Health care, the economy, Russ Limbaugh saying he hopes the President fails (ah, et tu Brute? the hell wtih the country, party above all), poltical infighting, and more failing businesses though WalMart is doing fine thank you, are wreaking havoc on those of us who want to have some hope, not to mention fun. So is fun expensive? Nah, it is what you make of it. And I am trying to have some fun (some sites listed for your reading pleasure)…..though I am also using American Idol as my escape from reality. Read the full story

Tonight we watch President Obama tell us the facts, and maybe give us some hope. So much in the news on the economy, the bail out and political pontification, in which something our members of Congress seem to excel. If only they could put their efforts into resolving differences…ah but that is for another time.

Here are some sites and sounds on the Internet to keep you informed. On Social Security, where does it stand, what is its future. The best blog on this is one Ronni Bennett did today on Time Goes By. Read it; it’s real. Whatever your beliefs on this, read it.

Bernacke: what he told the Congress today. You should know this. Click here for his actual testimony.

The Bail out. So much said; so much written. Know the facts. FactCheck.org is where you should go. Here is an example of what you are hearing that is NOT true but polical pontification at its worse: ”

Doctor’s Orders? Republicans claim that the new stimulus law says the government will tell physicians what procedures can and can’t be performed. It doesn’t.
Source: Annenberg Political FactCheck.org

Republican politicians have claimed that the stimulus bill requires that doctors follow government orders on what medical treatments can and can’t be prescribed. But the bill doesn’t say that.

• Rep. Tom Price of Georgia says the measure creates “a national health care rationing board.” Not true. What it creates is a council to coordinate research into which treatments work best, and are most effective for the money. And in fact, the new law states quite specifically that the council has no power to “mandate coverage” and that its recommendations are not to be construed as “clinical guidelines for … treatment.”
• Betsy McCaughey, a Republican former lieutenant governor of New York, claims that the bill creates a “new bureaucracy, the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology.” Not true. The office was created in 2004 by President Bush. McCaughey also says the office “will monitor treatments” and ” ‘guide’ your doctor’s decisions.” But that’s nothing new. Bush’s initiative called for creating a health IT system to transmit information to “guide medical decisions.”

Critics of comparative effectiveness research, which the government has been funding for decades, claim that it will lead to treatment being approved or denied based on costs. Proponents say it will improve the quality of care and can, in some cases, show that more costly treatments aren’t as effective as less expensive alternatives.

We can’t predict what will happen in the future, but we can say that several claims being made about the impact of the bill are simply opinions being passed off as facts. “

Stay tuned. Be informed.

As a writer for the Erickson Tribune newspaper, we are constantly looking for feedback. To better serve our readers, we want your input! We are currently running a poll in the print edition of the paper asking for our reader’s top 3 current political issues.

So if you feel inclined to sound off, please leave me a comment below or send me a quick e-mail.

We will publish our survey results along with the most colorful and insightful comments in an upcoming edition of the Erickson Tribune. We will also use the information to shape our political coverage in 2009 going forward.

I look forward to hearing from you!

So here we are, into the 2nd month of 2009. I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of mixed feelings about what we are all experiencing economically, and emotionally. I believe we have to have the stimulus plan passed and started, quickly. Is it perfect? I am no expert. I thought Obama was tough in his press conference and strong. I am in the majority with Pew research showing a 92% approval rating. I am sick of Congress and the infighting and power plays, not to mention the tax fraud of some (probably more but will we ever know?). I am sick of overpayed execs who are, in my opinion, financial criminals stealing our money.

I have heard some discussion on the airways related to the average person’s thoughts about the stimulus package and economy. These range from taking the over 800 billion dollars and having it distributed to all citizens to help pay bills, mortgages, and start buying. But that won’t save the banks and credit. Read the full story

These times are stressful. No doubt about it. The headlines yesterday and today revealed almost 200,000 more jobs lost; the bipartisan effort is non existent as Republicans are fighting Obama’s stimulus package and other potential legislative fixes. The stock market continues on a variable day to day indicator of investor lack of confidence in our future. Yet, the newly installed President forges on to make a difference. I don’t know if he is right or wrong but I do feel confident he has learned the historical lessons well and like most Americans, I believe in him to make change for the better.

Add to this, the affect of seasonal ailments, financial issues, and what to do about healthcare, and we have an accumulation of stress that compounds the stress in meeting day Read the full story