Welfare Cigarettes
futureofcapitalism.com

Just as the economic downturn of the late 1970s/ early 1980s gave rise to Ronald Reagan's campaign against welfare Cadillac, and the economic downturn of the early 1990s gave rise to Bill Clinton's promise to end welfare as we know it, the economic downturn of the late Bush/early Obama years is feeding the stirrings of new political moves to limit welfare programs. First Mayor Bloomberg's administration, backed by the New York State health commissioner, Dr. Richard Daines, asked Washington for the authority to bar food stamp recipients from spending their benefits on sugary drinks such as Coke and Pepsi. (See the earlier post here, "No Food Stamps for Soda.")

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Massachusetts Health Care
futureofcapitalism.com

The Boston Globe has an update on how that universal health care coverage in Massachusetts is working out:

Governor Deval Patrick is not embracing the popular outrage over the $8.6 million in compensation given to Cleve L. Killingsworth, the former chief executive of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, who resigned abruptly last year....

Asked again about the appropriateness of Killingsworth's severance package in light of Blue Cross Blue Shield's status as a nonprofit heath insurer, Patrick shot back: "I got your question. That was my answer."

Killingsworth, a major Democratic donor, has given $5,000 to the Massachusetts Democratic Party and $1,500 to the governor's campaign fund.

Read More...

Welfare Cigarettes
futureofcapitalism.com

Just as the economic downturn of the late 1970s/ early 1980s gave rise to Ronald Reagan's campaign against welfare Cadillac, and the economic downturn of the early 1990s gave rise to Bill Clinton's promise to end welfare as we know it, the economic downturn of the late Bush/early Obama years is feeding the stirrings of new political moves to limit welfare programs. First Mayor Bloomberg's administration, backed by the New York State health commissioner, Dr. Richard Daines, asked Washington for the authority to bar food stamp recipients from spending their benefits on sugary drinks such as Coke and Pepsi. (See the earlier post here, "No Food Stamps for Soda.")

Read More...

Massachusetts Health Care
futureofcapitalism.com

The Boston Globe has an update on how that universal health care coverage in Massachusetts is working out:

Governor Deval Patrick is not embracing the popular outrage over the $8.6 million in compensation given to Cleve L. Killingsworth, the former chief executive of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, who resigned abruptly last year....

Asked again about the appropriateness of Killingsworth's severance package in light of Blue Cross Blue Shield's status as a nonprofit heath insurer, Patrick shot back: "I got your question. That was my answer."

Killingsworth, a major Democratic donor, has given $5,000 to the Massachusetts Democratic Party and $1,500 to the governor's campaign fund.

Read More...