Questions Submitted To DPCC Chair Candidates By DCDC

On July 22, 2009 the Democratic Party of Collin County (DPCC) Executive Committee,that includes all county precinct chairs, will elect a new chairperson in a special election.

To aid the DPCC Precinct Chairs in selecting the best qualified candidate for the county chair position, the Democratic Campaign Development Coalition (DCDC) has invited the candidates to answer questions at the group's July 14th general meeting, said DCDC spokesperson Linda Magid.

DPCC chair candidates Shawn Stevens, Victor Manuel and Marlene Byndon have agreed to participate in this candidate's forum.

All DPCC Precinct Chairs have been invited to attend this meeting. Rank and file Democrats in the county are welcome to attend this meeting, as available seating allows, however, DPCC Precinct Chairs will be given first preference for the available seats.

Because this special election cycle is so short and because time during the DCDC candidate's forum on July 14th is limited, DCDC has submitted fourteen key questions to the candidates. These fourteen questions ask the candidates to reflect on several different aspects of the local party's organization and potential to help elect Democrats for Collin County, statewide and national offices.

The candidates will be asked only a few of the fourteen questions during the candidate's forum discussion on July 14, according to the DCDC spokesperson. The questions will be selected and asked by forum moderator, David Smith. Mr. Smith, is a precinct chair in the county and a long time activist with the DPCC. During each question round the forum moderator will ask each candidate to answer a selected question. The candidates will be allowed by the moderator to specifically answer the question asked, or respond to another candidate's answer given in that round.

The DCDC has asked the candidates to return written answers to the fourteen questions by July 14. According to the DCDC spokesperson, the candidates' full written answers will be made available to the DPCC precinct chairs following the discussion forum.

Questions submitted to the candidates by DCDC are as follows:

Leadership

1. Define your leadership style and explain how it fits into your vision of leading the party.
   


2. Tell us how you would structure the party under your leadership and how you will recruit, train, work with and retain your executive committee of precinct chairs and committee chairs. What principles will guide you in recruiting and selecting volunteers, in particular for officers and committee chair positions?


3. Party members would like the party to be more inclusive and open. What, if any, changes would you make to recent county party leadership practices?


4. There are several active Democratic groups, such as the Democratic Campaign Development Coalition, Obama Collin County, Texas Democratic Women of Collin County, Stonewall Democrats, etc. Describe the kind of coalition--building relationships you will form between the Party and these organizations.

Strategic Plan

5. We have highlighted for you the draft strategic plan for the Democratic Party of Collin County and we know that you have participated in drafting it. In your vision for the party, do you agree with the goals set forth? Is there anything you would change? How would you implement it?
   

Winning Elections

6. What are your plans in the next several months for 2010 candidate recruitment and development?
   


7. What are your plans to help state-wide and local Democratic candidates get elected? Will your plans include reinstating the party’s Coordinated Campaign Committee?
   


8. We are aware the demographics of the County are changing as we grow; and we are aware there is an untapped and diverse citizenry who historically vote as Democrats, as seen in the recent election. What are your plans for outreach to these voters?
   

Fundraising

9. We recognize the need to raise funds for running the party, for the Primary, the county convention, helping get Democrats elected, developing IT infrastructure and paying for staff. What is your plan to ensure adequate funding for the party?
   

Party Operations

10. The coming Democratic Primary and County Convention are solely the responsibility of the party. What is your plan for administering them?
    


11. What will you do to ensure coordination and smooth operations between the Party and the County Elections Office regarding all election activities?
    


12. How will you use all of the technologies available today to meet our goals? What will be your approach towards making any improvements?
    

Other

13. We understand there is a Texas Democratic Party County Chair Association. Do you plan to take time to travel to Austin to participate in this association’s events, learn about best practices, and make an effort to implement improvements in our County?
    


14. If you don’t win this election, how do you anticipate working with the new county chair? If you do win the election, how are you going to bring the other two candidates and their supporters into the fold?
    

