to those who cannot afford insurance.
The same provision is also estimated to greatly reduce the number of workers whose employers would drop coverage, thus addressing a major concern noted by CBO when it reviewed the earlier proposals.
Kennedy, D-Mass., and Dodd, D-Conn., circulated their letter a few days before lawmakers return from their July 4 vacation, with the Health Committee one of several panels expected to take action on health care legislation that President Barack Obama has placed atop his domestic agenda.
Kennedy, the committee chairman, was diagnosed with a brain tumor more than a year ago and has been absent from the Senate for weeks, although he and his aides have been heavily involved in the deliberations on a health care bill. Dodd, the next senior Democrat on the committee, has presided at committee sessions and taken an increasingly public role.
With its government option, the proposal is unlikely to gain any bipartisan support in the committee.
Separately, Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee are at work trying to reach agreement on an alternative that calls for creation of nonprofit cooperatives to sell insurance in competition with private industry. Agreement has been elusive on that and other issues, and it is not clear whether a deal is possible before Democrats opt for a more partisan approach.
In their letter, Kennedy and Dodd said the Congressional Budget Office “has carefully reviewed our complete bill, and we are pleased to report that CBO has scored it at $611.4 billion over 10 years, with the new coverage provisions scored at $597 billion. …The completed bill virtually eliminates the dropping of currently covered employees from employer-sponsored health plans.
“In addition, our bill, combined with the work being done by our colleagues in the Finance Committee, will dramatically reduce the number of uninsured — fully 97 percent of Americans will have coverage, a major achievement.”
Three committees in the House have been at work for weeks on a plan expected to come to a vote by the end of July.
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June 29, 2009

US stock futures point

slightly higher 

A trader works the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Reuters – A trader works the floor of the New York Stock Exchange June 23, 2009. REUTERS/Eric Thayer
By SARA LEPRO, AP Business Writer
 
NEW YORK – Investors are looking to start a holiday-shortened week on a positive note.
U.S. stock futures are slightly higher in early trading Monday, amid mixed moves in overseas markets. Stocks in Asia were lower, while European markets advanced.
Investors were pleased by data showing that European business and consumer confidence rose for a third straight month. Still, the European Commission took a cautious stance, saying the economic rebound in Europe is relatively subdued.
That report echoes the wary outlook in the U.S. As the second quarter comes to a close, investors are at a crossroads. After running up the market more than 30 percent in three months on a litany of “less bad” economic data, investors have become skeptical of the economy’s recovery in recent weeks, desiring more concrete signs of growth.
Though the Dow Jones industrial average is still up 28.9 percent from a 12-year low on March 9, it has fallen 4.1 percent from a five-month high on June 12.
There is little by way of economic or corporate news scheduled for Monday, however this week, which is shortened by the Independence Day holiday on Friday, brings key data that will give investors a better sense of where the economy is headed.
Of particular importance is the government’s monthly employment report, due Thursday. Though considered a lagging indicator of the country’s economic health, the unemployment rate is still one of the most closely watched gauges of the economy. The labor market is intricately tied to many facets of the economy, including consumer spending.
Investors will also get readings on consumer confidence and manufacturing this week.
Ahead of the market’s open, Dow Jones industrial average futures gained 32, or 0.4 percent, to 8,405. Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures rose 4.20, or 0.5 percent, to 918.10, and Nasdaq 100 index futures added 8, or 0.5 percent, to 1,484.75.
Last week, the major indexes finished mixed. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 1.2 percent; the Standard & Poor’s 500 index slipped 0.3 percent; and the Nasdaq composite index rose 0.6 percent.
Analysts say the market will likely be rocky again this week, as investment managers try to push stocks higher to boost their returns ahead of the end of the April-June period on Tuesday.
“We still have money flows coming into the market for window dressing,” said Don Schreiber Jr., CEO of WBI Investments, a Little Silver, N.J.-based investment adviser.
One point of interest Monday will be the sentencing of Bernard Madoff, the mastermind behind a multibillion dollar Ponzi scheme.
Madoff pleaded guilty in March to securities fraud and other charges. Prosecutors are seeking a 150-year jail sentence, while his lawyers are insisting that 12 years in prison is sufficient punishment.
Bond prices were slightly higher early Monday. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, slipped to 3.50 percent from 3.53 percent late Friday.
The dollar fell against other major currencies, while gold prices rose.
Light, sweet crude for August delivery rose 51 cents to $69.67 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Overseas, Japan’s Nikkei stock average fell 1.0 percent. In afternoon trading, Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.8 percent, Germany’s DAX index rose 1.6 percent, and France’s CAC-40 was up 1.4 percent.
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Forbes
Monday, June 29, 2009

