WSJ Spicuzza - Tweets Harsdorf Signatures tom. - no details

I guess the scoop is coming .... ?  Not everybody tweets or follows WSJ!

Fixing Medicare: Obama Vs. Ryan (Who is he?) 4/18/11

Clicking on the title will take you an earlier blog posting about Rep. Paul Ryan!

Pulled Up From Below:

So let me add a caveat about projections like this ... they are practically worthless!  An interesting exercise but the numbers in 2032 will not be even be close under either of Ryan or Obama plans!

Ryan's plan appeals to the "market place" to do the allocation ... if you can afford it you can have it!  The market place approach will have huge transactional costs to be borne by the consumer - these costs can be money or personal time trying to make a choice.  This is what Walker wants in Wisconsin.


This piece is worth evaluating carefully -
Fixing Medicare: Obama Vs. Ryan - Planet Money 4/13/2011

It starts with a graphic.  The dashed line on the graphic shows the expected revenues (government) out to what looks like 2032.  Stacked on top of one another from top to bottom is first Social Security, then combined Health (Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP and Exchange Studies), then comes Other Noninterest Spending (which I assume includes Military).  Then on a solid line above the dashed  Revenue line is the label Total Primary Spending.

The Revenue line being below the Total Primary Spending line implies deficits.  The first thing to notice is the combined colored area (Health) keeps getting wider as time goes by and the other areas between their respective boundaries remain the same width.  Can you put your finger on the problem?

From the article ...

In the long run, growth in the federal deficit is all about health care — particularly Medicare, which accounts for the biggest chunk of government health spending.

President Obama and Rep. Paul Ryan, the Republican chair of the House budget committee, both recognize this.  Both want to slow the rise in Medicare costs. But they want to do it in very different ways.

The whole thrust of this article is to illustrate the difference of approaches of Paul Ryan and the Obama Administration.  The way I interpret Ryan's plan is he makes the lines stop diverging, i.e., no growth in expenditures will be allowed.  Obama has to find a way to do this too!

Under the Ryan plan, according to the CBO's estimates, the government would pay less for Medicare, and individual seniors would pay more.

Under Obama's plan, the government, rather than individual seniors, would still be on the hook if health costs keep rising so quickly.

So let me add a caveat about projections like this ... they are practically worthless!  An interesting exercise but the numbers in 2032 will not be even be close under either of Ryan or Obama plans!

Ryan's plan appeals to the "market place" to do the allocation ... if you can afford it you can have it!  The market place will have huge transactional costs to be borne by the consumer - these costs can be money or personal time trying to make a choice.

The Obama approach -

But the Obama plan aims to make it easier for the federal government to slow the rise in Medicare costs.

If costs kept skyrocketing, a special panel would come up with ways to "reduce the rate of growth ... while not harming beneficiaries' access to needed services." Congress would then have to accept the panel's recommendation or make other changes that achieve comparable savings.

What seems to be lacking in any of these discussions is what or how might the tax system be modified to moderate the assumed growth of health costs, or other more direct intervention to make the market place perform in a way we might like.  We use the marketplace to regulate things like airline routes, telephone service, radio and television - at least in ways different from today.  After all we have been deregulating for the last 40 years and where are we now.   Regulation no doubt has some rigor mortis problems but my right to live or die ... how should that be decided ... my genetics and my bank account, or the lottery.  The lottery  ... the more you spend on tickets the more likely you get health care - but you still have to win!
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More links for thought ...
Ezra Klein - WashPost 2010 - America spends way, way, way more on health care

Compares health care expenditures among nations.  The NatGeo graphic source is in the next link and is much more readable - it needs to be seen full size.

Graphic - The Cost of Care Posted Dec 18,2009 - National Geographic

Graphically depicts health care expenditures vs life expectancy among nations.  You need to see it large.

More thoughts - do any of the countries depicted have a Paul Ryan Health Care System?  Except for Mexico and the United States they all seem to have Universal Health Care.  We spend roughly $2900/yr more to die two (2) years younger than the Swiss.  As I recall the Swiss use private insurance but manage (regulate it) very uniquely?

That thought led to this link -
Healthcare in Switzerland - Wikipedia

WI 1848 Forward:Fixing #Medicare: #Obama Vs. #Ryan (Who is he?) 4/18/11: 47% 99% #AARP #ows #dems #Baldwin vs #elites

WI 1848 Forward: Fixing #Healthcare #Medicare: #Obama vs (Shift Burden to You) #Walker #Ryan  4/18/11: 47% #AARP

Juneau - Does Sen. Scott Fitzgerald really listen?

Why is this article useful.  It names real people, and where they are from, and quotes what they had to say, i.e., it let's you make up your own mind.  It has to be difficult to capture and include this much detail but as a reader I appreciate it.  The writer also provides an introductory context to other meetings, locations and what were the main topics!

Fitzgerald listening session brings crowd by Diane Graff - Watertown Daily Times

JUNEAU — Educators, prison guards, state and county employees voiced their objections to state senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, about a budget repair bill that would strip public union employees of their collective bargaining rights and make cuts to education.

