What Dave Camp Voted No On in Health Care Insurance Reform

Representative Dave Camp. The Dave Camp who voted for every budget, every unfunded "emergency appropriation" to support the war that George Bush asked for, the same Dave Camp who enabled Bush to leave a deficit for fiscal 2009 of  $1.4 trillion, yes, that Dave Camp was so upset about Obama increasing the deficit that he declared that health care reform was the wrong reform at the wrong time because...because...it would cost too much.  

Here is what Dave Camp voted "no" on (courtesy of MoveOn.org): 

1. Once reform is fully implemented, over 95% of Americans will have health insurance coverage, including 32 million who are currently uninsured.²

2. Health insurance companies will no longer be allowed to deny people coverage because of preexisting conditions—or to drop coverage when people become sick.³

3. Just like members of Congress, individuals and small businesses who can't afford to purchase insurance on their own will be able to pool together and choose from a variety of competing plans with lower premiums.⁴

4. Reform will cut the federal budget deficit by $138 billion over the next ten years, and a whopping $1.2 trillion in the following ten years.⁵

5. Health care will be more affordable for families and small businesses thanks to new tax credits, subsidies, and other assistance—paid for largely by taxing insurance companies, drug companies, and the very wealthiest Americans.⁶

6. Seniors on Medicare will pay less for their prescription drugs because the legislation closes the "donut hole" gap in existing coverage.⁷

7. By reducing health care costs for employers, reform will create or save more than 2.5 million jobs over the next decade.⁸

8. Medicaid will be expanded to offer health insurance coverage to an additional 16 million low-income people.⁹

9. Instead of losing coverage after they leave home or graduate from college, young adults will be able to remain on their families' insurance plans until age 26.¹⁰

10. Community health centers would receive an additional $11 billion, doubling the number of patients who can be treated regardless of their insurance or ability to pay.¹¹

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Sources:

1. Final vote results on motion to concur in Senate amendments to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, March 21, 2010
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2010/roll165.xml

2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11. "Affordable Health Care for America: Summary," House Energy and Commerce Committee, March 18, 2010
http://wwwd.house.gov/akamaidocs/energycommerce/SUMMARY.pdf

4. "Insurance Companies Prosper, Families Suffer: Our Broken Health Insurance System," U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Accessed March 22, 2010
http://healthreform.gov/reports/insuranceprospers/index.html

5. "Affordable Health Care for America: Health Insurance Reform at a Glance: Revenue Provisions," House Energy and Commerce Committee, March 18, 2010
http://wwwd.house.gov/akamaidocs/energycommerce/REVENUE.pdf

8. "New Jobs Through Better Health Care," Center for American Progress, January 8, 2010 

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=87402&id=19503-11442555-8lGQUIx&t=2

9, 10. "Proposed Changes in the Final Health Care Bill," The New York Times, March 22, 2010 

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=87403&id=19503-11442555-8lGQUIx&t=3

11. "Affordable Health Care for America: Health Insurance Reform at a Glance: Addressing Health and Health Care Disparities," House Energy and Commerce Committee, March 20, 2010
http://docs.house.gov/energycommerce/DISPARITIES.pdf

House passes relief for college students; Camp opposes it

These days, getting a college education is essential for those who want to be successful throughout life. Moreover, a skilled and educated workforce is critical for the US to get back on the right track.

Key to this is making sure college is affordable. Last year Republicans in Congress voted to cut the Pell Grant and raise interest rates on student loans. Under Democratic leadership, Congress is working to remedy that. An important piece of this effort, the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007, has passed the House... but whaddya know, Dave "Nice Guy" Camp opposed it.

Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education Committee and champion of students, had a few words for those who tried to kill the bill:

"...You don’t like the fact that while you were in power after years of flat lining the Pell Grant, we we’ve finally given them the biggest increase in decades for the poorest kids in this country. You don’t like that so you want to kill the bill. You don’t like the fact that were going to take 5 million middle class kids and extend to them a loan thats interest rate is cut in half? While their families are struggling to get them through college? They’re making sacrifices every year? You’re going to do this? You’re going to kill this bill? Are you proud? Are you proud of this amendment, that you are going to try to kill this bill? Say it louder."

Well, Mr. Camp, are you proud?

Tell Camp to vote for the Local Community Radio Act of 2007

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that five (count’em, five) media corporations control almost all we see, hear, and read in this country. The same is true for what we see, read, and hear in mid-Michigan.

There are small patches of sunlight that break through the media fog occasionally, and the Local Community Radio Act of 2007 is one of them. This Act will open up our airwaves so there can be more low power FM radio stations in this region. More stations means more noncommercial, locally oriented news and information that is ignored (or suppressed) by the stations that are not locally owned.

Contact Dow’s Representative Dave Camp, and urge him to vote for the bill. He needs to know that the public supports LPFM.

Dow Hopes to Do in Thailand What It Has Done in Midland

From a new blog: Below the Radar in Mid-Michigan.

Dow has announced that it is planning to invest in Thailand. In fact, Dow states that it is “committed to turning Thailand into its largest production base in Southeast Asia.” This is going to be an economic and environmental heaven for Dow.

Now the corporation will be able to pollute the environment with the support of the national government. The corporation has been having a more difficult time in Michigan where pesky environmentalists keep suing it for, well, the little things that happen when you are just trying to make a buck. Things like polluting the Tittabawwasse River, or raising the dioxin levels of every living being in the region. Little things like that.

And the only champion poor Dow has is Representative Dave (Rubber Stamp) Camp, who is, among other things, Dow’s shill in Washington. For years, Dave has done everything he can with his limited intellectual skills to cover Dow’s derrière from the lawsuits and environmental studies that might show how badly Dow has debauched the area. Good ol’ Dave. I wonder if he speaks Thai?