Sex Ed In Collin County Schools - Part 1

Editor's Note: This is the first of a five part series of articles about sexuality health education curricula found in Collin County school districts, researched and written by Linda Magid.

In February 2009, Texas Freedom Network announced that the Texas school system is failing to protect our students.

Based on a year-long study on sexuality health education in Texas schools titled “Just Say Don’t kNOw”, the Texas Freedom Network Education Fund (the research arm of TFN) has established that, statewide, curricula are based almost exclusively on abstinence-only textbooks and programs. These tools for teaching teens are misinforming (and sometimes blatantly lying to) students on how they can protect themselves from the risks of sexual activity if they choose to be sexually active.

The alternative program, abstinence-plus, which prepares teens for adult life decisions by presenting pre-marital abstinence as the best choice while providing accurate information on planned parenting options, is rarely taught in Texas schools.

In a nutshell, Texas teens leave high school and enter adult life unprepared for pregnancy prevention, defense against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and general sexual health issues beyond abstinence.

While TFN has claimed for years that this kind of insufficient and potentially damaging education is going on, their report is the first to tally information directly from the school districts. 990 out of 1,031 school districts participated in the survey, a total of 96%. Of those 990, 94% use abstinence-only materials, 3.6% us abstinence-plus materials, and 2.3% skip sex education all together.

As a result of their research, Authors Dr. David Wiley and Dr. Kelly Wilson definitively declare, “Abstinence-only programs have a stranglehold on sexuality education in Texas public schools.”

None of the ISDs who use abstinence-plus materials are in Collin County. What do our schools use, then? And what can the report tell us about what our students learn in school regarding sexual health education?

Over the course of several segments, this blog will present what “Just Say Don’t kNOw” uncovers about the sexuality health education in Allen, McKinney, Plano and Frisco ISDs. We will also discover how effective our School Health Advisory Councils (SHACs) are in guiding the local School Boards on this topic. Lastly, we will offer suggestions on how to change the current trend of fear and misinformation in our health classrooms.

First, let’s look at how Texas fares in comparison to the rest of the country. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, “young Texans overall rate well above national averages on virtually every published statistic involving sexual risk-taking behavior” (Just Say Don’t kNOw, pg. 1). Behavior such as:

• Having sexual intercourse (52.9% of Texan Teens vs. 47.8% national average);
• Having intercourse with four or more people (17.1% vs. 14.9%); and
• Not using a condom the last time they had intercourse (43.6% vs. 38.5%).

What is the result of so many Texas children engaging in sexually risky behavior? In 2006, Texas had the third highest teen birth rate in the country, an increase from 2005. In addition, Texas taxpayers spend an estimated $1 billion annually for the cost of teen childrearing. In 2008, Chlamydia cases among Collin County teens were up a staggering 27%. (Texas Department of State Health Services)

Second, let’s talk about the difference between abstinence-only sexuality health education and abstinence-plus. According to the TFN report,

“Abstinence-only sexuality education programs present abstinence as the only choice of acceptable behavior for unmarried youth.” (pg.7)

Currently, abstinence-only programs avoid discussing condoms and other contraception or they offer false and misleading information on contraceptives’ ability to offer risk protection (most specifically, condoms).

Abstinence-only proponents claim that telling teens how to have safe sex is akin to telling them to go and have sex. Texas teen birth statistics show clearly that teens are having sex regardless of what teachers tell them. The 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey reported that over 50% of Texas high school students reported having engaged in sexual intercourse at least once. (Just Say Don’t kNOw, pg. 8)

Across the country, abstinence-only programs are failing. According to the latest CDC report published March 18, 2009, “the birth rate for U.S. teenagers 15-19 years rose again in 2007 by about 1 percent, to 42.5 births per 1,000.” President Bush only offered Federal Title V compensation to schools teaching abstinence-only programs. Many schools across the country, already cash-strapped, took the bait to offset expenses. (Texas receives the most federal abstinence dollars - $18 million in 2007 alone.) We can now see the results.

