Friday, December 23, 2011

Coal in Your Stocking, Buerkle

"Naughty or Nice?" by Ed Hall 12/23/11, Kaiser Health News


Ms. Buerkle, thousands of people who live in HR Congressional District NY 25 have nary a reason to wish you a Merry Christmas this year. 

These were to be your Holiday presents to them come January 1 had Speaker Boehner not finally seen the light:

  • elimination of Federal Long-term Unemployment benefits for over 13,000 long-term unemployed people in your district; 
  • a  cut of 27% in Medicare payments to doctors who treat patients enrolled in Medicare, severely affecting their practices, staffs and patients;
  • the loss of $50 on average per paycheck to employed people in your district via payroll tax increases.

Blueskygirl wonders if you have you ever lived in circumstances in which $300 a week was all that was standing between you and poverty? 

No Merry Christmas to you, sad shortsighted woman.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Ann Marie Buerkle Does Not Save the Day

At the eleventh hour, 2 freshmen House of Representatives Republicans wrote to House Speaker Boehner recommending that he direct his Republican bots to vote in favor of the Senate-backed two month extension of the pay-roll tax cut. In addition the bill extends unemployment benefits for nearly 2 million people and stops threatened Medicaid cuts to doctors. 

Is is even necessary to say that Ann Marie Buerkle was not one of the two Republican freshman urging Boehner to come to his senses?

According to the Associated Press' website
Dec 22, 4:41 PM EST

AP sources: House leaders accept Senate tax terms
By ANDREW TAYLOR and LAURIE KELLMAN 

Associated Press  
...  
Two members of the uncompromising class of House GOP freshmen piled behind the growing call for a short-term extension, developments that suggested the conservative opposition had begun to crumble. Republican House leaders were expected to convene a conference call to discuss whether to change course, according to a House GOP aide who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"I don't think that my constituents should have a tax increase because of Washington's dysfunction," said freshman Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., a former reality show star.
"An `all or nothing' attitude is not what my constituents need now," Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., wrote in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner. "We are now in a position...that requires Republicans to not only demand a willingness to compromise, but to offer it as well."
The statements were fresh signs that House Republicans may not be able to withstand pressure from their constituents and almost every corner of the GOP to get behind the Senate's two-month tax cut extension passed last week with the support of 39 Republicans.
Duffy and Crawford got inspiration earlier in the day from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who urged the House to do what Boehner has refused: pass a short-term extension of the payroll tax cut before it expires and paychecks shrink just as Americans begin paying their holiday bills. Meanwhile, McConnell said in a statement, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid should convene negotiators to work with Boehner's team and craft a longer-term renewal. The legislation also includes jobless aid for millions and relief for doctors facing a huge cut in Medicare payments. Two Republican senators, Olympia Snowe of Maine and Mike Johanns of Nebraska also endorsed McConnell's plan Thursday.
...

Thursday, December 15, 2011

You Go Gal!

...a press release from Representative Ann Marie Buerkle's office:

Rep. Buerkle Fights Harmful Agriculture Regulations
Dec 7, 2011 Issues: Agriculture

Washington, DC - Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle took action to fight proposed regulations that will be harmful to thousands of farmers in New York State ...
Buerkle’s concern regard the proposed restrictions on labor for non-proprietor-owned family farms. As written, several of the hazardous occupation orders will restrict anyone under the age of 16 not only from working on family farms, but also from participating in important agricultural youth programs such as 4-H and Future Farmers of America.
Yes, it is unfortunate that child farmers may not be able to participate in pesticide application trials through their local 4-H and FFA programs much longer.

The proposed harmful agriculture regulations also will halt other excellent 4-H programs such as:

Trouble-shooting machinery failures in large silos

Manure pond management

On-the-go PTO repair

Texting while plowing

Working in close contact with intact bulls

Isn't it great that Ann Marie Buerkle is spending our tax dollars giving kids a chance to live dangerously down on the farm?

Another Ann Marie Buerkle Stunt: Medicare and Hospitals

For Immediate Release   
Date: December 14, 2011
Contact: Liza Lowery
(315)559-9388
Rep. Buerkle Introduces Legislation
to Help Hospitals
Washington, DC - Today, Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle (NY-25) introduced the Help 
Our Hospitals Act of 2011, which repeals a section of the President’s Health Care Law that cuts 
Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments to hospitals. ...

This is a legislative stunt. It is another Ann Marie Buerkle/Tea Party/Republican attempt to gut the 2010 Health Care Law and nothing more. Since the Health Care bill passed, Republicans have been intent upon defeating any comprehensive health care laws and with defeating President Obama with a crudeness that feels racist.

Our gal Buerkle is congenitally incapable of posing both sides of any complicated issue. In this instance, a Google search shows that the primary web sites concerned with this issue of Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments to hospitals are large corporate law firms who represent hospitals.

The truth is that at this time no one can say with assurance what the total effect will be upon hospitals receiving DSH payments. Shifts in how care presently being paid for by Medicare are assured in 2014. The Health Care Law has the means to make up the difference to hospitals in other ways using more direct and simplified formulas. Buerkle is unwilling to recognize this publicly or to discuss it.

