Saturday, January 21, 2006

Sunday Editorial


Loaves For The Poor


In New Mexico there is a proposal to raise the minimum wage to 7.50. Of course this will raise all the normal questions and debate. It already has. We had an interesting debate about midweek on it. It brought up a number of others also.
I found it interesting that the caller seemed to be making the argument that raising the minimum wage was tantamount to welfare and that they really weren't "earning" it. He said they should "go work for it". In some respects I understand his argument. I think he felt that you should strive to "move up" in the world and not just accept whatever you could get. I understand and accept that. My question is move up from what!? To have any respectable chance to "move up" you are likely to need a car, a home with running water and food and some clothes. Not at 5.15 an hour.
I am fine with debating questionable points. Should we have a different minimum for under 18? ..With additional income comes additional tax revenues. Should we offset some of the cost to small business with some of this additional income? I am amenable to both of those possibilities. The idea that we leave the least among us as far down as possible does not fit in my "moral" compass. For someone to think that raising the minimum wage is tantamount to welfare means someone just hates the poor. Hates em when they aren't working, hates them when they are.

We also discussed the bill out of Maryland that effectively forced Wal-mart to use 8% of their profits to provide health care for their employees. This is where the man had obviously not thought past the doctrine. He of course uttered government interferce in private business and government control. Let's think through this. People here basically making 6-10 dollars an hour. They can't afford health insurance. They may be on medicade/medicare. That means tax payers are paying for their health insurance. They may have none at all. That means any big hospital bill will be borne by the other insurees with 5 dollar aspirin etc. Either that or Wal-mart provides for it's employees like other companies do. Do you want Wal-mart to pay for it or do you want to pay for it? I think Wal-mart has far better resources to do that than you or I.
Hell they could start clinics inside their stores and let the employees go for free with low priced medications etc. That would mean they would only need catastrophic coverage. Big savings. But no one wants to think like a progressive. They just want to spew doctrine.
I honestly think that burdening the business sector with the responsibility for health care is wrong. It costs way to much and inhibits the free enterprise system to a significant degree. The answer is universal health care. As socialist/commie as it may sound it still seems the most common sensical move to make. It would assure that everyone pays something. The additional tax just needs to be kept below your monthly premiums to have a positive effect on the economy. We have systems in many other countries to study before we come out with our own brand. That gives us a huge leg up. We can do this! Do we need to make it a federal program administered by the states? I'm up for creating whatever will work the best for Americans.

8 Comments:

Blogger The Donkey said...

There is a bill in Santa Fe to provide funds to deternime how much a NM state subsidized health care insurance plan would cost.

In the plan, every body in the plan pays in to the premiums which are based on income. It will not incluce medicaid or medicare programs, and several other groups of people that have government relatied insurance plans.

Simply put, the plan would allow people who work to be able to have medical insurance. Even though the medical insurance companies would make more money under this plan, they oppose it because it would clearly show the state government can manage health care coverage cheaper than the private insurances can. If this program is successful, it will pave the way to better health care, courtesy of the the State of New Mexico, with less money spent on insurance coverage. The insurance companies would not be able to make record profits year after year.

As for people claiming goverment health care is communism, do they propose to take it away from the VA?

Providing health care is one of the roles of this goverment, to promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity. The intent of this Republic is to promote the welfare of the people, not the CEOs of insurance companies.

5:50 PM, January 22, 2006  
Blogger The Donkey said...

The SB 280 has changed to create another task force, which was not the intent of the earlier bills.

The task force will not deal with analysis of rising health costs and the correct plan to deal with them, which should be the the focus of the task force.

Nothing is gong to happen this year in moving toward a sane health care policy.

8:32 PM, January 24, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ron, you are correct. Everybody call your state legislators and tell them to support the minimum wage bill in both house and senate (anyone know the numbers?) and to undo the mess done to the health bill.

11:55 AM, January 25, 2006  
Blogger The Donkey said...

Now, we need your help in doing the following.

Please call Rep. Danice Picraux, sponsor of HB 481 (986-4438)
Sen. Dede Feldman, sponsor of SB 280 (986-4482)

Let them know that the bill needs to be amended.

1. It must include language that assures us that any analysis of models for universal health care will include their impact on rising health care costs over time.
2. It should required that the final report of the study be presented
to the Interim Health and Human Services Committee by November 2006.
3. The task force, although it already is very large, still needs to include 2 more labor representatives (a total of 3) and Native American, alternative practitioner and framer/rancher representation.

Status of legislation:

SB 280 passed Public Affairs committee on Friday by a 4-2 vote. It now goes to Senate Finance Committee.

HB 481 will be heard this Thursday in Consumer and Public Affairs. ROOM
315. It is at the end of the agenda so you may want to call the
secretary to make sure it will be heard that day. 986-4844. WE NEED TESTIMONY
TO URGE THAT THE BILL BE AMENDED.

IF YOU CAN TESTIFY, PLEASE CALL DANA MILLERN, 505-856-8359 or VICKIE
OLDMAN, 505-892-8499.

If you are a constituent of anyone of the legislators listed below
please call him or her and let them know how you feel. You may also want to call the Chair, Gail Chasey.

YOUR CALLS CAN MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE.

Gail Chasey, Chair 986-4844,
Irvin Harrison, Vice Chair 986-4464,
Thomas Anderson 986-4452,
Keith Gardner 986-4211,
Joni Gutierrez 986-4234,
Dianne Miller Hamilton 986-4221 and
Al Park 986-4234.

5:48 PM, February 01, 2006  
Blogger The Donkey said...

Thanks to the overwhelming response we received indicating that we need to try to amend the so-called study bills (SB 280 and HB 481), we are working hard to get critical amendments added.


Now, we need you to take a crucial extra step:



it is extraordinarily important that we communicate our concerns directly to the Governor.



We think that our proposed changes strengthen the bills.



The Governor needs to know the depth of our feelings on the issue.



We urge you to phone and email the Governor’s office immediately.



Telephone: 505-827-3000.



For email messages, go directly to this page on his website:

http://www.governor.state.nm.us/email.php?mm=6&type=assistance



Please tell the Governor that you want the following amendments to SB 280 and HB 481:



Include in the proposed study language a comparison of how different universal health care models will impact rising health care costs OVER TIME.

Add a second deadline date, specifying the report of the study looking at how the selected models impact rising health costs needs to be completed by early November.

Add two more representatives from labor to the committee.

If you want more detailed information about our concerns, please email me and I will send you a text of a recent news release.



Vickie Oldman, Communications Coordinator

(505) 892-8499



The Health Security for New Mexicans Campaign
(505)897-8611
P.O. Box 2606
Corrales, NM 87048
www.nmhealthsecurity.org



About the Health Security for New Mexico Campaign (HSNMC)

The HSNMC is a statewide, nonpartisan coalition of over 100 organizations. Established in 1992, the HSNMC’s mission is to establish a publicly accountable health-care system in New Mexico that guarantees comprehensive medical and mental health-care coverage to all residents, allows for freedom of choice of providers and controls costs.

3:16 PM, February 02, 2006  
Blogger Dedanna said...

YOUR CALLS CAN MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE.

HAHAHAHA. Yeah, right.

10:26 AM, February 12, 2006  
Blogger Ron said...

well if all they get is calls from the other side it might seriously make a difference.

12:30 AM, February 13, 2006  
Blogger Dedanna said...

I guess one could always hope, but then... been there done that too many times, only to be let down every time. In particular, in NM.

9:05 PM, February 13, 2006  

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