On the other hand, abstinence-plus programs offer abstinence as the best choice to protect oneself but deals with the reality that not all students are going to make that choice. Programs in this category urge abstinence from pre-marital sex while teaching teens the facts of life to prepare them for adult life decisions. For example, abstinence-plus programs teach students who choose to be sexually active how to protect themselves from STDs by giving them medically accurate information based on studies done by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

If, then, Collin County’s largest ISDs follow a strict abstinence-only sexuality health program, what are students learning? According to the research done by TFN, Texas students are victims of the abstinence-only “conspiracy of silence.” In the series that follows, you will see that Collin County is as silent as the rest of Texas on the topic of sexual health.

While our series will focus on ISDs in Allen, McKinney, Plano and Frisco, Collin County contains many other smaller school districts. School districts that reside exclusively in Collin County includes:

• Allen ISD
• Anna ISD
• Blue ridge ISD
• Celina ISD
• Community ISD
• Farmersville ISD
• Frisco ISD
• Lovejoy ISD
• Mckinney ISD
• Melissa ISD
• Plano ISD
• Princeton ISD
• Prosper ISD
• Wylie ISD

School districts that are shared between Collin County and other counties include portions of:

• Bland ISD
• Gunter ISD
• Leonard ISD
• Royse city ISD
• Trenton ISD
• Van alstyne ISD
• Whitewright ISD

What do the schools in your school district teach?

-------------------------------

Related Postings:

• Obama's 2010 Budget Eliminates Federal Funding For Abstinence-Only Sex Ed
• Help Teens Get Accurate Health Information
• Planned Parenthood of North Texas: Lobbying for Women's and Teens' Reproductive Health

Additional Reading:

• Teen Birth Rate Rises in U.S., Reversing a 14-Year Decline
• Premarital Abstinence Pledges Ineffective, Study Finds
• Many Teens Don't Keep Virginity Pledges

The Texas Democratic Women of Collin Co. Will Host Guest Speaker Kathy Miller, Pres. Texas Freedom Network Education Fund, At The Group's Meeting On Monday, July 27, 2009. Ms. Miller will talk about the Education Fund's year-long study on sexuality health education in Texas public schools. See the "Calendar Box" in the left sidebar of this blog for more details.

Letter To The Editor From Victor Manuel

On July 22, 2009 the Democratic Party of Collin County Executive Committee will elect a new chairperson. In light of the July 22nd special election, as a public service, this blog has extended an offer to each of the of Collin County Democratic Party Chair Candidates to submit a letter to the editor. The following letter is from Party Chair Candidate Victor Manuel:

Letter To The Editor By Victor Manuel Riding the Youth Wave to victory When people ask me about how creating more social groups outside the DPCC can help the Party, I think of the Collin College Young Democrats. The energy, passion, and dedication of youth are powerful to behold. Groups such as the UT Dems and the Dallas County Young Democrats keep trying to gain strength in Collin County. Yet for all our efforts, youth involvement in the Collin County is waning. The best way to engage people under 30 is not only to enliven the Democratic Party of Collin County, but to also coordinate and support other organizations within the county. In July of last year, several students fired up about the election started the Collin College Young Democrats. I attended their first meeting, and saw students curious about how to get involved. But without support and communication from the Party, their own leadership could not help them make a difference in the election. I also visited the UT Dems, a group of students attending University of Texas at Dallas. They were also fired up and very passionate about the race. But without direction on how to help campaigns and get involved with the DPCC or other groups, they were content to show films and eat pizza. They were, after all, college students. How important was the youth vote in 2008? Election results across the country confirmed that the youngest members of the electorate voted in unprecedented numbers last November. Not only that, but their vote leaned hard to the Democrats. Young voters preferred Obama over McCain by 68 percent to 30 percent – the highest share of the youth vote since records started in 1976, according to CIRCLE. In order for us to succeed in Collin County in 2010, it will be vital for us to retain their support. In the end, the DPCC should not only be a coordinator for other Democratic social groups throughout the county, we should consider them vital to our survival. Without the Collin College Young Democrats and the UT Dems, we will not have a window into college activity. Without an active Men’s Club and Women’s Club in the area, we will not have a place where issues more relevant to men than women (or vice versa) can be actively discussed. Groups such as the Stonewall Democrats, the Allen Democrats, and Obama For America offer a narrower scope, but are no less vital for our survival. We need these groups and more, because in order to be the Big Tent Party, you first have to have a big tent. Ever Onward, Victor Manuel.

