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By wtfdnucsailor

This is the ninth in a series of blog posting regarding the plans of the Republican and Democratic candidates for governor, Tom Foley and Dan Malloy. All of the information provided in the posting is from the candidate’s web sites, http://www.danmalloy.com/policy and http://www.tomfoley2010.com clicking on the “Issues” and “Tom’s Plan” selections. The opinions are my own and not cleared with either candidate’s staff. In the interest of full disclosure, I am a supporter of Dan Malloy and worked as a volunteer on his 2006 campaign as well as the current 2010 campaign.

I will begin with some general observations about the plans that the candidates have posted on their web sites. If less is more, then Foley wins hands down. His plan turns out to be seven pages in my word document. The Malloy plan is a whopping forty eight pages with great detail. I guess that is fitting since most Republicans believe less government is better, obviously a short plan will lead to less government. From the Democratic perspective, government is good and Malloy shows just how he plans to shape and change much of the state government in great detail.

Of course, there is no guarantee that either of the candidate’s will do what they lay out on their web site when actually in office, but like a stock prospectus, it is an indication of the plan and direction each candidate will pursue once in office.

I am leaving out much of the explanatory text in the plans and just noting the planned action items. Both plans are written in the first person, so I will keep that same format as I quote or paraphrase from each plan. The reader will have to remember that the occasional “I” is either “Governor” Foley or “Governor” Malloy.

This comparison continues with the prospective governors’ take on veterans and affordable housing issues. This presentation is not a contrast but a presentation of the two issues that appear in one plan but not the other. Since I started with “Governor” Malloy in the last post, I will start with “Governor” Foley in this post. I will continue this alternate presenting throughout this series of postings.

“Governor” Tom Foley

“Governor” Foley does not discuss affordable housing in his plan. However he does have two short paragraphs on veterans.

All Americans understand and respect the sacrifices our military personnel make for the country. I served in Iraq as a civilian alongside our brave men and women in uniform. More than ever, we must continue to support our veterans and their families during and after active duty by sustaining the medical and other benefits they have earned for their service.

America is engaged in multiple conflicts around the world. The men and women in our armed services make sacrifices everyday so that those of us at home are safe. Many return with physical injuries and emotionally stressed. We must ensure that all our veterans and their families are well cared for and supported after they return from overseas.

“Governor” Dan Malloy

“Governor” Malloy only mentions veterans once in his plan – under taxes the plan states:

Real tax reform must

Relieve the local property tax burden on low and middle income seniors, veterans, and individuals who are disabled.

However, the Malloy plan has a lengthy discussion on Housing Affordability and Opportunity. Here are the action statements from that plan.

One important ingredient in Connecticut’s renewal is housing affordability. Affordability is key to attracting and retaining young skilled workers, and it’s key to attracting and retaining small innovative companies that can grow to be major employers. In fact, I view it as critical to enhancing Connecticut’s quality of life for all.

Connecticut must do more to address homelessness, particularly by enhancing its commitment to successful “sustainable housing” programs that help those who are at risk of revolving-door homelessness to find stability and to be at home.

Connecticut should do more to support applicants for federal funding and tax credits. It should expand the affordable housing bonus in its Historic Preservation Tax Credit program – a program that creates jobs and preserves our historical assets by encouraging rehabilitation of old buildings.

Connecticut should consider bonuses for affordable housing that are consistent with Transit Oriented Development. It should approach affordable housing expansion in a way that builds community and grows neighborhood connections.

And, it must tackle homelessness by doing more to support sustainable housing programs and addressing the root causes of homelessness linked to mental illness and economic opportunity.

We also cannot look at “housing” as a singular issue. Housing, like education and economic development, is an issue that is interconnected to the most significant issues facing our state.

We should consider affordable housing not only as a tool to make Connecticut more competitive, but also as an important investment in Connecticut’s economic renewal.

Additionally, housing affordability in Connecticut is worsened by our overreliance on a property tax system that is among the costliest in the country.

In addition to the economic reasons we need to do better on affordable housing, there’s another reason: family…. By making housing more affordable in Connecticut, we might just begin to reverse the trend where grandchildren only see their grandparents during the holidays.

