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ST. LOUIS NEWS TODAY - Sunday, October 29, 2006
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Reducing the Percentage of Uninsured Americans Is the Most Important Healthcare Issue for Voters
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), October 29, 2006 - As the November elections approach, fourteen percent of U.S. adults say that healthcare will be the most important issue in determining how they vote, and over half (54%) contend that healthcare will be important, but not as important as other issues.
According to the latest Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Health-Care Poll, the public, regardless of party affiliation, believes that reducing the percentage of uninsured Americans is the most important healthcare issue for the government to address over the next two years (42%). However, more than half of all adults fail to believe (31%) or are not sure (22%) that either political party can do a better job than the other of addressing this issue after the elections. The same is true for a wide variety of healthcare related concerns.
These are some of the results of an online survey of 2,384 U.S. adults, ages 18 and older, conducted by Harris Interactive(R) between October 16 and 18, 2006 for The Wall Street Journal Online's Health Industry Edition.
While about half of all adults are unsure or say there is no difference in which party is likely to do a better job of handling healthcare issues, of those who do name a party, Democrats are favored. Pluralities, but not majorities, of all adults -- by a two or three to one margin -- believe that the eight healthcare issues listed would be handled better by Democrats than Republicans. For example, about one third (36%) of all adults say that Democrats would do a better job of improving Medicare compared to only one in ten (11%) who say the Republicans would be better.
Democrats are substantially more confident in their party's ability to do a better job when it comes to healthcare issues. When asked which party would do a better job of containing out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs, sixty percent of Democrats cite their party, while thirty-six percent of Republicans say their party would be better. Independents also choose Democrats over Republicans to better handle this issue (35% Democrat vs. 5% Republican). This pattern is similar for the other seven healthcare issues asked about in the survey.
DirecTV Fined for No Call Violations
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), October 29, 2006 - Four businesses - including the nation's largest provider of satellite TV services - will pay a total of $100,000 for calling Missourians on the state's No Call list, Attorney General Jay Nixon has announced. Nixon took action after consumers on the list complained to his office that the businesses made telemarketing calls to them in violation of the No Call law.
DIRECTV Inc. of El Segundo, Calif., will pay $50,000 - the most by any of the four businesses - to the state for making calls marketing satellite dish equipment and services to Missourians on the No Call list. DirecTV is the largest provider of direct broadcast satellite services in the country.
"Five years into the Missouri No Call law, my office remains committed to the aggressive pursuit of those businesses that still violate it," Nixon said in an announcement. "Thanks to our track record of tough enforcement of the law and collecting more than $1.8 million from telemarketers, more than 2.3 million Missouri families need not worry about annoying telemarketing calls."
In addition to DirecTV, today's announcement includes action against:
- Blue Sky Network Corp. of Reno, Nev., which will pay $30,000 for making calls to consumers, surveying their interests in real estate;
- Trio Mortgage of St. Louis, which will pay $5,000 for making calls marketing mortgage loans and related services to consumers; and
- The Debt School of Weston, Fla., which will pay $15,000 for making calls marketing debt counseling services to consumers.
In addition to the penalties, the orders from the St. Louis City Circuit Court require each business to obtain current copies of the No Call list and comply with the law in the future. Since the No Call law went into effect on July 1, 2001, Nixon's office has collected $1,813,500 in penalties from businesses who violated the law.
More than 2.3 million residential phone numbers are currently registered on the No Call list maintained by the Attorney General's Office.
"The good news for those Missourians not yet on the list is that it's never too late to place your phone number on the No Call list," Nixon said. "The process to sign up is quick, easy and free."
Missourians who do not have their home phone numbers on the No Call list may register those numbers at any time at not cost. They may register online at www.ago.mo.gov or by calling toll-free 1-866-NOCALL1 (1-866-662-2551).
The No Call list is updated quarterly and made available for telemarketers to purchase. The deadline for those not yet on the list to sign up and be covered under the Jan. 1 update is Nov. 1, Nixon said.
Edward Jones Announces Plans to Add Jobs
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), October 29, 2006 - Edward Jones has announced plans to add at least 500 jobs in five years to their St. Louis County operations, and at least 1000 total new jobs by 2016. The expansion is expected to generate nearly $300 million of construction related investments in the area and is a result of cooperative planning and support between government and private enterprise.
Communities and businesses, including Edward Jones, are recognizing the benefits of Governor Matt Blunt's Missouri Quality Jobs Act and enhanced economic climate. Through the Missouri Quality Jobs Act, Edward Jones will receive approximately $3.9 million in incentives to assist as they work to create more jobs for Missourians.
"We have fought to enact policies that allow businesses to grow and expand and allow entrepreneurs the freedom to create new opportunities," Blunt said. "I commend Edward Jones for their commitment to the St. Louis region and to the state."
The Missouri Innovative Finance Committee, Missouri Development Finance Board, Department of Economic Development, St. Louis County, and City of Maryland Heights are just some of the partners involved.
Missouri continues to reap the benefits of the governor's proactive approach to building a strong economic climate and attracting jobs to the state. The Department of Economic Development estimates nearly 16,000 new businesses were created in 2005, and since January 2005, Missouri businesses have added more than 45,000 jobs to the economy.
Homeland Security Teams to Enhance School Safety
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), October 29, 2006 - Gov. Matt Blunt today signed an executive order adding an education representative to the state's Regional Homeland Security Oversight Committees (RHCOC) and called on educators to get involved in school safety planning.
"We all play a role to ensure our schools, and more importantly our children, are safe," Blunt said. "Enhancing school safety requires ongoing cooperation among schools, law enforcement, communities and first responders."
The executive order introduces a new approach to homeland security in Missouri that for the first time officially includes the education community. The governor has directed each RHSOC to add elementary and secondary education as another category with full membership representation so that schools are actively engaged in homeland security planning.
Blunt also sent a letter to state school officials encouraging them to implement recommendations designed to enhance school safety. Blunt encourages Missouri school officials to:
- Create a comprehensive school safety plan and review that plan on a regular basis.
- Include all levels of public safety personnel, as well as all sectors of school personnel (instructional, administrative and functional staff), in the planning process.
- Continue to communicate with stakeholders on providing safe schools. Parents, students, staff, administration and public safety personnel should be in constant communication regarding new developments and incident prevention methods.
- Provide training, at least annually, to personnel in all sectors on school safety procedures.
- Assist students in feeling connected to their schools. Provide character education as an important role in keeping students engaged as part of the school community.
The recommendations and executive order follow the Internet broadcast "Enhancing School Safety: A Dialog on Targeted School Violence." The program provided a forum for the state, schools and law enforcement to discuss the issue of school safety and goals for keeping our schools and children safe.
Missouri's school officials are encouraged to visit the state's homeland security Internet site at www.dps.mo.gov/HomelandSecurity/ to view state resources available to assist them in addressing school safety needs. The governor's Homeland Security Advisory Council has also created a Safe Schools Working Group focused on developing consistent emergency plans throughout Missouri that ensure a seamless approach to school safety.
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