Congress's latest final push in its ideological crusade called health reform is shaping up to be an act of historic arrogance and deception.
For months, the American people have been telling Congress to scrap the current bills. A recent CNN poll found that 7 in 10 Americans want Congress to start over on health care, or quit working on the issue altogether. Yet, the majority in Congress continues to march on in the face of overwhelming public opposition.
The American people have good reason to be concerned. The bill that may become law in a few days is not a collection of so-called fixes or compromises but the exact bill the Senate passed on Christmas Eve that was filled with backroom deals such as the Cornhusker Kickback. The Senate bill also still contains half a trillion dollars in Medicare cuts, half a trillion dollars in tax increases, job-killing penalties for employers, provisions that will cause premiums to spike, and radical provisions to fund abortion and ration health care.
House leaders are so ashamed of the Senate bill that they have concocted a procedural process to pass the Senate bill without having a direct vote. In short, they hope to pass one of the most important pieces of legislation in recent history, which will affect one-sixth of our economy, without the public knowing. Even House Democrats are criticizing this charade. Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.), a member of the Blue Dog and New Democrat coalitions, called this process “wrong.” Altmire and other wavering Democrats understand that once the House passes the Senate bill, the Senate will have little motivation to clean up the bill under the arcane and complex reconciliation process.
The fundamental problem with the current reform bill is that it fixes the wrong problem. In medicine, we call this treating symptoms rather than the disease.
The fundamental problem in health care is cost. Every family knows that cost reduces access. As a nation, we spend twice as much on health care as any other industrialized country, but we aren’t any healthier as a result. A study by Thomson-Reuters shows that one in three dollars in our more than $2 trillion health care system does nothing to help people get well or prevent them from getting sick. If members of Congress focused their time and energy on allocating the health care dollars that are already in the system more efficiently—by reducing fraud and the costs associated with defensive medicine, for instance—we could lower cost and improve access overnight.
The bill before us, however, fails to do that. Instead, it builds on a broken and bankrupt system. The Senate bill will put 15 million Americans in the Medicaid program, which is bankrupting states and denying care to millions of American. Forty percent of doctors restrict access to Medicaid patients because reimbursement rates are so low. The rest of America will be funneled into the insurance industry the White House has been demonizing.
Supporters argue that the bill will save taxpayers $100 billion over 10 years, but this estimate is a sham. The numbers Congress gave to the Congressional Budget Office include 10 years of tax increases but only six years of benefits at the back end. This is unjust and deceptive Enron-style accounting. No homeowner would allow a bank to tell them they have to make mortgage payments for four years before they can move into their new home. Yet that is precisely what Congress is telling the American people.
The bill will also cause health care costs and premiums to increase, not decrease. According to CBO, premiums for families could rise 10 to 13 percent beyond current estimates. The president’s own actuary also estimated that health care costs will increase, not decrease, under the Senate bill.
Proponents are not only wrong about cost containment but patient choice as well. The fact is the Senate bill takes unprecedented steps to put government bureaucrats between patients and doctors. For instance, the Senate bill creates new comparative effectiveness research (CER) panels that have been used as rationing commissions in other countries such as the U.K., where 15,000 cancer patients die prematurely every year according to the National Cancer Intelligence Network.
The Senate bill also depends on the recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in no fewer than 14 places. This task force was responsible for advising women under 50 to not undergo annual mammograms. Proponents claim the task force recommendations do not carry the force of law, but the Senate bill itself contradicts that claim by declaring health insurance plans “shall provide coverage for” services approved by the task force.
I’ve treated patients in my own practice who would have had their lives cut short had a government panel been allowed to tell me which treatments I could and could not prescribe. These and other provisions have caused physicians to turn against this bill. For instance, a recent poll conducted by Sermo.com, an online community of more than 110,000 physicians, found that only 1 in 10 physicians said Congress should push the current bills through, while nearly two-thirds of physicians said Congress should start over and work on targeted, step-by-step solutions.
Health reform will only be possible when Congress agrees to listen to reason, and the American people, and defeats a deeply misguided plan that will increase costs, limit patient choices and delay the real reform America needs.
Tom Coburn is a U.S. Senator from Oklahoma. He is also a practicing physician and author of the "Patients' Choice Act" along with Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina and Representatives Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Devin Nunes of California.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Reality
The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. Thomas Jefferson
What conditions would have to exist before the elected official at State and Federal levels would understand the following simple REALITIES?
1* "You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity."
2* "What one person receives without working for it, another person must work for it without receiving."
3* “The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else."
4* “When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them--and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation."
5* “You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."
We under stand that our representatives in all levels of government cannot nor have they ever figured these realities out for themselves. Clearly, at the State and Federal government levels, it hasn't mattered which national party had the controlling majority. They simply never get this.
Because some Republican congresses lower taxes or somewhat slow the wealth transfers or that some Democratic congresses speed up these transfers, the drum still keeps beating.
What would we, the working voters, the folks these "tax transfers" are taken from, have to do in order to create the necessary CONDITIONS for representatives from both national parties to accept these realities and STOP this behavior?
