Documentary calls BASIS a model school
BASIS charter school has been recognized nationally a few times over the years, but now it is receiving perhaps one of its biggest compliments. A documentary by filmmaker Robert A. Compton calls the school — which first opened up in Tucson — a model for what schools across the country should strive to be.
By Alexis Huicochea
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Tucson, Arizona
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/metro/310837.php
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
BEATING OBAMACARE
BEATING OBAMACARE
Dear Friend,
In this video commentary, I make the case against Obamacare and explain how to beat it.
To access the video - Go here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjUNKqaTFfg
(If the link is not active, please copy and paste it into the "Address" field of your web browser)
Please forward this email to any friends or family who may be interested in viewing my video commentary!
Thanks for watching,
Dick
CATASTROPHE by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann
Full Title: How Obama, Congress And The Special Interests Are Turning A Slump Into A Crash, Freedom Into Socialism, And A Disaster Into A CATASTROPHE...And How To Fight Back
Order a copy of CATASTROPHE - Go here!
http://www.dickmorris.com/blog/?page_id=573
View Dick's videos on YouTube, Go here!
http://www.youtube.com/user/dickmorrisreports
Browse Dick's book CATASTROPHE - Go here!
http://browseinside.harpercollins.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780061771040&WT.mc_id=AUTHWEB_CATAS_BROWSE_062609
Sign-up to follow Dick on Twitter - Go here!
http://twitter.com/dickmorristweet
Go to DickMorris.com to read all of Dick's columns!
Dear Friend,
In this video commentary, I make the case against Obamacare and explain how to beat it.
To access the video - Go here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjUNKqaTFfg
(If the link is not active, please copy and paste it into the "Address" field of your web browser)
Please forward this email to any friends or family who may be interested in viewing my video commentary!
Thanks for watching,
Dick
CATASTROPHE by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann
Full Title: How Obama, Congress And The Special Interests Are Turning A Slump Into A Crash, Freedom Into Socialism, And A Disaster Into A CATASTROPHE...And How To Fight Back
Order a copy of CATASTROPHE - Go here!
http://www.dickmorris.com/blog/?page_id=573
View Dick's videos on YouTube, Go here!
http://www.youtube.com/user/dickmorrisreports
Browse Dick's book CATASTROPHE - Go here!
http://browseinside.harpercollins.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780061771040&WT.mc_id=AUTHWEB_CATAS_BROWSE_062609
Sign-up to follow Dick on Twitter - Go here!
http://twitter.com/dickmorristweet
Go to DickMorris.com to read all of Dick's columns!
OBAMA'S HEALTH INSURANCE TAX: COMING SOON TO ALL POLICIES
OBAMA'S HEALTH INSURANCE TAX: COMING SOON TO ALL POLICIES
The Baucus healthcare bill provides for a tax on "gold-plated" health insurance policies. But, as with the Alternative Minimum Tax, once slated to be imposed only on the wealthy, inflation will make most Americans liable to pay the 40 percent tax in a few years.
The tax applies to all individual policies with premiums above $8,750 and families of four whose premiums exceed $23,000. But the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the average health insurance premium for families of four will reach $25,000 by 2018. The average premium should pass the thresholds in Baucus's bill by 2016.
So, a few years after the bill takes effect in 2013, the health insurance premium tax will become virtually universal. And this tax is to be a 40 percent levy. So, in six years, the average family health insurance policy, now projected to cost $25,000, will, in fact, cost $35,000 due to the Obama-Baucus tax!
The Baucus bill tax threshold is, of course, not indexed for medical inflation or even for regular inflation. (Premiums have been rising at 10 percent for a decade and the average family premium now is 109 percent higher than it was 10 years ago.)
Will Congress act, in the future, to index the health insurance premium tax so it does not reach down to the average American's policies? Not very likely. As costs rise under ObamaCare (as they have in Massachusetts, where they have more than doubled in two years), the pressure for increased revenue will dictate that Congress let the tax grow and expand its reach until it is a universal tax that pays for universal care.
Until now, the Obama plan has not meant much for the average American who now has insurance. While scarcity of doctors and medical care is a likely result, the harm was largely confined to the elderly, who will bear the brunt of the rationing. But now, the Baucus bill shows that the real story is quite different. In a few years' time, most families will find their health insurance premiums 40 percent higher because of the new tax. Far from cutting the cost of health insurance, the bill will send it through the roof!
To fight this bill, please go to https://www.newsmaxstore.com/contribute/lav/ to donate funds to run ads in key swing states (like Maine) to stop this iniquitous piece of legislation.
Order a copy of CATASTROPHE - Go here!
http://www.dickmorris.com/blog/?page_id=573
View Dick's videos on YouTube, Go here!
http://www.youtube.com/user/dickmorrisreports
Browse Dick's book CATASTROPHE - Go here!
