Separating Fact from Fiction on HR 3590

On March 23, 2010, after a year of partisan fighting, President Obama signed into law a bill that reform the nation’s $2.5 trillion health-care system.  Known as the H.R.3590 – Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, this legislation will expand health care coverage to 31 million uninsured Americans through a combination of cost controls, subsidies and mandates.  The cost of this reform is estimated to run close to $848 billion over a 10 year period.  The cost is to be fully offset by new taxes and revenues and would actually reduce the deficit by $131 billion over the same period.

One thing for sure is that an abundance of disinformation about this legislation.  In an effort to provide the public with tools to separate fact from fiction about H.R. 3590, the Manhattan Alliance for Peace and Justice (MAPJ) will host an informational Health Care Forum on Monday, 26 July, from 5:30-7:00pm at the Manhattan Public Library Auditorium.

MAPJ has assembled a panel of experts who will answer questions from those in attendance about the new health care legislation.  Panelists include:

• Judith Baker (invited), Region 7 Office Director, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services;
• Representative Sydney Carlin (D – 66th District Kansas Legislature);
• Suzanne Cleveland, Senior Policy Analyst, Kansas Health Institute; and,
• Dr. Tom Kluzak, Pathologist and Member of Physicians for a National Health Program.

MAPJ Board member, Thea Nietfeld, will serve as moderator for the evening.

Readers interested an analysis of H.R. 3590 might want to read the RAND Corporation’s analysis (PDF file) http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/2010/RAND_RB9514.pdf of the bill’s effects on the number of uninsured, the costs to the federal government and the nation, revenues from penalty payments, and consumer health care spending.  While the bill does much to address a variety of issues, about 23 million people will remain uninsured nine years out under H.R. 3590. That figure translates into an estimated 23,000 unnecessary deaths annually and an incalculable toll of suffering on the uninsured’s families.

On the other end of the spectrum, 19 states have joined a lawsuit, filed in a U.S. District Court in Florida, that contends that Congress lacks the constitutional authority to mandate an individual’s participation in an insurance plan with Virginia and Idaho filling their own suit.  The Florida case also claims that the new legislation infringes on states’ rights by requiring them to extend coverage to more low-income residents without fully funding the additional cost.  Many constitutional scholars say the challenge stands a slim chance of being successful, so to further support the extremist view that corporate death panels should be deciding what medical care you receive, many state legislatures have also passed legislation, or non-binding resolutions as is the case in Kansas, declaring their “sovereignty” over federal government mandates…something I thought had been decided in the 1860s.

Kansans for Quality Communities Releases Open Letter to Legislators

The coalition Kansans for Quality Communities released an open letter to members of the Senate Ways and Means Committee and House Appropriations Committee to let legislators know the impact of current and potential cuts on state services and the quality of life in Kansas.

In the letter, KQC called upon Kansas legislators to “act as good stewards of our communities” and “consider both the immediate crisis as well as the implications for 2012 and beyond.”

The letter encourages legislators to not just stop cutting but to craft a tax and revenue solution that will reverse the damage already done through cuts to vital state services from education to the social safety net; from mental health to nursing homes; from public safety to public highways.

Here is the complete contents of the letter:

Our organizations have come together under the umbrella of Kansans for Quality Communities. We serve every community in Kansas and our constituents touch every Kansas family. We educate Kansas children, we care for our neighbors with disabilities and mental health issues; we ensure that our seniors can stay in their homes.

We represent the spirit of a Kansas that pulls together for one another. We stand for safe, healthy and vibrant communities, with strong economies and sound infrastructures and for social assistance for citizens who need a little help for a chance to succeed.

The scenario before us today is not pretty.

The series of budget cuts enacted during and after the 2009 legislative session have been devastating. Since the conclusion of the 2009 session, waiting lists for Kansans with disabilities eligible for services have grown, the demands on the education system have increased dramatically, and road projects have been put on hold.

