News August 14

Senator Sanders

Social Security On Social Security's 77th birthday today, "the Democrats' seeming urge to trade away this vital program casts a dark shadow," Richard (RJ) Eskow wrote for The Huffington Post. He said Sen. Bernie Sanders "has given [Social Security] it the gift of a stalwart defense, along with a practical proposal which ensures its long-term ability to pay [benefits] ..." LINK

Romney-Ryan Medicare Cuts "Everybody understands that they are destroying Medicare as it is currently constituted," Sen. Sanders said of a Romney-Ryan plan for seniors' heath care. "What they intend to do is convert Medicare, over a period of years, into a voucher program. So what they`re going to say to a 70-year-old senior who is dealing with cancer or heart disease, here is a check for $8,000. Go out, get the best private insurance policy you can, and lots of luck," Sanders added on MSNBC‘s "The Ed Show." LINK, VIDEO

Romney-Ryan Medicaid Cuts "This year alone, we`re going to be losing about 45,000 people who die because they don`t get to a doctor when they should. These are people who don`t have any health insurance. If Medicaid is significantly cut, that number will increase significantly," Sanders told Ed Schultz. "What that means is a death sentence for a whole lot of people all over this country." LINK, VIDEO

Senate '12 At a Sanders' campaign dinner in the Arrowhead Senior Center, he "was introduced with glowing praise" and served up a "fiery speech" that was "vintage Sanders." The Burlington Free Press said Sanders six years ago won 65 percent of the vote and now is "apparently looking to beef [up] that percentage." LINK

Pot Reform A national marijuana advocacy group says Gov. Peter Shumlin is one of three sitting governors in the last 40 years to aggressively support cannabis legal reform. According to vtdigger.org, Sen. Sanders "is also on the bandwagon" because he joined a coalition of bipartisan senators who introduced a bill legalizing industrial hemp. LINK

National

Budget Hawk Hypocrite Rep. Paul Ryan became a favorite of conservatives as a budget hawk, but the Republican vice-presidential candidate voted for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the Bush-era Medicare prescription-drug benefit and an early version of what became the auto-industry bailout. He voted against President Obama's stimulus, but then wrote letters endorsing stimulus projects in his home state, according to The Wall Street Journal. LINK

Plan Opens Alaska Reserve to Drilling The Obama administration proposed opening up 12 million acres of Alaska's 23 million-acre National Petroleum Reserve for oil and natural-gas drilling, while restricting energy production on the rest of the acreage. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Monday the proposal strikes "an important balance," The Wall Street Journal reported. LINK

Global Warming The United States will suffer a series of severe droughts in the next two decades, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. Moreover, global warming will play an increasingly important role in their abundance and severity, Aiguo Dai, the study's author, told The Washington Post. LINK

Vermont

Irene The state could learn this week how much the Federal Emergency Management Agency will pay for rehabilitating the state office complex in Waterbury, which was largely abandoned after Tropical Storm Irene. The congressional delegation met recently with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate to support the state's efforts, Rep. Peter Welch told The Associated Press and Vermont Public Radio. LINK, LINK

Tar Sands Pipeline Although energy companies deny that they plan to ship tar sands oil through New England, the possibility of the west-east route has triggered growing protest around the region. Environmentalists say a recent regulatory decision in Canada is strong evidence that energy firms eventually plan to ship the fuel from Alberta to Maine, Vermont Public Radio reported. LINK

Peace Corps The head of the Peace Corps is planning a visit to Vermont this week. Aaron Williams is to join Sen. Patrick Leahy for an event Thursday at the University of Vermont highlighting the contributions of Peace Corps volunteers from Vermont, AP reported. LINK