Politics

ACA Has Helped Create Nearly 1 Million Jobs

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Honestly this shouldn’t be too surprising, but the Affordable Care Act isn’t just giving people more access to quality healthcare.  It’s also putting Americans to work and saving many of our nation’s hospitals, as reported by Dan Diamond of Forbes magazine…

Obamacare was once called “The Job-Killing Health Care Law.” But the latest jobs report suggests that the broader economy—and the health care sector, specifically—is adding jobs at a healthy rate.

  • Since the Affordable Care Act was signed into law in March 2010, the health care industry has gained nearly 1 million jobs—982,300, to be more precise—according to Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates released on Friday.
  • Meanwhile, the rest of the economy has added 7.7 million jobs since March 2010, and for the first time, more people are working since the recession began five years ago.
  • Private-sector jobs also grew for the 51st straight month, Justin Wolfers observes at The Upshot, which ties the longest consecutive streak on record and overlaps with the passage of Obamacare 50 months ago. But that streak is piddling compared to health care, which just reported its 131st straight month of job gains.

Booming growth in the heath care industry shouldn’t come as a surprise. The health care sector was gaining about 25,000 jobs per month in the years before the Affordable Care Act, and the law’s infusion of newly insured patients will help bolster providers’ bottom lines.

Besides the obvious job creation needed to handle millions of additional patients and insurance plans, the ACA has also created jobs by upping compensation for hospitals, especially in states that took some form of Medicaid expansion.  Hospitals and doctors have previously had to shoulder the cost for any patient that was treated and then could not pay for their care.  But now thanks to the ACA, those hospitals are able to provide a better quality of service because more of their overall care is compensated.  As previously discussed in this blog, the Medicaid expansion has often proven a necessary life line for our nation’s rural hospitals, some of which were forced into debt for seeing so many patients that couldn’t pay.

The healthcare needs of the United States will only continue to grow as a larger and larger share of the population ages.  But thankfully because of actions taken back in 2010, we’ll be much better prepared for them with more people working, and more avenues to quality care.

 

Politics

Congress PASSES VA Healthcare Bill

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In the wake of everyone’s shock and awe at Eric Cantor’s stunning defeat this week, did anyone notice something on Capitol Hill that hasn’t happened in a long time??  Yes, that’s right… both houses of the United States actually did some WORK this week.  Work that was not meeting with lobbyists or calling rich folks to beg for campaign cash.  The House of Representatives passed a bill to improve VA healthcare UNANIMOUSLY!!  And on Wednesday, the Senate passed a similar bill by and overwhelming margin.  Your eyes are not deceiving you.  Here’s the story from Politico…

The Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed legislation aimed at increasing veterans’ access to health care and holding accountable bad actors in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The legislation passed 93-3 and represents rare cooperation between the House and Senate, raising hopes that Congress is moving swiftly toward a VA reform compromise to send to the president’s desk. The Senate legislation largely mirrors similar proposals from the House, and lawmakers and aides do not expect a knock-down political fight as the two chambers iron out their discrepancies over the coming days…

…With the House unanimously passing veterans’ health care and accountability legislation that senators say is extraordinarily close to the version crafted by Sanders and John McCain (R-Ariz.), lawmakers across the Capitol are increasingly confident that the president will have a new veterans’ health law on his desk by the end of the month.

So the United States Congress decides to have a rare moment of clarity and help our nation’s heroes get the healthcare and services they deserve.  This is great news, right?  Well just today over on Fox News, the critics have come out swinging saying the bill could have a huge price tag when all is said and done.

Fiscal hawks are warning that new legislation passed in both chambers of Congress this week in response to the Veteran Affairs scandal could cost taxpayers more than $500 billion over the next decade. 

A Senate source told FoxNews.com on Friday that lawmakers “passed a bill they didn’t read which led to Congress issuing a blank check with real consequences for the country down the road.” 

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget rang the alarm bells over the bill on Thursday, releasing a statement saying the Senate version of the bill “violates every principle of good budgeting, and could add substantially to the national debt.”

This Fox News commentator doesn’t think our nation’s Vets are worth the investment.  The bill may have a big price tag, and we of course would hope our legislators and their staff could always read things that they vote on, but if it helps to fix systemic problems plaguing the VA, then the American people should rally behind it.  Our heroes are worth every penny and then some.

 

 

 

 

Politics

Rick Perry: Homosexuality Is Like Alcoholism

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If anyone thought that Texas Governor Rick Perry might try to keep quiet between now in a possible 2016 run, think again.  He came out spreading falsehoods about homosexuality and the development of sexual orientation.  Here’s more from CNN…

A comparison between alcoholism and homosexuality by Texas Gov. Rick Perry is raising eyebrows.