Mr. Manuel grew up in Garland, Texas and has lived in McKinney for six years. A former U.S. Marine, Mr. Manuel ran as the Democratic candidate for Collin County Commissioner, Precinct 3, against Republican Joe Jaynes in 2008. Since losing his 2008 election bid, Mr. Manuel has conducted candidate training classes for other Democrats interested in running for office in 2010.

This blog is not affiliated with the Democratic Party of Collin County or any of the candidates standing for election to the Democratic Party of Collin County Chair. Letters to the editor of this blog have only been edited for format suitable to this blog.

Letter To The Editor From Marlene Byndon

On July 22, 2009 the Democratic Party of Collin County Executive Committee will elect a new chairperson. In light of the July 22nd special election, as a public service, this blog has extended an offer to each of the of Collin County Democratic Party Chair Candidates to submit a letter to the editor. The following letter is from Party Chair Candidate Marlene Byndon:

Letter To The Editor By Marlene Byndon In March, 2009, I was elected to the role of Assistant County Chair and I quickly learned that there were many goals to accomplish, an enormous amount of grassroots organizing to do and relationships to build. You have embraced me, supported me and worked tirelessly when asked to do so. As a result, we have had some successes: We are solvent (in the black) Held several successful fundraisers Facilitated the North Texas Coalition of Democrats meeting Along with these accomplishments, I have been a first-hand witness to the challenges of the Party: and my experience prepares me to lead us in changing those challenges into triumphs. Some of my professional achievements: Leadership Development Specialist and trainer Certification in Conflict Resolution Union Steward Mediation of first step grievances for Fortune 500 Company Led teams to meet/exceed established goals Our President often speaks of this being our moment and our time. I agree that this is our defining moment, to elect Democrats locally, statewide and at the Federal level. This is our time to build a unified Party working towards a common purpose. This is our moment and our time, to create a positive perception of the Democratic Party of Collin County. The tasks before us are not easy but, I am committed to stand shoulder to shoulder with you, guide you, and reach out for your input... My leadership can bring about the positive and effective change needed to accomplish these goals and together, we can leave a compelling legacy for those who come behind us. I ask for the opportunity to serve as County Chair, of Collin County. We have lots of work to do. Let’s roll up our sleeves. We can make this happen! Marlene Byndon

Ms. Byndon was born in Kansas, raised in Oklahoma and move to Texas in 2006. Ms. Byndon became involved in Collin County politics in support of Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. Ms. Byndon was appointed to the Vice Chair (Asst. County Chair) position by County Chairman Dan Dodd and confirmed by the Executive Committee in late February 2009.

This blog is not affiliated with the Democratic Party of Collin County or any of the candidates standing for election to the Democratic Party of Collin County Chair. Letters to the editor of this blog have only been edited for format suitable to this blog.

