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Tag: BudgetBy Rougman, Section News
cross posted at a snickering Rougblog
"Oh, it doesn't bother me one bit. I love it." That is my response to a question asked by MSU labor and industrial relations professor Richard Block. "The question of compensation is always a difficult one. What is the right amount?"Like I said, it doesn't bother me. But, it is still worth documenting for the sheer chance of enjoying a delicious future irony. You see, Michigan teachers are paid much higher than the national average. (The same could be said of Michigan's legislators.) This despite the fact that Michigan's economy and the state budget on which it is dependent is in a virtual free fall. Education represents a huge portion of the state budget and as it has been pointed out by the Mackinac Center, a mere reduction of teacher's salaries and benefits to near the national average would cut our most gloomy budget deficit projections in half. (1 comment, 788 words in story) Full Story By leondrolet, Section News
Compensation for Michigan's private sector citizens decreased by 10.3% between 2007 and the third quarter of 2009 - the most recent data available from the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis. Most Michiganders are earning less and struggling to get by.
But one group is actually becoming richer in Michigan: government employees. State and local government employee compensation increased by 5.5% during the same period, and federal employee compensation is up by 7.5%. And the good times will keep rolling for state government bureaucrats who are scheduled to receive a nice 3% pay increase this year unless two-thirds of state lawmakers vote to halt the pay hike. Who pays for generous government employee pay increases in these tough times? Remember that Governor Granholm and state lawmakers hiked the state income tax by 12% and the state business tax by 22% back in 2007? Those tax hikes meant more money out of your shrinking paycheck and into the fatter paychecks of Michigan's government class. (6 comments, 563 words in story) Full Story By Congressman Mike Rogers, Section News
Republican Truth Squad on today's Health Care Summit in Washington DC:
Assessment from the office of Republican Leader John Boehner: During today's White House health care summit, President Obama made this claim: "What we've done is we've tried to take every single cost containment idea that's out there. Every proposal that health care economists say will reduce health care costs, we've tried to adopt in the various proposals." No, not so much. Despite the President's rhetoric, Democrats' job-killing health care proposals do not implement a single major GOP reform that would lower costs for families and small businesses. Yes, Washington Democrats have recently begun incorporating into their rhetoric a few of the same words Republicans have long used. But when you dig beneath the newly-minted rhetoric and actually look at the text of their bills, it quickly becomes evident that they haven't actually incorporated any of the major health care reforms Republicans support. Of course, even if these GOP reforms were incorporated, they would still be attached to legislation that includes job-killing tax hikes, deep cuts to Medicare, massive unfunded mandates on states, unconstitutional mandates on individuals, an "abortion premium" levied on taxpayers, vast new powers for the federal bureaucracy, and other unacceptable provisions the American people reject. Initial reviews of the President's costly, job-killing health care proposal revealed it didn't include any new GOP ideas:
"Mr. Obama's plan, released ahead of a televised health summit with congressional leaders Thursday, didn't include any additional nods to Republican ideas." (The Wall Street Journal, 2/23/10)
"Obama's proposal was not the blank slate demanded by the GOP and was short on new ideas aimed at winning their support." (The Hill, 2/22/10)
"President Obama's `opening bid' on health reform is not designed to entice Republicans to join the game." (Washington Post editorial, 2/23/10) (4 comments) Comments >> By Congressman Mike Rogers, Section News
Republican Truth Squad on today's Health Care Summit in Washington DC:
A Reading Guide to the Senate Bill's Backroom Deals "I think the health care debate as it unfolded legitimately raised concerns not just among my opponents, but also amongst supporters that we just don't know what's going on. And it's an ugly process and it looks like there are a bunch of back room deals." -- President Obama, interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer, January 25, 2010[i] The White House recently released its own health care proposal[ii] in the form of changes to the 2,733 page legislation (H.R. 3590) that passed the Senate in December.[iii] While the proposal purports to remove the "Nebraska FMAP provision" that saw 49 other states funding Nebraska's Medicaid largesse (known as the "Cornhusker Kickback"), it does not address other deals negotiated by Democrats in the Senate legislation. Many other backroom agreements are included in the Senate bill, which the White House has now endorsed as the platform for Democrats to enact "health reform" into law: Page 428--Section 2006, known as the "Louisiana Purchase," provides an extra $300 million in Medicaid funding to Louisiana.[iv] Page 878--Section 3201(g), known as the "Gator Aid" provision, shields certain Florida residents from Medicare Advantage cuts. In December, 57 Senate Democrats voted not to extend this special deal to all Medicare beneficiaries.[v] Page 2132--Section 10201(e)(1) provides an increase in Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments for Hawaii, meaning 49 other states will pay more in taxes so that Hawaii can receive this special benefit. Page 2222--Section 10323 makes certain individuals exposed to environmental hazards eligible for Medicare coverage. The definition used in the bill ensures the only individuals eligible will be those living in Libby, Montana. Page 2237--Section 10324 increases Medicare payments by $2 billion in "frontier states."