The State of Florida is tackling an area of government that has been very contentious lately. Medicaid is a flawed system, no doubt, but should it be scrapped in favor of exclusive HMO's? The bill proposed by the Republicans would put all Medicaid patients in a for-profit HMO that would receive a pre-allocated budget from the state and federal government. The "pilot program" would significantly reduce governmental expenditures, however, many people would be left with less healthcare than Medicaid offered. Among those that would be exposed would be the elderly, because they are often in financial dire straits and in poor health that requires intensive care. Aside from the lack of care provided; the idea of a for-profit business profiting off the those with the inability to pay for their care is very alarming. The entire industry is based off the business benefiting from someone's sickness. This works when dealing with insured patients but I don't see how this could work with uninsured patients. Any suggestions?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/health/policy/28medicaid.html?_r=1&hp

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/25/barbour-decides-against-presidential-run/?ref=politics

As the election of 2012 is nearing the list of future candidates is beginning to unfold. This election seems to be unlike any other and it will be unique in itself. We have yet to hear from many possible candidates who are holding off until the last minute so that they can gather themselves and decide for sure whether or not running for president is the best idea for them. For example in this article Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi who was a tentative republican candidate for the election has chosen not to run as a personal decision. This came as a surprise to many people of both parties because in the past few months Barbour has been traveling around to different states to test the support of Republican activists. Barbour and many others just do not think they can commit to the long term commitment that ensues when one runs for president. This committment lasts upwards of 10 years. This proves a bit too much for some no matter how commited to the party they may be, even someone like Barbour who has an impressive political background. Mr. Barbour has worked on the very first political campaign of Richard Nixon back in 1960. As the article states, and I agree with this, "he would be dealing with a much different Republican party than he would have back then." The tea party movement has really changed many aspects of the party and this according to the article would be a challenge for Barbour because of his uneasy relationship with them. In my experience of researching the tea party you are either with them or your not and there usually is not a middle ground.

Latin American General tortures by night and enjoys sunny Florida beaches by day, what a life.

Eugenio Vides Casanova is an eldery man that enjoys his residence in the state of Florida that he has had since 1989. I am sure he frequents the bingo hall and fits right in while the large population of retired age individuals that live in Florida. The one minor difference that some people might find odd about Mr. Vides is that he is a former general for the armed forces of El Salvador. He also served as the defense minister for six years. This man was responsible for the armed forces in the 70's and 80's that tortured, murdered, and disappeared individuals that were deemed a danger to the government at the time. This doesn't seem all that unusual for that time period, however this man was awarded the Legion of Merit by our president at the time Ronald Reagan.However he is in danger of being deported back to his home country for immigration violations. This only brings to light the level of cooperation the United States government had with latin american and south american countries that used violence against its people. The U.S. policy towards these people like our friend general Eugenio Vides Casanova was that we would work with them through back channels to help them out if they gave the United States what it wanted in terms of interests whether that be militarily or economically. This has been the case for decades in the United States. This sudden shift towards seeking out and removing former henchmen of countries that the United States has dealt with could mean that we as a nation are attempting to clean out the skeletons in our closets to improve transparency. The United States has been unable to convict the general of any torture crimes during his time in charge of forces that were involved in the murders of four churchwomen 18 years ago by national guardmen in El Salvador. They have however been able to bring about immigration charges which have brought up tangled webs of covert operations and working relationships between the general and American officials. This man has literally gotten away with murder and lived the good life on our sandy shores for almost 25 years. I am glad he is being deported but how in the world does this man get into the country with his public persona without american officials knowing he was here illegally for over 20 years? This is a slap in the face to the American people and to the struggling migrant families that cross into the United States illegally but with no other options. This man controlled terror and violence with the aid of American officials and was even awarded a distinguished honor by our president. Then after the people of El Salvador had enough of this guy he slips away and moves to the United States and avoids what I am sure would have been imprisonment or worse for his crimes against his people. The United States responds by doing what? Allowing him to live in peace in his advanced age. It makes me feel good to know that this man was given all that america has to offer after he murdered and plundered his nation but the people who are murdered and plundered in other nations are looked down upon and mistreated when they come to the United States. I hope this change of heart in U.S. policy is here to stay so that we may move forward and make right the involvements the United States were just as guilty of as this General of the Sunshine State was. http://www,nytimes.com/2011/4/18/us/18deport.html?ref=todayspaper Accessed April 18th 2011

2008 Presidential Campaign takes over the Social Media

I found an article that goes along with Jackie’s blog “The Whitehouse Invited Me!” With the Presidential campaign underway, many candidates are turning to social media to get out the vote. “The candidates and contenders have embraced the Internet to far greater degrees than previous White House campaigns, communicating directly with voters on platforms where they work and play.” Candidates are learning they need to meet the people where they are and what’s easiest for them to gain information. The article states that “next year's race will be the first to reflect the broad cultural migration to the digital world.”
The three main social networks the candidates feel are the most influential are YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. I believe out of all the website Facebook is the most influential to the American people. Facebook has about 500 million users. A person can upload videos, post statuses, create events, and create groups. President Obama is meeting with Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, this week to answer Facebook user’s questions that were posted on the site. Just a commercial on Television does not reach people as it used to. Social Media is on the rise.
Last Wednesday, after President Obama’s speech on the budget, politicians took to Twitter to express their opinion on the tax raises. “In the past, candidates would have pointed supporters to their websites for such a response. Now, as [Romney's online director, Zac] Moffatt puts it, “the campaign site may be headquarters, but it needs digital embassies across the web.”’ The article goes on to state that during the 2008 Presidential Campaign, Sen. John McCain, was quoted as saying he did not even use e-mail.
With the younger generation’s internet savvy ways that we sometimes get criticized for, it seems that even the older generations are now using our source of communication. The rise of Social Media is forcing candidates to meet us on our ground instead of simply showing us to their websites or watching them on TV. I say great job Presidential candidates! Hopefully, this will force people who would not normally take the time to search through the candidates’ takes on the issues to get out and vote!


Click here for more information about the article

Anti-Muslim Sentiments

I have seen it grow stronger and stronger in the past few years, and seen it grow to a point where it's almost a bit frightening. It's racism on every single level, and the fact that so many go along with these deluded ideas is outrageous. I recently read an article that highlighted extremely racist comments towards Muslim people; they even went as far to say that they should be "exterminated like rodents." This new "Terrorism Hearing" that will be taking place tomorrow is just forcing more Americans to believe that all Muslims, even American Muslims, have been "radicalized" and want to wipe us out. During this Terrorism Hearing, there will be an array of different testimonies, one of which includes a woman, Egyptian born, who was taught to "hate Americans and Israeli's" during her years in school.

These types of attacks on Muslims is not HELPING the issue whatsoever, if anything, it's simply making people even more paranoid and panicky. This hatred for Muslims isn't going to be solved by holding hearings to help solidify the anti-Muslim sentiments. The general public has little to know knowledge of what being a true Muslim means, and only sees the fundamentalists and extremists that our media portrays, but no one ever sees the good. With all of the problems that the world has no-a-days, we should be focusing on the positive within cultures, and show this country that not everyone is out to get us. Running stories like this "Terrorism Hearing" on the New York Times makes people believe that it's something to be worried about right now, and simply adds another strike against an entire population of people.

Not only does deepen Americans hatred/fear of Muslims, it also makes us look even worse to the Muslim world, and our own Muslims. We shouldn't be alienating our own people; people that were born in this country, people that are Americans, but simply practice a religion that is foreign to most Americans. I find all of these stereotypical and radical views of Muslims to be offensive and it needs to stop in order for this country to fully understand the impact of their hatred. Unfortunately, this country always needs someone else to blame for the problems, and tend to really nag at a point even if it should have died down. I can only hope that these "Terrorism Hearings" aren't something that will be happening very often, and I hope that the American people don't buy into these stunts.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/07/nyregion/07muslim.html?scp=1&sq=Anti-muslim&st=cse

Glenn Beck is off Fox: What does this mean for politics?

