Monday, August 17, 2009

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President Obama's NYT Op-Ed: "Why We Need Health Care Reform" Top
OUR nation is now engaged in a great debate about the future of health care in America. And over the past few weeks, much of the media attention has been focused on the loudest voices. What we haven't heard are the voices of the millions upon millions of Americans who quietly struggle every day with a system that often works better for the health-insurance companies than it does for them. These are people like Lori Hitchcock, whom I met in New Hampshire last week. Lori is currently self-employed and trying to start a business, but because she has hepatitis C, she cannot find an insurance company that will cover her. Another woman testified that an insurance company would not cover illnesses related to her internal organs because of an accident she had when she was 5 years old. A man lost his health coverage in the middle of chemotherapy because the insurance company discovered that he had gallstones, which he hadn't known about when he applied for his policy. Because his treatment was delayed, he died. More on Barack Obama
 
Arianna Huffington: Sunday Roundup Top
This week, the health care debate journeyed through the looking glass. Sen. Charles Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance committee, embraced the death panel myth, telling a crowd in his home state that they were correct to be worried about the government deciding to "pull the plug on grandma." Noted medical expert Chuck Norris also weighed in , sounding the alarm about "government agents coming into your home and telling you how to parent your children" and encouraging abortions. And Investors Business Daily claimed that physically disabled scientist Stephen Hawking would have had his life cut short by the government-run British health care system if he lived in England. Which, in fact, he does. And always has. Who needs details when there are town hall discussions to disrupt -- or bring a gun to? More on Health Care
 
Facebook Buys Rights To "Nearly Everything You Do Online" For $47.5 Million Top
Facebook just bought the rights to nearly everything you do online. And it cost them only $47.5 million. Facebook's purchase of FriendFeed, an obscure social-media platform, is potentially momentous. To understand why, we must understand FriendFeed, a start-up that is ubiquitous among techies and unknown to everybody else. It's a sleek application that acts as a clearinghouse for all of your social-media activities. Post something to Flickr? That will show up on your FriendFeed page. Digg something? FriendFeed will know. Post to Twitter from your phone? FriendFeed will syndicate your tweets. Once you initially tell it where to look, it will collect everything and tell it to the world. More on Twitter
 
Chicago Shuts Down City Government On Monday To Save Money Top
If you planned to check out a library book, visit a city clinic or have your garbage picked up on Monday, you're out of luck. The City of Chicago will basically be closed for business on Aug. 17, a reduced-service day in which most city employees are off without pay, according to a release from the Office of Budget and Management. City Hall, public libraries, health clinics and most city offices will be closed.
 