Between 200 and 250 people attended a listening session in Juneau Thursday at the county’s administration building. The session started at 5 p.m. and concluded about four hours later after 42 people addressed the Senate majority leader.

Last week, Fitzgerald held a session in Lake Mills at which 400 people attended with 63 people addressing the legislator. In Oconomowoc on Tuesday, about 100 people attended with 22 speakers. ...

... [from the end]
Chris Aufderhaar of Watertown, a small business owner, said she was one of the silent majority in favor of the bill. She said because of economic times, her business has decreased 30 percent, yet her health insurance costs have doubled. Those in the public sector have been insulated from the rising costs of health care, she said.

Jeff Berres of the town of Shields, who also serves on the Dodge County Board of Supervisors, is also a small business owner. “We have to think of the people on the other side,” he told the senator.

Scott Fitzgerald was also criticized for not returning telephone messages or emails. One woman asked, “Are you ignoring those who do not agree with you?”

Scott Fitzgerald apologized, saying in the past month he has received 3,100 emails which has bottle-necked the system.

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By my interpretation almost no one was as supportive as two of the last three speakers.  I would like to take a moment and editorialize about the health care comments by Chris but !

The next election or a recall will be the verdict on voter complacency and whether Sen. Fitzgerald listens!

WI 1848 Forward: #Juneau - Does Sen. Scott #Fitzgerald really listen?

Walker's Wars - who needs local democracy!

Hmmm! Time to call the Ghostbusters I guess?

Forbes - Rick Unger - Gov. Scott Walker Reportedly Planning Financial Martial Law In Wisconsin -Trial Balloon or Real?

#Walker 's #Wars - who needs local democracy! WI 1848 Forward  #Forbes - Rick #Unger - Gov. Scott Walker Reportedly Planning Financial Martial Law In Wisconsin -Trial Balloon or Real?

Obama's recovery working 4 u - Walker rides coattails

Click on Title to see another perspective ... but we have to make it local to get you to read ... I guess!  Glad that we are picking up jobs ... but!

From Mike Ivey's article -

If you think Gov. Scott Walker is the devil incarnate, read no further.

But Wisconsin is on pace to reach the governor's goal of 250,000 more jobs in the state over the next four years -- not that Walker is doing some magic tricks. The gains are most likely the result of the economic recovery that began in 2010.

Or look at this link -

250,000: When an employment promise is NOT a promise!

Last night Governor Walker again repeated his promise to create 250,000 jobs during his Budget Introduction to the Legislature!  How can I say it briefly ... it will happen but not because of his policies.  How many jobs is he going to destroy first? ... after his budget introduction - 3/2 original letter 12/22/2010

4/24/11 Teachers Retiring ... gather a statewide perspective

More Casualties of Walker's War on Education!

Will try to keep collecting and expand the perspective as times goes by!

 4/24 WSJ Teachers retiring at high rate, many because of collective bargaining changes
From Source -

As of the April 15 deadline, 138 Madison teachers have decided to retire, Superintendent Dan Nerad said. That's a 62 percent increase over the average number of retirements over the previous five years.

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4/18

Fox11 WLUK TV 3/3/2011 ... Green Bay Area?
Some advertising and some things you might like to hear and some things you might not like to hear ... but there is more to the story if you think critically ... community impacts and "real" fiscal analysis is missing!

140 teacher retirement requests approved: fox11online.com

Some other coverage -

High teacher retirement numbers La Crosse WKBT 4/15

Teacher retirement on rise Green Bay WFRV and other communities 3/2

From above link ... the screen shot is telliing!

WI 1848 Forward: 4/24/11 #Teachers Retiring ... gather a statewide perspective #GreenBay too! 

Hint - Walker - Casablanca - at 27 sec (pause) look in lower right hand corner as this plays!

4/22: Answer: Assuming you looked at the clip ... It's the chairs ... there were originally two styles on the MU Terrace ... this looks like the springy ones ... as they got old they used to poke you!  Guess that's why they don't provide them anymore - they were otherwise a lot more comfortable!


"Who are you and what were you before?"  ---- This line from the clip / movie was meant to make you reflect on how on earth (day) did we get Walker - he must have been "what"?

Too subtle?
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I noticed this several years ago ... did you catch it!  The moral of the story is to deal with Walker you have to think far ahead about what he is likely to do - crisis is his specialty - pay attention to details - everyone ... or you will find yourself ... literally out in the cold!  He has put a group in charge that has been planning for decades - ALEC, Heritage Foundation, Koch Brothers about how to do critical damage to government functioning as we know it - education, health care, environment, family farms are just not a priority!

Click on Title and watch the trailer!

If you spend any time at Union South or Football games or Memorial Union ... did you catch it!

New Union South - A few pictures 4/15 - Opening Day 

Don't miss the plane or do?!

Forbes - Rick Unger - Gov. Scott Walker Reportedly Planning Financial Martial Law In Wisconsin -Trial Balloon or Real?

Did you see any of these?

WI 1848 Forward: Hint - #Walker - #Casablanca - at 27 sec (pause) look in lower right hand corner as this plays! #ALEC #HeritageFoundation