The question of the legitimacy of Fox News continues (Video)

My thing on Fox News is this, "I don't watch the station." That is my prerogative, as it is the prerogative for many that do. Should the Obama White House go up against Fox? Yes and no. Yes, when Fox is bogus and incorrect and no, because it is a waste of time in the end. Yes, call Fox out, but it is Fox who put themselves in this box. Just look from their own mouths and what they put on their station. You decide. And after watching, maybe many will understand why the Republican Party will continue to lose with constant rhetoric like this. Elections are won in the middle, not the right or left, the middle. The one who wins the middle, wins the election. Right now, independent voters are turned off by this rhetoric and if it continues the Republican Party will be out of leadership for a long time.

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Cash for Clunkers, TIME!!!

Yes, this is the one program that many of my family members have been following and ready to deal, for a new vehicle.

Got an old gas guzzler in the garage? Car shoppers can take advantage of new government incentives worth $3,500 to $4,500. Owners can scrap their clunker in exchange for a new, more fuel-efficient vehicle, and lop off thousands of dollars from the sticker price. Congress approved the "Car Allowance Rebate System," or "CARS," program last month to boost auto sales and attempt to retire some inefficient cars and trucks. Here's a look at the program:

Q: Which vehicles qualify?

A: Cars and trucks must be 1984 models or newer to be eligible for a trade-in rebate. They must get 18 miles per gallon or less in combined highway/city rating — based on the "Estimated New EPA MPG" ratings available at http://www.fueleconomy.gov. The vehicle needs to be driveable, insured and licensed for at least a year — so forget about buying a clunker this summer for $500 and "flipping" it through the program. Violators face penalties if they submit false information.

Q: How do I qualify for the incentives?

A: For passenger cars, consumers can get $3,500 if the new vehicle gets at least 4 mpg more than the trade-in and $4,500 if the new vehicle gets at least 10 mpg more than the trade-in. For sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks or minivans, owners can get a $3,500 rebate if the new vehicle gets at least 2 mpg higher than the old vehicle. The rebate improves to $4,500 if the new vehicle gets at least 5 mpg higher than the trade-in. Large work trucks weighing at least 6,000 pounds can also qualify for rebates of $3,500 to $4,500. read more here....

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Obama's Census Director Being Confirmed

Remember, this was a sticking point for Senator Judd Gregg, as this responsibility is being taken out of the Commerce Department, though it is hard for me to believe he accepted this job without the full disclosure from President Obama.

President Barack Obama's nominee to be the next census director moved closer to Senate confirmation on Wednesday, with approval all but assured after he ruled out the controversial use of statistical sampling in the 2010 head count.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved Robert Groves by voice vote without objections.

Last week, Groves offered his assurance not to use sampling. Groves also expressed concern about a persistent undercount of minorities, who typically vote for Democrats, but he has not said whether he would push for a government halt to immigration raids — as the Census Bureau successfully did in 2000.

Groves, 60, a veteran survey researcher from the University of Michigan, was expected to be confirmed by the full Senate as early as this week.

House Republicans have been vocal in expressing concern about Groves. As a former census associate director, Groves pushed for sampling in the 1990s to make up for an undercount of millions of minorities but was later overruled by the Republican Commerce secretary, who called the move "political tampering."

After last week's hearing, House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he appreciated Groves' commitment to keep sampling out of the 2010 census but said he would remain watchful for a "census potentially being tainted by political influence."

Source

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Health care deal on the table...the battle begins....

Health care costs in this country coincides hand in hand with the economy. I always said that for President Obama, the hardest task would be to reconstruct the health care industry in this country, one area that will go down to the tooth and nail. Remember, if health care reform is not passed in this country, don't blame D.C., blame us, the people for not putting the pressure on congress to pass this critical legislation that effects us all. All eyes should be on congress, RIGHT NOW.

In conjunction with the White House, a host of trade associations, pharmaceutical groups and other stakeholders in the health care debate are set to announce a major effort to streamline the nation's health care system that could save more than $2 trillion over the next decade.