For all these reasons – economic competitiveness, job creation, quality of life, and family – affordable housing needs to be at the top of the agenda for our next Governor.

Comment

The two topics considered by this article are the only two that are different in the plans (“Prospectus”) proposed by the two gubernatorial candidates. I suspect they arise from the different experiences of the candidates. Foley spent time with the armed forces during his tour with the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Iraq and Malloy dealt with the housing issue almost daily as the mayor of Connecticut’s fourth largest city. It doesn’t mean that Malloy will ignore veterans if elected governor or that Foley will not have a stand on housing. The ranking of the two issues in the minds of the two candidates is obviously different.

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Lots of new research in the last 3 weeks, almost all of which confirms or reinforces my own practices.

1. I already take L-arginine amino acid – I will be taking more of it starting today:

L-arginine amino acid produces a ‘striking’ endurance boost:

Research from the University of Exeter has revealed taking a dietary supplement to boost nitric oxide in the body can significantly boost stamina during high-intensity exercise.

The study has important implications for athletes, as results suggest that taking the supplement can allow people to exercise up to 20% longer .

The report, published on-line by the Journal of Applied Physiology, found taking the supplement:

- Improves severe-intensity exercise endurance by 20%
- Significantly reduces systolic blood pressure
- Reduces the oxygen cost of exercise

2. Playing soccer 3 times a week, and kayaking 2-3 times a week will keep be alive and bright:

Light and moderate physical activity reduces the risk of early death

And

Even walking can enhance the connectivity of important brain circuits, combat declines in brain function associated with aging and increase performance on cognitive tasks.

3. I’ll continue to drink to this:

Findings confirm an association between moderate drinking and reduced mortality among older adults.

And

Moderate drinking, especially wine, associated with better cognitive function

But

Alcohol intake increases certain types of (relatively rare) breast cancer, but not of the most common breast cancer

We found that women who drank one or more drinks per day had about double the risk of lobular type breast cancer, but no increase in their risk of ductal type breast cancer. It is important to note that ductal cancer is much more common than lobular cancer accounting for about 70 percent of all breast cancers whereas lobular cancer accounts for only about 10-15 percent of cases.

And

Women who drink beer more likely to develop psoriasis

Regular beer—but not light beer or other types of alcohol—appears to be associated with an increased risk of developing psoriasis.

Women who drank five or more beers per week had a risk for the condition that was 1.8 times higher. Light beer, red wine, white wine and liquor were not associated with psoriasis risk.

4. I’m going to try to drink less bottled green tea and more brewed green tea,

Bottled tea beverages may contain fewer polyphenols than brewed tea

Measurements of healthful antioxidant levels in commercial bottled tea beverages has concluded that health-conscious consumers may not be getting what they pay for: healthful doses of those antioxidants, or “poylphenols,” that may ward off a range of diseases. Analysis of tea beverages found that the polyphenol content is extremely low.”

5. But I drink bottled tea before soccer games mainly for the caffeine:

Caffeine Only Benefit Of Energy Drinks

“Most of the performance-enhancing effects of energy drinks can be linked to their caffeine content,” she says. “Caffeine has been consistently been observed to enhance aerobic performance, although its effects on anaerobic performance may vary.”

6. I have to keep up

My berry consumption:

Eating berries may activate the brain’s natural housekeeper for healthy aging

My Mediterranean diet:

Mediterranean diet = skin cancer prevention

Avoiding red and processed meats

Healthier protein-rich foods instead of red and processed meats may reduce heart disease risk

The data also showed that eating more servings of poultry, fish and nuts was significantly associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease. Compared to one serving each day of red meat, women who substituted other protein-rich foods experienced significantly lower risk of coronary heart disease:

30 percent lower risk with one serving each day of nuts
24 percent lower risk with one serving each day of fish
19 percent lower risk with one serving each day of poultry
13 percent lower risk with one serving each day of low-fat dairy products

My 85% cocoa dark chocolate consumption:

Moderate chocolate consumption linked to lower risks of heart failure

Women who ate an average of one to two servings of the high-quality chocolate per week had a 32 percent lower risk of developing heart failure.

Those who had one to three servings per month had a 26 percent lower risk.

