Made Moon Blog

In the midst of numerous proposals before the Senate regarding legislation concerning the legalization of illegal aliens has arisen a little known provision of the recently signed 2005 Deficit Reduction Act. On February 8, 2006, President George Bush executed a bill into law which now requires recipients of Medicaid benefits to provide either an original birth certificate or passport in order to apply for or to continue to receive their health care benefits, commencing July 1, 2006.

The Medicaid program, available to American citizens who fall into a specified low income bracket, provides health care to adults and children, as well as the elderly and those in nursing homes. While much hand wringing and spin continues in the U.S. Congress regarding how to best deal with the status of illegal aliens, which directly impacts costs of U.S. government entitlement programs, this new requirement has yet to be discussed. As the result of the newly passed Massachusetts universal health care plan, which will include the Medicaid program, the new provision was just publicly revealed.

However, the present requirements for Medicaid require no such documents, relying only upon a signature of the applicant to certify whether or not they are American citizens. And as a result of the unaccountability for Medicaid fraud abuse over the past several decades, the U.S. government may be penalizing the vast majority of law abiding citizens, according to numerous patient advocates. But the issue is more about the continuing lack of enforcement of U.S. immigration law rather than an attempt to cut down on Medicaid fraud.

According to Families USA, a consumer advocacy organization, the disabled, the mentally ill, the homeless, the elderly and the chronically ill will unfairly suffer as the result of this new proviso, as they would have difficulty accessing copies of birth certificates, and would be far less likely to own a U.S. passport. Therefore, they will be unfairly denied necessary health care beginning as early as July 1st. Meanwhile, hospital emergency rooms may still not turn away any person of any status nor may they ask the legal status of any patient, according to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act of 1985.

While patient advocates may be correct regarding the most vulnerable being put at risk, on balance it would seem that without addressing social services’ access requirements across the board, with respect to illegal aliens, it does seem quite unfair to put this burden only upon Medicaid recipients at this late date in 2006. Furthermore, there are no set mechanisms yet in place nor systems between federal and state governments for enforcement of the law. Such a sweeping change should require administrative oversight by the Center for Medicaid and Medicare and require necessary outreach to patients for this purpose well ahead of such changes.

But perhaps for those desperately trying to get copies of their birth certificates at this time, there could be some breathing room as another debate brews relative to the validity of the law itself, based upon the U.S. Constitution. When President Bush signed S. 1932 on February 8th, according to House Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Dennis Hastert, the President actually signed a different version of the bill than the House of Representatives actually passed.

Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA) on March 30, 2006 stated, “I have learned that the Speaker of the House advised the White House of the differences between the House-passed bill and the bill presented to the President before the President signed the legislation.” Representative Waxman is now calling for a Resolution of Inquiry which requests all documents relative to the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act which the President signed on February 8th. So far the White House has failed to respond.

Whether or not Representative Waxman truly cares about the Constitution or is doing that which is politically expedient for himself, is of concern. Firstly, the discrepancy in the Senate Bill signed was different in substance from the House Bill. It impacts some $2 billion in spending for “durable medical equipment” such as wheelchairs and oxygen for those in the Medicare program, which provides health care to the elderly and the disabled. At issue, is the length of leases for durable medical equipment which was 36 months in the House version and 13 months in the Senate version.

During transmission of the final bill to the President, the Senate Clerk made a change to the legislation. It no longer contained the Senate amendment which provided for 36 months for oxygen equipment. The Senate Clerk upon learning of the mistake advised House Republican leaders in January 2006, well before the date of February 8, 2006, the date the President signed the bill. The error failed to be corrected. But according to Article I, Section 7 of the U.S. Constitution, both the House and the Senate must include the same substance and version of a bill which is required for presentation for signature by the President.

