WASHINGTON, DC - Senator John (Jay) Rockefeller, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, held a full committee hearing this week entitled, "Deceptive Health Insurance Industry Practices - Are Consumers Getting What They Paid For?"
[...]
A recent investigation conducted by the Attorney General of New York concluded that for a number of years, the insurance industry has systematically under-estimated the out-of-network reimbursement rates it pays its policy holders, costing consumers billions of dollars in excessive out-of-pocket costs. The victims of this deceptive practice - more than 100 million Americans who pay for health insurance coverage that allows them to go outside of their provider network for medical care.
The Land of Budget Shortfalls, Deception and Low education ratings!
So what does the Governator say after his deceptive and tricky propositions got defeated. He says, "The people have spoken, and they want drastic cuts in the State budget." Foul play! That is not why I voted "no" on Prop 1D and Prop 1E. I voted against these measures because they were raiding funds that were set aside for the very young, especially from low-income families and the mentally ill.
California voters rejected the Governor's and the State Assembly's Robin Hood in reverse propositions, and it is time the Governor and the State Assembly recognize that fact. We were not condoning the draconian cuts being proposed for us out here in health care, education and law enforcement. All pretty basic needs. Does it make sense for Gov. Schwarznegger and his Republican cohorts and Democratic collaborators to believe that voters who rejected cuts to young children and the mentally ill would want to see the draconian cuts they propose for the disasabled, those in need of health care and education. No, it doesn't! But, will they do the difficult job of finding a solution instead, as they refused to do earlier in the year when they were confronted with the dilemma they have now. What is obvious is that if California wants to keep ranking near the bottom in public education and other critical services, the Governor and his erstwhile colleagues and collaborators will continue to proceed as they have: refuse to raise necessary taxes to address budget shortfalls and refuse to address the highly undemocratic requirement that 2/3 of the Assembly approve of any budget. The latter is the real reason California is in the mess that it is in, and how Republicans continually hold the democrats hostage to their Conservative agenda.
Though the San Jose Mercury News refers to us voters as uncompromising and perhaps uninformed, the height of insult, the paper did have a dissenting view by Larry Gerston, political scientist, from San Jose State University today, entitled, "FIVE DEFENSIBLE SOURCES OF NEW MONEY FOR CALIFORNIA:, San Jose Mercury News
With Tuesday's election decided, California's economic condition is more precarious than ever.
Two facts make this moment extraordinary. First, the new deficit appears just weeks after the governor and Legislature "closed" a $42 billion gap, including $15 billion in new taxes and $16 billion of cuts in programs and services. Second, California now ranks near the bottom in per capita commitments to critical areas such as public education (47th), highways (50th), and number of state employees (49th). Additional cuts will render the state into developing nation status, a tragic distinction for the world's eighth-largest economy.
Yet cuts are the heart of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's latest proposal.
Some suggest that the voters' rejections of Propositions 1A-1E underscore that point. Rather, it's likely that the voters spurned misleading reform propositions that simply targeted vulnerable constituencies such as children and the mentally ill with one-time solutions. So how then can California become whole again? The five suggestions below suggest new revenues without increasing traditional tax rates.
(box) Broaden the sales tax. Currently, the state applies sales taxes to only 21 of a possible 168 areas, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators. Nine states tax fewer areas, while 40 tax more. Taxing phone service alone would generate $3 billion annually, while sales taxes on entertainment would add $1 billion. Sales taxes could also be applied to professional services, storage, repairs and agricultural services. Twenty years ago, sales taxes and income taxes each represented about 40 percent of the state's revenues; today income taxes constitute 55 percent, compared with 25 percent for sales taxes. Broadening this tax could easily add $5 billion annually to state coffers without touching basic necessities such as food.
(box) Restoration of the vehicle license fee. Even Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger now regrets eliminating it in 2004. Then the loss accounted for $4 billion annually. With higher new car prices, the fee over the past five years would have netted the state about $25 billion. In today's dollars, the annual fee would total about $6 billion. Why should drivers pay next to nothing for the privilege of operating their cars, given the costs of maintaining roads? This would not be a new fee, but rather restoration of an abandoned fee.
(box) Alcohol fee. The state alcohol tax has not changed in nearly 20 years. Recently, San Jose Assembly member Jim Beall introduced a bill that would add 10 cents to each alcoholic drink. The money would be used to treat alcoholism, mental health and victims affected by alcoholism. This user tax would be paid only by alcohol consumers and bring in $1.5 billion annually.
(box) Oil severance fee. California is the only oil-producing state without a severance tax. It produces more than 215 million barrels of oil each year. A fee of $2 per barrel (5 cents per gallon) would yield $400 million annually.
(box) Cancellation of recent corporate tax breaks. In the recent budget agreement, the governor and Legislature gave nearly $1 billion in tax breaks to corporations and entertainment companies. Think of it -- as schools were losing teachers and the disabled were doing without health-care workers, the state relinquished $1 billion dollars. The Legislature should rescind this giveaway as soon as possible.
Combined, these suggestions amount to $14 billion in annual revenues. They are neither one-time gimmicks nor overly painful to any one target. They represent a start. To be sure, every recommendation will be ridiculed by the group effected as unnecessary or unfair. But if we believe that California must stop the bleeding, then now is the time to show leadership.Larry Gerston, "FIVE DEFENSIBLE SOURCES OF NEW MONEY FOR CALIFORNIA:, San Jose Mercury News, May 20, 2009
(some economy for your morning... - promoted by poligirl)
Sick of hearing about Tea Party Protests -- about Taxes going down?