Michael Vick Makes First Appearance At Eagles Practice After Two-Year Layoff Top
PHILADELPHIA -- Michael Vick flicked his wrist and fired tight spirals deep downfield. A two-year layoff sure didn't hurt Vick's arm strength. He showed off his skills Saturday in his first NFL practice with the Philadelphia Eagles since completing his prison sentence. "He throws the ball as hard as anybody I've ever seen," said wide receiver Danny Amendola, a second-year pro who spent last season on the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad. Wearing a No. 7 red quarterback's jersey, Vick took part in limited drills with the offense. He worked in one-on-ones, seven-on-sevens and red zone offense. Vick mostly observed Donovan McNabb during the two-hour session. When he got a chance on the field, the 29-year-old quarterback made the most of it. He had plenty of zip behind his throws and completed a few deep balls, including one to rookie wideout Jeremy Maclin down the sideline. Vick put in extra time after practice, working on footwork and mechanics with offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. He was the last player to leave the field, jogging off with his helmet still on. Asked how he felt, Vick replied: "Great." Vick didn't speak to the large contingent of reporters around his mostly empty locker. As he finished taking off his ankle braces, Vick drew a chuckle when he said: "This is weird." Vick was the fourth quarterback to line up under center in the early portion of the practice. Vick took only one snap and completed his first pass over the middle against no defense. He playfully pumped his fist before McNabb, who lobbied the Eagles to sign Vick, and gave him a hug. In the morning walkthrough, Vick worked with the scout team offense. "We have to get him in football shape," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. Reid said Vick was fit enough to handle an NFL practice and the team would bring him along accordingly. Vick practiced only at quarterback in the morning session, Reid said. "That's what Michael is," he said. "Michael's a quarterback." A three-time Pro Bowl pick during six seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, Vick served 18 months in federal prison for running a dogfighting ring and was reinstated last month by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being out of action since 2006. He signed a one-year deal with the Eagles on Thursday for $1.6 million with a team option for a second year at $5.2 million. With McNabb entrenched as the starter and Kevin Kolb backing him up, Vick may be used more as a gimmick player than a traditional quarterback. He's got the athletic skills to run the Wildcat formation. "There's always the possibility you can do something," Reid said. Vick always has been far more inclined to take off and run than stay in the pocket and find an open receiver. His career completion percentage is 53.8 percent, among the lowest for a starting NFL quarterback. He has 71 career touchdown passes, but 52 interceptions. Vick has more career 100-yard rushing games (8) than 250-yard passing games (6). Aiding his return to the NFL is the fact he'll be learning an Eagles' West Coast offense similar to what he ran in Atlanta. "He's very fortunate he knows the foundation of this offense. That will speed things up," Reid said. McNabb, a five-time Pro Bowl pick, has led the Eagles to five NFC championship games and one Super Bowl appearance in the last eight years. Vick said his friendship with McNabb and the team's strong management and tradition influenced his decision to choose the Eagles over other teams. "I thought this was the perfect situation, perfect scenario," Vick said Friday at his introductory news conference. "I can come in and I can learn from Donovan, one of the premier quarterbacks in the game, one of the best at it. Everything that he's learned and the way he's been polished just comes from coach Reid. I want to get with those two and do as much as I can to become a complete quarterback and I have time to do it." The Eagles were heavily criticized by animal rights' activists for signing Vick and dozens of protesters voiced their outrage outside the team's practice facility Friday. There was not much of a scene Saturday afternoon: Seven people stood outside the gates, four of them anti-Vick. Any furor over Vick's signing has not stopped the NFL marketing machine. Vick's new Eagles' jersey -- available in white, black or midnight green -- was available on the league's Web site for $259.99.
 
Hudson River Plane Crash: Controller Bantered About Dead Cat Before Crash, Neglected Duties Top
WASHINGTON -- The air traffic controller handling the small plane involved in a deadly crash with a helicopter over the Hudson River was chatting on the telephone about a dead cat at the airport and initially failed to warn the pilot of other aircraft in his path, officials say. The controller tried unsuccessfully to contact the pilot before the accident, officials said Friday, but the plane collided with a tour helicopter over the Hudson River, killing nine people. The controller handling the plane and his supervisor at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey at the time of the accident a week ago have been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration. The National Transportation Safety Board said in a report that the controller, who has not been identified, cleared the single-engine Piper for takeoff at 11:48 and 30 seconds a.m. EDT, then made a telephone call. He remained on the phone, including while further instructing the plane's pilot, until the accident happened. The phone call, to an airport contractor, was a "silly conversation" concerning a dead cat that had been removed from the airport, a retired union official said, in an account supported by transportation officials also familiar with the contents of the call. After takeoff, the plane flew southbound until the controller directed it to turn left toward the river, the report said. At 11:52 and 20 seconds, the controller instructed the plane to contact air traffic control at nearby Newark Liberty International Airport, which is part of the procedure for handing off oversight of the small plane. The pilot apparently did not contact Newark, the report said. Radar data show there were several aircraft immediately ahead of the plane, including the tour helicopter, "all of which were potential traffic conflicts for the airplane," but the Teterboro controller didn't warn the pilot, the report said. It wasn't until controllers at the Newark airport alerted the Teterboro controller to the potential collision that he twice tried unsuccessfully to contact the pilot, the report said. The collision occurred at 11:53 and 14 seconds. At the time the Newark controllers were alerting the Teterboro controller to the danger, they also recommended the plane turn southwest. About the same time the plane's pilot acknowledged the Teterboro controller's instruction to change radio frequency in order to contact Newark, the report said. Video of the crash taken by a tourist sightseeing near the Statute of Liberty show the Piper changing direction seconds before its wing was clipped by the helicopter's rotors. The plane then broke apart in the air and both aircraft plunged into the Hudson. Union officials representing air traffic controllers said the Teterboro controller couldn't have warned the Piper pilot of the helicopter in its path at the time the plane was directed toward the river. They said the helicopter was just taking off and hadn't appeared on the radar screen yet. "He was out of communication with the guy by the time the helicopter ever popped up on anybody's radar scope," said Phil Barbarello, National Air Traffic Controllers Association eastern region vice president. The FAA has said there is no reason to believe the controller's actions contributed to the accident. However, the agency said the phone conversation was inappropriate and such conduct is unacceptable. The safety board, in a pointed statement, said it was too early to reach any conclusions about controllers in the crash. The supervisor's conduct also is being investigated because he was out of the building at the time. Controllers, including supervisors, are expected to be available throughout their work shift in case they are needed, even if they are taking a break. The NTSB report said two other Teterboro controllers were taking a break at the time of the accident. The only controllers on duty were the controller who was talking on the phone and another controller who was handling arriving planes and ground traffic. The phone call, made on a landline that controllers use to contact other parts of the airport, was to an employee of Baltimore-based AvPORTS, a contractor for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which manages the airport, according to port authority officials. "He was talking to the Port Authority about a dead cat on the taxiway ... it turned into a silly conversation," said Barrett Byrnes, a recently retired air traffic controller and former National Air Traffic Controllers Association representative who stays in touch with New York and New Jersey controllers. "There was a little banter." Three officials close to the investigation verified that the banter was about a cat carcass on the airport grounds. A federal task force began work Friday on improving safety procedures for pilots flying in the busy airspace around New York City and was given 10 days to report, the FAA said.
 