Letter To The Editor From Shawn Stevens

On July 22, 2009 the Democratic Party of Collin County Executive Committee will elect a new chairperson. In light of the July 22nd special election, as a public service, this blog has extended an offer to each of the of Collin County Democratic Party Chair Candidates to submit a letter to the editor of this blog. The following letter is from Party Chair Candidate Shawn Stevens:

Letter To The Editor by Shawn Stevens As someone who has been active in the Democratic Party for over two decades, I am offering myself as a candidate to be County Chair of the Democratic Party of Collin County, to bring our party together and move forward. Together we can, as Collin County Democrats, become more of a force in local, state, and national politics, and together we can encourage strong Democratic candidates to run in Collin County. Though we have already improved a great deal as a local party (and we owe a debt of gratitude to those that have helped us get to this level), one of the most important ways we can accomplish those goals is by having an even more highly functioning County Party that serves even more than it has been in an assistance and force multiplier role to the candidates at all levels. Together we can hit that mark by having a County Party that brings people together and utilizes the broad range of skills and expertise that the precinct chairs and the volunteer activists are willing to contribute, finding a meaningful role for each person that wants to help pull the wagon. We are composed of volunteers and we are only as strong as our volunteers, and we need to make sure that when a volunteer chooses to spend their time helping us, that his or her time is well utilized for meaningful tasks. We have some very active and committed Democratic Clubs such as the Texas Democratic Women of Collin County, Obama Collin County, the Stonewall Democrats of Collin County, the Democratic Campaign Development Committee, the Democratic Mens Club, the new Collin County chapter of the Texas Coalition of Black Democrats, and other groups, and together we need to do everything we can to encourage, appreciate, and help facilitate their efforts. Additionally, together we need to reach out more to our Latino/Latina and Asian citizens in Collin County, as they will also be an important part of our growth as a party. Another critical component to our success will be to better utilize technology to organize and publicize our activities, and we absolutely must build from a foundation of accurate, well-managed voter and activist data that can be used to support our candidates. Among other things, just as Obama's campaign has shown can be done, we can ramp up how we make use of social networking technologies to generate interest and enthusiasm for our local efforts, and as the Texas Democratic Women of Collin County has done, we can implement professionally developed public relations strategies freely available for our use to help in a broader strategy to raise our public profile. One of the biggest tasks for a County Chair to accomplish with a team focus is raising the money necessary to have the technology and gain the maximum exposure possible through various means, including paid political advertising, for the party to have the functionality and visibility it needs to provide as much support as possible to the candidates. If I am selected, I intend to make our financial strength one of the major areas of focus of my administration. If I am chosen to be County Chair, I also intend to strongly encourage our local Party to work together as much as possible with President Obama's Organizing for America grassroots efforts, the Democratic National Committee, and the Texas Democratic Party. I have had conversations about Collin County recently with DNC Chair Tim Kaine and TDP Chair Boyd Richie, and they both understand the importance of Collin County, a suburban county with nearly 800,000 people. We are the 6th most populous county out of 254 in Texas, with about as many residents as the State of South Dakota, and more residents than Washington D.C., or the states of Alaska, Vermont, North Dakota or Wyoming. Gov. Kaine sees Texas as a state with the potential to go Democratic as Virginia has recently, and he said it was by making gains in the suburban counties like Collin that they were able to turn Virgina blue. One of the things I talked with Gov. Kaine about was for the President to record a short video vignette we can show at our local events, and promote via You Tube, etc., to encourage local activists to help organize and promote their local parties and local candidates, in the interest of helping the President effect the change we need after years of Republican mismanagement. Democrats have been making great progress in Collin County, and together we can do even better by welcoming all Democrats that want to help the effort. Comparing 2008 to 2004, there were 20,000 more straight ticket Democratic voters in 2008, while the Republicans’ straight ticket votes were virtually unchanged. Also, the raw Democratic vote in Collin County went up by 40,000 votes, while the raw Republican vote went up by only 10,000, a 30,000 net gain for the Democrats, reducing the vote gap between the Democratic and Republican vote by around 17.5 points Another fact is that the 2008 Democratic Collin County Convention was attended by about 4,000 people and is the most well attended event in the history of the Frisco Conference Center, the largest publicly available indoor venue in Collin County. Before that, 20,000 people took the time to show up at Democratic precinct conventions in neighborhoods across the county! The number I have been hearing that we need to reach in Collin County to help Democrats win statewide is 43%. We are now at about 37% in Collin County, and we’ve been ratcheting up the Democratic vote about 4 -8 points a cycle. (And if Collin County Dems notch up only slightly, there will be Democrats on the 5th District Court of Appeals, an important appeals court just below the Texas Supreme Court). Working together, we will start winning some local races soon. Our best shot will probably be in some County races, such as Justice of the Peace races, and seats on the County Commissioner's Court, like the seat for which Jean Power ran. She ran a great race in a short period of time, and I hope we can get her to run again next time with a normal campaign time frame. We will have more opportunities in 2012, possibly including a local legislative seat that may be available and competitive when Collin County gains at least one additional State Representative slot due to redistricting. Of course, we want to do everything we can to help turn Texas blue, both in the statewide elections in 2010 for races like Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General, and in the next Presidential election in 2012. If there is a special election for Kay Bailey Hutchison's U.S. Senate seat in the near future, I will encourage Collin County Democrats to be fully engaged, as Collin County voters could be the deciding factor in a race with numerous candidates, putting a greater spotlight on Collin County Democrats, and increasing our momentum. The Republican era of domination of Collin County is beginning to come to a close. There are huge numbers of Democrats in Collin County, and we have a real opportunity to re-engage our local Democrats to effect change, especially including the 20,000 citizens that made the effort to come out to precinct conventions last March. I have been active in Democratic politics for over 20 years, but the turnout that night was one of the most encouraging things I have ever seen in politics besides the coming together of our national party last year and the election of Barack Obama as President, because it made it clear once and for all that everyone had more Democrats in their neighborhoods in Collin County than folks had realized before. I can not think of any other event in the history of Collin County where there were more citizens participating together all at one time, and in the process meeting and talking to their neighbors, and what happened was a Democratic event! Together we can be a significant force in Collin County, the broader DFW region, and the entire state of Texas, ultimately having an impact on national politics! I would be honored to have the opportunity to lead our efforts, and I ask for your support. Together we can! Shawn Stevens

