Private space station delivery to launch Sunday

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) A private company is on the verge of launching another cargo ship to the International Space Station.

On Sunday night, California-based SpaceX will attempt to send a Dragon capsule to the orbiting lab and its three-member crew.

Liftoff of the company's unmanned Falcon rocket is scheduled for 8:35 p.m. EDT. Forecasters put the odds of acceptable weather at 60 percent. Thick clouds and rain are the main concerns.

A Dragon cargo ship successfully docked to the space station last May, but that was considered a test flight. The coming mission is the first under a $1.6 billion contract with NASA that calls for a dozen resupply flights by SpaceX, essential in the post-shuttle era.

"We got there once. We demonstrated we could do it, so there might be a teeny, teeny bit of relaxation. Not a lot, though," SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell told reporters Saturday night.

NASA was monitoring a potentially threatening piece of orbiting junk, but said that even if the space station had to steer clear of the object, that would not delay the SpaceX mission.

This newest Dragon will haul about 1,000 pounds of food, clothes and gear, including ice cream for the American, Russian and Japanese astronauts on board. (The ice cream will go up in freezers meant for research). Even more cargo will be coming back.

The capsule will remain docked to the space station for most of October. Astronauts will fill the capsule with blood and urine samples, other experiments and old equipment, for its return to Earth at the end of the month. By then, the complex will be back to a full crew of six.

The nearly 500 tubes of blood and syringes of urine have been stashed in space station freezers since the last space shuttle flight, by Atlantis, in July 2011. The decommissioned Atlantis, and sister ships Discovery and Endeavour, are now museum relics.

NASA nutritionist Scott Smith said these blood and urine samples part of medical studies will be the first to be returned since Atlantis' final voyage.

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Private space station delivery to launch Sunday

Private SpaceX Rocket Launch Tonight Visible from US East Coast

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Skywatchers in the eastern United States have an opportunity to spot the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on an International Space Station resupply flight on Sundaynight (Oct. 7), weather permitting.

The night launch will mark the fourth flight of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, a privately built boosterthat has made three successful flights since 2010. The rocket will be carrying the gumdrop-shaped Dragon capsule to the International Space Station. In May the Dragon capsule became the first U.S. spacecraft to reach the space station since NASA's last space shuttle flight departed in July 2011.

To reach the space station,the Falcon 9 rocket must be launched when Earth's rotation carries the launch pad into the plane of the station's orbit. That will happen on Sunday at 8:35 p.m. EDT (0035 Monday GMT) at Launch Complex 40, SpaceX's launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

As has been the case with space shuttle launches to the space station, Sunday's liftoff will bring the Falcon 9 rocket's path nearly parallel to the U.S. East Coast. It is expected that the glow created by the rocket's Merlin 1C liquid propellant rocket engines should be visible in varying degrees along much of the Eastern seaboard. [SpaceX's Dragon Poised to Sunday Launch (Photos)]

The Falcon 9 rocket launches into orbit using two stages. The first stage utilizes nine Merlin 1C engines which will burn for three minutes, then shuts down. Five seconds later the first and second stages will separate.

Seven seconds later the second stage, which utilizes just one engine will be fired and will burn for six minutes and two seconds. The Dragon space capsule will then separate from the second stage and head into orbit.

So while the first stage should create a fairly conspicuous bright light in the sky, the second stage will likely be considerably dimmer.

Kevin Fetter, a well-known amateur satellite observer based in Canada, notes:

"The first stage from what I seeis very bright sourceof light.The second stage won't be as good for causing a light show. So once the first stage is done, the nice light show is over. The light coming from the second stage won't be as bright, so not everyone will have a nice view."

What to expect

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Private SpaceX Rocket Launch Tonight Visible from US East Coast

Code Red Alert System upgraded in Texarkana

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As the Ark-La-Tex prepares for the changing season, the Code Red alert system in Texarkana, Arkansas and Texas is getting an upgrade.

Residents can now sign up to receive winter weather warnings.

Code Red has been providing the twin cities weather warnings since 2005.

The system gives residents a "heads up" during tornadoes, flash floods and thunderstorms and now they're offering advanced warnings for winter storms.

"Anytime you have the opportunity receive information about what's going on, I believe information is power," said Captain shawn Vaughn, Emergency Communications.

Vaughn says even if you already registered for code red, you still have to sign up again to receive the winter weather alerts.

"Winter warnings are only delivered by either text or email," said Vaughn.

Emergency communications network provides the Code Red system to Texarkana. Nearly 80,000 area phone numbers are currently in the system.

