109th congress

With the new Medicare program reaching it's first birthday, we are going to start hearing more stories like this:

Ever since Judy Clifford's parents died, she had planned to move with her husband into their Nashville, Tenn., home, which she knew so well.

"I felt like they were still there," says Ms. Clifford, who is retired. "I could see my mother standing at the sink washing dishes and my daddy watching TV, and I wanted to stay in the house because of that."

Instead, the two-bedroom ranch-style home is for sale for $122,000, the subject of a bitter tug-of-war between the Cliffords and TennCare, Tennessee's healthcare program for the poor and uninsured. TennCare has laid claim to the home to recoup the cost of caring for Clifford's mother, who was on TennCare when she died three years ago.

In the face of soaring Medicaid costs, Tennessee and every other state are required to set up a Medicaid estate-recovery program. Many have been launched only recently, and some - like Tennessee's - are becoming more aggressive. Often, they target the home because it's all that's left after beneficiaries have spent their assets to pay for nursing-home care.

But the varied ways in which states are going after these assets have produced confusion, anger, and even lawsuits. When a loved one dies, some families are stunned to lose the home, too, advocates say.

This is one of the leftovers we have from the 109th Congress. During the first months of 2006, states and citizens screamed about the problems of the new Medicare program. The Republican leadership went to the public and lied, saying that the program was working great. It wasn't. States that were already strapped for cash had to take drastic measures to help with the costs.

Ahhh - while we are gearing up for the 2006 elections, so are the Republicans and they have a new strategy. Their new strategy is crafty and clever. It is a strategy to prove they are the party of integrity and honor:

WASHINGTON - Many worried Republicans on the ballot in November have been pushing away from the White House, not wanting to be dragged under by President Bush's sinking approval ratings and growing anxiety over Iraq. That doesn't mean they're also fleeing his cash offerings, however.

Despite approval ratings in the mid-to-upper 30s, Bush remains the nation's most successful fundraiser. Vice President Dick Cheney, whose poll numbers are even lower than Bush's, is not far behind. Both have raised tens of millions of dollars for GOP congressional and gubernatorial candidates running in this year's midterm elections.

Even as some Republicans are becoming increasingly defiant on a range of issues, they're still lining up dutifully for the president's campaign dollars.

Yes - stay away from Bush to show the voters you are the right choice. But wait a minute. If the Republicans would have done this all along and not bowed down to the White House on every single issue then they would not be facing a tough reelection. I guess they are really planning on "dumb old Americans" to forget everything that has happened (or more like not happened) during the 109th Congress and go ahead and vote for them because they are not "with Bush". Well you can shave your Bush but it still grows back.

I also just love how they still want him to raise money. It reminds me of childhood, you know, you want your allowance from daddy but you don't want to hang out with him because "what would my friends think?"

One of the most powerful committees in Congress is the House Appropriations
Committee. The chairmen of the committee must hold the highest ethical standards
because the influence of bribery and greed is so great. This is what lead to the
conviction and downfall of Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, the former committee
chairman.

So who will be a good ethical person to replace the disgraced Congressman
from California? How about Tom Delay. You might think I am joking but this is no
joke. As Delay highlighted in his speech Saturday when he announced he would not
seek to retain his position as Majority Leader:

I will continue to serve my constituents and seek re-election to a 12th
term representing Texas' 22nd district while I work to clear my name of the
baseless charges leveled against me. I will also be reclaiming my seat on
the Appropriations Committee when the second session of the 109th Congress
convenes later this month.

Read full letter

here.

So the man who is already indicted for fraud, facing a highly probably
indictment in the Jack Abramoff scandal, involved in another investigation
involving bank fraud and also being looked at for possible connections in the
Duke Cunningham scandal is now going to be put in charge of this committee. Why
not release the thieves out of jail and make them all police officers? Perhaps
O.J. Simpson should hold marriage counseling classes or Michael Jackson open up
a day care.

The corruption with these Republicans will not stop even when it is being
exposed. The only way to put an end to it is by force and that force comes in
the form of votes. Vote everyone of them out of office in disgrace.