Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 130, No. 89, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 22, 2012 Page: 4 of 24
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Polk County Enterprise
Page 4A ■ Thursday, November 22,2012
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Perry says no to creation
off health care exchanges
Conclusions from the 2012 Elections
BY JOE GANDELMAN
T
Ihe 2012 elections
surprised both sides
and hit a reset button
conservative support
about America.
and
The National Journal’s
on the Obama administration
-- and American politics. Here
are 10 conclusions.
1. So much for Citizens
United destroying the fabric
of America with big bucks
automatically meaning
victory. Billionaire Sheldon
Adelson would have gotten
more bang for his buck if
he had visited The Chicken
Ranch.
2. Republican Party, you
DID build that. From its
Charlie Cook writes about
GOP primaries: “It would
be easy to just blame (Mitt]
Romney, but when he
finally got around to being
himself, in the first debate,
his numbers moved up....
Instead. Republicans should
be asking themselves about
their own party and how
they took a very smart and
rational guy and made him
turn into a pretzel to win the
nomination—a contortion
of women. Latinos, young
people, and Asian and Jewish
voters was as potent as the
2008 Obama coalition or
the winning FDR coalitions.
Some pollsters didn't
correctly sample cell phone
users.
5. Serious analysts not
political entertainers are the
ones to watch for REAL
Karl Rove? His costly PAC’s
efforts flopped, his on-the-air
Fox News election night melt-
down gave him an enduring
image as a hack, and his plan
to support more electable
candidates in GOP primaries
means he’ll be at war with
Tea Partiers.
that left him unable to
wishful-thinking alternate
reality; to its exiling and
dissing of moderates who
then voted for Barack Obama
straighten himself out in time
to win in November. The
in huge numbers; to its
polarizing talk show hosts
turning off key demographic
groups; to its cherry-picking
partisan pollsters and voter
suppression efforts that
brought indignant targeted
voters out to vote — the GOP
nomination process has been
captured by such an exotic
breed within the GOP that
anyone emerging from it
faces significant electability
challenges."
3. The center lives: Losers
predictions. The accuracy of
New York Times’ Nate Silver,
the University of Virginia’s
Larry Sabato, and San Diego
political scientist Samuel
Popkin again demonstrated
why they’re the best in the
business. Before the vote,
Wall Street Journal’s Peggy
Noonan announced that “all
the vibrations were right"
for a Romney victory. She
must have been feeling the
vibrations from her TV tuned
to “Fox & Friends "
8. Telling post-election
signs. Barack Obama teared-
up thanking his young
campaign workers. Mitt
Romney’s campaign staffers
on election night found their
campaign credit cards were
turned off when they tried to
pay for taxis taken home.
9. Big Labor is back and
battling. No longer can
you joke that you couldn’t
even start a labor union in a
maternity ward.
10. Truth matters. Future
literally gave this election
away. In the end, Clint
Eastwood’s empty chair
symbolizes the inaccuracy
of Republican assumptions
about the Presidential race,
the degree of national
included many high profile,
outspoken, media-hungry Tea
Party/Talk Radio Political
Culture candidates that
moderate voters couldn’t
stand.
4. Winning independents
doesn't guarantee success.
Romney won independents.
Moderates flocked to Obama.
The Democrats' coalition
6. Dick Morris MUST have
something bad on Rupert
Murdoch. What else can
explain him continuing to be
paid to make predictions so
breathtakingly wrong that
he further damages the Fox
News brand?
7. Karl Rove Political
Genius. Buh-Bye: Will
Congress pass a special law
to protect billionaires from
campaigns will note that
Mitt Romney 's stunning
discarding of past positions
and his campaign’s running of
proven, false assertions may
have backfired. Fox News
has also been damaged by its
dishonestly, badly misleading
and misinforming viewers.
Copyright 2012 Joe
Gandelman, distributed
exclusively by Cagle Cartoons
newspaper syndicate.
Thanksgiving Blessings, 2012
BY WILL DURST
eriously? Both
political parties
K-r talking pre-emptive
smack barely a week
after the election. Partisan
political comic counts as
blessings over folded hands
before performing a perfectly
executed triple somersault
info the gravy boat.
