Dick Ebersol has been closely involved with the Olympics coverage, the USOC and the IOC for a long time.  He commented that the US presentation was very strong and that the Obama’s did a very nice job.  The problem was not with Chicago or the Obama’s but with the IOC’s dislike of the USOC.

Ebersol is not alone.

The International Olympic Committee sent a message to the USOC with Friday’s humiliation, one that Swiss IOC member Denis Oswald called “a defeat for the USOC, not for Chicago.”

The head of the USOC has now resigned because of this, and more and more people are coming out to relate that this was a problem with the USOC, and not Chicago or the Obama’s or Oprah Winfrey, etc.

Those who want to point to Chicago, President Obama and the First Lady, or Oprah Winfrey, simply haven’t understood the real source of the problem, that led to New York getting only 19 votes four years ago, and now has led to the end of talk of a 2018 Denver Olympic bid.

45 million uninsured. In 2001, 67% had health insurance; 8 years later, less than 59%. Those make less than 40K/year, only about 30% have coverage.

The average family spent $1,787 on insurance premiums in 2001; today, over $4000. Average health care costs per family were around $5,000 in 2001; compared to nearly $12,000 today … and projected to be as much as $25,000 7 years from now (2016).

The largest and fastest rising costs employers face is health care … and a reason that each year more and more are dropping coverage, or passing larger premium increases on to their employees…

What are you getting for that? Richer insurance companies … as insurance company profits have increased 400% since 2001. And, while we spend more, we fall further behind the rest of the world in outcomes … for example, now 29th in infant mortality, as opposed to 24th in 1998 (even Cuba, with high poverty) does better than us.

When it comes to health care, it really is … life and death.

(Check out Oct 7th’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann, and a “special comment” on health care that he devoted his entire show to. )

The reaction of the right wing conservative Republicans to the failure of Chicago’s 2016 Olympic bid was appalling and embarrassing … and I hope against hope that it wakes some people up to just how detrimental to our country this partisan B.S. is!

Extreme-right wing-dings like Americans for Prosperity, Michelle Malkin, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity (among others) applauded the vote … glad that President Obama had not been able to woo the International Olympic Committee.

However, right along with it, they were applauding an effort that would have meant tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of jobs.  Of course, if jobs were created, then they might lose their foothold in berating the President over unemployment.

They say they are standing up for the American taxpayer … but the Olympics would have brought money and tourism.  The fact is that no Olympic games in America have ever lost money.  Just looking at the last 3 games hosted here …

Los Angeles made $250 million in 1984;  Atlanta made $10 million in 2002; and Salt Lake City made $101 million in 2002.

The wing dings are too busy playing politics to worry about such facts.  And that is sad.

They aren’t looking out for you, America.  They are looking out for themselves; their own jobs.  If Obama wins, they are out of a job.

They want President Obama to fail in the war on terrorism — which means America remains at risk.

They want President Obama to fail on employment and recovery — which means that millions of Americans can’t find work, can’t care for their children, can’t get the education and health care they need, and maybe can’t afford to live in their homes or keep food on the table.

They want President Obama to fail on health care reform — while tens of thousands die each year because they are uninsured, and/or have been dropped from coverage by insurance companies that took thousands of dollars from them every year when they were healthy.

So who are they really rooting for, America?  Seems that they support the terrorists, the continued failure of the economy, the ability of insurance companies to make millions while people die … and ultimately, the continued economic troubles that hurt millions upon millions of American families.

Unfair, you say?  Then stop hoping and pushing for the failure of the efforts of this administration.  Stop playing politics as usual that seeks to demonize the guy in the White House, without calculating the cost.

That is what American sorely needs.

Bob Bennett advocates for tax dollars to go to pay for abortions, explaining that the health care reform bill’s “restrictive language would continue to limit access to abortion to the group who needs it the most, low-income females.”

Why?  Are “low income females” more desperate to kill their babies?  And, even if they are, why should the rest of us support that?

Some may argue that we’ll be paying for it the rest of those children’s lives … but then couldn’t the same be said of any child welfare? And what about those in prison for crimes that will keep them there for most or all of their natural lives?

