The CAUSE of the delay and the vacancy is the unwillingness of the administration to risk a nomination fight in which many of the Democrat party will defect. Hence, it has not been brought to the floor for debate and vote.
And the corollary to that; not wanting to have to lean on Senate Democrats running for re-election in red states to have to take a politically risky vote...
By not bringing it to the floor, (afterall, all they need is a majority, under the new rules) it's a win-win for both the vulnerable Senate Dems and the White House...
And then of course, Senator Slime cynically blames it on the GOP...(No surprise there...)
This is the latest brain dead canard from the Dems -- that the ebola situation is worsened by the year-long lack of an appointed Surgeon General, especially the inexperienced and highly political nominee waiting for a vote. And, of course, that this is the Republicans fault.
Never mind that there is an interim Surgeon General who is almost certainly far more qualified than the politico appointed by Obama (this in itself is a bad sign that Obama has not learned that his success or lack thereof is closely linked to the competence of his appointees).
Never mind that having a surgeon general would not really make a difference in how the country responds to ebola.
Never mind that the Dems are the ones who have refused to bring the vote forward the entire year.
Never mind that the filibuster on nominees has been removed, so the Reps cannot block the nomination and any insinuation to that effect is a lie.
There are enough suckers out there willing to buy the latest Dem talking point, which is a facile attempt try to deflect the attention of voters away from the albatross of the administration, at least long enough to make the election merely a bad one for Dems and not a complete disaster.
I really don t get why the repubs let the house be portrayed as a do nothing body, while the dems in the senate refuse to bring anything to the floor for a vote, except that immigration bill that had zero chance of passing the house.
omnibus bills should be banned. let the congress stay in session for 10 months a year and do the job they are elected to do. limit campaigning to two months a cycle, give all candidates on the ballot access to the public airways, without charge, and bring back some form of the fairness doctrine.
our current system is not giving us good govt. we need to shake things up
Better yet - let Congress meet twice a year for two months each time. That way they might stop legislating and just let things be. Give 'em all this time to fill and they just have to kick sand out of the box
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts
I think the congress should pass some form of line item veto for Omnibus bills, if the repubs win the senate and hold the house. make them debate and vote on clear issues, not on massive bills whose contents are unclear, unread, and unwise.
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Yes, but they can get around this to get to an effective line item. For example,one or both houses of Congress could create a rule that if the President vetoed the bill and designated the objectionable line items, the chamber would re-pass the unobectionable provisions, and then re-vote separately on the objected items.
If there were an appetite to do that, it would have happened from the outset. It's not as if the President's objections to any given bill are not known in advance.
"Hang on while I log in to the James Webb telescope to search the known universe for who the fuck asked you." -- James Fell
And the fact that no one has attempted anything of the sort since the decision in Clinton v. City of New York would lend credence to the position that none of appetites, interpretations or objections have changed in the past two decades.
"Hang on while I log in to the James Webb telescope to search the known universe for who the fuck asked you." -- James Fell
Actually, in the link you posted, it notes that Bush asked for the line item veto, the House passed it in 2006, but the Senate let it die. So, it is an idea that is still kicking around, and likely will be as long there are sizeable budget deficits.
I wanted to write to you in relation to Ebola and to advise you of the work that is underway to ensure that the ACT is prepared, in the unlikely event that we should get a case of Ebola in the ACT.
The risk to the ACT is considered extremely low. Despite this, it is important for us to be prepared in the unlikely event that we do see a patient with suspected or confirmed Ebola. It is important to note that there remain no cases of Ebola in Australia. Very few people travel to Australia from West Africa and therefore the risk to Australia remains low. Australia also has in place, robust border protection systems to enable the early detection of any potential cases entering the country.
As many of you would be aware, Ebola is a sever acute viral illness, often characterised by the sudden onset of fever, weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is then followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding. Whilst Ebola is a very serious disease, it is not considered highly contagious. It is not like influenza, and it is not caught through coughing or sneezing. It is only caught through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or animal.
In terms of our own preparedness, the ACT is in the process of ensuring that adequate systems, processes and communication channels exist, should they be required. A specialised working group has been established to ensure that the safety of our staff and patients remain a key priority throughout this process. This expert group is responsible for ensuring that our systems and processes are clearly communicated and in line with national advice on the management of Ebola. This expert group will provide clear and consistent advice to health professionals within Canberra Hospital and Health Services and will be responsible for ensuring that the areas and staff most likely to be impacted are adequately trained and briefed.
ACT Health’s Population Health Division is also working closely with the Communicable Diseases Network of Australia, the ACT airport and airline authorities, ACT Ambulance Service and the Medicare Local.
It is important that the management of our preparedness continues to be done in a coordinated and clear manner and this will be driven through the expert working group.
Deputy Director-General
Canberra Hospital & Health Services
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Further to my email last week, I write to provide you with a further update on our work to ensure that Canberra Hospital is prepared, in the unlikely event that we should get a case of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the ACT.
I wish to remind all staff that the risk to the ACT is considered extremely low. However despite this, we are ensuring that we are prepared for a suspected or confirmed case of EVD. As per my update last week, there still remains no cases of Ebola in Australia.
The specialised Ebola Response Working Party has continued to meet regularly over the past week. This working group is a specialised group established to ensure that the safety of our staff and patients remain a key priority throughout this process.
The working party has now identified the areas within the hospital where a suspected or confirmed case of EVD will be treated. These areas include the Emergency Department (for assessment only), Ward 7B and the Intensive Care Unit. At this stage, no other areas of the hospital will be used for a suspected or confirmed case of EVD. The working party has been working intensively over the past week to establish appropriate processes and procedures for the management of a patient in these areas. Further work is still underway to finalise these procedures and we expect that this will be completed within the coming weeks. Staff from within these wards will be provided with specialised training and we will commence discussions with staff from these areas next week, with the view that training will commence in the week of 3 November 2014.
I am also in the process of arranging an all staff forum for any interested staff who may wish to learn more about EVD and our preparedness. Details about this form will be distributed shortly.
I take this opportunity to thank the Ebola Response Working Party for their work over the past weeks.
Canberra Hospital & Health Services
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
24 Oct 2014 The Times (South Africa) Number of Ebola cases approaching 10 000
EXPERTS on Ebola raised concerns yesterday about the worsening epidemic in west Africa as the number of people with the disease neared 10 000. The World Heath Organisation said the situation in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone “remains of great concern”.
“It was the unanimous view of the committee that the event continues to constitute a public health emergency of international concern,” it added. — AFP
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts
