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All things are possible
Author: Raine    Date: 08/27/2009 12:33:23

One thing I know, JKF and RFK are remembered most for what might have been possible. Senator Kennedy will be remembered for all that he made possible.

If you were a student dependant on federal loans to attend college, Senator Kennedy was there for you. If you use a wheelchair you are protected from workplace discrimination; the Americans with Disabilities Act is law because of Senator Kennedy.

If you can barely scrape by on minimum wage, understand it could be much worse if it were not for Teddy's tireless fight on behalf of the working poor. If you or someone you love has HIV/AIDS, Senator Kennedy was there for you, as he was instrumental in the passage of the Ryan White Care Act. Rude Pundit has an unusually NOT rude post on the Kennedy Legacy.

He was a tireless advocate for the poor, the mentally ill, children, women, and civil rights. He could have could have spent his life on his boat, sailing away his days. No one would blame him after losing so many loved ones. That was not Ted Kennedy's passion. He lived to serve his state and this country. Thank you Massachusetts for sharing him with us.

He did it so well. RIP Senator Kennedy. Your legacy is an inspiration to us all.

He was the brother that accomplished the most, the brother that survived, the brother that found his life's work and his life's passion with many trials and tribulations in between. His brothers are always spoken about with the idea of what may have been if they lived, But Senator is the reality of a lifetime of achievements, a legacy that will live on.

“May the road rise up to meet you,
may the wind be ever at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.”


&
Raine

Bonus Click: Ted Kennedy: A Life in Pictures


 
46 comments (Latest Comment: 08/28/2009 02:48:57 by Will in Chicago)

Getting it Straight - the Global Comparisons
Author: BobR    Date: 08/26/2009 12:32:11

Setting aside all of the absurd claims about the impending health care reform legislation (such as death panels), there are some other problems with the discussion as well. Terms like "socialized medicine" get tossed around, and the health care systems in other countries all get lumped together as if they are all the same. They are not; they are very different. So today, our effort is to clarify the language and terms we use when discussing health care systems.
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45 comments (Latest Comment: 08/31/2009 13:31:29 by Raine)

He was my Senator.
Author: TriSec    Date: 08/26/2009 10:22:43

I know I'm stealing someone's thunder today.

Our Beloved Senator went home last night to be with his brothers early this morning.

I've gone through the motions of my morning routine so far today, but can hardly focus on the tasks at hand. I...my hands are shaking.

The world is a little darker today.

I could write volumes about the man today, but let me just say this. Personally, how important is Senator Kennedy to me?

I owe him my job...my career...my livelihood.

Back in 1996, Senator Kennedy joined forces with a Republican Senator from Kansas by the name of Cassenbaum. They crafted a little healthcare reform that President Clinton signed into law that October. Us old-timers still call it the "Kennedy-Cassenbaum bill", but you probably know it better as "HIPAA". In addition to creating the COBRA program and updating healthcare privacy rules, this bill standardized electronic claims submission formats and set a hard deadline, and literally created the healthcare electronic data interchange industry overnight.

I've been working in the business ever since.

We knew this was coming; the fact that the Senator was too sick to attend his own sister's funeral earlier this month was the writing on the wall for us in this Commonwealth. But it doesn't make it any easier. President Obama is here on the vineyard this week, and just Monday categorically denied that he was heading to the Cape to visit. I can only conclude that they knew the end was near.

None of that makes this any easier.

I'm more than shellshocked this morning. I'm going to go back and watch some more coverage, but I think many of us on the left are looking at the TV with open-mouthed horror and sadness thinking....

"What do we do now?"


 
9 comments (Latest Comment: 08/26/2009 16:11:04 by clintster)

Ask a Vet
Author: TriSec    Date: 08/25/2009 10:32:33

Good Morning.

Today is our 2,351st day in Iraq.

We'll start this morning as we always do, with the latest casualty figures from Iraq and Afghanistan, courtesy of antiwar.com:

American Deaths
Since war began (3/19/03): 4335
Since "Mission Accomplished" (5/1/03): 4196
Since Capture of Saddam (12/13/03): 3874
Since Handover (6/29/04): 3476
Since Obama Inauguration (1/20/09): 107

Other Coalition Troops - Iraq: 318
US Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 798
Other Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 538
Contractor Employee Deaths - Iraq: 1,395
Journalists - Iraq: 331
Academics Killed - Iraq: 423

We find this morning's cost of war has passed another milestone.

