Here’s a link to the 2,074 page health care reform bill (HR 3590) released by Senator Reid.  A cloture vote to begin floor debate is expected to take place on Saturday 11/21/09.  GOP Senators are beginning to close ranks in an attempt to block the bill from being brought to the floor.

I wrote to Senator Ensign regarding the health care reform bill late last week.  I got a 4-line email today that basically said … thank you for your inquiry, I’ll keep your concerns in mind as I vote.  It didn’t even acknowledge that I’d inquired about the Health Care Reform and specifically asked for his affirmative vote on the bill when it came to the floor.  Given his voting record, I doubt he’ll give my concerns a second thought … no doubt he’ll vote with the GOP bloc and not for the citizens of Nevada for whom he was elected to represent.  Needless to say … we should ALL send emails to Senator Ensign’s office asking him to vote in favor of the bill.  He needs to understand that he represents Nevadans who WANT to see Health Care Reform passed.

Prior to meeting, guest speakers Patty Herzog and John Milton discussed the Jungo Landfill.

Meeting Minutes:  11-10-2009

The meeting was held at Round Table Pizza at 7:00 pm.  Called to order by K.C. Harrison, chairman.

Previous meeting minutes of 9-8-2009 were read by Nicki Schumacher, standing in for Secretary Treasurer, Vickie Rock.  Motion to approve by Roger Rock and seconded by Don Rogers.

Treasurer’s report was given in the same fashion.  Motion to approve by Roger Rock and seconded by Don Rogers.

New Business

Letter read by Nicki Schumacher for committee approval concerning Health Care Reform.  Changes were suggested by Sandy Hammargren to add “strong” to “public option”, and by Patrick Henigin to add “preventive medical care” as a need in the Health Care Reform Bill.  Letter should be sent to all Democratic Senators, the local newspaper, and the Reno newspaper.  Motion to approve by Carolyn Rogers and seconded by Lorraine Giurlani.

Discussion of February Caucus was tabled and will be brought back at the next meeting after K. C. Harrison has an opportunity to talk to NV State Democratic Party to find out what requirements need to be met for the Humboldt County Caucus.  Moved by Roger Rock and seconded by Nicki Schumacher.

Discussion of Platform Resolutions:  A committee will be formed to study platform issues with Dee Holzel as chairman and members named at a later date.  They will report at the next meeting.  Moved by Dee Holzel and seconded by Patrick Henigin.

Discussion of contacting state and local officials to speak at meetings:  K. C. Harrison will contact Bill Diest and Bruce Brooks to inform on county financial status.  He will also contact the various candidate campaigns to find the feasibility of having a dinner event for all the candidates to meet the Winnemucca area voters.

Discussion of fund raising for the HCDCC:  Dee Holzel suggest a booth selling food at the annual 4^th of July celebration in the park, K. C. Harrison suggested a booth for a dunking tank calling it the Dunk a Democrat at the same event.  Sandy Hammargren suggested a Democratic Garage Sale.  This item was tabled for more study.

Discussion for forming a credential committee:  Sandy Hammargren, Dee Holzel and Don Rogers will check credentials for membership in the HCDCC as per the by-laws.

Moved by Nicki Schumacher and seconded by Lorraine Guirlani.

Next meeting to be held at the home of Vickie and Roger Rock, 3094 Piute St., so we can video conference with Vickie in Ohio on December 9^th.

Meeting adjourned at 8:00.  Moved by Nicki Schumacher and seconded by Carolyn Rogers.

Dear Senator,

 The Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee in Nevada want Health Care Reform passed and signed by the end of the year.

 We want the bill to include:

1. A strong public option
2. Coverage for preexisting conditions
3. Regulation of insurance costs
4. Regulation of medical costs
5. Preventive health care

 The cost is of concern to all taxpayers and we would like the reform to pay for itself.  Cost savings will come from computerizing medical records, regulations and penalties for fraud, and the increase of people included in the insurance pool.  The cost of not passing reform comes through uninsured people forced to use emergency room services, others seriously ill wait until last resort and we the taxpayers are forced to pay for life saving treatment.  Another cost comes when people are not able to go to the Doctor with a cold or the flu and go to work and school spreading the disease to everyone.  The insurance companies are increasing premiums annually and some more often while spendable income has not increased in the last twenty years.  How long can we afford the status quo?