The Baucus healthcare bill provides for a tax on "gold-plated" health insurance policies. But, as with the Alternative Minimum Tax, once slated to be imposed only on the wealthy, inflation will make most Americans liable to pay the 40 percent tax in a few years.
The tax applies to all individual policies with premiums above $8,750 and families of four whose premiums exceed $23,000. But the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the average health insurance premium for families of four will reach $25,000 by 2018. The average premium should pass the thresholds in Baucus's bill by 2016.
So, a few years after the bill takes effect in 2013, the health insurance premium tax will become virtually universal. And this tax is to be a 40 percent levy. So, in six years, the average family health insurance policy, now projected to cost $25,000, will, in fact, cost $35,000 due to the Obama-Baucus tax!
The Baucus bill tax threshold is, of course, not indexed for medical inflation or even for regular inflation. (Premiums have been rising at 10 percent for a decade and the average family premium now is 109 percent higher than it was 10 years ago.)
Will Congress act, in the future, to index the health insurance premium tax so it does not reach down to the average American's policies? Not very likely. As costs rise under ObamaCare (as they have in Massachusetts, where they have more than doubled in two years), the pressure for increased revenue will dictate that Congress let the tax grow and expand its reach until it is a universal tax that pays for universal care.
Until now, the Obama plan has not meant much for the average American who now has insurance. While scarcity of doctors and medical care is a likely result, the harm was largely confined to the elderly, who will bear the brunt of the rationing. But now, the Baucus bill shows that the real story is quite different. In a few years' time, most families will find their health insurance premiums 40 percent higher because of the new tax. Far from cutting the cost of health insurance, the bill will send it through the roof!
To fight this bill, please go to https://www.newsmaxstore.com/contribute/lav/ to donate funds to run ads in key swing states (like Maine) to stop this iniquitous piece of legislation.
Order a copy of CATASTROPHE - Go here!
http://www.dickmorris.com/blog/?page_id=573
View Dick's videos on YouTube, Go here!
http://www.youtube.com/user/dickmorrisreports
Browse Dick's book CATASTROPHE - Go here!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Obama and Co puts a "gag order" on health insurance companies?
Senate Republican leadership today threatened to block HHS nominations until Sec. Sebelius lifts the "gag order" on health insurance company Humana.
The letter comes as Republicans are railing against CMS' investigation into a letter Humana sent to its enrollees about health care reform. CMS ordered the company to stop such mailings during the investigation.
"America’s seniors and the health plans that serve them deserve to have their free speech rights respected. Their rights should not be subject to the whims of any administration, and the health plans that serve them should not be threatened with punishment if they speak out on a matter of public concern simply because the administration disagrees with their position," they wrote in a letter. "Until your department rescinds its gag order and allows seniors to receive information about matters before Congress, we will not consent to time agreements on the confirmation of any nominees to your department or associated agencies."
The letter was signed by Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell, Jon Kyl, Lamar Alexander, John Thune, Lisa Murkowski, John Cornyn, Charles Grassley and Mike Enzi.
http://www.politico.com/livepulse/0909/Senate_Republicans_threaten_to_block_HHS_nominations_.html
The letter comes as Republicans are railing against CMS' investigation into a letter Humana sent to its enrollees about health care reform. CMS ordered the company to stop such mailings during the investigation.
"America’s seniors and the health plans that serve them deserve to have their free speech rights respected. Their rights should not be subject to the whims of any administration, and the health plans that serve them should not be threatened with punishment if they speak out on a matter of public concern simply because the administration disagrees with their position," they wrote in a letter. "Until your department rescinds its gag order and allows seniors to receive information about matters before Congress, we will not consent to time agreements on the confirmation of any nominees to your department or associated agencies."
The letter was signed by Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell, Jon Kyl, Lamar Alexander, John Thune, Lisa Murkowski, John Cornyn, Charles Grassley and Mike Enzi.
http://www.politico.com/livepulse/0909/Senate_Republicans_threaten_to_block_HHS_nominations_.html
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The Most Corrupt Members Of Congress
The Most Corrupt Members Of Congress
Lawrence Delevingne|Sep. 18, 2009, 11:31 AM | 219,834 |44
PrintTags: Corruption, U.S. Government, Scandals, Charles Rangel
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a left-leaning watchdog group, has released its annual report on the most corrupt members of Congress.
Of this year’s list of 15, at least 12 are under investigation and several, like adulterer Sen. John Ensign and tax evader U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel are under pressure from some to resign.
see more at..
http://www.businessinsider.com/most-corrupt-members-of-congress-2009-9
Mississippi Tort Reform Works
Mississippi Tort Reform Works
Bob Parks Shop CFP
By Bob Parks Monday, September 21, 2009
Our elected leaders would never let facts get in the way of their political ambitions.