So the entirety of the law has been put in jeopardy and could eventually wind up in the Supreme Court, as there exists precedent. In the case of Field v. Clark, 143 US 649 (1892) the Court wrote that the burden would be to prove that the House Speaker and President were deliberate and purposely signing the wrong bill. That in fact is what Waxman contends, when on March 15, 2006 he wrote a letter to then White House Chief of Staff, Andrew Card, “seeking information on the President’s knowledge of the bill’s constitutional infirmity.”

While Waxman’s inquiry provides interesting fare for a Constitutional Law class, the scope of the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act is perhaps getting lost. The new Medicaid documents requirement being served up as a tightening of immigration law enforcement is almost laughable. And those patients in wheel chairs and those patients requiring oxygen will most likely not be notified of a cap on their benefits until after that period of 13 months expires. Previous to the 2005 law, wheelchairs and oxygen and durable medical equipment were provided patients indefinitely.

If indeed the President made an error, it should be addressed if anything, to give clarity to the Medicaid and Medicare patients it impacts. And furthermore, should Representative Waxman pursue the legality of the new law, that he would take the approach that it was a procedural oversight which should be either amended appropriately or pursued in the present session of Congress. But it will require the cooperation of both the Congress and the Executive branch of government, keeping in mind the most vulnerable of U.S. citizens. For there must be some measures of government which transcend politics.

Diane M. Grassi is a freelance columnist, reporting and writing commentary on current events of the day providing honest and often politically incorrect assessments. From U.S. public policy to Major League Baseball, she is an eclectic thinker, and demanding of her readers to reflect on their own thinking patterns from an alternative perspective. Whether you agree with her or not, Diane M. Grassi will have you coming back to note her opinions, and if at best she wakes you up, then her goal will have been accomplished.

Ms. Grassi is featured with the online publications: New Media Journal.us; American Chronicle; Mich News.com; the Federal Observer; Opinions Editorials; the Conservative Voice; the Las Vegas Penny Press; the Sierra Times as well as many others. She also writes regular columns on Major League Baseball where she is a featured online columnist with The Diamond Angle Baseball Ezine and Sports-Central.org. Ms. Grassi may contacted at: dgrassi@cox.net

The end of another election once again brings into focus the problem of Washington politicians raising money and running for re-election as soon as they get into office. Many citizens and various government-accountability advocacy groups have done little more than complain from time to time. However, some of them, along with many members of the media, have been pushing for term limits as a solution. But is that really the solution we need? Even with term limits, we would still be left with the same old problems, only in smaller doses, i.e., politicians would still be playing the same old campa igning and fund raising games for whatever amount of subsequent terms they are allowed. Also, we would still be stuck with the situation in which sitting Senators and Representatives (even those with no remaining terms for the office they hold) spend their time running for higher office.

I say forget about term limits in Washington as I have a better solution. I call it ”term interruptions.” Here’s how it would work: No President/Vice President, Senator, or Representative could serve two consecutive terms in the same office and would have to sit out at least two years before being eligible for a different federal office although he/she could be elected to an unlimited number of terms in any number of federal offices. For example, a U.S. Representative could not succeed himself/herself in that office and would have to wait until he/she has been out of office for at least two years before being eligible for President/Vice President, a Senate seat, or any seat in the House of Representatives. In other words, a sitting President/Vice President, Senator, or Representative could not run for re-election and he/she could not run for any elective seat in the legislative or executive branches of the federal government. That way, they could all focus on serving their constituents rather than getting re-elected. They could use the two off-years for campaigning and raising money.

However, this proposal could be problematic for the U.S. House of Representatives, since its members currently serve only two-year terms. Under my plan, the House would see a complete turnover (all 435 members) every two years. Therefore, I would propose four-year terms for U.S. Representatives. Of course, we would still get a complete turnover in the House, only after every four years instead of every two years, so there would still be a problem.

