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Uploaded: Sunday, March 29, 2009, 10:05 AM

EPA health clinic to get federal stimulus funds
Rep. Anna Eshoo also announces funds for two other health centers

Posted by Good news!, a resident of East Palo Alto, on Mar 30, 2009 at 11:25 am

As someone lucky enough to have health insurance, I was happy to read this. So glad the stimulus will actually help people in the community who need it - not some executive buffoon who screwed his company up.

Posted by Walter_E_Wallis, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Mar 30, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Walter_E_Wallis is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online

How about stimulus funds to rebuild Ravenswood High and another elementary school? The old Littleman's site might be just the ticket for that.

Posted by Margaret Allen, a resident of the College Terrace neighborhood, on Mar 31, 2009 at 8:02 am

Those not familiar with South County Community Health Center might recognize it by its (non-DBA) name: Ravenswood Family Health Center.

www.Ravenswoodfhc.org

Posted by tired taxpayer, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Mar 31, 2009 at 1:21 pm

As someone who works hard to pay for my own health insurance, I am delighted that I will have even less in my pocket to pay for the health insurance of people who not only pay no taxes at all, they receive from other people's pockets for subsidized housing, food, education, transportation and health care.

Hey, no problem, but a few "thank yous" to the taxpayers from time to time would be greatly appreciated.

Posted by To Tired Taxpayer, a resident of East Palo Alto, on Mar 31, 2009 at 3:35 pm

Get over yourself.

Posted by Tired Taxpayer, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Apr 1, 2009 at 8:19 am

Don't worry, I am over myself..I am also over the fact that I had to let go all my employees. No problem, though, I now don't earn enough to pay any taxes at all, so you can foot the bill for the unemploymment benefits of my unemployed employees, and the bill for their health care that I used to cover when I could afford to employ them. This Admin and the ideology it represents and is shoving down our throats succeeded in destroying a lot of us "rich", and now where will the money come from to pay for all the less employed and unemployed? I guess whatever we define as the next "rich" group. And who is going to donate to the deserving organizations if the rich are gone? Hmmm, interesting question. I guess they will all go ask Uncle Obama for their "fair share" ..of nothing.

Have fun with that and be sure not to expect any thanks for all you do. I sure haven't gotten any for the, literally, millions I have paid in taxes in my lifetime ....

Posted by To Tired Taxpayer, a resident of East Palo Alto, on Apr 1, 2009 at 12:14 pm

Poor baby! And you choose to complain about your small amount of $$ helping a clinic? A clinic that does serve working people. I know because some of them are my neighbors. Their crummy employers don't offer insurance.

All of us are helping w/the stimulus, not just you. And even those who don't work pay taxes - sales taxes, which no one can escape from.

If these types of clinics go down, ER trips skyrocket and all of us w/health insurance pay fro the insurance increases. I'd prefer my tax $$ go to places like this clinic, which also keeps locals employed. The ERs are too overtaxed (haha) to take care of these people.

Perhaps using your health insurance for some counseling might take your edge off.

We're all feeling it.

Posted by tired taxpayer, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Apr 1, 2009 at 1:30 pm

Wouldn't you prefer to choose directly where your money goes, for example donating to your local health clinic, rather than have 1/2 of it disappear into govt employee pockets before the other half makes it to the clinic?

I would

Posted by To Tired Taxpayer, a resident of East Palo Alto, on Apr 1, 2009 at 2:06 pm

It doesn't work that way, unfortunately. While I'd normally agree with you - it's important for people to support the causes they believe in - it's important now to keep as many people employed as possible. Ok, people like the CEO of KQED and the others who make so darn much $$ annoy the heck out of me, but employment is key right now. I say this as one who's unemployed and struggling, too.

Posted by tired taxpayer, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Apr 1, 2009 at 3:09 pm

Bummer you are unemployed..might I suggest that there would be more work if we weren't so busy destroying the ones who create employment?...

scaring business owners away from hiring anyone with contracts for fear the contracts will be nullified,

raising employment taxes on employers so they can afford fewer employees,

scaring banks into not lending money to business owners to grow their businesses ( banks fearing being taken over by feds or having their lending notes re-done by judges),

removing incentive for people to risk everything to even start a business which might one day employ others (since there is nothing but talk of exhorbitant taxes on those who finally succeed and make a lot of money)

etc?

We are busy killing the geese that lay the golden eggs. You may already be feeling the effects of our new, centralized, bureaucrat controlled, over regulated and taxed economy. ( More to come!) We now have unemployment in California like France usually has over the last 30 years. And are as close to bankruptcy ( perhaps closer..not following it closely enough).

Posted by Tired Taxpayer, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Apr 1, 2009 at 3:17 pm

The saddest part of all of it is that the very policies INTENDED to help the poorest actually hurt the poorest the most by lowering employment (which hurts the unskilled the most) and by lowering the amount of money flowing into the State and Fed coffers ( since the "rich" are making less, they pay less).

Only 52% of us pay any taxes at all in the first place, so as the "bottom" drops out that means fewer and fewer of us are paying anything, and as the ceiling lowers, that means the "rich" earn less and therefore pay less overall, no mattter how much you increase their burden.

Given that the top 25% of this nation pays 86% of the entire Fed bill ( a number, by the way, that went up under Bush), how much do you think we can destroy them before there is nothing left in the Fed coffers?

This envy of "the rich" being foisted non-stop on this nation is going to only keep hurting everyone.