The Code Red system upgrade comes at no additional cost to the cities' and counties.'

Vaughn says Code Red helps give residents extra time to prepare if a storm does moves into the region.

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Code Red Alert System upgraded in Texarkana

NASA SDO Team Overcoming Eclipse-Related Image Quality Degradation

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October 6, 2012

redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports Your Universe Online

A NASA satellite studying the sun saw its view obstructed by Earth for a brief period of time each day throughout much of the month of September. Those eclipses had an unusual effect on the images captured by the probe immediately afterwards, the U.S. space agency revealed on Friday.

NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) moved into what is known as its semi-annual eclipse phase from September 6 through September 29, officials from the organization explained. During each of those days, our planet temporarily obscured the satellites view, with a period of fuzzy imagery following for a period of approximately 45 minutes afterwards.

Scientists choose orbits for solar telescopes to minimize eclipses as much as possible, but they are a fact of life one that comes with a period of fuzzy imagery directly after the eclipse, NASA said. The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on SDO observes the sun through a glass window. The window can change shape in response to temperature changes, and does so dramatically and quickly when it doesnt directly feel the suns heat.

Youve got a piece of glass looking at the sun, and then suddenly it isnt, Dean Pesnell, the project scientist for SDO at the Goddard Space Flight Center, added. The glass gets colder and flexes. It becomes like a lens. Its as if we put a set of eye glasses in front of the instrument, causing the observations to blur.

In an attempt to counter that phenomenon, the HMI unit was fitted with special heaters that warm the windows during an eclipse. Ordinarily, with no adjustments to the heater, it took SDO roughly two hours to return to prime observation capabilities. Initially, with the heater, that time was reduced to 60 minutes, but in the two years since the satellites 2010 launch, Pesnell and his colleagues have cut the waiting period for clear pictures down to 45-50 minutes.

SDO is studying the sun as the source of all space weather, which impacts our lives here on Earth, as well as the planet itself and everything located outside of its atmosphere, according to NASAs mission overview website.

It is the first satellite under the Living with a Star (LWS) program. It has also been designed to operate for five years and is capable of producing enough data to fill a single CD every 36 seconds, according to the U.S. space agency. The satellite is expected to enter its next eclipse season on March 3, 2013.

Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports Your Universe Online

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NASA Announces First Year-Long International Space Station Mission, American-Russian Crew To Fly In 2015

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The crew members one American astronaut and one Russian cosmonaut will launch and land in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft and are scheduled to begin their voyage in the spring of 2015. The mission has been designed to collect valuable scientific data needed to send humans to new destinations in the solar system.

"In order for us to eventually move beyond low Earth orbit, we need to better understand how humans adapt to long-term spaceflight," said Michael Suffredini, International Space Station program manager, in a statement. "The space station serves as a vital scientific resource for teaching us those lessons, and this yearlong expedition aboard the complex will help us move closer to those journeys."

There had been talks for several months regarding this joint venture, which is now confirmed after Fridays announcement. A Russian official said earlier this week that the mission was finalized, but NASA had simply said that it was under consideration, Space.com reported.

During the 12 years of permanent human presence aboard the space station, scientists and researchers have gained valuable, and often surprising, data on the effects of microgravity on bone density, muscle mass, strength, vision and other aspects of human physiology. This year-long stay is expected to allow for greater analysis of these effects and trends.

"We have gained new knowledge about the effects of spaceflight on the human body from the scientific research conducted on the space station, and it is the perfect time to test a one-year expedition aboard the orbital laboratory," said Julie Robinson, NASA's program scientist for the International Space Station. "What we will gain from this expedition will influence the way we structure our human research plans in the future."

While neither NASA nor the Russian Federal Space Agency, known as Roscosmos, have revealed the names of the crew, some earlier reports suggested that the NASA astronaut could be Peggy Whitson, who recently quit as the agency's chief astronaut to rejoin its active spaceflying ranks.

NASA said that the expedition will also serve as a test bed for future exploration technologies. Those innovative technologies, the logistics of the trip to and from the space station and the selection of the crew will be announced at a future time.

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NASA Tracking Space Junk Ahead of Private Launch to Space Station

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A piece of space junk that may buzz the International Space Station Monday has NASA weighing plans to move the orbiting lab, even as a private space capsule stands poised to launch toward the station on Sunday night.

The space debris will pass near enough to the space station on Monday morning (Oct. 8) to require an avoidance maneuver as a safety precaution, NASA space station program manager Mike Suffredini said in a briefing today (Oct. 6).