To prevent a complete turnover every four years, terms could be staggered so that half the members of the House are up for re-election every two years. However, in the first House election under my plan, half of the House would get four-year terms, with the other half getting two-year terms. A way to determine who gets the four-year terms in the initial election would be as follows: The House member in each state with widest margin of victory in that election would get a four-year term. The 168 remaining members (on an at-large basis) with the next highest victory margins would also get four-year terms, for a total of 218. The remaining 217 members would get only two-year terms for that election only. For the next election only, members who got two-year terms would be allowed to run for re-election, without sitting out two years. Then, beginning with that election, they would all get four-year terms and the term interruptions rules would fully take effect.

Terry Mitchell is a software engineer, freelance writer, and trivia buff from Virginia, USA. He operates a website – http://www.commenterry.com – on which he posts commentaries on various subjects such as politics, technology, religion, health and well-being, personal finance, and sports. His commentaries offer a unique point of view that is not often found in meanstream media.

Lately I have been getting a foreboding feeling of unreasonable governmental intrusion at all levels. What accelerated it was the Supreme Court’s recent and, I believe, horrific Kelo decision regarding eminent domain. The Supreme Court, in its continuing need to legislate, sanctioned the seizure of private homes by municipal governments for private economic development. As a result, a fierce firestorm of backlash has broken out among the people and in dozens of state legislatures and in Congress. You will be hearing a lot more about this one. Alas, New Hampshire’s David Souter voted in the majority. So much for that state’s motto of Live Free Or Die.

Politically correct groups of people, many of whom live in other communities and towns, continually try to tell us on a local basis what is best for us. Incredibly, we now have the specter of people from other towns attending our selectmen meetings to argue for issues that increase our taxes but not theirs! Far, far worse, however, is that if you own a pit bull within the city limits of Denver, the authorities will soon be coming to your residence to take it away and put it down. What next? A Doberman? Rot? Lab? Min Pin? Reasonable? Hardly, and where will it end? But these are simply representative of the many ways intrusion is making its mark. The intrusive don’t want anyone to smoke, drink, eat meat, wear leather, fish, own guns, hunt or shoot. We are told what books to read, what religions to follow, what parts of history to rewrite, what movies to see, what words to use, what television shows to watch, and what safety equipment to wear. Heck, maybe we should just sit in a corner like a plant, devoid of free will and the ability to think or discuss controversial issues or express intellectual curiosity unless, of course, we are attending appropriate community meetings, thinking politically correct thoughts, or listening to holier-than-thou politicians spew their duplicity.

New Jersey is playing with legislation that would ban smoking in cars. What is a cigar smoker named Tony to do? Across the Hudson, you now can be randomly searched in subways which, of course, will lead to costly racial profiling lawsuits. Roadblocks are randomly set up within 100 miles of our borders with Mexico and Canada. I recently was stopped at a roadblock in New York and given a ticket for not wearing my seatbelt. My fault; but it used to be my choice. It still is in New Hampshire, but for how long? The A.C.L.U. wants to have all crosses removed from Federal property but does this include the cemetery in Arlington? I don’t hunt, but “I have more guns than I need and not as many as I want,” and being a strong advocate of the Second Amendment, I love to target shoot. I am beginning to wonder for how long. With spam and virus spreaders proliferating, an entire industry has developed around the technical ramifications of intrusive detection vis–vis the computer.

It’s not that major rights are being stripped from us in one fell swoop; it’s more like little chinks are being chiseled one at a time and from different directions and at different levels. Each time we lose a right, we lose a battle. Someday we may wake up and find that all the little chinks and all the lost battles now add up to one massive chunk … something that might make the Patriot Act pale in comparison.

