The Daily Tribune from Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin • Page 4

DAILY TRIBUNE, WISCONSIN RAPIDS Obama: Flexibility OK, but health law stays WASHINGTON Anxious to ease deepening political tensions with the states, President Barack Obama on Monday told governors he wants to speed up their ability to enforce his signature health care law on their own terms. But his concession goes only so far: He warned he won't allow states to weaken the law. He also told them not to vilify their own states' public workers while struggling with spending cuts. Hosting governors of both parties on his own turf, Obama offered them what they often request: more flexibility as they cope with painful budget dilemmas. Declaring that he would "go to bat for whatever works," Obama supported letting states propose their own health care plans by 2014 three years faster than the current law allows.

Yet this would be no change to the fundamental requirements of a fed- President Barack Obama speaks of governors Monday in the House in Washington, D.C. eral law that has divided the nation and prompted about half the states to try to overturn it through lawsuits. To gain new powers, states would first have to convince Washington that their plans would cover as many people, provide equally affordable and comprehensive care and not add to the federal deficit. More broadly, Obama sought to send a message both cooperative and pointed as leaders at all THE ASSOCIATED PRESS during a bipartisan meeting State Dining Room of the White levels of government grapple with huge economic pressures. The yearly gathering of the president and the state chief executives came as budget disputes are roiling, most notably in Wisconsin, where dramatic protests have raged for days.

Calling for shared sacrifice, Obama said public workers understand they must absorb their share of budget cuts. But he delivered a sharp message to governors seeking to strip away union protections, saying: "I don't think it does anybody any good when public employees are denigrated or vilified, or their rights are infringed "Wisconsin's governor, Scott Walker, was not at the White House but rather in his home state as a nationally watched budget showdown rolled on. He called for Democratic lawmakers to return to the state by today and vote on his bill that would end most collective bargaining rights for public employees as part of a plan to plug a $3.6 billion shortfall. Governors in Washington responded tepidly to Obama's pledges of flexibility on the health care law, which requires Americans to buy health insurance or pay a penalty beginning in 2014. "Oklahoma wants to do Oklahoma's own plan," said the state's Republican governor, Mary Fallin.

Asked whether Obama's plan was flexible enough, she said: "We'll see." Last living U.S. veteran of World War I dies at 110 and family spokesman David DeJonge on a biog- raphy. "We were always asking ourselves: How can we represent this story to the world?" DeJonge said Monday. "How can we make sure World War I isn't forgotten." Buckles asked his daughter, Susannah Flanagan, about progress toward a national memorial every week, sometimes daily. "He was sad it's not completed," DeJonge said.

"It's a simple straightforward thing to do, to honor Americans." When asked in February 2008 how it felt to be the last survivor, Buckles said Plenty to dislike in governor's proposal Want to know what is in Senate Bill 11 besides union busting? How does a 100 to 200 percent increase in your electricity bill sound? That is what selling off public utilities and no-bid energy contracts will lead to. It did in California, and we all simply, "I realized that somebody had to be, and it was me." Only two known veterans remain, according to the Order of the First World War, a Florida group whose members are descendants of WWI veterans and include Buckles' daughter. The survivors are Florence Green in Britain and Claude Choules in Australia, said Robert Carroon, the group's senior vice commander. Choules, who served in Britain's Royal Navy, was born in that country but now lives in Australia. Green turned 110 on Feb.

19, and Choules turns 110 in March, he said. to both Enron and Gray know what happened Davis. Our governor is behavrecalled! If you he wants trade through the 144 pages of the bill he is proposing, you will clearly see that there is something in there for everyone to hate. I guess it is more proof that people do stupid things when they are high on Koch. Kathy S.

De Witt Wisconsin Rapids Letters Policy Letters Send your letter by e-mail to com or by mail to Letters to the editor, 220 First Ave. Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495-8090. Include your complete address and day and evening telephone numbers for verification purposes. We welcome your comments on editorials, columns or other topics in the Daily Tribune or any subject important to you. Letters are limited to 350 words, and authors may have one letter published per calendar month.

