80. fuckwit says:

August 13, 2013 at 7:56 pm

@Kay: This is MLK’s strategy (which he got from Gandhi). You act with dignity, exercise your rights and your humanity with dignity, and let the haters hate on you, take the punches (and firehoses, and insults, and rubber bullets, etc) with resolve, and you don’t strike back, you don’t stoop to their level, you carry on with pride and humility and determination, and let the haters’ hatefullness stand in stark contrast and speak for itself. Then you let decent people who haven’t been paying attention, suddenly take notice of how vile the haters are. And they withdraw their support for the haters, most importantly the implicit support that was obtained by the hate being under radar, hidden. The more and more people come over to the side of justice, and more and more people back away slowly from the side of hate. This is how the Civil Rights movement got their work done. This is how Obama has dealt with the Rethugs since day 1. I was so pissed off at him for the way he was doing things in the early ACA debate, until I understood the strategy, where it comes from, and why he’s doing it that way. Now he has the Rethugs to a point where they’re willng to shut down the United States of America just out of pure mean-spiritedness and spite, to keep 30 million poor people from having medical care, and a hundred of million from having more affordable/available care… and people are finally starting to take notice. Hopefully they’ll notice the hell out of it before the 2014 elections!!

I remember protesting in Dianne Feinstein’s office in 2009, agitating for Medicare for All instead of the ACA. I was with a group that was not affiliated with OFA, and we were irritated by the sellout nature of ACA. An older African-American woman among the group of OFA protesters that was standing near me, turned to me and said “you shouldn’t talk like that, you’ll make people angry, and we don’t want to be angry”. I was surprised, found the perspective interesting, but was a little annoyed by that gentle but unsolicited advice/lecture and was not moved to change what I was doing. I continued on and she quite deliberately turned her back on me and walked away as quickly as possible. It was certainly done respectfully, but it also clearly said, “I do not approve of what you’re doing, I think it is harmful, and I don’t want to be associated with you or be near you.” That did make me wonder if I was doing something wrong. But it was much later, after ACA passed, that I realized she was right. Being angry and bitter and cynical, and pushing for impossible idealized perfection, does not get shit done, does not draw support from non-combatants (the vast majority of voters who aren’t political junkies), and does not present a dignified position and contrast. Also, it is really only now, in the post Trayvon Martin world, that I realized another layer: what I thought was my righteous indignation and my insistence on perfection was really just my white male privilege: not everyone gets to make demands or speak their mind so bluntly, and I need to be mindful of that if I’m working with people who might not be able to get away with going down that road. And that’s really the case in almost all broad-based grassroots political action, it seems.

What You Need to Know about the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit
How will the credit make a difference for you?

For tax years 2010 through 2013, the maximum credit is 35 percent for small business employers and 25 percent for small tax-exempt employers such as charities. An enhanced version of the credit will be effective beginning Jan. 1, 2014. Additional information about the enhanced version will be added to IRS.gov as it becomes available. In general, on Jan. 1, 2014, the rate will increase to 50 percent and 35 percent, respectively.

Here’s what this means for you. If you pay $50,000 a year toward workers’ health care premiums – and if you qualify for a 15 percent credit, you save … $7,500. If you save $7,500 a year from tax year 2010 through 2013, that’s total savings of $30,000. If, in 2014, you qualify for a slightly larger credit, say 20 percent, your savings go from $7,500 a year to $12,000 a year.

[...]

Can you claim the credit?

Now that you know how the credit can make a difference for your business, let’s determine if you can claim it.

To be eligible, you must cover at least 50 percent of the cost of single (not family) health care coverage for each of your employees. You must also have fewer than 25 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs). Those employees must have average wages of less than $50,000 a year.

Let us break it down for you even more.

You are probably wondering: what IS a full-time equivalent employee. Basically, two half-time workers count as one full-timer. Here is an example, 20 half-time employees are equivalent to 10 full-time workers. That makes the number of FTEs 10 not 20.

For the next (2013-14) school year, CCSD expects to be approximately $60 Million short of the funding needed to completely restore current budget cuts (e.g., furlough days, increased class size and fewer instructional days) . . . resulting primarily from continued State “austerity” reductions ($24.8 Million) and years of significant decreases in the local Property Tax Digest revenue ($9 Million this year and $30 Million cumulative for 2009-2012).

