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Health care bill raises questions in Wabash Valley
By Brian Boyce
The Tribune-Star
August 11, 2009
TERRE HAUTE — After more than 2-1/2 hours of heavy discussion with a five-person panel, dozens of citizens found a 1,017-page health-care proposal one pill too tough to swallow.
“The squeaky wheel gets the grease,” said Lynn Hostetler, 39-year owner of Brazil’s Lynn’s Pharmacy when asked what can be done to stop HR 3200, the health-care bill currently before Congress.
About 60 participants attended an informational meeting concerning the bill at Brazil’s North Meridian Street Church of Christ, hosted by the local Teens for Liberty Generation Joshua Club, a social sciences organization for students ages 11 to 19.
Hostetler joined Jerry Laue, administrator of St. Vincent- Clay Hospital, Dr. Eric Beachy of the Clay City Center for Family Medicine, Dr. Craig Johnson of the Brazil Family Medicine Practice, and Dr. Mike Williams of Williams Chiropractic Clinic. The panel offered personal and professional insights into what all described as a mammoth bill not yet finished.
“There is a tremendous amount of information in this bill,” Beachy said of President Barack Obama’s health-care initiative which has spawned heated debate throughout the country.
As a general overview of what the bill might do depending on further rewordings, Beachy said it will likely consolidate a great deal of power within a federal bureaucracy, a direction in which he said the American public has been drifting for decades. During times of trouble, he said, “people are willing to trade their freedom for perceived security.”
Laue echoed the comments of others with regard to undeveloped elements of the work in progress, but cautioned there lies as much promise for good as bad in it.
The number of uninsured Americans is tough to pin down, he said, but estimates place it as high as 67 million. These individuals and the choices they make impact not only health-care, but the entire economy. And, he said, people without insurance tend to wait longer to seek treatment, thus hiking the cost of their care.
Any move to help those people is one in the right direction, but Laue said he “isn’t too excited” about a European- or Canadian-style system of government control, especially when governments aren’t known for paying physicians and hospitals as well as private insurers.
“One of the problems we have is the primary care physician is getting paid less and less for what they do,” he said. Based on what he’s seen of HR 3200, hospitals could lose billions in revenue if it’s enacted as is. To a degree, that would be offset by universal coverage eliminating patients who receive care and pay nothing, but how that will balance out is still questionable, he said.
Johnson said that very issue nearly drove him out of Brazil at one point. Johnson and a partner operate an independent practice, making them in essence small business owners. With a payor mix including 30-percent Medicaid, 30-percent Medicare and 5- to 10-percent uninsured, getting paid for work done is tough.
Johnson credited rural health initiatives for low-economic areas such as Clay County with helping increase his reimbursements, but still, he said he makes about half what his colleagues in other areas do.
The fact is, he and others said, the government just doesn’t pay well and never will.
“Medicare is going bankrupt,” he blurted to nodding heads. Any government-run payment system is likely to suffer the same problems, and payments will suffer too, he said.
Hostetler said one of the many problems with the current legislation is that it leaves the real players out of the equation.
“Big pharma [international pharmaceutical] and insurance companies drive health-care in this country,” he said, hammering the point throughout the discussion.
According to information provided by Hostetler, pharmaceutical companies have completely different pricing schedules for retail pharmacies, hospital pharmacies, individual customers and the government. During the first three months of 2009, pharmaceutical lobbyists have spent almost $88,000 a piece on each U.S. congressman and senator, he said, explaining later the “donut hole” in Medicare D which forces drug-makes to lower prices to the government, thereby increasing those purchased in the private sector. And the insurance companies are right in there with them, he said.
Williams said if all patients were under a Medicare-style system, many chiropractors might simply go out of business. That aside, the issues of patient choice, access and individual control bother him as well.
One audience member asked if the current legislation contains “protection for conscience,” and those on the panel said it does not.
“Protection for conscience” protects health-care providers in the case a procedure — such as abortion — violates their personal beliefs. Currently, providers may opt against providing that product or service at no risk of fine or termination, the panel explained. Patients are simply free to seek it elsewhere.
The current legislation makes no allowance for this, and speculation was wide amongst all involved on what this could mean. Whether physicians could lose their license for refusing abortions was doubted, but the problem, the panel seemed to agree, was that nothing is spelled out.
