Everyone is out and about attacking the IRS for doing what it should be doing...scrutinizing groups that apply for tax exempt status. I'm with the Guardian on this.

The IRS should do more, not less, scrutinizing of political groups

The recent IRS admissions about the use of "tea party" or "patriot" labels to flag applications for nonprofit status for additional scrutiny raise serious questions about political bias, and should receive a thorough and independent investigation.

There is rightly a growing call for House and Senate hearings to answer those questions, but any investigations must delve deeper into the bigger problem facing our democracy after the Supreme Court's decision in Citizen United: the dramatic surge in the misuse of nonprofits to hide political spending by billionaires and corporations from American voters, and the lack of any meaningful enforcement response.

Although the IRS must enforce the law impartially, the agency should not abrogate its responsibility to enforce it in the first place. While Common Cause strongly supports an investigation, we are concerned that partisans on both sides will use this tempest to cow the IRS and forestall enforcement of the tax code.

Reported political spending by 501(c)4s – the kind of non-profit groups at the focus of this controversy – surged to $254m in 2012, almost matching spending by political parties ($255m), according to the Center for Responsive Politics, thanks in large part to the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United. The vast majority of that spending – 85% – came from conservative organizations, led by Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS group and Americans for Prosperity, backed by the Koch brothers. Given this disproportionate spending on behalf of conservative candidates at this point in history, most of the groups flagged will logically be conservative organizations, even using impartial criteria.

The comments after the article are most interesting.

During this time, during these years leading up to 2017 when the Obama administration's proposed $100 copay for each home health care visit will kick in....many will be like this man yesterday. Just not receiving services.

From the article....they did not include those who were refused service or could not afford the copay.

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/05/medicare-costs-way-down-companies-worry

Federal health officials say it saved more than $200 million in its first year. They reported high levels of satisfaction from beneficiaries and no increases in hospitalizations, emergency room visits or other undesirable outcomes in the areas served by the program, according to a report last year from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

The number of people receiving some types of equipment declined. Medicare leaders said that could be because the new system routed out potential fraud or because the new system affected claims-processing timelines.

The Government Accountability Office called the results incomplete, though, noting that the measures didn’t show whether patients received needed equipment on time or whether their health suffered if they didn’t.

More about the home health care copay....many will not be able to afford it.

http://homehealthcarenews.com/2013/05/home-care-advocates-ready-to-fight-co-pays-again/

The Obama Administration’s FY 2014 budget proposes a co-payment of $100 per home health episode for new Medicare beneficiaries, applying to episodes with five or more visits not preceded by a hospital or other inpatient post-acute stay.

While the proposal would not kick in for new Medicare enrollees until 2017 if implemented, home health professionals are already wary the law would drive patients to costlier care settings.

For seniors living on limited or fixed incomes, co-pays for home health services could cause them to forego care, says Kyle Simon, government affairs director of the Home Care Association of Florida.

“In extreme cases, beneficiaries with chronic conditions could opt to move into more expensive institutions like nursing homes, further stressing state Medicaid budgets,” says Simon.

This is a large healthcare supply store that ships nationwide. The owner is a wealthy man who will suffer no consequences from his actions today.

I overheard him tell an obviously unwell elderly man that they were refusing to accept his insurance. I gathered he has a Medicare Advantage plan, though I did not catch which one.

He slowly got his question out to the owner...why are you refusing to accept my insurance? The owner said it was because of Obamacare, that he could not afford to take the cuts in payments for supplies. He told the man that his insurance would change from paying 50 dollars for the item to only 19 dollars in January 2014.

The man said what can I do? The owner said he just didn't know.

The man then left and said whatever. When I checked out I said where others could hear that he had turned this from a health care center to a political arena, and that it was a shame.

Since hubby and I were both hospitalized with a bad strain of pneumonia the last of March I have seen so many changes from when he was sick before. Reduced staff and delays in responding to patients are the most obvious.

Top Five Ways the President's Budget Would Change Medicare

The changes appear to be just beginning.

