/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mike Carey, president of the Ohio Coal Association (OCA) today issued the following statement in response to President Barack Obama's recently released "Budget Blueprint":
"President Obama should be commended for his continued pledge to invest in clean-coal technology and to build five commercial-scale, coal-fired power plants. However, that commitment seems like mere lip service to the coal industry when considered in the context of his larger proposed investment in renewable energy thanks to an extraordinary 'energy tax' on America's coal operators.
"Again, President Obama has sent a clear signal to coal producers and the thousands of Ohioans who work in the coal industry about his long-term agenda of dramatically restricting the use of coal for electricity. While increasing the role of renewable energy is a laudable goal, it simply is not a comprehensive solution to addressing our nation's rapidly growing demand for electricity.
"Regardless of the final provisions of this proposal, one thing is certain: consumers will pay more for electricity. And during an economic crisis, that's about the last thing our working families need. Even supporters of the plan - including the President himself - acknowledge there will be significant price increases for electricity customers.
"Coal provides electricity at about half the cost of other fossil fuels. In Ohio, we have an almost 250 year supply of coal, and clean-coal technology is the key to maximizing the use of those reserves.
"Furthermore, domestic coal holds the key to our nation's long-term energy security - a goal that cannot be overlooked during this time of unprecedented economic instability.
"Access to reliable, affordable energy supplies is a core tenet of economic growth, and any U.S. energy policy change must be feasible to implement, economically beneficial and environmentally sound."
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Obama Budget Contains More than $1.6 Trillion in Tax Increases... Possibly As Much As $2.2 Trillion
/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- While some media outlets are reporting more than $1 trillion in new taxes in the Obama budget, Grassfire.org has identified more than $1.6 trillion, and possibly as much as $2.2 trillion.
"The President's 'carbon tax' is the single biggest tax-increasing item in his budget, and the largest in history," says Steve Elliott, President of Grassfire.org. According to Grassfire.org researchers examining the official published documents on the budget, the $645 billion in carbon taxes pushes the total tax increases in President Obama's budget to a minimum of $1.64 trillion. Go here for a complete breakdown: http://www.resistnet.com/profiles/blogs/obama-budget-more-than-16
Elliott adds that $1.6 trillion is just the starting point: "The Obama budget only accounts for the portion of the carbon tax being allocated to so-called 'clean energy technologies' and the 'Make Work Pay' tax credit. If Congressional Budget Office estimates are correct, the actual carbon tax could be double what Obama's budget shows. That dramatically increases the new taxes in the Obama budget to $2.2 trillion," says Elliott.
Elliott also notes that Americans who are faced with tightening personal budgets are growing more and more intolerant of the spending ways of Washington. "The President is right that a 'day of reckoning' is coming, but that reckoning will take the form of citizens who are fed up with politicians expanding the tentacles of government deeper and deeper into our lives and our pocketbooks."
Many of those frustrated Americans have already added their names to a national Grassfire.org petition that has already rallied over 100,000 citizens urging Congress to "Stop the Spending." To view the petition: http://www.grassfire.org/112/petition.asp
"The President's 'carbon tax' is the single biggest tax-increasing item in his budget, and the largest in history," says Steve Elliott, President of Grassfire.org. According to Grassfire.org researchers examining the official published documents on the budget, the $645 billion in carbon taxes pushes the total tax increases in President Obama's budget to a minimum of $1.64 trillion. Go here for a complete breakdown: http://www.resistnet.com/profiles/blogs/obama-budget-more-than-16
Elliott adds that $1.6 trillion is just the starting point: "The Obama budget only accounts for the portion of the carbon tax being allocated to so-called 'clean energy technologies' and the 'Make Work Pay' tax credit. If Congressional Budget Office estimates are correct, the actual carbon tax could be double what Obama's budget shows. That dramatically increases the new taxes in the Obama budget to $2.2 trillion," says Elliott.