Rahm Emanuel "Most Influential White House Chief Of Staff In A Generation"? Top
Seven months after moving into his office in the West Wing, Mr. Emanuel is emerging as perhaps the most influential White House chief of staff in a generation. But with his prominence in almost everything important going on in Washington comes a high degree of risk. More on Obama's Cabinet
 
G.I. Jane Breaks The Combat Barrier: Number Of High-Ranking Military Women Rising Considerably Top
Before 2001, America's military women had rarely seen ground combat. Their jobs kept them mostly away from enemy lines, as military policy dictates. But the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, often fought in marketplaces and alleyways, have changed that. In both countries, women have repeatedly proved their mettle in combat. The number of high-ranking women and women who command all-male units has climbed considerably along with their status in the military.
 
Doug Wilson: Remembering Ken Bacon Top
I've just learned that Ken Bacon has lost his battle with cancer. Most will remember Ken as the affable, erudite, bow-tied Pentagon spokesman during the Clinton Administraiton. His former press colleagues at the Wall Street Journal will remember him as one of the best reporters in the business. Those who worked with him at Refugees International will remember him as a man who decided to forego more of the same in politics and journalsm and turn his life towards making a difference, which he certainly did. I worked for Ken Bacon at the Pentagon as his deputy, and I will remember him as one of the finest men I ever met and the best boss I ever had. Working with the press in any government department is a crazy business, but at the Pentagon, you also have a very large bureaucracy, issues of life and death and war and peace, and a staff consisting of some of the finest men and women, civilian and military, you could ever hope to meet. Every one of us respected and loved Ken Bacon. He wasn't just unflappable -- he was funny, humane and smart to boot. He took the most complicated and emotionally-charged issues and made sure that what he told the world about them was honest, direct and factual. Every summer, he and his wonderful wife Darcy would return from their New England vacations with blueberries in every conceivable form -- fresh berries, pies, muffins -- which meant that every post-Labor Day start for all of the staff was a great start. Above all, he loved and respected America's men and women in uniform, particularly the younger folks for whom he went out of his way to mentor and recommend for future jobs. I will most remember Ken for the dignity and leadership he showed during the hell our office went through as the Monica Lewinsky-Linda Tripp scandal unfolded. A crisis and scandal not of our making and unbeknownst to us until it was trumpted across the press and around the world, Ken Bacon helped the rest of us through days and months of mud-splattering and witch hunts which affected all of us, military and civilian, in the Pentagon press office. During this summer of untimely deaths, this is the one that hits me the hardest and hurts my heart the most. All who knew Ken Bacon will feel the same.
 
