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We pay for Nebraska’s Medicaid?

5:54 pm January 14, 2010, by AJC Opinion

Thinking Right’s weekend free-for-all. Pick a topic:

● The post-partisan president has the country divided 50-50. No end in sight. Gotta tell you. I’m coming to hate politics as exemplified by the deal with U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) to exempt that state forever from the higher taxes imposed by the new health care legislation now being hashed out in Congress. The Georgia Department of Community Health estimates that Georgians would be forced to pay up to $200 million in higher taxes for an expanded Medicaid program starting in 2013 and increasing to $500 million per year over the following six years. We pay for Georgia, plus Nebraska. That’s bound to be unconstitutional.

● I am becoming so radicalized by the direction this country is being taken that, much as I hate cold weather, I’d fly to Massachusetts to vote in Tuesday’s special election to replace Sen. Ted Kennedy if that state allowed same-day registration and voting. It’s a solidly Democratic state, of course, but an upset may be in the making with Republican Scott Brown and Democrat Martha Coakley, the attorney general. The Kennedy replacement is the 60th vote on health care.

● Hallelujah! Sign me up as a front-row supporter of Gov. Sonny Perdue proposal to pay teachers not on the basis of how many years they’ve been on the job, or what degrees they’ve obtained — mail-order degrees included — but on how well they teach. The test for all teachers, instructors and professors is what value-added contribution they make. Test ’em going in and test ’em going out and pay the teacher well for adding knowledge.

● Just curious. Those who speak for the liberal-leaning think tank, the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, reflexively oppose “special-interest tax breaks.” Wonder how much state or federal income tax  GBPI pays? None, I’m guessing. Alan Essig, GBPI’s director, opposes Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle’s effort to cut taxes this session. Bad economics and bad policy, he says. Fiscal conservatives cut taxes, both to incentivize work and to reduce the size of government. They should never allow critics to blow them off that effort.

● Wow! Did the chancellor of the University System of Georgia really say that? State colleges and universities (and the private ones, too) have been expanding into new markets faster than Subway sandwich shops, dollar stores and tattoo parlors over the past decade. Now money’s tight. What to do? Said Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. in his State of the University System address: “I would prefer to see more institutions sharpening, honing and tightening their missions rather than seeking to expand them based solely on institutional aspirations rather than true state need.” Tell it all, brother. Colleges are getting like the technical schools once were in training beauticians. It wasn’t because the state needed more beauticians. It was just that they knew how and could find paying students — or, rather, students with a revenue stream attached.

● One line in Gov. Sonny Perdue’s State of the State address should be the honest oath of all Americans, especially those who are elected to public office. Said Perdue: “I am for doing with a little less if it means a lighter burden and a brighter future for the next generation.” In 10 years, that’ll sound quaint.

● One question reporters from all media never ask when children are harmed or at risk: Where’s the father and why isn’t he a part of the solution? A female soldier with a small child misses deployment to Afghanistan and now faces charges. She says her mother was supposed to care for the child while the soldier served out her commitment to her country, but backed out.

105 comments Add your comment

2010 Landslide

January 14th, 2010
6:51 pm

NO WE DON’T !

Not if we kill this stupid bill.

Joan

January 14th, 2010
6:55 pm

Wooten, you are wrong about the question. If the soldier was a white woman, the media would be all over the father to pony up child care.
About paying teachers for competence–come on, as long as they are unionized they just move as a bloc. Competence isn’t required.
Taxpayers will have to refuse to pay taxes, and when brought to trial will be in a position to bring a class action suit against the constitutionality of the health care bill. It is bound to fail a constitutional test.
Schools are doing what businesses do–so long as someone will pay for it, they will sell it, whether it is worth anything or not.
Finally, there are too many academia, students and entitlement types to count on Massachusetts’ other voters to outweigh them. Darn shame too. I like Brown, and Coakley is just a ventriloquist dummy for the liberal agenda.

Ragnar Danneskjöld

January 14th, 2010
7:05 pm

I agree that the disparate treatment of citizens, among the states, almost certainly violates the “general welfare” authority of the Congress. Whether Justice Kennedy sees it that way is the more critical question (whereas there is no question where Justice Bork would have been on that issue.)

I feel teased. Massachusetts (or if you are a democrat senatorial candidate, Massachusettes) requires registration 20 days in advance of an election.

One clap for the teacher change. Will make the state indoctrination centers more competent at what they do, although it will do nothing to make them relevant to our economic needs.

GBPI knows bad economics and bad policy, as proven by their history of endorsements.

