''We believe Iowa is better positioned to bounce back from this than many
other states, but we must have a dramatic shift in direction if we're going to
realize our potential for recovery'' - Senate Minority Leader Paul
McKinley, R-Chariton
This week Mr. (Steve) Fielding issued a statement: He would not be voting
for the bill. He would not risk job losses on "unconvincing green science." The
bill is set to founder as the Australian parliament breaks for the winter.
- The Wall Street Journal
"There is a serious danger that the international adoption of cap-and-tradeCap-and-trade does more harm than good - Philadelphia Inquirer
legislation to limit carbon-dioxide emissions will trigger a new round of
protectionist measures. While aimed at reducing long-term environmental damage, cap-and-trade policies could produce significant harmful economic effects in the
near term that would continue into the future." - Martin Feldstein
"2. Iowa
Politically, Iowa is a hard state to pin down. It is known for a
progressive streak, but also has a strong conservative voting bloc that voted
for George W. Bush in 2004 (although the state went for Barack Obama in 2008).
Iowa's strong "purple" nature might explain why it ranks so poorly as a state in
which to start a business. It seems to have the worst impulses of its
conservative and liberal tendencies--relatively low investment in the things
that make entrepreneurs succeed, and high government interference. For the
latter, Iowa has very high capital gains taxes and corporate income taxes, and
is also one of the worst states for unemployment taxes on wages. In terms of
investment, Iowa is 46Th out of the states for adoption of broadband
telecommunications services, and the speed of those services."
Sen. Bennett calls for more nuke plants -United Press International
Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said that if President Obama supports Iran using nuclear energy he should support it in the United States. ...
Bennett calling for 100 new N-plants - Deseret News
"It's been my experience and my position ... that one of the driving forces
behind America's economic growth has been our access to cheap energy. If
we're going to survive in the kind of economy we want, we need to have access to
cheap energy." - Sen. Bob Bennett
Let's expand the Energy Policy discussions to include Nuclear Energy. We encourage you to write your representative on your views on the issues.
peace
"Not everyone was in the celebration mood. One of the Great Flood of 2008’s
cruel parting gifts has been that one resident may have an inspiring story of
reclaiming a home while the person next door never will." - The Gazette
"The look of the temporary U.S. District Courthouse totally changed this
week with a move into a renovated 30,000 square-foot building at 4200 C St.
SW." - The Gazette
"I am proud to be the father of three children. Happy Father's Day to my Dad and
all those dads out there!" - cidsports
"A draft proposal in the Senate to overhaul the nation's
health-care system would require most people to buy health insurance, authorize
an expansion of Medicaid coverage and create consumer-owned cooperative plans instead of the government coverage that President Obama is seeking." - Washington Post
"Still of all the countries with universal health care, Switzerland's is the
most market-oriented and merits discussion. Switzerland's health" ... - Google
Overall the Top 5 Countries for Biotechnology Innovation (source: The Economist):
You can see the full list of rankings here. More discussion on these rankings can be found here.
The health care debate in Washington D.C. is extremely important. We need to keep health care costs at the consumer level. As was mentioned in one of the articles, "When patients are paying for health care costs directly, they are more sensitive to what those cost are."
We need to empower the public. Why are consumers restricted to purchase health insurance beyond their state? Congress prohibits basically interstate commerce when it comes to health care insurance. Wouldn't increasing competition have a positive results on controlling premium costs and care?
Like with housing and food subsidies, we do need to help those disadvantaged in our society. We do need to make sure the consumer has some responsibility and stake in the system. We need to encourage prudence in our society. When it comes to discussing health care and other public policy issues... remember, Character Counts!
peace
As the official web site proclaims:
Welcome to Freedom Festival 2009
Get ready for 17 days of outstanding summer fun – June 18
through July 4. Don’t miss – tribute to heroes, fireworks, concerts, races,
parades, office Olympics, pancakes, Patriot’s Bazaar, Little Toot the Train, and
much, much more.
The annual Cedar Rapids event runs June 18 to July 4, 2009 in the City of Cedar Rapids.
"President Reagan helped as much as any president to restore a sense of
optimism in our country, a spirit that transcended politics - that transcended
even the most heated arguments of the day," - President Barack Obama
"I think that over the last 40 years, as government has
become ever more dominant in American society, as government has created
programs to meet our every need, to indemnify our every mistake, our social
safety net has become a hammock, Government programs, with all the good
intentions in the world, were established to help people and have changed the
way people behave. They have corrupted our values, and we have looked more and
more to government to take care of us, we have become what Margaret Thatcher
called a “nanny state.” And as we have turned to government to be our keeper, to
be our indemnifier, we have turned away from our family and our faith. As we
have rendered unto Caesar, we have stopped rendering unto God." - Sen.
Gramm
