Friday, April 13, 2012

Some Folks Just Ain't Happy With Obamacare!

To my senior friends:

President Obama's landmark health care initiative, the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act long touted as a means to control costs, according to the new study by the Congressional Budget Office will add more than $340 billion to the nation's budget woes over the next decade. The CBO originally claimed Obamacare would reduce the deficit. This accounting trick double counted the $500B the plan takes away from Medicare/Medicaid starting in 2014, just another Obama deception about the “affordable” health care bill. If the CBO corrects this double counting as they should, the new scoring says Obamacare will add about $1.2B to the deficit over the next decade. Should anyone be surprised by this?

While discussing Obamacare with a doctor friend, he said that he loses money on each Medicare patient he sees, and it he will soon lose more as Medicare further decreases his reimbursements. He thinks many doctors will either stop taking Medicare patients or just retire from active practice. Then just try to find another doctor who will take you. He says even now this is becoming an issue for many seniors, as many doctors and specialists have stopped taking Medicare patients. Just wait until 29 million uninsured people are added to the health care roles.  With fewer doctors in the business, getting to see one will be a long wait. I cannot even imagine the chaos that will explode in hospital emergency rooms.

Obama is nothing if not clever. He and the Democrats knew when folks found out what is in Obamacare, they would see it for what it is.  Bound to become an election issue, most of the draconian terms of Obamacare are designed not to take effect until after the 2012 election, most of it in 2014. The rules governing the implementation of Obamacare will be decided by an unelected committee reporting to the Health and Welfare Department.  This committee will decide which services will be provided and who can receive them.  We have already experienced their recent decision that will force all clinics and healthcare facilities regardless of affiliation to provide all employees with insurance for morning after (chemical abortion) pills and contraceptives.  Given such unilateral power, expect other decisions to follow.  Do you need a hip or knee replacement?  Oh, you are too old and do not meet our minimum H & W requirements.

Did you know the Medicare part B that now costs $96/month will increase each year until it is over $240/month after 2014?  Did you know the Advantage Medicare supplemental Health Care plans will end next year and those of us who are on it will have to sign up for other more expensive plans? Did you know that many supplemental Medicare plans will drop you? Our health care provider dropped us last year, and we had to find another plan with Blue Cross. Of course it was more expensive than the previous plan. We could not even afford the part D supplemental plans offered, so now we have no part D coverage.

Our best hope to correct this travesty is either 1) The Supreme Court throws out the entire Affordable Health Care plan in June. If they only throw out the unconstitutional mandate to buy insurance or pay a fine, then the rest of the plan must be funded with more taxes…or 2) Elect a Republican Congress and President who will then rewrite Obamacare keeping only the best of its affordable provisions that can improve healthcare and dump the rest of this mess into the wastebasket. We can only vote and hope.

And by the way, in another recent outrageous Obama sham, he claimed the SC had no business deciding on Obamacare, a law voted in by a “substantial majority of Congress”. Well, his misrepresentation of the Supreme Court’s job to review the constitutionality of law from a Constructional Law Professor is absurd. In addition, Obamacare was passed by only five votes in the House and no Republicans voted for it, not one. Without his last minute arm twisting of a dozen recalcitrant Democrat representatives, it would not have passed at all. Note that all those Democrats who, after claiming they would not vote for the bill, and then last minute voted for Obamacare, are no longer in congress. Good riddance.

Regards ~
Rich


Thursday, April 12, 2012

Commissioners Identify Cuts in 2012 Budget to Pay Down Alamar Judgment

BOISE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
P.O. Box 1300
Idaho City, Idaho 83631
(208)392-4431
Fax: (208)392-4473

~
Terry C. Day, District I; Jamie A. Anderson, Distrit II; Robert A. Fry, District III; and Mary T. Prisco, County Clerk 

RELEASED – April 9, 2012
IDAHO CITY Boise County Commissioners and department heads last week have found in the 2012 budget another $500,000. The funds will go toward paying off the remaining judgment balance of $3.15 million plus interest awarded last year by a jury that heard Alamar’s case against Boise County. In November 2011, the county paid $2.25 million toward the settlement with fund balances identified by the bankruptcy court decision.

In response to requests made at recent public meetings, the county is posting documents related to the Alamar case. A hot link from boisecounty.us will take readers to initial permit applications, court decisions, trial and bankruptcy hearing transcripts and settlement order. Commissioners expect the link to be live within the next week.

In early 2009, owners of the proposed Alamar Ranch youth treatment center charged that the county violated federal Fair Housing rules when it issued a conditional-use permit. Alamar claimed that additional requirements imposed by the county, along with a cap of 24 beds, made the project unworkable, and a federal jury agreed.