In 2017, 2019 and 2021, new Medicare beneficiaries would have to pay an additional $25 for their Part B deductible, for a three-year total of $75 to be added on to the cost of the Part B premium, which in 2013 is $147.

The administration says the change would "strengthen program financing and encourage beneficiaries to seek high-value health care services." Seniors advocates say it's an additional cost to people already struggling on fixed incomes. In 2012, nearly half of Medicare beneficiaries had annual incomes of below $22,500.

Also starting in 2017, Obama's plan would require new Medicare beneficiaries to pay $100 for five or more home health care visits that are not preceded by a stay in the hospital or another medical facility, such as a nursing home or a rehabilitation hospital. Home health care is one of the few areas in Medicare that does not have cost sharing, and its rapid growth in recent years has led panels like the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) to recommend beneficiary cost sharing.

Beginning in 2017, new beneficiaries who purchase supplemental insurance, known as Medigap, with particularly low cost-sharing requirements -- such as "first-dollar" coverage -- will face a surcharge equivalent to approximately 15 percent of the average Medigap premium. The thought is that more generous Medigap plans encourage overuse of services, but seniors rely on these generous plans to shield them from unanticipated costs.

There is already a great inconsistency in Medicare Advantage plans. For example Blue Medicare requires a co-pay of $150 for each day in the hospital up to day 7. Aetna Medicare requires no co-pay at all for those first 7 days.

I think the health care supply owner will go tonight to his fancy home thinking nothing at all about that man he turned away. I hope that discouraged man will find another supply place that will accept his insurance. I wondered how many more will be in the same situation as the cuts begin.

It's hard to imagine that a record number of school closings in Chicago is so obviously opening the way for Teach for America to take over those areas.

From Katie Osgood at The Chalk Face blog:

Teach for America Has Gone Too Far

But TFA’s recent actions have sent me over the edge. Last night, on twitter, I was appalled to watch tweets fly by about a very fancy, very expensive fundraising dinner taking place in Chicago’s swanky Drake Hotel. As a union-supporter, I am used to the dirty old union halls, folding chairs, sometimes church basements, and maybe a bag of Cheetos for eats, if you’re lucky. I can barely imagine the sort of people who pay $10,000 for a table. Ok, I CAN imagine. They are the same people we must battle everyday in the EdReform Wars.

....Guess which neighborhoods TFA is targeting for their expansion? The very same communities being traumatized by the largest single number of school closings in the history of America. TFA is poised to profit dramatically from the misfortune of hundreds of teachers and thousands of students.

And how TFA has rationalized this expansion to themselves, or anyone else, is beyond me. CPS has told schools they must be closed due to “underutilization” (A suspect claim at best). They say Chicago has too few kids and too many schools, including too many teachers/staff. Due to a supposed budget shortfall of $1 billion dollars (also HIGHLY suspect), CPS says schools must be consolidated. Let me say that again, CPS is telling us that we have essentially too many teachers and buildings in the system.

And TFA wants to go into those communities after mass layoffs–where many quality veteran teachers will be displaced and many may not be rehired, teachers who fought side-by-side with the students and parents of the schools, teachers loved by the community–and offer them uncertified, poorly-trained novices many of whom have never even been to the Midwest, much less know the varied individual neighborhoods of Chicago. It’s like TFA is kicking these communities while they are down. “I know your school was just robbed from you, despite your loud, relentless, justified protest, but here are some uncertified, severely undertrained non-educators who won’t stick around long. We at TFA don’t think your kids deserve properly trained teachers dedicated long-term to your community any more than you deserve the choice of democratic neighborhood schools.”

That is truly insulting to the career teachers who are losing their jobs, to the parents and students who are losing their community schools.

TFA needs to stop thinking their group is superior to experienced teachers. Some Democratic leaders I know need to speak out about the way they are moving into communities when schools are closed.

From 2012 another condescending move by TFA toward public school teachers.

While the budget picture looks no more pleasant than it has in past years, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Jacqueline Ellis said the A.J. Fletcher Foundation, a Raleigh-based nonprofit, has offered to cover the $3,000-per-teacher placement fee that TFA would have charged the district for the 15 teachers.

