Writing for the Future of Freedom Foundation, Sheldon Richman toes the same line of false options that the anti-Universal Health Care crowd always cite. He says of Obama’s public health plan, “ He wants a ‘public option.’ That’s a euphemism for a government-run health-insurance program that is to provide a competitive alternative to private, for-profit insurance. This rationale is misleading because there is already competition among insurers — and there would be far more if state governments did not restrict intrastate competition and prevent interstate competition. For example, a resident in Minnesota, whose insurance policy is burdened with dozens of state-mandated provisions for coverage he may not want (for instance, alcoholism/drug rehab and breast reconstruction), may not legally buy a policy offered in Idaho, which has far fewer mandates.”
What Richman is describing is a race to the bottom in benefits. The insurance companies will follow the same path as the off-shore profit seekers, they want the cheapest place to operate and in the example Richman gives, that would be the state with the fewest mandated services. In short, the state that mandates the least health care will become the favorite home state of the insurers.
The competition among insurers is not a cost deterrent, it is just a cost.
To understand how the government program would cost less, we need only consider the expenses the government will not have: No sales force. No sales people to pay, no trucks idling at the curb while folks sit at tables trying to catch customers for their health care dollars. No advertising, no little gifts to give away. They wouldn’t have the sales support staff. No secretaries, no regional and area managers. They wouldn’t have to pay chief executives exorbitant salaries. Wouldn’t have to pay for their support staff, limousines, lunches or first class air tickets. None of those expenses would exist. Wouldn’t have to pay for car service at night, no vice presidents in charge of marketing, the art and design departments, and all other departments, will not need to be duplicated.
The list of expenses that would disappear or would no longer need to be duplicated is astonishing and virtually endless. The fact that they are never spoken about is amazing. Perhaps it’s because one person’s expense is another’s job. And that’s what will keep this health albatross around our collective necks.
View From Here
Commerce & Community
Senate Standoff
It’s a mistake to think of the stalemate in the New York State senate as the product of mere incompetence, as if the 62 members were simply unable to create a governing quorum. This is a bona fide power struggle in which the first side that blinks will lose.
From January 7 until early June, Democrats ran the chamber with a razor-thin one-vote majority. Then two renegade Dems, Pedro Espada of the Bronx and Hiram Monserrate, joined with Republicans in a legislative coup that gave power back to the Republicans.
A few days later, Monserrate crossed back over to the Dems, leaving the chamber deadlocked at 31 to 31. The normal means of breaking senate ties – a vote cast by the Lieutenant Governor – is impossible because the man with that job, David Paterson, was elevated to governor when Eliot Spitzer resigned, and New York has no provision for holding special elections to fill a vacancy for Lieutenant Governor.
The question worth asking is why both sides remain so adamant about not letting the over side govern even temporarily. The answer is that billions of dollars and the entire political future of New York are at stake.
Before the GOP coup, Democrats were about to enact housing reforms that would have broken the stranglehold the real estate industry maintains on the state legislature. Issues like rent stabilization were about to tilt in favor of tenants before the coup.
Even more important than the real estate standoff is the political redistricting set to take place after the 2010 census. Next year, in keeping with the U.S. Constitution, the country will count all residents, after which state legislatures – in New York the state senate – will redraw all political boundary lines.
The fate of thousands of politicians who hold county, village and state offices across New York – not to mention the state’s congressional delegation– will turn on whether the lines drawn after the census place them in a friendly or hostile district.
That’s too much power to simply hand over. Expect the Albany stalemate to last a good while longer.
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Shelter Fight Continues
Crown Heights is continuing the fight to block an ill-conceived effort to transfer the city’s central intake center for homeless men from its midtown location to a residential neighborhood already overburdened with social service centers.
A lawsuit is being planned and could be filed in the near future. But it shouldn’t take a court order to make City Hall use common sense.
Statistics show that nearly 60% of all homeless men are in Manhattan, and many are mentally ill – yet the city remains determined to close the intake center on E. 30th St. next to Bellevue Hospital to make room for a luxury hotel.
The estimated 20,000 homeless men who seek shelter in New York annually will instead be diverted to the notorious Bedford-Atlantic Armory in Crown Heights, across the street from brownstones, churches and hundreds of seething homeowners.