Respectfully,

 Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee

Finally … the text is up on THOMAS for HR 3962: Affordable Health Care for America Act (as introduced in the House)

[If you'd prefer to download and read the pdf version ... go here: http://www.govtrack.us/data/us/bills.text/111/h/h3962ih.pdf ... but keep in mind that the file is humongous ... so it's gonna take a while to download]

Rory Reid, son of Senator Reid and current Clark County Commissioner, formally announced his intentions to run for Nevada’s Governorship on October 15, 2009.  Reid is the first Democrat to announce his intentions of running for Governor.  He joins three Republicans vying for our state’s top office (Gibbons, Sandoval, and Montandon) in next year’s election.

In his announcement, Reid pledged to create jobs throughout Nevada by putting plans in place to diversify Nevada’s economy, saying that we can no longer place such a heavy reliance on the gaming industry to pay for Nevada’s bills.  Read more about how Mr. Reid envisions Nevada’s future in this document:  The Virtual Crossroads — Rory Reid’s Vision for the Future of Nevada.

Further reading:

• Las Vegas Sun: Rory Reid emphasizes need to remix economy
• Las Vegas Review-Journal:  Reid—Diversify State Economy
• Rory Reid Web Site

Town Hall Discussion with Senator Harry Reid — Nevadans with 775 and 702 area codes are invited to participate in a Telephone Town Hall with Senator Reid on August 28, 2009. To sign up, click here.

* portion of Humboldt, Lander and Washoe Counties

# Elko County and a portion of Humboldt County

^ Eureka, Pershing & white Pine Counties & portions of Churchill, Humboldt, Lander & Washoe Counties

* unexpired term

Much is being written (and misrepresented) about Section 1233 of the Healthcare Reform bill currently in the House bill.  This is the section of the bill that modifies the Medicare regulation and provides for medical payments for consultations with your personal doctor related to end-of-life care (living will preparation).  Radicals on the far right are characterizing this section of the bill as legislating the creation of death warrants for seniors, thus denying care for seniors.  That mischaracterization of this section is anything but the truth and is merely a scare tactic to mobilize opposition to the bill.

Over the past few days, I read two quality articles on this subject in the Washington post.  The first was an op-Ed by Charles Lane titled, Undue Influence.  The second was an article detailing readers responses to the Undue Influence article, titled Views on the Goverment’s Role in End-of-Life Planning. 

I would encourage you to read both articles.  The “Undue Influence” article is written from a skeptic’s point of view, questioning whether a doctor might place senior citizens in situations where they feel pressured to sign end-of-life directives that they would not otherwise sign, and questions whether the motivation for this section is monetary, or to really ensure end-of-life wishes of the patient.  The “Views” article contains a number of email responses from WP readers who responded to the Undue Influence article with “thoughtful and often eloquent comments.”  The last “Views” response, from Sara Billings who was a daughter of an ailing father and who is also a healthcare professional, is well worth reading.  It accentuates that gray area between feelings and finances, guilt and grief that plays into the hands of those trying to use it to incite people against the bill.

Section 1233 of the Healthcare bill does nothing to “limit” healthcare for seniors.  If anything, it provides them the opportunity to have an extended consultation, paid for by Medicare, with their personal physicians (and with family members present, if so desired) regarding all types of end-of-life procedures, with discussions of both pros and cons of all types of treatment.  It actually would help people (and their relatives) make informed choices.  As it stands today, relatives are left  to interpret on their own what their family member might have wanted and most of all, what the person’s lawyer meant by “extraordinary measures” in their loved one’s living will (or DNR—do not rescusitate order) after circumstances have turned awry.

If you missed the August 3rd County Commissioner’s meeting, here are three videos that capture some of the content covered during the meeting related to the proposed Jungo Road Landfill:

Clip #1 [9:48] Martha Dolan Questioning Recology COO George McGrath

Clip #2 [8:26] Attorney Bob Dolan Questioning McGrath

Garbage #3 [7:08] John Doyle, then Mike Palmer question McGrath

Please take a few minutes to review these videos and learn about the types of hazardous materials they intend to deposit in the landfill (e.g., asbestos), and that given the prevailing prevailing winds, could easily find itself in our airspace.