$ 901, 913, 475, 000 .00


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39 comments (Latest Comment: 08/26/2009 05:20:00 by trojanrabbit)

Are we that stupid?
Author: Raine    Date: 08/24/2009 12:59:10

The world is watching us America, and they are getting sick and tired of our nonsense. Many people probably don't care, but put yourself in their shoes. If they had a small, but very loud vocal group saying racially-tinged obscenities about how the United States runs - we would be upset as well.
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44 comments (Latest Comment: 08/24/2009 23:43:09 by Raine)

A Little Sunday Irony.
Author: Raine    Date: 08/23/2009 16:46:22

Today the AJC has a rather good review of what Health Care reform means for America. It was surpisingly well done, I must say. I've been known to be quite critical of our hometown paper, but I'll give credit where it is due. While I did find a few factual errors, for example: Everything the republicans from our fine state said. If you want, you can access it here, there are some really good links.

The debate goes on. This was on the front page of todays newspaper:
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa213/FourFreedoms/hcrirony2.jpg


The photo caption reads:
East Cobb barber, [name redacted by me] thinks that people should work for their health care. He's 52, a Marietta resident, and has no health insurance.





and
Raine




 
6 comments (Latest Comment: 08/24/2009 01:37:36 by TriSec)

Something about RomneyCare
Author: TriSec    Date: 08/22/2009 11:55:23

Good Morning!

Well, it's been quite a week. As most of you know, I'm on new job number two for 2009, and have spent all of the last week in training (and away from dear bloggie!). Next week it's more of the same, only I'll be with my team and learning what it is I'm *actually* supposed to do.

I'll be eligible for benefits in 30 days, which comes as a great relief. I've been on COBRA since February. You know I live in the only state that has a mandated (and unfunded) universal health care requirement. The way Mitt had the law written, everyone in this Commonwealth is required to purchase healthcare. We get a little document from our carrier every year at tax time stating this, or we face a major tax hit. (Yes, we're penalized if we don't have insurance.)

In order to make it 'easier' for folks to comply, Herr Romney created something called the Commonwealth Connector. All the insurance providers in Massachusetts got together and tried to come up with some 'affordable' options for people to buy. Why doesn't everyone take a minute to check it out. Click on the 'find insurance' button and pretend you live here. How much does your plan cost? (remember, that's out-of-pocket to you.)

When I was first out of work, I priced several plans. One of the options wound up being about $100 less than my COBRA payment, but as I read further into it, the copays, deductibles, and other patient responsibilities kept adding up and it didn't make sense to switch. In the end, we qualified for ARRA payments and have been paying roughly what I would normally contribute in an employer-based plan.

But is RomneyCare working? It's true that the majority of persons in the Commonwealth are covered, but at what cost?

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13 comments (Latest Comment: 08/24/2009 09:09:47 by nucleart)

Under the Radar
Author: BobR    Date: 08/21/2009 12:46:34

It's Friday, my alarm didn't go off, so here's some news items you may have missed what with all the hubbub over the health care reform bill:

First of all, it seems the economy is about to rebound:

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33 comments (Latest Comment: 08/22/2009 01:01:06 by TriSec)

What can we do?
Author: Raine    Date: 08/20/2009 12:37:05

This morning I am going to ask you to please read this post and please send a letter in to your Senator. I am going to ask that you send this to all of your friends and colleagues and ask that they do the same.

We always knew that health care would be a rough battle. In the last few weeks, the republicans and conservadems have made the battle more chaotic and insane then it ever had to be.
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59 comments (Latest Comment: 08/21/2009 01:20:28 by livingonli)

Regarding Health Care Reform: A Letter for Your Senators
Author: Raine    Date: 08/19/2009 18:40:01

CUT, PASTE, PERSONALIZE, AND SEND THIS TO BOTH OF YOUR SENATORS
REGARDLESS OF PARTY OR PHILOSOPHICAL LEANING.

Remember, any contact you have to your representatives gets written down in a 'for' or 'against' column.
They DO keep a record of where people stand on issues. It is critical that you call or write via snail mail or email, your elected representatives. This letter is tailored for Senators.

When you are done personalizing your letter, copy it and click this link:
US Senator Contact Information
Find your State and Senators , then paste the information in the message box.
Fill out the other required information requests and submit your message.

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