Barack Obama: Second-
politics? Again? So soon?
Not even time to catch our
breath? For crum’s sakes.
give it a rest, you guys.
Besides, shouldn't you be
out on recess? After all. it’s
term promises much bigger
knock-down, drag-out
fights with the Republican
House. Not to mention the
Democratic Senate.
Thanksgiving. Yes. Already
The earliest Thanksgiving
possible. That's what happens
when November first is on
a Thursday Merchants are
dancing the happy dance.
Shoppers too. Retail workers,
not so much Black Friday
Creep seems destined to
devour Halloween.
To be perfectly honest, a
four-day weekend devoted
to food, family and football
might be the perfect
prescription distraction to help
us through these rebuking
times. So here’s a couple
rough examples of what a
middle-aged, round-headed
General David Petraeus:
Who knew generals had
groupies? Proves old high
school adage: chicks dig stars.
The larger the fruit salad, the
more noxious the flies.
with Hillary down the 2016
campaign trail.
Dick Cheney. Still feisty
even after recovering from
a heart transplant. Really,
transplant? Mightn’t
“installation” be more apt?
State of Florida: 12 years
later, and they still can’t
count. Time to circumcise
America. Cut Florida off and
kick it into the Caribbean.
onto them. Has a lean and
hungry look. Bobby Jindal
would be wise to beware the
Ides of March.
The Climate: Don’t know if
anybody's noticed, but it ain't
getting more placid out there
Joe Biden: Less of a loose
cannon and more of a loose
aircraft carrier.
Karl Rove: Continues to
lobby for a recount of the
Florida and Ohio votes. From
2008.
The Newly Elected
Congress: If you liked the
112th Congress, you're going
to love the 113th Congress.
Gridlock grown tentacles.
Bill Clinton: As Secretary
of ‘Splaining Stuff, he kicked
Obama's ball over goal
line. Can’t wait to see what
his touchdown celebration
looks like. Probably a waltz
Rename it North Cuba.
State of Texas: Threatening
to secede again. But not
seriously enough. Don’t think
their heart is really into it.
Mitt Romney: Good news
is he won’t have to ‘splain to
the whole family why they’re
moving into a smaller house
Chris Christie: Love him or
hate him, he’s not going away
and is much too big to fail.
Donald Trump: The man
just cannot shut the hell up.
He’s the gift that keeps on
giving. Should team up with
Sarah Palin in a double act
and take it on the road.
Paul Ryan: Reins of the
GOP are his if he can hold
Michele Bachmann:
Because every comedian
needs a good right-wing nut
job every now and then.
The Justin Bieber-Selena
Gomez breakup: It’s not over.
Oh, you may think it’s over,
but it’s not over.
And finally. The Fiscal
Cliff: And our nation turns its
lonely eyes to those fabled
Fiscal Cliff Divers, the Tea
Party. All right everybody,
who’s jumping first?
Thanks to everyone for all
your hard work throughout
the year for the likes of
political animals such as I.
And good health to us all.
Copyright G2012, Will
Durst, distributed by the Cagle
Cartoons Inc. syndicate.
AUSTIN - Nov. 16 was
the deadline for Texas and
the other states to declare
their intentions regarding
the formation of health care
exchanges, as set forth in the
federal “Affordable Care”
law, referred to by some as
“Obama Care.”
Gov. Rick Perry’s
declaration came in the form
of a Nov. 15 letter to U.S.
Health and Human Services
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
“As long as the federal
government has the ability
to force unknown mandates
and costs upon our citizens,
while retaining the sole
power in approving what
an exchange looks like, the
notion of a state exchange
is merely an illusion,” Perry
wrote, adding. “It would
not be fiscally responsible
to put hard-working Texans
on the financial hook for an
unknown amount of money’
to operate a system under
rules that have not even been
written.”
Perry originally declared
his intention not to
implement a state exchange
or expand Medicaid under
the Affordable Care Act in a
July letter to Sebelius
Meanwhile, on Nov. 15.
state Sen. Rodney Ellis,
D-Houston, filed Senate Bill
84, legislation proposing
to create a state health care
exchange. The legislation
would make it possible
for Texas families and
individuals who are unable
to obtain coverage through
their employer to purchase
a reasonably priced policy
through the exchange.