Laue noted that the St. Vincent organization and its parent are faith-based, Catholic entities, which will not perform abortions. The size of the chain nationally and its status as one of the largest employers in Indiana makes it a formidable opponent if push comes to shove, he said, especially since those procedures are available elsewhere.
What communities such as those in the Wabash Valley will see, he predicted, is a dilemma of morality versus money, where physicians and hospitals will lose revenue for not performing the procedures, an issue they’ll just have to face.
Topics of discussion ranged from cause to affect as Beachy pointed out the bill in question has far-reaching impact on countless other laws and statutes, further complicating the issue.
Hostetler and others said the process is going too fast and needs to slow down. While health-care finance reform is greatly needed, the legislation in its current state is simply too vague.
Contacting legislators and becoming educated on the topic are the best ways to get involved, they said.
Youth Rallying Behind GOP Ticket
October 31, 2008
The director of an organization that "trains up the next generation of leaders by helping to elect godly men and women" says he's seeing tremendous numbers of youth coming out in support of the Republican presidential ticket.
Generation Joshua, or Gen J, is the political action committee of the Home School Legal Defense Association. The organization's goal is to help train the next generation of conservative leaders by endorsing godly leaders and getting conservative youth involved in the election process. Director Will Estrada says records were broken in 2008 with more than 1,000 students volunteering to work on campaigns nationwide.
"Even looking at it anecdotally, my wife and I were at a Sarah Palin rally the other day in Leesburg, Virginia, and it was amazing to see how many college students, young people, kids who had taken the day off from school and were there with their parents, were at this rally and were very, very engaged and very enthusiastic about the McCain-Palin ticket," he recounts.
Estrada adds that after November 4, the focus of Gen J will shift from the election to educating youth about U.S. history and what it takes to be a good citizen, as well as getting them involved in their communities. "So politically, [we'll talk to them about] writing to their members of Congress, maybe even visiting their members of Congress' district offices in their states where they live and speaking out about issues on which they're passionate," he explains.
With just a few days left until the elections, Estrada encourages youth to get out and vote for the candidate who best upholds their values.
Get out and Vote, Because He Can't
November 4, 2008
LITTLETON - Jordan Salcido wants you to vote, even though he can't.
Salcido, 15, is part of a youth political action group that traveled to Colorado from California to pound the pavement, urging people to vote today.
"I know what's good for this country, and I believe John McCain and his plan are much better than Obama," Salcido said.
And, no, he says, that's not just because his parents are Republican.
Salcido is part of a group called Generation Joshua started at Patrick Henry College. It's a group of 12- to 19-year-olds who meet monthly to discuss political issues across the nation and get involved in the Republican party.
About 1,000 youth are participating in this election.
"They go to pivotal locations for the Republican party, this being one of them," said Don Cary, who made the trip to Colorado with his son, Austin, 16.
About 100 youth from Generation Joshua are in Colorado Springs, Denver and Grand Junction. They arrived Thursday.
Today, they are in Littleton, knocking on doors, encouraging people to support McCain and get out and vote. At two homes, McCain supporters agreed to post signs in their front yards.
Cary said the group is targeting people who didn't vote in the last election or who have toggled between supporting Republicans and supporting Democrats.
They have 250 homes on their list for today. This evening, they'll be calling people instead of showing up at their doors.
"I believe coming to Colorado will help him (McCain) win," Salcido said.
GenJ Clubs to Make Election Impact
September 12, 2006
Since 2005, more than 50 Generation Joshua Clubs have been formed. This year, many of them hope to make an impact in the upcoming 2006 elections.
What would motivate 20 Connecticut teens and parents to make the bus journey to Maryland in November? The chance to make a difference in the 2006 midterm elections.
They are not alone. Many Generation Joshua Clubs, like the GenJ Club of Nathan Hale, are participating in this year’s Student Action Teams.
For the GenJ Club of Nathan Hale, this trip is the culmination of a year’s hard work, which included current events discussions, participation in the GenJ Book Club, partaking in the GenJ Constitutional Convention civics course, local activism, and even a field trip to an FBI building.
GenJ Clubs are the backbone of the Generation Joshua Program because they enable teens to learn about their local community and put their civics education into action. As the 2006 elections approach, GenJ clubs are on course to make the difference.