Glenn Beck in recent years has appointed himself a sort of prophet of Right wing conspiracy theories. With his chalkboard and his hotbutton words like "Sharia" and "Socialism," he has built an audience who devoutly listens to his every word. He has become the unofficial head of the "Tea Party," along with Sarah Palin, and even hosted a rally around it. He has become a hugely influential talking head, perhaps one of the most prominent ones on TV. He could theoretically have the power to make or break a Republican nomination in 2012, second only to Limbaugh in Republican influence. However, he is also such a divisive figure that advertisers fear him, and rumors have floated around that Fox wanted to be rid of him. It's unclear whether he decided to leave the network or they opted not to renew his contract, but either way, Beck will need to find a new platform.

This will impact the 2012 race greatly. Beck is one of the most major public supporters of the "Tea Party" and would undoubtedly support whoever they choose to run in 2012. He is also perhaps the media figure with the strongest contempt for Obama, who he portrays as a totalitarian Muslim Communist planning on making concentration camps (this is not hyperbole.) Without his prominence, candidates like Christine O'Donnell may never have been fielded. The other reigning voice of the Right, Rush Limbaugh, will most likely avoid the Tea Party because of how divisive they've become in all but the fringes of the Right. Beck not having a major platform could be the difference between which candidate gets the Republican nomination, and how strong the opposition to Obama is. It will also mean a void for Beck's angry audience. They will need to seek out a new media figure to tell them which candidates will stop the Socialists and the Muslims. Perhaps a new "Tea Party" icon will take his place, or he'll land an even bigger job, but until then, the public voice of the Tea Party is gone.

the whitehouse invited me!

The world is changing all the time, and the social network scene tends to be the place to be these days. Social networking is a way to keep in touch, keep tabs on, keep close in mind, to those you may be distanced with by the physical world. I am personally impressed with, and my parents or grandparents might perhaps disagree,the level of social networking capability that our President Obama chooses to utilize in an effort to remain accessible. When someone really takes a minute to contemplate in which situations the average American has to reach out to and bounce ideas off of the President of the United States, there are very few. Postal mail seems to be so ancient these days, and chances are any letter that an opinionated American chooses to write to the President won’t even reach the President’s eyes and last I checked President Obama’s personal email is not listed on any contacts page on the Whitehouse website. Imagine my surprise to find that the last time I checked my twitter account (@JackieDelMonte feel free to follow me), that I had been invited to a nationwide town-hall style meeting located on Facebook in a week and a half. The Whitehouse tweet reads: “Not your average facebook invite: Join President Obama's Town Hall @facebook HQ. RSVP now: http://on.fb.me/fplXJH” Believe it or not, our President is going to be holding a live Facebook hosted town meeting. Facebook will be selecting questions for the town meeting, and you can post the questions right on the wall for the Facebook event. The guest list currently reads, 7,622 currently attending, 1,164 maybe attending, and 12,821 currently awaiting RSVP. If in any way a guest list of that magnitude makes you doubtful that your question would be chosen from the event wall, you may also submit your questions directly to: whitehouse.gov/facebooktownhall. I felt the need to blog about this because blogs are one way of utilizing technology to communicate politically, and now I guess country-wide live Facebook town-hall style meetings are too.