Now I am all for reasonable and realistic homeland security (with the emphasis on reasonable), in fact, I admit to having owned some explosive-detection and anti-missile stocks. However, my dad fought close up, and was severely wounded and highly decorated in the St. Mihiel Offensive and in the Ardennes Forest during World War One. My late brother left college and enlisted as an innocent young man the day after Pearl Harbor and came home a grizzled veteran five years later to finish college. They, along with millions and millions of others, paid a terrible price to protect my unalienable rights. So I’ll be darned if I’ll let some pontificating, spineless politicians take away those rights I hold so dear and do this in the name of homeland security. I’ll be darned if I’ll let some bureaucrats take my dog in the name of what’s best for me. I’ll be darned if I’ll let municipal governments take my home in the name of economic improvement. And I’ll be double-darned if I’ll let the terrorists or extremists prevail by backtracking on my rights. I would rather retain my right to privacy and my right to live as a free person in a free country and take my chances traveling on the jetliner or subway. Otherwise, who really wins? I would rather die than give up those rights my dad and brother and all the others fought for. I would rather die than not live free with those rights.

I used to smirk and snicker at those “kooks” who lived in that sliver of land north of Coeur D ‘Alene, Idaho, and in and around Bonners Ferry. I used to smirk and snicker at Charlton Heston when he proclaimed, “from my dead, cold hands.” I don’t do that anymore.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men…are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…” Declaration of Independence

Ted Sares, PhD, is a private investor and entrepreneur who lives and writes in the beautiful and secluded White Mountain area of Northern New Hampshire with his wife, Holly and Min Pin, Jackdog. He writes a weekly column for a local newspaper and many of his other pieces are widely published. He specializes in columns, articles, essays, op-eds, short stories and novellas.

Up until the final debate at Arizona State University, the issue of immigration had not been much discussed. Both presidential candidates know very well that illegal immigration is a hot button topic in our country, and each man is now trying to use it to his political advantage. Since the eighties the Democratic Party has, in general, supported immigrants and has been for fair and just immigration laws.

However, there are those members of the party who claim that the presence of millions of undocumented immigrants undermines the bargaining power of the US born labor force. On the other side, the Republican Party traditionally has been against immigrants, but is increasingly reaching out to the Latino population. Advocates of free markets within the party have flat out called for the opening of the borders.

BUSH ON IMMIGRATION.

1. Because of his policies, the Mexican border is now more secure.

2. Proposed temporary guest-worker program, for up to 6 years (originally announced in Jan 2004) but is against amnesty for illegal workers.

3. Claims that our southern border is more secure now than before 911, partly due to his efforts, which include:

   • More than a thousand additional border control agents since he took office.

   • Un-manned vehicles patrolling the US-Mexico border.

KERRY ON IMMIGRATION.

1. Our southern border is now more of a security risk.

2. Would put illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship.

3. Proposes a comprehensive immigration reform bill with four major components:

   • Undocumented workers who have lived and worked in the U.S. for 5 years, pay taxes, and who are successfully screened for security purposes will be given a path to citizenship.

   • Eliminate the administrative backlog and delay, which have left many families divided.

   • Create a secure channel for a limited number of temporary workers to come into the United States.

   • Kerry would restore legal immigrants’ eligibility for health care, welfare and other government programs. (The 1996 welfare reform law made most legal immigrants, including those already in the United States for a number of years, ineligible for welfare, health care and other essential programs.)

Unfortunately, the reality is that little of significance will be done about immigration under either a Bush or Kerry administration. Immigration is an issue which is brought up when it is time to court voters; namely Latinos. Kerry, like Bush is also close to corporations and businesses that wish to continue their supply of cheap, exploitable labor. He speaks of a path to citizenship for hardworking undocumented immigrants, but how hard will he push for these proposals in Congress? Bush proposed a temporary worker program in Jan. of 2004 (with no plan for becoming green card holders), but nothing at all has come of it.

These gestures are mostly political pandering. Democrats tend to be more immigrant friendly, but remember it was Reagan who gave undocumented workers amnesty in this country. Republicans are better, though, at fanning the flames of immigrant hate. Immigration is an issue which needs to be addressed seriously, not simply with one-liners at election time. Kerry promises more, but promises can be empty. For Bush, immigrants are to be courted for elections and also used as fodder. When the economy is not doing well, it is easy to blame illegal immigrants.

