“Democrats mount second sales pitch on health-care overhaul as Republicans seek to repeal law - Washington Post” plus 1 more |
| Posted: 08 Jan 2011 08:56 AM PST Democrats, who were widely perceived to have blown the political messaging over President Obama's signature law, are revving up for a campaign-style offensive in an attempt to get it right the second time around. In the run-up to a House vote on repeal - originally scheduled for Wednesday but delayed after the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and others in Tucson on Saturday - Democrats are staging news conferences and rallies outside the district offices of nearly 70 targeted Republican House members, many of whom were elected in districts Obama carried in his 2008 race. The White House has set up a rapid-response operation and was planning to deploy Cabinet secretaries this week to make the Democrats' case in newspaper editorials, on the radio and in satellite interviews with local television stations. Party officials said they will also showcase regular folks who have benefited from the health-care law - such as those younger than 26 who are now able to stay on their parents' insurance plans and people with preexisting conditions who can now get coverage - in local and national media to "put a face" on popular provisions. "It's not often you get a second chance to make a first impression, but [Republicans] are giving that right to us," Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in an interview. "Right now, people don't realize all the good things in the bill. The more we have an opportunity to talk about them, fewer and fewer people are going to be for repeal." The first time around As the bill was being crafted in 2009 and 2010, opponents seemed to gain the upper hand with their political message. Activists dressed down Democratic congressmen at their town hall meetings. They staged hands-off-my-health-care rallies. They dubbed the overhaul "Obamacare." Opposition to the bill helped propel Republicans to the majority in the House, and their effort to repeal it will fulfill a campaign promise and tea party priority. They scheduled a vote for Wednesday on a measure called "Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act." In the likely event the effort fails to pass the Democrat-controlled Senate, House Republican leaders say they will keep whacking at the law piece by piece until it crumbles. "We're listening to the American people," House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) told reporters Thursday. "They want this bill repealed, and we are going to repeal it. And we're going to do everything we can over the course of however long it takes to stop this because it will ruin the best health-care system in the world, it will bankrupt our nation and it will ruin our economy." Republican strategists say convincing a majority of Americans they are better off with the health-care law than without it will be a high hill for Democrats to climb. "The fundamental problem for the Democrats is that the bill as a whole is widely perceived to raise health-care costs, raise health-insurance premiums, increase taxes, increase the deficit and hurt the quality of care," Republican pollster Whit Ayres said. "That's a five-count indictment that creates major public opinion problems for the health-care reform bill that the Democrats passed." Public opinion on the law has long been divided. A December poll by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation found that 42 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of it and 41 percent an unfavorable one. One in four respondents wants to repeal the law in its entirety, while another one in four wants to repeal parts of the law and keep other parts. The remainder wants to leave the law as is or expand it. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Proper pruning is vital to health, beauty of tree - San Diego Union-Tribune Posted: 24 Dec 2010 03:05 PM PST plants & pestsFriday, December 24, 2010 at 3:07 p.m. Landscape trees enhance a home's beauty and value, but an owner may become concerned when a tree grows too large. Some trees can reach a mature height of 60 feet or more, with branches that spread half or more of the height. Even trees of moderate size may grow too large for the area where they were planted. The best way to control the height of a tree is through periodic and careful pruning before it gets too large. When a tree is much larger than desired, there are usually three options. Some people choose to do nothing and hope nothing bad will happen, at least while they own the property. This choice can save money or be very costly, depending on what occurs. Another option is to remove the tree and replace it with a more appropriate species. Most people want to keep a large tree and have it pruned to reduce its size. There is a right way and a wrong way to make a large tree smaller. The wrong way is turning it into a large hatrack by topping the main leader or trunk and cutting large lateral branches back to short stubs. This relatively easy and cheap method of pruning is actually worse than completely removing a tree, but it is such a common practice that many people