Weekly Address By President Barack Obama OCTOBER 10TH, 2009

Weekly Address: New Momentum for Health Reform

The President goes through the leading conservative and Republican figures who have come out one after another urging passage of health insurance reform. After a summer of intense debate, cooler heads begin to prevail to make progress for the American people.

WEEKLY ADDRESS: President Obama Praises
Emerging Consensus on Health Insurance Reform

In his weekly address, President Barack Obama praised past and current political leaders from across the spectrum who have come forward to support reform. Doctors, nurses, hospitals, and drug companies have already expressed their support. In the past several days Governor Schwarzenegger, Mayor Bloomberg, former Senate Major Leader Bob Dole, and former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, among others, have all come forward to say that the status quo is unsustainable and that now is the time to reform the system. They see that this is a not a Democratic or a Republican problem, but an American one in need of a solution.

Remarks of President Barack Obama Weekly Address Washington, DC October 10, 2009

The historic movement to bring real, meaningful health insurance reform to the American people gathered momentum this week as we approach the final days of this debate. Having worked on this issue for the better part of a year, the Senate Finance Committee is finishing deliberations on their version of a health insurance reform bill that will soon be merged with other reform bills produced by other Congressional committees.

After evaluating the Finance Committee’s bill, the Congressional Budget Office – an office that provides independent, nonpartisan analysis – concluded that the legislation would make coverage affordable for millions of Americans who don’t have it today. It will bring greater security to Americans who have coverage, with new insurance protections. And, by attacking waste and fraud within the system, it will slow the growth in health care costs, without adding a dime to our deficits.

This is another milestone on what has been a long, hard road toward health insurance reform. In recent months, we’ve heard every side of every argument from both sides of the aisle. And rightly so – health insurance reform is a complex and critical issue that deserves a vigorous national debate, and we’ve had one. The approach that is emerging includes the best ideas from Republicans and Democrats, and people across the political spectrum.

In fact, what’s remarkable is not that we’ve had a spirited debate about health insurance reform, but the unprecedented consensus that has come together behind it. This consensus encompasses everyone from doctors and nurses to hospitals and drug manufacturers.

And earlier this week, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg came out in support of reform, joining two former Republican Senate Majority Leaders: Bob Dole and Dr. Bill Frist, himself a cardiac surgeon. Dr. Louis Sullivan, Secretary of Health and Human Services under President George H.W. Bush, supports reform. As does Republican Tommy Thompson, a former Wisconsin governor and Secretary of Health and Human Services under President George W. Bush. These distinguished leaders understand that health insurance reform isn’t a Democratic issue or a Republican issue, but an American issue that demands a solution.

Still, there are some in Washington today who seem determined to play the same old partisan politics, working to score political points, even if it means burdening this country with an unsustainable status quo. A status quo of rising health care costs that are crushing our families, our businesses, and our government. A status quo of diminishing coverage that is denying millions of hardworking Americans the insurance they need. A status quo that gives big insurance companies the power to make arbitrary decisions about your health care. That is a status quo I reject. And that is a status quo the American people reject.

The distinguished former Congressional leaders who urged us to act on health insurance reform spoke of the historic moment at hand and reminded us that this moment will not soon come again. They called on members of both parties seize this opportunity to finally confront a problem that has plagued us for far too long.

That is what we are called to do at this moment. That is the spirit of national purpose that we must summon right now. Now is the time to rise above the politics of the moment. Now is the time to come together as Americans. Now is the time to meet our responsibilities to ourselves and to our children, and secure a better, healthier future for generations to come. That future is within our grasp. So, let’s go finish the job.

National Historic Preservation Trust’s "2009 11 Most Endangered List" Includes Georgia’s Dorchester Academy

This year marks the 22nd annual list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. Since 1988, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has used this list as a powerful alarm to raise awareness of the serious threats facing the nation’s greatest treasures. It has become one of the most effective tools in the fight to save the country’s irreplaceable architectural, cultural and natural heritage. In the days leading up to and during the National Preservation Trust’s Nashville Conference, Nashville Past And Present will highlight the historic buildings, structures and places on this years most endangered list.

The story of Dorchester Academy, one of the earliest schools for African Americans in the state of Georgia and a National Historic Landmark, is forever linked to the cultural and political forces that shaped our nation’s history. Founded in 1871 as a school for freed slaves, Dorchester started humbly in a one-room schoolhouse with a student body ranging in age from eight to 80. As the school grew, boarders joined day students, many of whom walked miles to fulfill their dream of learning how to read. In later years, the school played a pivotal role in voter-registration drives and as a center of activity for the civil rights movement.

Dorchester Academy was established by the American Missionary Association at the urging of William A. Golding, a former slave who became a state legislator. By the 1920s, school enrollment fluctuated between 220 and 300 students, and by the 1930s, the school housed the Dorchester Cooperative Center store and credit union, which helped local residents buy homes and open businesses. When the Academy ceased operating as a school in 1940, the innovative spirit of the institution continued with the opening of a community center housed in the old boys’ dormitory.

During the 1940s, the school was the site of African-American voter registrations. At the height of the civil rights movement, Dorchester Academy hosted Citizen Education Workshops sponsored by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to train grassroots leaders from all over the South and send these leaders home to instruct their neighbors about their legal rights and responsibilities. Later, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. Ralph Abernathy and Dr. Joseph Lowery spent time at the Academy preparing for the Birmingham march, and Dr. King also wrote and practiced portions of his “I Have a Dream,” speech at Dorchester Academy.

Today, the only remaining building on the Dorchester campus, a red brick, Greek Revival structure built in 1934 as a boys’ dormitory, is deteriorating and structurally compromised. The community that is doing its best to nurture and sustain the academy since its earliest days does not have the financial resources to rescue the building.

While some repair and stabilization work has been completed through the combined efforts of community donations and a $50,000 grant from the State, damage to the dormitory still extends from the roof to the basement and is compromising the structural support beams and foundation.

The cost of completely restoring the building has been estimated at $1-1.5 million. The vision of the Dorchester Improvement Association is to complete this task and create a world-class museum and community facility.

WALK TO SCHOOL DAY Nashville October 7th

Walk to School Day is designed to increase physical activities of students for health improvement, focus on the walk-ability of the surrounding environment, and increase safe walking skills. This Nashville Walk to School Day has been nationally recognized for its large participation numbers and health promotion aspects.

(Click on the photos to see a better view)

Merry Not Scary Fun at Ghouls at Nashville Zoo

Fall Fun At The Nashville Zoo

Boogie down at the Nashville Zoo’s costumed Monster Mash and shake your “ghoul” thing
Elephants, zebras and giraffes are always at Nashville Zoo, but goblins, mummies and monsters can be spotted at the 12 annual Ghouls at Grassmere, October 16 – 18 and 23 – 25 and 29 – 30, from 5 – 9 p.m. each night.

Ghouls at Grassmere is Music City’s largest family-friendly Halloween celebration, with themed treat stations, animal shows, costume parades and more. Guests can take a haunted hayride through the Zoo’s back roads, go for a spin on the Scary-Go-Round, play frightening games at Carn-Evil and shake their “ghoul” thing at the Monster Mash. The Grassmere Historic Home will offer a special tour showcasing the dying traditions and superstitions of the 1800s.

Advanced tickets for Ghouls at Grassmere are $4.00 for Nashville Zoo members and $8.00 for non-members. Children under 2 are free. Extra fees apply to the haunted hayride, Scary-Go-Round, pumpkin painting and face painting.