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DEL.ICIO.USOn higher-class emergency rooms
And a GOP acknowledgement that ticking off school systems may not have been such a hot idea
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Eric Johnson, the Republican leader of the state Senate, speechified late last week at the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, a local, conservative think tank.
The Savannah lawmaker gave a preview of some interesting fights to come at the state Capitol.
Some will be waltzes between Democrats and Republicans. But not a few will be internal disputes that could put a strain on the new ruling party. We offer a few excerpts below.
On health care:
“We must lobby the federal government to remove the requirement that hospitals treat everybody who walks into their emergency rooms. No reform can work as long as ‘free’ care is available.”
On education:
—“Vouchers are not yet politically feasible.” (Note the word “yet.”)
—“We need to realize that school boards are relevant and cannot be ignored.” (Possibly, this should have been addressed before election season.)
On economic development:
Johnson said debate over “private cities” would continue. “The constitution should be amended to allow Community Development Districts to be created that use private financing of infrastructure for new developments rather than property taxes and public debt. They would be self-governed and only created with the approval of the local government.”
On privacy:
“We should realize that we need to continue to strike a balance between public safety and privacy with such issues as cameras at red lights, identity theft, and the availability of consumer data. Technology versus privacy will be a growing problem.”
Comments
By JJSANTANA
June 3, 2006 01:20 PM | Link to this
Thats it? What a leader!
By Jim Strickland
June 3, 2006 04:44 PM | Link to this
Johnson should be watching his back. He will not be pro tem of the senate following the election of Cagle. We have big plans for the senate and there will be new leadership once Cagle is elected. Vengance will be sweet.
By RiverRat
June 3, 2006 04:54 PM | Link to this
I’m guessing that endorsing the denial of emergency services to poor people without insurance is an election loser…. same with school vouchers (which he is clearly endorsing) and private cities. It is like that Republican councilwoman in Nebraska who wants to cut funding for buses, libraries, and parks. Be careful what you ask for when you vote Republican - you just might get it!
By Van
June 5, 2006 09:59 AM | Link to this
Technically, the Constitution does not give the Federal Government any power over health care or education. The 10th Amendment clearly states this is left to the states.
The erosion of clearly definded constitutional powers has been a problem with this country since the times of FDR and his “New Deal”.
While, I can understand Eric Johnson’s posistion, I do not think the delivery or tone was conducive to rational debate. The lefties will leap on this faster than a hungry tiger.
The debate should have been a long time ago, should the federal government be involved in health care or education, than answer should be NO. Should Georgia, definitely. Georgia should be providing ER services and Georgia should be involved in the classroom, not our inept Congress.
By John Bagnato
June 8, 2006 03:03 PM | Link to this
Most Georgia hospitals enjoy a tax exemption worth millions of dollars specifically for charitable care. IRS Revenue Ruling 69-545 posited several factors to consider when determining whether a nonprofit hospital should be tax-exempt. The factors to consider are: (1) whether a board of trustees control the hospital and, if so, whether civic leaders compose the board; (2) whether the hospital has an open medical staff and extends privileges to all qualified physicians in the area; (3) whether the hospital operates an active and accessible emergency room, regardless of patients’ ability to pay; (4) whether the hospital provides medical care to all persons able to pay; and (5) whether surplus funds, when used, improve the quality of patient care. The presence of these factors, according to the IRS, indicates that a nonprofit hospital is “operated to serve a public rather than a private purpose.” Georgia Hospitals are sitting on biilions of dollars as a direct result of tax exemption.