The proposed Tentative Budget, which does not include a property tax/millage rate increase, addresses the major challenges facing the School District resulting from: significant declines in State and Local revenue; continued State “austerity budget reductions”; a legislatively-required Local Property Tax valuation freeze; a continued increase in student population growth; capital outlay costs for construction of schools and support facilities, land purchases for future school sites, as well as technology replacements and enhancements; opening of the new Mill Creek Middle school; escalating energy and health care costs; and the extraordinary impact of a continuing pattern of State unfunded and underfunded mandates (e.g., transportation, special education, textbooks, etc.)…requiring the utilization of additional local resources to meet critical needs.

The proposed 2010-11 Tentative Budget reflects one of the most financially challenging budget years that the School District has ever had to cope with . . . in preparing a balanced budget for consideration by the Board of Education. It addresses: continued/increasing State educational funding reductions of $25 Million in fiscal year 2010-11, which temporarily are bolstered by Federal Stimulus Funds of $3.2 Million – and which will be totally depleted in 2011-12; a significant decline of $12.8 Million in local property tax funding due to residential foreclosures, property value devaluation and a legislatively-required local property tax valuation cap/freeze; a continued increase in student population growth - projected at 653 students; capital outlay costs for construction of schools and support facilities, land purchases for future school sites, as well as technology replacements and enhancements; opening of the R.M. Moore classroom addition and the addition of 10th grade at the new River Ridge High School; escalating energy and health care costs; and the extraordinary impact of a continuing pattern of State unfunded and underfunded mandates (e.g., transportation, special education, textbooks, etc.) . . . requiring the utilization of additional local resources to meet critical needs. In addition to making over $28 Million in General Fund/Operating Budget cuts necessary as a result of these extraordinary shortfalls in State and Local revenue, and to maintain a quality educational program for our students, I am recommending a one mill property tax/millage rate increase to balance the 2010-11 Budget. All other options would cause irreparable damage to the educational services and programs offered by CCSD to its students in 2010-11 and thereafter.

The proposed 2012-13 Tentative Budget reflects another year of the most financial challenges with which the School District has ever had to cope in preparing an annual balanced budget for consideration by the Board of Education. Over the last eleven years, CCSD has witnessed over $147.6 Million of accumulative State Education Funding earnings being withheld from the School District by the State…theoretically to help balance the State’s Budget during a time period of unprecedented economic downturn and has also faced an additional $30.4 Million reduction (24.3% decline in property values) in collection of local property taxes over the last four years.

Accordingly, the 2012-13 Tentative Budget addresses: continued State Education Funding reductions (so-called “austerity cuts”) of $26.5 Million; another significant decline of $9.3 Million in local property tax funding due to residential foreclosures and property assessment devaluation; a continued increase in student population growth - projected at 292 students; capital outlay costs for construction of schools, technology replacements and enhancements; opening of the new Clark Creek Elementary School, the replacement Ball Ground Elementary School and the addition of 12th grade at the new River Ridge High School; escalating State cost shifts to local school districts in health care and teacher retirement benefits; and the extraordinary impact of a continuing pattern of State unfunded and underfunded mandates (e.g., transportation, special education, textbooks, etc.) … requiring the necessary utilization of additional budget cuts/reductions to meet critical operational needs. As a result of these continued shortfalls in State and Local revenue, and to maintain a quality educational program for our students, over $22.8 Million is required in additional operating budget cuts for 2012-13…beyond the $37.5 Million of the current year’s budget reductions/cost containment, which includes the addition of four furlough days to the already existing four days (for a total of eight furlough days) for full-time employees.

THE PRESIDENT: Oh, well, the banks, they don't want financial regulation; I guess it's just too hard. You know, that poster was nice during the campaign; we had some fun, but oh, well. (Laughter.) We didn’t work so hard to leave our problems to the next generation, the next administration. We came to solve these problems -- right here, right now. (Applause.)

Now is the time to build a clean energy economy that can put people back to work. (Applause.) Now is the time to educate every American child so they can compete in a global economy. (Applause.) Now is the time to make sure that every American has affordable health care. That's what we're fighting for! Not later, but now! (Applause.)

You fired up?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

THE PRESIDENT: I want to recognize the people in this room and the folks watching online who are helping us do exactly that. I want to thank all the Organizing for America volunteers for making calls, knocking on doors, keeping up the fight. (Applause.) You know why this is so important. You know premiums have doubled over the past decade. Some of you have seen it -- your employer said, I'm sorry, I don't want to do it to you, but I'm doubling your premiums. In some cases, what they're paying, your employers are paying is going up even faster than what you're paying. It's unsustainable. It could double again in the next decade. You know that millions of people in this country have been discriminated because they don't -- of a preexisting condition. You know that more companies are dropping coverage. You know that more and more families are struggling to pay for health care even if they have insurance, out-of-pocket costs going up faster and faster.

