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Unemployment Fallout: Planned Parenthood Sells Gift Cards

CitizenSugar — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:00:53 -0800

Gift certificates and gift cards may seem like a risky investment because some newly bankrupt companies refuse to honor outstanding gift cards, but apparently there's an even more controversial gift option on the market this year. Planned Parenthood in Indiana is offering gift certificates for the first time ever. The organization said a big increase in calls and visits from newly unemployed and uninsured citizens prompted what it deems the "unusual, yet practical" gift option. The certificates can be purchased in denominations of $25 to $100 and can be used for contraceptives and care like $58 examinations that include breast exams and pap tests. Chrystal Struben-Hall, vice president of Planned Parenthood of Indiana says:

People are making really tough decisions about putting gas in their car and food on their table, so we know that many women especially put healthcare at the bottom of their list to do. . . . They really are intended for preventative healthcare. We decided not to put restrictions on the gift certificates so it's for whatever people feel they need the services for most.

A local TV news station asked if the gift certificates could be used toward abortions. Planned Parenthood said yes, but that's not the purpose. The Indiana Family Institute president said he is "appalled" by the certificates. What do you think of the move?

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Could Early Voting Mean Future September Surprises Instead?

LibertySugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 06:00:14 -0700

What happens in the next 11 days might not be so crucial, as many voters have already cast their ballots! Four years ago, one in five Americans voted before Election Day. But based on turnout so far, the rate will be much higher this year.

One voter in Indiana shared the early-voting experience with Politico:

The most moving moment came when the family in front of me, comprising probably 4 generations of voters (including an 18 year old girl voting for her first time and a 90-something hunched-over grandmother), got their turn to vote. When the old woman left the voting booth she made it about halfway to the door before collapsing in a nearby chair, where she began weeping uncontrollably. When we rushed over to help we realized that she wasn't in trouble at all but she had not truly believed, until she left the booth, that she would ever live long enough to cast a vote for an African-American for president. Anyone who doesn't think that African-American turnout will absolutely SHATTER every existing record is in for a very rude surprise. There were about 20 people in front of me but remarkably not a single person left the room without voting over the 2 hours it took to get through the line.

The amount of passion surrounding this election is enough to give me goose bumps; but the account also brings up an advantage of early voting — avoiding Election Day calamities. If the lines are two hours long this far out, imagine if no one could vote early! Perhaps by 2012 we'll await a game-changing event in September, instead of the traditional October surprises. Did you vote early?

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Hey Voters — Can You Prove You're a Citizen on Demand?

LibertySugar — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:00:25 -0700

Who gets to vote is becoming a partisan issue, just like who gets a vote.

Mostly Republicans in 19 states have proposed legislation that would require proof of citizenship at the voting booth. Not content with the strict identification requirements recently upheld by the Supreme Court, these states want to make sure illegal immigrants are not voting, and improve voter confidence in the system.

Democratic leaders oppose strict ID laws, saying they disproportionately keep poor, disabled, elderly, and minority citizens away from the polls. Birth certificates, for example, take weeks to get, cost money, and may be difficult to track down if they are lost or kept out of state.

Missouri's secretary of state estimates that the law would disenfranchise 240,000 citizens unable to prove citizenship on such short notice. That number could be significant in November, as Missouri is a swing state that will likely go Red or Blue by a thin margin.

Do we have to protect the rights of citizens who may have difficulty obtaining proof? Which is a graver risk: letting a non-citizen vote, or keeping a citizen from exercising the voting — the quintessential act of democracy? What if we could review votes later to disqualify non-citizens, while attaching stiffer penalties for fraud?

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So What Happens Now? The Election Keeps Keepin' On. . . .

CitizenSugar — Wed, 07 May 2008 07:45:07 -0700

I wonder if anyone is as exhausted as CBS must be this morning after having called Indiana so early, and then having to wait — alone— as Hillary's lead shrunk. They must have been sweating it to say the least. But when the counting was done, Hillary indeed took Indiana by a thin, two-point margin. Obama won North Carolina, 56 percent to Hillary's 42.

Here's what I'm wondering about this morning. Though the New York Times is calling Obama's win in North Carolina "decisive," it's far from big enough to call off the race altogether (Hillary is moving on to West Virginia this morning) and yes, winning by 14 points is sizeable, though it's hardly overwhelming? Earning 42 percent of the vote doesn't make you a Ron-Paul-five-percenter if you know what I mean. Oh, I'm just warming up,

Awaiting Results: Hillary Says "Hoosier" Daddy in Indiana!

CitizenSugar — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:45:22 -0700

Hillary Clinton slam dunked Indiana's primary, picking up the biggest share of the Hoosier state's 84 delegates according to CBS News.