The positions that TFA teachers would fill are among 21 made available by retirements, resignations and transfers.

.."The 15 teachers primarily would be placed in math, science and exceptional children's classes -- all of which can be difficult to fill, especially in a low-performing school like Neal. TFA would also like to offer training to traditionally trained teachers who are already at the school.

They wanted to "train" veteran teachers to think that all kids can succeed. The hubris is overwhelming.

A big piece of Neal's program would be the training for veteran teachers - it's all about changing the mind-set of teachers to believe that every student can succeed, Lakis said. He said TFA is still working out the framework for the training program..."

This is a very thoughtful piece by E. J. Dionne. He points out that President Obama risks alienating those his party needs, "demobilizing" the very people he needs on his side now.

Obama needs to ask himself why even his supporters are growing impatient

Hard to choose just four paragraphs from this long article.

Rather than criticize the president, says former chief White House speechwriter Jon Favreau, those who want him to succeed need to hold Republicans in the House and Senate accountable. The president can’t do it by himself, Favreau said in the Daily Beast. He needs help from his supporters.

Well, sure. To pretend that the president can magically get an increasingly right-wing Republican House and Senate contingent to do his bidding is either naive or willfully misleading. The GOP really does hope that blocking whatever Obama wants will steadily weaken him.

But the president also needs to ask himself why even his supporters are growing impatient. His whole budget strategy, after all, is directed almost entirely toward gently coaxing Republicans his way, without any concern as to whether what he is doing is demobilizing the very people he needs on his side now.

That is an important point, one that many here have tried to make. Dionne says it clearly.

He still thinks he can coax the Republicans his way. They won't budge. The strategies are doing harm to seniors and needy, and the Republicans don't give a damn.

If Obama wants to underscore that his problem is Republican obstruction, he should tell those GOP senators he likes to dine with that they need to come up with revenue very soon or else he’ll withdraw that “chained CPI” offer he claims not to like much anyway. Put up or shut up is a cliche, but a useful one.

The Chained CPI should not have been on the table in the first place. The safety nets should be untouched except to make those who need them feel confident they will not be harmed.

Speech writer, Jon Favreau says he needs the help from his supporters. Yes, he does. But seniors and the needy don't know who to trust anymore because everyone in DC is trying to outdo the other side in being bipartisan.

You can not compromise with extremists, as Howard Dean used to say. He was right about that, but our Democrats are still really trying.

Failed charter schools may get bailout from Indiana taxpayers

Indiana lawmakers are considering forgiving $12 million in loans that "failing" charter schools accepted from the state.

Seven schools whose charters were revoked by Ball State University in January would be absolved of payments along with another school which did not seek to renew its charter. The Indiana Department of Education loaned the money to the schools to help them with startup costs.

The loan forgiveness is included in roughly $80 million the Senate has budgeted to repay loans taken by charter schools.

Senate Appropriations Chairman Luke Kenley said state fiscal analysts are reviewing the eight charter schools to determine if they should have their loans waived. The analysts will have to work quickly because lawmakers plan to wrap up their 2013 session in a few days.

There are no words for this left in my vocabulary.

Source: Sun Sentinel

The contentious "parent trigger" bill failed again in the Florida Senate, dying Tuesday on a tie vote just as it did in 2012.

The bill aimed to give parents more say in the fate of a struggling school, allowing them, by petition, to select a "turnaround" plan from the options already listed in state law.

Those options include allowing the school to remain "district managed" but with changes, turning it into a charter school, closing the campus or allowing a private-management firm to run the school.

...The vote ended in a 20-to-20 tie, with six Republicans joining the 14 Democrats in opposition.

Read more: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/os-parent-trigger-fails-florida-20130430,0,3121697.story

---

I believe some legislators were a little more wary of this bill since they started hearing of the false names on the petition turned in by Michelle Rhee's group, Students First. I know many of us publicized this and made many calls about it.

Rhee submits Parent Trigger petition with names who did not sign it?

On Sunday, The Herald/Times sent an email to each person who had allegedly signed the online petition. Of the 241 who responded, 212 confirmed their signatures.