Would limiting the time (terms) representatives can hold office be one step towards creating the "right" CONDITIONS? Limiting their time in office would end the concept of a career politician for sure. That might be a good thing. The representative would not have to worry 1) about being reelected; 2) worrying about his/her vote being acceptable to their party; 3) worrying about their vote being politically correct; 4) casting votes in order to secure funding for the next election cycle. Sounds like an idea. Sounds like.
Would these elected politicians vote to limit their time in office and would the Courts not overturn the idea of term limits if they did? It doesn't seem likely we can look to the elected or courts to solve the "career politician" problem for us.
Even if term limits could become the law of the land, does that address the core problem we are experiencing with our current government? This President along with a supporting Congress is redefining how this country will work, how every sector of our economy will work, how businesses will work, how salaries will be paid, how medical services will be supplied, how education will be conducted, and appoint themselves (i.e. the government) to manage it all. This is just a stunning and down right silly idea.
The part of this I clearly understand is the governments' quest for more and more power BUT what I don't understand is why close to 50% of the population are saying, "at-a-boy" to the whole convoluted mess. Its possible that this group does not understand what is happening…. What the Obama "changes" will cost not so much in dollars but of rights and freedoms they enjoy without recognizing what these freedoms are on a day to day basis. Until this group "gets it" they will not join us in our effort to put together a congress that holds the values and beliefs clearly laid down in the documents by Thomas Jefferson and the other founding fathers. They just won't join in.
The Tea Party efforts, if directed only towards the "bad" politicians, may not accomplish our goals. If the Tea Party effort is about educating and winning the minds and hearts of some part of the cheering quasi liberal "at-a-boy" group as well as more of the independent voter group, with a few fence sitters picked up here and there, then all together we could accomplish the Tea Party goals. Do not doubt that without sizable blocks of voters from these three groups the Tea Party effort/goals are real "IFFIE."
The poor brain damaged main stream press still think the Tea Party is against Health Care Reform. The Health Care Bill that just got signed into law is not in anyway about Health Care Reform. The press missed that and they also missed the fact that we think Health Care needs reforming. However, what they won't miss is any opportunity to attack the movement and Yes Mr. President it is a movement.
Showing up at rallies is important… It seems until people start taking to the street no one listens... Political history tells us that all politics are local…Local rallies are scary to local politicians, state politicians, and sometimes friends and neighbors.
This President has been the most effective president in our lifetime in dividing the country along liberal vs conservative lines. Conservatives are spoken of as bad citizens because they are against all the changes he wants to make. The main stream press reinforces his position. Between now and November both he and the press will demonize the Tea Party folks. The attacks have already started and will escalate.
The first major social program was Social Security and it has taken almost seventy years for the cracks in the program to begin to open. This month was the first month in history that Social Security had to send out more money then it took in. Medicare and Medicaid have been around less than a half century and are on the brink of bankrupting the states and the nation. These three programs are managed by our government. The current social Healthcare Bill is expected to run up to a trillion dollars in the first ten years and it too will be managed by our government. Everyone who believes that the government has "learned" and will manage this fourth national social program, well, raise your hand.
1/3 1/3 1/3 … About 1/3 of the citizens are unemployed or on some form of government support….. About 1/3 of the citizens are employed in some government position at the state or federal levels…..About 1/3 of the citizens work in the private sector and money is taken from this private sector group and given to the other two groups. So the 1/3 is effectively paying/supporting the other two groups. As the costs of the new social programs kick in, the private sector will need to work harder/more to support the other two groups. Makes sense? Not one bit. However, it's more of them than us so it is a pretty good bet which way they other two groups will do their voting.
Whoever the congress person might be, the one thing they have to be is firm and clear on their conviction and beliefs on the role of government in ways other than a transfer agent of productive working people's wealth. These potential congress people are out there but really hard to find.
One thing that is known is that these political and economic problems will not be solved in Washington with the current crop of elected leaders. If we don't change the make-up of this group they will sink the country in debt. But come November..
Come November, for the Tea Partiers, the vote will be about Stateism VS Enterpriseism - Takers VS Makers - Now vs Future…. Come November, for the President, the vote will be about Progressives vs Regressives… Most of the free press will echo his position. Most young voters will buy the talk, many liberals will buy the talk, all the "takers" will embrace the talk, so who will we find to walk the walk with us?
What would ideal candidate for us have to have on their résumés….?
EXPERIENCE: Built a business, hired and fired people, made a product or created a service, signed payroll checks every Friday, did the bookkeeping, filled out tax forms, paid State and Federal taxes, paid the business half of Social Security on each employee, been through IRS audits, been through State audits, worked fifty hours a week, bought business insurance, paid into workers comp insurance, paid into unemployment insurance funds, bought health insurance for the business and employees, dealt with EPA, created retirement plans, paid into retirement plans, developed medium and long term business plans, executed medium and long term business plans, gone through business cycles, had experience with contractors and subcontractors, had weeks when employees got paid and there was no money left for him/her, put children through college, paid off home, cared for aging parents, etc. (What size, shape, gender, color, ethnicity is not a issue on the resume but a law degree automatically disqualifies the individual.)
My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government. Thomas Jefferson
Come November…. Come with us... The Oxford Tea Party
What conditions would have to exist before the elected official at State and Federal levels would understand the following simple REALITIES?
