Austin Morning News with Mark, Ed and Sam

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7/3/2009 The problems with universal healthcare In recent years, there has been a strong push for a universal healthcare plan in the United States. Many would like this reformed healthcare system to emulate the European national health plans. People across the country see that our healthcare system is in crisis, with millions of people who are uninsured and prices that are skyrocketing. The American healthcare crisis is actually one of affordability rather than access to healthcare. There are very few people who cannot find healthcare; the problem is that many people cannot afford the healthcare that is available. This is true even though laws require hospitals to treat patients regardless of their ability to pay. A common myth is that universal government healthcare would be free or cost less than private healthcare. This belief violates several economic principles. First, the money to pay for health professionals, medicines, and facilities has to come from somewhere. If consumers don’t pay for these services directly, they will pay indirectly through higher taxes. Second, as the perceived price decreases, demand will increase. In other words, when people believe that they won’t have to pay for their healthcare, they will use more health services. As demand increases to exceed the available ... Read Full Story
7/3/2009 Police: Conn. teens mishear sex screams, beat man A 16-year-old girl thought she heard her mother being assaulted by her boyfriend and rounded up some friends who beat him up, only to learn later that the couple actually were having sex, the woman and police said. The girl misinterpreted the woman's amorous screams, and she and four other teens went to the woman's bedroom in the Torrington home on June 6, police Lt. Bruce Whiteley said Thursday. One of the teens beat the 25-year-old man with a bat and others punched him, police said. He suffered a black eye and several bruises. The girl, two 17-year-old boys and Dilyen Langdeau, 19, of Torrington, were arrested Tuesday night and arraigned in Bantam Superior Court on Wednesday. Langdeau was charged with assault and conspiracy; the teens face similar counts. The fifth teenager was not charged. A judge sealed the police report. The names of the girl and the two boys were not released because of their ages. The 34-year-old woman, Melanie Arnold, told The Associated Press on Thursday that the girl is her daughter. Arnold denied she was screaming, and said her daughter thought she heard a slap and believed an assault was happening. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hUI2pAPBEyvhmv6nICeJuUY_s4wQD996HEHO1 Read Full Story
7/3/2009 Houston Chronicle members Houston’s largest police union, citing the death of six officers during Mayor Bill White’s tenure, called on the mayor and City Council this week to hire more officers, restore $14 million in overtime pay and overturn the long-standing policy of not questioning residents about their immigration status. In a letter to White, Gary Blankinship, president of the Houston Police Officers Union, called last week’s slaying of veteran officer Henry Canales a “trifeca failure” of federal, state and city government to protect citizens and police officers from criminal illegal immigrants. White responded with a news conference Thursday to make clear there would be no change in the department’s policy on illegal immigrants. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/6509402.html Read Full Story
7/3/2009 That ’30s Show Let’s do the math. Since the recession began, the U.S. economy has lost 6 ½ million jobs — and as that grim employment report confirmed, it’s continuing to lose jobs at a rapid pace. Once you take into account the 100,000-plus new jobs that we need each month just to keep up with a growing population, we’re about 8 ½ million jobs in the hole. And the deeper the hole gets, the harder it will be to dig ourselves out. The job figures weren’t the only bad news in Thursday’s report, which also showed wages stalling and possibly on the verge of outright decline. That’s a recipe for a descent into Japanese-style deflation, which is very difficult to reverse. Lost decade, anyone? http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/03/opinion/03krugman.html Read Full Story
7/3/2009 Veteran's Flag Fight The upcoming fourth of July holiday is a time of celebrating America's freedom, but a disabled veteran says his patriotism has sparked a fight over a flag. The retired Navy petty officer tells us his Austin apartment complex won't let him fly his American flag in or outside his home. Austin is a patriotic city, displaying old glory outside City Hall. The stars and stripes are at the Travis County Courthouse, and down 11th street you'll find the red white and blue waving at the Capitol. But you won't find flying flags at the Village At Gracy Farms. Read Full Story