At a speech in San Francisco, the longtime Republican governor – who ran for the White House in 2012 and is considering another bid in 2016 – was asked whether he thought homosexuality was a disorder.

“I may have the genetic coding that I’m inclined to be an alcoholic, but I have the desire not to do that – and I look at the homosexual issue the same way,” Perry said.

According to CNN affiliate KPIX, some people in the pro-Perry audience gasped when they heard the governor’s remarks.

Perry’s address to the Commonwealth of California Club was mostly focused on economic issues. The Texas governor is in California as part of a trip to try to bring jobs and business to the Lone Star State.

Perry’s comments also came just days after Texas Republicans, meeting at their state convention, approved language in their party platform that includes support for voluntary psychological “therapy” targeted at converting homosexuals to heterosexuals. That stance stands in contrast to both California and New Jersey, which have banned such therapy.

Whatever Mr. Perry’s particular internal vices, he’s clearly behind the times on understanding sexual orientation.  And though he obviously has the right to believe whatever he wants as a private citizen, it’s important to know that saying these things in his official capacity as Governor is harmful to thousands of his constituents.  Many young Texans are taking the journey to adulthood as we all do, and for those that are LGBT, they may be struggling to figure out why they don’t match society’s well-defined expectations.  Suggesting to those young people that they need to “repair” themselves isn’t just wrong… it is downright dangerous.

In relation to current Texas politics, it’s no surprise that Perry’s comments sent a scurry through both main political parties, especially the candidates for the Governor’s job.  As Lone Star Q reports, Perry has helped to reveal another stark contrast between GOP contender Greg Abbott and his Democratic opponent Wendy Davis…

Democrat Wendy Davis would support and sign a law banning reparative therapy for minors, according to a spokesman for her campaign.

But Davis’ Republican opponent in the Texas governor’s race, Attorney General Greg Abbott, isn’t taking a position on the issue.

At its state convention in Fort Worth last week, the Texas GOP amended its platform to include support for reparative therapy “for those patients seeking healing and wholeness from their homosexual lifestyle.”

In response to the headline-grabbing plank, a spokesman for Davis’ campaign confirmed this week in an email to Lone Star Q that the Democratic gubernatorial nominee would back a statewide ban on reparative therapy for minors similar to laws that have passed in California and New Jersey.

Meanwhile, Abbott dodged a question about his party’s support for reparative therapy during a visit to East Texas on Wednesday. KYTX Channel 19 reports that Abbott “stopped short of condemning” the reparative therapy plank but said the issue isn’t near the top of his agenda.

“First is jobs, second is schools, three is roads, transportation and water, and four is making sure our border is secure,” Abbott told KYTX reporter Field Sutton.

“It sounds like reparative therapy is pretty far down on that list,” Sutton said.

“Well, if government does what it’s supposed to do, and then gets out of people’s way, everyone is a whole lot happier,” Abbott responded.

Try as he may, Abbott won’t be able to run from this question much longer.  It’s going to keep coming up in interviews and other public formats.  But the real worry for the Abbott campaign here is this… regardless of what delegates at the Republican Party convention vote for, the state of Texas is still moving at lightning speed in support of LGBT rights and marriage equality.  As we see here, the GOP is providing the ammo… but it’s up to Democrats to make sure these shameful messages get out to the public at large.  If more people knew that the only thing standing in the way of marriage for thousands of Texas’ LGBT couples was Greg Abbott’s emergency stay, maybe they would be motivated to show up for Davis in November.  From a “life” standpoint, it is right for Democrats to stand against these harmful views.  From a political standpoint, this is an issue that can motivate Davis’ base, depress GOP turnout, and really effect the outcome of the election.  Let’s hope that the campaigns and Battleground Texas figure that out.

For more on this topic, check out the great work of fellow bloggers Texpatriate and Off the Kuff.  I’ll probably have later thoughts and developments as well.

 

 

Politics

Happy Birthday Bush 41!!

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For so many people, a President’s legacy is often first viewed in how their time in office finishes up, with the central question being, “did they get re-elected?”  Clearly for the nation’s 41st President George H. W. Bush, that answer would be a no.  After a rousing 1988 campaign where the candidate boldly declared “Read my lips… NO NEW TAXES“, the realities of office led him to break that promise, and paved the way for a defeat by Bill Clinton in 1992.

