Good morning!

If you don’t know who the Billionaire Koch brothers are, it’s about time you get to know them and their agenda for the 2014 elections and beyond.

From The Washington Post:

Harry Reid may not be afraid of the Koch Brothers. But he’s trying to make Democrats very afraid of them.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is a bit of a one-note Johnny these days.

There’s a problem in Washington? To hear Reid tell it, it’s the fault of Charles and David Koch, the libertarian-minded brothers who have bankrolled a slew of ads slamming vulnerable Senate Democrats via Americans for Prosperity, one of their many quasi-political entities.

Reid was at it again Thursday morning on the Senate floor, vilifying the Koch brothers for, roughly, everything that’s wrong with America. Here’s part of Reid’s speech:

I’m not afraid of the Koch brothers. None of us should not be afraid of the Koch brothers. These two multi-billionaires may spend hundreds of millions of dollars rigging the political process for their own benefit. And they may believe that whoever has the most money gets the most free speech. But I will do whatever it takes to expose their campaign to rig the American political system to benefit the wealthy at the expense of the middle class.

Reid has demonstrated that commitment repeatedly in recent weeks, using the Senate floor as a staging ground for attacks that he will almost certainly will keep up. What’s Reid’s end goal? In his ideal world, to make the Koch brothers household names — and, in the tradition of the villainizing of Mitt Romney during the 2012 campaign — a living, breathing symbol of a view of government and society built on inequality. Again, Reid from earlier Thursday: “It would be a terrible thing to allow the Koch brothers to buy Congress. But it would be catastrophic to allow that Koch Brothers Congress to devastate the American middle class with their richest-take-all policy agenda.”

Reid’s ideal world as it relates to the Koch brothers isn’t going to happen. Or, at the very least, it’s not going to happen before the 2014 elections.  Why? Because the average person has no idea who they are.

There’s very little polling on the two men but even a Democratic-aligned firm like PPP found that 47 percent of its sample had no idea who the Kochs were. Here’s Democratic pollster Geoff Garin in an interview with the Associated Press on that topic: “Garin says Americans, when given this basic information, believe the brothers are trying to elect a government that helps them at the expense of less wealthy people, who would fare better under Democratic policies.” The problem of course is the “basic information” caveat; such a statement assumes that voters will being paying close enough attention that information on the Koch brothers — whether served up by Reid or by any number of Democratic candidates and groups – will influence their votes. And, if past is prologue, the average voter simply doesn’t pay that much attention.

That’s not to say that simply because Reid’s ideal scenario won’t comes to pass that his Koch Brothers strategy is without merit for Democrats.  Because, while the Kochs aren’t broadly known in the electorate, they are already relatively well known — and disliked — by Democrats. (A majority of Democrats — 51 percent — had an unfavorable opinion of the Kochs in that PPP poll.)

Remember that the single biggest problem Democrats face heading into the November midterms is that their base just isn’t all that excited about voting. Republican base voters, by contrast, are on fire about the prospect of turning out in the midterms to send a message to President Obama.  That energy disparity is a major problem.  (Check out these numbers from the new NBC-Wall Street Journal poll to further understand that base problem.) It’s a major reason why Democrats lost a jump ball special House election in Florida on Tuesday night and why, at every chance he gets,President Obama tries to tell voters — and donors — not to be complacent about the fall.

While passion in politics occasionally comes from a positive message/messenger — that’s what happened for Obama the candidate in 2008 — it occurs much more often as the result of negative influences. We all love to hate a good villain. And that’s why Reid is trying so hard to make the Kochs into just. The more he talks about the Kochs, the more — he hopes — rank and file Democrats get fired up to turn out to stick it to the Kochs. And the more — he hopes — major Democratic donors open up their checkbooks to counter the Kochs spending. (One liberal donor — Tom Steyer — is already pledging to spend $50 million of his own money to promote candidate supporting climate change, a fact Republican were all to quick to point out in the wake of Reid’s latest anti-Koch brothers speech; “the only person who has ever put Congress up for sale is Senator Reid and his fellow Senate Democrats,” said Republican spokesman Jahan Wilcox.)

Reid might not be afraid of the Koch Brothers. But he is hoping he can convince Democrats to be very, very afraid of them.

