Blog: The Fine Print / Open, Accountable Government

Backdoor Energy Assistance Cuts

Oct 22, 2007 by Matt Lewis

A good article today on the declining value of funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Progam (LIHEAP). Given that gas prices are so volatile, wouldn't it make more sense just to make LIHEAP an entitlement program? About 30 million low-income American households who will need help paying heating bills this winter from a U.S. government program will be left in the cold because of a lack of funding for the program. The poor, already digging deep to pay for expensive gasoline, also will face much higher heating fuel costs, especially if oil prices stay near record levels.

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President Bush Gets First Place in the Denying Millions of Children Health Care Contest

Oct 19, 2007 by Matt Lewis

White House Spokesperson, Dana Perino: "We won this round on SCHIP." Congratulations on winning. What exactly did you win? Well, here's President Bush, on vetoing SCHIP: And that's why when I tell you I'm going to sprint to the finish, and finish this job strong, that's one way to ensure that I am relevant. That's one way to ensure that I'm in the process. And I intend to use the veto.

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Next Stage of the SCHIP Debate

Oct 19, 2007 by Matt Lewis

The Washington Post reports that a retooled SCHIP bill will be back on the floor in two weeks.

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Conservatives Block SCHIP Veto Override

Oct 18, 2007 by Matt Lewis

The House failed to overturn the President's veto of SCHIP, 273-156 (roll call). This was closer than the last SCHIP vote in the House (265-159), so your efforts did make a difference.

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There's Deficits, and Then There's Deficits

Oct 17, 2007 by Matt Lewis

From the good folks over at Angry Bear and Econospeak, a little common sense about the deficit: it's not really going down. The general fund deficit, that is. You see, Social Security revenues are in surplus, and a whole lot of money is being taken out of the flush Social Security trust fund to pay for current government services. This surplus has tremendously contributed to the declining unified deficit, the figure that gets most media attention. See this graph for a good representation.

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House to Vote Tomorrow on SCHIP Override

Oct 17, 2007 by Matt Lewis

Tomorrow, the House will vote on whether to override the President's veto of the SCHIP funding bill. This vote will most likely set the fate of the bill. The Senate is likely to vote to override the veto anyway. So it may be your last chance to make an impact this time around. Don't forget to contact your legislator!

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More of the Faux-Populism of the Far Right

Oct 16, 2007 by Matt Lewis

Do you work for a living? Not one of the superrich? Have a trouble paying your health insurance bills? Well, this is what the far right thinks of you.

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Who Spends Money Better- You Or The Government?

Oct 16, 2007 by Matt Lewis

The President gave a major talk on the budget yesterday (White House-edited transcript). This excerpt struck me:

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NYT Op-Ed on SCHIP

Oct 16, 2007 by Matt Lewis

Good New York Times op-ed on SCHIP: To hear the Bush administration tell it, expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program would entice hordes of families to drop their private coverage and put their children on the public dole. As the Health and Human Services secretary, Michael Leavitt, argued in a recent television appearance, states that cover middle-income children as well as the poor are essentially telling people to "cancel your private insurance and we'll have the government pay for it." There are several things wrong with that claim.

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Competitive Pressure

Oct 15, 2007 by Craig Jennings

At the behest of Committee Chair Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has produced a report on the wildly successful cost-reducing cost-inflating results of the private provision of the Medicare drug program (Medicare Pard D) Findings of the report:
  • The administrative expenses, sales costs, and profits of the privatized Part D program are almost six times higher than the administrative expenses of traditional Medicare.

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