"I signed it electronically," wrote Woodie H. Thomas, III, a Palm Beach Gardens attorney. "I'm for any catalyst that brings meaningful change to the public school system."

But 29 people said they had not signed the petition.

Florida Republican legislator Kelli Stargel had a lot of trust in Michelle Rhee and her Students First group when she announced their petition in committee debate. She said she had 1200 signatures in support of a Parent Trigger law in Florida.

Serious Problems Remain for Stargel, Trujillo and Rhee on Parent Trigger Petition

As Kelli Stargel take to the Senate floor today to defend her Parent Trigger bill, she will be wondering whether or not it was a good idea to get involved with Michelle Rhee.

There were likely to be enough votes and political muscle behind it without having to resort to submitting a fraudulent petition into the debate. But Stargel and House sponsor Carlos Trujillo were getting beat up badly in committee debate and had to counter the overwhelming numbers on unpaid state opponents who appeared at hearings to testify. Top dollar lobbyists weren’t going to be enough..

The House went first, and Trujillo began mentioning that he had 800 signatures of support in his pocket and then Stargel said she had 1200. Some quiet inquiries prompted some foot-dragging by legislative staffs until Stargel’s list, which Michelle Rhee provided was released last week. Miami Herald reporter Kathleen McGrory received the petition late in the week and discovered that a person she knew was on it. McGrory contacted that person who denied signing. After finding another denial, the Miami Herald contacted every person on the list and released the following yesterday afternoon:

On Sunday, The Herald/Times sent an email to each person who had allegedly signed the online petition. Of the 241 who responded, 212 confirmed their signatures..But 29 people said they had not signed the petition.

Here is the background in which Florida Blogger Bob Sikes enlarged on the Miami Herald's piece by McGrory. This is really so outrageous that Rhee continues to get away with actions such as this.

Rhee submits Parent Trigger petition with names who did not sign it?

He updated yesterday with responses from those who did not sign it.

UPDATE (1020AM CDT) From yesterday’s post: Bill Williamson of Palm Bay, Florida denies signing Rhee’s petition saying, ”to the best of my recollection, I do not recall signing a petition seeking support for the so-called Parent Trigger legislation. I do not support any legislation that would enable charter schools to shoulder their way into our public school systems without open discussion and local or statewide referendums.”

..."UPDATE (1034AM CDT) Chip Righter of Delray Beach didn’t sign either and emails “being a single man my entire life, and never married, I would have little interest in a petition seeking any parental position. If someone has rigged this petition, then they must be fired and banned for life to hold any future legislative positions. In the past I have had to pass drug and polygraph tests to get hired for employment. Why should we not demand all politicians to pass annual polygraph examinations to make sure the decisions they are making are in the best interest for American and stop what we all know is their individual financial gain. If politicians were doing nothing wrong why would refuse? American’s think the very lowest of politicians and they have earned their star.

Will Michelle Rhee get away with such antics this time? Or will someone call her on it?

The Parent Trigger law will probably pass in Florida today. But as Bob Sikes points out in his blog: "* What did Stargel know and when did she know it? Her evasions will have a short life expectancy that may get her through a vote today, but won’t last much longer. Not with a petition list that went public the minute she touted it. Trigger’s passage will only bring more heat as it will be tainted with evidence that fraud was committed."

Rhee, Stargel Got Some Splainin to do About Those Parent Trigger Petition Signatures

He is updating as responses come in from his calls to those who signed it.

Yes, they did: 18 No, they didn’t: 14

Kathleen McGrory’s story that appeared in the Miami Herald on Friday included revelations that two people on the list of Parent Trigger supporters Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst submitted to Lakeland Senator Kelli Stargel never signed the petition. One confirmed that she did.

Scathing Purple Musings has the list and began randomly selecting people on Saturday afternoon by contacting the email address on the petition. As of this morning, 125 (approximately 10 percent) have received emails requesting verification. The tally above includes the 3 people (1-yes; 2-no) McGrory referenced in her story. Five of the email addresses which were all cataloged on March 21st or more recently no longer exist and one person was unable to remember.

