Knowledge is Power

Now that health care reform is law I think it’s important that we move past the political rhetoric and look at the real facts of what this reform means to the lives of average Americans.

#1 Extends Coverage To 32 Million More Americans

Because of this bill 32 million of our fellow Americans will have health insurance coverage. While our country still will be short of true universal coverage, we will be a lot closer to that goal(we should be up to 95% coverage because of it.)

#2 Reduces The Deficit By $1.3 Trillion

Over the next 10 years the deficit will be reduced by $130 billion because of this bill. That’s very impressive and it should be something that anyone who is concerned about the deficit is excited about. The news is even better over the longer term as it will cut the deficit by $1.3 trillion over the next 20 years.

#3 Expands Medicare Coverage

Contrary to the lies spread over the last year this bill will actually expand Medicare coverage. It will close the “Donut Hole” and it will let those on Medicare visit the doctor without having to pay any co-pay at all.

#4 Extends Coverage To Young Adults

Young adults often fall through the cracks with the old system. This health care bill goes a long way towards fixing that problem by extending family health insurance coverage to young adults up through age 26.

#5 Denying Coverage Based On “Pre-Existing Conditions” Is Illegal

Prior to this bill it was perfectly legal for a health insurance company to deny coverage because of a “pre-existing condition.” This meant, for example, that a newborn baby could be denied coverage because the baby was born with a heart condition. Because of this bill that will no longer be legal.

#6 The Biggest Tax Cut For Small Businesses In History

New tax credits to help small businesses pay for the health insurance of their employees (they will cover up to 50% of the cost) will save small business a huge amount of money on their taxes making this the biggest tax cut for small businesses in US history.

#7 Bans Health Insurance Companies From Dropping People Who Get Sick

What’s the point of having health insurance if they can cut your coverage when you need it most? Thankfully because of this bill we no longer need to ask that question.

#8 Bans Lifetime Limits

Many people have gone bankrupt due to medical expenses because of health insurance companies having a “lifetime limit” on how much they would pay out. Again, what’s the point of health insurance if it may not be there for you when you need it most? This bill bans these lifetime limits.

#9 Free Preventative Care

There will be no co-pays on preventative care with new private health insurance plans because of this bill. This should encourage people to visit the doctor more often which should help to prevent illnesses before they occur.

#10 New Limits On Health Insurance Company Profits

Because of this bill health insurance companies will be required to spend at least 85% of the premiums they collect on actual health coverage (rather than on profits, lobbying, and advertising.)

Health Care Reform is nothing like the Republicans made it out to be. It’s important to remember come election time that President Obama told the truth about this important bill while the Republicans lied about it. Read This Men’s Health Blog.

This is a classic line, from the movie Top Gun, which holds true even today. Whether it’s a quest for financial gain or political glory, the results are the same. The Wall Street big wigs and President Obama are writing checks they just can’t cash.

Wall Street’s non-existent view of a healthy economy and a lust for quick profits led the United States into one of the worst economic downturns in history. Wall Street dreamed up all sorts of investment schemes in order to make large profits. To Wall Street, it didn’t matter the losers would be the American people and their retirement funds.

We Americans have not seen the end of Wall Street’s destruction. Credit Default Swaps (CDS) are a contract in which an individual pays for protection in case of a default of an event. Unlike insurance, CDS are derivatives and therefore priced based on financial models. The CDS market around the world has grown exponentially over the last decade. To put it into perspective, the housing market is roughly $7 trillion in size and the CDS market is estimated to be near $50 trillion. Should the CDS market collapse, our economy will reach lows never seen in its 234 year history.

President Obama came onto the World stage with an agenda and the President has not veered from it once. To admit that his wishes are to help others, there is no doubt. To his timing, it couldn’t be worse. We’re coming off one of the worst economic down turns in our country’s history. We’re experiencing unemployment rates near ten percent. Mr. President, this is not the time to be focused on an agenda that was put together a decade ago.

Now is the time to put all those charity plans aside and create a new plan. A plan no-one would have imagined necessary even five years ago. Today, we need to focus on getting capital to our small businesses. Small business is the engine that drives employment in the United States. Our Congress has invested way too much time on National Health Care Reform instead of focusing on the economy.

Banking, in the United States, is broken. Bankers have discovered there are more lucrative options to put our money into such as hedge funds and CDS. We need to find a way to make lending to small business more appealing to bankers. We need to distinguish between acts of gambling and good business practices. Placing our bank deposits into hedge funds and CDS is gambling with other people’s money. It’s time to get the American engine turned on and begin to grow employment.

Mr. President, now that the Health Care bill has passed, why can’t we push back the implementation until a constructive mile marker is reached? Maybe we can set unemployment below seven percent as the mile marker to begin spending on Health Care? Maybe we should try and reach a certain amount of lending to small business as the mile marker? Now is not the time to be asking businesses to take a charge for health care. Heath Care Reform will require AT&T to take a $1 billion charge; Caterpillar - $100 million; 3M - $350 million, etc. This will have the opposite effect of a true economic stimulus plan. We’ve reached a point where we’re finally getting some footing, why are you pulling the rug out from under us now?

Frank Denver - Small business owner who has chosen to get involved in politics in order to assure a bright future for my three children. Website: http://www.politicsandfreedom.com

Political Candidates cannot survive without funds. Fundraising events are typical to just about every political campaign right from running for small town office seats up to running for President. There are a variety of events that can be planned to help raise money, but one of the most popular is a fundraiser dinner. Hosting such an event can take months of preparation and planning, starting with selecting an appropriate venue. Many people look to popular cities, like NY, when planning their fundraising events.

In order to have a successful political fundraising dinner you must combine the perfect menu with the just right price tag along with political campaign speeches or even entertainment. The perfect combination will get your followers revved up and excited about the campaign. In order to pull off a successful event you will also need to find the perfect NY event venue to host it.

As you get started on planning the fundraiser make sure you first set a fundraising goal for the event. Be realistic when setting the goal for how much money you would like to raise, and how much it will cost you to put the event on. With your goal in mind you should then create a budget for each aspect of the event. How much you want to spend on food, entertainment, decorations, etc. Once the budget is in place your next step is to book a venue.

Choosing the right NY event space is critical to a successful fundraiser. You need to find a venue that is in a convenient location for your guests and is able to work within your budget. You also want the venue to have great food options, spectacular service and plenty of room for your guests to mingle. You will also need to make sure the venue has a PA system and any other audio visual equipment you will be using during the event. As you are narrowing down recommended venue choices, be sure to visit your top picks and take a look around

As you are looking at a few locations to hold your fundraising event check to make sure the date you are looking for is available. Never book a campaign fundraiser on a Friday evening as Friday night events are generally not well attended. Finally, make sure the atmosphere and d