Today on CNN Newsroom
Paying for Healthcare Reform
Tony Harris, CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen, and Jeanne Sahadi, senior writer at CNNMoney.com, talk about how to pay the pricetag for healthcare reform – that’s $1 trillion over 10 years.
Helping the Trash Pickers help the world
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According to the XSProject statistics, in the Indonesia capital of Jakarta there are between 350,000 to 450,000 estimated trash pickers. These workers are not hired sanitation workers, with uniforms, salaries and recognition. Rather, this population are undocumented families, looking for items that can be sold for recycling, most making an income of about 30-35 US dollars per family per month.
Visual artist Ann Wizer started to use trash as the primary material in her art, in both costumes and installations. The first ‘trash’ tote bags were part of the costumes used in her performances. This led to the creation of XSProject which focused on recycling the consumer waste into new products. It also worked to help the poor trash picking communities in two ways. First, by offering a higher wage for recycled materials, these workers earn a greater income for their families. Second, the non-profit XSProject Foundation helps the trash pickers by providing scholarships and offering assistance for health and daily needs.
An innovative solution to help both Indonesia’s poor and the trash clogged landfills and waterways. Ann Wizer has started something great for the environment and the families recycling it.
If you would like to learn more about the XSProject, and other efforts for our Environment, please visit our Impact Your World page.
Health Care Reform – Can We Pass It?
The critical question when it comes to health care reform is how to pay for it. The White House has been trumpeting new deals - everyone from insurance companies and drug makers to major hospital associations have promised to cut costs and provide savings to the government. So what do they expect in return? And who ultimately gets the bill?
There’s been talk of taxing employer-provided health benefits. And in the latest twist, Democrats in Congress are talking about a new tax on the “rich” to pay for the overhaul. Will these ideas fly?
We want to know what you think – in your opinion, what is the biggest obstacle to passing health care reform legislation?
“Heartbreaking Stuff”: Bodies Dug Up and Cemetery Plots Resold
Employees at an historic African-American cemetery near Chicago allegedly dug up more than 100 graves in an off-the-books scheme to resell burial plots. The sheriff who’s investigating calls it “heartbreaking stuff” and says it’s “so upsetting, unsettling.” Check out the full story here and leave us your thoughts and comments. We’ll read some of your comments on-air in our 10am hour.
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