[vi] Page 2354-- Section 10502 spends $100 million on "debt service of, or direct construction of, a health care facility," language which the sponsors intended to benefit Connecticut.[vii] Page 2394--Section 10905(c) includes language exempting Nebraska Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Michigan Blue Cross/Blue Shield from the new tax on health insurance companies, despite an Administration-released report calling Michigan Blue Cross/Blue Shield's 2009 rate increases "disturbing."[viii] Page 2395--Section 10905(d) exempts Medigap supplemental insurance plans sold by Mutual of Omaha, headquartered in Nebraska, from the new tax on health insurance companies. These specific agreements and provisions also do not display the full scope of the White House's legislative deal-making. For instance, the head of the pharmaceutical industry said the Administration approached him to negotiate a secret arrangement with his industry: "We were assured, `We need somebody to come in first. If you come in first, you will have a rock-solid deal.'"[ix] And former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean publicly admitted at a town hall forum that "The reason that tort reform is not in the [health care] bill is because the [Democrat Members] who wrote it did not want to take on the trial lawyers."[x] The many pages of backroom deals included in the Senate legislation raises several questions: If the bill itself is so compelling, why did Senate Democrats need billions of dollars in "sweeteners" negotiated in secret in order to vote for it? If President Obama is so concerned about the public perceptions created by the backroom dealing, why did he not propose to strike all the special agreements? Is he worried that this pork-barrel spending is the only reason why Democrats would vote to pass his government takeover of health care in the first place? By Congressman Mike Rogers, Section News
Republican Truth Squad on today's Health Care Summit in Washington DC:
House Democrat Leader Steny Hoyer just suggested that Democrats want to create a more competitive, transparent health care marketplace. But their bill does just the opposite. Section 202(c) of H.R. 3962 (page 100 of the House-passed legislation), requires that health insurance can only be offered through a national, government-run exchange. The bill would prohibit the purchase of insurance that is not approved by the government or sold through the government exchange. How does forcing people into a government-run program constitute the creation of a competitive, transparent marketplace, except in the most Orwellian vision of health care? By Congressman Mike Rogers, Section News
"No One Has Talked About Reconciliation." (Sen. Harry Reid, Health Care Summit, 2/25/10)
Yet, "Reid Said... Democrats Would Use The Reconciliation Process. `We're Going To Have That Done In The Next 60 Days.'" "Democrats will finish their health reform efforts within the next two months by using a majority-vote maneuver in the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said. Reid said that congressional Democrats would likely opt for a procedural tactic in the Senate allowing the upper chamber to make final changes to its healthcare bill with only a simple `I've had many conversations this week with the president, his chief of staff, and Speaker Pelosi,' Reid said during an appearance Friday evening on `Face to Face with Jon Ralston' in Nevada. `And we're really trying to move forward on this.' The majority leader said that while Democrats have a number of options, they would likely use the budget reconciliation process to pass a series of fixes to the first healthcare bill passed by the Senate in November. These changes are needed to secure votes for passage of that original Senate bill in the House. `We'll do a relatively small bill to take care of what we've already done,' Reid said, affirming that Democrats would use the reconciliation process. `We're going to have that done in the next 60 days.'" ("Reid: Dems Will use 50-Vote Tactic To Finish Healthcare In 60 Days," The Hill's Briefing Blog, 2/20/10) By Congressman Mike Rogers, Section Multimedia
"No One Has Talked About Reconciliation." (Sen. Harry Reid, Health Care Summit, 2/25/10)
Yet, "Reid Said... Democrats Would Use The Reconciliation Process. `We're Going To Have That Done In The Next 60 Days.'" "Democrats will finish their health reform efforts within the next two months by using a majority-vote maneuver in the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said. Reid said that congressional Democrats would likely opt for a procedural tactic in the Senate allowing the upper chamber to make final changes to its healthcare bill with only a simple `I've had many conversations this week with the president, his chief of staff, and Speaker Pelosi,' Reid said during an appearance Friday evening on `Face to Face with Jon Ralston' in Nevada. `And we're really trying to move forward on this.' The majority leader said that while Democrats have a number of options, they would likely use the budget reconciliation process to pass a series of fixes to the first healthcare bill passed by the Senate in November. These changes are needed to secure votes for passage of that original Senate bill in the House. `We'll do a relatively small bill to take care of what we've already done,' Reid said, affirming that Democrats would use the reconciliation process. `We're going to have that done in the next 60 days.'" ("Reid: Dems Will use 50-Vote Tactic To Finish Healthcare In 60 Days," The Hill's Briefing Blog, 2/20/10) (238 words in story) Full Story By Congressman Mike Rogers, Section News
Republican Truth Squad on today's Health Care Summit in Washington DC:
Speaker Pelosi just made the claim that Democrat health care reform legislation will create 4 million jobs. She may want to check with Christina Romer, President Obama's chief economic advisor. According to a model developed by Dr. Romer, the $729.5 billion in tax increases in the House-passed legislation she helped write (H.R. 3962) would destroy up to 5,000,000 jobs.
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