Get in shape or pay a price.

Senate proposals put premium on healthy living

Bills could put workers under pressure to lose weight, stop smoking

Get in shape or pay a price.

That's a message more Americans could hear if the health care reform bills passed by the Senate Finance and Health committees become law.

By more than doubling the maximum rewards and penalties that companies can apply to employees who flunk medical evaluations, the bills could put workers under intense financial pressure to lose weight, stop smoking or even lower their cholesterol.

The initiative, largely eclipsed in the health care debate, builds on a trend that is already in play among some corporations and that more workers will see in the packages they bring home during this month's open enrollment. Some employers offer lower premiums to people who complete personal health assessments; others offer only limited benefit packages to smokers.

The current legislative effort takes the trend a step further. It is backed by major employer groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers. It is opposed by labor unions and groups devoted to combating serious illnesses, such as the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, and the American Diabetes Association.

Read More HERE

Speaker Pelosi Hints At Massive Tax Hike

Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined a growing liberal chorus calling for a massive tax hike through the implementation of a value added tax (VAT). A VAT is similar to a national sales tax. Businesses would pay it at each stage of the production process and consumers at the cash register. European countries have had VATs for years. As we pointed out earlier this year, Congress should not pass a VAT to pay for a government takeover of the health care system or expand the size of government. If it does so, it will be a massive tax hike:

Just a 1 percent VAT on all goods and services in the economy would raise $63 billion for Congress to spend each year. Some suggest the VAT rate should be set as high as 20 percent. At that rate, a VAT that covers all goods and services in the economy – including food, clothing, housing, and health care – would collect an additional $1,260 billion a year and cost every U.S. household $10,680 annually.

Even if Congress passes a VAT that has a rate of just a few percentage points, it would likely lead to higher rates in the future. Evidence from other countries that already have VATs show once it is on the books the rate tends to rise over time.

The American people would be better off if Congress stopped spending and instead reformed existing entitlements to make them more affordable and effective. Adding a new entitlement will only make the country’s fiscal situation worse and make painful tax hikes more likely.

Unfortunately, that might have been the plan all along.

Hat Tip; Kack

Pocomoke leaves positions open to absorb state cuts

The Pocomoke mayor and Council voted Monday night to approve a cut of more than one-quarter of a million dollars in the 2009-2010 budget to absorb the effects of revenue reductions from the state.

City Manager Russell W. Blake reported that the state was cutting $221,522, mostly in highway user revenues, from the funds that would normally have been sent to Pocomoke City. The balance was cut from aid for police protection. Blake said that this was the largest cut the state, which is slashing its own budget as tax revenues fall short, had ever imposed on Pocomoke City.

Blake said that there were also items not included in the budget, such as the $10,000 reward for the arrests of the arsonists in the Public Works fire, $20,000 in costs related to a well project, and $12,000 for the purchase of the Fleming lot on Market Street.

To meet this shortfall, he proposed savings of $262,277 in unspent capital outlay and in not filling employment positions. There would be no layoffs or furloughs of personnel already working for the city.

The budget would also continue to include funds for a part-time downtown coordinator and the pigging of the water lines in the Pocomoke Heights area.

Treatment plant proposals
The council reviewed a proposal for contract administration for the sewage treatment plant ENR upgrade project. The only one that was submitted was from George, Miles and Buhr. Blake suggested that the council proceed to negotiate with the firm, a move that was given the okay by the council.

Proposed policies
The state of Maryland had asked the council to submit a policy giving guidelines for borrowing by the town. Blake said that this is not a problem for Pocomoke City, since the town had incurred very little debt. The policy, which was passed by the council, calls for the debt not to exceed 3 percent of the operating fund or one percent of the assessed valuation of property in the city limits.

The state is also requiring revisions in the stormwater management ordinance. The council is expecting to hear a recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission at a future meeting. The deadline for a draft ordinance is Nov. 11.

In a hearing concerning a repair or demolish order for the former truck stop property on Route 13 south, William Hudson, one of the property owners, appeared to comment about the order. He said that the building had been closed, but he questioned the short amount of time to demolish the building if that action was needed.

