Baby Boomers About to Lose Medical Services! Sign the Letter to Congress

Dear [Decision maker],

Please make good on your promise to America's elderly by stopping Medicare pay cuts.

With over 3.2 million baby boomers becoming eligible for Medicare in three short years, and a government-predicted shortage of 85,000 doctors by 2020, doctor payment cuts will create an access-to-care crisis for America's seniors.

If Congress doesn't act soon, doctors will be forced to defer the purchase of new medical equipment and information technology; seniors will have a harder time finding medical and surgical specialists and will have to travel greater distances to see a doctor; and more Medicare patients will be forced go to expensive emergency rooms for routine care that could have been treated in a doctor's office.

[Your comment here]

I strongly urge you to stop Medicare pay cuts.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

* To the Top/Sign Petition

The Republicans have finally gotten something right

A brief history lesson..... Many years ago, about 218 years, the framers of the Constitution originally created rules that only allowed the very wealthy the right of suffrage. Only landed white men could vote in the very first elections in the United States of America. Within the Constitution, the electoral college was created to stop the citizens from electing someone who would do significant damage to the Republic. This safeguard appears to have failed.

We have always had expectations of what our national government should do with its resources. One of the most obvious of those goals is to protect our youngest citizens. Children should be a priority of this Administration. President Bush has made a point of talking about how I, as a teacher should be held accountable
in educating this nation's children. This program has been so disastrous that
21 states have requested waivers or changes to the law.The "Education
President",should be held accountable for the failure of this program.
It appears that a cornerstone for every successful nation, a well-educated population
is not being achieved by this current Administration. Unfortunately, this is
not the only area where George Bush's government is failing us.

As we approach the holiday season there are two things everyone thinks about: food and gifts. Anybody that wants to get us either of those is more than welcome to do so. Today, there are questions about our food supply. I'm not even going into the whole Chinese crawfish debate. This is more of a general issue with the safety of our food supply. There have been numerous food recalls. This is not just a fast-food burger problem. If we don't have a safe food supply then what is the Food and Drug Administration doing to keep us safe? This safeguard
appears to have failed. Unfortunately, this is not the only area where George Bush's government is failing us.

I could probably add a paragraph or two about border security, or maybe health care for veterans. Maybe there should be a mention of the disastrous housing market, or maybe the falling dollar. I could mention again the problems with oversight of toys, and the Consumer Product Safety Board. Here I go again ranting about how terrible things are. You, dear reader, (Thanks Mom), have heard my tirade before. The government is failing
us. President Bush is going to go down as one of the worst in history. I decided to look at this from a different perspective. I think I finally understand the rationale of the Administration.

The earliest Presidential election campaign that I truly remember was 1980, and even that one is a bit blurry. However from that campaign I remember the Republicans complaining that the federal government had
gotten too big. Whether it was a complaint that welfare for the poor cost too much money, or that we spent too much money helping other countries, or for any other programs, the federal government was spending too much money. The Republicans are making the same argument today, even as they preside over the largest
government in history. The Republicans have now chosen to prove that their hypothesis, big
government is bad, is correct.

Whether it is Katrina, or food safety, home ownership, or oversight of imported goods, the Republicans have shown the American public that they are right. We now have the largest government in American history, and it is very possibly the worst in the history of the world. I don't think anything in
politics is a coincidence. I think everything this Administration does is an attempt to create a Republican majority for years to come.

Is it possible that Karl Rove and President Bush knew that wealthier people are more likely to vote? Is it also possible that the more inefficient and unresponsive the federal government becomes the less politically active the middle and lower classes become? Could anyone believe that the questions surrounding the federal elections of 2000, and 2004 might dissuade people from voting? A large percentage of the American population does not vote anyway.  If they can convince just a few more people that the federal government
does not work to the benefit of most citizens then people might vote even less. The wealthy will vote
because they will  have the most access and the most intimate relationship with the government (and the most at
stake.) Rather than just saying that big government is bad.... Let's prove it.

Remind Congress that we are still here

Have you signed?

