Health Care Reform will help us all-the rest is negative propoganda...

Friend --

As we head into an election year, the new strategy for killing reform is claiming that members of Congress who vote for it will suffer at the polls.

For months, our opponents have spread lies about reform to scare voters away. But the simple truth about what reform would actually do -- save jobs, guarantee all Americans affordable, stable coverage, and significantly reduce the deficit -- is something most Americans strongly support.

The question is, come November, will the voters know the facts?

OFA supporters have asked for a way to show every member of Congress that if they fight for reform now, we'll back them up this election season.

That's why we're launching "You fight, we'll fight" -- a volunteer pledge bank where you can commit your time to back up candidates and officials who fight hard for health reform.

We're shooting for 1,000,000 hours pledged to spread the word to fellow voters. And if we get there, we'll publish the total hours pledged in USA Today, so there will be no doubt that health reform is both good policy and good politics.

Can you pledge right away?

President Obama has made it crystal clear that he has no intention of walking away from health reform -- and this movement has made its desire to fight on just as clear.

And many members of Congress are already working hard by his side to get the job done. But for those on the fence about whether or not to proceed, knowing you are there to back up a courageous stand can make all the difference.

Your volunteer hours can have a huge impact no matter where you live. You can make calls into critical districts where health reform champions are in jeopardy, write letters to the editor, volunteer for nearby campaigns, or even just talk to friends, family, and neighbors to help cut through the special interest spin.

We'll offer lots of ways to get involved between now and the elections in November, and you can decide which are right for you -- the important thing right now is to publicly show your commitment to fight for those who make health reform a reality.

Please help us hit our ambitious goal of one million volunteer hours pledged:

http://my.barackobama.com/YouFight

We've certainly faced setbacks in this fight. But as President Obama told OFA supporters last week, that only means we need to work that much harder.

Thanks for making it possible,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

Matthew has another one!

If he keeps popping babies out with Camilla, what are my chances of getting to meet him. Slimmer all the time! Ha Ha. Cute baby though!

Procrastination...

Sorry

Sorry, I haven't been here. I am almost done with my novel, then I'll be back! (say in Schwartenagger accent)

As soon as novel is approved and bound - I'll have my Master's!!!!

Only some editing left to do.

More Health Insurance Info

The Senate health reform bill will:


-- Extend coverage to 31 million Americans, the largest expansion of coverage since the creation of Medicare.

-- Ensure that you can choose your own doctor.

-- Finally stop insurance companies from denying coverage due to a pre-existing condition.

-- Make sure you will never be charged exorbitant premiums on the basis of your age, health, or gender.

-- Guarantee you will never lose your coverage just because you get sick or injured.

-- Protect you from outrageous out-of-pocket expenditures by establishing lifetime and annual limits.

-- Allow young people to stay on their parents' coverage until they're 26 years old.

-- Create health insurance exchanges, or "one-stop shops" for individuals purchasing insurance, where insurance companies are forced to compete for new customers.

-- Lower premiums for families, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office -- especially for struggling folks who will receive subsidies.

-- Help small businesses provide health care coverage to their employees with tax credits and by allowing them to purchase coverage through the exchanges.

-- Improve and strengthen Medicare by eliminating waste and fraud (without cutting basic benefits), beginning to close the Medicare Part D donut hole, and extending the life of the Medicare trust fund.

-- Create jobs by reining in costs -- fostering competition, reducing waste and inefficiency, and starting to reward doctors and hospitals for quality, not quantity, of care.

-- Cut the deficit by over $130 billion in the next 10 years.

Health Insurance Update - Email from Our Commander in Chief

-

Early this morning, the Senate made history and health reform cleared its most important hurdle yet -- garnering the 60 votes needed to move toward a final vote in that chamber later this week.

This marks the first time in our nation's history that comprehensive health reform has come to this point. And it appears that the American people will soon realize the genuine reform that offers security to those who have health insurance and affordable options to those who do not.

I'm grateful to Senator Harry Reid and every senator who's been working around the clock to make this happen. And I'm grateful to you, and every member of the Organizing for America community, for all the work you have done to make this progress possible.

After a nearly century-long struggle, we are now on the cusp of making health insurance reform a reality in the United States of America.

As with any legislation, compromise is part of the process. But I'm pleased that recently added provisions have made this landmark bill even stronger. Between the time when the bill passes and the time when the insurance exchanges get up and running, insurance companies that try to jack up their rates do so at their own peril. Those who hike their prices may be barred from selling plans on the exchanges.

And while insurance companies will be prevented from denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing conditions once the exchanges are open, in the meantime there will be a high-risk pool where people with pre-existing conditions can purchase affordable coverage.

