Castro speaks of improving health with Chavez

Castro has announced that news of his pending death is really premature. Well, not exactly in those words. Despite speculation about the seriousness of his illness, ranging to terminal cancer to diverticulitis, the Cuban leader, who has been indisposed since August of last year seem to be recuperating well. In a recorded telephone call to his colleague, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s radio talk show in Venezuela, Castro informed his host and the world that he was more energetic and stronger, felt good and happy, and that the country is running well without him being currently in charge.

Raul Castro, Fidel’s brother, has been in charge since being assigned that responsibility by Fidel just prior to undergoing intestinal surgery, last August. Since the operation, just before Fidel’s 80^th birthday, very little news have been coming out of Cuba about his condition, and this has given rise to wide speculation. However, Chavez has been keeping a close tab on Fidel’s heath, and has updated the world occasionally.

In the 30-minute call with Chavez Castro said he gaining ground in his recovery, but asked Cubans for patience and calm while the country marches along, “Which is what is important.” Reports are that Castro spoke in a soft, but steady voice. At he end of their broadcasted conversation both Castro and Chavez repeated after each other, “Fatherland of Death. We will prevail.”

U.S. Postal Service introducing a ‘forever stamp’

Although The USPS is proposing to increase postal rates from 39 cents to 41 cents, it is also planning to cushion the increase by offering customer what is being called a ’forever’ stamp. That is a stamp that will be good for mailing a letter no matter how much the rates rise For example, should the 41-cent rate be approved, the forever stamps would sell for this rate, but if the rates were to be increased in the future, the forever stamps that were bought prior to the rate increase would still be acceptable. This would save the consumer to having to buy numerous one or two cent stamps to make up the difference to the new rate. The chairman of the Postal Regulatory Commission said that forever stamps would have no denomination, but would sell for whatever the first-class rate is at the time.

The current rate for stamps for first-class mail is 39 cents for the first ounce, with each additional ounce being 24 cents. If the proposed rate of 41 cents is approved, each additional ounce would cost 17 cents. Thus, the price of mailing a two-ounce letter would actually decrease from 63 cents to 58 cents.

The proposals, which could be effective in May, also call for a 2-cent increase in mailing a post card. The 2-cent increase in both regular postage stamps and mailing post cards is a penny less than was the Postal service original sought. The service responded favorably to protest from the American Postal Workers Union who argued for the smaller increase.

Broward housing chief faced with stern challenge

Finding affordable housing is not only a Miami-Dade problem, as Broward County Housing chief is facing a challenge in doing so as well.

Ralph Stone, who was successful in finding affordable housing for residents on Florida’s Gulf Coast, was appointed as Broward’s housing chief in January, and there were great hopes by county officials that he would be successful as well in finding more affordable homes in the county. Stone is currently working on a report as to how he is going about tackle the affordable housing situation to present to the County Commission in a few months.

The problem of finding affordable housing in Broward County is compounded since the county has relatively few vacant lands on which to build new homes, while demand for affordable housing increases with additional people joining the workforce, and the commission is reluctant to increase its affordable housing budget.

A published report in a recent FIU study indicated that Broward needs 90,000 additional homes by 2014. The report also stated that the county has hired FIU to study the feasibility of helping to pay for new housing through a fee to new businesses that employ low-wage workers. Although, about a year ago, Broward agreed to allow developers to build denser neighborhoods, as long as they include affordable housing, there have been no takers to date.

National governors want increased health insurance funding

In a meeting with President Bush last week the nation’s governors submitted a proposal to him to increase funding for the states’ healthcare programs so that millions of children of the working poor would be insured. However Bush did not address this plea, instead he encouraged the governors to accept his own proposal for changing the tax code to help more people buy private healthcare insurance.

At stake for the governors is coverage for six million Americans, mostly children, as well as the hopes of many governors in focusing on the larger challenge of those who have no insurance whatsoever. According to an AP report, all governors rely on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, intended to aid uninsured working families.

While shifting the focus to his tax proposals to assist people with health insurance, Bush told the governors he was looking forward to working with Congress on health care. However, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Levitt indicated that the administration would work with Congress to fill in state shortfalls in health insurance funds. According to the AP report the governors indicated that 14 states, including Georgia, could run out of cash before October.

The governors need Federal assistance in the amount of $745 million to keep the state insurance funds adequate until October. They also want Bush to adjust the federal budget for this year, as they feel that his plan would shortchange the health program even if the number of people served did not grow.