This and That

Now and Then

[This], the first thing to be addressed today, is an addition to or extension of last Sunday's posting which dealt with Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid. On Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace questioned one political candidate as to what she would do about Social Security and Medicare which, according to him, are two of the three largest budget items and therefore causing most of our deficit. To even suggest that our current retiree's Social Security and Medicare payments are from an unfunded liability is simply ludicrous and an insult to seniors. Just as our younger generations are working and paying their dues at this time, the senior retirees began paying into the Social Security System soon after its inception in 1936 and in 1965 for Medicare and Medicade.

[And] now, to have some politicians and most of the news media constantly harping on the subject of reforming Social Security and Medicare by cutting payments for future retirees or raising the retirement age for Social Security and cutting Medicare payments to doctors and hospitals, is vexing to say the least. If not for the illegal use of the Social Security/Medicare/Medicaid Trust Fund money the budget deficit would be much larger.

[That] anyone could ever understand what is going on in Washington (or Nashville for that matter) would be a miricle within itself. At 11:00 AM on October 19, 2010 our debt clock, as shown on the internet, indicated that our, year to date, income from the payroll/FICA tax at 867 billion, 770 million, 631 thousand, 8 hundred and twenty dollars with payments to Social Security retirees of 783 billion, 841 million, 543 thousand, 5 hundred and 70 dollars. Payments for Medicare/Medicaid were 696 billion, 423 million, 356 thousand and 99 dollars. Total payments would be 1 trillion, 480 billion, 264 million, 899 thousand, 6 hundred and 69 dollars. That leaves a shortfall of a little over 611 billion dollars which would come out of the Social Security Trust Fund, not out of the general fund, but as we already know, our government has spent the Trust Fund money leaving no other recourse but to take it from the general fund.

[Now] if I may, I want to change the subject back to the recently passed Healthcare Law and the section which will, more than likely, allow taxpayer funded abortions. Some of you may think that President Obama's "Executive Order" will take care of that but, in my opinion, that Order is somewhat less than useless.

[And] what, you may ask, is wrong with that Order as signed by the President? Let me count the ways but first "Section 3", of that Order titled "Community Health Center Program". "The act establishes a new Community Health Center (CHC) fund within Health and Human Services (HHS) which provides additional Federal funds for the Community Health Center program. Existing law prohibits these centers from using Federal funds to provide abortion services (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered), as a result of both the Hyde Amendment and longstanding regulations containing the Hyde language. Under the act, the Hyde language shall apply to the authorization and appropriation of funds for Community Health Centers under section 10503 and all other relevent provisions. I hereby direct the Secretary of HHS to ensure that Program Administrators and recipients of Federal Funds are aware of and comply with the Limitations on abortion services imposed on CHCs by existing law. Such action should include, but are not limited to, updating Grant Policy Statements that accompany CHC grants and issueing new interpretive rules."

[Then] we come to final arguements, the point being that this Executive Order is much less than what it appears to be on the surface. In this case, I believe, it is all in the timing. Representative Bart Stupak, and others, refused to vote for the Healthcare Bill as written because of the abortion language until President Obama promised to sign an "Executive Order" asserting that no taxpayer money could be used to pay for abortions except in certain cases. His Order states that: "I hereby direct the secretary of HHS to ensure that program Administrators and recipients of Federal funds are aware of and comply with the limitations on abortion services imposed on CHCs by EXISTING LAW." The question is, what is the law? The Healthcare Bill was passed on May 21, and signed into law on May 22, 2010. The Executive Order was signed by President Obama on May 24, 2010. At that time "existing law" was the newly passed Obamacare which funds organizations that provide or promote abortions. There are other flaws but they can wait. In the meantime thanks and stay tuned - William