Happy Birthday, President Lincoln!
"In a violent society obsessed with guns, he would not even use them to hunt."
Why Abraham Lincoln Was a Whig, DANIEL WALKER HOWE,
Volume 16, Issue 1, Winter 1995, pp. 27-38, : http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.2629860.0016.105
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| TRUMP |
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| HEALTHCARE |
HOME HEALTH DRUGS STUCK IN NO-MAN'S LAND - The
home infusion industry is pushing Congress for short-term relief in drug
payment changes created by the 21st Century Cures Act that it says are hurting
patients. The December 2016 law, H.R. 34 (114) , created a separate payment for home infusion care,
while the drugs provided would be billed at traditional Medicare rates, average
sales price plus 6 percent. The new payment for providers doesn't start until
2021, a date CMS asked for to have enough time to implement the new policy. But
lawmakers ended the current payment scheme last year. Patient advocates
complain that's left an interim period where people who usually receive home
infusion drugs have had to either go without care or go to other sites for
drugs. "These are the sickest of the sick," said Drew Walk, CEO of
the infusion company Soleo Health .
"The worst place for them is the hospital." The change is affecting
25,000 patients, he says.
... The House passed a bill in July, H.R. 3178 (115), that would create a transitional payment for providers
until 2021, but it's been stalled in the Senate. Supporters hope the change
will catch a ride on a short-term government spending bill, but that hasn't yet
happened. "No one we've spoken to has raised any concerns about it,"
said Tyler Wilson, president of the National Home Infusion Association. A
Senate version, S. 1738 (115), has 29 co-sponsors.
The background: The 2003 Medicare
Modernization Act exempted home infusion drugs from the way Part B drugs are
paid for, while equipment could be billed as durable medical goods and cover
the cost of care. But HHS fraud investigators said that wasn't effective.
Lawmakers changed that in Cures. [POLITICO's
Prescription Pulse, February 5. 2018]
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WOMEN’S
RIGHTS = HUMAN RIGHTS
|
NOW’s 2018 Forward
Feminism Conference will be held July 6 - July 8 at the Doubletree by Hilton in
San Jose, CA. We hope you will be able to join us for an inspiring, empowering
weekend!
I’m delighted to invite you to submit a workshop proposal for the conference. The deadline for complete submissions is March 15, 2018. Workshop selection should be finalized by the first week of May to ensure panelists have adequate time to arrange travel.
The theme for this year’s conference is Speak Truth to Power NOW. The conference will focus on centering young feminists and advancing our commitment to empowering and uplifting the future of feminism.
We strive to devote half of our workshops to skill-building sessions, such as how to build a statewide coalition to promote NOW’s core issues, screening candidates for political endorsements, recruiting new members to your state or local chapter, or learning how to use the latest advocacy tools.
The other half include issue-based workshops that address NOW’s six core issues: reproductive rights and justice, economic justice, ending racism, LGBQTIA+ equality, ending violence against women, and enshrining women’s equality in the U.S. Constitution.
Help train our feminist activists by submitting your workshop proposal. Please remember that we look for panels that offer a diversity of voices, including diversity of race/ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and ability. Other important notes include:
- Travel: NOW is unable to
pay travel, lodging, or dining expenses for workshop presenters. Workshop
presenters attending the conference for just their presentation may pay
the one-day registration rate or utilize the sliding scale.
- Handouts: Please bring
enough materials to distribute to a minimum of 50 participants.
- Technology: Regretfully,
most workshop rooms will NOT have projectors or screen setups, due to
prohibitively high costs. If you feel you absolutely must have AV or other
technology, we can connect you with hotel personnel who will work with you
directly, at your expense.
The deadline to submit a workshop proposal
is March 15, 2018! We look forward to reviewing your submission.
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See
you at the conference, July 6 - July 8!
Toni, Gilda, and all of us at the National NOW Action Center |
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| REPUBLICAN PARTY |
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PRE-SCHOOL
& CHILD CARE
|
LAST DITCH PUSH TO SAVE FEDERAL HOME VISITING: The
federal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program has no
shortage of fans on Capitol Hill. But lighting a fire under lawmakers to keep
the program alive is another thing. It expired on Sept. 30 and is limping along
while advocates try to get Congress to reauthorize it. State officials are very
concerned.
- The program was started by President George W. Bush and
expanded under President Barack Obama. Funded at $400 million annually, the
program targets disadvantaged families by providing support to states for
educational and other in-home services to pregnant mothers and families with
young children. One reason for its popularity is that the federal funds are
designed to go to state programs using models proven to be effective. (The
House passed a bill in September to keep
the program afloat, but Democrats and many advocates opposed it because it was
paid for by suspending Supplemental Security Income payments to individuals
with outstanding warrants. A bipartisan Senate bill hasn't made it to the floor
yet.)
- Karen Howard, vice president of early childhood policy at the
nonprofit First Focus, is coordinating the Home Visiting Coalition, which is
made up of organizations that support home visiting. Howard says they haven't
given up the fight. She tells Morning Education that advocates have learned
that the program is part of an "extenders package" of expired
programs, which also includes community health centers, diabetes prevention
programs and Medicare programs. She said supporters are hopeful that Congress
will vote on the package this week as it deals with other federal spending
matters. (On Thursday, the government again runs out of money unless Congress
takes action.) Backers want the home visiting program reauthorized for five
years at the current funding level.