Congressman Paul Ryan calls for a $6.2 Trillion Spending Cut

The GOP budget Chief, Congressman Paul Ryan from Wisconsin, proposed a radical overhaul of the federal government's budget. His plan would save $6.2 trillion dollars over the next ten years. Doing this would completely gut Medicare and Medicaid. The federal work would be cut by 10%. The tax code would also be modified by lowering the tax rate for wealthy Americans and business to 25% while eliminating loopholes in the tax code. This plan would drop federal spending to under 20% of the economy instead of President Obama's plan which would be at least 23%. If this plan was to be implemented and unaltered there would be a surplus by 2040. Everyone wants to see an end to our debt problem and Paul Ryan's plan is a good step in making drastic cuts but his proposal fails in several aspects. My biggest criticism is that this plan is based on the "Trickle Down" Theory which has been proven ineffective time and time again. Instead of lowering the tax rates like Congressman Ryan suggests the tax rate should be increased for the wealthiest Americans and for companies. Currently companies are not spending the $1.4 trillion they're holding on to. Instead of trying to stimulate the economy they are hording money. General Electric a company that had a profit of $14 billion did not spend a single dime in taxes. Companies and the rich will never be willing to risk their money for the benefit of the country. Also Paul Ryan fails to realize that by cutting the federal work force people will not have jobs to pay taxes to the government and the government will have to spend more for unemployment and welfare. Medicare and Medicaid should have some limited cut backs but to completely gut those programs will have great reprercussions. If these programs are cut the enormous costs of medicine will bankrupt many Americans. Like most politicians Paul Ryan never suggests cuts to the military. Though military spending should not be overly reduced for defensive and economic reasons (providing jobs to militray personal and manufacturers) thee is still plenty of room to make cut backs. Advanced military technoloy like the F-22 Raptor costs $150 million per figher plane, but it has never been used in combat even though the United States is currently engaged in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. In recent decades our enemies have given up on conventional means of fighting us due to our overwhelming strength, and instead uses guerilla tactics and terrorism. Our F-22's may give us a huge advantage in air combat but our enemies don't have planes. I do appreciate a politican willing to propose a drastic reduction of federal spending but Congressman Paul Ryan's plan plan to is extreme and narrow minded.

Drug War Fostering Violence and Creating Resentment in Mexico

Mexico has been a producer and transit route for illegal drugs since the 1970's. However the country is now dealing with drug cartels that are extremely well financed. While American and Mexican officials are working very closely, their strategy has not proved very successful.The violence has now spilled over the border and is a major concern in the Southwest.

Unarmed drones have been sent out in order to gather intelligence. Several suspects have been found. However, the rising drug related murders has proved that this alone will not end the violence. This struggle is affecting U.S -Mexico relations as threats against American diplomats, and consulate workers along the Mexican border have occurred. News organizations and journalists have been targeted and many reporters have been killed.

Mexicans have just started to openly speak about decriminalizing drugs to reduce the sizable profits the gangs receive. American and Mexican agencies are also refocusing on border enforcement efforts and strengthening training of Mexican police officers, judges, prosecutors, and public defenders. Instead of building a larger wall at the border, there would be a system that would allow goods and people to be screened.

Personally I think that the federal and state expenditures of billions of dollars a year have been a failure. This is based on the fact that the number of drug users has grown. Interception of drug cartels has led to more of a demand for drugs, this leads to higher prices, which ultimately leads to the drug lords making higher profits. Realistically people in the U.S are not going to stop using drugs. Well armed drug cartels can afford to fight a war in Mexico and they can bribe and coerce officials who are dealing with high rates of unemployment. The high rates of unemployment are due to the flight of Mexicans to the U.S claiming higher paid jobs. Another solution may be to increase educational and employment opportunities within Mexico. Since the majority of the workforce is now in the U.S the majority of the Mexican population is either elderly or very young. This leads to a lack of teachers and normal jobs.

I think that we are ignoring the lessons of the Prohibition Era which drove distillers underground and failed to eliminate alcohol from the private market. This created gangs and the mafia. Thousands of people die every day as a result of overuse of alcohol and smoking tobacco, no one has died due to smoking marijuana. While I am not entirely for legalization of marijuana I do think that decriminalization in Southwestern states will have a major effect.

