There is a biblical story about the Good Samaritan. A man was injured and left for dead. One by one, his fellow countrymen saw the condition he was in, shook their heads in disgust and kept on walking by. A visitor to that country (The Good Samaritan) saw the man and had pity on him. He tended to his wounds, saw that he had shelter, and fed him until he was able to get back up on his own feet.
This story stands as a moral example of how we should treat visitors to our country. Do we shake our heads in pity or disgust at the immigrant population? Or are we Good Samaritans, showing kindness to strangers just as we hope strangers would show kindness to us.
I am of the opinion that we should treat immigrants like we would guests in our home. Immigrants should be warmly welcomed, treated with courtesy, and valued emissaries to spread word about the kindness of Americans across the globe. We should feed them when they’re hungry. Help them find decent shelter and tend to their wounds when they are hurt or sick.
This leads us to the SCHIP legislation. Wednesday in the House and Thursday in the Senate Committee, our legislators reversed years of barbarous policy and acted like that Good Samaritan - extending medical care to children of legal immigrants, banishing the heartless 5-year waiting period and covering pregnant women.
It’s been so long since I have witnessed good legislation being passed by Congress that I – as well as I’m sure many others – felt stunned by the good news and by how quickly it came. Now only one last hurdle remains; for this legislation to be passed by the full Senate. I am almost sure that certain Republican Senators will try to mount great opposition to removing the ICHEA amendment, utilizing their familiar tactics of fear, hatred and divisiveness.
It is of my personal belief that those who come to America – be it as visitors, students or those who wish to stay here – should be treated like guests in our home. It is not greatness for a nation to refuse sick children the benefit of health care and treatment simply based on what geography their parents were born in. Not only is it inhospitable and inhumane, but it is also un-American.
Everyone has a right to human dignity. Everyone should be afforded the opportunities of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Those are my personal values and I hope they are yours also.
GUEST OPINION Opposition to Knollenberg well founded Bruce Fealk of Rochester Hills, is a businessman and local political activist.
Last month the Oakland Press editorial board took me to task for my recent guest column about Joe Knollenberg, R-Bloomfi eld Hills. The board and Knollenberg’s professional letter writers focused entirely on the wrong issue. I wasn’t criticizing Knollenberg’s urging women to do self exams and to get their mammograms.
My point was the hypocrisy of Knollenberg sponsoring a health conference for women when he has such a terrible voting record on health issues. Knollenberg has a 0 rating from the National Breast Cancer Coalition and voted against expanding a successful government program that provides health care coverage for millions of low income children (SCHIP). Knollenberg did vote to extend the program. Even when the majority of his colleagues voted to expand the program to cover an additional 10 million children, Joe voted against it. The issue for millions of Americans is that they don’t have any health-care coverage. Families across Oakland County and this country live in fear that they will have a major health issue that they won’t be able to afford to get treated because they have no insurance. Knollenberg’s “wellness” proposal won’t help those people.
Oakland County residents are hurting because of $4 gas, lack of health coverage and an uncertain economy. The Bush/Knollenberg economy is a dismal failure.
Knollenberg should start talking about issues that really matter to Americans, like a health care program that makes it so that every American can take their children to a doctor. Health care should be a right in America, not a privilege of only wealthy congressmen and women.
Knollenberg should do something about the outrageous profits of America’s oil companies that ontinue to rip Americans off at the pump and the speculators that are driving prices up, regardless of supply.
He should think about what it does to our soldiers being sent into a war zone three, four and five times and what it does to their families.
Knollenberg should vote for funding to screen every soldier for posttraumatic stress disorder so we can try to prevent the unprecedented number of suicides being committed by our soldiers. He should vote to stop funding a war that our president lied us into and is charging hundredsof billions on our Bank of China credit card to support. Our great-great-grandchildren will be working to pay off that debt. Republicans have not been fiscally responsible.