But as history marches on, Americans are less bitter about Bush 41’s tax increases, and look more fondly on his time in the White House, along with all of the accomplishments he achieved.

First, it’s important to note that Presidency is only 4 years of this great American’s life.  After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Bush served our country valiantly in World War II… one of a precious few remaining veterans from that time.  He even survived a harrowing attack that saw his plane shot down over the open ocean, and looks back on that day as a second chance at life. Political differences aside, no one can question Bush’s bravery and dedication to his country.  He is the last living President who is also a veteran of World War II.

George HW and Barbara Bush

(photo credit:  The Today Show)

After the battle field soon came the oil field.  Bush returned to Yale University, and while studying there he and his wife Barbara Bush (whom have now been married an astounding 69 years!!) welcomed their eldest son George W. Bush into the world.  Then they set off for Texas, where Bush quickly made a fortune in the oil business.  An entry into politics would lead Bush to represent Houstonians in the United States Congress, after a failed run for the United States Senate in 1964.  At that time, Texas a was a Democratic stronghold, and the Republican Bush was unsuccessful achieving statewide office.  But being a prominent Texan for the GOP, Bush was a valuable asset to the party.  As a result, President Nixon appointed Bush to serve as United States Ambassador to the United Nations, and other cabinet positions followed.  Though he was never elected statewide, a series of high-profile appointments would forge a path for Bush to the Vice Presidency, and the White House.

As President, Bush 41 had his ups and downs, but also some great achievements.  In 1990, he worked with a bi-partisan coalition in Congress and passed the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act. It was the most comprehensive expansion of Civil Rights since the 1960s, and gave unprecedented protections to the disabled.  As Bush stated upon its signing, the ADA was “the world’s first comprehensive declaration of equality for people with Disabilities.”  The ADA also paved the way for similar legislation to be enacted all over the world.

For these, and a whole host of other amazing reasons, Texas Leftist is proud to celebrate the 90th birthday of President George H. W. Bush, and wish the very best for the Bush family on this special day.  Happy Birthday Bush 41!!

 

 

Music Musings

Music Musings: Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea “Problem”

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Every so often, a singer comes along that forms an immediate, tangible connection with her or his fans.  They possess that unique combination of talent, dedication and relevance which allows them to become the voice of their generation.  For younger millennials  one of those voices seems destined to be Ariana Grande.

A native of Florida, the singer actually got her start in theater, landing a banner role on Broadway at the tender age of thirteen.  From there, she went to Nickelodeon, starring in hit shows Victorious and Sam and Kat.  Before belting a single professional note, Grande was on her way to becoming a pop phenom with a legion of fans.

But with a pop-friendly vocal tone and four octave range (particularly strong in the whistle register), music was never too far away.  Ariana has a very active YouTube channel, and posted several covers of songs by Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and other artists, sharing her voice with the world.  It all proved to be a great lead-in to her  debut album Yours Truly, which spawned the smash hit The Way.

Now, Grande is back with her Sophomore effort, and it’s lead single Problem featuring rapper Iggy Azalea. This is a catchy tune that proves a nice venue for Grande to show off a nice power range in her upper register, along with some other vocal skills. Though she’s often compared to Mariah Carey due to the strength of her whistle register, Problem further reveals the singer’s voice as a true soprano with a strong head voice.

But enough with the musician’s speak. Take a listen to Problem and see what you think…

 

Houston Politics

HPD Just Not Investigating Some Crimes… At All!

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HPD is coming under intense scrutiny after a recent report showed that the department is way under-staffed to handle a mounting case load.  But after Houston Police Chief Charles McClelland’s statements this week, that’s clearly NOT the only problem.  Here’s the story from Mike Morris of the Houston Chronicle…

Defending his department’s failure to investigate thousands of crimes last year, Police Chief Charles McClelland on Thursday said the understaffed Houston Police Department does not and should not have a goal of aggressively probing every crime reported to it.

“We work violent crimes first. If someone steals your trash can or your lawn mower out of your garage, there are no witnesses, there’s no evidence, there’s nothing for a detective to follow up on, it’s not assigned,” McClelland, a 37-year veteran of HPD, told City Council members during a budget hearing. “There has never been a time that I have been employed there that the Houston Police Department has had the capacity to investigate every crime that’s been reported to the agency.”

It was the chief’s first public comment since a city-commissioned study showed the department did not investigate 20,000 crimes with workable leads in 2013. The vast majority of the cases were burglaries and thefts, but also included 3,000 assaults and nearly 3,000 hit-and-runs.

