Buerkle Confuses the Hippocratic Oath and the Hypocritic Oath

VA doctors and dentists, according to Ann Marie Buerkle's recent amendment to H.R. 2074, the Veterans Sexual Assault Prevention Act, can pay for continuing medical education out of their own pockets from now on. This is her especially cynical approach to cutting the budget. She was a nurse one day long ago. As she graduated from nursing school she may have taken the "Florence Nightingale Pledge," similar to the Hippocratic Oath: I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly, to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully. I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, .... I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession, .... With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician, in his[sic] work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care. Don't ever confuse her with Florence Nightingale. She is hard as nails. Especially galling for veterans and those who support them in every possible way is that she wraps herself in the flag of veteran-love at every public opportunity, shaming anyone who would question her or her loyalty to her rigid beliefs and to her handlers and funders. Documentation from the American Federation of Government Employees' website: NVAC [National VA Council] Successfully Defends Medical Education Reimbursement: AFGE’s National VA Council recently blocked another attempt to eliminate reimbursement for continuing medical education (CME) programs for VA physicians and dentists -- and with bipartisan support. The full House Committee on Veterans' Affairs last week had a markup hearing to consider a number of health care bills, including an amendment introduced by Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle to H.R. 2074. The Buerkle amendment would have completely eliminated all reimbursement currently payable to full time, board certified VA physicians and dentists. This proposal to eliminate CME reimbursement was also included in the VA’s list of requested legislation submitted to House Speaker John Boehner earlier this year. The existing reimbursement amount of $1000 is very modest compared to the cost of the courses that clinicians must take to remain employed and certified, and it has not been increased since 1991. AFGE is working with lawmakers to increase the CME amount and expand eligibility.

Ann Marie Buerkle: Crunch These

Federal Budget for 2010      
$3,456,000,000,000 - that reads Three Trillion Four Hundred and Fifty-six Billion Dollars


Federal Funds to Corporation For Public Broadcasting (NPR and Public Television) for 2010
$420,000,000 - Four Hundred Twenty Million Dollars


Federal Funds to Planned Parenthood nationally for 2010
$360,000,000 - Three Hundred and Sixty Million Dollars


Cost of LI HEAP -Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program for 2010
$5,100,000,000 - Five Billion One Hundred Million Dollars


Cost of Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan 2010
$130,000,000,000 - One Hundred Thirty Billion Dollars


Total Cost of Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan Ten Years 2001-2011
$1,179,000,000,000 - One Trillion One Hundred Seventy-nine Billion (approximately) -  see side bar on right column for up to date costs.


Total Cost to 25th Congressional District for Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan Ten Years 2001-2011
$3,473,000,000 - Three Billion Four Hundred Seventy-three Million (approximately) - go to web site Cost of War for exact numbers: http://costofwar.com/en/state/NY/congdistrict/25/


Taxes at a rate of 20% on Bill Gates' annual income would approximately equal the federal funds to Planned Parenthood for one year.

Why Only Vera House?

My respect for any agency that supports girls and women is great, and it is a good day when any public service agency makes the news.

When Ann Marie Buerkle is public in Washington about her support for Vera House in Syracuse, an agency that has long been rock solidly there for women and men who are victims of domestic violence and/or rape, I applaud her. That we are reminded of the need and the services every year at this time by the White Ribbon Campaign is important.

Therefore I cannot for the life of me think why Ann Marie would be so totally against Planned Parenthood. In so many ways Planned Parenthood and Vera House are similar, and the two agencies share many of the same values and concerns.

I cannot document with numbers but I think, based on years of work in many areas of social services, that there are crossover service needs between these two agencies and many other local programs as well.

Vera House and Planned Parenthood do not offer duplicate services. They offer companion services because any person who comes for services at either one may well have more than one need, not always able to be filled by the primary agency.

For example:

• A woman who has been raped may also want reproductive services, up to and including, though not necessarily, an abortion. Planned Parenthood is an option.
• While a woman is being seen for family planning services, the nurse may learn that the woman is in a situation at home that includes domestic abuse. Her children may also be in danger. The family may need sheltering. Vera House can help.
• A man or woman being abused at home may realize she/he needs to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases and ask for a referral to PP.
• A clinic patient may disclose her own childhood abuse and be referred to Vera House for counseling.

The budgets for the two agencies, Vera House and Planned Parenthood have many similarities. What I want to address from here onward is that both receive a share of their budgets from government entities. In fact they cannot operate without these monies. Our federal and state governments have both deemed human services as areas that smaller communities and individuals cannot provide by themselves.