Elliott also notes that Americans who are faced with tightening personal budgets are growing more and more intolerant of the spending ways of Washington. "The President is right that a 'day of reckoning' is coming, but that reckoning will take the form of citizens who are fed up with politicians expanding the tentacles of government deeper and deeper into our lives and our pocketbooks."
Many of those frustrated Americans have already added their names to a national Grassfire.org petition that has already rallied over 100,000 citizens urging Congress to "Stop the Spending." To view the petition: http://www.grassfire.org/112/petition.asp
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Economic Stimulus Package Could Impinge on Americans' Health Privacy
/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "Before increasing federal spending on health IT, Congress should first fix the already-outdated 1996 HIPAA privacy rule to ensure individuals have control over their personal health information," says Sue A. Blevins, president of the Institute for Health Freedom (IHF). "Right now, the HIPAA privacy rule has too many loopholes to ensure true patient privacy," Blevins stresses.
IHF released the following analyses regarding proposed federal spending on health IT and its impact on health privacy:
What does Barack Obama's economic stimulus package have to do with your health privacy? A lot! If Obama creates electronic medical records for most Americans (as he's proposing) without first fixing the federal health privacy rule (to ensure patient consent), everyone would end up losing control over his or her personal health information. That's because the rule gives many entities the legal authority to share information without patients' consent for purposes related to healthcare treatment, payment, and overseeing the healthcare system. (See "What Every American Needs to Know about the HIPAA Medical Privacy Rule": www.forhealthfreedom.org/Publications/Privacy/PrivacyUpdatedNov2008.html.)
Obama is seeking support for a massive emergency spending package, warning that the U.S. recession could stretch on for years unless such steps are taken. A January 8 Reuters report noted that "Obama also wants to spend to help the healthcare industry create electronic medical records. Well over $100 billion could be spent on the various [electronic medical records] projects." CNNMoney.com reports that Obama's "audacious plan" is to "computerize all health records within five years." Obama would thus be advancing the health IT goals of the Bush administration. Its last budget set access to electronic health records as an objective to be achieved by 2014.
Moreover, the current HIPAA law would govern a nationally linked database. It is important to understand, however, that "HIPAA was never intended for the digital age, because the [1996 HIPAA law] never anticipated the emergence of Web-based records," according to David Brailer, former National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
The bottom line is that Obama's spending plans may impinge on your privacy. There's a lot at stake with electronically transferring health data and paying claims within the $2.2 trillion healthcare industry. Concerned Americans should voice their concerns to their members of Congress and to Barack Obama.
IHF released the following analyses regarding proposed federal spending on health IT and its impact on health privacy:
What does Barack Obama's economic stimulus package have to do with your health privacy? A lot! If Obama creates electronic medical records for most Americans (as he's proposing) without first fixing the federal health privacy rule (to ensure patient consent), everyone would end up losing control over his or her personal health information. That's because the rule gives many entities the legal authority to share information without patients' consent for purposes related to healthcare treatment, payment, and overseeing the healthcare system. (See "What Every American Needs to Know about the HIPAA Medical Privacy Rule": www.forhealthfreedom.org/Publications/Privacy/PrivacyUpdatedNov2008.html.)
Obama is seeking support for a massive emergency spending package, warning that the U.S. recession could stretch on for years unless such steps are taken. A January 8 Reuters report noted that "Obama also wants to spend to help the healthcare industry create electronic medical records. Well over $100 billion could be spent on the various [electronic medical records] projects." CNNMoney.com reports that Obama's "audacious plan" is to "computerize all health records within five years." Obama would thus be advancing the health IT goals of the Bush administration. Its last budget set access to electronic health records as an objective to be achieved by 2014.
Moreover, the current HIPAA law would govern a nationally linked database. It is important to understand, however, that "HIPAA was never intended for the digital age, because the [1996 HIPAA law] never anticipated the emergence of Web-based records," according to David Brailer, former National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
The bottom line is that Obama's spending plans may impinge on your privacy. There's a lot at stake with electronically transferring health data and paying claims within the $2.2 trillion healthcare industry. Concerned Americans should voice their concerns to their members of Congress and to Barack Obama.
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