*****

Readers: Reid may be a one-note Johnny, but he has good reason to be. This won’t be the last we hear from Reid nor from myself when it comes to the Koch Brothers. Unfortunately, I believe that one of the most important things in this article that was said is true, and it needs to be changed:

Remember that the single biggest problem Democrats face heading into the November midterms is that their base just isn’t all that excited about voting. Republican base voters, by contrast, are on fire about the prospect of turning out in the midterms to send a message to President Obama.  That energy disparity is a major problem. 

Yes it is, and we need to make that gap disappear. Between now and November of this year, you can count on me to practically being a one-note Johnny as well…because I have good reason to be. If we sit on our laurels like the last midterms, you can count on this country going to shit in the proverbial hand basket because Obama will not be able to do anything if we lose control and hand over the keys. And we all know what that will look like if the repubs are in control. If you think it’s bad now with everything I’ve been posting about the repubs, it will get a lot worse. A LOT. 

I cannot stress this enough over the next 6+ months but I am sure going to give it my best. We need to be on it. We Dems need to rally our base like we’ve never rallied them before. I’m issuing a clarion call to all Dems to get active and get involved. And of course vote. Am I stressing this too early? Maybe. But believe me, this won’t be the last time I ask you to vote in the midterms, before November rolls around. I will be a constant reminder of how important it is and I will be continually reminding you of what the Koch brothers and the repubs are doing, right up to election day. I want the elections to come and go and not have to say, “I told you so.” So…Are you with me?

What do you have to say? Blog me.

HAPPY ST. PATTY’S DAY!

Peace out. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

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Good morning!

“Just Noticing…”

From Think Progress:

Why Much Of What You’ve Read About Ukraine Isn’t Quite Right, As Explained By Ukrainians

Though protests had been raging in the capital city of Kyiv and cities across Ukraine since November, the eyes of the world turned sharply toward the former Soviet republic at the end of February when then-president Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia and Russian president Vladimir Putin decided to directly insert himself in his neighbor’s internal turmoil. Citing an imminent danger to Russians living in the southern Ukrainian region of Crimea, Putin sought permission from Russia’s parliament to send military forces into Ukraine. As of Monday, Ukrainian officials said 16,000 Russian troops were in Ukraine and in a Tuesday press conference from his Moscow home, Putin said they “reserve the right to use all means to protect” Russian citizens in Ukraine, but denied having sent Russian forces there.

With all of the speculation regarding Russia’s motives and endless posturing over what’s in Ukraine’s best interest, the perspectives of those that matter most, actual Ukrainians, seem to get lost along the way. “The radical voices are always the loudest,” said Olga, a native of Sevastopol, Crimea who moved to the U.S. in 2007. “I wish there were some moderate voices in between that would be heard.”

Olga

In order to understand what’s happening now, Olga said you need to first accept that “Crimea is really different from the rest of the country.” (For safety concerns, all of the Ukrainians quoted in this article will be identified by first name only). The region was part of the Russian empire since the end of the 18th century and only recently became part of Ukraine when then-Soviet Union leader Nikita Kruschev gifted it in 1954, “but it was really only a formality.” When the Soviet Union collapsed and borders were drawn, Crimea became part of Ukraine “to the dismay of a lot of people there.” Most of the population is Russian speaking and even the ethnic Ukrainians that do live there are Russian speakers for the most part, she explains. And as home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, the city of Sevastopol in particular has many people who are Russian citizens. “In general, the sentiment is way more pro-Russian than pro-Ukrainian.”

Olga said her family, living in Crimea’s port city of Sevastopol, watched cautiously as the last four months of protests escalated — though she’s clear that their unease was not due to an affinity for the ousted president. “Nobody had any illusions about who Yanukovych really is,” she said emphatically. “He is disliked all over the country — south, east, west, regardless — disliked and distrusted.”

When the opposition took over in Kyiv, Olga said that people in Crimea were very distrustful of the new leaders and felt they didn’t have any representation in the new government or choice in who would lead it. With most of their information coming from pro-Russian websites and TV channels, she says “they do get a one-sided perspective for sure.” Initially, she believes they were supportive of Russian involvement — their fears were very great and Russian support perhaps felt like a last resort. However, as the events of the past week unfolded, “it’s looking now like its not just protection … It’s a full-blown invasion. As time goes on, that’s becoming more and more apparent.”