Since passing tort reform in 2004, Mississippi has seen the number of medical malpractice claims plummet by 91 percent from its peak. The state’s largest medical liability insurer dropped its premiums by 42 percent, and has offered an additional 20 percent rebate each year since tort reform went into effect.
“You can’t pass real tort reform unless it’s led by the governor,” Mississippi Republican governor Haley Barbour said. “The other side is tough. They have enormous resources. And they fear the trial lawyers — that if you beat them on tort reform, they won’t have those resources anymore.”
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/14958
Bob Parks Shop CFP
By Bob Parks Monday, September 21, 2009
Our elected leaders would never let facts get in the way of their political ambitions.
Since passing tort reform in 2004, Mississippi has seen the number of medical malpractice claims plummet by 91 percent from its peak. The state’s largest medical liability insurer dropped its premiums by 42 percent, and has offered an additional 20 percent rebate each year since tort reform went into effect.
“You can’t pass real tort reform unless it’s led by the governor,” Mississippi Republican governor Haley Barbour said. “The other side is tough. They have enormous resources. And they fear the trial lawyers — that if you beat them on tort reform, they won’t have those resources anymore.”
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/14958
Alert! Obama's solution to health care for illegals--give them amnesty!
Alert! Obama's solution to health care for illegals--give them amnesty!
A tsunami of opposition to including illegal aliens in any health care plan has caused even President Obama to declare that no one in the United States illegally would receive benefits under a health care overhaul. Then he offered his solution: offer an amnesty so everybody is legal and everybody gets health care... along with all other government benefits.
Speaking to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Obama said his health care plan will not cover illegal aliens, but he contended that was even more of a reason to legalize them and ensure they do get health coverage.
CLICK HERE to learn more and to take action!
(If above link does not work, try http://capwiz.com/caps/issues/alert/?alertid=14063691)
www.capsweb.org
A tsunami of opposition to including illegal aliens in any health care plan has caused even President Obama to declare that no one in the United States illegally would receive benefits under a health care overhaul. Then he offered his solution: offer an amnesty so everybody is legal and everybody gets health care... along with all other government benefits.
Speaking to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Obama said his health care plan will not cover illegal aliens, but he contended that was even more of a reason to legalize them and ensure they do get health coverage.
CLICK HERE to learn more and to take action!
(If above link does not work, try http://capwiz.com/caps/issues/alert/?alertid=14063691)
www.capsweb.org
Monday, September 21, 2009
looks like Obama got caught in his tax bullshit again
looks like Obama got caught in his tax healthcare bullshit again
this time it was on the ABC George interview,when george pulled out the definition of "tax".
this time it was on the ABC George interview,when george pulled out the definition of "tax".
Friday, September 18, 2009
7 ex CIA directors ask Obama call off the legals dogs?
7 ex CIA directors ask Obama to call off the legals dogs?
Eric holder
Eric holder
VALUES VOTER SUMMIT 2009 Preliminary Schedule
VALUES VOTER SUMMIT
VALUES VOTER SUMMIT 2009 Preliminary Schedule
(as of September 10, 2009) - Speakers and times are subject to change.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
3:00 - 9:00 p.m.
REGISTRATION OPENS - West Registration
3:00 - 9:00 p.m.
EXHIBITS OPEN - Ambassador Ballroom
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
7:00 a.m.
REGISTRATION OPEN - West Registration
7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
EXHIBITS OPEN - Ambassador Ballroom
7:15 - 8:30 a.m.
American Values Breakfast (Speaker - Gary Bauer, President)--Empire Room (ticketed event) or BREAKFAST ON YOUR OWN
8:45 a.m. - Noon
OPENING OF VALUES VOTER SUMMIT 2009 AND MORNING PLENARY SESSION - Regency Ballroom
Invocation by Kris Mineau, Massachusetts Family Institute
Welcome by Tony Perkins, President, FRC Action and Family Research Council (FRC)
Representative Mike Pence (R-Ind.)
Governor Mike Huckabee
National Health Care Townhall with Q&A
Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.)*
Representative Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.)
Representative Tom Price (R-Ga.)
Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ)
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)
Representative Eric Cantor (R-Va.)
Kelly Shackelford--Chief Counsel, Liberty Legal Institute
Former Miss California Carrie Prejean
12:00-7:00 p.m.
Straw Poll Voting--West Registration
12:00 - 12:30 p.m.
Book Signing - Diplomat Foyer
Rebecca Hagelin
Tony Perkins
12:15 - 1:45 p.m.
