“President's health care philosophy takes elitism to new level - Newark Advocate” plus 4 more

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• President's health care philosophy takes elitism to new level - Newark Advocate
• Spartan Games raise more than $3,000 for the St. Jude Research Center - Bridgeton News
• Wall Street casualties savor time off the treadmill - Washington Times
• Harkin to reintroduce bill to bust filibusters - Thehill.com
• Govt taking steps for rule of law: Rabbani - Pakistan News Service

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

President's health care philosophy takes elitism to new level - Newark Advocate Posted: 27 Dec 2009 03:44 AM PST Elitism is defined as a belief that certain members of a particular class or group have an inherent right to preferential treatment. Americans always have had a general distaste for elitism while at the same time tolerating it among those with political power. One thinks of former Vice President Al Gore, who bemoans our use of fossil fuels while using more electricity at his Tennessee estate than 20 average families. Or Nancy Pelosi railing against Ford executives for traveling to Washington aboard corporate jets while at the same time complaining that her jet, provided at taxpayer expense, is too small. (One can almost imagine first lady Michelle Obama, upon hearing that the fledgling economy has resulted in fewer retail outlets at which Americans can shop, responding, "Let them shop in Paris.") Ideologues who espouse sweeping cultural and economic changes, especially those with socialist leanings, seem particularly prone to elitist tendencies. The basis of their philosophy revolves around a "common good" that, by their own definition of who they are, doesn't actually apply to them (they are not "common," hence they have the right to establish what is "good" for those of us who are). While elitism is nothing new, the extent to which it drives the Obama administration's health care philosophy takes it to a new level. The administration's top healthcare advisor, Dr. Ezekial Emanuel, has proposed the now famous "Reaper Curve," which illustrates his view of how "scarce medical interventions" would be allocated based on age. Emanuel's curve peaks around age 20, begins to gradually decline until the mid-50s and then drops dramatically. It is Dr. Emanuel's philosophy of "allocation" that more than any other single factor has fueled the frenzy around "death panels." Whether or not the term "death panels" is legitimate can be debated elsewhere. (Although it would be naïve to think that some form of rationing is not an inevitable component of government-run health care.) The primary point here is that the philosophy held by Emanuel is shared by President Barack Obama and others who will make policy decisions impacting all of us. Yet, in the true spirit of elitism, they themselves will remain above the implications of their decisions. As they formulate policy that involves rationing based on age or any other criteria, they rest comfortably in the knowledge that any health care restrictions forced on others will not apply to them. If a common man were to consider the idea of rationing health care based on age, he or she would pause, at least for a moment, to consider, "What happens when I'm older?" The elites forming policy for our country today face no such intellectual dilemma. They are not making policy for themselves (or their families). They are making policy only for the rest of us. When faced with the prospect of health care rationing (based on age or any other factor), many of us become concerned. The president and other policy makers in his elitist inner circle know, however, that they and their families are safe. When they need treatment, they will get it -- whatever their age and whatever the cost. This extreme example of elitism goes far beyond the issues of privilege and luxury, extending to the ultimate issues of life and death. And it is a key force shaping the health care policy of this country. We can live with our elitist politicians driving SUVs while we turn to smaller cars, flying around in their jets while we worry about taxes on light bulbs or even shopping in Paris while we keep a watchful eye for sales at Wal-Mart. But can we live with this elitist mentality shaping our country's health care policy? Terry Satterfield resides in Granville. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.
Spartan Games raise more than $3,000 for the St. Jude Research Center - Bridgeton News Posted: 27 Dec 2009 02:14 PM PST By Independent Press December 27, 2009, 5:10PM BERKELEY HEIGHTS — On Friday, Dec. 11, Spartan Squad hosted its first Spartan Games which raised $3,340 for St. Jude's Research Center. Eight competitors trained for several months in preparation for the five grueling events that challenged their strength, stamina and overall fitness. The strength events included the Spartan sled pull, in which each competitor attempted to pull a 600-plus-lb sled 60 feet in under two minutes. The participants' endurance and overall conditioning was tested by "running the gauntlet", which is a series of timed exercises that includes flipping a 350 lb truck tire across the gym, performing pull-ups and push-ups on gymnast rings, and jumping on and off a 2' truck tire 20 times. To prepare for this event, the Spartans met three times per week for Spartan Squad training classes. Spartan Squad is a community of men and women following a unique approach to fitness that includes training programs available in class or one-on-one settings. Spartan Squad calls itself "the anti-gym" because of its unusual, back-to-basics fitness philosophy that has helped dozens of women and men achieve outstanding results in losing weight, gaining strength and improving overall wellness. Spartan Squad headquarters is located at Peak Performance Fitness, 404 Springfield Ave., Berkeley Heights. The proceeds from the Spartan Games, along with a donation in the winner's name from Spartan Squad, went to the St. Jude Children's Research center. "St. Jude's is a wonderful cause, and we were very glad to be able to host this event," said Joe Bellisano, co-founder of Spartan Squad and manager of the event. "The Spartans trained hard to get ready for this competition, and they also worked hard to raise money for their sponsorships. We're grateful for their hard work and commitment." For more information visit spartansquad.com Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.