The decision on whether to move the station is not yet final, but if such a maneuver is required it will not affect the scheduled launch of a private Dragon space capsule to the station, Suffredini said.

Built by the private spaceflight company SpaceX, the unmanned Dragon spacecraft is set to launch Sunday night at 8:35 p.m. EDT (0035 Monday GMT) from a pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The spacecraft is packed with about 1,000 pounds (453 kilograms) of supplies for the space station's three-person crew, including food and science gear.

"I can't imagine a scenario in which we ask SpaceX not to launch," Suffredini said.

Suffredini said that if the space station does have to dodge the debris, it would likely just mean SpaceX's Dragon will take a bit longer to arrive than planned. Currently, the spacecraft is due to dock at the station on Wednesday (Oct. 10). [SpaceX's Dragon Poised to Sunday Launch (Photos)]

"They'll just adjust while they're flying if we have to do the move," Suffredini said.

NASA and its space station partners regularly move the space station when a piece of debris is expected to pass inside a preset safety perimeter. That safety zone is shaped like a pizza box and extends out 15 miles (25 kilometers) to either side, as well as a half-mile (0.75 km) above and below the station.

SpaceX's Dragon flight to the space station is the first commercial cargo delivery to the outpost under a $1.6 billion deal with NASA. That agreement calls for SpaceX to provide at least 12 cargo missions to the station using its robotic Dragon space capsules and Falcon 9 rockets.

The Hawthorne, Calif.-based SpaceX flew a successful demonstration flight to the station in May that set the stage for Sunday night's launch. Another company, Orbital Sciences Corp. of Virginia, is developing its own private rocket and spacecraft to fly cargo to the station under a $1.9 billion deal with NASA.

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Medicine Drop

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Published: Saturday, October 6, 2012 at 20:00 PM.

The Neuse Riverkeeper Foundation expresses great appreciation to the residents of New Bern and Craven County who took the time and interest to bring 250 pounds of drugs to the Operation Medicine Drop held at Realo Drugs on Saturday. The presence of a police officer is required and we were blessed once again to have the help of Officer Shelton Brown. Volunteers gave generously of their time to make the river and local homes cleaner and safer. We are told by NCSAFE KIDSthat this amount of poundage translates into 125,000 doses of drugs. We hope to soon be able to install a drop box in the City of New Bern Police Department where drugs may be safely deposited no questions asked. We thank Chief Toussaint Summers for his genuine concern for our community and the support his officers give our youth. If you missed this dropoff be looking for another this spring. Natalie Baggett, New Bern

The Neuse Riverkeeper Foundation expresses great appreciation to the residents of New Bern and Craven County who took the time and interest to bring 250 pounds of drugs to the Operation Medicine Drop held at Realo Drugs on Saturday. The presence of a police officer is required and we were blessed once again to have the help of Officer Shelton Brown. Volunteers gave generously of their time to make the river and local homes cleaner and safer. We are told by NCSAFE KIDSthat this amount of poundage translates into 125,000 doses of drugs. We hope to soon be able to install a drop box in the City of New Bern Police Department where drugs may be safely deposited no questions asked. We thank Chief Toussaint Summers for his genuine concern for our community and the support his officers give our youth. If you missed this dropoff be looking for another this spring. Natalie Baggett, New Bern

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Medicine Drop

Woodrum leads Liberty over Gardner-Webb 42-35

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LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) -- Josh Woodrum threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns and running back Aldreakis Allen threw an option pass for another as Liberty rallied from an early deficit to edge Gardner-Webb 42-35 Saturday.

In this Big South opener between 0-4 teams, Woodrum out-dueled Lucas Beatty. The Gardner-Webb quarterback completed 27 of 32 passes for 383 yards but just one touchdown. Woodrum completed scoring passes to three different receivers. Two came in the fourth quarter: a 45-yarder to Ryan Ferguson, tying it at 35-all, then a decisive 5-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Apon with 5:11 left.

The most important completion might have been Allen's 15-yard option pass to Justin Gunn to cut it to 28-23. Then Woodrum hit Pat Kelly on a two-point conversion pass to draw Liberty within 28-25. Aldreakis also rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown.

Juanne Blount had two of Gardner-Webb's four rushing touchdowns.

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Woodrum leads Liberty over Gardner-Webb 42-35

Henry, Jackson run the show in Liberty's win

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By RICK REMSNYDER

Published: 2:00 AM - 10/07/12

LIBERTY When Liberty star running back Kenny Jaycox was sidelined with a season-ending knee injury last week, Indians coach John Wilhelm only had to look across the dinner table to find a suitable replacement.

