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(We always enjoy a good Jeff Reed Missouri special. - promoted by admin)
Why I am voting NO on Missouri Proposition C.
There is a lot taking place in the State of Missouri right now, most notably the reddest of "red meat" issues, Missouri Prop C. On August 3rd, Missouri voters will go to the polls and give what some are calling "a referendum on Obamacare." Don't count me as one of those rushing to the polls to vote FOR a broken promise. I am going to tell you why without the need to reference political talking points.
Perhaps we won't know the long term health effects caused by the oil spill for many years to come. We are already seeing a number of Alabama residents being treated for a variety of symptoms. According to the Alabama Health Department officials at least 103 people , in Mobile and Baldwin counties, have been treated for direct and indirect exposure.
Forty-seven of the patients complaining of oil-caused symptoms were exposed via inhalation, 25 by contact, three through ingestion, nine patients reported multiple exposures, and 19 were exposed indirectly, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health.
Direct exposures are exposures to oil or oil by-products through contact, inhalation or ingestion, according to public health officials. Indirect exposures occur because of other circumstances associated with the oil spill.
For example, heat exhaustion during cleanup efforts or mental health concerns such as anxiety or depression, would be examples of indirect exposure, said Dr. Thomas Miller, with the Alabama Department of Public Health.
So the costs to our state rise and this does not include all of the unreported cases. This also probably is a very high under-reporting of mental health issues. I'm going to look for articles that give us numbers for Louisiana and Mississippi this evening. If you can find anything please let us know.
Well the only thing you can say about this story from Think Progress is That Ain't Right.
La Rosa Carrington has more than enough to worry about. She's a single mother with two teenage daughters, she's fighting a type of leukemia that requires five days of chemo a month for four months, and she lost her job in May. So the last thing she needed was news that her health insurance benefits would be terminated because she hadn't paid her premium in full. The shortfall? One penny. [...]
That ain't right
However this situation was rectified before Carrington went to the media.
Today is Shelia Smoot's (AL-07) 47th birthday. A week from today, voters in Alabama's 7th Congressional District will go to the polls and cast their historic vote for the first African American Congresswoman from Alabama. Shelia and her opponent are both African American females vying for the Democratic nomination in this PVI +18 Democratic seat. This seat is currently held by Artur Davis who was the only member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the member from the most Democratic district to vote against Health Care reform. With Smoot we have a chance to have a much better Dem.
I'm involved in helping my friend Shelia Smoot in her July 13 runoff election for the AL-07 Congressional seat. I've said a lot about Shelia and why I think she is the best person to represent the constituents of this district. Shelia has also stopped by on several occasions to talk about this historic election. I've seen some negative comments in diaries from people who are hiding behind computer screens that don't personally know Shelia.
Tonight I want to try something different and offer you some quotes and testimony that come from others about Shelia. Here I start with the latest endorsement from a supporter in Eutaw, Alabama that was submitted to the campaign
From Debbie in Eutaw, AL - I believe that Shelia's vision alone, on upgrading technology in the rural area, will bring the black belt into the information age and make this generation competitive.
I promised that I would write a diary every day until the AL-07 July 13 runoff for the Democratic nomination. This is a PVI +18 Dem seat that was represented by Artur Davis for the past eight years who proved to be anything but a progressive by voting against Health Care Reform, for Wall Street and against Hate Crime legislation
We have a clear choice in this runoff between former investigative journalist, consumer adovcate and County Commissioner Shelia Smoot and former Wall-Street securities Attorney and bond attorney Terri Sewell.
Sewell has raised more than half of her money from outside the state of Alabama and more money from two big law firms than Smoot has raised in her entire campaign. Smoot is the grassroots candidate who is trying to garner support from small donors on her Act Blue Page
We renew that endorsement in her 2010 battle against one of the most regressive Democrats in Congress. Barrow sealed his fate with many in his district after voting against health care reform.
We challenged Barrow in 2008 on his vote for FISA and the bush tax cuts.
Once again, the states are leading the way on health care reform. This past week, the Vermont House and Senate passed two versions of a bill that would essentially get a consultant to design three systems for health care in Vermont: something similar to Canadian single payer, something similar to a private system with a public option, and something similar to the recently passed federal health insurance bill.
It really doesn't matter if you agree with Kossack nyceve's view of the health bill or not. The fact of the matter is that it's a far from perfect bill, it leaves a system intact that is the source of a ton of the problems that were used to create support for it, and it is not actually universal health care.
To get any kind of actually universal coverage we're going to need to turn to the states. Clearly those thousands of lobbyists are too powerful in DC to really challenge the powers that be in the insurance and pharmaceutical industries. So the good news is that there are state-level campaigns for single payer, and they're gaining a lot of momentum in states like California and Pennsylvania.
Apparently inspired by certain Democrats voting against the health insurance reform, the Service Employees International Union - a union representing over 2 million workers - is surprisingly planning to work against Democrats this election season.
Perhaps the strongest challenge to Democrats, if not the Democratic establishment itself, will be in North Carolina. The national SEIU is working with the State Employees Association of North Carolina, its state affiliate, to form the North Carolina First Party.
"We do not have 47 million Americans that don't have health care. There are no Americans who don't have healthcare. Everybody in this country has access to healthcare. We do have about 7.5 million Americans who want to purchase health insurance who can not afford it,"
Today Billy Kennedy has visited us , with an impressive statement about what kind of Democrat he is, to announce that he is taking on this evil lady. We need to support him.
Georgia Congressman John Barrow received primary support from President Obama in 2008. This was prior to his election and somewhat of a risk for Obama. This helped Barrow secure black primary voters in his battle against former State Senator Regina Thomas.
We backed Regina Thomas in 2008 after learning about Barrow's FISA vote. This is a Democratic leaning district, not a Republican stronghold.
MyDD has up a good article about the current landscape in GA-12 which includes Augusta and Savannah. Local activists and labor organizations will likely not support Barrow as blindly.
With rumblings that other candidates may enter the race, I'm going to defer on any endorsements at this time. However, it's safe to say that we will not be helping Barrow who might as well be a Republican after his vote against the health care bill.
Here's an email that I sent out this morning.
I know we all get hit up for different causes and since we are bleeding hearts we usually give. Dig deep if you can and help me out a little bit. Hey and anytime you need a forum for your causes you got it at your neighborhood Progressive Electorate. Before getting involved with this organization, MS was simply a disease in a litany of those with initials.
Earlier this morning I attended a kickoff breakfast with a number of other community leaders and colleagues as part of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's Birmingham MS Leadership Class of 2010.
I am honored and humbled to be a part of this group of folks who have made a personal commitment to raising money and awareness for MS. A number of people talked about how MS has touched their lives as spouses, sons and daughters and other relatives and friends have been diagnosed.
Just last month I read an inspiring story about former Auburn football player Courtney Taylor not letting MS slow him down in his pursuit of an NFL career. This is a must read.
There are many people like Courtney and others that we know that will benefit greatly from the programs and assistance that the MS Society provides. Today I learned about how our local chapter helps with scholarships and even utility bill pay assistance to those diagnosed with MS.
I have a very ambitious personal goal of $2500 that I want to raise for the MS cause. So far I have raised $425 dollars with contributions by friends and family. Some of you have already helped tremendously by giving online or by check and I appreciate your donations.
To others Please help by making a donation - large or small - to fight MS. You can go online now and donate $10, $25, $50 or whatever you can give that will help!
