my ltte on poverty printed today

[w8liftinglady]

http://www.thedailylight.com/articles/2010/09/20/opinion/doc4c978651f3099065295814.txt

As we have our little banter about politics, a real crisis is entrenching Texas. This tragedy didn’t happen overnight, but is worsening as we turn our heads and ignore. It effects almost all walks of life, all races, all faiths. Yet we continue to praise the cause and ignore the cure.

Poverty in Texas has risen substantially between 2000 and 2009. The population living below the poverty level in 2000 was 14.9 percent, or 3.4 million Texans. In 2009, it was 17.9 percent, or 5.2 million Texans. This number would have risen higher had it not been for the large infusion of money from the federal government. For a family of four, the poverty level is approximately $21,000/year.

Unemployment in Texas has risen from 4 percent in 2000 to 8.9 percent in January 2010. That is the highest it has been since the oil field bust in 1984. Underemployment, or workers who have taken a cut in hours/pay due to economic reasons, has risen from 10 percent in 2000 to 17.9 percent in 2009. The areas that have seen the largest drops have been construction, manufacturing and trade, transport and utility companies.

Texas, unfortunately, leads the nation in residents without health insurance. In 2000, we had 20 percent of the population between 18 and 64 with no health insurance. The last information available is from 2007. At that time, 5.7 million Texans between 18 and 64 years of age had no health insurance.

In Texas, 1.3 million residents under the age of 18 had no health insurance. That number would have been significantly larger, but 522,000 children are enrolled in CHIP.

Despite all these facts, Texas politicians continue to support policies that have accelerated these tragedies. They have supported tax breaks for the top 2 percent of citizens, despite two wars and increased poverty. They have fought against expanded health care for all Americans despite the support of over 70 percent of Americans and 14,000 physicians. They have supported exportation of American jobs and industry, despite the effects it has had at home.

We can choose to turn our heads and pretend this doesn’t exist. We can keep the same destructive policies that are escalating this tragedy yearly. After 10 years, you would think our politicians would have acknowledged these destructive policies. Maybe it is time for Texans to consider some new representation. It isn’t too late ... yet.

[w8liftinglady]

1. and,of course,Hutchison's editorial on debt

Congress must stop debt
Published: Monday, September 20, 2010 11:21 AM CDT
Kay Bailey Hutchison
U.S. senator

Will Rogers, known worldwide for his cowboy brand of wisdom, once offered this sensible advice: “If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.”

Today, America is in a historically deep hole of debt, and though common sense would dictate a cut in spending, the Obama administration and Democratic leaders in Congress continue to drive our deficits up and our nation further into the red.

Over the last two years, discretionary spending ��“ that is, funding that Congress can direct to non-mandatory programs ��“ has risen by 17 percent. When you factor in the $800 billion “stimulus” bill, the increase in discretionary spending is actually 84 percent. The national public debt hit an historical $13 trillion dollars in May. If the spending continues at its present rate, at the end of Obama’s first term, he will have added an additional $6 trillion to the public debt.

A bipartisan group of Senators are calling on leaders in Congress to stop digging ��“ or in this case, spending. A proposal offered by Republican Senator Jeff Sessions and Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill would impose badly needed budget discipline by setting caps now for discretionary spending through 2014, except for defense spending. At this time of war, we need flexibility to fund our efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, ensuring total support for our armed forces.

Discretionary appropriations represent 43 percent of the federal budget, so if we set caps now, it would substantially rein in federal spending over the next few years. The proposal has come before the Senate several times over the past year, and a majority of Senators have voted to impose the spending caps. Every Republican and 17 Democrats have voted for the Sessions-McCaskill proposal. This is a clear indication of the broad concern over federal spending levels. Unfortunately, we have not been able to meet the three-fifths majority (60 votes) necessary to move this important legislation forward.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which sets funding levels for the federal government, my committee colleagues and I are well-positioned to lead efforts to reduce overall spending. In July, all of the Republican members of the committee sent a letter to the Chairman, Senator Daniel Inouye, asking that we work together to produce appropriations bills that reasonably address fundamental government needs in a fiscally responsible manner. The Republican committee members also pledged that we would not support any of the committee’s spending bills that exceed the levels proposed in the Sessions-McCaskill spending freeze. True to our word, we have voted against every appropriations bill that would raise discretionary spending.

Our earnest commitment to fiscal discipline is important for several reasons. First, the enormity of the federal debt poses a direct threat to our national security. Foreign entities own over half of our nation’s privately-held debt. Owning $843.7 billion in U.S. Treasury securities, China is the greatest foreign shareholder. This makes our nation beholden to foreign interests, and gives them powerful economic leverage over the United States. We need only to look across the Atlantic to see what happens when a government can’t keep up with its debts. European countries like Greece, Spain, Ireland, and Portugal, which have long lived beyond their means, are in such states of debt that the value of the euro is plunging and compromising the stability of global markets.

Second, this culture of unrestrained spending is breeding uncertainty here at home, specifically among American families and small businesses. This hinders our broader economic recovery. To pay for the federal spending spree, the administration and some in Congress propose allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire at the end of this year. This would amount to the largest tax hike in our nation’s history. Faced with the prospect of a heavier tax burden, many commercial operations are hesitant to plan or invest and consumer spending may slow. Business owners large and small have told me they are postponing hiring decisions until they have greater confidence in the strength of the economy.

The time has come for Congress to stop digging America deeper into debt. An immediate step we can take is to cap discretionary spending. The modest proposal we have offered would reduce deficits by $300 billion over 10 years and begin to put our financial house in order. We must also make sure that the tax burden of American families and businesses is kept low so they can facilitate economic recovery through investment, job creation, and careful spending of their own money.

Kay Bailey Hutchison is the senior U.S. Senator from Texas and is the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

[Greyhound]

3. Typical hack. Starts with a false premise and then build her straw man so she can knock it down.

Now who else is it that constantly uses that same strategy?
:kick: & R

[w8liftinglady]

5. yeah-and she's the SANE one...

[joeybee12]

2. Goodone. KNR

:toast:

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. Well done

[w8liftinglady]

6. Thanks,everyone-we'll see if it gets a reaction from the "right"

[w8liftinglady]

7. sigh...as i expected...the right has given it "1"'s..so much for their conservative caring

I'm waiting for the pussies to comment.THAT won't happen.

[w8liftinglady]

9. still no comments....I'm waiting.

[Tsiyu]

8. K & R

'afore it's too late...


:kick:

[w8liftinglady]

10. and of course...no comments,but the keyboard brigade is out in force...bring it on,chimps!

[w8liftinglady]

12. gee...still no comments?You can disagree vehemently,yet not respond?

...doesn't surprise me.

[Blue_Tires]

11. ttt