Those interested in writing a My View column, should call 715-422-6724. Submissions may be refused for any reason and are subject to editing, primarily for length, accuracy and clarity. By submitting a letter to the editor, opinion column or article, you grant the Daily Tribune permission to publish it in print, online or other forms. Letters must be the original thoughts and words of the person submitting them. Submissions that cite statistics or other factual information must include the source or sources of that information.

Readers also are welcome to participate in the Daily Tribune's online forums at www.wisconsinrapidstribune. com. CARPET The Business Built By Satisfying Our CLEANING WE ARE JERRY'S THE CARPET It's ORIGINAL The Only Way We REASONABLE Know RATES Jerry's CLEANING SERVICE FREE 715-423-8273 ESTIMATES Carpet Furniture Cleaning Service We have over 38 years of experience to recommend what's best for your carpet EXPERIENCE Do you suffer YOUR Back or neck pain Herniated discs Facet syndrome POTENTIAL Spinal stenosis Sciatica Pain in the arm or leg Looking for natural, drug-free, non-surgical options? We can help! We offer many treatment options ranging from traditional hands-on chiropractic adjusting techniques to light force treatments. We also offer NON-SURGICAL, SPINAL DECOMPRESSION! RIC RAPIDS CHIROPRACTIC 715-423-3020 www.rapidschiropractic.com AND WELLNESS. S.C TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2011 BY BEN FELLER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BY VICKI SMITH THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MORGANTOWN, W.Va.

He didn't seek the spotlight, but when Frank Buckles outlived every other American who'd served in World War he became what his biographer called "the humble patriot" and final torchbearer for the memory of that fading conflict. Buckles enlisted in World War I at 16 after lying about his age. He died Sunday on his farm in Charles Town, nearly a month after his 110th birthday. He had devoted the last years of his life to campaigning for greater recognition for his former Why do public servants need unions? I lived away from Wisconsin for a long time. The better part of my adult life was spent in Washington, D.C.

They say that the Washington experience tends to warp one's sense of reality. Perhaps that is what happened to me. I am a recovering bureaucrat, and I am confused. Somewhere along the way, my friends back here in Wisconsin decided it would be a good idea to make their government workers join a union. This puzzles me.

Were our elected officials treating them badly or underpaying them? Were our administrative heads under budgeting for pay and benefits? Were our civil service regulations inadequate and our elected officials too ignorant to fix them? Or, were the worker lobbies just not putting enough pressure on our elected officials? I truly do not understand why public servants need unions, or why we allowed them to organize. Perhaps my experience as a Department of Defense STATE NOTES FORMER STATE SENATOR DIES asked officers to check on AT AGE 86: Former state the couple. The Janesville Senator Richard 'Dick" Gazette reported that Rock Kreul, of Fennimore, has County coroner's office prodied at 86. nounced the two dead at age Kreul served in the the scene. state Senate from 1978 Police have not released until 1991.

He was later any additional details. appointed by former Gov. MAKER OF ALCOHOL WIPES Tommy Thompson to serve in the Department SUED BY TEXAS COUPLE: A of Labor and Human Wisconsin company that Relations. Before serv- makes alcohol wipes and ing in the Senate, Kreul swabs is being sued by a farmed in Fennimore after Texas couple who lost their graduating from high State bacterial 2-year-old son infection. to a fatal school in 1941.

The Journal said he also owned Shanoop and Sandra the Antique Harness Shop Kothari say an alcohol in Fennimore. wipe made by Triad Group, According to Larson of Hartland, was the Family Funeral Home, likely source of the infecKreul's funeral service tion that killed their son, is scheduled for 11 a.m. Harry, in November. Triad Tuesday at the Fennimore voluntarily recalled all United Methodist Church. its alcohol wipe products.