The Next Generation of the Political Process
January 25, 2007
Last November, the GenJ Club of Weld County actively engaged the political process and made a difference in the midterm elections. This club volunteered during the week of the GenJ Student Action Teams in Colorado, and their efforts contributed to Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave's reelection.
Recently, this club was featured in the December 14, 2006 edition of the Johnstown Breeze in an article titled, "The Next Generation of the Political Process." The article covers the club’s participation on the Student Action Team, and political discussion during a club meeting.
In an interview with Laura Lundberg, president of the GenJ Club of Weld County, the article stated:
Lundberg fell eight days short of being able to vote in November’s election. But the country’s young people shouldn’t wait till they can cast a ballot before getting involved in politics, she believes.
“Even though we can’t vote, we can influence other people’s vote,” she said. “We can promote awareness and get information about the issues out.”
“The laws that are created today are the ones you have to grow up with and live with,” Lundberg said. “It (politics) does affect us. When you’re still in school is a great time to start getting involved.”
The article goes on to interview Tatiana Gearhart, the club’s secretary, saying:
Tatiana Gearhart has been involved in the local group for about a year, and said she is enjoying the experience.
“It’s teaching me more about the political process and the things that are going on,” she said. “Through the group I got the chance to meet people involved in the campaigns for Marilyn Musgrave and Bob Beauprez.
Gearhart’s mother said involvement in the group has had an educational crossover factor for her daughter, who is home schooled like a number of the chapter members.
“We have always taught Tatiana to have a sense of duty and responsibility to her family, but beyond that, to the community as a whole,” Sunshine Gearhart said. “It’s exciting to see your kids get excited about politics. I have even educated myself about the process through our involvement.
“I think it’s wonderful that these kids have this opportunity to meet these candidates and politicians while they’re young. They probably know more about the political process than a lot of adults.”
“This club has done an outstanding job of putting their civics education into practice by actively engaging the political process to make a difference,” said GenJ Clubs Coordinator Robert J. Hogan.
Click here to view the full article.
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February 28, 2006 (by LaSaundra Brown)
Bill Waldrep can't vote yet, and he can't run for political office, but at 14 he's leading one of the most influential groups of young people in the country. They're called Generation Joshua. School aged kids who meet once a month to learn about civics and politics."Unfortunately lots of adults today aren't involved in politics and if we can get kids our age interested and involved and give them the information they need now, then hopefully as adults they'll continue to be involved," Waldrep says.
Generation Joshua started as an online civics education program for home-schooled students. Now, there are 31 clubs like the one in Knox County nationwide. It runs a lot like student government. There's the cabinet with 14 year old Waldrep as President, and Vice-President Joshua McDonald who, at 11, is the youngest Generation Joshua member.
There is also a secretary, treasurer, a media representative, and committees very similar to Congress. So far Knox County has the largest Generation Joshua club in the country. With 50 members, every student gets a hands on approach to politics.
"We actively encourage our students in projects that involve contacting their legislatures about issues that are important to us," Parent Coordinator Staci Proctor says.
President Bill Waldrep says his group is against abortion and same sex marriage. As a faith based organization, Generation Joshua promotes conservative viewpoints. 16 year old Kaity Proctor is taking a stand against separation of church and state.
"We took the church out of the state, but you've still got that thing of our founding fathers were Christians and they put God in the government and the way things have gone now, it's just gone almost," Kaity says.
But, Kaity also says the group doesn't form her opinions for her.
"I'm not an uneducated kid," she says. "I'm not going to base what I believe on mere opinion. I'm going to research it and I'm going to look things up and look at both sides of an issue and make an informed decision based on what I believe and not what my parents tell me."
Kaity wants to be a nurse one day. Although she has no political career ambitions, she says she can still make a difference.
"I think that's one thing about Generation Joshua I guess I'm a prime example of," Kaity says. "Just because you're not interested in politics doesn't mean you can't be involved in politics."
Even club President Bill Waldrep doesn't see the real title president in his future. More than anything, he sees Generation Joshua as a golden opportunity to give young people a voice in politics.
"Hopefully, if they come and they can learn how to be involved in politics and learn that it isn't just boring, and that it's extremely interesting, and it's very easy for you to make a difference even if you can't vote," Waldrep says.