7/3/2009 Residents want sign promoting atheism removed FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Community residents are protesting a billboard they call offensive to Christians. The recruitment billboard put up by the Florida Atheist and Secular Humanist Society stands just east of Interstate 95 on Sunrise Boulevard and 27th Avenue, next to a business owned by an African-American preacher. The members of the community cite two main problems: born-again Christians own the business right next to the sign, and the billboard is located right in the middle of an African-American community. http://www1.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI124870 Read Full Story
7/3/2009 Suspected drunken drivers and boaters may be forced to provide blood evidence Police in Tarrant and Parker counties vow to light up the streets like a fireworks display, stopping suspected drunken drivers during this holiday weekend. The Tarrant County district attorney’s office is paying for six nurses to be stationed at five locations countywide this weekend to draw blood when suspected drunken drivers refuse a breath test. "We will get a search warrant and draw blood and obtain the evidence from you," District Attorney Joe Shannon said. "What we’d really like to see is a whole weekend where there is no DWI stops whatsoever. "We would like very much for people to enjoy Fourth of July at home . . . or have a designated driver with you." Fort Worth officers, who began their stepped-up enforcement Thursday night, and 22 other police agencies and game wardens are joining the "No Refusal" weekend. It’s the second year of a program that uses nurses and a magistrate judge to obtain blood evidence through search warrants. http://www.star-telegram.com/news/story/1466781.html Read Full Story
7/3/2009 Senate bill fines people refusing health coverage Americans who refuse to buy affordable medical coverage could be hit with fines of more than $1,000 under a health care overhaul bill unveiled Thursday by key Senate Democrats looking to fulfill President Barack Obama's top domestic priority. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the fines will raise around $36 billion over 10 years. Senate aides said the penalties would be modeled on the approach taken by Massachusetts, which now imposes a fine of about $1,000 a year on individuals who refuse to get coverage. Under the federal legislation, families would pay higher penalties than individuals. In a revamped health care system envisioned by lawmakers, people would be required to carry health insurance just like motorists must get auto coverage now. The government would provide subsidies for the poor and many middle-class families, but those who still refuse to sign up would face penalties. Called "shared responsibility payments," the fines would be set at least at half the cost of basic medical coverage, according to the legislation. The goal is to nudge people to sign up for coverage when they are healthy, not wait until they get sick. In 2008, employer-provided coverage averaged $12,680 a year for a family plan, and ... Read Full Story
7/3/2009 Energy job losers could get windfall http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/03/energy-job-losers-could-get-windfall/Workers who lose their jobs if the pending climate change legislation becomes law could get a weekly paycheck for up to three years, subsidies to find new work and other generous benefits -- all courtesy of Uncle Sam -- under a little-noticed provision of the bill. Touted by its House Democratic authors as a jobs engine, the bill offers extraordinary compensation for those who would lose their paycheck as a consequence of its passage. Adversely affected employees in oil, coal and other fossil-fuel sector jobs would qualify for a weekly check worth 70 percent of their current salary for up to three years. In addition, they would get $1,500 for job-search assistance and $1,500 for moving expenses from the bill's "climate change worker adjustment assistance" program, which is expected to cost $4.2 billion from 2011 to 2019. The bill passed the House a week ago in a hotly contested 219-212 vote, with supporters arguing that a principal reason to support the bill is that it would create millions of new jobs. But analyses from the political left and right argue that potentially millions of jobs in industries tied to traditional fossil fuels would be lost and, at least initially, not ... Read Full Story
7/2/2009 Pastor Plans To Sue Police Officer Pastor, Police Have Different Stories POSTED: Thursday, July 2, 2009 UPDATED: 6:48 am CDT July 2, 2009 WEBSTER, Texas -- A pastor said he plans to sue a police officer who he said shocked him with a Taser gun, pepper-sprayed and handcuffed him in front of his congregation, KPRC Local 2 reported Wednesday. Webster police said the incident, which was caught on tape, started with a routine traffic stop. There are two different versions of what led to the pastor's arrest. http://www.click2houston.com/news/19924752/detail.html Read Full Story