The Health Care Reform Act turmoil

SuDocQueen@evpl — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:33:00 GMT

Opinions and concerns abound about this issue, sometimes to the point that the facts get obscured. Can I separate all the facts from the fiction? Nope, I can be duped and sucked in as easily as the next person. But I can tell you where to go to form your own opinions undiluted by anyone else with an agenda. Thomas from the Library of Congress is an excellent site for following legislation and the workings of Congress. As a matter of fact, Thomas has made it easy for people right now. You don't even have to search for the House's health care bill. They've put up a direct link on the very front of their website. From that link, you can then read a summary of the bill, see what Committees it's been referred to, see who is sponsoring it, and read the bill word for word yourself. Be warned, the bill's over 1,000 pages long and very dense to read! That doesn't mean I think it's not worth reading; I'm just saying don't expect to skim through it on your lunch hour unless you belong to Mensa. :)

You can also get some very useful links from Congressman Brad Ellsworth's "Online Office." He has the PDF of the full bill, just as Thomas does, but he additionally has links to the committee work being done on the bill.

And while we're talking Congressmen, if you want to share your opinion, do you know who to share yours with? Indiana's Senators are Evan Bayh and Richard Lugar, while Evansville's Congressman is Brad Ellsworth.

Lastly, here's on other place I like to go when I'm inundated with opinions, http://factcheck.org/. They appear non-partisan to me. They've debunked pro and con statements surrounding the health care debate. And, their website/services don't exist solely for the health care debate (it just looks that way right now :). Take a look at their Archives or Ask Factcheck to see some of the other political issues they address.

America’s Bank Crisis –Quick Information Links

seeker@evpl — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 16:08:00 GMT

I just had a question from a person who wanted some quick Internet sites to follow the recent bill, "Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008" that was approved by the Senate October 1, the House October 3, and signed into law by the President . Here's a 1 page summary of it: http://banking.senate.gov/public/_files/latestversionEESASummary.pdf .

Some news sites that I follow have some good up-to-date articles: CNN Money Magazine - special issue on America's Money Crisis, Google News - recent news articles on the Wall Street Crisis, and NPR's Economy Section news.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insures individual bank accounts. Find current news of failed and merged banks, and under Top Search Results, find Failed Banks List, reports of Conditions & Income and Thrift Financial Reports for your bank, or use "Edie the Estimator" to calculate your FDIC insurance coverage for your deposit accounts.

And finally, what will it cost and how will it impact federal finances? Here's the Congressional Budget Office Analysis: http://cboblog.cbo.gov/?p=173

Research Blog : government, current events

The Health Care Reform Act turmoil

America’s Bank Crisis –Quick Information Links