Wilhelm shifted stepson Ryan Henry from wide receiver to the backfield and the move proved to be a stroke of genius. Henry, who hadn't carried the ball all season, rushed for 200 yards on 19 carries and scored four touchdowns as the Indians stunned John S. Burke Catholic 53-19 in a Section 9 Class C contest Saturday afternoon.

"There was a lot of talk in the house about the game plan this week," Wilhelm said. "We knew when Kenny wasn't going to be able to play that kids were going to have to step up and move around. We decided to move him (Henry) into the backfield and give him some carries. It just kind of took off and we kept giving him the ball today."

Henry didn't object to the change when his coach/stepfather asked him at practice this week, even though he said they don't always agree on things.

"I think he's harder on me than anybody else," Henry said with a laugh. "But that's just my opinion. I'll do anything that needs to be done to help the team."

It was hardly a one-man show for Liberty, however. Junior quarterback Quinn Jackson rushed for 247 yards on 23 carries and scored three TDs for the Indians (4-2, 1-1 Class C Division I). Jackson also threw a touchdown pass to Henry. The pair also hooked up on a two-point conversion.

Henry scored his first touchdown on a 14-yard run and kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead with 2:47 left in the first quarter.

Burke Catholic (2-4, 1-1 Class C Division I) cut the deficit to 7-6 on the last play of the first quarter when quarterback Robert Pezzullo found freshman wide receiver Chris Skermo with a 27-yard TD pass.

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Henry, Jackson run the show in Liberty's win

Libertarian candidate wants state income tax gone

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The Libertarian Party's candidate for West Virginia governor believes the state should do away with its personal income tax.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The Libertarian Party's candidate for West Virginia governor believes the state should do away with its personal income tax.

"The tax laws in our nation have become convoluted and rife with exemptions," said David Moran, a Preston County farmer and adjunct West Virginia University professor.

"I advocate the elimination of the personal income tax in West Virginia ... The personal income tax is regressive, punishing the people who work the hardest. I advocate the complete elimination of the personal income tax."

West Virginians pay more than $1.7 billion in personal income tax each year, according to the state's latest report. The money accounts for more than 41 percent of the state's general revenue budget, which funds almost every government program in the state, from schools and colleges to highways to the State Police.

"We have gone through the entire budget to identify areas we could cut," Moran said.

"We spend an incredible amount of money incarcerating prisoners, especially nonviolent prisoners jailed for things like smoking marijuana or traffic violations. It would be better to have them out on work release.

"That is just one example of something that would save us hundreds of millions of dollars."

Moran also urges the elimination of some state regulatory groups.

"Commissions like the [Alcohol Beverage Control Administration] are not necessary. They are holdovers from the 1930s. DMV [the Division of Motor Vehicles] inspection services could also be streamlined."

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Libertarian candidate wants state income tax gone

Health care act's glaring omission: liability reform

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Doctors order more tests and consultations to protect themselves from liability, Dr. Anthony Youn says.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Editor's note: Dr. Anthony Youn is an assistant professor of surgery at the Oakland University/William Beaumont School of Medicine in Michigan. He is the author of "In Stitches," a memoir about growing up Asian-American and becoming a doctor.

(CNN) -- Coverage for 30 million uninsured. A ban on lifetime payout limits. No co-pays or deductibles on preventive medical services. Insurers prohibited from excluding patients based on pre-existing medical conditions.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (also known as "Obamacare") creates a massive, wide-scale overhaul of the heavily flawed and criticized health care system of the United States.

But for all of the Obama administration's work in creating this 906-page federal law, there is one glaring omission that could decrease the costs of health care and help relieve the upcoming physician shortage.

Medical liability reform.

How could the Obama administration create such a comprehensive overhaul of health care without addressing this issue? Although not a panacea for the health problems in the United States, the need for physicians to practice defensive medicine in order to avoid potential litigation has far-reaching consequences.

A 2008 survey of Massachusetts doctors found that 83% admitted to practicing defensive medicine. This study determined that 18% to 28% of tests, procedures and referrals and 13% of hospital admissions were performed for the sake of avoiding lawsuits.

In this one state alone, an estimated $281 million in unnecessary physician costs and more than $1 billion in excessive hospital costs was due to the practice of defensive medicine. Across the country, doctors are ordering tests and consultations as a way to protect themselves from potential liability.

