kathleen sebelius

In her first outreach event to the Millennial Generation, former Kansas Governor now Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will answer questions by young voters on upcoming health care reform legislation, how the HHS is doing outreach to young people, and what options for young people who continued to be uninsured.

Sebelius was unable to the 80 Million Strong for Youth Jobs summit in July which discussed at length the staggering unemployment rate for Millennials and the over 1/3 of uninsured youth. But former US Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle spoke at length about health care reform.

Daschle identified 3 main problems with today's system

1. Access - 50 million people he says lack health insurance. But 48% of people who do have insurance don't have adequate insurance or are under-insured.
2. Quality - Daschle reminds us that last year the World Health Organization ranked the United States 37th in the world for quality of health care, behind Costa Rica. The US is 31st in life expectancy and 29th in infant mortality, and 24th in overall women's health.
3. Cost - what Daschle says is driving the debate more than anything. When he was born health care was 4% of the nation's GDP, today its 17%, and when we're his age the CBO projects have it at 32% of GDP. Our nation is going bankrupt because of health care.

Last Monday I was in Washington as Speaker Pelosi, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, and Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper joined with young leaders to announce the Young Adult Health Coverage Act which allows young Americans remain on their health insurance plan until they turn 26. The Congress has taken a strong first step in both dialoguing with youth on their needs, but further acting on those dialogues to ensure policy matches those needs. I've been amazed at how eager Members have been to work with young leaders on many of these issues, and I look forward to the White House taking a similar role.

I look forward to hearing about Secretary Sebelius's take on young people who are uninsured or under-insured and any solutions the White House is proposing. To join in the event register here. It's unclear if there will be video available or if the event will be live streamed but if it is we'll bring you the information.

If you don't read Onely.org you're missing out. They advocate the single life which isn't easy to do in this society so focused on that big wedding and that equally big divorce before that big second marriage in Vegas!

This week they profiled a blog that is unbelievable and I didn't know existed - as part of their series Some like it Single. The blog Marrying Millennial which focuses on tearing apart the campaign currently trying to persuade young people to get married. Spearheaded by the Brookings Institute, the National Marriage Resource Center, and the Bush Administrations Department of Health and Human Services the campaign has worked in cahoots to fund The Healthy Marriage Initiative or further to federally fund ad campaigns to uphold marriage not to mention including marriage incentives as part of a welfare reform package.

The Marrying Millennial blogger isn't buying it

"Your generation has given me no reason to subject myself to marriage. Your generation has increased the divorce rate to higher than 50%. I have watched your rushed/forced marriages fail over and over again. You have told me to educate myself and establish myself, and I am doing so. Therefore marriage will have to wait until its most convenient for me and my life plans. Your marriages are taxed. They are formalized. They require red tape, and signatures, and penalties. . . I have learned from your mistakes."

Its no wonder our generation has been so skeptical of conservatives! Clearly paying people to get married and pretend to love each other and have a family doesn't actually make it happen. Who knew!?

Onely's review of Marrying Millennial is glowing and I couldn't say it better myself:

"She points out that the campaign’s narrow-mindedness and lack of innovation will actually turn young people away from marriage, that the campaign short-circuits young people’s attempts at exploration and self-expansion, and that believing in God and religion doesn’t mean that you have to think marriage is the magic cure for all social ills. In one of her most frightening posts, she shows the obscene amounts of money that the current director of the National Healthy Marriage Resource Center (NHMRC), Mary Myrick, once charged to the Oklahoma government when she was a consultant to their state marriage initiative in 2001."

Last month Bella DePaulo at the Huffington Post reported that there is indeed an HHS ad campaign designed to encourage marriage. No word yet on whether Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius would continue the program under the Obama Administration but something tells me that she might have a few revisions or perhaps even some better more effective ways of spending that money.

DePaulo quotes a USA Today piece which says

"Research suggests a bevy of benefits for those who marry, including better health, greater wealth and more happiness for the couple, and improved well-being for children."

And then proceeds to debunk that statement with evidence of wealth coming from federal tax dollars which could equate happiness and high income brackets with better health care which disproportionately helps those who can afford it. Of course they are wealthier and healthier and richer! Our government is giving them the tax structure to ensure its so.

Onely further requests of anyone who might be researching projects like this if there is a breakdown of federal funds allocated both to the ad campaign, marriage incentives given to couples, and how much in total the project cost. I second that request calling on a top to bottom review of the extensive amount of waste spent on this project and would further like to ask that Dr. James Dobsen send all proceeds from his Focus on Marriage seminars to pay the tax payers back.

Marrying Millennial posted a blog Wednesday where she announced she was combing through Recovery.gov (the Obama Administration's effort of creating transparency so tax payers can see where their money is going). She contacted the Obama Administration asking questions but isn't holding her breath about a reply.. after all she's still waiting for a response to the letters her high school class sent to President Bush in 2005 asking him about the project.

On a hometown note she looked through Mary Myrick's Public Strategies, Inc website for information about who this woman is and what she's up to.

"Public Strategies Inc. is Mary's public relations firm that manages the accounts for pro-marriage campaigns. Mary is very involved in making money off of selling marriage." . .

"Not only does she own her own firm, but she is the founder and president of Oklahoma Marriage Initiative."

And here she is on Facebook! She's so forward thinking! Oddly enough she's friends with Jim Roth the former Corporations Commissioner in Oklahoma and openly gay elected official. I bet Jim believes in marriage... but it might not be the kind Mary likes...

Either way Marrying Millennial is a brilliant project whether you want the big white dress or not. Stay tuned to see what the feds do when they find out how much money has been going to these programs.

Disclaimer: Please note there is no coincidental meaning behind this being posted on the week Mike is getting married. I fully support his and Leah's union and wish them all the best on such a wonderful life together.

The DNCC Press Conference featuring Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, and Texas State Senator Leticia Van de Putte appeared on stage this morning to talk about the upcoming convention, its inclusiveness and upcoming excitment.

I was able to ask the panelists about how they are reaching out to young voters and young people at the convention this year. The video is of their answer.