More than 2,300 Louisianians have participated in the "Louisiana Gives Thanks" campaign since Tuesday. It takes just a few minutes to sign a letter to let Congress, the President and the American people know that Louisiana is thankful for all they have done for us as we rebuild our great state.

Click here to participate and sign the letter.

What the Letter of Thanks will say:

Dear President Bush and Members of Congress:

We, the people of Louisiana and our many friends, want to express our gratitude to you this Thanksgiving for continuing to make the Gulf Coast's recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita a national priority. Through the initial investments you made in our recovery last year, the additional funds for housing, coastal restoration and hurricane protection recently appropriated by Congress, and the Administration's pledge to support funding to bring our federal levee systems up to a level to protect against a 100-year storm, you have shown compassion and generosity for the people of Louisiana, and we are profoundly grateful.

Thanks to you, tens of thousands of homes and affordable rental units are being rebuilt. Thanks to you, children are returning to better schools, and our small businesses are recovering. Thanks to you, hundreds of miles of wetlands, levees and flood walls are being repaired and restored. And thanks to you, hope and optimism are returning to Louisiana.

While the past two years have been full of challenges, the progress we've made would not have been possible without the support of the American people and our representatives in Congress and the White House. We thank you for all that you have done and all that you continue to do, as your ongoing support is critical to the future of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast and all of our residents.

Because of your partnership, we know we have not been forgotten.

Because of your ongoing commitment, we are rebuilding our lives and our homes and making our communities safer, stronger and smarter than before.

With sincere gratitude,

Click here to sign your name.

From Daily Kingfish

Senator Landrieu Secures $3 Billion For Road Home

by: ryan

Wed Nov 07, 2007 at 09:57:50 AM CST

Yesterday, Senator Mary Landrieu, (D-LA), announced that in working with congressional negotiators on a pending defense bill, she was able to secure $3,000,000,000 to help cover the Road Home shortfall. The money has been attached to The Fiscal Year 2008 Defense Appropriations Conference Report. Earlier this year, both the House and Senate passed defense appropriations bills, but with different funding levels. When that happens, there is a conference between members of the House and the Senate to iron out the differences and come up with a compromise. The bill is now pending floor action in both chambers. The text of the press release she sent out is posted in its entirety below.

As many of you know, Road Home has been plagued by a funding shortfall, thanks to the Bush Administration's refusal to cover wind damage from both Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, despite initial approval from HUD. It also didn't help that GOP leaders in the Congress capped Louisiana's share of recovery money at 54% in 2005 and 2006, despite the fact that Louisiana suffered 70% of the damage!

We should also express our gratitude to Senators Byrd (D-WV) and Murray (D-WA) for working with Senator Landrieu to secure the $3 billion. Here are the phone numbers to call and thank them:

Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) (202) 224-3954
Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) (202) 224-2621

And as always, thank the good Senator from Louisiana: Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) (202) 224-5824

Bobby Appleseed?

From: http://www.bobstree.com/acorns.asp

Acorns of Hope

"The live oaks lost during Rita were the heart and soul of Louisiana's western, coastal plain. When that hurricane hit it stuck a dagger in both." Ed Macie USDA Forest Service & Tour des Trees Rider"

ACORNS of HOPE is a tree planting/education initiative dedicated to replacing trees destroyed in the devastation of Hurricane Rita.
Led by Cajun arborist Bob Thibodeaux, an array of tree advocates including elected officials, 4-H'ers, community volunteers and cycling arborists from the Tour des Trees (www.tourdestrees.org) plan to plant 2,000 "Orange Island" live oaks during a 250-mile bicycle ride beginning the morning of Saturday, November 17th, 2007, at Calcasieu Parish's Ward 3 Rec Complex and ending four days later, Tuesday the 20th, at Grand Bois Park at dusk. ACORNS of HOPE will be stopping to help restore ecosystems in the following cities during the tour: Holmwood, Grand Chenier, Abbeville, New Iberia and Houma.
If you're interested in learning more about ACORNS of HOPE or want to join our growing list of partners please contact Bob at 337-684-8733 or email him at bob@bobstree.com.