According to COO, George McGrath, the project needs to be economically viable. It therefore seems that all we would need to do to get them to keep their garbage in California instead of northern Nevada is to make it anything but economically viable.

Related Documentation:

• Staff Rpt [UH-07-05] Use Permit 2007-04-03
• Minutes-Rgnl Plang Comm 2007-04-12
• Jungo Application to Rgnl Planning Comm 2007-04-20
• Rgnl Plang Comm Acceptance Form 2007-04-23
• NDEP-Tentative Permit 2009-05-26
• Dolan’s Request for Public Hearing 2009-07-03
• Notice of Public Hearing Scheduled For 2009-08-19

I attended the Nevadans Against Garbage Meeting held at the Martin on August 5th.  Here are a few notes of interest.

• Nevadans Against Garbage is a groups of local non-partisan citizens who are concerned about the proposed landfill and are dedicated to work toward getting it shut down.
• Nevadans Against Garbage has a new website:  http://nolandfill.wordpress.com
• If you have news you’d like them to post, you can email notrashland@yahoo.com or if you’d like to send an email directly to Swan (lead organizer) at keepjungoclean@yahoo.com
• Bob Dolan, a local attorney, is also working with the group.  He indicated that Recology is a $500M/yr operation and will use all possible tools available to be able to use the 4 sections of land it owns just west of Winnemucca … and that in using all 4 sections, the Jungo landfill would become the world’s largest landfill site.  In an effort to influence politicians to nix this site, Mr. Dolan will be forming a new political action group:  Desert Protectors PAC.
• Recology currently has a conditional use permit which is set to expire in March 2010. The final permit, once issued, would grant use of the 4 sections of land for 95 years (and at 4,00o tons of garbage a day for 95 years … you do the math). It’s imperative to nurture a loud public opinion that will sway County Commissioner and Regional Planning Commissioner opinions.  If things don’t change, then all we can do would be to make the host agreement so expensive that Recology would abandon their plans.
• Any action to revoke the permit, must occur at the Regional Planning Commission.  If you’d like to contact one or more of the commissioners, here’s their contact information:
  
  
  Ray Olsen (owner of Olsen’s Drug Store)
  term expires 06/30/2012
  515 N Highland Dr., Winnemucca, NV 89445
  775-623-3823

  Pam Wickkiser
  term expires 6/30/2012
  5555 Carson Dr., Winnemucca, NV 89445
  775-623-1970

  Stephen Nye
  term expires 6/30/2010
  15 Sunnyside Ave., Winnemucca, NV 89445
  775-623-3146

  Walter Lee
  term expires 6/30/2013
  PO Box 248, Paradise Valley, NV 89426
  775-587-3328

  Bob Edwards
  term expires 6/30/2011
  4107 Two Rock Dr., Winnemucca, NV 89445
  775-623-5225

  Joyce Cox
  term expires 6/30/2012
  PO Box 1280, Winnemucca, NV 89446
  775-623-6619

  Richard Brown (owner The OnRamp.net)
  term expires 6/30/2011
  3565 Brown Lane, Winnemucca, NV 89445
  775-623-1223

• Recologyis a new name for the organization.  Their previous corporate name used to be NorCal.  The same chief operating officer has been in place since 1986

Contact Information
Recology
50 California St., 24th Fl.
San Francisco, CA 94111
CA Tel. 415-875-1000
Toll Free 800-652-1275
Fax 415-875-1124

Type: Private
On the web: http://www.norcalwaste.com

San Francisco’s trash collector since 1921, Recology (formerly Norcal Waste Systems) cleans up in North California. Through its subsidiaries, Recology handles garbage collection, recycling, and other waste management services for more than 600,000 residential customers and 60,000 commercial customers in San Francisco and some 50 other California communities. The employee-owned company operates landfills, transfer stations, and hundreds of recycling programs. Recology’s recycling operations include materials-recovery facilities, recycling of construction and demolition debris, and composting of food and other organic waste.

Officers:
Chairman: Blake Murillo
President, CEO, and Director: Michael J. (Mike) Sangiacomo
EVP and COO: George P. McGrath

Competitors:
Republic Services
Waste Connections
Waste Management

I’ve invited a representative from NAG (which is not the organization responsible for the offensive “Pelosi’s Garbage” campaign) to attend our meeting on 8/12/2009 to bring us up-to-date on their efforts.

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