Excuse me while I make a personal remark to Andrew Liveris, Dow’s CEO. Andy, when you are in Thailand, watch out for men who look Indian: remember, the Indian government has issued a warrant for your arrest. It’s about that little blowup in...what is the town...oh, yes, Bhopal. Remember Bhopal? Those greedy survivors (there are what, 800,000 of them now?) want to know why Dow insists that no one was responsible for killing 15,000 of their friends and families. Just a friendly caution.

One final request: could you take some pictures of Thailand so we can remember what the country looked like before Dow arrived? That way we can look at the pictures years from now and say, hey, that used to be a beautiful country.

Thanks.

URGENT - Tell Carl & Debbie to Save Our Troops ASAP

Our troops desperately need us.

If you go to Daily Kos or Democratic Underground, the big story on both of those websites is ‘the deal’ in which certain Democratic leaders abandoned their party, the troops, and our country by backing down on including benchmarks for bringing our troops home to safety in an Iraq spending bill.

Some would have us give up and concede that this bill will be passed without a fight.

The fact is, the battle is not over yet. The spending bill has not yet been passed. We cannot be like those aforementioned leaders and cower. Our troops need us.

We must make one last-ditch effort to support our troops. While our brave men and women fight over there in a war that was not of their choosing, we must fight for them back here.

Call Carl’s Washington office at (202) 224-6221.
Call Debbie’s Washington office at (202) 224-4822.
Call Rep. Camp's office at (202) 225-6563.

Carl and Debbie supported our troops at the beginning, opposing this war when it wasn’t popular to. Now the American people want our troops home; indeed our country needs them home.

So please, folks, I implore you: For the sake of our brave men and women overseas, urge Carl and Debbie to oppose this ill-conceived spending bill.

Camp, other MI Republicans oppose expansion of hate-crimes law

The US House Thursday passed a bill designed to expand the nation's hate-crimes laws to include those crimes that are based on gender or sexual orientation. 25 Republicans joined with 212 Democrats (including each of Michigan's six Democratic Representatives) in votng for the bill, which President Bush is threatening to veto.

CNN has more on the bill:

Under current law, hate crimes are subject to federal prosecution only if the acts of violence are motivated by race, religion, color or national origin. Federal prosecutors get involved only if the victim is engaged in a federally protected activity, such as voting or participating in interstate commerce.

The White House says there is no need for the expanded bill because state and local laws already cover the crimes it addresses, and there is no need for federal enforcement.

In addition to allowing greater leeway for federal law enforcement authorities to investigate hate crimes, the House bill -- which was passed on a 237-180 vote --provides $10 million over the next two years to aid local prosecutions.

According to the article, critics of the hate-crimes legislation say it will target pastors who preach against homosexuality. Two points in that regard. First, the bill targets those who commit crimes based on gender and sexual orientation, NOT those who believe homosexuality is wrong.

Second, I'm a straight man, and I personally believe marriage is between one man and one woman. But if one of my friends from the GLBT falls victim to a hate crime, I would expect nothing less than for the perpetrator to receive swift justice.

But Congressman Dave Camp and 179 of his colleagues - including every Republican member of Michigan's congressional delegation - do not see it that way. They believe that the current law, which criminalizes hate crimes perpetrated based on religion, race, national origin, or color, is sufficient enough.

But a hate crime is a hate crime, regardless of the basis on which it is perpetrated. Until Mr. Camp realizes this, he will probably keep receiving zeros on the Human Rights Campaign's Congressional Scorecard.

When is protecting our troops “anti-troop?”

Here is a question for you: if a member of your family was about to be sent to Iraq, wouldn’t you want him or her to have the best available equipment? Of course you would. This is why Representative Jack Murtha (who is a Vietnam veteran) is pushing a plan in Congress that prohibits President Bush from sending more of our sons and daughters to Iraq if they are not well-equipped.

Strangely, the Republicans in Congress are calling Murtha’s plan “anti-troop.” Anti-troop? Hmmm. By this reasoning, putting our children in car seats to protect them shows that we are anti-automobile. Or inoculating them against childhood diseases means we are anti-God (after all, we might be interfering with God’s will).

Either the Republicans have lost their ability to reason, or they value ideology over the lives of our sons and daughters. You might call Representative Dave Camp (his toll free numbers is: 1-800-342-2455) and ask him what he values most: the lives of our troops or sticking with the President‘s failed policy.

(This post also appears on www.therealdavecamp.blogspot.com)

No surprise: Camp refuses to stand up for our troops and oppose escalation

Congressman Dave Camp was one of 182 members of Congress who voted to oppose standing up to President Bush's plan to escalate the war in Iraq. Congressman Fred Upton of St. Joseph (in the southwestern part of the state) was one of 17 Republicans to join almost every Democrat in supporting the non-binding resolution, but alas, Camp just didn't have the gumption to say yes.

Like I said, though, no surprise.

Note to Land, Cox, and Camp: Michigan is watching

The Michigan Democratic Party has unveiled a newly expanded GOP Watch section of its website - a treasure trove for anyone looking for dirt on Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, Attorney General Mike Cox, Congressman Dave Camp, and the 2008 Republican presidential candidates.

Among the highlights: Camp voted against expanding stem cell research, raising the federal minimum wage, and fixing Medicare and our energy policy. Michiganders' records are at risk of being stolen due to Land. And the unethical Cox won't protect consumers.

With both Land and Cox considered potential 2010 gubernatorial contenders, it will be interesting to see what else the MDP can dig up on them.