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Reagan with the troops. Are we on tyhe verge of another revolution?

Show 5-30 Are we on the verge of another Reagan Revolution?

By Dr Mark | July 21, 2015 | Comments 0 Comment

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Air Dates: July 25 & 26, 2015 | Dr. Bruce Thornton

America’s belief in God runs deep in our culture and our psyche but it’s under attack more today that perhaps at any time since our nation’s founding. Historians generally agree on four “Great Awakenings” in America’s past (we’ll have a future show on these later this summer), the last of which immediately preceded the Reagan Revolution.

Now that (seemingly) pretty much everyone who could possibly be running for the Republican nomination is in the race, are we looking at another “Christian Revolution”? Has the groundwork been laid? What’s missing? We talk with Dr. Bruce Thornton of the Hoover Institution to find out what were the cultural sparks that set off the Reagan grassfire to find out if the elements are there for a revolution or if this has the elements of a failed coup.

The Reagan Revolution

We’ll be talking with Dr. Thornton about the seeds of the Reagan Revolution and the expanding role of conservatives and evangelicals. Like why did the same evangelicals who had voted in droves for Jimmy Carter suddenly turn on him and vote in droves for Reagan?

But what about the three decades since? What happened? The Supreme Court chose to endorse sexual preference over religious freedom. Film and TV is overtly anti-Christian. Obama has lost all pretense of not being a Muslim advocate. Federal and state governments increasingly disavow themselves from Judeo-Christian beliefs to be “inclusive” of Muslims—like the Seattle mayor endorsing special housing funding for pro-Sharia law adherents. All this make you wonder, is America’s Christian heritage disappearing? Or are we on the verge of another great awakening? And what’s that mean for the possibility of another Reagan Revolution?

Links Mentioned

Dr. Bruce Thornton from The Hoover Institution
The Salon.com article “Reagan’s Christian revolt: How conservatives hijacked American religion“
Retired Admiral James Lyon on Obama’s “stategy” – Islam as a threat doctrine
Sign the Convention of States petition! Read Deborah Lee’s guest post to learn how to get involved (they’re especially looking for district captions) or head directly to the petition

Show 5-15 | April 11 2015 Healthcare Checkup

By Dr Mark | April 13, 2015 | Comments 0 Comment

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Air Dates: April 11 & 12, 2015

We are fast approaching the 3rd year anniversary of Obamacare getting the green light from the Supreme Court. In the days leading up to that decision, Oregon’s now former-Governor Kitzhaber sweet-talked the Obama administration into funding an accelerated version of Obamacare, in his grand “health care transformation” using Coordinated Care Organizations also known as CCOs. (In Obamacare, they’re referred to as “ACOs”or “Accountable Care Organizations”.)

What has been the outcome of that closed-door deal with Obama?

Remember how the fiasco of Cover Oregon’s blown $300 million means Oregon may have to refund $300 million to the feds? It turns out we may also be on the hook for another $1.9 billion. Yes, billion. As it turns out, the sweet-talking may have been misleading and the CCOs are not meeting Medicaid standards nor meeting stated outcomes, putting us in danger of refunding some or all of that $1.9 billion. Tune in to hear about global budgets, lack of transparency, and Oregon’s response to the federal government about the feds concerns over the CCO model. Be prepared because there’s a financial cliff that Oregon is about ready to jump over.

Links mentioned

Host Mark Anderson will be on Patti Milne’s TV Show, “People, Places, and Politics” on CCTV in Salem, Ore., discussing more about CCOs and Oregon’s health care transformation. It is currently set to air Wed. Apr 15 (6:00 pm), Thurs. Apr 16 (8:00 am), Sat. April 18 (8:00 pm), and Sun. Apr 19 (8:00 am). Here’s a link to CCTV’s schedule.
The Portland Business Journal article discussing Lynn Saxton’s response to CMS
Senator Doug Whitsett’s newsletter discussing the $1.9 billion Oregon could potentially be on the hook for — and it’s just the start
Sign up for Doug’s weekly newsletters (look for the link on the right-hand side to “e-Subscribe”)

Some of Mark’s Articles on CCOs

CCOs : Lurching into a County Near You (June, 2012) – Get a baseline understanding of what a CCO is and why it matters
CCOs: Forced Compliance (Sept, 2012) – CCOs have the potential for real—dare we say it?—evil.

Additional Info

Article on effect of the lack of pricing information in healthcare from Free Market Medical Association
Marion-Polk Counties’ CCO quarterly financial filings (note that this link downloads a PDF)

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