Albany: Access & Options or One Size Fits All?

Here's an interesting story ("Health Plan Still on Table," Albany Herald). In Albany, the Dougherty County Commission is considering next year's health care options for county employees. The commissioners are having trouble agreeing to a health care benefits package in which employees can use both of the local hospitals, Palmyra Medical Center and Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital. Under a current exclusive proposal, county employees would only be able to use Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital. At the County Commission meeting on October 13 th, Commissioner Jack Stone asked an important question: "Is there a plan in place that allows county employees to use both hospitals?" Read more..

What's Scarier than Halloween?
Try an EPA completely out of control, proposing drastic measures that would affect even your lawnmowers, portable power generators, small farms, and the entire trucking industry. Add the federal bailout that may never end. But scariest of all is the prevailing political attitude that the blame for our nation's economic crisis is our free market system — the very system that made us the most prosperous country on earth!

EPA Moves to Regulate Our Entire Way of Life
Act Now to Have Your Voice Heard

The EPA is asking for public comments on its intention to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act, something the Act was never designed to do. We need your voice to be heard.

Over the past year, AFP has been warning you about global warming alarmism and the environmental political correctness that it has spawned. One of the greatest dangers this alarmism presents is the continued rise of unelected bureaucrats and their attempts to grab power from the people. The proposed regulation by the EPA is a clear example of the regulations this panic will produce.

After the Senate rejected a plan to regulate greenhouse gases, the EPA decided to go ahead and do it anyway. The extent of their plan is truly terrifying. If this proposal becomes law, 33 programs within the EPA would be empowered to, among other things:

• Impose Grass Mileage Standards for Home Lawnmowers
• Put Speed Limiters on the Commercial Trucking Fleet
• List Large Single-Family Homes as Carbon-Polluters
• Require Carbon Permits for Retail, Restaurant, Hotel and School Construction

Action alert to EPA

Too Big To Fail?

After using the notion that certain companies were too big to fail as justification for the financial bailout package, Congress is enabling banks to become even bigger.

This week's news reported that Georgia's largest bank will take advantage of the bailout and sell preferred equity stakes to the US Treasury. Atlanta-based SunTrust Bank will use the funds to buy up smaller banks. Is that to make sure all the eggs are in one basket next time? Or are they just using our tax dollars to eliminate the competition? And why is the bailout money going to the regional bank that describes itself as "one of the nation's largest and strongest financial holding companies?"

With the political season in full stride, Congress is talking about another economic stimulus package. It seems the concept of redistribution of wealth doesn't have to wait for a new President. From the IRS Web site on the last package — "Some higher income taxpayers will not receive a stimulus payment or will receive a reduced payment." Those higher income individuals made $75,000 or more. Aren't those the people who paid the lion's share of taxes to begin with? "Economic stimulus" has become code for redistribution of wealth. Joe the plumber isn't going to like it.

From Panic to Depression?
The dangers of blaming free trade, low taxes, and flexible labor markets for our current troubles.

By Phil Kerpen

Blame for today's financial panic can be assigned to a Federal Reserve that kept interest rates too low while a bubble inflated; unscrupulous lenders; people who bought homes they couldn't afford; Wall Street wizards who overleveraged and wrote derivatives they couldn't pay; and a Congress that set the policy goal of universal home ownership and recklessly grew Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to pursue that goal.

But with so many real culprits out there, we cannot afford to blame the fake culprits of free trade, low taxes, and flexible labor markets. These are the fundamentals of a free economy. If we undermine them in response to the panic, we risk repeating the mistakes that followed another great panic and ushered in the Great Depression. Read more.

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is the nation's premier grassroots organization committed to advancing every individual's right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits.

For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org

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