I’ve been watching the debate in the Congress over expanding S-CHIP (the State Children’s Health Insurance Program) today while waiting for my plane travel to Yearly Kos, and I’m reminded of how dishonest Republicans are on this issue.  They created the block grant program to give states the ability to cover children, and now when it’s become popular and successful, and state governors want to expand it more, they suddenly want to stop it.  And they’re using the familiar “this would let illegal immigrants get free health care” canard to try and submarine the bill (incidentally, it doesn’t).

It’s important to chronicle this, because it’s the opening salvo in the battle to change the health care system in this country.  In California we’re gearing up for health care reform, and today The California Budget Project and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research released a joint report that ably shows the consequences of maintaining the broken status quo on health care as the Republicans want to do:

…many families spend a substantial amount on health care premiums and out-of-pocket costs, and could face financially devastating medical expenses if they are not adequately protected.  The report, “What Does It Take for a Family to Afford to Pay for Health Care?” (available at www.cbp.org and www.healthpolicy.ucla.edu) recommends that health care reform proposals – such as those proposed by the Governor and Democratic legislative leaders – ensure that families can realistically afford premiums and out-of-pocket costs, such as copayments and deductibles.

The report recommends that proposals fully subsidize health care coverage for those who earn up to 200 percent of the poverty line ($41,300 for a family of four) because the cost of housing, food, and other necessities leaves these families with few or no resources to contribute toward health care costs.  The report also determines that families need incomes near 300 percent of the poverty line ($61,950 for a family of four) just to afford typical health care costs.  Because some families face much higher out-of-pocket health care costs, the report recommends that policymakers consider providing subsidies for families with incomes higher than 300 percent of the poverty line.

This is EXACTLY what the expansion of S-CHIP would do, and yet Roadblock Republicans and the Bush Administration are concerned with defeating it solely on ideological grounds.  They don’t want America to see a health care system managed in a public way that works.  They fear people will see the differences between a system that gives people the choice for affordable care and a private for-profit system that values limiting care above everything, and opt for the former.  They don’t want government to work, and they will do everything in their power to make it malfunction.

(I do take issue with the idea that “the governor’s proposal,” which has no cap on affordability or any floor on coverage, would necessarily help needy families.)

Here are some of the key recommendations of the report:

Limiting families’ out-of-pocket costs.  Some insured families have very high health costs because they have very high copayments, deductibles, or other out-of-pocket costs.  Some of these costs are predictable (for example, if a family member has a chronic illness), but some can be unexpected (for example, as the result of an accident or unexpected illness).  Placing limits on out-of-pocket costs is as important as premium subsidies in ensuring affordable health care.

Taking into account expenses families face, such as housing and child care, when determining how much families can afford to pay for health care.  Because families face very different costs, such as housing and child care, income alone is an imprecise measure of what families can afford to spend on health care.

An average adult with private health coverage pays almost $800 a year on premiums; a family of four spends $1,800.  Poor families cannot cope, and forget about it if they actually want to USE their coverage.  We know that almost half of all bankruptcies are due to health care costs.

Californians need to send a strong message to Congress and the President to wholeheartedly support the continuation of S-CHIP.  And they need to send the message to our Legislature that we need real health care reform that allows working families to have the peace of mind of medical coverage while also being able to survive financially.

The Republicans in the Senate are holding up the state’s budget because they are trying to achieve their notion of balance, even though the goal posts for what that entails keep shifting.  Complicated I know, but so is this whole mess.  Here is a simple fact, the Republicans can’t even balance their own funds.  So why should we trust them with the state’s?  The California Republican Party is in debt, and does not have the cash to pay off its debts.  They are paying off huge loan fees each month, which you know has to be killing them on principle.  The headline in the LAT today is “State GOP awash in red ink”  Ouch.  That has got to hurt.

The state party has only $1.1 million cash on hand, money it needs to hold onto to pay day-to-day expenses such as salaries.

Meanwhile, it is struggling to come up with a plan to pay off $4.2 million in debt.

That is in stark contrast to the Democrats, who have wiped out all but a few thousand dollars of debt and have $5.2 million in the bank.

“There is a sweet irony in it,” said Roger Salazar, spokesman for the California Democratic Party.

“The Republicans can’t even manage their own party’s finances,” he said. “They have no business telling the state what to do with its budget.”

The Republicans say their financial troubles are the result of donor fatigue after a stretch of five years with a major campaign each year, including the recall in 2003 and the special election called by the governor in 2005.

Waah waah waah.  The Democrats participated in all of the same campaigns, and our fiscal situation is quite healthy.  Man and to think that Arnold just brought in $1.6 million for the Florida Republican Party.  Didn’t they cancel the fundraiser he was supposed to do for the CRP earlier this year?