On Monday representatives of the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association; PhRMA; AdvaMed; America's Health Insurance Plans, the SEIU, and the Greater New York Hospital Association and the California Hospital Association will make what White House officials and industry insiders describe as a major announcement on the health care reform front. The coalition of somewhat strange-bedfellows, comprising some of the sharpest opponents of reform in the past, is targeting specific administrative changes to drastically reduce the rate of growth in health care spending. All told, the goal will be to reduce the money spent on health care by 1.5 percentage points each year over the next ten years.

"We cannot continue down the same dangerous road we've been traveling for so many years, with costs that are out of control, because reform is not a luxury that can be postponed, but a necessity that cannot wait," President Obama will say, according to excerpts of his remarks released in advance by the White House.

On a Sunday conference call, senior administration officials hailed the effort as "a game changer" in the health care debate. "I don't think there can be a more significant step to helping struggling families and to help the federal budget," said one aide. "It just makes it even clearer than ever that health reform is going to happen this year in the Congress," added another. read more here....

The Fight Begins to Scare Americans for Health Care Reform

The television ads that began airing last week feature horror stories from Canada and the United Kingdom: Patients who allegedly suffered long waits for surgeries, couldn't get the drugs they needed, or had to come to the United States for treatment.

"Before government rushes to overhaul health care, listen to those who already have government-run health care," intones Rick Scott, founder of a group called Conservatives for Patients' Rights. "Tell Congress to listen, too."

Scott, a multimillionaire investor and controversial former hospital chief executive, has become an unlikely and prominent leader of the opposition to health-care reform plans that Congress is expected to take up later this year. While disorganized Republicans and major health-care companies wait for President Obama and Democratic leaders to reveal the details of their plan before criticizing it, Scott is using $5 million of his own money and up to $15 million more from supporters to try to build resistance to any government-run program.

The campaign is being coordinated by CRC Public Relations, the group that masterminded the "Swift boat" attacks against 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry, and is inspired by the "Harry and Louise" ads that helped torpedo health-care reform during the Clinton administration. read more here.....

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3 Government Plans for Health Care Being Tossed Out There

I dont' know what is making this so difficult. The Republicans did not get this issue and lost on this issue. Health care costs are one major factor that is bankrupting millions of Americans and lack of it is driving costs up all over the place.

These politicians are being ridden hard by lobbyists, the very same ones who are tossing money in their re-election tillers so they can keep their cushy jobs. I hope they get or understand the message, the American public wants universal health care and they wanted it yesterday. These politicians either straighten up and do the right thing or get their asses primaried out of office.

Oh, by the way, here is the Republican Plan for STOPPING HEALTHCARE REFORM. Everyone better get ready for a real fight here.

Senators are considering three different designs for a new government health-insurance plan that middle-income Americans could buy into for the first time, congressional officials said Friday.

Officials familiar with the proposals said senators plan to debate them in a closed meeting next week. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the controversial plans have not been released.

Creating a public plan is one of the most contentious ideas in the debate over how to overhaul the nation's health-care system to cover the uninsured and try to restrain costs.

President Barack Obama and many Democrats say a government option would serve as a check to keep the private insurance industry honest.

Insurers fear the government would use its power to drive them out of business. And Republicans call a public plan in the legislation a deal-breaker, dashing hopes for bipartisan legislation for overhauling the health insurance system. Employer groups are also opposed.

The three approaches being discussed are:

_Create a plan that resembles Medicare, administered by the Health and Human Services department.

_Adopt a Medicare-like plan, but pick an outside party to run it. That way government officials would not directly control the day-to-day operations.

_Leave it up to individual states to set up a public insurance plan for their residents. read more here....

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PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY: SWINE FLU (VIDEO)

Government officials have declared a public health emergency in connection with the swine flu outbreak that has killed dozens in Mexico and sickened 20 in the U.S., said the nation’s director of Homeland Security Sunday.

Secretary Janet Napolitano also said border agents have been directed to begin passive surveillance of travelers from affected countries, with instructions to isolate anyone who appears actively ill with suspected influenza.

The number of cases confirmed in the United States by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now 20, including eight New York City high school students. Other cases are in Ohio, California, Texas and Kansas. Patients have ranged in age from 7 to 54. read more here....

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