What does it mean if paying for health care will soon take your entire paycheck?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Taking care of yourself is rapidly becoming an economic issue of staggering proportions. In fact, you may want to grab a salad on the way home and get right on the treadmill when you get there. The day is coming in less than 20 years when health care costs may consume your entire paycheck.
In other words, illness will one day soon simply be unaffordable.
A new report by the Annals of Family Medicine suggests that less than 20 years from now, the average American family's medical costs will surpass their entire income.
It's no secret that health care costs have been growing faster than just about everything else in this country for decades.
And while that trend has slowed somewhat recently, the authors of this study say medical costs are still going up.
In 2009 and 2010, total spending on health care grew at a slower rate than any time on record. But it still grew, and it's going to keep on growing.
Then of course there's so-called Obamacare.
Critics say the president's controversial health care reform plan will only make matters worse.
The doctors who put this paper together say Obamacare is a "great first step, but it's not enough to get us where we need to go."
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Should campaign fund-raisers be invited to White House state dinners for foreign dignitaries?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
President Obama invited more than three dozen of his top campaign fundraisers to last night's State Dinner in honor of the British Prime Minister.
Some of the guests included:
Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, Vogue editor-in chief Anna Wintour along with executives from the private equity company Blackstone, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and Microsoft.
Just to name a few.
In total – 47 of the more than 360 expected attendees are campaign bundlers or volunteer fundraisers for Mr. Obama's reelection efforts.
According to ABC News, the group on hand last night raised nearly $11 million of the $250 million President Obama and the Democrats have raised so far for 2012.
Everybody understands election campaigns require money - but is this the proper use of the White House?
These folks are known as "bundlers" and are a big deal in campaign finance. Federal campaign rules limit individual contributions to $2,500. That's where bundlers kick in and raise the big bucks from their associates.
President Obama also invited several campaign donors to a State Dinner for the president of South Korea back in October. Sort of like using the Lincoln bedroom to repay favors, isn't it?
It's not unusual for presidents to reward big supporters by inviting them to dinners with dignitaries. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush did it.
But Mr. Obama ran on "the most sweeping ethics reform in history" back in 2008; and he likes to criticize the role money plays in politics.
Except when it's time to raise money for his reelection.
The more things change in Washington, the more they stay the same.
Here’s my question to you: Should campaign fund-raisers be invited to White House state dinners for foreign dignitaries?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 4pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
@jackcafferty on Twitter
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