Here are two responses of those who say they did not sign the petition Michelle Rhee submitted.

UPDATE (1020AM CDT) From yesterday’s post: Bill Williamson of Palm Bay, Florida denies signing Rhee’s petition saying, ”to the best of my recollection, I do not recall signing a petition seeking support for the so-called Parent Trigger legislation. I do not support any legislation that would enable charter schools to shoulder their way into our public school systems without open discussion and local or statewide referendums.”

..."UPDATE (1034AM CDT) Chip Righter of Delray Beach didn’t sign either and emails “being a single man my entire life, and never married, I would have little interest in a petition seeking any parental position. If someone has rigged this petition, then they must be fired and banned for life to hold any future legislative positions. In the past I have had to pass drug and polygraph tests to get hired for employment. Why should we not demand all politicians to pass annual polygraph examinations to make sure the decisions they are making are in the best interest for American and stop what we all know is their individual financial gain. If politicians were doing nothing wrong why would refuse? American’s think the very lowest of politicians and they have earned their star.

Here is the full story from the Miami Herald.

Parent trigger bill spawns mystery video from supposed supporters

Doubt has also been cast on a petition allegedly signed by more than 1,200 supporters of the parent trigger proposal. Three people whose names appear on the petition told The Herald/Times they never signed it.

“It’s sad that they are resorting to these tactics,” said Rita Solnet, a Palm Beach County mother whose non-profit organization Parents Across America opposes the parent trigger bill. “But it puts it all in perspective. It’s people from outside Florida and outside our schools who support this bill. It’s not the real parents.”
The parent trigger bill hits the Senate floor on Monday. It has already passed in the House.

The controversial proposal would enable a majority of parents to demand sweeping changes at failing public schools, including having a charter school management company step in. It would also require principals to notify parents when their kids are assigned to “ineffective” or out-of-field teachers for two consecutive years, and provide information about virtual-education alternatives.

Here is the latest update from the Herald by Kathleen McGrory.

More questions raised about StudentsFirst petition

On Sunday, The Herald/Times sent an email to each person who had allegedly signed the online petition. Of the 241 who responded, 212 confirmed their signatures.

"I signed it electronically," wrote Woodie H. Thomas, III, a Palm Beach Gardens attorney. "I'm for any catalyst that brings meaningful change to the public school system."

But 29 people said they had not signed the petition.

"I did NOT join my name to a petition in support of the so-called Parent Empowerment Act," wrote John Raymaker, of Tallahassee. "Instead, I signed a petition OPPOSING this act. More deceitful, incredibly dishonest tactics!"

That Parents Revolution group from CA apparently took on a new name, Sunshine Parents, and made a video in support of the parent trigger law. Parent groups in Florida oppose this law by a very big margin.

That is just plain dishonest, and putting names on a petition when they did not sign it is worse.

I would call it fraudulent.

Is anyone in authority in Florida going to speak out loudly against these acts? Or is Michelle Rhee untouchable?

Crossposted at Daily Kos

Here are several ways the elderly are being harmed right now. All the politicians are talking about everything but this. The media focuses on what they think will draw audiences. The Democratic leaders could be taking stands on this right this moment. They could be calling all of this to the attention of the public, speaking out against it.

If they can't stop it, at least they could take a stand. It might make a difference if they do.

Sequestration plays havoc with the lives of senior citizens

Sequestration is a big word for automatic, ham-handed federal budget cuts. President Obama, the Senate and the House, figured last year that the best way to ensure some sort of a reduction in government spending was to pass a sequester law. No one thought that the law would be implemented because it is so onerous.

Although the president, himself, signed the bill into law, he reassured the American people during his reelection campaign that the sequester wouldn't happen. But it did go into effect on April 1.

"The result," said Weber, "has been a devastating series of mindless, across-the-board and inflexible reductions in essential services that impact the elderly the hardest. The media focuses on how the cuts effect programs like the elimination of White House tours, but the sad truth is that seniors, in particular, are being made to suffer for the sake of political brinksmanship."