Focus on the Family Action Luncheon (Grassroots Action Awards) - Empire Room (ticked event) or Lunch on your own
2:00 - 5:00 p.m.
AFTERNOON PLENARY SESSION - Regency Ballroom
Stephen Baldwin, Actor; Kevin McCullough, Host, Xtreme Radio
Rev. Dr. Ken Hutcherson, Senior Pastor, Antioch Bible Church, Kirkland, WA
Representative Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)
Stem Cells: Fact vs. Friction
Dr. David Prentice, Senior Fellow and Director for Life Sciences, Center for Human Life and Bioethics, FRC
Carol Franz, Adult Stem Cell Recipient
Barry Goudy, Adult Stem Cell Recipient
Governor Sarah Palin (R-Alaska)*
Star Parker, Founder and President, Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education
Gary Bauer, President, American Values
5:00 - 5:30 p.m.
Book Signing - Diplomat Foyer
Stephen Baldwin
Carol Franz
Kevin McCullough
Star Parker
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Dinner (on your own)
7:00 - 9:30 p.m.
EVENING PLENARY SESSION - Regency Ballroom
Bill O'Reilly, Host, The O'Reilly Factor
Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.)
Joel Rosenberg, Best-Selling Author, Epicenter, Inside the Revolution
33 Minutes: Protecting America in the New Missile Age
33 Minutes Panel Discussion
Tony Perkins, President, FRC Action and FRC
Dr. Ed Feulner, President, The Heritage Foundation
Dr. Kim Holmes, Vice President, Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, The Heritage Foundation
Rebecca Hagelin, Senior Communications Fellow, The Heritage Foundation (Moderator)
9:30 - 10:00 p.m.
Book Signing - Diplomat Foyer
Joel Rosenberg
9:30 p.m. - 10:30pm
VALUES VOTER...THE NEXT GENERATION INTERACTIVE STUDENT EVENT--HAMPTON ROOM
Stephen Baldwin and Kevin McCullough, Hosts, Xtreme Radio - Hampton Room (FREE for all Summit student attendees)
9:30 p.m. - 11:00pm
SNEAK PREVIEW OF To Save a Life - Regency Ballroom
http://www.valuesvotersummit.org/schedule
VALUES VOTER SUMMIT 2009 Preliminary Schedule
(as of September 10, 2009) - Speakers and times are subject to change.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
3:00 - 9:00 p.m.
REGISTRATION OPENS - West Registration
3:00 - 9:00 p.m.
EXHIBITS OPEN - Ambassador Ballroom
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
7:00 a.m.
REGISTRATION OPEN - West Registration
7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
EXHIBITS OPEN - Ambassador Ballroom
7:15 - 8:30 a.m.
American Values Breakfast (Speaker - Gary Bauer, President)--Empire Room (ticketed event) or BREAKFAST ON YOUR OWN
8:45 a.m. - Noon
OPENING OF VALUES VOTER SUMMIT 2009 AND MORNING PLENARY SESSION - Regency Ballroom
Invocation by Kris Mineau, Massachusetts Family Institute
Welcome by Tony Perkins, President, FRC Action and Family Research Council (FRC)
Representative Mike Pence (R-Ind.)
Governor Mike Huckabee
National Health Care Townhall with Q&A
Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.)*
Representative Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.)
Representative Tom Price (R-Ga.)
Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ)
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)
Representative Eric Cantor (R-Va.)
Kelly Shackelford--Chief Counsel, Liberty Legal Institute
Former Miss California Carrie Prejean
12:00-7:00 p.m.
Straw Poll Voting--West Registration
12:00 - 12:30 p.m.
Book Signing - Diplomat Foyer
Rebecca Hagelin
Tony Perkins
12:15 - 1:45 p.m.
Focus on the Family Action Luncheon (Grassroots Action Awards) - Empire Room (ticked event) or Lunch on your own
2:00 - 5:00 p.m.
AFTERNOON PLENARY SESSION - Regency Ballroom
Stephen Baldwin, Actor; Kevin McCullough, Host, Xtreme Radio
Rev. Dr. Ken Hutcherson, Senior Pastor, Antioch Bible Church, Kirkland, WA
Representative Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)
Stem Cells: Fact vs. Friction
Dr. David Prentice, Senior Fellow and Director for Life Sciences, Center for Human Life and Bioethics, FRC
Carol Franz, Adult Stem Cell Recipient
Barry Goudy, Adult Stem Cell Recipient
Governor Sarah Palin (R-Alaska)*
Star Parker, Founder and President, Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education
Gary Bauer, President, American Values
5:00 - 5:30 p.m.
Book Signing - Diplomat Foyer
Stephen Baldwin
Carol Franz
Kevin McCullough
Star Parker
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Dinner (on your own)
7:00 - 9:30 p.m.