Those are some of the real issues. Why isn’t Knollenberg talking about them? Why won’t Knollenberg come out in public and let his constituents ask him about his record n important issues and his plans to solve the problems facing them? Knollenberg has had almost 16 years to make the lives of his constituents better. My life isn’t one bit better.
Other people have noticed Knollenberg’s voting record on health care issues, too: 2007 American Academy of Family Physicians gave Knollenberg a 0 rating; 2007 Children’s Health Fund gave Knollenberg a 0 rating; 2006 American Public Health Association ranked Knollenberg with a 0 rating; 2005-2006 AIDS Action Council rated Knollenberg with a 0 rating; and 2005-2006 American Nurses Association ranked Knollenberg with a 0 percent. Those are failing grades in anyone’s book.
Disclaimer: I do not work for MoveOn.org or Knollenberg’s opponent.
Rochester held its 56th Annual Christmas Parade on Sunday, Deccember 2 and Joe NOllenGrinch was on the street with his message that Joe Knollenberg stole children's health care this Christmas. Joe didn't even show up for the parade this year. All his buddies were there, but no Joe. Another no show for Joe. I doubt he was missed though.
(More fantastic research from MichiganGirl. It's the kind of news that makes your jaw hit the floor - promoted by LiberalLucy)
(Cross-posted at the DKos and edited because I have a gutter-mouth.)
This wasn't the diary I had planned to write today. I had big plans for the second diary in my series chronicling Pete Hoekstra's dirty deeds to be about Pete's cozy relationship with the Telecommunications Industry... However, my plans changed after I received a phone call this morning from my Mother.
I answered the phone this morning and my Mom was crying... Big-heaving-heart-wrenching-tears-can't-catch-your-breath kind of crying. If you knew my Mom, you'd understand just how unusual it is to hear my Mom cry. I can only remember hearing my Mom cry like that one time before in my entire life and that was when she got the call that her daughter was dead... It basically takes a tragedy of unimaginable proportions to make my Mother cry.
Now Joe is under attack from a group called Catholics United, who don't think Joe's vote on SCHIP is a pro-life position that they support. Finally, Joe is being held accountable by pro-life voters.
CLICK HEREto listen to the ad that is currently running
Press Release from Catholics United:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 11, 2007
Contact:
Chris Korzen
(202) 903-0856
ckorzen@catholics-united.org
Washington, DC - Catholics United will launch a radio advertising campaign targeting ten members of Congress whose opposition to the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) have compromised their pro-life voting records.
The ads, which feature a mother urging her Congressional Representative to support SCHIP, will primarily air on Christian and talk radio stations from Monday Oct. 15 to Wednesday, Oct. 17 as Congress approaches a critical Oct. 18 vote to override President Bush's veto of bipartisan SCHIP legislation.
"Building a true culture of life requires public policies that promote the welfare of the most vulnerable," said Chris Korzen, executive director of Catholics United. "At the heart of the Christian faith is a deep and abiding concern for the need of others. Pro-life Christians who serve in Congress should honor this commitment by supporting health care for poor children."
While President Bush and Republicans like Joe Knollenberg try to explain away why they won't vote to extend the State Children's Health Insurance Program real children with real health problems go without health care coverage and some will die.
CLICK HEREto watch NOW on PBS report on the crisis in children's health care.
I hope everyone in Joe Knollenberg's office will watch this report. I know you're watching this blog, so make good use of your time.
This is the Oakland Press version of my guest opinion about Joe Knollenberg's opposition to the SCHIP bill. It's been edited since I wrote it, but you get the point. The original headline was "Knollenberg to Michigan's Children: Drop Dead." Guess that was a little too truthful.
Trent Wisecup Bullying a Constituent
Keith Olbermann Covers Trent Wisecup's Outburst in Rochester
Democrats believe Republicans' votes against the current bill to expand SCHIP could be fatal in next year's elections. To underscore this point, Van Hollen in his letter referenced a DCCC-sponsored poll of Knollenberg's district conducted Oct. 30-Nov. 2 by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, a Democratic firm based in Washington, D.C. The poll of 413 likely voters had a margin of error of 4.8 points.