To put a real face on it…

• While the war of words continues, 65 Kansas citizens with disabilities who were eligible for services but languishing on waiting lists have died.
• Medicaid cuts have resulted in 13,000 pregnant Kansas women losing dental services and in depressed wages for critical care workers like certified nursing assistants.
• As we debate, schools are cutting extracurricular activities, library services and counselors, and preparing nonrenewal notices for hundreds of teachers and education support professionals.
• Social workers are forced to increase their workloads by 80 percent possibly putting children from at-risk homes in harm’s way.
• Corrections Officers continue to protect us from convicted criminals as their facilities suffer mass overcrowding and their safety is threatened even further.
• Seventy-five percent of Community Mental Health Centers have eliminated programs, closed local offices, and have begun rationing of mental health services to 90,000 Kansans at a time when 90 percent of the Centers are experiencing increased demand for services.
• Courthouse doors have shut on all Kansans as state courts close for four budget-related furlough days, delaying justice and making it even more difficult for cases to resolve quickly.
• 5,600 seniors have lost access to oral health care, support services and assistive technology – services that keep them living in their homes.
• The number of children entering SRS custody, which had been reduced by 14 percent, is once again increasing.

This is not “trimming the fat”; this is cutting the bone, amputating a limb.

If this Legislature does nothing, the next round of cuts will choke off the hopeful signs of economic recovery, and damage the long-term prospects for future prosperity.

The members of Kansans for Quality Communities believe that cuts have gone far enough – in truth, cuts have gone too far in their negative impact on the quality and quantity of services on which Kansans depend.

If we do not act to stop the decline in which we find ourselves, Kansas communities will be unable to deal with a long term decline in our children’s educational opportunity, in early childhood and prevention services, in our infrastructure, and in providing care for our most vulnerable citizens.

The 2010 Legislature must take action and we call on all Kansas legislators to act as good stewards of our communities. The Legislature must consider both the immediate crisis as well as the implications for 2012 and beyond.

We must agree to no more tax cuts. When one is in a hole, one is advised to stop digging. So the Legislature must stop digging the revenue hole.

The Legislature must take action on recommendations to bring exemptions under control. The rapid expansion of exemptions offers the best example of a tax policy that does not work under set rules and regulation.

Nothing can be considered “off the table.” These extraordinary times call for extraordinary courage. Economic development initiatives that don’t work need to be rescinded. Phase-out plans for some taxes need to be put on hold.

Serious consideration should be given to decoupling from the federal tax code where that code forces additional cuts to state revenue.

Legislators must be open to revenue enhancements. An increase in taxes is appropriate and possible. There have been plenty of proposals before the Legislature this year and we believe it is time for the Legislature to craft a revenue enhancement plan that is comprehensive and balanced.

Such a revenue enhancement plan should consider:

• Sales tax increases such as those proposed by Governor Parkinson and Senator Les Donovan.
• Targeted taxes such as the proposed increases in cigarette, tobacco and liquor taxes.
• A restructuring of the income tax by adding brackets for those with very high incomes.
• Adoption of the recommendations of the Kansas Advisory Council on Intergovernmental Relations in regards to tax exemptions.

We also believe that it is in the long-term interest of the State to adopt a rational approach to tax exemptions and economic development initiatives.

Legislators must examine their consciences and consider the consequences of business as usual on Kansas communities and the quality of life we Kansans have come to enjoy.

• How many more thousands of our neighbors with disabilities must be placed on waiting lists?
• How many more state highways and bridges must erode?
• How many more community schools must close?
• How many of our neighbors who have devoted their lives to public service must lose their jobs, their income, and their homes?
• How many of our parents and grandparents will be denied access to long-term care?

The members of our organizations have worked too hard for too long in every Kansas community to silently watch this happen.

We call upon all Kansans to speak up and join us. Let us all stand together to save Kansas for the future of our children and grandchildren, in ways that resemble the state we are proud to call home.

Historic March to Take Place on April 24

MANHATTAN, Kan. -  Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and their allies will make history as they hold the first Pride March ever in Manhattan on Saturday 24 April.  The march will start at 2:00 pm in front of the Riley County Courthouse and will proceed down Poyntz Avenue to 11th Street, then north on 11th to Moro, through Aggieville, ending in Triangle Park with a rally that goes until 4:30 pm.

Along with speeches and entertainment, the rally will feature openly gay musician Tom Goss.  Goss will also be in concert with Jeremiah Clark later on the 24th beginning at 9:00 pm at Mel’s Tavern in downtown Manhattan.

Goss’ story reflects many of the same milestones, struggles, and rebirths that LGBT Kansans face.  Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, he spent his childhood in the gym with his gymnast parents and brothers.  In junior high school he switched to wresting–a better outlet for some serious teenage aggression–and stuck with it through college.  Majoring in education at the University of Central Missouri, Goss became familiar with Kansas because of traveling to Hays for wrestling competitions.