Mayor Michael A. McDermott said even though the building might have been secured, it was "obviously an abandoned building."

Hudson said he would need more time, about six months, if the building had to be demolished. He added that he would take care of covering up the graffiti that is presently on the building.

The town decided to give him 60 days to remove the graffiti and secure the building and would review the matter in six months concerning any other actions.

Ron Sawyer, a Pocomoke resident, appeared before the council to discuss the policy on removal of abandoned cars. He had received a notice about a vehicle on his property and had removed it. He thought the policy was a good one, but that it was not being handled fairly. He has seen a number of other abandoned vehicles throughout the town.

McDermott said that a lot of the action in this area was complaint-driven. He also requested Sawyer's help in reporting any vehicles he has seen.

Under other business, the council passed an ordinance declaring a number of items, mostly cars, as surplus so they could be disposed of and they approved the Fair Board's plan to reimburse horse owners who had come to this year's races at the fair. The races were rained out.

via delmarvanow.com

Silencing Talk Radio in the Name of Diversity

The Orwellian Fairness Doctrine is behind us for good; too many realize that stifling political dissent on the airwaves is anything but fair. But that doesn't mean our moonbat rulers have suddenly acquired respect for freedom of speech . As with many of our liberties, the First Amendment will now be attacked under the banner of diversity:

Mark Lloyd, newly appointed Chief Diversity Officer of the Federal Communications Commission, has called for making private pay licensing fees equal to their total operating costs to allow public broadcasting outlets to spend the same on their operations as the private companies do.

You don't have to re-read that, you got it right the first time, private companies WILL be paying for the (liberal) air time of public broadcasting.

Private companies need to make profits. Therefore they will carry programming people want to hear: Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, etc. In addition to economically breaking the kneecaps of these companies, Lloyd wants to funnel their money into public broadcasting, which is financed coercively and therefore couldn't care less what people want to hear.

Like all liberal bureaucrats, Lloyd is as authoritarian as he is greedy:

"Federal and regional broadcast operations and local stations should be funded at levels commensurate with or above those spending levels at which commercial operations are funded," Lloyd wrote. "This funding should come from license fees charged to commercial broadcasters. Funding should not come from congressional appropriations. Sponsorship should be prohibited at all public broadcasters."

Along with this money, Lloyd would regulate much of the programming on these stations to make sure they focused on "diverse views" and government activities.

"Diverse views" refers to the entire spectrum from left-wing propaganda to more left-wing propaganda. How many El Rushbos has NPR produced?

In addition to "diversity," tyrannical bureaucrats will also use "localism" to stifle speech that undermines their rule.

"Local public broadcasters and regional and national communications operations should be required to encourage and broadcast diverse views and programs," wrote Lloyd. "These programs should include coverage of all local, state and federal government meetings, as well as daily news and public issues programming."

Don't live in South Florida? Then Rush isn't local. You get to listen to the local water board meeting instead.

Lloyd also believes in diversity of ownership, which would mean denying broadcast licenses to Caucasians based on their race.

Once we allow government to become massively too large, it's only a matter of time before the wrong people get behind the wheel and steer our republic over the cliff into totalitarianism. This is happening before our eyes.

Obama Wants You to Work For Your Own Tax Money

The leftist Messiah is hiring and paying people to protest against the majority with their own money. I mean it's obvious that anyone that can do this is NOT working or they'd be at work. How ironic is it that hussein is paying people to protest the protesters and of course only the protesters that are against obamacare.



If these folks are not employed they are obviously living off your tax dollars in some way shape or form be that welfare, unemployment, or SSI. How do you like paying these folks twice while they get everything free?

Astroturf Is Cheap But Not Free

Out of work? No problem, Comrade Obama et al. are hiring. The pay is probably about the same as McDonald's, but you get the added satisfaction of helping to create the impression that Dear Leader has public support for his radical agenda.

As an added benefit, any taxes you pay will probably come back to you in future paychecks.

VIA