The distrust felt by her friends and family toward the interim government stems in part from who comprises the coalition. Oleh Tyahnybok in particular “has been a very vocal anti-Russian voice” and “his Svoboda Party has gone from a marginalized extreme right group with little support to a mainstream political force gaining more seats in the government.” She explains that most ethnic Russians in Ukraine want to remain in an independent Ukraine, while maintaining their linguistic and cultural traditions.

Olga has been talking to her parents every day and they described the atmosphere in Sevastopol as peaceful but very tense “because nobody knows what’s going to happen tomorrow.” She emphasizes that her parents, “as pro-Russian as they are, they do not want separation. They do not want Crimea to become part of Russia. They basically want to have a say — they want Crimea to have that autonomous status and to elect their own authorities.”

Bogdan and Viktor

Like Crimea, eastern Ukraine has close historical, ethnic and linguistic ties to Russia. Many havespeculated that Putin’s next move after Crimea would be to spread the occupation into eastern Ukraine. And Moscow’s envoy to the United Nations claimed on Tuesday that ousted president Yanukovych, who hails from the eastern city of Donetsk, asked Russia to send troops across the border. But Bogdan, a 45-year-old teacher living near Kharkiv, said that despite having close ties with the Russian Federation, he believes the majority of Ukrainians living in the east have the same simple goal as Ukrainians elsewhere — independence. “I think that all people in Ukraine understand that we live in independent country,” he said. “The name of this country is Ukraine and it will never be part of any other country.”

Located near the Russian border and containing the second largest city in Ukraine, the sharp contrasts of eastern Ukraine are clearly seen in the Kharkiv region — with a large student population in the city surrounded by areas of Russian supporters. While the atmosphere where he lives is peaceful, “people are worrying about the future,” Bogdan said. “It’s only 40 kilometers from the Russian border and it will take only ten minutes for military forces to occupy.”

Another resident of the Kharkiv region, Viktor, said via email that while “life is mostly calm and stable outside of the major city centers” for now, “one question bothers the whole country — should we wait for the war?”

A veteran of the Soviet Army, Bogdan said the situation in Crimea reminds him of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, when Soviet propaganda sought to convince people that the invasion was necessary to protect Soviet citizens and interests. Ultimately, however, “Ukraine wants to be free and that’s why we are fighting against it.”

“I am against war and I don’t want my country to be invaded,” said Viktor. “War has never brought happiness, only losses.”

Ruslana

“I never thought that after the Orange Revolution in 2004, people will once again gather and protest,” said Ruslana, a 23-year-old living in Kyiv, via email. “As the protests began, I was afraid they would quickly run out and people did not achieve their goal! But after Berkut [riot police] beat protesters then gathered on Independence Square … then I realized what we have strong people.”

After months of enduring sub-zero temperatures on Kyiv’s Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square), the protest movement, and Ukrainians around the country, were stunned when police turned their weapons on the crowd in February. “When snipers began to kill ordinary people, Ukrainians were shocked,” Ruslana said. “Almost a week we had a mourning.”

“After these events, life in Ukraine has changed dramatically,” she continued. Yanukovych was stripped of his presidential powers, a move that was met with great happiness — though she notes the price at which that aim was achieved.

Their happiness was short-lived, however. “No one expected” Russia would send troops to Crimea, said Ruslana. While she understands that in Crimea, “they speak Russian, they have Russian TV,” she believes that “not everyone in the Crimea and the east support Russia.”

“Now in Kyiv and throughout the country, the tense situation … people are preparing for war,” said Ruslana. “Near military offices queue young guys! This is very scary.” Ultimately she believes that if Putin decides to send forces further into Ukraine, “people are going to fight! They will not give a piece of their country, I’m sure.”

A Common Goal

After the Orange Revolution of 2004, Bogdan said “nothing changed for ordinary people.” But the things he’s seeing from the new leadership in Kyiv is giving him hope. And his aspirations for Ukraine are quite simple: “My idea is to live in the independent country which is economically developed.”