Top-Paying Jobs for Women

by Jenna Goudreau
Move over CEO, there’s a new job in town.
Forbes062909.jpg
© Getty Images
Women are flocking to the labor force in record numbers. Nearly 60% sought or occupied employment in 2008, the latest year for which statistics are available, representing 46.5% of the total U.S. labor force. More than one-third of these women worked in management, professional and related occupations, accounting for 51% of all workers in this top-paying sector.
Though a pay gap persists — women’s earnings remain stalled at around 80% of men’s — women are finding the jobs that pay them the most, and some may surprise you. Based on a U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau 2008 analysis, we ranked women’s median weekly earnings as full-time wage and salary workers to uncover the highest-paying jobs for women.
 
An unlikely No. 1 emerged. Much to our surprise, pharmacy topped the list, where women pharmacists earn a median wage of $1,647 per week or about $86,000 a year. Women currently account for slightly less than half of all pharmacists in the U.S. and earn about 85% as much as their male colleagues. It’s a much smaller pay gap than that of medical doctors, however, where women make 59% as much as men. And pharmacy requires less education.
Women physicians and surgeons came in far behind pharmacists at No. 6 on the list, earning a median of $1,230 per week. Dr. Drucilla Barker, economist and director of women’s and gender studies at the University of South Carolina, explains this by the wide distribution of salaries in the medical profession. Women often go into family practice or other lower-paying specialties, she says, rather than work the 80-hour-plus weeks of surgeons. In jobs like pharmacy and speech pathology there is a clear and narrow salary range, and women are more likely to have manageable schedules, Barker says.
Women computer scientists and systems analysts came in at No. 10, earning a median wage of $1,082 per week or about $56,000 a year. In recent years, telecommuting has become increasingly common in the industry, making computer science even more appealing to women seeking high-paying work and flexibility.
 
And just above, at No. 9, were speech-language pathologists, the only occupation on our list in which women earn exactly equal to men and represent 50% of the field’s total workers.
While women are inching higher and higher in status positions and earnings — the pay gap has narrowed by 10 percentage points since 1990 — there remains a large divide. About 3.5 million women earn within the highest pay bracket, making a minimum of $1,500 per week, compared with almost 10 million men. This may be explained by the most common female-held positions: administrative assistants, nurses and grade school teachers. (As a comparison, there are 36 times as many women administrative assistants as there are women pharmacists.)
Yet women outnumber men in some unexpected high-earning jobs like financial managers, accountants and auditors, and budget analysts. Women human resource managers, the No. 8 position on our list with a median of $1,137 per week, outnumber men in the field 2 to 1.

Top-Paying Jobs for Women

Though a pay gap persists–women’s earnings remain stalled at around 80% of men’s–women are finding the jobs that pay them the most, and some may surprise you. Based on a U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau 2008 analysis, we ranked women’s median weekly earnings as full-time wage and salary workers to uncover the highest paying jobs for women.
 