....""Any 'savings' from the sequester would pale in comparison to the added costs, resulting in premature nursing home placement for seniors who can no longer stay in their homes and communities because of reduced federal funding. Such cuts would also place greater financial strains on family caregivers and drive higher medical costs due to elders' poorer nutrition and health, increased falls, and other avoidable crises. There will be indirect economic harms from the sequester as well: fewer meals served means smaller purchases from local farmers, grocers and food vendors, fewer in-home service hours restricts the senior's life and the worker's pay, and stranded-at-home seniors spend fewer dollars in their community."

Home subsidies for the elderly and disabled could be lost.

Rural Elderly, Disabled Could Lose Low-Income Housing Subsidies Due To Sequestration

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says 15,000 low-income elderly and disabled people in rural areas could lose rental subsidies because of across-the-board budget cuts that went into effect earlier this year.

USDA's rural rental assistance program helps low-income tenants live in government-funded housing. Vilsack said the money for that program could run out in August or September and the lack of rental assistance could not only have an impact on the tenants but also the owners of the apartment complexes.

He said USDA doesn't "have a good answer to what happens other than we're going to run out of money and that's a consequence."

The elderly on Medicare are already seeing serious cuts. Cancer patients will be affected.
I can't wait to hear the excuses for that one. They left DC without making sure cancer patients got their needed medication?

Sequestration Nation: Medicare Reductions Are Hurting Elderly Cancer Patients

In case you didn’t know, April is National Cancer Control Month. Ironically, though, as of April 1, the government began doing less to control cancer. As part of sequestration, the government began reducing funding for a specific portion of the Medicare program that is critical to cancer patients.

As The Washington Post recently reported, legislators intended to partially shield Medicare from sequestration by limiting reductions to the program to 2 percent, as opposed to the 7.8 percent cuts faced by most other programs. This 2 percent cut, however, will fall heavily on cancer patients enrolled in Medicare. For John Peterson, a cancer patient at Texas Oncology, this cut could be a serious burden. “I have a lot of exotic drugs that we have Medicare pick up the cost or we almost can’t afford to do it and it’s been a life saver,” said Peterson.

Because oncologists can’t change the cost of the drugs they purchase, the entire 2 percent reduction must come out of overhead costs for storing and administering the medicine. For drug treatments for cancer, which can run up to $15,000 for a full course, a 2 percent funding reduction can be a significant strain on the clinics offering these services. According to Ted Okon, director of the Community Oncology Alliance, “The costs don’t change and you can’t do without it. There isn’t really wiggle room.” Put more bluntly, Ralph Boccia, director of the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders in Bethesda, Maryland, states that, “When I look at the numbers, they don’t add up. Business 101 says we can’t stay open if we don’t cover costs.”

Clinics that are able stay open will likely only be able to do so by drastically reducing the number of patients they currently see.

Not long ago I posted about the cuts being made to Meals on Wheels, which many seniors depend on to keep them in their own homes as long as possible.

In the comments several went so far as to blame the seniors for the situation instead of holding our party leaders accountable.

Way to go, America. Meals on Wheels funding cut by sequestration. Seniors fearful.

MANATEE, Florida -- Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston and Palmetto Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant drove off Wednesday morning to deliver hot food from Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee on Ninth Street East in Bradenton to bolster awareness of homebound senior hunger.

Yet, despite the well-meaning of "Mayors for Meals Day," agency officials were preoccupied by the disturbing news of the impact from impending federal budget cuts to its ability to serve those needy residents.

Due to the ongoing sequestration budget battle in Washington, Meals on Wheels PLUS figures to lose $68,000 from funding for its senior services, a development that troubled several people at Wednesday's event.

"It could be devastating. That's a lot of money," said Maribeth Phillips, the nonprofit's chief executive officer. "We're operating very lean as it is, so that's lot of funding for us to make up."

A nation can be judged by its respect for its elderly, poor, and needy. Traditionally Democrats have understood this. I am not so sure anymore.

These are political games that got out of control, and we need some caring voices very badly right now....starting with the president.