EVENING PLENARY SESSION - Regency Ballroom
Bill O'Reilly, Host, The O'Reilly Factor
Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.)
Joel Rosenberg, Best-Selling Author, Epicenter, Inside the Revolution
33 Minutes: Protecting America in the New Missile Age
33 Minutes Panel Discussion
Tony Perkins, President, FRC Action and FRC
Dr. Ed Feulner, President, The Heritage Foundation
Dr. Kim Holmes, Vice President, Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, The Heritage Foundation
Rebecca Hagelin, Senior Communications Fellow, The Heritage Foundation (Moderator)
9:30 - 10:00 p.m.
Book Signing - Diplomat Foyer
Joel Rosenberg
9:30 p.m. - 10:30pm
VALUES VOTER...THE NEXT GENERATION INTERACTIVE STUDENT EVENT--HAMPTON ROOM
Stephen Baldwin and Kevin McCullough, Hosts, Xtreme Radio - Hampton Room (FREE for all Summit student attendees)
9:30 p.m. - 11:00pm
SNEAK PREVIEW OF To Save a Life - Regency Ballroom
http://www.valuesvotersummit.org/schedule
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
BEWARE THE PUBLIC OPTION TRAP
BEWARE THE PUBLIC OPTION TRAP
As any good Persian rug dealer knows, you have to hold back a bargaining chit so that you can whip it out at the very end to tie down the sale. That's how Obama is playing the so-called public option in his health care program. His plan seems to be to combine its abandonment with some form of tort reform and try to buy off some Republicans - maybe only Maine's Olympia Snowe - to give moderate Democrats enough confidence in the veneer of bi-partisanship to win their backing for his bill.
But it's a fraud and a trick.
Here's why:
(a) Whether or not there is a public option makes no difference in the fundamental objection most elderly have to the bill - that it guts Medicare and Medicaid. All of the bills now under consideration cut these two programs by one half of a trillion dollars. And all of them require the medical community to serve thirty to fifty million new patients without any concomitant growth in the number of doctors or nurses. These cuts and shortages will lead to draconian rationing of medical care for the elderly, whether under a public option or not.
(b) The most likely proposal is to replace the public option with some form of buyer's co-op. But since there is no currently existing co-op to serve as a vehicle for health insurance, it would have to be formed. By who? The government, of course. That would mean, as a practical matter, that the "co-op option" would be a government run plan for several years. In fact, they may not get around to setting up a co-op at all.
(c) The other alternative, mentioned by Senator Snowe herself, would be for a "trigger" mechanism. This provision would require the creation of a public alternative to private insurance plans if, after a specified period of time, they did not lower rates to a pre-determined level. Given the escalation of health care costs, it is almost inevitable that this provision would lead to a government plan. And, anyway, who says that the government insurance option would be more successful in reducing costs?
But Obama has to at least appear to be willing to compromise, so he has invented the idea of re-packaging the public option in order to seem to be flexible.
The key, here, is not to be distracted by the debate over the public option. It matters very much to private insurance companies whether the government becomes their competitor, but, for the elderly (and the near-elderly), the key concern is not the public option by the rationing and cuts projected under the program.
In the Clinton Administration, we worked hard to kill the proposed Medicare cuts and are no less committed to stopping them in the Obama presidency. That they were once proposed by the right and are now being pushed by the left makes no difference. A cut is a cut is a cut. And Medicare should not be cut.
By DICK MORRIS & EILEEN MCGANN
Published on DickMorris.com on September 16, 2009
Go to DickMorris.com to read all of Dick's columns!
DICKMORRIS.COM!
THANK YOU!
As any good Persian rug dealer knows, you have to hold back a bargaining chit so that you can whip it out at the very end to tie down the sale. That's how Obama is playing the so-called public option in his health care program. His plan seems to be to combine its abandonment with some form of tort reform and try to buy off some Republicans - maybe only Maine's Olympia Snowe - to give moderate Democrats enough confidence in the veneer of bi-partisanship to win their backing for his bill.
But it's a fraud and a trick.
Here's why:
(a) Whether or not there is a public option makes no difference in the fundamental objection most elderly have to the bill - that it guts Medicare and Medicaid. All of the bills now under consideration cut these two programs by one half of a trillion dollars. And all of them require the medical community to serve thirty to fifty million new patients without any concomitant growth in the number of doctors or nurses. These cuts and shortages will lead to draconian rationing of medical care for the elderly, whether under a public option or not.
(b) The most likely proposal is to replace the public option with some form of buyer's co-op. But since there is no currently existing co-op to serve as a vehicle for health insurance, it would have to be formed. By who? The government, of course. That would mean, as a practical matter, that the "co-op option" would be a government run plan for several years. In fact, they may not get around to setting up a co-op at all.