No.  I think the money would be better spent on services that teach women how to be better moms (and men to be better dads); and help them move to self reliance and subsistence.

That would be much better than tricking them into believing they were not mothers — mothers of deceased/murdered children.

Even in companies where employees didn’t face mass layoffs, often employers were forced to cut salaries and/or suspend pay increases.  But even before companies start (re-)hiring employees again and the unemployment rate makes a turn around, an indicator of recovery is likely in the reversal of pay cuts and restoration of salary increases.

The following is a reposting of an entry I wrote on my CatholicSphere blog in January 2007.  So far, I don’t feel like I’ve been able to reclaim this life of leisure that I talked about … but maybe some of you reading may have been able to get back some time for leisure and family in your life.  Share in the comboxes…

—

Time. We seem to have less and less of it these days.

Whether it’s working longer hours, commuting greater distances to work, working more days, running our children to various extra-curricular activities or just being less productive, we have little time left for leisure.

We even go so far as to design our homes to reflect our lack of time. Take a look at the typical suburban neighborhood these days. You’ll find homes with a front stoop, instead of a large wrap-around porch. You’ll find small yards surrounding large homes; homes that are empty more than half of every day.

Many Americans today just don’t plan to have leisure time. They don’t have time to sit on their front porch, sipping iced tea or lemonade. They don’t have time to swing on a hammock in their backyard, surrounded by nature.

Some might notice, though, that there are elaborate patios or decks in those backyards. Many of those patios are used only for occasionally cooking on the grill, and perhaps one annual barbecue. Not many spend regular time out there.

Alright … that’s the sad reality. So, what is to be done?

Find ways to be more productive in the tasks you currently have on your plate. Find ways to eliminate unnecessary tasks and consolidate tasks when you can.

For instance, one mother used to go to the grocery store several times per week to pick up various items. By creating a list, using sale fliers, and planning her errands and meals, she cut that down to 1 time per week. And, found an added bonus: she saved money because unneeded “impulse” items didn’t make their way into the cart (both because of the list and because of the lack of multiple opportunities).

Control the number of activities that you and your children are involved in. Sure, if you have many children, it can be a full time job getting each of them to the right place at the right time. Do you carpool? Talk to other parents at the school or activity and get to know them. See about setting up a carpool schedule to get them to and from practices (and games, if you can’t get to them because of conflicts with another child’s activity at the same time). Perhaps even limit the source of all your children’s activities — for instance, maybe your children will only be involved in school activities, which might help resolve some conflicts simply because the school helps with some of the scheduling of resources, etc.

Or, maybe its time to simplify your life.

The bottom line is that we need leisure time. “God made the Sabbath [rest] for man, not man for the Sabbath”. Try to find ways to get that Sabbath rest in each week — as a family if even remotely possible.

“In the U.S., there are nearly three times more millionaires living in homes that have a market value of under $300,000 than there are living in homes valued at $1 million or more. The #1 most popular make of car among millionaires is…Toyota (not BMW/Mercedes).”

– Dr. Thomas Stanley (Author of The Millionaire Next Door)

Many people who are opposed to a public option are those who already have health insurance that they like, and fear that they will no longer have that coverage if the government reforms health insurance laws and rules, and offers a public health insurance option at a lower cost.

This past week, President Obama attempted to quell those fears by explicitly stating “nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have.”

In response, some argue that if a public insurance option were available, employers would simply drop employee plans and pay the 8% penalty for not insuring their workers (which would be less than the 11% many businesses are paying now), in order to cut costs by choosing the lower priced plan.

There are a few reasons why this seems unlikely; in part because many companies offer solid benefits options such as health insurance to ensure they get and keep the best and brightest workers.

Yet, even if it were true that employers dropped employee coverage … there is no guarantee right now that an employer would not end insurance benefits.  If an employer is willing to drop insurance benefits for employees in order to lower costs, then that is a  danger that exists today – not because a public option will be available.

A public option is intended to do 2 things … 1) make coverage available to those who don’t have it now; and, 2) control health care costs that are rising out of control.