About The Author

Victor Motak

For more information visit: U.S. Immigration Guide – http://www.visa2003.com/ – providing information on paths to legalized status in the United States.

Colin Powell is a good story teller!
“He hid the weapons of mass destruction in all sorts of odd places. But we saw him hide it. We took photographs. We recorded discussions. We saw his links with terrorists. It is the most evil empire on earth right now. And he must be stopped!”

This story-teller is not some fiction writer. Or some movie star from Hollywood, the entertainment capital of the world. And the scene is far removed from Frankenstein territory. But this story-teller is a former war general turned American Secretary of State named Colin Powell. The scene is the floor of the great United Nations, which some folks who have a bad sense of humor call Talking Nations. The major character of the story is Saddam Hussein. And the devilish empire is Iraq.

The high point of the JAMES BOND story is not the satellite photographs (after all where are the weapons?) nor is it the Al Qaeda connection (after all if you are not with us you are against us – by George Bush). But the most interesting point of the over one-hour speech at the Talking Nations, sorry United Nations, is the voice recording. For these “devils” in Iraq were actually saying “hide it, hide it, hide it” in reference to the weapons of mass destruction, sorry wepunmassdistrucshun. I actually like the literary effect (The Arabic version is musical to the ears).

And after the great “revelation,” war mongers went to town. They said that it has been proved that Iraq is actually a threat to world peace. What do they call a proven theory in Latin? Quod erat Demonstradum. Yes, the theory has been demonstrated that if Iraq is not disarmed right now, that “madman” directing events in that country will cause historians issuing titles like THE END OF ORDER. Or THE END OF HISTORY. Or THE END OF THE WORLD. What a pity! And these war mongers rolled out Ukulele the drum, and serenaded the movie star, Colin Powell.

But the pacifists were not impressed. First in that number was the Inspection Team in Iraq who thought they would have been handed these evidences ab initio, instead of making it a public show. (Forget them for they know not the rules of script writing.) Then Iraqi officials called it a cock-and-bull story. (Make it a cattle-and-ram story.) France and Germany say no to war. (Americans call them the old Europe) And even Russia is not impressed. Is it because they have their hands on Iraqi oil? (Never mind anyway. That Powerless country is part of “pieces of eight”)

Before then, Africa’s Nelson Mandela, was up in arms against George Bush Jnr. and Tony Blair. He called Bush an arrogant man intent in plunging the world into a holocaust, calling Blair George Bush’s foreign minister .He even says that Bush wants to render the UN irrelevant because an African -Koffi Annan – not a Whiteman, is Secretary-General.

But some wonder why Mandela said so. Is it that old age is telling on him? And he is forgetting things as if he crossed the River Lethe. Or drank Mandragora. Does he not know that Tony Blair, Britain’s Prime Minister cannot be a foreign minister to the president of another sovereign country? And it pained not a few Africans that this their illustrious son has forgotten elementary government.

Regarding his anti war stance, some point to his guerilla war against white South Africa. After all, his “terrorism” paid off because South Africa is now free of violence, anarchists, and rapists. And Bush and Blair want to make the earth a paradise– free of devils– by declaring war on dangerous Iraq. Forget Nelson Mandela. When last did a black man say useful things?

Now the game is over for Saddam Hussein. We are going to war. Do not think of the effect of the war on the world economy. After all, Iraq has some of the world’s finest oil. When we win the war, we would install our own Governor – General and take charge of the oil. You can imagine the rest of the story.

Do not think of the humanitarian cost. For Saddam has always gassed his own people to death. So, what if a few Iraqis die for the salvation of the many. Regarding the soldiers that would die in battle, never mind about that. For they would have beautiful memorial tombs erected for them .And the sons of the war planners would lay wreaths on them, and write their epitaghs. Some would take Charles Dickens book A TALE OF TWO CITIES with them to the grave yard, and copy the opening lines: “It was a summer of hope. It was a winter of despair”.