(c) The other alternative, mentioned by Senator Snowe herself, would be for a "trigger" mechanism. This provision would require the creation of a public alternative to private insurance plans if, after a specified period of time, they did not lower rates to a pre-determined level. Given the escalation of health care costs, it is almost inevitable that this provision would lead to a government plan. And, anyway, who says that the government insurance option would be more successful in reducing costs?
But Obama has to at least appear to be willing to compromise, so he has invented the idea of re-packaging the public option in order to seem to be flexible.
The key, here, is not to be distracted by the debate over the public option. It matters very much to private insurance companies whether the government becomes their competitor, but, for the elderly (and the near-elderly), the key concern is not the public option by the rationing and cuts projected under the program.
In the Clinton Administration, we worked hard to kill the proposed Medicare cuts and are no less committed to stopping them in the Obama presidency. That they were once proposed by the right and are now being pushed by the left makes no difference. A cut is a cut is a cut. And Medicare should not be cut.
By DICK MORRIS & EILEEN MCGANN
Published on DickMorris.com on September 16, 2009
Go to DickMorris.com to read all of Dick's columns!
DICKMORRIS.COM!
THANK YOU!
who were those 7 shithead senators that voted money $$ for ACORN?
who were those 7 shithead senators that voted money $$ for ACORN?
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
$6.3 million legal bailout for Obama's friend Franklin Raines of Fannie Mae shame
$6.3 million legal bailout for Obama's friend Franklin Raines of Fannie Mae shame
Regulator Reveals Litigation Costs for Ex-Fannie Mae Execs Posted by Brian Baxter
Recent disclosures from the Federal Housing Finance Agency reveal that lawyers representing former Fannie Mae executives Franklin Raines, J. Timothy Howard, and Leanne Spencer have received a total of $6.3 million for defending the trio in shareholder suits since Fannie Mae was placed into a conservatorship last year.
A close look at court documents indicates that
Williams & Connolly, Zuckerman Spaeder, and Mayer Brown are the firms representing
the three executives.
The New York Times reported last weekend that the FHFA made the legal bills public in response to
a request by Democratic congressman Alan Grayson from Florida. Grayson's office then provided
those documents to The Am Law Daily. (The FHFA became Fannie Mae's new regulator after the
passage of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008.)
Grayson asked the FHFA whether or not taxpayers were footing the legal tab for the three executives,
all of whom were long gone by the time Fannie Mae was rescued by the government last year.
Former CEO Raines, former CFO Howard, and ex-senior vice president and controller Spencer resigned
in December 2004 amidst allegations of accounting irregularities at Fannie Mae. In December 2006
the Office of Federal Housing and Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO), Fannie Mae's regulator
at the time, sued the trio over their alleged roles in the accounting scandal.
The three agreed to a $31.4 million settlement with OFHEO in April 2008.
But the settlement entailed virtually no out-of-pocket payments by the former executives, with the three relinquishing stock options and fines being paid by Fannie Mae's insurance.
The accounting scandal did spawn a series of shareholder suits against Fannie Mae's directors and officers, requiring the company to cover their legal costs. The securities litigation has been
consolidated in federal court in Washington, D.C., before U.S. district court judge Richard Leon.
The litigation is distinct from multidistrict litigation in Manhattan before U.S. district
court judge Paul Crotty that relates to suits filed against Fannie Mae for alleged financial
misstatements from November 2006 through the financial crisis last year that forced the company into conservatorship.
O'Melveny & Myers partners Jeffrey Kilduff and Robert Stern are representing Fannie Mae
in the securities cases consolidated in D.C. The firm is serving as cocounsel with Latham & Watkins partners James Brandt and Jeff Hammel in the MDL in New York. (Jenner & Block also is representing
Fannie Mae in a separate suit against its former auditor,
KPMG, related to the alleged accounting improprieties.)
As a point of comparison, lawyers familiar with both pieces of litigation say that the securities cases in D.C. deal with a drop in Fannie Mae's stock price from $72 to $62, whereas the more recent litigation in New York pertains to a drop in shareholder value from $50 to nearly zero.
The recent disclosures by the FHFA pertain only to fees for defense lawyers retained by Raines, Howard, and Spencer in cases related to the accounting controversy that came to light in 2004.
"The amounts include fees and expenses incurred in connection with the defense of derivative, securities, and ERISA claims pending in the U.S. district court for the District of Columbia," states an FHFA document released to Grayson's office. "The amounts . . . do not include invoices for expenses totaling $0.4 million incurred in connection with government investigations prior to the conservatorship."