While she “can see why people in the south are worried about their future,” Olga still maintains that “the majority of Crimeans don’t want separation. It would be economical and political disaster for Crimea.”

“Ukrainian people want justice, live without corruption, without stealing,” said Ruslana. “People want independence.”

A good politician will always be thinking of the people who elected them, Viktor writes. “His or her own profit must stand in the last place and the people the first.”

He added, “politicians come and go, but the people remain.”

The author met both Olga and Ruslana while living in Ukraine from 2005 to 2007.

*****

Blog me.

Peace out. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

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Good morning!

Ya, gotta love this woman. I’m talking about Dr Danielle Martin, vice president at the Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, Canada. When it came to getting the facts straight on Health Care, Doc Martin (Pun intended) rocked it and buried Sen. Richard Burr with her answers, setting the senator straight about the myths and misunderstandings surrounding Canada’s heath system. No need to mention that Burr is indeed a republican…as I’m sure you’ve already guessed that.

There is a good reason Martin is trending on social media. From The Rachel Maddow Show:

*****

Any comments? Blog me. 

Howie: Hey there. Well, you always come back with something super fascinating to say. It will be interesting to find out what exactly fell off that craft, and if it is of any value.

Happy you decided to “perk” your lips yesterday, and fill us in on the latest happenings out in space and here on Earth. All I can say is I had a feeling about that missing plane.

My heart goes out to the families of the missing.

Peace out.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

…you might be raped.”

Today, Michigan’s “Rape Insurance” law goes into affect. Yep, you read that right. Michigan is requiring women to get extra insurance in planning ahead for the need for an abortion if they are raped.

Watch from The Rachel Maddow Show:

….or read from The Lansing State Journal:

Abortion rider law takes effect Thursday

No companies offering them on private plans

Anti-abortion activist and attorney Rebecca Kiessling, center, and others who say they were born as a result of rape, urged lawmakers to pass the citizen-initiated proposed law targeting insurance coverage of abortion in Michigan. The law takes effect Thursday / AP Photo/David Eggert

Michigan residents who buy health coverage in the private marketplace after Thursday will not have access to abortion coverage, even if a pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.

On that day, a new state law goes into effect that prohibits insurance companies from covering abortion services unless customers purchase separate add-ons — called riders — to their insurance plans ahead of time.

No insurance companies will be offering those riders to new customers in the private marketplace after Thursday, according to the state’s Department of Insurance and Financial Services.

Insurers had to tell the state in February if they planned to offer and sell the abortion riders. Seven companies indicated they plan to do so but only as part of employer-based plans, department spokesman Caleb Buhs said.

That means anyone who purchases insurance as an individual — either inside or outside the new federal health-care exchange — will not be able to obtain coverage for abortion services.

“People who buy coverage for themselves and their families will not find this coverage,” said Marianne Udow-Phillips of the Center for Healthcare Research and Transformation. “It will not be available to them.”

It’s unclear how much the riders in the employer-sponsored plans will cost. Buhs said one company has listed the rider at 32 cents per month.

The Abortion Insurance Opt-Out Act was passed in December by the Republican-controlled Legislature after an emotional and heated debate that garnered national attention.

Proponents say the law protects those who object to abortion from having any of their premiums used to cover the procedure for other customers in their group plans or within the health-care exchange.

“Do we anticipate this will lower abortion rates? No,” said Right to Life Michigan spokeswoman Genevieve Marnon. “But … it’s one thing for you to pay for your abortion and another thing for me to have to pay for it.”

Opponents say the bill threatens women’s health by limiting access to a procedure that is legal and constitutionally protected.

Democrats labeled it the “rape insurance bill” because it would, in effect, require women to buy abortion coverage in advance even if they never expect to need it — such as if a woman becomes pregnant from a rape.

Sen. Gretchen Whit­mer, D-East Lansing, said women who aren’t aware the riders are required or who don’t receive insurance through one of the seven companies will suffer financially and emotionally.

“ A woman in need of a medically necessary D&C procedure will not even have insurance as an option, meaning she would be required to pay for the procedure entirely on her own with a cost often totaling in the tens of thousands of dollars,” Whit­mer said.