 

Basically, Chief McClelland just admitted some cases will NEVER get investigated.  The way he talks here, HPD could care less about a person’s apartment break-in and stolen TV, because apparently they’ve got more important things to do.

Sorry Chief, but this is unacceptable.  All the time that our officers spend setting up speed traps around town, and sitting in one spot for hours to catch a couple of lead foot drivers?  All the time they spend patrolling the same 5 blocks in Montrose to profile bar patrons or nab a petty drug bust, while cars and homes are getting robbed a couple of streets away?  Surely there is a better way.

As a victim of police profiling myself, I simply have to call on HPD, Houston City Council and Mayor Annise Parker to not accept this answer.  Of course no department will be perfect… as fellow blogger Off the Kuff states, we all understand that the realities of police work call for prioritization.  But one would hope the police would always strive is to leave no stone unturned for the safety of all Houstonians.  It’s a shame that the city’s top law enforcement officer doesn’t seem to agree.  Houston deserves better than lowered expectations.  I hope the police chief figures that out, or can devise a better way to explain what’s going on in the department. His current job and any future positions may depend on it.

 

Houston Politics

Houston HPD’s Staffing Crisis

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No matter where you live, what you do or who you hang out with in the city of Houston, crime is something that affects everyone.  We all want to live in a safe environment.  But according to a new internal report, Houston is not as safe as it could be, and sadly not as safe as other Texas major cities.  Here’s the story from Mike Morris and James Pinkerton of the Houston Chronicle…

The Houston Police Department, already reeling from a scandal involving shoddy work in its homicide unit, was dealt another blow Monday when a report revealed that some 20,000 burglary, theft, assault and hit-and-run cases with workable leads were not investigated in 2013.

The authors of the city-commissioned study surveyed HPD division commanders who revealed “excessively high numbers of cases with leads that were not investigated in 2013 due to a lack of personnel.”

The report noted that 15,000 burglaries and thefts, 3,000 assaults and nearly 3,000 hit-and-runs were not investigated last year. The data was based on monthly HPD management reports of cases with workable leads.

The study’s findings arrived at a critical time for HPD. The Houston Chronicle on Sunday reported on almost two dozen homicide cases dating back a decade that were barely investigated by HPD detectives. That scandal erupted earlier in the year when eight detectives were disciplined for their lack of work on the cases.

The article went on to note that Houston’s crime rate is significantly above other major cities in Texas, even when factoring in population differences.  Basically, we have more almost three times the number of violent crimes reported in the Bayou City than in the next nearest large city.  21,610 violent crimes were reported for Houston in 2012… while only 8,380 were reported in the city of Dallas.  This is evidence that Houstonians are living in a time where we need a strong HPD more than ever.  Here’s more from the Chronicle…

“When we have tens of thousands of cases with solvability factors, with leads, where suspects could be arrested, that simply shouldn’t be happening in the city,” [Council Member C.O.] Bradford said. “I am not shocked, because we don’t have the personnel to do it.” Bradford said he favors hiring 1,500 new officers, but said 800 – at a cost of $80 million – would be a starting point. HPD currently has 5,100 officers

Mayor Annise Parker said her administration has taken a number of steps to have more of the city’s officers investigating crimes, but added that “massive” funding is on the horizon.

“We investigate everything we have the capacity to investigate,” Parker said. “We need more police officers. The only way we can have more police officers is to have more tax revenue to pay for them. We have done an extraordinarily good job of utilizing every resource, putting more officers back on the street, doing all these really innovative things to maximize it, but ultimately, that’s just kept us treading water.”

This is a compounding situation, as job stress/ overworking is inextricably linked to other HPD issues.  For those few police that are out there, the stress of having such a huge workload can’t be good for their job effectiveness. We see that stress through a constant stream of difficulties for the department, including incidents of unfair treatment to citizens, profiling and even police brutality.

It’s never going to be politically popular to entertain the thought of raising taxes on hard-working Houstonians, but this report shows HPD bordering on a staffing crisis.  All options to provide for the safety of Houston’s citizens should be on the table. As most are aware, HPD is far from the only police force in the city of Houston.  Mayor Parker has done some “stream-lining” with other agencies like METRO Police, school district officers and other law enforcement entities.  But we’re still falling far short of what needs to happen.

The report is an important first step… we can’t truly fix a problem until we understand it thoroughly.  But now that the knowledge is out there, let’s hope that this becomes a top priority of Houston City Council.

Off the Kuff and the Chron’s Lisa Falkenberg have more on this shocking report.

A Voice for the Rest of Texas