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Syndicated columnist Mark Shields writes: Based only on a strong hunch, I'm willing to bet that if Al Gore could change one decision in his public life, it would be that, as the 2000 Democratic presidential nominee, he would have asked then-U.S. Sen. Bob Graham of Florida – not Joe Lieberman of Connecticut – to be his vice presidential running-mate.Think about it: Gore lost the White House because, by the "official" count, he lost Florida by 537 votes out of nearly 6 million cast. Graham, who never lost a Florida election and was twice elected the state's governor and three times U.S. senator (and who had the sense and strength in 2002 to oppose the U.S. going to war against Iraq), would undoubtedly have guaranteed Gore's winning the Sunshine State's 25 electoral votes and the White House. A Gore-Graham 2000 ticket would have meant, simply, that there would never have been either a President George W. Bush or a Vice President Dick Cheney.
This is not a new theory, of course, but I bet some Democrats think it bears repeating. Shields' full column — which is mostly about Lieberman and his role in the current healthcare debate — is here.
“Those wishful statements ignore the reality that much of the expanded coverage is based on forced purchase of private insurance without effective controls on industry pricing practices or real competition and gaping loopholes in the insurance reforms,” said Burger.
And Jean Ross, another NNU co-president, said it's likelier that the health care bill will be weakened, rather than strengthened, in the coming years, “due to the unchecked influence of the health care industry lobbyists and the lessons of this year in which all the compromises have been made to the right.”
The NNU's statement lists what it sees as 10 major flaws with the bill, including the bill's mandate requiring individuals to purchase health insurance, without doing enough to reduce insurance costs; no limitations on health insurance monopolies in certain states and cities; and “reduced reproductive rights for women.”
The NNU also points to little-discussed provisions in the bill it says put the lie to the idea that the bill will stop insurance companies from canceling policies on account of pre-existing conditions.
– Provisions permitting insurers and companies to more than double charges to employees who fail “wellness” programs because they have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol readings, or other medical conditions.
– Insurers are permitted to sell policies “across state lines”, exempting patient protections passed in other states. Insurers will thus set up in the least regulated states in a race to the bottom threatening public protections won by consumers in various states.
– Insurers can charge four times more based on age plus more for certain conditions, and continue to use marketing techniques to cherry-pick healthier, less costly enrollees.
– Insurers may continue to rescind policies for “fraud or intentional misrepresentation” – the main pretext insurance companies now use to cancel coverage.
National Nurses United is a member of the umbrella labor group AFL-CIO. Last week, the AFL-CIO's president, Richard Trumka, called the Senate health bill “inadequate and too tilted toward the insurance industry.” The NNU's criticism this week indicates that the labor movement is lining up against the Senate version of the health bill, which — unlike the House version — doesn't include any sort of public option.
Earlier this month, as the union was being formed, NNU Co-President Burger criticized the health bill — even before the Medicare buy-in was removed.
“What we've got now isn't really health care reform, it's a reshuffling of the deck chairs on the Titanic as far as our patients are concerned, and we're going to make sure that we … have universal health care that is truly universal and has eliminated the insurance companies,” she told Reuters.
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Washington State is known for many things; for it's beautiful evergreen trees the rows and rows of tulips throughout the Skagit Valley, the Space Needle and of course the rainy weather that it has throughout the year. There are many beautiful places for tourists to visit. One of the better known tourist attractions is the Deception Pass Bridge located on Route 20 in Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island. The exact address for the surrounding deception pass state park where you can go to camp and have a picnic is 5175 N State Hwy 20 Oak Harbor, WA 98277, Not only does it attract the visiting tourists but the locals love to marvel in the beauty quite often as well.
The bridge is the connection between Anacortes and Whidbey Island. It is located about one-hundred and eighty feet above the pacific ocean underneath of it. It has two lanes, one for each direction and a three foot wide walkway for each side as well. It was constructed from August 1934 through July 31st 1935. The total length of the bridge is 1487 feet, that is more than a quarter mile long.
On of the things that make this bridge such an attraction to tourists is that long walk across it. Even if you have a fear of heights, I suggest walking across it at least once in your life. I myself have a huge fear of heights yet I made it across the whole way; granted I did walk as fast as the other tourists ahead of me would allow though. While walking take a moment to look around you, you will never again see a sight like this one. The bright blue of the ocean underneath is an amazing color and the whirlpools make it that much more fascinating to take in. There are many kayakers and boaters that pass by underneath throughout the day. On a real lucky day you might even get the chance to see the whales that pass by often.
You can view the mountain sides all around you which are filled with several different bushes and other various plant life. Even though the mountain sides might look inviting you should not ever leave the area of the bridge or go off by yourself anywhere. There might look like there are many trails but in fact the one they do have that goes off to the side does not go very far at all. Many people have made the unfortunate mistake of thinking they can navigate their way down the mountain side and have unfortunately fallen to their death. This is a beautiful landmark and a wondrous sight to behold for anyone who appreciates outdoor beauty but it still should not be taken lightly.
Some little known facts about the area underneath the bridge is a record for one of the largest squids ever recorded. Sounds kind of scary yet I have never heard a tale of anyone being taken down by a squid, so I do not think there is anything to worry about there. I'm sure that the kayakers would have nothing to do with it otherwise. Another little know fact is that the movie The Ring was filmed partly near the pass of the bridge. The deception pass bridge gets more visitors a year than any other in Washington State with just over 2 million visitors a year.
If you ever find yourself in Washington State take the time to go and visit the Deception Pass Bridge. There are places to park your car on each side of the bridge and take a walk across. Take a camera with you and take some of the greatest pictures that can ever be taken, you will be glad that you did .
References
http://wikipedia.org/wiki/deception pass
www.deceptionpasstours.com
Clayton Clements