The armory, among the worst-run in the city, is not close to any hospital. It’s also a known haven for drug dealing, prostitution and crowds of men who congregate in front of the shelter every day, trying to flag down passing trucks for work as day laborers.
A little over a year ago, I wrote about 41 Level 3 sex offenders – the highest level, reserved for the most violent criminals – listed on the state’s official criminal justice Web site as living at the shelter and the Peter Young residence, a privately run shelter across the street from the armory.
Bedford-Atlantic is part of a larger story of municipal failure. We recently passed the fifth anniversary of a promise by Mayor Bloomberg to cut homelessness by two-thirds within five years.
In reality, the number of homeless families has climbed 9.5% since the mayor’s announcement, to 9,538 from 8,712. And the current overall number of homeless people now exceeds the numbers when Bloomberg first took office in 2002.
To make matters worse, administration officials have been less than truthful about important parts of the half-baked Bedford-Atlantic plan.
Last September, Commissioner Robert Hess of the city Department of Homeless Services testified at a state Assembly hearing that the Bedford-Atlantic site would be spiffed up with a “state-of-the-art athletic facility.”
The idea was to make the site similar to projects in Washington Heights and Park Slope, Brooklyn, where small homeless facilities share armory space with first-class sports facilities – including the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.
A Department of Homeless Services spokeswoman says the proposal is still on the table – but also confirmed that the recently passed 2010 city budget includes no money for a recreation facility at Bedford-Atlantic.
Hess also promised that his department would create a new Manhattan-based intake facility for the homeless. That’s another agreement that has changed: No new Manhattan facility has been identified, and the closing of the 30th St. intake center, originally scheduled for next week, has been delayed indefinitely.
My guess is that the administration will wait until after Election Day in November to announce where a new Manhattan shelter will be.
And despite making good on a promise to shut down the 150- bed, privately run Peter Young residence, Homeless Services says it is “not involved” and will take no position on an effort by the facility to place 100 homeless beds on the very same site under state auspices.
No wonder my neighbors are seeing red.
“This is the one issue in this community that has managed to unify the young and the old, black and white folks, longtime residents and gentrifiers alike,” says Mark Griffith, my friend and neighbor, who will chair tonight’s town hall.
That might be the only positive effect of the plan: bringing together an often contentious community in a joint fight against a truly bad idea.
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Join me weekdays from 6 am to 9 am on WWRL 1600 AM for news and debate about these and many other issues. For past shows, go to wwrlmorningshow.libsyn.com.
Brooklyn High Achievers Accept Awards
Councilwoman Letitia James said, “I am a proud mama today”, as she stood in anticipation of the commencement of the 2009 graduating class of Medgar Evers Preparatory High School June 26th. Two young scholars, Dane Russell and Jeffrey Williams, stood out in their class for their high academic achievement being named Valedictorian and Salutatorian of the graduating class.
In their reflections of their high school journey, they spoke of their educational growth and how they had to become selective in the choices they made as students involving friendships, to associate with positive people. Dr. Michael A. Wilshire, principal spoke of these young men as, “dedicated, hardworking, and disciplined” students. Jeffrey Williams, salutatorian coined the expression of his upcoming transition from high school to college life, finding it, “splend-awesome”. Mr. Williams’ winning attitude and self -confidence that he evidentally displayed in high school will stand him in good stead against what life would throw at him. “High school has been an amazing experience that I can grow from. It helped me to develop in character and attentiveness to my surroundings. I have learned to access resources for opportunities where I can succeed”, said Williams. Graduating with a 93.62 GPA, Willaims is recognized by the College Board for having completed Advance Placement courses in Biology, Chemistry, English Language, and Environmental Science. He finds interest in musical performance, debating, drama, and writing. In September 2009 he will be attending New York University on a full scholarship double-majoring in Political Science and English. “I am ready, willing and able”, he says about his career goal to be a litigation lawyer.
