Doctors, legislators and the American public all agree on the need for health care care reform. Yet the federal government has not discussed health care for 16 years. I remember all the optimism two months ago and the discussions of how President Obama was taking a smarter, better approach than the Clintons.
It may be all for nought. It seems Congress will once again fail to pass meaningful health care reform this year. Even doe-eyed patriots who trust their government have to believe health insurance and industry lobbies have undue influence and are fighting reform.
Fight back. Tell your legislator you want health care reform. And find out how much health care PACs and companies are trying to influence your legislators. It’s hard to remotely track every lobbyist and every Congressional staffer, but you can track the campaign funding for each legislator. Here’s my favorite online campaign tracking tool.
I used the database to look up my representative, Betsy Markey. She has received at least $7,000 from health care PACs since the November election. See more details here.
Look for a south-facing roof if you want to install solar panels
Associated Content is publishing my new real estate series focused on useful information for home home buyers and sellers.
I started the series with information for home buyers on researching local schools. Area school ratings and quality can significantly affect property values and quality of life, so even buyers without children should research schools in the area.
I am also focusing on energy-saving information for homebuyers, beginning with a general overview of important features for those who want to reduce energy bills or install renewable energy. Paying attention to small features such as south-facing windows can significantly impact your heating costs.
You must have heard by now that your Congressional representative didn’t read the so-called cap-and-trade bill last week. But only those who opposed the energy bill really care.
Everybody should care. It’s not just about the energy bill. It’s a symptom of a fundamental disorder in the federal legislative system. There is no good excuse for shoving through such long, overreaching and complex “don’t read, just vote” legislation. Al Gore would acknowledge global climate change won’t melt the icecaps while Congress waits a month to read, study and properly debate the energy bill.
It was virtually impossible for any representative to read the 1,200-page energy bill before the vote, particularly given that the final 300 pages were added at the last minute. Here is the full text. Put on a pot of coffee and find out what the House approved without discussion.
For some perspective, the American Clean Energy and Security Act is more than three times longer than the long and far-reaching PATRIOT Act. The energy bill is roughly the same length as “War and Peace.” It is also rumored that only one copy of the bill could be found on the House floor during the late-night discussion and vote.
Associated Content published my longer editorial on “don’t read, just vote” legislation. For more details on my congresswoman, who claims to read all legislation, read my Examiner story.
Fair use and copyright law is unclear and subject to interpretation — even more so than the Second Amendment. For the most part, a limited portion of photos, quotes and other content can be used for “transformative” purposes. Don’t know what that means? That’s OK. Even lawyers and judges don’t know.
I read this book to write a straightforward article about fair use rights for photography. I hoped to list three specific legal uses for photos and wait for the praise and gratitude of photographers everywhere.
Not so much. The book is very readable and helpful, especially for a textbook written by an attorney, but it still can’t answer the question of “what is fair use.” It notes millions of dollars and hundreds of hours have been spent defining “transformative” and creating useful precedent for fair use laws. It remains pretty unclear, but hopefully my article can provide some useful examples and broad guidelines.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about seeking out advocacy groups’ ratings for your Congressional representatives. Here are two more resources for Congressional accountability.
• Federal Election Commission campaign finance lists: I used this list today to research a story on my Congresswoman’s contributions from major health insurance PACs and lobbying groups. Health care reform is clearly the top current issue for President Obama and Congress, and campaign fundraising will likely have an influence on health care reform votes and all other issues. The FEC lists contributions by candidate, committee or individual. Good local newspapers and bloggers will research and report these records, but will probably not list every individual or committee of interest.
• The Congressional Bill Text Search: The Library of Congress helps inform voters about all legislation so you can research issues of interest or specific bills that may have slipped through the cracks with little media coverage.
Contact your representatives to combat the influence of major campaign contributors and to weigh in on bills that are important to you. Project VoteSmart offers contact information for all your federal and state legislators.
I continue my Associated Content series on real estate with several more stories about energy savings for homeowners. 
But there’s not. Nothing is that simple. Sustainability questions for every purchase can be overwhelming and depressing. For example, bamboo flooring is the new canvas bag. It’s the in-home badge of eco-honor. But the environmental benefits of bamboo flooring aren’t as cut-and-dried as the bamboo planks. Chemical inputs, embodied energy and other factors affect the eco-footprint under your feet. For more, read 
I’m not talking about cold cash. There are ways to save on energy bills with your existing fridge if you’re not willing or able to buy a new energy-saving model. 
Colorado roller coasters are an endangered species. First, Six Flags filed for bankruptcy, which may threaten Elitch Gardens. Serves them right for moving the park downtown and taking away all the gardens before I could even visit the original Elitch’s.