believe it is the proper thing to do. It is not. Arborists who prune trees this way have been successfully sued for malpractice, especially when the pruned tree later damages property or injures someone. Some people assume that severely pruning the trunk and limbs of a large tree will make it safer. Stubbing the trunk or large branches actually increases the likelihood of limb failure in future years. Heading or stubbing stimulates a flush of new shoots just below the cut. They grow rapidly because the tree still has a large root system but are weakly attached since they develop from dormant buds just beneath the bark. In five to 10 years, when the shoots grow larger, they often break during a storm. A better way to reduce the size of a large tree and retain its natural form and beauty is to cut the trunk back to a large lateral limb, which can assume the role of the main leader. The main limbs are also shortened by cutting them back to a large lateral branch. These thinning cuts preserve a tree's natural form, and only a portion of the tree's canopy is removed, which minimizes the growth of undesirable shoots from dormant buds. The result is a beautiful tree that is smaller and safer for years to come. Q: How can I find a good arborist to prune my landscape trees? A: Carefully choosing an arborist is time well spent. Trees take years to grow, but their beauty, health and safety can be destroyed in a day by an unqualified person. Selecting someone only based on a low bid, or not checking a person's qualifications, can prove to be a costly experience. One way to find a good arborist is to observe the type of pruning practices you like on job sites and find out which arborist or company did the work. You can also ask a few arborists for at least three references of previous work they have done similar to yours, then visit each site to see if you are satisfied. The names of some local arborists and companies that prune trees can be found in the telephone yellow pages and on the websites of some professional organizations: •San Diego Professional Tree Care Association, www.ptcasandiego.org or (619) 443-6202. •International Society of Aboriculture, •Tree Care Industry of America, It is a good practice to have more than one company look at your job even if you have to pay a small estimation fee. If you just want a consultation, ask a local company if they provide this service or check the online directory of The American Society of Consulting Arborists, Before you hire an arborist, verify that they have insurance (general liability and workers' compensation for employees). It's best to call the insurance company to check. Also, verify that they have a state Contractor's License. Check the number online at www.cslb.ca.gov or call (800) 321-2752. When you talk to an arborist, ask about their qualifications, including formal education, specialized training or certification and membership in professional organizations. Always get a written contract that includes the scope of work, procedures to be followed, duration of job and how payment will be made. Never pay more than 10 percent down or $1,000, whichever is less. Don't pay with cash, let payments get ahead of the work or make final payment until you are satisfied with the work. You can check the company's business rating through the Better Business Bureau, www.sandiego.bbb.org. Observe work similar to yours that an arborist has done and don't hire someone who tops trees. Anyone can tell you they know how to prune a tree. Simply owning a chain saw and a pickup truck doesn't make someone an arborist. To earn the title, the person has to study and understand how trees grow, learn proper and safe pruning practices, have an eye for beauty and appreciate a tree's natural form. To be considered professional, an arborist also should follow industry standards and employ business practices that are legal and ethical. Q: What is the best time to prune an ornamental tree? A: As a general rule for maximum growth, deciduous trees are pruned in winter during their dormant period and evergreen trees are pruned in spring just before new growth begins. Also, consider the bloom season when trees grown for their flowers are pruned. Trees that flower in spring are usually pruned as soon as the flowers fade and new growth begins. Their flower buds form on growth produced the previous year, so pruning these trees in winter or just before bloom would remove many of the buds or flowers. Trees that bloom during summer or fall are usually pruned during the winter because their flowers form on growth produced during the same growing season. Trees can be pruned anytime to remove dead, damaged, weak or diseased branches. Light pruning and the removal of unwanted growth when it is small can also be done anytime. If a tree develops two trunks or co-dominant leaders, one should be removed as early as possible to prevent structural weakness and future breakage. Vincent Lazaneo is an urban horticulture adviser with the University of California Cooperative Extension. Send questions for "Plants & Pests" to homeandgarden@uniontrib.com This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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