Election

Socialism designed by the War Dept and benefiting business

Mad Hatters would battle this all the way, demanding each state decide for itself with funding through non-stop corporate ads (oh, wait, we have that already). mjh

So This is Nebraska by Ted Kooser | The Writer’s Almanac with Garrison Keillor

It was on this day in 1956 that President Eisenhower signed the Federal Highway Act, which established the Interstate Highway System.

The Interstate Highway System had been in the works for a while. During World War I, the Army determined that the condition of national roads needed to be improved for national defense, so they produced a map for the government of the major routes they felt were important in the event of war. In 1938, President Roosevelt drew out a map of "superhighways" to cross the country.

The American public had its first taste of the a "superhighway" system in 1939, at the New York World’s Fair. The most popular exhibit there was the General Motors Futurama ride, which showed a vision of the future in 1960. Fairgoers sat in chairs that moved through a diorama of the future America, where everyone owned a car and the entire country was connected by freeways. On these freeways, the lanes going in one direction were separated from the traffic coming from the other direction. Drivers could go up to 50 mph, and could travel from one coast to the other without a single traffic light. These ideas were so exciting that 28,000 people attended the Futurama exhibit every day.

As a general during World War II, Eisenhower was impressed by Germany’s autobahn system, and he decided that the United States needed something comparable. After the war, the economy was booming, and Eisenhower decided the time was right to push through the Interstate Highway System. It was the largest public works project in American history. It took longer than expected to build—35 years instead of 12—and it cost more than $100 billion, about three times the initial budget. But the first coast-to-coast highway, Interstate 80, was completed in 1986, running from New York City to San Francisco.

It was a great boon for hotel and fast-food chains, which sprung up by interstate exits. It was also a boon for suburban living, since commuting was faster and easier than before.

But it was not necessarily good for American literature.

So This is Nebraska by Ted Kooser | The Writer’s Almanac with Garrison Keillor

Election, Health

US health care ranks 37th in the world

Makes you proud, don’t it. mjh

Eugene Robinson: The Supreme Court, helping to heal the nation – The Washington Post

The World Health Organization gives the U.S. health system an overall ranking of 37th in the world, far below other Western democracies. The CIA World Factbook — hardly the work of a bunch of left-leaning one-worlders — reports that life expectancy in the United States is not just lower than in other industrialized countries but also lower than in Jordan and Bosnia.Infant mortality in this country, according to the CIA, exceeds that of Slovenia and Cuba. It is possible to quibble with these figures but not to ignore them. We should be ashamed of ourselves.

Eugene Robinson: The Supreme Court, helping to heal the nation – The Washington Post

Election, Health

Here are some Health Care Reform changes you already benefit from

Republicans were for it until Obama joined them. Then it became unacceptable. Next time you vote, remember that every single Republican will work to completely undo the good parts of health care reform. mjh

Supreme Court Upholds Health Reform Law

What are some changes that have already taken place because of the law?

About 3.1 million young adults gained health insurance through a provision that allows them to stay on their parents’ policies until age 26. In addition, nearly 62,000 Americans with pre-existing health conditions, who would otherwise be uninsurable, gained coverage through the government’s Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plans (PCIPs). Those enrolled will be able to stay in the program until it expires in 2014. At that time, they’ll be eligible to buy health insurance through state-based insurance marketplaces scheduled to be up and running by fall 2013.

Other consumer protections already in effect include:

  • The right to appeal an insurer’s decision
  • Preventive care with no co-pay
  • Guaranteed insurance coverage for children under the age of 19 with pre-existing conditions
  • Drug discounts for people on Medicare
  • No more lifetime limits on health insurance spending
  • Review of suspected unreasonable insurance rate increases
  • The requirement that insurance companies spend at least 80% of the money they collect on medical expenses (this 80/20 rule so far means 12.8 million Americans will participate in $1.1 billion in rebates from insurance companies this summer, according to the HHS)
What does this ruling mean for small businesses?

So far, an estimated 4.4 million small businesses that provide employee health insurance are eligible for a 35% tax credit to offset the cost of insurance premiums (as of mid-May 2011, only about 228,000 small business owners claimed the credit).

To qualify, a business must employ fewer than 25 employees and the average company salary must be less than $50,000. Businesses must also pay at least half of workers’ health insurance costs.

These tax credits will remain in effect, and will increase to 50% starting in 2014.

Companies with more than 50 employees will be required to provide workers’ insurance or pay a fine.

Supreme Court Upholds Health Reform Law

"It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds." — Sam Adams