And If You Thought Joe Biden Suffers From Foot-In-Mouth Disease…Here’s John Ensign

From a post at The Washington Monthly

If you're just joining us, Republican Senator John Ensign's humiliation came to public attention last June, when we learned the conservative, "family-values" senator carried on a lengthy extra-marital relationship with one of his aides, who happened to be married to another one of his aides. Ensign's parents tried to pay off the mistress' family…the bribe reportedly being orchestrated by one of his fellow “C-Street” GOP cronies Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK).

The scandal grew far worse in October, when we learned that the Republican senator pushed his political and corporate allies to give lobbying contracts to his mistress's husband. When Douglas and Cynthia Hampton left Ensign's employ -- because, you know, the senator was sleeping with Cynthia -- Ensign allegedly took steps to help them make up the lost income, leaning on corporate associates to hire Douglas as a lobbyist. Emails surfaced this month that bolstered the allegations.

ENSIGN FEELS SORRY FOR HIMSELF.... Republican Sen. John Ensign's (R-NV) humiliating sex scandal doesn't get a lot of media attention, but it's becoming a very big deal, including an ongoing FBI investigation that produced subpoenas for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

But as far as the disgraced, hypocritical, right-wing senator is concerned, he's gotten a bad rap. In fact, Ensign believes he's been the victim of "gotcha" journalism.

The Nevada Republican made the charge as he was being asked whether he's been subpoenaed in a grand jury probe into the aftermath of his affair. Instead of answering that question, he descended into an extended rebuke of the press -- including POLITICO -- for the way it has covered the scandal surrounding him.

"Seeking of the truth should be not only part of the Justice Department and part of our judicial system, but also should be ... a goal of reporters today," Ensign said. "Unfortunately, too much of our press is ... (1) biased or (2) just about 'gotcha.'" [...]

Ensign has insisted that he complied with the law and with Senate ethics rules, and he suggested Wednesday that the press is out to get him.

"Whether it's Republican or Democrat, it's about nailing somebody," Ensign said.

Well, if there's one senator who knows all about nailing somebody, it's John Ensign.

Whatever happened to the idea of electing our best and brightest?

Dog Attacks Police Car – Sentenced To Obedience Classes

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) -- A pit bull mix in Tennessee has been sentenced to obedience training after his dogged attack on a local police car.

Winston didn't bite anybody, but he mauled a Chattanooga police car in what might have been a confused attempt to take a bite out of crime. The persistent pooch managed to tear off a section of the front bumper and damage the tires.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that a judge ruled that Winston had been a very bad dog. He was sentenced to obedience and canine good citizen classes, and he'll have to wear a tag that says he is "potentially dangerous."

Charges against his owner will be dismissed if the classes are completed successfully.

Owner Nancy Emerling said Winston got out of a fenced-in area at a welding shop March 14.

Warning: Fake Zynga Toolbars Will Steal Your Facebook Password

There are two “free toolbars” circulating around the web that pretend to enable users to cheat at Zynga games on Facebook, but actually attempt to steal Facebook login credentials.  The false toolbars were spotted by Sunbelt researchers and should be avoided at all cost.  See below for more details.

 
The images below were provided courtesy of Help Net Security and detail the method of operation of the deceitful toolbars.

At first glance, the toolbars look legitimate and appear at the top of your browser, along with a legitimate Facebook logo.  The buttons have features that allow for cheating on “Zynga Games” along with other links as well.

The problem is, when users click on the “Facebook” logo in the top left corner of the bar (they layout sometimes changes), they are taken to a false Facebook page that asks you to login but actually steals your credentials instead!

From Help Net Security:

The domain on which the phishing page is hosted is constantly changing because in time every domain gets reported, detected and blocked by the browsers. The different domains used had names like apps-facebook-inthemafia(dot)tk,mafiamafiamafiamafia(dot)t35(dot)com, apps-inthemafias-facebook(dot)tk, etc.

The problem is that the toolbars - when they are not pointing towards the phishing page - point to the real Facebook URL, and the switch can happen anytime. It is best to distrust “cheating” toolbars altogether, and access Facebook and other networks and services by typing in the URL yourself or following your own bookmark.

The point is clear: do not download any fake toolbars claiming to help you cheat at games. The only thing they’ll accomplish is having your password stolen.  If you want to try the “official” Zynga toolbars, make sure you download them directly from Zynga.  The Farmville toolbar can be downloaded at http://toolbar.zynga.com/install/farmville/ and if you play Mafia Wars, there is a toolbar for that game at http://toolbar.zynga.com/install/mw/ you can install.

Read more at AllFacebook: Warning: Fake Zynga Toolbars Will Steal Your Facebook Password

Immediate Benefits Of Recent Health Care Reform

Granted, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010 isn’t the best legislation it could or might have been, especially  given the lack of a robust public option…better described as “Medicare For All”…which would have provided the necessary checks and balances against insurance industry bad practices and overcharging of premiums.

Nonetheless, this bill is still a very good start toward meaningful reform, and while there are some provisions that aren’t ideal, there are a number of very positive things that ARE in the bill and many of these provisions go into effect within a short period of time.