1* "You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity."
2* "What one person receives without working for it, another person must work for it without receiving."
3* “The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else."
4* “When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them--and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation."
5* “You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."
We under stand that our representatives in all levels of government cannot nor have they ever figured these realities out for themselves. Clearly, at the State and Federal government levels, it hasn't mattered which national party had the controlling majority. They simply never get this.
Because some Republican congresses lower taxes or somewhat slow the wealth transfers or that some Democratic congresses speed up these transfers, the drum still keeps beating.
What would we, the working voters, the folks these "tax transfers" are taken from, have to do in order to create the necessary CONDITIONS for representatives from both national parties to accept these realities and STOP this behavior?
Would limiting the time (terms) representatives can hold office be one step towards creating the "right" CONDITIONS? Limiting their time in office would end the concept of a career politician for sure. That might be a good thing. The representative would not have to worry 1) about being reelected; 2) worrying about his/her vote being acceptable to their party; 3) worrying about their vote being politically correct; 4) casting votes in order to secure funding for the next election cycle. Sounds like an idea. Sounds like.
Would these elected politicians vote to limit their time in office and would the Courts not overturn the idea of term limits if they did? It doesn't seem likely we can look to the elected or courts to solve the "career politician" problem for us.
Even if term limits could become the law of the land, does that address the core problem we are experiencing with our current government? This President along with a supporting Congress is redefining how this country will work, how every sector of our economy will work, how businesses will work, how salaries will be paid, how medical services will be supplied, how education will be conducted, and appoint themselves (i.e. the government) to manage it all. This is just a stunning and down right silly idea.
The part of this I clearly understand is the governments' quest for more and more power BUT what I don't understand is why close to 50% of the population are saying, "at-a-boy" to the whole convoluted mess. Its possible that this group does not understand what is happening…. What the Obama "changes" will cost not so much in dollars but of rights and freedoms they enjoy without recognizing what these freedoms are on a day to day basis. Until this group "gets it" they will not join us in our effort to put together a congress that holds the values and beliefs clearly laid down in the documents by Thomas Jefferson and the other founding fathers. They just won't join in.
The Tea Party efforts, if directed only towards the "bad" politicians, may not accomplish our goals. If the Tea Party effort is about educating and winning the minds and hearts of some part of the cheering quasi liberal "at-a-boy" group as well as more of the independent voter group, with a few fence sitters picked up here and there, then all together we could accomplish the Tea Party goals. Do not doubt that without sizable blocks of voters from these three groups the Tea Party effort/goals are real "IFFIE."
The poor brain damaged main stream press still think the Tea Party is against Health Care Reform. The Health Care Bill that just got signed into law is not in anyway about Health Care Reform. The press missed that and they also missed the fact that we think Health Care needs reforming. However, what they won't miss is any opportunity to attack the movement and Yes Mr. President it is a movement.
Showing up at rallies is important… It seems until people start taking to the street no one listens... Political history tells us that all politics are local…Local rallies are scary to local politicians, state politicians, and sometimes friends and neighbors.
This President has been the most effective president in our lifetime in dividing the country along liberal vs conservative lines. Conservatives are spoken of as bad citizens because they are against all the changes he wants to make. The main stream press reinforces his position. Between now and November both he and the press will demonize the Tea Party folks. The attacks have already started and will escalate.
The first major social program was Social Security and it has taken almost seventy years for the cracks in the program to begin to open. This month was the first month in history that Social Security had to send out more money then it took in. Medicare and Medicaid have been around less than a half century and are on the brink of bankrupting the states and the nation. These three programs are managed by our government. The current social Healthcare Bill is expected to run up to a trillion dollars in the first ten years and it too will be managed by our government. Everyone who believes that the government has "learned" and will manage this fourth national social program, well, raise your hand.
1/3 1/3 1/3 … About 1/3 of the citizens are unemployed or on some form of government support….. About 1/3 of the citizens are employed in some government position at the state or federal levels…..About 1/3 of the citizens work in the private sector and money is taken from this private sector group and given to the other two groups. So the 1/3 is effectively paying/supporting the other two groups. As the costs of the new social programs kick in, the private sector will need to work harder/more to support the other two groups. Makes sense? Not one bit. However, it's more of them than us so it is a pretty good bet which way they other two groups will do their voting.
Whoever the congress person might be, the one thing they have to be is firm and clear on their conviction and beliefs on the role of government in ways other than a transfer agent of productive working people's wealth. These potential congress people are out there but really hard to find.
One thing that is known is that these political and economic problems will not be solved in Washington with the current crop of elected leaders. If we don't change the make-up of this group they will sink the country in debt. But come November..
Come November, for the Tea Partiers, the vote will be about Stateism VS Enterpriseism - Takers VS Makers - Now vs Future…. Come November, for the President, the vote will be about Progressives vs Regressives… Most of the free press will echo his position. Most young voters will buy the talk, many liberals will buy the talk, all the "takers" will embrace the talk, so who will we find to walk the walk with us?
What would ideal candidate for us have to have on their résumés….?