Mr. Stevens, a fifth generation Texan and attorney at law, has been active in the Democratic Party for approximately two decades.

Mr. Stevens was the senior legislative assistant for State Representative Glen Maxey over two regular Texas legislative sessions and numerous special sessions during the early 1990's. During the fall of 2008 he was appointed by the Obama campaign to organize and provide support to election pollwatchers working in Collin County for the Obama and Rick Noriega campaigns.

Mr. Stevens served as Vice-Chair (Asst. County Chair) of the Democratic Party of Collin County for five years, from 2003 until mid-November 2008 and was also the county party's General Counsel. Mr. Stevens currently serves as Precinct Chair for precinct 115.

This blog is not affiliated with the Democratic Party of Collin County or any of the candidates standing for election to the Democratic Party of Collin County Chair. Letters to the editor of this blog have only been edited for format suitable to this blog.

In Case You Missed President Obama's July 4th Messages

President Obama's July 4th Video Message

This weekend, our family will join millions of others in celebrating America. We will enjoy the glow of fireworks, the taste of barbecue, and the company of good friends. As we all celebrate this weekend, let's also remember the remarkable story that led to this day.

Two hundred and thirty-three years ago, our nation was born when a courageous group of patriots pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to the proposition that all of us were created equal.

Our country began as a unique experiment in liberty -- a bold, evolving quest to achieve a more perfect union. And in every generation, another courageous group of patriots has taken us one step closer to fully realizing the dream our founders enshrined on that great day.

Today, all Americans have a hard-fought birthright to a freedom which enables each of us, no matter our views or background, to help set our nation's course. America's greatness has always depended on her citizens embracing that freedom -- and fulfilling the duty that comes with it.

As free people, we must each take the challenges and opportunities that face this nation as our own. As long as some Americans still must struggle, none of us can be fully content. And as America comes ever closer to achieving the perfect Union our founders dreamed, that triumph -- that pride -- belongs to all of us.

