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Tag: horse racing

Greed, graft, corruption... horse racing? Just another day in government spending

By Nick, Section News
Posted on Fri May 22, 2009 at 07:59:13 AM EST
Tags: Cox, Blue Cross, Detroit City Council, waste, graft, corruption, horse racing (all tags)

Almost a pity that the Second Annual RightMichigan Bloggers' Challenge starts June 1st and not today because this morning's headlines provide more unbelievable blog fodder than any day in recent memory.

There's the same-old, same-old that could seemingly (and probably will) carry a political conversation for an entire Presidential term with talk of restructuring in the Big 3; this morning we learn the UAW may be making concessions with General Motors. There's the steady and continuing escalation in jobless claims and applications for benefits. Autos and layoffs in Michigan. We've been down that road before and we'll be down it again.

There's better... and more peculiar... news out there this morning, too, though.

We've got Attorney General Mike Cox taking on Blue Cross, for instance, over their decision to again dramatically hike health insurance rates on Michigan senior citizens. According to the Ivory Tower:

"Blue Cross should stop putting profits over people and focus on its mission as the insurer of last resort," Cox said in a statement announcing the challenge.
Overall, average increases sought would be 56% for non-elderly people buying their own insurance; 42% for group conversion policyholders who purchase coverage they once had at work, and 31% for seniors with supplemental Medicare, also known as Medigap policies.

The massive hikes would slam more than 400,000 Michigan seniors, folks on fixed incomes who can afford it the least. Of course, BC/BS claims they're caught between a rock and a hard place and can't afford NOT to hike rates.

I get tough times. If you live in Great Lakes State then YOU get tough times. Baseball, apple pie, hot dogs and tough times. That's how we roll. The Attorney General doesn't think Blue Cross is quite as pinched as they're claiming, though. Remember, this is the same company that last year gave away more than $1.54 million in bonuses to members of their board of directors.

And while we're on the subject of inappropriate use of scant resources, the Detroit News checks in with the Detroit City Council which continues to break land-speed records for inappropriate behavior and irresponsible spending.

The City currently faces a $300 million budget deficit but the City Council has increased their own budget by 12 percent over the last three years and now spends over $6 million a year.

Read on...

(6 comments, 757 words in story) Full Story