My green leafy vegetables:

Green leafy vegetables reduce diabetes risk

And my green tea

Green Tea Extract Appears to Keep Cancer in Check

7. A reader alerted me to this research

Increased Risk of Stroke Associated With Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

And more bad news about one NSAID:

Acetaminophen use in adolescents linked to doubled risk of asthma

But I did some further research about the one NSAID I use regularly:

Aspirin lowers stroke risk.

8. So it’s good that I take aspirin, etc. because I’m at greater risk than some – you want to argue with me about that:

Antagonistic people may increase heart attack, stroke risk

Antagonistic people, particularly those who are competitive and aggressive, may be increasing their risk of heart attack or stroke.

9. I’m very happy with my statin regime:

Free statins with fast food could neutralize heart risk, scientists say

Fast food outlets could provide statin drugs free of charge so that customers can neutralize the heart disease dangers of fatty food, researchers at Imperial College London suggest in a new study published this week

Fast food outlets could provide statin drugs free of charge so that customers can neutralise the heart disease dangers of fatty food, researchers at Imperial College London suggest in a new study published this week.

Statins reduce the amount of unhealthy “LDL” cholesterol in the blood. A wealth of trial data has proven them to be highly effective at lowering a person’s heart attack risk.

One statin, simvastatin, is already available in Great Britain in low doses (10mg) over the counter at pharmacies without a prescription

Statins have among the best safety profiles of any medication. A very small proportion of regular statin users experience significant side effects, with problems in the liver and kidneys reported in between 1 in 1,000 and 1 in 10,000 people.

10. I will continue to take zinc:

Adequate zinc eases pneumonia in elderly

11. I stopped drinking cranberry juice and taking cranberry pills earlier this summer. Guess what I’m suffering right now:

Cranberry Juice Fights Bacteria That Cause Urinary Tract Infections

12. I may have to resume taking folate supplements, although my diet is pretty good on that, but I’m not bummed about it:

Lower levels of folate=symptoms of dementia and poor brain function, also called “cognitive decline”

An analysis of volunteers’ blood samples showed that lower levels of one B vitamin, folate, were associated with symptoms of dementia and poor brain function, also called “cognitive decline,” as determined by standard tests of memory and other factors. The impairments were detectable even though less than 1 percent of the volunteers were actually deficient in folate.

In women, but not men, low levels of folate were associated with symptoms of depression.

Not what I usually cover, but important:

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer death or severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S *Ask the individual to SMILE.

T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)

(i.e. It is sunny out today.)

R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New sign of a stroke – Stick Out Your Tongue.

Another ‘sign’ of a stroke is this: Ask the person to ‘stick’ out his tongue. If the tongue is ‘crooked’, if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours, he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke…totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough..

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by Ross Eisenbrey

1. Raising the retirement age is a benefit cut, and benefits are already too low. The average retiree receives less than $14,000 a year from Social Security, which is less than the minimum wage.

2. It cuts benefits for all retirees, whether they retire at age 62, age 70, or any other age—and it is a cut for retired workers’ spouses, widows, and dependents, as well. When the retirement age was raised from 65 to 67, it cut benefits for the average worker who retires at 65 by 13%, meaning they lose, on average, $28,154 over the course of their expected retirement. Raising the retirement age further, to 70, would cut benefits another 19%, costing the average worker another $35,419, for a total loss of $63,573.

3. The retirement age is still rising from the last round of changes. It has already increased from 65 to 66 and will continue to rise to 67 for people born in 1960 or later.

4. Social Security’s problem is not that people are living longer. The ratio of working years to retirement years will be no higher in 2022 than it was in 1983, when Congress last raised the retirement age. People work roughly two years for every year of retirement, and while people at age 65 are living three years longer than they did 27 years ago, the 1983 law requires them to work two years more, maintaining the same basic ratio of work years to retirement years. In other words, the share of time spent in the labor force compared to retirement will be the same in 2022.

5. The biggest financial problem facing Social Security is rising income inequality, which cannot be addressed by raising the retirement age. In 1983, 10% of all earnings were above the taxable earnings cap, compared to 16% today, which leaves high earners with a windfall and Social Security with a shortfall. If those earnings were brought back under the cap and taxed, about 40% of the Social Security funding shortfall would disappear.