No. 1: Pharmacists
Women’s median weekly earnings: $1,647
Women’s median yearly earnings: $85,644
Percentage of men’s earnings: 84.9%
Education required: PCAT; Pharm.D. degree; six to seven years of collegiate study
What they do: Distribute pharmaceutical drugs
 
No. 2: Chief Executives
Women’s median weekly earnings: $1,603
Women’s median yearly earnings: $83,356
Percentage of men’s earnings: 80.1%
Education required: Varies; many hold a bachelor’s or graduate degree in business administration or more specialized discipline
What they do: Hold overall responsibility for the operation of an organization, including corporate and small businesses
 
No. 3: Lawyers
Women’s median weekly earnings: $1,509
Women’s median yearly earnings: $78,468
Percentage of men’s earnings: 77.5%
Education required: LSAT; J.D. degree; about seven years of collegiate study
What they do: Advocate in criminal and civil courts and provide legal counsel to clients on business and personal matters
 
No. 4: Computer Software Engineers
Women’s median weekly earnings: $1,351
Women’s median yearly earnings: $70,252
Percentage of men’s earnings: 87.3%
Education required: Bachelor of computer science or software engineering
What they do: Design, develop, test and evaluate computer systems and software
 
No. 5: Computer and Information Systems Managers
Women’s median weekly earnings: $1,260
Women’s median yearly earnings: $65,520
Percentage of men’s earnings: 85.4%
Education required: Bachelor’s degree; often a technology-specific MBA
What they do: Implement technology into an organization, often overseeing network security and IT operations
 
 
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AP
June 30, 2009

Home prices post 18.1 percent

 annual drop in April

In this June 23, 2009 photo, an AP – In this June 23, 2009 photo, an ‘in escrow’ sign is seen on a home for sale in Los Angeles. The Standard …

 

By J.W. ELPHINSTONE, AP Real Estate Writer
NEW YORK – There is a clear trend home prices declines are moderating — another sign the beleaguered housing market is stabilizing, according to data released Tuesday.
While the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller index of 20 major cities tumbled by 18.1 percent, it marked the third straight month the decline was not a record. And yearly losses in 13 metros improved compared to March.
“The stock market bottomed in March and measures of consumer confidence have turned upward. This report shows that these better spirits are also appearing in the housing market,” said David M. Blitzer, chairman of the S&P index committee.
Eight of the 20 metro posted price gains from March, with Dallas recording the largest increase at 1.7 percent. And every city except Charlotte showed some kind of improvement month-over-month.
Still, a housing recovery is distant on the horizon. The 20-city index is off almost 33 percent from its peak in the second quarter of 2006, which means home values are now around 2003-levels.
Hardest hit remain Phoenix and Las Vegas, where home prices have lost more than half their value since their peaks.
The Case-Shiller index tracks repeat sales on a specific group of homes in each city. Sales between related parties, such as family members, are excluded.
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July 1, 2009
 

Jobless data sends stocks

 reeling; Dow loses 223

In this June 30, 2009 photo, an unemployed worker, left, talks with an AP – In this June 30, 2009 photo, an unemployed worker, left, talks with an Employment Guide staffer at a …

 