Dane Russell, valedictorian graduate was humble in acknowledging high school as “really exciting in preparation for college”. Dane graduated with an outstanding GPA 97.57, was also recognized by the College Board as an AP scholar excelled in AP courses in Physics, Statistics, Calculus, English Language and Biology. Extra curricular activities Dane dedicated his time to were track and field, table tennis, chess and writing. He served as a member on the National Honors Society. Brown University awaits this phenomenal young man’s arrival, having accepted him as 1 of 50 applicants from a pool of 1,800. He is accepted into the prestigious Program of Liberal Medical Education (PLME). At the end of this 8 year program Mr. Russell will receive a B.A or B.S degree and an M.D. on his path to an envisioned career as a neurosurgeon.
By Victoria Taylor
The Road to College: Clara Barton and Paul Robeson Send Proud Graduates
Maurice Pahalan, Coordinator of the Gateway Program at Clara Barton High School, beams like a proud Poppa as he talks about his students. This year, three graduates – Kimberly Solages, Shavagne Scott and Patricia Daniel – have been accepted into Cornell. Except for a nominal contribution of $1 – 2,000, all expenses are paid. Pahalan says Clara Barton regularly sends graduates to Cornell. “I have so many kids in Cornell, I can start a mini- Clara Barton alumni association there.”
Solanges, Scott, and Daniel are just three of the 200 students that participate in Clara Barton’s Gateway Institute for Pre- College Education Program. Gateway Institute preparees low income and minority NYC public high school students for college and the persuit of health and science-related careers.
This year, another Clara Barton graduate, Schnaude Dorizan is one of 2 NYC students to receive a Meyerhoff Scholarship at the University of Maryland. The Meyerhoff Scholarship provides support for African-American male undergraduate students committed to obtaining PhD degrees in math, science, and engineering. Pahalan states this translates into a half million dollars in financial support through acquisition of the PhD for each student. Last year, another Clara Barton student, Ayobami Ariwodola, was the only NYC student recipient of the Meyerhoff scholarship.
According to Dr. Furman, principal, students are “screened” into Clara Barton HS has six health related programs: Dental Assisting, Dental Laboratory Assisting, Nurse Assisting, Medical Assisting, Practical Nursing, and Vision Technology. For other students, Clara Barton was their first choice school. The eclectic mix of students come from all 5 boroughs; 80% are female; quite a few are first and second generation immigrants. Of Clara Barton’s more than 400 graduates, 85% are going to college; the rest are going into the military or have employment.
“We have a whole month of award ceremonies leading up to graduation,” said Dr. Furman. An example is Ayobami Fapade, who received the Myself Third scholarship for community-based environmental research. Fapade’s award includes a one year scholarship at CUNY, where he plans to major in engineering.
For Kervenn Rebistre, the Intergenerational Program at Clara Barton was what he “liked the most,” especially his 300 hours of service at a senior citizen home. Rebistre plans to attend City Tech, majoring in Civil engineering, because “I liked the idea of building things – bridges, roads.”
An eclectic group of Paul Robeson High School students are on their way to college armed with scholarships. Valedictorian Tina Reyes, salutatorian Shanhai Jarret, and Tyshaun Whitaker are three of ten Robeson recipients of Citi scholarships. Shanhai will be attending Michigan State University. Tina, who is going to the University of Bridgeport, also received the Albert Shanker Scholarship and the Brooklyn Girl Friends Scholarship. Clarke/ Atlanta University will receive Tyshaun, who is also a recipient of the Guardian Achievement Scholarship form the NYPD.
Paul Robeson has a wide variety of academic programs geared to prepare students for college and professional careers via internships or career-based experiences. The 20-year Robeson/Citi partnership with Citi (originally with Solomon Brothers) includes a mentor/ mentee program, state-of-the-art technology, scholarships, college trips, support with Career/College Day, and internships for students. An op-ed school focused on business and technology, Robeson is home to 2 Virtual Enterprises, an international program that trains students to run a business. Robeson’s student-run businesses are Generation Design, a web design company, and Extravaganza Planning, an event planning company. Two of Robeson’s four Academies or Small Learning Communities are part of the National Academy Foundation: the Academy of Finance and the Academy of Information Technology offer advanced curriculum in Virtual enterprise and Cisco Networking Certification, with students taking part in college classes and participate in enrichment activities like Toast Masters.
