Governor Mike Beebe has announced that the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, an agency of the Dept. of Arkansas Heritage, has awarded $1,287,097 in grants for projects in 38 Arkansas counties.  Carroll County received a $63,384 County Courthouse Restoration Subgrant for roof restoration at the 1880 courthouse in Berryville (above left) and a $19,000 grant to complete restoration of the front facade of the Eureka Springs courthouse (above right).  The Eureka Springs Historical Museum received a $22,733 Historic Preservation Restoration Grant for roof and gutter restoration fo the Calif Building in Eureka Springs.  The City of Eureka Springs received a $9,000 Certified Local Government Grant for training and to develop an interpretive welcome center for the Eureka Underground walking trail.

WASHINGTON, DC – The Employment Policies Institute’s (EPI) new study shows that the widely employed estimate of 47 million uninsured Americans is a misleading representation of the problem. The study, authored by Drs. June and David O’Neill of Baruch College and City University of New York, shows that more than 43 percent, or 18 million, of uninsured Americans ages 18-64 could likely afford health coverage and are actually “voluntarily uninsured.” June O’Neill served as Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) from 1995-1999.

The uninsured population varies dramatically from state to state. Arkansas ranks fifth in the nation, with 26 percent of residents currently without insurance. In comparison, 28 percent of Louisiana and 18 percent of New York residents are uninsured. The states with the highest and lowest percentages of uninsured residents are Texas (30%) and Minnesota (11%). The national average is 20 percent uninsured. Arkansas’ uninsured population is made up of 17 percent “involuntarily” and 8 percent “voluntarily” uninsured. Three states (Texas, Florida and California) make up a third of the nation’s uninsured population. These results suggest that federal policies for extending public coverage for the uninsured should take into account interstate differences.

Current policy proposals dramatically overestimate the cost of providing affordable health insurance for those Americans who currently cannot afford coverage due to a lack of understanding of who the involuntarily uninsured population is, why they lack coverage, and the amount of health care resources that they currently access. With greater understanding and recognition of the diversity within the uninsured population, the goal of providing affordable health insurance to all Americans should be possible with solutions that cost far less than the CBO’s estimated figure of $1.6 trillion for implementing recent congressional proposals that would only address two-thirds of the problem.

“Instead of focusing on a one-size fits all approach to health care coverage, we should look at what individual states are currently offering and provide additional federal support as needed,” said study author Dr. O’Neill. “We urge policymakers not to rush the healthcare debate. This study shows that we need to better understand American’s uninsured population and the factors affecting both coverage and access to care.”

Using data from a number of surveys to determine what percentage of uninsured Americans are actually unable to afford it, the study finds that at least 43 percent of Americans in the 18-64 year-old age group have incomes at least 2.5 times the poverty level and are “voluntarily” uninsured. The study finds that 79 percent of people with incomes between 2.5 and 3.75 times the poverty level currently purchase private health insurance. In view of the large percentages covered at this level, the authors consider this uninsured group as having enough disposable income to purchase health insurance.

Study: O’Neill, Drs. June and Dave; “Who Are the Uninsured? An Analysis of America’s Uninsured Population, Their Characteristics and Their Health” http://epionline.org/studies/oneill_06-2009.pdf

NWAonline

FAYETTEVILLE — Local currency like Ozark Hours should not be confused with an alternative banking scheme that surfaced in Carroll County two years ago.

Wayne Hicks, of Berryville, pleaded guilty in federal court in October 2008 to conspiracy to defraud the federal government of income taxes.

Hicks operated a scheme called ICIS or MYICIS which allowed its members to avoid paying taxes.

Many members were involved in the so-called Patriot Movement and were generally anti-government and did not pay federal taxes. Some schemed to overthrow the federal government, according to prosecutors.

But, Hicks was also into the alternative currency movement, specifically Liberty Dollars, a currency based on silver.

Hicks became nationally known for his work establishing the Liberty Dollar in Berryville and was a "Regional Currency Officer" for the national organization at one time.

Backers said in 2005 that Berryville was one of the three largest communities using Liberty Dollars. The others were Austin, Texas, and Asheville, N.C.

But, after Hicks moved on to Branson and later federal prison, the Liberty Dollar craze in Berryville petered out.

In September 2006, the U.S. Mint issued a statement saying the Justice Department had determined that circulating Liberty Dollars as money is a federal crime. Bernard von Nothaus, who is credited with coming up with the Liberty Dollar concept, sued. He claimed using Liberty Dollars as a voluntary bartering currency is not a federal crime.

Gold, silver and platinum and coins were confiscated during raids on Liberty Dollar offices in November 2007.

About four weeks ago, organizers for the National Organization for the Repeal of the Federal Reserve were indicted in federal court in North Carolina for their connection with distributing the Liberty Dollar coins, the U.S. Justice Department reported. Among those indicted was von Nothaus.

The indictment alleges the organization was selling the Liberty Dollar coin at a greater price than was paid for it.

Today's community currency system organizers stress taxes must be paid in U.S. dollars.

A local currency doesn't exist in Arkansas, said John Theis, assistant revenue commissioner with the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. And the state does not have any definitive set of policies for a local currency, he added. But the bottom line is, pay your taxes.

"If the local currency is treated as a thing of value, sales tax would be due on the total value of the item or service sold, regardless of the type of consideration used to complete the purchase," Theis said.