And you know what Tim Kaine understood and underscored -- we are closer than we've ever been. This has been a battle that has lasted since Teddy Roosevelt -- the basic principle that part of our social contract is you don't go bankrupt if you get sick; that families shouldn’t have to worry if their children need help -- (applause) -- that we are looking after each other enough to make sure that everybody has health care in this country. (Applause.)

We're closer than we've ever been. Five committees of Congress all voted out legislation. As Tim said, the differences are starting to narrow and we're going to, pretty soon, be hitting the floor of the House and the Senate with bills; then we're going to reconcile them. And then we're going to have to vote on them again. And then I'm going to sign it. (Applause.)

Now, there are still some details and some disagreements that have to be worked out.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Single payer!

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Public option!

THE PRESIDENT: Let me say this, because somebody just brought up something. (Laughter.) Among Democrats and progressives there are a whole set of views about how we should do health care. But understand that the bill you least like in Congress right now, the one you least like of the five that are out there would provide 29 million Americans health care -- 29 million Americans who don't have it right now would get it. The bill you least like would prevent insurance companies from barring you from getting health insurance because of preexisting conditions. (Applause.) Whatever the bill you least like would set up an exchange so that people right now who are having to try to bargain for health insurance on their own are suddenly part of a pool of millions that forces insurance companies to compete for their business and give them better deals and lower rates. (Applause.)

So there are going to be some disagreements and details to work out. But to the Democrats, I want to say to you, Democrats, let's make sure that we keep our eye on the prize. (Applause.) And that is, all those millions of Americans who don't have health insurance and all those who do have health insurance that are seeing their costs go up, if we get a bill -- when we get a bill that delivers on those issues --

AUDIENCE MEMBER: When?

THE PRESIDENT: When. That's what I said. (Applause.) Then we have to do everything we can to support it. You know, sometimes Democrats can be their own worst enemies. (Applause.) Democrats are an opinionated bunch. (Applause.) You know, the other side, they just kind of -- sometimes -- do what they're told. (Laughter.) Democrats, you all are thinking for yourselves. (Applause.) I like that in you. But it's time for us to make sure that we finish the job here. We are this close. And we've got to be unified. (Applause.)

And to all those non-Democrats who may be in the audience -- (laughter) -- or who are watching our webcast, or who will hear about this on cable -- (laughter) -- I want you to know I believe in a strong and loyal opposition. I believe in a two-party system where ideas are tested and assumptions are challenged. That's made this legislation that we're working on better and more durable. That's how our democracy works. That's a good thing.

Barack Obama[edit source | editbeta]

December 30, 2009: Vetoed H.J.Res. 64, Making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2010, and for other purposes. Override attempt failed in House.[35]
October 7, 2010: Vetoed H.R. 3808, the Interstate Recognition of Notarizations Act of 2010. Override attempt failed in House.[36]

On December 23, the Senate voted 60–39 to end debate on the bill (a cloture vote to end the filibuster by opponents). The bill then passed by a vote of 60–39 on December 24, 2009, with all Democrats and two independents voting for, and all Republicans voting against except one (Jim Bunning (R-KY), not voting).[217]

47. Comrade Dread says:
September 5, 2013 at 2:28 pm

When my wife lost her job, we had two choices, add her to my company’s HMO plan or try to buy her individual PPO insurance. Due to her pre-existing conditions which she’s had since childhood, no insurance company would take her. After six months (where, by the grace of God, she remained in good health) we signed her up for our state PCIP at just $220 a month. Our state just joined the Federal PCIP plan and our monthly rates for her fell to $161 a month.

If Bush and the culmination of 30 years of Republican economic policies hadn’t already turned me from a conservative to a bleeding heart liberal, Obamacare and the Republican response to it would have assured that I would never have cast another ballot for a Republican again. There is such a thing to be said about being part of a community that takes care of one another and not simply an isolated sheep to be fleeced by the wolves of corporate capitalism.

(Also, I will follow the trend and pimp my blog. I discuss religion, movies, nerd stuff, politics, and food. Click my name if you want to check it out.)

"It is a good day for 30 million uninsured Americans who will have access to healthcare. It is a good day for seniors who will continue to see their prescription drug costs go down as the so-called doughnut hole goes away. It is a good day for small businesses who simply cannot continue to afford the escalating costs of providing insurance for their employees. It is a good day for 20 million Americans who will soon be able to find access to community health centers.

"It is an especially good day for the state of Vermont, which stands to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in additional federal funds to help our state achieve universal health care.

"In my view, while the Affordable Care Act is an important step in the right direction and I am glad that the Supreme Court upheld it, [...]