GenJ Clubs: Salt and Light
December 2005
This year, Generation Joshua began launching GenJ Clubs across the country with two main purposes: prayer for our nation and involvement in local civic and political activity.
I Timothy 2:1-2 says, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence." If we desire to see positive change in America, we must first pray for our leaders and our country. God assures us in II Chronicles 7:14, "If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." If we want to see a culture in America in which life is protected, traditional marriage is held sacred, and the right to homeschool is guarded, then we must pray for our nation.
Secondly, and just as importantly, there must be action to go with the prayer—what good is faith without action? John Hancock, signer of the Declaration of Independence, said, "I conjure you, by all that is dear, by all that is honorable, by all that is sacred, not only that ye pray but that ye act."
With dozens of clubs now in existence across the nation, GenJ Clubs are already starting to positively impact their communities. This past April, the marriage amendment in Kansas (which called for the protection of traditional marriage between one man and one woman, and also dealt with civil unions) passed with 70% of the vote. However, in Sedgwick County (essentially Wichita and its suburbs), the vote was not so certain the week before. The GenJ Club in Sedgwick organized nearly 70 volunteers and walked to over 10,000 homes in one week, encouraging people to vote "Yes" for marriage. The amendment passed with 70% of the county's vote.
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| Ned Ryun (in white GenJ T-shirt) visits the Sedgwick County, Kansas, GenJ Club in October 2005. The club has grown from 5 to over 20 members in the last six months. |
Brittany Barden, the Sedgwick club president, said, "The club has offered me an opportunity to learn how to be an active participant in our government, and to get to know others who have the same passion for our country that I do."
Recently that same club, taking its goal of being salt and light in the community even farther, helped a single mother of three paint and organize her house.
In August, the GenJ Club in Merced County, California, organized a demonstration of over 100 people to protest the building of a Planned Parenthood clinic next to Merced High School. Nathan Timmerman, a 15-year-old member of the club, stood before the city council and told the council members: "We have reviewed the local Planned Parenthood controversy and we have concluded that Planned Parenthood is unhealthy and morally detrimental to the community." Although the issue is not resolved, the young members of this GenJ Club are taking a stand and fighting for life.
Imagine hundreds, if not thousands, of GenJ Clubs like these across the country, filled with young people praying for their nation and putting their faith into action: America could not help but be changed for the better. If you are interested in starting a GenJ Club in your community, visit Generation Joshua at www.generationjoshua.org or email generationjoshua@hslda.org.
By David Chircop
August 2, 2005
Close to 100 people, many from local church congregations, converged on City Hall on Monday in a well-orchestrated demonstration against a proposed Planned Parenthood clinic next to Merced High School.
Wearing anti-Planned Parenthood stickers, demonstrators spilled from their seats, down the aisle and into a waiting area outside the council chambers, during Monday's City Council meeting.
The emotionally charged debate focused on services offered by Planned Parenthood, including the distribution of contraceptives to minors and discussions about abortion.
Under California law, minors have the right to birth control and abortions without permission from their parents.
Abortions are not performed in Merced's downtown Planned Parenthood clinic.
Organizers of the demonstration have distributed thousands of fliers about the proposed clinic and several churches have taken up the topic during Sunday services and encouraged their members to attend council meetings.
Nathan Timmerman, a 15-year-old home-schooled Merced student, spoke in opposition to the move before handing over a petition against the clinic with 75 signatures he recently gathered.
Timmerman said he is with Generation Joshua, a Christian youth organization, which seeks to influence local politics, especially on issues concerning families.
"We have reviewed the local Planned Parenthood controversy and we have concluded that Planned Parenthood is unhealthy and morally detrimental to the community," he told council members.
But Planned Parenthood representatives say the organization provides a vital health service to 1,200 to 1,300 uninsured patients every month in Merced.
According to the organization's statistics, it is the largest reporting source for sexually transmitted diseases in the county.
It has also provided HIV education and prevention for the county's public health department since 1999.
"I understand and I respect that the group demonstrating here feels passionately, but we feel equally passionate about the preventative health services, teen pregnancy and disease prevention and an array of other services we provide," said Cathy Parker, services manager at the Merced clinic.
While some abortion opponents have claimed Planned Parenthood wants to open an abortion clinic here, Parker told council members that is not the case.