Rochelle Wannamaker, an outstanding poet, won second place in the prestigious Random House creative Writing Scholarship Competition. Attending Mercy College in the fall, Rochelle also received the Brooklyn Old Timers Scholarship, the Ismay Harris Larrier Memorial Scholarship and the Luther Johnson Scholarship.
Robeson sports enthusiasts are also on their way to college. Showan Issacs, an outstanding member of the Robeson Track Team, is attending the University of Akron, which he researched and traveled to, by bus, on his own. David Sandiford, another accomplished participant in Robeson track, will be attending the University of Pittsburgh.
“My four years at Paul Robeson were not always the best, but with the support of the teachers and staff I managed to make the best of it, “ said Tina Reyes, Valedictorian. “High school was the place I transitioned from a young girl to a young lady and as you know along with that change came a lot of learning experiences. Learning experiences that could not have taken place in any classroom; learning experiences that are more about the social side of life but they are just as valuable as the academic side and the Robeson community supported me through them.”
Sun Sets and Rises on Mayoral Control
After 7 years, Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s control of the NYC Public School System came to an unexpected end on June 30, 2009. Political chaos in the NYS Senate prevented a timely vote that would have extended or amended the state law that authorized Mayoral control of NYC public schools.
On July 1, 2009, management of the City’s school system reverted back to the NYC Board of Education, led by seven members with diminished mayoral power. Of the seven members, two are appointed by the Mayor and each Borough President appoints one.
The new NYC Board of Education consists of Board President, Deputy Mayor for Education and Community Development Dennis Walcott (Queens Borough President appointee); First Deputy Mayor Patricia Harris (Mayoral appointee); Deputy Mayor for Operations Edward Skyler (Mayoral appointee); Dr. Delores Fernandez (Bronx Borough President appointee); Carlo Scissura (Brooklyn Borough President appointee); Jimmy Yan (Manhattan Borough President appointee), and Deputy Borough President Edward Burke (Staten Island Borough President appointee).
The BOE is responsible for selecting or retaining a chancellor. It decided to retain Joel Klein as Chancellor. It approves or revises the BOE budget, which has grown under Mayor Bloomberg from $12.5 billion in 2002 to the current $21 billion. Under the law, Community School Boards would be formed with elections held no earlier that May 2010. District superintendents would be appointed.
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, who appointed his Chief-of-Staff, Carlo A. Scissura, as the Brooklyn representative to the new Board, was a vocal proponent of mayoral control. “The last thing I wanted to see was the sunset of mayoral control, which I believe has been the best form of school governance for the students, families, schools and teachers of this city,” said Markowitz. Scissura was chosen because of his years of Community Board experience and as President of the Community Education Council for District 20. Scissura will also continue to serve full-time as chief of staff to the Brooklyn Borough President, and stated “I will not accept any stipend afforded members of the Board of Education.”
According to published reports, recently elected Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. expects his appointee, the former Hostos Community College president Dolores Fernandez, to challenge certain of the mayor’s policies. “Whether it’s existing policy or future policy,” he said, “you can anticipate there will be a challenge.”
During an intimate meet-and-greet at Bed-Stuy’s Brownstone Bookstore last week, Mayoral candidate Comptroller Bill Thompson spoke of his experiences on the old NYC Board of Education. As a member representing Brooklyn for two years and Board President for five, Thompson said he has seen the transition from decentralization to re-centralization and then mayoral control. Recalling when the 32 school districts overseeing elementary and middle schools had 9 members each and the central board managed high schools, Thompson said he remembered the days when “the going rate for a principalship was $25,000.”
There were other problems. In 1995, when Chancellor Rudy Crew called a meeting of the 32 superintendents, 20 showed up. “12 couldn’t be bothered,” said Thompson. The old structure was “focused on adults and jobs.” The chancellor hired superintendents who, in turn, hired principals.
According to Thompson, grid-lock was a recurring theme during Guiliani’s terms in office, since he appointed 3 members to the board. “Whenever Guiliani was fighting with the chancellor, school funding would dry up,” as a means for Guiliani to get his way.
No matter what happened, Thompson said “It is time to go back to an educator as chancellor. NYC needs an educator as next chancellor.” When asked who he would name as chancellor should he be elected Mayor, Thompson said he believes in “bringing your own team to the table.”