After Baron Hill's meeting the other day, I commented here that I was feeling optimistic. After President Obama's Labor Day speech today in Cincinnati, I again feel optimistic.
Included here is a link to the "Mad As Hell Doctor's Tour". It's coming to Louisville. They are solidly behind a single-payer plan. By most estimates this isn't going to be the plan which emerges. The compromise of a strong public option must be the "line in the sand" President Obama draws. The Mad As Hell Doctors know the best prescription, but it is crucial to get something passed. At least a public option is a step which will place the U.S. a bit closer to the rest of the developed nations which offer their citizens universal health coverage as a right of citizenship.
Recess is over, Congress. Now it's back to work.
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3 comments:
John, can we turn back to the local scene for just a moment.
Your committee on rental property inspections and registrations ... is it still active? Was it closed down? Was their a climax?
Honestly, I can't remember. It just seemed to fade from view at some point earlier this year.
Thanks.
The committee does not exist any longer.
The responsibility for inspection rests with the administration. I have discussed this with Carl Malysz several times and have been assured that the new code enforcement personnel are on the job and actively pusuing their charge. I don't know what is the product of their work, by which I mean, I don't know what happens to violations when they are cited.
As you probably know, Mr. Malysz is the acting Building Commissioner and as such, the code enforcement officers report to him. An ad in Sunday's Tribune asked for applications for the position of Building Commissioner, so Mr. Malysz will no longer be the acting Commissioner once a permanent replacement is hired.
This situation has been in flux for a couple of months at least, and that does not make for the most productive effort on that front. Mr. Malysz is imminently qualified to handle the duties of the Building Commissioner, but he has a lot of other responsibilities which claim his attention.
Some in the administratiion would like to institute a program of rental registration as part of a program of enhanced code-enforcement. As yet, I am not aware that any request to codify such a program has been made. The operative response to the committee's work was and has been, to my knowledge, to "enforce the ordinances we have on the books."
I think Shane Gibson has several cases which have been taken to him. I'll find out the status of those and post an entry on this blog. I will also give a general status report on the overall subject of inspections. Look for it later in the week.
While Mr. Malysz may imminently be the Building Commissioner if no one turns up in the application process, he is eminently qualified to handle the duties until then.
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