College Student Challenges Obama To An "Oxford Style" Debate On Health Care At Colorado Town Hall (VIDEO) Top
At President Obama's Colorado health care town hall Saturday evening, a questioner challenged him to an "Oxford style" debate. "I'm going to call on this gentleman," Obama announced "because he's been waving, and he shouted at me a couple of times. I just want proof here that I'm happy to get a good debate going." Political science student Zach Lahn responded, to laughter, "My question is this -- and also, I'd love to have a debate just all out, any time, Oxford style if you'd like. I understand... I'm willing to do that -- but my question is this..." Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News , World News , and News about the Economy More on Health Care
 
Marcia G. Yerman: A Week Away without Chris Matthews Top
Last week I was in Vermont on Lake St. Catherine, a beautiful area where I attended summer camp for six years. I had made the reservations in February, although I had been worried about being away from my father for seven days. I took the leap of faith and made the plans. He died in April. I'm not sure what I was looking for when I picked this spot. I know, as Thomas Wolfe has written, "you can't go home again." Maybe I was trying to reconnect with a time when everything seemed safer and simpler; when I could be around tall white birch trees and a lake that looked like glass in the early morning hours. The daddy long legs spiders no longer frightened me; I remembered the furry caterpillars with fondness. I brought my laptop, as the thought of hundreds of e-mails waiting for me when I returned was daunting. There was no cell phone service without a twenty-minute drive. The adrenaline rush that always hits me when I get an electronic missive, asking for an immediate answer or action, was dissipated by that fact that there was not much that I could do. Each response included, "I am on a lake with limited access..." There were enough hyperlinks from correspondence and listservs to keep me on the periphery of the stressful world I had vowed to put aside for a week. I saw Keith Olbermann's special comment railing at those working to sabotage health care reform, and the article in the New York Times about the rape of men in the Congo. But I had promised my son to keep off the e-mails when he was around, so I settled into a finite block of time to stay connected to what we had purposely left behind. We tried our hands at rowing, canoeing, and kayaking. All my small craft training came back in a flash. We played tetherball, volleyball, and badminton. We struggled to get the dog to swim (Who said the doggie paddle is second nature for canines?). After two strokes she flipped on her back, thrashed in panic, and sank. It was the first vacation I had taken since my honeymoon, when my son was conceived. In those sixteen years, there has been a lot of growth and change - most of it not easy. His dad and I have separated, but we were able to come together as a family and enjoy each other's company. We worked out a routine. While they trolled the environs for the best place to fish, I stayed at the lake with our city dog; she couldn't stop eating the fragrant grass. I worked on my manuscript, made headway into two books, and polished off three months of unread magazines I had dragged with me. We bartered fishing time for shopping time. The boys trailed along to outlet stores and antique shops. I, in turn, sat in the car with the dog - scribbling down thoughts while they checked out streams best suited to throwing a line. The air was cold and crisp in the morning and became that way again at night, just as I remembered it. The moon was full and reflected on the lake. I had no complaints, except for my sunburn and mosquito bites. We went to Manchester, where I had been twenty-three years earlier with my parents. At that time, I was trying to break up with a boyfriend, Iran-Contra was on television, and a neighbor's brother had just died of AIDS. When we visited my camp, the social hall and some bunks were still standing. Now, nothing was left except a lane that bore the name of the camp. The land had been divided up between individual buyers and the state park. Driving around, it seemed that every Vermont town had a white clapboard church and a monument. There were physical remembrances of people, actions, and veterans ...pointing to the state's historical past. A bronze plaque recounted that Vermont was the first territory to abolish slavery. A statue of a Union soldier erected by Eugene McIntyre stated, "In memory of my comrades of the Civil War 1861 - 1865." Pearl Buck, who made Danby home for the last years of her life, was acknowledged as a "Mother, wife, writer, humanitarian, and civil rights activist" on a simple sign hanging near a burbling brook. Like life, nothing is perfect. The lake had notifications about being treated with an aquatic herbicide to fight off an infestation of invasive watermilfoil. (I had wondered what had happened to the sandy bottom.) We spoke to a police officer, who gave us directions, about politics. He told us about the foreclosures in his closely-knit community. He had voted for McCain, but wished Obama well in moving the country forward. When I complimented people on their amazing Senators, some agreed effusively while others shrugged. A state with numerous colleges, the people we met ranged from young students with multiple piercings to a man attired in NRA duds from his hat to his shirt to his pickup truck. It bore a bumper sticker declaring the Second Amendment as the "best form of homeland security." We met two "homeless" men within the space of an hour. One had the exact look of the wraiths that ride the New York City subway, disoriented and disheveled. The only difference was he spoke to us about the weather. The second was pushing bottles in a shopping cart. He engaged me in a conversation about a recent robbery in town, mentioning something about a chain saw used in the break-in. "They're gonna catch them," he told me. I nodded in agreement. He was a dead ringer for Billy Bob Thornton in "Sling Blade." Upon our return to the city, as the air changed, so did my mood. There were no more silos or grazing animals to look at. Cell phone service returned, as did calls we were not yet ready to answer. Sunday, while I sorted laundry and potted the Canadian plants that I had bought at a nursery between Pawlett and Manchester, I watched my usual round of the Sunday morning talk shows. Maybe it was too much too soon. I listened to the conversation about contentious demonstrations at health care town halls, but I was not prepared for what I saw on the next day's news. When I turned on "Hardball" on Monday night, it seemed like I had never left. Chris Matthews was still talking about "the Birthers." On Tuesday he interviewed the man who had attended the Obama event in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with a gun strapped to his leg. The irate citizen who had been ejected from Sen. Arlen Specter's gathering was "interviewed" on MSNBC on Wednesday morning. The news cycle took on the air of a Fellini movie, American style. I spent a week away without Chris Matthews. When I came back, everything was the same. Except me. (c) Marcia G. Yerman 2009 Technorati Profile More on Health Care
 