(Photo courtesy of OC Register; story cross-posted at The Liberal OC)

Oh my! Here’s some interesting news on the fight over affordable housing in Anaheim. The Register has a story on last night’s Anaheim City Council meeting, and of their latest decision to give Disney, Suncal, and the affordable housing advocates three weeks to work out a compromise.

Obviously, this leaves one HUGE question in my head. Can the two sides reach a compromise? Is there middle ground between affordable housing near Disneyland and giving Disney free reign to do as it pleases in the “resort district”?

Follow me after the flip for more…

Outside Anaheim City Hall, affordable housing activists staged a protest by pitching over 100 red-domed tents outside. They were doing this in an effort to  help people visualize the need for affordable housing for Orange County’s working poor. They used the tents to do a skit in which people were not allowed to pitch their red-domed tents in an area called “Disneyland”, and then they were forced away by “Disney Villains” from another area called “Nimby-land”. The people with the tents had nowhere to stop and put their tents down, just like how far too many working families in Orange County have nowhere to call home.

Inside city hall, an unusual sense of calm came upon council chambers. OK, so it was still kind of tense. However this time, the meeting went on fairly smoothly. And in the end, the Anaheim City Council voted 3-2 to give all sides in the dispute another 3 weeks to reach a compromise.

But how can a compromise be reached? Is there land available for affordable housing in other nearby areas? Is there an affordable housing proposal in Anaheim that Disney can support? Is there another proposal for the “resort district” that Suncal and the affordable housing advocates can support?

As we’ve discussed before, the working-class folks who make the entire “Anaheim Resort District” work are in dire need of homes that are within their reach and within their budget. However Disney just doesn’t want to see any housing within the “resort district”, as that may disturb their “third gate” plan for a possible third theme park and plenty of new timeshare properties to go with it. So can both sides agree to “third gate” AND affordable housing? Is there room for both in Anaheim?

I guess we’ll find out in these next three weeks.

(This story is a couple days old at this point, but worth everyone seeing. – promoted by jsw)

Representatives Ellen Tauscher (CA 10th) and Jerry McNerney (CA 11th (with some guy inbetween). From Tauscher’s website.

READ THE UPDATE ON THIS STORY HERE!

(NOTE: This post was originally written for my DailyKos diary. It received over 300 comments, a first for me after writing there for more than 3 years. I’ve added new information that came in from those many amazing comments so you can track how the story developed. I’ve also rearranged it from the original format so it will make more sense.)

Cross-Posted at DailyKos and Political Artwork.

Sometimes I think I am the only person in my district writing or phoning my Representative. I live in a very long skinny district, badly patched together, and a few years ago I got moved into former DLC Vice President Ellen Tauscher’s district. Previously I was in George Miller’s district and he’s much more liberal. But I’ve come to believe it’s a good thing for more liberals from the Western edge of San Francisco’s East Bay to be all up in Ms. Tauscher’s political face.

I thought I’d let her know I wanted some action on Gonzales. I’d been reading the Constitution regarding impeachment and it appeared to me (lay-person that I am) that Gonzales could be removed in this way and Bush would be unable to pardon him. Here’s what I was looking at:

* The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.

* Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.

Here’s where I figured we’d just push him out of office now and then charge him with crimes after Bush is no longer president (so he couldn’t pardon him.)

* The President…shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.

* The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

So I was assuming that Gonzales, being the Attorney General was a “civil officer” which would allow Congress to indeed impeach him and or cause him to resign under threat of impeachment.

Congresswoman Tauscher responded thusly:

Thank you for contacting me about Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. I have reviewed your comments and welcome this opportunity to share my views.

I have long been concerned about Attorney General Gonzales’ role in crafting the Bush Administration’s policies that deny prisoners captured in the War on Terror protections afforded to belligerents under the Geneva Convention, including the right to protection from torture. Recent allegations regarding his role in the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys for seemingly political purposes and an audit of FBI use of national security tools which revealed multiple breaches of FBI and Justice Department regulations are further cause for grave concern.

The Attorney General is the top law enforcement officer in the nation, and it is his responsibility to uphold the rule of law and respect for civil rights that are granted by the U.S. Constitution. As a member of the Armed Services Committee and the Human Rights Caucus, I am deeply concerned about abuse and violations of the rights of detainees in U.S. custody. These allegations have undermined our nation’s credibility and have raised concerns in the international community that the United States no longer holds human rights as a guiding principle in its military and foreign policy.

Furthermore, the politicalization of the Department of Justice through the firing of U.S. Attorneys thought to be unsympathetic to Administration priorities and slow and incomplete responses to Congress by the Justice Department regarding this matter display a flagrant disregard for the Constitutionally-mandated neutrality of the legal system. The condoning of the abuse of national security powers by the FBI is further evidence of this disturbing trend. Accountability must begin at the top, and I expect the President to uphold openness and honesty in his Administration. As investigations into these matters continue, I will work with my colleagues to ensure that those who acted unethically – or even illegally – are held responsible.

