Underground Chinese churchs coming out of hiding

Can a State Bypass the EPA?

by Jillian Bandes

In 2010, the EPA granted exactly two new coal mining permits in West Virginia. There are fifty outstanding permits, because according to the EPA, bugs are more important than jobs.

Mayfly populations are disrupted when coal companies dig beneath the surface of the earth, which the EPA says affects the amount of food and thus the populations of indigenous fish. Other research has indicated that as soon as those bugs leave, other ones take their place, and fish populations are unaffected.

As the result of this standoff, coal cannot expand in Appalachia, and some of the highest paying jobs in the state remain unfilled. For state representative Gary Howell, that’s unacceptable.

“The EPA gets their authority from the Commerce Clause. Where no interstate commerce exists, their authority stops,” he said. That’s why he has introduced a bill that would exempt West Virginia coal from the EPA’s grip, allowing coal to be regulated only by a state agency.

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Following the Money, Doctors Ration Care

by Tyler Cowen

Unequal access to health care is hardly a new phenomenon in the United States, but the country is moving toward rationing on a scale that is unprecedented here. Wealthy people will always be able to buy most of what they want. But for everyone else, if we stay on the current course, the lines are likely to get longer and longer.

The underlying problem is that doctors are reimbursed at different rates, depending on whether they see a patient with private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid. As demand increases relative to supply, many doctors are likely to turn away patients whose coverage would pay the lower rates.

Let’s see how this works. Medicare is the major federal health program for the elderly, who vote at high rates and are politically influential, and so it is relatively well financed. Medicaid, which serves poorer people, is paid for partly by state governments, and the poor have less political clout than the elderly, so it is less well financed. Depending on the state and on the malady, it is common for Medicaid to reimburse at only 40 percent to 80 percent the rate of Medicare. Private insurance pays more than either.

A result is that physicians often make Medicaid patients wait or refuse to see them altogether. Medicare patients are also beginning to face lines, as doctors increasingly prefer patients with private insurance.

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Obama's War On Fossil Fuels

Obama Administration Digs in Heels on Energy Regulations

as American People Hope Their Heat Will Last All Winter

by David Almasi

As winter weather already grips portions of the United States, the need for cheap and efficient power for heat and light is essential. Deneen Borelli, a fellow with the Project 21 black leadership network, points out that the Obama Administration's continued war on fossil fuels that is making the guarantee of a comfortable winter increasingly bleak for the nation's poorest citizens.

"With millions of Americans unemployed and struggling to keep their homes warm, the need for government assistance will only increase. Heavy demand and higher prices due to the Obama Administration's assault on the fossil fuels we rely upon are going to stretch charities to their limits and beyond," noted Project 21's Borelli. "It's disgraceful that the first black president and the first black EPA administrator are advancing policies that will preferentially harm blacks who overwhelmingly supported Obama."

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Georgia Prison Inmates Strike Over Low Pay

by Adam Crisp

Georgia inmates are reportedly striking across the state, refusing to go out on work details or perform chores until they are paid or see improved living conditions.

Georgia corrections officials wouldn't confirm or deny a strike Monday, but said four prisons across the state were on lockdown for a fifth day after they got wind of a rumored protest late last week.

The group organizing the strike contends that at least four state prisons across Georgia are still participating in the strike, including Hays State Prison an hour south of Chattanooga in Trion. Along with Hays, other prisons on lockdown are Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe, Telfair State Prison in Helena and Smith State Prison in Glennville.

At various points over the last five days, the group has said inmates in anywhere from six to 11 prisons are striking.

Going by the name "Concerned Coalition," strike organizers say they won't settle for anything less than payment for inmates who perform work while incarcerated. The group, consisting of three women from Atlanta and South Georgia, recently partnered with the Georgia NAACP, which is calling for a federal investigation into prison conditions in Georgia.

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