The study pointed to federal initiatives such as Flexible Spending Accounts, which allow employees to put aside pre-tax income for health or dependant care expenses. Married couples can cover their spouses under these plans, according to HRC attorney Lara Schwartz, but a same-sex partner can’t use that money for his or her health care needs.

Other federal programs supported by tax dollars also specifically exclude same-sex partners. Under the Family and Medical Leave Act, workers can take up to 12 weeks to care for a spouse, child or parent, but not a same-sex partner. When heterosexual employees leave their jobs, they have the option of keeping their families covered by their health insurance for 18 months, as directed by COBRA laws. Those laws do not require employers to offer the same coverage to domestic partners, although some do voluntarily.

And though it does not require companies to provide the same health benefits, when employers do so, the federal government benefits, according to HRC President Cheryl Jacques.

“Since my partner, Jenn, stays at home to care for our twin toddler boys, her health insurance is covered through the Human Rights Campaign as a domestic partner. But it’s a benefit I’m taxed on, while my straight married friends aren’t,” Jacques said.

“Simply put, we’re working hard and paying more taxes for less protection.”

don't expect them to do the same for the democrats.

It's called being the opposition party, something the democrats forgot for the last 8 years.

The disclosure that near-bankrupt Merrill dished out a staggering $209 million for 10 bankers takes this scandal beyond the absurd-and possibly into criminal territory. Will the Feds prosecute?

The curious case of the obscene Merrill Lynch bonuses just keeps getting more and more disturbing and harder and harder to fathom. For instance, there is the small matter of the whopping $33.8 million bonus that Merrill supposedly paid to the suave European Andrea Orcel, Merrill’s top investment banker, who allegedly generated, according to The Wall Street Journal, some $550 million in revenue in 2008. The Journal attributes the number to “people close to him” and offers nothing close to any further substantiation.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-03-05/wall-streets-new-bonus-outrage/

both of which are subjective anyway.

Iceland has announced a new government that will be headed by the modern world's first openly gay leader.

Johanna Sigurdardottir was named new prime minister by the country's coalition political parties.

Iceland's previous coalition cabinet of PM Geir Haarde collapsed last month under the strain of an escalating economic crisis.

Ms Sigurdardottir's government said on Sunday it would immediately start to tackle Iceland's crisis.

"The government inherits enormous difficulties due to the banking and systemic collapse as well as considerable and rapidly increasing foreign debts and liabilities of the national economy," the new coalition said in a statement.

It said its priorities would be replacing the board of governors of the central bank and to ask a parliamentary committee to look at the possibility of entering the European Union.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7862804.stm

Obama increased the military budget by $40 billion, he increased the amount of our tax revenue that the government gives to churches, he is against equal rights for gays/lesbians, he has increased our covert agenda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, he appointed the former head of Goldman Sachs to manage the economic nightmare that they themselves created, etc.

WASHINGTON – As Congress tries to clean up the nation's energy sources and cut gases blamed for global warming, it is struggling to do so in its own backyard.

The Capitol Power Plant, a 99-year-old facility that heats and cools the hallowed halls of Congress, still burns coal and accounts for one-third of the legislative branch's greenhouse gas emissions. For a decade, lawmakers have attempted to clean it up.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090301/ap_on_go_co/congress_power_plant

Last month, in his big speech to Congress, President Obama argued for bold steps to fix America’s dysfunctional banks. “While the cost of action will be great,” he declared, “I can assure you that the cost of inaction will be far greater, for it could result in an economy that sputters along for not months or years, but perhaps a decade.”

Many analysts agree. But among people I talk to there’s a growing sense of frustration, even panic, over Mr. Obama’s failure to match his words with deeds. The reality is that when it comes to dealing with the banks, the Obama administration is dithering. Policy is stuck in a holding pattern.

Here’s how the pattern works: first, administration officials, usually speaking off the record, float a plan for rescuing the banks in the press. This trial balloon is quickly shot down by informed commentators.

Then, a few weeks later, the administration floats a new plan. This plan is, however, just a thinly disguised version of the previous plan, a fact quickly realized by all concerned. And the cycle starts again.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/06/opinion/06krugman.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaperTags

he did so all through the primary but the media was too in love with him to notice.

Obama needs to come out of the closet and admit he is a republican.

His token gestures.....acknowledging global warming and ending the ban on stem cell research.....hardly qualify him as a democrat.

Although considering our current democratic leaders, maybe it does?

Even Homer Simpson can see what a fraud religion is.

along with Dollhouse, they are my 2 favorite new shows.

What happened to Terminator??? It started out as a good action show but is now just another boring soap opera type drama.

instead of focusing on the treatment of sick and injured people.

An Israeli human rights group has filed a petition at the High Court demanding an immediate halt to Israeli mining operations in the West Bank.

The group, Yesh Din, accuses Israel of breaking international law by exploiting the occupied territory's resources for its own gain.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7933155.stm