Health Care Ad Wars: More Than $57 Million Spent In Last 6 Months Top
By the time President Obama left Montana on Saturday, the Bozeman media market had been saturated with an advertisement opposing his health care plan -- hard for anyone to miss since it ran 115 times in 36 hours on network and cable television channels. "Say no to government-run health care," a narrator says in the advertisement by a conservative group that particularly went after the idea of a government insurance option. More on Health Care
 
Brad Pitt: Religion Doesn't Make Sense To Me, Gay Marriage Does Top
Sporting a long gray beard, Brad Pitt visited Bill Maher Friday night to reaffirm the pro-gay, anti-religion, pro-marijuana agenda he recently laid out in Parade magazine . "What is it about religion you don't like?" Maher asked. "You know, I grew up in a religious family, in a religious community and it just doesn't make sense to me. It just doesn't work for me in the long run," Pitt said. "I never wanted to stop anyone else's religion and their beliefs until I started seeing it defining policy.... Like gay marriage. You have a group of people telling other people how to live their lives, and you can't do that. In fact, I'm talking like there are actually Christians watching your show..." "No, there are," Maher said. "You'd be surprised." Pitt went on the say, "Well, to the three that are watching, I just say you have to, you really have to check what country you're living in because the freedom that allows you to practice religion is the same freedom you're stepping on. That's not right. And I want to add... if there was a nation of gay married couples that were telling you you couldn't practice your religion, I'd be speaking up for you, too... So, let's stop the nonsense." He also discussed his joint-rolling skills. "I'm an artist," he said. When asked why he gave it up, he said, "I'm a dad now. You want to be alert." WATCH: Get HuffPost Entertainment On Facebook and Twitter! More on Gay Marriage
 
Retailers See Back-To-School Sales Slowing Top
Halfway through the back-to-school shopping season, retail professionals are predicting the worst performance for stores in more than a decade, yet another sign that consumers are clinging to every dollar. Fears about the job market have resulted in sluggish customer traffic over the last few weeks, spurring the gloomy sales projections. Parents who do shop are aggressively trading down, informing status-conscious teenagers that notebooks from the dollar store or shirts from Costco will have to do this year. More on The Recession
 