EXPERIENCE: Built a business, hired and fired people, made a product or created a service, signed payroll checks every Friday, did the bookkeeping, filled out tax forms, paid State and Federal taxes, paid the business half of Social Security on each employee, been through IRS audits, been through State audits, worked fifty hours a week, bought business insurance, paid into workers comp insurance, paid into unemployment insurance funds, bought health insurance for the business and employees, dealt with EPA, created retirement plans, paid into retirement plans, developed medium and long term business plans, executed medium and long term business plans, gone through business cycles, had experience with contractors and subcontractors, had weeks when employees got paid and there was no money left for him/her, put children through college, paid off home, cared for aging parents, etc. (What size, shape, gender, color, ethnicity is not a issue on the resume but a law degree automatically disqualifies the individual.)
My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government. Thomas Jefferson
Come November…. Come with us... The Oxford Tea Party
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Student Loans
(Note: This part of the Health Care Bill is published just for "Shock and Awa".)
Student loans is attached to the Health Care Bill at the President request. It has nothing to do with health care. What is does have to do with is government taking control of student loans and grants. Read through all this and you will see the targeted groups… Also, from this you will know who will be selected to hand out these loans and the fees they will get for doing it. (Note: One Congressman protected a Bank in his State by getting the bank preapproval for the program. He voted "Yea" on the health bill. )(One more note: Acorn has had to change the names on many of its Chapters around the Country and close other because of fraud. Regardless of the new names, or the fraud associated with them, Acorn is stilled loved by our President and Congress.)
Title II – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Subtitle A – Education
Section 2001. Short Title; References. Provides that this subtitle may be cited as the “SAFRA Act,” and that, except as otherwise provided, whenever an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or other provision of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
Part I—Investing in Students and Families
Section 2101. Federal Pell Grants. Amends the Higher Education Act to include mandatory funding for the Pell Grant. This provides additional mandatory funding to augment funds appropriated to increase the federal maximum Pell Grant award by the change in the Consumer Price Index. The mandatory component of the funding is determined by inflating the previous year’s total and subtracting the maximum award provided for in the appropriations act for the previous year or $4860, whichever is greater. Beginning in the 2018-2019 academic year, the maximum Pell award will be at the 2017-2018 level.
Section 2102. Student Financial Assistance. This section provides $13.5 billion in mandatory appropriations to the Federal Pell Grant program.
Section 2103. College Access Challenge Grant Program. This section amends section 786 of the Higher Education Act by authorizing and appropriating $150 million for fiscal years 2010 through 2014 for the College Access Challenge Grant program created under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007. Provides that the allotment for each State under this section for a fiscal year shall not be an amount that is less than 1.0 percent of the total amount appropriated for a fiscal year.
Section 2104. Investment in Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions. This section amends section 371(b) of the Higher Education Act by extending funding for programs under this section created under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 for programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and minority-serving institutions through 2019, including programs that help low-income students attain degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering or mathematics by the following annual amounts: $100 million to Hispanic Serving Institutions, $85 million to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, $15 million to Predominantly Black Institutions, $30 million to Tribal Colleges and Universities, $15 million to Alaska, Hawaiian Native Institutions, $5 million to Asian American and Pacific Islander Institutions, and $5 million to Native American non-tribal serving institutions.
Part II—Student Loan Reform
Section 2201. Termination of Federal Family Education Loan Appropriations. This section terminates the authority to make or insure any additional loans in the Federal Family Education Loan program after June 30, 2010.
Section 2202. Termination of Federal loan Insurance Program. This section is a conforming amendment with regard to the termination of the FFEL program, limiting Federal insurance to those loans in the Federal Family Education Loan program for loans first disbursed prior to July 1, 2010.
Section 2203. Termination of Applicable Interest Rates. This section makes a conforming amendment with regard to the termination of the FFEL program limiting interest rate applicability to Stafford, Consolidation, and PLUS loans to those loans made before July 1, 2010.
Section 2204. Termination of Federal payments to Reduce Student Interest Costs. This section makes a conforming amendment with regard to the termination of the FFEL program by limiting subsidy payments to lenders for those loans for which the first disbursement is made before July 1, 2010.
Section 2205. Termination of FFEL PLUS Loans. This section makes a conforming change with regard to the termination of the FFEL program for federal PLUS loans by prohibiting further FFEL origination of loans after July 1, 2010.
Section 2206. Federal Consolidation Loans. This section makes conforming changes with regard to the termination of the FFEL program for federal consolidation loans. This section also provides that, for a 1 year period, borrowers who have loans under both the Direct Lending program and the FFEL program, or who have loans under either program as well as loans that have been sold to the Secretary, may consolidate such loans under the Direct Lending program regardless of whether such borrowers have entered repayment on such loans.
Section 2207. Termination of Unsubsidized Stafford loans for Middle-Income Borrowers. This section makes conforming changes with regard to the termination of the FFEL program for Unsubsidized Stafford loans by prohibiting further FFEL origination of loans after July 1, 2010.
Section 2208.
Termination of Special Allowances. This section makes conforming changes with regard to the termination of the FFEL program by limiting special allowance payments to lenders under the FFEL program to loans first disbursed before July 1, 2010.
