Conroe ISD Censoring the President

In an email obtained by MoCo Report, it is clear that some CISD schools are giving parents the option to "opt out" their child from watching President Obama's upcoming speech to children on persisting and succeeding in school. In a letter, to school districts, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan encouarged school leaders to play the speech, which will be broadcast live via the White House website on September 8th. In the letter, Secretary Duncan says, "The president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning."

CISD has not yet returned our inquiry and we are in the progress of reaching out to other school districts to understand what their plans are.

However, Bush Elementary in The Woodlands, is going forward with the "Opt Out" program:

> Date: Wed, 2 Sep 2009 17:00:14 -0700
> From: jmills@conroeisd.net
> To:
> Subject: President's Address
>
> Bush Parents,
> You should have received a letter today about the President's address to the students in America.
> Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has requested that all students in the nation watch as the President delivers a national address on the importance of education. CISD students will watch the address which will be delivered Tuesday, September 8, 2009. It will be broadcast live on the White House website www.whitehouse.gov at 12:00 noon eastern standard time and 11:00 a.m. CST.
>
> If you request that your child not participate in watching this message, please return the note to your child's teacher or write a note indicating your choice. Your child will be allowed to participate in another activity, such as reading in the library. If you do wish for your child to participate in watching the President’s message, you do not need to return the note.
>
> Thank you,
> Judy Mills
> Principal

We respect the rights of school districts to decide whether or not a Presidential Address fits into their planned curriculum and to act accordingly. However, to allow an "opt out" program sends the message to the public as well as young children at a formative age that something is potentially wrong with what the President will say. That inference is absolutely unfounded as the Department of Education has made it clear what the intentions of the Address are and they have even provided suggested lesson material to possibly accompany the speech. Review of the material reveals the same thing, that this effort is obviously benign in nature. This type of address is not unprecedented, as former President George H.W. Bush gave a similar school speech in 1989. When I was in school, we watched Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush at in-class televisions at various important times in history.

We have asked CISD if they have implemented similar "opt out" options for past Presidential Addresses. It's important to note that a Republican political figure, then First Lady Laura Bush visited this very elementary school in 2008 with her daughter to read to students and no similar opt-out option was offerred. I would contend that Barack Obama talking about the importance of perserverance in school is just as harmless as Laura Bush reading a children's book that she wrote.

Regardless of policy differences we may have, I think we can agree that children should learn to have respect for the office of the President of the United States.

See: Houston Chronicle 9/2/2009 , Politico.com 9/2/2009

Kevin Brady Town Hall 9/2/2009

Well, I attended my first Kevin Brady "Dog and Pony Show" at 8am this morning at the United Methodist Church in The Woodlands. My experience was not unlike many of the the others that we've heard about on this blog. Brady starts out with his 30 minute presentation with that ridiculous chart in the background. Then he takes questions. The usual nuts stand up and proceed to make incoherent and inaccurate statements rather than questions. Brady nods a lot, doesn't correct any of their garbage and then when giving an answer, takes the opportunity to steer the discussion to some point that he wants to make.

The first guy wanted to know where in the "Declaration of Independence" it said that the government could operate a health insurance. The next "question" was a woman who said she had lost a child from a vaccine-preventable disease so she had dedicated her life's work to this cause. She was against the "socialized" medicine and I couldn't make sense out of much that she was saying, but I commend her on the work she's doing for kids. She concluded with a comment about mandatory end of life counseling.

Now, I was planning on asking a question about my plight as a soon-to-be poor college student and how I am going back to school at the risk of not having access to health insurance. However, after Brady failed to correct her on the end of life counseling bit, I decided to focus on that.

I said, "Congressman Brady, thank you for holding this town hall meeting. It's important that we all debate this important topic but that debate has no value if it's based on misinformation. As a member of Congress who has read this bill, I was hoping you could clear something up for us. Section 1233 provides that Medicare will pay for an optional advance directive consultation with your physician, however many claim that this is mandatory. Can you clear this up and do you think advance medical directives are a good idea?"