6. Raising the retirement age affects all workers, even those who have seen little or no increase in life expectancy. Men in the top half of the earnings distribution have increased their life expectancy at age 65 by five years since 1982. Lower-income men have seen a gain of only 1.1 years, and lower income women have seen life expectancy decline

7. Working longer is not a choice for millions of Americans, many of whom hold physically demanding jobs. People in physically demanding jobs tend to have more physical ailments and also tend to be poorer than average. Sixty-one percent of physically demanding jobs are held by workers in the bottom 40% of the wage scale.

8. Older Americans are already working longer than they did even 40 years ago. The labor force participation rate of people 65 and older has been climbing for two decades.

9. The shortfall can be reduced without cutting benefits. Taxes should be raised on the highest earners, who pay a much lower share of their income in Social Security taxes. Closing loopholes and raising the taxable earnings cap so it covers the same share of national income as in 1983 would eliminate more than half the Social Security budget shortfall. Removing the cap on the employer’s taxes would all but eliminate the rest of the shortfall.

10. About 70% of the American people oppose raising the retirement age. Over 60% favor lifting the payroll tax cap for incomes over the current threshold.

SOURCES/Links

1. United States Senate, Special Committee on Aging. 2010. “Social Security Modernization: Options to Address Solvency and Benefit Adequacy.” May 13.

2. EPI analysis of Social Security Administration (2010) data, “Effect of Early or Delayed Retirement on Retirement Benefits” and Congressional Budget Office. 2009. CBO’s Long-Term Projections for Social Security: 2009 Update.

3. Table showing phasing-in of change in retirement age depending on year of birth at Social Security Administration (2010). “Retirement benefits by year of birth.”

4. Life expectancy data from: Xu, J.Q., K.D. Kochanek, S.L. Murphy, B. Tejada-Vera. Deaths: Final data for 2007. “National vital statistics reports web release.” Vol. 58, No. 19. Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics. Released May, 2010.

5. Taxable earnings cap coverage from: Social Security Administration. 2010. Annual Statistical Supplement, 2009. Table 4.B1. Calculation of shortfall coverage by Virginia Reno of the National Academy of Social Insurance. See also Social Security Administration. 2010. “Summary Measures and Graphs.” which estimates that covering 90% of earnings by phasing in to 2019 would decrease the shortfall by 37.5%.

6. EPI analysis of Waldron, Hilary. 2007. “Trends in Mortality Differentials and Life Expectancy for Male Social Security-Covered Workers, by Socioeconomic Status,” Social Security Bulletin, Vol. 67, No. 3.

7. Rho, Hae Jin. 2010. “Hard Work? Patterns in Physically Demanding Labor Among Older Workers.” Center for Economic and Policy Research, August.

8. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, Labor Force Participation Rate of 65+ workers.

9. Calculation of covering 90% of earnings by Virginia Reno of the National Academy of Social Insurance. “Closing loopholes” indicates treating salary reduction plans like 401(k)s and is calculated as covering 12% of the shortfall in United States Senate, Special Committee on Aging. 2010.
“Social Security Modernization: Options to Address Solvency and Benefit Adequacy.” May 13. Removing the cap on the employer’s taxes also in “Social Security Modernization: Options to Address Solvency and Benefit Adequacy.”

10. Sixty-three percent favor lifting the cap, and 65% do not want to raise the retirement age. Greenberg Quinlan Ronser Research. 2010. “Deficits and Economic Recovery: A research study on investment and deficit reduction.” Presented at Campaign for American’s Future Now, August 12.
Seventy-eight percent oppose raising retirement age, from Smith, Andrew E. 2010. “U.S. Attitudes Toward Social Security.” National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. The Study Center: University of New Hampshire.
Sixty-nine percent oppose raising the retirement age, and 83% support raising the tax cap in Reno, Virginia P. and Joni Lavery. 2009. “Economic Crisis Fuels Support for Social Security: Americans’ Views on Social Security.”National Academy of Social Insurance: Washington, D.C.

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Says federal oversight of DCF is ‘critical in ensuring the safety and well-being of Connecticut children in need’

Democratic nominee for Governor Dan Malloy today criticized his Republican opponent for supporting a plan to end almost 20 years of federal oversight of the Department of Children and Families, Connecticut’s child welfare agency. Malloy sharply criticized his opponent for arguing that ending the court oversight would save the state money.