For a enlightening discussion of the effects of redistribution of risk that changes in health care will make upon hospitals receiving DSH funds, see this Brookings Institute paper.


Ann Marie Buerkle's Cynical Farm Policy

Blueskygirl is struck by the starkness of Ann Marie Buerkle's fight to save businesses money at any cost, most recently if the cost is child safety.
Ann Marie Buerkle has come out against modernizing Federal labor regulations protecting children working on farms. 
Farming (and ranching) is the fourth most dangerous occupation in the country) after commercial fishing, logging and piloting. Children working on farms incur more injuries and deaths than any other industry in which they are employed. 
Farming occupational regulations protecting children under 16 haven't been updated since 1970 and continue to be a half-century or more behind child labor protections in other occupations. Equipment and processes, in the meantime, has been modernized, made bigger and more powerful and dangerous while safety devices get shortchanged by manufacturers or are easily defeated. 
Ann Marie Buerkle consistently uses her new-found power to shortchange the least protected and most vulnerable in our communities She has always come down, 100% of the time, on the side that protects the interests of "The 1%."
Her actions are unconscionable.
________________________________
Resources below include: 
1. The introduction to a chart from National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety comparing 1970s era child protections and recent proposed improvements,


2. A link to the above-mentioned comparisons, 

3. Recent statistics about farm-related child accidents.

1.  Agricultural Child Labor Hazardous Occupations Orders: Comparison of present rules with 2011 proposed revisions
By Mary E. Miller, R.N., M.N.
A century ago, child labor in the U.S. was an accepted practice across all industries. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938 took children under 16 out of most workplaces for their own safety and over time has restricted the most hazardous work activities for 16- and 17-year-olds. Agriculture has been the lone exception. Originally, most farms were small family operations and child labor was considered necessary. The 21st century agricultural work environment is much different. Farms are larger and more specialized, with new technologies, processes, machinery and equipment.
Now the U.S. Department of Labor is proposing new rules regarding the Agricultural Child Labor Hazardous Occupations Orders (Ag H.O.). The agricultural H.O.s describe work activities that are particularly hazardous to young workers under age 16, such as operating machinery and working in and around silos and grain handling facilities. The proposed changes will be the first update since 1970. They are based on a comprehensive evaluation conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which reported on its evaluation in 2002 and made recommendations concerning both non-agricultural and agricultural hazardous occupations orders. As a result of the report, regulations for non-agricultural HOs were revised and became effective in 2010. Recommendations to bring the agricultural H.O.s more closely in line with non-agriculture are included in the recent Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. For example, the use of power-driven equipment, which has been prohibited for 14- and 15-year-olds employed in non- agricultural industries for over 50 years, is included in the proposal. NOTE: The updated rules would continue to exempt family farms and do not provide protections for 16- and 17-year-olds. Both of these changes would require an act of Congress.
Tables …[please use link]... highlight current and proposed agricultural H.O.s. A full paper examining the changes – including historical background and additional recommendations not covered in the current proposal – will be published as part of a dedicated issue of the Journal of Agromedicine. “The 2012 Blueprint for Protecting Children in Agriculture,” Volume 17, Issue 2, is scheduled for publication April 2012.

3.      Childhood Farm Injuries Facts:
  • More than 23,000 children under 19, are injured on farms every year in the United States
  • The majority of childhood farm injuries occur to boys between 10 and 15
  • Farm machines are responsible for the majority of deaths that occur on farms
  • Most farm injuries occur in rural areas where medical care is sparse and vital treatments are delayed due to inaccessibility
  • More than 50% of debilitating injuries involve tractor collisions or tractor roll-overs
  • Silo injuries and deaths show the biggest jump in numbers over the past ten years, compared with other sources of farm injuries
From: Down On The Farm: Why Farms Post Real Dangers For Children & Teens; thank you to: Jonathan Rosenfeld, Child Injury Laws Blog, April 29, 2011, for posting these statistics.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Remedial Writing and Proofreading Alert

[... taken from Buerkle's December press releases:]

December 5
“While these new and seasonal jobs will bring relief to some families during the holiday season, many [what?] will continue to struggle..."  [subject agreement for clarity]

December 5
"Testimony was heard today…" [passive voice, "my committee heard testimony" is always better unless your intent is obfuscation]
"…not enough is being done…" [passive voice, ditto]

December 6  
"…airmen, soldiers, and their families…" [Blueskygirl knows there is no official substitute; it is still sexist and she doesn't approve]

December 7
"…Buerkle’s concern regard the proposed restrictions on labor…"  [huh?]