By STEPHEN BERNARD and IEVA M. AUGSTUMS, AP Business Writers

 
NEW YORK – The stock market found little to celebrate heading into the long holiday weekend.
Major stock indexes fell more than 2.6 percent Thursday, pushing the Dow Jones industrials to their lowest level in six weeks, after the government said the unemployment rate hit a 26-year high and employers cut far more jobs than expected.
The data was especially disappointing since it broke a trend of four straight months of improvement in job losses. The report — one of the most closely watched gauges of the economy’s health — delivered the latest blow to the market’s already waning confidence.
Investor optimism has been shaken in recent weeks amid a barrage of mixed economic reports, making for an erratic market.
This past week was no exception. Stocks rose Monday, then erased nearly all their gains the following day after a report showing an unexpected drop in consumer confidence.
On Wednesday the market bounced back after getting some reassuring data on manufacturing and housing, only to tumble again on Thursday on the disappointing jobs report.
“There’s not a lot of conviction on either side,” said Jill Evans, co-portfolio manager of the Alpine Dynamic Dividend Fund.
The Dow Jones industrials lost 223.32, or 2.6 percent, to 8,280.74, the lowest close since May 22. It was the average’s worst day since April 20.
The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 26.91, or 2.9 percent, to 896.42 and the Nasdaq composite index fell 49.20, or 2.7 percent, to 1,796.52.
Trading on the New York Stock Exchange was extended until 4:15 p.m. Eastern time in order to execute customer orders impacted by system irregularities, an NYSE spokeswoman said.
The stock market rallied furiously this spring off of 12-year lows beginning in early March on hopes for a recovery, but the upward momentum has stalled since mid-June as doubts grow about whether the economy had really found a bottom.
Since hitting multi-month highs on June 12, the Dow has fallen a total of 5.9 percent, while the S&P 500 index has lost 5.3 percent.
“There’s more and more evidence mounting against this rally continuing,” said Doug De Groote, a managing director at United Wealth Management. Consumers are likely to lead the nation out of the ongoing recession, but that won’t happen if more people are losing their jobs, he said.
Stocks started the day down and stayed there after the Labor Department reported that employers slashed 467,000 jobs in June, far worse than the 363,000 that economists expected and a grim signal that the path to recovery will be bumpy. The unemployment rate rose to 9.5 percent from 9.4 percent the month before.
Overseas markets also fell Thursday after a report showed unemployment in Europe rose to a 10-year high in May.
As stock prices fell across the board, other signs of investor unease emerged. Treasury prices rose, driving the yield on the 10-year note down to 3.50 percent from 3.54 percent late Wednesday.
Meanwhile a gauge of volatility in the stock market, the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index, or VIX, jumped 1.73, or 6.6 percent, to 27.95 Thursday afternoon.
Declining issues outnumbered advancers by about 5 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Consolidated volume came to a relatively low 3.56 billion shares ahead of the holiday weekend, compared with 4 billion shares traded a day earlier. Light volume can lead to more volatile swings in trading.

Markets will be closed Friday in observance of the Independence Day holiday.

For the week, the Dow finished down 1.9 percent; the S&P 500 lost 2.5 percent; and the Nasdaq fell 2.3 percent.

An upbeat report about May factory orders was not enough to boost traders’ confidence amid the weak employment numbers. The Commerce Department said total orders rose 1.2 percent in May, better than the 0.8 percent increase that economists had expected.

Markets kicked off the third quarter on Wednesday with gains as investors found encouragement in a report showing more stable manufacturing activity and another indicating the fourth straight monthly rise in pending home sales.

Next week, the focus will shift to companies’ quarterly earnings, which kick off Wednesday with a report from aluminum producer Alcoa Inc.

The dollar rose against most other major currencies, while gold prices fell.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 20.25, or 3.9 percent, to 497.21.

Overseas, Japan’s Nikkei stock average fell 0.6 percent. Britain’s FTSE 100 fell 2.5 percent, Germany’s DAX index declined 3.8 percent, and France’s CAC-40 fell 3.1 percent…
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July 3, 2009

Mountain of Debt: Rising debt

may be next crisis

The soaring national debt is recorded on the National Debt Clock in New York, AP – The soaring national debt is recorded on the National Debt Clock in New York, Friday, July 3, 2009. Already …
 