“For Tom Foley to turn this into a matter of dollars and cents is beyond insensitive,” said Malloy. “I’ve said time and time again that Connecticut will need to make tough budgetary decisions in the years ahead – and we will – but the one group that must be off the table for cuts are those most in need. I can’t think of a group more in need than children who’ve been subjected to neglect or abuse.”

Malloy said that the oversight is critical in protecting children’s safety, and that “it should remain in place until we’re certain that DCF is able to adequately provide for the children in its care – right now, that simply isn’t the case.”

“You have to earn the right to dissolve a consent order of this nature,” continued Malloy. “The truth is, while progress has been made, I’m not aware of a single child advocacy group who would say that DCF is currently meeting acceptable standards. Until it is, we need to do what’s necessary to protect Connecticut children in need.”

Malloy argued that until DCF is adequately meeting children’s needs, removing the oversight could end up costing the state more money in paying for legal fights like the one that spurred the current consent decree. A 1989 lawsuit argued that approximately 100 agency practices were in violation of various federal child protection laws, including reports of abuse and neglect not being investigated properly and children being left in dangerous situations.

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New:

Bonda, which had announced in April it was coming to Fairfield has opened in the old Fraiche & La Coline Verte site in the Greenfield Hill Shoppping Center.

Greenhouse Grill has replaced Sarabande at 12 Unquowa Place.

Brickwalk:

Fin Japanese Restaurant
1253 Post Road
Menu

Flipside
1125 Post Road
Menu

Pizzeria Molto Wine Bar
1215 Post Road
Menu

Tombo
1275 Post Road
Dinner Menu

Trattoria Ponte Vecchio
1275 Post Road
Dinner Menu

Also:

Vino on the Brickwalk
1229 Post Road

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By wtfdnucsailor

This is the eighth in a series of blog posting regarding the plans of the Republican and Democratic candidates for governor, Tom Foley and Dan Malloy. All of the information provided in the posting is from the candidate’s web sites, http://www.danmalloy.com/policy and http://www.tomfoley2010.com clicking on the “Issues” and “Tom’s Plan” selections. The opinions are my own and not cleared with either candidate’s staff. In the interest of full disclosure, I am a supporter of Dan Malloy and worked as a volunteer on his 2006 campaign as well as the current 2010 campaign.

I will begin with some general observations about the plans that the candidates have posted on their web sites. If less is more, then Foley wins hands down. His plan turns out to be seven pages in my word document. The Malloy plan is a whopping forty eight pages with great detail. I guess that is fitting since most Republicans believe less government is better, obviously a short plan will lead to less government. From the Democratic perspective, government is good and Malloy shows just how he plans to shape and change much of the state government in great detail.

Of course, there is no guarantee that either of the candidate’s will do what they lay out on their web site when actually in office, but like a stock prospectus, it is an indication of the plan and direction each candidate will pursue once in office.

I am leaving out much of the explanatory text in the plans and just noting the planned action items. Both plans are written in the first person, so I will keep that same format as I quote or paraphrase from each plan. The reader will have to remember that the occasional “I” is either “Governor” Foley or “Governor” Malloy.

This comparison continues with the prospective governors’ take on energy issues. Since I started with “Governor” Foley in the last post, I will start with “Governor” Malloy in this post. I will continue this alternate presenting throughout this series of postings.

“Governor” Dan Malloy

Connecticut must act now to ensure immediate rate relief to all consumers.

As Governor, I will look to expand opportunities to finance and invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy by leveraging federal dollars, using the state’s bonding authority, incenting private investment, and giving municipalities new options to finance investments.

As Governor, I will tap into expertise in our state agencies, universities, and elsewhere to refocus our energy experts on the goal of reducing costs for residential and business customers.

As Governor, I will create an energy policy leadership team and ensure coordination of our energy expertise to meet the state’s energy needs in a way that maximizes benefits to ratepayers, the state’s overall economy and our environment, without creating costly new State agencies.