Here's some "Protest News" that is worth knowing about ...
Oregon sues fund company for college savings losses AP Executive Morning Briefing - April 14, 2009
SALEM, Ore. (AP) - State officials are seeking $36.2 million in damages from OppenheimerFunds Inc., which managed a fund responsible for steep losses in the Oregon College Savings Plan. Officials said in a statement Monday that risky, "hedge-fund like" investments cost the Oppenheimer Core Bond Fund 36 percent of its value last year - and 10 percent more so far this year.
(and the regular folks get the shaft. again... - promoted by poligirl)
Californians could get IOUs for refunds February 02, 2009
It is not welcome news to the estimated 2.7 million taxpayers who filed early so they can get and use their return as soon as possible. In these unstable economic times, that is money people rely on now more than ever.
...
But, without a state budget in place State Controller John Chung will hold onto nearly $2 billion in tax refunds and use that money to keep the state running.
Taxpayers could receive IOUs instead. ...
The average personal state income tax refund is $853.
Oy, it's here, Polls in CA close at 8pm PST. First results will be Absentee Ballots and possibly early voting Votes. In the past 5 years, CA Voting by Absentee Ballot has increased to over 40% of the Total Ballots Cast. In the last few Elections such as Governor 2006 the early returns exactly Mirrored the final results. In the "old days" the Absentee Vote was heavily Gop, no more though.
Additionaly, SoS estimates are that we will have an 80% Turnout.
Reports today were that most of Downtown Los Angeles had Thunderstorms which shut down the Electrical Grid closing most of the Polling Places. Reports were that voting was being moving out of doors???
Eeeek!!!
IN CA we have Optical scanning or Touch Screen Systems totally depend upon Electricity. We need to go back to the days of Paper and Pencil,imo.
So, don't necessarily freak if the early returns from CA show something less than Postive, that could very well change once the Election Day Voters totals come through. Though, yours truly will be freaking out if Prop 8 is losing in Early Returns. My Predictions have been that Obama-Biden will win CA by as much as 21.5%, Proposition 8 will narrowly be defeated and we will pick up CA-04 and poossibly CA-46 in an upset.
(T Boone possibly buyin' the vote - whoda thunk it? ;> - promoted by poligirl)
In 2004, T. Boone Pickens invested his money in trashing John Kerry and helping doom us to four more years via Swift Boat Veterans for Truthiness.
In 2008, T. Boone Pickens is investing his money in trashing our opportunity for a sensible energy future.
In 2008, T. Boone Pickens is attempting to buy a yes vote on Proposition 10 which would return $100s of millions (probably billions) into his pockets via mass (over) subsidy of natural gas trucks.
Californians ... Prop 10 is not good environmentally, not good for energy security, not good fiscally ... except, that is, for T Boone.
Although the State of California Supreme Court has ruled that the pre-June 2008 Marriage Law violated equality in civil rights under the State Constitution, we are faced with a Referendum as to whether or not GLBT couples should have this right DELETED.
The impact would be devastating, economically and emotionally.
It was instead the three am alarm clock that my husband had asked me to set. He got home last night at around 9pm from a candidate forum in Fullerton. He hadn't eaten dinner and was trying to figure out what to have (He wasn't much interested in what I had made for dinner, although it was nicely packed in a tupperware container in the fridge just in case he wanted it). He also let me know that the people who had volunteered to put his signs out were unable to do so now.
So, he asked me to set the alarm for 3am. He had spent the afternoon attempting to put signs up but with the traffic, etc., he said it took too long. He was going to get up and do it when there was hardly anyone on the road.
Americans appear ready to sweep a lot of Democrats into office on November 4. Not only does Barack Obama maintain a solid lead in the popular vote and electoral vote estimates, several Senate races that appeared safe Republican holds a few months ago are now considered tossups.
Polling is harder to come by in House races, but here too there is scattered evidence of a coming Democratic tsunami. Having already lost three special Congressional elections in red districts this year, House Republicans are now scrambling to defend many entrenched incumbents.
In this diary, I hope to convince you of three things:
1. Some Republicans who never saw it coming are going to be out of a job in two weeks.
On a related note,
2. Even the smartest experts cannot always predict which seats offer the best pickup opportunities.
For that reason,
3. Activists should put resources behind many under-funded challengers now, instead of going all in for a handful of Democratic candidates.
Ten AM Saturday morning September 13th we attended the California Democratic Party Headquarters Opening in San Francisco. As we have no Statewide Races on the Ballot here (Other than State Senate & Assemby Seats), you can assume that this is easily called the Obama Headquarters in San Francisco, though Info tables included set-ups for a few of the Statewide Propositions such as the Anti-Gay Marriage Proposition 8, Animal Cruelty Proposition #2 and Notification of Teen Pregnancy Proposition #4. The main focus was for our Candidate Barack Obama.
Kamala Harris-D, San Francisco District Attorney and Obama Campaign Co-Chair officially Opened the Headquarters. News Crews from NBC & ABC were present surrounding Kamala.
SF District Attorney & Obama-Biden Co-Chair Kamala Harris Interview by TV New Crews outside the HQ by joustchr
The Land of Budget Shortfalls, Deception and Low education ratings!
Although the State of California Supreme Court has ruled that the pre-June 2008 Marriage Law violated equality in civil rights under the State Constitution, we are faced with a Referendum as to whether or not GLBT couples should have this right DELETED.