When Charles Dickens wrote A TALE OF TWO CITIES, however, he was not thinking of the war on terror. Or wepunmassdistrucshun. But in the world of James Bond, anything goes.

THE WINTER OF DESPAIR

We are ready to attack Iraq. The spy planes have done their work and we know just where to strike. So we advance with guns and bombs through the torturous Iraqi desert terrain. We kill and maim as we go, and the enemy decimates our soldiers, too. And we the surviving soldiers press on, ever wearing our masks. Because this “mad” man that rules this evil empire could use anything on us – including chemicals and biological weapons. But alas – after all the hazards, we win and disarm Iraq.

THE SUMMER OF HOPE

We celebrate our victory. The world will be a better place to live now without dangerous weapons in the hands of this evil country. Israel has these weapons too, but that country is better behaved. Besides, they are God’s chosen people.

The newly appointed Governor-General has just inspected his guard-of-honor, and is telling Iraqis how different this new democratic, liberal regime will be. For the people will now enjoy total freedom and life will be more abundant.

We hear many wonderful Arabian Night stories. It was told of a poor Arab cattle rearer who bought a field to graze his livestock. But unbeknownst to him, the field was laid with gold. And this poor shepherd now became a fabulously rich sheikh ever after.

The story strikes a semblance to our adventure. Because after we have buried thousands of our dead soldiers, and laid beautiful wreaths on their tombs, we retire to reflect on the success of our mission. Suddenly, we find ourselves, champagne in hand, floating on top of fine-grade Iraqi oil; watching Saddam Hussein hanging on a 1000-foot high pole and listening to a musical composition of Colin Powell. And it happens to be the musical rendition of the poem, PARADISE REGAINED by the blind poet, John Milton.It was then that I realized the vision of Collins Powell, and I remembered the JAMES BOND story at the UN.

Bravo!

ARTHUR ZULU. The Most Controversial Writer in the World is the author of the best -selling book HOW TO WRITE A BEST-SELLER. For your copy and FREE excerpt, click on: http://www.1stbooks.com/bookview/10975 For contact, mailto: controversialwriter@yahoo.com

About the Author

Arthur Zulu, The Most Controversial Writer in the World is the author of the best-selling book, HOW TO WRITE A BEST-SELLER. Download your copy and FREE excerpt at :http://www.1stbooks.com/bookview/10975

There are some who think the American attention span will not last forty-
five seconds much less forty-five days. By then all will be forgotten and
we’ll go back to our Blackberries and iTunes. Our ports will go on to be
managed by foreign entities because we must indulge the “friends” we
do have. Whoa! This administration has seen to it that America has no
friends, certainly none who have ties to sworn enemies who hate our
guts.

Tax cuts for the rich will be made permanent by the “corpocracy”
because it’s good for business. What about what’s good for the people?
Funding for health care, veteran’s benefits and education is being cut
drastically. The coming hurricane season is predicted to be very bad.
The Gulf Coast, God forbid, could suffer another disaster. Show us the
money to rebuild and protect it. Show us the money for our damaged
veterans.

Will Rogers (1879-1935) was a cowboy from Oklahoma who became
America’s most beloved humorist. Not since Mark Twain had the country
seen or heard such criticism in the form of witticism. While expertly
twirling his rope, Rogers would stand in front of an audience and, in his
western manner, make people laugh at his insightful jabs at politics and
government. Here are two of his quotes. And remember, this was back
in the 1920s.

“Ancient Rome declined because it had a Senate; now what’s going to
happen to us with both a Senate and a House?” “On account of being a
democracy and run by the people, we are the only nation in the world
that has to keep a government four years, no matter what it does.”