The FHFA states that $23.1 million in invoices for defending Fannie Mae and its management in the shareholder actions in D.C. were received between September 6, 2008, the date Fannie Mae was placed into conservatorship, through July 21 of this year.
An examination of court documents shows that Williams & Connolly partners Kevin Downey, Joseph Terry, Jr., and Alex Romain are representing Raines in the litigation. The FHFA states that $2.43 million was spent defending Raines during the September 6 through July 21 time frame.
Zuckerman Spaeder partners Steven Salky and Eric Delinsky are representing Howard. FHFA disclosures show that $1.35 million has been spent on Howard's defense during the same time period.
Spencer has turned to a legal team from Mayer Brown led by global litigation practice
coleader David Krakoff and partner Christopher Regan. The FHFA states that $2.52 million has been spent on Spencer's legal defense.
The legal costs for all three executives are not extraordinary nor unusual for a high-end securities litigation defense. If Fannie Mae didn't pay the legal fees for its current and former directors and officers, it might have some trouble finding individuals willing to take such a position.
Lawyers with knowledge of the litigation, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely, say the past year has been busy with motion practice, discovery, and depositions. (According to the FHFA, none of those depositions were of Raines, Howard, or Spencer.)
Lawyers say that the FHFA, the successor to OFHEO, has refused to produce documents in the case. Earlier this year the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld an order holding OFHEO in contempt for missing e-discovery deadlines. Officials from the regulator, which blessed many Fannie Mae disclosures before later changing their tune, could be critical witnesses in any case against the three former Fannie Mae executives.
When deducting the $6.3 million earmarked in defense costs for Raines, Howard, and Spencer from the FHFA's $23.1 million in total legal costs for the D.C. shareholder actions, $16.8 million remains to cover the legal bills for outside counsel representing the OFHEO and the FHFA.
Duane Morris partner Joseph Aronica, who served as lead counsel to OFHEO in its examination of
Fannie Mae and the regulator's subsequent action against the three former executives several
years ago, did not respond to a request for comment. Court records show that Aronica
has recently become involved in the civil litigation on behalf of the FHFA.
Lead plaintiffs counsel in the shareholder litigation consolidated in D.C. is Waite, Schneider, Bayless & Chesley, the Cincinnati-based firm of noted trial lawyer Stanley Chesley. Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll is serving as local counsel.
http://amlawdaily.typepad.com/amlawdaily/2009/09/regulator-reveals-litigation-costs-for-ex-fannie-mae-execs.html
Regulator Reveals Litigation Costs for Ex-Fannie Mae Execs Posted by Brian Baxter
Recent disclosures from the Federal Housing Finance Agency reveal that lawyers representing former Fannie Mae executives Franklin Raines, J. Timothy Howard, and Leanne Spencer have received a total of $6.3 million for defending the trio in shareholder suits since Fannie Mae was placed into a conservatorship last year.
A close look at court documents indicates that
Williams & Connolly, Zuckerman Spaeder, and Mayer Brown are the firms representing
the three executives.
The New York Times reported last weekend that the FHFA made the legal bills public in response to
a request by Democratic congressman Alan Grayson from Florida. Grayson's office then provided
those documents to The Am Law Daily. (The FHFA became Fannie Mae's new regulator after the
passage of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008.)
Grayson asked the FHFA whether or not taxpayers were footing the legal tab for the three executives,
all of whom were long gone by the time Fannie Mae was rescued by the government last year.
Former CEO Raines, former CFO Howard, and ex-senior vice president and controller Spencer resigned
in December 2004 amidst allegations of accounting irregularities at Fannie Mae. In December 2006
the Office of Federal Housing and Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO), Fannie Mae's regulator
at the time, sued the trio over their alleged roles in the accounting scandal.
The three agreed to a $31.4 million settlement with OFHEO in April 2008.
But the settlement entailed virtually no out-of-pocket payments by the former executives, with the three relinquishing stock options and fines being paid by Fannie Mae's insurance.
The accounting scandal did spawn a series of shareholder suits against Fannie Mae's directors and officers, requiring the company to cover their legal costs. The securities litigation has been
consolidated in federal court in Washington, D.C., before U.S. district court judge Richard Leon.
The litigation is distinct from multidistrict litigation in Manhattan before U.S. district
court judge Paul Crotty that relates to suits filed against Fannie Mae for alleged financial
misstatements from November 2006 through the financial crisis last year that forced the company into conservatorship.
O'Melveny & Myers partners Jeffrey Kilduff and Robert Stern are representing Fannie Mae
in the securities cases consolidated in D.C. The firm is serving as cocounsel with Latham & Watkins partners James Brandt and Jeff Hammel in the MDL in New York. (Jenner & Block also is representing
Fannie Mae in a separate suit against its former auditor,
KPMG, related to the alleged accounting improprieties.)