Section 2209. Origination of Direct Loans at Institutions Outside the United States. This section provides for the origination of federal Direct Loans at institutions located outside of the United States, through a financial institution designated by the Secretary.
Section 2210. Conforming amendments. This section makes conforming technical changes with regard to the termination of the FFEL program for Department of Education agreements with Direct Lending institutions.
Section 2211. Terms and Conditions of Loans. This section makes conforming technical changes with regard to the termination of the FFEL program to clarify the terms and conditions of Direct Loans.
Section 2212. Contracts. This section directs the Secretary to award contracts for servicing federal Direct Loans to eligible non-profit servicers. In addition, this section provides that for the first 100,000 borrower loan accounts, the Secretary shall establish a separate pricing tier. Specifies that the Secretary is to allocate the loan accounts of 100,000 borrowers to each eligible non-profit servicer. The section also permits the Secretary to reallocate, increase, reduce or terminate an eligible non-profit servicer’s allocation based on the performance of such servicer. In addition, this section appropriates mandatory funds to the Secretary to be obligated for administrative costs of servicing contracts with eligible non-profit servicers. This section also requires the Secretary to provide technical assistance to institutions of higher education participating or seeking to participate in the Direct Lending program. This section appropriates $50 million for fiscal year 2010 to pay for this technical assistance. Additionally, this section authorizes the Secretary to provide payments to loan servicers for retaining jobs at location in the United States where such servicers were operating on January 1, 2010. This section appropriates $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 and 2011 for such purpose.
Section 2213. Agreements with State-Owned Banks. This section amends Part D of Title IV to direct the Secretary to enter into an agreement with an eligible lender for the purpose of providing Federal loan insurance on student loans made by state-owned banks.
Section 2214. Income-Based Repayment. The section amends the Income-Based Repayment program to cap student loan payments for new borrowers after July 1, 2014 to 10% of adjusted income, from 15% percent, and to forgive remaining balances after 20 years of repayment, from 25 years.
(Naïve us: We thought the Supreme Court had ruled that this kind of pandering was not a legal thing to do. We thought that would be the end of it. In a different form and a different context back it comes. Controlling who get student loans is where the rubber meets the road. More often then not, who gets students loans, defines who gets into Universities.)
http://theoxfordteaparty.blogspot.com/
Pasted from <http://www.rules.house.gov/111_hr4872_secbysec.html>
Student loans is attached to the Health Care Bill at the President request. It has nothing to do with health care. What is does have to do with is government taking control of student loans and grants. Read through all this and you will see the targeted groups… Also, from this you will know who will be selected to hand out these loans and the fees they will get for doing it. (Note: One Congressman protected a Bank in his State by getting the bank preapproval for the program. He voted "Yea" on the health bill. )(One more note: Acorn has had to change the names on many of its Chapters around the Country and close other because of fraud. Regardless of the new names, or the fraud associated with them, Acorn is stilled loved by our President and Congress.)
Title II – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Subtitle A – Education
Section 2001. Short Title; References. Provides that this subtitle may be cited as the “SAFRA Act,” and that, except as otherwise provided, whenever an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or other provision of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
Part I—Investing in Students and Families
Section 2101. Federal Pell Grants. Amends the Higher Education Act to include mandatory funding for the Pell Grant. This provides additional mandatory funding to augment funds appropriated to increase the federal maximum Pell Grant award by the change in the Consumer Price Index. The mandatory component of the funding is determined by inflating the previous year’s total and subtracting the maximum award provided for in the appropriations act for the previous year or $4860, whichever is greater. Beginning in the 2018-2019 academic year, the maximum Pell award will be at the 2017-2018 level.
Section 2102. Student Financial Assistance. This section provides $13.5 billion in mandatory appropriations to the Federal Pell Grant program.
Section 2103. College Access Challenge Grant Program. This section amends section 786 of the Higher Education Act by authorizing and appropriating $150 million for fiscal years 2010 through 2014 for the College Access Challenge Grant program created under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007. Provides that the allotment for each State under this section for a fiscal year shall not be an amount that is less than 1.0 percent of the total amount appropriated for a fiscal year.
Section 2104. Investment in Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions. This section amends section 371(b) of the Higher Education Act by extending funding for programs under this section created under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 for programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and minority-serving institutions through 2019, including programs that help low-income students attain degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering or mathematics by the following annual amounts: $100 million to Hispanic Serving Institutions, $85 million to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, $15 million to Predominantly Black Institutions, $30 million to Tribal Colleges and Universities, $15 million to Alaska, Hawaiian Native Institutions, $5 million to Asian American and Pacific Islander Institutions, and $5 million to Native American non-tribal serving institutions.
Part II—Student Loan Reform
Section 2201. Termination of Federal Family Education Loan Appropriations. This section terminates the authority to make or insure any additional loans in the Federal Family Education Loan program after June 30, 2010.
Section 2202. Termination of Federal loan Insurance Program. This section is a conforming amendment with regard to the termination of the FFEL program, limiting Federal insurance to those loans in the Federal Family Education Loan program for loans first disbursed prior to July 1, 2010.
Section 2203. Termination of Applicable Interest Rates. This section makes a conforming amendment with regard to the termination of the FFEL program limiting interest rate applicability to Stafford, Consolidation, and PLUS loans to those loans made before July 1, 2010.