Sophie Pollitt-Cohen: Study Shows Women Eat Less Around Men Top
For a complete list of things that don't change, google "the past" and "still photographs of anything anywhere." Women order smaller and less calorific meals if eating with a man than if dining with female friends," according to a group of people the Daily Mail calls "Scientists." Women responded: "Obviously. What? No, I'm not crying. Get out of my office!" If having this insight qualifies you as a scientist, apparently any human being can be one, and I would like to be an astronaut please. Then I could wear a diaper and hang out with monkeys, who also wear diapers. Furthermore, what real scientist would use the word "calorific" in this context? I'm pretty sure they mean "caloric" (containing calories.) Calorific means heat causing, although I would permit its use in a marketing campaign for a delicious cereal made of lard and topped with sprinkles. According to the "scientists" who "conducted" this "study," men continue to eat as much as they want with no social consequences. They do not consume less (or even with basic table manners) if they are around women, and the Times even reported that guts are a growing trend in Brooklyn. Scientist Judd Apetow made a documentary a few years ago demonstrating how one of these hipsters managed to have sex with Katherine Heigl. I actually know more than one man, and they want women to eat. And after years of reading Glamour Magazine and Men's Health, I have concluded that nothing is less attractive to a man than a woman with all kinds of issues, especially if those issues get in the way of loving life and fun. Men are mainly just happy you showed up. They want women to be whimsical and carefree and hang with the guys and drink beer and eat pizza. But also, don't get fat. This reminds me of how I want to be an astronaut but not go into space. If I were to go into space, however, the good thing is that no "study" has yet shown the effects of monkeys on how much women eat. Now I'm out to snort some Splenda and practice not eating.
 
