Senator Barack Obama Is Now the President-Elect

Thursday, November 13, 2008 11:11 AM CST

Joan Sanstadt, News Editor

The electorate has spoken and President-Elect Barack Obama will be sworn into office on Jan. 20, 2009.

Not only did the Democratic candidate win the presidency, he will have a Democratic majority in both houses of the U.S. Congress n even though three U.S. Senate races are still in the “undecided” category.

Senator Obama won the state of Wisconsin by a 56 to 43 percent margin. He won 58 of our state’s 72 counties.

Here in Wisconsin, Gov. Jim Doyle will also have a Legislature controlled by members of his own Democratic party.

Will one-party control make it any easier to improve the economy?

Will there be enough money to make changes to the health care system?

Will the emphasis be on government job creation or will there be incentives for entrepreneurs to create new jobs?

How far will president-elect go in naming Republicans or even an Independent to his cabinet?

Will his approach to solving major issues be as bipartisan as was talked about during the campaign?

Before taking office President Clinton had promised he would make his cabinet reflect the diversity of the nation and to a large extent he did that.

An important attribute President-Elect Obama has is one that the last Democratic president did not. It is his ability to be highly organized and to be on time. Clinton was notorious for keeping people waiting; but while Obama’s first press conference did start a few minutes late, he kept updating the reporters (and viewers) who were awaiting his appearance about when he would be at the microphone.

History

History was made on Nov. 4, 2008, when Senator Barack Obama became the first African-American elected to the presidency of the U.S.A. For many the wait has been far too long. Others have said it is the culmination of the 1964 Civil Rights Act signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson.

Religion has never been the divisive issue it was when JFK was campaigning. Today many people don’t even know he was the first Catholic to become president.

So, too, may it be with other differences such as race or gender. The candidate’s qualifications for the highest office in the land should be the criteria on which he or she is judged.

According to the National Council of State Legislatures, Colorado Democrats made legislative history when they elected Rep. Terrance Carroll as speaker of their House and re-elected Peter Groff as Senate president. This is the first time in American history the presiding officers of both chambers of a legislature will be African-Americans.

Two other states made history on Election Day. The New Hampshire Senate became the first legislative chamber to have a majority of women members.

In South Carolina, the opposite is true. It will have no female members in the upcoming session.

Honeymoon??

The nation’s failing economy may make it pretty difficult for the new president to enjoy what has come to be called a 100-day honeymoon right after he takes office. This is when Congress traditionally cuts a new president some slack when it comes to confirming his cabinet choices and perhaps other matters.

But many of the campaign promises may have to wait while the new administration tackles first things first.

Pundits are saying the president-elect has staff looking at overturning many of President Bush’s executive orders. Those actions could be taken right after the new president is sworn in because the consent of Congress is not needed. Reportedly, one of the executive orders to be rescinded is the one allowing new areas for offshore drilling.

Every president since Nixon has expressed concern about energy independence for the United States. Just because gas prices at the pump are falling doesn’t mean they can’t go the other way almost overnight.

Let’s hope the new president will have some answers for the American people who rank energy concerns right behind fixing the economy in terms of importance.

Time is of the essence when it comes to addressing both the economy n and energy independence.

Let’s also hope the new president will insist on looking at the latest advances in science and technology as he proceeds with his decision-making responsibilities n and not be willing to rely on studies made in years gone by.

Farmers’ Health Cooperative

The Farmers’ Health Cooperative of Wisconsin (FHCW), organized in 2007 to increase the value of health insurance for Wisconsin farmers and agribusinesses, will host town hall style educational meetings for agricultural producers and the businesses that support them.

The meetings, sponsored by Badgerland Financial and the Westby Co-op Credit Union, are an opportunity to discuss cooperative health insurance purchasing for agriculture and how it differs from other insurance products.

The meetings will be held at the following times and locations:

- Nov. 18 n 10 a.m., 1 and 7:30 p.m., Prairie du Chien Town Hall, 33890 State Hwy 35, Prairie du Chien.

- Nov. 19 n 10 a.m., 1 and 7:30 p.m. Western Technical College, Room 115, 220 S. Main St., Viroqua.

- Nov. 20 n 10 a.m., 1 and 7:30 p.m., Town of Arcadia Town Hall, W26051 State Road 95, Arcadia.

Since launching in early 2007, the FHCW has doubled its membership goals, said Melissa Duffy, FHCW executive director. A recent study found that 51 percent of members said their health insurance premiums were lower after joining FHCW, while another two-thirds of members said their benefits improved.

Other successes cited by Duffy include a vastly expanded provider network in Western Wisconsin, enhanced health and wellness services for members and coming in 2009: a dental insurance option.

Duffy said the cooperative’s success is a testament to the need for a better health insurance model. “By bringing farmers and agribusinesses together, we can provide better value to our members,” Duffy said. “That means lower premiums for some, but a lot of others join just because our benefits are better than other individual plans and designed specifically for farming.”

Jeff Bennesch, a farmer from Colfax who chairs the FHCW Board of Directors, agreed. Before joining FHCW, Bennesch said he was not able to find health insurance that provided coverage for pre-existing conditions, preventive care and work-related injuries. “Not only does FHCW provide this coverage, it provides six different with deductibles from $300 to $5,000. It’s very different from anything else available in my area of the state, and as a co-op it’s not-for-profit, owned and governed by the members.”

The Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives (WFC) developed FHCW in collaboration with members of Congress, Wisconsin state lawmakers, USDA, the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, the University of Wisconsin and several leading cooperative organizations.

Bill Oemichen, CEO of WFC, said FHCW is the only one of its kind in the nation. He’s fielded numerous phone calls from other states inquiring about the success of the program.

“I tell them all the same thing: It’s a lot of work, but knowing that together we’ve done something about the health insurance crisis facing farm families and agribusinesses, it was worth it,” Oemichen said.

Capitol Notes:

- Gov. Doyle proclaimed Nov. 12 as Snowplow Appreciation Day in Wisconsin. Does he have any “inside” information on the amount of snowfall the Badger State can expect?

- The Livestock Facility Siting Review Board will meet on Nov. 21 at DATCP headquarters in Madison. The main issue on the agenda will be the board’s review of the Van Dyke v. Racine County (Noble Farms). The time of the meeting and other agenda items have not yet been set.

- The Public Service Commission decided last week to add two new area codes to supplement the 715 and 920 area codes. The new overlay in the present 715 area will be 534 and in the 920 area it will be 274. All existing customers will keep their current area code and phone number. The new codes will not be introduced until 2010 and 2011.

- Michelle’s Law is now federal law, too. The law is named after a student who developed cancer while in college and stayed in school full-time in order to remain covered on her parents’ health insurance. She died only six months after college graduation. Wisconsin has had its version of this law since 2007. Under the new federal law, group and individual health plans providing coverage to a dependent child who is a full-time student at a post secondary institution must continue that coverage for one year after the student begins a medically necessary leave of absence. Self-funded employer health plans are also required to follow this law.

 

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