Section 2204. Termination of Federal payments to Reduce Student Interest Costs. This section makes a conforming amendment with regard to the termination of the FFEL program by limiting subsidy payments to lenders for those loans for which the first disbursement is made before July 1, 2010.
Section 2205. Termination of FFEL PLUS Loans. This section makes a conforming change with regard to the termination of the FFEL program for federal PLUS loans by prohibiting further FFEL origination of loans after July 1, 2010.
Section 2206. Federal Consolidation Loans. This section makes conforming changes with regard to the termination of the FFEL program for federal consolidation loans. This section also provides that, for a 1 year period, borrowers who have loans under both the Direct Lending program and the FFEL program, or who have loans under either program as well as loans that have been sold to the Secretary, may consolidate such loans under the Direct Lending program regardless of whether such borrowers have entered repayment on such loans.
Section 2207. Termination of Unsubsidized Stafford loans for Middle-Income Borrowers. This section makes conforming changes with regard to the termination of the FFEL program for Unsubsidized Stafford loans by prohibiting further FFEL origination of loans after July 1, 2010.
Section 2208.
Termination of Special Allowances. This section makes conforming changes with regard to the termination of the FFEL program by limiting special allowance payments to lenders under the FFEL program to loans first disbursed before July 1, 2010.
Section 2209. Origination of Direct Loans at Institutions Outside the United States. This section provides for the origination of federal Direct Loans at institutions located outside of the United States, through a financial institution designated by the Secretary.
Section 2210. Conforming amendments. This section makes conforming technical changes with regard to the termination of the FFEL program for Department of Education agreements with Direct Lending institutions.
Section 2211. Terms and Conditions of Loans. This section makes conforming technical changes with regard to the termination of the FFEL program to clarify the terms and conditions of Direct Loans.
Section 2212. Contracts. This section directs the Secretary to award contracts for servicing federal Direct Loans to eligible non-profit servicers. In addition, this section provides that for the first 100,000 borrower loan accounts, the Secretary shall establish a separate pricing tier. Specifies that the Secretary is to allocate the loan accounts of 100,000 borrowers to each eligible non-profit servicer. The section also permits the Secretary to reallocate, increase, reduce or terminate an eligible non-profit servicer’s allocation based on the performance of such servicer. In addition, this section appropriates mandatory funds to the Secretary to be obligated for administrative costs of servicing contracts with eligible non-profit servicers. This section also requires the Secretary to provide technical assistance to institutions of higher education participating or seeking to participate in the Direct Lending program. This section appropriates $50 million for fiscal year 2010 to pay for this technical assistance. Additionally, this section authorizes the Secretary to provide payments to loan servicers for retaining jobs at location in the United States where such servicers were operating on January 1, 2010. This section appropriates $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 and 2011 for such purpose.
Section 2213. Agreements with State-Owned Banks. This section amends Part D of Title IV to direct the Secretary to enter into an agreement with an eligible lender for the purpose of providing Federal loan insurance on student loans made by state-owned banks.
Section 2214. Income-Based Repayment. The section amends the Income-Based Repayment program to cap student loan payments for new borrowers after July 1, 2014 to 10% of adjusted income, from 15% percent, and to forgive remaining balances after 20 years of repayment, from 25 years.
(Naïve us: We thought the Supreme Court had ruled that this kind of pandering was not a legal thing to do. We thought that would be the end of it. In a different form and a different context back it comes. Controlling who get student loans is where the rubber meets the road. More often then not, who gets students loans, defines who gets into Universities.)
http://theoxfordteaparty.blogspot.com/
Pasted from <http://www.rules.house.gov/111_hr4872_secbysec.html>
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Tired out @ 63
Robert A. Hall is a Marine Vietnam veteran who served five terms in the Massachusetts State Senate.
(In this article Mr. Hall is expressing the feelings of so many Americans who have worked, served, contributed to the welfare of the nation over a lifetime. No matter what they have done, no matter how much they have given, the only recognition is the continuing hammering demands from Government and niche special voting group wanting more. Now that these steadfast Americans are becoming thread bare and tired, the Government and these niche groups who have indebted him for the rest of his life are further demanding he indebt his children and grandchildren's for the rest of their lives. My God, is there no bottom to this moral and ethical breakdown we find ourselves in?)
"I'm 63 and I'm Tired" and I am Robert A. Hall
I'm 63. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I've worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired.
I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth" to people who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy to earn it.
I'm tired of being told that I have to pay more taxes to "keep people in their homes." Sure, if they lost their jobs or got sick, I'm willing to help. But if they bought McMansions at three times the price of our paid-off $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then let the left-wing Congress-critters who passed Fannie and Freddie and the Community Reinvestment Act that created the bubble help them with their own money.
I'm tired of being told how bad America is by left-wing millionaires like Michael Moore, George Soros and Hollywood Entertainers who live in luxury because of the opportunities America offers. In thirty years, if they get their way, the United States will have the economy of Zimbabwe, the freedom of the press of China , the crime and violence of Mexico, the tolerance for Christian people of Iran, and the freedom of speech of Venezuela.