We can go back a century earlier in our history, to Abraham Lincoln who
said: “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the
people some of the time. But you can’t fool all of the people all of the
time.” Yeah, right.

Except for the formal manner in which people wrote and spoke in those
days, the following Abraham Lincoln quote could come right out of
today’s blogs.

“I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and
causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. Corporations have
been enthroned, an era of corruption in high places will follow and the
money-power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by
working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated
in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.”

“Corporations have been enthroned…” Scary isn’t it? But are the
majority of Americans so fearful today; so complacent they will allow
their precious democracy and taken-for-granted freedoms to go down
the rabbit hole? My father fought in one war, my brother in another.
Today our young men and women are dying for those same freedoms.
Many are suffering unimaginable wounds to body and soul, scars that
will be with them the rest of their lives. They do their duty and they don’t
complain. It’s time we on the home front do our duty, speak out, make
our voices heard above the din of politics and business and the
“corpocracy” that has deceived and failed us. What does it take for we
the people to rise up and end this never-ending nightmare?

“Simplicity-Courage-Humor-Soul”®

A writer/editor, I work with one client at a time, beginner or pro, for a cost
effective solution to your writing and editing needs. Contact me at
http://www.susanscharfman.com

Since the formation of a separate state, Orissa continues to be symbol of abysmal poverty and backwardness. Acute underdevelopment combined with the onslaught of natural calamities has made the life of the Oriya people miserable. While droughts and floods are regular invaders, cyclones and super cyclones make their routine visits, taking heavy tolls. Besides all this misfortunes, nature has blessed the state minerals to fill up the gap. Orissa is the richest state in minerals.

The state, two-thirds of the land surface of which comprise pre-cambrian rocks, possesses 98 per cent of the country’s chromite reserves, 71 per cent of its bauxite, 33 per cent of its iron ore and 32 per cent of its manganese resources. Orissa has vast reservoirs of natural resources to spur industrial growth and development. Its fertile land, water resources, mineral wealth, long coastline and forest resources are great assets. Still we are lagging behind to utilize the minerals for the development of Orissa. There are many prime causes, which are the major hurdles for socio-economic development of the state. Community leaders are playing major role in every step of development process and they have the capacity to eradicate all the hurdles in the grass root level.

Orissa has a population of 32 million with a high percentage of scheduled tribes and scheduled castes, approximately 24% of the total population belonging to 62 different ethnic communities, and are mostly backward. About 87% of the population lives in the villages. The Oriyas dwelling in rural Orissa are happy in their small world. Enthusiasm and expectation are the two less concerned words for them. This rural people are very simple and easily captured by anyone who attach emotionally with them. Though they have very minimal exposure to any media, so the community leaders act as the only source of information. They are less concerned about the politics, business, media and religion. They are very reluctant to accept any sort of information, which are not directly related to their day-to-day life. The community leaders are playing the role of opinion leaders and able to influence the rural Oriyas because they are well known, respected, and trusted person for them. The rural public relies upon opinion leader within their peer group(s) to provide reliable information. The local leaders are used the masses as their weapon.

In a state like Orissa, community leaders have a strong influence. Through day-to-day personal contacts, they influence others in matters of decisions and opinion formation. Due to lack of information on a particular issue, the backward community is not in a position to take any decision. They have always been depending on community leaders to reach on any decision, which may vary from family matters to international issues. In the reverse side, the tribal community has always opened to share all the information without thinking the outcome because they are thinking that they are sharing personal matters to a trusted person who can help him at the needed time. These leaders are more aware of the requirements of the rural public.

In many case, the community leader takes this advantage to revolt against the local administration. The community leaders generally come form a upper social, economic or occupational level and they have a special respect in the community. They are more informed about political and social issues as compared to other persons in a atmosphere where the local people will get fillip on the benefits of the industrialization. The local people can feel the breeze of industrialisation in the form of house, healthcare, education and employment facilities. Once the local tribal community convinces on the issue of industrialization, they will fight for the government. Every one knows it is a tedious task but not an impossible the community. They grasp information form different sources; they read newspapers and magazines; they watch the coverage of different issues relating to their society, nation etc. by the broadcast media.