On Vera House's website there are very nice pie charts showing the following, which cannot be copied to here but I recommend you visit. Here is Vera House's budget picture for 2009:

Support and Revenue

2009 Support and Revenue as %

Government Fees & Grants 71%

Private Donations 14%

United Way  9%

Fees 3%

Other Revenue 3%

2009 Support and Revenue in $

Government Fees & Grants $2,379,539

Private Donations 464,284

United Way 302,151

Fees 107,414

Other Revenue 105,003

Total Support & Revenue $3,358,391

Expenses

2009 Expenses as %

p = program expenses, s = program support expenses

Emergency Shelter  p 28%

Counseling  p 20%

Education & Awareness  p 20%

Outreach & Advocacy  p 18%

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner  p 5%

Fundraising  s 4%

Alternatives  p 3%

Administrative  s 2%

Program Services (p) in $  =  94%

Emergency Shelter $852,549

Counseling 632,301

Education & Community Awareness 594,903

Outreach & Advocacy 565,195

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner 156,467

Alternatives 124,350

Total Program Expenses $2,925,765

Supporting Services (s) in $  = 6%

Fundraising  $134,403

Administrative 57,718

Total Supporting Services  $192,121

Total Expenses $3,117,886

        _________________

Next is the national budget for Planned Parenthood. I do not have local numbers but believe that local numbers are more or less reflected in the national budget. The actual numbers for the two entities, Vera House and Planned Parenthood are obviously therefore miles apart. But there are programs comparable to Vera House all over the land who receive federal Titles money, for which I am thankful. I show this next budget to illustrate how Planned Parenthood compares to Vera House for reliance upon government funding:

Let me also say, for the record, that I wish sister agencies could look out for each other. What is being done to women by harming Planned Parenthood is violence of a sort. I wish for Vera House and its counterparts to find public ways to advocate for Planned Parenthood.

Ann Marie Buerkle: Madam, It Is Time to Define Common Ground

In the Syracuse Post-Standard article by Paul Riede on November 28, 2010, shortly after she was declared winner of the House race in the 25th Congressional District, Ann Marie Buerkle clearly spelled out her intent to be inclusive during her tenure.

In the very next line, she abruptly made it clear that there were many stances from which she would never vary.

Then, in the next paragraph, she made her pledge to seek common ground.

Central New York’s first woman elected to Congress says she can bring the residents of her sharply divided district together while standing strong on her conservative principles.

In an hour-long interview Wednesday — the day after Democratic incumbent Dan Maffei conceded the race for the 25th Congressional DIstrict — Republican Ann Marie Buerkle pledged that she would run an open, inclusive office that would renew her constituents’ faith in Washington. And she reiterated her firm stances on issues that bitterly divide the district and the country: defunding and repealing health care reform, making all the Bush-era tax cuts permanent, cutting corporate taxes and regulations, questioning the scientific validity of climate change, and eliminating of the federal Department of Education.

“We may not agree on every issue, but constituents should feel that they can come to me and we can talk and we can find common ground,” she said. “And that’s really my biggest task — to work hard so that the people in this district feel they have a voice in Washington.”

Last night at the public meeting at Bellevue middle school on Geddes St. in the city of Syracuse, Buerkle again spoke of finding common ground. This is from the Post-Standard article this morning by Teri Weaver:

“We appear to be very polarized here,” Buerkle said toward the end of the 90-minute question-and-answer period. “We need to find common ground. We are working to do that ... It doesn’t happen overnight. And it doesn’t happen by yelling at each other. It happens by doing this.”

Is finding common ground speaking at a Pro-life rally in Washington and then claiming her vote against Planned Parenthood (in particular and not against any reproductive health provider that counts abortion among its services ) is just part of trimming the budget? That's just plain bad faith.

Is it publicly admitting that the provisions of the Affordable Health Care for America Act that are already in place are working well, while insisting that "Obamacare" has to go? Would common ground be to work, really work hard, to figure out how to fine-tune the Act so that almost every American will truly have health care within 5 years?

Or is it following lock-step with her bosses in Washington? 

Common ground might be admitting that there is no way to balance a budget if all the money that comes in isn't enough, and that reinstitution of a progressive tax that "taxes the rich" is the only fair way to turn the ship around. And really, Ann Marie, admit it: the people who have the level of wealth we are talking about hardly lifted a finger to make their awesome wealth. In fact, the reverse is more true: they've been punishing other people with their greed for a long time.

And admit this too: otherwise the burden is essentially double taxation of the middle class, for whom local and state taxes will necessarily rise. And double taxation and more for the poor, for whom loss of essential services like quality schools, health care, winter heating supplements, and legal services is inevitable.

At home Buerkle says one thing. In Washington she finds she is only in a very minor position to add one vote to the Republican majority in a House that demonizes the Democrats and the President at every opportunity.  Where is the middle ground in that? She cannot have it both ways.

If this pattern is to continue, then Ann Marie Buerkle might just as well admit that professing to want to find common ground is a cruel joke.

Ann Marie Buerkle: Hitting Very Close to Home

Ann Marie Buerkle: If You Want to Cut Government Spending, Work to End War

We live in a perpetual state of war.

The amount of money the US spends on wars past and present is obscene. 

I challenge Ann Marie Buerkle to step up and demand an end to war before she supports another dollar cut from education. 

U.S. Military Spending vs. The World
U.S. military spending – Dept. of Defense plus nuclear weapons (in $billions) – is equal to the military spending of the next 15 countries combined.

These numbers show military expenditures for each country. Some say that U.S. military spending will naturally be higher because it has the highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of any country. The United States accounts for 47 percent of the world’s total military spending, however the U.S.’s share of the world's GDP is about 21 percent. Also note that of the top 15 countries shown, at least 12 are considered allies of the U.S. The U.S. outspends Iran and North Korea by a ratio of 72 to one.

Source: War Resisters League (thank you for all you do to bring sanity to our world)  www.warresisters.org