“This isn’t talking about someone looking for an elective abortion. This is a woman with a wanted pregnancy who is forced to terminate it because of health concerns and may now may face financial ruin for doing nothing more than trying to start a family. If that’s not a direct attack on women and our health to say insurance can’t cover this type of critically important reproductive care, I don’t know what is.”

Although the law is intended to remove abortion from the list of procedures automatically covered by insurance, the majority of elective abortions in Michigan and nationwide are already paid out-of-pocket.

Only 3 percent of the 22,700 abortions in Michigan in 2012 were paid for with insurance, according to the most recent numbers from the Department of Community Health.

The total number of abortions in Michigan has also plummeted. The 22,700 abortions in 2012 reflects 52 percent drop since 1987.

Marnon said the numbers were not the point of the opt-out bill. It was the fact that someone could unknowingly be helping to pay for even one procedure they oppose on moral grounds.

*****

Readers: This is just outrageous. What is going on here? Really? Yes, this is really happening. Okkayy. Time to get back in the driver’s seat. I HOPE all of you are with me because this crazy bumpy ride has got to end.

Blog me.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

Well…I can’t tell you what a shock it was to discover last night that my scheduled post somehow did not get posted. I have no idea what happened. It is rare that I am that out of touch but I started a new program yesterday and “focus” was the verb for the day. So…obviously “focus” is what I did. I am grateful that I got a lot done but sorry that I kept my readers waiting.

Any who…How are you? It has been pretty quiet of late. I know things must be stirring up. There is always something to be said on some topic, whether it be the topic du jour or one of your own choosing. However, I have a feeling the quiet is not of your own doing. So…HOPEfully things will open up and your fingers will do the walking, and readers will begin talking.

It is my early bird morning today so I am keeping my end of it brief. So, please…do take over. :)

Here’s the write. Speaking of…the right is still trying to appeal Obamacare…and still putting out anti-Obamacare ads that are back firing. (Sigh) Can we please get the repubs to do something other than this. It is really time to vote ‘em out. Really.

Oh…here’s the good news from Think Progress:

Getting Covered

Uninsured Rate Hits Lowest Level Since 2009

How is the Affordable Care Act doing? One way to judge is by looking at one of its primary goals: providing uninsured Americans access to affordable health coverage. And on this measure, it is succeeding.

We know that over 4 million people have enrolled in private coverage under the law. And according to a survey by Gallup released today, the rate of uninsured Americans has now reached its lowest level since 2009:

CREDIT: GALLUP

As the chart above shows, the uninsured rate was 17.1 percent at the end of 2013, down from a peak of 18 percent. Two months into 2014, it now sits at 15.9 percent–the lowest level since the first quarter of 2009. That decrease may not look like much, but it represents millions of people getting health insurance who previously weren’t covered. The decrease also represents a marked departure from the trend of rising levels of uninsured over the last several years.

This good news only gets better by taking a closer look at the numbers. “The uninsured rate for almost every major demographic group has dropped in 2014 so far,” wrote Gallup researchers. And the groups who have seen the sharpest decreases in uninsured rates so far this year have been among those most at risk from lacking insurance coverage — low-income and black Americans. In fact, in the first two months of 2014, the percentage of uninsured African Americans has reduced from 20.9 percent to 18.3 percent, a 2.6-point drop. And among those earning under $36,000 per year, the rate of uninsured went from 30.7 percent to 27.9 percent.

Some people have expressed concern that the new law is not reaching the uninsured quickly enough, but today’s survey and other research should ease those fears. Besides, it makes sense that the uninsured wouldn’t necessarily sign up for insurance coverage right away, according to Larry Levitt, vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation:

“There’s every reason to believe that early enrollment skewed towards the already insured and that the uninsured will sign up later. People who were insured and had their old non-compliant policies cancelled were no doubt first in line in the new marketplaces, along with some people with pre-existing conditions who were locked out of the market before… The uninsured, particularly those who are young and healthy, are more likely to enroll as the final deadline approaches this month.”

BOTTOM LINE: The evidence shows that the Affordable Care Act is working and that uninsured Americans are signing up for health care. The uninsured rate is at the lowest it has been in years, and more and more of the uninsured have been getting covered. Outreach remains critical with just 22 days until open enrollment ends, but this is good news for those of us who think health care should be accessible for all Americans.

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Blog me.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

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