Brady something to the effect that it was mandatory in the bill that Medicare pays for it, but that it would be optional for Medicare recipients. He said advance medical directives were good because we should make our wishes known. So far, I was happy with his response. In his response, he emphasized that it was mandatory that Medicare pay for it and then slipped the "yeah, it's optional" in there real quick. Well, duh, that's the point. How else could this be made available as an option if the funding wasn't provided by law? However, he wrapped up his answer with a sound byte that was designed to eclipse all of the accurate information he had just said. He said something to the effect that he didn't think the government should be getting involved in those types of decisions. And of course, all of the nuts started clapping.

Well, the government is not involved in the advance medical directive (i.e. a living will). The government is involved to the extent that Medicare, the health insurer in this case, pays for the visit with your physician. The physician can tell you whatever they want, they'll just be getting their check from Medicare like they do every other time you come to see them.

It convinced me that Mr. Brady has no intention of an honest debate. His only interest is in propagating more misinformation to keep his mobs fired up.

Brady can't show up at these Town Halls and say that there is nothing wrong with our healthcare system, because everyone has had to deal with some problem on a personal level. Even some of the opponents of reform in the crowd told stories of problems they had in the same breath that they opposed reform. So Brady plays the angle of wanting to fix the system, just not with this "Obamacare". He's been in Congress since 1996 and all of the sudden he has an interest in fixing a system that has been broken for decades. What does he propose as an alternative? A four letter acronym (C.A.R.E) and a 50 point flyer.

The Question I didn't get to ask

I attended the Aug 26^th Kevin Brady town hall meeting on health care. Twice now, I’ve heard Rep. Brady quote the Lewin Group, and cite it as an independent source.

Obviously, Rep. Brady is misinformed about the Lewin Group, which is funded by United Healthcare, one of our nation’s largest health insurance companies.

If I had been given the chance at the town hall meeting, I would have asked, “ Isn’t quoting the Lewin Group as an unbiased source on healthcare, like quoting Colonel Sanders as an advocate for chickens?”

Anne Sermons Gillis, The Woodlands

Representative Kevin Brady's Town Hall Meetings/Political Rallies

What's the saying, "If you keep doing what you're doing you'll keep getting what you got"?
I've now attended two of Representative Brady's Town Hall Meetings and watched two on video and I can tell you we're going to keep getting the same old song and dance from Representative Brady. I can attest to the fact that he has this presentation down to a fine art and the "plants" in the audience are dedicated. "Joe", who stands up and calls President Obama Hitler and a Nazi, sat on the row in front of me for both meetings I attended. There is always the 1) "socialized medicine is evil" plant , 2) "most uninsured are just irresponsible" plant [my friend who ate and exercised responsibly and had a heart attack at 44 and was dropped by his insurance company was responsible!], 3) "keep the Government out of my pocket" plant [by an elderly person on Medicare!], etc. At the Creighton Theater a woman on the front row stood up and said she would leave and give her seat to others wanting in, but first she wanted us to know that Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution said the Government could not legislate health care, and she turned and left. Fortunately, we Dems happened to have a copy of the Constitution with us, and healthcare is not mentioned in Article 1, Section 8 or any other part of the Constitution. However, it does state in Article 1, Section 8 and in the Preamble of the Constitution that Congress shall "provide for the general welfare of the United States."

When called upon at the Bells of Montgomery Town Hall meeting, I stated that Representative Brady had been in Congress many years, referred in his speech to 4 Republican Health Care Reform bills, and that his party had been in control of Washington for the last eight years, yet we don't have health care reform. I suggested that he go back to Washington and pass health care reform for ALL Americans. There were negative noises around the room as I spoke, but he asked them to allow dialog. And, of course, Representative Brady said he'd go back and pass health care reform, but not this bill. It's clear this "Mr. No" is for "status quo".