Tom Goss

In 2004 he decided to become a Roman Catholic priest.  In his own words he simply says, “it didn’t go as planned” and, disillusioned by the institution in which he had placed his faith, he chose to abandon religious training–but not his quest.

Back in secular life, Goss sought new ways to work toward social justice, the issue that had led him to seek out religious life in the first place. He took a job running a breakfast program for the homeless and began to build a life with his partner.

Goss channels his message of love, hope and reconciliation through his music. He offers up dynamic acoustic rock featuring muscular guitar, hooky melodies and a uniquely powerful voice.

Goss recently unveiled a curriculum he developed entitled The Politics of Love. The curriculum, featured on its own website, provides people interested in the topic of marriage equality with everything they need to lead their own workshops or just talk with friends about the topic.

Following Goss’s concert at 11:00 pm the evening will continue as one of London’s most popular DJs, Miss Cupcake.  Originally from Manhattan, Miss Cupcake is the resident DJ for Gay Girlz at Heaven, London’s largest club. She has played at London Pride, Brighton Pride, Soho Pride and in clubs all over Europe.  By luck she is in Manhattan this weekend.

In 2004 Miss Cupcake left the 9 – 5 life of government bureaucrat – among her many accomplishments was doing Internet technology at the White House for the Clinton Administration – to devote herself full time to working as a DJ.

Miss Cupcake

“Music has been around as long as human-kind for a reason – the world moves to a natural rhythm that is beautifully emotional.  To totally lose yourself in a song and/or dance is one of the most amazing and euphoric experiences a person can have,” she said.

Miss Cupcake will spin electronica, House, and other music genres until closing time, 2:00 am, at Mel’s Taven.

Pride marches are generally held across the county each June to remember the Stonewall Riots that mark the beginning of the modern LGBT liberation movement.  The Stonewall Riots began in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, when the NYPD launched a routine raid on the Stonewall Inn, a tavern in Greenwich Village that was a know hangout for gays and lesbians.

By the time the riots finally ended several nights later, thousands of New Yorkers had protested and the Tactical Patrol Force beat many of those.  The TPF was created to deal with the anti-war protest and their action against the Stonewall Riots was particularly brutal.  David Carter in Stonewall: The Riots that Sparked the Gay Revolution writes: “7th Avenue from Christopher Street to West 10th looked like a battlefield in Vietnam.  Young people were lying on the sidewalk, bleeding from the head, face, mouth, and even the eyes.  Others were nursing bruised and often bleeding arms, legs, backs and necks.”

The brutal force used could not stop what had been released, as the New York Daily News wrote:  “Without warning, Queer Power exploded with the fury on a gay atomic bomb.”

Today the advances made in civil rights legislation and changing cultural norms are in part due to the Stonewall Riots and the foundation work carried out by people like Harry Hay and Dell Martin.

Saturday’s events in Manhattan draw on this tradition of people demanding their basic human rights at a moment when new interest is being shown in getting the City of Manhattan to include sexual orientation and gender identity in its anti-discrimination ordinance.

Governor Says One Cent Sales Tax will Save Education

On March 16, a crowd estimated to be 1,000 parents, teachers and students rallied at the east steps of Capitol in Topeka to protest potential future cuts in education funding.  Demanding that schools get “what’s right, not what’s left,” and “SOS – save our schools,” the crowd’s chants echoed in down the halls of the Capitol.

Following the Montoy lawsuit in 2005, funding levels substantially improved educational results and programs across the state.  Kansas children were learning more, were achieving high academic standards and graduating from high school ready to contribute to our state.

Still the funding never reached the levels ascribed in the Kansas Legislature’s own cost study (2001 Augenblick and Myers). This study found that funding needed for Kansas schools – now nine years ago – ranged from $5,811 per pupil (large districts) to $8,541 per pupil (small districts); with additional costs for: special education: $7,400-$12,000 per pupil; at-risk: $1,900-$2,600 per pupil; English Language Learner (ELL): $1,200 to $6,000 per pupil. In order to be a “Successful School,” the average base cost of $4,547 per pupil was proposed.
With the cuts Gov. Parkinson had to put in place when the legislature failed to adequately address the economic crisis in 2009, schools are now at funding levels prior to the 2005 Supreme Court’s intervention.  In fact they have been pushed back to 1996 levels.  If that wasn’t bad enough, the schools are serving over 11,000 additional students, and the conservatives in the legislature show no sign of doing what is right for Kansas children.