- Meanwhile, Howard said some states are already putting home visitor
training on hold to conserve resources, and there's a concern that home
visiting staff in some states will leave for more stable employment.
"Without action by Congress, many home visiting programs in states,
territories and tribes will close, and children and families in need will lose
out on services that helped them improve their health, educational attainment
and economic stability," Howard said. [POLITICO's
Morning Education, February 5, 2018]
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| IMMIGRATION |
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| DEMOCRATIC PARTY |
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| FROM THE PORCH |
An assisted living place in East Boston is throwing a 100th birthday party this morning for World War II veteran Anthony Barrasso, aka Tony the
Kid Bambino, according to the State House News Service. The VA Boston
Healthcare System says Tony saw combat at the Battle of the Bulge. [Boston Globe Fast Forward, February 8, 2018]
ENERGY
It’s being reported that Donald Trump
is aiming to slash renewable energy and energy efficiency programs by 72%. This
announcement comes shortly after Trump decided to impose tariffs that will
increase the price on solar panels. And just last night, he touted expanding
coal production in his State of the Union address. This is all part of a
pattern of Trump undermining renewable energy in order to help his friends in
the fossil fuel industry. Meanwhile, he’s trying to make deep cuts to our
environmental protections -- making it even easier for Big Oil to destroy
our planet and harm our health.
Trump has stacked his government with
anti-science extremists, billionaires and fossil fuel industry shills. Now,
they’re using their positions to advance their corporate interests -- not the
interests of the American people. So they’re ignoring industrial pollution.
They’re trying to slash the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget and staff
by nearly a third. And they’re rolling back critical protections for our air
and water. The result? Communities across the country are facing hazardous
exposure to toxic waste and polluted air -- all to line the coffers of
corporate and fossil fuel interests.
Together, we can stop these attacks
on our environment. After more than 100,000 Friends of the Earth members like
you spoke up, you pushed the EPA not to greenlight the disastrous Pebble Mine
in Alaska’s Bristol Bay. This shows that even the Trump administration will
respond to public pressure.
Meanwhile, Congress could step in and
stop Trump. They can prevent his proposed budget cuts from becoming law. So
we’re building a nationwide movement to push it to act.
Standing with you,
Ben Schreiber,
Senior political strategist,
Friends of the Earth
Ben Schreiber,
Senior political strategist,
Friends of the Earth
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| EDUCATION |
TRUMP:
'VOCATIONAL' IS A 'MUCH BETTER WORD' THAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE: Trump on
Thursday seemed
to suggest that
vocational school may be a better option for many students than community
college. Earlier this week during his State of the Union address, he called for
opening more "great vocational schools." And speaking at a GOP
retreat Thursday, he said, "We can open more vocational schools because we
want every American to reach their full God-given potential."
- The
full quote: "Today you have community colleges and all of the -
when I was growing up, we had vocational schools. And when I was going to
school, I remember I was in high school, and there were people in class, one
person in particular, he wasn't like the greatest student. He just wasn't. And
yet I saw him one day and he was able to fix a car blindfolded. He had a
different kind of a talent. And we should have vocational schools. You learn
mechanical, you learn bricklaying and carpentry. We don't have those things
anymore, and I think vocational is a much better word in a lot of cases than
community college. A lot of people don't know what community college means or
represents."
- The
Association for Career and Technical Education issued a lengthy
statement challenging Trump's remarks, which the group said
"mischaracterize the nature of today's CTE." The group said the term
"vocational" is long outdated and that current CTE students learn
much more than bricklaying, carpentry and mechanical skills. The group also
said that, counter to Trump's assertion that technical training is a thing of
the past, "thousands of CTE programs exist in CTE centers, comprehensive
high schools, career academies, and CTE high schools. Additionally, nearly
1,600 2-year colleges serve millions of postsecondary students. High-quality
CTE programs are thriving." [POLITICO's
Morning Education, February 2, 2018]
Dare to Dream
President Trump has created an immigration crisis. He has ended temporary protective status for hundreds of thousands who can't return to their home country due to natural disasters. He's terminating the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, leaving in limbo some 800,000 young people who know no home but the United States. He's demanding funding for a xenophobic, environmentally destructive border wall that would wreak havoc with border communities. The administration's deportation machine is a disaster for families, young people, wildlife, and our environment.
Tell Congress: Act to Keep Families
Together! Pass a Clean Dream Act *without* Border Wall Funding
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| CYBERSECURITY |
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| CANDIDATES |
Endorsed by Common Defense *** Greg Edwards (PA-15) — A beloved pastor from Allentown whose nonprofit has done extensive work on behalf of disadvantaged urban neighborhoods.
NOTE: The news sources here vary. Not all sources have the same credibility, but in an effort to share some different perspectives, they are included here. This compendium itself cannot claim to be unbiased. Please take into consideration where these different perspectives originate in assessing their value. Thank you
NOTE: I have no official connection to any organization from which information is shared.. Occasionally, I post informational material and/or an opportunity to donate or join as a "community service" announcement. These again are shared for their varying perspectives.
Any books listed are random or topic-related to something else in the post. Think of these as a "library bookshelf" to browse. They are shared for informational or entertainment value only, not as being recommended
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