Van Hollen said it was proof positive that Knollenberg is vulnerable because of his position on the current SCHIP bill. The poll memo prepared by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research noted radio ads by the DCCC and television spots by the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees - both hitting Knollenberg on SCHIP - and credited them for softening up support for the Congressman among voters.
According to this survey, portions of which were obtained by Roll Call, Knollenberg's lead over his likely challenger, state Lottery Commissioner Gary Peters (D), was at 7 points - 42 percent to 35 percent - a 5-point drop from the advantage the incumbent held in April.
Knollenberg's 7-point lead turned into a 7-point deficit after respondents were read both a push question characterizing his position on SCHIP, and the Democratic and Republican arguments for and against the program.
It'd be interesting to see how the polling looks now in the other Michigan targeted SCHIP districts, the 7th and 11th.
Last night, the House passed a revised version of the SCHIP bill 265-142 -- close, but no cigar on being veto-proof. You won't be at all surprised to learn that Mike Rogers voted against health care for the children of working families... AGAIN.
The SCHIP bill that went up for a vote last night had a few minor changes; the only substantive change was a national income eligibility cap that won't let states cover families earning over 300% of the poverty level. This addressed the bogus but oft-repeated charge that "wealthy" families would instantly drop their private coverage and switch to the SCHIP program.
Well that's not good enough for Mike Rogers, Defender of Family Values! He expressed his concerns to the New York Times :
Representative Mike Rogers, Republican of Michigan, said children from affluent families could still qualify for benefits because states, in determining eligibility, could ignore or disregard part of a family’s income.
Whoa there, Mr. Rogers --are you actually saying that the federal government knows how to spend $$ better than individual states?
So much for your conservative values...
In case you've missed them, here are some other bull-SCHIP tales from Mr. Rogers' Big Bag O' Excuses:
My kids are fairly skeptical bunch -- but they come by it honestly. When they were younger, they'd complain about books and movies that had totally silly plot lines or situations. That's when we sat down and talked about the concept of "willing suspension of disbelief."
Coined by the poet Samuel Coleridge, this is a device used in fiction (particularly in theater and film) which allows the author to get his or her point across without bowing to the constraints of reality. Wikipedia has a pretty concise description of why this works:
According to the theory, suspension of disbelief is a quid pro quo: the audience tacitly agrees to provisionally suspend their judgment in exchange for the promise of entertainment.
I thought about willing suspension of disbelief recently when a retired friend forwarded me a letter from Mike Rogers. In it, he described his latest reason for opposing SCHIP: "...[it] could cut the Medicare program by $190 billion if it becomes law."
Oh, please. Apparently, the bogeymen of illegal immigrants and wealthy families free-riding on taxpayers wasn't scary enough. Mr. Rogers decided to expand his apocalyptic vision of the future to include senior citizens losing funding for home oxygen as SCHIP threatened the Medicare Advantage program.
(Hey, kids -- don't provisionally suspend your judgement just yet! )
Interesting story over at DailyKos from former Michigander DHinMI. Guess Republican Rep. Thaddeus McCotter didn't take too kindly to being called out on his pro-life and yet anti-health care for kids stance.
This past Wednesday, October 17, Representative Thaddeus McCotter authored an opinion piece in the National Review Online under the title "False Prophets Arise." In the article, Congressman McCotter characterizes Catholics United as a "devil" and as committing "sin" for criticizing his vote against health care for millions of children despite his "pro-life" beliefs.
Happy Friday, everyone! Enjoy your morning cup-o-links...
State Government/Legislation
AP: Senate passes bill to allow motorcycling without helmet. Dumb. AAA is already calling on the Governor to veto the bill.