The war on drugs can be solved if drug gangs lost their source of income, they would not be able to bribe officials with large sums of money which would decrease corruption in government. Turning low level drug offenders through the system, putting them in jail, these prisoners come out with more problems then when they went in. Incarcerating, arresting, charging high profile drug sellers, marijuana levels did not decrease rather it resulted in an opportunity for others to take up the profession. Resources going towards offenses of robbery, rape and murder are limited because most resources are going towards drug crimes. Getting tough with drug crime creates a soft approach to other more serious crimes.

Even Republican Ron Paul describes the situation “The drug war encourages violence. Government violence against nonviolent users is notorious and has led to the unnecessary prison overpopulation. Innocent taxpayers are forced to pay for all this so-called justice. Our drug eradication project (using spraying) around the world, from Colombia to Afghanistan, breeds resentment because normal crops and good land can be severely damaged. Local populations perceive that the efforts and the profiteering remain somehow beneficial to our own agenda in these various countries.”

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/mexico/drug_trafficking/index.html

2012 Election is starting up already

It was a bit of a shock to get an email last week that Democrat Annie Kuster is running for office in 2012, only because it seems as though we just had an election. A mere 5 months ago, Kuster was defeated by Republican Charlie Bass for the District 2 House seat. And today I saw on facebook that President Obama has filed his papers for reelection. I thought that Kuster's announcement for reelection could not have come at a better time, when people were protesting on the steps of the capital in Concord. This is the perfect time for Kuster, who ran her campaign last year on job creation and fiscal responsibility, which we really have not seen from this NH congress, especially the former. I am very happy that Annie is running again and she will have a great amount of support from people who are fed up and feel as though they are not represented in the current House. Today, Vice President Biden was at UNH speaking to students about sexual violence and the youth vote. Newt Gingrich was also in NH on Monday speaking to students at Saint Anselm College. He spoke about " a multi-pronged fiscal plan to spur economic growth and reduce the deficit. That plan includes reducing the corporate tax rate to 12.5 percent; repealing the estate tax; reducing the capital gains tax to zero, and permanently extending the tax breaks for all Americans passed by Congress," according to the Union Leader. I also heard that presidential hopeful and reality star Donald Trump will be heading to Saint Anselm College to talk about his campaign...that will be interesting. So, are we ready for another election season, one that may be more important than the last? I hope we are, I am ready for the excitement of a NH primary, but I'm not sure I'm ready for the incessant attack adds and phone calls. Many people are very upset with all the politicians in the country right now. This is the kind of political climate that will make the pendulum swing back towards Democrat, I believe, so it will be very interesting to watch.

Obama Seeks to Better Educate Hispanic Population

This past week President Obama met with students and teachers at Bell Multicultural High School in Washington to discuss the challenges of educating Hispanic youth in today's society. As expected, teachers are finding it very difficult to work with these students because their English is not proficient enough to go very in-depth on any subject. Parents and school officials worry that this will result in them not being able to pass the state-mandated tests required so that they will be able to even graduate from high school. Throughout the town hall meeting the president was direct in voicing his belief that adequate programs must be set into place in order for Latino students to truly benefit from their studies in America's public schools and to become functioning members of our nation's society. He focused his attention on the large responsibilities of parents and schools to make sure the students are actively engaging in their schoolwork and practicing the English language. Many of the students only have the opportunity to develop and refine these skills in the classroom, as their home life is often set to their native languages. One concern held by many is that these struggling students will not be able to immerse themselves into the workforce -- which could be a major set-back for America's economy. Thus, he emphasized the crucial need for these students to have access to both bilingual education and immersion programs in our public schools. Obama stated, "We have schools that do it very well; there are some schools that don't do it as well. We want to lift up those models that do it well" (CNN). I think it is peculiar that he's putting so much effort and interest into this cause, yet every other day on the news the public is informed that the government is working to cut funding to our schools. How exactly does he plan to better educate this population and expand programming of schools are having a hard enough time as it is to simply teach others the basics? I am in no way saying that I do not stand behind the president and this cause; I'm just curious as to how exactly it will be funded. http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/03/27/obama.hispanics/index.html