Bad Deeds for 7-17-2008

Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Spent $200M To Buy Influence – If you want to know how Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have survived scandal and crisis, consider this: Over the past decade, they have spent nearly $200 million on lobbying and campaign contributions. But the political tentacles of the mortgage giants extend far beyond their checkbooks. The two government-chartered companies run a highly sophisticated lobbying operation, with deep-pocketed lobbyists in Washington and scores of local Fannie- and Freddie-sponsored homeowner groups ready to pressure lawmakers back home.

They’ve stacked their payrolls with top Washington power brokers of all political stripes, including Republican John McCain’s presidential campaign manager, Rick Davis; Democrat Barack Obama’s original vice presidential vetter, Jim Johnson; and scores of others now working for the two rivals for the White House.

 

 

Federal Court Says Bush Can Indefinitely Detain Civilians – A federal court has ruled that President Bush’s can indefinitely detain “enemy combatants.” “This decision,” countered Jonathan L. Hafetz, counsel for one detainee, means the president can pick up any person in the country–citizen or legal resident–and lock them up for years without the most basic safeguard in the Constitution, the right to a criminal trial.”

 

Employer Doesn’t Pay You? Under Bush Wage and Hour Dept., You’re Out of Luck – Two new reports by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) show the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, especially under the Bush administration, is conducting fewer and less thorough investigations in allegations of employer wage theft.

Over the past decade, the number of investigations into employers’ refusal to pay minimum wage, overtime or even any wages at all, has dropped from 47,000 in 1997 to just 30,000 last year. And when investigations are launched, sometimes investigators drop their probes simply because an employer hangs up on them or asserts, without proof, they can’t afford to pay the workers what they are owed.

 

US Healthcare Costs More, Delivers Less – The United States lags behind other industrialized nations in the quality of its healthcare despite having the costliest system in the world, according to a report released on Thursday. The US healthcare system is plagued by inefficiency, inequality and an incoherent national policy, said the report from the private Commonwealth Fund foundation. “The US spends twice per capita what other major industrialized countries spend on health care, and costs continue to rise faster than income,” said the report.

The foundation used a 100-point scorecard to rate the system based on 37 categories, including access to health care, quality of care and efficiency. The US average came to 65, two points down from a previous measure in 2006. The score is compared to other countries and the best performing US states, counties or hospitals.

The measures showed “that the US is losing ground in providing access to care and has uneven health care quality” and also revealed “broad evidence of inefficient and inequitable care,” it said.

The United States ranked last among 19 industrialized states when it comes to preventing premature deaths from conditions such as heart attacks that can be treated with timely, effective care, the report said. Infant mortality rates also remain high in the United States compared to other industrialized nations.

Access to health care was on the decline, with more Americans without health insurance or without adequate insurance. In 2007, 75 million working-age adults were either uninsured or underinsured, up from 61 million in 2003.

Americans reported more delays in securing appointments with doctors. “In 2007, as in 2005, less than half of US adults with health problems were able to get a rapid appointment with a physician when they were sick,” it said.

The US scored poorly on efficiency, with patients subjected to duplicate tests, unnecessary hospital admissions, high administrative costs and outdated record keeping, it said. Only 28 percent of US doctors use electronic medical records, compared to nearly 100 percent in leading countries.

[Western Europes Health Care for All]

 

Interior Dept. Opens 2.6 Million Alaskan Acres for Oil Exploration – The Interior Department on Wednesday made 2.6 million acres of potentially oil-rich territory in northern Alaska available for energy exploration. The decision will open up for drilling much of the northeast section of the Northeast National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, holding an estimated 3.7 billion barrels of oil, Tom Lonnie, Alaska state director for the Bureau of Land Management, said in a conference call with reporters.

 

Republicans Accuse Others of What They Are – While Republicans accuse Barack Obama of being out of touch with the working man, the McCains, by contrast, dole out such homespun wisdom as “in Arizona, the only way to get around the state is by small private plane” and own eleven homes and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars per year on household staff. John also rides first class on the Acela train.

Regards,

Jim