I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family "honor"; of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't "believers"; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur'an and Shari'a law tells them to.
I'm tired of being told that "race doesn't matter" in the post-racial world of Obama, when it's all that matters in affirmative action jobs, lower college admission and graduation standards for minorities (harming them the most), government contract set-asides, tolerance for the ghetto culture of violence and fatherless children that hurts minorities more than anyone, and in the appointment of U.S. Senators from Illinois.
I think it's very cool that we have a black president and that a black child is doing her homework at the desk where Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation. I just wish the black president was Condi Rice, or someone who believes more in freedom and the individual and less arrogantly of present government.
I'm tired of a news media that thinks Bush's fundraising and inaugural expenses were obscene, but that Obama's, at triple the cost, were wonderful; that thinks Bush exercising daily was a waste of presidential time, but Obama exercising is a great example for the public to control weight and stress; that picked over every line of Bush's military records, but never demanded that Kerry release his; that slammed Palin, with two years as governor, for being too inexperienced for VP, but touted Obama with three years as senator as potentially the best president ever. Wonder why people are dropping their subscriptions or switching to Fox News? Get a clue. I didn't vote for Bush in 2000, but the media and Kerry drove me to his camp in 2004.
I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and madrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America, while no American group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance.
I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate. My wife and I live in a two-bedroom apartment and carpool together five miles to our jobs. We also own a three-bedroom condo where our daughter and granddaughter live. Our carbon footprint is about 5% of Al Gore's, and if you're greener than Gore, you're green enough.
I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses while they tried to fight it off? I don't think Gay people choose to be Gay, but I damn sure think druggies chose to take drugs. And I'm tired of harassment from cool people treating me like a freak when I tell them I never tried marijuana.
I'm tired of illegal aliens being called "undocumented workers," especially the ones who aren't working, but are living on welfare or crime. What's next? Calling drug dealers, "Undocumented Pharmacists"? And, no, I'm not against Hispanics. Most of them are Catholic, and it's been a few hundred years since Catholics wanted to kill me for my religion. I'm willing to fast track for citizenship any Hispanic person, who can speak English, doesn't have a criminal record and who is self-supporting without family on welfare, or who serves honorably for three years in our military.... Those are the citizens we need.
I'm tired of latte liberals and journalists, who would never wear the uniform of the Republic themselves. They and their kids can sit at home, never having to make split-second decisions under life and death circumstances, and bad mouth better people than themselves. Do bad things happen in war? You bet. Do our troops sometimes misbehave? Sure. Does this compare with the atrocities that were the policy of our enemies for the last fifty years and still are? Not even close. So here's the deal. I'll let myself be subjected to all the humiliation and abuse that was heaped on terrorists at Abu Ghraib or Gitmo, and the critics can let themselves be subject to captivity by the Muslims, who tortured and beheaded Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, or the Muslims who tortured and murdered Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins in Lebanon, or the Muslims who ran the blood-spattered Al Qaeda torture rooms our troops found in Iraq, or the Muslims who cut off the heads of schoolgirls in Indonesia, because the girls were Christian. Then we'll compare notes. British and American soldiers are the only troops in history that civilians came to for help and handouts, instead of hiding from in fear.
I'm tired of people telling me that their party has a corner on virtue and the other party has a corner on corruption. Read the papers; bums are bipartisan. And I'm tired of people telling me we need bipartisanship. I live in Illinois , where the "Illinois Combine" of Democrats has worked to loot the public for years. Not to mention the tax cheats in Obama's cabinet.
I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of both parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught. I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor.
Speaking of poor, I'm tired of hearing people with air-conditioned homes, color TVs and two cars called poor. The majority of Americans didn't have that in 1970, but we didn't know we were "poor." The poverty pimps have to keep changing the definition of poor to keep the dollars flowing.
I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination or big-whatever for their problems.
Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making. I'm just sorry for my granddaughter.
(Mr. Hall, I'm sorry for my grandchildren also. We will correct this travesty in November. Thank you for all you've done … The Oxford Tea Party.)
Click on the US Debt Clock below….. Take the time to figure how the clock is working. Move your curser over the title of each section in the clock so you know where the information is coming from. Some of the numbers are so large who can understand them? In the bottom right hand corner is the CURRENT liability for Mr. Hall, me, you, and each American citizen. (Make a note as to how much you owe today and come back to the clock in a couple of weeks and see how that has grown. (As the Health Care Law starts to kick in this section of the clock will rise rapidly.)
http://www.usdebtclock.org/
l
(In this article Mr. Hall is expressing the feelings of so many Americans who have worked, served, contributed to the welfare of the nation over a lifetime. No matter what they have done, no matter how much they have given, the only recognition is the continuing hammering demands from Government and niche special voting group wanting more. Now that these steadfast Americans are becoming thread bare and tired, the Government and these niche groups who have indebted him for the rest of his life are further demanding he indebt his children and grandchildren's for the rest of their lives. My God, is there no bottom to this moral and ethical breakdown we find ourselves in?)
"I'm 63 and I'm Tired" and I am Robert A. Hall
I'm 63. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I've worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired.
I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth" to people who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy to earn it.
