Senate slashes hospitals, others | Top Story | Health News Florida

The Florida Senate today approved a proposed 2011-12 budget that would slash hundreds of millions of dollars for hospitals, mental-health services and the Medically Needy program.

Senators voted 33-6 to approve the spending plan. The House is expected to approve its version later today, setting up negotiations on a final budget in the coming weeks.

The budget would cut hospital Medicaid rates by 10 percent and eliminate money for outpatient adult mental-health and substance-abuse services. It also would stop covering hospital and drug costs in April 2012 in the Medically Needy program, which serves people who don't qualify for Medicaid but have debilitating illnesses.

With lawmakers facing a $3.8 billion shortfall for the fiscal year that starts July 1, Sen. Don Gaetz said they had to make cuts. The only alternative, he said, would be to raise taxes.

"None of us wanted to make these decisions,'' the Niceville Republican said.

Senate slashes hospitals, others | Top Story | Health News Florida

Washington Post and CBS receiving money from Obamacare slush fund - Patriot Action Network

Two mainstream news organizations are receiving hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars from Obamacare’s Early Retiree Reinsurance Program (ERRP) — a $5 billion grant program that’s doling out cash to companies, states and labor unions in what the Obama administration considers an effort to pay for health insurance for early retirees. The Washington Post Company raked in $573,217 in taxpayer subsidies and CBS Corporation secured $722,388 worth of Americans’ money.

Washington Post and CBS receiving money from Obamacare slush fund - Patriot Action Network

Whoa, windfarms in UK operate well below advertised efficiency | Watts Up With That?

1. “Wind turbines will generate on average 30% of their rated capacity over a year.”

2. “The wind is always blowing somewhere.”

3. “Periods of widespread low wind are infrequent.”

4. “The probability of very low wind output coinciding with peak electricity demand is slight.”

5. “Pumped storage hydro can fill the generation gap during prolonged low wind periods.”

This analysis uses publicly available data for a 26 month period between November 2008 and December 2010 and the facts in respect of the above assertions are:

1. Average output from wind was 27.18% of metered capacity in 2009, 21.14% in 2010, and 24.08% between November 2008 and December 2010 inclusive.

Whoa, windfarms in UK operate well below advertised efficiency | Watts Up With That?

Cain: Public Now Sees Obama’s Weakness – He’s Beatable in 2012

Conservative businessman Herman Cain, who is mulling a run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, tells Newsmax that President Barack Obama’s “leadership weaknesses” are becoming apparent. And Cain insists that he can defeat Obama at the polls.




Cain: Public Now Sees Obama’s Weakness – He’s Beatable in 2012