Ellis said SB 84 “will
bring tens of billions of
dollars to the state, expand
Medicaid to approximately
1.5 million additional
Texans, set up a state
health insurance exchange
that works for Texas
and guarantees that the
Commissioner of Insurance
has the tools necessary to
ensure rates are fair and
affordable. The expansion
of Medicaid costs less
in four years than what
Texas hospitals spend on
the uninsured population
in one year. The needs
of these individuals will
not disappear if we fail to
expand Medicaid, but we
will lose out on a nine to one
match that other states will
utilize and we will continue
to pass the cost down to
local hospitals and ultimately
to taxpayers,” Ellis added.
Ellis, in his effort, faces
Republican majorities in the
state Senate, the state House
and the governor’s veto
power, should SB 84 pass
both Senate and House.
Prediction: busy
Texas roads
Texans who travel over the
Thanksgiving holiday will
have plenty of company on
the road, Texas Department
of Transportation reported
on Nov. 14.
According to TxDOT.
results of a reader survey
from Texas Highways -
the state’s official travel
magazine - show “48
percent of Texans plan to
travel, and among those.
92 percent said they will be
traveling by car on Texas
HIGHLIGHTS
roadways.”
Before setting out, drivers
can check road conditions by
visiting DriveTexas.org.
Officials call for drug
screening
Gov. Perry on Nov.
14 was joined by state
Sen. Tommy Williams,
R-The Woodlands, state
Rep. Brandon Creighton,
R-Conroe, and other
Republican lawmakers to
call for reforms to the state’s
welfare and unemployment
benefit programs, including
authorizing drug screenings
for those applying for
Temporary Assistance
for Needy Families and
Unemployment Insurance
benefits.
Sen. Jane Nelson,
R-Lewisville. pre-filed
SB 11 for the upcoming
legislative session to
require drug screening
for temporary assistance
program applicants, and
Williams, the governor’s
office reported, plans to file a
bill to require drug screening
for unemployment insurance
applicants.
A governor’s office news
release reported the Texas
Association of Business
and National Federation
of Independent Business
joined the officials in a news
conference in support of the
proposed welfare reforms.
Tax revenue
Eincreases again
State sales tax revenue in
October was $2.03 billion,
up 8.2 percent compared
to October 2011, Texas
Comptroller Susan Combs
said Nov. 7.
Combs pointed out that the }
growth in sales tax revenue '
continued to be led by
collections from the oil and
natural gas-related sectors,
while strong consumer
spending drove gains in
retail trade and the restaurant
sector.
Combs said she would
send November local sales
tax allocations totaling
$611.5 million to cities,
counties, transit systems
and special purpose taxing
districts, up 5.4 percent
compared to November
2011.
Unemployment figures
improve
Texas Workforce
Commission on Nov.
16 reported the state's
unemployment rate
dropped to 6.6 percent in
October from 6.8 percent in
September.
Also, employers added
36,600 total nonfarm jobs
in October for a total of
277,400 jobs added in Texas
over the year. The national
unemployment rate was
reported at 7.9 percent.
POLKCOUNTY
ENTERPRISE
Contact your representatives
http://hutchison senate .gov
ALVIN HOLLEY
IHephsne Namhtr
fSSSSl
lUSrS 437-34#) |a»*SraJ
fttni m Pmitocal Miner at the Pn«i Office m Lmafiua TX 77331
512/463-0103
or 2913 Atkinson Dr.
Lufkin. TX 75901
Valene Rcddell, Editor
polknewsto gmail .com
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Linda Holley, Manager
eniefphsetoeasnexasnewv.com
Vicki Coker. Supervisor
circulation# easttexasnews com
Linda Jacobs, Manager
pcpcdassified#gmail com
moran
rosTMAsna
la PO Bot 1274.
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Reddell, Valerie. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 130, No. 89, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 22, 2012, newspaper, November 22, 2012; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth658404/m1/4/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.