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Affordable universal health coverage achievable
We all want the same thing: protection from catastrophic illness and the security of affordable health coverage in the future. To their credit, Americans have read the bills working their way through Congress and are objecting to the health care rationing and control over their health care quality and decisions.
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Fix what’s broken about health insurance, retain what works
When Congress returns in September it will resume work on health insurance reform. This is an issue that is intensely personal and affects us all - even those with whom we may disagree.
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Health care? The government can’t even run a railroad
Nowhere in the debate regarding health care has anyone asked if the government is able and qualified to run such a system. Before we ask the government to manage universal health care, let’s check them out.
How successful has the federal government been in managing agencies, programs and businesses?
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Kyl overlooks AZ benefits of stimulus
Arizona’s plan to widen the congested streets of U.S. 60 - our own Grand Avenue - became the 6,000th highway project in the nation this week to be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or federal stimulus.
This project puts nearly $45 million to work in Maricopa County, bringing desperately needed jobs to our state. But Sen. Jon Kyl said he doesn’t approve of this economic boost to Arizona.
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The real budget problem is partisanship
Just like all Arizonans, Democrats are frustrated with the total lack of leadership during this budget crisis. It is ludicrous that the Legislature has had seven months to pass a budget and still can’t get the job done.
This kind of behavior is unacceptable; as the special session goes on, critical public safety and health care programs still have no budget during the biggest economic shortfall of our lifetime.
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Health insurance reform is not a new idea
Sides have been chosen in the national fight to reform health insurance.
The New York Times called it “a battle between individualism and socialization in medicine which promises to be of long duration.”
Long duration is right.
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Brewer’s tax hike a recipe for bankruptcy
Several otherwise conservative legislators are thinking very hard about capitulating to Gov. Jan Brewer’s scheme to put on the ballot an 18-percent increase in Arizona’s sales tax rate.
Those legislators have argued they could wring more spending reductions out of the governor by allowing the sales tax referendum to go to the ballot.
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Allow racinos to balance budget
It’s against a distressing fiscal backdrop that the subject of the Arizona’s gaming policy has come due for review. Briefly expressed, that policy holds that some number of the state’s Native American tribes shall be allowed indefinitely to reap billions of dollars from gambling receipts, and everyone else shall reap precious little.
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Don’t bully Arizona
President Obama should immediately rebuke the members of his Cabinet who are threatening the State of Arizona over stimulus money as a result of U.S. Senator Jon Kyl’s declaration that stimulus spending should be halted and redirected to more worthwhile purposes such as health care.
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No room in U.S. Supreme Court for empathy-based rulings
The United States Senate has held a confirmation hearing for Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court. As the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, I had pledged that the hearing will be fair and respectful - but also thorough and rigorous.