So today is a day to reflect on our independence, and the sacrifice of our troops standing in harm's way to preserve and protect it. It is a day to celebrate all that America is. And today is a time to aspire toward all we can still become.

With very best wishes,
President Barack Obama
July 4th, 2009

Original post at Organizing For America

Plano 4th of July Parade

The City of Plano has an active holiday weekend coming up headlined by the annual 4th of July parade hosted by the Plano Early Lions Club. The parade starts SATURDAY at 9 a.m. and runs north on Independence Parkway from Plano Senior High School to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church. View the route here.

The Texas Democratic Women of Collin County and the Democratic Party of Collin County will be two of the groups in the parade.

The TDWCC plans to have a decorated convertible, walkers carrying the TDWCC banner and a live donkey!!

The DPCC will also have several decorated vehicles and more county Democrats walking in the parade.

If you want to join in the parade and walk with the TDWCC and DPCC groups, you can look for the Democratic entourage at the parade line up in the parking lot behind the Plano Senior High School by 8:30 a.m. on Saturday - ask if they have room for you to join in.

Wear red, white, and blue! and remember to take your hat and a bottle of water or two!!!

Many "Satisfied" With Their Health Ins. Coverage, Until They Really Need It

Health insurance is supposed to offer protection — both medically and financially. But as it turns out, an estimated three-quarters of people who are pushed into personal bankruptcy by medical problems actually had insurance when they got sick or were injured.

Many of those who have health insurance really aren’t “insured” from the financial burdens of rising health care costs. A national study released this year found that while medical debt contributed to 62 percent of the bankruptcies in 2007, 78 percent of those bankruptcy filers had health insurance but “still were overwhelmed by their medical debt.”

“Under-insurance is the great hidden risk of the American health care system,” says Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard law professor who has analyzed medical bankruptcies. “People do not realize they are one diagnosis away from financial collapse.”

UnitedHealth, for example, has been selling policies with sharply limited coverage through AARP, the advocacy group for older people. One of the plans capped reimbursement for an operation at $5,000, for example, although many procedures cost at least several times that amount.

Last week, a former Cigna executive warned at a Senate hearing on health insurance that lawmakers should be careful about the role they gave private insurers in any new system, saying the companies were too prone to “confuse their customers” [making them think they have coverage that the actually do not have] and dropping their customers when they file high dollar claims for expensive medical treatments that should be covered.

“The number of uninsured people has increased as more have fallen victim to deceptive marketing practices and bought what essentially is fake insurance,” Wendell Potter, the former Cigna executive, testified. Potter also said, companies routinely drop seriously ill policyholders so they can meet "Wall Street's relentless profit expectations." "They look carefully to see if a sick policyholder may have omitted a minor illness, a pre-existing condition, when applying for coverage, and then they use that as justification to cancel the policy, even if the enrollee has never missed a premium payment and the application omission is unrelated to the illness currently afflicting the policy holder," Potter said.

Most Americans who have private health insurance say they are fairly happy with the cost and quality of their own insurance according to a recent poll. In terms of quality, 77 percent say they are satisfied with their own insurance coverage even though one in five report they or someone in their household have had to go without a test, treatment or procedure that their doctor recommended because their health insurance plan wouldn’t cover it.

Most who say they are satisfied with their coverage have not experienced a serious illness that requires high dollar medical treatments. For those who are afflicted with a serious high dollar illness, many tell a common heartbreaking story that their private insurance company abandons them just when they need their live saving insurance coverage the most.

Republicans continue to say that "free market competition" among private health insurance companies can do a better job of providing health coverage for Americans than any variation of government sponsored program. The problem with that argument is that the private health insurance industry is no long competitive. The private health insurance sector today looks more like an anti-competitive monopoly. According to the recently released HCAN report, “Premiums Soaring in Consolidated Health Insurance Market“:

In the past 13 years, after more than 400 corporate mergers among health insurers, a small number of health insurance companies now dominate local markets. According to the American Medical Association, 94 percent of insurance markets in the United States are now highly concentrated, and insurers are thriving in the anti-competitive marketplace, raking in enormous profits and paying out huge CEO salaries.