Rep. Marc Corriveau: Final plan was best one for getting state back on track. " I voted for this final plan because it protects funding for our schools and gives our teachers the resources they will need to prepare our children for the good-paying jobs of the future."
Sen. Nancy Cassis: Michigan must return to what made it great. Okay, so syntax isn't her strong suit: "The question I have asked myself over the last year was, 'will increasing taxes on individuals, families, seniors, and businesses help or hurt Michigan's struggling economy to recover from being in a one state recession?' Research done by myself and staff coupled with e-mails from my constituents convinced me the answer was 'no.'"
Ann Arbor News: Gas tax hike still being pushed in Lansing. "Transportation and business groups are still pushing to raise Michigan's gasoline tax by 9 cents per gallon over three years... But state lawmakers are unlikely to embrace a higher gas tax, especially after recently voting to raise Michigan's income tax and to expand the sales tax to more services."
Walberg Watch: Walberg Lies Again on SCHIP. Fitzy does a nice job of picking apart Walberg's anti-S-CHIP op-ed in yesterday's LSJ.
Michigan's Economy
Our Michigan: Pfizer posts 77% earnings decline. Wasn't bailing on Ann Arbor supposed to be a means of helping the company make money?
AP: GM has record 3Q worldwide sales as it tries to hold off Toyota. "The company's record third quarter came despite a 6 percent sales drop in North America because of increasing fuel prices and a housing slump, Paul Ballew, the company's executive director of global market and industry analysis, said Thursday."
Politics
MDP: Devos/AMWAY Trample on Free Speech. Republicans aren't exactly fans of the first amendment.
Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood: Money see, money do. Mike is raising some healthy cash, but his burn rate is pretty steep for a candidate with no challenger in sight. Anyone want to take this guy on next year?
Michigan Messenger: Student hate group bringing ultra right wing conservative leader from England. Todd Heywood has the latest on MSU YAF's latest controversial speaker.
Let me know if I forgot anything. Drop your links in the comments section...
Despite everyone's best efforts, despite the facts, despite the reality of millions of uninsured children, it's not likely that the House will get enough votes to override the Bush SCHIP veto today.
I won't rehash the lies misstatements that Mike Rogers and the other anti-family politicians used to defend their votes against SCHIP. Suffice it to say, they seem to think that non-stop parroting of Bush talking points served as some sort of protective charm against hideous liberal plots like affordable vaccinations for children.
Mike Rogers doesn't appear to be a terribly introspctive person. He is the kind of guy who keeps moving ahead & isn't too worried about what's already happened.
So here's the question: what do YOU think will be Roger's Next Big Issue?
The Detroit News story on Oct. 13 about the proposed State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) legislation to provide health care coverage to children mistakenly pegged the cost of the Democratic majority's bill at $35 million. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's expansion of this program would actually cost taxpayers $35 billion.
To pay for this sizeable increase in federal spending, Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats in Congress want to impose new taxes on tobacco products. But their financing scheme doesn't work unless 22 million new Americans begin smoking.
I voted to create the SCHIP program.
I will vote to extend the benefits currently provided to low-income children, but I will not support any federal action that relies on millions of Americans becoming smokers.
Two questions come to mind.
When did Pelosi and the national Democratic Party decide to become the chief lobbyists for Phillip Morris?
The Senate's passage last month of a resolution condemning an inflammatory print advertisement purchased by liberal activist organization MoveOn.org may not have amounted to anything concrete, but it seems to have helped the office of Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-Mich.) make a decision: They are fighting back.
MoveOn foot soldier Bruce Fealk posted a video on YouTube.com Saturday, soon after filming his latest confrontation with the congressman in a pharmacy near his Michigan home. On the video, after Knollenberg tried to joke with the protester, chief of staff and spokesman Trent Wisecup stepped in front of the camera and told Fealk to hit the road.
"You're anti-American ? you are blinded by your hatred of this country," Wisecup said.