I will fight to increase competition, which will help drive prices down. I will seek to use our purchasing power to negotiate better prices with energy companies – relief with the ultimate goal of reducing costs for every residential consumer in the state. In addition, my administration would be guided by goals to reduce costs for industries critical to competitiveness, provide relief to consumers in energy-congested areas that trigger costly fees, and reduce energy costs paid by state and local government.

I also fully support our current law that stipulates that, by 2020, at least 20% of the energy Connecticut consumes be generated from renewable sources. As Governor I will work to ensure that we make progress each year towards meeting the goal, and that the law remains intact.

Finally, we must make a real and concerted effort to reduce our overall energy consumption. As Governor, I will lead a statewide energy efficiency drive among Connecticut residents with a goal of reducing our energy usage by 15% over the next two years, making Connecticut one of the most energy efficient states in the nation. My administration will promote the importance and necessity of energy efficiency in making our businesses more competitive, saving consumers money, and reducing pollution. We will require the use of timers on hot water heaters to lower energy usage in off-peak hours, and direct utility companies to provide comparison information to residential customers so that they know exactly how their usage stacks up against homes of similar size.

Leadership is also the key to reversing the record on past rate increases and restoring Connecticut’s standing as a desirable place live, work, and grow business. As Governor, I will provide the leadership Connecticut needs to achieve that goal.

“Governor” Tom Foley

Connecticut energy costs are too high. We must find ways to more efficiently consume energy and become less dependent on foreign oil. Connecticut has a triple opportunity to improve our air quality, lessen our dependence on foreign oil, and create jobs by promoting development of alternative energy technology here at home.

America is too dependent on foreign sources of energy. Nearly a billion dollars every day is sent overseas to pay for foreign oil. Relying on foreign governments for our critical energy needs threatens our national security. Connecticut can make its own contribution to reducing U.S. dependence on foreign energy by encouraging more energy efficiency and developing sources of alternative energy. In doing so, we also contribute to better air quality and will stimulate job growth.

Comment

“Governor” Malloy presents a challenging energy program and relates it to job and business growth as well as the environment. Again, in the backup for the action items, Malloy points out the work he did in Stamford and shows how it may be accomplished in each other city and town with state support. “Governor” Foley does not provide any examples outlining how he expects to decrease energy cost or encourage energy efficiency.

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For my complete list of Fairfield Restaurants with links and dinner menus where available go to
http://frqueue.blogspot.com

Angus
2133 Black Rock Tpke
Dinner Menu

Barcelona
4180 Black Rock Tpke

Bear & Grill
2000 Black Rock Tpke
Menus

Cinzano’s
1920 Black Rock Tpke

Lilac House
2480 Black Rock Tpke

Also:

Andrews
2425 Morehouse Hwy

Black Rock Tavern
2320 Black Rock Tpke

Matsuri ?
2449 Black Rock Tpke

Pizza Palace
2063 Black Rock Tpke

Steffano’s Pizza Restaurant
525 Tunxis Hill Cut Off

Tomato and Basil

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FROM A LETTER BY THE NON-PARTISAN CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE (emphasis added):

This letter responds to three questions you asked regarding the deficit
impact of certain health care proposals that were considered by the
Congress earlier this year or that have been discussed recently.
Budget Impact of Enacted Health Legislation in March 2010
First, we can confirm the estimate of the overall impact on the federal
budget of the major health care legislation enacted in March. Specifically,
the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the staff of the Joint
Committee on Taxation estimated that enactment of the Patient Protection
and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA (Public Law 111-148) and the Health
Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-152) will produce
$143 billion in net budgetary savings over the 2010-2019 period.That
figure includes $124 billion in net savings for the health and revenue
provisions of both laws and $19 billion in net savings for the education
provisions of the Reconciliation Act…

Finally, you asked what the net deficit impact would be if certain
provisions of PPACA and the Reconciliation Act that were estimated to
generate net savings were eliminated—specifically, those which were
originally estimated to generate a net reduction in mandatory outlays of
$455 billion over the 2010–2019 period. The estimate of $455 billion
mentioned in your letter represents the net effects of many provisions.
Some of those provisions generated savings for Medicare, Medicaid, or the
Children’s Health Insurance Program, and some generated costs. If those
provisions were repealed, CBO estimates that there would be an increase in
deficits similar to its original estimate of $455 billion…