What is ‘the right direction’?
Column by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
My first reaction to the news that Republican Scott Brown had upset Democrat Martha Coakley in the special election to fill the late Ted Kennedy’s Massachusetts Senate seat – Damn, there goes the country.
The pundits were laying out the course for the next few months in the political give-and-take on Capitol Hill, and it sounded to me like a whole lotta nothing. No movement on health-care reform, meaning we get to continue to pay more for less in the way of services, with insurance companies that don’t do a thing to provide health care getting richer while doctors and hospitals struggling to make ends meet at their end. Yeah, perfect.
Certainly we’ll see nothing substantive on environmental issues or immigration reform. Health care was supposed to be relatively easy compared to those briar patches.
The message to Democrats, according to the pundits, sent by voters in Massachusetts, following up on the GOP wins in governor’s races in New Jersey and here in my backyard in Virginia, is, loud and clear, Focus on the economy. Read more
Webb: Slow down on health care
Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
Republican Scott Brown shocked the political world with his victory in a special U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts Tuesday night, upsetting one-time heavy favorite Martha Coakley to win the seat that had been held by the late liberal scion Ted Kennedy for 47 years.
Maybe not shocking, but certainly attention-getting, was a statement from Virginia Democrat Jim Webb tonight that would seem to signal a coming siphoning of moderate Democratic support for ongoing efforts at health-care reform in Congress.
“In many ways the campaign in Massachusetts became a referendum not only on health-care reform, but also on the openness and integrity of our government process,” Webb said in the statement. “It is vital that we restore the respect of the American people in our system of government and in our leaders. To that end, I believe it would only be fair and prudent that we suspend further votes on health-care legislation until Sen.-elect Brown is seated.” Read more
Webb urges quick release of heating assistance
Staff Report
News Tips: freepress2@ntelos.net
With record low temperatures and more Americans participating in federal assistance programs due to the current economic crisis, Sen. Jim Webb joined 47 of his colleagues to urge the president to speed up the distribution of funds from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to assist cash-strapped households with their energy bills.
In addition, energy assistance will enable families to spend more on other essentials and avoid the choice of heating one’s home or putting food on the table.
“For too many of Virginia’s low income families, this home energy assistance cannot come soon enough,” said Webb. “I will continue to advocate for the swift distribution of federal assistance to Virginians during this difficult economic time, just as I did in the successful extension of unemployment insurance for the Commonwealth.”
Focus | Webb, Warner back health-care reform
Virginia Dems join 60-39 majority to move legislation forward
Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
U.S. Sens. Jim Webb and Mark Warner joined the 60-39 party-line Democratic majority that voted on Christmas Eve to move health-care reform forward in the Senate. Neither seemed to be jumping-up-and-down happy about it.
“I voted today in favor of health care reform legislation in the Senate. I did so despite my disappointment with some sections of the bill, which I will continue to address in the future. But the final package presented by the Majority Leader reflects many improvements that take into consideration the concerns that I and others brought forward during the debate,” Webb said in a statement to the media on Christmas Eve.
“While this legislation is far from perfect, I believe it will start to curb soaring health-care costs for consumers and businesses, reduce our federal budget deficits over time, and extend the life of the Medicare program,” Warner said in his Christmas Eve statement. Read more
Warner: ‘(T)he status quo is bankrupting our nation’
Senator explains vote to end cloture on health-care debate
Statement by Sen. Mark Warner
www.warner.senate.gov
I voted to advance the Senate health-care bill to final passage because the status quo is bankrupting our nation and hurting our ability to compete in a global economy.
If we fail to act, Virginia’s small businesses will continue to see double-digit premium increases every year, and Virginia families could see up to 40 percent of their take-home pay consumed by health-care expenses by the year 2016. Read more
All 100 senators should agree START is vital first step
Column by Susan Shaer
Submit columns and letters: freepress2@ntelos.net
A flu pandemic is nasty, brutish, and a global danger. All U.S. senators and other leaders agree, and leap to keep everyone safe and healthy.
Another nasty, brutish and global danger, which additionally is outrageously expensive and out of synch with today’s defense needs, is the continued maintenance of our huge stockpiles of nuclear weapons. All our senators should agree on this.
However, since there are threats and plotters, the U.S. needs to have a strong and effective defense. Read more
Webb and Warner owe Virginians an apology
Posted by afp on January 6, 2010 · 7 Comments
Column by Mark Obenshain
www.markobenshain.com
Medicaid already is so expensive that it threatens to bust the bank in Virginia. We commit one-sixth of the state budget to Medicaid – $7 billion a year. Now Virginia’s two senators hope to impose on their own state a federally mandated increase in Medicaid enrollment of nearly 30 percent. Read more
Filed under Blogs · Tagged with congress, Health Care, health care reform, health insurance, health insurance reform, jim webb, mark obenshain, mark warner, medicaid reform, sen. jim webb, sen. mark obenshain, sen. mark warner, senate, senator jim webb, senator mark obenshain, senator mark warner, state senator mark obenshain, united states senate