The frustrated staffer explained on Monday that Fealk has pursued the congressman and his staff for two years, and after trying the tactics of ignoring him and meeting with him, Wisecup is ready to try something new.
"I'm just fed up with it - I spoke back to him, and I'm glad to have done it," he said.
Fealk, who owns a small marketing company, readily admitted that he focused his brand of protest on Knollenberg, his district office and his home for the last two years, saying that he has done so because the congressmen has not provided suitably open forums to debate the war and other issues.
If Wisecup thinks he might see the end of Fealk soon, we have some ominous news for him. Fealk told us in an e-mail that his aspirations don't stop at amateur videos in his free time.
He is also "seeking employment in the political arena."
And his refusal to back a bill to ramp up an existing children's health insurance program by $35 billion over five years could be a principled stand.
But his opponents don't think so. And they're using his opposition to the so-called SCHIP bill as a way to publicly launch their 2008 congressional campaign against the seven-term Republican.
It's one example of how the bill, which is unlikely to overcome President Bush's veto this week, is creating political heat.
Democrat Gary Peters, the state lottery commissioner-turned-Knollenberg-opponent, posted a wagon outline on his Web site for little Democrats to print, color angry red and mail to Knollenberg.
Former radio show host Nancy Skinner used Knollenberg's visibility over the weekend to announce her candidacy.
And it all coincided with video of Knollenberg in a Rochester drugstore.
Political trickster hits blog
On Saturday, Democratic trickster Bruce Fealk -- a former court stenographer who now works energetically and nearly full-time to ridicule and undermine the seven-term Republican -- confronted Knollenberg in Lytle, a downtown Rochester drugstore.
Trent Wisecup tells us what it means to be an American
Fresh off his confrontation with Bruce Fealk, an anti-war activist with MoveOn.org, Trent Wisecup, chief of staff to Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-Mich.), has responded to The Crypt's suggestion that he was not the person to decide what is and is not "American." See the previous post and video to see why this (unbelievably) is an issue. And yes, it is still 2007, you are not flashing back to1967.
So here is Wisecup's view on what is "pro" and "anti" American, and please remember, he came up with this list on his own:
"Per Politico's blog on my run-in with Moveon.org, I will define what's un-American for you.
It's un-American to wage a political protest of a congressman's wife at her home.
It's un-American to disturb a congressman's neighbors with weird anti-war tactics while our soldiers are deployed overseas fighting radical Islam.
It's un-American to cheer for the imposition of $85 billion of Nancy Pelosi CAFÉ mandates that would destroy the American car companies and the good-paying UAW jobs they provide.
It's un-American to use bullying, gotcha political tactics that scare female congressional staffers.
It's un-American to use stalking and harassment as a means to score cheap political points.
Rep. Joe Knollenberg greets people Saturday at Yates Cider Mill in Rochester Mills, Mich. The Republican is trying to explain his opposition to an expansion of a children's health insurance plan.
By Richard Wolf, USA TODAY
ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. - The scarecrows adorning Main Street in this affluent Detroit suburb are symbolic of the frightening times ahead for Rep. Joe Knollenberg and other Republicans as they prepare to block a broad expansion of children's health insurance this week.
On television and radio, in phone calls and e-mails, proponents of the five-year, $35 billion increase are pressuring about 20 Republicans to switch sides and help override President Bush's veto. The full-court press includes preachers, rock stars such as Paul Simon and sick kids in an effort to sway the result - or the next election.
Few Republicans have more to fear than Knollenberg, a former insurance agent whose nearly 15-year grip on Michigan's 9th Congressional District has never been as weak. His customary double-digit victories shrunk to 5 percentage points in 2006. Now, he's saddled with an increasingly unpopular war and president. Being perceived as voting against kids doesn't help.
Well, I finally got to confront Joe Knollenberg about his votes on the war in Iraq and against SCHIP. Trent Wisecup, Joe's chief of staff got pretty heated. Watch for yourself.