December 8
"…the House Republicans jobs agenda…" [pos.]
"…hands of the people's elected representatives…"     [peoples']
"…and U.S. Chamber of Commerce,"      [period, not comma, at end of sentence]   

Heads Up Department: The Federal Government uses a first class training program for all government employees called Plain Language. Blueskygirl highly recommends it for Ann Marie Buerkle and her writing staff.  It will be an hour well spent. 
As always, there is no substitute for careful proofreading.
Blueskygirl is sad to say you are still using far too many commas. She thought we talked about this before.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Good News for Us Dept.

re: Redistricting
According to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle this morning:
Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle, R-Onondaga, Onondaga County, could be less secure [than Hochul, Slaughter and Reed], in part because of her narrow victory against Rep. Dan Maffei in 2010, and the fact that Democrats believe the district is one they can win back. Buerkle has also raised less money this year than her freshman Republican peers.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Captain Regulation on the Balance of Power and the Interests of Big Business

ring...ring...

Captain Regulation: Hello Ms. Buerkle. It has been awhile. What's up?

Representative Ann Marie Buerkle: REINS [Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act: see the Washington Post's article yesterday for a full explanation]. We have been working hard to streamline government regulations. What do you think?

CR: I am afraid you and your colleagues have missed the point of strong regulations again. What you've done is about ideology rather than good government. Also, you are trying to tinker with the balance of power. Don't you remember what you learned in your 9th grade civics course about balancing the three parts of government?

AMB: We think the President has too much power.

CR: Please let me explain something to you. One of the advantages of regulations is continuity. Because the balance of power can shift so quickly, in fact every two years in the House and four years in the Presidency, without regulations things can become unmanageable rather quickly, creating chaos and confusion. Quite simply, there has to be some stability we can all depend upon, and regulations contribute greatly to that.

AMB: But we like using words like "certainty" and "job creators". We want the American people to believe that we have their best interests at heart.

CR: Do you?

AMB: To the extent that big business uses an expendable and cheap labor force, yes.

CR: What? And what about the consumer and community protections REINS would erode?

AMB: I am always in favor of consumer protections so long as they do not reduce the ability of corporations to maximize their profits.

CR: Sorry, you are not making sense. Not only that, but Lisa Lowery's headline this morning, Rep. Buerkle Stands Up for Businesses, is  deceptive and really not true at all for local concerns. It promotes your false contention that the interests of big business are compatible with the interests of workers, local businesses and communities.

AMB: But we are in the business of getting our point across in small bites. We know that our Tea Party supporters don't read deeply or care about facts.

CR: Honestly, Ms. Buerkle, I do not understand why you and your Republican colleagues waste so much time with stunts like this when you have so many more important issues to deal with right now.

AMB: [click]

CR: [to colleagues working nearby] Buerkle again…Tea Party politics as usual. Nothing to do with good government. Back to work. I swear she would be happiest taking us back to the Dark Ages, like yesterday when she came out against new protections for children employed in farming who have been working with pesticides, powerful PTOs and in giant silos and manure ponds.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Buerkle Chooses Overwhelming Cruelty

Posted this morning by: 
National Right to Life News Today, Dec. 7, 2011 By Jonathan Imbody, Vice President for Government Relations, Christian Medical Association, Director, Freedom2Care
Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle, New York Republican, protested that under the new abortion referral requirement [for agencies serving youth victims of human trafficking applying for Federal funds], “Now we are going to ask 12-year-olds to make life-changing decisions. You don’t know the trauma of abortion. This will only add to the trauma already experienced by the victims.”
Ann Marie Buerkle wants us to believe that:
going through a "normal" pregnancy with a child's immature mind and body; and 
having a baby of a rapist, one of your dozens or hundreds of rapists, whom you will never identify, at 12 or 13 years old (to go with Buerkle's example); and
after living as a prisoner and in bondage for months or years; and
ignoring the STDs including HIV that you may have contracted; and
the effect these STDs will have on your baby; and
ignoring your own long-term lack of health care and vulnerability to a wide range of non-sexually transmitted diseases; and
having lost your support network, your family and your culture; and
removing your right to CHOOSE to keep or not to keep, even at this young age, and thereby disempowering you further; 
are all preferable to abortion. How is it possible that Buerkle believes that ignoring all these factors could even remotely be a better choice? 
Buerkle, get this, loud and clear: Being FORCED to go through with such a pregnancy and producing a baby who, along with the pre-teen mother, has zero chance of living a normal and healthy life, is CRUEL and IRRATIONAL. 
Yes, you are right: Blueskygirl is shouting. Sorry.
Both the foetus, if you, Buerkle, proud mother who gave birth to six chosen, beautiful and healthy children, require it to be born and if it survives its high-risk pregnancy, and the child-mother, if she survives her high-risk pregnancy, will have nil chances for lives free of severe health issues, severe emotional issues, poverty and very little opportunity of access to any semblance of a good life.
And please don't tell me that these infants, and these 12-year olds, will be adopted into loving homes. There is not, never has been, and never will be, an inexhaustible supply of loving homes for high-risk infants or pre-teens of any cultural background, including "white." When was the last time you adopted a needy baby, or any child, Buerkle?
And, for God's sake, we remember, loud and clear, that you, Buerkle, have suggested that we diminish or take away the scant medical services that both these victims of human trafficking may ever see.
Oh, please.
Blueskygirl's suggestion: way better to find out how to arrest and throw the book at the traffickers and pedophiles.
Way worse to blame and punish, by your stupid politics, the victims.