The Chancellor of the University System of Georgia is distressed by his own elitist inclinations – don’t serve demand, serve our own prejudices.

I have ambivalent thoughts on the military mom who did not report. She took military money under false pretenses – theft in my book. I appreciate that her child is her top priority,

catlady

January 14th, 2010
7:18 pm

I think avoiding overseas service is the mom’s top priority. If her child were the priority, she wouldn’t have had a child out of wedlock at all and would have had plans A, B, C, D, E, and F ready for the child during her deployment. “Grandma” aided and abetted the scheme.

Mr T

January 14th, 2010
7:25 pm

“The post-partisan president has the country divided 50-50.” Actually Jim, I think your Repukes strategy of opposing everything the President does and trying to destroy him has the country divided idiot! How about coming up with some alternative IDEAS. Oh yeah, that would require a brain. If it isn’t fear mongering, lying, or spewing out talking points from Rush the Repukes have pretty well done nothing but waste oxygen for the last year.

Skip

January 14th, 2010
7:38 pm

So the mom dosen’t want to fight in the war, just like 99% of all Americans. As opposed to the 50% or so who “support” the war.

Mary Ann McKenney

January 14th, 2010
7:53 pm

Enter your comments here
All students are not created equal. I choose to teach lower level math students. They will never score the way accelerated students score. Do I get penalized because I want to help them be better students?

Ragnar Danneskjöld

January 14th, 2010
9:15 pm

As always, our beloved host is ahead of the curve by noting the comments of Chancellor Davis. Tomorrow’s WSJ has an article on the topic: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704281204575003251630833606.html?mod=rss_opinion_main

Dear Mary Ann @ 7:53, as I understand it, you have greater potential for showing progress in your students, as you are working from a lower base – % improvement may be much better than with advanced students. Of course, teaching advanced students is its own reward.

Not Going To Use My Usual Name

January 14th, 2010
10:21 pm

Ragnar, you’re talking about students who have missed developmental milestones, who have higher frequencies of learning disabilities… Come on, you can’t be that shortsighted.

If there were a magic wand, it would’ve been waved by now. There’s not.

And Jim, before you get all up in arms about paying for Nebraska’s care… 1) Of course that’ll never pass. 2) The Southern states take WAY MORE than they pay as a percentage of federal taxes. The Northeast and west coast are subsidizing the south and heartland–you know, the so-called “real” America, where divorce rates are higher, test scores are lower, and the mouth curses the government while the hands are out for the dole.

oldtimer

January 14th, 2010
11:21 pm

Enter your comments here

oldtimer

January 14th, 2010
11:22 pm

Obama Care..You may think we want you, but NO we do not……

Mid-South Philosopher

January 15th, 2010
6:43 am

Good morning, Jim.

Don’t get to post on here as often as I would like. Someone has to try to bolster this Bush/Obama Great Recession Economy!

“Pay for performance”…now that very well may be an idea whose time has come “for teachers” as per Governor Perdue’s vision for education. Of course, if we applied the same notion to politicians and their salaries…well, let’s just say that the soup kitchens would have a lot more clients in suits and ties!

Gerald West

January 15th, 2010
6:50 am

Ho, hum! Wooten whines and groans about the failings of government and the country, but lauds the “conservative” politicians who obstruct fixing the government and the country.

“Conservative” is just a politically-correct name for “loud-mouth hypocrite”!

BitterEXdemocrackkk

January 15th, 2010
6:55 am

Sen Ben Nelson is being attacked, EVEN IN PUBLIC in Nebraska, for his ANTI American fleecing! America will NOT stand for this kind of pilfer for long!

Nelson and wife were dining out this past weekend in Nebraska, and were jeered by the other patrons and then someone ordered them OUT of the restaurant!!! LOVE IT!!! course you wont hear about it on state run lieberal media…

Producer

January 15th, 2010
7:16 am

Is the woman soldier in question black? If so, then we can still scream for the father to pony up and take the kid while she’s gone.

Na'Tricianna Ma'Khayvighnon Philpot

January 15th, 2010
8:00 am

Producer 7:16 am

You are assuming she knows who the father is.

???

January 15th, 2010
8:11 am

There is NO WAY ON EARTH THAT GEORGIA SHOULD PAY FOR ANYBODY ELESE MEDICAID ON THE OUTSIDE OF GEORGIA. I DON’T BELIEVE IT! THAT HAS GOT TO BE ILLEGAL!

hi there

January 15th, 2010
8:15 am

I wish I knew a solution for the young soldier dealing with childcare issues, but the fact is she needs help. I don’t think she is trying to get out of serving her country, she is just trying to make sure her child is cared for while she is away. By the way, have you seen how the foster care system works? I don’t believe this is anyway theft or fraud on the young mothers part.

