Aside from lower premiums, what is your expectation of coverage or benefits?

In other words: what health benefits do you not have now that you would expect to be covered under a government mandated plan?

My senator - Richard Burr - has become quite outspoken on the budget cuts that he feels will hurt HBCU's in my state of North Carolina. He has expressed skepticism that President Obama's administration will continue to be committed to strenghthening the HBCU's because of the budget cuts set to move forward.

Well, for one - since when has Senator Burr ever cared about the HBCU's? Not until he realized that there are 11 in our state alone or just because he's all about making sure that the these schools get their fare share? Hint: it's not the latter.

 You see - the funds allocated to the HBCU's were always a temporary fix - rolled out under the Bush administration and due to expire under President Obama. President Obama has always stated that he is comitted to the vision and mission of ensuring that "the doors of opportunity and higher education remain open to all students." To speak to the contrary is misleading.

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/lawmakers-frustrated-over-obama-plan-to-cut-funds-for-black-colleges-2009-05-14.html

http://www.savannahnow.com/node/723459

http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/

Well, here we go.  Can someone please tell me WHAT in the world is the matter with some of these republicans?  President Obama is not a puppeteer, desiring to have only those around him that "think" just like him.  What he believes in is intelligent, honest, civil debate with views from ALL sides, not just one side.

Judd now has abruptly withdrawn his nomination as Commerce Secretary for one reason alone: he  can not think outside the box.  His loss.

 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29166218

"Fox News' Van Susteren ignored Graham's economic recovery falsehoods"

"Summary: Fox News' Greta Van Susteren allowed Sen. Lindsey Graham to advance the myth that the economic recovery legislation would "reward ACORN." In fact, neither the House version nor the proposed Senate version mentions ACORN. The false claim is based on a misrepresentation of a provision that would appropriate $4.19 billion for neighborhood stabilization activities, but which would be distributed through competitive processes; ACORN has denied that it is eligible, or plans to apply, for those funds"

 http://mediamatters.org/items/200902060001?lid=882426&rid=21369111

Newt Gingrich is on C-SPAN this morning offering his advice and "warning" to President Obama.  I suspect he thinks we have forgotten his legacy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Federal_government_shutdown_of_1995

Snip:

" President Obama pressed aggressively for his massive economic recovery plan yesterday, laying out the most detailed benchmarks to date of a stimulus package that would cost at least $820 billion and warning that the nation's economy could become dramatically worse without major federal investment. "

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/24/AR2009012400661.html?hpid=topnews

We need a viable, responsible, accountable and sympathetic, dedicated and focused on the good of the people, person to run against V.Foxx in North Carolina. Virginia Foxx is the state rep in one of our local precincts here.

She has a very poor voting record as far as middle class issues are concerned.

She is embebbed in her precinct, but that does not guarantee her continued "success" as a rep.

Please follow her voting record closely this year - especially when it comes to ANY legislation that is good for the middle class.

http://themiddleclass.org/

Virginia Foxx is not my rep, but she represents part of my county.  Here is the latest from her:

http://www2.statesville.com/content/2009/jan/08/rep-foxx-pushing-bailout-oversight/news-local/

here is her voting record:

 http://www.themiddleclass.org/legislator/virginia-foxx-525

and here is where you can communicate with her:

http://www.virginiafoxx.com/

Why? Because senators from southern states with factories owned by Asian and European car manufacturers oppose a bailout of U.S. automakers, saying the industry can thrive without General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20081117/pl_bloomberg/alx04tw8dum;_ylt=AsYQoN_.LFC8OT_tapRNG.2s0NUE

My dad is a Catholic. I grew up in the catholic church. His parish is for the most part, a tolerant congregation and reasonable.

The following link, is a reflection of an extreme position held by a priest in another parish:

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=14345

Apparently, he was serious. Sigh.

 http://www.secureourdream.com/index.html

When will the republican's learn that this entire changehas not been about division, it has been about unity?

 "Last night on Fox News, when asked why he wasn’t able to “close the deal” with Georgia voters on election day, Chambliss said that because of Barack Obama, there was a “high percentage of minority vote” and that his campaign wasn’t “able to get enough of our folks out” to vote"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH1prP_kdhE&eurl=http://thinkprogress.org/2008/11/11/chambliss-our-folks/