President Obama Holds A Town Hall Meeting On Health Care Reform In Colorado (VIDEO) Top
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama headed to Grand Junction, Colo., Saturday in his drive to overhaul the health care system. There, he held his second town hall-style meeting on health care in as many days. In a Montana airport hangar Friday, Obama faced a largely friendly crowd but also took a pointed question about his plans to pay for the massive overhaul. While in the West, Obama will tour some national treasures. He and the first lady visited Yellowstone Saturday morning and will go to the Grand Canyon on Sunday. Obama Goes After Politicians Spreading "Death Panels" Lie At Colorado Town Hall : "What you can't do, or you can, but you shouldn't do -- is start saying things like we want to set up death panels to pull the plug on grandma." President Obama paused and grew emotional, "First of all, when you make a comment like that, I just lost my grandmother last year... I know what its like to watch somebody you love, who's aging, deteriorate... When you start making arguments like that, that's simply dishonest. Especially when I hear the arguments coming from members of congress in the other party, who, it turns out, sponsored similar provisions!" Opening remarks below: **** Hello, Grand Junction! It's great to be back in Southwest Colorado. And it's nice to take a break from the back and forth in Washington. I especially want to thank Nathan for his introduction. I appreciate your willingness to talk about such a painful experience, because it's important that we understand what's at stake in this health care debate. These are the kinds of stories I've read in letters and heard in town halls all across America. On Tuesday, I was in New Hampshire talking about the people denied insurance coverage because of preexisting conditions. Yesterday, I was in Montana talking about people who've had their insurance policies suddenly revoked, even though they were paying premiums, just because they got sick. And today we're talking about the folks like Nathan and his family who have insurance but are still stuck with huge bills because they've hit a cap on their benefits or are charged exorbitant out-of-pocket fees. And when you hear about these experiences, when you think of the millions of people denied coverage because of preexisting conditions, the thousands who have their policies cancelled because of illness, the countless folks like Nathan, I want you to remember one thing: there but for the grace of God go I. These are ordinary Americans, no different than anyone else, held hostage by health insurance companies that deny them coverage, or drop their coverage, or charge fees that they can't afford for care they desperately need. It's wrong. It's hurting too many families and businesses. And we're going to fix it when we pass health insurance reform this year. Now, this is obviously a tough time for families in Colorado and across America. Just six months ago, we were in the middle of the worst recession of our lifetimes. We were losing about 700,000 jobs each month. Economists of all stripes feared a second coming of the Great Depression. That's why we acted as fast as we could to pass a recovery plan to stop the freefall. The recovery plan was divided into three parts. One third of the money in the Recovery Act went to tax cuts that have already started showing up in the paychecks of nearly 2 million working families in Colorado. We also cut taxes for small businesses on the investments that they make, and hundreds of Colorado small businesses have qualified for new loans backed by the Recovery Act - including eleven businesses in Grand Junction alone. Another third of the money in the Recovery Act is for emergency relief for folks who've borne the brunt of this recession. We've extended unemployment benefits for more than 150,000 Coloradans. We've made health insurance 65 percent cheaper for families who rely on COBRA while they're looking for work. And for states facing historic budget shortfalls, we provided assistance that has saved the jobs of tens of thousands of workers who provide essential services, like teachers and police officers. We've prevented painful jobs cuts - and a lot of painful state and local tax increases. The last third of the Recovery Act is for investments that are already putting people back to work. There are almost 100 shovel-ready transportation projects already approved in Colorado which are beginning to create jobs. Not far from here, for example, there's a project to pave and add lanes to State Highway 92. And most of the work is being done by local businesses, because that's how we're going to create jobs and grow this economy again. By next month, projects will be underway at more than one hundred national parks all over America, including Colorado. These are projects restoring trails, improving infrastructure, making park facilities more energy efficient. Earlier today, I toured Yellowstone with Michelle and the girls. Tomorrow, we'll be visiting the Grand Canyon. And I recently signed into law a public lands bill that designated the Dominguez-Escalante Canyon as a National Conservation Area here in Colorado. These are national treasures - symbols of how much we owe to those who came before us. And as we grapple with enormous challenges - like health care - the work of generations past reminds us of our duty to generations yet to come. So there is no doubt that the recovery plan is doing what we said it would: putting us on the road to recovery. We saw last week that the jobs picture is beginning to turn. We're starting to see signs that business investment is coming back. But that doesn't mean we're out of the woods. Even before this recession we had an economy that was working pretty well for the wealthiest Americans - working pretty well for Wall Street bankers and big corporations - but it wasn't working so well for everybody else. It was an economy of bubbles and busts. It was an economy that rewarded recklessness over responsibility. We cannot go back to that kind of economy. If we want this country to succeed in the 21st century then we have to lay a new foundation for lasting prosperity. And health insurance reform is a key pillar of this new foundation. Because this economy won't work for everyone until folks like Nathan and his family aren't pushed to the brink by medical expenses; until companies aren't slashing payroll and losing profits to pay for health insurance; until every single American has the security and peace of mind of quality, affordable health care. Health care touches all of our lives in a profound way. It's only natural that this debate is an emotional one. And I know there's been a lot of attention paid to some of the town hall meetings that are going on around the country - especially those where tempers have flared. You know how TV loves a ruckus. But what you haven't seen are the many constructive meetings going on all over the country. Just yesterday I held a town hall in Belgrade, Montana. And we had a pretty good crowd. Some folks were big supporters of reform. Some had concerns and questions. And some were downright skeptical. I got a few tough questions, too. But I was glad to see that even though Montanans have strong opinions, they weren't there to shout at one another. They were there to listen to one another. I think that reflects the American