A recent amendment has made these protections even stronger. Insurance companies will now be prohibited from denying coverage to children immediately after this bill passes. There's also explicit language in this bill that will protect a patient's choice of doctor. And small businesses will get additional assistance as well.

These protections are in addition to the ones we've been talking about for some time. No longer will insurance companies be able to drop your coverage if you become sick and no longer will you have to pay unlimited amounts out of your own pocket for treatments that you need.

Under this bill families will save on their premiums; businesses that would see their costs rise if we don't act will save money now and in the future. This bill will strengthen Medicare and extend the life of the program. Because it's paid for and gets rid of waste and inefficiency in our health care system, this will be the largest deficit reduction plan in over a decade.

Finally, this reform will extend coverage to more than 30 million Americans who don't have it.

These are not small changes. These are big changes. They're fundamental reforms. They will save money. They will save lives.

And your passion, your work, your organizing helped make all of this possible. Now it's time to finish the job.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

The Proposal

No, not me!

But the movie with Sandra Bullock is hysterical. she plays Margaret Tate a NYC publisher. There is one scene with a stripper that had me laughing so hard I almost woke the neighbors. It is not exactly and intelligent thought-provoking film but a funny, funny entertaining film that makes you laugh. Sandra Bullock is incredible. She is a class act and this role seems like it was made for her. Ryan Reybnolds who is plays Andrew Paxton is actually Scarlett Johansson's husband, plays the lead across from Sandra Bullock and is hysterical too. they play off each other beautifully, a lot of it without words, just expressions and looks at each other. Betty White is wonderful, amusing, and carries a lot of the movie.

Sandra Bullock shows a lot of skin, a lot of skin, in this movie and damn she is looking good, especially when I checked and she is four years older than me! I wish I had Hollywood money, I bet I could look a bit better with own trainer and maybe a cook?

Product Endorsement

Okay I have a new favorite candy. Reese's peanut butter cups have absolutely outdone themselves, deliciously. New Dark Chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter cups are mouthwatering. I tried to save one for later but it's scrumptiousness kept calling me back to eat it! "Eat me!" "Eat me, I'm delcicious!" So I did!

Not all stores have them yet, but they are worth the hunt. Our Shaws does but not WalMart...

Dark Chocolate's antioxidants are good for you, aren't they? Their deep dark chocolate in my peanutbutter is A Okay with me!

Try one - or two!

Fort Hood Memorial

Oh my, the memorial shown on television for the soldiers brutally murdered at Fort Hood was heartbreaking. The President’s speech was poignant and so on point about this horrific situation. I guess we all wish that the people who knew this soldier was in contact with these radical extremists, even if it was for research for a paper as they thought, had told the Army they may have been able to keep an eye on him. Doubt should have been established I think, but it wasn't and only hindsight is 20/20.

All of our prayers go out to the families of these American’s who do a job I never had the courage or bravery to do. The roll call when the soldiers didn’t answer echoed silent loss and shock across the nation. But when they showed the thirteen soldiers boots across the stage with the gun standing behind each one and the helmet on top, I absolutely lost it. I guess this is a common military thing but it was incredibly symbolic. Especially as after they showed color pictures of all of the people who died and our President spoke of their bravery in their final minutes.

My daughter watched it with me because she had heard on the news that it happened, and although we didn’t know any of the people murdered or their families, we know they were soldiers the people who we say “thank you for what you do” to when we see them around our town. And I can’t imagine how scary it is for an eight year old, who so admires these people to defend us and keep us free. When it is terrifying to a forty year old that someone would have the audacity to kill soldiers in their own base. We talk about democracy and I don’t know how much she truly understands about countries that do not have democratic governments, but the magnitude of this heinous act she gets.

God bless the families of the murdered soldiers, wishing them colorful clear memories that will stay with them forever of their loved ones. God bless America too. Obama said in his speech that these soldiers remind us of what it is to be Americans. I think that is true for every one of them especially the slain police officer who ran right into the gunfire at the gunman.

Let's just ponder our President's words "no faith justifies these murderous and craven acts; no just and loving God looks upon them with favor." I have to wonder do these extremist Muslim's really feel that their God is a loving God as I do as a Jewess and others do as Catholics, Christians, Protestants, Methodist, and Unitarians? I think that they can't, that they pray and do all of the evil that they do for a hateful, vengeful Ruler who is nothing like our God. If the God they pray to is just like our God then how can they warp a religion so completely? I always believed that there is only one God. And although our religions are different you may believe God had a son Jesus and I may believe we are all God's children, I can't imagine they could prevert a God out of the God I think we all believe in who requires the taking of human lives at the expense of one's own soul as a good deed. I can't get my head around that, or how that more than one psycopath actually believes that?

Well they executed John Allen Mohammed tonight; after this bastard gets better I hope they'll give him a fair trial and execute him too...