When they exchanged the information to their follower, they are always diluted the original message with his personal views. And the most important part in this type of communication is that they are always using the mast powerful channel (i.e. face-to-face communication) by which they can get all the opportunities to convince the rural tribal community. Basically at the time of election, the role of community leaders is more visible. Because voting behaviour of the backward classes totally depends on the community leaders, who changed their voting intention during the course of the campaign.

Starting form rural development to AIDS awareness programme in the state, the community leaders play a crucial role in the implementation of any policy or programme in Orissa. Without help of this influential group, it will be very difficult for the government or any individual group or any non-government organization (NGO) to enter into the locality. Then it is the responsibility of the government to take the necessary step to convince the community leader by which they come forward to extend their hand to help the government in the development process. When we are talking about development we cannot ignore industrialization because directly it boost the state economy. As we are rich in manpower and mineral, the government has taken the first major step to invite major global giant for utilizing the reddish-gery iron ore.

Taking the advantages of the global demand for steel, the Orissa government has opened the door for the steel giants to invest in Orissa. During the course of time, the Biju Janata Dal-BJP alliance government signed 43 MoUs with private companies for the setting up of as many greenfield steel plants. The State government’s Steel and Mines Department estimates the investment in these steel plants to the tune of Rs.1,37,157.85 crores. The areas that would witness mining of iron ore and the setting up of new steel plants and captive power plants are Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Jajpur, Dhenkanal and Angul districts, which are some of the most underdeveloped districts in the State. At the higher level, the government has completed all the formalities to convert Orissa into the No.1 State in the country by quickening the pace of industrialization. But when we consider about the ground reality for setting up of huge steel companies, we have taken aback because of the obstacles came to the site at different stages. The recent Kalinga Nagar firing has killed the spirit of Industrialisation. This is not a new incident for the people of Orissa.

Whenever and wherever any industry plans to lay down the foundation stone, the first and foremost outcome of every project is the same. Either they abandon the project or divert the investment amount to upgrade the established project. Tata steel’s earlier proposal to set up a ten million tonne steel project at Gopalpur in Ganjam district had also run into trouble with police opening fire at Sindhigan in the project area on August 7, 1997. Two women had been killed in stampede caused by the police action after which the company shelved the project. The steel project at Gopalpur in Ganjam district proposed by Tata did not take off after residents refused to move out.

If you go deeply into the core issue, you can find community leaders had conspired to create unrest in the industrial area. They have masterminded the entire process and provoked the tribal community by meeting personally or public meeting. The community leaders are always backed by political parties and influenced by the political leaders. Now time has come to think about the state. Above the personal benefits of any particular person, or particular community or any particular party, we should think about the welfare of our state. This is the equal responsibility of government and every Oriya to participate in the development process. Particularly the community leaders should use their third sense before forwarding any step towards destruction, which leads the state backward direction. Day by day our position become worsen in every aspect of life. When government is planning to take any step for the welfare of the state, it is better to support and abolish all the hurdles in the way to development.

Community leaders are the ‘queen-bees’ in a backward state like Orissa. The local administration should involve the community leaders in the development process. Before any huge investment in any area, government should have a face-to-face conversation with the community leaders. Because they have well known about the emerging issues relating to that particular locality. Based on those issues, government should formulate some guideline, which has always benefited to the local community. In the next step, the government should take all the necessary steps to persuade the local backward classes with the help of the community leaders. Before reaching into the final stage, the government should create such task.

The author is a media researcher in Journalism Department of ICFAI University. He has five years experience in electronic media in the field of Public Relations and Media Relations. His qualifications include a Master in Journalism and Mass Communication, had special paper Advertising and Public Relations.