 

Summary Of Key Immediate Benefits

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act includes health insurance market reforms that will bring immediate benefits to millions of Americans, including those who currently have coverage. The following benefits will be available in the first year after enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Small Business Tax Credits
  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will offer tax credits to small businesses beginning in 2010 to make employee coverage more affordable. 
  Tax credits of up to 35 percent of premiums will be immediately available to firms that choose to offer coverage; later, when Exchanges are operational, tax credits will be up to 50 percent of premiums. The full credit will be available to firms with 10 or fewer employees with average annual wages of $25,000, while firms with up to 25 or fewer employees and average annual wages of up to $50,000 will also be eligible for the credit.

No Pre-existing Coverage Exclusions for Children
  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act eliminates pre-existing condition exclusions for all Americans beginning in 2014, when the Exchanges are operational. Recognizing the special vulnerability of children, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act prohibits health insurers from excluding coverage of pre-existing conditions for children, effective six months after enactment and applying to all new plans.

Access to Affordable Coverage for the Uninsured with Pre-existing Conditions
  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will provide $5 billion in immediate federal support for a new program to provide affordable coverage to uninsured Americans with pre-existing conditions. This provision is effective 90 days after enactment, and coverage under this program will continue until new Exchanges are operational in 2014.

Closing the Coverage Gap in the Medicare (Part D) Drug Benefit
  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will reduce the size of the “donut hole,” raising the ceiling on the initial coverage period by $500 in 2010.
  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will also guarantee 50 percent price discounts on brand-name drugs and biologics purchased by low and middle-income beneficiaries in the coverage gap, beginning July 1, 2010.

Patient Protections
  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act protects patients’ choice of doctors by allowing plan members to pick any participating primary care provider, prohibiting insurers from requiring prior authorization before a woman sees an ob-gyn, and ensuring access to emergency care. This provision takes effect six months after enactment and applies to all new plans.

Re-insurance for Retiree Health Benefit Plans
  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will create immediate access to re-insurance for employer health plans providing coverage for early retirees, effective 90 days after enactment. This re-insurance will help protect coverage while reducing premiums for employers and retirees.

Extension of Dependent Coverage for Young Adults
  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will require insurers to permit children to stay on family policies until age 26. This provision takes effect six months after enactment and applies to all new plans.

Free Prevention Benefits
  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will require coverage of prevention and wellness benefits and exempt these benefits from deductibles and other cost-sharing requirements in public and private insurance coverage. This provision takes effect six months after enactment and applies to all new plans.
  Beginning on January 1, 2011, Medicare beneficiaries will receive a free, annual wellness visit and will have all cost-sharing waived for prevention services.

Access to Quality Care for Vulnerable Populations
  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act makes an immediate and substantial investment in Community Health Centers to provide the funding needed to expand access to health care in communities where it is needed most. This $10 billion investment begins in 2010 and extends for five years.

Ensuring Value for Premium Payments
  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will establish standards for insurance overhead and require public disclosure to ensure that enrollees get value for their premium dollars, requiring plans in the individual and small group market to spend 80 percent of premium dollars on clinical services and quality activities, and 85 percent for plans in the large group market. Health insurance plans that do not meet these thresholds will provide rebates to their policyholders. This provision takes effect in 2011 and applies to all plans, including grandfathered plans, with the exception of self-insured plans.

No Lifetime Limits on Coverage
  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will prohibit insurers from imposing lifetime limits on benefits. This provision takes effect six months after enactment and applies to all new plans.

Restricted Annual Limits on Coverage
  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will tightly restrict insurance companies’ use of annual limits to ensure access to needed care, effective six months after enactment for all new health plans. These tight restrictions will be defined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. When the Exchanges are operational, the use of annual limits will be banned.
Protection from Rescissions of Existing Coverage
  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will stop insurers from rescinding insurance when claims are filed, except in cases of fraud or intentional misrepresentation of material fact. This provision takes effect six months after enactment and applies to all new plans.

Prohibits Discrimination Based on Salary
  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will prohibit group health plans from establishing any eligibility rules for health care coverage that have the effect of discriminating in favor of higher wage employees. This provision takes effect six months after enactment and applies to group health plans.

Public Access to Comparable Information on Insurance Options
  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will enable creation of a new website to provide information on and facilitate informed consumer choice of insurance options.

Health Insurance Consumer Information
  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will provide assistance to States in establishing offices of health insurance consumer assistance or health insurance ombudsman programs to assist individuals with the filing of complaints and appeals, enrollment in a health plan, and, eventually, to assist consumers with resolving problems with tax credit eligibility. This provision is effective beginning with fiscal year 2010.

Appeals Process
  Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, all new health plans will implement, within six months of enactment, an effective process for appeals of coverage determinations and claims. And, states will provide an external appeals process to ensure an independent review.

The bottom line here is that there are a number of very good changes in access to affordable quality health care that this legislation is going to usher in to help middle class Americans and their families.  So the next time you hear someone say they are opposed to this reform of our health insurance industry, ask them exactly which of these benefits listed above they find so objectionable.