people far more than what we've seen covered on television these past few days. And I thank you for coming here today in that spirit. But before I take your questions, I want to talk about what health insurance reform will mean for you. First of all, there will be a set of common-sense consumer protections for folks with health insurance. Insurance companies will no longer be able to place an arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive or charge outrageous out-of-pocket expenses on top of your premiums. This is what happened to Nathan and his wife. Their son was diagnosed with hemophilia when he was born. The insurance company then raised premiums for his family and for all his coworkers who were on the same policy. And the family was approaching their cap. So on top of the worry about taking care of their son, they've had the added worry of trying to find insurance that would cover him - plus thousands and thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs. Nathan and his wife even considered getting a divorce so that she could go on Medicaid. Thankfully, Colorado law doesn't allow coverage for small businesses to permanently exclude preexisting conditions like his son's, so they found insurance. But they're paying increasing premiums and they still face the prospect of hitting their new cap in the next few years. I've heard stories like this all over the country. Like the teenager from Indiana diagnosed with leukemia. The chemotherapy and intensive care he received cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. His family hit their lifetime cap in less than a year. So the insurance wouldn't cover a bone marrow transplant and the family couldn't afford the half a million dollars they needed. The family turned to the public for help, but the boy died before he could receive that transplant. If you think this can't happen to you or your family, think again. Almost 90 percent of individual health insurance policies have lifetime benefit limits. About a third of family plans in the individual insurance market have lifetime limits under $3 million. If you or your spouse or your child get sick, and you hit that limit, suddenly it's like you have no insurance at all. And this is part of a larger story: of folks with insurance paying more and more out-of-pocket. In the past few years, premiums have nearly doubled. And total out of pocket costs have increased by almost fifty percent - that's more than $2,000 per person. No one is holding the insurance companies accountable for these practices. But we will. We're going to ban arbitrary caps on benefits. And we'll place limits on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses. No one in America should go broke because they get sick. Insurance companies will also be stopped from cancelling coverage because you get sick or denying coverage because of your medical history. A recent report found that in the past few years, more than 12 million Americans were discriminated against by insurance companies because of a preexisting condition. When we get health insurance reform done, those days will be over. And we will require insurance companies to cover routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies. That saves money and that saves lives. At the same time, if you like your health care plan, you can keep your health plan. If you like your doctor, you can keep seeing your doctor. I don't want government bureaucrats meddling in your health care - but the point is, I don't want insurance company bureaucrats meddling in your health care either. So if you're one of the nearly 46 million people who don't have health insurance, you will finally have quality, affordable options. And if you do have health insurance, we will help make that insurance more affordable and more secure. Under reform, roughly 700,000 middle-class Coloradans will get a health care tax credit. More than a million Coloradans will have access to a new marketplace where you can easily compare health insurance options. 87,000 small businesses in Colorado will be aided by new tax benefits. And we do all of this without adding to our deficit over the next decade, largely but cutting waste and ending sweetheart deals for insurance companies that don't make anybody any healthier. Here in Grand Junction, you know that lowering costs is possible if you put in place smarter incentives; if you think about how to treat people, not just illnesses; if you look at problems facing not just one hospital or physician, but the many system-wide problems that are shared. That's what the medical community in this city did; now you are getting better results while wasting less money. And I know that your Senator, Michael Bennet, has been working hard on legislation that's based on the innovations put into practice here. The fact is, we are closer to achieving health insurance reform than we have ever been. We have the American Nurses Association and the American Medical Association on board - because America's doctors and nurses know how badly we need reform. We have broad agreement in Congress on about 80 percent of what we're trying to achieve. And we have an agreement from the drug companies to make prescription drugs more affordable for seniors. The AARP supports this policy, and agrees with us that reform must happen this year. Because we are getting close, the fight is getting fierce. The history is clear: every time we are in sight of health insurance reform, the special interests fight back with everything they've got. They use their influence. They run their ads. They use their political allies to scare the American people. In fact, whenever America has set about solving our toughest problems, there have been those who have sought to preserve the status quo. And these struggles have always boiled down to a contest between hope and fear. That was true when Social Security was born. That was true when Medicare was created. It is true in this debate today. But whether you have health insurance or not, we all know that we cannot continue down this path, with costs rising far faster than wages and cuts in care to make up the difference: a system that too often works better for the insurance companies than it does for the American people. That's why reform is so important: to maintain what's best about our health care system - the relationship between doctors, nurses, and their patients - while fixing what's broken. Because for all the scare tactics out there, what is truly scary is if we do nothing. We will continue to see 14,000 Americans lose their health insurance every day. Premiums will continue to skyrocket, rising three times faster than wages. The deficit will continue to grow. Medicare will go into the red in less than a decade. And insurance companies will continue to profit by discriminating against people simply for being sick. So if you want a different future - a brighter future - I need your help. I need you to stand against the politics of fear and division. I need you to knock on doors and spread the word. I need you to fight for the security and stability of quality, affordable health care for every American. For we know that change never starts in Washington. It starts in places like Grand Junction. It starts with folks willing to fight for our future. It starts with you. Thank you. And now, I'd be happy to take your questions.
 

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