Good, good, I’m liking the sound of this…but then she says this:

The Attorney General serves at the pleasure of the president in a non-impeachable office. Unless convicted of an illegal act, the Attorney General cannot be removed from office without the president asking for or accepting his resignation. However, please be assured that I will keep your thoughts and concerns in mind as I review the circumstances surrounding recent allegations of impropriety within the Justice Department.

Sincerely,

Ellen O. Tauscher
Member of Congress

Whatdayaknow…it turns out SHE’S QUITE WRONG! After reading the information shared by DailyKos readers, and doing more research, I’m convinced that my Democratic Congresswoman doesn’t fully understand the very same Constitution she took an oath to uphold! So I wrote her again, and sent along with my letter, a big pile of PROOF that  not only is Mr. Gonzales impeachable, it’s her duty as my Representative to help remove him.

Here is what I wrote in my 2nd letter to her:

Dear Representative Tauscher,

I received the enclosed email from you (or one of your staffers) in response to my message about impeaching Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (also enclosed). I was quite startled to read your claim that Gonzales is “not impeachable”. According to the U.S. Constitution he is (please read enclosed documentation). I’m hoping that your staff simply got confused about this very serious situation and sent the wrong information to me, your constituent. A good read-through of the materials I’ve been studying myself will correct that error for my neighbors and others who write to you about this.

If you yourself responded to my letter then I respectfully request that you immediately study the enclosed documents regarding Congressional impeachment of “civil officers”. It seems very clear to me (and to the American Bar Association, and to Professor Frank Bowman, all enclosed) that Mr. Gonzales is indeed impeachable.

I therefore again request that you begin impeachment proceedings against this man. He’s either lying to Congress (a triple felony) or he’s incompetent. Either way Mr. Gonzales is endangering our democracy every day he stays in office.

Please act as my representative in this urgent matter.

Sincerely,

Emily Duffy

Here is the list of documents (PROOF) that I included with my letter:

1) A copy of the American Bar Association‘s “Impeachment: A Look at the Process. (Hat tip to DailyKos writer MLDB)

2) A copy of Professor Frank Bowman’s NYT Op-Ed piece “He’s Impeachable, You Know”. (Hat tip to DailyKos writer 8ackgr0und N015e)

3) A copy of the Constitution (because she obviously needs it).

4) A copy of my original letter requesting she start impeachment proceedings against Gonzales.

5) A copy of Tauscher’s response to my original letter.

And as advised by DailyKos writer mmacdDE, all pertinent excerpts are HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW!

I’ll report back if I hear back from Tauscher’s office. If I don’t hear back from her, she’ll hear back from me!

NOTE: Here’s the text of the email I originally sent Tauscher. Please feel free to borrow any or all of it to send to your own Rep.

  Dear Representative …,

I have been watching Senate hearings at which Attorney General Gonzales is testifying about many, MANY irregularities and conflicting statements on several issues of national security etc. This man is not fit to continue in his position. He either seems confused, can’t recall, or doesn’t know the answer to most questions posed by the bipartisan Senate Committee. He’s either lying about his involvement with various illegal activities, or he’s incompetent! Either way, he needs to be removed.

The Constitution says:

“The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. “

and,

The President…”shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.”

I understand that to mean, if Congress impeaches Attorney General (or any other Bush appointee, cabinet member, civil employee etc.) Bush cannot pardon them and they will be held accountable.

I respectfully request that you begin impeachment proceedings against the Attorney General immediately. That will begin the unveiling of crimes and corruption that this administration has committed, and continues to commit.

Thank You.

If you made it all the way to the end of this post, thank you for taking the time to read this strange tale. You might want to check and see if your own Congressperson knows that Alberto Gonzales is impeachable by writing to them HERE!

You can also sign John Edwards’ petition calling for Gonzales to resign HERE!

Today’s Blog Roundup is on the flip. Let me know what I missed.

To subscribe by email, click
here and do what comes naturally.

Today Is All About The
Voting Integrity

• The BRAD BLOG : Report from Public Hearing on Debra Bowen’s
  ‘Top-To-Bottom Review’ of Voting Systems
  http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4895
• The BRAD BLOG : California’s DRE Voting Systems Tested for
  Accessibility, Fail Fair Test
  http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4890
• The BRAD BLOG : Good Overviews of California’s
  ‘Top-to-Bottom
  Review’ of Voting Systems and the Pathetic Election Official/Vendor
  Talking Points in Response
  http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4897
• The BRAD BLOG : California’s Unreleased Top-To-Bottom
  Reports
  http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4898
• California Progress Report: Credible Evidence Shows
  Computer Based Voting Machines Have Security Flaws—Where Does
  This Take Us?
  http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2007/07/credible_eviden.html