On April 5
, HB697 became law, allowing Boise County voters to decide whether to allow Boise County a restricted revenue stream which would allow a loan through the municipal bond market to pay off the judgment. A bond would significantly lower the current interest rate. (For more about the ballot issue, see Frequently Asked Questions in this issue.)

Frequently Asked Questions: Ballot Measure on County’s Budget

Q. If the county had funds equaling 25 percent of its 2012 budget, why can’t they just keep cutting over the next three years to pay off the judgment?

A. These were one time monies from fund balances.

Q. If the measure passes, how much will it cost me?

A. Commissioner’s will be meeting next Monday with a financial advisor and plan to make numbers available sometime that week.

Q. What is the total amount we now owe?

A. 3.15 million plus 5.5% interest annually.

Q. Do you plan to use the bond to repay the county budget the 2.25 million that was paid in November 2011?

A. NO. The Commissioners used past savings to minimize the impact to the taxpayers.

Q. Will you continue to increase our taxes after the judgment is paid?

A. NO. The budget increase will pay the Alamar judgment only. All of the 3 % growth will return to the 2012 level.

Q. Since there is no time limit on the ballot question, how can I be sure that you won’t use this tax increase for as long as possible?

A. The authority in HB 697 to levy restricts the use to paying the Alamar judgment only. The State Tax Commission cannot certify the increase for any other purpose.

Q. Are we going forward with any legal action against the tax commission?

A. Commissioners suspended action in anticipation of a favorable vote on May 15
 

Q. Who can I contact for information?

A. Individual County Commissioners will be holding informal meetings in their districts. Commissioners invite questions and comments be emailed to them at fryrobert47@gmail.com ; tday@co.boise.id.us ; or jamiea@froniernet.net .

Monday, April 9, 2012

Prescribed Burn on Tuesday!

NEIGHBORLY NEWS
From the Forest Service

The Garden Valley Work Center is having a prescribed burn up Poor Man Creek on Tuesday, April 10.  It is across from the Ranger Station and will be about 800 acres.

Garden Valley Work Center
208 462-3241

Artist in Residence Schedule For GV School

Garden Valley Syringa Club and Garden Valley School District #71 are excited to bring Artist in Residence Troy Passey to the Elementary School on April 9th - 11th.

The schedule is as follows:
(10am to 2pm with lunch in-between)
Kindergarten: 10am to 10:45 or 11
2nd grade: 12:15 to 1:00
4th grade: 1:15 to 2pm
8th Grade: Monday only 2pm - 2 :45 pm

For info, please contact:georgianna goetsch
Garden Valley Syringa Club
P 462-3709

 

 

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Room For Rent

In cozy house on Middle Fork River, 1 1/2 miles up Middle Fork Road. Share with one person. Own bath; deck off of room; wifi/internet available; no satelite/cable. Mature, considerate person wanted (non-smoker). $300 month, plus reasonable electricity. Could be a partial exchange for easy yardwork. Can be temporary or longer-term (house is for sale). Possibility of renting whole house at some point.
Call Angel, 462-2511.

Syringa Club Brings Artist Troy Passey to School

JAMES CASTLE (1899 – 1977 ) American Self-Taught Artist – Garden Valley Idaho
Garden Valley Syringa Club hosts Artist In Residence, Troy Passey, for three days, April 9th -11th at Garden Valley Elementary School, with Kindergarten, 2nd and 4th Grade students in activities inspired by the art and techniques of James Castle and the motto of the Garden Valley Syringa Club - REDUCE - REUSE - RECYCLE
A reception, a student show of works, film of students during projects, and video of James Castle is planned with the Artist in Residence, students, parents, and the community, for Sunday, April 15, 2 PM - 4 PM, at the Crouch Community Hall, Garden Valley.
This project is supported, in part, by the Idaho Commission on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Idaho State Legislature.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

New Food Bank in Garden Valley!

NEIGHBORLY NEWS

Hi Everyone,

In case you did not know, we now have an Authorized Food Bank through the Idaho Food Bank here in Garden Valley.


Garden Valley Food Pantry
Program: Emergency Food Pantry
Location: 816 Middlefork Rd, Garden Valley
Hours of Operation: Friday and Saturday
12:00 - 4:00 pm

Thank you,

Marcie Pyorre, Coordinator

Garden Valley Senior Center
261 S. Middlefork Road
Garden Valley, ID 83622
E-mail:
gvseniors@frontiernet.net
Phone/Fax: (208) 462-3943