As a point of comparison, lawyers familiar with both pieces of litigation say that the securities cases in D.C. deal with a drop in Fannie Mae's stock price from $72 to $62, whereas the more recent litigation in New York pertains to a drop in shareholder value from $50 to nearly zero.
The recent disclosures by the FHFA pertain only to fees for defense lawyers retained by Raines, Howard, and Spencer in cases related to the accounting controversy that came to light in 2004.
"The amounts include fees and expenses incurred in connection with the defense of derivative, securities, and ERISA claims pending in the U.S. district court for the District of Columbia," states an FHFA document released to Grayson's office. "The amounts . . . do not include invoices for expenses totaling $0.4 million incurred in connection with government investigations prior to the conservatorship."
The FHFA states that $23.1 million in invoices for defending Fannie Mae and its management in the shareholder actions in D.C. were received between September 6, 2008, the date Fannie Mae was placed into conservatorship, through July 21 of this year.
An examination of court documents shows that Williams & Connolly partners Kevin Downey, Joseph Terry, Jr., and Alex Romain are representing Raines in the litigation. The FHFA states that $2.43 million was spent defending Raines during the September 6 through July 21 time frame.
Zuckerman Spaeder partners Steven Salky and Eric Delinsky are representing Howard. FHFA disclosures show that $1.35 million has been spent on Howard's defense during the same time period.
Spencer has turned to a legal team from Mayer Brown led by global litigation practice
coleader David Krakoff and partner Christopher Regan. The FHFA states that $2.52 million has been spent on Spencer's legal defense.
The legal costs for all three executives are not extraordinary nor unusual for a high-end securities litigation defense. If Fannie Mae didn't pay the legal fees for its current and former directors and officers, it might have some trouble finding individuals willing to take such a position.
Lawyers with knowledge of the litigation, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely, say the past year has been busy with motion practice, discovery, and depositions. (According to the FHFA, none of those depositions were of Raines, Howard, or Spencer.)
Lawyers say that the FHFA, the successor to OFHEO, has refused to produce documents in the case. Earlier this year the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld an order holding OFHEO in contempt for missing e-discovery deadlines. Officials from the regulator, which blessed many Fannie Mae disclosures before later changing their tune, could be critical witnesses in any case against the three former Fannie Mae executives.
When deducting the $6.3 million earmarked in defense costs for Raines, Howard, and Spencer from the FHFA's $23.1 million in total legal costs for the D.C. shareholder actions, $16.8 million remains to cover the legal bills for outside counsel representing the OFHEO and the FHFA.
Duane Morris partner Joseph Aronica, who served as lead counsel to OFHEO in its examination of
Fannie Mae and the regulator's subsequent action against the three former executives several
years ago, did not respond to a request for comment. Court records show that Aronica
has recently become involved in the civil litigation on behalf of the FHFA.
Lead plaintiffs counsel in the shareholder litigation consolidated in D.C. is Waite, Schneider, Bayless & Chesley, the Cincinnati-based firm of noted trial lawyer Stanley Chesley. Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll is serving as local counsel.
http://amlawdaily.typepad.com/amlawdaily/2009/09/regulator-reveals-litigation-costs-for-ex-fannie-mae-execs.html
$6 million to defend Fannie Mae 's Franklin Raines
THE DAILY OUTRAGE: Bailing out bad management
By: Daily Outrage
Examiner Editorial Feature
September 15, 2009 WHO: Fannie Mae
WHAT: Ever since the federal government took this failed quasigovernmental enterprise into conservatorship last year, taxpayers are now on the hook for legal fees to defend the shady actions of three former top executives.
WHY IT'S AN OUTRAGE: In the first 10 months since the government takeover, taxpayers have been billed more than $6 million defending Franklin Raines and two others allegedly involved in Fannie's $6.3 billion accounting discrepancy.
WHERE TO VENT: Fannie Mae inspector general, 202-408-2544
see org at...
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/daily-outrage/Bailing-out-bad-management-8242786.html
By: Daily Outrage
Examiner Editorial Feature
September 15, 2009 WHO: Fannie Mae
WHAT: Ever since the federal government took this failed quasigovernmental enterprise into conservatorship last year, taxpayers are now on the hook for legal fees to defend the shady actions of three former top executives.
WHY IT'S AN OUTRAGE: In the first 10 months since the government takeover, taxpayers have been billed more than $6 million defending Franklin Raines and two others allegedly involved in Fannie's $6.3 billion accounting discrepancy.
WHERE TO VENT: Fannie Mae inspector general, 202-408-2544
see org at...
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/daily-outrage/Bailing-out-bad-management-8242786.html
Monday, September 14, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
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