Tuesday’s rally title, Adequate Yearly Funding, was a play on “adequate yearly progress” required by No Child Left Behind.  It called for protecting Kansas’ future and our most valuable asset…the Kansas child. Organized by two teachers, Noah and Christie Slay, the crowd included represents schools from Garden City to Lenexa, Atchison to Colby.  It demonstrated that Kansans value our schools and do not want the failed state of affairs Representatives Yoder and O’Neal want to give us.

Prior to the commencement of speakers, students from USD 383 Manhattan-Odgen told the crowd that the school board was going to cut music from the elementary curriculum in order to save money (along with cutting other positions and programs as well).  The students were able to articulate why music is important and what will happen to their nationally recognized music program as a result of the proposed cut. Maybe such articulate students is just the reason the conservatives want to cut education again.

Following the general introduction by Noah Slay, a third grade teacher, Sen. Anthony Hensley called the crowd to order with an energy-filled speech.  “Investing in public education is the right thing to do,” he began. “In our state’s budget for FY 2010 we spend on average $37 per day, per student, in our K-12 education system. Contrast that with the fact that on average we spend almost $70 to house, feed, clothe and often education the inmates in the Lansing penitentiary.  What question is: Where do you want to spend your money?”

Gov. Parkinson called the situation a “historic battle” and called marchers to contact legislators to raise taxes to protect schools from further cuts.  Saying “we can do this with just a 1-cent sales tax,” he once again proposed increasing sales tax and tobacco tax to close an expected $467 million shortfall for next fiscal year.

“Now the economists, the so called economists from the right, will tell you that if we raise the sales tax just one cent, we will tear down our economy,” he said. Citing the City of Wichita, Parkinson pointed out that a one-cent sales tax was added to build an arena.  When he asks people in Wichita about the tax, no one was able to tell him when it was add or when it went off.  “If we can raise taxes one cent to build an arena, surely we can raise taxes one cent to help every school child in this state.”

Other speakers included two articulate students from Shawnee Heights, senior Alec Weaver and sophomore Alec Elkison, 2009 Kansas Teacher of the Year Cindy Coachman, Rep. Ann Mah, Rep. Paul Davis, KNEA President Dr. Blake West along with organizers Noah and Christie Slay.

Tom Holland stated that his motivation for public service was our schools.  “Kansas schools are facing serious problems and no one know this more than our students, parents, teachers and administrators,” he said. “We are trying to teach tomorrow’s leaders with yesterday’s resources.  That just won’t cut it!”

Holland gave examples of class size doubling and that schools have been closed because of the funding crisis.  “We must rededicate ourselves to investing in our teachers and schools so that every Kansas child, our future leaders will have the very best education possible.”

Kansans – parents, grandparents, students, teachers, and folks who don’t have children in school – across the state must now take up the fight by contact their legislators and demand they do what is right: raise taxes and fund education!  We cannot afford to lose an entire generation because some conservatives want to wreck education as they have the political system.

The complete speeches from the rally are available as a podcast here on the KONZ website on the podcast page.

Homecare and Hospice Festival of Wines

The Homecare & Hospice Foundation announces that tickets are on sale now for their biggest fundraiser of the year, the Flint Hills Festival of Wines.

The Festival, which is celebrating its 10^th Anniversary, features a weekend of wine tasting events. The Festival begins on Friday, February 20^th with a Winemaker Dinner and Live Auction which will be held at the Manhattan Country Club. The dinner will feature a delectable multi-course meal and Italian wines paired with each course.

The dinner leads into the main Festival event, the Grand Tasting which is held on Saturday, February 21^st from 6:30 – 10 p.m. at the Clarion Hotel.

Grand Tasting participants can sample from a variety of over 250 wines and spirits from all around the world and taste gourmet hors d’oeuvres from seven local restaurants. The Grand Tasting also features a large silent auction and for the first time in Festival history, a Live Auction will be held at the end of the evening on Saturday night.

Proceeds from the Flint Hills Festival of Wines help support the Homecare & Hospice Agency, which provides quality health care to members of our community, regardless of their ability to pay. By donating to the Festival, you are helping to ensure that care and support will continue to be given to those who need it so dearly.