Also, after meeting with Congressman Brady on August 6, 2009 as a proponent of single payer health care and hearing his comments after our presentation ("So everyone at this table is for single payer and not for what is coming out of Washington"), I fear that saying I’m for single payer health care may be construed as being against the health care legislation coming out of Congress. That is NOT my intention. I support immediate health care reform, although I believe a single payer system is the most cost effective system and covers everyone. With our current health care system and the numbers of uninsured mounting, we cannot afford to wait another 10 – 15 years for reform. I suggest we not waste our time trying to carry dead weight with us as we head toward this worthy goal - Healthcare for ALL Americans.

Woodlands Township Meeting - 8/26/2009

First, since I did not report on the July 22nd Township Board Meeting, I want to bring to your attention a statistic of which I was not aware and that was presented by Jim Stiffler (a father whose daughter committed suicide). He said that Montgomery County is at the top for suicide in our State and nation per capita. That's sad and definitely important to know. He attributed it to intense peer pressure, etc. See Mr. Stiffler's report at http://video.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/ and click on this meeting date.

It seems the hottest topic at any Township meeting lately is "The Budget". And the hottest budget item is "Security" and how to fund additional police protection. Residents have made many suggestions and so have members of the Township Board including: 1) wait to update existing parks, 2) reduce lights on trees at Town Center, 3) privatize water taxis, 4) no new waterway songs (use old ones), 5) wait to build additions to Creekside Park, 6) wait to install new Town Center paths, 7) no ice rink next Christmas, 8) no horseback security at Mall (use real patrol personnel), 9) no tax abatements to 7 large companies now grandfathered, etc. Several residents have commented on the downturn in the economy and that the 3% increase in next year's budget is probably not realistic. So, the "Budget" was also the hottest topic at the August 26th Township Meeting. It will be interesting to see what gets left out and what gets left in. From what the Board Members stated in this meeting, they plan to find the money to fund the additional security needed to make citizens feel safe by cutting budget items and not increasing it. There were suggestions to lower and to raise the proposed tax rate, and it appears the Township Board has settled on a tax rate of $.328 per $100 of valuation. To view the entire meeting, go to http://video.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/ and click on this meeting date.

Magnolia Town Hall 8/27

Thanks to Marcie Rhodes of The Woodlands for sharing her account of the Kevin Brady Town Hall held at Magnolia High School:

I guess another politician just couldn't resist sharing the limelight, so Rob Eissler started off the Magnolia health care town hall meeting featuring Kevin Brady. Rob quoted "government of the people, by the people for the people"-- and said this is the "of" part. Maybe that's true, but if it were, I'd think there would actually be more intelligent discourse going on with intelligent questions about health care, and maybe even some intelligent answers. Once again, that's not what happened here.

But first, we started with the pledge of allegiance, the star spangled banner (sung wonderfully by members of the Magnolia H.S. Choir),and then the pledge of allegiance to Texas. That one threw quite a few people. As a PTA mom who has been at school enough times to learn it while the kids are doing it, I was glad I could complete it. I was amazed at how many people did not seem to know that our children must say this at school every day, along with the U.S. Pledge.

We got treated to a story about how Kevin and Rob go waaaay back, in the Chamber together. Am assuming Chamber of Commerce, and not a death chamber, but who knows. After the "damnation" of Ted Kennedy the night before in Conroe I was sure of nothing.

Now, mind you, all this had already taken up a bit of Mr. Brady's one hour meeting. I noted in my earlier rant regarding Conroe that he tries his best to make these meetings as short as possible. He cut the first Conroe meeting short by 10 minutes. Keeps people from actually being able to ask questions and get answers.

After Brady spotlighted his colorful chart that he is so very proud of, and told us we were a fine looking mob,-- good job at making political jabs AND being a smarmy politician at the same time-- he started in on the exact same show I'd seen the night before. The lady next to me in her tea party shirt chuckled when he started. I had told her prior to the meeting that he would put the chart up and then drop a large bunch of papers tied with a bow onto the floor and tell us how he'd received the bill at 3 minutes to midnight and was supposed to vote on it the next morning. I asked her and her group why hadn't Brady known about the bill before then, or been interested in it-- I would think some committees worked on it before it magically appeared. But some of the group said no way, that's NOT how a bill is crafted, with committees and all.