Wall Street casualties savor time off the treadmill - Washington Times Posted: 27 Dec 2009 02:14 PM PST By Samantha Gross ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK | Eighteen months without a job. Fourteen months. Twelve. It's been a long dry spell for many of the suit-clad Wall Streeters who were handed their pink slips before hardly anyone was talking recovery. But sit down with a handful of ex-finance-industry workers volunteering to work for free as interns in a city-sponsored retraining program, and they seem almost … happy. In the current economy, it's an uncommon reaction to the loss of a job. However, for some finance workers, many of whom spent years working insane hours at high-pressure jobs — often at the expense of more personal passions — the sudden stop has offered a time to reflect and reconsider. Thrust off the rat-race treadmill, some are thinking hard about how and whether they want to get back on. "It's really easy when you take that first job and you start building some work experience, to get stuck in a pattern," said Matt Gatto, a former Lehman Brothers investment manager. Mr. Gatto, 35, called the 14 months he has been jobless "exciting" and "liberating." After years of doing little more than work, the one-time philosophy major has taken over much of the care of his 2-year-old son. He has finished his master's degree in business administration, gone back to the gym and learned how to cook. He also has decided that when he does head back to the office, he wants a professional life that's aligned with his personal values — in the nonprofit world or in a company focused on social change. Successful spouses, princely savings and lucrative severance packages have made this sort of self-exploration an attainable luxury for some laid-off finance-sector employees. For Agatha Melvin, the roughly 18 months she has been unemployed have offered the global-operations consultant a chance to look ahead. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.
Harkin to reintroduce bill to bust filibusters - Thehill.com Posted: 27 Dec 2009 02:21 PM PST Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said Saturday that he plans to reintroduce legislation to reform the filibuster process in the Senate. The top senator on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee said that he will once again attempt to pass the bill he first introduced in 1995 when Democrats were the minority party. "I'm going to reintroduce that again in January," Harkin told the Washington Post's Ezra Klein. "And people are going to say I only worry about this because I'm in the majority. But I come with clean hands! I started when I was in the minority!" Harkin's comments come as the filibuster has come under fire from Democrats and liberal interest groups. Thay say that the requirement that the Senate need a 60 vote supermajority to approve procedural motions makes it too difficult to move significant legislation like healthcare reform. Some liberals blamed the filibuster for the removal of certain provisions favored by liberals such as the public health insurance option and the Medicare buy-in proposal. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) struck the measures as part of an effort to attract holdout centrist senators. Reid neeeded to bring together all 60 members of the Democratic caucus to proceed toward a vote on healthcare reform. But Harkin says that the filibuster is now being abused by Republicans who are using it too frequently and on noncontroversial measures, making it difficult to get things done in the Senate. The Iowa senator said that a GOP filibuster on the unemployment extension that attracted 97 votes and early procedural votes on healthcare were out of line. "You're supposed to filibuster something that is a deep seated issue," he said. "The idea is to give some time for extended debate but eventually allow a majority to work its will. I do believe there's some reason to have extended debate." Harkin's plan would reduce the amount of votes needed to break a filibuster the longer it goes on. Senators would need 60 votes to break the first vote but then the amount of votes needed would drop to 57, then 54 votes and finally 51 votes. "If a group of senators filibusters a bill, you want to take their worries seriously," he said. "Make sure you're not missing something. My proposal will do that." Harkin compared what Republican effort to stymie the Democrats in the Senate to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's (R-Ga.) strategy of stalling the Democrats in the House when the GOP was in the minority. "The situation in the Senate is an offshoot of the old Newt Gingrich philosophy," he said. "Took them 10 years, or even more. But it was a constant attack. And now it looks like they're trying to do that in the Senate." Harkin also blamed Republican leaders for not reigning in members who constantly try to filibuster legislation, like Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), who is known as "Dr. No." "You don't have a minority leader putting them in check, saying we have to work together," he said. "[Former Seante Republican leader Bob] Dole would never put up with what's going on over there. Neither would [former Senate Republican leader] Trent Lott." Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.
Govt taking steps for rule of law: Rabbani - Pakistan News Service Posted: 27 Dec 2009 12:34 PM PST	KARACHI: Senator Raza Rabbaini, deputy secretary general Pakistan Peoples Party, has said that the government is taking measures for rule of law and supremacy of constitution in the country. Speaking to media at a ceremony held to mark the second death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto here on Sunday, he said that the nation would soon hear good news about strengthening of democracy. A large number of PPP activist, senor party leaders, senators, MNAs and advisers attended the meeting. The participants of the meeting offered Fateha and laid floral wreath at the photograph of Benazir Bhutto. PML-N leader Salim Zia and a delegation of Awami National Party also took part in the ceremony. Rabbani told media that we make a pledge at this day that democracy would be strengthened in the country by implementing the philosophy of Benazir Bhutto. End.

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