By TOM RAUM, Associated Press Writer
 
WASHINGTON – The Founding Fathers left one legacy not celebrated on Independence Day but which affects us all. It’s the national debt.
The country first got into debt to help pay for the Revolutionary War. Growing ever since, the debt stands today at a staggering $11.5 trillion — equivalent to over $37,000 for each and every American. And it’s expanding by over $1 trillion a year.
The mountain of debt easily could become the next full-fledged economic crisis without firm action from Washington, economists of all stripes warn.
“Unless we demonstrate a strong commitment to fiscal sustainability in the longer term, we will have neither financial stability nor healthy economic growth,” Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke recently told Congress.
Higher taxes, or reduced federal benefits and services — or a combination of both — may be the inevitable consequences.
The debt is complicating efforts by President Barack Obama and Congress to cope with the worst recession in decades as stimulus and bailout spending combine with lower tax revenues to widen the gap.
Interest payments on the debt alone cost $452 billion last year — the largest federal spending category after Medicare-Medicaid, Social Security and defense. It’s quickly crowding out all other government spending. And the Treasury is finding it harder to find new lenders.
The United States went into the red the first time in 1790 when it assumed $75 million in the war debts of the Continental Congress.
Alexander Hamilton, the first treasury secretary, said, “A national debt, if not excessive, will be to us a national blessing.”
Some blessing.
Since then, the nation has only been free of debt once, in 1834-1835.
The national debt has expanded during times of war and usually contracted in times of peace, while staying on a generally upward trajectory. Over the past several decades, it has climbed sharply — except for a respite from 1998 to 2000, when there were annual budget surpluses, reflecting in large part what turned out to be an overheated economy.
The debt soared with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and economic stimulus spending under President George W. Bush and now Obama.
The odometer-style “debt clock” near Times Square — put in place in 1989 when the debt was a mere $2.7 trillion — ran out of numbers and had to be shut down when the debt surged past $10 trillion in 2008.
The clock has since been refurbished so higher numbers fit. There are several debt clocks on Web sites maintained by public interest groups that let you watch hundreds, thousands, millions zip by in a matter of seconds.
The debt gap is “something that keeps me awake at night,” Obama says.
He pledged to cut the budget “deficit” roughly in half by the end of his first term. But “deficit” just means the difference between government receipts and spending in a single budget year.
This year’s deficit is now estimated at about $1.85 trillion.

Deficits don’t reflect holdover indebtedness from previous years. Some spending items — such as emergency appropriations bills and receipts in the Social Security program — aren’t included, either, although they are part of the national debt.

The national debt is a broader, and more telling, way to look at the government’s balance sheets than glancing at deficits.

According to the Treasury Department, which updates the number “to the penny” every few days, the national debt was $11,518,472,742,288 on Wednesday.

The overall debt is now slightly over 80 percent of the annual output of the entire U.S. economy, as measured by the gross domestic product.

By historical standards, it’s not proportionately as high as during World War II, when it briefly rose to 120 percent of GDP. But it’s still a huge liability.

Also, the United States is not the only nation struggling under a huge national debt. Among major countries, Japan, Italy, India, France, Germany and Canada have comparable debts as percentages of their GDPs.

Where does the government borrow all this money from?

The debt is largely financed by the sale of Treasury bonds and bills. Even today, amid global economic turmoil, those still are seen as one of the world’s safest investments.

That’s one of the rare upsides of U.S. government borrowing.

Treasury securities are suitable for individual investors and popular with other countries, especially China, Japan and the Persian Gulf oil exporters, the three top foreign holders of U.S. debt.

But as the U.S. spends trillions to stabilize the recession-wracked economy, helping to force down the value of the dollar, the securities become less attractive as investments. Some major foreign lenders are already paring back on their purchases of U.S. bonds and other securities.

And if major holders of U.S. debt were to flee, it would send shock waves through the global economy — and sharply force up U.S. interest rates.

As time goes by, demographics suggest things will get worse before they get better, even after the recession ends, as more baby boomers retire and begin collecting Social Security and Medicare benefits.

While the president remains personally popular, polls show there is rising public concern over his handling of the economy and the government’s mushrooming debt — and what it might mean for future generations.

If things can’t be turned around, including establishing a more efficient health care system, “We are on an utterly unsustainable fiscal course,” said the White House budget director, Peter Orszag.

Some budget-restraint activists claim even the debt understates the nation’s true liabilities.

The Peter G. Peterson Foundation, established by a former commerce secretary and investment banker, argues that the $11.4 trillion debt figures does not take into account roughly $45 trillion in unlisted liabilities and unfunded retirement and health care commitments.