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Health care act's glaring omission: liability reform

Op-ed: Individual responsibility in managing health-care costs

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THE health-care-reform debate has been conveniently reduced to whether we can we afford its costs. The price of care is important. However, this debate ignores a crucial question: How much skin in the game should an individual have in managing his or her health?

Unless we ask that question, we will remain embroiled in a health care debate without any true progress.

The discussion we need to have is how to hold individuals responsible and to engage them in their own personal health. How do we get people to start eating foods that are good for them, not just convenient? How do we create communities that encourage people to walk, ride a bike, run and swim? And for people with chronic illness, what role do they have in managing their conditions?

Federal, state and local governments, in addition to creating healthier and safer communities, can play a big leadership role in creating healthy communities and rewarding personal responsibility for health.

Individual responsibility for ones health may seem radical, but King County employees, in partnership with the unions that represent them, are already doing it. As a part of King Countys nationally recognized Healthy Incentives program, each year employees take a written wellness assessment and complete an individual action plan to improve or maintain their healthy behaviors. Those who complete the wellness assessment and their individual action plan qualify to contribute less for health care cost sharing.

Under the current employee agreement for Healthy Incentives, employees are reducing costs to the public in four ways: They use health-care services less often; they pay higher co-pays; they choose less-expensive generic drugs; and more of them enroll in the Group Health plan, which his less expensive than the countys preferred provider plan KingCare.

Over the past six years, King County has saved the taxpayers tens of millions of dollars by engaging employees in their health and health-care choices. In the proposed 2013-2014 budget, the county expects to save $14 million in health-care costs.

King Countys Healthy Incentives program can be a model for engaging participants in other private- and public-employer health plans, including Medicare and Medicaid.

I want everyone to have health insurance, but those who blithely ignore the consequences of their lifestyle should not be totally subsidized by those willing to manage their illnesses, eat well and remain fit. Individuals should pay a higher price for poor decisions and personal indifference.

Personal responsibility and accountability cannot be demanded of individuals without the tools to make educated decisions, such as publicly reported data on the quality and price of health-care services. We love our doctors, but having detailed data will help individuals determine if their doctors are providing value-based care. If not, employers should have the right to ask individuals to pay more for doctors providing subpar care.

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Op-ed: Individual responsibility in managing health-care costs

Health care reform: Businesses learn how new federal rules will affect plans

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MICHIGAN CITY Human resource managers from businesses throughout the region on Tuesday learned important information about how federal law will impact the insurance coverage they offer to employees.

Presented by General Insurance Services, the Northern Indiana Human Resource Management Association and Strategic Management, the two-hour lunch-time seminar touched on the basic changes employers would have to adapt to to comply with the Patient Protective and Affordable Care Act. The Supreme Court recently decided in favor of the act, which goes into effect in 2014.

The discussion was moderated by Craig Menne, the vice president of General Insurance Services. Panelists included: Mark Rafalski, chief financial officer of Indiana University La Porte Hospital; Paul Houchens, a consultant with Milliman, Inc; Mark Schmidtke, an attorney with the law firm of Ogletree, Deakins; and Bruce McFee, chairman and CEO of Sullivan-Palatek, Inc.

Menne told those who gathered in the gallery at the Lubeznik Center that the event was meant to be an interactive round table discussion about the law and what would be required of companies in the near future. Its a large law with a lot of moving parts, Menne said. The panelists, he said, were selected to give a wide range of perspectives on the act.

Other changes that apply to plans which are not grandfathered in include: no pre-authorization on emergency services, no penalty on the use of out-of-network services, coverage of preventable care and immunizations; and patient choice in most service providers.

Houchens told the crowd that there were no easy answers in how businesses will address the changes and adhere to the requirements. Its complicated because each employer is different, he said. There are different plans and different makeup of employees.

One significant push at the federal level is a change in federal poverty rate scale, which is used to determine eligibility for programs such as Medicaid. The federal government is setting the eligibility criteria at 138 percent of the federal poverty level, which is about $11,000. This change would increase the number of Americans eligible for Medicaid by as much as 50 percent, Houchens said.

Each state is given the opportunity to accept the new levels or keep a lower eligibility level. If more employees meet this level, the employees could be covered by Medicaid, which means their employer would not have to provide coverage for them. This would reduce any penalties imposed by the government for a business not complying with federal requirements under the law.