Teachers teach the best they can with the tools they are given. Don’t let a few bad apples ruin the barrel, however, my pay and job are based on performance as is everyone elses for that matter (Cynthia excluded based on her postings) so it only seems right that teachers carry the same burden.

DAVID

January 15th, 2010
8:33 am

JIM……..IT IS CALLLED CORRUPTION ….by any other name……..CORRUPTION

Cutty

January 15th, 2010
8:55 am

We’re paying to rebuild Iraq through taxes right Wooten? They get new schools, new hospitals, and other upgrades to their infrastructure, on the American taxpayers dime, and we get cake. Didn’t see you writing about that all these years.

So you are in favor of flying to a state in which you’ve never lived, to register and vote in an election. Sounds illegal to me.

Cutting taxes (i.e., cutting revenue), when state revenue has plummeted the last two years. All when you employer posted an article that shows the state doesn’t even know if those special-interest tax breaks have performed as they were designed. Nice! The state hasn’t even looked at whether they are getting a return on their investment and you want to add to the gravy train.

Did Sonny lighten his load and kill his Go Fish program while education funding was being cut to the PRESENT generation? Faith without work is dead. More empty words from our ‘has done nothing’ Governor.

January 15th, 2010
8:56 am

I read your column and try to do so with the mindset that everyone has a right to their opinion but I have to tell you that you really make me wonder what country you live in.

So a teacher is assigned to a low performing school. Half of her class is not reading at grade level, a fourth have behavioral/emotional issues and the other fourth is ESL. Her pay is supposed to be tied to whether in 9 months she can pull them all up to grade level. Are you serious?? This suggestion will only benefit those teachers who wind up in high achieving districts but then that’s what this is all about anyway isn’t it.

Say what you want about the health care legislation but you are not walking around uninsured are you? You didn’t lose your job and coverage for your family did you. You are not struggling to pay your bills and have to decide between food, heat and medical insurance. Of course not but you sure can get paid to denigrate those who are in that situation.

Sonny Purdue and his ilk have made more money while in office than they ever could have working every day. They have passed laws that benefit themselves and ignored laws that have were meant to rein them in. He had no problem spending millions of tax payer dollars for a fishing hole but couldn’t find a dime to help struggling school districts.

The AJC pays you to give your opinion but in my view, you don’t have a clue.

MiltonMan

January 15th, 2010
9:08 am

(1) Women want equal rights
(2) Women want to serve in the military
(3) Women want to be able to fight alongside men in combat
(4) Woman refuses to report to duty in an all volunteer Army
(5) Woman needs to be thrown in jail

The end.

MiltonMan

January 15th, 2010
9:11 am

ObamaCare:

(1) Buy vote from the senator from Nebraska
(2) Buy vote from the senator from Louisiana
(3) Buy support from the union minions
(4) Screw the rest of America – especially those high acheivers who should be ordered to pay more

Moree

January 15th, 2010
9:15 am

Mr. T: The President is destroying HIMSELF quite well. He doesn’t need the Repubs to do that. The Republicans have been totally shut out of the health care debate. We have alternatives, the dems will not listen. This entire process has been behind closed doors with sweet-heart deals. Did you not read where DCH estimates our taxes will go up between $200-500 MILLION? This is NOT the hope and change Americans voted for last November.

Democrats are Corrupt, Repukes are Lying Scum

January 15th, 2010
9:31 am

I just heard a report on Fox of a 70 billion dollar sweetheart deal with unions that will get the health care bill passed. More bribes, more communist “all people are equal, some are just more equal than others,” more Papa Doc Obama coming though for his people at the expense of the rest of us. Where will this end?

The Anti-Wooten

January 15th, 2010
9:47 am

So, let me see if I’ve got this straight? Despite all of your posturing, crying and whining about voter fraud that doesn’t actually exist you’re admitting that you’d fly to Massachusetts and commit voter fraud?

That should disallow you from ever having another word on ACORN.

jconservative

January 15th, 2010
10:29 am

As a Nebraska lady once said in addressing the gold standard – “we need to raise a lot less corn and a lot more hell”.

Appears we may be nearing her ideal.

Union City

January 15th, 2010
10:53 am

Can someone tell me something other than the Nebraska piece that they dislike about the current Health Care Legislation. The bill has been emptied. Come on..i’m waiting.