OWATONNA SMALL BUSINESS FORUM
The Owatonna People's Press reports on another incumbency appearance by Gil Gutknecht, this time at a small business forum (article is behind a subscription firewall--UPDATE\--the editor wants permission to run
any length of quote from the OPP, so we're revising here, paraphrasing
anything from the paper, regardless of how long or short the quote
may be; contact the OPP for the actual text of the article) "Health care costs stifle small business; Forum looks for ways to help businesses control costs of insuring employees." Gutknecht invited Illinois Republican Rep. Donald Manzullo and Now Care CEO Bill Wenmark to discuss the costs of health care for small businesses.
Manzullo noted that insurance was shaped to protect real estate, not to help sick kids.
Actually, we always were under the impression that health insurance was intended to help pay medical bills when we were sick. What did we know?
Some interesting companions for the Congressman. A good sense of Manzullo's record can be found here.
Now Care operates urgent-care clinics in strip-malls, what an old Southern acquaintance loved to call "doc in the box" clinics. CEO Wenmark is a large contributor to Republican coffers: the Republican Party of Minnesota, John Kline for Congress, Bachmann for Congress, and Gil Gutknecht, though it looks as if Wenmark is being something of a piker to Gil in this election cycle.
Health savings accounts (usually coupled with high-deductible, low premium insurance policies) are the panacea of the right for health care reform, with some going so far as to credit the very introduction of HSAs with lower health care cost increases relative to inflation, though others might see weak causality in the claim.
Think Progress rounds up the problems with HSAs as a health care reform measure: the number of uninsured is likely to climb, low- and middle-income Americans gain little tax advantage from them, out-of-pocket costs rise for consumers, (leading to skipped or delayed health care), and more.
OLLIE OX UPDATE: Tim Walz's first radio ad is about health care. Listen here. Contribute here.
MORE NEWS FROM MN-01
Rochester Post Bulletin blogger Jeff Pieters has posted an audio file of a presentation to the Rochester Rotary Club by the Rochester Coalition at Government Center. The Rochester Coalition opposes the DM & E expansion and loan in its current form, hoping instead for a bypass around the city. Yesterday, Pieters asked readers whether or not the proposed federal loan could be called a subsidy.
In an editorial, the New Ulm Journal scolds a Republican-led congress for slashing funds for Walter Reed Hospital's traumatic brain injury treatment program:
Despite the fact that a combination of vastly improved battlefield first aid and particularly dastardly enemy tactics in Iraq has led to more U.S. soldiers surviving brain injuries, congressional appropriators slashed the Walter Reed brain injury appropriation in half, from $14 million to $7 million. This is within a total spending package of $468 billion. The official excuse given by appropriations committee staffers to inquiring reporters: The program lost out among “so many priorities.”
[snip]
But this case also demonstrates in stark fashion that, tempting as it may be to chuckle at the most egregious pork-barrel spending, there is a cost to reckless, irresponsible treasury raiding. Both major political parties are at fault, but the GOP, which not so long ago billed itself as the party of fiscal responsibility, is in the majority and controls the agenda. Its leaders need to reacquaint themselves with the principles they rode to power.
The shameful behavior involving the brain injury program at Walter Reed is not, sad to say, the only situation in which Congress has let our troops down. In addition to restoring money for the brain injury program, lawmakers should take a soul-searching look at other appropriations intended to serve both active-duty and retired members of the military.
A letter to the editor in Wednesday's Houston County News takes on Gutknecht's broken promises and the change that a Walz victory would bring:
TO THE EDITOR,
Gil Gutknecht got huge national media attention back in 1994 by waving his Contract with America from the Capitol steps in Washington, D.C. with Newt Gingrich and others. Remember? That Contract promised Minnesotans that Gil would help balance the nation’s budget, and enact strict term limits.
Let’s look at the budget. How has Gil done? Well, Gil and his Washington friends have taken us from a huge surplus six years ago to where our country is now deeply in debt. Debt our kids and grandkids will pay on for their entire lives.
So much for balancing the budget.
Well, how about term limits? Gil promised us 12 years ago he wouldn’t serve more than 12 years. Now the news is out that he got caught (not once, but twice!) trying to erase his promise from an Internet encyclopedia.
I think we are in serious need of a change in Washington. Somebody like Tim Walz, a 24-year veteran of the Minnesota Army National Guard. Walz is a man of integrity, courage, and intelligence who will find common-sense solutions to the big challenges facing our country.
I’m grateful Mr. Walz is running, because he can provide the change we need to get this country back on the right track.
Rick Howden,
Winona
An Owatonna resident responds to Vice President Cheney's accusation that war critics embolden terrorists:
GOP uses fear to win elections
The way President George Bush won re-election in 2004 was by playing on people's fear of another terrorist attack. Nowin the 2006 congressional election race, Dick Cheney is claiming that Democratic candidates who dare to challenge the Bush White House on Iraq are "emboldening terrorists."
If the Bush administration could plan and execute the war on terror as well as it executes its shameless pre-election fear-mongering, we'd all be a lot safer.
Dawn Carlson
Owatonna
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