That would put the nation’s full obligations at $56 trillion, or roughly $184,000 per American, according to this calculation.
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July 3, 3009

Obama’s Housing Rescue

Expands: 6 Things to Know

President Barack Obama makes remarks about innovation and jobs, Thursday, July AP – President Barack Obama makes remarks about innovation and jobs, Thursday, July 2, 2009, in the Rose Garden …

 

By Luke Mullins Luke Mullins – Thu Jul 2, 6:47 pm ET
 
In a move that suggests its initial rescue plan was insufficient, the Obama administration yesterday announced plans to widen the eligibility parameters of a key housing initiative. The change would allow borrowers with mortgages valued at 125 percent of their home’s worth to refinance into more affordable loans. Previously, only borrowers with so-called loan-to-value ratios of 105 percent or less could do so. The mortgage refinancing program is part of the president’s two-pronged plan to pull the nation out of its worst housing slump since the Great Depression. Coupled with efforts to modify troubled mortgages, the government believes its Making Home Affordable initiative can reach up to 9 million American homeowners. “The president’s Making Home Affordable plan is already helping far more families than any previous foreclosure initiative, and with today’s announcement we will extend its reach still further,” Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan said.
 
Here are six things you need to know about the expanded rescue:
 
1. Fannie/Freddie only: Despite the higher loan-to-value ceiling, the original framework of the program remains in tact. For example, only borrowers with loans owned or guaranteed by government-controlled housing finance giants Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac can participate. At the same time, borrowers need to be current on their mortgage to qualify.
 
2. Falling prices, less equity: The expansion of the qualification parameters comes as the real estate market continues to erode. Home prices in 20 major metropolitan areas fell by more than 18 percent in April from a year earlier, according the Case-Shiller home price index. Among other things, sliding home prices suck equity out of homes. Because of plunging values, more than a fifth of American homeowners were considered “underwater”–meaning they owe more on their mortgages than the property is worth–in the first quarter of this year, according to Zillow. This evaporation of home equity threw sand in the gears of the administration’s refinancing initiative. That’s because the original terms of the program precluded borrowers with mortgages exceeding 105 percent of their home’s value from participating. But by expanding the loan-to-value cap to 125 percent, even borrowers who are significantly underwater will be eligible to refinance through Uncle Sam.
 
3. Efforts so far: When it rolled out the initiative earlier this year, the Obama administration said the refinancing program could reach up to 5 million homeowners. But in its release yesterday, HUD acknowledged that only “tens of thousands” of refinancings have occurred so far.
 
4. Expanded reach: The new standards could make up to 2 million additional borrowers eligible to refinance through the program, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. “This program could assist many homeowners who otherwise would have difficulty refinancing due to declining house prices,” FHFA Director James Lockhart said yesterday.
 
5. Mortgage rate hurdle: But not all of those 2 million additional borrowers will end up refinancing. Some won’t meet other program requirements, such as being current on their loan. But it’s the recent upward trend in mortgage rates that represents perhaps the biggest threat to the program’s success. Refinancing applications surged last fall and winter, after the federal government engineered mortgage rates of below 5 percent. But as bond traders became rattled by sharp increases in government spending, they sent yields on 10-year treasury notes–which fixed mortgage rates typically tack–skyward in recent months. As a result, mortgage rates surged, hitting 5.81 percent on June 11, according to HSH.com.
 
Since borrowers generally need a full percentage-point difference between their current rate and market rates to benefit from refinancing, higher rates have hammered the housing market. What’s more, even as mortgage rates have drifted lower in recent weeks, refinancing applications have remained depressed. “While 30-year rates in the mid-5s are low on a long-term historical basis, they’re not very low relative to the last five or six years,” Mike Larson of Weiss Research said in a report. “The average since mid-2003 (when we had the last mega-boom in [refinancings]) is 6 percent, according to Freddie Mac. So the universe of mortgages that can be refinanced on a “rate and term” basis isn’t very large in the mid-5s. …We’re going to need to see rates head back into the 4s to get the mortgage train rolling again.”
 
6. Second housing tweak: The expansion of the Making Home Affordable program follows the Obama administration’s recent change to its first-time home buyer tax credit. In mid-February, the president enacted this tax incentive–which offers up to $8,000 to qualified first-time home buyers–to stimulate housing demand and help mop up excess supply. In late May, HUD unveiled a program that would provide buyers more immediate access to these funds, which they could put toward closing costs as well as a portion of their down payment.
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