"It is unfortunate that we have been unfairly characterized by a medical service that we do not provide, rather than the numerous services that we do," she said.
Planned Parenthood does not advocate for or advise against sex, but offers various reproduction-related services for men and women, such as contraception, discussions about abortion and other pregnancy options, annual exams, prenatal care, breast exams and testing and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.
Outgoing Planning Commissioner Carl Pollard asked the council to pass an emergency moratorium on abortion clinics in Merced.
Mayor Hub Walsh asked City Attorney Greg Diaz to look into the matter.
Diaz said a Planned Parenthood clinic is consistent with city planning laws for the area, which is zoned for medical use.
He said Planned Parenthood could theoretically begin performing abortions there without any further permitting requirements from the city.
He said the standard to revoke a permit is high, and that the only way the council could legally pull the plug on the clinic plan would be to prove a violation of the terms and conditions of the permit, or by declaring the building a public nuisance or threat to public health and safety.
Diaz said there is no evidence the clinic would be a threat.
"The use proposed is essentially a medical office use and it is zoned for medical use," he said.
Ned Visits Pennsylvania Club
By Jason Carini
August 2005
Ned Ryun kicked off the first official meeting for the GenJ Club in Harrisburg, PA, this week. Though two hours from GenJ national headquarters, Ned was eager to get up early to meet the dedicated GenJ students at their 9 AM meeting at the home of Charity Moore, who had taken the initiative to begin the club in Harrisburg.
While at the meeting, Ned addressed the students on a number of issues. He began his speech telling the students about the history of the GenJ Clubs. “I was doing research of the founding area and came across letters of Alexander Hamilton,” Ned stated. Those letters expressed Hamilton’s desire to have a national Christian Constitutional Society, with local societies throughout the states. The societies would have as thier purpose the defending of the Christian religion, and the defending of the Consitution. The societies would work on electing Christian men into office to defend the Constitution, while at the same time being meeting places dedicated to the “diffusion of information” and to educate the urban population on important issues. In pursuit of this idea, the GenJ Club seeks to fulfill this responsibility by having clubs established in every state and, eventually, in every Congressional district.
Ned went on to discuss several relevant issues, including stem cell research, the sanctity of marriage, the issue of abortion, and the ability to communicate biblical principles using secular terms. Before he addressed those issues, Ned laid a foundation saying that the next 10 to 15 years is vital for advancing godly principles and policies within America. He encouraged the Club members to read A Christian Manifesto by Francis Schaeffer. In the Manifesto, Schaeffer talks about the importance of being involved in all aspects of life, including government and law.
As Ned addressed Roe v. Wade and the 30 year battle to overturn the Supreme Court decision, he reminded the students of British abolitionist William Wilberforce. Wilberforce, known as the “Silvery Tongue of Parliament,” was elected to Parliament at the early age of 21 years. Early in his career, he felt convicted by God to do all in his power to end slavery in the British Empire. The first year that he submitted a bill to outlaw slavery, it was quickly killed, as was the second year and the third year. However, Wilberforce never gave up. It took him 18 years, 1789 to 1807, until slavery was finally prohibited. And it took a total of 42 years of Wilberforce’s life before complete emancipation was finalized. We can look at Wilberforce’s perseverance and determination as an example for all of us to follow, especially with the fight to end abortion.
Lastly, Ned addressed the need to communicate biblical principals in secular terms. He retold a story of an evangelical speaker in a debate over same-sex marriages. When asked why homosexuality is bad, the evangelical speaker responded, “Because the Bible says so.” Needless to say, the speaker immediately lost the debate by alienating the audience. Ned said, “Instead of saying ‘The Bible says so,’ the speaker should have stated how examples of homosexual marriages in other countries has shown that it detrimental to the family. The family is the nucleus of society, and when you destroy that, you destroy the foundation of society. It has been shown that the best environment for children to grow up in is a husband-wife/father-mother relationship.”
After answering questions from the parents and students, Ned ended by encouraging the students to stay strong and continue the good fight. “Just remember to persevere…whatever you do, do it well. Seek first the kingdowm of God and His righteousness; sometimes Jesus will ask us to get out of our comfort zone and walk to Him in faith, but don't be afraid to take risks. Nothing great was ever accomplished without taking risks."
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