I told her how Brady would go on and tell us that we needed to do some more things like tort reform to help with health care costs. "Yeah! Tort reform!" she said. I asked if she knew we already had enacted tort reform in Texas several years ago. She didn't know that. Probably lots of people don't, but I swear it's true. I asked if her health care costs had gone down, insurance rates gone down, or if she was finding it easier to find a doctor because we'd already been told all that would happen after tort reform. I haven't seen it, and apparently she hadn't either. When Brady got to that part of his spiel she was urgently requesting me to call Brady out on the tort reform. Unfortunately, I was sitting with another pro health care Democrat who had already gotten to ask a question. No way he was going to call on any of us sitting around her then-- he knew we might be "the enemy". And there was a courageous man in an Obama cap right in front of us so he KNEW there might be some real questions coming from that area.

The first "questioner" was called upon and she stood up with a pad of writing and began to read a diatribe she had written about the czars that Obama has been appointing. I got to hear about how Cass Sunstein is an avowed communist. Is that why many of the czars don't get paid anywhere near as much as they'd make if they were working privately? Anyway, as in Conroe, the person holding the mic for questioners asked what I wanted to know-- was there a question on that pad somewhere? The lady said no, she just wanted to have her say. Anyway, the subject of the czars seemed to be a common focus of many of the people there. But, the rant didn't ask a question about this health care bill and Brady didn't give an answer linked to health care. Like the cap and trade tirade by an audience member later, it was just taking up time and keeping the subject away from health care. Couldn't we have town halls on cap and trade when that is a critical issue? But, as usual, maybe the point is diversion. Brady's good at it, and the people who get their talking points from Dick Armey and Steve Forbes are also getting skilled at it. Maybe they get their info from the Lewin group, whom Brady quoted once again. And once again, he didn't call on me when I put my hand up to try to point out that the Lewin group is owned by United Health Care, so their information might be....well, biased.

Wendy Melton, Yellow Dog Democrat, then got to ask a question. She had painted her nails red, was dressed for work, and was playing with her Blackberry, so I think Brady thought she didn't look like a Democrat. Too bad he couldn't see the tiny Obama necklace she had on. She noted that he had only said negative things about the bill so far-- wasn't there anything positive in it that can support a bipartisan effort for health care? Brady said he'd give coverage to people who are truly uninsured. (What does that mean? Some people just pretend they are uninsured?) And he'd "fix Medicare". I don't know what the problem is he'd fix, he didn't say of course. I was wondering why he'd bother anyway, since he told us in this meeting and the prior one that Medicare would be gone in 5 years. Which REALLY makes me wonder what those older people are going to do when they have to try to get private health insurance in 5 years. I would think that premiums for 65+ year olds would be sort of high. Maybe the insurance companies wouldn't cover these people at all. Like they might not cover soldiers, who are more likely than your average person to get hurt. Or their premiums, as for elderly people or anyone with preexisting conditions, would be exorbitant. Brady says this bill will "ration care". Private insurance companies already do that through premium costs, deductibles, denied claims, and caps. Good thing for the soldiers we have the V.A. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/8/27/772696/-Soldiers-arent-Communists.-Neither-is-their-medicine.

And of course Brady said no healthcare for illegals! At least he didn't go as far as the night before when he claimed that the bill will probably allow for illegals to get coverage. That's not in the bill. Maybe he went and read at least that one part. He still didn't say why the Republicans haven't addressed this health care problem during the time that they were in charge, even though he admits it's important.

Brady amazed me when he said that his party did not lead with integrity, so the American people sent them packing. So was it everyone in his party but him? Several of us, liberals and conservatives alike, noted that Brady would often refer to "Washington" and "them" as the bad guy. We were wondering if he knew that he IS part of "Washington" and "them"? Or was he confused with the state of Washington?