Hillary had polled ahead in the state leading up to voting today. The split wins today almost guarantee the campaign will continue through the races up to June 3. Do you think this win legitimizes her ability to continue running? Are you glad she's still in the picture? Six in 10 Democrats say Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama should both continue their presidential campaigns — are you with them?

Al Gore has said this race won't end in a brokered convention — do you agree? Did either of the results surprise you today? Where does the race stand now?

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Quiz Nation! How Well Do You Know the Candidates?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:45:39 -0700

It's the beginning of the end of the beginning folks! With Indiana and North Carolina's polls closing in seconds, we're in the homeward stretch until June 3, when all the votes will be in and the big shake up will shake down.

Here's some fun while we wait! I've loved New York magazine's Electopedia since it launched, and browsing through recently sparked a few trip down memory lane style questions. These aren't about policies folks, they're about the goods. The little details. . .how well do you know the candidates it seems like we've been following for years and years?

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Front Page: Cyclone Toll Hits 22,500, NC and IN Vote, War Funding and Troops Home

CitizenSugar — Tue, 06 May 2008 07:00:45 -0700

Cyclone Toll Hits 22,500: The death toll from last weekend's devastating cyclone in Myanmar rose to 22,500 today with an additional 41,000 people still missing. Yesterday in a rare press conference, US First Lady Laura Bush urged the country's military leaders to accept US disaster response aid. Myanmar's resistance stems from heavy US sanctions against the junta, though the US State Department said a disaster response team was "standing by and ready to go into Burma," now known as Myanmar, which has been ruled by the military for 46 years. The UN says that the junta is ready to accept assistance, though aid workers now await visas. A UN spokesman said, "the government has shown a certain openness so far. We hope that we will get the visas as soon as possible, in the coming hours. I think the authorities have understood the seriousness of the situation and that they will act accordingly."

NC and IN Vote: Voters in North Carolina and Indiana head to the polls in the largest remaining bloc of delegates up for grabs. A total of 218 pledged delegate votes will be awarded tonight. Nearing the end of primary season with the last votes on June 3, the outcome of today is pivotal — will one candidate sweep or will they split? Check back tonight for results the second they break.
War Funding and Troops Home: House Democrats are preparing to break from President Bush and move ahead with a war spending measure that would include extended unemployment assistance and new educational benefits for returning veterans. Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to bring a $178 billion measure to the floor this week, with what could be tense debate on the matter to be held Thursday. The US Military announced yesterday that 3,500 soldiers sent to Iraq last summer as part of the surge will soon be coming home.

World's Oldest Woman Turns 115 Today!

LibertySugar — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 09:21:37 -0700

Happy Birthday, Edna Parker!! The supercentenarian from Indiana turns 115 today! She was born in 1893. Grover Cleveland was President of the United States. Airplanes, television, mass-produced cars, penicillin, and the Empire State Building did not exist. Basically, Edna has seen a lot go down.

Edna's husband wasn't as lucky in life. Thus, Edna has been a widow since 1938, when Earl died of a heart attack. But living long does run in her family. Her sister Georgia lived to be 99, while her sister Opal was 88 when she died.

Scientists say that almost every supercentenarian has a mother, sister, or other family member who lived long. That's because old age is in the genes! Supercentenarians like Edna have genetic mutations that slow the aging process, or help them resist age-related diseases.

Scientists also point to the ability to manage stress as a reason they make it past 100. That's another reason to give yourself a break, and let go of whatever's bothering you today!

Thinking about the next generation of supercentenarians — how different do you think the world will look 115 years from now?

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Front Page: HRC Fire, London Trial, Iraq, Arrest in Mexico

CitizenSugar — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 07:02:31 -0700

A fire has destroyed the Terre Haute, Indiana campaign office of Sen. Hillary Clinton. The flames broke out just after midnight. There were no injuries, and the incident is under investigation.
The trial began yesterday for three British Muslims accused of helping the suicide bombers in the attacks on London’s transportation system in July 2005. It's the first case against people accused of helping plan those attacks. The men on trial were arrested in March 2007 and are accused with carrying out a preparatory mission seven months before the July attacks on three subways and a bus. The men have all denied the charges.

A relative and follower of radical Shia cleric Muqtada al Sadr has been killed in the Iraqi city of Najaf. Police have imposed an indefinite curfew in the city following the shooting. The Sadr movement has been recently involved in violent clashes with government forces. Also in Iraq, today saw US air strikes on suspected Shiite militiamen planning to launch attacks on security forces, killing at least 12 people in Baghdad and Basra, according to US and British officials. A British spokesman said, "the air strike was launched after positively identifying a mortar team that was engaging the Iraqi troops on the ground."
According to the FBI, US Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean, was captured last night in Mexico, three months after fleeing North Carolina. Laurean is the main suspect in the killing of a 20-year-old pregnant Marine, Maria Lauterbach.