The changes will drive up costs for medical service providers, Rafalski said. Some of these costs are incurred because of a requirement to move towards electronic storage of medical records. Another cost factor is inefficiencies in the processes, he said. As an example, he said patients who move between physicians may experience duplication in services or conflicting treatment methods.

A focus on wellness and keeping employees healthy is one component of these efforts, Rafalski said. When you do that the costs go down because you are not using as much of the services.

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Health care reform: Businesses learn how new federal rules will affect plans

N.C. Attorney General eyes 'artificial' hospital pricing

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Calling the states health care costs artificially high, N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper says he will examine whether to use antitrust laws or new legislation to reduce them.

Im concerned about this issue, Cooper told the Observer. Health care costs are high enough without artificial boosts that could come from lack of competition.

Coopers announcement comes in the wake of antitrust investigations into hospitals in other states. It also follows an Observer story showing large nonprofit hospitals are dramatically inflating prices on chemotherapy drugs at a time when they are cornering more of the market on cancer care.

In a joint investigation published last month, the Observer and The News & Observer of Raleigh found hospitals are routinely marking up prices on cancer drugs two to 10 times over cost. At the same time, hospitals are increasingly buying the practices of independent oncologists, then charging more for the same chemotherapy in the same office.

A previous investigation by the two newspapers, published in April, showed consolidation has given hospitals leverage to demand higher payments from insurance companies. That investigation also found North Carolina hospitals are among the most powerful interest groups in state politics, a fact that could neutralize any push for legislative reform.

Cooper said theres little question health care costs too much. The issue, he says, is whether a recent increase in consolidation has contributed to that problem. His staff will study whether antitrust laws which are designed to prohibit monopolies and other anticompetitive arrangements are the right tool for reducing costs.

Cooper said his lawyers will talk with officials from the Federal Trade Commission and with attorneys general in other states who have used antitrust laws to investigate consolidation.

A number of hospital systems in North Carolina have grown into profitable, fast-growing giants. Carolinas HealthCare System, a $7 billion chain that runs more than 30 hospitals, has built more than $2 billion in investments and owns more than $1 billion in property. Now the nations second-largest public hospital system, it has posted average annual profits of more than $300 million in the past three years.

Novant Health, which owns 13 hospitals, generates more than $3 billion in annual revenue. The two systems own all hospitals in Mecklenburg.

The newspapers April investigation found Charlotte-area hospitals generate some of the nations largest profit margins. The regions hospital prices are about 5 percent higher than the national average, and comparable to those of larger cities, according to Aetna insurance company.

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N.C. Attorney General eyes 'artificial' hospital pricing

Amendment 1: Health Care Services

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Published: Saturday, October 6, 2012 at 11:03 p.m. Last Modified: Saturday, October 6, 2012 at 11:03 p.m.

A daily look at the constitutional amendments on the Nov. 6 ballot from the League of Women Voters of Florida Education Fund:

HEALTH CARE SERVICES

Synopsis: Amendment 1 is more of a political referendum than a meaningful change to the state constitution. Since the Supreme Court has upheld the federal government's right to impose the individual mandate, the legal standing of Amendment 1 is precarious. The passage or defeat of Amendment 1 may have no practical implications other than to send a message that a majority of Florida's voters are either for or against the individual mandate.

A vote YES on Amendment 1 would:

- Represent an attempt to opt Florida out of federal health care reform requirements.

- Add language to the Florida Constitution that could be found unconstitutional under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution if determined by the courts to be in conflict with federal law.

- Prevent the Florida Legislature from passing health care coverage mandates independent of federal law.

A vote NO on Amendment 1 would:

- Mean that Florida should comply with federal health care reform requirements.

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Amendment 1: Health Care Services

Tipton ad continues health-care attack

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Courtesy of VoteTipton.com

Rep. Scott Tiptons second television ad continues the theme of his first, attacking Democratic opponent Sal Paces positions on health care.

Courtesy of VoteTipton.com

Rep. Scott Tiptons second television ad continues the theme of his first, attacking Democratic opponent Sal Paces positions on health care.

Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, is out with the second television ad of his campaign, an attack on Democrat Sal Paces health-care positions.

Tiptons first ad also attacked Pace on health care.

In the new ad, a narrator calls out politician Sal Pace.

He supports the new health-care law, cutting over $700 billion from Medicare, hurting Colorado seniors, a woman says. Pace supports a single-payer government health-care system, a wholesale government takeover of health care.

Tipton has made the $700 billion claim before. It refers to President Barack Obamas health-insurance law, which limits future Medicare payments to hospitals and insurance companies.

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Tipton ad continues health-care attack