I'm tired of being told that I have to pay more taxes to "keep people in their homes." Sure, if they lost their jobs or got sick, I'm willing to help. But if they bought McMansions at three times the price of our paid-off $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then let the left-wing Congress-critters who passed Fannie and Freddie and the Community Reinvestment Act that created the bubble help them with their own money.
I'm tired of being told how bad America is by left-wing millionaires like Michael Moore, George Soros and Hollywood Entertainers who live in luxury because of the opportunities America offers. In thirty years, if they get their way, the United States will have the economy of Zimbabwe, the freedom of the press of China , the crime and violence of Mexico, the tolerance for Christian people of Iran, and the freedom of speech of Venezuela.
I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family "honor"; of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't "believers"; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur'an and Shari'a law tells them to.
I'm tired of being told that "race doesn't matter" in the post-racial world of Obama, when it's all that matters in affirmative action jobs, lower college admission and graduation standards for minorities (harming them the most), government contract set-asides, tolerance for the ghetto culture of violence and fatherless children that hurts minorities more than anyone, and in the appointment of U.S. Senators from Illinois.
I think it's very cool that we have a black president and that a black child is doing her homework at the desk where Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation. I just wish the black president was Condi Rice, or someone who believes more in freedom and the individual and less arrogantly of present government.
I'm tired of a news media that thinks Bush's fundraising and inaugural expenses were obscene, but that Obama's, at triple the cost, were wonderful; that thinks Bush exercising daily was a waste of presidential time, but Obama exercising is a great example for the public to control weight and stress; that picked over every line of Bush's military records, but never demanded that Kerry release his; that slammed Palin, with two years as governor, for being too inexperienced for VP, but touted Obama with three years as senator as potentially the best president ever. Wonder why people are dropping their subscriptions or switching to Fox News? Get a clue. I didn't vote for Bush in 2000, but the media and Kerry drove me to his camp in 2004.
I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and madrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America, while no American group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance.
I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate. My wife and I live in a two-bedroom apartment and carpool together five miles to our jobs. We also own a three-bedroom condo where our daughter and granddaughter live. Our carbon footprint is about 5% of Al Gore's, and if you're greener than Gore, you're green enough.
I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses while they tried to fight it off? I don't think Gay people choose to be Gay, but I damn sure think druggies chose to take drugs. And I'm tired of harassment from cool people treating me like a freak when I tell them I never tried marijuana.
I'm tired of illegal aliens being called "undocumented workers," especially the ones who aren't working, but are living on welfare or crime. What's next? Calling drug dealers, "Undocumented Pharmacists"? And, no, I'm not against Hispanics. Most of them are Catholic, and it's been a few hundred years since Catholics wanted to kill me for my religion. I'm willing to fast track for citizenship any Hispanic person, who can speak English, doesn't have a criminal record and who is self-supporting without family on welfare, or who serves honorably for three years in our military.... Those are the citizens we need.
I'm tired of latte liberals and journalists, who would never wear the uniform of the Republic themselves. They and their kids can sit at home, never having to make split-second decisions under life and death circumstances, and bad mouth better people than themselves. Do bad things happen in war? You bet. Do our troops sometimes misbehave? Sure. Does this compare with the atrocities that were the policy of our enemies for the last fifty years and still are? Not even close. So here's the deal. I'll let myself be subjected to all the humiliation and abuse that was heaped on terrorists at Abu Ghraib or Gitmo, and the critics can let themselves be subject to captivity by the Muslims, who tortured and beheaded Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, or the Muslims who tortured and murdered Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins in Lebanon, or the Muslims who ran the blood-spattered Al Qaeda torture rooms our troops found in Iraq, or the Muslims who cut off the heads of schoolgirls in Indonesia, because the girls were Christian. Then we'll compare notes. British and American soldiers are the only troops in history that civilians came to for help and handouts, instead of hiding from in fear.
I'm tired of people telling me that their party has a corner on virtue and the other party has a corner on corruption. Read the papers; bums are bipartisan. And I'm tired of people telling me we need bipartisanship. I live in Illinois , where the "Illinois Combine" of Democrats has worked to loot the public for years. Not to mention the tax cheats in Obama's cabinet.
I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of both parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught. I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor.
Speaking of poor, I'm tired of hearing people with air-conditioned homes, color TVs and two cars called poor. The majority of Americans didn't have that in 1970, but we didn't know we were "poor." The poverty pimps have to keep changing the definition of poor to keep the dollars flowing.
I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination or big-whatever for their problems.
Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making. I'm just sorry for my granddaughter.
(Mr. Hall, I'm sorry for my grandchildren also. We will correct this travesty in November. Thank you for all you've done … The Oxford Tea Party.)
Click on the US Debt Clock below….. Take the time to figure how the clock is working. Move your curser over the title of each section in the clock so you know where the information is coming from. Some of the numbers are so large who can understand them? In the bottom right hand corner is the CURRENT liability for Mr. Hall, me, you, and each American citizen. (Make a note as to how much you owe today and come back to the clock in a couple of weeks and see how that has grown. (As the Health Care Law starts to kick in this section of the clock will rise rapidly.)
http://www.usdebtclock.org/
l
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