The Kotharis' attorney, STURGEON SEASON WRAPS Donald Kidd, said the UP: Wisconsin's sturgeon boy was exposed to Triad spearing season has ended alcohol pads after he had a after a full 16-day run. benign cyst removed from The state Department of his brain. Kidd said the Natural Resources said it's alcohol pads had bacteria the fourth season to last 16 contamination that caused days, with a typical season the boy's death. ending after 11 days when The Journal Sentinel the fish harvest reaches reported that the lawsuit the cap. This year, 1,426 was filed in federal court in fish were taken, most Houston.

The Triad Group from Lake Winnebago. On did not immediately return Sunday, the closing day of a call seeking comment on the season, 25 sturgeon the lawsuit. were taken from Lake Winnebago and three of STATE RATES CHILD CARE, them tipped the scales at FINDINGS ONLINE: About more than 100 pounds. 3 percent of Wisconsin's Sturgeon biologist Ron approximately 7,400 reguBruch told the Fond du lated child care providers Lac Reporter the sale of have been assessed by the spearing licenses topped state's new rating system. more than 12,000, com- The state recently pared with nearly 11,000 began rating child care last season.

centers and posting the results online. Critics 2 PEOPLE FOUND DEAD IN say the rating system, JANESVILLE BASEMENT: called YoungStar, relies Two people were found too heavily on the educadead in the basement of tion of teachers instead a multiunit residence in of how children are doing Janesville. in their care. Supporters Police said the man and say the ratings appropriwoman lived at the resi- ately reward centers that dence. Their bodies were work to become accredfound Sunday afternoon ited.

after family members The Associated Press AP FILE PHOTO Frank Buckles, the last living U.S. veteran of World War died early Sunday of natural causes in his home in Charles Town, W.Va. comrades, prodding politicians to support a national memorial in Washington and working with friend civilian skews my thinking. In my job, I worked alongside military personnel. In 36 years, I never heard a soldier, sailor, airman or Marine suggest he might have to take some job issue up with his union rep.

Instead, most of the military people I worked with felt they were well treated. If I were to point out some unfairness, they would probably shrug their shoulders and say, "Well I volunteered for this." As a civilian, I felt much the same in addition, I could quit if I chose. My wife, on the other hand, was a high school teacher in the state to our south. There was a union in her school, but membership was not mandatory. She chose not to join.

My dad would say that we need to follow the money to figure out situations like this. So, where does the union money go? Apparently it goes in circles from unions to elected officials and back to unions with a lot tax dollars sucked into the process. From my warped perspective, unions seem to have duped us into paying them to pick our pockets. Thomas V. Bee Nekoosa Voice your opposition to budget bill For those who express support for Gov.

Walker's budget bill, they need to actually read it. Not only would the bill essentially dismantle public employee's unions (with a mandate that states these unions cannot collect dues), but the bill would take away health insurance coverage for tens of thousands of state residents. The language in the bill pertaining to Medical Assistance is vague, but what is clear is that one form of BadgerCare will be completely obliterated. It is unclear whether it will be the Core program, Basic program, or traditional BadgerCare, but if you depend on this assistance, be prepared for some bad news. I have written my own letter to Walker asking for reform of the entire program, so that no one group of people winds up lacking health care.

I am sure that most would be willing to pay higher premiums and co-pays. They could double the premiums for most of the people enrolled, and the state would come out ahead, and we wouldn't see huge numbers of people without insurance. When a person doesn't have insurance, that person is forced to rely on private hospital programs. When that happens, the costs of the uninsured is picked up by everyone else, as a hospital or clinic must then charge more for services. It is a backdoor tax.

If you don't like hidden taxes, then you should not like this situation. Write Scott Krug to voice your opposition to Senate Bill 11. Jennifer Dolan Wisconsin Rapids ILL PAPER CITY SAVINGS Online Banking Just Got Better with -BANKING offers the latest in technology: Mobile Banking e-Bills e-Statements Contact us for more details: 715-423-8100 www.papercitysavings.com Locations in Wisconsin Rapids and Nekoosa A W1-5001271070.