There weren't too many more questions from the main audience after that. Brady allowed a few questions from some high schoolers. I'm proud there were some young people in there, even though they were probably seeing a stage show rather than true public discourse. Many seemed interested, and that gives me hope. One stood up and said that he was the president of his class, and he thought they could probably handle the problems in the future. I'm extrapolating that he meant the problems Brady and many older people direly predict will come to these kids due to the health care bill. Guess they forget that many of those kids are uninsured, which might cause dire problems in itself. Another courageous young lady stood up and said that she had been taught that it was government by the people and for the people, but she wasn't seeing much happening FOR the people.

Finally, to restore my faith in the humanity of some of the crowd, one man stood up and said "Mr. Brady, the man with the Obama hat on has been trying to ask a question throughout the meeting. I don't think we'll agree with him, but he should have the right to speak." Obviously, this man was NOT one of the hand picked Brady people that mostly showed up for the Conroe meetings. Or people in Magnolia have better manners. And some of us DID agree with the guy in the Obama hat. And he asked a great question. His name is Manny, he was born in Cuba, has suffered waterboarding there and says it wasn't pleasant at all. Obviously, HE wasn't a communist. So he came to America and proudly became a citizen. Just like my dad's parents came from Germany and became proud citizens-- few of us can claim Mayflower roots, but I've noticed that people in these meetings forget that. Manny has been a good citizen and has been really trying to gather lots of information and study this health care bill. He pointed out that Brady spoke exclusively about the problems of the health care in England and Canada. Had Brady and others in Congress looked at the systems in other countries, like Germany and Japan? Brady finally sheepishly admitted they had and those systems did work well. But of course, they wouldn't work here because we're different than those countries. I think we're different from England and Canada too, but if Brady is confused about Washington, maybe he's confused about which country we are. We are the U.S.A., and we are the country that has the benefit of looking at all the systems (and there are quite a few to consider since we are the only major country without basic national health care), and then doing it the best. Most people in those meetings agreed we're the best. So let's have the best heath care system. And let's have it now.

Brady "town hall" meeting in Montgomery on 8/27/2009

Kevin Brady’s political rally in Montgomery Thursday morning highlighted a fact of our political system when he stated “We focus on the people who elected us.” And he has and he did and he will continue to do so. Thus saith the first commandment of Politics 101.

Why do I think it was a political rally rather than a town hall meeting? When Wally Wilkerson greets everyone at the door, when the introduction is a twenty minute melodramatic monologue of what is wrong with the proposed legislation, when six of the thirteen “questions” from the floor are cheerleading comments rather than questions, and when phrases like “bloodless coup”, “he should be impeached”, “this is socialized medicine”, and booing of unpopular questions exist, either it’s a political rally or my definition of a town hall meeting is wrong. But I did learn some interesting “facts” at this dog and pony show.

I learned that of the eleven counties in Mr. Brady’s congressional districts, nine are Democratic (gee Kevin, where are they?), two are Republican and that the Democratic counties agree with him. I learned that illegal immigration is a major impediment to universal health care and that we need more competition between insurance companies that can be achieved by allowing people to get coverage out of state but that’s not done because of state bureaucracy and the federal government (but not Kevin’s fault!). I learned that Medicare is going broke and the way to fix it is to pay doctors and hospitals more money. I learned that George Bush did a good job, but most importantly, I learned that the reason the problems were not solved over the last eight years when Republicans were in charge was because of Democrats and if Republicans are put back in charge they’ll fix it. I learned that Kevin Brady is a politician with ready excuses for doing nothing to solve critical problems. Businesses fire people for that. Montgomery County Republicans elect them.

Kevin Brady and most of his constituency have no desire to participate in formulation of a health plan. The message of the party of NO is “just say no” because they want to defeat any health plan proposed by any Democrat. That leaves the rest of us in Montgomery County with no voice in the crucial health care debate when Congress returns in September. Congressional Democrats need to forget Republicans like Brady and develop a budget positive or neutral health care plan that covers what we can afford while giving priority to children and working families. Pass it, implement it, and run on it in 2010. They need to focus on the people who elected them.