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WHEN DO WE GROW UP By Jim Redwine

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Gavel Gamut By Jim Redwine

WHEN DO WE GROW UP?

Our two most recent presidential candidates often provided mirrors for us to see ourselves as others see us. If you are like me the experience was not always positive.

My friends and family who supported Clinton often reacted with pity or chagrin when I questioned whether she had the character to lead. Those who supported Trump often reacted angrily if I wondered out loud if his campaign rhetoric disqualified him.

What I found most puzzling was the reaction from members of both camps if I voiced no opinion. Whether they were Clintonians or Trumpers they invariably assumed my reticence meant I was for the candidate they were against or, at least, was not for the candidate they supported. Such projection upon me of their insecurities made me wonder what they really thought about their candidate.

Were they afraid the opposition research or Fox News or CNN might have some actual validity when their candidate was exposed? Was that experience a little like an attendee at a church revival might feel when some modern day Elmer Gantry begins to cast out demons or a contemporary Cotton Mather hunts witches to burn?

Or, have Americans fallen so far under the spell of Wolf Blitzer and Sean Hannity we do not care what is true but only care that bad things be aired about those we despise? About thirty wasted seconds watching Jerry Springer should give us our answer.

Even after five hundred years of non-native influence we Americans still think of ourselves as a young country. Maybe that volksgeist is why we engage in childish diatribes instead of mature analysis. Now, I do not know if Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump are either, both or neither the Devil’s gifts to the national media. However, I do know that if we and our representatives continue to engage in this food fight we call debate, our plates will always be filled with garbage.

For more Gavel Gamut articles go to:

www.jamesmredwine.com

What’s in the Bill: The American Health Care Act (AHCA)

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 In the politics of Washington, D.C., the clear reality that the Affordable Care Act is failing patients gets lost in the shuffle.  But as millions of Americans know firsthand, the facts are simply undeniable.

Under the Affordable Care Act, 28 million Americans remain uninsured. According to data from the Department of Health and Human Services, Obamacare premiums have doubled since 2013 - an increase of 105% across the country and 74% in the state of Indiana. Across one-third of the country, patients have access to only one insurer on the Obamacare exchanges.

If a patient can’t afford insurance or can’t find a provider that offers insurance in their market, they don’t have access. Additionally, if patients lose their insurance or doctor of choice, they don’t have access. Despite the promises made and rhetoric surrounding the Affordable Care Act, that’s the reality patients are facing across the country.

In the face of these challenges, inaction would be immoral and irresponsible. The vast majority of Hoosiers agree and strongly support repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act.

That’s why Congress has been working diligently to pass reforms to ensure every American has access to the health care they need at a cost they can afford. Recently, the House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA), which advances our goal of repealing and replacing Obamacare.

The AHCA delivers relief from Obamacare’s taxes and mandates that have hurt job creators, increased premiums, and limited options for patients and health care providers. It returns control of health care from Washington back to the states and restores control to patients and physicians so Americans can access quality, affordable health care options that are tailored to their needs.

In contrast, Obamacare is based on a one-size-fits-all approach that put bureaucrats in Washington in charge of your health care. As a result, this has led to higher costs, fewer choices, and less access to the care people need.

The AHCA will deliver the control and choice individuals and families need to access the care that’s right for them by providing the freedom and flexibility states, job creators, and health care providers need to deliver high-quality, affordable health care options.

Specifically, the AHCA:

  • Repeals $1 trillion in Obamacare taxes that have hurt job creators, increased premium costs, and limited options for patients and health care providers—including taxes on prescription drugs, over-the counter medications, health-insurance premiums, and life-saving medical devices.
  • Eliminates the government mandate penalties, which forced millions of workers, families, and job creators into expensive, Obamacare plans that they don’t want and cannot afford.
  • Allows dependents to continue staying on their parents’ plan until they are 26, helping young adults access health insurance and stabilize the marketplace.
  • Guarantees coverage to Americans with pre-existing conditions. Under our plan insurance companies are prohibited from denying coverage on the basis of a pre-existing condition, banned from rescinding coverage based on a pre-existing condition, and prevented from raising premiums on individuals with pre-existing conditions who maintain continuous coverage.
  • Lowers premiums by allowing states to redesign their insurance markets to expand choices and promote more affordable options for consumers.
  • Provides a monthly, advanceable tax credit – between $2,000 and $14,000 a year – for low- and middle-income individuals and families who don’t receive insurance through work or a government program. Americans can use this tax credit to purchase affordable, private, quality coverage of their choice.
  • Enhances and expands Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)—nearly doubling the amount of money people can contribute and broadening how people can use it, so that individuals and families can spend their health care dollars the way they want.
  • Establishes a $138 billion risk sharing program to provide states the flexibility to meet the unique needs of their patient populations, help low-income Americans afford health care, and provide a backstop safety net for Americans with pre-existing conditions.
  • Designates $15 billion for mental health and substance abuse, which builds on the $650 million Congress recently appropriated and $500 million Congress appropriated in December 2016.
  • Modernizes and strengthens Medicaid so states can better serve the patients most in need and protecting states’ ability to design programs like Healthy Indiana Plan 2.0. The Medicaid reform represents the biggest entitlement reform in a generation and puts the program on a sustainable fiscal path so Medicaid can be refocused on helping the most vulnerable.
  • Eliminates taxpayer funding for abortion providers like Planned Parenthood, and increases funding for Federal Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), which are community based, patient-centered organizations that provide health services to medically underserved individuals. FQHCs provide comprehensive medical, dental, mental health and other primary care services.

MORE >> Read the Bill

 

 

 

General Cigar Company Building By Pat Sides

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This familiar commercial building has stood at Second and Court streets since its construction in 1902 on the site of an old hospital. From about 1919 to the 1950s, the General Cigar Company manufactured hand-rolled cigars, producing a million cigars weekly just before the onset of the Great Depression. At that time, about a thousand people were employed there, mostly women and children. General Cigar was one of Evansville’s four largest cigar manufacturers, which included the Fendrich Cigar Company. Over the years, the building has been well preserved, showing few physical alterations; it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

SUMMER MUSICAL MAKING SILENT FILM FOR OPENING OF SHOW.

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A first for the 29th annual Public Education Foundation/EVSC summer musical this year is a silent movie to run during the overture of the show, Thoroughly Modern Millie.  The purpose of the film is to give a background on Millie and her departure from her home in Kansas to live in New York City and become a “modern woman.”

Filming will be done over the course of several days.  Media is invited to attend either of the shoots.  The schedule of times/places is as follows:

Friday, June 2, 9:00-11:00 a.m. at the Reitz Home, 224 SE First Street, Evansville, IN

Wednesday, June 7, 11:00 a.m.-Noon at Audubon Park, 3011 US-41, Henderson KY; by the Museum

The mission of the Public Education of Evansville, Inc. (PEF) is inspiring & cultivating innovative education for all students.  PEF board, supporters and staff believe that high quality public education is fundamental to the strength of our community; and that all students deserve the best possible public education in order to realize their full potential.

Follow PEF on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Public-Education-Foundation-of-Evansville-Inc/), Twitter (PEFEVV), and at www.pefevansville.org

HOT JOBS IN EVANSVILLE

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Tech II – Patient Care / Renal/Diabetic / St.Vincent Evansville / FT Days / 72 Hours Bi-Weekly
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Tri-State Orthopaedic Surgeons – Evansville, IN
Effective interpersonal and oral communication skills. Front Desk Receptionist Job Description Form 10.32….
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2 years of experience in the medical records area preferred. Ability to work as a team. The Medical Records Assistant, under the direction of the Compliance…
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CLIMATE PULLOUT

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Air Quality Forecast

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Air quality forecasts for Evansville and Vanderburgh County are provided as a public service.  They are best estimates of predicted pollution levels that can be used as a guide so people can modify their activities and reduce their exposure to air quality conditions that may affect their health.  The forecasts are routinely made available at least a day in advance, and are posted by 10:30 AM Evansville time on Monday (for Tuesday through Thursday) and Thursday (for Friday through Monday).  When atmospheric conditions are uncertain or favor pollution levels above the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, forecasts are made on a daily basis.

Ozone forecasts are available from mid-April through September 30th.  Fine particulate (PM2.5) forecasts are available year round.

Friday
June 2
Saturday
June 3
Sunday
June 4
Monday
June 5
Tuesday
June 6
Fine Particulate
(0-23 CST avg)
Air Quality Index
Good Good Good Good NA*
Ozone
Air Quality Index
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups moderate moderate NA*
Ozone
(peak 8-hr avg)
(expected)
NA* NA* NA* NA* NA*

* Not Available and/or Conditions Uncertain.

Air Quality Action Days

Ozone Alerts are issued by the Evansville EPA when maximum ozone readings averaged over a period of eight hours are forecasted to reach 71 parts per billion (ppb), or unhealthy for sensitive groups on the USEPA Air Quality Index scale.

