Our First Newsletter!

By Ann Lewis on 02/23/2009 @ 01:00 PM

I am so excited to be sending you our first NoLimits.org newsletter! We have a lot to talk about: new features for our website, our first health care report (you've told us it's your #1 issue); upcoming meetings and a message from our new Secretary of State, as she traveled to Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, and China...

New on NoLimits.org. We've got new posts every day, and we are ready for your comments. Last week, we've posted an inspiring appreciation of Sojourner Truth, who is an abolitionist and women's rights leader, and American hero we should all know more about. Today, we have an incredibly moving post from Erika Alexander, actress and NoLimits.org Board Member.

We're ready to hear from you: Log in--and speak out. Add your comments about a post you've read. And we are looking for content -- if you are interested in contributing something, please let us know!

You can also subscribe to our new RSS feed so that you can see our posts as soon as they go up. And make sure to find us on Facebook where you can also join the discussion or post on our wall!

Health Care Report

You don't need to be told what's wrong with our present health care system, or how badly we need national health care reform. As I write, we're waiting for the nomination of a new Secretary of Health and Human Services-- but it's worth noting that action has begun.

Last month, we welcomed the passage of S-CHIP, extending health care coverage to millions more children in working families; and lifting the "global gag rule", supporting women's health around the world. The economic stimulus bill includes more funding for medical research, help for states to pay for Medicaid, and these important provisions which we should all know about:

• Extending coverage for the unemployed: The bill includes funding to help unemployed workers continue their health insurance coverage, subsidizing up to 65 % of the cost for 9 months;
• Effectiveness Research: That's increased funding for Comparative Effectiveness Research - research by doctors and scientists to compare drugs, devices, surgery and other ways of treating specific medical conditions, to determine which treatments are most effective. This section has been attacked by Rush Limbaugh and some of his friends, who complain that it will mean "government control". No, it will mean better information about what works - which, as the Washington Post says, "nearly all experts agree is a necessary first step to reforming a broken health-care system."
• Health Information Technology: The bill includes grants and loans to encourage doctors, hospitals and health care providers to modernize and automate medical record keeping, and sets national standards for security and access -- another necessary step toward national health care reform. Congratulations to Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) author of the provision including doctors and hospitals.

We have a long way to go to achieve the universal health care we need, but I'm ready to cheer that at last, we're going in the right direction!

NoLimits.org Meetings: Our friends in the DC area are planning meetings to talk about NoLimits.org, in Montgomery County, Maryland on March 15, and in Washington DC at the end of March. If you're interested in hosting a NoLimits.org meeting to talk about our plans and ideas, please let us know.

Hillary's Smart Power: I hope you're following the news about Hillary's trip to Asia, her first abroad as Secretary of State. "...Clinton clearly has a new approach to diplomacy." said Martha Raddatz of ABC. "The combination of her diplomatic charm offensive, her notorious toughness and blunt talk may give 'smart power' new meaning." Click here for coverage of her trip to Indonesia or watch her on a popular Indonesian teen variety show here:



Before she left, Hillary talked to The Asia Society about what's at stake, in Asia and around the world. Watch the whole speech:



Hillary speaks about what's at stake: (full text)

"When we consider the gravest global threats confronting us -- financial instability and economic dislocation, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, food security and health emergencies, climate change and energy vulnerability, stateless criminal cartels and human exploitation -- it is clear that these threats do not stop at borders or oceans. Pandemics threaten school children in Jakarta and Jacksonville. Global financial crises shrink bank accounts in Sapporo and San Francisco. The dangers posed by nuclear proliferation create worries in Guangzhou as well as Washington. And climate change affects the livelihoods of farmers in China's Hunan province and in America's Midwest. These dangers affect us all, and therefore we all must play a role in addressing them...

"And we are ready to listen. Actively listening to our partners isn't just a way of demonstrating respect. It can also be a source of ideas to fuel our common efforts.. Too often in the recent past, our government has acted reflexively before considering available facts and evidence, or hearing the perspectives of others.....

"As part of our dialogues, we will hold ourselves and others accountable as we work to expand human rights and create a world that respects those rights, one where Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi can live freely in her own country, where the people of North Korea can freely choose their own leaders, and where Tibetans and all Chinese people can enjoy religious freedom without fear of prosecution."

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