Health Reform Weighed; Lawmakers Speak On Controversy
Posted: June 10, 2012 at 5:16 am
WHEELING - The strength and fitness of a new health care reform law in America is on the examining table this month as the U.S. Supreme Court reviews its overall constitutionality.
On March 23, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law. The measure mandates comprehensive health insurance reforms that roll out through the end of 2014.
The high court is expected to rule on its constitutionality later this month. At issue is one provision of the new law requiring all Americans to obtain health insurance - or face a penalty. The provision goes into effect at the start of 2014.
The court's ruling should result in one of three scenarios, according to Jim Forbes, spokesman for Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va.
First, the court could rule the entire bill unconstitutional. Second, the court could deem only the "insurance mandate" clause illegal, and keep the rest as it is. Lastly, justices could rule the entire measure is constitutional.
The law in its current form would decrease the federal deficit by $210 billion by 2021, according to figures compiled by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The new system is expected to cost $604 billion over the next decade, while also generating $813 billion in additional revenues attributed to new taxes and fees, according to the CBO.
And health care reform already is providing very real benefits to West Virginians, according to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va.
"In the last year alone, seniors have saved about $23 million on their prescription drug costs and 4,200 small businesses got a 75 percent discount on their premiums last December as a direct result of health reform," he said. "Consumers are better protected, seniors have more support and there are new tools to put the brakes on runaway health spending. Yes, controlling our spending is important, but we cannot shift that burden onto seniors and low-income West Virginians."
Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, believes medical malpractice reform should be part of any health care system overhaul.
"Such common-sense reform would lessen the wasteful practice of defensive medicine, save the federal government billions of dollars and reduce health care costs passed on to employers," he noted.
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Health Reform Weighed; Lawmakers Speak On Controversy
Low interest rates hampering retirement plans, survey says
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Ultra-low interest rates on retirement accounts may force many Americans to delay their golden years, according to a new survey.
One-third of investors say they may have to put off retirement because low rates are preventing them from earning enough in retirement accounts, according to the poll by Wells Fargo and Gallup being released last week.
Would-be retirees are compensating by working longer or scaling back their retirement dreams.
Some people are taking more investment risks. Slightly more than one-quarter of pre-retirees, and 19 percent of current retirees, say they are making investments they otherwise "might have avoided," according to the Wells Fargo-Gallup Investor and Retirement Optimism Index Survey.
The survey demonstrates the significant effects that low interest rates on bank accounts and many types of bond mutual funds are having on the retirement expectations of Americans.
"Some people may feel like they're pushing mud uphill," said Karen Wimbish, director of retail retirement at Wells Fargo.
The survey of 1,018 investors nationwide was conducted May 4-12. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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Meg Loncharic: Mariner's Ball a huge success
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Every time the U.S. Brig Niagara is the focus of an event, it draws a crowd. More than 500 people attended the second Mariner's Ball, held June 2 at the Erie Maritime Museum.
The Perry 200 Commemoration chaired by Denise Illig Robison paid tribute to Erie's rich naval heritage.
This unforgettable evening had it all -- from a VIP party complete with signature cocktail to a War of 1812 color guard. There were cannon blasts, three flyover salutes and a fireworks display.
The gala more than lived up to its theme: A Salute to the American Spirit. Guests included U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, of Titusville.
Niagara Senior Capt. Walter Rybka presented the 2012 Mariner's Award to Rear Adm. Matthew Kohler. Now living in Fort Mead, Md., Kohler is deputy commander, U.S. Fleet Cyber Command, and deputy commander, U.S. 10th Fleet. The admiral's parents, Joseph and Sally Kohler, his twin brother and three sisters also attended the gala.
The fete highlighted an honorary committee of naval officers with ties to Erie who formed the receiving line.
Lt. Cmdr. Stuart Dye, of Bethesda, Md., who's married to Mary Virginia Illig Dye, sister of Denise Robison, also enjoyed the party.
Other guests included Lt. Leigh Loesel, a naval fighter pilot from Lemoore, Calif., and Lt. Stuart Zurn, of Reading, who's a retired Navy SEAL. Capt. Robert Lasher and his son, Cmdr. Brian Lasher, were also in attendance.
The greeters included Lt. Cmdr. Jason Anders of West Palm Beach, Fla.; Rear Adm. Robert Frick of Haymarket, Va.; Capt. Eric Marshall, of North East; and Cmdr. Alan Belovarac, of Erie.
Guests gathered indoors for the silent auction and dance music as well as at outdoor grazing stations in the plaza area where the ship is docked. There were four large refreshment tents and a fifth one at the end of the pier where the U.S. Navy Band performed.
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Meg Loncharic: Mariner's Ball a huge success
Graduates: Earned success is reward in itself
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By TOM JACKSON | The Tampa Tribune Published: June 10, 2012 Updated: June 10, 2012 - 12:00 AM
Graduation season, the best I can tell, has flown by in a swirl of flowing gowns, turned tassels, ovations (sometimes of relief) and congratulatory checks penned by well-wishers, as inviolable tradition holds.
All the while, a tradition no less unwavering played itself out: For the 15th consecutive year a span that began before this year's high school graduates entered preschool your humble correspondent's invitations to deliver a keynote address were, once again, lost in the mail or the Internet ether.
No matter. As ever, I have prepared a silent version of my undelivered (yet again sigh ) remarks.
Ahem.
To members of the Class of 2012, proud, grateful and no doubt exhausted parents, envious siblings, extended families who traveled far to join us, honored guests and, to be sure, the perpetually underappreciated staff and faculty who yoked you together to coax, cajole, inspire and otherwise drive you across today's finish line, I bring you greetings and thanks.
As an inflexion point that is, a moment that changes everything graduation is a rarity. You can see it coming. It occupies a spot on the calendar, right down to the moment it's supposed to begin. You can prepare for it; you know what to wear and what to expect.
School teaches us that's how things work. Everything squeezes onto a schedule. Tests, progress reports, conference nights, ballgames, dances and other extracurricular activities each has its time and place; each points toward this culminating moment.
Actual life, you will discover, is far less orderly. Crucial events fly by in a blur. In time, you will recognize when it comes to inflexion points, most are identifiable only in your rearview mirror.
Understanding that, the best available advice comes from the Boy Scouts of America: Be prepared. An ancillary piece of worthy advice comes from Absorbine Jr.: Be flexible.
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Graduates: Earned success is reward in itself
OTC12 – GOOGLEAPPS…CONDUITS FOR COLLABORATION AND CONCEPT-BUILDING IN ONLINE LEARNING – Video
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Workshop Introduction : Workload Management – Video
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Khatam e Bukhari Sharif in Hazro 2012 (Part 06) – Video
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Khatam e Bukhari Sharif in Hazro 2012 (Part 08) – Video
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Khatam e Bukhari Sharif in Hazro 2012 (Part 08) - Video
Khatam e Bukhari Sharif in Hazro 2012 (Part 07) – Video
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Khatam e Bukhari Sharif in Hazro 2012 (Part 09) – Video
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