These mergers and consolidations have created a marketplace where a very small number of larger companies use their monopolistic power to raise premiums—an average of 87 percent over the past six years—restrict and reduce benefit packages and control and cut provider payments.

More:

• NYT: Insured, but Bankrupted by Health Crises
• Poll: Most Back Public Health Care Option
• Gingrich On Private Health Insurance Companies: ‘They Have It Done Well’
• President Barack Obama Pleads For Action On Health Care

Powerful Health Care Stories From Around Collin Co.

A few weeks ago, President Obama asked Americans to share their personal health care crisis stories with America. Hundreds of thousands of stories were posted on the Organizing for America website from every corner of the country, including Collin Co.

I encourage all to read some of these stories from your friends and neighbors living in cities around Collin County:

• Plano, Tx
• Frisco, Tx
• Allen, Tx
• McKinney, Tx 1
• McKinney, Tx 2
• Celina, Tx
• Wylie, Tx

Please remember to support the free clinics doing so much good in Collin County. (Read Health Care Crisis In Collin County) Here are some of our free clinics that would be happy to accept your kind support:

Plano Children’s Medical Clinic	1407 14th St. Plano, TX 75074	(972) 801-9689
Geriatric Wellness Center of Collin Co.	401 W. 16th St. Suite 600 Plano, TX 75075	(972) 941-7335
Children & Community Health Center	120 So. Central Expwy Suite 102 McKinney, TX 75070	(972) 547-0606
Adult Clinic	2520 Ave. K Suite 100 Plano, TX 75074,	(972) 423-4941
Frisco Cares Children’s Clinic	6811 Oak St. Frisco, TX 75035	(469) 556-8452
Assistance Center of Collin Co.	900 E. 18th St. Plano, TX 75074	(972) 422-1850
Community Dental Care of Plano	900 E. Park Blvd., Suite 180 Plano, TX 75074	(972) 633-3383

Republicans SayTheir Own Mistakes Prove Government Can't Work.

WSJ Online Opinion By THOMAS FRANK: The myth [that government doesn't work and will only screw up what ever it touches] has been getting a lot of play from conservatives in recent weeks as the debate over health care has heated up.

The message, as always, is that government can't do anything right. [Pres. Ronald Reagan, "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help."]

Where the conservative mythologists show their hand is when they use their own monumental screw-ups, committed during conservatism's long years in charge of the government, to prove that government in general is a futile proceeding, and that Democratic health-care plans, in particular, can't possibly succeed.

We heard this bizarre reasoning during last year's campaign season. "Unless you're pleased with the way the federal government has been running anything lately," Gov. Sarah Palin declared last October, when the federal government had been answering to her fellow Republican for nearly eight years, "I don't think that it's going to be real pleasing for Americans to consider health care being taken over by the feds."

Among former President George W. Bush's gravest and most characteristic blunders, of course, was his administration's response to Hurricane Katrina, when the nation learned the true price of government by crony and contractor. But for conservatives, that is too nuanced a view. For conservatives, the real lesson to learn from [Pres. Bush's blundered handling of] Katrina, as we debate health care, is simply that government can never work.

I've always thought that P.J. O'Rourke was only half joking when he wrote, years ago, that "Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work, and then they get elected and prove it." ...government fails constantly when conservatives run it because making it work would be, for many of those conservatives, to traduce the very laws of nature.

A government that works, some conservatives fear, is dangerous stuff - a possible myth-ending doomsday scenario for conservatism itself. [Give Americans a universal healthcare insurance option that is cheaper, gives better coverage, can't be canceled as soon as the insured is struck with a high dollar catastrophic illness and that works better that private insurance, and the conservative myth about government goes the way of "The Emperor's New Clothes."]

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