Monthly Archives: April 2010

Obama Mandates Hospitals to Grant Same-sex Couples Equal Rights

A mandate issued by President Obama requires hospitals receiving Medicare or Medicaid funding to allow gays and lesbians to have non-family visitors and to grant their partners medical power of attorney.

In the memo (PDF), President Obama reportedly ordered the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to prohibit discrimination in hospital visitation. In his memo, he wrote that participating hospitals may not deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.

Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, praised President Obama’s decision, saying “Discrimination touches every facet of the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, including at times of crisis and illness, when we need our loved ones with us more than ever.”

New Rules Apply to Any Hospital Receiving Medicare or Medicaid Funding

The new rule will apply to any hospital receiving Medicare or Medicaid funding, which covers the vast majority of the country’s health-care institutions.

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Meg Whitman’s Dirty Little Goldman Sachs Secret

Meg Whitman has been bombarding the airwaves with her campaign ads trying to buy her way to becoming California’s next Governor, but her campaign ads never mention one very important fact: she was a Goldman Sachs board member for a little over a year before having to resign amidst controversy due to ‘spinning’ — a practice used by executives who did business with Goldman Sachs to reap profits by getting early stock deals before the public on hot IPOs offered by the bank — from which Whitman earned approximately $1.78 million.

Whitman was appointed to the board of Goldman Sachs in October, 2001 and resigned in December 2002 because of ‘spinning’ — a practice one law firm reportedly describes as “essentially … an illegal bribe … to corporate leaders.” After a Congressional investigation and an investor lawsuit, it was probably best to just leave the board.

Goldman Sachs has been responsible for a lot of questionablefraudulent — actions and intentionally running companies, countries and several governments into the ground. Former Goldman Sachs employees have been in charge — with no oversight or accountability — of the “Federal” Reserve for decades.

A report from the Associate Press offers some insight into what kind of business relationship Californians can expect if Meg Whitman becomes Governor. The report, titled “Corporate Cash Boosts Whitman” says that nearly $2.2 million she has received from donors outside of California came from an elite roster of executives, hedge fund managers, venture capitalists and wealthy associates — many of which have been stealing from every taxpayer in California. More than 20 percent of the $10.2 million collected by Whitman last year came from outside the state. As noted by Mr. Eskow, if there’s one thing these guys know, it’s how to prime the pump.

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