However, with costs rising at a rate of more than 10%, it seems only a matter of time before the cost of offering employee insurance plans gets to be too much for companies to handle and they are force to drop coverage.  In fact, the number of uninsured is on the rise already … between 2000 and 2007, 5% of companies dropped health insurance benefits for their employees — and those employees were forced to go without coverage, or buy much more expensive individual plans.

A report from the Treasury Department recently states that more than 50% of people under age 65, who currently have health insurance today, will lose it at some point in the next 10 years, for at least a month or more.

The Treasury study used data collected on about 17,123 Americans and found that 48 percent were without health insurance for at least a month at some point from 1997-2006. Forty-one percent went without health insurance for at least six months during the 10 years, although the six months were not necessarily consecutive.

Thirty-six percent were without healthcare coverage for at least 12 months during the 10-year span.

“Extensive research indicates that going without health insurance — even for a limited period of time — reduces access to needed health care, negatively impacts health outcomes, and increases the likelihood of financial devastation,” the report said.

So, if there is a real danger of losing health insurance … whether a public option exists or not.  Thus, while some are trying to use the argument of dropped employer coverage against the public option, it actually makes more sense as an argument for a public option … so that people have an option when employers drop coverage for their employees; which some are claiming is inevitable.

We need a public option, if for nothing more than a safety net.

And, if you’ve got a concern about how we pay for it … keep in mind that currently, the majority of the costs to cover the uninsured/underinsured is falling on businesses and employees — through higher premiums and bills.  Spread this out across a larger pool and even if there is an increase, it becomes less of an impact because of the greater number of people shouldering the burden.

Tomorrow, September 8th, President Obama will address schoolchildren across our nation about the importance of school, setting goals, and preparing for the future to make an impact on society and the world.

Is it anything that any school principal hasn’t said to kick off the school year?

Probably not. So, what’s the point?

I think its part of the ideology that President Obama has demonstrated and envisions all of us to recapture:  a spirit of dedication and responsibility to ourselves, our neighbors and our country.

I recall the 80s being dubbed the “me” decade … and I think it’s been getting progressively worse ever since.

Speaking in generalities, the majority of people in this nation seem to have 3 words that permeate their ideologies:  “I”, “me” and “mine”.

We simply feel no responsibility for our neighbor.  If they aren’t getting ahead, its their own fault and tough luck.  “Don’t ask me to contribute what’s mine!  I worked for this and I shouldn’t have to look out for other people!”

That has created a great divide in our country that I think President Obama — among others — is trying to bridge and heal.

In his address, I get the feeling that he wants to foster an attitude of service to others … not simply self-service.

We need to recapture that.  We need to recapture the spirit that was only passing in the days of 9/11 (which we will commemorate this Friday) … we need to recapture a sense of fairness and sharing our good fortune.  (Not saying that we need to give it all away to the point where we cannot have things…)

If we think that we can do a better job than the government of taking care of the uninsured, unemployed, homeless, sick, etc … then we need to do it on a grander scale!  Businesses and Boards of Directors need to become less concerned with their own bonuses and dividends, and more concerned with pushing earnings and profits down to employees … not with taking home 10-20 times that of their employees, but with making sure that they give back to their employees who are giving so much of their life to the service of the company.

Business need to contribute to other businesses whose purpose is to take care of those segments of society that I spoke of above.  There’s no excuse for the businesses in this country not being the most charitable in the entire world.

Again, we need to recapture a sense of duty and responsibility to this country and our communities.  Because if we don’t do it, then there’s no reason to say that I government shouldn’t do it … and take our tax dollars to cover it.

President Obama wants to take control of your children and draft them into his evil army.   How does he intend to such a thing?  By speaking to them about the importance of education and hard work in school, and asking them to seek out ways they can serve their friends, neighbors, community and country to improve it.

Listen up, President Evil, you dirty, disgusting and despicable man!  We want to hear none of that kind of talk!  Next, you’ll be telling them that they can be anything they want to be … even President of the United States!  For shame!!

We don’t want any of your “polite society” bull!  We want to protect our children from such things, so that they grow up learning the importance of not letting other people talk, and shouting them down if they try to.

No, Mr. Obama!  Not in my country!  …