Particulate Alerts are issued by the Evansville EPA when PM2.5 readings averaged over the period of midnight to midnight are forecasted to reach 35 micrograms per meter cubed (µg/m3).

Current conditions of OZONE and FINE PARTICULATE MATTER are available in near real-time on the Indiana Department of Environment Management’s website.

National and regional maps of current conditions are available through USEPA AIRNow.

7th Circuit: Officer Had Reasonable Suspicion To Prolong Traffic Stop

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7th Circuit: Officer Had Reasonable Suspicion To Prolong Traffic Stop

Olivia Covington for www.theindianalawyer.com

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a northern Indiana man’s conviction of possession more than 15 doctored gift cards, finding the police officer who stopped the man had reasonable suspicion to prolong the traffic stop that led to the discovery of the fraudulent gift cards.

In United States of America v. Mohamed Fadiga, 16-3870, Mohamed Fadiga was convicted of possessing more than 15 unauthorized gift cards that had been fraudulently re-encoded. His offenses were discovered when a police officer stopped a rental car Fadiga was riding in for having an expired license plate and, upon asking Fadiga to retrieve his license, saw “oodles” of plastic cards in lieu of money in his wallet.

The officer was then given consent to search the car, which led to the discovery of a bag full of gift cards. A second officer then arrived with a card reader, which detected the cards had been tampered with.

Fadiga moved to suppress the evidence, holding the officer had violated his Fourth Amendment rights by extending the traffic stop by about 30 minutes to allow the card reader to arrive, basing his argument on the case of Rodriguez v. United States, 135 S. Ct. 1609 (2015). But the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana held the officer had reasonably suspected the car’s occupants were in possession of the doctored gift cards, with Judge Philp Simon denying Fadiga’s motion to reconsider.

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the district court Thursday, with Judge Frank Easterbrook writing there were other suspicious details aside from the plethora of gift cards, such as the driver’s claimed ignorance of the rental car’s owner and the fact that a rental agreement Fadiga produced at the scene did not authorize himself or the driver to operate the car.

“Rodriguez tells us that reasonable suspicion permits a delay for the arrival of investigative resources,” Easterbrook wrote. “… Whether or not they waited for a card reader, the police were entitled to detain Fadiga and (the driver) until their authority to use the car had been determined.”

But Fadiga further argued racial discrimination was part of his case, considering he is black, but none of the jurors were. Though the jurors were selected from Lake and Porter counties, which have populations that are about 20 percent black, Easterbrook said “Fadiga has not attempted to estimate the probability that it could occur by chance – nor has he provided data about voter registration or the age distribution of the counties’ population … .” At the time of Fadiga’s jury selection, the plan for summoning residents for jury duty consisted of a pool of only registered voters, not all residents with government-issued identification, as the system works today, the judge said.

“It is possible to imagine things going wrong, such as a batch of jury summonses being sent to a single town or precinct that is predominantly white, but there’s no evidence that this, or anything else, did go wrong,” Easterbrook wrote. “As no one is entitled to racial balance on any particular jury, the district court properly rejected Fadiga’s complaint about this pool.”

What’s on Your Summer Checklist?

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Willard Library
Crosscurrents
Monday, June 5th
Photos on display from 12-8pm
Presentation 7-8pm
Summer Chess Saturdays
June 10th and July 8th
12-3pm
Hours: Monday, Tuesday 9:00-8:00 â—Š Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9:00-5:30
Saturday 9:00-5:00 â—Š Sunday 1:00-5:00
Willard Library â—Š 21 First Avenue â—Š Evansville, Indiana 47710 â—Š 812-425-4309 â—Š willard@willard.lib.in.us

AG Hill: I stand with President Trump and our hardworking middle class

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Attorney General Curtis Hill today issued a statement in support of President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement.

“I applaud President Trump for sticking to his promise to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. Without question, humans have a direct impact on the environment and we must be responsible in our use of natural resources. However, this symbolic agreement would have negligible impact on global temperatures while promoting radical energy policies that would be harmful to our economy and put Hoosiers out of work,” Hill said.

“We must reduce our carbon emissions with a balanced approach that realistically provides for our energy needs while advancing more efficient forms of energy at reasonable costs.”

“Our friends in Europe must understand that we will put our own interests first, especially when we are paying for it. I stand with President Trump in favor of policies that benefit all hardworking middle-class Hoosiers and Americans.”