Call Homecare & Hospice at 537-0688 now to reserve your tickets or visit www.flinthillswinefest.com for more Festival information. There is a limit to the number of tickets that will be sold, so call in now before they’re all sold out!

The original Homecare & Hospice, your local, non-profit leader for end of life care striving to provide quality health and support services to Manhattan, Junction City, Wamego and the surrounding areas for over 30 years.

The Monthly Film Series presents: “Anatomy of Hate; Dialogue of Hope”

16 March  6:30 pm, Manhattan Public Library Auditorium; run time is 86 minutes.

For its March installation, Manhattan’s Monthly Film Series presents Mike Ramsdell’s The Anatomy of Hate; A Dialogue to Hope. Winner of the Best Political Documentary at the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival, it was also show at the Carter Center as part of Atlanta’s 2009 Docufest Independent Film Festival where it won the Audience Choice Award.  The film reveals the shared narratives found in individual and collective ideologies of hate, and how we as a species can overcome them.

For six years Ramsdell worked with unprecedented access to some of the most venomous ideologies and violent conflicts of our time including the White Supremacist movement, Christian Fundamentalism as an anti-gay platform, Muslim Extremism, the Palestinian Intifada, Israeli Settlers and Soldiers, and US Forces in Iraq.

By juxtaposing this verite footage with interviews from leading sociological, psychological, and neurological experts, and interspersing stories of redemption told by former “combatants,” the film weaves a tapestry that reveals both the emotional and biological mechanisms which make all of us susceptible to acts and ideologies of hate, and demonstrates how these very same traits make us equally capable of overcoming them.

“What I found was, for me, life changing,” stated Ramsdell. “There was no boogieman, no devil, nor any single person or group of evil at the center of all this violence, war, and hate. Instead I found a planet full of creatures doing their best to fill the void of existence with limited psychological tools, and emotional shortcomings – myself included. And instead of embracing these shortcomings and using them as empathetic links to our fellow men, I discovered that our psyche turns them into mythological monsters that we can project onto others, declaring those ‘others’ as inferior, evil, or deserving of death.”

Ramsdell had only recently finished film school when the attacks of 9/11 threw America’s sense of security upside down.  A native of Michigan, he grappled with the horror of what happened to the country that day just as he paid attention to people’s reactions. When he heard President Bush’s declaration of war on terrorism, he thought to himself: “A lot of people are going to die.”

Henry Richards of the Ernest Becker Foundation writes: “The film does not spare us the brutal facts and images of violence and hate, from the holocausts in Europe and Rwanda to lynchings and gay bashing in America. But this is not the pornography of war and hate. The viewer’s need for a safe distance to consider these nightmare realities and the hunger for hope and meaning that they engender are met with, in exquisite timing, by the authoritative voices and surprisingly warm presence of scholars and scientists such as philosopher Sam Keen, and social psychologist Sheldon Solomon, who show us that there is a possible escape from the dismal trajectory of human history.”

“It’s a film that challenges, informs, and inspires. An invaluable tool for anyone who believes that the path to peace is through a deeper understanding of our common humanity”, said Michael Bochenek, Amnesty International, Director of Policy.

Anatomy of Hate is released by Underhood Productions. For more information, visit the website at http://anatomyofhate.com/

Professors assigning the viewing of the film as extra credit are kindly asked to inform students they are expected to remain for the entire film and the discussion that follows afterward.

The Monthly Film Series strives to bring films to Manhattan which would not otherwise be seen in commercial venues which inform the public debate on a broad array debate on issues including human rights, the environment, economic justice, peace, and media reform.

The series is sponsored by the Manhattan Alliance for Peace and Justice with the support of the Manhattan/Riley County League of Women Voters, Movies on the Grass, area locovores and through donations from generous individuals like yourself.

Trailer:

Welcome to the KONZ FM!

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Community radio is characterized by access and public participation in production and decision making.  It is predominantly listener-financed. Management of the station is in the hands of those who are listener-members.

In that spirit, KONZ is truly YOUR radio station, committed to serving the entire community and providing opportunities to those in our community who are otherwise unrepresented or under-represented by the mainstream media.

We encourage you to be involved, either by becoming a member or volunteering your time and ideas. Your support will allow KONZ to build community through radio.