Budgets are Moral
Documents

• The California Majority Report // Ackerman Has No Exit
  Strategy Except Preserving His Job
  http://www.camajorityreport.com/index.php?module=articles&func=display&ptid=9&aid=2129
• Working Californians: Missing Budget Squeezing Schools and
  Hospitals 
  http://workingcalifornians.com/blog/julia_rosen/2007/07/31/missing_budget_squeezing_schools_and_hospitals

Smörgåsbord

• terryfaceplace: Snap! Disappointment with Democrats
  http://terryfaceplace.blogspot.com/2007/07/snap.html
• Speak Out California!: California voters needed NOW to help
  raise fuel economy, curb global warming
  http://www.speakoutca.org/archives/2007/07/historic_vote_c.php
• The People’s Vanguard of Davis: Vanguard Packs Odd Fellows
  For Birthday Bash
  http://davisvanguard.blogspot.com/2007/07/vanguard-packs-odd-fellows-for-birthday.html
• California Progress Report: San Joaquin Valley Voters View
  Air as Serious Health Problem and Want Stronger Action Taken By State
  Government
  http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2007/07/san_joaquin_val.html
• Dump Doolittle: No contributions yet for John Doolittle’s
  legal defense fund
  http://solongjohn.blogspot.com/2007/07/no-contributions-yet-for-john.html
• D-Day: The Bermuda Triangle (CDP’s odd focus on Federal
  Republicans)
  http://d-day.blogspot.com/2007/07/bermuda-triangle.html
• The Liberal OC » A Gift of Public
  Funds… to Rich People with Boats
  http://www.theliberaloc.com/2007/07/31/a-gift-of-public-funds%e2%80%a6-to-rich-people-with-boats/
• California Policy Inbox »  Report
  Focuses on California’s Day Laborer Population
  http://inbox.berkeley.edu/?p=365

Lo que mas me frustra en esta batalla sobre el presupuesto es que los legisladores toman el bienestar del estado como si fuera un pleito entre niños por un  juguete. Yo sigo firme en que no quiero que los demócratas dejen a los republicanos que rebajen los fondos más que en el presupuesto aprobado por la asamblea. Lo que no me había dado cuenta es que nada mas un mes dentro del año nuevo, hay tantos por el estado que sufren porque no hay presupuesto.

Los primeros en sufrir por la falta de un presupuesto aprobado por las dos cámaras de la legislatura fueron los empleados del estado:

…los empleados, alrededor de 1,300, que trabajan para los legisladores, el gobernador del estado y los propios asambleístas y senadores cumplieron ayer un mes sin cobrar su salario.

La mayoría de ellos han estado viviendo de préstamos que les proporcionan los bancos en los que les depositan la nómina.

Los hospitales quienes dependen del estado porque tienen muchos pacientes en Medi-Cal sufren de:

“Un 40% de nuestros ingresos provienen de Medi-Cal y sin esos ingresos tendremos problemas para sobrevivir”, advirtió García, quien además dijo que en el estado hay 794 clínicas comunitarias de salud con licencia que atienden a tres millones de personas al año.

Y desafortunadamente los niños y las familias en quienes dependen de guarderías para sus hijos sufren:

“Mientras que los republicanos permanezcan firmes en no aprobar el presupuesto, el terreno alrededor de las familias con cuidado infantil, de los trabajadores de estos centros y los pequeños empleadores va a comenzar a desmoronarse”, enfatizó Donita Stromgren, directora de  ” Política de la Red de Recursos y Referencias de Cuidado Infantil de California.

Y al final de todo esto,  Ackerman, el dirigente de los senadores republicanos indico que si no siguen rebajando gastos y reducen el déficit, puede ser que no tengamos presupuesto hasta diciembre.

Yo, como dije antes, pienso que estos juegos que quieren jugar los republicanos son infantiles y me alegro ver que Steven Maviglio, vocero del presidente de la Asamblea, Fabián Núñez, dijo:

“El senador Ackerman necesita hacer el trabajo que el presidente de la Asamblea, los asambleístas demócratas, los asambleístas republicanos, los senadores demócratas y nuestro gobernador republicano han hecho, que es apoyar un presupuesto compasivo, balanceado y responsable”

Exactamente. Es tiempo de que actúen como adultos, porque si siguen así, son los legisladores que terminaran sin nada por medio del la iniciativa el año que entra sobre ampliar los periodos legislativos:

“Entre más tiempo tarden en aprobar el presupuesto, existe un mayor riesgo de que los votantes no aprueben la reforma electoral.”

Los republicanos tienen que darse cuenta de que aunque la meta de rebajar el déficit importante, dejar a los enfermos, niños y hasta nuestros empleados en la calle porque están más preocupados por su futuro político, es intolerable.