In the Face of Economic Woes Stimulus Saves Education Jobs

A report issued by the White House and the Education Department states that the stimulus package has created or saved 250,000 education jobs. The Washington Post reports that without the $67 billion in federal aid provided through Sept. 30 under the economic stimulus law, state and local budgets for public schools and higher education would be hurting badly. In Virginia, stimulus aid accounted for 2 percent of regular K-12 funding and saved 72 education jobs in Richmond alone.

Even with these jobs being saved and created, many states are still facing major budget shortfalls. All over the country states are predicting major budget shortfalls for 2011. For more on this story click here.

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Need Emergency Care? Not So Fast

Would you ever think that surviving a major trauma would depend more on where it happened than what actually happened to you? Well that seems to be exactly the case according to the American College of Surgeons 2009 Clinical Congress. A report from the congress as reported by news-medical.net, shows the lack of surgeons working emergency trauma and lack of availability of trauma centers especially in rural areas, is a main reason why trauma is the leading cause of death for people under the age of 45 in the United States. A survey taken this year of trauma surgeons in each state, found that nearly 40% of the population may not be covered by a statewide trauma system.


A. Brent Eastman, M.D, FACS, vice-chair of the ACS Board of Regents and Chief Medical Officer, stressed the importance of trauma center availability to survival. "Coordinated, regionalized and accountable trauma systems are proven to get the right patients to the right hospital at the right time," said Dr. Eastman. "For victims of major trauma, access to timely, optimal care during the first 'golden' hour has been proven to save lives, restore function and prevent disability." More on this story here.

Small Businesses and Small Towns in Line for Big Gains

The Washington Post reports today that billions of dollars of bailout funds may soon be available to help small businesses. One plan from Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va) suggests pooling money from several areas, including the Federal Reserve, to allocate $50 billion to be used to lend to small businesses. Another plan set forth by the Treasury Department is much smaller calling for $10 billion of bailout funds and not involving the Federal Reserve.

"Both proposals attempt to speed aid to small businesses, which government officials say are essential to economic recovery because they employ so many workers," states the report. The idea is to give money to small community banks who would then loan the money to there community businesses. If successful it would be a big step toward saving jobs in small communities. More on this story can be found here.

Wondering about What Health Care Rationing Really Is?

We dare you to read Dana Milbank's 8/6/2009 column for the Washington Post:

"In a Plea for Health Reform, a Widow Picks Up Her Paintbrushes."

The story begins, "Regina Holiday will always remember the day the Senate took up health-care reform seven weeks ago. It was the day her husband died." Read more here.

This is the U.S. health care system as it works today.

H.R. 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009

We draw your attention to this blog's newest addition. See immediately to your right for "Check the Facts on Health Care Reform." The House Energy and Commerce Committee has done district by district analysis on the impact of the bill -- H.R. 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 -- passed this week by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Just scroll down to your state and then click the name of your Member of Congress or your district number, and read the facts -- all about what changes in our health care system will mean to you.

There is help for small business, help for seniors who struggle to pay for drugs in Medicare's Part D "doughnut hole", assistance for hospitals and coverage for the uninsured. Best of all, you can see how many taxpayers in your Congressional District would be taxed. For example, in western Iowa -- Congressional District 5 now represented by Steve King -- 99.5% of taxpayers would pay no additional tax for this bill.